Chapter 1
Turns out Matt and Pidge could be really convincing when they worked together. That would be amazing in most scenarios, but Keith was pissed. If he hated something more than packing for a vacation, that was spending said vacation near the beach. It’s not that he hated the beach, the ocean was pretty and sunsets near the coast were beutiful, but he couldn’t stand the sand stucking to every inch of his skin, the suffocating heat, the seaweed tangling around his ankles, the sunburnts… The cons simply outnumbered the pros, but apparently his friends didn’t care about that.
“Are you done? Adam’s waiting” said Shiro while poking his head in Keith’s bedroom. Oh yes, the biggest traitor, his brother.
Keith wouldn’t have to spend the next two weeks in that sandy hell if it wasn’t for Shiro. When Matt and Pidge came up with the idea, they convinced Shiro and his fiancé to join them, and of course Shiro couldn’t even think of leaving his little brother behind. He bought Keith’s plane ticket without telling him and then bullied him into feeling guilty for wasting money in case he didn’t travel with the rest of them. Classic Shiro style, Keith couldn’t understand how he didn’t see that coming.
“Almost” answered Keith briefly while throwing some t-shirts from his closet directly onto the open suitcase placed on his bed.
“That’s what you said five minutes ago”
“Well, now it’s true”
Shiro sighed and walked into the room, starting to fold Keith’s clothes so they would fit properly inside his luggage. “Listen, I know you don’t like this plan and even if I teased you about it before… just know you can stay here and—“
“Takashi…” Keith turned around to look at his older brother. “Even if I don’t like it, I know it will be fun once we are there. Plans are always fun with you, guys” He really tried to keep a neutral expression but that was nearly imposible with Shiro giving him that fond look. “Don’t give me that look, you know I will still complain during the whole flight” he added before going back to look through his closet.
One of the main reasons Keith was willing to sacrifice staying on his own in LA for two weeks in Cuba, was Shiro. That man hadn’t only done everything for Keith since they met at the volunteering program in the orphanage Keith was living at back then, he also needed that vacation. Some years ago, Shiro had a motorbike accident that cost him his right arm. He was quick to learn how to do pretty much everything with the proesthetic he got, but since the accident, he didn’t like being too exposed or showing his body. Shiro didn’t like being the center of attention, he didn’t like being seen as weak or as someone worth of pity. Keith could barely remember the last time they went together to the beach for that exact reason.
Of course Adam played a huge role in Shiro getting his confidence back, but it was still an ongoing process. They would be staying somewhere no one really knew them, they would go to beaches full of strangers, away from everyone Shiro knew whose judgdamental looks could matter to him. Shiro was so excited about going somewhere tropical with his fiancé, brother and friends, that he was being able to forget about those insecurities while planning every little detail about the trip. Plus, seeing Shiro smile was worth every sunburnt and every accidental sip of salty water.
After arguing multiple times about what was the proper way of folding certains items of clothing and about arranging things differently so they fit inside the suitcase, Keith and Shiro were ready to leave their apartment. They took their luggage and went outside the building, where Adam´s car was parked and waiting for them. Adam was behind the steering wheel, so obviously Shiro got in the passenger’s seat and greeted his partner with a brief peck on the lips. Keith got their stuff in the trunk before joining the Holt siblings in the backseat. It was only a thirty-minute ride to the airport, but still Keith was glad he could seat near the window rather than squeezed in the middle seat.
They had to catch their flight at 5 am, so no one was really in the mood for small talk during the ride considering how early it was. They kept the radio at a low volumen mostly as background noise and if Keith had to bet on it, he would say that both Matt and Pidge took a little nap considering with how silent they were. After eating something in one of the coffee shops inside the airport and some more time waiting on what had to be the most uncomfotable chairs on Earth, they finally got inside the plane. Keith, Matt and Pidge were sitting together, sleeping on each other’s shoulders during the flight. Shiro, who was sitting a couple of rows in front of them with Adam, made sure to take pictures of that scene.
“You seem really excited about this. I’m glad” said Adam with a soft smile as he covered both his and Shiro´s legs with a thin blanket.
“How couldn’t I? Sam and Colleen talked some real wonders about that place, I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes” The truth was, if it wasn’t for Matt and Pidge’s parents, they would be spending their vacation somewhere else. The Holt family has been visiting Cuba every summer almost since Sam and Colleen got married, taking their kids with them too as son as they could. They always stayed at the same hotel, one situated in Varadero, around 2 hours away from La Habana. Colleen said it was a family ran bussiness and that the people working them were so kind they never hesitated about coming back. For what Pidge and Matt told them, they were friends with the owner’s children, who were around their same age.
“Yeah… it was impossible not wanting to visit Varadero after all the amazing things they told us” said Adam before his eyes landed on Shiro’s little tray and the small book placed there. “Are you still trying to learn some Spanish?” he asked with a soft smile.
“Yes. I want to be able to at least greet those amazing people in their language” he admited shyly.
“Aren’t you a total angel?”
** ** ** ** ** **
It was around 1:45pm, local time, when the plane landed. Adam and Shiro seemed just fine while walking through the airport, heading to pick up their bags and suitcases, while the others were either grumpy or in pain due to crowding each other’s space while sleeping.
Those issues disappeared after they ate something in the airport before getting on the car that would take them to the hotel.
“Did you tell Lance we were coming?” asked Pidge to her brother.
“Not really. I can text him later if we can’t find him” answered Matt with a shrug.
Lance. That was the name Keith had been hearing non-stop whenever his friends told him stories about their vacation in Varadero. Truth be told, Keith was curious about the guy.
“That is your childhood friend, right Matt?” wondered Adam.
“Yeah. We are the same age so we became friends almost right after we met. He is really nice, you’d love him. Well, everyone there does, right Pidgey-Podge?”
“Well yeah…but maybe the fact you were crushing on him for the longest time made you a little biased” she pointed out with a smirk, earning a tired groan from her brother.
“Not that again…”
“Wait you had a crush on your friend? Why didn’t you mention it?” asked Keith. By the look Adam gave them, he was surprised by that information too. Probably Shiro would be as well, but currently he was too busy practicing his Spanish by talking with their driver.
“Because you’d tease me about it! Pidge has been doing it since she found out. Please don’t say anything about that in front of him” begged Matt.
“I can’t promise anything” answered Keith with a little smirk. He probably wouldn’t make any comments about it if the guy was around, he wanted to tease Matt, not embarass him to death.
The car dropped them at the hotel’s main entrance and while Adam and Matt took their stuff off the vehicle, Keith could admire their surroundings. The brick path leading to the bulding was a nice terracotta shade that matched the little pot flowers placed here and there. There were also tal palm trees and round bushes limiting two small gardens on either sides of the building, a light breeze moving their leaves andmaking the place look full of life. There must be some sort of water fountains somehwere in those gardens as the sound of water in movement was part of the background noise along with the indisctinctive talk of people coming in and out the hotel.
When Keith was about to grab his suitcase and head inside, Shiro’s voice stopped him: “Guys! I asked and he is taking a picture of us” he said happily and motioned for them to gather up in front of the stairs that lead inside the building. The driver held Shiro’s phone and waited for them to be in place before taking a couple pictures.
“Say cheese!” they heard someone said behind them, right before Keith could feel a hand on his shoulder. Did someone just photo-bombed their first vacation memory? When he turned his face around to meet the intruder a pair of deep blue eyes meet his and that was enough to have Keith frozen in place. He swore the stranger offered him a bright toothy smile.
“Lance?!” shouted Pidge before moving towards the boy and hugged him. “Hi! It’s so nice to see you” she said happily before stepping back to look at him porperly. “We didn’t know if you’d be here already”
“I arrived yesterday. Right on time for the Holt’s vacation, am I right?” said Lance with a fond smile before ruffling Pidge’s hair. “Hey, new haircut! Looks awesome”
“Hey, man” said Matt as he aproached his old friend, grabbing Lance’s hand and pulling him into another hug.
“Talking about haircuts! Man, you wear now a ponytail?” Lance’s jaw dropped as he looked at Matt. “Damn, dude. That just proves how long it has been since the last time you were here, huh?” How could this guy smile all the time? Didn’t his cheeks hurt? “Like what, two years?”
“Yeah” Matt nodded, Lance’s smile apparently contagious since it had Matt and his sister grinning like idiots. “How have you been?”
“Good good, everything is just like always. Oh! I have some new gossips” he looked between the Holt siblings and smirked. “I think Allura is after Romelle but you haven’t heard this from me”
“No way!” shouted Pidge.
“I know! Crazy, right?” after a quick glance around, the Cuban must have noticed how out of place the other three people felt. “We can bet on this later, now I have new people to meet” said Lance while giving the others a shympathetic smile. He approached Keith first since he was the closest to him. “The name’s Lance” he introduced himself and reached a hand to shake Keith’s.
“Keith” That came out a little colder than he intended, but he was stuck trying to process something as he looked at the boy in front of him. Okay so Matt hadn’t only failed at mentioning he used to have a crush on this guy, but also, it had never been addressed how fucking hot Lance was. He wasn’t only Disney prince kind of handsome but also surfing champion kind of hot. How was that fair to anyone?! Was this guy aware of how much potential he had?
“Uhm…nice to meet you” mumbled Lance while continuing to shake Keith’s hand awkwardly, like he had been doing while Keith freaked out internally about Lance’s good looks.
“I’m Adam” said Shiro’s fiancé, taking a step forward. “Sam and Colleen said wonderfulthings about this place. We are really excited to meet your family as well” Lance looked so relieved for a more normal interaction that his eyes pretty much lit up. He shook Adam’s hand and that cheerful smile returned to his face.
“My pleassure. I’m sure they’d love to sit down for some coffee with you. As my mom says, Colleen friends are her friends too” offered Lance with a smile. When he turned to face Shiro, Keith felt as if time froze.
Lance reached out his hand, kind words already forming on his tongue, just like for the others introductions. The issue came when Shiro reached out in response with his proesthetic arm. It was something that still happened sometimes, based on muscle memory. But Shiro was so excited about their trip that he didn’t notice until everyone else, besides Lance, sucked in a breath. It wasn’t a big deal, of course they have told that to Keith’s brother whenever that incident happended, but Shiro was still working on it, he still didn’t like that new people noticed his proesthetic arm right away.
But Lance? Oh, he couldn’t care less. While his fingertips touched the slightly cold metal of the proesthetic, he didn’t even look down. Instead, those beautiful eyes were focusing on Shiro’s face as he waited for him to introduce himself. “Nice to meet you…”
“Shiro” he answered after the initial shock, shaking Lance’s hand back.
“Oh, Japanese?” asked Lance, his smile never flaterring. That little question made Shiro visibly less tense. How was Lance so good at reading people?
“Yes. That comes from my last name, actually. Shirogane” he explained. “My name’s Takashi”
“That’s a cool way to give you a nickname! What do you prefer to be called?”
“Oh, just Shiro is fine”
A smirk grew on Lance’s face as he let go of the other’s hand and Keith could see Pidge already rolling her eyes. “Nice to meet you then, Just-Shiro-Is-Fine” he chuckled. He took a step back so he was in front of the whole group. “Well guys, I’m sure Matt and Katie know the way to the reception just as good as I do so if you excuse me I’m going for a swim” he started walking away. “See you around!” added Lance while waving at them.
“You were right, Matt” commented Adam “. Lance is really nice”
“I like the guy” added Shiro, smiling softly.
“I think Keith didn’t like him as much” pointed out Pidge, hitting Keith’s arm playfully.
“What?” he frowned.
“Dude, if glares could kill the guy would be underground” added Matt. “I’d never seen Lance feeling awkward around strangers until you looked daggers at him”
Keith’s frown only deepened. He didn’t think he was being rude or cool with Lance. Only a little surprised with his appareance but that’s all.
“Were you gay panicking?” Adam’s voice caught him out of guard.
“What?! No!”
Everyone looked at each other and nodded. “You were” they concluded simultaneously.
“Whatever” Keith grabbed his suitcase and started walking into the hotel while the others chuckled behind him.
Such a great start for their trip.