Winter Slowburn

All I Need

⊹ᱸ ₊ ꒰ ა ♡ ໒ ꒱ ₊ ᱸ⊹

"I regret wanting to come here," Keith said, clenching the inside of his jean pocket.

The mall was flooded. At least five billion people stormed in and out of the vast shopping mall. With his friends, he felt anxious enough, but being in there would definitely send Keith to the same place his father was in- the grave.

"Oh- Come on!! Let's get something to eat." Lance grabbed Keith by the wrist and dragged him closer to the store, Keith whining behind.

"How... How the fuck are they not dating?" Hunk pointed at the two with his thumb. Pidge just shrugged their shoulders.

"Y'all comin'?!" Lance shouted from the entrance of the mall, still holding onto Keith like an overexcited toddler with his mom.

"Yeah, yeah. Y'all can go on ahead to wherever. Pidge and I will call y'all later!" Hunk shouted in reply. Lance and Keith entered the mall, Lance still dragging his childhood friend by the wrist.

"Woahhh..." Keith looked around the mall, bright lights flashing from inside the stores and the smell of food wafting throughout the mall.

"I know, right? You've never been to Space Mall before?"

"Lance, it's a whole hour away from where I live. Besides, I order stuff online."

"Well then, today's the day you get to experience getting out of your bubble for the first time!"

"It isn't my- Whatever." Lance continued to drag him around the mall, looking at painted ceramics and glittering jewelry at the small stands they passed by.

Lance started to goof around with Keith as they exited Hot Topic with a bag in Keith's hand.

"You're so emo. Literally, everything you got was just black." Lance braced himself for Keith's kick, or punch, or slap, or scream, or scold...

Keith lifted his hand with the bag to hit Lance, but stopped when he saw a family grow close.

"I hate you." Keith whispered. They started walking again. Both Keith and Lance jumped when they heard someone behind them. Keith turned around in instinct, making Lance do the same.

"Woahhh, boyfriends!!" The little boy shouted and pointed at Keith and Lance and then their interlocked hands. They both blushed at the fact their wrist dragging turned into hand holding.

Yeah, they were holding hands. Talk about childhood friends.

"Zarkon!!! I told you, stop drinking that! It makes you act drunk!" She snatched the energy drink bottle from his hands.

"But, Honerva~~~"

"No!!! Let's go!" Honerva, the other little girl, grabbed the boy by his long Galra ears. He started to complain at the pain and Honerva then apologized to Keith and Lance.

"I am so sorry about Zarkon. He's a little mixed up in the head. I like your style, by the way. You two are so open about your relationship, I believe in y'all." She smiled at them with her beady hazelnut eyes and walked away, pulling Zarkon by his elongated right ear.

...

"Uhm..." Keith and Lance both blushed as they realized what the kids called them. BOYFRIENDS?!?!

Keith snatched his hand away, covering his face with his gloved hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!" Keith muffled his cries and hid his flushed cheeks.

"It's okay!! I- I didn't-" Lance then groaned as he caught Pidge and Hunk walking over to them.