Written for Day 7 of Voltron Fluff Week - prompt: Beach Day/Snow Day.
"What do you mean you've never tried surfing?" Lance asked, making a pitiful face.
Pidge snorted. "Lance, I barely even go to the beach in general." She waved one of her arms in his face. "I burn quick as anything, and I don't really like the outdoors. Anyway, what's so great about surfing?" she challenged.
Lance looked almost like he had when she'd shocked him with her bayard, stumbling back with his hands over his heart, mouth agape. "What's so great about- You have to try, right now, while we're here at this beach."
"How?" Pidge asked, honestly curious. "We didn't exactly pack surfboards."
"I will find a way." Lance said, shaking a finger in her face. Pidge eyed him. "It's absolutely necessary, my badass baby sister cannot not know how to surf, it's not allowed. Keith, back me up here, buddy!"
Keith straightened and looked towards them, startled, the energetic breeze coming in off the sea blowing his hair in his eyes yet again. Pidge thought about the headbands in her room and debated whether Keith would take one if she pointed out how much easier it would be to do whatever he wanted with his hair held out of his eyes.
"I am literally from a desert, Lance." Keith said pointedly. He took another step, the shallow water splashing a bit around his calves as another wave rolled in. "This is the closest I have ever been to an ocean on any planet." he continued helpfully before bending down, his hands going back under the little lapping waves.
Lance looked horrified, and Pidge slapped a hand over her face. "Okay, calm down. If I can figure out how to get the Castle to manufacture something vaguely surfboard like, you can try and teach me. And Keith."
"Hey!"
"Would that be good enough?" Pidge said patiently, her lips twitching.
"Yes." Lance said, sniffing. "And don't think you're getting out of it either, Keith!" he added, pointing threateningly at Keith, now sloshing up out of the water towards them.
"I did not agree to this." Keith said, narrowing his eyes at Pidge.
She rolled her own. "Please, like you were going to get out of it. And you are loving the ocean, what are you complaining about?"
"How much of your agreeing to his nonsense was so that you could get out of being outside without Lance pestering you to come back out while you make a surfboard, and with a ready-made excuse for when the others get back?" Keith countered immediately, and Pidge opened her mouth, then closed it, inclining her head.
She wasn't going to admit to anything, but Keith . . . might have a point.
"Come on! Surfboards don't make themselves and we've only got the rest of the day!" Lance said urgently, and Pidge shook her head, amused.
"We'll be here tomorrow too." she pointed out, though she realised after she said it that she didn't necessarily want to volunteer that time for impromptu, emergency surfing lessons as well. "All right, I'm coming. I hope you know what kind of specs you want, because I don't think the Altean computers are going to have a reference for surfboards."
"Gah!" Pidge skidded backwards as a huge splash overtook her, knocking her from where she'd been sitting on her board. Strong hands caught around her ribs and dragged her up almost immediately, and she spluttered a bit and clung to Lance's nearer shoulder as she reoriented herself to which way was up.
"You know, part of me really thought he'd be better at this." Lance observed, catching the edge of Pidge's surfboard and dragging it back towards them.
Pidge clambered back up and straddled it, grinning. "He has been pretty fail." she agreed, watching Keith come up from underwater, sputtering and shaking his head to throw off some of the water before swimming after his surfboard, which had shot off without him.
"You've been awesome, though." Lance grinned at her and held up one fist, and Pidge laughed and bumped it with her own.
"Of course I have. I'm awesome." Pidge said smugly. "Maybe it's more fun than I thought it would be." she admitted, and Lance crowed, throwing his arms up in triumph. Pidge rolled her eyes and shoved at one of his shoulders with her foot, but of course Lance didn't sputter as he bobbed under the surface and back up. "Seriously though, if I sunburn it's your fault."
"I'll try and live with the guilt." Lance told her seriously. "Sun'll be going down soon anyway. I think." He squinted at the sky over the ocean, where the sun looked like it was lowering towards the horizon. "The others will probably be back soon, too."
Pidge nodded agreement. "It seems like we've had an uncharacteristic lack of things going wrong on this trip." she added. "I like it. The trend should continue."
"Oh, but we'd get bored." Lance joked, hauling himself up onto his surfboard, then to his feet. He balanced himself effortlessly as he extended a hand to Pidge, helping her keep steady as she climbed to her feet as well.
"I think we could survive." Pidge said, shaking her head.
"Up for another go?" Lance suggested, indicating the wave approaching them, and Pidge set herself for it with a grin, nodding.
It went well - she made it almost half as long as Lance did before wiping out, and didn't hurt herself in the process of splashing into the wave as it swept over her - and Pidge decided it should probably be the last attempt for the day. She felt good mostly, but faintly sunburnt and her muscles were trembling with fatigue. She leaned on her surfboard instead, letting it buoy her up and enjoying the feeling of the cool ocean lapping around her body soothingly for a while.
"I feel like he's going to roll off in his sleep." Pidge said as Lance finally joined her again, resting her elbows on the edge of her surfboard and pointing at Keith. He'd given up attempting to surf some time ago, and was now lounging on his back on the board, floating around with his eyes closed. She wasn't sure if he was actually asleep or not.
"I feel like going over there to make sure he does." Lance said quietly, with a wicked grin, and Pidge laughed.
Chapter one here was my first idea for Day 7 and also was first titled Emergency Lesson, which I decided fit the whole little series, including the bonus non-prompt-related chapter because well, I have a trio of adopted-siblings, they all need a moment front and centre, obviously.