Abroad - Klance

Day Seven: The Dollar Store

Dedicated to CommanderPie
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Pidge, Hunk and Lance sat in the back seat of Shiro's van, chanting "Dollar Store! Dollar Store! Dollar Store!"
Keith turned to Shiro, in the front seat, asking "What are they so excited about?"

"Are you kidding?!" Pidge cried, almost falling out of their seat. "Dude. Twice a year, when Shiro cracks down and works long hours to get a huge paycheck, we all go to the dollar store and blow it all."

Fun for them, not Shiro's empty fridge.
"Yeah, yeah," Hunk joined in, "last year, we bought the store out of slinkies!"
"And the trip before that, we bought all the coloring books and recorder-flutes. Don't you remember?"

Shiro's eye twitched. He remembered alright. "Boy, do I remember. You learned how to play "Talk Dirty To Me" and played it for four hours while shaking your butt."
Lance shone with pride. "My finest moment."

Keith made a face.
"But why?"
Lance scoffed. "Why not, dude? Have you ever gone impulse-shopping?"
Impulse shopping. That was a good name for it. Shiro was sure they bought everything they saw.

"It's almost like a form of relief. You buy anything you want with no restraint! And besides, it's free!"
Not for me. The eldest paladin thought.
"We're here." He announced parking the car. The teenagers in the back barreled out of it, screaming in excitement.

The three tore through the store in a matter of seconds, throwing things into the shopping cart without warning. Hunk tossed in a few bags of chips, and Pidge grabbed every type of candy they could see.
And Lance.
Lance was the worst.

"Yoooo!! They have the toy harmonicas! And the recorders and kazoos, too!"
He tossed a handful of each thing into the cart.
Shiro shook his head.
My sons are out of control.

He wandered down a random aisle, an off-brand eyeliner pencil grabbing his eye.
Aw, hell with it. He'd join in on the unnecessary impulse-buying, too.
He suddenly heard a screech.
It didn't faze him. It was obviously Lance.

"THEY HAVE THE GROW YOUR OWN DINOSAURS!"
He heard Pidge shriek. "YOU'RE KIDDING!"
"LOOK!"
"AAAA!!!"
"AAA!!"
"Guys, were in public, chill out." He heard Keith reprimand.
"Oh, wow, is that a Cryptid Tracker book?"
"Are you serious?!"

Shiro sighed yet again. Hunk was his only good child, wasn't he?
"ReeeeeeEEEEEEE!! GUYS I FOUND THOSE JUICE BOXES FROM LAST TIME!!"
...previous statement retracted.
The three squealed before moving on.

"Dad! Dad! Dad!" Lance tore down the aisle.
Shiro sighed. Again. "Yes, Lance?"
"Am I a pretty princess?" Lance posed, a plastic tiara atop his head.
The woman in the aisle smiled.
Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, Lance. You're a beautiful princess. Now please either put it back or in the basket, so we can leave."
Lance tossed it in the basket, laughing, before rejoining the others.
Shiro gave the woman an apologetic glance.

"Your son?" She inquired, grinning.
"One of four." Shiro laughed. "They drive me crazy."
Shiro was painfully aware of the loud crash from across the store.
He winced.
"And that's my cue."

The woman laughed. "Good luck."
"I'll need it."
As Shiro pushed the cart into their aisle, he saw Lance face down in a sea of boxes of toothpaste, only his torso and head visible.
"What's going on here?" Shiro demanded, putting on his dad voice™. He was an assertive father who had control of his children. He didn't raise them undisciplined.

Nobody said a word, but Keith turned red enough to burst.
"Lancetriedtodoabackflipofftheshelf!"
"Keith!"
"Sorry!"
Shiro sighed.
Again.
He helped Lance out of the boxes.
"Are you okay?"
Lance grinned. "Yeah."

"Good." Shiro's face hardened. "Then I want you to pick up each of these boxes and put all of them back on the shelf without any help."
"But Shiro-"
"Don't 'But Shiro' me. Boxes. Now."

Pidge leaned over as well.
"I said no help."
"Well, to be fair, dad, I did dare him to."
"Uh, yeah," Hunk added. "I bet that he couldn't do it."
Shiro looked at Keith expectantly.
"I'm not helping him. He's an idiot for trying."

"Oh, shit." They all turned to see blood running steadily down Lance's jaw, which Shiro quickly staunched with his pocket tissue.
"A box cut me." He pouted, placing the last one on the shelf.
"I'm surprised that's the worst injury you have." Keith blinked.
"You're insufferable."

"I can definitely do it this time. Let me try again!" Lance shouted.
Pidge and Hunk started chanting, "Do it! Do it! Do it!"
He sighed.
His sons were all ridiculous.
He turned to the security camera and apologized. "I'm sorry. My sons are idiots. Please forgive them."

He felt an odd wave of emotions crash over him.
Only a week left. It was almost over.
It'd be okay.
Lance and Keith laughed as they added cereal and bubble wands to the cart.
Shiro was worried about them.
Lance, specifically.

They hadn't really Talked About It™, they were mostly concerned about maintaining the joy of being together while the could; until the end.

Shiro couldn't even get close to the conversation without an uncomfortable air.
"I didn't want-I hadn't meant to get attached," Keith told him over and over.
"I know." He'd say back each time.

-------------------

The paladins returned to their respective homes, each with six to seven bags; the product of impulse-shopping.
Shiro hadn't told Keith the cost no matter how much he insisted.
He squinted his eyes, peering at the clock on his stove.
It read 11:36 in green numbers.
He downed his apple juice.

He heard sniffling and shuffling.
The Cuban boy shuffled into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh- Shiro?"
He dropped his hands, giving Shiro a defeated look with puffy eyes.
Shiro held his arms out.
"Come on." He said softly.

Lance barreled into his arms, crying into the man's chest.
Shiro couldn't imagine the pain of getting attached to someone just to lose them again.
It was going to be hard for all of them.
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I feel super good about my body rn and it's great.
Love, love, love,
~Lance