Written for Sheith Positivity Summer Week Day 4 - Popsicles/Fireworks.
I suppose this could be a Fourth of July story or also . . . I don't know, just about any holiday that involves fireworks, in any place that's allowed. (I came across the apparent controversy/arguments surrounding the signs like the one that slipped into this only after writing it. I didn't write this to make a statement either way, just intended to write about Shiro (and his PTSD) his protective Keith, and this friendly neighbourhood.)
Lance looked over his shoulder at the main street of his Mamá's neighbourhood, which was quiet except for the small horde of children running around, then back at the bright red door in front of him. He knocked again. He fidgeted idly, waiting.
The door swung open and Lance had gotten just distracted enough that he jumped, having to resettle the cooler he held before he dropped it. He looked over the other man now standing in the doorway quickly. He was hot, except for his tragic haircut and the fact that he was scowling like he was an inch away from murderous. ". . .what?" he asked.
"Hi," Lance said with a bright grin, "I'm Lance."
He got a brief, disinterested onceover. "Keith. I don't know you." Keith said, and Lance looked heavenward for a moment.
"Yes." Lance agreed. "That is why I introduced myself." he added patiently, giving another bright smile.
"I don't know you," Keith said slowly, like Lance was the socially-inept idiot here, "so why are you here?"
"Look, I-" Lance began, a little irritated, then thought of his Mamá sending him over here, and then the reason she had, and felt a bit guilty. "My family has the place down there," he pointed to his Mamá's house, a few doors down and across the street, "and we saw your sign," he noticed Keith tense immediately and felt worse, "my Mamá sent me to tell you we won't be setting off anything big." he hurried to explain.
Keith relaxed a little again, the harsh line of his mouth easing. He glanced out into the yard past Lance, towards the street. He barely looked older than Lance, but that didn't mean he hadn't been through hell with the military - and . . . something about him seemed kind of sharp and jagged in a way that made Lance slightly nervous somehow.
"Mamá wanted me to ask if it would bother you, uh," Lance faltered awkwardly, "we usually have some small poppers and stuff for the kids - stuff they can set off themselves - aside from the sparklers. But if it would be upsetting it's seriously no big deal not to."
Keith blinked. "Oh. No. The little stuff should be . . . fine." He glanced over his shoulder into the house. "Usually that's not a problem, anyway." He looked back at Lance. "Er. Thanks. He didn't want to bother anyone." His mouth twisted.
Lance glanced down the dim hallway visible behind Keith, then back at Keith himself, fighting the urge to step back.
". . .he?" Lance repeated warily.
". . .yes?" Keith said, eyeing Lance oddly. "My husband? The reason that sign is out there?" he said sharply, pointing towards the sign asking for kindness and alerting their neighbours there was a combat veteran with PTSD in residence. "He would have taken it down if Pidge hadn't been the one to put it out." he added with a sigh, hand dropping.
"Oh." Lance blushed, feeling foolish. Then- "Wait, you know Pidge?" he asked.
Keith raised an eyebrow. "Yes. You know Pidge?" He looked Lance up and down again. "Are you a cadet?" he asked, and Lance frowned.
"No." he said, huffing. "I- I'm a pilot, but yeah, um, Pidge and I were on the same team when I was a cadet. Not long ago." he admitted. "I was a late admission to the Garrison."
"Hm." Keith didn't react to that, surprisingly.
Lance shook his head, looking down. "Oh, would you like," he paused, shifting his open cooler and grabbing a popsicle out of it, holding it out, "they're strawberry. I was watching my cousins when Mamá sent me over." he added.
Keith blinked, glancing past him again - Lance's cousins were probably halfway to making a doomsday device by now, unless playing in the street had kept them too busy - and then back at the popsicle.
"Look, uh." Lance broke off, frowning.
"Yes?" Keith prompted, still eyeing the icy treat Lance was offering.
"It's delicious and everything I promise." Lance said, and Keith finally accepted it with a murmur of thanks. "But uh. Normally- Mamá would say you are welcome to come over and join us tonight. You know. For food and stuff and just- But since," he waved a hand, "and there will be the sparklers and the little poppers and . . . I don't know if you'll want to be around it. Or us, we are kind of crazy." he admitted sheepishly. "You are, though. Uh. Welcome. If you want. There'll be plenty of food and everything, and if you decide to just . . . head over." He smiled.
Keith blinked, turning the popsicle idly between his fingers. "Ah- Actually," he said, lips pursing thoughtfully, "he- we might. I don't know." His expression softened, his eyes not nearly so steely. "I will let Shiro know. And thank you and your family," he said, his tone almost warm now, "it-" He glanced over his shoulder again. "Not everyone is so kind," he said softly, still turned away, "so thank you."
Lance wanted to go and find the people who had been unkind and smack them and he hadn't even met Shiro. "Dude, it's like- Totally basic courtesy. There's no need to be-" he broke off. "I mean, you're welcome, and I hope he's, uh, everything's fine tonight. We'll see you if we see you. And it's not a big deal, I swear, if he was worried about bothering people, tell him he's not." Lance frowned at the very idea.
Keith actually smiled as he turned back, and Lance stared a little bit at the transformation it gave his face, soft and handsome. "Thank you." he said, gesturing with the popsicle.
Which reminded Lance that he was still holding the open cooler of them and he should get going before they melted. "You're welcome! So, um, nice to meet you," he said automatically, "maybe we'll see you and Shiro tonight." He smiled. Keith nodded, and Lance backed away from the door and headed out to the street, yelling to corral his younger cousins into some semblance of civilised behaviour.
They trailed him willingly enough - once they realised he had popsicles, which he allowed them to ransack - back towards his Mamá's house. He looked back at the bright red door and wondered about Mamá's newest neighbours. Wondered about Shiro, who he hadn't seen - and had his Mamá really not managed to meet them or drag them over to her wide open front porch yet?
Lance was a little surprised when Keith and Shiro did turn up that evening, but he grinned and went to greet them anyway. Shiro, as it turned out, was a big man - he looked much more like a military man, even aside from the scar across his face - who seemed like he should have been intimidating, but wasn't really. Possibly because he also acted very sheepish, and stayed back a little behind Keith.
Keith looked more watchful or nervous himself than Shiro did, but Lance supposed that was understandable if he was worried about his husband.
Lance had just introduced himself to Shiro - he shook Lance's hand very carefully with a warm metal prosthetic Lance was careful not to focus on much - and welcomed them when Pidge darted over.
"Shiro!" Pidge pounced on him and Lance jumped, startled and concerned, but Shiro only laughed and let her use him as a climbing frame, wrapping an arm around her tiny waist. "Hey Keith." she said across Shiro's shoulders, and Keith snorted, his lips twitching.
"Pidge." he replied in an even tone, dipping his head. Pidge leaned further over Shiro's shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh.
"Hello, Pidge." Shiro said as she slipped back down his body. "It's good to see you again."
"You too! Matt's going to be mad he decided not to come." Pidge said with a sly grin.
"Not that you're going to rub it in at all." Shiro said dryly, and Pidge snickered.
"Of course not! I would never!" She hugged Keith tight around the waist, and he returned it with a slightly awkward hesitation. "And you," she leaned her head back and pinned Keith with a glare Lance knew from experience was kind of terrifying, "when Mom says 'come over, both of you' she does actually mean both of you. Stop dodging."
Keith startled, then rubbed the back of his neck. "I was working." he said, but Pidge punched him lightly in the side.
"You're not always working. Come sometimes, at least, okay?" Pidge coaxed, before stepping back. She didn't wait for an answer. "Come on, I'll introduce you to our other teammate, since you've already met Lance." She grabbed hold of Shiro's prosthetic hand and tugged him forwards, and Shiro followed with a smile, Keith in his wake.
"Don't you think they should meet Mamá first?" Lance pointed out, raising his eyebrows at Pidge.
"Since your Mamá is elbow deep in finishing food and supervising your sisters right now no." Pidge said, wrinkling her nose. "She always finds time to talk to everyone; they'll meet her, but let's not go over there right now."
Lance glanced over and yes, his Mamá was busy - caught up in the centre of a group including one of his brothers, three sisters, two cousins, and an aunt, all chattering and working - but she lived her life that way, in relatively organised chaos, she could-
Lance paused, looking back at Pidge - and Shiro and Keith. "Right, wouldn't want to bother her." he said instead, because he forgot sometimes, that his family was a lot to handle, but he wasn't stupid. "Let's go bother Hunk instead." he agreed, grinning.
Optional backstory:
Shiro and Matt became friends when Shiro's unit was deployed with Matt's science division. Matt's family took to Shiro, and his husband, especially since neither of them have a family of their own. Keith used to be a pilot but turned in his notice when he was told Shiro was being shipped home after the incident that took his arm; by the time Shiro woke up and was up to processing things Keith had already started making changes in his life to allow him to stay with Shiro while he recovered and for them to be more comfortable after. (Shiro was boggled and concerned that Keith turned his life upside down for his sake; Keith wouldn't have it any other way.) Keith works as a mechanic now but Pidge's dad is working on convincing him to coming on as a test pilot. Lance and Hunk have graduated from the Garrison in their respective fields, Pidge moved on to a more specialised science department.