Voltron was a natural high.
Lance had to admit that he was enjoying himself. For the first time in his life he felt like a teenager. He let himself be the stupid one and loved every minute of it. Of course they were in danger and he could handle that just fine, but since there were, what, six other people to share the load, this was awesomely easy! Before it had just been him and Frok, now the work was spread out more. He could actually chill! He SLEPT and even picked up his sisters habit of skin care. Because now he had the time!
He had had a little slip up when he'd protected Coran from an explosion. He really should've noticed something was wrong before it had become like that.
And when Pidge had said she was a girl, well, Lance had already knew that too. He had exclaimed loudly because he had wanted to not only hide the fact that he knew, but because he had assumed no one else knew. And then came to find out that everyone had already guessed and he just made himself look incredibly ridiculous.
And he played with that image. It wasn't like he was PRETENDING to be someone he wasn't, he was just behaving the way he would if he wasn't an Agent. He was taking this time to be the teenager he never quite had to opportunity to be. He wanted to be silly and he wanted to be on the same standing as his teammates.
When they found a mall, Lance was more than a little excited. A chance to go shopping without also being on a mission? SCORE!
When Lance spotted the Earth store and the video game Lance made eye contact with the store owner. His green skin becoming a bit more yellow with recognition. Lance simply lifted one finger over his mouth and glared. The alien nodded. Lance had overseen some of the trade that went down in between other races and their planet. Smuggling was a bit of an issue and looking inside he could tell that the the agents that covered that section would have a field day with this store.
"A f-free Kalteneker with every purchase," he said weakly, his eyes darting between Lance and his shops back door.
"What's a Kalteneker?" Lance asked as if he didn't already know. Kalteneker was the name of the poor sap that had his whole herd just up and vanish into thin air. Agent G9A3 had never found out who did it.
"A kalteneker is a kalteneker," the shop owner said, now sweating even more. Gee, lance thought, they could at least figure out that it's called a cow.
"I have to have this!" Pidge cried looking at lance expectantly. The way his niece did when they walked through the dollar store.
"With what money?" Lance asked.
"How much is it?" Pidge rounded on the alien. Lance glared behind pidges back and the Alien lowered the price.
"I think I have an idea," Pidge said and grabbed lances arm, "You don't sell that till I get back!"
"Not a problem," the alien sighed.
He wasn't working, so he wouldn't bust the owner now, but Iverson would be getting the report at the end of the week. Then maybe that poor agent that had been assigned to the kalteneker case could rest in peace.
Lance helped Pidge dig through the fountain for change and truly enjoyed himself. When they got back to the store the alien happily handed Lance a cow.
"Just one?" Lance asked and the alien nodded. Lance shrugged. He would have preferred to go home with two to give back to the family it belonged to.
()
"For someone who threw the biggest fit over not going back to Earth, you are annoyingly happy," Keith said as Lance walked onto the bridge one morning after having gotten seven full hours of uninterrupted sleep.
"I'm flexible, Keith," Lance sighed, "I still think we should go back. But since all of you are dead set on NOT even going NEAR earth for a time, I might as well make the most of it. I mean, don't you get tired of being emo all the time?"
Keith rolled his eyes and Lance grinned.
Even though he WAS enjoying not balancing three lives at once, he was also trained better than that. Once a week he used his issued communicator to send a written report to Iverson. So far there had been no reply. He wasn't even sure his boss was getting them, but it made him feel a little better to write out the week and send it. Let it not be said that he wasn't at least TRYING to do his job.
They were coming on to the Blade of Marmora head quarters. Slowly and methodically. Shiro was making preparations and giving orders
"I'll go with you," Lance volunteered and was disappointed when Shiro chose Keith. Well, not completely disappointed, he was also worried and now really wanted to be part of them going.
"Can't three of us go?" Lance asked.
"Why do you wanna go so bad?" Keith asked, annoyed at Lance persistence.
"…to smack you over the head when you start getting angry," Lance said dramatically, "Shiro's too nice to do it when it needs to be done."
"You are un-friggin-believable."
Keith stormed away and Lance felt his spirits lift slightly. If he had known it would be this much fun to pick on the guy, he would've done it at the garrison too. And then maybe his orders would not have changed.
After they left they all just hung out on the bridge and waited. Lance occupied himself by counting the tiks and dobashes. He'd felt his teammates pain when they were trying to figure out the time difference between Earths time measurements and everyone elses. Lance had had to learn that when he was ten.
"The next opening will be innnn…" Coran said, calculating it.
"Three Vargas," Lance said absentmindedly.
"…you're right," Coran turned and looked at him and Lance became aware of everyones eyes on him.
Well…crap…
"What, don't look at me, it was a lucky guess," he waved them off and didn't say anything else for the rest of the time.
When Red was seen attacking the base, Lance, although as worried as everyone else, had the hardest time not just laughing. What had he said to keith, don't get angry? And here his CAT was getting angry! It was too funny!
When they arrived back with two Blades to meet them, and they saw just how trashed Keith was, Lance felt his own temper rise slightly.
He eyed the Galra that had come aboard and, when he accidentally made eye contact with one, he switched his face immediately to his practiced disarming smile. He listened as Shiro and Keith told them what had happened and, even though keith seemed perfectly fine with everything, Lance shared Shiros irritation that they would just beat the tar out of someone that was technically one of them.
"Well, if you're ok with how it all went," Hunk said shooting the galra a glance that would've shocked rubber, "then we're ok too."
"Not cool," Pidge said ever the direct one among them, "seriously, not cool."
()
"Running, Running, Running!" Lance shouted as they ran down the hall of a Galra base.
"Shut! Up!" Pidge shouted back, "You're-"
A shot passed a little too close to her head. Lance reached over and grabbed her arm while Hunk grabbed her other one.
"Then Move Faster!"
The next serious of shots separated them. They were too large of a target.
Hunk and Pidge dove into one corridor and Lance down another, mainly because Hunk was so scarred he couldn't let go of her arm and Lane had shoved them both in that direction.
Turning two sharp corners Lance dodged into a dark room, covering his mouth and nose, forcing himself to breathe slower and quieter even though his heart was pounding. He listened to the sentries in the hall and turned his back to the door. It wouldn't be safe to leave just yet.
They had only been there to get some information. Pidge had taken a bit longer to get their logs and whatever else she needed to aid in her search for her brother and dad. Which had lead them to be discovered.
He looked around the room he'd chosen as his hideaway and almost gagged.
There was a table with what he was positive was blood on it. It was even on the floor. Lance steeled himself and moved around the room, looking for anything that he could report on that would help them fight back or protect Earth. The Table was long and Lance tried to avoid looking at it for too long.
"You guys could at least clean up after yourselves," Lance muttered darkly, "freaking bio-hazard."
As he made his way to the other side he noticed that it wasn't just blood on the floor, but hair as well.
He reached down and picked up the hair, holding it closer to the small light source in the room to get a better look at it.
The color was a deep red, and it was course, more like fur than hair, but it was long, so it had to be hair, right? Lance shrugged and dropped it, wiping his hand on this armor.
The drawers wouldn't open so he could get a look inside. And so, Lance simply waited for the right time to leave.
()
Hunk and Pidge had also found a place to hide. It was a store room and they helped themselves to whatever they found that look interesting. Also stealing the bags that held the other stuff they were taking.
As they were clearing out the bottom shelves, Hunk came across a photo.
It was stained with who-knew-what and was ripped and taped up. He handed it to Pidge and they both tried to make out the faces in the picture. It was clear that one was not human, or that one was in a costume of some sort and the other was much shorter, like a little kid.
Other than that, they had nothing.
There was a loud noise outside the door and Hunk pocketed the picture without thinking. With their ear to the door they heard a very Earth like swearword.
"Don't scare me like that," Lance hissed. Hunk and Pidge had both burst out of their own hiding place when they had heard Lance. "I thought you guys were already gone."
"Please," Pidge hissed back, "we hid like the smart people we are, now hurry and let's go."
"What's with the bags?"
"Souvenirs," They both said and Lance just shrugged and went with it.