"Wait, wait, wait! You broke your arm jumping off what?" Keith questioned as he took another bite of his rice and cheesy something he couldn't pronounce.
Lance stood tall and puffed out his chest proudly, "I jumped off the roof of this very house!" Keith laughed holding his hand up to his face as he snorted. "Just why?"
Lance smiled laughing loudly saying teasingly, "you snorted... I must tell Pidge this!" Keith rolled his eyes smiling, "She won't believe you without proof."
The boys both laughed together, it felt the same how he felt just texting Lance, it was warm and different.
Lizzy was sleeping soundly in the huge living room not caring they were laughing.
"Tell me about yourself, I only assume your favorite color is black." Lance gestured dramatically towards Keith's black sweatshirt and sweatpants.
"No actually, it's red. You?" Lance smiled kindly saying, "blueeee and not the crappy sky blue like ocean deep blue!"
Keith chuckled wiping his lips lightly with a napkin. "Thought it would be green with that awful jacket you wear."
"Hey! I bought that with my own money, and I so happen to find it the best jacket ever."
Keith rolled his eyes smiling fondly, "I used to have this red jacket...I fell in love with...I lost it at my last foster home.. It was cut short and so warm it was my favorite." Keith smiled at a memory of the jacket being sent to him by mistake, it was suppose to be a sweatshirt not a leather jacket. But he loved it either way.
"So you live in....a Foster home?" Lance questioned nervously.
Keith looked down at his empty plate, "yeah, I do."
Lance nodded even though Keith wasn't looking, he handed Keith a plate with Apple Crisp on it. Trying to make him feel better.
"What...is this?" Keith poked the crumble topping nervously, Lance sighed taking the fork from him and took a big bite.
"mmm! It's good! see? I promise!"
He handed the fork back Keith glanced a little at the fork 'this was in Lance's mouth. He's clean?...his teeth are to white not to brush them often.'
Keith took a small nervous bite; As his taste buds savored the bite of buttery crumble and juicy apples.
Lance smiled at his reaction, it was pure like he never ate anything like it before.
Keith finished the whole plate in a mere two seconds, "Mama, would be happy someone else likes her cooking!"
"She's an amazing cook! That's like my favorite food now!" Lance smiled and looked up seeing movement, his eyes widened when his mother's smiling face appeared. "Thank you, Lance's friend!"
Keith's eyes widened but as he turned a soft smile appeared on his cherry red lips, she looked so happy.
Her beautiful curly brown hair and bright pearly white smile, made him feel safe. "I'm Maya, or you can call me mama! Either way! Wait, you must be Keith! Are you Keith?!"
Keith nodded slowly glancing at the blushing Lance; he confused how she knew his name, "It's nice to finally meet you! You're much more handsome then what Lance said! Oh! hun?" She turned to Lance, avoiding the blushing mess the both of the boys were in.
"Thank you.. For letting me and your father have a break, I'm surprised Lizzy is asleep did you do something different this time?"
Lance tapped the table smiling, "Keith helped! He rocked her and she fell right asleep, think she got tired of her big bro."
Maya stepped closer to Keith, making him flitch a bit, she gently kissed Keith's bruised forehead making him stare wide at her.
"Thank you! He's really not good with the night babysitting...he's an amazing brother during the day..When he can spoil all his younger sibling!"
Keith let himself smile softly. He felt safe here, and hearing things about Lance made him feel cared about too, maybe if he had siblings he would feel like this all the time?
"Mama!" A little boy whined behind them, Keith stared at the little three year old amused, he wore blue shark slippers; Spider-man pajama pants. And to top it off a batman shirt that had a hood with little bat ears.
"Hunter...I told you to head upstairs to bed! You started snoring in the car ride home!" She tried shooing him but Hunter took off under the gap between her legs.
He latched onto Lance's legs, mumbling "Can I sleep with Lancey Lance? I very tired but I don't like emmie's room."
"Emma's room is kinda dark....Lance?" Maya questioned pulling her long wavy hair in a messy bun defeated from the toddler.
Keith felt out of place in 'family love'. He mumbled "I should be heading o-out?....uh I mean I'll see you tomorrow?" Keith winced at his stuttering voice.
"I'll drive you home..Mama, will you put Hunter in my bed; I'll be back." Lance slowly grabbed Keith's cold hand pulling him through the crowd of the McClain siblings.
Keith winced at Lance pulling at his bad arm but kept up. He heard a few siblings saying, "Who's the pretty boy?" "Is that Keith!? he's cute!"
When they got in Lance's car he mumbled a non coherent set of sentences ending it in a long sighed sorry.
Keith nodded and decided to try starting a conversation. "I had fun..Your mom seems...awesome."
The tan boy smiled and pulled the small blue car out the driveway, "She is...Yes, I have ten siblings...but we all get equaled love and no one is like feeling left out...Well, other then my Ma forgetting me at a store once."
Keith chuckled, "Sounds fun...Wish I had that...." Keith avoided the concerned glances from Lance and mumbled directions. It took them several minutes to reach the run down looking house, "You...live here?" Lance questioned.
Keith stared at the crappy home sighing. "Yeah..I do." Keith thanked him for letting him come over for a little.
He would've loved to stay with Lance...but he felt as an intruder in their family; even though he was treated like family he wasn't used to people being so nice.
As he walked up the dead lawn he heard Lance's car slowly start driving away.
He wanted to cry, he wanted to run after the car and beg Lance to let him stay the night, but instead he walked in the foul smelling house, dodging the beer bottles thrown and headed upstairs locking himself in his room for the rest of the night.
