"Any reason why you're going to kill your dear brother?" Lance asked his friend.
Pidge sat shotgun, cleaning her glasses against her sky blue t-shirt. Lances raggedy pickup truck sputtered in front of one of the neatest dorms at the college, students coughing as they passed by and inhaled the nasty exhaust.
"In particular, no, I love my dear brother with all my heart." She smirked at Lance. "But I've had a lot on my plate with school and the competition with Keith coming up, especially since I'm hiding BaeBae and Rover in my room against school policy. And then Matt goes off and-"
"Wait wait wait." Lance says quickly cutting her off, and jerking the car to a stop in the middle of the parking lot. "Keith?! What competition with Keith?!" His voice comes out higher than he prefers and he finds himself clearing his throat.
Pidge rolls her eyes. "Its just this local dog competition he found online, he is entering Kosmo, and thought it'd be fun for me to bring along my dogs."
Lance frowned. "Oh." That was one thing he couldn't beat Keith at, but only because he didn't own a dog. If he did, he'd win at whatever they had to do. He considered himself better than Keith at everything and anything, and took any chance to show it, just to wipe that smirk off his moody face.
"So like I was saying..." Pidge continued as Lance pulled out of the lot finally. "Ya know how Matt doesn't have a job cause he is waiting for placement at that Garrison engineering place Shiro works?"
Lance scratched his head. It rang a bell sure, but a faint one. "Uh..yeah..?"
Pidge smiled. "Yeah well, waiting around for it wasn't paying his bills and he was living on pastries from the gas station."
Lance laughed, that life wouldn't be that bad.
"So I offered him a job, just a temporary one until he could get the job at the garrison, being the kind and patient person I am right?"
"Mhm." Lance nodded. He already knew where this was going.
"Well I put my ass on the line to get my boss to open up a slot for Matt and guess who decided not to show up for his first day?" Pidge grumbled, her glasses shining fiercely.
"Gosh, Matt." Lance chuckled. "I'd kill him too. But..you didn't lose your job did you?"
"No luckily, but I have extra hours now which sucks cause how am I supposed to keep my grades up??"
"You're definitely in a pickle." Lance tried to joke.
"You can say that again." Pidge nodded, as she glared out the window. They were passing her job at the moment, the dingy arcade in the middle of the weed infested parking lot. Despite its unkept nature, the lot was full of customers.
"How was work for you though, I hope better than my day?"
"Yeah, though I'm not as excited about it as I was before...Hunk gave me some unsettling advice along with Allura."
"Why? What'd they say?"
"Well, we get assigned new fashion lines tommorow, and new photographers. So I'm a little worried me and Allura will get split up, you know me and her have-"
"Been together since the beginning yes. I know. That's what's got you upset?"
"Well no, also I feel like I don't have a chance at making the front cover of Altea magazine, Allura made it seem like she knew there was no chance we'd make it, despite how great we did today."
Pidge shrugged. "I mean, maybe she does. Her father is the head...and it isn't that bad if you don't make it. Is it?"
Lance shook his head. "I guess not.."
"Well relax kiddo, maybe you should split with Allura, try it on your own, and you're great at modeling. Wow the crowd and don't worry about it."
Lance forced a smile. "Thanks Pidge."
Matt lived in a tiny apartment ten miles from Pidge's campus, about thirty minutes from Altea and Hunk's resturaunt. The outdoor steps up to his place squeaked as Pidge and Lance went up.
"Open up ya filthy animal." Pidge called as she opened the door without knocking.
"He doesn't lock his door?" Lance asked concerned, closing the door behind him.
Pidge shrugged. "No one comes by, why bother?"
The main room had a little kitchen off to the side, dishes piled so high, they lay on the sink, his fridge half open. The counter between it and the living room was covered in paper works and files, probably from all the interviews and applications he'd took for the garrison.
"Matt? You home?" Lance called through his cupped hands as they crossed the room to the bedroom. That door was locked.
"Lance?" It was Matt alright, his voice hoarse and dry. Shuffling was heard through the door before a muffled bang and a "shit!"
"He hasn't had his coffee I can tell." Pidge announced, her finger tapping anxiously on her small bicep.
The door creaked open, and a pile of brown hair messier than Pidge's popped out, accompanied by thin framed glasses and curious brown eyes.
"Hey Lance...oh..uh hi Pidge." He waved awkwardly.
"Hey Matt." Lance said.
Pidge grabbed the door handle and before either man could react, she flung it open, causing Matt to fall forward and Lance to stumble back.
"Ow, what the hell sis?" Matt complained, picking himself up from the floor.
"I should be asking you the same thing. What the hell??" Pidge asked. "The job that almost cost me mine started today. Where were you?" She demanded.
"Oh...that was today?" He asked with false guilt.
"Come on Matt, I know you know. You never forget important things, so why did you decide not to come?" She crossed her arms, and popped her hip. Matt looked away.
"Well.." He sighed. "I don't think it's a good job for me, I wanna be an aersospace engineer...not a guy behind a counter at an arcade unlocking games so kids can get their coins back."
Pidge frowned, "I know it's not special, but the arcade is always busy, which means we get paid a decent amount, which you need Matt. You don't even have money for groceries!"
Matt shrugged, "I live alone, so I manage."
Pidge rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm outta here." She turned but then stopped and came back, with her fists balled. She socked Matt in the stomach, too quick for him to stop her, and so hard that he doubled over.
"Sorry man, you should've taken the job." Lance added as Matt winced in pain. He followed Pidge out.
"That felt good." Pidge grinned as she skipped over to the truck.
"But I feel kind of bad now...I think I was just really pissed. Which I have the right to be ya know? He totally blew me off. And I'm his sister for crying out loud!"
Lance kept his distance as he started up the truck. "So where to now?"
She glanced at him. "Well...I was supposed to bring the dogs over to Keith's so I could practice with him but um..you aren't the ideal driver when it comes to him so um... I'll call him. Take me home."
Lance frowned. "Psh, I'll drive you, Keith doesn't bother me at all."
Pidge raised an eyebrow at that, but Lances eyes were on the road.
But even if he was being honest when saying Keith didn't bother him, he had no shame in complaining about BaeBae's annoying yelps the whole drive.
He wished he could be more like Rover, the little dog sleeping in Pidge's lap, but he had to drive.
The sun was setting by the time he got to Keith's, the apartment he shared with Shiro bathed in dim pink light.
"Thanks Lance." Pidge smiled and waved, holding Rover in one arm while she grabbed BaeBae's leash. "Come on girl." She cooed.
She pulled the dog around Keith's bike, which yeah Lance was a little jealous of, but he was content with his own Blue, she was all he needed. Plus Lance didn't like going that fast.
Pidge waved again as she rung the doorbell, and there he was. Keith Kogane. His rival. The most stubborn guy with a mullet in the world. A hotheaded competitor that knew just how to get under Lance's skin.
He hugged Pidge lightly before looking up and catching Lances eye. He frowned.
Lance held contact, and didn't notice Pidge glance back between the two of them, or Keith's giant dog Kosmo run out, or BaeBae and Rover following Kosmo into the house or Shiro screaming as he was overrun by the dogs, or Pidge running in to help.
He didn't notice it because he only had one thought on his mind at that moment.
Keith Kogane better not be my photographer.
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hey guys! sorry for the delay with the update!! its been a wonky week starting school for me lol
lmao i love pidge so much hehe and her doggos
so some intense rivalry angst in the near future im excitedddd
Qotd: name, or nickname you go by?
Aotd: chloe, but i go by SNS or pug (cause when i sneeze or scrunch my nose i look like a baby pug dog...or thats what my family says...)
love y'all with a southern drawl
<3 sns out