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Keith fidgeted in the passenger seat of Lance's car, messing with the charging cord that was plugged into his phone. Lance looked over at him, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting on Keith's thigh, fingertips brushing his inseam. "What's on your mind, Mullet?"

Keith contemplated lying, but something told him that wouldn't get him anywhere. "I'm nervous," he admitted.

Lance smiled kindly. "Why? You've met my family."

Shaking his head, Keith lifted Lance's hand from his thigh and interlaced their fingers, rubbing his thumb over Lance's shiny blue nails to distract himself. "I met your mom and Sylvio, that's different from the other..." he paused to count back in his head, "nine people in your family."

Lance pulled Keith's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to his palm. "You're gonna be fine, I promise. I've said nothing but good things about you and I'll be there anyway, so you have nothing to worry about."

Looking out the window, Keith bit his lip. "I'm not good with new people."

The dancer rolled his eyes. "You were good with me when we met." Keith made a face.

"I was a mumbling mess, actually. Also, you're different."

Lance thought for a moment, tapping his thumb on the steering wheel and slowly sliding his hand up and down Keith's thigh absentmindedly, although it was making Keith feel more flustered than he already was. "How's this," Lance said eventually. "My mom already loves you so Oscar, that's my uncle, probably will too. Abuelo and Abuelita will probably just say that you're handsome. Marco and Luis are my brothers, they'll probably try to embarrass you but they have good intentions, Ronny, Rachel, and Lisa- she's Luis' wife- are harmless, except for maybe Rachel, Nadia's just like Sylvio, who you've already met. That's all there is, really."

Keith took a moment to take it all in, filing Lance's family members into their respective places in his brain, before he remembered that Lance hadn't mentioned... "What about your dad?"

Lance shrugged. "I think you'll be fine when it comes to Dad."

Before Keith knew it, they were pulling into Lance's driveway. He desperately tried to flatten down his messy hair to no avail before realizing what he was wearing, which was a bigger issue. "Lance," he said frantically, "I can't wear this." He displayed how his whole chest could easily be on display at the wrong angle.

Lance's eyes scanned Keith's bare chest flirtily, but he reached into his backseat and tossed a sweatshirt at him. "Try this," he said, unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the car to stretch. Keith looked down at the fabric for a moment. It was a black hoodie with a white flower in the middle, surrounded by kanji. Pulling it on, Keith was enveloped in Lance's smell-- laundry detergent, sandalwood cologne, and faint coconut and shea from whatever he used in his hair.

Keith snuggled into the sweatshirt happily, pressing his nose into the fabric. He would have stayed there all night if Lance hadn't tapped on his window, quirking an eyebrow in curiosity. "Come on, they're waiting for us." Keith's nerves automatically resurfaced.

As the two approached the house, the sounds of voices and laughter drifted out of the open windows and screen door, just like it had when Keith had been here last. Except now, he wasn't just coming to pick up Lance and leave, he was here to meet Lance's family, to discover who had shaped Lance since birth, who'd been there for him his whole life.

Lance turned to Keith before they entered the house, fussing with Keith's hair with a playful expression before taking his face between his hands. "Remember, I'll be with you the whole time. You're gonna be fine. Also, my family basically only counts two stages of relationships, 'friends' and 'practically married', so keep it casual this time, ok?" Keith nodded obediently, wiping the sweat on his palms on his jeans.

Lance peeked into the house to check for snooping family members before quickly placing a kiss on Keith's cheek. "C'mon."

Lance pulled Keith through the screen door and into the cozy house, dropping his bag next to the coat rack as a voice called above the others, "Lance? Is that you? Did you bring your friend?"

"Si, mama!" Lance called back, hanging up his hoodie on one of the hooks by the door.

"Zapatos, por favor! I just cleaned the floors!" Lance kicked off his shoes and motioned for Keith to do the same before padding toward the voices. Keith took his time, looking around the living room before heading into the kitchen after Lance. There were two couches and a few armchairs sprawled around the room, all facing the general direction of the TV, along with a large bookcase filled with assorted novels and a towering china cabinet packed with expensive-looking glasses and dinnerware. A few brightly colored rugs covered the dark wooden floorboards and equally colorful paintings lit up the beigey walls.

Keith slowly walked to the dining room and similarly observed from the doorway. On the right side of the space, a long, wide oak table stood, crowded with placemats, plates, and cutlery, along with an overflowing bread basket in the center. Seven of the twelve seats were taken by Lance's family, who were all comfortably talking together, laughing and making jokes as they snacked on the bread basket's offerings.

On the left side of the room was a large kitchen in which two women bustled about, stirring pots on the stove, checking the oven, washing dishes and weaving around each other like a perfected dance routine. Delicious smells wafted through the house from the kitchen and Keith's mouth watered as he inhaled deeply.

Lance was sitting on the floor in front of his niece and nephew, listening to them chatter with a smile on his face. The energetic acoustic music was just the right volume and it filled Keith with a strange kind of energy as he observed the family.

Keith went unnoticed for a minute or two before Sylvio glanced up and met Keith's eyes. He smiled mischievously and turned toward Lance, "He's the friend you brought?" Sylvio said slyly, narrowing his eyes.

"Be nice to Keith," Lance scolded him, looking at Keith apologetically even though they were both smiling.

"I am nice, I think he's cool, unlike you," Sylvio retorted, flicking his hair out of his eyes as he approached Keith boldly. "Lance said you drive a motorcycle, is that true?"

Keith grinned, "Yeah, it's a Kawasaki."

Sylvio's eyes lit up and he grabbed Keith's arm, dragging him out of the kitchen back towards the foyer. "I gotta show you my collection!" he exclaimed, Nadia running after them and grasping Keith's other hand, pulling him up the stairs. Keith laughed, feeling a little bit of his tension fade away. The walls on the stairway were lined with family photos and Keith caught glimpses of toddler Lance alongside his siblings, wearing the same smile he had now.

Nadia and Sylvio led Keith into the first room on the left and Sylvio immediately closed and locked the door behind them. He looked up at Keith sternly. "This is a secret meeting. You're the only one allowed in here. Uncle Lance doesn't understand motorcycles."

Keith chuckled and sat down on the floor, looking around the room in awe. He remembered how Lance had mentioned that this room used to be his and Rachel's until he scored the basement and Keith tried to spot the hints of Lance that remained in the room.

There was a bunk bed pushed up against the far wall by the window, the beds messy and piled with blankets and pillows and stuffed animals, a bookshelf packed with kids' books and action figures and little trinkets, a giant lava lamp on the floor beside it. Two desks littered with coloring books and various pencils and crayons and crafts were stationed along another wall and behind them sat two fluffy beanbags facing a small TV that sat atop a dresser. Vintage posters of motorcycles, planes, and rocketships lined the walls, along with dozens of drawings that the two little kids had made.

Sylvio was digging around in the closet for something while Nadia clambered up to the top bunk of the bed. "Keith, what kind of magazines do you like?" she called from the bunk, pulling a giant stack of volumes from a shelf built into the wall.

Keith glanced up at one of the posters on the wall-- the Pillars of Creation nebula. "I like space," he said hesitantly and Nadia's face lit up.

"I LOVE SPACE!" she giggled, tossing a magazine from the pile down to Keith. The front cover was a picture of the Andromeda galaxy and the pages were well-worn from being read so many times. Keith took the magazine gratefully and flipped through it while Sylvio dragged a big bin out of the closet before dumping it out on the rug.

It turned out that it was filled with hundreds of miniature cars and planes, but especially tiny motorcycles. Sylvio flopped down onto his stomach and immediately began sorting through the bikes, talking as he went, explaining what each one was and where he got it. Keith listened intently, settling beside Sylvio and pointing out which motorcycles he'd seen before. Eventually, Nadia crept down from her bunk and sat down next to Keith, organizing the bikes into little groups, pretending they were talking to each other and racing across the carpet.

Keith had almost forgotten that he was there for dinner when a knock came at the door. Sylvio made a face. "Who is it?" he called, handing Keith a tiny yellow Harley replica.

"It's Uncle Lance, can I come in?" Sylvio looked at Keith and Nadia for a consensus and, when they both nodded, he crawled over to the door and unlocked it. Lance stepped inside, his face lighting up when he saw Keith laying on the ground by the motorcycle collection.

"Wow, I'm glad you guys get along so well," Lance commented. "It's time for dinner, though, come on down."

Sylvio and Nadia scrambled upright before racing each other out of the room and thundering down the stairs. Keith watched them go, surprised. Lance held a hand to help him up and explained, "They do it every night."

Lance turned to go downstairs, but Keith tugged him back, pulling him in so he could wrap his arms around the brunette's neck and hug him tightly. "Keith?" Lance asked quietly, hugging him back.

"I just missed you," Keith said quietly, making Lance laugh. He kissed Keith's nose and held out his hand.

"You must be hungry, Mullet. Let's go eat."

...

ahhhhhh another day, another chapter

I gotta do actual work now tho )); how were ur days?

qotd: what is ur favorite,,,, uhhhh,,,, beverage?

loooooooove uuuuuuuuu