Summary:
Shiro's been feeling a little down lately. When the team finds out why, they decide to cheer him up!
Notes:
I was feeling sick when I wrote this, and it made me feel a little better. I hope you enjoy!
Shiro had been feeling pretty down lately. He refused to tell them why, admitting that it was selfish and ridiculous and that he would get over it soon.
That had been when everyone had turned to Keith, excluding Lance, who turned to Allura. Asking with their eyes to find out what Shiro was hiding.
They really should have followed Lance's lead and directed their attention to Allura, because Keith was too busy inspecting the blade he carried with him everywhere to notice. He was just as concerned as everyone about Shiro, but he wasn't going to pry. He figured if it was really important he would mention it.
When the rest of them faced Allura she shook her head and mouthed that she was by no means going to push Shiro for information.
She eventually caved to their wide, pleading eyes.
With a sigh, she turned to the Japanese man and gave her most disarming smile. "Shiro…I know that if it was truly important you wouldn't keep it from us. However, if it's bothering you, then it is important to us."
Shiro turned away from them as his shoulders first hiked almost to his ears before drooping like a sad mountain. "I just…miss winter."
Lance couldn't seem to process that answer, neither could anyone else, he was just the only one to voice his confusion. "What?"
Shiro turned to them and his eyes lit up as his cheeks flushed slightly with childish excitement. "I miss winter. All the snowball fights, the hot chocolate, making snow forts, snowmen." His eyes dulled a bit as he returned from his imaginings, "I just miss it." He sighed. "See? I told you it wasn't important. I just happened to see it would be about that time of year for me on Earth and I realized I was missing out."
The rest of the team remained motionless before they burst into a flurry of action. Allura and Coran retreated to the helm speaking of perfect planets that had plenty of snow and few hostiles.
Lance ran around with Hunk searching for enough winter clothes for everyone, while Keith and Pidge remained with Shiro making sure he wasn't going to try and talk them out of their plans.
It was a short warp later and the team found themselves surrounded by clear powdery snow. There were large ice formations looming in the distance that glittered in the sun.
Shiro, a little teary eyed, began to make the snow fort first. Keith and Lance tagged along to help him. They were almost finished when Lance chucked a snowball and struck the back of Keith's head causing him to launch an attack of his own.
The two of them chased one another through the snow, lugging snowballs at each other and issuing challenges and playful insults.
Coran and Allura took a bit more time getting ready to brave the snowy surface of the planet. As Coran approached Shiro's snow fort to enjoy the warm fire he had made inside, Allura called him back to get the bucket and some shovels so they could look for shells.
Coran had a little trouble hearing her and yelled back for her to repeat herself. This began a yelling match across the expanse of empty snow that neither of them were willing to cross.
Pidge and Hunk, immediately after disembarking from the castle, began to make a snowman that turned into a cute replica of Shay, Pidge was in charge of gathering things like the pebbles for her face and the sticks for her arms. She was just returning from her search when Keith and Lance brought their fight closer to her.
"You guys better stop before you accidentally hit me… and then I'm going to have to kill you!" She called over their breathless laughter. She frowned and adjusted her glasses before continuing to Hunk with a huff. She took two steps before Lance stepped in front of her right as Keith aimed a snowball at his chest.
It struck her right in the face and knocked her back into the snow a foot or so from the force.
She remained on the ground for a moment, knowing she would need to have both the energy to get up and then chase and maim the two idiots responsible for her suffering.
"Pidge! Are you okay?" Keith called from where he threw the snowball, his body frozen in almost the same pose as when he'd thrown the snowball responsible for Pidge's predicament.
"I told them, didn't I Hunk? Didn't I warn them?" Pidge asked with an eerie calm.
Lance yelped and bolted away from the scene of the crime to get as much distance as he could from Pidge's wrath.
"Guys, please! Can we just not? I literally only need to add an arm to SnowShay before she's complete and you guys' fighting is going to destroy it."
"It's too late for them, Hunk. Shay will unfortunately be a victim of circumstance… like me. If you wish to spare her, you must avenge me yourself." Pidge answered as she still found she couldn't get up in her bulky jacket. She wondered if this is what a beetle must feel like when it is stuck on its shell.
Hunk turned teary eyes to Keith as he warned grimly. "Run."
Keith followed after Lance's footprints until he caught up and then passed the other.
"What the? How the hell did you get up here so fast?" Lance huffed.
"I don't know." Keith answered after trying to catch his breath. "I do train harder than you." He took another moment to just breathe as he ran. "That, and I am an alien."
Lance, who wasn't expecting that answer, was startled into laughter. He slowed down and tried to breathe before he ended up resting his hands on his knees. He heard Pidge barreling after him, Hunk must have helped her up to spare himself and SnowShay. Lance couldn't fault his loyalties. He was a true bro after all. Unlike Hunk.
"Keith! Wait! You cheated!"
He heard Keith's distant laughter in response moments before Pidge pounced and knocked him into the snow.
"Pidge I'm sorry! You're the best! I'll never do it again!" Lance pleaded as he still struggled to breathe, his breath wheezing out of him.
"I know you won't, Lance." Pidge answered and Lance breathed a sigh of relief before she continued. "I'm going to make sure of that."
Lance's eyes widened impossibly further as Pidge clumped together a large ball of snow before smirking and shoving it into Lance's face.
The older paladin laughed good-naturedly as he allowed Pidge her revenge.
Pidge got off him and began to stalk after Keith. Not bothering to chase after him.
The half Galra turned back when he'd deemed himself far enough away only to do a double take when he found Pidge slowly approaching him followed by Lance.
He took off again and headed for Shiro's fort.
That spurred Pidge and Lance to run and try to intercept him when they figured out where he was going.
It wasn't much longer before Keith slid inside of the fort, almost singing his pants on the fire before he shuffled inside and sat next to Shiro. Coran and Allura sat across from him on Shiro's other side.
He heard the stomping outside grind to a halt before Pidge and Lance ducked inside with a glare before sitting next to him.
Hunk wasn't too far behind as he sat in the doorway. It was incredibly cramped, and it was a miracle the snow fort didn't just melt away from all the heat, but Shiro couldn't be happier.
He looked around at everyone's faces as they enjoyed themselves. Coran and Allura were picking through their findings in the bucket they'd brought along, discussing several uses for the items inside. Pidge and Lance were teasing Keith about settling their argument later while Hunk tried to get them to resolve it peacefully.
Shiro decided he was glad that he'd allowed his selfish wants to be voiced. He hadn't expected anything to come of it. He wasn't complaining though. The only thing that would have made it even more perfect would be hot chocolate, but he was more than ecstatic about the day's events without it.
Hunk and Coran disappeared into the kitchen to make dinner and stayed inside for a half hour before figuring out something that closely resembled the warm beverage before presenting it as a surprise to the team proudly. The group sat at the castle's opened door nursing their cups, looking out over the snow and their footprints that now tracked the terrain as well as the snow fort and SnowShay.
They hadn't expected anyone to break the moment, much less for it to have been Shiro, who had been quietly enjoying all the activity around him for much of the day.
"Thanks, guys."
There was a pic for this on my Tumblr, but this site doesn't allow web addresses. If you feel like finding it that much, then I am madame-kiksters on Tumblr and search the tag "snow fun" or "kaz arts" and you should find it without hassle.