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It began the way most of Adam's ideas did. He started talking about it a couple of weeks before he committed to it. Just bringing it up at random times, wanting to get Shiro’s opinion on the subject.
Whenever someone told him he should do it, he would roll his eyes and dismiss the thought.
Then one day he came into the living room and announced that he had bought the tickets and they would be leaving the next day. Typical Adam behavior, if Keith were being honest.
Adam loved family trips, especially since they had brought Keith into their family officially not that long ago. But, he had a strange obsession with making these trips educational. If they wanted to go somewhere fun, like an amusement park, Shiro and Keith had to spearhead the trip.
And for as much as Keith was uninterested in going to some stuffy art museum, he knew that there was no way he was going to get out of it. So he packed his backpack with snacks and his 3DS so he would have something to entertain himself with.
Shiro was always excited for these trips as a way to grow closer, and Keith could never begrudge him that fact, so he was always on his best behavior. But such a long car ride would put anyone in a bad mood.
Anyone but his dads.
“This is just so exciting, look at everything they have on display! I don’t know where we should go first!” Adam was flipping through the pamphlets they had picked up at the front desk of their hotel, where they had stopped to drop off their luggage and nothing more.
“Well we’re here, so you better make up your mind,” Shiro said, flipping on his blinker and making the turn into the museum parking lot. “But remember, we have all day. It’s still early.”
Way too early, in Keith’s opinion. The sun was barely up, there was no reason to be alive right now. But his dads were so excited, so he kept his complaints to himself.
“All day,” Adam sighed, a dreamy look in his eye. “The website said that art is food for the soul, so I plan on looking at every single thing they have on exhibit!”
Tickets were shown, bags were checked, and all of a sudden Keith was thrown into a world of large paintings and expensive vases. Not exactly something Keith was very interested in, but for his dads, he could pretend.
At some point, Shiro nudged Keith and told him that it was alright if he wanted to take out his DS and play, as long as he stayed with them. He gave a quiet nod and pulled it out of his bag, wrapping his arm through the loop on Shiro’s backpack so he wouldn’t lose him, tucked away under his arm. He usually didn’t like so much contact with other people, but the place was so crowded and it was starting to make him nervous. He appreciated the pat he would get on his head every now and then from Adam instead of shying away from it and was especially happy over the soft pretzel he bought him for being so well behaved.
To be honest, he had never touched someone for this long since his parents. Usually, by now his foster parents would have let go and gone off to do something else, but Shiro kept his warm hand on Keith’s shoulder, directing him where to go when Adam would scamper off to the next piece, making sure he didn’t bump into anyone. It made it easy for Keith to focus on his game instead of the people roaming around.
“Is that Pokemon?”
Keith glances up from his battle to see a pair of bright blue eyes right in front of him, causing him to jump and startle Shiro. “Um, yes?”
He hears Shiro and Adam talking to the adults that must be this boy's parents, but ignores that conversation for the ball of energy in front of him. “ Ohmygoshthisissocool ! I totally thought today was going to be a complete bust, but I’m so glad I saw you! I’m playing Ultra Moon, which are you playing?”
Keith glanced down at the galaxy covered DS the boy was holding. Made sense that he would have picked Ultra Moon. “I’m playing Ultra Sun.”
“This is perfect!” The boy spun around and did a strange dance, then turned back to Keith smiling. “We can totally trade Pokemon with each other, I can’t get Alolan Vulpix in my game, and I can give you an Alolan Sandshrew!” The boy was pulling out his own 3DS excitedly, and Keith looked up to Shiro for help.
He must have noticed him fumbling because he leaned down and introduced himself, “Hi, my name is Shiro. What’s your name?”
“My name is Lance!” That bright smile got directed right back to Keith, and he noticed that he had braces with blue rubber bands on them. “What’s your name?”
“Keith.”
“I hope we’re going to be really good friends, Keith.” The boy - Lance - leaning closer, his game finally finished loading. “So I’m gonna fly to Mount Lanakila real quick and catch another sandshrew for you. Have you been there yet?”
“Um, let me check my map. I think I’m almost there.”
It turns out that Lance was with his older sister and brother at the museum, both of which had to go for extra credit in one of their classes, and they didn’t mind spending the rest of the day with Shiro and Adam, especially when his sister Veronica realized that Shiro and Adam both worked at the Garrison, where she was hoping to get an internship.
Lance and Keith were barely paying attention though, too busy battling each other and trading Pokemon for different evolutions, on top of quietly making fun of the exhibits.
By the end of the trip, Veronica was left with a promise of an email for an internship, and Lance and Keith left with contact information and a pinky promise to keep in touch.
The Garrison held a summer camp for young minds interested in space, and this was the first year that Keith had ever been able to go. All of his previous foster care families had not been able to afford it, and eventually, he learned that people liked him better when he didn't ask for things. It had taken a while for Adam and Shiro to convince Keith to open up and tell them when he wanted something, but eventually, he had mentioned his interest in the summer camp, which was nearby and free thanks to both Shiro and Adam’s work there.
Like a dream come true, Keith walks into the public museum next to the Garrison building, all tall ceilings and big windows, displays of space ships and telescopes built to the actual size, to find a small group of kids waiting for orientation. Shiro is holding his bags, and Adam is pointing to things and explaining them to Keith as he stares around slack-jawed.
Adam is just telling about how far a new telescope prototype will be able to see when they’re interrupted by someone shouting out, “Keith!”
The small family spins around to see Lance and his parents coming towards them, the young boy barely able to contain his excitement.
“Lance is staying at the summer camp?” Keith whispered to Adam as the other family made their way towards them.
“Takashi and I even pulled some strings to make you roommates,” he whispered back, patting Keith on the head.
In a blur of movement, Keith wrapped his arms around Adam’s middle, and in the softest voice whispered, “thanks, for bringing us to that museum, dad.” He turned away quickly and started towards Lance, who met him with a large smile and even bigger hug.
Shiro turned and wrapped an arm around Adam’s shoulder, pretending not to see the tears running down his cheeks. “Did I just hear him call you dad?” His husband nodded mutely, a goofy smile spreading across his face.
Ahead of them, Lance was practically vibrating in excitement, Keith’s hand clutching his tightly as if he was worried his friend would disappear. Shiro doubted that Keith had ever been around another child with so much energy before, and could tell that he was unsure of how to go from here. But none of Keith’s inexperience with friends seemed to bother Lance, who seemed perfectly happy bouncing in place next to his new friend.
“Maybe they’ll be good influences on each other,” Adam whispered, watching as the two boys started walking towards them alongside the rest of Lance’s family. The smile on their son’s face was bright, a rare sight since they had adopted him.
“I hope so.” Shiro stooped down to pick up Keith’s bags and lead his husband over to the group waiting for them.