This is so cheesy but I hope you enjoy it. As always, sorry for being bad at writing and updating lol...

Just a couple of things to clarify before you read, Lance refers to Pidge as he/him during this one shot because it is set pre-Voltron so he still thinks Pidge is a boy! Also, I headcanon Keith as autistic so there are implications of this throughout. Now enjoy.

Thunder crashed outside Lance's dorm window and, a few minutes later, it was followed up with a lightning bolt that illuminated the entire room. Another crash. It sounded close.

Lance's trembling hands reached for his phone and switched on his flashlight: he had never been a fan of the dark, let alone during a thunderstorm. Using it to guide the way towards his door, he flicked on the light switch. Despite his efforts, the room remained buried in darkness. Great, the power was out. Lance swallowed. He debated sending a message to Hunk, his best friend, but knew that he could sleep through an earthquake so there wasn't much point trying. Pidge was his next option but he knew he had stayed up the previous night to complete an abundance of science homework at the last possible minute so he needed sleep too.

But he was terrified. His entire body was shaking and his eyes were shining and his head was sweating and his mind was racing and he was THIS close to crawling under his bed to hide from the scary noises. It was too much.

There was one more person he could think of: Keith... but there was no chance he would look after an anxious Lance. He was the least sensitive person Lance knew, for God's sake. Another boom of thunder told Lance that being with Keith was still a million times better than being alone so he stumbled out of his dorm door and down the hall. His legs moved quickly, hoping to run away from the storm that was only getting worse. Alas, it seemed to follow him. He knocked like lightning- ironically- as the hall was enveloped in another wave of brightness. As he waited for Keith to open the door, he wrapped his arms around himself and bounced from one foot to another to make the seconds pass at a greater speed.

"Huh?" Keith murmured, exhaustion lacing his voice as he pulled the door open. He poked his head out of the room, revealing dark bags under his eyes and red cheeks. He had clearly been asleep.

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you up. I should-" Lance said but, before he could make an excuse to leave, the thunder made him jump again. Keith raised an eyebrow at the sight before grabbing Lance's arm and dragging him inside the small room.

"You've already woke me up so what's going on?"

Biting his lip and staring holes into his sock-clad feet, Lance remained silent.

"Why come here if you won't talk?"

"Are you sure I shouldn't just leave?"

"Look at yourself," Keith mumbled, just as more thunder made Lance shrink and stiffen even more. It was weird to see him so small when usually Lance's jokes made his ego the largest thing in the room. "Sit."

Both sat side by side on Keith's bed, leaving a 30cm gap between them. They had never really gotten along too well, with Keith hating how cocky Lance could be and Lance hating how little Keith cared about his scholarship. There had always been a deep rivalry but Lance needed to be with someone and Keith was the only person available at the time. He would suffice. So long as he didn't kick him out or start an argument.

"So you're scared of the storm, huh? That's a bit stupid for someone so cocky." Keith let out a small chuckle, aiming for a joke but missing the post. The only thing he succeeded with was making Lance pull his legs up to his chest, hugging them tightly. "Hey, I was only joking."

"Well, it wasn't funny."

"Sorry." They lapsed into silence, the only sound being the pitter-patter of rain outside. Keith scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to comfort the shaking boy beside him. "I'm not really good at this... comforting stuff. Maybe Hunk would be better."

"He's a deep sleeper so you were my only option."

"Oh, that's nice to know."

"Please can you stop being so... annoying and distract me or something. I really-" A loud gasp escaped Lance's mouth after another round of thunder and lightning. "I really hate storms."

"How do I distract you?"

"I don't know! Just- Just talk."

"You called me annoying!"

Another boom made Lance bolt forward and crash into Keith. His childlike instincts had kicked in and made him crave the kind of hug that his mother used to give during anxious, fearful times. Once he realised what had happened, he jumped up onto his feet and shook his head rapidly. "Uh... sorry about that. I didn't realise what I was doing."

Keith forced a smile, despite not knowing how to respond. "It's fine. We can hug if you want."

"...Really?" Repressing his scepticism, Lance crawled back up to Keith and wrapped his arms around his thin waist.

"So you want me to talk?"

"Please... I need to focus on another noise."

"Sure..." Subconsciously, Keith began to twirl Lance's hair around his finger. It wasn't for Lance's comfort but his own, as he felt incredibly out of place when touching another human being. It was such a foreign feeling after growing up in foster homes without much love or physical affection. "Uh... there's this guy, I think he's a junior officer for the Garrison, he's been coaching me a bit. His name is Shiro, you probably know him. He knows I struggle with relationships and stuff so he's been really helpful. His team have been planning a trip to Kerberos, I'm sure you know because everyone is talking about it."

"I do because Shiro is literally my idol but tell me something else. Tell me about you." Lance didn't really care about Keith but he couldn't help but feel a little curious. They had been in classes together since joining the Garrison and all Lance knew about him was that he was a foster kid and talented when it came to the flying simulators.

"I don't really like talking about myself," Keith began but continued anyway, once Lance stiffened in response to more lightning. "Uh... I was fostered for most of my life because my dad died when I was little. My families were okay but I never really bonded with any of them. The only thing that has been constant in my life is science which is why I love it so much. Even when jumping from school to school, the subjects were still pretty similar so I got good at studying I guess, even if I sucked at social stuff. It's kind of sad actually because I want to make friends but I can't. I just don't get it. I don't get people, if you know what I mean?" Keith glanced down to analyse Lance's response but the boy's eyes had already closed and tiny, short breaths were escaping his mouth. At the next bolt of lightning, Lance's body didn't flinch.

-

The next morning, Keith caught Lance attempting to sneak out of his room as quietly as possible. "Wait..." He said, holding his hand out as a signal for Lance to stop.

Lance's eyes widened as he realised he had been caught. "What?" He murmured, avoiding eye contact as if it was a deadly weapon attempting to kill him.

"Uh... don't tell anyone about this. It was embarrassing." As much as Keith had liked having someone to hold, he had a reputation to maintain. He wanted people to fear and avoid him so that he wouldn't have to interact with anyone: he would just mess it up and become a laughing stock. Even if, on the off-chance Lance wanted to remain friends, he would probably mess that up too by missing signals and looking like an idiot. It wasn't worth the effort. The risk outweighed the reward, in his eyes at least.

"Trust me, it was more embarrassing for me. I won't tell anyone. It's our little secret, mullet." With that, Lance slipped out the door and it was as if he had never been there at all.

It's been a while, hasn't it? I hope you are doing okay and, if not, I am always here to talk. Even if I don't post, I still check my messages and notifications regularly so should respond fairly quickly!