The Small Town

Dear Theodosia

Keith heard her voice, but could not understand a thing she was saying.

"E poi, hanno fatto un seguito, ed è stato così brutto! L'ho odiato, ma al mio ragazzo piace davvero, quindi ho sopportato di guardarlo." She spoke rapidly in a language Keith didn't understand.

"Oh? Tu hai un fidanzato? Qual è il suo nome? È carino? Ti tratta bene? Dimmi di più!" another voice spoke. Keith looked up the stairs as Pidge burst through the door, leading in another woman. She was coated in snow and bundled up in winter clothing and looked absolutely adorable.

"Hey Pidge! Who is this?" Keith asked, starting to walk up the stairs.

"Questo è il mio no- uh, this is my grandma. She flew in from Italy!" she explained. She turned to her grandmother. "Questo è Keith. Il mio ragazzo. Lui è meraviglioso! Vive nella porta accanto."

"Pidge! Is that Nonna Chiara?!" Lance hollered from Pidge's room.

"Lance? Is that you mio caro?" the woman asked.

"Si! It's me! And Hunk is here too!" Lance hollered up the stairs.

"Hello nonna!" Hunk yelled.

"Ciao, darling!"

"Stavamo per guardare alcuni film di Natale, ti piacerebbe unirti a noi?" Pidge said something that sounded like an invitation.

"No, dear, Vado a chiacchierare con mia figlia per un po '. Vai a divertirti con i tuoi amici." Pidge's grandmother patted her on the shoulder and Pidge nodded, running down the stairs.

"You guys look adorable!" she laughed, upon seeing the boys in their onesies. "I'm going to get mine on." She grabbed it from the box that it sat in and ran into the bathroom. She emerged moments later in her onesie, looking cuter than ever. It was quite large on her, and Keith smiled at her. She wandered past him into the living room. She hadn't noticed him, because he was behind her in the pantry getting snack foods. He charged behind her and scooped her into his arms, spinning her around and dropping onto the couch, still holding her.

"Keith! You asshole!" she screeched. Keith held her close and peppered her face with kisses.

"Get a room," Lance hollered at them from the living room entrance.

"I mean, if you insist," Keith laughed, lifting Pidge up again.

"No! Put me down, douche bag." Pidge pushed herself away, unable to contain her laughter.

"God. Can we just watch a movie?" Lance snapped. He was still a little bit salty about their relationship, but he was being about as good as he could about it.

"Yes! Krampus! That's what we're watching! Fuck you!" She ran to grab her laptop from her room and came back, balancing it in one hand and typing really fast. Soon enough, the movie popped up onto the television and she jumped onto the couch. "Did you grab the snacks, or not?"

Keith ran back to the pantry to grab the snack foods, when he was called upstairs. He ran up the stairs two at a time and came face to face with the older woman Pidge had entered with.

"You are the young lad my Kathrine has been talking about, no?" she asked. Keith looked around nervously. No one was around to witness this interrogation.

"I think so," Keith answered meekly.

"Are you kind? Do you treat my darling well?" The woman walked around slowly, observing Keith. Inspecting him.

"Uh, yes? What does- How did Pi- Katie describe me?" Keith asked, slightly nervous for the answer. The woman led Keith to the couches and sat down with him.

"She speaks highly of you. She says you are the most greatest thing that has happened to her. She says you are meraviglioso. That you can be a bit of a cretino, but she would go as far as to say lei te ama. How do you see my nipotina?"

Keith nodded and pretended like he understood what the woman said when she spoke Italian.

"How do I see Pidge?" Nonna nodded. "Well, where do I start? She brings light to my day. She makes me smile by just looking my in my direction. She makes me laugh when I'm around her more than any other time. I want to hold her, and keep her safe from everything the world could throw at her. And I want to stand with her through all of it. And I want to make her smile when she not happy, and talk to her, and fix all her problems. Because I lo-" Keith caught himself.

"Well, you must get back to your friends, and the light of your life." Nonna nodded towards the stairs and Keith saw Pidge's hair as she flew down the stairs. He quickly followed.

"Hunk, my mom wants me back. And I'm your ride. We gotta head out." Lance stood from his seat and stretched his arms as Keith made it to the bottom of the stairs. Hunk nodded and grabbed his backpack. He gave Pidge a hug and nodded a goodbye to Keith before following Lance up the stairs.

Pidge's face was a bright red. She looked up at Keith with wide eyes.

"What were you going to say to my grandma? I mean, you cut yourself off when you saw me. So..." Pidge's breath was coming in shorts, though she was trying and failing to hide it.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing important. Sorry, I didn't mean- sorry." Keith nodded curtly. "Um, I'm gonna head over to my house. Goodnight Pidge."

Pidge nodded and sniffled slightly, barely caught by Keith. She stood from her place on the couch and waddled in her over sized pajamas to her room.

Keith watched her walk to her room, then ran up the stairs and out the door. He kicked open his front door and ran down his stairs. He collapsed on his bed and groaned loudly into his pillow.

"I fucked up," he said to himself. He decided to change his onesie for a pair of jogging pants. He was too warm (and angry at his idiocy) for the fleece.

He needed to fix this. He didn't know how, but he knew that needed too. He rolled around on his bed, pulling up the covers and then kicking them off in the same motion. Eventually he stood up and looked out his window. Pidge's curtains and window were open, and she was laying on her bed blasting music through her headphones. Keith couldn't hear the words, but he could hear the music.

He climbed through his window and jumped over the fence barreling into Pidge's room. She jumped up and threw her headphones off.

"Keith, what the fuck?" she whisper-yelled. Keith grabbed her into his arms and kissed her all over her face.

"I love you! I love you so much! You are the greatest thing in my life and I love you!" Keith nearly cried to her.

Pidge covered her mouth with her hand and jumped onto Keith, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I love you too," she mumbled against his neck. "Now get out. I'm listening to Hamilton and trying to sleep."

Keith laughed and turned on her phone to see what she's listening to. Dear Theodosia.

"Babe, you're gonna cry."

"I already am!" she chuckled. Slight traces of tears ran down her face.

"I love you," she repeated. Keith laid down, Pidge still in his arms and snuggled up with her. He took one of the ear buds and stuck the other one in Pidge's.

"I guess we'll cry together then. What's next in the queue?"

Pidge had to hide her subtle grin. "Stay Alive Reprise."

Keith laughed and hugged her tighter, closing his eyes and trying to fall asleep.

"You're cold," Pidge complained, only cuddling closer to him.