Stars // klance AU

Don't You Forget The Sun

"Will someone PLEASE take that saxophone away from him," Hunk whimpered in pure discomfort, holding the garland to his ears in an attempt to muffle Lance's jazzy cover of sleigh ride. The latter was using one of the benches as a stage, clad in a pair of pajama shorts and an oversized handmade sweater with a reindeer stitched to the front, clearly a gift from someone.

Keith pushed his hair back, staring at the sun-kissed man in beguilement. "Aren't you going to help us set up?" He called to him over his obnoxiously loud playing, sticking his free hand in one of his sweatpants' pockets. "I thought Christmas spirit was your thing."

"It is my thing," Lance said, moving his mouthpiece away for a brief moment. "I'm spreading the spirit as you guys decorate the place." Without a moment of hesitation, Lance continued his festive playing.

Keith was not very fond of Christmas. He was not a religious man, and the holiday barely had any meaning to him at all, but the way the others seemed so pumped about it lit a small flame within him. A ray of hope that maybe it would be enjoyable for once. He had found out from Shiro that neither Allura nor Coran celebrate the holiday either, but they go along with it anyway for some reason or another, and Keith did not have the heart to ask them why they bothered.

Almost as if summoned by Keith's thoughts, Allura climbed down the stairwell carrying a very small plastic tree which she proceeded to place in the middle of the room, where the benches had been previously moved to make a circle.

"That's the last of it, I suppose," Coran rubbed his hands together, looking around at the monstrous decorations. There was garland everywhere, some of which shed on the food which Hunk had spent so long preparing, the benches did not make anything resembling a circle, more like an irregular polygon, and everybody's clothing choices for this Christmas eve celebration did not make it any better. Aside from Lance's disaster of an outfit, Hunk had been stumbling around in a Rudolf onesie, complete with a red nose and antlers on the hood. Shiro had been talked into wearing a Santa hat and red pajama pants fully decorated in tiny Christmas trees. Coran had found a hat that came with an attachable white beard, and Allura was wearing a red sweater more than a couple sizes too big that read WINTER IS COMING in white print. They all seemed very enthusiastic aside from Keith, wearing only a hoodie from university and black sweatpants. Thanks to Lance earlier that day, he had joined the holiday spirit by wearing an elf hat, but nothing more.

"Don't mind me asking, but..." Keith looked over at Lance, who was putting his saxophone safely away in its case. "Why put up the decorations up now? You guys have had a whole week."

"The thing is... we aren't supposed to be down here during break," Lance scratched the back of his head. "The professors let us be since we keep the place clean and don't cause much trouble, but if we kept the decorations up for a whole week they would probably lock us out for the rest of winter break."

Keith hummed in understanding, leaning against the closest table. Lance shoved the saxophone case underneath it, wincing at the dull sound of it hitting another object under the table. Before Keith could strike up another conversation, a chorus of wooing reached the two men from the other end of the room. Allura was staring at them, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at the two. Lance used a hand to cover his face, turning it away, while Keith just frowned at the woman, wondering what could have led to such reaction. With a grin, she pointed upwards, motioning Keith to look up above him.

"Quiznack...." The shorter of the two muttered under his breath. Lance followed his gaze to the relatively high ceiling above them. The object was high enough that it was not noticeable unless one was staring right at it, but low enough that someone could have probably reached it by climbing on top of a table. There, among the painted constellations, hung a handful of mistletoe tied with a decorative red ribbon, watching over the two men in its powerful glory.