Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron Legendary Defender

Heartbreak and Hugs

Lance is a little jealous sometimes. He knows that. He's 7 and occasionally jealous. Not uncommon among his class, he's sure, but it's something he feels nonetheless. The reason is simple, of course. It's Keith; it's always Keith. This time, it's about how Keith gets to sit out of English class, which is already quite excruciating to sit through. He's out in the hall, probably reading an equally boring book for fun or doing a cool word search. Either seem likely. So when Lance excuses himself to go to the bathroom and his teacher lets him go, he makes a detour to see just what Keith is up to. He's expecting something radical or cool or whatever it is Keith does when he's allowed to be alone. He doesn't expect crying.

To be fair, Lance never expects crying. He cries, sure, and so do people from his class, but he never walks to them expecting them to burst into tears. Or be already in tears, which is exactly where Lance finds Keith on this particular Tuesday morning.

To anyone else Keith probably just looks to be deep in thought with his head down or in a timeout for a reason he's ashamed of. But Lance knows what crying feels like. He knows what it looks like when you're trying to hide your tears, and it looks a lot like Keith.

it is important to note here that as much as Lance fronts, he does not hate Keith. Keith is actually an okay kid. He's just perfect all the time and that kinda gets on Lance's nerves. But even perfect people have imperfect problems that make them cry, he supposes, and that thought sends him forward. He crouches down next to Keith's curled up form, and now that they're close he can hear the muffed cries of his classmate.

"Keith?" The sounds stop abruptly and Keith very carefully peeks at Lance sideways through his bangs. His eyes, usually a dark gray, seemed almost purple after a good cry. It is a devastatingly sad look for someone who seems to switch exclusively between annoyed and mildly interested on a daily basis.

"What?"

"Why're you crying?"

"Leave me alone, Lance."

"Buddy, what is it?" Lance is trying for his nicest tone before unwittingly switching to something a little more stubborn. "I'm not leaving until you tell me."

Keith seems more than hesitant to divulge more information so Lance waits patiently for Keith for the first time in his entire seven year old life. It's easier than he thought it would have been, and Lance nudges Keith's shoulder with encouragement to emphasize that although they are rivals, this is going to be a truce.

"It's my brother." Keith stares straight ahead, and Lance can see the beginning of a new wave of tears slip down his classmate's chubby cheeks. "He's going away for high school. He just got accepted to a school, and Dad says that it's far away."

"How far?"

"I don't know. He's just going to go. And he has to live there because it's too far to travel everyday from home. He's leaving us."

Lance frowns, small brows scrunching together with concentration. "Well, he'll come visit right? And call? My sis did that a lot when she first left for school too."

"Maybe, but he won't be here. What if I need him?" Keith's eyes are a murky shade. "He promised he'd be here for me."

"Well," begins Lance, scrambling for an answer despite the tears that are falling down Keith's face, "sometimes, um, big kids say stuff that they mean, but other stuff, um, pops up and then-"

Keith rolls his watery eyes but graces Lance with a smile. "I know that. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

Lance nods sagely with a quick, "yeah, I get that," before turning his whole body towards Keith, arms spread open. "Do you need a hug?"

"From you?"

"Well, hugs make people who feel bad feel better. How do you feel?"

"Bad," admits Keith, scrubbing away from tears, "like my heart is breaking."

Lance wiggles his fingers a bit. "Come on, then. My mama always says a good hug can squeeze your heart back together."

"That doesn't sound real," says Keith skeptically, but he's turned his body towards Lance as well.

"It's true. Trust me. When Nyma from JK forgot to meet me at the park a a few weeks ago, it broke my heart. And then my ma hugged me and I felt a lot better!"

"That worked?"

Lance frowns. His arms are getting tired. "Do you want a hug or not?"

"It can't hurt," says Keith before being pulled into Lance's hug. Lance holds on tight, careful not to smother Keith into his shirt but trying, regardless, to impart some kind of warmth. Lance tries to channel his mother in this hug; he tries to mimic the way she rubs his back and runs her hands through his hair. She is soothing, and Lance is as soothing as a 7 year old can really be, but he tries. Keith's hair is a little long, but Lance's fingers still run through it easily. Keith's arms come up to hug him back and fist in the cotton of Lance's shirt.

Lance doesn't know how long they stay like that. Somewhere in the middle, Keith starts crying again, but by the end, his breathing only holds a slight hitch.

"Any better?" asks Lance when his chin starts to protest its angle on Keith's shoulder.

"Not worse," murmurs Keith.

Lance sighs a little, staring down the empty hallway behind Keith. "Still heartbroken?"

"A little."

Lance's head knocks against Keith's a little. "Maybe you need a double hug," he says thoughtfully, readjusting his arms around Keith's body.

Keith takes a quick breath, likely to say something, but he has giggles falling out instead as Lance's double hug squeezes him around the middle where he is the most ticklish. It leaves Keith a little breathless and Lance, surprisingly, is too. He has heard Keith laugh a small handful of times, but Lance has quickly decided that he doesn't mind this sound, the laugh that he's caused, at all.

"Lance, wha-"

"No good?" Lance smiles. "A triple hug should do the trick."

Keith dissolves into laughter as Lance hugs him tightly three distinct times.

"Better?" Keith continues to giggle into Lance's shirt and Lance pulls back, hands going to Keith's shoulders. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Thanks, Lance." Keith's eyes look so much better like this; a bit red and poofy, a bit bright, but devoid of tears.

Lance beams proudly. "Of course! I give awesome hugs. Hunk is probably number one next to my mama, of course, but my triple hug is legendary."

"I see."

"Do you think you'll come back to class? It's not as fun without you there." Keith blinks at him with surprise and Lance, embarrassed, pushes forward with, "And it's almost snack time! Hunk said his dad packed some homemade cookies too."

"Sounds yummy," Keith offers with almost uncharacteristic shyness.

"Yup. He'll share if we ask. He's super cool like that." Lance stands up and takes Keith's hand, feeling closer to this boy than he has in the 3 years he has known him. "Come with me."

Lance is a little jealous, he knows this, but he can't find it in him to be jealous of anyone as Keith nods and beams up at him with the prettiest smile Lance has ever seen. It lights him up inside and makes his face warm and Lance runs back to the classroom with Keith in hand wondering how he could have ever disliked Keith in the first place.