Space Dad with Traumatized Keith(oneshot)

1//

Everything was fuzzy around him. Nothing feels real...

He doesn't know what's going on around him anymore... fear and anxiety pools in his stomach as he sits curled in a tight ball in the corner of this bed, his back flush against the wall.

When all of the paladins had returned from a mission he had managed to flee to his room without anyone noticing. His whole world felt like it was falling apart, he was just able to hold himself together for a while. Shortly after when Shiro had come to tell him that he was going on another mission, his head felt like it was being stuffed with cotton. He couldn't think straight...

Everything felt so fuzzy.. so confusing... He's scared and upset for no good reason...

He doesn't understand what's going on around him... The lack of understanding that he currently has was enough to make what was holding him together snap, and it did. In no time at all his breathing picks up and fear takes hold. Silent tears start to fall off his pale cheeks.

After a few minutes of panic, there is a knock on his door. A muffled feminine voice says his name from outside his room. He doesn't respond. His door is locked so they can't get in.

"Keith are you alright?" The voice, who he's assuming is Allura, says from the outside. He doesn't respond again. He doesn't want Allura or anyone to see him like this. He doesn't understand why he can't stop shaking or why nothing is processing through his head, and the fact that he is being spoken to and he cant respond is making it worse. His heart picks up and fear pools like an ocean in his stomach.

"Keith, your heart rate is increasing at an alarming rate, are you okay??" Allura sternly asks from the other side, concern clear in her voice, but once again, receives no answer. Nothing else that was said to him really registered after that.

"Keith. Are you there?" A familiar voice asks. It's really loud and in his ears and he's not even registering who it is that is speaking to him. He's not sure how long the gap was between Allura asking him about his heart rate and this mystery person speaking to him, but it must have been a good few minutes.

"Keith, can you hear me? I need to know." The voice says. The voice sounds so familiar. Could this be his dad? No. That's not possible. His dad is dead... Who is this person then?

"Keith, it's Shiro. Can you hear me?" The voice asks. His foggy brain supplies the word "dad" to his head, but he doesn't speak it. He's still trying to figure out how to speak properly.

"Keith. Buddy. I don't know if you can hear me, but I need you to listen." Shiro says. A muffled and soft, "I'm here.." leaves his mouth. He sounds so weak and pathetic and it makes him feel worse about everything.

"Hey, bud. It's going to be okay. I'm going to try to head back as soon as I can, okay? Just try to use those breathing exercises I showed you." Shiro says. A nearly silent "okay.." leaves the boy before the radio goes silent. A giant broken sob suddenly leaves him as waves of grief over nothing rush over him. The sounds of confused crying and hyperventilating fills the room and continues until he hears his door open.

The tears are still falling down his face uncontrollably and everything is so confusing. The door shuts and Shiro makes his presence known.

"Hey, buddy," Shiro says softly, sitting on the bed. He is gentle and slow as to not overwhelm the boy and to not worsen the situation. Shiro takes off his helmet and boots and pulls himself onto the bed. "C'mere, buddy." The space dad says, holding out his arms in a welcoming manner. The panicked boy wastes no time in curling up against Shiro.

Keith's helmet, which he had never realized was still on his head, was gently taken off and thrown off the bed. Sobs become muffled as Keith buries his face in Shiro's chest, and his breathing calms down a bit. Shiro runs a gentle hand through the panicked boy's sweaty hair.

"It's going to be okay, Keith. You're okay. Everything is fine." Gentle assurances leave Shiro as he holds the boy who feels so small and frail at the moment.

It takes a long time for Keith to calm down, and when he does he's just a tired mess. His eyes are red and puffy from crying for so long and his head is still fuzzy but it hurts this time. "See? You're okay." Shiro says, gently holding Keith in his arms. Keith nods, letting his consciousness slip away.

end 806 words//