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If there was one thing that was certain about Shiro it was that he dealt with small children on a “never” basis. Cadets at the Garrison? All the time. Children that barely made it up to his knee? Never. Even Keith knew more about kids than Shiro. Whenever they had questioned Keith about it, he had always said something about how “kids are easier to understand than adults. They say what they mean, and don’t bother with misdirections that adults use.”
In Keith’s words: Easier to navigate.
Maybe that’s why everyone, Shiro included, was so surprised when Shiro had been the first to volunteer to take care of Ana. Not Hunk, who had a niece and nephew; not Keith, who enjoyed kids; not Pidge, who was a sibling; but Shiro, inexperienced Shiro. It had been worth the internal panic of Shiro realizing what he had just signed himself up for to see that blinding grin directed his way. The way Ana’s father practically beamed radiance and beauty and-
Despite Shiro’s less than admirable reasons for taking care of Ana at first, she had quickly grown on him. He still had no real idea how to best take care of her, relying on frantic google searches, texts to Hunk, and Ana’s own words to navigate through their time together (and a large dose of luck). Somehow, he seemed to pull through time and time again.
They had returned from the park not to long ago, and they were sitting in Shiro’s living room. Shiro had a book in hand. Meanwhile, Ana was kneeling at the coffee table, papers and crayons scattered around her as she scribbled away.
Ana had a determined look on her face, tongue peeking out as she put all her focus into her artwork. It was interesting to watch someone be so focused on something when not even a hour ago she was running around a park without a single care in the world.
“What are you drawing?” Shiro asked, putting his book aside. He was curious as to what had drawn her complete attention.
Ana didn’t answer for a few moments, too intent on her art, before proudly exclaiming, “Papa and me!” She picked up her current project and shoved it towards Shiro, “Look, isn’t it pretty?”
Shiro let his gaze wander over the paper. The drawing bared some resemblance to Ana, her tell tale pigtails securely in place, coupled with a bright blue eyes. The girl in the picture, Ana technically, was wearing a purple dress that Shiro had never actually seen her wear before.
“Why purple?” He tried not to cringe. He should’ve complimented it, answered her question about it being pretty, agreed. Something, anything, but ask a question in return.
“Because it’s pretty, duh,” she rolled her eyes, unaware of Shiro’s brief internal panic. “Papa says it’s a pretty color for a pretty girl,” Ana’s grin was back in place as she put the paper back on Shiro’s coffee table. She returned to her task of coloring in the sky with light blues.
Of course, he would say that. He loved Ana with all his heart, after all. Every single sacrifice he made for her was a show of that devotion and love. It was admirable, and oh boy did Shiro admire him.
“He’s not wrong,” Shiro replied with a fond smile.
The front door creaked open, and both Shiro and Ana perked up. There was only one other person who had a house key and that was-
“Papa!” Ana leapt from her seat and charged towards the entryway. Shiro knew that she had jumped at him from the laughter that soon reverberated through Shiro’s home.
A deep longing pierced Shiro’s chest at the sound. Laughter wasn’t uncommon in his home. His friends often visited and laughter followed them wherever they went, but this laughter, this specific form, left something longing in his heart every time he heard it.
Shiro pushed the feelings aside, looking over as Ana appeared, carried by her father. Twin grins were spread across their faces, and that longing clawed at the edges of Shiro’s mind anew.
“Hey, Lance,” Shiro smiled as he stood up from the couch, beating back the feeling with a stick.
Lance’s gaze slid from Ana to Shiro, and he tried to convince himself that the soft smile that formed was due to Ana, not himself. If the rapid beating of his heart was anything to go by he had failed at convincing himself.
“Hey,” Lance said, voice as soft as his expression. He shifted Ana up, supporting her better in his grasp. “How was my little troublemaker today?”
Before Shiro could respond, Ana had already taken the stage. “We went to the park! It was great! Shiro pushed me on the swing super high,” she stretched her arms out along with her words, “even higher than you push me, Papa!”
“Is that so?” Lance sent a playful glare Shiro’s way, mock outrage filling his voice, “Shiro are you trying to win my daughter’s affection from me?”
Shiro couldn’t help but chuckle at the ridiculousness that was the duo Lance and Ana. “Guilty as charged.”
Ana looked back and forth between Shiro and Lance, mouth falling open and letting out a small, “Oh.”
“Ana, baby, what’s wrong?” Any semblance of playfulness flew out the window as Lance’s eyebrows pinched in concern.
“It’s a secret!” Ana put a finger to her lips and shushed Lance, “I can’t tell you until the love fairies sprinkle their glitter!”
Lance’s cheeks flushed, and Shiro looked on in confusion. “Love fairies?”
“Yeah!” Ana gestured wildly, a trait she had definitely picked up from Lance with how often they both did it, “Papa says the love fairies sprinkle glitter in your hair when you’re in love!”
“Really now?” Shiro smirked, looking at Lance’s red face. That definitely sounded like a story Lance would tell. It was equal parts hopelessly romantic and equal parts silly.
“Ana, can you go grab your stuff? Please?” Lance put Ana down, voice cracking slightly despite having left teenhood years ago.
“Okay, Papa!” Ana ran out of the room, a gleeful grin in place.
All of Ana’s stuff was in the living room though. There was no reason for her to leave so why would she-
“Um, Shiro,” Lance’s voice cut through Shiro’s thoughts. Shiro turned towards the other, but Lance wasn’t meeting his eye. “I was wondering if you wanted to, uh, if you wanted to have dinner with me? As a date?”
All the air left Shiro’s body. There was no way Lance had asked him on a date. No way. Shiro had pined, and longed, and dreamed about this day for ages. There was no way that it was actually happening.
Taking Shiro’s stunned silence as rejection, Lance rambled on. “Oh god, I didn’t mean- I’m sorry- I made it awkward didn’t I? You’re just taking care of Ana, I overstepped-”
“Yes,” Shiro blurted out.
“What?”
Now it was Shiro’s turn to be shy. He had dreamed about this day, but that fact did not prepare him for it, “I’d be- I’d be honored to- to go on a date with you.”
“Great!” Lance grinned, the action causing his whole body to light up with positive energy. The pure elation seeping of Lance in waves made even Shiro’s nervousness begin to fade away. “This Thursday sound good?”
Shiro returned the smile, “Perfect.”
“The fairies are here! The fairies are here!” Ana ran back into the room, a bag of glitter in her hands. She threw some in Shiro’s direction, most of it landing on the carpet below. She turned towards Lance, throwing a bit towards his legs.
It’d be hell to get out of the carpet later, but with Ana’s blinding grin and Lance’s laughter Shiro didn’t really mind.
~*~
Shiro was cleaning up after Ana’s most recent visit. They had been going back and forth between staying at Lance’s or Shiro’s home. It usually depended on Ana’s mood. Honestly, Shiro was beginning to think it’d be easier for them to move in together. They had a habit of staying at one another’s place whenever Lance came to “pick” Ana up, or “relieve” Shiro of his duties. It was easier, and they’d be closer...
He sat down at the table, clearing the most recent flecks of glitter from his table to no avail. Glitter was a permanent fixture to his table at this point, but that fact didn’t annoy him. Shiro genuinely enjoyed spending time with Ana, always had, and now it felt all the more real, and the glitter served as an added reminder. He started sorting through some of the papers Ana left behind organizing blank pages from colored ones, and froze.
A large landscape was peering up at him, the sun beating down upon a green hill. There were blue, purple, and black flowers dotting the green landscape, childish in their look, but beautiful all the same. In the distance there were several small, winged people. They were not the focus of the drawing though.
No, the focus of the drawing was the people. A tan man dressed in blue smiled broadly outwards, his arm connected to that of the small girl, a colored in circle between the arms indicating that their hands were being held. The girl had a matching grin, but her dress was a deep purple. The girl’s arm connected to another, a scribble of tan and grey. Where the circle ended, gray shot up, someone’s arm. It connected to a black outfit. Atop the man’s head was a gray outline of white hair, and a soft smile in place. Glitter surrounded the three of them. Two words were written on the bottom in messy print.
“Mi familia.”