Keith felt full and warm and happy as he sat at Shiro's feet on Christmas Eve. All his favorite people were gathered around. Barely two months in, and Keith really liked the family he was placed with. It was much better than any home he'd been in before. Most fosters were too awkward around the holidays when he was there. They tried to include him, but they hardly knew him and it showed in their lackluster gifts and cheer. Some outright excluded him, banning him to his room and demanding he stay there. The McClains, however...
They included him and laughed and teased him, as if he'd always been part of the family. Sylvio and Nadia called him their uncle. The adult siblings held up mistletoe above his head and pressed kisses to his warm cheeks. Rosalina smiled at him every time their eyes caught, and Marcus ruffled his hair as he walked past. It was a lazy day for warm pajamas and hot chocolate, he joked, for meditation in preparation for Rosalina's side of the family that would be crammed into every nook and cranny tomorrow. Even Shiro and Adam were in their most ridiculous Christmas pajamas.
Keith watched Marco and Rachel hand out the gifts, smiling but feeling melancholic. He sort of wished they had got him presents, too, but he didn't have much hope. Two months wasn't long enough to get to know him enough to know what he would like, anyway. He had gotten everyone else little things to show his appreciation for including him, but he wasn't expecting anything in return.
He frowned when Rachel handed him a sizeable stack. More than... more than anyone had ever given him. Did everyone give him presents?
"Uhm...?" was all he could think to say.
"You didn't think we'd forget about you, did you?" Rosalina asked quietly, hoping not to draw the others' attention.
"I've... Shiro's been the only one to really get me presents before," Keith replied, just as quietly. "I mean, my first Christmas in foster care I got little toys and whatever, but..."
Shiro nudged him with his knee. "Well, this year is different."
Keith waited a moment, watching as the others dug into their presents. Wrapping paper flew across the room and chatter and laughter grew the more they delved into the mayhem.
He watched as Rosalina picked up a familiar little box.
He had tried his hardest, but he hadn't ever had much practice with wrapping presents. It was wrapped a little clumsily, but it was the best out of the bunch. Everyone had little gifts, stuff he could buy with the money he had made that Marcus had given him for helping out around the shop, and he had practiced on the McClain siblings' gifts before he had tried to wrap Rosalina and Marcus'. The gold ribbon was a little lopsided, but knotted in a neat, tight little bow that pressed a lined piece of paper to the box.
He watched as she carefully unwrapped it, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Shit. Had he messed up? Why was she crying?
She looked up and locked eyes with him.
Licking her lips, she turned back to the paper and got Marcus' attention. It was supposed to be for both of them, after all. He knew the letter by heart; he'd wrote it at least twenty-seven times, trying to get the letters perfect and legible. Something typed would have been too impersonal for the sentiment he felt.
Dear Rosalina and Marcus,
I wanted to thank you for opening your home to me and making me feel welcome and safe. I really like living with you. You're the best foster parents I've ever had. I hope you like the gift.
Merry Christmas
Keith
Thirteen of the drafts had been discarded because the heart next to Christmas had been insufficient. After the thirteenth, he had taken a piece of paper and drawn tiny hearts all over until they weren't wobbly or too terribly lopsided.
Rosalina let out a watery chuckle and carefully put the note aside. What kind of reaction was that?
Inside the box was a little purple-tinted glass hippo. It was small, about the same size as the others on the shelf in her room. He hoped it was the same as the others on her shelf, or at least similar enough to them. All of her kids and Lisa and Sylvio and Nadia each had their own little glass animal to represent them that she would kiss and say a little prayer for if they were having trouble.
Keith wanted that connection to this family. He wanted his own little animal up on that shelf. He wanted Rosalina to pray for him despite him not believing in God. He wanted her to kiss the little glass hippo and wish him the best, even if he never knew when she did it. He wanted to believe that the good things that happened to him were because she asked the universe to be kind to him, for just a moment.
Keith hoped that she understood that this was his way of asking if she would adopt him without him outright asking. He didn't think he could take the heartbreak if she denied him to his face.
"Thank you, Keith." She smiled brightly at him. He flushed and turned away.
"Alright!" Rosalina called once everyone was done unwrapping their gifts. The rustling of wrapping paper and tissue paper paused as they all looked over at her. "I need all my children and my husband and Keith in my room, please, for a family meeting. We'll be right back!"
She herded them into her room. They exchanged confused glances, but no one seemed to have an answer. Keith watched as she carefully placed the hippo at the end of the line of little glass figurines, next to the shark. With a frown, she switched the shark and the hippo and nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Everyone piled onto the bed except for Keith as Rosalina and Marcus stood as a solid unit a few feet from the foot of the bed. He stood off to the side, hands clasped tight in front of him. Was he supposed to get on there, too? What was going on?
She motioned for him to sit on the bed as well. "You too, Keith. On the bed."
Nervously, he sat between Lance and Marco at the foot of the bed. Alrighty, then.
"So." Rosalina clapped her hands once. She tried to appear somber, but Keith could see her trying to hide a smile. "I—"
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Lance interrupted, sounding dismayed.
"What? No." She scowled at him. "Hush." She then grinned. Marcus put a hand at the small of her back. "I have one more gift for Keith. But I don't have it yet. I won't be able to get it for at least four or five more months." And here, she looked expectantly at Keith, as if he knew what she was talking about
He frowned back at her, slightly shaking his head. "What..." Four or five months from now? What was in four or five months? Wait. That would be the end of the six month waiting period. Was she—Did she mean—? He straightened, eyes starting to water. "You... Are you serious?"
"What? What's going on?" asked Lance.
"If you want," Rosalina replied, ignoring Lance.
"But I'm almost eighteen..." Wouldn't that be useless, if he would be five or six months away from aging out?
"So?" Marcus replied. He was grinning just as wide as Rosalina. "That doesn't mean anything. These other miscreants are still our kids even though they're over eighteen. Doesn't make them our kids any less, now does it?"
Tears were streaming down Keith's face, but he couldn't be bothered by them. Rosalina was crying, too. He couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that— "You want me?"
"Of course I do," she said at the same time as Marcus said, "She told me the second night you were here she wanted to keep you."
It was quiet, for a moment, as Keith tried to process what this meant. They wanted to officially, legally, really make him part of their family. They wanted to waste money to make him theirs. How long had he been wishing, hoping, for someone to want him like that after his dad died?
Apparently he took too long to reply, because Rosalina barreled on, "I'm going to do everything in my power to make you part of this family, Keith. I know—I know it's only been two months, but I want to give you a home. I want to give you a home with me—with us."
And then Keith just launched himself at her, arms wrapping around her as tight as he could. The only reasons they didn't fall was because of Marcus steadying her. Keith was sobbing unashamedly into her shoulder, thanking her over and over through his gasps. She was crying just as hard as she pulled him even closer to her, cradling him close.
Arms surrounded them. Several arms and several sniffles and he was pretty sure Lance was sobbing just as hard as he was. A large hand ruffled Keith's hair.
"Welcome to the family, hermanito."
Little brother, Lance had told him a few weeks ago when Keith had asked for Spanish lessons.
He didn't mind it at all.
The Martinez clan was... something else. Keith wasn't sure exactly what word he wanted to use. But they were a lot of whatever it was. There were cousins pouring from the corners and aunts and uncles and grandkids and every time Keith turned around there was someone new he'd never seen before.
Luckily, Marco had taken it upon himself to introduce him and Shiro to everybody. Abuelita—Rosalina's mom—had stolen Adam away as soon as she saw him. Shiro had heaved a sigh and rolled his eyes, but he had smiled and waved his husband off. Marco had laughed and said the two were going to cause trouble.
Adam was a little shit. Keith could testify.
He wouldn't be surprised if something broke before the end of the night.
Instead, he turned his attention to meeting everyone. Even if it was a lot of people, it was fun. Everyone genuinely wanted to know him and complimented him on his glittery hair. No one made any homophobic comments, either, or made any comments about him dressing kind of feminine that night, which was... sort of a surprise, really. But it didn't matter.
He couldn't wait to officially become part of the family.
