{ cue Allura being a lil hoe...}

" This is the most extra thing ever. I hope you know that..." Matt chuckled and looked over at Shiro with a smile on his face.

" Since when are we not extra?" Shiro replied with a tiny smirk. They were currently in the midst of painting their biggest guest room, soon to be nursery. Sure, they still had a while to go before Matt would have the baby, but it was always good to be prepared.

Matt had a Louis Vitton stencil set and was spray painting through it with hot pink paint, putting the pattern all over the wall. It was a mix of purple and pink for their eventual baby girl, and Shiro was in love with the color combo. He couldn't wait until he could teach her makeup some day and explain to her how much he valued fashion, as well as his brand. It would be amazing.

" I guess you have a point." Matt said, stepping back from the wall and pulling off the mask he wore. Obviously he couldn't be breathing that stuff in while pregnant. And Shiro wrapped an arm around his omega as they stared at the accent wall. It sure was coming along.

" Let's go eat something, hm?" Shiro asked him, leaning down and kissing the top of Matt's head.

" Yeah..."

They headed downstairs, and Shiro was already bracing for what was next. Matt's cravings had been off the wall ever since his pregnancy began. Dinner was always an experience, what with the latest meals consisting of box mac and cheese mixed with pickles, chicken noodle soup with graham crackers, and it only got worse from there.

But still... Shiro was a great fiancé. He knew he had to put up with this and not make Matt feel bad.

" So..." Shiro began, leaning on the counter. " What are you hungry for?"

Matt thought for a moment, pulling out a seat at the counter and crawling up there.

" Grilled cheese?"

Shiro felt relief taking shape inside of him, not feeling like his stomach was touching the floor anymore.

" Of course... but we have to incorporate something healthy in there, too..." Shiro said. It was also his job to make sure that Matt was getting the right nutrition during pregnancy. He had top notch prenatal vitamins, as well as regular doctor visits to check up on everything.

Matt wanted to grumble to himself, but he knew that he couldn't complain. They were blessed just to have gotten pregnant in the first place.

" Fine... but do I still get chips to go with the sandwich?" He asked, giving Shiro the biggest puppy dog eyes ever.

" I suppose." The alpha said while peeking inside of the fridge. Luckily they had fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. Even if Matt could be a picky eater sometimes, Shiro had found that stir fries and smoothies had been a great way to incorporate stuff like that every day.

" So... have you been talking to Lance about the thing?" Matt asked, fiddling around with random objects on the counter. He had a really short attention span since the pregnancy hormones had taken over his body.

" The... proposal?" Shiro asked, pulling out some carrots from the fridge, as well as some celery and ranch. " Yeah... he's gonna do it on his birthday..."

" I see... we'll probably get invited to that, too..."

" Yeah. I think he was talking about throwing Keith a surprise party... but he's been flip flopping on his ideas. He's nervous... but I think he'll do great." Shiro said, shutting the fridge and smiling to himself. " Why do you ask?"

" Well... I don't know... it just occurred to me that when Lance and Keith get married, Lance will technically be our baby's uncle. And that is so cool to me." Matt chuckled. He and Pidge had known Lance forever, so it was interesting to think about. Plus, with them watching Kosmo for the weekend, it was difficult not to be reminded.

" Oh... you're right." Shiro said. He just wanted the best for his brother, and he was finally certain that Keith had found it. Their future had nowhere to go but up, right? He and Matt had a baby on the way and Keith was getting married, and Romelle was moving in with Lotor, which she'd told him over text.

Life was great.

...

Music was blasting from the DJ's speakers and the beat pounded throughout the large banquet hall. It was in the rear of the hotel where Lance's record label was hosting the party, and it was definitely large. Keith found that it was easy to get lost in there, what with the huge pieces of tulle strung down and around from the ceiling, even hanging down on the walls. Balloons also littered the room, floating up on the ceiling and also covering the floor.

" Wow, Lance... never thought that your debut album would be so edgy..."

" Yeah, it reminds me of the alternative music from the 2000's, but not the sad kind..."

Lance listened to the compliments of celebrities from all around, keeping Keith against his side the whole time. They had been given free range to converse before dinner could be served.

" Thank you... but I'm nothing compared to all of you..." Lance modestly laughed, scratching the back of his neck. And Keith knew exactly how wrong Lance was, but he didn't call him on it, not wanting to call him out for being amazing in front of all of the other singers.

The room had at least 200 people in it, and Keith almost felt swallowed up by it. He knew that this would be Lance's new normal now that he'd entered the big leagues, but still. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.

" Hey, Babe?" Keith whispered, leaning by Lance's ear and standing on his toes. He didn't want to seem like such an omega right then, but with so many people around, he couldn't help it.

Lance leaned toward Keith, humming quietly as if to ask him what it was.

" I need some air... I'll be back for dinner in a few...?" Keith murmured. He didn't want to drag Lance away from the party, since it was such an honor in the first place.

Lance raised a brow.

" I can come wi-"

" It's fine." Keith told him, pulling back with a small smile. " It was nice to meet all of you." He said to the group of people gathered around Lance, then made his leave. The last thing he wanted to do was be a party pooper, but it really wasn't his scene. He weaved through people until he made his way to the hall. It was the middle ground between the kitchen, and the very entrance to the hotel, which was swarming with security.

" Punch, sir?" A waiter walked up to Keith with a drink tray.

" Sure... thanks." Keith said, taking one of the small glasses before the guy went looking for other guests to serve. Still, though... he hoped Lance understood why he had to step back. He may not have had full blown agoraphobia anymore, but exposure to crowds for long periods of time made him anxious.

...

Allura smirked to herself after she saw Keith leave the room, and she knew that she had to act quickly. She stood up and wiped her lip, not wanting her lip gloss to look sticky. She peeked out from behind the wall, and one of the waitstaff was in front of her.

" What do you want me to do?" He asked her, still dizzy and blushing.

" You..." She slipped a fifty dollar bill into his underwear. " Just need to do me one favor."

" Anything..."

Allura's smirk widened as she pulled a champagne glass from her purse.

" You see that omega over there? The short one with the mullet?" She asked, to which he looked and nodded. " Good... just make sure... you serve his table for the toast, and that he gets this glass..."

" That's it? Easiest 50 bucks ever..."

Allura nodded, and he took the money and headed back to the kitchen. And she felt pretty damn proud of herself for that one. As long as the champagne was in the glass... Keith wouldn't taste it. And when it made him dizzy, she figured... it would be the perfect time to usher him out the back door.

Meanwhile, Keith tossed his empty punch cup in a nearby trashcan and figured he should probably go find Lance. He knew that the alpha was most likely wondering why he'd been gone so long, and he didn't want to worry him on such an important day.

Going back into the room, Keith noticed that some people were beginning to take their seats at the round tables scattered throughout the room for dinner. He was thankful that Lance didn't have some fancy table in the front of the room just because of it being his party. It was just a simple table for he and Keith, that's it.

Lance saw Keith and he waved him over with a smile, standing once he saw his omega was close.

" Hey..." He said in a quiet voice, able to do that now that the music was turned down. " What's the matter? Is it just too many people?"

Keith nodded, and Lance pulled him against his chest for a moment, pressing a kiss on the top of his head. He really couldn't have cared less about the PDA when it was his own party.

" I'm sorry, KitKat... we won't stay too late. After the toast and dinner we can head back up to the hotel room..." Lance whispered to him and raked his hands through Keith's hair in a comforting way. The last thing he wanted was for his boyfriend to be in distress. Maybe he shouldn't have been so careless about taking him to such a large party. Maybe he should've asked his record label to make it smaller, even if they weren't looking for his input.

" I don't want to be the reason you can't have fun at your own party, Babe..." Keith told him, pulling back and looking up at Lance with a guilty expression.

" Don't ever feel like that, Keith... I love you more than anything. You really think I need to stand around and get complimented all night when I can be alone with you instead? I don't think so." Lance massaged Keith's cheek gently with his thumb.

Keith felt really emotional when he heard that, but a smile began to creep onto his face.

" I love you too..." The omega replied, letting his hand rest on Lance's chest affectionately.

The couple sat down and the bosses of Lance's record label stepped up on a makeshift stage to speak. They spoke to how far Lance had come and how he'd been so hardworking and willing to go with the flow when it came to recording. And while that was happening, a dozen waiters and waitresses were making their way around the room with platters that had glasses of champagne on them.

Keith wasn't paying much mind to that, though. He only reached across the table and held Lance's hand while the alpha was complimented on stage time and time again. It only reminded him how lucky he was to have ended up with such a perfect, considerate, handsome, gentleman like Lance.

Massaging Lance's palm, Keith stared across the table and admired his alpha. He knew that he probably looked ridiculous to the other people in the room, swooning the way he was. But at that point, Keith didn't give a fuck. He loved Lance with all of his heart, and for whatever reason, he was in the mood to just cuddle up against him forever.

This party might've come as a surprise, and Keith might've had a limp from he and Lance's activities the night before, but that was the last thing that he was focused on. This was proof even more so about how much Lance loved and cared for him above all.

Keith was broken from his trance when a bulky looking waiter arrived at he and Lance's shared table, holding a platter that only balanced two glasses of champagne.

" Thank you." Lance told him quietly, wanting to be polite and show manners. Camila would've been proud.

But as the waiter told Lance he was welcome, he leaned forward too much so. The platter tipped, and the glass of champagne that was meant to be for Keith ended up in the omega's lap.

Keith jumped, not liking the icy cold feeling at all. He grabbed his napkin off of the table, and the waiter looked unusually shocked before rushing to grab champagne from another waiter, who happened to have a spare.

" I am so sorry, sir. I can totally bring you some more towels-"

" It's fine..." Keith told him, wiping off and awkwardly chuckling. " The replacement glass is fine..." He was honestly just happy that he got to toast with Lance and the others. It would've sucked if he had to miss out.

The waiter nodded and understood before making his leave, and Allura was watching in shock from the very back of the room, where she'd popped her head in. All of her hard work wasted?! Getting that clear coating from her dealer was no treat, and definitely not cheap, especially when it was on short notice. Really?! She'd already blown two people for this, wasted more than just fifty dollars, and she wouldn't be able to bring back a present for James. She had nothing to show for thotting around!

" And so..." The final boss to speak was nearing the end of her speech. " A toast, to Lance, a new part of the recording family."

Everyone raised their glasses and smiled, taking a drink and then erupting into applause for Lance.

Lance stood up and waved at everyone and said thank you another time before the appetizers began coming around to the tables.

" I'm so proud of you..." Keith told him, still holding Lance's hand. He couldn't wait to be alone with him later, but in the moment, he figured they could bask in the success together.

" Thank you, Keith... it means the most coming from you..." Lance said, smiling down at his lap and blushing. He wasn't used to being fussed over like this. He liked making a fuss over others and putting himself on the back burner, but still... it felt nice.

After they had finished up their meal, Lance was really grateful and overjoyed about the turnout for his party, but he was ready to get Keith out of there. He was proud of his omega for having taken it so well in the first place, so he didn't want to push it.

" Ready to go?" He asked Keith, to which the omega nodded. He let Lance wrap an arm around him while they circulated the room and said their goodbyes and thank you's. It was a great end to a great day, and Keith couldn't wait to curl up with Lance.

Still, though... he wondered one thing. He kept on looking over his shoulder, wondering why he felt the need to do that. The rational part of his mind told him that it was just his anxiety acting up, and that nothing was going to happen. But he couldn't help but feel like he dodged a bullet when nothing really bad happened.

He was just being crazy, right? Yeah... Keith told himself. James was gone. Nothing was going to happen.

{ Holy shitttttt! Ya'll are gonna want to kill me...

*runs*}