Keith sat on the edge of his bed, scowling irritably. He ran a hand through his hair, which had grown out a lot recently, his thoughts racing. It was almost Christmas, and he had yet to find a gift for Shiro. The two boys hadn't exchanged gifts the first year, mostly because Keith was still preventing himself from getting too attached, just so he could protect himself.

But the second year had passed by quickly, with Keith finding himself unable to resist Shiro. So, that lead to his current dilemma. He had no idea what to buy Shiro, and even if he did, he had no money. It wasn't like he could ask Shiro for money to buy his own gift.

Keith let out a growl of frustration, flopping backwards on the mattress. He silently thought about his past two years.

/"Keith!" The ten year old boy ignored the voice calling him. The rain came down in sheets, preventing Keith from seeing more than a few feet in front of him. "Keith, come back!" The boy was so blinded by the rain, so desperate to get away, that he didn't notice when he ran right into the street.

Headlights shone through the waves of water as Keith screamed, frozen in fear. The car brakes screeched, but it wasn't doing enough. The road was too slick, the car was coming, he was going to die-

A pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist, and Keith felt himself being pulled backwards. Keith and the figure behind him went flying backwards, crashing onto the muddy ground.

"Keith!" Shiro's voice was loud in order to be heard over the rain. "What were you thinking?! You could have died! Don't you-" Shiro trailed off when he noticed the way Keith's lower lips trembled. With a sigh, Shiro pulled his jacket off, wrapping it around the trembling boy. Carefully, he scooped the thin form up into his arms, and turned to head home./

Keith, now twelve, still shook whenever he thought back on that night. He had only been living with Shiro for less than a week when he'd decided to run away.

That definitely wasn't the smartest decision.

But luckily for Keith, Shiro had gone after him, saving him from whatever cruel fate awaited. And it wasn't the last time Shiro protected Keith.

/Keith walked down the halls of his school, ignoring the whispers and sympathetic glances that were sent his way. Even as the bells rang, and students filed towards their respective classes, they would shoot him looks when they walked by.

It had been like this for a month now. They entire school had decided that Keith was some poor, unfortunate soul that needed their love and affection.

"Hey, loser!" Well, almost the whole school. Keith turned around to see three boys strolling towards him, cruel grins on their faces. "Wait up!" Keith ignored them, continuing down the nearly empty hallway.

"What do you want, Tom?" Keith asked, resigned. The boy- Tom, sneered, and his two buddies made their way behind Keith, effectively preventing him from walking away.

"I heard you're living with some guy now." Tom leaned against a locker as he spoke. "Why is that?"

Keith stiffened. "You know why."

"I know what people are saying." Tom replied. "People are saying that your father died in a fire." Keith did his best to keep his gaze level with the bully. "But I think that's a lie. I think dear old Dad up and left you." Tom leaned closer. "Just like your mother."

Tom didn't even have time to see the fist that flew towards his face.

Keith sighed, picking at a piece of lint on his pants. Shiro walked out of the principle's office, a slightly resigned look on his face. Wordlessly, he sat down next to the boy, who had dried blood on his face and hands.

Shiro let out a sigh, similar to the one Keith had let out moments before. He glanced at Keith's ripped clothes, before taking off his Garrison jacket. He wrapped it around Keith, who froze at first, but gave into the warmth that it provided./

With a loud groan, Keith rolled over onto his stomach. Shiro had always been there for him, ready to talk, to sit, to comfort, whatever it was Keith needed at the time.

And Keith had nothing to repay him.

/"Keith?" Shiro called out softly. He walked into the small living room, searching for the young boy. A soft smile crossed his face when he saw Keith curled up on the couch, fast asleep. The boy shivered suddenly, his eyes opening to see Shiro.

Shiro moved over to him as Keith began to sit up, blinking to clear the sleep from his eyes. He shivered again despite himself, and Shiro handed over the jacket that he'd been holding. Keith smiled gratefully, wrapping himself up in it.

"I want you to keep it." Keith's head shot up in surprise at the soft spoken statement.

"Shiro, I-"

"It always seems to end up on you anyway." Keith couldn't help but smile, and Shiro's expression matched his own. The two curled back up, enjoying each other's company for the time being./

Keith stared at the same jacket, which now laid over his dresser. A pang of guilt washed through him. All he seemed to do was take from Shiro, and never actually give anything in return.

A sudden thought sprang into the boy's mind, and he jumped off his bed with an abundance of energy. Keith ran towards the boxes of his dad's stuff, rifling through them. He nearly let out a cheer of victory when he finally found the item he'd been searching for.

-"Can we exchange presents now?" Keith could barely contain himself as he stared across the table at Shiro. The young man smiled, and had barely finished nodding before Keith had made it halfway to his room. Shiro listened as Keith stomped to his bedroom and back, returning with a small package in his hands.

Shiro barely bit back a laugh at the sight of the messily wrapped item. "You got me something?" Keith nodded, thrusting it into Shiro's hands. The boy bounced impatiently as Shiro took his time examining the package.

"Can you just open it already?!" Shiro smiled when Keith finally lost his patience. The young man tore apart the wrapping, until he finally lifted the item out...

"A jacket?" Shiro questioned.

Keith nodded. "It used to be my dad's."

"Keith, I- I can't take this." Shiro tried to push the jacket into Keith's hands, but the boy refused.

"You need a new jacket to replace the one you gave me, anyway." Shiro smiled wide, before pulling the jacket on. As Keith stared up at the young man, he realized something.

He may have lost his birth family, but he was on his way to building a new one.

Keith couldn't have picked a better man to call a brother.

So, I felt like I needed an explanation as to why Shiro has the coat Keith's Dad used to wear. So bam! Here ya go. Crappy writing and a terrible plot. Yay.