A, You're Adorable (Klance) [DISCONTINUED]

Nine: I is for If

If we were the last two people on Earth, I'd rather let the human race die.

The town was full of corner coffee shops and smoothie joints, all sprinkled around the downtown. It, in typical suburban fashion, had nothing near to being a Chinatown district, but there was a decently large shopping square off the highway that hosted several Asian shops and restaurants. Apparently there was enough room for all the fro-yo places and three ice cream shops in town, though. Keith hadn't gone to many of the trendy places, except for the ones his parents had been recommended by friends.

His public librarian got around more than him. She was a proper university student who went around town on her free afternoons. Thus Keith (and, as it happened, Lance) entered an unfamiliar family-operated coffee shop that afternoon. It was five blocks away from the library.

The tinkle of the windchimes on the dreamcatcher that was hung on the door of the shop almost drowned out the rising pitter-patter of the increasing drizzle. In theory, Keith would be able to run all the way back to the library in the rain without getting completely soaked, assuming there wouldn't be much foot traffic. His motorcycle would be drenched, though, and his mother would scold him for days if he came into the house with water dripping off his mullet. Maybe the rain wouldn't last long. He could only hope.

"Hello, Allura! Welcome back!" The girl behind the counter had her ponytail pulled up above the band of her standard coffee shop barista visor.

"Thank you, Jenny," Allura pulled her hair out of the bun she wore at work. "A decaf cappuccino would be lovely today. I'll pay for everyone."

Shiro insisted that he pay. It took them so long to bicker over the conclusion (that Shiro would pay now, and Allura another time), Keith had rehearsed his order three times and Lance had found the perfect table in the corner. At least Jenny finished making the drinks in record time.

"I thought we got over gender roles already," Lance grumbled into his iced decaf.

"We argued as equals," Allura insisted.

Shiro sipped his tea. "We have gotten over gender roles. If you and Keith went out sometime, wouldn't you fight over who took the check?"

Shiro was Japanese; he understood the laws of East Asian check fighting. Lance made a face. "Don't say it like that. It sounds like we're dating. We're not."

"It is a big 'if'," Allura added. "If you were to go out, wouldn't you fight, though?"

"We fight over memes," Keith drawled. "Why wouldn't we fight over a check?"

"I would pay," Lance decided, "I guess. We don't go out without the squad."

"No way. I'd pay," Keith rolled his eyes.

"Nuh-uh. I would."

"I'm Korean. I have to pay."

"I would totally be the one asking you out. I should pay."

"My mom would kill me."

"So would mine. And probably Alé, too."

Keith leaned forward. "Just let me pay."

"No. Let me do it."

"Lance-"

Jenny laughed from behind the register. "Are you sure you two aren't dating?"

Keith ignored her. "Well, if we were doing anything together, I would invite you to dinner at my house."

"And if you did, I would accept."

"And if you did, my mom would immediately accept you into the family."

"Hypothetically, that would be okay with me."

"Hypothetically, same-," Keith halted to bury his face in his hands. "Shoot."

Allura stirred her milk foam into a spiral galaxy. "Now that you two have admitted your undying love for each other, can we move on to another topic of discussion?"

"I might give a pop quiz after tomorrow's convention," Shiro noted offhandedly. "You didn't hear that from me, though."

"Please, no. I've already got an 88," Lance groaned.

"Please, yes," Keith glared pointedly at the Cuban. "I'll pull up my 89."

"You're slipping too, and somehow you're still doing better than me?" Lance stuck out his tongue.

Allura ran her hand through a lock of her hair. "I can't wait for winter break. My classwork is piling up."

Shiro sighed. "Same here. I might skip the quiz so I don't have to grade and cry over everyone's free body diagrams."

Idly chatting with his friend, librarian, and teacher was less tense than Keith had expected. Sure, Allura was taking mind-numbingly dull classes and Shiro had no life, but it was like having a conversation with a group of friends. Lance's brother legitimately wanted to be a subway driver. Matt had freaked out on his first flight into space so much that Shiro had had to sing a stupid Vocaloid song to distract him. (Seriously, what was with Pidge's brother's music taste? He listened to everything.) Allura's father didn't know what a meme was. Keith had only ever had one pet: a fish named Cheez-its.

"The space program nowadays is really racing forward," Allura mused. "There used to be such high requirements for recruits, but you can tell the bar is being lowered. Shiro had to go through college with the military's help before he could go on a simple excursion, and now there's talk of a program for high school students beginning at age fourteen. Where did our ethics control go?"

"Humans are bound to want to explore and push further. I don't think kids are prepared to make such big decisions at fourteen, but it's understandable that people want to speed up. I just hope they don't outpace themselves," Shiro got up to return his mug to Jenny.

"Fourteen is too young," Lance agreed. "I can't imagine Ricardo choosing between the metro and space in two years. Space isn't for everyone."

Keith poked at his cup. "Yeah. Fourteen is too young for kids to decide who they like, much less what and where their futures will be."

"If there are kids who grow up to be like Matt, we'll be in trouble," Shiro quipped. "I'm not touching 'Hajimete no Oto' ever again."

"I haven't heard that song before. Could you please sing it?" Allura glanced outside to check if the rain had stopped.

"Ask someone to play it for you. I can't remember the words anymore. I blocked the memory. Sorry."

Keith's mother clung to her habit of messaging him on LINE at a certain point after school to check on him. He could complain all he wanted, but she refused to stop until he was solidly out of the house. This was ridiculous for an eighteen-year-old with a habit of going out after school, but such was life. His phone vibrated.

"The rain stopped," Lance pointed out the obvious as a sunbeam graced his face.

"You two should get home. Try not to procrastinate," Allura waved.

Ha, right. When Keith got home, he was going to take a nap.

//

Link: "Hajimete no Oto"