This is gonna be based off my own family lmfao
-Lance introduces Keith to his mom(s) and she just looks at Keith and then says to Lance, “He’s too skinny.”
Keith doesn’t know whether to be embarrassed or offended??
“Mom!”
“What? He is, we need to fatten up the both of you.”
-Keith sits down on the couch and is immediately swarmed by everyone under the age of 10. They perch themselves on the furniture all around him. They stare at him, giggle to each other, but don’t move until Keith awkwardly waves hello. Then they Descend.
Little kids have a tendency to ask like four questions in a breath but then move on before you can actually respond. Keith has interacted with little kids before while he was in foster care but he was Not Prepared for the storm that is Lance’s baby cousins/niblings.
-Keith escapes to the kitchen which has WAAAY too many people in it. Like, a fire hazard amount of people for the space. He stands there awkwardly until one of the older ladies smacks him with a towel and informs him that he can’t either help or he can get the hell out.
Keith helps.
-Somehow Keith ends up peeling potatoes right next to Lance’s mom (this was of course planned in advance by Lance’s relatives) and she coaxes him into conversation. Mrs. McClain only knows Keith from Lance’s stories (which aren’t always the most accurate) so she wants to actually know who this random kid is that Lance brought home.
Drawing Keith into conversation is like pulling teeth because Keith is PAINFULLY closed off. He’s wary about what to share, doesn’t know what to share, and is never quite sure what people WANT from him. He’s not the most active participant in the convo. Fortunately Lance’s chatterbox tendency is an inherited trait and Mrs. McClain just talks at Keith and catalogues every small reaction he gives.
Mrs. McClain has that Mom Gift where she can coax conversation out of literally any of her kids’ friends. Keith is no exception. It helps that Mrs. McClain is actually really similar to her son, so her personality helps put him at ease. Keith slowly drops more smiles, ducks his head when he thinks Mrs. McClain is being esp funny, and she even manages to draw a full-blown laugh out of Keith.
It’s nice.
-Lance is home for probably like ten minutes before his family starts roasting him again, and of COURSE Keith can’t help but chime in. He literally has blackmail from space. Lance’s family is delighted by the boy their son has brought home.
-Is it like a rule or something that if you have family over you have to turn on a sports game?? Keith somehow winds up watching a soccer game wedged between Lance and one of Lance’s uncles. Everyone around him is constantly losing their shit. Keith is a little terrified.
-Lance’s family is def mixed and there’s tons of in-laws/significant others who are just lounging around, chatting with each other or following their bae around because Lance’s family gatherings are Intimidating. Keith somehow finds himself inducted into the ‘We’re In Love With A McClain, God Help Us’ club. They promise to send him a t-shirt soon. Keith is only like 60% sure they’re joking.
-There are literally like two dozen chairs wedged together at a table that should only sit ten and it’s still not enough. Little kids are sitting on the laps of anyone older than 14. Keith and Lance quietly take their dinner to the backyard and sit on the back step and eat there. It’s a nice breather; the outside air is warm, but the amount of people in Lance’s home has made the air inside HUMID. Keith doesn’t realize how hot he is until he escapes to the outside lol
-Keith witnesses the annual rehash of the like three family arguments that, according to Lance, have been ongoing for about fifteen years at this point.
-Someone busts out the games and Lance is absolutely thrilled to realize that Keith has no idea how to play. He teaches him but also brags the entire night about being better than Keith at something.
