Say The Word (Klance AU)

Chapter 2

Lance rocked back and forth in his chair, a lollipop from his candy stash melting in his cheek. He tapped his foot on the ground and glared at the little group that was conversing in the lounge. Pidge was talking animatedly to the hobo, their hands moving with every word. The person who was claiming to be Keith was listening with bright eyes, laughing every once and a while. Hunk sat on the arm of the couch, adding in little bits here and there. All three of them looked so chummy and it had only been about ten minutes. Lance's frown deepened.

Then something horrible happened. The imposter took off his beanie and shook out his hair. It fell around his shoulder and Lance nearly choked on air. He had a mullet. A long, scraggily mullet. There was no way in hell Shiro got the right guy.

This slob could not be Keith Kogane. This must have been some long and drawn out scheme Pidge came up with to get back at him after he stole their left over ramen. Pidge was pretty crazy about normal things, but when it came to food they became a snarling honey badger out for blood. A big prank like this was right up their alley.

Only question, how did they get Shiro to go along with it? He never liked to be a part of their pranks.

The conversation carried on without him, but really he didn't have anything to add. The only reason he stayed at the business table was so that he could pout without Pidge making fun of him. Really he wanted to run away. Back to his place, shut all the blinds and turn up some music. And maybe bang his head against the wall until he woke up from this nightmare. Maybe.

Greg turned out to be Keith's manager. In spite of the formal wear, he seemed like a pretty cool guy and a veteran in the fashion world. One look at the matching cuff links and tie pin could tell you that. Actually the fact the he wore both of those things was sign enough. Him and Shiro were going over a thick stack or papers but neither of them seemed too worried about it. The sight of the pile hit Lance with anxiety.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Lance's attention was snapped back to the present. Allura was smiling at him, a warm feeling settling in his chest.

"It's uh- nice to meet you too." That was smooth.

"Shiro told me all about you and the others when we went to school together. He couldn't shut up about you all, in fact." She had an accent that he couldn't really place. Maybe she was European?

Lance decided to cheer himself up and make fun of his friend. "Yeah, Shiro doesn't have many friends. It's no wonder he talked about us all the time. Honestly, I'm amazed he managed to turn your head." He covered the side of his mouth with his hand and whispered. "He's always been scared of pretty girls."

Allura giggled, stifling it with one of her hands. A cute little blush warmed her cheeks and Lance decided that today wasn't a total waste. He spared a glance at Shiro to see if he'd heard but he was too busy talking business to pay attention.

"I can't tell you how thrilled I am that Keith has this opportunity. He's been getting a little tired lately and I was really starting to get worried." And down goes his mood again. For a moment, Lance forgot that Allura was the mullet's best friend. He forgot that the guy was even here.

"Yeah, must be hard making that look presentable." He mumbled, glancing over at the trio on the couch. Mullet was laughing, a loud annoying sound that made Lance grind his teeth. The lollipop in his mouth cracked.

Allura obviously did hear him. "It's been a trying time, working so much at such a young age. Eight shows in two and a half weeks... and this is the off season. I can't imagine what things are going to be like in the spring."