Work Text:
"Temporarily Galra Looking"
Keith normally loved going on missions, but this particular one could have gone better than it did. He had been tasked with spying on another quintessence depot. Why everyone kept assigning him to covert missions was beyond him, but he still went, thinking maybe this time would be different. It wasn't.
After the disaster of a mission, Keith found himself in the med bay, peeling his armour and under suit off under the watchful gaze of Coran. Keith didn't know why Coran was there; only that the Altean almost freaked out when he mentioned that he had been doused with quintessence on the mission and there had been several bouts of pain.
At first, Keith didn't notice anything off until he peeled off his under suit. He wasn't a stranger to finding dark marks on his skin with how many vargas he spends on the training deck, but the dark marks he saw weren't bruises. There were actual splotches of purple. His breath started coming in pants as more splotches were uncovered.
Keith looked up at Coran, and his reflection caught his attention. He was now sporting dark purple cheek stripes (one on each cheek), and his hair was no longer black but was dark purple on top with a magenta color underneath. He fought the urge to whine at his appearance. He normally didn't mind his Galra heritage because it wasn't visible, but now, he had some Galran features.
He fearfully turned to the Altean and asked, "Why do I look like this? Is this permanent?"
Coran scanned the Red Paladin with what looked like a barcode scanner and nodded when it chimed. "Ah. Just as I thought. Being doused with the extra quintessence has brought out some Galran features in you, but don't worry, Number Four. These features should disappear in the next twenty-four vargas."
"Thanks. Can I hide in here until then?"
"Why would you want to do that?"
"Because me looking like this will either scare people or make them think-"
"Keith, if anyone thinks of you differently, then that is something they need to work on. You are no different than when you first arrived here in the castle. Now, off you go. Take a shower and stay off the training deck for the next forty-eight vargas."
"Forty-eight?"
"Just in case there are unforeseen consequences, which there shouldn't be any," Coran finished in a rush as to not alarm the Red Paladin any further.
Keith quickly made his way to his room and jumped into the shower, not really wanting to look at his reflection again.
%%%
Lance had heard that his boyfriend was back from his mission, and he was anxious to see him. It was still new to them to be calling each other boyfriends, but it felt like the right move.
He made his way to Keith's room and knocked on the door. "Cariño?"
He didn't get a response, and, even though he didn't think it was open, he tried to open the door. Surprisingly, it was open! He stepped into the room and heard the distinctive sound of the shower turning off. Before he could leave, Keith exited the bathroom with just a towel around his waist and a towel over his hair.
Both Lance and Keith froze at seeing the other standing there. Lance blushed slightly at seeing him in little to no clothes.
"Lance, what are you doing here?" Keith was glad that he put a towel over his hair, and he could explain away the splotches as bruises, but there was no way to explain away the cheek stripes.
Lance adverted his eyes, still blushing. "I heard you were back from your mission and I wanted to see you. I didn't realized you were in the shower."
"I'm sure there's something else you'd rather be doing than spending time with me."
Keith's tone of voice concerned Lance. "Keith, what's wrong?"
Keith sighed. "There was an incident on the mission." Keith looked up and slid the towel off his hair. "I look like this for the next twenty-four vargas."
Keith expected Lance to recoil or something similar, but that wasn't what he did. He came closer and gently lifted his chin up. He tentatively met his eyes, which shone with his love for him. "It doesn't matter what you look like, you are still my cariño."
Fin