A/N: This is my headcannon for Lance's flirting and pickup lines. My siblings and friends and I all flirt with each other as cheesily as possible as a joke, and it can seem really weird to outsiders. It can get to the point where we don't even know if what we're saying is suggestive anymore, so I can picture Lance being unsure how to talk to anyone if they don't understand his flirtatious manner. Thus, this fic was born.

To say there was always something that needed to be done in the castle would be putting it mildly. Even on break days, Allura felt like they were catching up on week's worth of rest, checking supplies, fixing minor problems that had been designated as 'a problem for later,' and generally just 'getting on everyone's toes' as she thought the Earth saying went. The castle might have been huge, but the seven occupants were always running into each other.

Coran and she had decided to check the gladiator arena systems to find a better way of tracking the paladins' progress. Keith was, of course, already using the room, and no one was surprised when Lance had shown up shortly after. The Blue Paladin had a knack for being anywhere something vaguely interesting might be happening and filling the castle with enough noise for twenty all on his own.

The Blue Paladin and Coran had started swapping stories while Allura checked the logs from the first few training sessions and Keith waited to be allowed back into the arena.

"Looking at these show we've made remarkable improvement from the first few training bouts," Allura told Coran.

"Aw, you mean the rest of us," Lance corrected with a smirk. "You've been top notch from day one, princess." Allura ignored him and kept working. Keith was glaring at him, but Lance didn't notice as he got Coran to tell him about the types of training the previous Blue Paladin had done.

They continued like this for a while. Any time Allura would ask Coran something or point out an issue, Lance would interject only long enough to toss a flirtatious comment her way while Keith got progressively more brooding with each one. Lance otherwise didn't interrupt their process, but Allura could help but get frustrated every time he flashed her that smirk, especially with the finger guns. She would have thought Lance would have given up by now, since she had never deigned to respond but he seemed to be almost making a game out of it. But there was only so much she could put up with.

"Alright, I believe we are finally done," she told Coran who agreed with a nod. Keith was already getting set to get back to the training they'd interrupted when Lance spoke up.

"Finally. Now we can have some alone time." He'd made the comment absently like he hadn't even been thinking about it. Perhaps that was why he was so surprised when Allura finally snapped.

"Don't you ever stop?! Why do you always flirt with me?" Allura cried. Lance blinked at her with his mouth wide open. Coran and Keith stared at the two of them, and a sharp silence fell over the room. Lance snapped his jaw shut and gave Allura a half smile that twisted his mouth.

"Sorry, princess." He shrugged good-naturedly. "I didn't know it was bothering you that much. I'll stop." He said it like it was as simple as that and gave her one more abashed smile. He left the training room stiffly and with uncharacteristic silence without glancing at any of them. The room was noticeably awkward in his absence.

"Maybe it was unnecessary to reprimand him so vocally," Coran suggested.

"Perhaps you're right," Allura agreed quietly. There was a moment after her outburst when Lance's surprise had broken into genuine hurt. He'd apologized and left too quickly for Allura to ask about it, and she wasn't certain she'd really seen the emotion.

"No, he's been flirting with you for months," Keith reasoned. The outburst hadn't been that bad, and Allura hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. She was just frustrated and curious. "He needed to know you don't reciprocate the feelings."

"Hoping he'll move on to flirting with someone new?" Coran teased with a wiggle of his mustache.

"What?! No!" Keith was spluttering and beet red.

"You're as flustered as a Podrish Manniling," Coran chortled merrily. "Maybe I'll tell the lad I wouldn't mind an extra compliment here or there."

"Whatever." Keith crossed his arms with a huff, but Allura couldn't help but notice his cheeks were still tinged pink. "It's not like he'll be able to go that long without flirting with Allura anyway. I bet she's telling him off in another month again."

Keith was right in part. The next month left Allura ready to snap at Lance in an instant. The strange part was that he really did keep his word. Or at least try to.

It was the very next day after a long impromptu battle at a Galra supply base when Shiro told the team they'd have the next morning off. Everyone was a little worse for wear even if no one had needed a healing pod; not that they would've helped with the dark bags under the team's eyes.

"Finally," Lance groaned loudly, "we can get some beauty sleep." He turned toward Allura with a smirk. "Not that you-" He strangled off what he was going to say abruptly as he realized what he was doing. The unfinished 'you need it, princess' hung in the air for a second before Lance continued on about his much needed beauty routine.

It was always like that. She'd see the Blue Paladin open his mouth to say something to her, only to close it with a sheepish and frustrated look. If he ever did start to say a suggestive line to her, he would immediately stop himself, give her an apologetic look, and change the topic.

When she noticed that her scolding had affected how Lance interacted with the rest of the team was when Allura started to really get frustrated with his change after her outburst. Lance now seemed hesitant with what he said to everyone.

It started after another successful battle. Everyone was cheering victoriously as they flew the lions back to the castle. There was a noticeable silence over the comms were Lance would typically be bragging up what everyone had done well in the battle, and Allura was worried for a second that the Blue Paladin wasn't even there. "Yeah, everyone did great," he finally added like it was the only safe compliment he could think to give the team.

He was hesitant giving out any praises now. When Lance cried out, "Coran, you beautiful man, you're a genius!" the Blue Paladin had frozen until Coran laughed. "Thank you, my boy. I couldn't have done it without that gorgeous head of yours." Lance had smiled but still been careful with how he phrased any cheerful outbursts with the Alteans and team. He stopped teasing Pidge and calling her little, and his conversations with the smallest paladin were stilted with the lack of bickering. She just rolled her eyes at Lance's behavior and called him an idiot.

The biggest change was around Keith. Lance wasn't insulting him, mocking his mullet, or issuing ridiculous challenges. Allura had never seen Keith look more confused or disappointed and watching their overly polite conversations was painful.

Their diplomatic relations started to get affected too. Typically, Lance was as confident and loud with other species as he was with the team. Allura could usually count on him being friendly, and often flirty, with any aliens they came across. He always behaved himself in important meetings and negotiations that would help defeat the Galra. His natural confidence and charisma did help ease any tensions though, so Allura had always tolerated his profuse flirting so long as it didn't jeopardize their missions. He had honored his word to not use his lines on her, but she hadn't thought it would stop him from still enjoying that with the people they came across. That had changed after their first encounter after his promise.

"Thank you for saving us, paladins of Voltron," a small humanoid alien with light blue skin had thanked them one meeting after Voltron and the castle had successfully chased away a Galra fleet. Lance had been quick with a smirk and a comment.

"We were only trying to save you, beautiful."

The alien had looked confused. "But you did not know me?"

Lance had let out a short laugh and turned to the team to see if anyone else thought the alien's confusion was as amusing as him. Keith had been glaring at him, and Allura had her stern diplomacy face on. His smile had dropped, and he hadn't said anything else until they were off the planet.

Allura had tried to brush off his change in interspecies communication until it had started to upset their relations. Lance wasn't confident anymore, and the usually charismatic paladin hesitated in how to address the people of the planets they met. She hadn't realized how much Lance could smooth over a new situation until he was fumbling for what to say. Meeting new species became a lot more trying and honestly a lot less fun without Lance's usual commentary. He even let obvious openings pass even if holding in whatever pickup line he dearly wanted to say left a faintly pained expression on his face.

The only person Lance didn't change his behavior around was Hunk. He continued to compliment and hang off the Yellow Paladin like nothing had changed. Conversations were still peppered with "Hunk, you culinary angel," and "I need a beefcake of an engineer to help me with some wiring issues in Blue, and I'll do whatever they want" with Hunk's amused smile. Whatever hesitance Lance had with everyone else, Hunk was immune to it.

The change didn't affect the team's ability to form Voltron, but it did cause a heavy and uncertain tension in the air, so Allura wasn't surprised that Shiro would see the need to fix whatever was happening. She stumbled across him in Lance in the hallway a month after the incident in the training room clearly trying to get to the bottom of Lance's sudden change.

"Are you sure you're okay? You haven't been acting like yourself." The Black Paladin sounded worried, but Lance just shrugged him off.

"I promise I'm fine, Shiro."

Allura paused at the end of the hallway to listen.

"You know you can tell me if something's wrong. You don't have to hide anything from the team. We'll understand."

"I'm not hiding anything," Lance defended.

"Then why are you so scared of talking to us?"

"I'm not! I'm just trying not to… I'm just trying to…"

"To what, Lance?" Shiro begged. "I want to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong! I'm fabulous!" Lance cried. "As fabulous as our leader." He shot Shiro two finger guns before wincing and dropping his hands to his side. "Sorry. That's… Everything's fine. I'm fine… or will be fine. I'm fine." Lance turned and fled the awkward situation. It hurt Allura worst of all realizing she hadn't seen him make his signature finger guns in a month, and that he felt guilty about it. She had clearly messed this up horribly somehow.

Shiro turned to her with a stricken expression. "I have no idea what's going on," he admitted in defeat.

"I think this is my fault," Allura sighed. "I'll go talk to him."

"I'm supposed to lead the team. I should make sure we haven't done something to-"

"-Trust me, Shiro," she pleaded. This was about fixing whatever she had caused with Lance first and foremost because she knew this was a reaction to what she had said. But this was also a little about helping and being part of the team. She wanted Shiro to know that and trust her enough to handle it.

He finally nodded. "Of course, princess." She couldn't stop the thrill of relief at his smile. "Just tell him we miss him being Lance."

Allura nodded seriously before heading toward where Lance had run off. There weren't many places Lance would go to in this part of the castle, or even the castle in general, especially after a confrontation, so Allura knew she'd find him in the Blue Lion's hangar.

Her hunch turned out to be right when the door slid open to reveal Lance rambling to his lion as he dug through some supplies in the corner.

"...and we'll polish you up, beautiful. That way you can shine like the star you are."

"Technically she has more power than a star," Allura corrected.

Something loud clattered to the ground. "Quiznack!" Lance jumped and awkwardly spun in the air. He clutched his hand dramatically to his chest when he saw her and begged, "Don't scare me like that." She ignored the comment as she peered toward the supplies he had knocked to the ground.

"Are you busy?"

"Nah, just talking to my leading lady right here." Lance grinned happily back at Blue.

"So you continue to flirt with the Blue Lion as well as Hunk," Allura noted. Lance reeled back at her comment.

"Um, excuse me?"

"I am merely noting how your relationship dynamic has changed with everyone but those specific two since I yelled at you."

"You didn't yell at me," Lance defended her. She appreciated it, but wasn't what was important right now. She waved him off.

"Thank you, but clearly my question was harsh and has affected you somehow."

"I promise I'm fine. It hasn't-won't affect forming Voltron."

Allura gave him a hard glare. He clearly wasn't understanding her. "That is not the point, Lance." If anything he seemed more agitated by what she said. She needed to say what she had come here for and quickly. "Clearly this is not working properly, and so I'm afraid I must question you again." He took a hesitant step back from her, closer to his lion. "Why do you always flirt with me?"

Lance's face went blank. Then he looked confused, bewildered and uncertain, then confused again. "Why do I flirt with you?" The question was quiet and seeking. He wanted to know if he had heard her correctly, and she realized he had thought she was going to snap or yell at him again. Did he think she was mad at him?

"Yes. I never hinted that I reciprocated any romantic feelings toward you, so I am curious why you continued to attempt to… 'pick me up' as Pidge would call it." If anything, Lance looked more confused, his eyebrows furrowing over his blue eyes.

"You thought I was hitting on you? Romantically?"

"You… you were not?" Allura questioned.

"No. Well, I mean, maybe at first," he admitted and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But we were suddenly in space in a strange castle, and you are gorgeous, so it seemed like the thing to do at the time. I can take a hint though, and I'm actually interested in-not really interested in you like that."

Allura had a fairly good idea who he was interested in so that made sense, but nothing else did.

"Then why do you flirt with me?"

"I have a big family, remember?" Lance laughed. "I guess I always forget that other people aren't used to growing up with as many siblings as I did. Probably makes sense that you thought I was really flirting with you." He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as he thought of how to say what he wanted to.

"See the thing is… growing up with that many siblings gives you a different sense of boundaries. Especially the sisters. We were all pretty close and teased each other a lot, so we all just… got used to each other I guess. It kinda evolved as a joke from there really. When telling the best jokes turns into telling the best puns to telling the best pickup lines." He shrugged good-naturedly at Allura's confused expression. "I know it might sound weird, but it's hard to feel awkward around people who literally know every embarrassing story about you. It's easy to be dramatic and over the top with people who you know aren't going to judge you for it. It's pretty easy to be ridiculously flirty with someone who you know isn't going to respond or reject you. Maybe just laugh and tell abluela what you said so she can smack you." Lance's eyes unfocused a little like he was remembering something, and Allura wished she was a part of whatever gave him that soft smile.

"Man my brothers could get into the biggest suggestive eyebrow waggle competitions ever. You think I'm bad? My hermonito could put me to shame. My mamá got so mad when they did it at the dinner table. One of them would just toss some food related pickup line out there, and before we knew it, it was like there were hairy caterpillars wiggling on their foreheads while they winked at each other. It was disgusting." He said it fondly. "Plus, girls are always so complimentary of each other? At least my sisters were… and a lot of my old friends who knew each other for a long time were too. I just got used to my sisters saying things like 'that lip gloss you're wearing makes your lips totally kissable' and 'you have to get that croptop cariña because it would flatter the crap out of you' around guys to make them uncomfortable. We were always affectionate, but it was never serious. I remember if the twins ever played a couple in a game, which they somehow always did, they would call each other babe for the rest of the day." He chuckled to himself. "I remember when my older sister called my mom 'hotpants' at a parent teacher conference. I don't know how that woman puts up with us." He seemed to remember who he was talking to and where he was because his face fell a little, and Allura had no idea what to say.

"I know Hunk was a little confused by it when he first met me, but he asked me about it and said he didn't mind. And I know Blue likes it, so I sorta just forgot that the rest of you might be uncomfortable with me being so… um… ridiculous. It's just how I've always talked with my family." Allura gasped, her heart clenching painfully.

"You… consider us your family?" she asked weakly.

"Well, yeah." Lance completely missed the way her eyes started to water. "So I've been trying to reign it in after what you said. I realized you guys all came from small families, so I was probably just making you uncomfortable. There's a lot of big families in Cuba, and my friends were all pretty much the same way, or at least just embraced that was how I was around them, like Hunk, so I didn't really think about how you guys would think it was weird or inappropriate. Pidge had mentioned that almost everything I say comes across sounding a little flirty, and I just didn't think anything of it at the time. I'm really sorry."

"No." The word came out stronger than Allura intended, and Lance flinched back. "Do not apologize. I should be apologizing. I… I did not know."

"Hey, that's okay-"

"-No," Allura cut him off firmly, "you have shared, and so I will do the same. I lost everything I held dear with only Coran as a reminder to the people I miss." She breathed deeply to steady herself. Lance was waiting patiently, and Allura appreciated that he was giving her the chance to try and say what she needed to. "I will not allow this to excuse the fact that I have been abominably unfair. I have asked all of you to give so much without… without giving equally in return. You have all bonded with your lions and each other while I have held back from any such bond. I do not want to lose another family, Lance. I am scared and have been hard in return, and you were merely trying to share your affection with me." She clasped her hands together to keep from fidgeting, but Lance hand no such qualms as he shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.

"I am not the only one who has given up what they hold dear, and I forget that I am not the only one who has lost my family," she admitted. "I am… touched and honored that you view us as your family, Lance. I never dreamed I would find another family and home after losing Altea. So thank you. Thank you for making this team a family. I am glad you always flirt with me."

Lance perked up. "Really?"

"Really," she assured him. "I should not have been so harsh with you about it, but I do wish you had answered me then. It would have saved us this painful month of missing your jokes." He beamed at the compliment. "Shiro wants you to know that he has missed…" she couldn't describe what the Blue Paladin brought to the team that had been lacking in the last month, "Lance too. Continue to flirt or say your pick-up lines with me because, as your family, I want you to be yourself around me. I believe the rest of the team, the rest of the, as you may call it, space family does as well I am sure."

"Space family!" Lance cried. "That's perfect!" Allura couldn't help but smile back. She hadn't felt like this for a long time. She hadn't felt like she was a part of something since she woke up to find her home had been gone for 10,000 years. It was contentment at seeing Lance so happy and unrestricted again was a big part of that feeling.

"So will you forgive me for my outburst?" she pleaded.

"There's nothing to forgive," Lance brushed her off.

"But it made you so uncomfortable," she argued.

"That's not your fault. You have a right to get annoyed. It's bound to happen with all of us stuck here together."

"Yes, we do tend to get on everyone's toes, don't we?"

Lance winced good-naturedly. "No that's not how the saying goes. It's 'step your toes' or 'get underfoot,'" he corrected.

"Well that makes no sense," Allura muttered, brow furrowed. "They mean the same thing?"

"No, you know what? It's confusing," Lance laughed. "Just say whatever you want. You're pretty enough to get away with it."

Allura beamed at him. "I know." She flicked her hair over her shoulder with a smirk and a wink, and Lance laughed. He laughed hard. That was what struck her the most was that it felt good to make him smile that wide and pretend to wipe a tear from his eye. And he was right, the flirting was entertaining.

When she tentatively teased him a week later that the Blue Lion would bond with only the most attractive of paladins, Lance had rapid fired right back "So that's why she immediately wormholed us to you." That's when she truly understood that not only was it humorous, but it was challenging too. Those quick comebacks weren't as easy as Lance had always made them seem, and it was a pleasant realization to discover how clever he was. It was a new challenge to best him and wipe that annoyingly smug smile off his face.

She'd never had a younger brother, but she'd always heard them described as annoyingly infuriating. Now she could understand why. She couldn't help being proud when she was the reason for those annoying finger guns or amused at his pout if she didn't respond how he wanted. And she especially couldn't help being delighted when she was the reason he smiled. That bright smile felt like a glimpse of home.

It wasn't that Lance changed from being too loud and too familiar with people; it was just that it was endearingly irritating now that she chose to embrace it instead of resent it. A bonus may also have been that it confused a few of the paladins. She'd been enjoying her new way of interacting with Lance that it slipped her mind that it would seem like an odd change to everyone else, and had come out full force after a long day of training.

"Wonderful job paladins," Allura praised the exhausted team. Only Hunk and Shiro were still standing. Lance and Pidge were draped across the couch while Keith had simply claimed a spot on the floor by the computer terminal where Shiro was reviewing the training notes and was polishing his bayard. "You all worked splendidly together." She continued to speak as she moved toward the group despite no one bothering to expend the effort to show they were listening. "Pidge you are getting to be very stealthy with your bayard. Just make sure you practice those skills as much as your tech ones."

She may have received a muffled grunt in response, but it was lost in the couch cushions. "Hunk you were doing amazing support so don't get scared and back down, okay?" The Yellow Paladin beamed at the praise. "Keith your hand-to-hand skills may be good enough to kill everyone in sight, but do please update the others on your plans just in case." He merely nodded in response. "And Shiro you should really be practicing with your bayard," she pleaded. She would not be able to stop blushing if he kept tearing opponents down with his bare hands like that. And her heart could most certainly not take that sheepish smile he gave her. "But great team directions today."

Lance's feedback was something she had learned to save for last whenever they debriefed after missions or training because he always had some comment about whatever she had to say. Before they had sounded like defensive excuses, but now she faced him with a challenging smirk on her face.

He'd lifted his head off the couch armrest and was grinning expectantly at her.

"Lance your precision is top notch, but you can't allow yourself to get distracted from what your team members are doing."

"I couldn't help being distracted knowing such beauty was watching me," Lance teased back expertly. Allura clasped her hands behind her back as she raised a delicate eyebrow in amusement.

"And that's exactly why we removed the mirrors from the training room," she replied sweetly, and Lance snorted.

"Oh no," Hunk groaned tiredly.

"Don't encourage him," Pidge begged from where she was flopped across the couch.

Lance threw a pillow at her. "Shut up, gremlin."

"Make me, bean pole."

Shiro looked surprised and confused by the exchange as Allura placated the other three.

"Now, now, play nice."

Lance only smirked as she chided him. "What if I like being naughty?" he pried and wiggled his eyebrows tauntingly.

Allura stared him with the hard look she'd mastered from watching her father deal with especially tiring dignitaries.

"Then you will have to be punished."

"Quiznak, princess," Pidge swore with a proud smirk, "I didn't think you had it in you." She and Lance were grinning like she'd just given them the best present, but Hunk simply nudged Lance over to sit on the couch with a resigned sigh that someone was encouraging the behavior in his best friend. Keith, for his part, hadn't been listening as he focused on his bayard, but Shiro blushed to his ears.

"What… a-are you… y-you two…" he spluttered.

Allura pretended to ignore the way he stuttered over his words as she beamed at him. "I agree. Lance," she snapped at the Blue Paladin, "don't encourage that kind of language from Pidge!"

He didn't even pretend to look abashed.

Keith had noticed Shiro's flustered state, and glanced up to see him staring between Allura and Lance with wide eyes.

"Wait. What happened?"

Lance rolled his eyes at the Red Paladin. "We're all tired mullet, but you could at least listen to the team discussion."

"Maybe I'm just trying to tune out your voice," Keith snapped back.

"Well if I wasn't too tired to move, maybe I'd come over there and make it so you couldn't speak in the team discussions either," Lance challenged. The corners of Keith's mouth turned up just slightly. Allura was also happy that Lance was back at their 'rivalry,' as he called it, in full force since their discussion in Blue's hangar.

"I doubt you could if a little training tired you out that much."

"Um, pretty sure even Shiro is tired. Look at him!" He gestured to the frozen Black Paladin. In actuality, Shiro didn't look tired. He looked like he was having an existential crisis as he tried not to stare at Allura. "We're all sweaty and gross, and we look like death."

"Lance," Allura sighed, "you know that's impossible for you."

"Babe!" Lance gasped dramatically and clutched his chest.

"No!" Hunk whined. "Don't tell him that. You don't have to share a bathroom with his patented morning beauty routine."

Instead of responding, Allura merely gave him a wide smile before turning to Lance and looking him up and down. "Worth it." She winked.

Lance was the first to lose it. Pidge wasn't far behind as they leaned against each other as the wheezed in laughter. Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose even though his shoulders were shaking from his chuckling.

Keith shot Shiro a panicked look, but the older man was staring down at the Red Paladin with an expression that welcomed him into the meltdown he was having.

"It hurts," Pidge wheezed as she clutched her sides. Lance nodded along with her as he wiped the tears of mirth from his eyes.

"You flirt as fine as you look, princess," he agreed as he gasped his laughter to a stop. Allura rolled her eyes at the typical response, but this time it came with a smile it wouldn't have a month ago.

"I thought he said he wasn't going to flirt with you," Keith blurted out. Allura gave Lance a knowing look, but he shot her a glance that let her know if she started teasing him about that particular subject, he was going to bring up that Shiro still hadn't been able to form a coherent sentence. Still, they were equally smug at the panicked confusion of the two paladins. It's not like they wouldn't explain the dynamic if they just asked.

"And thank all our lucky Balmeria crystals that you two figured that awkwardness out," Hunk sighed dramatically, "because that was more exhausting than training. I was this close to sitting you two down for a chat."

Lance and Allura both had the good grace to shudder.

"Nothing is more exhausting than training," Pidge argued. "I'm just going to sleep right here."

"No you're not." Hunk stood up and lifted Pidge up off the couch before setting her on her feet. "You're going to sleep in a real bed, and you're not taking your computer with you." She grumbled profanities under her breath. "Everyone will be resting," he added. "I'm going to my room, and you all better be right behind me." Training had taken too much out of them to argue.

"Hunk, bro, my buddy, my angel," Lance groaned, "I would love you forever if you just, like, carried me with you to your room."

"I am way too tired, Lance, and you already love me," Hunk reasoned. "Get Allura to do it; she's stronger than me." Lance immediately snapped his head around to stare at Allura with his blue eyes as wide as they would go. Her gaze held no remorse at his pout.

"No."

"Ugh!" Lance dropped back against the couch. "Worst space family ever!"

Bonus pining brothers' confusion meltdown:

(They're the last two left in the room)

Keith: Oh my quiznak she's flirting back with him.

Shiro: I know!

Keith: They're flirting with each other!

Shiro: I know!

Keith: They're not… are they... ?

Shiro: I don't know!

Keith: Okay, okay. So we like them.

Shiro: I know!

Keith: They might… if they're… We should really say something…

Shiro: I KNOW!

(They don't say anything.)