Author's Notes: This was a suggestion from Shiranai Atsune, who wanted me to do a book about Kallura and Lotacxa.
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I haven't felt like doing my normal "epic-ness" that I usually do for VLD, so…this is pretty much the team just chilling out and having a good time.
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Ships: Plance, Shiro x Veronica, Kallura, Lotacxa, Hunay.
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This is a good guy Lotor AU.
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"You know," Keith stated one day as the Paladins, as well as Lotor and Acxa, were hanging around the ATLAS lounge, "I'm pretty sure we've all had a crush on Allura from one time to another."
Allura shoved her boyfriend off of her, rolling her eyes at Keith. "Really, sweetie?"
"No, no, it's true." Shiro smirked, playfully parting her shoulder. "We've all wanted to date you at some point. At least, all us boys." He looked guiltily over at Pidge and Acxa, who were glaring daggers at him.
"The point is, Allura, we all used to like you." Lance shrugged. "And then you chose Mullet-boy over there, and we all chose someone else." He laid a hand on Pidge's shoulder, smiling brightly at her.
Lotor and Acxa grabbed each other's hands, blushing slightly.
"Of course, a few relationships I - the love master - don't approve of, SHIRO, but we've all got someone." Lance continued, pointing an accusing finger at Shiro.
Everyone hooted with laughter, gifted with the knowledge of Shiro's relationship with Lance's sister, Veronica.
"Hey, she asked first." Shiro protested, shrugging.
"And, of course, you couldn't say no." Lance teased, shaking his head.
"Well, yeah, but-!" Shiro protested, struggling to make him understand.
"But, when push comes to shove, we've all got the right girl to balance us out." Keith interrupted, taking Allura's hand.
"That's true!" Hunk nodded, then began to smile thoughtfully. "There's this really old song called 'She is the Sunlight'. It goes something like 'She is the healing, I am the pain'. It's about this dude who basically fell in love with his opposite. I don't know about you guys, but I think it matches you two or something." Hunk laughed, nudging Keith. "Cause, you know, she has that alchemy healing stuff and you have knives."
"He does." Allura sighed, confirming it. "Forty-two on him at all times. I don't understand how they don't cut him when he walks."
"Galra have thick skin." Lotor informed her, shrugging. "It is quite difficult to hurt one enough to make them bleed."
"But still! Have you SEEN his knives?! He even has a Galasu X-90. Do you know how sharp those things are?" Allura pulled the dagger from his jacket sleeve to illustrate the point, waving her arms around.
"How'd you-?!" Keith jumped, staring at the knife.
"I know all your secrets, honey. Get used to it." Allura sneered, putting down the knife. "But, seriously, how does this not cut you?"
Keith was silent, staring at his hands.
"…sweetie?" Allura asked, leaning into his line of vision.
"Alright." Keith huffed, folding his hands. "I suppose…I should…admit this to all of you…"
Pidge and Lance immediately scrambled to get out their phones, prepared to record everything.
"My…uh…" Keith gestured his broad body, trying to ignore the cameras trained on him. "I wear body pads. To…um…make me look more masculine."
Lance snorted with laughter, even though he hadn't processed what Keith had actually said. He just knew it was something tease-worthy.
Everyone else was silent, processing this information slowly.
"Oh my gosh. I can't believe I used to have a crush on you." Acxa huffed, crossing her arms.
Lotor groaned at his girlfriend pointedly.
"Oh, I knew, hon." Allura assured Keith. "You think I haven't noticed how you get so much skinnier when you wear short sleeves?"
"We're brothers. I know all." Shiro shrugged.
"I'm disappointed in you." Pidge scolded, shaking her head.
Hunk hung his head in defeat. He had just lost a bet with Shay.
"When you think about it, it's a handy way to have armor even when wearing everyday-clothes." Lotor pointed out, shrugging it off. He didn't want to admit it, but, he, too, used to wear body pads most of the time.
"Keith." Lance said slowly, fully processing everything. "Wears shoulder pads. The butt-kick guy of our team that can take down seven sentries with one blow…who keeps more than forty knives on him at all times…wears stuff to make him seem more muscular."
"Yes." Keith frowned slightly, awkwardly fidgeting. "Um, most Galra actually are fairly skinny. Great warriors just…petite, and lithe. It was actually Kolivan who originally asked why I didn't wear pads. Apparently most Galra do to make themselves appear more savage."
"It's true." Lotor admitted, sighing slightly. "Most male Galra do."
"Do you?" Acxa balked, looking horrified as she withdrew from Lotor.
"No." Lotor comforted her, hesitating slightly. "Well, when we first met, I did. But I've changed since then, I promise! I've buffed up since then!"
Acxa didn't look like she believed him, but she didn't complain. Just frowned in annoyance.
Lotor patted her shoulder gently, smiling a little worriedly. "Body pads are a thing of the past."
"For you." Keith grumbled, crossing his arms defiantly.
"If Galra wear body pads to make themselves look bigger, do they also have stilts to make themselves taller?" Lance asked, meaning it as a joke.
There was a moment of silence from Keith and Lotor, and Lance nearly collapsed from laughter.
"No! You can't be serious! You wear stilts?!"
"I do not!" Keith protested, eyes widening in shock that his right hand-man would even think of that.
"But do other Galra?"
Silence reigned supreme in the room, in which Lotor nervously switched which foot he stood on.
"I can't believe it! Galra wear stilts! I'm significantly less afraid of them now!" Lance announced loudly, clapping his hands together as he reached the conclusion. "I kinda wish we had known this when we first started fighting them, but, man! That's wonderful."
"Perfect." Keith grumbled, wishing he hadn't come out and said it.
Judging by Lotor's stink eye, the Galran emperor thought the same thing.
Lance was never going to let him live this down.