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pinkipie100 · 7 years ago

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Lance and the 25 Days Chapter X: Snowball

I apologize once again for the absence and broken promises of updates, y’all. I’ve been absolutely slammed at school, and I’m exhausted overall to boot. Friday of this week is going to be completely booked all day with school, extracurriculars, and work, so I’ve been stressing about all of the other parts of my schedule since then. I’m just... wasted. The worst part is, I feel like I haven’t been able to take a moment to breathe and truly revel in the holiday season! That sucks! Anyway, I should be more on top of this event, but unfortunately, the next few days will probably see scattered updates; that’s just the reality of the situation, and I have to admit it. Heckie, I’m posting this after midnight! Well, anyway, I do hope you enjoy this fluffy chapter! ...Well, mostly fluff. [Oooh, bad Pinki!]

The paladins arrive on the planet Laccel to finally procure a Christmas tree, having some fun along the way, until the planet’s natives have other ideas about their holiday traditions.

Words: 1566

Category: Gen

Contains: aliens w/o gender [b/c let’s face it, gender works probably different in creatures that didn’t evolve on Earth], pink and purple snow, snowball war vet Coran, Shiro getting thoroughly rekt, Holt Family Feels, Gunderangst, brOTP Pidgay [Pidge x Shay, and if you read gay in Pidge’s name, I swear it’s just coincidence], basically alien Jainists/air nomads

Takes place the day after the paladins drive back a Galra attempt to take the Balmera back in Chapter IX.

Shiro followed Razel as they lead the other paladins off of the castle ship.

The planets they’d arrived at looked intriguing from space, a mostly-white sphere with subtle highlights of pastel cyan, pink, and violet. Protrusions of fluffy green giant conifers seemed to have bases on one end of the planet and planting their tips at another point on the planet’s surface.

Razel had explained how their people had their densest populations surrounding these massive tree trunks, with the pine branches forming into relatively sturdy lean-tos. It was almost perpetually winter, with only a few Spicolian movements a decafeeb being warm enough to melt even some of the snow.

Shiro understood this as soon as the team had exited the castle ship’s warmth, shivering intensely in just a few moments. Lance was not much better, clinging to Shiro’s arm while having what appeared to be an intense episode of seizing up.

Pidge seemed to be unfazed, however, and she was much more excited about the fact that this wintery planet didn’t seem to have normal snow; it was pink and purple. The young paladin ran to a snowbank and quickly formed a snowball. She made mischievous face while looking in the direction of the other paladins, but when she threw it at Lance, one of his vigorous shivers allowed him to dodge the projectile. The cold missile then hit the side of Coran’s face dead-on. The male Altean side-eyed a guilty-looking Pidge furiously.

The green paladin first thought that Coran was genuinely angry, but the Altean soon mocked, “Is that all you’ve got? I was having hotrock fights more intense than that with my peers when I was younger than you! Where’s your spunk, Number Five?”

Pidge accepted that challenge promptly, calling Hunk over onto her team whilst Coran enlisted Allura. The opponents enlisted their partners to make more snowballs as quickly as possible while the ‘team captains’ built up their snowbanks as cover. Shay and Lance chose the sides of the tech geniuses and the Alteans, respectively. While Razel informed Shiro that they would fetch an authority figure to negotiate trade with Team Voltron, the black paladin afterwards spectated the ongoing battle. He then settled in the snow and built up his own independent encampment. When he had rounded up a steady supply of ammunition, he made his move with an ambush from his snowbank, launching two snowballs directly into Allura and Hunk’s neck and shoulder. When the two looked over to see who had hit them out of nowhere, the others did the same. Shiro, initially feeling smart and playful, now realized, in retrospect, what a mistake he had made.

Shay and the rest of Team Voltron smiled evilly as Hunk chuckled, “Oh, it is on. MUTINY!” With that, both the pink and violet sides of the snowball war aligned against the lone oppressor, whom dashed away from the mob in terror. He took cover behind a tree, blindly flinging snowballs out from his cover. A certain sharpshooter was able to derail a few of the black paladin’s shots by hitting him hard right in the hand, knocking the ammo out of Shiro’s hand. Shiro chanced a glance around the tree, but when he did so, an oversized Allura swung around the other side of the tree, driving a larger-than-average snowball right into Shiro’s back. This knocked him into the cold, snowflake-coated ground into an inescapable tickle-tussle with the engorged Altean woman.

“Get him, Allura!” Lance chanted.

“Go Princess! FINISH HIM!” Pidge growled out jokingly atop Shay’s broad shoulders. The green paladin chortled along with the group, but she ceased after a moment of pinching nostalgia. Shay noticed the significant reduction in Pidge’s energy and gently prompted the little paladin to explain why. Pidge sighed out, “I was just thinking of Matt- my brother- and Mom. We used to have snowball fights like this all the time. My mom did the same thing to my dad, pinning him and tickling him, and… and I would sit on Matt’s shoulders… and then when Mom noticed us laughing, she would come for us, too. Then,” she guffawed slightly, “dad would make a really giant snowball and bury us in it, and it was… the best,” Pidge finished forlornly.

Shay listened to the little teen on top of her intently. When she was done speaking, the Balmeran consoled her, “I wish Rax and I could have done things like that. He was always very strict with me, and he did not want me to get too comfortable with any aspect of our lives. He believed that we should always take the path of least resistance because it ensured that our family would be safe.” Pidge mentioned that Matt was far off from that mentality, disappearing into space along with her dad, breaking her mom’s heart. “I think that you are right to be upset about such a thing! Although, would you rather your father and brother had not gone into space, instead remaining grounded on your world?” Pidge looked down into Shay’s yellow eyes. “Long have I held an insatiable desire to explore worlds unknown, beyond the comprehension of my limited mind! I am here now, and I would not have been had Hunk not been courageous enough to stay with Voltron. He has told me of his reservations in your dangerous duties, but he always remembers that he would not have saved my home and people if he had run away. Perhaps your father and your brother are free from Galra imprisonment and are doing good for others now. Wherever they are, they are thinking of and loving you; I am certain.”

Pidge smiled down at the kindhearted Balmeran, her heart thoroughly moved. The green paladin sniffled, hoping Shay would think that it was because of the cold, and muttered to her friend, “Thank you, Shay. I think you’re right. And… I’m glad you’re here with us.” Shay grinned cutely in response, and the two looked over to see that Razel had returned.

Allura helped Shiro up and aided him in brushing the snow out of his armor. They then faced Razel and the tribal leader accompanying them, sincerely trying to hold in giggles. Razel’s companion shook their head and just stated, “This comrade tells me that Voltron’s paladins have come to trade with our people. What is it that you desire from our people?”

Shiro shook out just a bit more snow, then declared, “We would like to take one of these small pine trees to fulfill a human tradition for a holiday. We’re willing to provide reasonable compensation, whatever you so suggest.”

Razel wondered what a holiday was, and meanwhile, the tribal leader asked, “What do you mean by ‘take?’” Shiro answered that they would cut down the tree and take it inside the Castle of Lions, and the two Laccel-ith flinched in overwhelming horror. “You wish to kill a living being which has done no harm unto you?” the leader inquired shakily. Razel backed their leader by explaining to Team Voltron that all life was regarded as sacred on Laccel and should never be harmed, let alone killed. The only reason to kill was if one person had intentionally taken another life undeserving of such a fate. “We must forbid this treatment of the creatures that shelter and feed us with berries. We cannot carry out this trade, Paladin.”

Lance stepped forward and offered, “I understand that you have your cultural traditions and beliefs, but consider our own! The tree would be well-taken care of, I assure you. Not to mention, we give the tree a makeover! We’ll make sure the tree is spiffy and given a proper send-off, too. To humans, the tree is central to our holiday tradition, and in a way, we’re paying tribute to the tree by placing gifts under it. It’s like we’re remembering the gifts that trees provide to us: wood for shelter, seeds or berries for food, even oxygen that we breathe! If you know that we respect the tree, will you let us take one? Just a small one, pretty please?”

The leader mumbled more confusion about ‘holidays’ to Razel, whom then reiterated to the paladins, “Even the smallest life is worthy of protection. You are the paladins of Voltron; if you do not believe in that, then how can we even consider having dealings with you, let alone joining the Voltron Coalition?” The two Laccel-iths turned away from Team Voltron and began to withdraw back to their massive tree some distance away.

Pidge looked to the red paladin, whom was visibly disappointed. Hunk tried to reassure Lance that they would try to persuade the Laccel-iths, but Lance just dismissed his friend. Lance declared that he didn’t want to jeopardize a future Coalition member for the sake of a stupid Christmas tree. All sympathetic eyes fell upon the dejected paladin.

Pidge then glanced up at Shiro, whom eventually met her eyes. The latter’s eyes suddenly widened in an ‘aha’ moment, drifting behind Pidge. The green paladin’s line of sight followed Shiro’s, falling upon the location of her lion hangar. When the two renewed eye contact, they understood one another and nodded. Shiro ran after the Laccel-iths. Pidge proclaimed to a despondent Lance that they had an idea.

“Don’t worry, Lance; the Christmas cryptid will still have a tree to put presents under, don’t you worry.”

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