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Shiro paused, staring at the calendar in front of him. He’d been marking off days ever since he got back, though it probably wasn’t accurate to the dates on Earth. It worked for them, though, and he reached for the marker to cross out yesterday's date, October 29th. Halloween was tomorrow, in their time. He didn’t think the others had noticed, but he had heard them discussing nostalgic holiday experiences a few days prior.
He sighed, trying to pull his mind away from the thought of how much time he’d lost. He needed to distract himself, a walk would do him good. He set the marker down in its usual place before leaving his room, heading for the training deck. They'd already celebrated Keith’s birthday, Hunk had made a cake and they mostly just spent the day together. Keith wasn’t one for big fancy parties, but if anything it was better than a huge one. They got to spend more time together, relaxing and enjoying each other’s company, than they had in a long time. Shiro smiled fondly at the memory. They’d have to do it again some time, take a day or at least an afternoon to relax from all the stress.
He froze mid-step, an idea forming in his head. A grin spread across his face as he changed direction, heading to the bridge to find Coran instead. By the time he reached the bridge, he’d managed to mostly conceal his excitement. He couldn’t deny that he’d always loved Halloween, being in space didn’t change that. If he got a chance to do Halloween again, and the others would enjoy it as well, then why shouldn’t they do it? “Hey, Coran,” he greeted.
Coran shut off the tablet he’d been holding, setting it on the table. “Hello.” He looked up at Shiro. “Is everything alright?”
Shiro smiled at him. “Yeah, of course. Everything’s great. I was just wondering if you’d be willing to help me set up something for Halloween.”
Coran tilted his head. “What is Hallow-een?”
“It’s one of our holidays,” Shiro explained. “We celebrate it every year, on Earth. We all dress up in costumes, like monsters or ghosts, and we go around door to door getting candy and sweets.” He hummed, considering. “There's usually another aspect to it, where it’s supposed to be scary, but… I think we’ve all had enough scary for now. I don't want to freak them out.”
Coran looked confused. “You put on masks and get sweets for it?”
“Essentially, yes. There's a whole explanation as to why, but I won't get into that,” Shiro answered. “It’s not important.”
“Humans have strange traditions,” Coran said after a moment, causing Shiro to chuckle. “Yes, of course I’ll help you with this. Do we need to create these costumes?”
Shiro nodded. “Yeah. It shouldn't be too difficult, since the Castle can make a suit of armor fitted to whoever needs it. We just need body measurements.”
“The Castle has those, too,” Coran pointed out cheerfully.
“Alright. Didn't expect that one, but I probably should’ve.”
“What kind of costumes are you looking to make?” Coran asked.
Shiro thought about it for a moment. “Can I let you know in about an hour? Er, sorry, varga.”
Coran nodded. “Yes, of course. I'm always happy to help with your Hallow-een!”
“Oh, and can you keep this a secret from the others? I wanna surprise them.”
Coran saluted, then mimed zipping his mouth shut, locking it, and throwing away the key. It was such an Earth gesture, and Shiro’s heart clenched as he tried to think of who would've taught him that. “Thanks, I really appreciate this.”
Then he turned and left, heading back to his own room.
The next morning, Keith woke up with a start. He’d had… some kind of nightmare, but he couldn’t remember what it was. He glanced over at the clock, relieved to see that it was at least somewhat close to when the others would be waking up. He got to his feet, rubbing his head with one hand absently.
Sitting on his dresser was a strangely colored outfit with a note on top. He set the note aside for a moment, holding up the outfit to inspect it. Keith couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up in his throat, seeing the oversized eyes staring back at him from the red-colored ghost costume that went over his head like a shirt. He looked at the note next, reading it to himself.
Happy Halloween, Keith!
Put this costume on and then head to the training room, we’ve got something special set up.
- Shiro
Confused, Keith decided to just follow the instructions. That was how he found himself in the training room ten minutes later, accompanied by Lance, Hunk, and Pidge, all dressed in similar outfits only in different colors. Lance was in blue, Hunk was in orange, and Pidge was in pink.
“Hey, Keith is Blinky!” Hunk pointed out, grinning.
“Maybe he’s Clyde,” Pidge said. “Never know, really.”
“Is Shiro a ghost, too?” Lance wondered, looking around.
“There are only four ghosts, Lance,” Pidge said. The door slid open, and Shiro entered the room. He was dressed in all black, save for a yellow semicircle on his waist and another on his arm with an eye on it. Pidge’s eyes gleamed with amusement before she broke out into laughter. “We look ridiculous,” she said, then continued laughing.
“We look amazing, what are you talking about?” Lance asked, striking a pose just to prove it. He grinned. “Maybe you just can’t rock it.”
Pidge snorted. “And you can?”
“Alright, alright,” Shiro cut in, speaking over them before Lance could get in a reply.
“Wait,” Keith said, thinking. “If we’re the ghosts, and you’re Pac Man, does that mean we get to try to chase you down in the maze?”
Shiro looked surprised for a moment before he grinned, his smile a bit wolfish as an open invitation to competition. “Sure. The maze will still be invisible, so you’ll have to take directions from your fellow teammates. Princess, can you be my eyes?”
Allura smiled. “Of course, Shiro.” She was looking forward to seeing this play out.
“Alright, how about…” Shiro swept his eyes across the four of them. “Keith, Lance, stay down here. Pidge and Hunk are up top. Pidge will be guiding Lance, and Hunk will be guiding Keith. Your goal is to tag me.”
They set off, teaming up to take down Shiro. They managed to do it a few times, growing closer as a team and also enjoying themselves immensely. After about seven or eight rounds, Shiro decided they’d spent enough time stalling. “Alright, I think that’s enough for today. Let’s meet in the lounge in ten?” Keith had tackled Shiro every time he was the one to catch him, deciding to go the extra step. Shiro hadn’t been entirely tempted to get up, but he pushed that aside.
Everyone was in agreement, so the group dispersed. Lance and Keith trudged to the showers, Pidge headed for her lab, and Hunk headed for his workshop. Perfect. Shiro snuck up to the lounge, making sure everything was set up perfectly. The bags by the door, the bowls on each stand, the cheesy decorations.
Ten minutes later, the others entered the room, looking around in awe. Thankfully, they were still in their costumes, which made everything easier. "You guys really went all out, didn't you?" Lance asked, looking around at all the decorations.
Shiro grinned. "Of course. Halloween is the best holiday."
"You missed all the best parts about it," Pidge responded. "I expected to be scared when I walked in here, you know."
"So did I," Keith admitted.
"I could've, but I figured it might not be the best idea with... everything going on," Shiro reasoned.
"You thought we couldn't handle you scaring us?" Pidge asked dubiously.
"No! It's not like that at all. I just thought we could go without it, you know? Low stress."
"We get what you wanted to do," Lance said, "but we can handle a few jump scares."
“It would probably depend on what it was,” Hunk said, trying to find a balance between the two sides. “So, what’ve you got planned, Fearless Leader?”
Shiro raised an eyebrow at the nickname, about to respond, but Pidge beat him to it. “We’re trick or treating!” she announced, grinning. “There’s candy all over the place, guys.”
Lance let out a whoop, and he took off with Hunk and Pidge to start getting the sweets Shiro and Coran had laid out. Keith stayed where he was, looking at Shiro rather than the sweets. His gaze was intense but slightly unfocused, as if he were lost in thought. “Keith?” Shiro asked quietly.
Keith blinked, seeming to come back to reality. “Yeah. What’s up?”
“Are you alright?” Shiro watched him carefully, noticing the way Keith tensed up. “You’re all stiff.”
Keith looked him over for a second, nodding. “Yeah, I’m fine, really. Just—” He looked away.
“Just what?” Shiro pressed.
“You’re beautiful,” Keith blurted out, then froze, his face burning bright red. “I didn’t—”
Shiro stepped closer, hesitating for a moment before tugging Keith close and kissing him gently. He half-expected Keith to push him away, but instead Keith returned his actions with passion behind them, trying to pull Shiro closer. For a moment, it felt as if they were the only ones in the world.
“Get a room, you two,” Lance joked, and the two jumped apart, turning to face him. “Does this mean I can make a Congrats on the Sex cake now?”
“Lance,” Shiro sighed, but he looked fond anyway. They had a great team, despite their antics.
“We were wondering when you were finally gonna do it,” Pidge said. “Neither of you are very subtle.”
“What do you mean?” Keith asked.
“We saw you staring at Shiro with those love heart eyes,” she continued. “Shiro was doing it, too.”
“I was?” Shiro asked.
“I was not!” Keith insisted. “Anyway, why aren’t you trick or treating, Shiro?”
“Why? ‘Cause I’ve already found the sweetest thing in the room,” he answered, grinning when he heard the others groan.
“Who knew Shiro could flirt?” Lance commented idly.
“I did,” Hunk answered. “Didn’t you see him doing it at the Garrison?”
“Alright,” Shiro cut in before it could escalate. “I didn’t flirt that much at the Garrison.”
Keith rolled his eyes. “Sure. It doesn’t matter, though.” He leaned forward again, pressing their lips together again. They both grinned, ignoring the others as they retreated into their own world, where love encompassed the two of them like an endless embrace.
Here, surrounded by their family, they were safe.