Always Arcades

Chapter One

>Keith's POV<
"I don't want to go!" I yelled as I pressed by back against the locked door. Shiro,my older brother,sighed as he heard my voice. He was going grocery shopping,and he wanted me to get out more and meet new people. But I didn't want to meet anybody else. I had him,my brother,my father-like figure,and needed nobody else.
I heard some foot tapping before he knocked lightly on the door. I knew he had a plan,and I knew he was gonna use it on me so that I agreed to leave the house.
"We can go to the arcade..." he said slowly,and I knew he had a small smirk on his face. My eyes widened and I unlocked the door,cracking it open,just a tiny bit so that I could see Shiro. "The arcade?"
"I promise."
"Are you lying just so I can go?"
I watched him shake his head no,and I opened the door the whole way. I silently sighed,but managed a tiny smile.
"Fine,I'll go." I whispered as I moved over to my closet. I ran my hand along my shirts,until I grabbed the hanger holding my red flannel. I slipped it on over my black shirt,pulled on my boots,and walked back over to Shiro,arms crossed. He smiled at me before taking my hand,leading me out the door,making sure I didn't run back into my room. At least he's quick at shopping,right?
"What store are we going to?" I asked quietly as I climbed up into the truck,looking over to the driver's seat. Shiro clipped on his seatbelt as he started the truck,looking over at me with a smile.
"Walmart." He simply said as we started to back out of the driveway. Let me just take a second to talk about the truck.
It was black and lifted,being a 2013 Dodge truck,a 4X4 Crew Cab. It had leather interior.
That is all.
I leaned against the door,staring out the window as we started on the highway. I reached over to change the radio station,because I didn't like the song on,but Shiro pushed my hand away.
"Hey," I whined as I looked over at him. "Why can't I change the station to a better song?"
"Driver picks the music." Shiro smirked as we turned onto an exit. I groaned and returned my attention to the passing trees and mountains.
After a few moments,we were searching for a parking space in the Walmart parking lot.
"Over there." I pressed my finger against the window,tapping repeatedly on the glass. Shiro chuckled and turned into the empty space,when the car behind us layed on the horn. They obviously wanted the same spot. I pressed my hands to my ears to try and block out the sound of the car horn.
They didn't even have a good car! It was a white,worn down Toyota. From what I could see,junk was thrown in the back car seats.
Shiro rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He then slammed his fist on the truck horn,raising his middle finger at the car driver. He then turned the keys and shut the truck off,taking off his seat belt before opening the door. I shakily opened my door,stepping out before closing it.
The car driver pulled into a tiny spot and got out,slamming the door shut. He started towards us,and Shiro saw him. He grabbed my hand,leading me towards the store,and I kept close to him. Once we were in the store,I grabbed a cart for Shiro while he went to find a worker. He would notify them of the man outside.
I pushed the cart towards Shiro,watching him have a conversation with an employee. He then turned towards me,and managed a small smile.
"They're going to deal with that man from outside." He told me,hoping to calm me down. I already didn't like people,and he knew I didn't like what happened in the parking lot.
We started towards the groceries,before I shook my head. There were so many people in the isles. I looked at Shiro and tapped his arm.
"Can I go back to the games?" I asked quietly. He smiled and nodded his head.
"Alright. I'll call you when I'm done. Here-" he reached into his pocket and placed 20 dollars in my hand,as well as four quarters. "-you can buy what you'd like. And you can play the claw machine if you'd like to with the quarters."
I smiled and nodded my head,putting the money in my pocket. I then walked out of the freezer isle,breaking into a sprint towards the back of the store.

I glanced down the game isle,and managed a sigh of relief. Nobody else was there,which was kind of a surprise. I started on down the isle,my gaze glued to the locked,glass doors. Finally,I stopped and turned completely,taking a few steps closer to the door. My eyes lit up and I couldn't help but show a wide smile.
I walked over to the worker standing by the game register. I hesitantly tapped his arm,and he turned towards me with a wide grin.
"Why hello there! What can I help you with?" He asked as he completely faced me. He had orange hair,as well as a mustache,and wide eyes. I shrunk down a bit,slightly intimidated by the man. A female worker came over and got his attention.
"Coran,you're scaring him." She said calmly,turning towards me. She had long,white hair,and bright eyes. She gave me a small smile. "Now,what do you need help with?"
"I-I,um,would l-like to get a g-game." I stuttered out,my shy side getting to me. I led the employee over to the display case holding the game. She smiled and unlocked the case,sliding open the door and handing me the game. She then closed the door,locked it,and led me back over to the register. She scanned the bar code,and I handed her the twenty dollars. I thanked her,and looked at her name.
"Thank y-you,Ms. A-Allura." I managed before heading towards the front of the store,waving a goodbye to both Allura and the other employee, Coran.

As I was heading towards the front of the store,I felt a light buzz in my pocket. Pulling out my phone,the bag holding my game hanging off of my wrist,I opened the message from Shiro.

Shiro: I'm done with getting the groceries. I'm checking out now. Are you still back at the games?
Keith: I bought a game,and I'm heading to the front of the store right now.
Shiro: what game did you decide to buy?
Keith: you'll see soon.

I smiled to myself as I shoved my phone back in my pocket. Walking through the automatic doors,I quickly walked over to the claw game outside of the store. I had four chances to get something.
Taking out a quarter,I slid it into the game slot. Before moving the joystick that controls the claw,I looked throughout the stuffed animals in the case. My eyes landed on a red stuffed lion,and I silently gasped.
Holding onto the stick,I moved the claw towards the red lion at the other side of the container. Biting the inside of my cheek,I tried to move the claw so it was at the perfect angle. Once I was sure it was perfect,the claw dropped itself. It spun,the claw landing on its head,before lifting back up. I smacked my hand lightly on the stand. I was hoping to get it first try. So,I tried again.
I watched as the claw dropped,and missed. Third quarter. No lion plushie. Taking a deep breath,I inserted the last quarter into the slot. I moved the claw over the lion,and pressed the button to let the claw drop. It grabbed onto something,but whatever it was,it was hidden by the red lion. As the claw rose,I saw a blue ball of fluff being lifted into the air. As the claw came closer,it didn't fall,and before I knew it,it was mine.
I carefully took the blue lion in my hands. It wasn't red,but it was just as cute. I turned around,hugging the lion close,and my eyes met Shiro's,who was holding a few bags. He chuckled as I walked over to him,and I followed him outside. I helped him load the groceries into the back of the truck,not letting go of the lion,not even once. I felt comfort when I held it.
As Shiro closed the back door of the truck,he climbed up into the driver's seat. I walked around the back of the truck,and up into the passenger's seat.
"So,what game did you get?" Shiro asked as he started up the truck. Holding the lion plushie in one arm,I pulled out the game with my free hand.
"Just Dance." I simply stated,making Shiro start to laugh,and I couldn't help but join.
"Of course you did." He joked as we backed out of the parking space. My eyes moved to the white car from earlier,and I tensed up. Where was that guy from earlier?
I pulled my knees up to my chest,hugging the lion tight. Shiro looked over at me,and followed my gaze,before looking ahead again. We started to drive,getting back onto the highway.
"Don't worry about the guy in the car." Shiro reassured me,giving me a side glance.
"Now,let's go to the arcade."
"We're really going?"
"I promised you we would,didn't I?"