This was not the first time that Hunk had stopped by after school to hang out and do homework with Lance since Keith had joined their household.
What was the first time, however, was Keith joining them at the kitchen table.
Usually, he shut himself in his room and furiously worked on homework until he was forced to give it all to Rosalina at dinner. He would take whatever snack she had made for him, but he did not reemerge unless absolutely necessary. Half the time he never ate the snack, but at least she had provided it and knew he could make that decision for himself whether or not to eat it.
There was a light flush high on his cheeks as he sat himself across the table from the other boys. It was only the first week back at school, so still fairly cold out, but he was sending Hunk small glances when he thought no one would notice.
Rosalina, of course, noticed.
She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the boy. She turned her gaze to an oblivious Hunk, then back to Keith.
Did he... have a crush on him?
She wanted to pry—but she wouldn't. She would just be open to talking about it, is all. Let him come to her, if he wanted.
But she really, really wanted to know.
Hunk was a sweetheart. If Keith did want to date him, Rosalina wouldn't mind. He and Lance had been best friends since kindergarten, so Rosalina knew him quite well. She was fond of him, and he was like another son to her. He was always so polite and kind, no matter who he was talking too. A little nosy, but that was okay. He was charming enough that people couldn't stay mad at him.
Of all the boys in that school he had to have a crush on, Hunk was the best candidate.
So, of course she invited Hunk to stay for dinner and to stay the night. She texted his parents to ask, to which they gave their permission, and then she called in a pizza order.
Please pick up pizza on your way home :) 3
Marcus sent her several hearts back in response, with a few thumbs up and kissing emojis for good measure.
At the announcement of pizza, Lance and Hunk whooped and hollered and dashed to the living room, pulling a stunned Keith with them to set up another blanket fort. Before they could get started, she heard Keith ask in a small voice, "You want me to join you?"
"Duh," Lance replied. Rosalina could hear him roll his eyes. "Now come on. This blanket fort isn't going to build itself!"
Hours later, after pizza had been devoured and many racing tournaments had been lost and won, Rosalina snuck out to the living room. It was quiet, except for the menu screen playing the theme song over and over. The soft light from the TV illuminated their little fort enough to allow her to witness the cutest thing she had ever seen. She took a picture for blackmail—ahem, for a beautiful memory she absolutely had to share with her husband.
Hunk was sprawled on his back, arms flung with abandon. Lance was curled half on top of him, stretching out in what had to be the most uncomfortable position in the universe and arm stretched out above him. He was drooling all over Hunk's chest. Keith, however, was curled on his side, faced away from the other two, but had backed up against Hunk and was using Hunk's arm as a pillow. Lance's outstretched arm draped over his chest.
Rosalina moved the controllers out of the way and turned everything off with a smile.
Marcus cackled when he saw the picture and set it as his lock screen.
It became a regular occurrence that Keith joined them in the kitchen to work on homework after that. Hunk was good at explaining the math, Keith told her seriously when she asked why the sudden change. Rosalina hid a grin behind a picture frame as she asked for his opinion. She wanted to tease him, but she was also afraid that doing so would have him scurrying back to his room quicker than she could blink.
And then another joined her table.
Her name was Pidge, and she was also in Coran's room for a few hours a day. She was an odd little thing, but no weirder than Keith or Lance. A little snide and condescending at times, but the boys liked her so Rosalina wouldn't say anything.
"She's so smart," Keith gushed one day after Pidge had left to go home for dinner, legs crossed under him as he leaned over the table to work on his history homework. Lance had finished his own and was out watching TV. "She's, like, fourteen but she's a junior and she's taking college credit math and science classes. And," he added empathetically; Rosalina turned to see him brandishing his pencil in the air, as if proving a point, "she's making a robot. By herself."
"Sounds like you admire her," Rosalina chuckled, stirring the pot on the stove. The spices wafted through the air. Hmm. Chili. It didn't have jalapeños in it like usual because Keith didn't like them, but she would split it here in a bit so they would have a little bit of time to cook with the bigger batch.
"Well, duh."
"Do you have a crush on her?"
"What? Ew, gross," Keith said a bit too much emotion. Rosalina rolled her eyes. "She's a girl. She has cooties."
Rosalina rolled her eyes. "Girls don't have cooties, Keith."
"They do too," he argued back. "Why do you think I'm gay? It's to avoid the cooties."
Rosalina laughed. "Sure, Keith." She tapped the spoon against the pot to get off the excess liquid and set it down in the little fish spoon tray Veronica had gotten her for Christmas. "What about any boys? Do you have a crush on a boy?"
Keith spluttered. "What? No. Why would I?"
"Just asking," Rosalina replied in a mocking sing-song tone. She ruffled his hair against his protests. He glared up at her as he tried to fix it and push it out of his eyes. "Dinner will be ready in about forty minutes, so you better get what you want done quick."
He turned back to his homework, determined scowl set and pencil poised to continue filling out the worksheet. He was so, so close to finishing the sophomore coursework. He had fallen behind for a week because 'math sucks' which had disheartened him, but with Hunk and Lance and now Pidge helping where they could he was back on track to finish by the end of February.
"You're doing a good job, Keith." She pressed a kiss to the top of his head.
He beamed at her, and she couldn't help loving him just a little bit more.
"Oooh!" Lance crowed, following Keith around the house as he tried to escape. "Keith has a crush~!"
"Shut up, Lance!"
"Tell me who it is!"
Rosalina eyed the cabinet with the whiskey. No, no, she shouldn't depend on it just because her two youngest were being annoying. Besides, she had work to do. She needed to finish these frames and get them sent out by Wednesday.
"Mom!" Lance yelled. "Keith has a crush on a boy!"
"No I don't!" Keith hollered back.
"Then why did you ask me for stuff to make a Valentine's card?"
"Shut up, Lance!"
"Mom!" Lance whined. That whiskey bottle was looking more tempting by the second. "Keith told me to shut up!"
"Because you're annoying me!"
Keith darted from the living room back to the hallway, Lance hot on his heels with an evil grin. There was a struggle, then the two tumbled into the kitchen. They tussled, minding the table where she was working on a picture frame, but obviously trying to gain the upper hand through underhanded tactics. Keith jabbed at Lance's soft underbelly and Lance threaded his fingers through Keith's hair to shove his head down.
"Boys," Rosalina intoned, calmly pressing down with her wood burner. Wisps of smoke curled through the air, bringing with it the light scent of burning cedar. They immediately stopped. She briefly looked up to take note: Lance still had a hold of Keith's hair and Keith's fists were in position to punch out Lance's spleen. Or something. "Keith, relax your fists. Lance, let go of his hair."
The two boys hastily shoved each other away.
"So Keith," Rosalina said, hiding a smirk. "I hear you have a crush on a boy."
"Shut up, mom! I do not!"
Silence fell over the kitchen and her heart lurched. Rosalina set down her wood burner to look up at him. He was flushed bright pink, mouth gaping.
"I—I didn't mean—"
He fled from the room and slammed his door hard enough that the dishes in the cabinet rattled.
Calmly, Rosalina turned off her wood burner and brushed past a shocked Lance. She knocked softly on Keith's door. No answer. She opened it anyway. It was dark, but enough light filtered through the curtains that she could see a lump under the blankets.
He was so dramatic sometimes.
Softly, Rosalina closed the door and made her way towards the bed. She sat on the edge, one leg curled beside her so she could face him.
"Keith."
"Go away," the blankets mumbled.
"Are you embarrassed because you called me mom?"
A hitched breath, then silence. Rosalina could wait him out. She had enough patience to sit out his stubbornness. While she waited, she placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing her thumb in what she hoped was a soothing manner. He was tense, breathing a little too quickly for her liking.
"You're not mad?"
"Why would I be?"
"I dunno."
"You can call me whatever you want, mijo," she replied just as softly. Even though he couldn't see her, she still smiled gently. "If you want to call me mom, I'm perfectly fine with that. If you don't, that's okay, too."
The blankets fell away as Keith sat up. He was clutching his purple hippo to his stomach. "I kinda wanna call you mom. Can I call Marcus dad?"
"He'd absolutely love it." Rosalina drew him close for a hug. He melted into her arms, nuzzling as close as he could. She dropped a kiss to his hair. "Now let's say you go ambush Lance for teasing you."
Keith grinned and hopped off the bed, hippo abandoned. "Excellent idea."
She followed him out, laughing as he hurried to find Lance. There was something glittery in his hand—
"No, no! Keith, not the glitter!"
Ah, Saturday. Quiet, slightly chilly, but cozy all the same. Marcus was at the shop for a few hours balancing books, Lance was at Hunk's house from sleeping over the night before, and Keith had decided to stay home instead of joining Marcus. It was the Saturday before Valentine's Day and her husband still hadn't told her what the plan was.
Rude.
"Uhm. Mom?" a quiet voice asked from the hallway.
Rosalina looked up from her cocoon of blankets, cup of coffee in hand as she breathed in the warm aroma. Her heart warmed from just that simple word from him. "Yes, honey?"
"Could you, uhm." Keith bit his lip and looked away. "Can you help me make some cookies?"
"Of course!" She struggled out of the cocoon, ignoring Keith's snickers. "What kind do you want to make?"
He followed her into the kitchen. "I dunno. Uhm." There was a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. "There for a boy at school..."
She knew it. However, she had to keep her cool. If she was too eager, he might shut down. "Oh?" she asked, pulling out a mixing bowl. "Do you want to tell me about it?" Yes, show interest, but not too much interest. She didn't want to scare him away, after all.
Keith looked nervous, but nodded. The tip of his tongue poked out to wet his lips. "Yeah, uh... It's uhm. Hunk."
She knew it!
"Good choice," she said instead of gloating.
Keith grinned, and they got to work.
"Mom!" Lance shouted, banging the front door open and then shut. "Mom!"
"What, Lance?" she called back from the kitchen.
"Keith—"
The front door banged open again. "Lance!" Uh oh, Keith sounded angry.
"Stop slamming the door!" Rosalina yelled at both of them. Both came barreling into the kitchen. Lance looked positively mischievous, grin wide and knowing, and Keith looked two seconds from murdering him. "What is the problem?"
"Keith—"
"I have a knife and I know where you sleep."
"Keith."
"Mom, he's threatening me!"
"I'm right here, Lance."
"Mom, he's being a little bitch!"
"Keith!"
"It's true."
"Tell her or I will!"
"She already knows!"
"What?!" Lance spun to send her a betrayed look. "The betrayal in this house! This cannot stand!"
Rosalina rolled her eyes at the theatrics and started cleaning up. She obviously wasn't going to get to continue working. Besides, she would need to start getting ready for her date with Marcus soon: dinner and putt-putt. Her husband knew her too well. "So?" she prompted, quirking an eyebrow at Keith. "What did Hunk say?"
Keith smiled shyly and ducked his head. "He said yeah, and he's going to take me on a date this weekend."
"Aww," Lance cooed, reaching over to pinch Keith's cheeks. Keith was much too quick for him and swatted his hand away with a scowl. "My little Keithy-boy, all grown up."
"Shut up, Lance."
That just started another argument. But, it wasn't her problem. Well, as long as Keith didn't threaten Lance with the knife again. With a grin, she pulled out her phone and brought up the conversation with Marcus.
You owe me $20 ;)
