"So you believed him just like that?" Keith asked, one eyebrow raised. After going over twenty-four hours without food, the paladins had all been starving, so Pidge and Lance had told their side of the story while they ate. Keith was sitting so close to Shiro that they were practically intertwined (Pidge wasn't even sure how it was possible to get that close, in Altean dining chairs), and he was giving Pidge a look full of healthy skepticism.

She couldn't blame him—Pidge herself couldn't quite believe that she and Lance had gotten together so easily. Some part of her was still wary, scared that Lance was just sparing her feelings.

"Yeah, that seems far-fetched," Hunk added, equally skeptical. He put on a teasing, British accent as he continued, "ooh, Pidge, I've loved you this whole time, let us ride off into the sunset together just like- oh, I dunno, The Princess Bride or something?"

Pidge stifled a laugh. "Lance is terrible at lying, though. His voice always cracks and he gets all defensive." She paused to take another bite of food goo before she turned to Lance and said, "uh, no offense."

But Lance just waved her off. "Nah, you're good. I feel dumb for not noticing it before. I mean, I've been daydreaming about running my hands through your hair for months now."

"Aww, that's only a little creepy," Pidge replied, tone mocking, but she could feel her whole body heating up, and she couldn't help but imagine Lance's hands combing through her short hair.

Hunk gave her a knowing smirk. "Yeah, how didn't you guys think of going out before? You two literally adopted a cow together. You might as well be married."

Pidge shrugged, eyeing Lance as he put a giant spoonful of food goo in his mouth. "He has a point."

Caught off guard, Lance gulped down his food and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, yeah," he said, rolling his eyes. "I still wanna hear how Keith and Shiro got together." Lance was a complete mess; he seemed torn between blushing over Pidge and devouring his food. He'd probably only brought up Keith and Shiro to keep the attention off of him.

Nice diversion, loverboy, Pidge thought, smiling to herself.

Keith lifted his head off Shiro's shoulder and edged away from him before he replied. "I mean, technically, it can't be official until we annul the engagement."

Coran interrupted from the end of the table. "The engagement?"

"Oh, I suppose we never told you about that," said Allura, who was sitting primly next to Hunk. "When Keith and I were under the influence of the affection vapor, we got engaged."

"But how?" Coran asked. "There was no one to officiate."

And, though Pidge had only been half-listening (too focused on Lance), that got her attention. Did someone really have to officiate an Altean engagement?

By the way Allura's jaw went slack, Pidge guessed someone probably did. "You're right. And we didn't sign the official legal documents, either."

Keith did a double take at the two of them, completely taken aback. "Wait, so we never got engaged to begin with?" he yelped, gaping at Allura, eye twitching as he pursed his lips.

Allura shook her head. "No, we didn't."

"So we can take off these stupid friendship bracelets?" Keith asked, suddenly manic. He couldn't quite hold in his grin as he stuck a finger under the thin string of his engagement bracelet.

"Yes! We can!" Allura confirmed with a single nod as Keith snapped the string, shoving the remains in his pocket as Allura removed her bracelet too.

"Well, I'm glad we got that cleared up," Coran said, giving all six of them a guilty smile. "I'm also glad that you could all work out your, er, pressing relationship issues, even if this drug seemed to inconvenience you all. I do admit, I'm a bit surprised, though."

Allura frowned. "How so?"

Coran offered her a small shrug, then replied, "well, I could've sworn Keith and Lance were attracted to one another."

Keith and Lance both erupted at the same time. "What?!"

"Me and Lance?!" Keith cried, gesturing between the two of them with his index finger.

"But Keith has a mullet!"

"Lance and I are not into each other."

"Keith smells like BO and regret."

"Hey!"

Lance raised his hands in the air as if he were trying to pacify him (Pidge knew he wasn't). "I'm just saying," he told Keith, who growled curses at him under his breath.

Finally, Keith shook his head, turning back to Coran. "I just- I don't understand. We're always fighting, and we never agree on anything!"

Pidge was too amused by their antics to point out that Keith was being redundant; always fighting and never agreeing were almost the same thing.

"Exactly!" Lance shouted, raising an approving hand toward Keith. Pidge imagined he probably would've put a hand on Keith's shoulder, if they weren't across the table from one another.

"Well, you seemed to agree on that," Coran pointed out, and Pidge stifled a snort.

Keith shook his head again, like he just couldn't comprehend it. "I- wow, next you're gonna say you thought Shiro was into a girl."

"Actually, for a while-"

Shiro interrupted, speaking up for the first time since Pidge had finished her story. "No, nope, I don't even wanna know. Just, no."

"That's fair," Coran said, cringing on Shiro's behalf. "I also thought Hunk and Allura would get together. That would have been my guess."

Hunk raised an eyebrow. "You're insane."

"Definitely," Allura agreed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, didn't you know that Shiro's gay?" Keith added, which- duh, of course Coran knew that now everyone actually knew each other.

"And why does no one remember that I'm in a relationship with Shay?" Hunk asked, gesturing with his spoon (empty of food goo, of course).

"I'm not crazy!" Coran insisted. "Keith and Lance bicker like old, married klamurrls!"

Hunk deadpanned. "No, they bicker like five-year-olds. It's Pidge and Lance who bicker like they're married."

"We're not like five-year-olds!" Lance shot back. "We're just rivals."

Pidge was going to say that Lance and Keith weren't really rivals at this point, but Hunk spoke before she could. "Lance, one time Keith ate the last cookie and you said you wouldn't invite him to your birthday party."

Lance didn't look impressed. "And?"

"You didn't even have a birthday party this year," Hunk continued, tone reproachful. "None of us did—we don't know what time of year it is."

"Well, whenever we get back to Earth, Keith's not invited," Lance said, pouting like the five-year-old he insisted he wasn't.

Keith rolled his eyes as if he were too good for this, but he muttered back, "well I didn't want to go to your stupid party, anyway."

He'd said it under his breath, but Lance had heard it, and they started arguing again.

As they fought in the background, Hunk nudged Pidge on the shoulder. "I don't blame you if you break up with him over this."

"Hey, I've known him for three years now," Pidge said, smiling at Lance (his angry face was so cute). "I knew what I was signing up for. But I still tolerate him anyway."

Lance seemed to catch that last bit, because he turned back to look at Pidge.

Hunk leveled him with a teasing simper. "Aww, isn't that sweet?"

But Lance only hummed to himself, looking off in the distance as if recalling some memory. "I dunno Pidge. You seemed to be doing a bit more than just tolerating me earlier." As he cut off, he gazed at her, bright eyes boring into hers.

Pidge flushed as Lance smirked and added, "you almost seemed… smote."

"Oh my god," she groaned, face sinking into her hands. "That's not even a word."

"You used it earlier!" he retorted, still smiling as he jabbed an accusatory finger in her direction.

"I was flirting with you!"

"Because you were smote," Lance said, emphasizing the 't'. "See, you're only proving my point!"

The others were laughing at them, but it was just background noise to Pidge. "Okay, fine, Lance," she conceded, finally dropping the act and smiling back. "I'm smote. Are you happy now?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Lance replied, dropping down to give her a peck on the forehead. "I'm smote for you, too."