Chapter Text
*2 Years Later*
“Katie, it’s time to get going—” Takashi called, waiting patiently at the door for the young girl. Glancing down at his watch, he frowned at the time and hoped that they still had enough time to make their appointment. The patter of tiny feet filled the air, and he could see Katie scrambling in the hallway to pull on her tennis shoes. Despite the lack of time, Takashi couldn’t help but pause to smile.
Katie looked especially adorable today, dressed in a light green alien-print sweater matched with a pair of star-covered black leggings. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail, a few stray strands purposefully framing her face. Of course, Katie’s large glasses were somewhat askew on her face, but she didn’t seem to mind, just ran up to Takashi. “I’m ready, Shiro!” she breathed, a bit out of breath.
He nodded, still shooting a nervous look toward the hallway. He didn’t want to be pushy, but—
“Allura, we’re going to be late!”
“I’m coming!” A disembodied voice yelled back, but Allura soon emerged from the bedroom, struggling to slip her heels onto her feet. She was as scrapped for time as Katie had been, and her hurried actions even matched the little girl. Once her shoes were snugly fitted, Allura stood up and began to fiddle with her earrings; she fastened the hoops, smoothed her hair down, and glanced back up at Takashi. “Me, too,” she smiled, walking toward him, the click of her shoes popping against the wooden floor.
“Good, good,” he laughed lightly, almost sorry that he had been so worried. Allura looked stunning—she deserved all the prep time in the world that she wanted. And Katie was quite the stunner, as well, Takashi idly thought to himself. He opened the door, letting Katie walk out first, then made sure to peck Allura’s cheek before she scurried past. “You look beautiful,” he muttered in her ear and grinned when she playfully rolled her eyes.
“Well, I am trying to impress.”
He couldn’t imagine that she wouldn’t.
As they walked to Allura’s car and Takashi helped Katie into her car seat, he began to think about how much had changed in such a short amount of time. Not only was Katie older; she was also taller, more confident, and far more outgoing—this was a particularly advantageous thing, as her class had grown in the past few years, and she seemed to get along with them almost as well as her core group of friends. Lance, Hunk, and Keith were still her very best friends, but Katie’s world had grown large enough to encompass a few more persons.
***
Although the children had grown out of Allura’s preschool, they remained in the district and under the direct care of Alfor, who took such a great amount of interest in the well-being of every student. He and Coran (and Shiro, of course), regularly gave Allura updates about the children, even as she continued to teach her own classes. As much as she loved all her students, Allura couldn’t help but be partial to her first group of kids, the ones who allowed her to test out her teaching style, and the ones who gave her absolutely no problems.
The first grade had originally been an intimidating concept for Katie. She was unsure of how well she was going to perform, but Lance had been the child to run headfirst into the new class. He had settled in well with his grade, and his home life seemed to change and grow, as well. He was an absolutely excellent big brother, an encouraging fact, as his mother was now six months along with another little one, and Lance was more than happy to see another family member.
Hunk had been timid, especially when he realized that his parents couldn’t walk him into his classroom every morning. Yet they were present every day before and right after school, and his mother always pulled her little boy in for a quick peck to the forehead, and his father never failed to ruffle his son’s dark hair. Hunk’s trepidation soon turned into excitement, and he quickly became the first of his friends to race into the classroom each morning. Whenever Takashi stopped by Allura’s classroom in the morning and subsequently dropped by Katie’s first grade class, the little boy excitedly waved, clearly happy to be with his friends.
For a while, Keith had been a bit of a different story. The quiet child remained quiet, making it through kindergarten with the support of his friends. He didn’t see much of Allura or Takashi during this time, and it was only with Alfor’s updates on the child’s wellbeing that either adult knew how Keith was doing. His kindergarten teacher worried, of course, that he wouldn’t thrive in a potentially stressful environment with an even larger class, but he was undoubtedly a smart child whose abilities more than warranted moving forward in school.
The dark-haired child, through no fault of his own, seemed to become far more reserved as his kindergarten year continued, though. Even with his best friends, he was standoffish and even rude. He wasn’t unteachable or too unruly by any means, but he did appear to be a far different child than the one that had been in Allura’s preschool class. Coran had been more than happy to meet with Keith in private meetings, with and without his foster parent, to see if there was a solution for the problem.
The root of it, unfortunately, was that Keith wasn’t thriving well in his home. His living conditions were not bad, neither were they especially conducive for a young boy. The relationship between Keith and his foster father was strained, at best. An outsider’s perspective showed that the young boy was largely unwatched and ignored. To Coran, at least, it seemed as if the other man cared very little for the clearly-struggling child. The ginger-haired gentleman could couldn’t do much to help the situation, but he could mention his observations to Alfor, who was more than willing to wait for any other problem signals before contacting the child protection services office.
For a long while, Keith seemed to be the one primarily suffering from the investigation, but it was important for everyone involved to keep in mind that helping Keith was so worth the trouble. In this instance, Alfor did not mention what was going on to his daughter until he learned that Keith was definitely going to be moved from his foster parent to another.
The young woman had been upset, of course, and incredibly worried, but she wasn’t without her faculties. Realistically, Allura knew that this was the best possible outcome for Keith—he had a chance to succeed in a loving family.
One look at her fiancé Takashi, though, and Allura knew; Keith still needed a loving family.
And maybe they should be that for him.
The process was not at all easy, especially when the couple was in the process of moving into a larger house. And the June wedding’s schedule hadn’t been especially forgiving of the adoption process. But Allura color-coded every note and list, and Takashi kept a steady mind and hand around the home. Katie, naturally, was excited at the prospect of one of her friends getting to move in with her family, but she was keenly aware that all this work that Allura and Shiro put into all the paperwork and meetings may not actually pay off.
The thought was sobering for all three of them—Allura had grown so fond of Keith, had become so accustomed to wholeheartedly loving the boy, that she couldn’t possibly imagine letting him down in such a way. Takashi felt similarly; he knew what it was like to lose a lot, to feel scared and confused and without a steady foundation, and he wanted to spare Keith the terror of having to figure everything out by himself.
After all, he had managed to build a family out of himself and Katie (and then Allura). He wanted to help Keith in the exact same way.
Reassuringly, the little boy similarly enjoyed Katie, and he truly cared about Takashi and Allura. When asked, he was happy—even ecstatic (if Keith ever were)—at the idea of living with the makeshift family.
And he wanted to.
And eventually, months later, it was approved.
***
The drive felt impossibly long, and Takashi could tell that Allura was nervous; at every stoplight, she tapped her hands against the wheel, and she sighed in frustration every time someone slowed down in front of her. Katie seemed far less concerned, as she just watched the buildings and cars appear to fly past her. Takashi himself was unsure of how he felt—he was nervous (so nervous) but also terribly excited. He was every emotion that could be felt, and more.
After they parked, Allura let out a long, thin breath. She closed her eyes for a few moments, then eventually looked over at Shiro. “We can do this,” she whispered, blue eyes swimming with visible worry.
Reaching over, Takashi put his hand onto her arm; with his touch, he tried to give her all the calm that he didn’t even possess. The young man smiled lightly, steadying his gaze. “Of course we can.”
Katie kicked her legs impatiently. “Can we go now?”
Shiro laughed, nodding; he opened his door, going to unbuckle Katie. As he stepped out, he took looked over at the building, greedily drinking in the sight. In the car was his present—his amazingly talented and perfect Katie, and his beautiful and breathtaking wife Allura. In the building, less than a hundred feet away, was his future, the promise of a larger, even more perfect family.
In a few moments, his whole world would somehow be contained in just one small building. And yet, his whole world felt so impossibly large, so bright, and so complete.
Takashi helped Katie out, then circled the car to open the door for Allura. He breathed in, relaxed his shoulders, and took the first step toward his perfect future.