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Normally at the weekends, when the school would let them off the grounds into town, Pidge would find herself standing on the back of Lance's bike as they cycled along the board walk, shops on one side and sea on the other. Hunk would usually cycle along beside them, Keith standing on the spokes of the wheel behind him. They had a routine of racing to the beach and the losing team always had to buy the winning team ice cream.
Today was no exception. The sun was high in the sky, Pidge could see the sweat condensing on Lance's neck as he cycled with all his might trying to catch up to Hunk and Keith who were tanking ahead. Hunk sure had stamina when it came to free food.
Pidge could feel the sun burning into her already and a glance towards the seafront told her the beach was packed with families and couples trying to enjoy the sweltering heat as much as possible.
They reached the beach behind their friends and Pidge jumped off the bike as Lance chained it to a post. Standing up after and rubbing his arm across himself to clear the sweat on his brow. Pidge tugged at her own tank-top, glad she'd decided not to dress in anything heavier like she normally would out of stubbornness.
Lance smirked at her as she adjusted the tie in her hair and their attention was diverted to Keith and Hunk who hollerred over at them, feet already in the water.
“Guess we should take their orders,” Lance said, slinking his way over to them, Pidge in tow.
“You know as well as I do that Hunk wants coconut and Keith wants chocolate and vanilla,” Pidge replied with an affectionate roll of her eyes.
She'd got all of their ice cream preferences down to a t after her and Lance had lost their cycling races time and time again. The only time they ever won was if the sky was thick with moisture or was absolutely pissing it down. The water almost seemed to fuel Lance. That or keep him cool of course.
“Hey losers,” Hunk greeted as the pair approached.
Pidge kicked off her flip-flops by the tide side and slowly edged her foot in. Holding back a moan when her toes slipped into the cool water. She quickly sunk in her second foot and chanced a look at the beach around them, scouting the area for a particular someone.
“No Shiro?” she asked no-one in particular.
“Not yet at least,” Keith replied, splashing his arms with water before flicking a spray of it at Lance who complained loudly at getting his shirt wet.
Pidge snorted at the exchange before turning back towards the beach, jamming her feet into her flip-flops and waddling over to where Hunk had started laying out a blanket which he'd been smart enough to bring in the basket of his bike. And to Pidge's delight he also had sunscreen, which despite applying a shit tonne before they left, she definitely needed more of already.
Making grabby hands at the bottle Hunk chucked it over to her with a smile and she popped the cap, smearing a great big blob of it on her arms.
“Need me to get your back or do you think you're good?” Hunk asked, settling down beside her on the blanket and watching Keith and Lance splash each other which such an intensity that Pidge was sure that soon they'd begin trying to drown each other.
“That'd be great,” Pidge replied, passing the bottle over her shoulder as she applied more of the lotion to her legs.
Hunk's touches were gentle, between her shoulder blades, on the back of her neck, her shoulders. She could feel herself relaxing. Only to be snapped right out of it when Lance came charging up from the ocean, kicking sand onto her sticky skin and dripping water all over her.
“Lance!” she groaned, recoiling as he shook his head, much like a dog and let water spray everywhere, “Gross.”
Lance simply smiled, looking up at her with those big puppy dog eyes and jabbing a finger over his shoulder.
“Shiro's here with Allura,” he explained, “They're talking to Keith.”
“Wait,” Hunk said incredulously, holding up a hand, “Allura's here and you came over to us?”
Lance shrugged, offering a hand down to Pidge which she stared at in confusion.
“We have to go get ice cream,” he said.
Pidge reached up and let the boy heft her to her feet. She watched as he dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out a slightly sandy twenty which he waved in her face.
“It's on me this time but you gotta help me carry them,” Pidge nodded in agreement to the statement, thwacking Lance's hand out of her face before traipsing up the beach to their favourite ice-cream stand.
Waiting in line Lance seemed slightly antsy, checking over his shoulder several times and shoving his hands into his pockets. Pidge brushed it off as nothing, he was probably just anxious to get back to Allura and start flirting his heart out. She was too busy watching the boy that she didn't notice they'd reached the front of the queue. Lance listed off the order with ease, thoroughly impressing Pidge who had figured he didn't have the brain capacity to remember such trivial things as ice-cream orders. She stayed still as he passed her two double cones, cautiously placing them in her hands before sliding the twenty across the counter, telling the shop owner to keep the change and swiping up the next two cones.
When they made it back to the blanket, Hunk was now joined by Shiro, Allura and Keith. Pidge passed Hunk his double coconut cone before sitting down beside him, swiping her tongue over and her mint choc-chip and grinning at the refreshing taste.
“No ice-cream for us?” Shiro asked jokingly, shooting the pair a warm smile.
Lance's hand shot out, finger waggling in Shiro's face.
“You want ice-cream you get your own, college boy!”
Shiro laughed, warm and full, and Pidge could see the way the corners of his eyes crinkled at the side.
Allura and Shiro had been the head girl and head boy at their school when the group of them had first joined. Boarding school had been a new experience for all of them and having Allura and Shiro watch out for them had really been a help. They both had ended up going to the local college and every weekend Shiro would come meet them on the beach, while Allura would usually come along every second weekend. If neither could make it they would usually shoot Pidge a text on the totally secret cell phone Pidge had hidden away in her room. The group really appreciated the older pair still making the effort to meet up with them, especially having heard how busy college could be. Pidge also guessed that getting to see Keith sweetened the deal a lot for Shiro. Whereas Allura seemed to like the idea of taking Pidge off now and again for girly talk.
“Fancy taking a paddle?” Allura suggested to Pidge, nudging her shoulder slighty.
Pidge looked over at her, mouth full with ice-cream and nodded. Nothing stopping her from ice-cream eating, paddling and partaking in quality girl friend time.
“I hope Coran's still watching out for you lot,” Allura said as Pidge sunk her feet into the wet sand of the ocean bed, “He did promise me he would.”
“He is,” Pidge assured her, finishing off the rest of her ice-cream and licking at the trail which had trickled down her hand, “How's college treating ya?”
“Honestly?” Allura inquired and Pidge nodded, “It's exhausting, Pidge. I've got deadlines up to my eyeballs. And on top of that I have to keep Shiro company because even though he has plenty of friends I'm the only one who knows about Keith!”
Pidge couldn't help but giggle at Allura's struggles. She had to put up with the same shit with Keith after all. Apparently she mocked him less about his feelings towards Shiro than Hunk and Lance, making her the best person to confide in. Pidge was tempted to just give him her secret phone so he could confide in Shiro and her and Allura could finally get a little peace and quiet from the pining boys.
“At least the holidays are soon?” Pidge offered in some form of brightening her friends mood.
Allura smiled slightly at that, placing her arm around Pidge's shoulders and pulling her into a half hug.
“Now, what about you, Pidge?” Allura's smile became devious, “Any young men on your radar?”
Pidge's face lit up bright and she looked to Allura with wide eyes, stammering over her words.
“W-what do you mean?” she managed out, inwardly flailing her arms and attempting to bolt.
Allura arched a well groomed eyebrow at her but said nothing more, instead looping them around so they could head back to the boys on the blanket.
Once back they found Hunk soundly asleep, exactly where they had left him, hands folded over his stomach. Keith, Shiro and Lance were no where in sight. Slightly odd, but the sight of a snoring Hunk distracted the girls from the fact, causing them to glance at each other and snigger.
Sitting back down on the blanket they struck up a conversation - occasionally interrupted by a particularly loud snort from Hunk - about the possible plans they could undertake to end the mutual pining between Keith and Shiro.
They had to had been talking for at least half an hour before a dishevelled and dripping wet Lance came stumbling up the beach.
“What happened to you?” Allura asked, giving the boy a once over.
“Keith,” Lance huffed, plopping himself down with a 'thud' beside Pidge.
He reclined backwards, placing one leg across the other and his hands behind his head before sighing loudly.
“I was just kicking about, having a good time and just happened to bump right into Shiro as they were having another of their weird bro heart to hearts,” Lance explained, “Keith lost it and dunked me right under the water. The dick.”
Pidge and Allura shared a look, knowing exactly why Keith would've had that sort of reaction to Lance's interruption of his alone time with his “bro.”
“I mean, hey! At least you didn't drown and die!” Pidge piped, jabbing Lance under the ribs.
He arched one of his eyebrows up at her but said no more, instead looking away with a pout.
“Well,” Allura chimed, pushing herself up and onto her feet, “I'm going to get some sorbet. Don't have too much fun whilst I'm gone.”
Lance grunted in form of a response, which was so unlike him when it came to Allura that it threw them both in for a loop. Pidge frowned down at the boy whilst Allura froze, eyes wide, before shrugging it off with a sigh and heading up the beach to the ice-cream stand.
Pidge waited until Allura was out of earshot before speaking up.
“Is everything alright?” Pidge questioned, leaning over slightly into Lance's peripheral vision, “You're acting kind of, not like yourself. What's up?”
“It's nothing,” Lance replied tersely, closing his eyes shut instead of looking at her.
“Is it Allura?” he shook his head, “Keith?” another shake, “Shiro?” still no, “Hunk!?” Lance opened his eyes, glaring up at her.
“It's nothing,” he repeated and Pidge was not falling for it, not one bit.
She sighed, tugging at her fringe before grabbing her friend's hand and tugging him up with her.
“Let's take a walk,” she ordered rather than suggested.
Lance let out an indignant squawk as Pidge all but dragged him to a quieter area of the beach. She found a cluster of rock pools which were relatively unoccupied and sat herself down beside one, running her fingers over the sun warmed water. Off to her left, Lance stood, arms crossed over his chest as he glanced around them warily.
“This isn't exactly taking a walk is it Pidge?” Lance pointed out, earning a shrug from the girl beside him.
“Do you like Keith?” Pidge asked abruptly, “Is that what's wrong?”
Lance's face flushed a bright red and his jaw dropped open before his face did a complete 180 and he began scowling, his right eyebrow twitching.
“You think I like Keith?” Lance exclaimed, “KEITH!?”
“It wouldn't be that terrible of a thing,” Pidge shrugged, “And besides it would explain your 'rivalry' with him and why you started acting all weird when Shiro and Allura arrived.”
“If anything I'm jealous of Keith!” Lance told her, arms outstretched.
Pidge felt her eyes pop as the words clicked.
“You like Shiro!?”
“NO!” Lance all but yelled, “I'm jealous of them both because the person they clearly like also clearly likes them back!”
She frowned, unsure of what to make of what he said. Instead she turned back to the rock pool and watched in amusement as a crab scampered over the sand at the bottom, claws snapping together in some unknown rhythm.
“If you want to find out if the person you like likes you you then you should just ask them,” Pidge suggested quietly, knowing full well that she was a hypocrite for saying such a thing, she never took her own advice after all.
“It's not that easy,” Lance all but whispered, sitting down beside Pidge and watching her hand cause careful waves in the water of the pool.
She could feel a frown forming on her face and she tilted her head back towards the sun, glaring up at it with the same force that it glared down upon her.
“How about this?” she suggested, “I'll ask the person I like if they like me, if you ask the person you like if they you. Deal?”
Lance seemed to churn the words over in his head before nodding and making eye contact with his friend.
'Here goes,' Pidge fought, right before she opened her mouth.
“Okay... Lance, do you like me?”
The boy's eyes went wide and he stared at her for what felt like ages but really it was probably only a second. Pidge could feel her entire face heat up and desperately wanted the sand to come alive and swallow her whole. That's when she felt something brush over her hand in the water. She was about to tug it away out in shock when slim fingers interlaced with hers and suddenly Lance was leaning in, eyes trained on her mouth.
The truth was, she panicked. Her hand went out, palm flat and slammed into Lance's chest, sending him sprawling backwards across the sand. He sat up, his features torn somewhere between hurt and shocked and Pidge realised she'd fucked up. So naturally she started to laugh.
“Ahaha, easy there cowboy,” she choked out, “Only on the first confession. Don't want to go too fast!”
Lance blinked, and then his cheeks lit up with a dusting of red and he nodded his head in understanding.
“Right! Right! Too fast, better slow it down. Where to start, where to start? Actually where do we start? I've never done this before?” Lance began rambling, standing up with his arms flailing by his side, Pidge watched with a smile, the whole situation seemed too out of place to be real. But it was real which just made it that much better.
“Is holding hands okay?” Lance asked, “Or is that too much? I don't want to put any pressure on you. Like if you don't want to hold hands then we won't hold hands. Hell, if you don't want me to look at you I won't. I'll keep my eyes diverted!”
“I mean,” Pidge interrupted the boys nervous mutterings, “You could start by answering my question.”
Lance stilled, eyebrows shooting up as he pivoted to look at Pidge. He rushed over, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her firmly in the eyes.
“Yes,” Lance stated, loud and clear and Pidge felt her heart-rate accelerate ten-fold, “A-and you? Do you like me?”
“Hell fucking yes,” Pidge said, before wrapping her arms around him and - half lifting him in the air despite the difficulties of their height difference - spun him around, “Why else would I put up with you oblivious stupidity!?”
“Hey,” Lance pouted when Pidge put him down, only to lighten up when he saw the girl beaming up at him.
“We should head back,” Pidge suggested, warily offering her hand to Lance who then cradled it in his like it was some delicate object, “Allura's probably wondering where we've got to.”
Lance nodded, pulling his bottom lip up between his teeth before letting it go and smiling, wide and bright, reminding Pidge of the sun in the sky.
“Yeah,” he smiled, and Pidge felt more warmth coming from him that the sweltering heat surrounding them.