(A/N: Quick fic inspired by @ceciledraws –> this post: https://ceciledraws.tumblr.com/post/189249499847/so-hear-me-out-post-canon-au-where-everyone-is)
It was almost Halloween and his friends still hadn’t gone out to buy costumes yet, so Lance arranged a date where they would all be free to go costume shopping and hang out. As soon he was out the door and heading to his car, his phone began to ring. He picked it up on the third ring, bringing his phone to his ear as he twirled his car keys around a finger of his free hand.
“Hey, Lance. It’s me,” a husky voice spoke. Lance rolled his eyes, smiling softly at the greeting.
“You’re lucky you have a very distinct voice Keith.”
“Lucky that you can pick me out from my voice alone, besides my haircut?” Came Keith’s teasing response. “Anyway, I’m here to pick you up.”
Lance blinked and glanced across the street to see Keith leaning against his motorcycle, helmet under his arm and phone pressed against his ear. His dark, stormy eyes were gazing directly at Lance, sending a slight shiver down his spine. Lance suppressed a grin and waved at his friend whose hair had long outgrew his trademark mullet and was kept in a ponytail. Lance walked over to him and was handed a helmet which he put on with no difficulty, having been offered rides on Keith’s bike a multitude of times since their return to Earth and the end of the war.
“Don’t tell me the others are already there,” Lance groaned, as he straddled the bike behind Keith. He wrapped his arms around the older man and ignored the urge to press his cheek against Keith’s back.
“Mmm. You took a long time getting ready. Shiro picked up Pidge and Allura on his way. They should have arrived ten minutes ago.”
Keith started the bike and drove down the street, making a sharp left and causing Lance’s grip to tighten.
“It’s not my fault my alarm decided today of all days not to work,” he complained loudly. Keith chuckled in response.
“They probably won’t mind. I heard Pidge wanted to check out some of the new trinkets at the robotics store that recently opened at the mall. Hunk was excited about it, too. That’ll probably keep them busy until we get there.”
Keith and Lance arrived at the mall no less than ten minutes later and after struggling to find a parking spot for another five minutes, entered the mall and met up with their friends who were, in fact, looking around the new robotics shop.
“Hunk!” Lance greeted his best friend, jumping on his back and wrapping himself around the larger man like a koala. Hunk dropped the item he was holding to stumble into the table and grab Lance’s thighs to keep him held up. In the corner of the shop, Keith had walked over to Shiro and Allura, falling into a content conversation with the two. Pidge stood next to Hunk, adjusting her glasses as she stared at Lance and Hunk with a small smile on her face.
“Took you long enough,” she said, then held out a tiny triangular item. Lance tilted his head at it as Hunk reached out to hold it up in front of Lance’s face, a bit too close that it caused him to go cross-eyed in order to analyze it.
“It looks like a miniature Rover,” the former blue paladin commented.
“Yeah,” Pidge nodded, her smile turning nostalgic as she reached for the item again. “It’s a cute keychain that works as a flashlight.”
Lance whistled in awe, reaching over to ruffle his friend’s hair. She squawked and slapped his hands away with a playful glare. The trio laughed and started talking about other strange items they found throughout the store until Allura walked over to them and ushered them out the store.
“Time to start our costume search,” she said, pointing over to a store where Shiro and Keith were messing about with one another and a few horrific masks.
“That one suits you, Keith,” Pidge stated, stifling a laugh as Keith chucked the Mothman mask at her. Hunk intercepted, placing the mask atop Lance’s head.
“Hey!” He whined, whacking his friend on the shoulder and laughing along with his best friend as he felt the tremors of his chuckles shaking his body. He tapped Hunk twice to let him down then walked alongside Allura as they looked at Disney princess costumes.
“You’d make a beautiful Elsa,” Lance winked, pointing over at a mannequin dressed in a sparkly blue dress and braided, light blonde wig. Allura giggled and waved a hand at the costume.
“I think I’ll pass on that one,” she said. Lance opened his mouth to respond when a shocked squeal startled the pair. They looked at one another before heading towards the loud laughter and hushed chattering.
“What’s going on?” Allura interjected, staring at Keith’s flushed face and Pidge’s shocked expression. Shiro glanced at Allura, then down to the outfit he was holding out towards Pidge and Hunk.
“Ah,” Shiro coughed, looking back up from the outfit. “We found…uh…a paladin costume…made for women.”
“Oh?” Allura hummed, brightening up as she strode forward and snatched the outfit out of the man’s hands ignoring his protests and the choking sounds coming from Pidge.
“Princess,” Keith started as Allura unraveled the costume. Everyone froze and Lance frowned as he tried to peer around Allura to see what the big issue was.
“O-Oh,” she stuttered, causing Lance’s curiosity to pique. Lance reached over and took the costume from Allura who released it without argument.
“Wow, cool,” Lance grinned causing everyone’s head to snap towards him. “What? Nobody wants it? We could all go in our color!”
“They are all like that, though,” Pidge stated.
“I’m going to go try it on! This is the perfect costume,” Lance grinned, ignoring Pidge’s statement as he rushed to the changing rooms, leaving his friends gaping and stuttering over themselves.
“Did that just happen?” Keith asked.
Lance came out after a couple of minutes passed and stood before his friends, striking a pose. His long, lean legs were mostly bare, besides the short pair of tight black shorts and knee-high boots that matched the design of their paladin outfits. The sleeveless turtleneck crop top fit perfectly on his lean body, showing off his stomach and arms. The expanse of smooth, brown skin and the way the outfit—despite being made for women—fit Lance perfectly had everyone reacting in different, yet similar ways.
Hunk stared, his face slightly flushed as he took in his best friend’s figure. One of his eyebrows raised in thought as he accessed how dangerous it would have been for Lance to wear such a thing when they were still in space during the war. Everyone would have been falling over him for sure!
Pidge blinked at Lance, glancing away quickly as she felt heat rise to her face. She always knew Lance was attractive, but she had never seen him dressed up so scandalously before. She felt too aware now.
Shiro was stuck in awe, eyes wide and face a deep red. His eyes trailed from Lance’s long legs, to his stomach. He stood in silence, drinking in the sight of Lance and felt like he could do so for hours without interruption if allowed.
Allura smiled, face warming at the sight of her friend posing in the skin-revealing outfit that looked way too good on him. She thought her friend was way too beautiful, raising a brow at the thought of him winning over everyone on Halloween. Every house would probably give him all the candy and leave none for the rest of them. She hummed softly at the thought. It would be well-deserved, though. Her eyes drifted down to his legs and she nodded to herself.
When Lance stepped out and struck a pose, Keith felt like he was tossed into a romantic film. Everything froze around him and all he could focus on was Lance, and only Lance. He brushed his bangs back as he took in the sight of Lance dressed in the paladin costume, his long legs put on display, thighs looking strong yet soft. He felt his face warm, feeling the desperate urge to run his fingers across the soft flesh of those thighs, or feel them wrap around his waist. His eyes darted from Lance’s legs to his arms, then to his stomach. He took in the image of Lance just standing there with his hands on his hips, with a soft smile on those plush lips and a faint blush dusting across his cheeks. He was beautiful, standing there in that paladin costume that suited him so perfectly as if it were made for him. If Lance chose that costume, Keith was certain everybody—including himself—would be spending Halloween worshipping him with their eyes.
“So,” Lance spoke, breaking the silence. His lips curled into a smirk and he struck another pose. “How do I look?”
Lance ended up buying the outfit, and Halloween was spent with everyone in a daze.
