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Keith opened his eyes slowly. Just another day on the castle ship. Just another day of useless wandering. He got up and slowly made his way to the training deck. No one else was up at this hour anyway. Might as well get a few hours of training in. His insomnia certainly hadn’t gotten better since he got to space. In fact, it only got worse.
When he entered the kitchen for breakfast he smelled something rotten. What? Hunk came rushing into the kitchen. Guess he smelled it too.
“Ah, who tampered with the kitchen?!” screamed Hunk.
Hunk and Keith peaked through the kitchen door to see.
“Shiro?!” They hollered.
And indeed, in the kitchen, covered in flour, Stood Shiro.
“Uh, hey guys.” He said sheepishly.
“Shiro, what are you doing in the kitchen?”
“Well Hunk, you see.” He rubbed his back with his human hand: “I was trying to bake Keith a cake.”
“Ugh, Shiro, there is a reason Adam and me banned you from the kitchen.”
“Wait, what!”
“Trust me, this is nothing compared to the time he burned water.”
“Who burned water?” Lance popped his head out of the door.
“Shiro.”
“No way.” Lance started laughing.
“Why were you trying to bake a cake for Keith anyway?” Asked Pidge, who dropped out of the vents. Lance shrieked.
“Because today is his birthday.”
“It is my birthday?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Oh.”
“Well, I know just the place to go for your birthday, Mullet.”
“It’s not a mullet!” Keith exclaimed while running after a laughing Lance.
They were all in a pod heading to an unknown location. Lance had somehow managed to convince Allura and Coran to join them. And Pidge had succeeded to connect her music to the pod’s Soundsystem. Which led to some interesting Karaoke. Mainly by Shiro. Let’s just say that Lance idolized Shiro a lot less now. Then, just as Coran announced that they were almost there and Allura complained about earth music not making sense, a very specific song came on. And Shiro started belting his lungs out.
“Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze”
he sang. No one else stared singing because it was simple so hilarious to watch. Except for Coran, who wanted to join, but didn’t know the lyrics.
“Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads”
Shiro sang so of key that they all laughed their buts off. Silently of course, so Shiro wouldn’t hear them and stop singing.
“All my memories gather 'round her
Miner's lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
I hear her voice in the mornin' hour, she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Drivin' down the road, I get a feelin'
That I should've been home yesterday, yesterday
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain mama
Take me home, country roads
Take me home, (down) country roads
Take me home, (down) country roads”
They made it to their destination. When they exited the car, Hunk looked pale.
“Oh, no. Lance you know I don’t like amusement parks.”
“We are not here for you buddy, we are here for Keith. Besides, he will appreciate the adrenaline. Right, buddy.”
Keith looked to the giant sign that said: It’s earth: amusement park.
“I have actually never been to an amusement park before.”
“What!” Lance shouted in outrage.
“Keith, my buddy, my man. We need to fix this. You are coming with me.” Lance started to drag Keith off. “Meet you guys in the center of the park at noon.”
So Lance took Keith to the biggest roller coaster he could find. Keith was a bit uncertain, but soon absolutely loved it. They kept going onto roller coaster after roller coaster until Lance started feeling sick. Then they headed to the middle of the park. Where they met up with the others to get something to eat.
“come on, Lance. Let’s do some more.”
“Keith, my stomach can’t handle that. Let’s do some carnival games. I’ll win you something for your birthday.”
“Ugh, fine.” Keith said with a huge pout on his face.
That pout on his face soon turned to awe, as he saw Lance participate in a shooting game. Lance fired his shots with startling accuracy. He somehow, not really Lance is an awesome shot, managed to get the highest score. When asked which prize he would want, he answered that he would have liked to get the red lion plush. It was a beautiful plush, a sitting lion with red fur and a maroon red ribbon around its neck. He gave the lion to Keith.
“Come on, Keith. You gotta name it.”
“But, won’t it tell me its name?”
“Wah, Keith, it’s a plush toy!”
“Oh, right.”
“Hey, Keith, Lance!”
“Oh, hey Hunk.” Lance replied cheerfully.
“So, Lance. I am gonna steel Keith from you now.”
“No, you can’t do that!”
“Sure I can, you can’t hog Keith for the rest of the day.”
“But-“
“Lance, let it go. Hunk is right. I should spend time with the others as well.”
“Ugh, fine.”
“Yes, come on Keith let’s go.” Hunk and Keith separated from Lance, who was joined by Pidge.
“So, I really like water attractions. You want to try some?”
“Are they exciting?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Okay, sure.”
And so we find Hunk and Keith going on every water attraction they could find. Now because the weather wasn’t the best and aliens generally didn’t like getting wet, as they don’t have rain, they didn’t have to wait in line for long. Keith liked them just as much as the rollercoasters. He could get why Hunk liked them so much. After there first they got joined by Coran. When Keith asked why Hunk liked them so much, he got this reply.
“ I like them because they are the only trilling attractions that I don’t throw up in.”
“Oh, yeah, that makes sense.”
“Yes, it sure does, number 4.”
“Hey, Coran, Hunk!”
“Oh, hey there, Pidge.” Pidge ran towards the group followed by Shiro, Allura, and Lance.
“Keith, is that a red lion plush?” asked Shiro.
“Yeah, it is. He refused to let go of it, even covered it with his jacket to keep it from getting wet.” Hunk responded.
“Lance won it for me, was I supposed to leave Ruby all alone?”
“you named it Ruby?” Lance asked.
“Well, yes, you said I should name her.”
“No, no, I like it.”
“Well, what I actually wanted to ask. Hunk, do you mind taking Lance and giving Keith to us.”
“Sure, Pidge.”
Keith, Shiro, Allura, and Pidge made their way to the exciting rides Keith hadn’t done yet. Like the drop towers, the dark rides, and the flat rides. Keith especially liked the graviton and the various dark rides. They also went to the haunted mansion. It was an exciting day. They did everything you can imagine. At the end of the day, they went back to the pod. That is, Lance and Keith. The others said to go on without them and that they would meet up with them soon. It definitely helped that aliens had no idea how fun amusement parks were. Allura and Coran often didn’t want to do some of the more dangerous-looking rides. The others always convinced them of course. And they liked them after all so, no harm done. Because of humans being, in Lance’s words, space orcs, they didn’t have to wait in line at anything really. When the others arrived, they each had a bag in their hands, which they simultaneously extended towards Keith.
“Happy birthday!”
“Guys, you didn’t have to.”
Keith opened the bags. He got a mug from Shiro, ever a classic, a fanny pack from Allura, she thought he might appreciate another one, a snow globe from Coran, because he (Coran) had never seen anything quite like it and thought Keith would like it, a notebook and pencils from Pidge, since she had caught him drawing that one time, and a T-shirt from Hunk, it was from the water attraction they liked the most. This was definitely the best birthday Keith has ever had.