Work Text:
A Circus Show
It had been an offhanded comment. Matt had been talking about the fair and how he went with his family the other day. He joked with Shiro how he ate so much kettle corn he was sure he’d turn into a corn kernel. Keith had been confused, frowning at his laughing friend before turning to Shiro.
“What’s a ‘fair’? And ‘kettle corn’? Can it really turn people into corn kernels?”
Keith may have been on Earth for a good 12 years or so but that didn’t make him an expert on everything. Some things still confused him, especially when it came to the different meanings in the language. Like for example he knew what “kettle” and “corn” meant separately but not together.
The Altean’s comment instantly killed the table’s merriment. Keith frowned at the sudden change and hunched his shoulders. It wasn’t uncommon for him to voice his confusion to his friends however that didn’t mean he wasn’t self-conscious about it.
Of course they had learned to expect his odd questions and were very patient with him when explaining. But that still didn’t make it any less uncomfortable to deal with the stares that his questions spurred.
“Dude… You don’t know what kettle corn is?” Matt looked ready to cry on Keith’s behalf.
Keith hunched further in his seat and scowled defensively. “No. Why? What’s so great about it?”
Matt gasped and he laid a hand against his forehead. The drama queen slumped against Shiro, “I can’t believe my own child would slander the glorious kettle corn. Shiro, hold me. I’m feeling faint.”
Shiro patted him sympathetically while smiling at Keith. “Kettle corn is basically popcorn but with extra stuff added to it. And the fair is… Well it’s like a festival but with games and rides.”
Keith blinked, “Oooh. So like Chlupnzy Xycn?”
Now that caused another wave of confusion to pass over his friends. Matt raised his hand, “The chlu-ha what now?”
Keith didn’t realize he’d slipped into Altean till Matt had made a garbled attempt to repeat the words. He grimaced, tilting his head and waving his hand as he tried to find the proper words.
“Umm it’s like… A comet racing festival??”
“Oooh I see.” Was the collective response. Little did Keith know that his friends simply assumed he was talking about a made up festival. Something a very sheltered kid who lived out in the middle of nowhere would create. Or the parent of said sheltered kid would make for them.
Adam cleared his throat and spoke up in order to direct Keith’s attention away from Matt and Shiro. If he saw the pitying looks being directed his way it’d cause another round of headaches Adam didn’t have enough Advil for. “So I’m guessing you’ve never been to the fair? Just like the zoo?”
Though Adam was used to Keith’s random and frequent questions, he still wasn’t the one who satiated his curiosity. That honor had been left to Shiro. All it took was Matt offhandedly mentioning something about dildos and vibrators before Adam was approached by a curious Keith trying to find answers. After that rather… Embarrassing conversation he’d deemed Shiro as the main person Keith should go to for his questions.
“No. Is that a bad thing?”
“Of course not!” Matt exclaimed, now recovered from his drama. “But I won’t stand for this to go on! Keith has to experience the fair at least once in his life! Otherwise what are we doing as his friends?!” He slammed his hand repeatedly against the table for emphasis.
Shiro smiled and subtly moved his food a bit further from Matt’s flailing. The last thing he wanted in his mashed potatoes was Matt’s oil-covered fingers. Clearly the other hadn’t washed his hands after his robotics class. Typical.
He turned his eyes to Keith and his smile grew softer, “I agree. How about we go tonight? I only have a self-study class in the evening but that’s something I can skip.”
Adam frowned and was quick to protest. “Shiro, tonight? It’s Monday! Keith has early morning flight tomorrow! Don’t think I’ll let him anywhere near a ship when he’s sleep deprived.”
Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If Adam knew all the times he unknowingly let Keith fly sleep deprived, the other would probably have a heart attack. Adam was the drill leader for Keith’s little platoon. Originally he’d wanted to be on Shiro’s team but Commander Iverson seemed to have some secret vendetta against Keith so his request went denied.
Still, Keith couldn’t help but feel a little miffed. He’s flown ships in far worse conditions then just one night of no sleep. Ever try driving a ship drunk off your ass with your hands tied to your feet through a field of Xanthorium crystals? No? Then clearly Keith had a better say in what he could and couldn’t do.
Matt groaned as he slumped over the table, pulling Keith from his internal grumbling. “Stop being such a responsible adult, Adam. Keith can handle it! I bet Tex lets Keith do all kinds of dangerous things, right Keith?”
Adam pointedly ignored Keith’s nod and sighed. He lifted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Mr. Kogane’s questionable parenting aside, I don’t care. Flying tired is dangerous. I won’t allow his plane to get one foot off the ground if you insist on arguing with me over this. Just go to the fair on the weekend. Or Friday if you’re so desperate.”
“That’s fine.” Keith said, a glint in his eye. “I don’t mind waiting till Friday.”
///
“’I don’t mind waiting till Friday’ huh?”
Keith jolted and froze where he stood. Without turning around he asked, “How’d you know?”
Shiro laughed and came up behind Keith. He placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. “I know you, Keith. Once you get something into your head you’re stubborn enough to go out and do it. Especially when it comes to things that interest you.”
“You’re not afraid that I’ll crash my ship or something being sleep deprived?”
“Keith,” Shiro gave him a pointed look. “I’ve seen you drive your dad’s bike after Matt dared you to down a bottle of whiskey.”
Keith visibly winced at that, “I mean in my defense whiskey isn’t enough to get me drunk.”
“I’m disappointed you even know that. You’re too young to be drinking.”
A delicate brow rose and Keith blatantly sniffed at the air. His brows furrowed, “Huh. You smell that? Stinks like hypocrisy.”
Shiro coughed into his fist and crossed his arms over his chest. Ignoring Keith’s statement the older man gave him a pointed look. “So are you really going to break out?”
Keith stared off into the desert with a determined frown on his face. “I want to see the fair and try the kettle corn.”
“Do you even know where it is?”
“No. But the town nearby is bound to have fliers.” Keith shrugged a shoulder, “Plus if it’s anything like Chlupnzy Xycn then I’ll see it as I get closer.”
Huffing in amusement, Shiro shook his head. “And did you plan on just walking there? Keith I know you like danger but even that’s a little too much.”
Keith rolled his eyes and finally turned so he was fully facing Shiro. “I only planned to walk to the town and then take the bus or something.” Or use White’s portals to get near the fair grounds. But Keith knew better than to mention that.
Another fond huff was Keith’s answer. “Buses don’t go out that far. We can just rent a hover bike at the town. Fair is about an hour drive so we should arrive at 6.”
“’We’?”
“Of course,” Shiro grinned and nudged Keith’s shoulder. “I promised to take you to the fair, didn’t I? We’ll just make sure not to tell Adam when we all go Friday.”
It took a moment but suddenly a smile brighter than the stars broke out along Keith’s face. He rushed forward to hug Shiro before breaking away. “Let’s go!”
Shiro jolted in surprise, “Wait Keith!”
But his yell came too late.
The thing was Shiro and Keith were both on one of the Garrison’s roofs. This particular roof was high enough that theoretically if you got a running start you could probably clear the fence that surrounded the Garrison grounds. But that’s the thing. It was “theoretical”. However that’s exactly what Keith did. And with such ease that Shiro knew without a doubt he’s done this before.
Keith shot across the roof and jumped, flipping over the fence in a rather beautiful arc before hitting the rusty earth in a roll. Clouds of loose soil wafted into the air and instantly left Keith dirty and rumpled. Yet he sprung up from the ground like an energized rabbit and stared at Shiro almost daringly. Was he going to jump over like Keith? Or was he going to try sneaking out another way?
Of course Shiro wasn’t going to back down from the blatant challenge being directed his way. This was the guy who took diving leaps off of cliffs without hesitation. How would Shiro be able to face Keith if he couldn’t jump the fence like his younger friend?
So Shiro took a breath before rushing forward and leaping. He barely scraped past the top of the fence’s barbed wire and hit the dirt a lot harder than Keith did. Still the loose sand helped cushion his fall, though only slightly. He grunted when he stopped rolling, picking himself up and shaking out his shoulders. Shiro was definitely going to be feeling that in the morning.
“Let’s go!” Keith said as he impatiently grabbed Shiro’s arm and began pulling. “We have about 20 minutes before the patrols reach this part of the Garrison.”
“You know where the patrols are?”
“Duh,” Keith threw a conspiratorial smirk over his shoulder. “You honestly think I’d willingly let the Garrison keep tabs on whenever I leave the grounds? I don’t like being tracked.”
Shiro felt like he should reprimand Keith. Maybe say something to the higher ups. It wasn’t good for Keith to be sneaking around like this. But… Shiro could understand where Keith was coming from. He liked his anonymity, his secrets. The Garrison constantly breathing down his neck over his every location was suffocating for a guy like Keith. He liked his freedom and he’d go to great lengths to keep it. This was one of the things Shiro admired about Keith. He was unashamed about what he wanted and was willing to even break Garrison rules just to get it.
So Shiro grinned and instead asked, “I’m guessing that means you’ve got a way back in?”
Keith’s surprise was noticeable. Clearly he had been expecting Shiro to show some disapproval at Keith not following Garrison rules. Of course it’d be very hypocritical of Shiro if he did. It wasn’t like Shiro had a perfect track record either. Not on the surface, at least. But the Garrison had yet to catch him and Shiro wasn’t inclined to mention the rules he’d personally broken. So as far as everyone else knew Shiro had a squeaky clean record.
Keith led Shiro far out past the Garrison’s territory and towards a crevice of clumped rocks. There he dug around for a moment before pulling out two inconspicuous jackets. He triumphantly held the larger of the two to Shiro, slipping out of his uniform coat before stuffing it into the crevice and pulling on the jacket. He didn’t even bother to brush off the sand and dust clinging to it.
When Keith reached back into the hole and pulled out a pair of jeans Shiro felt himself chuckling, “You really are prepared, huh?”
“A uniform would be more noticeable so of course I have a change of clothes stashed in a few places.”
“’A few’?”
Again another smirk was sent his way, “Yep. A few. Though I don’t exactly have a pair that can fit you. Not in this hole at least. Though maybe…” Keith pursed his lips and stuck his hand back into the crevice. He then made a sound of triumph and tugged out a pair of sweats.
“Not the most stylish but it’ll do for now. Sorry if they aren’t long enough. Never really expected you to join me on any of my outings so I don’t have anything your size. The bigger jacket is my dad’s though. So at least that’ll fit.” Keith said in ways of explanation.
He then gave Shiro the pair of sweats before making his way around the rock and changing quickly. Shiro also changed without much protest. He was still in mild awe over how prepared Keith was for this. Just how many times had he snuck out after Garrison hours? Why had he gone out?? And how come Shiro never realized it when Keith was missing?
So many questions bounced around Shiro’s head but he didn’t get the chance to voice any. Keith was returning and he bundled both of their clothes into tight balls before stuffing them with his uniform shirt. Then he was leading Shiro out of the desert and towards the town.
Along the way Shiro had managed to ask how Keith knew where he was going. This led to him pointing out little markers he made. By himself Shiro wouldn’t have been able to notice them. But the moment Keith showed him the little white x’s he’d placed along certain rocks, they now stood out like glaring neon lights to Shiro.
“If you ever get stuck out here just find and follow the x’s. Two marks on the rock means I stashed clothes there.”
“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. You’ve got any water or food hidden away too?” Shiro asked as he avoided a rather large tumbleweed.
Keith snorted, “No food. It’d just attract animals. But I do have water bottles hidden. They’re in the same places as the clothes. You just have to keep digging.”
“How do you avoid snakes or spiders getting in?”
At that Keith paused, pursing his lips. “I don’t have a way. But snakes and spiders don’t really affect me no matter how many times they bite.”
Now that caught Shiro’s attention. He frowned, “What do you mean by that?”
Keith stiffened like he hadn’t even realized what he admitted. He didn’t really want to explain to Shiro that he’d been bitten by rattlesnakes so often the amount of venom injected into him could’ve killed a football team. So instead of answering Keith not so subtly looked away from Shiro.
“O-oh look, I think I can see the town’s lights from here.” He mumbled before picking up the pace and nearly breaking out in a jog to put distance between them.
Shiro’s frown deepened at Keith’s painfully obvious avoidance. He knew for a fact that if Keith didn’t answer his question the first time then there was barely a chance of him answering the next time Shiro asked. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to forget about it. Shiro would just have to ask Tex about it later.
After about 10 minutes of walking Keith finally slowed down enough for Shiro to catch up. Then conversation started up again like the earlier moment had never happened. Keith mostly asked about the fair and what to expect. Shiro dutifully answered every question and tried his best to describe the various rides that might be there.
One that intrigued Keith the most were the rides Shiro said made you feel weightless. “It’s like being in space but without the crushing weight.” Keith could barely contain his excitement as they drove from the town and towards the fairgrounds.
In town they had bought a single hover bike to avoid the price of renting two. Shiro insisted on driving them there but when Keith said he’d drive them back Shiro had changed his mind. So instead it was Keith who was driving them there and Shiro would be the one driving back.
The drive was only sometimes broken up by conversation. Keith would point to a canyon or mountain and tell Shiro that he’s explored it before. He even told Shiro about the few mineshafts he’s been in.
“That uh… Sounds extremely dangerous. Wasn’t Tex or Krolia worried you’d get stuck in one? Or fall and get seriously injured?”
Keith pursed his lips, “They did get upset a lot when I’d wonder off. But at the time I still wasn’t used to living with them. I’d leave when I wanted and didn’t listen. I thought Krolia and Tex were taking care of me because they didn’t have a choice. But after a year that kinda changed. One time I got chased by a pack of coyotes into a mine. I fell and got stuck at the bottom of a pit. I eventually got found, obviously. But afterwards Krolia and Tex really let me have it.” Keith laughed fondly at the memory, staring off into the distance with a daze. “That day I learned just how much Krolia and Tex cared about me. And it’s stuck with me since.”
Shiro really didn’t know what to say after that. Over the past two years they’d been friends Keith would mention little bits of his life after Krolia and Tex had found him. But those moments were so rare with wide gaps between that Shiro sometimes forgot that at the age of 4 Keith was lost in the desert. And every time he was reminded of that fact he felt his heart clench in protective fury. What kind of person would abandon a child in the middle of the desert like that? It was downright sickening and never failed to make him angry on Keith’s behalf. If only he knew the person who left Keith out in the desert was Keith himself. So really it couldn’t be called “abandonment” when he made the conscious decisions that led him to Earth.
After that, conversation turned stagnant. Though not unpleasantly so. However the moment the fair came into view Keith was gasping in excitement and picking up speed. Shiro had to grip his shoulders and squeeze a couple of times before Keith took the hint and slowed down.
They got into line after finding parking and Shiro audibly hissed through his teeth at the sight of the prices. “Almost forgot how much tickets cost.” He said with a grimace.
Keith blinked, looking up at the wall of prices before taking out his wallet and going to the counter. Shiro quickly followed with a protest on the tip of his tongue. But it came out too late as Keith was already handing over the money by the time he caught up to him. And not only did Keith get both his and Shiro’s tickets but he got the most expensive ones there was.
“Keith!” Was Shiro’s only moment of protest before he was being dragged out of line.
“It’s fine. I’ve got spare cash.”
“Spare cash?? Keith that was nearly 400 dollars! You don’t exactly have a job!”
“Don’t need one.” Keith shrugged before glancing off to the side. “I found things to sell when I was younger. In the mines. The mines have things to sell.”
Not the most believable thing but it wasn’t a full lie either. Keith did indeed sell things when he was younger and they had been minerals. The only difference was that it had been minerals from Neptune. Specifically the diamonds that rained from the planet. He learned in the Garrison that diamonds were considered valuable but because of Neptune’s temperament no one had been able to successfully land on the planet to await the raining diamonds. However for Keith that was no problem. Needless to say he and Tex were quite stable financially. Not that they really used the money unless it was for practical reasons.
“Anyways let’s go! I want to experience everything before we have to leave!”
And so Shiro was grabbed and dragged through the tollgates. Shiro had to reign in Keith with a grab to the back of his collar just to keep him from running off.
“Hang on. We need a map.”
Keith sent him a look that was more pout than glare. Shiro returned the look with a pointed one of his own. Eventually it was Keith who acquiesced and allowed Shiro to lead him to where there were several stands full of maps. The entire time Keith was practically vibrating like a condensed atom. However Shiro refused to let them move from their spot till he figured out a game plan.
“Ok we’ll start here then wind our way through the fair. We should eventually make it back to the entrance. Then depending on the time we’ll do last minute rides before heading back to the Garrison.” Shiro frowned and rubbed his chin, “On the way back we’re gonna need to think of an excuse to tell Adam where we are. He’s bound to notice we’ve been missing for a couple of hours.”
Keith grunted, “I already handled it.” He then proceeded to tell Shiro how exactly and Shiro had to say… Keith really thought this thing through.
Satisfied that Shiro apparently had nothing else to say, Keith grabbed his hand and began pulling him through the growing crowd. Keith wanted to try absolutely everything the fair had to offer. From the rides to the food and everything in-between.
When it came to the rides Keith eagerly pulled Shiro along with him. Even rides meant for kids found the two of them squeezed together in the small carts. Perhaps if it was with anyone else Shiro might’ve felt slightly embarrassed to be riding such a childish rollercoaster, but with Keith he didn’t feel any of that. He was too busy having fun and laughing to even bother feeling anything but delight.
Shiro joined Keith on every ride. Even the ones with questionable levels of safety. The one Shiro actually hesitated on was a ride where two people were put in a giant metal cage shaped like a sphere. Then, apparently, they would be launched up into the sky like a slingshot. Afterwards they’d bounce a bit before the ride gradually settled.
As they were being led in and latched into place Shiro allowed himself a moment to sweat. He’s been to the fair before. Being friends with Matt practically warranted trying everything at least once. However one thing they never tried was this ride. And for good reason! They weren’t suicidal.
But when Keith looked at Shiro with wide shining eyes begging for the both of them to go on, how could Shiro say no? So that’s why Shiro was here clinging to the bar pressed against his chest.
Keith, on the other hand, was bouncing with anticipation. Though somehow through his own eagerness he noticed Shiro’s look of constipation. He pursed his lips before reaching out and touching Shiro’s hand.
“Hey, you ok?”
“Hmm?” Silver eyes snapped to violet and Shiro found himself giving a strained smile. “Yeah totally. 100% fine. Never better.” Internally Shiro was berating himself. ‘Get it together, Shirogane! You’ve done far more dangerous stuff than this!’
Like he could hear Shiro’s self-reprimands, Keith pulled Shiro’s hand from its grip on the bar. Then he tangled their fingers together and gave a comforting squeeze. “Hey, you don’t need to ride this with me you know? I’m pretty sure they’ll let you off if you want?”
Shiro’s smile turned more genuine at the comfort and he found himself shaking his head. “Thanks, but I want to ride this with you. We’re in this together.” To emphasize his resolve he raised their clasped hands and flashed a grin brimming with confidence.
The Altean chuckled before turning his eyes towards the fair worker putting on the final latches to their metal cage. No going back now. Keith was ready for this ride and if Shiro’s grip on his hand started to hurt then he didn’t say anything. Not even when the fair employee started counting down and Shiro’s fingers tightened in response.
Then in the next moment the ride had hummed to life and they were being flung up towards the stars. Keith’s breath was stolen from him in a rush of pleased adrenaline. His eyes grew wide as the stars seemed to fly towards the both of them. Then the ball was suspended in mid-air and they were floating for what felt like hours though it was only seconds. The next moment they were dropping back towards the ground. When the orb bounced and tossed them up again, a delirious laugh erupted from Keith and he felt an answering sound from Shiro.
The ride went on for a while and when they exited the ride they had to cling to each other because their legs felt like Jell-O. Keith wobbled, eyes shining as he exclaimed, “It was like when I was launched into space for the first time!”
Shiro nodded along and didn’t even register the oddity of Keith’s words. If he hadn’t been running high on adrenaline he might’ve pointed out how Keith shouldn’t know what being flung into space feels like. After all his classes haven’t even reached the curriculum of space-flight yet. That wouldn’t be until next year.
“Come on! Let’s go try those ones!”
As Keith pulled him along Shiro realized they were still holding hands. Though he probably should let go, there wasn’t any harm in it. After all they wouldn’t get lost this way.
For the next hour or so, Keith and Shiro went all around the fair trying different rides. Sometime during their fun the two had sat down to eat a quick meal. Shiro watched Keith wolf down an entire turkey leg and then half a bag of kettle corn. All before Shiro even finished his turkey leg. Truly Keith must’ve been hungry.
Afterwards Shiro insisted they walk around for a bit so that their stomachs could settle. It’d be seriously unpleasant if they ended up vomiting on the ride. So they went around looking at the game booths set up. Keith stared up at all the plush toys dotting the booths and found himself stopping at one packed to the brim with hippos. Shiro snorted as he saw the blatant want on Keith’s face.
He patted Keith’s shoulder before going up to the woman running the booth and purchasing a ticket. It was a simple shooting game. All he had to do was hit every target that popped up and then he’d win. Easy for someone trained by the Garrison.
In no time at all Shiro had won and was being handed an overly stuffed hippo with a bright red ribbon tied around its neck. He then turned around and presented it to Keith like it was a precious stone. Keith blinked, staring at the hippo before his eyes darted up to Shiro.
The moment Keith took the offered plush his face lit up like a brilliant star. Though his smile was small, it shone brighter than any of the others Shiro had seen from Keith. The younger man’s eyes sparkled with warmth and something else Shiro couldn’t name. But either way it left him slightly breathless and his mind blank. Thankfully he was able to snap back into awareness when Keith spoke.
“Thanks Shiro,” His voice was soft but held so much emotion that even Shiro was feeling choked up. Then Keith’s eyes sharpened and he grabbed Shiro’s hand. “I want to win you something!”
Without waiting for Shiro to even form a word of protest he was dragging him around looking for the perfect game to try. Keith could always do the strength one. But he knew for a fact he’d break the thing. Earth strength games did not factor in Altean strength. So that was for sure a no.
“Oh!” Keith suddenly exclaimed when he caught sight of a booth. He pointed at it before grinning at Shiro, “There! I’ll win you something there!”
When Shiro took a look at the booth he felt his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline. Really?! A knife throwing booth?! Wasn’t that a serious hazard for a populated place like this? Someone could get hurt! And what about Keith? Could he even throw knives? He knew the other was pretty handy with a gun but knives??
Before he knew it Keith was handing him the little hippo and settled himself in a lane. The booth had a total of three lanes for people to try throwing knives. At the far end of the path were three dummy’s with crude targets drawn on the body.
“Torso shots are five points, head are ten. Anything else is three points! Ya need fifty points to get the good prize, thirty to get medium, and ten to get basic!” The man running the booth said.
He and a few others around the booth were smirking at Keith in amusement. Clearly they didn’t expect much from this little runt. Shiro shot them glares from where he stood behind Keith. While he didn’t know how skilled Keith was with knives, there was no way Shiro was going to let others look down on him like this.
The fair employee came over with a leather roll, unfurling it on the table in front of Keith. Inside were a set of five knives. Each one glinted in the fair’s light and looked deadly sharp.
“After each throw I’ll call out the point before collecting the knife, understand?”
Keith hummed, picking up one of the knives and weighing it in his hand. Then he twirled it expertly before gripping onto its hilt. He flashed a grin at the booth owner’s stunned look.
“Sure. I got it.”
Then he was turning his eyes onto the dummy before him. Keith flexed his hand against the knife’s hilt and Shiro watched in fascination as Keith’s body slowly tensed like a coiled spring. Then he snapped forward quick as a viper and the blade was gone from his hand before anyone could blink. There was a weighted thunk and the dummy shook from the impact of having a knife slammed directly into the target on its face.
There was silence for a moment before the booth owner stuttered out a stunned, “T-that’s ten points…”
Shiro grinned and he eagerly patted Keith’s back. “Nice going, Keith!”
Keith flashed him a grin before his gaze grew serious and he was once again looking back at the targets. Each time he threw a knife he hit the dummy with deadly accuracy. The thunk of each knife hitting its mark was growing into a rhythm at this point. The people earlier who had been snorting at Keith’s small stature were now gaping in open shock. Not even they had gotten as many headshots as Keith.
The moment the fifth and final blade hit the center of the dummy’s face, Keith was turning to the booth owner. “Fifty points. What are the good prizes?”
The stunned employee blinked for a moment before leading Keith over to where several boxes were set up next to the knife throwing area. He then pulled out a relatively small black case that was almost as long as Keith’s forearm. He turned it to Keith for him to open.
“If you get fifty then you get an ornate dagger. Not many people get this prize so… Nice job?”
Keith hummed, popping open the box and whistling in appreciation at the dagger inside. The blade was a beautiful silver that caught the light and made it glow white. It had delicate flowers carved into the blade that added an extra layer of beauty. The entire handle of the dagger was made out of something like white ivory. The same flowers were printed along the handle though this time with splashes of colour to make them stand out.
Tucked into the box next to the dagger was a card with words written on it. Keith plucked it out, reading over what it had to say. Apparently the card was describing the flowers that were on the dagger. Daisies, lavender, and gardenias. The flowers probably had specific meanings but Keith, for the life of him, didn’t know what it was. Nor did he really know which flower was which. He’d never even heard of gardenias before. Still the dagger was pretty. Not practical in a fight but Keith had a feeling that was the point.
He set the card back in the box and closed it before nodding to the employee. “I’ll take it.”
Then, like Shiro did to him, Keith turned around and offered the box to his companion. He blushed slightly and ducked his head, “Sorry it isn’t cute like the hippo. I hope you’ll still accept it though?”
Shiro found himself smiling and he pulled Keith into a one-armed hug. “Of course I will. I appreciate any gift you give me, Keith! Whenever I see it, I’ll think of you!”
Keith blushed darker at that but managed to grin as he traded prizes with Shiro. He then clutched tightly to his hippo plush and led them back into the fair’s crowds. “Good. I’m glad.”
“Also,” Shiro smirked and slung his arm over Keith’s shoulder, “I didn’t know you were so skilled with knives! You hit the targets no problem!”
The Altean under his arm huffed and looked off to the side in embarrassment. “It’s not that amazing. The targets were close and weren’t even moving. I could probably hit those things blindfolded if I really tried. My mom made sure I could handle knives before she left.”
“Aaah makes sense. I’ve heard some of Tex’s training stories Krolia put you through. You’re just living the warrior childhood dream, huh?”
Keith snorted, “Something like that.”
With no more rides to go on and the night stretching on, Keith and Shiro decided now would be a good time to leave. The two of them settled on the bike and Keith made sure the box and plush were wedged securely between the two of them. Then he wound his arms around Shiro and held tight as the other drove off into the desert.
“Hey Shiro?” Keith asked, a little loud to be heard over the engine.
Keith could feel the vibrations through his chest when Shiro hummed in response. Grinning, the Altean gave Shiro’s waist a small squeeze. “Thanks for tonight. I really had fun.”
Shiro smiled, using one hand to reach around and haphazardly pat Keith. “Anytime. Thanks for letting me join you.”
After that they fell into silence as Shiro drove. He knew the exact moment Keith fell asleep because the other’s weight pressed more into his back and he heard gentle snoring despite the engine’s rumble and air whipping past. Shiro chuckled and grinned at the sound. Keith had tired himself out in the excitement of the fair. It was honestly quite adorable. As Shiro drove towards the Garrison with only the roar of the engine and the stars overhead as company, Shiro knew that he would look back on this day as one of his fondest memories. And for as long as he lived he hoped to never forget it.