July 20, 2095

"Cowabunga!" Lance roared into the sky.

There was an exciting rush as he let gravity pull him down and plunged into the river that was a cold hug that sent pleasant needles through his skin. The water felt like calming silk and Lance welcomed it as he slowly floated back to the surface. He shook his head to spray off the water on his face and smiled up to the cliff where he jumped off.

His family had all gone on a small vacation to the river to swim and canoe, a tradition they did every summer. The river was not far at all from their house, only a twenty minute drive, but it would always excite the siblings since their parents were too busy for fun get-aways.

This was the first year that his mama would let him jump off the cliff like his older siblings were allowed to do once they turned eleven. Now that he was old enough, Lance was able to jump off the cliff as much as he wanted despite mama's cautious glares.

Lance sent a gleaming smile up to the cliff where his brother, Luis, ran to jump off the cliff. Lance turned his head as his brother splashed into the water right next to him. Once Luis surfaced he teasingly messed a hand through Lance's soaked hair. Lance laughed and began to race his brother to the shore so they could jump off the cliff again.

Lance jumped off the cliff a total of eight times before his mama yelled at him to find something else to do that wouldn't lead him to getting hurt. Reluntically, he grabbed a beach ball then caught his mama's eyes, slowly and rather exaggeratingly, he stepped to the shore and cautiously walked into the river. He did all of this with a bored face and watched as his mama's expression turned unimpressed.

Someone started laughing as they approached Lance. He turned to see Veronica with her long and tangled brown hair, the water dragging behind her as she walked forward.

"Come on, drama queen." She took the ball from his hands. "Let's go crush Luis and Marco in a game of ball, shall we?"

Lance nodded enthusiastically and swam to where his brothers were waiting. "Let's crush them!" Lance yelled as Veronica followed him.

It was five minutes into their game when Marco hit the ball with too much force and the ball went flying into the brush. The siblings all watched the ball with disappear and in stunned silence until everyone but Lance went:

"Nose goes!"

"What?!" Lance exclaimed with wide eyes as he turned to his siblings all kneeling in the water with a finger to their noses.

"Sorry little bro." Luis said, clearly looking not sorry at all. "If you die we'll make sure to eat the rest of your candy stash."

"Don't eat my candy!" Lance yelled, already making his way to the shore.

Before going into the brush, he sent a quick glance to his parents to make sure they weren't watching. When the coast was clear, he slipped into the green thicket to find the beach ball.

At the other end of the brush there was a dirt road that stretched far and rolled down, a few buildings scattered on either side of it. He watched as the bright, rainbow beach ball rolled down the road and Lance gasped as it headed further away.

He started running as fast as his little legs could carry him and for once he was thankful for Luis making him play soccer with him. He was also thankful that the road was deserted of cars as he sprinted down the middle of it, stray rocks digging into his bare feet.

Lance watched the ball, eyes focused as it rolled away, further and further, now even faster as the road got more steep. Then suddenly it stopped moving. Lance slowed into a jog and looked up to see a boy, foot on top of the beach ball and gaze on the rainbow object.

Faltering for a second, Lance shook his head and moved towards the boy, he was about the same height and age as him Lance noticed once he stopped in front of the mysterious boy.

"Hi!" Lance smiled as the other boy lifted his head to Lance.

The boy's gaze was emotionless and his stone coloured eyes looked dull as he met Lance's shining ones.

"That's my ball." Lance told the boy in a red tattered shirt. "Wanna pass it to me?" Lance held up his hands in preparation.

Mystery Boy looked down to the ball, then Lance, then the ball again. Instead of picking it up to pass it to the other boy, he lightly kicked it, the ball jumping as it collided with pebbles.

Lance stopped it with his foot and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Quickly dismissing the weird exchange, Lance picked up the ball and rested it against his hip.

"I'm Lance, nice to meet you!" He declared with a beaming smile.

The boy stared at him for a moment as if analyzing Lance then gave him a sharp nod. Not used to people who don't immediately talk to him, Lance suddenly felt awkward as the short haired boy continued to stare at Lance as if waiting for him to say something.

He could see that the boy was anxious to walk away when he started to tap his foot. Lance took a step forward but stopped once the boy immediately tensed up, foot stopping still.

"Do you want to swim with me? My family is having a picnic at the river. It's super fun!"

Red winced as Lance shouted then his once neutral expression turned into a frown.

"No." Red said.

Lance blinked in surprise, his smile quickly twitched into a frown then rose back up again.

"Don't worry, you don't have to swim. My mama brought her famous arroz con leche and -"

"I don't want to go with you." The boy interrupted, crossing his arms and face set in a hard glare.

Lance paused to examine Red's defensive posture, looking agitated now as his foot tapped on the ground in a fast rhythm. His shoulders were now hunched and his fingers were gripping into his arms and waited as Lance observed him.

"Oh...okay." Lance then smiled but less bright. "Maybe next time?"

The boy scoffed. "I'm a stranger. Why are you talking to me?"

"Why are you talking to me?" Lance countered.

"I wasn't talking until now, idiot." Red rolled his dark eyes.

"Hey! That's a bad word!" Lance gasped, free hand covering his mouth in shock. "My mama always yells at Marco for swearing."

"Well I don't have to worry about that. Bye." Then he pivoted on his heel and started to walk away at a fast pace.

"Wait!" Lance called out, taking a step forward. "What's your name?!"

But he didn't respond and instead started to walk even faster.

"Hey!" A voice yelled out, startling Lance as he turned to see a woman run out of a beige building that he stood in front of. "Get back here young man!"

Lance, afraid, turned to Red who was now sprinting down the road. He was fast, much faster than Lance. The woman passed Lance, not giving him a second glance and chased after the boy.

"Get back here boy or else I'm calling foster care!"

Red then faltered and began to slow down to an eventual stop, back still facing the woman.

"That's what I thought." Lance heard the woman mutter. She was an older lady, face wrinkled and her fashion sense very outdated with a brown monochrome outfit.

The boy turned around and began to walk towards the building, head low as he glared at the ground. Lance watched this all happen with a stiff body and heart racing fast.

"Don't you dare think of running away again. Four times is enough and it won't happen once more." Her eyes were focused on Red the whole time and continued to lecture him as he trudged forward.

Suddenly, the door slammed open to the same building and another woman came running down the lot. She was younger than the other woman and looked very pretty in her flowery dress.

"Oh, thank goodness you're okay!" She exclaimed once she saw Red.

"This boy needs to learn some respect." Spat the older woman.

"Mrs. Wender, he's just a kid, he doesn't know better." The younger woman defended.

"I think he knows more than he lets on, Mrs. Davis." Mrs. Wender scolded, earning a glare from the raven haired boy.

"I was gonna come back." Red muttered.

"Come here, honey." Mrs. Davis cooed, interrupting Mr. Wender from saying any more.

Red didn't even look at her as he brushed past and then he glanced over to meet Lance's eyes. His eyes looked like molten rock, burning with a flame that was waiting to be spread out of control. Then they were gone and Lance was left staring as the boy and two women retreated into the beige building.

August 16, 2095

His eyes were a tunnel of dark brown yet they were so soft as he gazed down at Keith which made him uneasy. No sign of pity grazed his sharp features, black hair cut short but a small tuft that hung over his forehead. The boy's parents stood behind him, talking to Mrs. Davis with friendly smiles.

Keith curled up into himself, unsettled from how soft the older boy was looking at him.

"Stop staring." Keith demanded.

Instead of flinching like most people do when Keith snaps at them, the boy's smile widened.

"Then how about you stop frowning?" The boy said.

Keith rolled his eyes.

"Doesn't your family want to look at the cute babies instead of a stupid eleven year old?"

"Technically, babies are more stupid than eleven year olds." The boy countered.

"Well they must be smarter than whatever age you are."

"Why do you say that?" The boy asked, a smile still surprisingly on his face.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly even more annoyed than before. "Because if you were smart you wouldn't be talking to me."

The boy chuckled. "I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong."

"Pfft, that's impossible."

A smirk crept on the boy's face.

"Watch me, Keith. Watch me."

September 3, 2095

The next time Lance saw Red was when he snuck out of the house to look for an adventure. It was the last day of summer break and he wasn't going to stay home and listen to abuela talk about flowers all day. After an hour of wandering around, he found himself standing in front of the familiar beige building. He stood there for three minutes before he got bored of waiting, deciding to pace back and forth and began counting all the rocks on the ground as he waited for something to happen.

Lance asked his mama about the strange building, which forced him to tell her about Marco throwing the ball super far. His siblings weren't happy when mama started scolding them. Mama then told him it was the local orphanage meant for kids who don't have families. Lance didn't know kids couldn't have families, it was such a strange fact to know that Red didn't have anyone to give him kisses and hugs like his family.

Now, in front of the orphanage, he read the sign that looked worn down and old. Pluto Orphanage. The name made him smile since pluto was his favourite dwarf planet.

He kept glancing over to the doors, waiting for them to open to reveal the raven haired boy. He might not have been too nice, but Lance was optimistic that they could become friends. How he was going to talk to the boy again? He didn't know. But he'll find a way.

Ten minutes later, Lance stood up from his spot on the ground where he was picking at the grass and let out a defeated sigh. Lance turned around and took one step before the doors creaked open. Lance whipped around to see none other than Red, carefully closing the metal doors behind him. Then the boy tiptoed down the lot, occasionally looking behind him as if to check if anyone has followed him.

Once Red made it to the road, it was time for Lance to strike.

"Hey!" Red flinched and quickly turned to Lance. "Remember me?!" Lance exclaimed, stopping right in front of the other boy.

Red visibly relaxed, hands coming up to his short hair to grip the black locks, but his posture was still not enough to seem comfortable.

"What are you doing here?" Red demanded.

"To play with you, duh." Lance smiled despite Red's immediate disproved scoff.

"I thought we could play hide and seek or tag or -"

"I don't want to play with you." Red interrupted.

Lance furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Why not?"

"No one likes playing with me. I'm weird." Red stated it like he's been told that his whole life.

Lance tilted his head from further confusion.

"What? I think 'weird' is good." The raven haired boy rolled his eyes and began walking down the road. "Hey Red, aren't you not allowed to run away?" Lance asked, recalling from the last time he saw him.

"Yup." He responded with.

Lance jogged up to him to catch up. "Then why are you running away?"

"I'm not running away."

"You seem like you are running away."

"I'm not running." Red scolded. "I'm walking."

Lance was so surprised that he actually snorted. "You're funny, Red."

"Red?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Lance smiled. "Yup, that's my nickname for you!" When Red continued to look at him, Lance elaborated. "Cause you always wear red." Lance gestured to the red shirt he was wearing, the same one with the hole on the bottom.

Red looked down to his shirt as if to confirm that, yes, he was wearing red.

"I like this shirt." He sounded offended and quite defensive about his shirt.

Lance held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't say it was bad. I like that shirt too. Red is an awesome colour, but not as awesome as blue!" he raised a hand to gesture to his blue shirt that he was wearing. It was his favourite one because it had a cool shark head in the middle.

"Are you always this loud?" Red complained.

"Are you always frowning?"

Red flinched at his words, then he was walking faster as if he wanted to lose Lance.

"Hey, stop walking so fast!" Lance whined as he ended up jogging to catch up.

"Then stop following me." He grumbled.

Lance didn't get it. At first Red seemed fine with talking to him and now he's trying to get rid of him. Did he say something wrong?

"Hey, wait up! What if you get caught!"

"I won't."

"But what if you do?! What if playing with me makes you not get in trouble?! I have great puppy eyes you know!"

Red abruptly turned around, causing Lance to bump into him.

"Leave me alone!" Red yelled, black eyes burning into Lance and lighting him on fire.

Lance shrunk in on himself and backed away frowning. He could feel his nose stinging so he quietly sniffed back any tears.

"Sorry." Lance whispered.

He then slowly turned around and began his way towards home, crossing his arms and hanging his head low. Don't cry, don't cry. He's too old to cry.

"Wait!"

Lance stopped.

"Fine!" He heard Red shout. Lance turned around with wide eyes. "But only for an hour!"

Lance beamed and began running to Red. "Deal!" He exclaimed, stopping right in front of the other boy. "But tell me your name first."

Red rolled his eyes, a thing that he did a lot apparently.

"Keith."

Lance's smile widened.

"Nice to become friends with you, Keith!"

"We're not friends." Red, no, Keith, complained.

"Not yet we aren't." Lance winked.

Keith gave out a tired sigh and turned around to continue walking down the empty road.

Lance would've bet his best pokemon cards that he saw a small wisp of a smile on Keith's face.

September 28, 2095

"Sup, loser. Looks like you're eating by yourself again."

Keith slowly looked up, the familiar voice already sending him into a sprout of irritation. The boy towered over him, his goon standing right beside him as if that would help the cause. The truth was, Keith could easily take them down, something that Keith had proven multiple times before and they had their bruises to prove it. So instead of attacking one on one anymore, they travelled in groups.

Not like that was going to stop Keith.

"Wha you wan, Ian?" Keith said around a mouth full of sandwich.

Ian frowned and nudged his goon with his shoulder. "Look at him, Julian, utterly disgraceful."

"Did you learn that word in one of your nursery rhymes?" Keith retorted before taking another bite out of his sandwich.

Ian's eyes twitched. "Enough of your sass, Kogane. At least we have parents visiting us, unlike you." His grin was like the cheshire, crooked teeth on his narrow face. Julian forced a laugh, his round figure bobbing as he did so.

"And yet you two are still here." Keith replied bluntly, earning a growl from Ian. "Remind me why you are talking to me?"

"I swear, Kogane-"

"Swear and you'll get a lecture from Mrs. Wender." A voice chimed in. It was Mrs. Davis, standing tall with authority, blonde hair pulled tight in a ponytail. "Please go back to lunch Ian and Julian, your classes will be starting soon."

Ian and Julian sent one more glare Keith's way before leaving the lunch room all together. Keith went back to eating his sandwich, paying no attention to the teacher lingering beside him.

"You can always-"

"Eat in the lounge." Keith finished for her, having heard the same thing almost every day. "I know."

"Then why don't you? They won't bother you." Mrs. Davis' voice was filled with worry, but Keith ignored the meaning behind it.

"That's not true. It'll make things worse. Why should I be forced to do something just because of two bullies?"

He was met with silence, so he continued to eat, taking a sip from his juice.

"You're smarter than you let on." Mrs. Davis finally said.

"Does that mean I'm usually dumb?" Keith countered.

"No." She shook her head slowly, frown increasing. "I just think you are hiding yourself from others."

Keith turned fully towards the woman, eyes set and narrow. "And who am I, miss?"

She held his gaze with her brown eyes then lost it before locking their eyes again. "I don't know. But hopefully one day I'll meet him."

Then she sent him a small smile before turning and leaving the lunch room, yellow dress flowing as she walked. The light closing of the door sounded like a final boom in her wake.

October 19, 2095

"In order to fall asleep, you have to pretend to be asleep."

"Can you not talk for ten seconds?"

"It's kinda like acting." Lance went on. "To have to play the part of someone sleeping, though if you are an actual actor, you're not allowed to fall asleep. I'd be an impeccable actor."

"Like, seriously. Is ten seconds too much to ask for?"

"My mom taught me that word." Lance rolled to his side to face Keith, who kept his gaze still on the clouded sky.

"What word? Annoying? She sure did a good job at that."

"No - impeccable. It means faultless."

"I know what it means." Keith said up to the sky, eyes trailing a moving cloud. "I actually read books you know."

Lance huffed and nudged Keith's shoulder with his own. "I read." He defended himself.

"You read Harry Potter. I actually read more advanced books.''

"Is your favourite word 'actually'?" Lance grumbled. "For someone who reads a lot, you don't have a large vocabulary."

Keith's eyes furrowed, glaring at the clouds as if they were the ones making fun of him. His hands took fistfulls of dead leaves and clenched them making them crunch satisfyingly. Lance watched as his face contoured into different flickering emotions and waited.

Lance had learned over the few weeks of hanging out with Keith, that it took some time for him to respond. He would spend a few seconds and sometimes minutes to think as if he was a lagging computer. Everytime, Lance would watch intently as Keith furrowed his brows and scrunched up his nose in concentration. Being the kind person that he was, Lance said nothing when Keith did this - letting Keith combine his thoughts without being disturbed.

Keith hated that he could read him so easily.

"What if I don't want to use another word?" Keith finally said in a small but firm voice. "What if I don't want to change and everything will be the same. Change is too difficult." Keith turned his head to look at Lance, his eyes showing no sign of emotion. "Being the same is safe."

Lance frowned and shook his head in disagreement. "That's not true. If you wear the same costume every Halloween, what's the fun in dressing up?"

"Well good thing I don't celebrate Halloween." Keith turned back to the sky, letting go of the now crushed leaves and settled his hands on his stomach.

Lance let out a sharp gasp and sat up immediately. Keith raised an eyebrow as he looked up at the other boy.

"Why don't you celebrate Halloween?" Keith opened his mouth. "You know what? It doesn't matter." He settled himself to fully face Keith, sitting criss-cross then adjusted his sweater. Keith sat up and mimicked his movements, though he moved slower than Lance.

"This year, you are going trick or treating with me." Lance confirmed, ignoring Keith's protests. "My siblings and I already picked out a theme." Lance paused for dramatic effect and did jazz hands. "Power rangers."

"Lance, I'm not trick or treating with you. I've gotten along fine without it." Keith stood up, brushing the leaves and grass off his clothes.

Lance chased after him, almost falling as he skidded onto his feet. "But it's gonna be so much fun! The only ranger left is pink ranger, but that's fine, pink is just a softer red. I'm the blue ranger, obviously." Lance smirked and tossed his imaginary hair over his shoulder.

"Will you stop talking about it if I say I'll consider it?" Keith asked, glaring at the other boy.

Lance pretended to think for a moment and then smiled mischievously.. "Only if you race me to the park."

Keith's frown then turned to his signature smirk that always screamed 'challenge'. "Deal."

Then they zoomed off, racing through the field, fallen leaves springing up into the air as they ran down the trail, teasing each other along the way.

October 22, 2095

The clock read eleven forty-five the last time Keith checked. All night he had been checking, on and off, waiting for those numbers to tell him when the next day will arrive. Keith dreaded the twenty-third, it was always filled with fake smiles and forced parties.

Every year, the orphanage would celebrate his birthday with loud voices and obnoxious singing and congratulations that lasts all day. The cake was always bought the day before and the main staff would give him small gifts that held no meaning.

No gifts of inside jokes or homemade necklaces or anything with effort. It was always last minute gifts that were rushed and bought in the clearance section. One teacher gave him a pillow with multiple designs on it that sat on his bed. One caretaker gave him a mug with a race car on it, even though Keith had no interest toward race cars at all. Just like how he uses the notebook, the comb, soap, more toy cars and the other cliche stuff that boys get. He's functional, and he wasn't going to waste people's money so he uses it all.

When he lived with his dad, supplies were limited since they were so far from any stores. They rationed out the food and soap so there would be less gas used on trips to the store. Though Keith always loved going to the store, practically vibrating in the car as his dad drove off, windows drawn low. Each time, his dad let him get whatever he wanted.

Each time, Keith got a book. From novels to non-fiction, he fed himself with words that comforted him when his dad was away at work. He learned about how to build hover-mobiles, how to read the constellations and his favourite, how to fly a spaceship.

When he arrived at the orphanage, Mrs. Davis noticed all of the books he had collected over the nine years of his life, thus getting him books on each holiday. Her presents were his favourite, but he wasn't willing to admit it.

Birthdays were always better with his dad. Keith still keeps all the most precious items in a box underneath his bed, filled with photographs of his dad, a few Doctor Seuss books his dad would always read to him, and the only physical thing that keeps his mother's memory; her knife.

He looked over to the clock.

Twelve O' three.

He could already tell it was going to be a long day.

November 6, 2095

They were skipping rocks, enjoying the cool shade that the trees provided. They were at the same lake Lance was at when he first met Keith and were keeping a tally of who could skip the stones the most.

"Thirteen to seventeen." Lance said out loud then turned towards Keith who let a stone fly out of his hand.

"Thirteen to eighteen." Keith mumbled.

"I thought this was your first time skipping rocks." Lance grumbled.

"And I thought you were a 'natural', guess you were wrong." Keith retorted.

Lance glared at Keith who stared back with a smirk.

"I hate you." Lance decided to say.

Keith's mouth twitched into a frown and he instinctively took a step back and away from Lance. His hand took a fistfull of his black, short hair before letting it fall then crossed his arms. His hair looked weird short, like it was oddly scripted and unnatural.

"I-I don't understand." Keith whispered, eyes hanging low. "Then why do you hang out with me?"

Lance spent some time watching Keith's usual wall rise up into skyscrapers. His eyes shot up in realization that Keith took his words the wrong way. He shook his head wildly, making him slightly dizzy.

"No, Keith, I don't actually hate you." He took a step forward. "Friends tease and say bad stuff to each other all the time. That's what my siblings do."

Keith raised a brow skeptically. "Why? That's mean."

Lance smiled softly and took one of Keith's hands away from his chest. "Friends do it to show their love. It's normal, trust me. Friends never mean it, just like how I don't hate you."

"So we're...friends?" Keith looked like he just swallowed a piece of lemon when he said the word, face scrunching up and head tilted to the side.

"Well duh. We've been hanging out every week for like forever!" Lance exclaimed.

"Two months isn't forever, Lance." Keith chided but his expression didn't change.

"Good thing we'll be together forever, right?" Lance beamed, taking Keith's other hand.

Keith stared at him for a moment and Lance let him think, then Keith nodded.

"Yeah. Forever."

December 16, 2095

"Hey kiddo, ready to go?" Mr. Shirogane's smile was kind but Keith was ready to throw that smile away into the trash.

He had another nightmare that night and Keith was not in the mood to go anywhere. Especially with the Shirogane's. When he found out the day before that the family were taking Keith out for some "bonding outings" he was not pleased. He had first refused, but Mrs. Davis was certain that it would be good for him. She also promised to get him another book if he went through with it. The whole situation was rather bittersweet if you asked him.

"Where are we going?" Keith stubbornly asked.

"That's the surprise." Takashi did jazz hands. "You'll see when we get there."

Keith rolled his eyes, hiking his bag straps on his shoulders. The bag only had three items, an emergency phone that Mrs. Davis gave him, some money and a water bottle. He walked right past the boy to see his parents waiting for them at the door.

"Nice to see you again Keith." Mrs. Shirogane smiled brightly. Her black hair was tied up in a pretty bun, her dark eyes were friendly and she radiated positivity. "Ready for a day of adventure?"

Keith only nodded, continuing his walk into the parking lot, not waiting for the family to catch up. He knew exactly what the car looked like from how many times they visited. It was obnoxiously white, always clean despite looking dated like it was from the 2070's.

He stood right in front of the door and robotically turned around, waiting for the doors to be unlocked.

"Are you excited?" Mr. Shirogane asked. He was a tower compared to Keith with wide-set shoulders and square glasses framing his almond-shaped eyes.

"Sure." Keith answered, watching as the man's smile falters.

The road trip was a thirty minute drive of awkward conversation starters. Keith could feel Takashi's eyes on him whenever he would sneak a glance at him, same with his mother whenever she'd look into the mirror.

Eventually, they pulled up into a parking lot which had Christmas decorations lining the light poles, colourful lights flashing even though it was noon. Keith got out of the car first, taking a deep breath of the fresh air which was adorned with the smell of pine and cinnamon. The air was hot because that's what you get when you live in Arizona.

The boy followed the family down the filled parking lot and entered what seemed like an outdoor market. Booths were lined in rows with their vendors selling trinkets and sweets, the sound of annoying Christmas songs filling the air.

"What is this?" Keith asked while watching a kid fall and cry over his broken candy cane.

"It's a Christmas market!" Mrs. Shirogane answered. "They have a bunch of food and toys and we thought you might really like it."

Keith nodded. "Okay." The family for some reason beamed with happiness at Keith's reaction. Keith never thought he'd want to go back to the orphanage so much as that moment. He began walking towards what could be the most annoying experience of his life.

It's been two hours of shopping and eating different kinds of sweets. Keith's stomach was filled with cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate which wasn't a good idea to have in this weather but he didn't regret it. Keith initially didn't want to get anything but food, but the Shirogane's insisted for him to get something that he couldn't consume.

"How about this?" Mrs. Shirogane asked while holding up a calendar with cats in the snow.

Keith frowned and shook his head, looking back down at the ornament in his hand. It was a simple white dove and Keith was careful when he put it back on the rack.

"Ooh! How about this?"

Keith turned back around to see Takashi holding a white sweater that said "Dabbin' through the snow" and Santa Claus dabbing right beneath the red text. Keith met the boy's eyes with a hard glare. Takashi chuckled, obviously understanding Keith's disapproval and put the sweater away.

Keith turned back to the rack of ornaments, turning the display around so it could show more. His eyes ranked from one to another, fingers grazing the bumps and smoothness of the ornaments. He stopped at one that was a great white shark wearing a Santa Claus hat that was the size of his palm. The string was golden, attached to the festive hat.

He pictured a blue-eyed boy smiling brightly with his one small tooth while wearing his favourite shirt with the shark design.

"I want this one." He confirmed, taking the ornament in his hand. It was only a little smaller than his palm.

He could feel the family surround him, taking in the sight of the strange ornament.

"A shark?" Mr. Shirogane asked.

Keith nodded.

The trio all gave each other looks before shrugging.

"Weird shark ornament it is." Takashi exclaimed.

Keith felt the corners of his lips slightly lift for the first time that day.

They had just walked out of a cafe, gingerbread feeling heavy in his stomach along with the second hot chocolate he had that day and he felt ready to go home.

The day started off awkward and weird, but it slowly became actually fun and Keith slowly became comfortable with the trio. They had joked around and Keith found himself smiling more than he thought he ever could in that situation. The whole experience was oddly comforting but a little scary as well.

"So, Keith, have any plans for Christmas?" Mr. Shirogane asked.

Keith hesitated. "Why?"

They stopped in front of the fountain that held no water but many blinking lights.

Mrs. Shirogane took hold of his hand. "Well, we were thinking it would be nice for you to stay with us for Christmas!" Keith's heart stopped. "You can come over on Christmas eve and sleep over. You'll be gone by noon, we promise."

"That is, if you want to." Takashi put a hand on his shoulder. His eyes were brown in the natural light instead of the black it casts when in darkness.

Did he want to? Did Keith really want to spend Christmas with a family that wasn't his? A family that has been trying to bond with him so that maybe one day they'll adopt him. Heck, did he even want to be adopted?

Did Keith want to give the family any more reason to adopt him? If he kept agreeing to hang out with them, that'll either give more reason to adopt him or the opposite. Though, if he just stopped hanging out with them, then there won't be a boy to miss or want. If he keeps this up, they'll invite him to other holidays as well. He wasn't sure if he wanted that or not.

"I, uh, I can't." Keith said without thinking. "I'm busy that day."

The family frowned. "Busy?" Mr. Shirogane asked in confusion.

"Yeah, um, I'm celebrating Christmas with my friend." Keith lied.

"You've got a friend?" Mrs. Shirogane asked with slight disappointment and slight excitement. The caretakers must have told them his lack of friendships. He didn't know if he should feel anger or embarrassment.

"Yeah, his name is Lance and his family agreed for me to join them." Keith didn't meet their eyes, scared that they'll see right through his lies.

"Even during Christmas eve?" Takashi asked.

Keith nodded.

Mr. Shirogane hummed. "Okay, then. Guess we'll have to hang out next time, yeah?"

Keith didn't move, gaze focused on the colourful lights.

"So, Keith, tell us more about this Lance." Takashi shoved his shoulder.

Keith glared at the older boy. "There is nothing to talk about, Shiro."

The boy raised a questioning brow at the name. "Shiro?"

Keith crossed his arms. "It's easier to just call all of you Shiro."

"Then how will we know who you're talking to?"

Keith sighed as he thought for a moment. "You'll be Shiro number one, your mom will be number two and your dad will be number three."

"Why am I last?"

Keith glared at the man. "Cause you ate the rest of my cookies."

"Not my fault you were taking a long time to eat it." Shiro number three teased.

"Wait." Shiro said. "Won't saying our numbers take way longer than saying our actual names?"

"Too late. It's been already decided." Keith claimed, walking towards a random booth. He could hear the family laughing behind him.

///////////

I'm back!!!!!
First published this on AO3 but I've decided to post it on Wattpad as well. Hope you enjoyed!!!
  -VertigoReader101