(College AU - KLANCE!!)

Lance stared at himself in the mirror. He stared and stared and stared and hated what he saw.

"What do the others think?" He asked aloud, not caring. Nobody else was in the bathroom and nobody would be for a few more hours. It was nearly two in the morning, one of the times Lance would wander around the small house rented and shared by his friend group. Rent was definitely cheap.

"What if they hate me?" Lance bit his bottom lip, withholding tears. Keith had yelled at him today when he made a joke. He was only trying to lighten the mood - everyone was so tired after finals.

But they didn't know that Lance's mom had died hours before he sat down to take the test, or that he was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and OCD earlier in the week. They didn't know that he was trying so hard not to let go to the dark thoughts clouding his mind. So they yelled and groaned and sighed at him.

So at two in the morning, Lance picked up a razor.

°•°

Lance decided to wear long sleeves. It was still spring, and not yet hot enough to warrant tank tops, so his thin, long-sleeved white shirt was perfect. Keith gave him a half-hearted hello as he sat down at the table. Lance didn't acknowledge him.

"I said hello." Keith poked Lance's arm playfully. "Did you hear?"

"Yeah, I heard." Lance pulled out a box of cereal, then added, "Morning."

"Lance, quiet down, I've got one hell of a headache." Shiro groaned, walking into the kitchen. Lance bit his lower lip.

"Sorry, Shiro." He muttered, trying to be sensitive, but Shiro didn't even hear him.

°•°

Class was cancelled that day for reasons Lance didn't care to read about in the email he got - all he caref about was that classes were cancelled. That meant alone time, because he was especially broke and had no money to go out with the rest of his friends. Especially now that he needed to scourge up enough money to pay for a plane ticket​ to his mother's funeral. She lived across the country from where he was studying at ONU (Original Name University), near his father's house.

So Lance stayed at home and browsed the internet, trying to distract himself from the horrible week he'd been having.

And then it got worse.

Keith stayed home, and since they shared a room, he sat on the bunk below him, listening to his music too loud. Lance could hear the MCR through his headphones.

"Hey, could you turn that down?" Lance yawned. Keith pulled his headphones off.

"What do you want?" He snapped. Lance pursed his lips nervously.

"Could you maybe turn your music down? Please?" He asked again. Keith rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Keith muttered, turning the music down one notch. Lance decided to give up - Keith wasn't usually like this, so he, too, must've been in a bad mood.

Lance knew that with music blaring so loud, Keith wouldn't be able to hear him. So he cried. He let it all out, all the stress and shit he'd felt that week.

He didn't even notice when Keith's headphones ran out of battery.

"Can you quiet the fuck down?!" Keith snapped upon hearing Lance sobbing into his pillow.

"J-just leave me alone, Keith." Lance sniffled.

"God, you don't have to be so babyish over me playing my music too loud."

Lance bit his bottom lip, then released it. He'd had enough shit this week, and Keith didn't seem to care.

"That's not what I'm crying about." Lance said solemnly. It was too late now, now he had to tell him.

"Then what was it?" Keith grumbled.

"My mom died. I was diagnosed with three mental illnesses. I'm too broke to afford a plane ticket. I cut myself this morning. I-"

"What the hell kind of a friend are you?" Keith asked hollowly. Lance just blinked.

"What do-"

"You probably woke up this morning and thought, 'you know what'd be great? If I reminded Keith of the things that almost made him kill himself.' God, who even told you? I specifically asked everyone not to tell you about-"

"Nobody told me anything. I wasn't mocking you." Lance felt tears forming in his eyes. "I was trying to tell you because I need someone to lean on. But I'd rather be dead than lean on an asshole like you."

"Wait, so you were being serious about-"

"Do you think I would lie or joke about this?!" Lance shouted suddenly. Every time he'd stepped down, bit his tongue or told himself he was wrong was coming back to him. "Do you think I would lie or joke about my mom's death? My crippling OCD? My depression? Don't forget my anxiety, or my ADHD!"

"Lance, I didn't mean to-"

"I don't care! Why can't you just leave me alone?!" Lance jumped down from the top bunk and ran. He slammed the door in Keith's face and grabbed his phone and shoes, pulling on the worn, off-brand sneakers. He ran out the front door. He ran down the street. He ran around campus. He ran back. He saw Keith waiting for him, so he turned away and ran to the nearest drug store.

Inside, he bought the cheapest thing he could find (which happened to be a bag of unfamiliar, fully stocked chips) and sat down outside. He thanked whatever God out there for the lack of a good heater in the house which prompted him to wear a hoodie. He pulled the hood over his face and ate the chips. They were slightly stale, but surprisingly good. He was making a mental note to get some more later when Hunk walked up to him.

"What's up, Lance?" He asked with a smile. Lance forced a smile onto his face, remembering to squint slightly to make it realistic.

"Not much. How about yourself?"

"Well, Keith texted me. He's really worried about you." Hunk say down next to Lance.

"I, uh, don't see why he would be." Lance lied. Of all the people to find out, he didn't want Hunk to be first.

"If you're sure."

He wasn't.

A/N - there will be a part two soon ;)