Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was an uncomfortable silence in the lounge as the Paladins stared at Allura and Coran. Keith's eyes shifted from one to the other, wondering if he had actually heard what they had just suggested.

"You want me to what?" Pidge asked flatly.

Coran and Allura shared a glance, obviously uncertain.

"The Blade has asked us to infiltrate this... disreputable establishment." Coran's nose scrunched up in distaste as he pulled up the image. "Apparently, one of the frequent customers there is an ally of Zarkon's and tends to boast about knowing valuable information once he has had a bit to drink. It also seems that he carries copies of that information on the tablet he always has."

"Yeah, I got that. What does that have to do with me?" Pidge's voice had dropped into a growl as she glared at the two.

"Well…" Coran couldn't look at her anymore. Keith couldn't blame him as he scooted a bit further away from the furious ball of genius.

"It has been shown that a female is a lot more likely to be let into there with fewer inquiries as to her background." Allura stepped in, looking somewhat regretful.

"Looks like some things don't change across the universe." Keith heard Shiro mutter. A glance showed that he did not look happy about this turn of events.

Quite frankly, no one seemed to like what the Alteans had suggested.

"Then why does it have to be me?!" Pidge protested, jumping to her feet. "I mean, Allura, you are very much the type who would easily be let in."

Allura opened her mouth to respond, but Coran beat her to it. "While that may be true," now Allura glared at him as well, "her face has already been spread across the Empire's holdings. They'll recognize her in an instant!" His arms waved as he emphasized his point.

"Yeah, but…" Pidge trailed off, the fire dimming in her eyes as she clutched the bottom of her shirt. Keith had never seen her so tense.

"Uh, nope." Hunk said, standing up to be next to her. Lance was right behind. "Nope, nope. We're not doing this."

"Hunk, please - " Allura asked, but Hunk held up his hand.

"Nope. Pidge's uncomfortable, so we're not going to do this." Hunk put his foot down, and the way that Lance was crossing his arms and glaring said that he was geared to fight for this as well.

Which, yeah, Keith could understand. He even agreed that they shouldn't force Pidge to do this. He hated the thought of sending her in there. It did leave them with a problem though.

"Then what do you suggest?" Allura asked, exasperated. "We need that information if we wish for our assault on Zarkon to be successful."

Hunk and Lance exchanged a look over Pidge's head. "Lance?" Hunk questioned.

He smirked. "Dude, if you didn't suggest it, I was gonna offer." Lance turned to Allura. "Allura, let me borrow your closet!"

They all stared at him. It just barely managed to not be as awkward as before.

"What?" Allura's eye was twitching.

"Well, where else am I supposed to get girl's clothes that might fit me?" Lance rolled his eyes, arms thrown out as though this should be obvious. "I mean, you were gonna let Pidge use your clothes, right? I need 'em."

"Wait," Shiro's brow furrowed, "are you suggesting - "

"Not suggesting, I'm saying. I'm going to go." Lance said as he planted his hands on his hips.

"Uh…" Keith couldn't but look Lance up and down. "You're not serious, right?"

Lance gave him a withering look. "Do you have any bright ideas? Because I'm pretty sure that out of all of us guys, I can pass the best."

Well, Keith could admit that out of the male members of the team, Lance was the one who could be considered "pretty." His slim build, nice face, and skin care routine really helped in that regard.

Still, something didn't sit right with Keith at the thought of sending Lance into the equivalent of a skeevy bar. It wasn't as bad as the thought of sending Pidge, but it was still up there.

Coran, Allura, and Shiro were all exchanges looks though, and at Shiro's resigned look, Keith knew that his opinion wouldn't account for much.

"All right." Shiro said, finally. "But - "

"Alrighty then!" Lance grinned, clapping his hands together. "Let's work some magic!" He walked towards the door, grabbing Allura's arm as he went by and pulling her along.

"Okay, so, obviously I need something that fits my figure. I know that…" Lance's voice faded as they made their way down the corridor, and Keith wondered what on Earth Lance was talking about.

He couldn't help but think that just from the way he was yammering on, Lance knew a lot more about women's clothing and fashion than he would have assumed.

Keith looked up as Shiro gave a deep sigh, running his hand down his face. "What are we doing?"

"Don't worry so much." Hunk reassured. "Lance knows what he's doing."

That didn't really make things better. And seeing Pidge worrying her bottom lip and tugging at her shirt, Keith knew he wasn't the only one feeling this way.

"No, seriously," Hunk picked up on their nervousness, "Lance has been doing theater stuff for years. He's got tons of experience with this sort of stuff."

"Like pretending to be a girl?" Pidge tried to sound like her usual snarky self, but she wasn't quite pulling it off.

"Well…" Hunk looked off to the side. "You know how the Garrison did have some 'cultural' clubs and stuff in order to try to round things out for state requirements."

"Yeah." Keith thought back. Everyone was required to be in some sort of after hour activity. A lot of them were sport related but there had been some more artsy stuff. He personally had gone with a fencing class, which was really lucky now that he was fighting with a sword as his bayard. He'd tried going to the art club, but he hadn't liked the nosy way they'd try to peek at his drawings.

"Well, Lance's main clubs were the swim team and the theater group. Although he also helped with the arts and crafts group, the shooting team, the archery club, and some sort of save-the-environment group." Hunk said.

"Really?" Pidge adjusted her glasses. "And he still was top of cargo with good enough grades to switch to fighter class?"

"Yeah, Lance is used to being busy because of his family. It's why he takes his downtime very seriously." Hunk explained.

Keith, however, was trying to think back to what he knew about the theater club. "Didn't they do Romeo and Juliet once?" He vaguely remembered going to see that.

"Yeah, they did!" Hunk lit up. "Did you go see it?"

Keith tried to fight the blush coming up in his cheeks. "I, uh, really needed extra credit in English." Literature was not his thing, especially when it came to picking up symbolism and foreshadowing.

Hunk blinked in surprise while Pidge snickered. "Wait, so you didn't notice Lance in that?" He frowned.

"Uh, no?" Keith desperately thought back, but he didn't remember Lance as any of the guys in it. Then again, he didn't really remember seeing Lance at all at the Garrison, much to Lance's displeasure.

"Oh, my God," Hunk bit his lip, his shoulders shaking slightly. "You didn't realize - "

Whatever Hunk was about to say got cut off as Allura finally returned. "Well, I've set Lance up with everything he's requested." She smoothed out her skirt before taking a seat next to Shiro. "He seems incredibly aware of women styles and make-up."

"I think he mentioned once that he had a sister who's a beautician or something?" Pidge offered, clearly trying to think back. "I wasn't really paying attention…"

"Yeah, his second sister works at a beauty salon. She does everything from hair to make-up to spa treatments. She's the one who got Lance started on his face masks and stuff." Hunk explained. "She's pretty cool."

Keith mulled that over as the conversation went on in the background. It suddenly made a lot of sense why Lance insisted on keeping to his beauty routine. Not only did he insist he needed it, but it probably reminded him of home. Keith could understand that.

Things slowed down as they all waited. Keith was starting to get bored. Seriously, how long should it take to get dressed like a girl? Wasn't this a somewhat time sensitive mission that he needed to get ready by tonight?

Keith furrowed his brow as he glanced at the door. He wasn't the only one as he noticed even Pidge and Shiro frowning at it.

"Is it supposed to take this long?" She muttered to Hunk, who was seated next to her now.

""Lance takes his looks seriously." Hunk offered, then he perked up a bit. "Though that sounds like him now."

Keith blinked and tilted his head. Faintly, and growing louder every second, he could hear the click of heels coming from the halls.

Shiro sighed in relief. "Lance, it's good you're finally…" His voice trailed off in shock as he stared, slack-jawed, at the person coming through the door.

Keith could empathize because he was in a similar state. Pidge, Coran, and Allura, too.

Hunk was the only one with a knowing smirk on his face.

And it was well warranted, because if Keith hadn't logically known that that was Lance, he would never have guessed.

To start off with, Lance was obviously wearing some kind of wig. Brown curls that matched his usual hair color fell down the length of his back. His make-up was incredibly on point, with his eyeliner at Shiro's level and blue and silver eyeshadow making the blue in his eyes pop. Not to mention that his lipstick was making that satisfied smirk all the more obvious.

His dress was full of swirling shades of blue, quite literally changing before Keith's eyes, and it reminded him of the ocean. The dress was sleeveless, showing off toned arms that was encircled by a delicate bracelet on Lance's right wrist. The material seemed to hug Lance's figure on top, showing off what seemed to be a slight bust and coming together at the waist before the ruffled skirt went down the rest of the way, the hemline right above his knees. Lance's dress was short enough to showcase his long, smooth legs, while still being fairly modest. The whole ensemble was finished off with a pair of dark blue shoes on his feet.

Shoes with six inch heels to be exact.

Keith gulped. Holy Quiznak.

Lance's smirk widened. "Like what you see?" His voice was pitched slightly different, sounding a tad more feminine.

There was a clicking noise as several jaws snapped shut.

Hunk chuckled. "You look lovely, Lance." He gave him a look over. "I'm always amazed at how real those look." He nodded towards his chest.

Lance's smirk turned into a smile. "Yeah, it's the same technique my sis used before she started her hormone treatments."

"Did…" Shiro stumbled over his words as he stared at Lance's legs. "Did you shave your legs?" Keith couldn't tell if he was impressed or horrified.

He directed his own gaze to Lance's legs.

Lance lifted a leg up to inspect it. "Actually, I always shave my legs." He said matter-of-factly. "Got into the habit when I joined my first swim team and I found that I liked how it felt."

Pidge snorted.

"Hey, if you're allowed to not shave, I should be allowed to shave."

Keith drifted out of the conversation as he continued to stare at Lance's legs.

Technically, he had known that Lance shaved his legs. It had been all too obvious the time they had attempted to go to the pool. But it was different this time. Somehow, with the combination of the skirt, the sashay, the quiznaking heels -

It suddenly occurred to Keith that they were about to send Lance into an alien bar/club dressed like this.

"We can't send Lance in there!" Keith blurt out.

The conversation paused as everyone looked over at Keith.

"What?" Allura reared back. "Keith, we've discussed this - "

Keith knew that they had to send someone in, that they had to get this info, but still… "We can't send him in looking like that!"

"Then what was the whole point of this?!" Lance planted his hands on his hips, cocking his hips slightly. "I have to look like this, otherwise I won't be able to get close!"

"If you go in there looking like that, you'll -" Keith struggled to come up with the right words. "You'll get eaten! Or something…"

They all blinked at him.

Surprisingly, Lance was the one who broke out in a smile first. "Awww! Keith, you care about me!"

"What?!" Everything in Keith screamed at the thought of showing attachment. It had never worked out that well with anyone besides Shiro before. "No! It's just - I don't want someone to take advantage of you!" He crosses his arms and turned away.

Lance chuckled, stepping close. "It's okay. I can handle myself against unwanted attention." He smiled reassuringly. "We need this information; that's why I'm the one going." He patted Keith on the shoulder and gave a small laugh. "Heh, that's why back at the Garrison, I played Juliet that one time."

Keith's brain short-circuited. "You what?" He stared at him.

Hunk was snickering in the background.

"Yeah, excuse me, what?" Pidge seemed to be on the same wavelength as him at least. Coran and Allura just looked confused.

"Oh, well, I did theater club stuff at the Garrison," Lance turned to Pidge to explain, not knowing Hunk had already told them, "and though I was originally given a different role, our original Juliet dropped out when she learned that Nikolas Anderson from Communications was Romeo. And none of the other girls wanted to deal with that."

Pidge's expression twisted in disgust and recognition. "Handsy Handerson? Who the heck thought that was a good idea?" She snorted. "I don't blame them."

"Yeah." Lance agreed, and Hunk nodded along. Personally, Keith couldn't remember who they were talking about at all. "I mean, I love the ladies, but I'm not gonna touch if it's clear it's not wanted or don't have permission.

"Anyway, I was originally supposed to understudy Romeo, but our director offered me the role of Juliet instead." Lance shrugged. "Tried to give me a whole spiel about authenticity and all that, but man, I jumped at the chance like a kid jumps on the bed. On one condition."

"What?" Shiro looked intrigued at this point.

Hunk and Lance shared evil grins. "No one could tell Anderson I wasn't actually a girl."

Pidge's face cracked into a gleeful grin. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Lance replied. "He kept hitting on me for the entire production, but I managed to keep his wandering hands away the whole time. The only time I almost failed was during the final show when he tried to cop a feel during the bows and at that point I had no need to restrain myself from 'accidentally' breaking his hand."

Hunk and Pidge fell into laughter and even Allura had a satisfied smirk on her face. Coran and Shiro exchanges proud looks, but quite frankly, Keith was trying to wrap his brain around the fact that Lance had been Juliet.

He may not have remembered much about the performance, but he did recall that the Juliet had been an outstanding and energetic performance, making her death even sadder as she laid silent and still at the end. He never would have thought that that had been a guy on stage, much less Lance.

If Lance was really that good, then Keith was rapidly running out of excuses.

"Back to my point," Lance drew their attention back to himself and Keith glanced up and started at how Lance was smiling at him, "I can take care of myself, Keith. Don't worry."

Keith looked away. He still didn't like this.

"Besides," Lance lifted a few locks of hair aside to reveal his ear, on which dangled a familiar looking earring, the only difference being that it was a royal blue, "Allura's given me a pair of her communicator earrings, so it's not like I'm going in there totally alone. You'll be able to hear what's up!"

"Yes, we're not about to send Lance in there without backup." Allura stepped in to reassure him, though she was looking at Pidge and Hunk, who had started to look worried despite Lance's explanations. "We can not send the Lions down, so Lance will be taking a pod. Whoever goes with him shall remain there in case something goes wrong."

Keith saw Hunk opening his mouth to volunteer, and he couldn't help but be a little miffed. Sure, Hunk was Lance's best friend and the one who had brought up Lance doing this in the first place, but Keith didn't want him to be the one to go.

Before Hunk could offer though, Shiro spoke. "Keith, you'll be going with him."

"What?" Hunk and Pidge squawked, Hunk looking disappointed.

Keith just blinked in surprise and he glanced at Lance, almost expecting him, his so-called rival, to protest as well. Lance looked unexpectedly chill about this decision though, just shrugging, "Okey-dokey."

"Awww, I wanted to go." Hunk pouted.

Shiro sighed. "Hunk, if things go bad, your weapon isn't exactly… subtle." They all thought of Hunk's cannon for a moment. Yeah, taking that into a club to backup Lance would draw more attention and panic if the situation was already bad. "If need be, Keith can get in and out easily, and his close combat experience will allow him to take out opponents quickly."

"Don't worry, dude," Lance assured Hunk, throwing an arm around him. For the first time since he walked out, Keith could clearly see that it was Lance under that get-up. "I'm sure a mission will come where we can show our killer moves."

"Yeah, but still…"

"Dude."

"Dude."

Hunk and Lance shared a look, seemingly having an entire conversation right there and then.

Finally, Hunk sighed. "Fine."

"Awesome sauce. Now, I'd full-on hug you, but I don't want to mess anything up." Lance adjusted his dress a bit as he lowered his arm. He turned to everyone else and smiled. "So we gonna get this show on the road?"

After that, things picked up. Allura and Shiro gave the official briefing, all of the details regarding the establishment and target displayed for Lance and Keith. They went over the plan several times, though Keith was frustrated by how vague Lance was on how he'd get close to the guy.

All too soon, the two of them were being led to the pods. Coran took Lance aside for one final thing, and it was then that Pidge came up to Keith, who was prepping the pod.

"I'll be monitoring the situation from here. I managed to get access to the security cameras, so I can keep an eye on things." She said, leaning against the side.

"Good." Keith said, flicking some switches. He could feel her gaze on him, but he blatantly ignored her.

She sighed. "Look, Keith, I know you're worried, but I think Lance really does have a handle on this. Unless he asks for it, you really cannot be jumping in there at the first sign of danger." Keith shot up to glare at her but she held up her hand to stall him. "It's not like he is completely useless at close combat. Not as good at it as shooting obviously, but not too bad."

Keith shot her a deadpan look. "He's wearing six inch heels, Pidge." He hissed.

"And he's working them like a runway model. I have no doubt he can fight in them if he's capable of even walking in them." Pidge frowned and she slid her glasses up her nose. "I wonder where he learned that…"

"My sisters used to dress me in their hand-me-downs." Lance explained, popping up beside Pidge. He smirked at her surprised yelp and then climbed into the pod with a lot more grace than Keith was expecting in that outfit. "My brother would laugh, but at least I can rule the day in heels."

Pidge and Keith exchanged a look. Quite frankly, the more Keith heard about them, the weirder Lance's family seemed. Which kind of explained why Lance was so weird.

"Let's go, Keith!" Lance shouted, beginning the launch sequence from the co-pilot seat.

"Fine." Keith leaned back to shut the hatch, but Pidge's hand stopped him. He glanced at her curiously.

"By the way, Keith, I saw how you've been looking at Lance," Pidge smirked as dread filled Keith's guts. "Make sure you keep your own hands to yourself!" She cackled as she removed her hand and the hatch fell shut.

Keith became intimately aware that he was now shut in a small space with Lance, while Lance was dressed like that, and there was surely a deep blush spread across his face at Pidge's words.

"What did Pidge say?" Lance asked, leaning over to glance back at Pidge.

"Nothing!" Keith protested, voice cracking. He cleared his throat at Lance's skeptical eyebrow raise. "Nothing. We've got information to retrieve."

Without another word, they launched into space.

Chapter Text

Acting was one of the things Lance knew he was good at.

If there was any time for him to contribute to the team in a way only he could, it was now.

He knew the others were worried, even Keith it seemed, but he had to do this. It was better than forcing Pidge into an uncomfortable situation and he was more than willing to do it.

Keith landed the pod at the port. His knuckles were white where they clutched the controls, and his mouth was an even thinner line than it usually was when he was upset.

"Hey, man." Lance said softly, prompting Keith to turn to him. He gave him a reassuring smile. "I got this."

Keith looked away. "I know."

"So no busting in like the hot-headed mullet brain you are, okay?" Lance grinned at the flat glare Keith directed at him.

He tilted his head a bit, raising his eyebrows, in response.

Finally, Keith sighed and looked away, his cheeks reddening. "Fine." He said it like Lance was asking him to wade through mud or something.

"Good." Lance took a moment to make sure that everything was set with his appearance. He did not need something slipping at a crucial moment. "How do I look?" He grinned at Keith, hoping he'd catch the teasing tone in his voice.

He was met with a surprisingly serious look as Keith gave him a onceover. "Good." Keith burst out, a slight blush painting his cheeks as he quickly looked away. He cleared his throat before continuing, "You look good, Lance."

Lance felt a blush rising to answer in his own cheeks and let out a strangled laugh. "Thanks." He turned away towards the door, wondering at the fluttery feeling in his stomach.

With a final nod, Lance opened up the hatch and walked out, letting it fall shut behind him. With a brush of his fingers, he turned on the comm unit. "Alright, let's do this." He said.

He squared his shoulders. All right, just like my sisters always say. He thought to himself as he checked which way he had to go. Walk like you're on a mission to kill someone.

It wasn't too far off from what he was planning on doing.

Lance walked out of the station, heading towards the bar. The click of his heels made an incredibly satisfying beat as he made his way there. He could feel the weight of multiple pairs of eyes on him, but he ignored them in favor of his goal.

It wasn't that hard to find the place. It actually looked pretty similar to clubs and bars on Earth. Neon lights declared the name of the joint in alien letters as a line formed leading up to the door.

"Okay." Pidge's voice sounded in his ear accompanied by the familiar clack of computer keys. "First off, it looks like you got to get past the bouncer."

Lance smirked as he got in line. He should have known that Pidge would be keeping a close watch on his back.

"A what?" Allura asked.

"A bouncer." Hunk quickly explained. "On Earth, that's what we call the guy guarding the door of a club or bar who checks IDs and stuff…" He went quiet for a moment. "Okay, I know the whole point of this was so Lance could get in with few questions asked, but shouldn't we have given him some form of ID?"

There was a pregnant pause at that. Lance had just been thinking the same thing himself.

"Quiznak." Coran summed it up nicely.

"Don't worry. I got an idea." Lance thought back to his siblings' stories of how they would sneak into places like this.

"What?" Keith's indignant voice broke through. "But -"

"I got this." Lance hissed, before fixing a smile on his face and slipping one of the supplies Coran had snuck him into his hand. Thank god Alteans at least seemed to believe in having dresses with pockets.

The bouncer kinda reminded Lance of Gantu from Lilo & Stitch, except he was only about seven feet tall rather than as big as a house. His skin was a dark navy color and seemed to be rubbery with two not-quite-tusks coming down on either side of his face. He had four arms, all crossed over the front of his wide chest and he was dressed in a black tank and slacks.

He made a very intimidating picture.

It was finally Lance's turn to get inside.

The bouncer glared down at Lance. "Identification." His voice grated over Lance's eardrums but he made sure that his smile didn't drop.

"Alright." Lance made a slight show of checking his pockets before widening his eyes in horror. "Oh… I… I seem to have forgotten it." He glanced up at the bouncer. "Is… is it really necessary?" He started twirling a lock of hair around his finger.

The bouncer didn't have eyebrows but Lance could practically sense the metaphorical one rising.

"Are you kidding me?" Pidge asked, sounding disgusted.

"Why? What's he doing?" Keith sounded unnerved.

"Oh, right. Let me hook you up with a visual."

Lance ignored the commentary as he made a show of pouting. He leaned in close and put his hands on top of the bouncer's higher set. "No, really, is it really necessary?" He drew back and batted his eyelashes.

And gave a significant look at the GAC he'd slipped into the bouncer's hand.

The bouncer didn't miss a beat. He nodded towards the door.

Lance grinned at him. "Thank you!" He practically bounced into the club.

The inside was as reminiscent of Earth as the outside was. Bodies large and small crowded what Lance assumed was a sort of dance floor. Music, some weird mix of techno, disco, and country from the sounds of it, pulsed through the air, so loud that Lance could practically see it. Lights flashed and swirled in ever changing colors, giving the impression of stars and shifting nebulas through the darkened room.

"Did… did you just bribe him?" Allura sounded practically offended over the line.

"Excellent, Number Three!" Coran spoke over her. Lance could almost imagine the surprised looks they were giving each other.

"Well, it's better than some other methods he could have used." Shiro tried to placate them. Lance just hummed to show he'd heard them, but he got the distinct feeling he'd be ignoring them a lot.

His gaze flicked over the crowd and the bar but didn't see the target yet. Lance had timed this so he would have at least ten minutes before the guy usually showed up so he could acquaint himself with the place. Wandering up to the bar, he pinpointed the exits and what appeared to be cameras. At least he'd have an idea where Pidge and the others would be keeping watch.

As he came up to the bar, he discreetly used the scanner in his pocket to check the beverages displayed. He glanced down at it. Phooey, only one thing safe for humans that didn't have ethanol. Well, he'd take it, if only to blend in. With a gesture, he called for the bartender and made his order. He got a nod before the eight armed bartender turned back to her work.

Lance drummed his fingers on the bar as he waited for his drink.

He really hoped this work. After all, with different alien species there had to be different standards of beauty. He may look appealing to humans and Alteans, but who knew about anyone else.

He didn't notice how many people were already taking note of him. He was too busy looking for the target that actually mattered in this instance. At least until someone managed to sidle up to him.

"Hey." Lance turned and raised an eyebrow at the masculine guy that had come up to him. His green skin practically glowed in the shifting light, and his flirtatious smirk revealed sharp teeth. "What's a," his eyes raked over his form, "fine specimen like you doing in a place like this?" His grin grew as if he'd said something particularly clever.

It wasn't as bad as some of the lines he had heard before, but suddenly Lance felt a surge of sympathy for Allura.

I'm so sorry for all the pick-up lines. He thought as he turned to the guy with a strained smile. But at least mine are better than this guy's. Seriously, who calls someone 'specimen?' Out loud, he said. "Getting a drink, of course." At that moment, the bartender helpfully set his drink on the counter. Seeing that the guy was aiming to pick it up, as if Lance was stupid enough to let that happen, he quickly swooped in to get it.

As he raised it to his lips to take a sip, Lance caught the flicker of disappointment on the other's face. Yeah, I got your number, dude. The guy quickly recovered and slapped the smile back on his face.

"I like someone with a bit of a spark to them." His grin widened as he purposefully licked over his teeth and Lance distantly wondered if that was supposed to be attractive among his people. Because to him, it was just making him look deranged. "Care to dance?" His voice dropped suggestively.

Seriously, Lance had barely even been here for five minutes.

"Not particularly." Lance grimaced at both the guy's flirting and his drink. Jeez, it tasted like brussel sprouts and undercooked beef. How did that even happen?

"Ah, c'mon, don't be like that, babe."

Lance's eye twitched as he frowned at the guy. He wondered if there had been some sort of glitch with the translation technology, because did this guy who he'd just met really call him babe?

Well, at least he wasn't the only one who'd heard it, because Keith was fuming on the other side of the comm.

"Who does this guy think he is?!" Keith hissed, and though Lance couldn't see him, he just knew that Keith was currently fiddling with his bayard or sword in agitation. "You seriously just met!"

Pidge and Allura on the other hand were making sympathetic noises, and just the thought of either one of them, but Pidge especially, coming across creeps like this made Lance's blood boil. Sure, Lance liked flirting, but if someone made it clear they weren't interested, he backed off. And he flirted because he thought people were pretty and awesome and he wanted to get to know them better. Who knew where he might find someone to fall in love with?

This guy clearly only had one thing in mind though.

"I am not your 'babe'." Lance still wasn't sure that's what he'd exactly said, but the translators would take care of any hiccups. "And I am leaving." He needed to get a better vantage point of the room if he was to find the person they needed. He turned to leave, but the other guy snagged his wrist.

"Hey, we were having - " What he was about to say got cut off as Lance twisted his hand to yank the guy's hand off him and then completed the move to lock the guy's arm behind him. He only needed his one hand to do it as he took a nonchalant sip of his drink. "Ah - ah - hey - "

Lance coolly looked down at him. "No touching without permission." He stated, squeezing his hand and arm tight to make his point.

"Yeah, I got it!" The guy's voice sounded a bit strangled, but hey, that wasn't Lance's problem.

"Good." Lance said, finally releasing him. He stumbled away as Lance watched, and Lance felt a thrill of satisfaction. That guy probably wasn't going to be trying anything any time soon.

Lance glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. He probably shouldn't do anything to draw attention to himself, but he couldn't help it. Luckily, most people didn't seem to have really noticed given how busy and crowded this place was. He did see a few approving looks though and as he settled back at his spot at the bar, the bartender gave him a reassuring smile and a wink before moving on.

"Well, that was fairly impressive."

At the comment, Lance prepared himself to face another skeezball. Instead he found himself face-to-face with his target.

"Oh, yeah, the target's walked into the bar." Pidge sheepishly supplied, a bit too late. It appeared that the others may have gotten as caught up in the drama as Lance.

Well, cheese and crackers. Lance had been hoping to establish a more ditzy character to lure him in, but now he'd just have to go with it.

"You think so?" Lance raised an eyebrow. "Do you need the same treatment?" He tried to brush off what he'd just done.

He was met with a hissing chuckle. "Oh, no, don't worry," their target slid into the place next to Lance, "I promise to behave." His smile wasn't the biggest reassurance Lance had ever gotten, but at least he knew that his disguise was working.

Their target was an Digoxtrian by the name of Xylod. They were a more reptilian species, with scales and wicked looking claws at the ends of their three fingers and claws. Xylod was pretty typical looking for his species, dappled tan and brown scales on his face almost giving the impression of freckles sitting on his cheeks. Like most Digoxtrians, he had a ridged brow and small spikes dotted the top of his head like a punk hairdo might back on Earth. He was swathed in dark brown clothes and a satchel was thrown over his shoulder.

Digoxtrians were known for their mining capabilities, both for various metals and water, which made sense for their hot, desert planet. According to the Blade, Xylod was one of their top engineer and had been seen coming and going from Zarkon's main ship. It was worrying to say the least and they didn't want any project of his to interfere with the assault on Zarkon.

But, of course, Lance wouldn't know any of this upon meeting him, so he played along and leaned back against the bar. "Well, as long as you promise." He took another sip of his drink and tried his best to not grimace. He was definitely going to need some of Hunk's space hot chocolate when he got back.

Xylod chuckled again and ordered his own drink before turning back to him.

"Okay, so you got him… now what?" Hunk asked in his ear. Luckily, Lance had a plan. Or at least an idea of what he could do here. Before he could start making his move, Xylod started first.

"So, you have a name to go with that charming personality?" He asked, coming off a lot more suave than the last guy. Still, he definitely was a bit awkward in his wording.

Lance distantly heard a frantic shuffling. "We didn't come up with a name!" Pidge was probably facepalming herself from the sounds of it. Yeah, as if Lance would have taken advice from someone who had come up with Gunderson as a fake last name.

Lance smiled at Xylod. "Any guesses?" He joked.

Xylod chuckled. "Well, on my planet we refer to the sky as Blumetta. It would suit your eyes." He winked at him.

Lance couldn't help the slight twitch that widened his smile at the comparison. That was surprisingly nice. "Actually, it's Elaine."

He heard the incredulous echoing of the name from his teammates and tried to tamp down on his outer reaction.

Lance's mom loved stories. Whether written, spoken, or in film, she loved collecting stories and sharing them. She had always been fond of stories of King Arthur no matter the format. Heck, that's where Lance came from; even though Lance had always thought Lancelot was a jerk, his mother loved stories that involved him. So back when he had to choose a name to use when he was playing Juliet, he had gone with an Arthurian character, but one he felt more sympathy for.

"Elaine." The name sounded strange coming from Xylod as if he couldn't quite wrap his tongue around the sounds, but it was close enough to understand it. "What a pretty name."

Lance laughed. "It's actually somewhat plain where I come from."

"Really." Xylod seemed surprised. At that moment, the bartender gave him his drink and after thanking her, he turned back to Lance. "Do you… look plain for your planet as well?"

Lance remembered the reactions of the rest of the team and the way Keith had blushed earlier. He grinned. "I'm fairly sure I fall on the higher side of average."

Xylod laughed. "Well, aren't you a delight." His grin showed off his sharp teeth. "Hey, I do have a private booth if you'd like to talk more." Even though they were talking to each other, they had had to practically yell over the loud music. A private booth would allow them to lower the volume a bit, making it easier to hear each other.

Lance gave it a thought, and looked at the satchel Xylod had without really looking at it. That was probably where Xylod had any devices stored. He was keeping it close, not wanting anyone to grab it, but in a smaller setting he might relax a bit more. Though at the same time, there would be less to distract him and give Lance the opportunity to get at it.

"Uh, Lance, there aren't any cameras around the private booths…" Pidge started to sound nervous, and that was not reassuring information.

"Lance, you are not going with him." Keith ordered, sounding somewhat frantic.

He could understand their worries, but still…

This was the better option.

"Promise to keep behaving?" Lance offered a smile up.

"What are you doing?!" Keith immediately shouted.

Xylod's grin widened. "Naturally." He got a second drink before gesturing before him. "Follow me." With that, he started to make his way over to the short steps leading up to the private booths.

"Lance." Lance had never heard Keith being so serious before as he hissed through the line. "Lance, do not go with him." Beneath Keith's voice, Lance could hear the protests from the rest of the team as well.

Lance lowered his voice so only the comms would pick him up. "I know what I'm doing." He said as he followed Xylod. "Don't worry too much, mullet."

"I'm not - "

"I'll handle this." And while pretending to brush a lock of hair behind his ear, Lance switched the comm's settings so that while the others would still be able to hear him, he wouldn't be able to hear them. As much as their commentary was a bit funny at times, he couldn't afford to be distracted.

"Coming?" Lance looked up to see Xylod waiting, a hand outstretched to assist him with the steps.

What a gentleman. Lance chuckled at the stray thought and grinned up at him, "Of course."

He totally had this.

Chapter Text

No matter what Pidge said, Keith was not sulking.

He totally wasn't. So what if he was stuck in the pod as Lance infiltrated a weird alien bar while all dolled up and looking pretty? So what if Lance was now in a closed off area where they couldn't keep an eye on him?! SO WHAT if he was alone with their target who could do anything to him?!

SO WHAT IF HE'D TURNED OFF HIS END OF THE COMM SO HE COULDN'T EVEN HEAR THEIR ADVICE?!

Keith wasn't sulking. He was fuming over Lance taking such risks.

There was a difference.

Keith was sure he'd feel the same if it was anyone on the team. He'd be even more worried if it had been Pidge like Coran and Allura had originally suggested. The only exception was maybe Shiro since he'd once seen Shiro benchpress both Lance and Pidge at the same time with his Galra arm.

A giggle that was nothing remotely like Lance's actual laugh broke through the comm and Keith glowered at the screen before him. Pidge has brought up the camera that had last seen Lance, the one on the stairs to the private booths. Pretty much it meant that they were staring at the additional bouncer stationed there.

"I can hear you glaring from here." Pidge deadpanned. The others had backed off as nothing else was really happening, though something told Keith Hunk was right there watching and worrying with him.

"I'm not glaring." Keith grumbled, glaring harder.

"Dude, they're just talking." Hunk pointed out.

"As far as we can tell." Keith crossed his arms, fingering his Marmora blade for the umpteenth time since Lance had left the pod. "We can't see. For all we know, they could be - " He cut himself, not even wanting to imagine what that guy could be doing to Lance.

"After that display earlier, I'm pretty sure we'd be able to tell if something was happening." Pidge countered.

Yes, that had been… somewhat surprising. Keith had thought that Lance was being his normal oblivious self as he hadn't seemed to notice how many people were staring at him and giving him looks. And he'd been getting plenty. At least half the people in the bar, both on and off the dance floor, had been entranced by Lance the moment he'd stepped in. Keith couldn't help but think that even without the bribe that bouncer would have still let Lance in. But Lance hadn't even given it a thought, too caught up in his mission mode which was the only time he was really serious.

For a guy who seemed to want attention, it was shock that he didn't notice when he actually got it.

And it probably would've stayed that way until that creep had slid up to him. Keith had held himself from just bursting in himself to take care of things but then…

Lance had easily taken care of the guy. With a cool, unamused expression on his face, he brought the guy to his mercy with only one hand, never dropping his drink.

Even Keith could admit that that had been a sight to see.

Luckily, it didn't seem to have hindered their operation, as Lance had managed to draw Xylod's name from him as they made their way to his private booth and now they were just chatting away. Xylod was talking about his home planet Digoxtri, and Lance, without actually naming his planet, was comparing it to the deserts of Earth. They seemed to be having a grand old time.

Keith's hand curled around his blade at another giggle as he narrowed his eyes at the screen.

Yes, a real grand old time.

He really hoped that Lance was doing what he was supposed to be doing. Then again, Lance was actually really dependable when it came to missions. He'd had to keep Keith on track plenty of times.

"Yeah, man, it's just distracting small talk. I'm sure everything's fine." Hunk said this, but it sounded like he was trying to reassure himself as much as Keith.

Keith sighed and leaned back in his seat. Hunk was right, but that didn't make his irritation lessen at all. He just really, really hated this mission.

He shut his eyes and let the cadence of Lance's voice slowly make the tension drop from his shoulders. As long as Lance was still talking, things were probably fine.

Pidge and Hunk started their own conversation, obviously bored with the lack of action. Keith found himself paying minimal attention, but ready for the slightest change that could indicate that Lance needed him.

He still wasn't expecting it when Lance's voice rose with his familiar brand of indignation.

He immediately sat up, alert, and could hear the others gather around the comm as well, their questions of what was going on falling on deaf ears.

Keith's brow furrowed.

Were… were Lance and Xylod arguing?

Keith leaned in closer, and he wished he'd been paying more attention to what they'd been saying, because as things grew more heated, it sounded like they were talking about…

And that's when they all heard a telltale click, all other noise on the comms immediately silencing.

At first, Lance had thought Xylod had a private booth because he was frequently entertaining people back there. No one gave Lance a second glance as they walked to Xylod's booth, after all. Then again, the type of people willing to pay for a private booth were also the type to be willing to turn a blind eye as long as the courtesy was returned.

No, it turned out that Xylod was a total lightweight.

Lance had no idea what the guy was drinking but after a few more, Lance could see all the usual signs of drunkenness. Slightly slurred speech, not enough that anyone other than someone right next to him could tell, a dopey grin constantly on his face, and slowed, clumsy movements told Lance that this guy was hitting the juice a bit too hard and fast.

Luckily, Lance could turn that to his advantage. Xylod's satchel has been placed in between the two on the seat, at Lance's request so Xylod could "behave himself better," and a subtle glance inside when he had "accidentally" knocked it over when trying to lean closer had revealed the very tablet that the Blade had told him about.

It was way too easy to attach Pidge's "Bug," or at least that's what Lance was calling it, to the device. It was something that Pidge had been working on with the Olkari to help make data extraction a bit easier if they were trying to be more covert. Apparently, it acted like a super-awesome spy flash drive. When attached to an electronic storage device, as it didn't even need a port it seemed, it would hack into the device and immediately copy all information on the device to its hard drive. It'd give a small buzz when done and then you'd just have to pick it up, put it in Pidge's receiver back home and presto! Lots of information for you to sort through.

Of course, they couldn't use it on ships' computers right now. Those simply had too much information stored on them to be contained on the small quarter sized Bug. Plus, it took too much unnecessary information. They didn't need to know everything.

Pidge was still trying to refine it, hoping to use it to mine data on her family, but it served well enough in general for now. As they just wanted the information Xylod had without raising suspicion, it was perfect for this mission.

Lance slipped it into his hand and stuck it on as he used said hand to balance himself as he leaned in. He just had to distract Xylod for a bit while it did its work.

At least that hadn't been too hard. It was actually interesting hearing about his home planet and comparing it to Earth's deserts was kind of fun.

"So did you hail from these deserts on your planet?" Xylod somehow managed to be fairly steady and somewhat charming even with the amount he'd drunk. "You would be quite the oasis among such harsh conditions."

Lance found himself laughing and blushing despite himself. "No, I went to the desert for… work." Well, to be fair, if he had continued at the Garrison he probably would've been based there when he wasn't flying. "I'm actually from an island on my planet."

"An island?" Xylod frowned, so something might not be translating right. After all, though Digoxtri had pretty much no water above ground, save for some springs in mountainous regions and the occasional oasis, Xylod had already said he'd traveled around.

"You know, a smaller piece of land surrounded on all sides by water." Lance gestured with his hands to indicate an island shape.

"Ah." Understanding lit up Xylod's eyes. He took another sip of his drink and waved at the server in the section to bring him another. "And what type of work could have drawn you from the waters of your home?"

"I'm a pilot." Lance knew that that wouldn't give anything away. When it came to planets capable of interstellar travel, there were plenty of pilots from dozens of planets. Technically, Earth wasn't even on the map when it came to this since they couldn't even leave their own galaxy on their own.

"A pilot?" Something in Xylod's expression changed. Since the beginning of this, he had looked at Lance with interest. But this seemed like something different and Lance didn't like it.

"Yes." Lance replied, not showing any of his inner thoughts on his face as he smiled. "What about you?"

"I'm an engineer." Xylod brushed off his words, surprisingly intent. He didn't even look at his new drink as it was set down next to him. "Is your flying as good as your looks?"

Lance raised an eyebrow. That was an odd question. "Well, I am pretty good." He was a Paladin of Voltron after all.

Xylod nodded his head, and smiled. "You know, my employer's always looking for good pilots."

Since the Galra didn't seem to have anyone working with them unless they were conquered and enslaved or cowed by their power, Lance highly doubted that. But as the Galra hadn't been mentioned yet, he played dumb. "Digoxtri sounds lovely to visit, but I don't think I'd be suited to live there." He laughed lightly.

He reached down and put his hand on top of the Bug. Something was off and Lance wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

"I wasn't talking about anyone on Digoxtri." Xylod smirked. "I was talking about the Galra empire."

At that moment, the Bug buzzed under Lance's fingers.

And Xylod had given him the perfect excuse to cut out.

"I thought Digoxtri was outside of the Galra's influence." Lance said carefully as he pried the Bug off and safely stowed it in his pocket. Jeez, the planet they were currently on wasn't even conquered by the Galra yet.

"Yeah, for now," Xylod flippantly said, taking a deep draw from his drink. "We all will be under their thumb eventually. Why not get on their good side early?"

Lance's fists curled and he narrowed his eyes. "You really think that'll matter in the end?" He couldn't help the disbelief in his voice. "Zarkon and his forces don't care about other people!"

"I don't need them to care as long as they see I have purpose." And when Xylod leaned forward to caress his cheek, that's when Lance knew he was drunk. He didn't seem to notice Lance jerking away from his touch. "I'd hate to see someone as pretty as you get ruined by the Galra."

As flattering as that was, Lance remembered Shiro's expression when he had a flashback, Pidge's blank stare as she toiled through waves and waves of data on the Galra's prisoners, Allura's restrained grief, Coran's covered up sorrow, Keith's fear when he found out his heritage, and Hunk's determination to get past his own anxiety.

His cover slipped.

"I will never fight for Zarkon or his empire." Lance practically growled, completely honest.

Xylod pursed his lips. "You may not have a choice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lance narrowed his eyes. His body tensed in anticipation.

"I can't have anyone finding out I work for the Galra." Lance wondered how he'd react to knowing his drinking habits had already given him away.

"So?" Lance slid his fingers down towards the edge of his skirt. He'd been hoping it wouldn't come to this, but luckily, Coran had listened to him when he asked for something a little extra.

"I can't simply let you walk away knowing what I just told you." He reached out and grabbed Lance's left wrist, almost the same way the guy at the bar had earlier with his right hand. Except Xylod's grip was even tighter, his claws beginning to prick Lance's skin.

Lance winced. "Xylod, let me go."

"Elaine, listen, you - " Xylod leaned closer still, his other arm clearly intending to wrap around him.

Yeah, Lance wasn't about to let that happen.

Lance drew the small caliber laser pistol strapped to his thigh and aimed it right below where Xylod's belt would be if he had one. Understandably, Xylod froze as the safety clicked off.

One of the fun facts of the universe so far, Lance had learned from talking to Coran and Pidge, was that if you were dealing with a person that walked upright on two legs, there was usually something under the belt. It may not be the same as humans, but it was important to most sentient species.

And it looked like that fact was still holding true.

"Why - why do you have that?" Xylod seemed to have sobered right up. Staring down a gun could do that.

"Well, on my planet they always say you should have protection." Lance tried to say nonchalantly. Admittedly, people usually didn't mean this kind of protection, but the point remained.

"Even at a bar?" Xylod sounded slightly hysterical, and quite frankly, Lance was surprised that no one was paying attention to them yet. It probably helped that the gun was below the table.

"Well, yeah. Pretty sure that outside a war zone that's where I'm gonna need it the most." Lance admitted.

Xylod's eyes narrowed, calculating. "Who are you really?" He hissed.

Lance raised an eyebrow. It's not like he could tell the truth, but he could give a half-truth and a half-lie. "Just a pilot who thought it'd be alright to have a night of fun on a planet not controlled by the Galra." He leaned in. "Now, I'm going to leave, and unless you like being shot at, I'd suggest you don't follow."

"I can't let you leave knowing what you know." He said weakly, his claws digging into Lance's ensnared wrist.

"All I know is that you're apparently buddy-buddy with the Galra." Lance flatly said. After all, as far as Xylod knew, all he'd been aiming for was some conversation and dancing. "Or is that worth losing this?" He presses his gun just a bit closer.

Xylod visibly gulped, but on the plus side, he finally let go. "Fine." He hissed, and for the first time, he truly sounded reptilian.

"Glad we can understand each other." Lance said, holstering the gun and standing up, quickly making his way back towards the stairs.

The prickling sensation that something was wrong was still there though, so Lance clicked his comm's receiver on. "Hey, Keith - "

"YOU HAVE A GUN?!" Keith yelled at him.

"Where did you even get that?" Hunk asked at the same time, sounding halfway to a panic attack.

"I retrieved it for him from the armory, of course." Coran explained, and Lance almost cracked a smile at the image of him twirling his mustache at that. "What? Was I supposed to just refuse the boy's request?" He sounded indignant, so Lance figured someone had given him a look.

"Anyway," Lance was almost at the stairs, "Keith, I may need a - "

"Wait!" One of the servers, standing next to Xylod's table, called out to him. They signaled the other servers. "Hold it right there!"

"Quiznak." Lance swore as the bouncer next to the stairs moved to block his exit. He glanced around and picked up the pace. There! He detoured towards the bar.

"Lance, what's going on?" Shiro urgently asked.

"I guess Xylod doesn't take rejection well." Lance quipped, breaking into a run. Stay on your toes if you ever have to run in heels. His sisters' voices whispered in his head. "Hey, if Keith could meet me outside, that'd be great."

"Yeah, but how are you getting out in the first place?" He could hear the clack of Pidge typing through the comm. "I don't - "

Lance reached the edge of the private area and leaped off. Throughout the bar were poles that he assumed helped to support the roof. He latched onto the nearest one and used it to swing around to floor. He winced a bit as the impact from landing jarred his legs.

"Oh," Pidge said weakly, "there you are."

"I'm on my way." Keith finally acknowledged his request.

Lance brushed some hair aside and saw that most of the bar was staring at him. He glanced back at the private booths and had an idea. "No means no, Xylod!" He called back and then headed to the nearest exit.

Lance knew that he instantly had most people in the bar on his side with his implications. Glares were directed towards Xylod as he peeked over the private area's wall. Lance hid his grin. That guy was probably never going to get lucky here again.

"Sorry for pausing the party everyone," Lance shot the dance floor a regretful smile. "Maybe some other time." With a wink and some quick finger guns, he hardly slowed as he shoved open the door.

"Okay." Lance didn't stop as he heard the bouncer in the front being radioed. "Where we meeting?"

"Go through the alley to your left for the pick-up." Pidge ordered.

"Got it." Lance nodded and followed her instructions. At the end of the alley, a familiar pod appeared.

It opened to reveal Keith smirking at him and Lance returned the look with a grin.

"Need a lift?" Keith asked.

"Well, since you're offering." Lance cheekily replied, leaping up and swinging himself into the pod.

The hatch snapped shut and they were headed back to the castle. They managed to get away before any of the bar's bouncers reached the alleyway, so it was a clean break.

Lance sighed in relief and sank into the shotgun seat. Things had gotten a bit dicey there at the end, but luckily, everything had worked out.

"So mission complete?" Pidge and Hunk popped up on the video screen, but Pidge was the one who spoke.

Lance smirked and held up the Bug. "As per usual, I saved the day!"

Hunk and Pidge rolled their eyes. "You really did this time, man." Hunk was smiling up at him.

"And I expect space hot chocolate for my hard work." Lance said with a sniff. That was the only thing that could heal his tongue after what he'd forced himself to drink.

Hunk laughed. "Sure, whatever you want, buddy."

"We'll meet you in the hangar." Pidge said and then she closed the window.

Silence fell in the pod. Lance was fine with it as he scratched at his wig. Jeez, these things were always so heavy and hot. It was even worse than wearing their helmets.

Surprisingly, Keith was the one who broke the silence. "I didn't know you had a gun."

"Well, I wasn't about to walk into something like that unarmed." Lance said, not quite paying attention as he was slightly distracted by his wig.

"You could have told me."

There was something in his tone that made Lance look at him. Keith looked distracted himself, not quite scowling but still slightly frowning. He thought back to the way Keith had been worried before the mission.

"Would that have helped relieve your worries?" He paused when Keith looked at him quizzically. "Before the mission?"

Keith looked forward. "A bit." He mumbled so softly that Lance barely heard him.

Lance felt a softer smile cross his face. "Sorry for worrying you." Part of him wanted to tease Keith, but considering Keith rarely blatantly showed how much he cared about anyone other than Shiro, Lance decided to just take what he could get. "I mean, I probably could have handled everything without it, but it helps to have insurance, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah." Keith grumbled, fully focusing back on piloting. Still, Lance knew his words had reached him as his grip on the controls wasn't as tight anymore.

The castle was within sight, so Lance decided he could afford to relax and tugged the wig off. He sighed as the cool air of the pod met the top of his head, though he grimaced as he ran his fingers through his sweaty hair. Ugh, he needed to shower before this sweat affected his skin.

A noise from beside him made Lance turn back towards Keith. He blinked as he saw that not only was Keith no longer paying attention to where he was going, but his face was bright red as he looked at Lance.

"You okay?" Lance asked, frowning a bit. This wasn't the first time Keith's face had turned red today. Was he coming down with something?

"Yeah." Keith's voice was a bit strangled, as he looked away again. "Just - you look good."

"Yeah, you said that." Lance's brow furrowed. Seriously, what was up with Keith? He'd been acting weird all day. "Though the wig really helps - "

"No, I mean," Keith seemed to struggle finding the right words, "you look even better now."

Lance blinked, that fluttery feeling from earlier coming back. "No, I'm pretty sure the wig is what really completes the look. That's what makes me look so good like this."

Keith landed the pod in the hangar, and he refused to glance at Lance. His face was now the same color as his Lion. "Yeah, but now you look more like 'Lance.'"

Lance could feel his face darken, and forget fluttering, it felt like there was a dance party going on in his stomach. What did Keith even mean? "I - "

The hatch popped open and Pidge followed it up, startling both of them. "Hey, where's my info?" She asked, making grabby hands at him.

Lance let out a startled laugh. "Uh, here - here you go." Suddenly, he felt a strong urge to be anywhere but here. "Well, uh," he took Hunk's offered hand to get out of the pod, "I better go change." And he started running out of there as quickly as he had run out of the club.

Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough to not hear Keith say in a dazed tone, "He really can run in heels…"

Pidge and Hunk's laughter followed him out into the hall, and Lance wondered if it was that and all this running that was making his heart pound so hard. Surely, that was what was making him feel so flustered.

Well, whatever. The mission had been a success, and it was all thanks to Lance. He was sure that whatever this was it was just because of how weird the mission had been. It was just adrenaline and all that jazz.

Right?

Chapter Text

Bonus:

"Hey, how's it going?" Hunk asked, wiping his hands after working on Yellow as he walked up to Pidge.

Pidge paused in her typing to stretch and she gratefully accepted the distraction. "A bit slow. He had everything encrypted but I'll probably break through by tomorrow. He's not a specialist in code so my programs aren't having too much trouble." She shrugged. "So far, as much as I can tell, he was working on something for the druids. I keep seeing the word quintessence pop up."

"Ugh, that's probably not good." Hunk grumbled as he settled next to her.

"Still, that was something." She grinned up at him. Pidge knew she wouldn't be able to express how grateful she was that Hunk and Lance had put their feet down and stood up for her. She didn't mind dressing up every now and then, but dressing up and going into a bar had given her goosebumps.

Besides, she doubted that she could have handled herself half as well as Lance.

"Yeah, I think Lance enjoyed himself." Hunk admitted. "Well, when he wasn't having to deal with creeps hitting on him."

"True." Pidge nodded, before she remembered something. "Oh, hey, check this out." She minimized her work, letting the programs do their thing, and instead pulling up the intergalactic communication system.

Lance called it space Internet.

She leaned to the side so Hunk could get a better look at what she'd found earlier. He got closer, squinting at the screen and then rearing back.

"Is that…" Hunk glanced between her and the screen, disbelief coloring his face and voice..

"Yep." Pidge giggled, a mischievous grin taking over her face.

"How - Why - " Hunk didn't seem to know where he should begin.

"It seems Lance enchanted pretty much everyone in there." Pidge continued snickering at all of the posts and calls for the beautiful and mysterious "Elaine" to contact them.

"Lance would be the one who could walk into a room and instantly have everyone become infatuated with him." Hunk concluded.

"Yeah. But I don't think we should ever tell him." Hunk nodded his agreement and the two scrolled through the multitude of posts. Pidge leaned back just before a terrible, horrible thought occurred to her. "Hey, want to go spy on how awkward he and Keith are? I think they're both at supper now."

"Do I?" Hunk grinned. Pidge returned the look as she hopped off her desk and both of them scurried off to watch how Keith and Lance continued to dance around each other.

About five minutes later, Coran walked in. "Number 5, how are things - " He paused as he noticed she wasn't there. "Well, I guess I'll just check myself."

He strolled over to the laptop and raised an eyebrow at what was on the screen. "Hmmm." Coran hummed as he looked over the contents. "The crowds really love him, huh." He twirled his mustache as he tucked the thought away for another time.

After all, Lance's skills at wooing a crowd could come in handy sometime.