Roommates (Klance College AU)

1

Keith sat on his bed, the one on the right side of the small room, reading through a text book. Lance was out doing only God knows what, and Keith thought it would be best to try and get as much valuable work time in as he could for this short moment of peace and quiet he's oh so badly needed.

Keith's silence was soon interrupted by a sudden knock on the door to the boys' room. Keith grimaced as he got up to look through the peephole. People often show up from time to time for Lance. Usually his "fan-girls," as he likes to call them.

Keith's annoyance changed to confusion as soon as he saw the figure standing outside the door. This wasn't anyone like usual. He took in their small build, and simple attire. They had short, fluffy, light hair and wore an opened green zip-up over a plain white T-shirt. Keith slowly opened the door, finally face-to-face with the mysterious person.

"Hello?" he asked. "Lance isn't here."

"I know," they said. "I can just wait." The person let themself into the dorm, walking past Keith and seating themself on Lance's bed. They crossed their legs and did whatever on their phone.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows and closed the door again. That was weird.

Keith went back to his bed to continue his work, although focusing was difficult with an unknown body in his close proximity.

Curiosity eventually got the better of Keith. He couldn't help but steal glances at the stranger who seemed so at ease on Lance's bed. The silence stretched between them, filled only by the tapping of the stranger's fingers on their phone screen. Keith cleared his throat, "So, uh, who are you?"

The stranger looked up, their eyes meeting Keith's with an unreadable expression. "I'm Pidge," they replied, their voice calm and even. "I'm a friend of Lance's from high school."

Keith nodded, processing the information. Pidge didn't seem anythinglike Lance's usual friends. It was somewhat refreshing, although the dynamic between them was still a puzzle, as it always is with Lance and his friends.

"Okay, well, make yourself at home, I guess," Keith muttered, turning his attention back to his textbook, though his concentration was now completely shattered.

Time passed slowly, with Keith pretending to read and Pidge scrolling through their phone. The quiet was awkward, a stark contrast to the usual chaos when Lance was around. Keith caught himself ever so slightly missing his arguments with Lance, and forcibly had to stop himself. Why would he even think something like that?

Eventually, Keith's curiosity and the need for some form of interaction won over his desire for solitude. "So, you and Lance... you're close?" Keith asked, not even sure of why he would ask such a thing.

Pidge looked up from their phone, a slight smile tugging at the corners of their mouth. "Yeah, you could say that. We've been through a lot together," they explained. "Lance can be... a lot, but he's a good friend."

Keith found himself nodding, a small smile of his own forming. It was true; Lance could be overwhelming at times with his larger-than-life personality, but he was loyal to those he cared about.

The conversation began to flow more naturally after that, with Pidge sharing stories of their high school escapades and Keith offering a few amusing anecdotes about his first few weeks of college. Despite the initial awkwardness, Keith found that he enjoyed Pidge's company. They were a refreshing change from Lance's usual crowd.

As they talked, Keith realized that Pidge was quite intuitive, occasionally making observations about him that he hadn't even voiced. It was a little unsettling but also intriguing. Pidge had a way of seeing things that others didn't, and Keith appreciated the depth it added to their conversation.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing a cheerful Lance who was surprised to find his roommate and friend deep in conversation. "What's going on here?" Lance asked cautiously.

Pidge stood up, stretching. "Just filling in until you got back. You owe me for that project, remember?"

Lance groaned but smiled, "Yeah, yeah," he dismissed their statement with a wave. "I remember. Thanks, Pidge."

As Pidge gathered their things to leave, Keith felt a sense of disappointment at the interruption. He realized he had enjoyed the unexpected company more than he thought he would. "See you around, Pidge," Keith said, a genuine smile on his face.

Pidge returned a smile back. "Don't be a stranger." They offered a small wave before exiting the room.

Once Pidge had left, Lance turned to Keith and crossed his arms. He gave Keith an interrogating look.

"What?" Keith asked.

"So, you two hit it off, huh?" he asked, raising a questioning brow.

Keith shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. "I dunno. Pidge is cool."

Lance narrowed his eyes at Keith even further before returning back to his usual aura. "Welp, I better not keep them waiting too long. We were planning on heading to the library together for a bit."

Keith gave Lance a strange look. "The library?"

"...Yeah?"

"Really? You?"

"What's so surprising about that?" Lance sounded offended.

Keith shrugged. "Nothing, nothing. You go have fun."

Lance scoffed. "See ya, loser."

Keith watched as Lance left the dorm again and couldn't fight the slight smile from forming on his face.