#kidgeweek 2021

[incorrect-kidge-quotes]

So guess what?

I

Am a big dummy dumb dumb

I tried using the 'schedule posts' feature (or whatever it's called) so all my stories for Kidgeweek would get posted each day ahead of time

But turns out, I did something wrong and none of them were scheduled in the first place! So get ready for a spam of stories everybody!

[calligraphist-artemisia]

Yukata Memories

Written for Kidgeweek 2021!

This one is the prompt for April 19 - Outdoor Festivals/Spring Break. I chose to go with Outdoor Festivals.

Summary: When the annual Cherry Blossom Festival rolled around, Keith allowed his brother to convince him to participate. He donned a yukata for the occasion, figuring they would spend the day walking around and watching demonstrations and checking out the various vendors, but instead finds himself shuffled into a tent for a lesson on "meditation and mindfulness". Luckily, he isn't the only one. .

Also posted on AO3 under the username Kishirokitsune.

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He was doing it because he loved Shiro.

Keith had to remind himself of that fact as he stepped into an event tent that had a sign out front boasting a class on “mindfulness and meditation” - a class which he'd initially thought Shiro was joking about when he first brought it up.

He glared back at his brother, who was relaxing on a bench beneath one of the beautifully blooming cherry trees that lined the town square and surrounding streets. Shiro looked completely at peace in his vibrant violet yukata and matching tabi, a few fallen blossoms decorating his prematurely white hair. With the wide sleeves of the yukata, it was hard to tell that Shiro was completely missing his right arm, which meant there was no one staring as they walked by or stopping to ask obtrusive questions.

Keith took his eyes off of Shiro in time to avoid a full-on collision with a young woman wearing a light green yukata patterned with stylized pink flowers. “Pidge?!” he yelped in shock.

She looked equally as surprised to see him, her mouth parted slightly and her brown eyes wide. She recovered within a few seconds. “So, you got forced into this too?”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, Shiro said something about how I need to work on 'anger management' and signed me up. What about you?”

“It seems I have a 'real problem with authority',” Pidge said, using air quotes to emphasize the sarcasm in her tone. “Mom got the crazy idea that this will help. I'm only here because Matt promised to buy me as much of that mochi ice cream as I want.”

Keith tried to hold back a laugh and ended up snorting in amusement. “Shiro's guarding the front of the tent to make sure I go through with this.”

“Oh please, we both know that all he has to do is give you a sad look and you'll do whatever he asks,” Pidge said with a teasing grin. “To be fair, I'd do the same. He probably wouldn't have to bribe me.”

“We both know that's a lie,” Keith joked back.

Pidge shrugged as she led the way to a row of seats in the very back. “You're right. I'd at least wait until he promises to get me a bowl of udon or something. Maybe something shiny.”

The pair sat down together and Keith couldn't help but feel glad that he wasn't going to suffer alone. Pidge was definitely the best person to have by his side. She had a way of making even the most boring of tasks more interesting just by being herself.

“Maybe I should try that the next time he asks me to do something,” Keith mused.

“You should ask for something shiny,” Pidge advised. “I saw a bunch of hair pins that would match your yukata.” She looked him up and down, her eyes taking on a wicked gleam, but as she opened her mouth to say something else a bell chimed from the front of the tent as the class began.

Keith did his best to pay attention and follow along with the techniques they showcased, but his mind kept straying to the woman next to him, wondering if she had any plans beyond mochi ice cream once they were done with their lesson in mindfulness.

He and Pidge left together when it was over and Keith had to think fast to come up with something that might keep her hanging around. “So, do you want to help me convince Shiro to buy me something shiny?”

Pidge burst into laughter as she nodded exuberantly. “Of course I do!” She linked arms with him and dragged him towards Shiro, who stood up as they approached.

The entire evening was possibly the most fun Keith had ever had, with Pidge leading the charge to find “something shiny” at one of the numerous booths that had been set up for the Cherry Blossom Festival, each one carrying items meant to celebrate Japanese culture. Shiro found a number of trinkets to decorate his room with and Pidge coerced Matt into buying them all a single mochi ice cream in exchange for giving up her limitless number of them.

In the end, it wasn't Shiro who bought him something shiny, but Pidge who presented him with a cute lapel pin in the shape of a branch with cherry blossoms on it. In exchange, he gifted her with the silver charm bracelet he spotted when she was busy teasing her brother about something.

The kiss she gave him on the cheek was well worth the teasing he experienced from Shiro and Matt for the rest of the night.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

The Butterfly Dome

Written for Kidgeweek 2021!

I won’t be doing all of Kidgeweek this year (though I am writing something for each day of the Kidge Spring Event), but I do have three one-shots written, including this one. (The others will be on the 19th and 22nd.)

This one is the prompt for April 17 - Botanical Gardens/Lake Time. I chose to go with Botanical Gardens.

Also posted on AO3 under the username Kishirokitsune.

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The Butterfly Dome

As part of a deal with her mom, Pidge agreed to work at the Plaht Botanical Garden for one month in their volunteer program. In return, she would be allowed to spend her final month before college on a lengthy road trip with her friends. She thought it was a pretty great deal.

Pidge would be primarily working in the greenhouse to help care for seedlings and saplings alike, as well as to help quarantine everything new that came in until they were sure they weren't carrying unwanted pests or disease. It was hot and humid and Pidge didn't really care for that, but she didn't hate working in the greenhouse and that was all that mattered.

At the end of her first week, she was given a new task: deliver flowering plants to the caretakers of the Butterfly Dome, which was basically an even bigger greenhouse meant to do exactly as it sounded.

“Ask for Keith,” her mother advised as she finished loading up the cart. “He's in charge of accepting new arrivals. And also make sure he reads this-” (Colleen held up a folded letter) “-and don't go anywhere until he does.”

Pidge took the letter and stuck it into the pocket of her apron. “Is it a list of all the plants?”

Colleen shook her head. “No, it's instructions to take you under his wing for the day. We don't have much going on in here this weekend, but the Dome could use the extra hand and I promised them one of our volunteers.”

“Does this happen a lot? Just moving people around without asking if they're okay with it?” Pidge asked, disgruntled by the sudden shift in her routine.

“On occasion,” Colleen replied. “Most of our volunteers are here because they want to do a little bit of everything. I wouldn't send you to the Dome if I thought you would hate it. And just think of how good your experiences will look on your resume!”

“Yeah, I'm sure tech companies will be super impressed with my knowledge of flowers and butterflies,” Pidge said dryly.

Colleen gave her daughter a look. “You know what I mean, Katie.”

She did but she wasn't about to get into that conversation with her mom again. Instead, Pidge just sort of shrugged and grabbed onto the handle of the cart, waiting for the go-ahead to leave. She took it easy as she pushed the cart out of the greenhouse. It seemed pretty sturdy, but she didn't want to go too fast and end up with all of the plants on the floor.

Pidge passed a few people in the halls and offered up simple greetings to most of them until she finally arrived at the Dome. She carefully rolled the cart into the entry chamber and had to wait until the door shut behind her before she was able to enter the main room. Standing near that entrance was the Head of the Department, Takashi Shirogane. He had been a friend of the family for many years and was affectionately nicknamed “Shiro” because of all of the times he started to introduce himself by his surname first, only to correct himself partway through.

“Ah, those are the flowers Colleen was telling me about!” he said, smiling at her.

“I'm supposed to take them to Keith,” Pidge said. “Except, uh, who's Keith?”

Shiro gestured farther into the Dome at another man with black hair who was crouched over one of the flower beds with a hand pruner, carefully removing dead branches or flowers. “My Assistant Head, over there. I'm surprised the two of you haven't met yet. Do you want me to introduce you?”

Pidge shrugged. “Mom sent me with a note. And I'm a big girl, Shiro. I can handle talking to strangers.”

Shiro looked amused by that for some reason, but he nodded and told her that he'd be around if she needed anything before moving aside so she could roll the cart along the path. She made enough noise as she approached for Keith to hear and he stood up when he noticed her coming his way.

And it was then that Pidge wondered if she was in trouble.

Keith was far younger than she expected. She imagined someone a little older – closer to Shiro's age. (Not that Shiro was old.) If she had to guess, Keith was near her own age and also happened to be rather attractive.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

“I'm Pidge from the Greenhouse,” she said, startled into an introduction. “I, um, have your plants? And a note from Director Holt.”

Keith held out his hand and Pidge placed the note into it. She continued to stand by the cart while he read the message just like her mother instructed, waiting for him to finish and tell her what she would be doing to help out. (And if she happened to take a moment to check him out, then that was her little secret.)

“Looks like you'll be with me for the day,” he said, tucking the note into his back pocket. “I assume you already know the rules around here, but I'll remind you anyway: watch your step and don't touch the butterflies. They'll probably come pretty close to us while we're doing our planting, so keep that in mind.”

Pidge nodded.

Keith regarded her for a moment, his intense blue-gray eyes meeting her own. “We're replanting the Main Feature bed today. The pipes sprang a leak and ruined everything last month before we could get in and replace them, but that's all fixed now and we just got in the new soil. The locations for the plants have been marked with stakes, however, we will consult the planner before we do any digging. Sound simple enough?”

“So, basically don't do anything until you tell me to,” Pidge summarized, earning herself what was likely a rare smile. It was gone quickly as Keith nodded and gestured for her to follow. She pushed the cart along behind him and, as she promised, kept an eye out for any errant butterflies in her path.

It wasn't hard to tell when they arrived at the Main Feature bed. Not only was the soil smoothed out on top and staked with plant labels, but there was also a magnificent metal butterfly sculpture in the very center. A closer look showed that there were also tiny hoses winding their way throughout the bed, which she assumed was the sprinkler system. Pidge parked her cart where Keith indicated and then walked over to his side to view the planner he picked up from a nearby portable work table. She listened intently as he explained that they would start in the center near the sculpture and work their way out, carefully measuring the width and depth of each hole before placing any plants.

“All of the tools you need are here,” Keith said, gesturing to the top of the table, where there were several trowels, gloves, and measuring devices. “I recommend picking an apron so you can keep everything together. If you want a kneeling pad, we have those too.”

Pidge picked one of the green aprons and slid it over her head before tying it around her waist. She quickly grabbed a pair of matching green gloves and put those on, before sticking one of the trowels and two of the rulers (one wooden and one flexible) into the pockets on the apron. She didn't figure she needed a kneeling pad, though it was nice to know they had them on hand.

Keith briefly quizzed her on everything he'd just said and then they got to work.

It was pleasant to work alongside Keith. He didn't feel the need to constantly talk about whatever came to mind, saving his words for checking in on how her digging was coming along. It allowed plenty of time for Pidge's mind to wander without interruption.

All things considered, she enjoyed her time in the Dome and found herself disappointed when they finished planting everything on the cart.

“Not bad,” Keith remarked as he checked the time. “Really good, actually. We're ahead of schedule for once.” He lifted his gaze to eye her for a long moment. “Director Holt should have the next batch loaded up for us by now.”

“There's more?” Pidge blurted out.

Keith raised an eyebrow. “We'll keep going until the bed is full. Unless you hate being here that much.”

Pidge quickly shook her head. “No! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I've only been here for a week but it seems like everyone else tries to take things slow, so I was surprised that we're going to keep going.”

“Ah,” was all Keith said as he turned his back to her and began removing his apron and tools, setting them all back onto the counter.

Pidge followed suit, hoping he wasn't disappointed in her. Neither of them spoke as Keith grabbed the cart and began to wheel it back to the Greenhouse and it was only when she heard her mother's voice that Pidge realized she'd let her slip into despairing thoughts.

“You're back sooner than I thought,” laughed Colleen, a pleased smile gracing her lips. “I have your next two carts loaded up and ready if you want to take them. At the pace you two are going, we'll have it all cleared out by the end of the day.”

“That's my hope,” Keith said, turning the empty cart over to her. “Thanks for sending Pidge to help, Director Holt. It would take me more than double the amount of time on my own.”

Pidge couldn't stop herself from jerking her head to look at him in surprise.

And there it was again – that soft, fleeting smile, and it was directed towards her. She could feel her cheeks heating up, but she didn't, couldn't, look away. Instead, she offered a small smile of her own and allowed herself to hope that once her weekend in the Dome was over, she would still get to spend time with him.

[calligraphist-artemisia]

The Magic of Cleaning

Written for Kidgeweek 2021!

This one is the prompt for April 22 - Spring Cleaning/Gardening. I chose to go with Spring Cleaning (though there’s also a hint of gardening also happening).

Summary: Alternate Universe - Magic. Pidge and Keith decide that the best way to welcome in springtime is to buckle down and do a thorough cleaning of their cottage.

Also posted on AO3 under the username Kishirokitsune

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Down at the end of a long dirt road was a single-story cottage surrounded by a short stone wall. There was a wrought-iron gate at the front of the wall, which opened onto a cobblestone path that wound through the plants decorating the front yard and led to the front door. Many of the plants were brown, having died back for the winter, but there were signs of new growth and buds thanks to the recent warm weather.

Katie “Pidge” Hawkins gladly threw open the window curtains that morning and closed her eyes in pleasure as she was greeted by warm sunlight. She stood there to enjoy it for a moment before turning away to go open the second set of curtains and allow the gentle light to begin warming up the room.

When her husband first suggested they take a full day to go about their spring cleaning, she wanted nothing to do with it. Why spend that much time on something that they could use their magic to clean in a matter of minutes?

“Do you remember when you were in that bad slump and I asked you to help me in the garden?” Keith asked when she voiced her complaint. “And afterward you had a breakthrough in your research? It's sort of like that.”

Pidge very much doubted that.

At least, she did at first.

But as their cleaning day drew closer, she began to rethink her stance on just using magic to clean everything. Sure, it would get rid of all of the dust and garbage that had accumulated, but it wouldn't sort through the documents she'd collected and decide which ones needed to go and which needed to stay. Magic couldn't decide what clothing needed to be packed away until winter or disposed of due to wear and tear.

Pidge ignored Keith's knowing smirk when she woke up early and took her allergy potion so she could make it through the day without being in complete misery.

“I'm only doing this because it will make you happy. If you're going to make fun of me, then I'm going downstairs,” Pidge threatened.

“I would never make fun of you,” Keith fibbed. “I'm going to get started on breakfast. Once your potion kicks in, would you mind opening the windows? I think the best place to start would be to get this place aired out.”

Once she had all of the windows open and they'd both eaten breakfast, it was time to get to work. Pidge had already made a list in her mind of the order she wanted to do things in, but as she tried to remember what that order was, her thought process ground to a halt when she saw Keith remove his wand from its holster.

“I thought we weren't using magic,” she blurted out in surprise.

Keith blinked, looking from his wand and then to her. “Well, not for everything. I figured we'd use magic for dusting and general cleaning and take care of everything else on our own.”

Pidge couldn't bring herself to be annoyed when it was so on par with her feelings on the matter, even after all of the days she spent prepping herself for some old-fashioned cleaning. She was more than happy to take up her wand and assist Keith with some basic cleaning spells. They went from room to room until they were satisfied with the way things were, and then they branched off to go about some individual sorting and cleaning.

While Pidge tackled their office and began the arduous task of sorting papers, books, and other items into three piles (her stuff, Keith's stuff, and trash), Keith first stripped their bed of its sheets and set those to wash before going ahead and dealing with their winter clothing.

That was how their morning progressed.

Pidge wrapped up her organizing just before noon and stood back to admire her hard work. The office was as tidy as it was the day they moved in – maybe more-so because the cardboard boxes they used for months as extra storage were gone.

When she went to the kitchen to surprise Keith by making lunch, she found that he was already there and in the process of magicking things around.

“Are you cooking or rearranging our entire kitchen?” Pidge asked.

“Both,” Keith replied. He flicked his wand and a pile of plates flew back into their cupboard.

Pidge joined in with her own cleaning spells and together the two of them fixed up the kitchen and still had time to relax before their food was ready.

“I was wondering, are we tackling the basement today or are we waiting? Because all that's really left up here is the bathroom and laundry room and neither of those will take very long,” Pidge said as she sat down at the table.

Keith bent down to peer into the oven. “I thought we could take a break and work on the garden while it's still nice out. It could use some weeding.”

Pidge glanced out the window at the bright sun shining down and wondered if it was too early in the year to start covering herself in sunscreen. She burnt far too easily. “I suppose that might be nice... I did want to figure out where I'm going to plant a few things this year and I want to check on those strawberry pots Lance gave us and make sure none of them got cracked.”

“It would be nice to grow some this year,” Keith said wistfully. “Was that on our list we sent to his nursery?”

“Yeah. I made sure to write it in extra big letters so he'd know we're going to use his housewarming gift,” Pidge said with a grin. “You have got to ask Hunk for his rendition of Lance's reaction because I can't do it justice.”

“I'll try and remember,” Keith said as he picked up an oven mitt. He opened the door and pulled out a tray of perfectly baked grilled cheese sandwiches, which he set aside until they were cool enough to touch without burning their fingers. It wasn't long before they were chowing down on gooey, cheesy goodness.

As with the cleaning, the more Pidge thought about going outside and enjoying the warm sunlight while it lasted, the more she started to kind of look forward to it. By the time they finished eating and were cleaned up, she was ready to head out.

All-in-all it was a day full of accomplishments, which made it a good one by Pidge's usual scale of judgment.