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

Twelve: L is for Lost

You got lost in my eyes, so what problem do you have with getting lost?

"Next time, you're gonna be the big spoon," Lance mumbled, pressing his face into Keith's shoulder.

Keith shifted closer to him. "But you're taller."

"Your hair is everywhere. You'll be a great jetpack."

Alejandra threw the door open. "Oh, you're not doing anything. Carry on. Keep the door a crack open."

Lance hummed in response. "Keith, are you ever gonna introduce me to your mom again so she can absorb me into the family?"

"Pidge's family is hosting Thanksgiving this year. We'll be there."

"I can't wait."

Keith rolled over to look at him. "Yeah, you can. You're great at procrastinating."

"You know me too well, my grumpy boy."

Pidge's house was a standard (though not cookie-cutter) blue-and-white suburban house with two floors, a basement, and an attic. It was on the larger side of the medium range, due to the work in planetary research/exploration and real estate that Mr. and Mrs. Holt had done respectively. Pidge's aesthetic room was located on the second floor and faced the front lawn, giving her a matching aesthetic view through her open embroidered curtains.

Keith pressed his hand on the corner of the foil-wrapped aluminum tray to prevent it from sliding around the backseat of the Prius. Every Thanksgiving had a corn dish, but steamed Korean corn was a unique enough addition to let it slide. It wasn't like Colleen would complain, seeing how close she was with Keith's mother. They would probably react similarly when Keith reintroduced Lance.

One of the many disadvantages of being the middle child was that Lance was sandwiched between Ricardo and Maria in the very back of the Honda for most car rides. The duty of keeping the pot of rice and beans from toppling over also fell to him, although Miguel and Alejandra were supposed to help. As if they would bother. It was too late to mind, though. This was family, and things went they way they went. He would get to pass some chores to them someday.

"Min-Su! It's nice to see you again!" Pidge's mother greeted. She offered to take the corn to the kitchen, but Keith's mother would not have it.

"Hey, Keith," Matt waved. "Pidge's in her room. Go on ahead up."

Someone had given Keith a Sailor Moon figurine as a joke for Secret Santa one year. Usagi now had a place beside Snow Miku on Pidge's dresser. The girl was the only one in the room, fiddling with a standard-sized Rubik's cube.

"You're gonna tell our moms about Lance today, right?" she inquired, flicking through the combination.

"Yeah," Keith sat on the bed, next to her.

After completing the puzzle, Pidge tossed it on her desk. "You scared?"

"What do you think?"

Hunk opened the door. "Did I miss something?"

"How did your grandmother react when you introduced Shay to her?" Keith had heard the story, but the success of his friend would give a little comfort.

Hunk beamed. "She hugged me."

Lance slid in and closed the door. "Why'd you leave the door open? To ruin to surprise?"

"In case you got lost," Keith scoot over so he could sit.

"Matt already knows. He was usually around when Lance was pining to me over Skype," Pidge stood. "Let's get the intro over with before the food is ready. I can tell they're gonna freak out for ages before we eat."

Down the carpeted stairs they went. Pidge poked her head over the gate that closed off a side sitting room. "Hi, Bae Bae! Who's a good boy? We'll bring something over after dinner is ready, okay?"

Lance squeezed Keith's hand as the Korean took a deep breath. "Show time. You'll do great."

Keith walked into the kitchen and cleared his throat amidst the rush of people cooking and carrying ingredients back and forth. His mother paused in the middle of passing a fork to Mrs. Holt. The rest of the adults followed suit until Hunk's grandmother was the only one moving, having to stir the pot continuously to avoid anything burning. Pidge, Lance, and Hunk lined up in the hallway behind him.

It was at that moment that Keith noticed how intensely people could stare. He forced himself to rub his fingers against the palms of his fingerless gloves instead of putting his hands in his pockets. It was too late to falter. He nodded. "Hi. Hi, everyone, I'm Keith. I assume you know that, but bear with me.

"Behind me are my best and, to be completely honest, only friends. That's Pidge, the only one who doesn't have a problem with my mullet. That's Hunk, who forces me to eat lunch when I forget to.

"And this," Keith stepped to the right and pulled Lance forward by the hand, "is Lance, my boyfriend. Uh, yeah, that's it; thanks for listening."

There was a collective hesitation, but Keith didn't care. Lance smiled and wrapped an arm around his waist, and that was all that he needed to focus on.

It was Mr. Holt who spoke first. "Wait, you two weren't dating before?"

Pidge audibly facepalmed.

Keith's mother dropped the fork on the counter and rushed forward to envelope Keith and Lance in a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Keith. Lance, welcome to the family."

"Thanks," Keith mumbled and Lance chirped.

Miguel grinned and wagged his finger as he tended to the rice. "No sneaking off, okay?"

"Callate," Lance whined.

Maria ran into the kitchen laughing, Matt chasing after her. She suddenly halted in front of Keith, leaving Pidge's brother to slide past her on the tile. "¿Lancito, tienes un novio ahora, sí?"

"That's too upfront," Matt chided as he regained his composition.

Lance nodded. His sister jumped up with an excited yell loud enough to make Keith flinch.

"Hey, don't go around scaring him already!" Lance pat Keith's back. "People are so rude. I should've taught you better."

"Good thing I already sat you two next to each other," Mrs. Holt clapped her hands. "Everything will be ready in fifteen minutes. If you four are finally ready to join the realm of the living, you can join the game of 'Life' Matt is playing with Maria and Ricardo."

"Sounds good."

//

Apologies for posting late. I was at a Robotics competition yesterday.