Kidge One Shots

Day 19 & 20

Hi all! So unexpectedly got sick with a sinus infection which put me back a few days! On the mend, and for the first time ever got a shot of a steroid and antibiotic to jump start my recovery...I haven't been in that much pain in a while! Please enjoy! (sidenote: my family cuts down our own Christmas tree for the last ten years and this year our minivan got stuck in the mud due to the unseasonally warm weather and rain 🤣...the hubs was not happy LOL)

Day 2 12/19 Christmas tree/jacket

Keith woke up with a start! His hand automatically reached for his blade, muscles readying, when the giggles and whispers registered.  Relaxing his muscles, he reorientated himself. He let himself listen and enjoy this moment.

His oldest son, Drew, could be heard ordering his siblings around. Well, after hearing a high-pitched "No," trying might be a better word. Drew's little voice firmly directed them to brush their teeth and grab their cold-weather items like gloves and hats. Then there was his daughter Abbey, who could be heard singing her class' Christmas carol and completely ignoring her older brother. And finally, with no sounds from his youngest Finn, who at 5 translated into him probably watching TV on the couch with his blankie firmly held in his arms.

He felt Katie start to stir and murmur, "Well, so much for sleeping in; we might as well get up and pick out our tree."

Keith kissed her forehead and replied, "Stay here; I'll get them rounded up and ready. I know you didn't finish your projections until early this morning. I'll even feed the gremlins too!"

Katie sighed, "This...this is why I keep you around." Chuckling, he pinched her side and slid out of bed.

As he corralled the kids, got them fed and dressed, put on their favorite Disney Holiday movie, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, stopped a fight, and found a lost glove, he finally returned to wake Katie. As she started her process of getting ready, Keith himself got ready, as well as getting a saw and tie-downs. While putting the stuff in the car, he got a message from one of his former Blades operatives: some pictures from their most recent mission. He quickly shot off a quick reply and called out if everyone was ready to leave.

On the way to the tree farm, the car was filled with yelling, laughter, and teasing. Luckily, there was no puking. It seems Finn has finally grown out of his car sickness, which was great. Plus, a little arguing from the peanut gallery. Katie was already on her phone looking up places to eat near their destination, and somehow, Drew managed to hook up his music playlist to the car! He glanced at Katie, jokingly saying, "You know, this kid is going to be the death of me, right? I can't handle two geniuses."

To which she manically grinned, replying, "What about 4?"

Once they arrived at their destination, they promptly got stuck in the mud in the parking lot, which the kids thought was excellent. Keith was more annoyed that they didn't plan for this, but out he went to try and push while Katie took control of the wheel when suddenly he had all three children next to him...in the mud. Keith groaned; the car was going to be filthy!

He could hear Katie swearing, talking about how they should have kept the test flooring in the van because they could have put it in front of the tires. Keith yelled, "There's no room in there for that and Drew's hockey bag!"

Finally, some workers from the farm came out and helped push. As they walked the tree farm, debating on the pros and cons of each tree and watching his kids run down the aisles of trees laughing and pushing, he grabbed Katie's mittened hand. Pulling her to a stop, he tugged her close and said, "Babe, thank you."

Katie blinked, "No thanks needed, bud. Hell, this is even better than what I had dreamed up. Our fucking family kicks ass!" She quickly moved to her tip toes and kissed him. Groans and applause followed, and he couldn't think of a better way to spend a day.

Day 3 12/20 Christmas gift

He was an idiot. He didn't do things like this. She was going to hate it. Fuck!

He couldn't even blame anyone else. He'd been walking around with the damn thing in his pocket for months. Waiting for the perfect time, waiting for the right moment. 

Unfortunately, he had no clue what that meant. It's not like his parents were even married. And he knew better than anyone there is no sign from above that was going to come down and say, do it now. But he usually went with his gut so that was the plan. Wait for it to feel right.

He knew he wasn't like Shiro who planned everything down to what scent of candle he lit. He heard Katie's parents' story, where Katie's mom actually got tired of waiting for Mr. Holt to pop the question. She did the deed, which he couldn't imagine Katie doing. Then there was Hunk who planned an actual event just so he could pop the question. There were fireworks that Katie was in charge of, so he knew this was a big deal.

But none of those felt like them. He knew he wasn't adept at planning missions much less a proposal. He also knew that Katie would not want to be the center of attention at a gala or bar. But conversely, he also felt like she deserved to be. He hated when she tried to blend in the background when she was all he could see.

All of these previous events led up to the current plan that was created when the guys met up at the bar to discuss Christmas plans a few nights ago. The teasing naturally started when Lance announced in all seriousness that he needed to propose on NYE for him to win the pot. Keith got defensive. If it was easy, he'd have done it already. Shiro then started poking all while strategically plying him with drinks. As the night went on, he got more and more honest with his fears and what he wanted. His team as usual developed a plan.

Which is why he was sitting through a Holt Christmas dinner sweating and feeling scared. Katie kept looking at him with concern and her parents kept glancing at hi like he was hung over. Great impression. Matt however, looked like he was about to start video recording at any time. Shit.

If you asked Keith later, he would not be able to recall one thing said at dinner. He couldn't tell you what he wore, what he ate or even if he ate. In fact, the actual proposal was also a blur but luckily Matt was on pointe and recorded the whole proposal. Which he gleefully played every damn Christmas.

But Katie would say it was the best Christmas present until the birth of her son a few years ago. And that's all that matters to Keith.