we just fall where our hearts go

.

.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Keith grumbles darkly, untangling himself from a sleepy Kosmo and slamming his window open.

It’s exactly one minute past midnight.

Sven’s jeep is on the driveway. Sven is on top of his jeep. Singing what sounds like an Abba medley of all things. Lance is perched on the hood of the jeep playing a ukulele. Hunk is crouched on the curb banging rhythmically on a mini conga drum. Pidge is shaking a goddamn maraca and is clearly just in it for shits and giggles because she’s not even trying to play in time.

Screw that, Keith is pretty sure those three have never played an instrument in their entire life.

Keith curses the day Sven started hanging out with the Drama Club.

When Keith looks towards his sister’s room, he finds Romelle sitting on her windowsill, eyes sparkling, lips quivering and hands clutched to her chest.

That’s the only reason he thinks twice about telling them to fuck off. His phone rings and he answers the call without looking.

“Baby, I’m so sorry, I tried to stop them.”

Keith cranes his head and sees Shiro peering out from the jeep’s window. Shiro waves and smiles guiltily.

“I know they’re unstoppable.” Keith sighs, leaning tiredly against the window. “But couldn’t you have convinced them to do this at a more reasonable hour?”

“Sven insisted we do it at exactly midnight.” Shiro says. He cringes when Sven struggles with a particularly high note, then yelps as he dodges the maraca Pidge had been aimlessly swinging around as she cackled. “He says the day is special?”

Keith looks at the calendar on his desk and rolls his eyes. “It’s her birthday.”

“Oh.”

Then he jumps when a familiar voice beside him says, “So he’s not perfect, after all. He can’t sing .”

Keith gapes as his mother makes herself comfortable sitting on his windowsill.

“Mom, what-”

Krolia raises her phone.

“Are you taking a video?”

“They’re so bad at it…” Krolia whispers, looking equal parts amused, confused and to Keith’s horror, weirdly impressed.

Keith goes back to his call. “At least Mom thinks it’s funny.”

“She does? Thank God. I was worried she’ll chase us off with a machete or something.”

“Valid.” Keith says.

Sven finishes his song number, then he smiles brilliantly at Romelle. “My love, I wish you a happy, happy birthday! I made sure to be the first to greet you, I hope you liked my little present!”

Romelle squeaks and nods, wiping actual tears. “Are you kidding me? I love it!” she squeals. “You’re the best boyfriend ever!”

Keith prays that the neighbors sleep through this.

“And, that’s not all I came here to say…” Sven continues. He holds out his arms. “Romelle, will you go to the prom with me?”

Romelle gasps.

“Ohhhhh…” Krolia says in understanding.

“Huh.” Keith hears Shiro say, and they stare at each other across the distance for a moment. “Oh, yeah… Prom.”

Finally, Romelle nods again, beaming. “Of course I will!” She screeches and then sends her boyfriend flying kisses.

Sven looks relieved, and he takes a moment to exchange high fives with Lance, Pidge and Hunk, who all cheer and congratulate him.

“So. Prom.” Keith says.

“Yeah, prom.” Shiro replies. “Uh…”

They spend a few seconds in awkward silence, but when they finally speak up, they do it at the same time.

“Prom’s stupid, anyway.”

“Do you want to go together?”

Awkward. Then-

“I mean, yeah, sure-”

“Haha- You’re right, it’s stupid.”

They both stop and groan before they can embarrass themselves further. When Keith looks out the window again, he sees Shiro’s apologetic smile.

Then Krolia says, “Say ‘yes’ to the cute driver, Keith.”

Keith always listens to his mom.

He sends Shiro an easy smile. “No, you know what? It’s your senior year. We should go.”

“You sure? I know it’s not exactly your scene.”

“Shiro, I wanna go with you.”

“Oh… okay.”

“Yeah, let’s… go to the stupid dance… and stuff.”

“Okay, Keith.”

Then Lance starts strumming again and Hunk and Pidge rush to accompany him.

They haven’t improved in the five minutes they took a break.

Sven looks very proud of himself. “And this one- This song is a song I wrote for you, my love!”

Romelle claps her hands and giggles in delight.

“Aw, fuck .” Keith whispers. “Shiro, I swear, if he starts singing his poetry, I’m gonna come down there.”

“I should have knocked him out. I know that now.” Shiro says, sounding very, very tired. “Baby, I’m so sorry, please don’t kill him? I know he deserves it but I don’t want you to go to jail-”

“Oh, I won’t murder him. I’ll just send your cousin to the hospital. He’ll recover. Eventually.”

Sven starts singing, and Krolia chokes and covers her mouth to stop from laughing, still dutifully taking the video. What she plans to do with it, Keith doesn’t know.

“This boy is so brave .” she says in what Keith is afraid to call awe , because Krolia is a woman who respects guts, but still-

Lance tucks his ukulele under his arm and starts beatboxing.

“Y-Yeah… There’s a rap part.” Shiro says, sounding embarrassed enough for all of them.

Sven doesn’t miss a beat-… or misses all the beats. It’s hard to tell. Pidge is still shaking her maraca.

Keith closes his eyes, sighs, and goes to crawl back under the covers, phone still pressed into his ear.

“I promise never to do something like this for you.” he hears Shiro say.

Okay. Okay, that-

That is probably everything Keith ever wants in life at this point.

“Shiro?”

“Yes?”

“I think I’ve never been more in love with you.” he says, and means it.

.

.

fin.