Writing Prompt: “Good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion” + Shallurklance
For the lovely @syeriane 😘
A/N: Warning: this is SOFT! Enjoy reading!
“Okay!” Shiro said excitedly, “we have exactly one—no, two hours to throw Keith the best birthday party ever. Allura, any ideas?”
“Hm… oh! Keith would absolutely love giant balloon hippos, wouldn’t he?”
Shiro nodded eagerly. “Yes! Hippos! Of course!”
Lance spoke suddenly, “Okay then, I’ll get started on the cake. He’s gonna love it!”
“Can I assist you with that?” asked Allura.
“Sure, but we have to be careful! It’s Keith’s birthday, so it has to be perfect!”
“Very good,” Shiro said, rubbing his hands together. “In the meantime, I’m going out to get some decorations. I’ll be back soon!”
The cake didn’t look too bad, but it didn’t look too good either. It was still edible, of course, but if only Allura had followed the instructions, or at least asked Lance before attempting to just wing it. He had considered starting all over again but time was passing by very quickly. Allura had suggested that Lance should call Hunk but, unfortunately, he was too busy hanging out with Shay. Priorities, right? Either way, time was running out. They were both a mess. Allura’s bun was loose and a strand of hair was covering her face as she and Lance frantically tried to clean up the mess they’ve made. Well, Allura’s mess, mostly, but they finally discarded their dirty aprons.
“Where the heck is Shiro?” Lance yelled in frustration. “We only have half an hour left!”
Amazingly, however, he made it just in time. The sound of his keys rattled as he managed to unlock the door, entering the room with a handful of bags containing items to be hanged all over the walls. “Hey, I’m—“
“Hurry, Shiro!” Allura cried, stopping him mid-sentence.
Shiro couldn’t help but laugh excitedly before obliging, closing the door behind him with his foot, then quickly making his way towards them with the bags in his possession. “C’mon, c’mon!” Lance muttered anxiously as he began to take each item out of its bag. Allura and Shiro eyed each other with a knowing look, both just as excited to surprise Keith, too. The three of them immediately began to set up the decorations without a minute to lose.
After they finished setting up decorations, they turned off all the lights. Lance did everything he could to contain his laughter as the three of them crouched down behind the couch in the living room. Now, all they had to do was wait, feeling their stomachs tingle in excitement. “How much do you wanna bet he’ll cry his eyes out when he sees the balloons?” Lance whispered, sounding giddy from the urge to release laughter.
“Shut up, Lance!” Shiro whispered back.
“Shhh!” Allura whispered irritably.
Their words then came to a halt as they suddenly heard the sound of the door’s knob unlock, followed by the creaking of the door swing open. “Hello?” said a voice—a voice that the three of them knew too well. It was the voice of the birthday boy himself. “Why are the lights off?”
Hearing this, Allura and Lance gripped Shiro’s arms tightly, while his hand was covering his own mouth, muffling his heavy breaths.
The lights flickered on, and for a moment, nothing happened, but then Keith’s legs pedaled back quickly as he suddenly heard familiar voices shout, “Happy birthday, Keith!”
The yong man’s back was flat against the wall, his palm resting over his chest, feeling his heart race. He saw them from across the room, laughing hysterically as they got up and made their way towards him. “Hey there, Mullet!” Lance called, in between chuckles, feeling glad to finally be able to laugh as hard as he could. Keith let himself be embraced in Lance’s long arms, still recovering from the big surprise. He watched Shiro come forward with a big smile, hand reaching out to ruffle his thick black hair. “Hey there, birthday boy. Where have you been?”
Keith chuckled. “Out. Obviously.”
Allura then walked forward after Lance pulled away. “Welcome home, Keith,” she said, curling that strand of hair behind her ear.
Keith smiled. “Yeah, it’s good to be…”
“What?” Shiro asked. “What are you…”
“Are those hippos?” Keith choked out, staring at the hippo-shaped balloons floating near the table behind them. Lance couldn’t help but smirk. “Hehe! Yeah, they sure are, Keith!”
What Keith said next was no surprise.
His tearful eyes and sniffling caused his three partners to coo and embrace him in a comforting group hug. They each gave him a kiss on the face. Shiro and Allura kissed his cheeks, while Lance kissed his nose. “Mwah! We love you, Keith!”
“Thanks, I love you guys!”
“Let’s have some cake!” Shiro said.
What flavor is it?” Keith asked.
“Vanilla,” Allura answered.
“Yeah, I hate vanilla, but it’s for you, so take it!” Lance groaned.
“Good thing I didn’t ask for your opinion,” Keith retorted.
A/N: Thank you for the prompt, Syeri! I hope you enjoyed reading! 😊
