Chapter Text
When they stepped out of the airport in Varadero Keith was blasted in the face by a gust of warm, humid air. He started to sweat underneath his shirt the second they exited the air-conditioned building into the heat, his palm was already getting clammy against Lance's but he didn’t even think of letting go. Lance raised his other hand and waved, shouting happily at a man who was standing by a van parked right in front of them. Keith stepped back as they hugged.
"This is my older brother Maceo," He said, gesturing to the other man, who looked a lot like Lance but with a square jaw and light brown eyes.
"And this," Lance said, turning to Keith, "is my boyfriend Keith."
Keith felt a little nervous, holding out his hand for Maceo to shake he was instead pulled into a crushing hug.
"Nice to finally meet you," Maceo said, voice loud and booming, patting Keith on the shoulder after he had let him go.
"The rest of the family is dying to meet you," He said, helping them load their stuff into the back. They settled in a Maceo pulled away from the airport, talking all the while.
"Mama has planned a big meal tonight. With you guys arriving it will be a full house." He said.
"Dalian is already here?" Lance asked, the second oldest, Keith recognized the name.
"Yup, flew in last night with Rita and Isabella." Lance perked up at that.
"Isabella! How much has she grown?" Lance asked, gushing with bright eyes.
"So much, she is becoming a fine lady." Maceo mimed wiping a tear away from the corner of his eye. They laughed and chatted, speaking in English but with a few phrases of Spanish mixed in, Keith was nowhere close to fluent but he did pick up a few words. He just didn’t have a knack for them that Lance has. If you did you'd put me out of a job. Lance had joked, but it was times like this that he wished he knew just a little bit more. Lance seemed to pick up on Keith's hesitation, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze he steered the conversation back to include Keith more.
"By the way, this is Keith's first time traveling to Cuba, right Keith?" Lance prompted.
"Ah, yes. I've been around Asia but never this far. Your country is very beautiful." Keith said. The sky was a perfect blue and as they drove by Keith could see how dense the forest was on either side of the road, thick and a flourish verdant green.
"It is, but I've always wanted to travel to Japan as well. Lance has been telling us all about what it's like to live there. Sounds pretty great as well." Maceo said.
Keith nodded along and he and Lance told Maceo about some of their adventures, leaving out the details from their work-related excursions. The conversation flowed easily and Keith was feeling good, Maceo was just so friendly and open.
"Well if we do decide to go, you and Lance can be our tour guides," Maceo said, winking at the both of them in the rear-view mirror.
They eventually pulled into town, a beautiful and eclectic mix of buildings embellished with Baroque stylings, the color of pastel cakes. They drove through and up a hill to a more quiet area with larger residential buildings, at the end of the street they pulled up to a large house. Three stories tall with a wrap-around porch, it was painted pale yellow with white trim, from the open windows sheer curtains with lace edging trailed out like a bride's veil.
Maceo helped them carry their stuff in up the long red gravel walkway to the front door, shaded on the way by palm trees, their fronds swaying in the wind. They stepped in and immediately Keith was greeted by the smell of cooking food which made his mouth water. There was a quiet sense of bustling excitement around the house and before long the sound of little footsteps racing down the stairs came.
Lance greeted his nieces and nephews, lifting them up and swinging them around and introducing them to Keith as well. Freddy and Tara were bubbly and right, gap-toothed and grinning, and while Isabella was a little shyer she did send him a small smile peeking out from behind Lance's legs. After the kids had been introduced they raced off on their own, caught up in some imaginary game they were in the middle of playing, someone else came to see them. Apron tied around her waist, with a towel over her shoulder an older woman appeared.
"Mama!" Lance exclaimed and threw himself into her arms. He was almost a full foot taller than her, but they had the same eyes and the same bright smile. She turned and regarded Keith warmly.
"You must be Keith," she opened her arms and he only hesitated a second before going and hugging her back.
Mama shooed them off after, telling them to unpack and settle in before dinner, and they made their way up to the third floor where their room was. The window was open and it was surprisingly breezy, Keith looked out the window and saw the beach right below them. White sand and perfect blue water, Keith marveled at the view. He felt Lance come up behind him and rest his chin on his shoulder.
"It’s pretty great right?" Lance said and Keith looked over. His eyes were almost the exact shade of the sea.
"It's beautiful." Keith agreed.
After they were done unpacking there was still some time before dinner was ready, so they tracked everyone else down, Lance insisting on introducing him to his extended family right away.
"I just want to show off my handsome boyfriend is all," Lance had said, ignoring Keith's protests.
Veronica and Rita were helping Lance's mother prepare for dinner while Lillyn was working on finishing a paper she had due in the dining room. They all gushed over Keith, which made him feel a little bit awkward, but he endured it just to see the jealousy on Lance's face when they pinched his cheeks and doted on him. Lance's grandparents and uncles and aunts were in the backyard, sipping on lemonade and sitting in the shade. Just when they were done with those introductions Dalian came back with Charlie from a finishing trip, their catch the centerpiece for tonight's meal.
Dalian wore glasses and had a beard while Charlie was quite a few years younger than Lance but almost as tall already. Everyone gathered around asking Keith questions but also talking amongst themselves so that he didn’t feel too overwhelmed with the attention. It was chaotic but in a good way. It sort of reminded him of the gumi, multiple people talking with and over each other trading jokes and barbs but all enjoying each other's company. So this is what a family feels like .
Before long they were called to dinner and Keith's stomach grumbled when he saw the massive spread. He couldn’t believe three people were able to make all of it, but it looked delicious. He was more hungry than he thought and polished off the plate after plate of rice, beans, meat, seafood, and veggies, the spicy rich flavors popping on his tongue. Before long he was stuffed, just leaning back in his chair listening to the bright chatter of boisterous conversation, joining when he could. But he mostly watched Lance, how animated he was, talking with his hands, voice dripping like warmed honey wrapping around rounded Rs and trilling ends.
After a while the plates were cleared, the children went off to bed, Isabella being carried by her mother as she dozed off in her arms, eyes slipping shut and head lolling. The adults moved into the living room or to the backyard. Veronica sat at the piano in the living room and started playing, fingers dancing lightly over the keys, and Keith and Lance went out back with a few others.
They broke off on their own, Lance led him to an open clearing in the backyard and they laid down together in the grass looking up at the stars. They were brighter than he had ever seen them in Tokyo, and Lance pointed out planets and constellations to him. Keith fell asleep that night, full and warm, Lance a comforting weight in his arms.
The next few days were busy, Lance seemed determined to show him everything Varadero had to offer.
"Just returning the favor," he had said with a smile.
So they went on hikes through the mountains, swimming in creeks, standing under waterfalls, and snorkeling in the shallows. They did day trips all over the island, walking through cobbled streets hand in hand and taking in all the sights. They also hung out with Lance's family, Dalian took them fishing, they played hide-and-seek with the children, and Lance's mother even taught a few easy recipes to Keith.
"I wouldn't trust that boy with boiling the water, but I do worry he is eating well," she said, shaking her head.
The days were so full of new sights, smells, and laughter they passed quickly and Keith was getting a little nervous. One day, when Lance was off to help Veronica with the shopping, Lance's mother approached him. She tossed something into the air and Keith caught it easily. He flushed when he realized what it was.
"Sorry for snooping," she said with a grin, "but may I recommend a better hiding place. Just so the young ones, or even Lance himself, doesn’t find it.
Keith turned the little velvet box in his hand nervously. He shook himself, looking up into Lance's mother's considering gaze before smiling back, a little sheepish.
"Thank you."
Lance's mother smiled back. She tossed her dishtowel over one shoulder and leaned up against the door frame. Something about the gesture struck him as being oddly Lance-like, but she must be where he got it from.
"It seems like only yesterday Lance was Isabella's age, running around this house barefoot and tracking mud everywhere. So quickly he's grown up, moved out of the house, first to the US and then to Japan. I've barely gotten it in my head that my boy is grown up, with a boyfriend, now I'll have to be giving him away soon." She said, a little teasing, a little wistful herself. She shook her head, but a wry grin curled her lips, blue eyes twinkling.
"You seemed like a good man Keith, I won't give you the shovel talk, I'll leave that up to Dalian and Maceo. But promise me you'll take care of my boy."
Keith felt something settle over him, heavy and warm. He smiled back at her.
"For the rest of my life." He promised.
That evening Keith and Lance took a walk by the beach, dinner had ended early and with everyone breaking off into their smaller groups Keith had asked if Lance had wanted to go for a stroll. They walked side by side in the surf, carrying their shoes in their hands. Even after seeing it so many times over the last week Keith was still stuck by the beauty of this place, it was impossible to get tired of it, every day and at every time it looked so different. Right now with the sun just beginning to set the sky was painted a brilliant wash of pinks and oranges, the edges of the clouds gilded in gold and just beyond fading to purple and blue where the night was just starting to make herself known.
Lance walked a little ahead of him, splashing around in the ankle-deep water. The waves were so low that from a distance it looked as if Lance was standing on an expansive mirror, reflecting the colors of the sky back at them from below. For a second Keith just stood and looked at him, but after a moment Lance seemed to notice that Keith wasn’t by his side anymore. He turned, spotted the other man, and smiled, stretching out his hand for the other to take.
Keith took his hand in his, took another step forward, and then got down on one knee. Lance’s eyes widened, reaching into his pocket he finally pulled out the little box he had been so carefully hiding from Lance since they had arrived. Opening it he revealed the ring nestled within.
“Lance,” Keith didn’t have a way with words like Lance did, he couldn’t pick up languages and speak them with the ease of a native, he struggled to connect with others without a lingering sense of unease. But with Lance he felt those barriers dissolve, when they were together he felt his burdens lighten, and the world warm around him.
“Will you marry me?” Such simple words, but he knew he was asking for so much, for the rest of his life. Lance answered without hesitation.
“Yes!” Lance gasped, Keith went to take out the ring to put it on Lance’s finger. But Lance had other plans. Yanking Keith up and into his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips, they ended up slightly unbalanced. With little grace, they tumbled down into the surf.
They laid there for a second, skin sticking to their soaked clothing, before simultaneously breaking into laughter. Lance snuggled up closer to Keith, pillowing his head on the other’s shoulder and finally letting Keith put the ring on. Lifting his hand up he looked at it as if he couldn’t quite believe this was all happening.
“Wow, how long have you been planning this?” Lance asked.
“Long enough that Shiro got tired of taking me ring shopping every weekend,” Keith said chuckling, Shiro had started supportive but it had worn thin by their 6th to 7th trip.
They eventually had to head back, the whole way Keith couldn’t keep his eyes off Lance, his damp hair curling at his temples, face flushed and eyes shining. When they got back to the house everyone was waiting for them, Lance laughed as they hooted and hollered, before pulling Keith in for another kiss. The kiss was sweet, a little salty from the sea, and as warm as the setting sun. The McClains went wild around them.