I'm still here

Lesson learn

"Rise and shine keef," lance pushed Keith out of his hammock as keith cried out falling on the floor. He scattered to his feet seeing he was the only one in the gun deck as lance looked annoyed.

"What's the matter with you?" Keith shot.

"How'd you sleep?" Lance cooed.

"Better when you weren't around," Keith scoffed.

"Good good, cause your late for work mullet," lance smacked the back of his head.

"I had to feed the crew on my own without someone to clear the tables so don't be bitching when your stuck with dishes duty for the next few months," lance walked away as keith  clenched his fists trying to not strike lance with his anger bubbling.

"Why am I stuck with it?" Keith spat.

"Your up at dawn, I'm up before the sun even comes up, that's enough to sleep in for ya but if your my cabin boy you can't be slacking," lance smirked back at him. "I have a reputation,"

"Oh no, not a reputation," Keith said flatly as they went to the kitchen.

"Imma clean up the kitchen, I want those dishes washed and dried and put away by the time I'm done, we're scrapping barnacles today," lance winked back at him as he threw a towel at keith.

"There's no way I can get all that shit done in time!" Keith cried out.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have been sleeping in," Lance cooed standing up to Keith as he put his finger under his chin to make him look up. "Lesson learned?"

"Fuck off," Keith slapped his hand away.

"I'd get a move on keef, be a shame  if we fall behind even more," lance twirled him around and snapped him with the towel against his bum.

Keith gasped in surprise and spun around to lance as he went to throw a fist at lance but his robotic hand caught it with ease.

"Times tickin' lad," lance towered over him smugly as keith snarled at him.

"Stupid cyborg with stupid robotic arm, telling me what to fucking do, he's my age," Keith cussed under his breath storming off as lance smiled watching keith head to where the dirty dishes were stacked as red chirped a meow sitting on his shoulder.

"What? I like the fire in his eyes," lance giggled at the shapeshifter as red turned into a pair of eyes that matched keiths violet ones as he blinked up at lance dreamily.

"Knock it off ya little demon," lance laughed at his pet as he went to go clean his own kitchen.

——

"Put ya elbow into it!" Lance called as he watched Keith a few feet away as they dangled on boards that where held by two ropes on each side like a swing as keith was on his knees trying to scrap the barnacles off the side and bottom of the ship as lance was making more progress with his robotic arm having more strength.

"Cut me some slack!" Keith threw a barnacle at lance as it hit him in the head making lance cry out but Keith covered his mouth trying not to laugh. He inhaled softly and smirked to himself as lance rubbed his head.

Allura looked over board at the two with a small frown on her lips as she watched the cook with a steady eye.

"You fret to much captain," Lotor noticed her with a sly grin.

"I know your history with the cook is intriguing-" "the only reason I agreed to let that drop out on my ship is because of our history, a friend doing a favor mister Lotor," Allura adjudged her hat as she walked over to the tall galra hybrid.

"Either or, he is a hard worker, chief or cadet," she sighed with light blush on her cheeks looking away. "I owe him that much,"

"Yet you never found him romantic?" Lotor teased and Allura snapped her head to him.

"Remember your place mister Lotor," she warned.

"Of course princess, I hold nothing but respect for you," Lotor looked down at her and Allura sighed with a smile on her face.

"That's why your my first officer old friend," she touched his arm gently and walked back to her office.

Lotor smiled back at her door as he nodded gently but looked back at the deck below as he made eye contact with Sendak who glared darkly at the officer.

"You wish to say something?" Lotor confronted him, as Pidge and hunk watched them after stopping their own conversation, Pidge sending a glare at Sendak and shook his head.

"Remember what's in your blood boy," Sendak snarled and grabbed a barrel to throw over his shoulder as Lotor glared at him but said nothing.

"Sendak will be the end of us," hunk whispered under his breath for only Pidge to hear.

"He better learn his place soon and to keep his mouth shut unless he wanted lance to find out he can't bite his own tongue back," Pidge hissed nodding.

"Who knows if it'll be worst or better if lance takes care of him before or after the mission," he smirked back at him as hunk chuckled.

Hunk smiled as they heard their cook and the cabin boy below as they scrubbed the barnacles off the ship.

"I don't get why he does the shitty jobs," Pidge huffed a little. It was odd for their captain to hold a job that has the least respect.

"You haven't been around long enough man, lance enjoys getting his hands dirty, he's always been the one to shoot first, to do whatever he needs to succeed, a true captain, and it holds least suspicion as a plus," Hunk whispered to him as Pidge understood. It made sense.

"I'll never understand how he's good leader, but he does a damn good job of it," Pidge nodded as he grabbed a flask from his boots and took a swing quickly before they got caught.