Keith walked back into the yoga studio and picked up the mat he'd used. It was then that he realized he'd been using a salmon colored mat, patterned with cherry blossoms. "That's great." he said to himself.

When he got home, he was surprised to see Shiro and Allura sitting on the couch. Her head was on his shoulder, and they held each other. A knot formed in Keith's stomach. "How is..." Keith's voice trailed off. He assumed the worst. Allura sniffled, and Shiro squeezed her a little tighter. "He's staying at the vet's overnight. Dr Lang says that he needs blood transfusion, fluid therapy, and possibly more. They might need to, um, open him up." Shiro's voice broke. "We're hoping for the best, though." Allura tried to fake her usual happy English chirp, but it fell flat. Keith nodded. "I'm going to boil some pasta for dinner." But when he opened the kitchen cabinets, there was nothing there. He remembered that the reason they'd gotten Chinese last night was because there was no food in the house. Keith grabbed the car keys. "I'm going to the grocery store to get some food!" he yelled as he walked through the front door.

Keith loved driving. He connected his phone to the car speakers, and started his playlist while he drove to the nearest grocery store, a Trader Joe's. Keith liked Green Day. He knew all the words to Jesus of Suburbia, and sang the entire thing. The song was on it's last bars when the parking lot came into view. Keith pulled into a spot and grabbed a small shopping basket on his way through the door.

The pasta aisle was past the produce, so Keith took a stroll past the displayed fruits and vegetables. An employee stocked bundles of cilantro nearby. Keith picked up a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce before he made his way to the cash register, which luckily had no line. Absentmindedly, Keith put the items next to the check-out. "'Evening," he said. "Your total is $12.50. Cash or credit?" the cashier asked him. Keith dug into his wallet and pulled out his credit card. He looked up as he handed it to the guy. When he saw the face, however, Keith nearly jumped out of his own skin. "Lance?!" Lance laughed. "Ha, yeah, Keith. It's been a while," he said, 100% facetious. Lance looked down at Keith's sad pasta and marinara sauce. "Is this dinner?" Keith coughed. "Uh, erm, yeah. My brother and his girl usually do the cooking." The taller boy looked down at him, studying the pale face beneath him. "Keith, give me your phone." "Um, what?" Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm going to put my number in your phone, duh." Keith turned an interesting shade of pink, and Lance smiled. "You'll answer my calls, right Keith?" Keith swallowed hard. "Yeah, sure."


Keith had walked back to his car and driven home in silence. When he opened the front door, Allura and Shiro were asleep on the couch, fingers interlaced. He decided he'd wake them up when dinner was ready. Looking at them, Keith was reminded of all of his ex-boyfriends. He rolled his eyes. All he needed was his brother and Allura, and the cat, he supposed. What would happen if Quiznak didn't make it? Would they get another cat? Secretly, Keith had always wanted a Persian. But every cat he and Shiro had ever had was a rescue. In fact, that's how his brother met Allura. She was volunteering at the local shelter when she wasn't at law school. Allura was a terrifying lawyer.

In the midst of his thinking, Keith almost let the pasta boil over. Hot water splashed onto his wrist. "Damn!" he yelled. Across the room, Shiro and Allura jolted awake. "Are you alright, Keith?!" Allura asked him. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he said while he let cold water run over the burn. "Let's just eat dinner."


Later that night, Keith got a text from a new number.