Superstar

Chapter 1

"Hey, Hunk, what's that?"

Lance's best friend and bodyguard glanced out the car window into the ally that Lance was pointing to; lights and loud noises were emanating from it.

"Oh. Street fight."

Lance cocked his head to the side. "Street fight? Like, as in the shadier citizens gather around to bet on two people pummeling each other?"

Hunk nodded with a shudder. "Nasty things."

"We should go see it!"

Hunk gaped as he looked at his friend. "Are you kidding?! If you so much as slightly redden your perfect movie star face, Allura will kill me!"

Lance rolled his eyes. "She's my manager, not Satan incarnate."

"Yeah, and as your manager, she makes sure that your famous movie star body is in famous movie star shape! That includes many aspects, but especially firing and or killing incompetent bodyguards who let said famous movie star body get out of said famous movie star shape!"

"Well, you better come with me, then," Lance said cheerfully, opening the door and hopping out of the slow-moving car before Hunk could stop him. Hunk cursed and slammed on the brake, parking the car on the curb and locking it.

"Lance! Get back here!" he whisper-shouted.

"Better come get me, then," Lance whisper-shouted back, pulling his hood up and melting into the crowd. He almost immediately bumped into a short boy with glasses, who gave him a glare.

"Hey! Mind watching where you're going?!"

"Sorry. Aren't you a little young to be at a street fight?"

"Aren't you a little too model-citizen to be at a street fight?" the boy shot back, then let out a deep breath. "Sorry. The name's Pidge. Care to make a bet?"

Lance looked up at the impromptu stage at the two competitors. A massive man and a skinny teenager with a- was that a mullet? "Uh, I'm betting on the big one. Want to take me up on that?"

Pidge shrugged. "I've got enough bets to cover it. Sure. How much you want to bet?"

"Uh-" Lance subtly rifled through his pockets. "How about fifty?"

Pidge gave him a look. "Wowww, you show great faith in your champion."

"A hundred, then."

Pidge shrugged. "Sounds good."

Hunk finally caught up to him, panting and apologizing to all of the people he'd pushed past. "Lance! We shouldn't be here!"

"Pipe down! I've gone and bet and the fight's about to start!"

"Sendak! Kogane! You know the rules? Knockout or stage throw!"

Sendak smirked. "Shouldn't be hard. Want to bail now, kid?"

Kogane's gaze stayed level and defiant. "Nah, I'm good. You feeling lucky?"

Sendak laughed. "Obviously I am if I've got a slip of a kid like you to fight."

"Enough trash-talk! Fists ready! Fight!"

Sendak immediately landed a heavy hit to Kogane's ribs and sent him flying across the stage. Lance sucked in a breath, wincing. That looked painful. Sendak marched across the stage to where Kogane was struggling to get up and kicked him in the ribs. Lance heard people upping their bets against him to Pidge quietly.

"Stay down."

"No- way-" Kogane hissed, attempting to push himself up.

Sendak hauled him up by one arm, clearly intending to dump him over the edge of the stage.

He never got the chance. Lance didn't see how Kogane moved, it was too fast, but one instant he was dangling helpless, and the next moment he was behind Sendak, head-locking him and throwing him off of the stage before he had a chance to recover. The crowd went quiet in shock, and Lance quietly handed Pidge one-hundred dollars, his eyes wide as he looked at Kogane.

Pidge started collecting other bets from people, grinning to himself. Up on the stage, Kogane offered Sendak a hand. Sendak ignored it and stormed away. Kogane shrugged.

"Hey!"

Someone shoved Pidge, and the small boy stumbled back. "Whoa. Hey. You lost. Fair and square."

"There was nothing fair about that fight!" he growled, "You hustled us!"

"No, you'rethe ones who- oh- my- there's an awful lot of you. Heh. Keith!" he shouted, "Time to go!"

Up on the stage, Kogane looked around and saw Pidge, backing away slowly from the people threatening him. He jumped lightly off of the stage, making his way easily through the crowd. Pidge ducked behind him, and Kogane gave all of them a quietly bored look. "Move."

They moved.

Pidge shot them a smug look as he passed, safe in Kogane's shadow. The instant they were out of the alleyway, Lance saw them bolt for it, disappearing into the night.

"Well that was... weird," Lance commented to Hunk. His bodyguard nodded.

"Yeah. This is why we don't go to street fights." He glanced around nervously. "Can we go back to the car now?