Archive of Our Own

Mornings at the Castle were never quite uneventful per se, but when Allura’s voice had blared over the intercom, demanding their attention for a briefing, Lance had been glad for the distraction. The past few days hadn’t brought in anything new and frankly, the training area was getting old fast; its only occupants nowadays being Keith and Shiro, unless Allura called for them. There was always the bubble of excitement curling in his stomach when they entered a new solar system; Pidge appeared to feel the same way as she entered the control room and instantly made herself comfortable with the view below.

“Whoa…” Pidge said as she pressed her face against the glass, staring out at the solar system spread below the Castle.

“True that,” Lance agreed, squeezing in next to her.

“The Summa system is truly breathtaking,” Coran slid in next to them both, apparently having no understanding of personal space. He slung an arm around Lance’s shoulders, taking in the view. Lance gently shrugged away, turning back to the rest of the group. Don’t get him wrong, he’d die for Coran, but there were only so many hugs a man was expected to take in one day.

“So, where are we landing first? Are we gonna fight some space pirates? Infiltrate a Galra base? Royalty in need of saving?“ Lance pointed to Allura as he said that last bit. She screwed up her face at him—the way Pidge sometimes did, the same way his sisters at home did when he teased them—before she regained her composure.

“If we’re going to defeat the Galra, we’re going to need allies. Now, it’s all well and good to go around liberating planets already under Galra control, but I think,” her eyes darted to Coran and Shiro, “that it’s not a bad idea to establish communications and treaties with planets that haven’t been occupied yet.”

“It’s a good strategy. We need all the help we can get,” Shiro added, nodding at her.

“And the Summa system is an excellent place to start,” interjected Coran, who had wrapped his arm around Pidge in Lance’s absence and wheeled her away from the window. “Our first stop is Kol, home to the Kola.”

“Aw, dude, I would kill for a soda,” Lance whispered to Hunk, who nodded sagely.

“Now, the atmosphere on Kol is highly toxic. It could kill a human in only 4 doboshes. So, it’s definitely not a good idea to take off your helmets for any reason once you’re down there,” Coran continued.

“I’ve notified the Kola about our arrival. I have high hopes already. We have roughly an hour before landing,” Allura informed.

“All right. Let’s suit up.” Shiro grinned, and led the way out of the room.

The city below was far too crowded for even one of the lions to land, so the team opted to use an envoy pod instead. Essentially a sardine tin that functioned as an elevator, it also provided a breathtaking view of the city on their descent. Every window was a porthole to a world of bright lights and skyscrapers. The city was stacked so high it was almost haphazard, but somehow it came off as sleek and elegant instead. Hunk and Pidge were completely enraptured, enthusing about the technology the Kola must have at their disposal. Through the rain-streaked glass, the city was a blur of lights.

“It’s like those skylines of New York City at night, you know?“ Lance mused, pressing his face against the glass to peer closer.

“Helmet,” Shiro reminded him, triple-checking his own for even the smallest leaks and having Pidge run a final diagnostics check. Coran had stressed how deadly the air was more than once as they had embarked.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine.” Lance gave the side of his helmet a rapt knock. “Good clean oxygen.”

“We don’t want a repeat of the laughing gas incident, eh?“ Pidge chimed in, with a sly smirk. She referred to the time Lance’s helmet had sprung a leak, and the planet’s atmosphere had made him start laughing uncontrollably—in the middle of a firefight. Their sharpshooter suddenly couldn’t hit a target more than five feet away because he was crying from laughter.

“Ha, ha.” Lance stuck his tongue out at her and made a point of checking his helmet.

Hunk interrupted with a low whistle. “Look at the size of that crystal!“ He gestured out the window towards the purple rock towering a good hundred feet into the air. At the heart of the city was it’s power source. The power source for most of the planet actually.  Not that is was a very big planet, but still. “Impressive nonetheless,” as Coran had put it.

The pod shook slightly with a rumble as it docked into place. Allura took a deep breath as the door opened and the ramp extended. The sound of rain hitting the ground was almost a roar. From down here, the buildings and lights looked monstrous.

“Welcome, Paladins of Voltron!“ Looking up, they saw a figure approaching. The Kola were well adapted for the rainy planet. Standing slightly taller than even Hunk, they walked with graceful steps, nearly teetering, like the city they inhabited. Each had large glassy eyes of solid purple with no visible pupil. Their skin was a mottled gray that looked smooth as marble and had subtle swirls of deep blues or dusty pink. Then, there were the four long arms. And apparently, the Kola were fond of using those arms for broad sweeping gestures. Keith nearly had to duck as the Kolian leading them to the capitol building swooped their arms in a motion to indicate that they were very proud of their city. They were a model tour guide, pointing out significant buildings and structures along the way. However, the Kola spoke with a slight warble to their voice, and a touch too quietly, so the Paladins strained to understand half of what was said.

    They were led from the pod into a glass tunnel that led to the heart of the city. The sound of the rain above them made a muffled pitter-patter, like a melody to the beat of their quiet footsteps. The glass tunnels wound all throughout the city: convenient, simple, and somehow still elegant. Before long, the group had reached the capitol building, a tower of chic architecture in the middle of the city. There was a good twenty or so feet of walkway running up to the door that the tunnels didn’t cover. The tour guide hurried ahead, opening the door. The inside of the building was a stark contrast to the outside, a blinding white light emanating from within. The team followed the guide closely, not wanting to get soaked.

Lance paused on the walk, drifting from the group and looking up toward the sky. He could almost feel the rain on his skin. Each droplet pattered his helmet and visor, making him blink rapidly until he closed his eyes. Soaking in the sound. He could almost feel it...

“Lance? Coming?“ At Keith’s voice, Lance’s attention snapped back. Keith stood framed by light, turned to look at Lance on the empty walkway. The inside of his helmet was obscured by shadow. Lance took in a deep breath and strolled forward again.

“Right behind you, Samurai.” And they joined the others, walking through the bright doorway.

After introductions, Allura and Shiro were led off to meet with the Kola diplomats. The team had discussed why all the Paladins were brought along, though it mostly consisted of “because we said so“ from Allura and Shiro. Besides, if trouble popped up, it meant they wouldn’t be separated by such a wide gap. It was easier to get out of scrapes together. Not that there was much to complain about on the other Paladins’ end. Their job was to sit back and chill, take in the scenery. Well, as much scenery as could be taken in from inside an orange box. The younger Paladins had been led to a separate chamber to wait. It reminded them of a hotel lobby. It was an open room decorated plainly with chairs and a conference table hanging off a weird foyer hall. Kolians came and went, occasionally stopping at a kiosk to ask the clerk a question or to pick up a weird pamphlet. Lance had swooped one up on the way in, but couldn’t make heads or tails of what was written. He offered it to Pidge, who had taken up the mantle of the groups translator and had looked into the Kola alphabet a little before the team had embarked. The pamphlet was a glossy sky blue, with what looked like gibberish written in white, and Pidge poured over it silently for a few minutes. The most she could make of it was that it was like a newspaper, but she wasn’t nearly fluent enough to translate the whole thing.  It had pictures of course, and Lance entertained himself for a minute or two by flipping through them, but otherwise it lied abandoned on the table.

Keith leaned against the wall watching every Kolian that passed by. Hunk held his chin in his hands on the table, staring at the wall.

“Well. This is boring,” Lance sighed, slumping in his chair.

“It’s like… they found the one ugly room in the entire city.” Pidge stared at the wall too, with narrowed eyes, as if in disbelief of the color. There was a thud as Hunk’s head dropped to the table, and he groaned.

“You’re right, Hunk. This is all Keith’s fault.”

“What?!“ Keith’s attention snapped to Lance, taking the bait. Hunk groaned again and Pidge joined him in setting her head down on the table. Lance leaned back into his seat, hands behind his head and feet propped up on the table.

“Well, it’s just karma.”

With a screech that drew a stare from the Kiosk Kolian, Keith pulled out a chair next to Lance. Casually, he spun it around and sat in it backwards.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” Keith said, leaning forward into the back of the chair. Lance was already flashing that shit-eating grin. “What have I done to deserve… this ?“ Keith gestured to wall, mock-horror in his voice. Lance’s flair for dramatic had rubbed off on him.

“Oh, like you don’t already know! Take a wild guess.”

Keith’s eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second and he leaned back slightly. “Is this about the whole half-galra thing?“ His voice bordered on a whisper, and he glanced warily back at the Kiosk Kol. “Because—“

“No, dipshit.” Keith whipped his head back around to glare at Lance, who was rolling his eyes. Suddenly, Lance swung his feet off the table and leaned in close, the legs of his chair slamming into the ground. “This is far more serious.”

There was a flash of doubt in Keith’s eyes, but then the corner of his mouth quirked up. “You don’t mean—“

“Oh yes!“ Off to the side, Pidge began softly banging her head against the table. Lance continued, pointing at Keith accusingly. “You—you mixed up our juice pouches.”

“This again!“ Keith threw his hands into the air. Lance brought up The Case of the Misplaced Pouch every chance he could. In the end, nobody could prove that Lance didn’t just move his juice pouch and forget, and Keith denied doing anything on purpose; but Lance was adamant that it was part of some evil plan to take over Blue. The case had haunted the team for weeks now.

“I know what you did! And now we’re all suffering for it,” Lance insisted, one hand flying out to gesture toward the wall.

“I didn’t do anything to your juice pouch.”

“Oh yeah? Then how’d you know it was my juice pouch, huh?“

“Because you said so! And, we’ve been over this a billion times!“

Lance snorted. “Pff, sure.” He rolled his eyes.

“Besides, why would I even want to share a juice pouch with you? That’s gross—“

“Yeah, like an indirect kiss.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Lance’s throat closed up. He managed a chuckle, sounding far more awkward than he had meant to. His face burned, and suddenly, all he wanted to do was stare at that ugly wall. Pidge set her head down with one final thud.

The room was silent for a moment. Clearing his throat, Lance stood and stretched. Keith glanced over, trying to decide if he was offended. Pidge and Hunk finally raised their heads, propped up on a chin or an elbow. The Kiosk Kolian looked mildly alarmed when they realized Lance was approaching, having heard the whole exchange between him and Keith. They hurried to look busy, and Lance felt a little bit sorry for them, but not enough to turn around and walk back into the Ugliest Room in the Universe (he’s thinking they could turn it into a tacky little tourist trap). He leaned onto the counter, trying to balance being cool and being polite.

“ Hey ,” he drawled. Nope. Clearing his throat once more, he backed off the counter. “Hi. Hi there, uh...” The Kolian blinked up at him, thoroughly confused. Searching for something to say, he noticed the small rack of what looked like key chains. That was always one of his favorite things, finding out Earthen concepts were universal. He pointed to the rack. “Are these—“ Cutting him off, the Kolian pushed the rack towards him, probably wanting to get him to leave. “Oh, sweet! So, I hope we aren’t being, like, off-putting or whatever. This is kind of a normalish day for us. Paladins of Voltron, ya know? The name’s Lance.” He talked as he looked over the key chains, picking one out. He settled on a chain of an almost-white metal with a deep blue pendant dangling from it. There was some writing on the pendant, and he held it up the the light, trying in vain to decipher it.

“My name is Miralae.” the Kolian finally said, staring at him as he examined the key chain. Lance grinned at them.

“Cool. Hey, what does this say?“ He showed them the keychain. There was a pause and they looked back at him.

“Um. Oh. You’re serious, okay. It says…” They sighed before continuing. “Being sexy is a hard job, but someone has to do it.”

“Perfect. Uh, how much is it? I don’t really know the exchange rate—“

“Just—Just take it.” Miralae waved him off, pulling the rack of key chains back to it’s original spot.

“Hey, thanks.” He stuffed the keychain into a pouch on his belt. Lately he’d been trying to get a souvenir from every planet he visited, and everybody knew keychains were the best souvenirs. He turned and almost started to head back across the hall, but there’s still nothing to do in there. Who knew how long they still had to wait? So he spun back around to the kiosk. “Uh, not to bother you or anything but… well it looks like neither of us really have anything to do at the moment. I mean, unless you want to keep shuffling that pile of paper?“ Lance was finding it hard to get a feel for the Kolian, and for a second he thought Miralae was going to tell him to leave, but instead they just sighed, setting down the papers.

“Paladin of Voltron, huh?“

And so Lance told a few stories, exaggerating his own heroics, of course. He couldn’t tell if Miralae was really paying attention until he lost his train of thought in the middle of describing a battle and they nearly leaped over the counter, dying to know how the story ended. Somewhere along the line they asked about where he was from, and he ended up talking about Earth for a little while. It felt good to let some of it out, even if it was mostly silly stuff like describing amusement parks and ice cream.

“So, yeah, those were, like, the top memes last I heard. Which was a while ago. They’re probably pretty stale by now… “

“I think I understand the concept. But if you want to do anything fun here,” Miralae waved a hand in the air. “You’d have to go to the outskirts of the city. There’s stuff to do around the center, of course, but it’s all so … stiff?“

“Oh, yeah?“ Lance propped himself up on the counter. Miralae reached over (Those long arms coming in handy. Heh. Handy, get it? Okay, Lance, focus.) and plucked a pamphlet from the stand. “Those things are like newspapers yeah?“ he offered. They looked at him, confusedly. He jabbed his thumb backward, pointing, and explained, “We translated a little.”

“Ah. Yeah, newspapers.” The word sounded clumsy from them. Altean translation technology worked pretty well most of the time, but Earthen compound words gave some aliens trouble. “Well, look here.” They leafed through the pages before showing him one. Aside from the picture of a large gem, it seemed like any other page to him.

“Uh.”

“Oh, right. Well, it says there’s this gala thing tomorrow. So, the whole place is gonna be crawling with stuck-up—“ Here they made a noise that Lance assumed translated to a swear. Swears didn’t translate very well. He chuckled.

“Well, what’s the gala for anyways?“

“That part is actually cool. You saw the big glowing rock on our front yard, yeah?“

“Couldn’t miss it.”

“So, like, that powers everything. But, they just found this new type of crystal, way down deep where nobody had ever dug before. It’s a billion times smaller, but apparently a billion times more powerful too. Tomorrow at the gala they’re gonna unveil it or whatever. Though... I guess you’ll be gone by then?“

Lance almost missed their tone, mulling over this new information. He looked up from the counter, giving them a smirk. “Oh, I dunno. Maybe I’ll get a reason to stick around a little longer.” He winked, hoping it had the same implication here as it had on Earth. There were a few times it had backfired and landed him on his ass for being rude. Miralae seemed pleased with it though, so, win! Before he could say anything else, there was a voice behind him.

“Lance.” He spun on his heel to see Pidge walking over.

“Hey Pidge. Miralae here was just translating the news.” Pidge hesitated for a moment, knowing Lance was just trying to get her off his tail, but her curiosity got the best of her.

“Can you show me?“

“Uh, yeah.” Miralae flipped through some pages, holding the pamphlet over the counter for Pidge to see. “Here’s some stuff about a statue. And here’s an article about, uh, some old people or something. Oh, look!“ they exclaimed. There was beat as they realized Pidge had only a blank stare. They swore again. “Right, sorry. Anyways, this whole article is about the Star Thief.” Lance traded a look with Pidge. He couldn’t decide if the name was cheesy or ridiculously cool.

“They… steal stars?“ Pidge asked.

“No, no. They steal gems, crystals, jewels. They’ve been stealing for so long it’s ridiculous they haven’t been caught yet. Here, I’ll read from the article.” Miralae scanned the page for a moment before reading. “The Star Thief has a prominent routine. They strike the wealthiest marks, apparently having a knack for knowing where to find the gems. If only the gems were the only thing stolen. In every case, the victim has later discovered that something of more sentimental value has gone missing as well.”

“So they take like family heirlooms and stuff too?“

“Yeah, sometimes. But sometimes it’s stuff like… a child’s toy or a knick-knack, or even the serving spoon used at dinner every night.” They talked as they scanned the rest of the article. “Oh, hmm...”

“What?“ Lance asked, looking over Pidge’s head.

“These guys think the Star Thief is gonna try to go after the crystal at the gala.”

“Whoa, they’d be crazy to do that though, right?“

“I mean, it’s all about the thrill though.”

“Yeah, I guess I can see that. The—“ Lance was cut off by footsteps coming down the hall. Turning, he saw Allura and Shiro returning, accompanied by a few official-looking Kol. A hand clapped his shoulder and he saw Hunk and Keith had joined them at the Kiosk. He turned back to Miralae. “Looks like I’ve gotta go.”

“What a shame.” They gave him a smile, and he caught a glimpse of their sharp teeth. The Paladins walked toward the approaching group, and Keith found his way to Lance’s side.

“Done flirting already?“

“Jealous?“ Lance smirked as Keith scowled at him. Reaching the others, Lance dropped his expression. Allura opened her mouth to say something but a stiff-looking Kolian interrupted her.

“Paladins. I’ll leave you to your own then. Someone will be along to lead you soon.” Allura was glaring daggers at them, as they turned and led the other Kola diplomats away. She huffed, and Shiro put a hand on her shoulder, giving a reassuring smile.

“What’s up?“ Hunk asked. Seeing Allura stressed out made him stress out.

“The Kola don’t want to join the alliance. They’re unbudging and not willing to compromise in the slightest! And the councillor—!“

“Hey, we’ll figure something out. They’re letting us stay one night. Negotiations got a little… heated. So we’ll pick back up tomorrow.”

Lance punched Allura’s arm lightly. “Yeah, you can muscle ‘em.” At that, she gave a weak smile and took a deep breath.

“Um, excuse me?“ They all stepped to the side to see who had talked. Standing behind them, looking rather intimidated, was a small Kolian. Significantly shorter than most, they stared up at the team with wide eyes. “U-um—“ They uttered a swear and Pidge snorted beside Lance. “I’m supposed to lead you to your rooms. Uh, right this way.” Taking a few hesitant steps backward before turning on their heel, they started down the hall, expecting the Paladins to follow. Lance turned to Hunk, making a squishing motion with his fingers and Hunk pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.    

They were led through another glass tunnel to a building that towered into the sky. Inside, the Kolian leading them scampered onto an impossibly tall escalator. If anyone noticed Shiro hesitating before stepping on, nobody said anything. It had become an unspoken rule that you didn’t give Shiro a hard time.

They rode almost all the way to the top, and after leading them to their rooms, the small Kolian beat a hasty retreat, stranding them in the hall. Allura excused herself to her suite, clearly burnt out. Shiro stood around for a moment longer, but headed off to bed too, leaving the other Paladins to sit and talk, scattered about one of the rooms. Furniture was plain and simple: a bed, table, a couple chairs. The window was the best feature. Taking up the entire far wall, it gave a great view of the city. Rain streaked down the glass, making all the lights seem blurry.

“These guys seem like assholes,” Pidge sighed. Hunk nodded beside her, studying the floor.

“I dunno. Star Thief seems kind of cool.”

“Oh, yeah. What was that whole gala thing about?“

“Star Thief?“ Keith asked.

“Okay, okay, so you know that big ‘ol rock Hunk wants to kiss?“

“Hey,” Hunk objected.

“Shay,” Pidge whispered under her breath.

“Hey!“

“ Anyways ,” Lance shushed them. “It powers, like, the whole everything. All of it. But, they just found this crystal thingy that’s even more powerful. They’re gonna show it off at this fancy party tomorrow. This Star Thief dude runs around stealing jewels and stuff, so people think they might try to steal the new gem somehow.”

Keith snorted. “Wow.”

“Yeah, I also know the weather. One-hundo percent chance of rain.” Lance jabbed a finger toward the window.

“That could have just been tabloid crap for all we know,” Pidge pointed out.

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s raining.”

Pidge jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “The other stuff, dummy.”

“Whatever. They’re either gonna join the alliance or Allura’s gonna make them join the alliance, and then we’ll be out of here.” Keith crossed his arms, his signature pose.

“Hunk, you good, buddy?“

“Hmm?“ He looked up from the floor, clearly preoccupied. “Oh, yeah. It’s just—Well. Let me sleep on it.”

“Sleep sounds good. I’m out.” Pidge slid off the bed, walking to the door. “Keith can have this room, ‘cause it’s stinky, just like him.” She stuck her tongue out at him as she backed out the door, and he returned the gesture.

“Night guys. I’ve gotta…” Hunk trailed off as he left the room. Lance had walked over to the window, squinting past the raindrops.

“You heading to bed, too?“ Keith asked, standing behind him. Lance dropped his hand from the glass.

“Yeah. Gotta hit the hay. Not everyday you meet aliens,” he joked, punctuating the sentence with a yawn. Still, he didn’t move. Keith stepped up to the glass, too. They were both silent a moment.

“The rain’s nice.”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t get much back on Earth, when I was... at the shack. I kinda miss it.”

“Yeah.” Another pause. “I really miss it.” Keith snuck a glance over at Lance. Backlit by the one light in the room, the neon lights reflected on his face. That...look in his eyes. Keith bit his tongue.

“Anyways! I’ll, uh, let you get to bed then.”

“Yeah. Yeah, sure. You know, otherwise I might—“

“Mix up our juice pouches?“ Lance raised his eyebrows. Keith laughed, just a little. He didn’t know when they had gotten to this point, this point somewhere between rivals and… and… well. And then Lance was walking past him, out the door. Keith called out “Night,” just as the door clicked shut.

Breakfast was a solemn affair. Allura hardly touched her food, instead quietly talking with Shiro, and radiating determination. The other Paladins made quiet jokes about being taken to the Second Ugliest Room in the Universe today, interrupted by the screech of a chair as Allura stood abruptly. She ignored the noise and began pacing the room, gesturing broadly as if rehearsing an argument.

“Allura?“ Shiro tried, but she waved him off. They watched her walk for a few moments, unsure what to do, until suddenly Hunk was standing up as well.

“Allura,” he started, and she paused just long enough to look up at him, giving her attention. “It’s just that, I have an idea.”

“By all means. I have a feeling I’ll need all the weapons I have.”

“Um.” He walked around the table to her, pulling out a chair.

“Of course. I’m sorry.” She sat, rubbing her forehead.

“This is a long-shot, but… If anybody can make it work, you can.” She brightened at those words, giving Hunk a small smile. “So, we were all sitting around yesterday, and we don’t have any details, but there’s someone called the Star Thief, and there’s a really important crystal, and maybe the Star Thief wants to steal it, but also… maybe we can stop them?“ He shrugged. Allura’s brow furrowed as she digested the words.

“Oh. Oh. Oh!“ She stood again, nearly knocking over her chair. She turned and walked all the way the end of the room before turning on a dime and rushing back to him. Hunk was suddenly wrapped into a brief hug. “I can work with this. Oh, quiznak, I can work with this!“ Just then, a Kolian appeared in the doorway, clearing their throat, waiting to gather Shiro and Allura. Allura released Hunk, smoothing wrinkles out of her dress. As she was led out the door, she turned and gave a little wave over her shoulder. Hunk beamed back at her, happy to have helped.

The Paladins passed the rest of the morning waiting with anticipation. They were kept to their rooms, but that was better than the yellow room at least. Lance would have liked a chance to talk to Miralae again, but he’d take what he could get. Still, what he could get was… boring. Luckily, it was only an hour before they were called back out.

They gathered in the hall outside the room where the negotiations were taking place. The small Kolian from last night accompanied them as well. Hunk gave them a small wave, and they managed a nod and an awkward smile that flashed fangs. Then the doors burst open. Well, burst was a strong word. It implied that Allura tried to pull the doors off their hinges as she pushed them open. All the Paladins knew was that one moment the doors were closed, and the next, Allura stood in the doorway, fighting a smile and trying to compose herself. The Paladins traded looks, waiting for someone to speak. She walked into the hall, followed closely by Shiro, who was openly grinning. Following behind them, and looking begrudging, were the Kola diplomats. Instantly, they recognized the jerk from last night, and were pleased to see that smug look had been wiped off their face.

“Well,” Jerkface Kolian looked more than pained to speak. “I believe—“

“I believe we’ve reached an agreement. Thank you for being so gracious and hospitable. I’ll fill my Paladins in, now.” Allura interrupted them, head held high. Her final words made it clear the Kolians were dismissed. For a moment, Jerkface seethed, until they nodded stiffly and walked away, the other diplomats following them.

Once they were alone, Pidge spoke. “Well?“ They all knew the answer already.

“They’re agreeing to the treaty. I had to strong-arm them a bit—“ She used a phrase Keith had taught her, “But it’s done. Or, it will be done. There’s just a little matter that needs taking care of.”

“We’ve got a mission.” Shiro shrugged.

“Oh, finally!“ Lance pumped his fists in the air, doing a little dance. Allura looked to the other Paladins for explanation.

“Allura, we’ve been bored out our minds. This’ll be a piece of cake.”

“A scoop of food goo?“ Hunk quipped, making Pidge scrunch up her nose at him.

“all right then.” Allura was smiling again. “Paladins, you’ve got a gem thief to catch.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon pouring over files and blueprints. Getting copies of everything translated was a bitch. Detective work always seemed really cool in the TV shows, but Lance was finding it a pain in the ass in general. They knew their best bet at catching the Star Thief was going to be the gala, and it was also the only chance the Kola were giving them. They all had the layout of the gala memorized, as well as the guest list, the guards on duty that night, even messengers like the small Kolian that worked in the area. Lance’s head was on the verge of exploding. He flopped down onto the desk with a sigh, abandoning his file.

“Come on, dude…” Hunk was unfortunately sitting across from him, and all of his papers were now covered up.

“Lance, I know this isn’t the hands-on kind of work you were hoping for—“

“But, suck it up.” Pidge interrupted Shiro. “We’ve gotta find something. Everybody makes mistakes, even this Star Thief.” She snatched another file off a desk and slumped down into a chair, folding her feet up to her chest.

“We already know everything about this guy, though!“ Lance peeled off the desk and slid out of his chair, laying down on the floor. Hunk gave him a look of endeared exasperation. “They case the place for a while, break in usually while the occupants are asleep, steal the most valuable thing they can find, most often jewels, and then steal something sentimental, like a toy, or a journal, or the serving spoon used at dinner every night. It’s always the same, and they don’t leave anything behind.”

The Paladins didn’t respond, aside from halfhearted sighs. Lance listened to them turn pages, staring at the underside of the desk. His brain was fried. In fact, he was almost dozing off when Keith spoke.

“Wait. When did they take a serving spoon?“ Lance snapped his eyes open, furrowing his brow. He was sure that a spoon had been taken. What file had that been?

“Hey, yeah, I haven’t seen that either.” The rustling of paper grew louder. Hunk poked his head under the desk.

“Lance, which one was that?“

“It’s the one with, um… It was…”

“Lance, It’s not here. Are you sure?“ Shiro asked. Lance was sure. He knew he’d seen it somewhere. Or maybe… heard it?

“Wait. Didn’t—“ Pidge started.

“Miralae!“ Lance shot upright, smacking his head against the desk.”Ow.”

“What?“ Keith asked. Lance scrambled out from under the desk, looking to Pidge.

“The Kiosk Kolian.” Lance shot him a hasty answer.” They were talking about the Star Thief!“

“Okay, okay, wait. We’ve gotta be sure. Maybe it was just a misprint in that paper.”

“Can we take a step back, real quick?“ Shiro asked.

Lance huffed. “So, last night, there was this Kolian we talked to that told us about the Star Thief. They were reading from this newspaper thing that said the Star Thief had stolen this spoon one time.”

“Right. But if the spoon isn’t in any of these files, then where did the newspaper learn about it?“

“Unless…” A thought suddenly occurred to Lance. “Well, we just trusted Miralae to translate for us. So, what if the newspaper didn’t even mention the spoon?“

“No fucking way,” Pidge breathed, biting the heel of her palm.

“You think… that this Miralae is the Star Thief?“ Keith squinted at him.

“You know how in all those cop shows, the suspect dude remains super close to the case and that’s how they slip up? By revealing something even the cops didn’t know?“

“It’s too convenient. Life isn’t a TV show.”

“Keith, buddy, I hate to break it to you, but we’re not living normal lives. It’s convenient, I know, and it’s a reach but… fuck, what other leads do we have?“ Lance pointed out. The room went silent. Slowly, Shiro set down the stack of papers he was holding.

“Okay,” he breathed. “Let’s follow it. We need to get a copy of that newspaper translated. If this Miralae really is the Star Thief, we don’t want them knowing we might be closing in on them, though.”

“Let’s do a press statement. Make all the Kolians think we’re still working on the treaty or something. Distance ourselves from everything about the gala, and the Star Thief.” Pidge suggested. Hunk set to work cleaning up all of the papers. Keith shrugged and started helping him.

“Sounds like a plan. Let’s do this.” Shiro finished.

“Fuck yeah, real detective work!“ Lance launched across the desk to high five Pidge.

“Come on, dude...” Hunk sighed again, surveying the flutter of papers that fell to the floor.

They sat staring at a familiar blue pamphlet.

“Well, fuck,” Pidge uttered. The article didn’t say anything about a spoon. Hell, it didn’t even mention the other things the Star Thief had stolen beyond jewels. Lance could hardly believe it, even though this was his idea.

“So… Miralae.” Keith stepped away from the group.

“I guess that settles it?“ Hunk asked, sitting down. “Miralae is the Star Thief.”

“But… Why would they let that be their name?“ Lance exasperated, earning an eye roll from Pidge.

“Name or not, we’ve got a mission. We know who we’re after now. We’ve only got a few hours before the gala.” Shiro immediately launched into planning.

All in all, deciding what each Paladin would do was pretty easy. By now, they knew each Paladins’ niche on missions. Pidge would be stationed in a security center, and while she wasn’t thrilled about being accompanied by Kola guards, she would have free reign over the security cameras. Hunk and Shiro would patrol the halls. The Kola had their own guards posted at all the exits of course, but Shiro wanted to be on the safe side and make sure nobody could go sneaking around the gala. That left Lance and Keith to actually attend. Not in their uniforms, of course. They had to blend in as much as possible.

Lance had been given a disguise of sorts to wear. The clothes were apparently typical wear for wealthy Kolians. They’d debated wearing armor underneath, but in the end, they could only hope it wouldn’t come to that. It was soft and shimmery, in a beautiful indigo that flashed purple and gold in the right light. Tight-fitting in the chest, with loose long sleeves that covered most of his arms. There were several hidden pockets Lance had discovered, into which he had slipped an oxygen mask and his bayard. He’d been given gloves to hide his hands as well.

In addition to the clothing, there was an ornate mask. It covered most of his face, and was decorated in gold and indigo jewels. He had to admit, he looked good. And as far as he could tell, his eyes were the only thing that would give him away as human. For a good luck charm, he clipped his new keychain to the belt. Shooting finger guns and a wink at the nearest mirror, he slid out of his room.

“Shiro?“ he asked into a small earpiece. They had been Pidge’s little project for weeks, and he felt like a spy finally getting to use one. They could be turned on and off with a small button hidden in his sleeve.

“Shiro's already out patrolling. You good to go?“ Pidge answered.

“Yep. Where's Keith?“

“ He headed in about five minutes ago.”

“Well, I’m fashionably late.”

“Just get going. I've got you covered.”

“Roger dodger.”

With a swagger in his step, he reached his destination and pushed open the doors to the ballroom. He was greeted with what looked like a very classy rave. The room was dimly lit, but soft neon lights shone around the room. There were quite a few figures dancing in the middle, almost like a waltz, but not quite. Everyone wore masks and elaborate jewelry.

“Hey, Pidge, you ever read the Hunger Games?“ he whispered.

“I’m a teenage girl, what do you think?“ Delivered deadpan, good old Pidge.

“Yeah, well, it looks like the Capitol out here.”

“Wait, how can you make that reference?“

“I’ve got teenage sisters.” This is a lie. Lance was way more into those books than any of his sisters, and if anyone even mentioned Finnick, there’s a good chance he’d cry.

“Oh, of course! Duh!“ she mocked, somehow seeing through his completely flawless lie.

In the very center of the room was a pedestal, standing about 6 feet high. There, the crystal rested, and every so often, the spotlights would dazzle across its surface. A few figures mingled around the pedestal, looking up and admiring the crystal. None of them looked too suspicious, but only time would tell. A quick glance around the room didn't reveal Keith either, but Lance figured they would bump into each other eventually. The night was young, why not have some fun? Hands comfortably at his side, he strolled toward the outskirts of the room. A servant wandered by with a tray of drinks, and he swooped a glass off. He'd admittedly only seen swanky parties like this in the movies, and he felt like James Bond. His eyes wandered over the crowd. Kolians in twos or threes had gathered near the wall, but there were some stragglers on their own. Just there, with their own drink in hand, was a Kolian in silver and maroon colors. Lance watched them for a moment, as they just observed the crowd. Clearly they needed someone to show them how to party. Taking a sip of his drink (It tasted like watered-down fruit punch, but with that too-sweet grape medicine aftertaste), he strolled toward them.

“I don't know why everyone's so interested in that crystal. You're clearly much more intriguing.” He flashed a smile. The Kolian looked up at him with a start. Silence stretched between them for a moment, and something itched at the back of Lance's mind. There was something about them that just—

And then they snorted in his face.

“Keith?“ Lance took a step back, embarrassed as all get-out. The red Paladin was full on laughing now. Lance looked around, hoping nobody would look over at them. “Okay, all right, come on. That wasn't even my worst line okay? I didn't even know it was you!“ Keith covered his laugh, eyes dipping down to the floor before meeting Lance’s.

“You really think I'm... intriguing?“ He batted his eyelashes at Lance.

“Oh, fuck off.” Lance groaned, taking a swig of his drink as Keith chuckled again. He leaned on the wall, scanning the room over the rim of his glass.

“That stuff tastes like ass. Any sign of our Star Thief yet?“ Keith asked.

“You would know. And I’ve only been here a couple minutes. As far as I can tell, nobody here is a gem burglar.”

“I’m flattered to be the first alien you hit on at least. Well, we'll just have to keep our eyes open.” Keith fidgeted with his sleeve, which Lance noted was a good foot too long and far too loose, resulting in a waterfall of fabric. “Hey Pidge, you see anything?“

Pidge's voice crackled through the earpiece. “Just a couple late stragglers so far. These costumes are ridiculous.”

“Yeah, you're telling me,” Lance mumbled.

“He tried to flirt with me.”

“Keith!“ Lance screeched. Pidge started laughing.

“Oh, boy, I gotta tell Hunk about this.”

“Okay, you know what, I'm leaving. See ya, Mullet.” Lance started to walk away, but there was a tug at his sleeve.

“Okay, okay, sorry. You don't have to leave. It's no fun hanging out alone, and two sets of eyes are better than one.” Keith dropped his hand, freeing Lance's garment. Lance stepped back to the wall, ignoring the way his throat was suddenly tight.

“These drinks really do taste like ass,” he stated, and downed the rest of his glass.

They checked in with the rest of the Paladins periodically. There was supposed to be a big unveiling of the gem later in the evening and Lance was betting that’s when the Star Thief would strike. No, really, if the Star Thief didn’t show up then, Lance owed Keith his share of the desserts Hunk made for a week. And Hunk loved to make desserts.

Okay, so maybe they were slacking off a little. And, maybe a little drunk? Keith started to realize that there was some kind of Kola equivalent to alcohol in the fruit punch. He swirled the red liquid in his glass, studying the way it caught the light.

“Hey.” Keith jerked at Lance’s voice, so hard his drink sloshed over the rim. “I think we should stop drinking.”

“I think I’m a little drunk.”

“Yeah, no shit, I can tell. Here, gimme.” Lance took the glass from Keith, depositing their drinks on the nearest table. “Let’s take a lap.”

Keith never thought himself a lightweight, and he was more tipsy than drunk, but he felt like an infant compared to Lance. Following Lance’s lead, they hugged the wall, circling the room. Lance walked with a light step, an easy air about him. His stride was almost graceful. And his hips—

Keith shook his head, tearing his eyes away. He’s not that drunk. A doorway caught his eye as they walked past, and he grabbed Lance’s sleeve to stop him.

“What’s up?“ Lance asked, turning back to Keith.

Keith tapped his earpiece on. “Hey, Pidge, is this door guarded?“ There were other doors around the room, but they were supposed to have guards on the inside and out. Fighting the static in his head, he called up the blueprints they’d spent the afternoon memorizing.

“Which door?“ Pidge asked.

“Uh, the one by, uh, by the south wing.”

“Lance, has he been drinking?“ Pidge took on that tone Shiro sometimes used. Lance snorted.

“It’s fine. TTYL.” There was a beat before Keith realized Lance just said that out loud. He squinted at him in disbelief.

“Stay out of trouble.” And then Pidge was gone again. An insult on the tip of his tongue, Keith realized Lance was pushing the door open.

“What are you-“ He hissed, cutting himself off with a glance around.

“Come on then, Mr. Curious.” Just like that, Lance was slipping out the door and Keith had no choice but to follow.

The hall was empty, which he supposed Lance was counting on.

“Hey, I thought I was the hothead here.”

“Oh yeah, because I just charged into certain doom, out here in the hallway. The very dangerous, very empty hallway.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “What are we doing out here?“

“Snoopin’.” Lance shot him a lopsided grin. “What, you don’t wanna snoop a little? You need to walk that alcohol off anyway.”

“I’m not — “ Keith started, before huffing and following after Lance. As opposed to the gala, the only sound in the hall was their footsteps. Keith pulled the ornate mask off his face, rubbing his eyes. He had to admit, the walk was already doing him good. Lance led the way, seemingly wandering wherever his heart took him. They rounded a corner, into a dead-end hallway. This didn’t deter Lance however and, with a sly look shot over his shoulder, he started trying doors. Keith halted, crossing his arms and waiting for Lance to realize they’re all locked. And they all were… except for the very last one. The handle turned easily and Lance looked to Keith with an open-mouthed smile, raising his eyebrows. Keith suppressed a grin, marching past him to open the door and step inside the room.     

The office wasn’t too impressive, but the view… the view took his goddamn breath away. They weren’t up as high as their rooms were last night, but it’s still incredible. That’s something Keith would always appreciate. Back on Earth, everything was always the same. Every morning he woke up to a sand-filled shack, and every night he went to sleep in the same nondescript desert. Out here, there was always something new, always something breathtaking. And he could apparently get alcohol a lot easier.

The view out the window made him feel tiny. It was raining like always, but the glass didn’t have a drop on it. Looming above was the rest of the city, with bright lights dotting the buildings.

“I didn’t realize it was so loud in there,” Lance said, breaking the silence. He stepped up beside Keith. Keith made a humming noise of agreement. Lance slipped his hands under his mask, rubbing his face before he slipped it back into place. For a moment, they just watched the rain. Lance idly fidgeted with the keychain on his belt. Keith looked to him, taking in his outfit. It looked better than his, or maybe that was just because it was Lance wearing it. He tried to cross his arms, but the sleeves got in the way. Lance looked over at him and breathed out a small laugh.

He took the mask from Keith’s hand, going to put it back on him. He hesitated, tracing the red imprints on Keith's skin with a light finger. Keith stiffened, not knowing where to look, but desperately trying to avoid Lance’s eyes. Without meaning to, he sucked in a shuddering breath and Lance withdrew his hand, cracking a small smile and sliding the mask back onto Keith’s face.

“You look like a parrot.”

“You look like an asshole.” Keith shot back.   

Pidge’s voice suddenly crackled in Lance’s ear. “Hey, you guys still good?“ Lance quirked an eyebrow, mouthing “Pidge“ to Keith.

“Yep, neither of us are dead yet, sorry to disappoint.”

“Keith, you dead?“

“Unfortunately not.” Lance muffled a chuckle, and Keith smiled, watching him.

“all right, make good choices. I’m out.” Their earpieces went silent once more.

“Hey, maybe we should go get back to work?“ Lance joked.

Keith sighed, already walking toward the door. “Yeah, I really don’t want Allura to kill me.”

“Hey, if I had to pick an alien to do me in… “ Lance shrugged and followed Keith into the hallway. He carefully shut it behind them with a near silent click. And then Keith heard the footsteps. Lance looked to him, panic lighting up his eyes. The footsteps were steadily getting closer, and Keith looked around for any way out of this situation.

However, before Keith could even weigh his options, there’s a hand cupping his waist. Suddenly, his back was pressed into the wall. And Lance was—Lance... Lance was kissing him.

Oh.
    Before he can even finish processing that thought, let alone give in to the butterflies in his stomach, they're interrupted.
    “Hey!“ An unknown voice — but easily identified as a Kolian by the warble in it — shouts from the end of the hall. Lance jumped away, and Keith tried to catch his breath. “These halls are off limits to gala guests.”
    “Oh! Sorry. We must have wandered a little too far,” Lance giggled, all bubbly and light. His hand was soft in Keith's, and his fingers curled around it on reflex.               
    The guard rolled their eyes, and ordered them to get a move on before passing by. There's a beat before Keith remembered to snatch his hand away from Lance.
    “What the fuck was that?“ He hissed, one hand flying to his mouth.
    “I panicked,” Lance replied, staring down the hall. There’s an edge to his voice Keith had never heard before. And then just like that, he turned back to Keith, looking so much softer. “I'm sorry. That was shitty.” For a second Keith thinks he's talking about the quality of the kiss and shook his head before he realized Lance meant kissing him without warning.
    “It's... fine. Let's just get out of here.” Lance nodded, one of those easy smiles slipping onto his face again. They walked back down the hall cautiously, and Keith struggled to understand why he's so nervous. He wasn’t scared of being caught. That guard would have been a minor inconvenience, at worst. So why—
    “Do you use lip scrub?“
    Keith starts. “What?“
    “Your lips are soft.” Lance said oh-so casually. He's peering around a corner, checking for more guards. Keith’s heart thudded. Lance looked back at him and Keith could only think to do one thing.
    He scrunched up his nose and flipped Lance off. Lance blinks and then raises both hands, returning the gesture before he turned back and rounded the corner. As he did, Keith caught the hint of a grin.

“By the way… I guess we can put the Case of the Misplaced Pouch behind us,” Lance whispered. Keith grinned too. And he continued to, all the way down the hall and when they slipped back into the gala.

It’s so late in the night now, but the gala was still going strong. Lance’s eyes drooped as he leaned against the wall until Keith elbowed him. His skin tingled at the contact. He suppressed a yawn and looked to where Keith gestured. They stood across from the gem’s pedestal, and to their left a stage of sorts had appeared against the wall. The colorful lights dimmed further, the music swelled and then hushed. So finally, the big unveiling. Not so impressive considering the gem had been right here in the open for the past two hours. Still, Lance forced himself to pay attention, reminding himself that a bet was about to pay off. Hopefully. A figure stepped into the lights on stage and started speaking. Lance tuned them out in favor of studying the audience. Nearly all the Kolians were looking to the stage. The few that weren’t were either having quiet conversations in the shadows, or admiring the gem. The Kolian on stage continued to talk, and something inside Lance started to panic with uncertainty.

“There,” Keith breathed. Just like that, the world stopped. Keith made the tiniest gesture, and then Lance saw them. Their face was covered, but they’re wearing a sleeveless ensemble and Lance recognized that swirl of color in their glassy skin, even in the the dim lighting. Their hands were covered in fingerless white gloves that reached nearly to their elbow. The rest of the outfit billowed out around them as they walked, flowing and elegant. There’s a flicker of doubt in Lance’s mind, for just a moment, but he knew they’d found Miralae.

Suddenly the room exploded into applause as the Kolian on stage finished speaking. The lights flared up again, neon brilliance dazzling off the gems surface. The room came back to life, dancing and talking again.

“Pidge. We’ve got eyes on the target.”

Pidge crackled on, anticipation in her voice. “You sure?“

“I’m sure.” Lance declared. He watched Miralae from across the room, that flicker of doubt extinguished. There’s radio silence for a moment, before Pidge popped back on.

“You’ve got the go ahead. Take ‘em in. Shiro and Hunk are on their way.” Lance looked to Keith and nodded. Keith stepped away, beginning to circle the room. Miralae seemed completely at home, mingling and drinking around the crystal. After a moment, Lance stepped away from the wall as well, circling opposite from Keith. This part was something they had done a million times before. Granted, it didn’t work most of those times, but Lance had high hopes. Putting on a casual air, he made his way closer to Miralae, swiping a drink off an incoming tray and attempting to blend with groups of Kolians, always keeping Miralae in the corner of his eye. He spent a moment with his back turned to them, knowing he was close, and hyped himself up for what was about to go down. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too much of a scene. Turning slowly, he saw Keith first. And then he chanced a direct look at Miralae.

The world stopped as they locked eyes, solid purple locking with telltale blue. Lance couldn’t help it. He cracked a grin beneath his mask. The room became a flurry of movement again.

Miralae grabbed a nearby server by the collar, their tray of drinks flying out of their hands, and threw them at a group of Kolians behind themself. Keith was cut off by the sudden pile of fallen Kolians and hesitated just a moment before darting around them. Miralae shoved their way to the pedestal as Lance fought to get through the crowd, tugging off his mask and discarding it to the floor as he ran. Already, they were heaving themself up the pedestal, snatching up the gem and scrambling down. Lance lost them as they disappeared into the crowd again, and he screeched to a halt. The gala was chaos at this point. So much for not making a scene. He scanned the room, finding Keith.

“There!“ Keith shouted, pointing to the far wall, and Lance saw the emergency exit Miralae was making a mad dash for. The guard tried to intercept them, but Lance blinked and suddenly the guard was smashing into a group of Kolians while Miralae was sliding toward the door. Keith was already running after them, though they gave up a chunk of their lead by turning back to the ballroom and bowing before they slipped out the door.

“Motherfucker,” Lance growled. “Pidge, we’re headed out the northern emergency exit!“

“That leads straight to the roof!“ Lance looked back at the door just in time to see it slam shut behind Keith. He growled out another curse and ran across the room, tugging open the door and charging up a dark stairwell. He pulled out his breathing mask, stumbling slightly as he pulled it on, and had his bayard in hand by the time he shoved open the door to the roof. Hard rain instantly soaked him, and over the sound of it he heard Keith yell out. It took him a moment to find them, squinting and blinking rain out of his eyes. There, across the roof, Keith and Miralae lunged at each other, each with a knife in their hand. Of course Keith had a knife. Why wouldn’t he have a knife? Miralae’s outfit billowed in the wind, too light to be hampered by the rain. Keith’s sleeves, on the other hand, were putting him at a bit of a disadvantage.

Keith had forced Miralae nearly to the edge of the roof, but he stood with his back to the door. As soon as Lance stepped forward, it slammed shut behind him. At the sound, Keith’s attention wavered for just a instant, just long enough for him to slip up. In a blink, Miralae had knocked the knife away from Keith and swooped him into a headlock. They pressed their own knife against his throat. Lance started forward and raising his bayard, knowing he was twenty feet away at least.

“Just there is far enough, Lance,” Miralae called out. Lance froze. Keith, on the other hand, tried to throw himself at Miralae and break out of their grip. Miralae swore as the back of Keith’s head connected with their chin, but they didn’t release him. Instead, the blade of their knife dug deeper into his skin. Keith snarled, straining away from the knife. Lance swallowed hard.

“Sup?“ he uttered, trying to find anything he could use against them.

“You almost had me. I wasn’t expecting the Paladins of Voltron to show up.” Miralae chuckled.

“Yeah, well, we did. And it’s over.”

“Over?“

“We’ve got you cornered. Any further and you fall off the roof,” Lance shouted over the rain.

“Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem.” Lance furrowed his brow as Miralae whistled. Suddenly, two large wings pop out from their suit. With a start, Lance realized they’re wearing some sort of glider. Miralae was literally a cheesy spy movie villain. “I have to admit, this was a bit of a rush job… But I think it’ll do the trick, don’t you?“

“all right. Fine. You’ve got a way out. You’ve got the crystal. What are you waiting for?“

“Oh Lance,” they tutted. “You know how I do it. You know I have to take something… sentimental. I think this will be my final job, so I’d better go out with a bang!“ Miralae flashed those fangs in a sly, self-assured smile, and Lance wanted nothing more than to punch them in the nose as their words clicked. Keith tried to break away from the headlock again, but Miralae’s grip tightened and Keith couldn’t keep his footing in the rain. Lance’s heart stuttered in his chest; he didn’t know what to do. He looked to Keith. There was no way he could shoot Miralae with Keith in the way. He knew he was a good shot, but there’s always an uncertainty in the back of his mind. However, there’s also no way he was just going to stand there and let Miralae do whatever they wanted. Keith caught his eye. Lance was scared, but Keith looked angry.

Lance looked back to Miralae. “You’re an asshole.” And then he pulls the trigger.

Miralae jerked, losing their grip on Keith, who threw himself forward before Miralae could put the pieces together. Keith fell to the ground and Miralae looked up at Lance, opening their mouth to say something. Lance didn’t give them the chance. He shot them square in the chest. They stumbled backward, clutching the smoking hole. For half a second, Lance expected them to lunge forward, but instead they… fell backward. Right over the edge. Lance ran forward, only to stop again when they swooped back upward. Their movements were jerky, trying to control the wingsuit in the rain as they glided away. There was a single moment where they seemed frozen in air. And then they plummeted. Lance looked away.

He found Keith lying on his back. Blood poured sluggishly from the half-cauterized wound in his shoulder. Lance dove to his knees beside him and cradled Keith’s head.

“Okay, okay, you’re okay! Oh thank god, you’re okay,” Lance rambled.

“You shot me in the shoulder.” It’s not what Keith would classify as “okay“. Lance gave him a blank stare, but it slowly dissolved into horror.

“Oh god. Oh, no, no, no,” he moaned, suddenly dropping Keith’s head. His hands flew to his mask.
    Keiths head thudded against the ground. “Lance, ow.” Lance didn't even seem to notice, frantically pulling at his mask. “Lance, what's wrong? Lance?“ Keith tried to sit up. A bolt of pain shot through his shoulder, and he hissed, eyes shutting tightly. And then Lance was picking his head back up, forcing a mask onto his face. It clicked.
    “You idiot. Didn't bring a fucking mask.” Oh. Keith cursed himself for forgetting. Lance finished strapping the mask onto Keith. His head lay on Lance’s knees, a hand against his cheek. Lance stared off, into the night, rain soaking him and dripping down his face.         
       Keith was struck by that feeling he'd had the night before. God, maybe it was just the shock and the adrenaline in his system, but looking at Lance... looking at Lance he felt calm... he felt like he could close his eyes... wait. No. That was the shock. Keith forced his eyes open, tugging at the mask with his good arm.

“Lance, take the mask.” The hand supporting him clenched slightly, and Lance shook his head, biting his lip. Keith could feel Lance’s heartbeat pounding. He couldn't separate his own from everything else, but Lance’s heart was there, frantically pounding in his chest. “Lance. Take the mask back. You can't be out here. Go—go back inside. Lance? Lance took a deep shuddering breath. Keith cringed. His fingers felt like lead and he couldn't get them to undo the straps.     
    “I'm not leaving. It's gonna be okay,” Lance whispered. Keith looked up at him. Lance tilted his face toward the sky, eyes closed. Keith realized that he was almost smiling.
    “Lance, get this thing off me, or I swear—“

Across the roof there was a slam. Lance started, turning to toward the door. Another slam. Keith’s fingers still fumbled with the straps. A final slam and—

“Lance!“

“Keith!“

The door to roof had been thrown off its hinges. Now, Shiro and Hunk stood in the doorway, scanning the rooftop.

“We’re here!“ Lance shouted. The other Paladins rushed forward, and Lance saw now that they were followed by a large handful of Kola guards. A little late for all that, he thought.

Shiro knelt beside them, taking in the scene. Lance was relieved to see that he had a mask on.

“What happened?“ And then, with a glance around, “where’s Miralae?“

“They fell,” is Lance’s only answer.

Hunk joined them, and laid a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Dude, you all good? Uh, sorry to ask, but… where’s the gem?“ Shiro started to help Keith sit up. Lance wilted, looking at Hunk.

“I didn’t—“

“Here.” Lance turned back to Keith, who was offering up a hand. There in his palm, drops of rain resting on its surface, was the gem. “Idiot just had it in their pocket. Swiped it when you shot me.” Hunk and Shiro traded a look at that last bit.

Lance gasped and grabbed Keith’s outstretched hand. “You whore!“

Keith smiled. “Go inside before you die, please.”

    Keith ended up doing a brief stint in a healing pod. His shoulder was nowhere near life threatening, but he didn’t want to have to deal with changing bandages and painkillers. When he’d tumbled out of his pod after a day or so, the whole team had celebrated him as a bit of a hero, getting shot and all. Hunk had made dessert of course, and Lance gloated about being able to keep it. As far as the promise with the Kola went, they had signed the treaty as agreed. Allura had been beaming ever since.

    Keith didn’t know why he found himself walking to Lance’s room. But there he was, knocking on the door. It slid open and Lance poked his head out. It was always odd seeing him without his green jacket.

    “Oh, hey.”

    “Hey.” Keith wracked his brain for what he was there to say. He rubbed the back of his neck.

    “Uh, you wanna come in?“ Lance stepped aside. Keith hesitated, but walked in. Their rooms were very much the same, though still discernible. He wouldn’t call Lance’s room messy, but there were quite a few more… personal touches than he had been expecting. The jacket hung off a swivel chair he had dragged in from who knows where. The bed was mostly made, but someone had clearly been sitting on it. The desk was the most cluttered, like someone had emptied their pockets onto it.

    Keith noticed the red mask among the pile. “Hey, they let you keep my parrot mask?“ Lance shrugged, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

    “I don’t think they really wanted it anymore, you know?“

    Keith snorted. Lance walked to the bed and sat down, watching Keith look over the collection. Keith vaguely recognized another object resting beside the mask. Picking up a blue keychain, he turned toward Lance.

    “What does this say?“ he asked.

    Lance cracked a lopsided smile. With a chuckle, “Being sexy is a hard job, but someone has to do it.”

    Keith nodded. “Of course it does.” He set it back down before sitting in the swivel chair. “So…”

    “So?“ Lance raised an eyebrow.

    “Um,” Keith searched for words. “I don’t… really know.”

    Lance sighed. “Oh Keith. It’s okay, you don’t have to thank me.”

    “I wasn’t—“

    “I’m not going to tell anyone we kissed.” Keith fixed Lance with a deadpan stare. Instantly Lance laughed and leaned back. “Kidding, kidding.” Keith rolled his eyes, but he smiled again. For a moment neither spoke. Lance scratched his cheek.

    Keith sucked in a deep breath. “Seriously though, uh, thanks.”

    “For?“ Keith looked up to make sure he wasn’t mocking. He wasn’t. Keith looked back down.

    “For, I dunno, just having my back I guess.”

    “Hey, no prob bob. Couldn’t let you die, could I?“ Keith nodded, and they lapsed into silence again. He wanted to leave, but he couldn’t make himself stand up. He was looking at his hands when the words slipped from his mouth.

    “Why were you smiling?“

    The easy smile fell from Lance’s face. “What?“

    “On the roof. You, uh. You smiled.”

    “Oh.” Keith looked up at him. Lance was staring at the ground, hands in his lap. And, there it was again. That smile. He looked up suddenly and locked eyes with Keith. “The rain. I could feel the rain.” He shrugged, looking back down. Keith’s heart swelled, and he clenched his jaw.

    “Yeah. That was nice.” It’s an easy silence now, and Keith didn’t feel so nervous. “Uh, anyways.” He stood to leave.

“Hey, wait,” Lance suddenly said, stopping Keith in the doorway. He crossed the room and set his hands on Keith’s shoulders. Before Keith could react, Lance placed a kiss on his forehead with an exaggerated “mwah“. Keith shoved him away, wiping his forehead.

    “You ass,” he said, but there’s a smile in his voice.

“You know you love me.” Lance shot finger guns at him. Keith waved him off, and left the room.

He thinks about that last part the whole way down the hall. Yeah. He knows he does.