Allowing his mother to fuss over him, to adjust his little t-shirt over his body, and to even allow her to pepper his cheeks with sticky kisses, Hunk simply grinned and bore it. He would never tell his mom, but her fawning over him could be a bit embarrassing, especially when he had a new friend like Lance who…who was hugging his mother's leg as she told him that his father would be picking him up after school. It wasn't that Lance didn't like his dad, because of course he did (and his dad was super tall, and he was really cool and always wore fun ties); but his mom always took Lance to the park after school, and especially on Tuesdays. And it was a Tuesday. His dad, on the other hand, liked to go to the library, and he would be happy to go any day of the week.
Lance couldn't yet say that he was a fan.
Today, though – today Hunk was going to the park with his mom, and he couldn't help but be excited. His eagerness was part of the reason that he allowed his mother to pick out his clothes that morning. Usually, his dad did, but he was on a business trip and wouldn't be home until Thursday night.
The young boy drew the line, however, when his mom licked her thumb and made an attempt to wipe some dirt off his cheek. Hunk made a noise of surprise, edging himself away. "Mom," he protested, not unkindly, "It's fine."
With a sigh, Mrs. Garrett relented, wiping her hand off on her jeans. She smiled, though, and kissed the top of Hunk's head again. "Alright, sweetheart. You're going to be good today, right?"
"'m always good."
At that, she laughed, nodding. It was true – Hunk was a very sweet kid who hardly ever made problems for anyone. The only times he was fussy was when he was sick, or when he was excessively tired. But even then he was usually just grumpy, and not actually mean.
His face shifting into a completely sober expression, Hunk asked, "We're still goin' to the park after school, right?" he asked, almost nervous. He knew, of course, that his mother would never go back on a promise, but maybe she had just forgotten. And she definitely needed to be reminded, in that off-chance.
Lance looked over at the question, then gazed up at his mother imploringly. She didn't say anything, just smiled, as if sympathetic. She too had never been a huge fan of her husband's library excursions; in that same vein, however, the case could be made that it wouldn't hurt to sign Lance up for a library group activity. On the other hand, he did have a lot of energy that needed to be burned off.
Mrs. Garrett smoothed back some of the hair on her son's forehead, choosing not to plant another smooch on him. "Of course we are, sweetie. We'll go to the one with the really big sandbox, too."
As she and Hunk conversed, Allura grinned. She loved hearing the way these children talked with their parents. The young teacher had almost been afraid that she was going to be stuck with a few rude children for the year, but she had actually been blessed with a considerate (if not entirely unique) class. She was standing by Takashi, who was simply playing on his phone. He would glance up whenever Katie called his attention to something, and he made sure to give her his undivided attention until she was bored with him. Only occasionally did he steal a look over at Allura; and it was only when she wasn't looking that he sent a smile in her direction.
Their date (that hadn't been a date, but then it sort of was), had been practically perfect. Allura had gotten a few more ideas for her party, and she was almost ready to ask the other parents for their input. But more than that, she and Shiro had really connected. On what she wasn't quite sure, but it was definitely something. He had been so supportive, and then they had held hands for so much longer than either of them had planned on. Even, after they had both gotten their iced coffees, Shiro had suggested they have another party planning get-together. Allura had agreed almost instantly, and the thought occurred to her that they had made plans for another date.
A date that hadn't been a date, of course.
She wanted to know if there was something more to it, and even considered asking Takashi a few times; but Allura soon realized that she simply liked spending time with him. Whether their "dates" turned romantic or not, she enjoyed getting to speak with him and learning more about him. Whatever it was, or they were, Allura liked being Takashi's friend.
Everything was going so well.
As soon as she opened her mouth to make a cute remark about their upcoming not-a-date, Allura stopped when she noticed Shiro bend down to talk to Keith. The young boy was playing with his stuffed lion, not saying anything, and certainly not socializing with the other children. Lowering himself onto the ground, Takashi began to rummage around in his backpack, eventually pulling out the purple lion. He offered it to Keith, so as not to insert himself into the game; but the dark-haired child shook his head, allowing Shiro to hold the lion himself.
Mostly everything had been going well, anyway. The children were getting along amazingly, and Keith was by no means mean to the other children; but he was so quiet, and he only joined in on the games sporadically. He never had a parent come into the classroom with him; and when Allura asked, he simply clammed up.
She wasn't one to pry, but the young woman was this close to pulling out her "in case of emergency, contact –" cards. She had numbers to call, of course, but Allura would have much rather just met Keith's parents in the first place.
And, in defense of his family, he seemed to be taken good care of. Keith was always clean, and his clothes smelled nice; his hair was a little long, but it wasn't greasy. Keith was just very quiet, and Allura sometimes worried about him.
Then, as she watched Takashi being so sweet and paying attention to Keith, Allura wondered to herself how the young man had taken to being a parental figure so quickly. He was still in college; and he was only really responsible for Katie. And yet, all the students loved him so much, and they were absolutely thrilled whenever he decided to stay the full day on Fridays. They practically bombarded him with affection, and he always made sure to think of fun (but still educational) games for everyone to play.
Allura, though still quite worried about Keith and his antisocial skills, had to admit that she had other topics constantly on her mind. Those pertaining, naturally, to Takashi, and Takashi's eyes, and Takashi's smile, and the fact that she may (or may not) have been falling for him.
After a few more minutes of sitting with Keith (and then Katie, who chose to stick close to her guardian's side), Takashi pushed himself forward and up, checking his phone once more. "Okay, so I've gotta get going, Katie, yeah?" He ran a hand across her hair, shouldering his backpack. Then, looking back to Mrs. Garrett, he asked, "Are you sure it's alright if Katie tags along? I'll only be a couple hours-"
The older woman cut him off, placing her hand on his arm, and then gave it a small pat. "Of course, dear. We'll just be going to the park after school, so you can meet us there, alright?"
"The one with the big sandbox!" Hunk interjected, grinning. Laughing, Takashi nodded, then gave Mrs. Garrett a grateful look.
"I really appreciate it."
Allura watched, a bit confused as to where Takashi was going to be held up for a few hours. Perhaps he had an exam at school, or maybe he wanted to take a few hours to clean up his apartment. Not that it mattered, because it didn't. But, there was a certain part of her that did feel a bit conflicted simply because he hadn't mentioned anything to her. And she would've watched Katie for a few hours, if he had asked.
At this point, Lance was definitely disappointed that he was the only child being denied a trip to the park. Again, he looked up at his mother, imploringly. His father had mentioned "pregnancy brain" a few times, and maybe this brain was keeping her from realizing that he needed to go to the park.
"Baby, Dad's picking you up, you can ask him."
"He's gonna make me read!"
"You'll like it, baby," she insisted. Like an angel, though, Mrs. Garrett moved from Shiro to Mrs. McLane, resting her hand on the young woman's shoulder. It occurred to Allura that Hunk's mother was a very touchy sort of person, and Hunk, who loved giving hugs to his friends and to his teacher, was already showing signs of that same quality.
"I'm not trying to force myself into the conversation, dear," Mrs. Garrett started, her voice smooth and motherly, "but would Lance like to come to the park with us? Maybe just for an hour?"
Mrs. McLane thought the question over for a few seconds. "Are you sure that would be okay?"
"Of course! It'll be fun to have all them together!"
And, in a moment, that Allura would later recognize was the instant she truly fell for Takashi (not that he would know it yet, of course), the young man turned his attention to Keith. The little boy had not been watching the conversation intently, but his cheeks were red, perhaps from embarrassment or even irritation. Shiro did not say anything, but his movement was enough to catch Mrs. Garrett's attention. She made a noise of surprise, kneeling down with her hands on her knees.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart! You're so quiet, I nearly forgot about you. Do you think your parents would be alright if you wanted to come with us? I can ask them for you."
He didn't say anything, just shook his head and held his stuffed lion a little closer. The toy was already becoming a bit matted, and Allura figured that he played with the gift more than any of the other children did.
Lance frowned, placing his hands on his hips in an exaggerated gesture. "Why not?"
"Lance-" his mother warned, trying to convey the fact that he did not need to expand his thought processes any further.
Catching onto his mother's tone, Lance sobered up, but still looked rather displeased. Hunk and Katie shared similar expressions, the former even pulling on his mom's sleeve in a sort of questioning manner. The older woman didn't respond, and she looked a little sad and perhaps a bit confused.
The tension in the room felt tight, and none of the adults truly knew how to reply. Even Takashi, the one who was probably the least knowledgeable in the parental field (aside from Allura, who at least had a degree in education), could sense that something was off about Keith's answer. For a four year old to not only respond so quickly to a harmless question like that and in such a negative way, there had to be something more to the topic.
Mrs. Garrett nodded, though, and let her hand rest on Keith's head for just a few moments. "Well, the next time you want to come to the park with us, you just let me know, okay, sweetheart?" she asked in her most encouraging voice. To his credit, the boy in question nodded and even offered up the smallest of smiles. Perhaps he did that just to appease Hunk's mother, or maybe he truly meant it.
It didn't really matter, anyway.
Although she might have liked to help with the awkwardness of the situation, Mrs. McLane glanced down at her phone, making a face at the time presented on the screen. "I gotta get going, baby, I'll see you tonight," she told Lance, planting a large and loud kiss on his head. He kissed her cheek in return, then hugged her tightly before running off to stand with Hunk.
Takashi had lowered himself closer to the ground again, talking to Katie. "Remember, you're gonna go with Hunk and his mom, okay? I'll meet you at the park as soon as I'm done with my appointment."
Appointment? Allura frowned, the possibilities running through her mind. She figured that he was still convalescing, although he would have never let anyone know. But maybe he just had something to discuss with an advisor? Or someone regarding financial aid? Did Katie have a social worker? Did something happen?
Against her better judgment, Allura began to think about Lilo and Stitch, and the thought of Takashi having to deal with a sour-faced social worker like Cobra Bubbles. And aliens? Was Katie going to adopt an alien?
Forcibly pulling herself out of her own thoughts, the young teacher made herself smile, directing it to Takashi. "Well, good luck on your appointment." She certainly wasn't worried, hoping that, if his appointment were serious, he would have trusted her enough to tell her.
But could she actually expect that? They had technically held hands, and for a good while; and although they had planned for another not-date, nothing was truly set in stone. They were not actually dating, certainly weren't exclusive – she could not truly ask for anything more than where they were.
As she thought, as she struggled internally within herself, Allura did not notice the way Takashi's face brightened. And, because she obviously could not read his thought processes, she had no idea how happy her concern, no matter how nonchalant it was, made him. He grinned, the goofy expression noticeable to only the children, and moved a bit closer to the young woman.
"I'll text you later," he told her, his voice low. Unintentionally, of course, but his tone was enough to make Allura look up at him in surprise. They both stared at each other for a few moments, their eyes locked in a sort of awkward prison of affection. Then, as Takashi eventually broke the held gaze, Allura snorted softly, smile widening. He matched her expression, and the two began to laugh.
"Well, I would hope you would," she replied after both had stopped laughing.
He might have continued the light banter, but his phone alarm went off, reminding the young man that he desperately needed to hurry to get to class. He had managed to peg down all the buses' routes and arrival times, and he was quite determined not to miss his ride to school. Shiro said a quiet goodbye to Allura, waved to the rest of the children and their parents, thanked Mrs. Garrett once more, and bent down to kiss Katie's forehead.
He really had not thought about the action, nor had he necessarily planned to do so, but Takashi couldn't find it within himself to apologize. And, noting the way the little girl's eyes widened and the small smile that quickly stretched across her face, he figured that he had made the right decision.
Takashi felt as if his luck were truly turning around, and the thought occurred to him that he should actually ask Allura on a proper date. Perhaps later, maybe even that night, he would call her and invite her to somewhere nice.
Like Fazoli's.
It would be a sort of celebration, maybe – especially if his appointment went well. He was nervous, of course, but entirely excited. There was a part of him, however, that dreaded it.
As the school day drew to a close, Allura gave her students about a half an hour to let the children play with their stuffed lions. By this point, those were the only toys the children brought with them to school. Of course, the reality of that fact pleased Allura; she was so glad that they enjoyed the stuffed animals and even valued them.
When the children's attention had been focused solely on letting their lions hop about the ground, growling at each other, Allura sat down at her desk, pulling out a box of notecards. It was sectioned off by category, the name of each of her students. The notecards had topics written on them in Allura's bubbly handwriting, documenting names and last names, favorite foods and colors, allergies and food preferences, and emergency contact information. Alphabetically, Keith's section was third; the teacher rifled through the notecards in that category, pulling out the most basic of his parents' information – phone numbers, and names.
How she had somehow missed the information, Allura was quite unsure. But Keith did not share the same last name of his caretaker; and of the boxes marked "Parent" or "Guardian," the latter was checked. Leaning back in her chair, the young woman sighed, putting down the notecard.
So, then, he was much like Katie? Perhaps a foster child? It made sense, considering how unfamiliar Keith seemed to be with parental situations. He was only four, after all, and probably unaware as to why his family life was different from his classmates'. And on that note, Allura had an idea of why he was so sure that he wouldn't be allowed to go to the park with Hunk's mother. Maybe his foster parent was strict?
A child like Keith was quiet by nature, though, and the young teacher reminded herself that she knew exactly nothing about his familial situation. After all, Takashi was not Katie's biological father, yet he took to the role remarkably well. It was very possible that Keith simply did not think to ask for anything; and with time, it was likely that he would grow to be bolder about his wants.
She could only make assumptions, of course, but Allura definitely felt for the little boy. Whatever his home life was like, he was obviously unused to being very talkative; and the little boy was more than a bit antisocial – he could probably go an entire day without saying anything if he were never asked a direct question. But as she watched the children play and saw how easily they all shared with each other, compared to the first day when they were all a bit on the suspicious side, she couldn't help but think that she was doing at least something right with her class.
A knock on the door alerted the students to Mrs. Garrett's presence, pulling Allura out of her musings, and Hunk immediately jumped up. He looked over at Allura, as if asking for permission to run to greet his mom. The young woman rose from her chair, answering the door.
Mrs. Garrett was smiling, changed into a pair of comfortable clothes, obviously ready to keep up with the very energetic kids. She held out her arms as Hunk barreled past Miss Allura and into his mother's arms. Lovingly, Mrs. Garrett bent down to land a smooch to the top of her son's head. He giggled, letting her, and the phrase "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" flashed in Allura's mind. She laughed, going over to the backpack rack in the corner and picking up Hunk's Paw Patrol backpack.
Lance had gotten up as well, holding out a hand for Katie to take so that he could help her up. He was a gentleman, after all. But the little girl had simply laughed, pushing herself up. His hand hanging in the air, Lance frowned, then offered his assistance to Keith. The other boy stared for a few seconds, before relenting, allowing Lance to pull him up.
Of course, the taller boy had absolutely no weight to him, and he toppled over, unintentionally dragging Keith with him. They both fell to the floor with a thud, and Allura winced. She began to hurry over to the scene of the pileup, almost afraid that one of them was going to start crying. Or worse, one of them might incite an argument.
Instead, Keith rolled Lance off of himself, a small smile in place. "I'm not that fat," he said, his voice light, but the joke obvious. Katie immediately giggled at his remark, her hand going over her mouth in a futile attempt to stifle her laughter; the sound was high-pitched and sweet, and Allura wished she had the chance to record it to play back for Shiro.
Hunk joined the laughter, and he pulled Keith up with little difficulty. "See, I can do it, Lance!" he announced, very proud of his strength. In response, Lance rolled his eyes, pushing himself up.
"You're a little fat," he told Keith, and the dark-haired boy shook his head, snorting.
"I'm not." His argument was without any sort of malice; he was simply stating the obvious. "Hunk is just strong." His little smile had turned into a bit of a smirk, obviously amused by how much he had actually ruffled Lance's metaphorical feathers.
Hunk's eyes brightened. "Mommy, I'm strong!"
The older woman patted her son's head, ruffling his already-messy hair. "Of course you are, sweetheart; but so is Lance. Just in a different way."
She was a very good mother, Allura thought to herself, and she watched as Lance's irritation was mitigated by the encouragement.
Katie now had her backpack, pulling it onto her shoulders; she also dragged Lance's over to him, dropping it off at his feet. Mrs. Garrett held the door open for the children, and all but Keith sprinted out, throwing goodbyes over their shoulders. Hunk's mother smiled sweetly toward both Allura and Keith, then closed the door behind her.
A pregnant silence filled the room, and Allura soon found herself making a small noise in the back of her throat, just to break the quiet. Glancing over, Keith offered her a placating sort of expression, as if trying to convey that he was entirely fine being alone. Allura nodded, but still knelt down beside him. "Keith, do you want to wait outside for your parents?" she asked sweetly.
It took a few moments for him to process the offer, but he eventually relented, opening the door. As Allura stepped out of the room, giving the young boy a hearty thank you for his chivalry, Keith muttered a small, "Not my dad."
She didn't say anything in response, simply absorbed the information with her mouth in a thin line. She sat down outside the building, patting the spot next to her so that Keith had a place to sit. He parked himself by his teacher, letting out a long sigh. It was far too heavy-sounding for a four year-old, and Allura found herself placing her hand on his shoulder. Bravely, she kept her hand there for several moments, noting the way that Keith relaxed, leaning toward her.
He seemed so much younger, as he sat there, his arms drawn around his knees. But he didn't say any more, and Allura didn't pry. They just held a somewhat comfortable silence for about five minutes, before an older-looking silver car with tinted windows pulled up to the front of the building.
Keith looked over at his teacher, his expression almost pleading, then trained his gaze to the ground. "I don't wanna go," he whispered but promptly clammed up, resigned; he got up, wiping off his jeans and shouldering his backpack like it was the heaviest weight in the world. Starting down the walkway, Keith glanced back over his shoulder, then waved once, opening the back door to the car, hesitating but eventually scrambling inside.
Allura waited until the vehicle peeled away, and she was immobile for a long while. Alternating thoughts of too much and not enough whirled around in her mind all at once; but in the end, all she knew was that she felt sick. The young woman pushed herself up, pushing her hair away from her face; her cheeks felt warm, but the pit of her stomach was completely ice.
Was she making too much of this past encounter? Maybe. But…but Keith had such large blue eyes, and he seemed so defeated; and his shoulders were so tense for a child that was hardly out of the toddler age range. He was just a child, and she should have known from the first day what his parental status was; but no, she had done a terrible job of reading her students' descriptions. Practically falling into her chair, Allura was tired.
And it was only a Tuesday.
Briefly, she considering sending a text to Takashi, but she was entirely unsure as to what she would actually write. Did she have the right to express her concerns about Keith? She didn't think so, but there was a strong part of her being that needed someone to confide to. Of course, the young woman reasoned with herself, she should discuss the matter with her father – he was a fellow educator; he was the head administrator.
Yet – yet she still wanted to talk to Shiro.
As she began to pocket her phone, however, the screen lit up, alerting her that she had a text message. Great minds think alike, she mused, unlocking her phone and frowning as a picture of Takashi sitting in what looked to be a waiting room, looking quite bored. There was a caption that read, "Just waiting for some papers."
Her frown slowly upturned, and Allura typed back Why?
[T: If I told you, it'd ruin the surprise ;-)]
[A: Will this make my day? I could use some good news.]
There was a lengthy pause of time, but Allura got comfortable in her chair, awaiting a response.
[T: Did Katie do something?]
[A: She was absolutely perfect today. I'm just being a worrier.]
[T: …]
When that was his only response, and Allura found no good way to reply, she got up, pacing around the room. She walked for a good ten minutes, just replaying events in her mind. Should she have asked something? Offered her assistance? Maintained that she was a very good listener?
She didn't know, was quite unsure of how she would even go forward past this – Keith was obviously unhappy; and while she might have been looking far too much into his expressions and mannerisms, the point of the matter was that Keith was upset, visibly so.
Her phone screen came back to life, and another picture of Takashi greeted her. This time, though, he was sitting in an actual doctor's office, wearing something over his shoulder. And…it obviously wasn't real, but – but it was an arm.
The young woman grinned despite her mood, her face brightening, even when she was the only one in the classroom. The picture of Takashi looked happy, and he wore a grin that was entirely goofy but altogether extremely handsome.
[A: It looks so good!]
[T: I don't get to keep this one, just fitting for my own.]
[A: Well, you're going to have to work out so it can catch up with your other arm ;-)]
[T: #jacked?]
Allura laughed out loud this time, shaking her head.
[A: Not as much as me lol]
[T: Guess we're gonna have to work out together?]
[A: Are you actually asking me out this time?]
She sent the message without really thinking, and the young woman momentarily panicked. She probably shouldn't have been so bold, but she really needed to know. With an up-and-down sort of day she had had, Allura needed some form of constant.
Whether it was good or bad, she desperately needed an answer.
[T: If this is actually happening, then we're going to a nice restaurant and not a gym haha]
[A: Friday?]
[T: 8?]
[A: It's a date?]
[T: Definitely. For real this time ;-)]
Allura stared at her phone; and if someone had been walking by the little building, they might have heard high-pitched cheering coming from the inside, because a certain schoolteacher was extremely and entirely excited.
And, of course, Takashi was no different; his doctor had to actually ask the young man to stop pumping his fist in the air so that the medical professional could continue fitting him for the prosthetic.
A.N.: I apologize for an extremely long author's note, but I'm just addressing some things – all good, I promise! Yay, new chapter! Things are finally moving in a Shallura-y direction. This is a bit of a transition-y chapter, so it might have been a bit dull, but things will probably start moving pretty quickly. Also, I have absolutely NO experience with medical practices or social work, so please don't assume any accuracy with this, and I hope to not be disrespectful or offensive in any way. ^^
Oh, right, and questions that have been asked before: 1. Will there be Zarkon in this? Not outwardly stated, no. 2. How regular are my updates? Depends on my workload, honestly – I've had a crazy intense couple weeks, so I hope it evens out haha! 3. Other POVs? Love them, but I've seemed to transition from Shiro to Allura, so I'd like to play around with other characters – the POV will switch and depend on the situation, I guess!
I got the chapter title from a quote by Giordano Bruno – "There is in the universe neither center nor circumference." As we all know, there's really a ton going around right now, so the structure of everyone's lives is a little whacky! Thank you all for reading, hope you enjoy!