"Well, y'all are in way over your heads," Keith declared before taking a huge bite of chow mien.

Pidge scoffed and took a drink of Dr. Pepper. "Oh come on. We've done way crazier things then pretend to be dating."

"Like the time when we tested whether or not an umbrella will make you float if you jumped off a building," Lance chimed in, standing to get a beer.

"Or when we bet Shay we could learn Korean in a week."

"What about," Hunk added his ten cents. "The time when you took Allura's cat and put it in the fridge to try to get it to have kittens?"

"Okay, well, that time we were drunk but yeah, you get the picture," Pidge clarified.

Lance sat down again with a fresh beer in hand before speaking. "This is mild compared to our everyday stuff."

Keith stared at them blankly for a second. "Nope. Still the craziest."

"I have to agree with Keith on this one," Allura finally spoke up. She shifted on the ground in front of Hunk's legs to face Lance and Pidge who were at the opposite end of the couch. "As crazy and stupid and life threatening as your other antics were, none of them played with the desires of the heart. It's a delicate thing and I only hope this shenanigan doesn't end badly."

Lance and Pidge glanced at eachother with slight contemplation before replying in unison. "Not gonna happen."

About three hours later, Allura, all ready for bed, sat on Pidge's bed as the smaller woman took off what little makeup she had on. "I thought things were going to be awkward but I think we've moved past it," Allura was saying.

Pidge shook her head and turned to her friend. "You were criticizing Lance and I for, as you put it, 'playing with the desires of the heart' when you're here avoiding confrontation. A little hypocritical in my opinion."

"I'm not avoiding it...I am just trying everything I can to not talk to him about it."

"Allura. Allura. Allura,"

"Saying my name will not help," Allura interrupted.

Pidge continued as if she hadn't heard. "You can't ignore it. Face it. You and Keith kissed and now you wish it didn't happen."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the women, Keith, Lance, and Hunk were standing outside Pidge's bedroom door, silently listening to the conversation. They had been on their way to their rooms when they heard Pidge repeatedly saying Allura's name. Their curiosity was peaked and they couldn't resist a little eavesdropping. Now, Lance and Hunk wished for the life of them that they'd given into reason and went back to their rooms.

"BUT," Allura declared from the other side of the door. "It did happen. And now I have to deal with the consequences. Which is why I avoid it all together. I mean, think of the damage it would do to our friend group."

Keith suddenly turned away from the door, hurried down the hall, and disappeared behind the door of his own room. Lance and Hunk watched him go, wishing they'd know what to say.

"Maybe we miss heard them." Hunk's reassuring statement came more as a question.

"I hope for Keith's sake we did," Lance replied, running a hand through his hair. The two friends bid eachother good night before heading off to their rooms, both trying to gather their thoughts from the day.

"Where are you two going?" Lance asked, not looking up from the newspaper and taking a bite of his omelet.

"Out for brunch," Hunk replied, putting on his sandals.

Allura rifled through her purse. "You wanna join us?"

Lance glanced at them from the bar he was sitting at. "Nah. I got my Honeycomb cereal and a morning planned in the hot tub," he informed, neatly folding up the newspaper. "I have decided to embrace the life of a retired man living out his last years in Florida while I'm not scamming my brother."

"First off, aren't hot tubs bad for the health of the elderly?" Hunk asked, crossing his arms. "And secondly, brunch is exactly what a retired man would do."

"Wrong. Brunch is a couples thing," Lance answered, reaching two seats over to get juice to fill his glass.

Keith walked down the stairs just as Hunk and Allura scoffed and rolled their eyes at Lance's comment. Allura turned to Keith with a too-perky-for-morning smile. "What about you? Wanna get brunch with us?"

"Not really hungry," Keith half mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Allura. He proceeded to the stairs to the basement and was gone in an instant. Keith mentally scolded himself for being harsh but he really didn't want to talk to Allura right now. As soon as he stepped into the basement, he noticed Pidge behind the bar. "Isn't it a little early for a drink, Pidge?" he asked, taking a seat on a stool.

Pidge glanced up from pouring some of the concoction she whipped up into her glass. "You want some don't you?"

Keith had a brief stare down with the woman before giving in. "Yes," he sighed with defeat. "What are you making?"

"A Mojito."

"Eh. Don't feel like white rum. Can you make anything else?"

Pidge scoffed and set her own drink aside. "Oh please, I know how to make drinks."

"Really?"Keith eyed her skeptically. "Make me one of the easiest drinks in the book, a Cosmopolitan."

"Fine..." Pidge replied, not breaking eye contact. "First some lime juice, then cranberry juice, some Vodka Citron, and then Cointreau." Pidge added each ingrediant as she listed them off, mixed the drink, and poured it into a glass for Keith.

Keith nodded in approval. "Well consider me slightly impressed." He took a drink of the Cosmopolitan and immediatly regretted it. "GAH! That's disgusting!"

"I know the ingredients not the proportions," Pidge responded with a laugh as Keith attempted to get the taste out of his mouth.

"I didn't even know it was possible to make this taste so bad!"

Pidge picked up her drink. "What can I say? I've got a giift," she replied with a smirk, taking a sip. "Why aren't you going to brunch? You love brunch."

"Shhhhhh!" Keith hushed her. "I do NOT, under any circumstance want Lance to know about that. He'd tease me relentlessly."

"Tease you about what?" Lance asked from behind Keith, making the older man jump a little. Lance took a seat next to Keith. "The fact that you love brunch or that you wore socks with flip flops last week?" Lance nonchalantly opened his newspaper and grabbed Pidge's drink.

Keith gave him a glare. "I was getting the mail! It's not that big of a deal!"

Lance sipped at Pidge's drink before she pulled it from him. "Nice Mojito. Perfect amount of lime."

"Really? You can make a perfect Mojito but your Cosmopolitan is undrinkable?" Keith said. He burried his head in his hands, gaining both his companions gazes.

Pidge leaned on the bar. "Yeah this is deffinately about more then a drink and brunch."

Lance turned his eyes from his despairing friend to his fake girlfriend. "You can't make a Cosmopolitan?" he asked, surprise and skepticism in his voice.

"I'm just not sure if it's a good idea," Hunk reasoned, sliding into a booth at a seafood diner.

Allura snorted, something which Hunk never thought he'd hear. "Why not? You like her. She likes you. You're both single. I say go for it."

Hunk scratched behind his neck. "Let's just talk about something besides romance."

Allura opened her mouth but Hunk quickly interrupted. "And that includes Lance and Pidge's fake one too," he clarified.

"Fine," Allura conceded as the waitress approached. They both knew what they wanted, having looked up the menu on the way over, so they ordered immediatly. Allura continued once the waitress left. "Pidge says Matt's really skeptical about the break in at the bar."

"Oh yeah. He thinks the theif wanted something specific, not money, right? Mystique seemed pretty torn up about it. Can't say I blame her though," Hunk replied, unwrapping his silverware.

"I thought the only thing stolen was some kind of toolbox. Why would she be upset about that?"

Hunk shrugged. "It was her grandmother's. In any case, I hope Matt figures it out soon."

The conversation turned to the latest drama at the police station, tensions between partners and new recruits, and the new supermarket that opened a block away from the apartments. Their food was brought to the table and the two made quick work of trying the coastal cuisine.

Hunk cringed as he tasted his biscuits and gravy. "Gah! This gravy!"

"What's wrong with it?" Allura asked as she took a bite of his food. She gave the taste thought as she chewed. "I mean, it's not the best but it's not bad."

"Not bad? The gravy is not thick, is very salty, and there is no pepper! It's not that hard to make!"

Allura raised an eyebrow at the man across from her. "Is everything okay with you, Hunk? You'd never usually nitpick a dish unless it's your own dishes."

Hunk placed his napkin on the table as he stood. "I need to speak to the cook immediately!" he exclaimed, looking around for a waiter or waitress.

"Hunk. This is ridiculous. Just sit d..." Allura didn't finish as Hunk chased after a confused looking waiter. She rolled her eyes with a sigh and continued with her breakfast.

Allura kicked her shoes off at the door and placed her purse on the side table next to the coat rack. She looked around the entry, living room, and kitchen for her coworkers before hearing commotion coming from out back. She made her way across the living room and through the opened sliding doors to the porch. She couldn't help but laugh at the scene that greeted her. Keith, fully clothed was in the hot tub with a volleyball floating next to him. Pidge was dying of laughter but Lance stood cringing.

"LANCE!" Keith yelled climbing out of the tub.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you weren't tall enough to hit it!" Lance defended, quickly fleeing off the porch and toward the ocean.

Keith chased after him in his soaked clothes. "You hit it too high!"

Pidge and Allura composed themselves as they watched Keith chase Lance around the yard. "Hey Pidge," Allura started after a second. "Have you noticed anything different with Hunk lately?"

Pidge turned her attention to Allura. "Not really. Why?"

"He was really picky about his food this morning."

The shorter woman raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Huh. That's not like him. I wonder if something is going on."

Allura shrugged in responce. "I have enough drama in my life currently."

She barely had time to finish her sentence before Lance barreled onto the porch and hide behind Pidge, which was an amusing sight considering Pidge was much shorter then the bartender. Keith was only a second behind Lance. "Coward," he declared when he saw the Cuban' s hiding spot.

"I am not a coward!" Lance responded, steppinng around his fake girlfriend to face Keith. "I just don't like fighting."

Allura let out a scoff. "Since when? Last month you had me eat two burgers in one sitting so I could prove to Matt that yours was better. Burgers still make me sick, by the way."

"That was not a fight but an argument, Lulu. There's a difference."

"Don't call me Lulu," Allura interrupted, to which Lance completely ignored.

"I do not like actual fights okay? That's why I'm not a bouncer," Lance said, leaning with his arm on Pidge's shoulder.

"Do you know what bouncers do?" Pidge questioned with complete seriousness.

Keith let out a little growl before heading to the door. "I'm gonna go change," he muttered before disappearing inside.

Allura watched him go, wishing that he'd at least acknowledge her. A sigh subconsiously escaped her lips.

Lance gave Pidge a questioning glance. "Let's go look at the water!" Pidge answered, grabbing Lance's hand and running toward the ocean. Pidge was apparently successful in avoiding his silent question as Lance's mind left Allura and instead focused on Pidge, who was surprisingly fast. Just as their feet touched the cool ocean, they heard a scream coming from the house.

The two turned toward the direction of the scream. "Oh come on!" Lance exclaimed. "First I run from Keith, then I run to the ocean, and now I have to run back to the house! Do you think it's really an emergency?"

A slightly deeper scream was heard before Pidge could answer. "I'm guessing yes," she said, rushing for the house.

Lance groaned in annoyance as he ran to catch up with her. "Stupid cardio."

I feel like this ending was a little rush but anywho!

Please REVIEW!

~Pickles