2. An Emo Christmas

Keith Kogane never had the best opinion of Christmas or this time of year in general. Christmas this, Christmas that, it was absolutely everywhere. Not to mention that he couldn't go a single damn day without hearing the word Christmas, and he had to suffer through Lance's awful "singing" of carols. Could you even call it singing? It was more like the guttural yelping of off key notes, complete with voice cracks.

So you could imagine how annoyed Keith was when Hunk announced the news to their group of friends one December morning.

They were all in the cafeteria at the Garrison, having breakfast as usual. Keith, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Allura, Shiro, Coran, and Romelle made quite the group.

"Guys! The Holidays are coming soon, and I promised my parents I'd go out and get us a tree. A lot of our relatives are coming to visit us this year, and I wanna get a good one. Will you guys help?"

"Oh, of course!" Allura was the first to answer, and with great enthusiasm. Being from another planet, she was new to all of this "Christmas" stuff, and had already shown interest.

"A tree?" Romelle blinked, twisting the ends of her blond hair. "Like… the ones outside?"

Hunk grinned. "Yep. I'll tell you all about it on the way there."

"Yeah, sounds like fun." Shiro said, grinning.

"Ooh, we can get some last minute Christmas shopping done on the way back!" Lance said excitedly, looking up from his phone.

Everyone except Keith had agreed on the plans.

"You can come too, right, Keith?" Hunk asked.

Suddenly, Keith couldn't take it anymore. All those years of spending Christmas alone were flooding back. While other children joyously opened gifts from their parents, Keith had miserably sulked at the foster home, wishing he had his mother and father at his side; just someone to hug him. It was all he wanted.

Keith didn't mean to do what he did next.

"Ugh. Stop. Stop it! I'm so sick of this holiday, and pretending like everything's okay when it's not. I don't feel like celebrating this year, you guys can. I don't want to ruin your fun." He stood up, grabbing his bag and briskly walked away from the group.

Keith walked until he arrived outside the buildings, and decided to sit on a bench on the edge of campus. He didn't want to go back to his dorm; he'd most likely be bothered by his obnoxious roommate.

Snow already covered the ground in a thin white layer, and soon enough more started fluttering down from the grey sky. Keith pulled his hoodie closer around him and tried not to shiver as snowflakes coated his body, melting at contact.

There wasn't a particular reason why Keith hated Christmas. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it. But whatever the reason was, it was there, as he couldn't shake the feeling.

Maybe it was because he had lost his father at a young age, and how he had never met his mother before this year, when they encountered in a quantum abyss. Now Krolia lived near the Garrison, and she frequently came, to engage in meetings and whatnot, to provide information about the Galra.

Buzzzz buzzz

Keith's phone vibrated, and he hung up when he saw that it was Krolia.

He sat in silence, enjoying the quiet. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to find Shiro.

"Keith, are you okay?" His grey eyes squinted in concern. "You seemed pretty upset back there, do you want to talk about it?"

If it had been anyone else there, asking Keith if he wanted to talk about it, Keith probably would have been pissed off. But Shiro had always been there for Keith, almost like a brother to him.

He sat down next to Keith.

"I- I feel bad for exploding at everyone like that, it shouldn't have happened. It's just… Christmas has always been a sucky holiday for me. Ever since my dad died, I had no one to be with. And I just can't pretend to be happy, like everything's fine. I know I have Krolia, but it's just not the same with her. It's awkward, and she's not the mother I remember."

Shiro put his arm around Keith, and he glanced up in surprise. He usually wasn't a fan of physical contact, but this was fine. It was what he wanted to feel.

"Keith, I know it's a lot of pressure around this time of year, especially for people like you who lost their parents. I know it sounds cliche, but you have a new family now. Hunk, Pidge, Allura, Coran, Romelle, and even Lance, we're all your family. And give Krolia a chance, call her back once in a while. She's trying her best."

Keith forced a smile.

"You're right, I guess you guys are my new family, whether I like it or not. Even Lance, who I'm stuck with."

"Maybe this year can be different," Shiro said, as he stood up. The twenty six year old's white hair glinted in the white light of the mid morning.

"Just consider it."

After Shiro left, Keith took out his phone and hesitated before calling back his mom.

"Hello?" Krolia's soft voice spoke. "Keith?"

"Uh. Hi, mom." Keith replied. "I'm sorry I didn't answer earlier."

"It's alright. I just called to tell you that I love you. I don't tell you that enough."

Keith smiled. "I love you too, mom."

The next day was Saturday, also the day of the proposed plans for the group to go help Hunk get a Christmas tree. Keith drove to Hunk's house, where (according to the group chat)everyone had agreed to meet.

When he arrived, there were already cars parked up and down their driveway. Twinkling Christmas lights adorned the roof, and looked vibrant compared with the snowy white scenery. Keith stepped out of his car, and flinched when the cold air hit his face. Pulling his scarf over his nose, he rang the doorbell. He could hear laughter and chatter coming from inside.

"Keith, hey. I thought you weren't coming." Hunk said awkwardly, opening the door.

Keith immediately felt a pang of regret spread through his mouth like a bitter taste that wouldn't go away. He bit his lip.

"I'm sorry for being such a buzzkill. I didn't like Christmas because it always sucked for me. But I realized I don't have to feel this way, because you guys are my family, and either way I shouldn't spoil the fun for everyone else. Will you guys let me come?"

The corners of Hunk's mouth pulled into a wide grin.

"Absolutely. Now come on in, everyone will be happy to see you."