NOTES
In this story Pidge/Katie is going to use female pronouns since she is not canonically gender fluid.
Shiro is also a straight man since the story was written before it became cannon he was gay. Sorry for that but please stop harassing me I wrote this when I was 17. It has been YEARS since I posted this forgive me
Thank you.
The cold air chilled the man to the bone as he quietly walked through the snow covered park listening to the quiet ticking noise that always kept him in check with reality. The soft crinkle of snow beneath his boots caused a small, unnoticeable smirk to paint his face. He let out a small breath as he craned his head up to gaze at the starry sky above him. The stars had always fascinated him; during his times as an orphan he could remember only one foster family that he had loved so much.
His foster father, Jared, had taught him about the stars above and everything he could tell a tiny ten year old about space. Keith's favorite lesson he had been taught was that you could draw out any shape using the stars. It was something he loved to see. The ability to be able to reach out and trace what his heart desired in the stars would always send a chill down his spine; it was something he would show his own child one day.
The moon above was glowing magnificently as if it were smiling down at Keith as it hung above him. It was surrounded by the shimmering stars, content with its special place beside Earth. "Keith, hurry up, Shiro is going to be upset if we're late to Allura's small party she's having for us," Pidge's voice suddenly caused the lanky man to be wrenched from his momentary nostalgia.
Keith lowered his purple eyes down to the small girl who was wearing her winter clothing of choice. A thick north face jacket with blue jeans and earmuffs. Her eyes showed annoyance as she walked past Keith quickly. "Sure Pidge," Keith replied half to himself as he caught up to her and stuffed his hands into his pockets trying to warm up his numb fingers.
"I can't believe that Shiro and Allura ended up being soulmates with each other, it's weird," Pidge mumbled to herself.
Keith smiled slightly at the short brunette before shrugging. "I'm sure you'll find the perfect one for you one day...though it might be an AI you created in the lab or-"
"Keith."
"Right."
The two friends continued to walk in silence once the joking had been stopped. It was a nice night to just sit on a park bench and quietly watch the snow as it gracefully drifting from the sky and onto the ground. Keith blew out a puff of air and watched it instantly crystalize in the air. The two were across the street from Allura and Shiro's home which was nice since Keith hadn't exactly dressed for a long walk outside, he only wore his red jacket, jeans, and boots that he usually sported. He shivered at the thought of his appearance, Shiro was sure to fret over it saying he might catch a cold from being exposed to the cold climate for so long. The trees creaked in the cold breeze that drifted through the bare branches, knocking snow off of the stiff wood as it danced around the pine trees.
"It's nice being able to walk in silence and look at everything," Pidge quietly stated.
This earned a curt nod from Keith as the two of them left the park slowly, their friend's apartment now in full view and the window lit up looking as if it were a cozy little home. "Yeah, it really is nice," Keith mumbled back. He wasn't really in a talkative mood tonight due to the fact he didn't even want to leave his apartment.
The two approached the building and entered, Pidge gently pressed the buzzer while Keith tried to warm up his hands by rubbing them together like how a Disney villain would when they were plotting something. A voice sounded on the speaker that made the mullet haired man want to roll his eyes in annoyance. "Helllllo~" Lance purred as if he were trying to hit on a girl, which always failed Keith had to add.
Pidge slid off her ear muffs and gave a deep sigh as she placed them in her jacket's pocket. "Lance, buzz Keith and I up please," She grumbled.
There was a curt sound of Lance clicking his tongue in disappointment until he replied, "Fine, but only because Shiro wants you two here," Then the door in front of them unlocked in a loud buzz.
The apartment was on the first floor (thankfully) and so they easily found number 32A and knocked on it loudly. In a few seconds Hunk swung the door open with large eyes full of excitement but they instantly turned to disappointment as the man hunched over, "Oh it isn't the pizza guy..."
Keith rolled his eyes and followed him inside without taking off his jacket unlike Pidge who hung hers up on the coat rack. The apartment was cozy and relaxing, the scent of gingerbread cookies wafted into Keith's nose reminding him of one of those stereotypical Christmas family's that were always on TV. You know, the ones who sang Christmas carols with each other as if they had never had a day where someone argued with another. Shiro was happily smiling at Keith as he made hot chocolate in the kitchen, he was dressed casually like everyone else with a plain black T-shirt, and jeans. His scar dominated his face and it was the first thing that would catch anyone's attention but oddly enough it suited him, he had gotten it during his job as a fireman a year ago when he was trying to help put out a fire but due to a malfunction in the fire hose, it whipped him across his face and caused him to go to the hospital for the night to get stitches.
Shiro was still an amazing guy even if people did look at him oddly for the scar, he cared for everyone as if they were a childhood friend or even his own blood. Lance and Hunk were his childhood friends but even so he didn't treat them any different from everyone else. It was nice to be around. Keith's eyes floated over to Allura who was happily talking to Lance on the couch, her long hair was neatly brushed and tidy as she nodded along to Lance's possibly made up story as he tried to show off somehow. Allura wasn't as nice as Shiro but she too had a loving heart ever since her entire family had died in a tragic accident; her and her remaining family member, Coran, had moved to Wisconsin in order to start anew and they both found their soulmates almost immediately. This was something Keith found himself jealous of somehow, he never gave the locket around his neck much thought but sometimes he felt his chest ache seeing a happy couple together. He wanted to be happy just like them and have children running around in his home laughing.
Lance was... well he was Lance. He smiled devilishly and wiggled his eyebrows at all the ladies, whether they were foreigners or not, as long as they were pretty Lance thought he had a chance. He annoyed Keith the most, Lance always had to point out he was bisexual to new people and then proceed to hit on them causing him to be hit sometimes himself. He was tall and lanky with olive colored skin, he worked at the airport and would always talk about the flights he did and the crazy passengers he had encountered before. He had three weeks off however due to his copilot being under investigation of drinking on the job.
Hunk was settling next to Allura now, he stuffed his face with the snacks that he had helped Shiro prepare; there were cake pops, chips, and anything else you could possibly dream of scattered across the kitchen table in an organized way. Hunk was an awkward guy who felt out of place sometimes but he was also very cautious of his surroundings and would always jump during one of those cliché horror movies that even little kids weren't afraid of. What he lacked in confidence he made up with skill, he was an amazing cook and he just so happened to be a professional chef, the youngest in the state of Wisconsin.
Keith found himself slowly finding his seat next to Hunk as he stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. His body was no longer cold since the fireplace was lit and the crackle of wood echoed through the home. The soft sound of Christmas music in the background sounded making him feel slightly annoyed since it was in fact, the third time today he heard Jingle Bell Rock. He slumped down into the comfortable couch and nodded a greeting at everyone calmly, it was a nice feeling to be able to relax around his friends after a long day of work.
He worked as a homicide detective, always on call for whenever he happened to get a new investigation. He had just wrapped one up that morning, arresting an older man for the murder of a prostitute he had left at the hotel along with an alarming amount of his DNA at the crime scene. He hadn't bothered to wipe his prints or clean up, he had just left the scene as it was. A mistake only idiots made.
"So I heard you found the guy you were after Keith, how was the arresting?" Allura looked over at him, cutting off Lance's story causing him to pout slightly.
Keith shrugged slightly before sitting up in his seat, "It was relatively easy speaking that he had left a massive amount of evidence at the scene like articles of clothing, finger prints and even his s-"
"No crime scene talk while I'm eating please..." Hunk gave a bilious face as he glanced around uneasily.
Keith patted his friends back with a small smile, "Keep it in big guy."
The time passed by relatively quickly as the group of six sat down at the couch and talked happily with one another. Keith laughed whenever Shiro told a lame dad joke. Pidge obsessed over her newest prototypes with Hunk and Allura cringed at Lance's annoying flirting which made Shiro give him glares from across the couch. Keith's happiness came to an end when he and Lance got into an argument about who's job was more important.
"Clearly," Lance placed his hand on his chest defensively, "Mine is more important because I get people place to to place with my A plus flying skills." He winked.
Keith felt his eye twitch slightly as he scoffed aloud, "I don't see your job saving countless lives like mine does. I literally stop murderers."
"But that's just dumb luck you're able to find them. Mine is based purely on skill."
"You won't call it dumb luck when I solve your murder Lance."
Pidge rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as she pitched in her two cents, "Well everyone would know who murdered Lance, it would obviously be you Keith."
Huffing in agitation, both men crossed their arms and looked away from the group like children. Shiro was sighing into his hot chocolate, annoyed that his friends couldn't get along as usual. Allura was simply pretending not to care as she tried to talk to Hunk about food. 'Why does he always have to try to one up me at everything?' Keith thought to himself in anger, 'it's as if he's always trying to impress others, it's annoying.'
CLICK. The noise startled Keith as his locket suddenly let out a peculiar noise. His eyes were wide as he lifted the silver accessory in his hand to look at everyone in confusion. Shiro and Allura's eyes lit up in excitement as they sat on the edge of their chairs, as if they waited for him to do something. Pidge pushed her bottom lip out into a pout as she slouched over, staring jealously at the locket in Keith's hand. Lance and Hunk seemed oblivious to what was happening.
"Open it Keith!" Allura exclaimed as she gave Shiro a look that reminded Keith of a child in a candy store.
Keith raised his eyebrow in confusion until his heart suddenly skipped a beat in realization. It had unlocked. The one thing that determined how his life would be spent had unlocked after twenty two years of waiting. His nervousness was showing as his cheeks turned a light shade of pink that everyone took notice of, Lance laughed but was cut off by Shiro placing his hand over the idiot's mouth as Keith stared at the shaking hand holding the silver accessory.
He didn't exactly know how the thing worked but he knew that it displayed a digital picture of his soulmate on it, one that he was compatible with. The idea of HIM finding love brought cold shivers down his spine as he gulped down air and placed his thumb onto the button that would bestow his future unto him. He squeezed his eyes shut as it flicked open roughly, he heard Hunk gasp slightly next to him so he opened his eyes in fear.
The fear subsided to pure confusion as he stared down at a Latino man with short brown hair and a shit eating grin plastered onto his face. His eyes narrowed onto the picture as he recognized the face. "You've got to be fucking with me," He glared up at Lance in anger suddenly.
The entire group was confused until Lance jumped slightly at his own lock clicking. This just couldn't be happening, Keith couldn't be soulmates with that idiot. Lance opened the locket quickly with a smile but it turned into a cringe as he met Keith's eyes.
"What the hell," He stated before reaching over to grab Keith's locket, he studied it for a moment as the rest of the group finally caught onto what was happening. "This can't be possibly right, I would never date you in a million years!" Lance shouted as everyone except Keith began to laugh in amusement.
None of this could be happening. This just wasn't Keith's day was it?