After Keith got his Cinnabon, the shopping trio made their way towards the jewelry store. Lance walked in between Keith and Allura, and jokingly tried to grab a piece of Keith's Cinnabon.
"Ah, um, absolutely not!"
Lance laughed, and gave Keith mocking puppy eyes. "Please?"
Keith couldn't say no to that face.
"Fine."
Allura looked at Keith and winked.
"Lance, what do you think your sister Veronica would like for her birthday?"
"I dunno, probably something sparkly."
Allura squealed. "I've been wanting something sparkly!"
Lance looked at Keith. "What do you say?"
"Are we talking about sparkly Cinnabon?"
Allura playfully smacked him and grabbed his arm before purposefully walking towards the nearest jewelry store.
"Were you thinking ring, necklace, earrings, or bracelet?" she asked Lance.
He scratched his head. "Actually, I have no idea. I was just planning to wing it."
Allura sighed. "Disappointing. What about the stone itself? Diamond? Emerald? Sapphire? Not chocolate diamond, those are repulsive. I've never understood the appeal."
"Please, don't go off on a tangent about chocolate diamonds." Keith pleaded.
"I don't think I'd be able to afford any of that anyway!" Lance laughed. "My budget is kind of low. Textbooks are expensive, and apparently you need a lot of them for marine biology."
Allura laughed. "I'm sure we'll find something perfect."
She ran ahead and launched into a full-speed conversation with the nearest employee.
Keith tried to ignore Lance standing next to him. He could feel Lance's gaze burning into the back of his head.
"So, is Shiro your only sibling?"
It took Keith a moment to realize that Lance was talking to him. "Oh, uh, yeah. Just the two of us. Before he met Allura, that is."
Lance nodded. "Not me. Other than my siblings, my parents and my grandparents, we've got the animals too."
"Animals?"
"Not many. Just a few chickens, a goat, and a donkey."
"A goat? A real goat? The kind that goes 'maaaa-maa' like that?"
Lance laughed. "I don't know what other kinds of goats there are. That's not quite what he sounds like either, but it was close enough since you've never seen one."
Keith felt his face go hot.
"Lance, Keith!"
Allura jogged back towards them. "Look at this one!"
She held up a necklace with a thin chain and a simple crystal pendant.
"It's a simple cut, elegant for any occasion. And it's cubic zirconia, so it isn't expensive."
Allura pointed at a sign behind them. "And it's on sale!"
Lance nodded. "I don't know much about jewelry, but that all sounds pretty good to me."
"Or," Allura continued, not yet finished, "you could get her this ring. It's the same stone, but the cut is different."
Lance held up the ring. "Whaddya think, Keith?"
He took Keith's hand and slid the ring onto his finger. Mockingly, he fanned his face. "He said yes!"
Allura laughed.
Keith's face went red again, and he pulled off the ring. "I think I like the necklace better."
