Christmas Decorations- For the Voltron Little Exchange
This is for @rubymoon-snape ^_^ I really hope that you like it! I am so so sorry this is 2 days late! Consider it a late christmas/early new years gift! :D I hope this is okay for what you wanted :)
It had been the longest week of Shiro’s life, and that includes every finals week at the Garrison.
He knows Keith has secretly been looking forward to today all week long. He’s standing outside, twisting a too-long jacket sleeve in his hand when Shiro pulls up to pick him up. Keith practically runs to the car.
“Hi baby,” Shiro says as casually as he can, trying to get a gauge on how Keith feels.
The answer is obvious when Keith’s reply is a dramatic disgruntled groan, and he literally tosses his bag over his shoulder to let it clatter into the backseat. He proceeds to then faceplant his head into his hands and slump completely against the passenger window.
“Bad day?” Shiro asks. He gets no answer.
He knows that this is ending one of two ways tonight, and he’s gotta play his cards right.
“Okay,” he tells Keith, very softly, and just starts to drive. As he does, he turns the radio on, very low, and for now he forgoes the Christmas playlist and goes for Keith’s favorite punk playlist.
It takes until they’re nearly turning onto the street to the apartment before he notices the subtle way Keith nods along to the songs, swaying a little in his seat. The lines on his face have softened out a bit. He turns them for the Starbucks drive thru, orders a a peppermint mocha and a gingerbread hot chocolate for Keith. Once he pays the man, Keith’s making literal grabby hands for his cup and smiling just a little. It’s the first sign of progress, just as usual, they have to ease Keith into it.
*
The boxes filled with Shiro’s Christmas decorations are already stacked around the living room in various states of unpacked. They stop in the doorway and Shiro helps Keith out of his coat, and unties his shoes for him so he can kick them off. Keith abandons his Starbucks cup on the kitchen counter and disappears into the bedroom. Shiro takes that small hint and collects it, pulling out a familiar red sippy cup from the back of the kitchen cabinet and empties the cup into it. He spends a few minutes tidying up the living room a little, finding the blanket Keith likes best and turning on the speaker to play some soft Christmas music. He puts Keith’s sippy cup on the coffee table.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, Keith returns, clad in fuzzy pajamas and holding a trademark red stuffed cat. He makes a puzzled sort of face, before he spots the cup on the table, and grabs it somewhat reluctantly. But he takes a seat next to Shiro on the couch, and it takes less than a minute before he’s sipping on it and leaning his head against Shiro’s warm shoulder. He looks happy for the first time all day. Shiro takes the blanket and effectively bundles him up with it around his shoulders. Keith starts to settle down more and more, and Shiro starts humming along with the tune of the music, rubbing a hand absently over Keith’s shoulders.
Keith doesn’t take the sippy cup away from his mouth until he’s had nearly all of the hot chocolate, and hiccups softly when he’s done. He starts playing with one of Shiro’s hands, and when he starts bite his lips, Shiro pulls the final remaining step out from his pocket. Keith’s eyes light up a little bit when Shiro passes him his pacifier. Keith pops it into his mouth. Red, with a little rocketship on the front. He’s got a matching clip with stars and moons on it, which Shiro clips it to the collar of Keith’s t-shirt. He’s absolutely notorious for losing it.
They sit like that for a while, relishing in the warmth of the heater running, and the soft Christmas tunes. Shiro still sips at his mocha, thoroughly impressed but not surprised at little Keith’s ability to drink sugary drinks so fast.
“Can I try your coffee?” Keith asks softly.
“I think you’re too little for that, baby,” he says and ruffles his soft black hair. Keith instantly blushes pink. Aha, got him. “The hot cocoa wasn’t enough sugar? You’re going to be bouncing off the walls if we aren’t careful.”
“Nuh-uh.” Keith says indignantly, but offers nothing more. He pops his paci back into his mouth, chewing and toying with it halfheartedly. Shiro’s sure it’s the most endearing thing he’s ever seen.
“Uh-huh. I know you, Starlight. C’mere.” He tugs Keith closer and he all but flops into Shiro’s lap, where Shiro situates him in his arms and they rock back and forth. He kisses Keith’s hair between his sentences, smiling. “So, what do you say we turn on a Christmas movie, and we can open up the boxes. You can start collecting all the ornaments for me, and I’ll get the lights all set up.” He plants tiny kisses on each of Keith’s warm cheeks. “We know they like to be difficult. Almost as much as a certain little lion I know.”
Keith whines a little, but he sees his smile before it’s buried into Shiro’s shirt. Keith hides, and squirms and whines indignantly when Shiro continues his assault of kisses. He eventually gets fed up and wriggles his way out of Shiro’s clutches, dashing over to grab the stockings from where they lay atop a box.
“Decorations!” he demands, jumping up and down a little.
Shiro concedes, standing up to come join him. Keith hangs the stockings up by the mantle, stopping to inspect that they're straight three separate times. He puts Red inside one of them to watch as he hangs the other. Shiro works on untangling the lights, and watches as Keith whirls around the room, bouncing happily. He arranges a scene of fake snow and reindeer into a centerpiece on the mantle, complete with tinsel strewn about in the snow. He opens up every ornament box and attaches hooks to each one. And even by then, Shiro is still working on the lights.
“Daddy, you’re slow,” he whines. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“You could try being patient, I’ll be finished with these soon, baby,” he suggests, smiling when that earns him the expected indignant whine.
“Hmm,” Shiro considers once more, and gets an idea. “I’ve got something for you, little star.”
He returns a few minutes later with a stack of construction paper and safety scissors, and plops them down on the coffee table. “Do you want to make paper snowflakes? We can hang them from the ceiling.”
Keith nods emphatically, and Shiro pats his head. “Be careful with the scissors, ok? Want me to show you how Daddy does it?” He knows Keith can probably manage, but he knows that this might help him stay better in the headspace.
“Yeah!” Keith replies, so Shiro pulls him into his lap. “Okay, so you fold in half like this…”
*
Two hours later, they’ve transformed Shiro’s little living room into a warmly lit and sparkling Christmas scene. Keith hung the stockings, and put each and every ornament on the tree. Shiro even picked him up so he could put the star on the top. Keith made more snowflakes than they could count, and they strung them up everyplace they could think. Keith attached one to Red’s neck like a little bow. By the end, Shiro thinks he could go for a nice long nap, but he’s got a very excited little one on his hands now. They compromise on a short break on the couch before they make dinner and cookies, and do all the cleanup.
Shiro brings Keith with him to sit in his lap, wraps him back up in the blanket, and gives him his sippy cup refilled with milk. “So what do you think, baby?” he asks.
“‘S good,” Keith says, nodding and sipping his milk. “Pretty!”
“I think so too.”
“Cookies?” Keith murmurs, burying his head into his shoulder.
Shiro chuckles, rubbing a hand up Keith’s blanket covered back.“Yes, and then we make cookies.”
Keith emerges from his hiding place, tosses his arms around Shiro’s neck and effectively hangs off him. He spits out his paci and Shiro thanks the stars for pacifier clips. “And then eat the cookies!”
“After dinner, yes, baby.”
Keith shakes his head. “Just cookies. All the cookies.”
“All the cookies?” Shiro raises an eyebrow.
“Yeah!”
“Every last one?” He prods, poking a finger softly into Keith’s side to tickle.
“Ye-yeah!” he squeaks out, bursting into giggles. “Yeah! F-f-for dinner!” he gasps between words as his laughter grows. Shiro keeps ticking until Keith is squirming in his lap, he’s wiggly, and little or not, wow Keith’s reflexes are fast. But Shiro is strong and he gets Keith effectively trapped between the plush red throw pillows and Shiro’s chest.
“Aw but if Keith eats all the cookies, then there will be no cookies left for Santa,” he tells his little seriously. He slows his tickle assault to a feather light circles with his fingers right where Keith’s shirt slipped up to show his tummy. “And if Santa doesn’t get any cookies, he might not leave any presents… Then there’d be no presents for Keith, no presents for Daddy…” He starts tickling again, going right for his tummy, earning a shout of laughter.
“No, no, Daddy!” Keith giggles. “I take it back!”
“What was that, I couldn’t quite hear you Starlight.”
“I take it back. I take it back, Daddy!” Keith squeals, surrendering Red when he tries to use her as a barrier to safeguard from the tickles. “I promise not to eat all the cookies.” he eventually resigns.
“Good,” “You were very good this year and Daddy wants you to get your presents,” says Shiro, squishing Red back into Keith’s waiting arms and smiling when he squeezes her close. As he does, Shiro sees the tears that begin to build, swelling up in violet eyes, and he starts to panic a little.
“Oh, baby…” he begins, grappling for what could have upset him.
Keith shuts his eyes tightly, and the tears spill out slowly, but just a few. He doesn’t make a sound, but he grabs about until he can recover his pacifier from its hiding spot someplace in the blanket, and jams it into his mouth, chewing pensively for a minute. He breathes, and Shiro takes a moment to rock him again.
“I…” Keith speaks very softly after a moment, full of disbelief. “I’m good?”He doesn’t open his eyes.
“Oh,” Shiro coos, understanding.“You’re very good, little star. You’ve done so many things this year.” Keith replies with a small hiccup, but there’s an almost-smile there.
“I mean it, baby. You learned so many new things. You made friends. You drew lots of pictures, and ate so many good foods. You took good care of Red, and you worked so hard. You did all of this decorating!” He reaches out to swipe a tear away when it slides down Keith’s rosy cheek. “And most importantly?”
“Mos’ impor-ton-ly?” Keith speaks around his pacifier, eyes peering up at him again, wide and bright.
Shiro kisses his forehead softly “Most importantly, you made Daddy so, so incredibly happy.”
“So I hope you get everything you desire, Starlight. I really do.”
“Merry Christmas Daddy,” Keith whispers.
“Merry Christmas, little star.”
