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“And that’s how I single handedly quelled the rebellion forces in District 43. Buttered up a few of the cute young things and got them to talk their parents out of fighting back against us. Of course, it helped for some of their fathers to see their daughters in the palm of my hand. Too many species are horribly weak to familial bonds.”

The galra officer sitting on the plush leather couch grinned a devilish smile as he leaned back, legs crossed as if to mark a job well done.

“Wow…” Hunk breathed, leaning closer to him. “You managed to do all that, without anyone getting hurt. That’s amazing!”

“Just doing my part for the empire,” the Galra huffed, but the dopey look in his eyes gave him away plain as day. Hunk leaned even closer to him, chin nearly bumping the other’s shoulder, and from where he sat several chairs over Shiro could see the blush creep into his purple ears.

“Still… you’re slowly having them integrate into Galra society, without resorting to drastic measures. If you keep that up they’re sure to be willing partners in the empire, they might even look for ways to give back. Ways that might be… really nice…” Hunk’s hand came to rest on the unsuspecting officer’s leg and a tremor shook through him as if he’d been electrified.

“I-I….” he stammered. Hunk blinked up at him with those soft, chocolate brown eyes and Shiro knew he’d hooked him. “Would you like to hear more about what I’ve done?”

“Please.”

Good old Hunk, Shiro smiled, and returned to surveying the rest of the scene. There were at least a dozen guests in the club tonight, all off in their own little groups. Hunk had taken care of the one official they’d picked out of the crowd, chatting him up and his female companion. Pidge was upstairs in the sound booth, playing mix after mix and watching the cameras, and Keith and Lance were on stage right now, drawing quite the little crowd. There were no less than seven galra who had dragged chairs right up to the edge of the stage, staring at the two of them as if they were the last light in the universe. It wasn’t for lack of a show. Lance’s long willowy limbs glided around the pole set in the middle of the stage with almost effortless grace, toes pointed, legs extended in the most perfect of splits as he circled round and round. Keith almost floated above him, hanging upside down as if gravity had forgotten him, gazing down with that cat-like grace only Keith had. His legs stretched out almost impossibly far from his center, rump against the pole, tail curled around the shaft. All the while his pointed ears swiveled and twicked with lazy interest.

There was a reason they were on display after all.

Eons ago, before Shiro could remember, before anyone could remember, the Galra had found Earth. A new colony teaming with life both more and less intelligent than the galra and no less interesting. From what he knew the first few decades of colonization were uneventful, but that all changed when one scientist did something unprecedented.

They spliced humans with animals.

Centuries, maybe even a millenia had passed since then. Original humans died out, replaced with the dozens of crossbreeds made. Growing up in the breeding facility he’d always been told it was for their benefit, to domesticate faster, make them more appealing to their galran owners. It was a way to ensure they’d find their place in the universe, safe and happy and looked after until the day they died. He’d been trained for that life, they all had, how to comfort their owners, how to perform galran customs… There were even the more… intimate lessons he’d been taught upon turning of age. After all, a good pet did everything to please their master. Even attend to those parts of them. He might even enjoy some aspects of it… they all did. It was part of why they were all here.

Shiro stretched, letting his long ears fall flat against his head before bobbing back up to alert. Hunk had the galra he was entertaining eating out of his hand now, he was surprised he hadn’t dropped his drink yet. Hunk always had that way with clients. There was something about a canine type looking at you with those big warm eyes as if you were the center of their universe. It would only be a matter of time before the poor sap spilled too much of his guts to Hunk, letting a secret slip. Shiro scanned the room again, looking for other potential weak targets.

To any outsider, or really to anyone, the Lion’s Den was exactly as it appeared, an elusive club for life’s guilty pleasures. A place to enjoy the sight or touch of a companion they could never dream to buy, not even in their wildest fantasies. Only the highest members of the emperor’s court could afford them, let alone have the clearance to do so in the first place, making the Lion’s Den all the more appealing to the middle ranking officer. To have a companion focus on them and them alone, look at them with adoration as if they were the only person in their world, let them hold onto that feeling for a few fleeting seconds at the end of each visit… they would do anything.

Anything.

Which was exactly why they were all here. To tease out the information no sane galra would give to anyone else.

All in the name of the resistance.

There was a grumble to his right and Shiro sat back up straight. He’d been caught spacing out again. He turned back to the three galra who he’d been sitting with, all of whom had been engrossed in a heated discussion about godak-ball for so long he’d have sworn they wouldn’t even have noticed if he stripped naked in front of them. Evidently not.

“Aren’t you supposed to be focused on us?” one of them growled. He was the typical lower ranking stock, stocky, but still tall, with a shaggy mane. His two comrades, one with an underbite and another with a monsterous top-knot glared with him at Shiro. His stomach flip-flopped. He was definitely in trouble. Kolivan would chide him for this later, he was supposed to be acting interested in them, even if his long rabbit’s ears were supposed to be poised for promising whispers.

“I’m sorry!” He squeaked, a false vibrato creeping into his voice as his hands shot up in front of his face. His ears fell flat to the side of his head in shame, great floppy things that only added to the innocent prey act Galra ate up. “I didn’t know the rules of what you were talking about. It sounded so scary and rough… I started thinking about other things to keep from worrying.” Lies… Antok had taught them all the basics. It was actually kind of fun if you played it instead if talking stats.

“So you started looking at someone else,” top-knot frowned. “Seems like they’re already popular, looks like all you companions want to flock to him. What’s he got that we don’t? An extra badge on his uniform?”

Ouch. He really had been paying too much attention to Hunk’s target, but watching the dog hybrid work was always something to behold. There was such sincerity in how Hunk payed attention to people, and eagerness that only came easily to him. The way his floppy ears perked up with each question he asked, or how his tail wagged just so whenever someone responded to his compliments. He really needed to save this and fast, before they never came back.

“Not exactly…” Shiro squirmed, hands fisted between his thighs as he fidgeted. The truth was out of the question, the wrong lie would just rile these three up more. What he needed was a juicy tidbit, something to completely distract the three of them. “Not him… the companion he’s with. He’s....” he took in a deep breath, letting the galra lean in towards him questioningly.

“...he’s got the most amazing cock I’ve ever seen.”

Shaggy nearly choked, dropping his glass onto his friend’s lap. “You… you sleep with each other?”

They were

definitely

new here.

“Well… yeah…” Shiro said, the flush of embarrassment in his cheeks only leading them on further. “When you need to be bred you take the closest person you can find. Even another companion. Hunk’s...” he paused, the slack-jawed stares at him urging him past the part of him that was mortified at talking so easily about this, “he’s got the fattest cock I’ve ever seen on a companion, and

oh god

… his

knot.

I would milk that thing for days the way it fills me just right.”

Exaggeration… but only a little bit.

Underbite licked his lips. “Does he?”

Shiro shrugged. “As close as we can manage. Our manager makes us work after all, but just between us….” he leaned forward, keenly aware of how Shaggy stares at how his chest squeezed between his arms when he did so.

God, he really needed to get Pidge and Lance to stop putting him in tops like this

, it made him feel like more of a piece of meat than he already was. “... I would ride him for decapheebs if I could.”

“I-I’d like to see that,” Underbite squeaked.

“Me too…”

“Quizznak,” breathed Shaggy. “Is… is that a thing here? Can we see it?”

Topknot and Underbite were adjusting their uniforms and Shiro knew with nauseating certainty that the two galra were already becoming hard as he spoke. It was a reality here after all, the Lion’s Den’s main allure was sex, whether between companions, with toys, …. or the tantalizing fantasy of being with one yourself.

“Sometimes, but not always. Every night’s a surprise, even for us sometimes.
You just have to keep coming back until you see something you like.” He crossed his legs slowly, letting them take in the shapely curve of his thighs, even if the sheer cheese of the move made him want to die (but well, it worked, and Kolivan knew better than them what got a galra’s blood boiling). “You might get lucky one of those times.”

“Shiro.”

The rabbit hybrid jumped, barely managing to remain on his seat. Kolivan’s right hand man, Antok, loomed over his shoulder. How someone so big managed to move so quietly he’d never know. Wouldn’t stop him from startling every time he did it either, even if his human side told the prey in him Antok was safe a milllion times over.

“Sir,” he replied politely, but Antok knew the little twitch in his left ear meant Shiro was still irked about the sneak attack.

“Kolivan has requested you backstage.”

“For? I’m in the middle of talking with these gentlemen.”
Not that he really needed to know right now or cared all that much, but it was stuff like this that made guests believe he was genuinely interested in them… that way.

Antok shrugged. He was always funny like that, saying only as much as was needed. Lance sometimes joked part of him was something that would die after speaking a million words and he was gunning to go strong for two millennia. Shiro didn’t mind. The enormous hand now on his shoulder said enough: he was leaving with Antok.

“I’m sorry gentlemen,” Shiro said with a quick bow to each of them, “duty calls.”

He could hear them whisper as he walked away, feel their stares on his barely covered behind. Funny how no one ever thought a rabbit hybrid could listen in on them. He caught one of them muttering to the other two about where he was headed.

“You think he’s gonna fuck the boss here?”

“Cute little thing with an ass like that? There’s no way the guy that owns them doesn’t use them.”

“Did you see what he looks like from the back? Shorts are practically falling off of him…. If it wasn’t for that tail…”

Shiro closed his eyes and strode on.

Straight into the chest of a patron.

Drink slopped down his armour and Shiro’s bare chest, icy cold sending his nipples shooting to dagger-sharp points in an instant. He jumped back in panic. He’d messed up… he’d probably ruined the officer’s night, or in the least his slacks, now dripping with booze and fruit pulp. Dully, he was aware that he’d managed to save the garnish from the floor. A single juniper berry whittled into the shape of a crown.

“I… I’m so sorry!” he stammered, quickly reaching forward to start brushing the mess off the Galra. Antok disappeared in search of a rag, leaving Shiro painfully alone as the alien watched him continue to sluice juice off his legs in startled silence. “I wasn’t looking… it was so stupid… I can get you another drink on the house… maybe we can wash your clothes for you… I’m so-”

A hand, as big as Kolivan’s,

heck

… maybe even bigger gripped his shoulder. The words died in Shiro’s throat as he looked up.

God

… he really hoped this guy wasn't the type with an aggressive streak.

The Galra staring down at him was slender, narrow face elongated even more by the sharp cut of his jaw and shock of white hair down the centre of his head. A few ranks above the basic private judging by his armour, but beyond that Shiro couldn’t be sure of what he was. Thin ears too, amazingly not flattened in anger, but cocked in something resembling amusement.

“It’s quite alright,” he said, taking Shiro’s pause to brush the last of the drink from his uniform, minus the damp patches. “These things happen.”

“Still…” Shiro squirmed. He was incredibly aware of how casual the hand on his shoulder was. It was just draped there, no extra pressure or grip insisting he stay put. As soon as he made to stand it slid away. “I should have been more careful, I need to make it up to you. We can’t have guests being unhappy.”

The garnish was plucked from his hands and dropped into the now empty glass, just as Antok returned with a napkin. The Galra took it without further fanfare, carefully blotting at the damp patches with surgical care. Shiro’s tail tucked between his legs, or at least, as far as it could go. Hopefully nothing was ruined, but the stranger didn’t seem particularly perturbed about the whole ordeal.

“I suppose I wouldn’t mind another chance at this drink, but that is more than enough. Please don’t feel as though you’ve caused any lasting damage. I should just…” he gestured at the bar, and Shiro nodded. Antok watched from beside the other Galra, hovering in case things went sour.

“Just tell Regris what happened and he’ll make you another. If he has any issues with it you can tell him to ask me or the manager about it.”

The stranger smiled, seemingly satisfied, and handed the cloth to Shiro.

“For yourself. You seem to be rather splashed as well.”

Shiro felt the tips of his ears go pink. “Thanks…” He made to dab at himself, but the Galra held on for a second.

“I would be careful how you word your customer service in the future. Some others might get the wrong idea about ‘making it up’ to them.” He blotted at Shiro’s middle, carefully wiping away the worst of the mess. There was a definite attempt to avoid his more private areas, focused on Shiro’s stomach and collar instead of where countless other hands would have roamed.

Seemingly satisfied, he passed the cloth off to Shiro’s still outstretched hand. “I hope the rest of your night passes with less incident. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

Shiro nodded slowly in disbelief, still frozen in place as the officer bid goodnight to him and Antok and made his way back to the bar. He could feel the juice drying on his skin, but he continued to stand still until Antok gave him a nudge, finally snapping out of his reprise.

The two of them made the rest of their way backstage, Shiro trying madly to clean the rest of himself up before they got there, the encounter still reeling in his head. The Galra hadn't seemed mad, far from it. And he’d warned Shiro — straight up — what his offer had implied. Not even an attempt to goad him towards the place his mind had no doubt gone, actively

avoiding

any chance to touch him that way. It was odd…

nice even

… considering the group he’d just been with.

Kolivan was waiting for him, Keith beside him. When the other companion had made his way off stage Shiro had no idea, but Keith had always been like that. He had that same silent tread as Antok, only with the added grace a cat hybrid could have. His ears flattened at the squeal of the stage door, fluffy tail twitching anxiously as he stood cross-armed beside Kolivan.

“What’s going on?” Shiro asked as Antok turned to take his leave. “I thought Keith was supposed to work up front with Lance for most of the night.”

“He was,” Kolivan hummed, adjusting the sleeves of his uniform, “but there’s been a change of plans. A few high ranking officers just entered a little while ago, and one of them seems to be rather interested in Keith. We think we might be able to loosen their tongue a little if we give them a little incentive…. so to speak.” He nodded at Keith, who let out a huff and an eye-roll at that.

“I’m not whoring myself out and doing that whole grooming routine thing that got Commander Ranveig again. Guy tasted like a stewed ashtray.”

“That level of commitment isn’t necessary this time. Simply learn why he and his comrades are here. It’s usually rare to see more than one commanding officer at once. There might be something going on, something we aren’t aware of yet.”

“Got it,” Keith smirked. “Get all close to him and pull that hard to please act. See how much carrot waving he can take before he starts bragging about what makes him so great.”

“In essence, yes. If you care to put it that way.”

Judging by Keith’s face, that was exactly how he wanted to put it. Despite how easily he could flirt with patrons, brush that silk-soft tail against their necks and have them purring into his hands, Keith would always choose one of his own over the hundreds of Galra who regularly flocked here. There’d been times - multiple times - where Keith had walked out from a session with a high paying client, face and neck smeared with makeup and kiss marks, only to slide into a bunk with one of them. It was something about the skinship Shiro thought, their years of shared closeness, that made Keith want to be with them, rather than any Galra. That was the difference with Keith. Any time with a non-human was simply a chore before he could get back to what he enjoyed. He’d never even heard the cat companion purr outside the arms of Lance, Hunk, Pidge, or himself.

“So, where exactly do I fit in with this?” Shiro asked again. “You’re sending Keith to one of the private rooms, that doesn’t exactly keep two on the floor anymore.”

“That’s where we were thinking we might not need two on the floor.”

“So… I’m supposed to stay backstage? Am I supposed to go with Keith? Isn’t that leaving things a little too spread out? With just Lance at the front the patrons might get restless...” That was Kolivan’s way of running things, spread them out to maximize information and patron satisfaction. Pulling him off the floor and just leaving Lance up there to entertain all the other groups besides Hunk’s...

“I was actually thinking you should join Lance.”

“D-Dancing?” Shiro sputtered. He was steadily improving, but no substitute for Keith. Not by a long shot.

“Not exactly…” Kolivan patted the bench beside him and realization hit Shiro.

“Oh….” he made to sit beside the Galra, slowly unzipping the front of his shorts. “Is Lance already prepped?”

“Me and him fooled around a bit before the club opened, so…” Keith shrugged, moving forward to help Shiro begin to shimmy out of them. “He should be still good to go. Kolivan didn’t plug us before we went on either… which means you two can start as soon as you’re prepped.”

“Are you-” Shiro yelped as Keith yanked the shorts clean off his thighs.

“Yep,” Keith nodded, shifting his position so that Shiro could better see beneath his wine-red garterbelt and between his creamy legs. Nestled in the cleft between left and right folds, just peeking out from the thong it was attached to, was the head of a plug. Onyx black with a glowing crest of icy blue, locked firmly in place in Keith’s insides. “Just finished before you came, which means all that’s left is to get you ready.”

Shiro shivered as Keith turned him around on the bench. His hands hooked behind Shiro’s knees, chin settled in the crook of Shiro’s neck as he was presented to Kolivan. Not out of fear, but anticipation.

There was a reason beyond companionship that humans were kept by the Galra Empire, a reason beyond the good of the universe that they flirted with customers, laved their cocks when the time was right, spent their alone time together tangled between each other’s sheets. A reason that even now, with nothing but Kolivan’s stare on him, Shiro was beginning to feel himself grow wet.

They were made for breeding.

With female Galra fertility rates steadily declining, and the empire steadily growing, something had had to be done. Companions had been the answer, a way for the higher ups, the best stock, to pass their genes onto the next generation. What was adding Galra compatibility to humans when they were already adding tails? Adding extra parts between their legs when they were changing ears? Instilling the instinct to bend over, give themselves to any Galra offering to breed them, feel a swell of pleasure in their bellies at the thought of hot, throbbing cock entering their folds when animal instincts were being added was child’s play.

Shiro felt his heartbeat creep up and up as Kolivan ran his hands along his inner thighs, stockings dangerously close to running under those long nails. He fought back a noise as they ran over the curve of his hip bones, trailing along the bulge in his panties before running up to the two clasps that held them in place. There was a click from both of them -- a sign the fingerprint locks had been released -- and Shiro’s member swung free.

He wasn’t huge per say… nothing compared to a full blooded Galra, still smaller than Hunk for sure, but he was a far cry from small. His dick bobbed between his splayed legs, already half hard in anticipation as Kolivan peeled the remaining scrap of fabric back, revealing what was underneath. Tucked just behind his balls, still attached to the belt between his legs, sat a plug of his own, buried deep in the walls of his cunt. Kolivan pressed a finger against it, pushing its girth deeper into Shiro and releasing a wanton moan from his lips.

It…

being full

… always felt so good. He could usually ignore it if he stayed still, even learned to walk to keep from riling himself up too much in the middle of running drinks to strangers. But when someone did

this

, fucked him on the swell inside him…

god

… Shiro’d never admit how good it felt.

“You’ve always liked having something inside you, haven’t you?” Kolivan teased, now gripping the base of the plug between two long fingers and tugging it back and forth. His other hand reached up, pulling Shiro’s cock and balls to the side to give him a peek at what lay beneath, Keith leaning forward to get an even better look. He could just see the way his entrance quivered around the shaft, trying desperately to keep the plug locked within. “Normally I’d worry that with a hole this greedy a companion might be trying their hardest to get bred up, but with you….” he pushed it deeper and Shiro bit down on his lip to keep from moaning louder, “... I don’t have to worry, not with how desperately you try and keep yourself plugged up like this.”

“Shiro’s always ready,” Keith cooed in his ear. “Finger him for a few seconds and he’s ready to let you fuck him into a new state of mind.” He rubbed his cheek against Shiro’s jaw, usually a comforting gesture, but paired with the rough lick of Keith’s tongue along his neck Shiro knew it was more than that… almost possessive…. proud. “S’nice instead of having to wait for him to get it up in other ways.”

“Useful…” Kolivan purred, now rocking the plug to and fro in an effort to loosen Shiro somewhat. “Of course… that’s for you to enjoy after all. I leave that fun to you all.”

Despite running a red light establishment, having a veritable harem of companions in his employ, Kolivan never touched them, not outside of fingers. Shiro’d never so much as seen the outline of his dick, always hidden under layers of pants and jackets, or in the one case, wrapped behind a towel, great broad chest wet with bathwater. It was for the best, he reminded himself as Kolivan ran a teasing claw along the underside of his dick, Kolivan shouldn’t use them, not like that. There were too many risks involved there… too much risk of-

Kolivan pressed a thumb to the base of the plug, and Shiro let out a cry. The plug inside jumped to life, activating on its owner’s touch. Shiro felt it swell inside him, the strange metal that it was conforming to Kolivan’s will. It spread deeper inside him, growing outwards and pressing against the front wall that made his cock throb and vision blur. Keith was suckling along his neck now, leaving little purring kisses in his wake as his chest rumbled against Shiro’s back in pleasure. It continued to morph and twist inside him, almost as if it was fucking him, that swell sweeping back and forth along his passage, its tip stretching deeper each time it pushed inside himself. He… he was going to come at this rate, spill his load across his chest or….

God forbid

… Kolivan’s jacket.

“

P-please

…” he gasped, voice sounding more like a whine than anything else, “...

please

…”

“Do you feel good Shiro?” Keith shushed, one of his hands leaving Shiro’s legs to trace up the curve of his belly, dip under the hem of his too-short shirt to cup his chest.

“Mmmhm,” Shiro whined again, trying to bring blood back up to his brain instead of continuing to leave for his hips. “But… but I’m supposed to go on…. I can’t… not with…”
he nodded to his dick, now leaking profusely, the familiar heat gathering in his hips a sign of what was soon to come. “C-can’t come…”

He felt Keith pout against his shoulder, even as the cat hybrid continued to toy with his chest. Kolivan began slowing his motions, no longer bending the plug’s shape inside Shiro, simply rocking where it began to flare out against the ring of his entrance.

“He’s right you know,” Kolivan chided, and a huff escaped from Keith. He always hated leaving things half finished. His other hand came to stroke under Shiro’s chin, then Keith’s, a gesture that even then, strung up and on edge, had Shiro relaxing into it. “Maybe you can convince General Raht to watch the show, that is… if he can’t keep his eyes off of you.”

Keith rolled his eyes and the hand teasing Shiro’s breast slipped back out from beneath his shirt. Shiro let out a chuckle between them.

“So… you’re actually going to take it out of me now?”

“Yes,” Kolivan said, and with a sudden surge of metal the plug contracted into almost nothing, easily sliding free of Shiro, but not without a cry of loss from himself. “I’d always planned to, but simply doing this is no fun. Besides, there are benefits to having a performer ready for the stage.”

The plug looked tiny, barely the size of a lipstick tube, the front and straps of the chastity belt (or better put…

chastity lingerie

) dangling from it with several wet marks. He watched as Kolivan set it down on the couch, the metal swelling back into the shape of a large, ribbed plug as the Galra’s touch left it. He had no idea how that worked, other than the plugs responded to Kolivan and Kolivan alone. They’d all tried, several times, to remove them themselves, but the combination of the plug’s shape and the belt’s locks had prevented anything other than stimulation.

Considering a few of the perverts who had entered the Lion’s Den over the years, he was glad they worked that way.

Keith let out a little tsk as he stood back up, clearly still miffed about playtime being cut short. Shiro joined him, nuzzling the cat hybrid’s head and ears as he worked his shorts back onto himself. Not that they were likely to stay on for long though...

“We can play together tonight, after our shifts.”

One corner of Keith’s mouth twisted up in a grin. “I’m holding you to that.”

Shiro chuckled, painfully aware of how his dick strained in his pants.

At least he’d be ready for Lance

. “When have you ever not?”

“Good point,” Keith sat up, dusting himself and adjusting his hair as if he hadn’t just been insisting Kolivan finish fucking Shiro on his own toy. “Gonna need you to wash the taste of slimey officer out of my mouth.”

“Don’t let them catch you saying that.”

“Don’t worry,” Keith grinned, looking more like the cheshire cat than humanly possible, “I only say it in earshot of the ones that get off on it.”

He was left with Kolivan backstage, the Galra straightening out Shiro’s top, fixing his hair and blotting a few wayward drops of sweat from the companion’s forehead. Satisfied at long last, he spun Shiro around to face the curtain, sending him on his way with a quick smack to his rear.

“Showtime, playbunny.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

When Shiro stepped on stage, it was to the sound of oohs and aahs. Lance was halfway up the pole, tiptoeing his way down thin air as if it were nothing. He watched for a moment as Lance paused midway, legs slowly opening wider and wider, toes pointed to perfection, ass raising up, up, up until he was spread wide, completely on display to the gawking onlookers. He looked good like that, wearing a leotard so filled with cutouts and straps Shiro questioned if it really should even be called that or not, rather than simply being several scraps of well-placed fabric away from decorative bondage. With a sudden snap of Lance’s hips he was back down on the ground, pole between his thighs as he ground and spun around and around, face twisted in an expression of utmost pleasure for the hooting patrons.

A few flustered sputters also came from the crowd at that.

Lance continued to languidly strut about, kneeling down on occasion to run a finger along an ear or jaw, eyelashes batting in that toying way that had the Galra tripping over themselves to get to the front of the stage. Shiro noticed top-knot among them.

He took his queue as Lance rose back up from kissing a lady Galra’s hand, the poor thing almost fuchsia from how pink she was turning. He strode forward, quick, confident steps until he was behind Lance, little whispers rippling through the audience. Just as Lance was about to stand up straight, turn his way, Shiro grabbed his waist.

“Miss me?”

There was a possessive growl to it, paired with a jerk of Lance’s chin in his hand until they were face to face. Performance, but still a question nonetheless.

Lance smiled at him, sweet and syrupy from the eyes down, but those…. those said something else. Something of a partner, ready to dance.

“Maybe,” he sighed, shoulders rolling languidly into Shiro’s broad chest for a second, before spinning on his heel away from him. “Or maybe not. Depends what you’re here for.” The deer hybrid sauntered away, easy loping gait leading him back to the pole, where he twisted around, short tail perked towards Shiro even as his shoulders twisted around the cool metal to stare at him again. “Been enjoying all the attention up ’til now. It’s just been me and all these lovely eyes.” Two fingers drummed his lips as he winked at the crowd.

Shiro rolled his eyes. So Lance wanted to play that game. It was always a toss-up what the deer hybrid would want on a given day. Sometimes it was going rough and dirty without so much as a greeting, other times it was drawn out for hours, foreplay lasting so long he could hardly tell where it ended and the true sex began, everything slow and gentle. And then there were times like this one, times where that mysterious glint was in Lance’s eyes, where he wanted to flirt with danger.

He could do that.

Shiro approached Lance again, one hand coming to grab the pole above Lance’s as he stared down at him. There was no missing the brief shiver that ran up Lance’s spine as he realized Shiro was committing himself to this as much as he was.

He spun around the pole, but Shiro was there, following him with body and eyes. He stopped, changed directions, but Shiro was there again, matching him movements, continuing to mirror him without ever dropping his gaze. A hush was falling over the crowd.

“Oh come now,” he crooned, “don’t play hard to get.”

Lance smiled devilishly, before his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “You say that, but who was the one that left me on my own all night? Not my fault I found someone else. Some others else.”

He made to spin away from the pole, back towards the crowd, but Shiro caught him by the wrist, spinning him back into his chest as he trapped him in his arms.

“You know I didn’t want to leave you like that, baby,” Shiro purred, pressing Lance against his skin.

“Did you now?” Lance was leaning back into him now, one leg creeping up the back of Shiro’s calf as it snaked its way up his curves. “Could have sworn you were ignoring me all night. Didn’t even meet eyes with you once.”

“Busy with business,” he continued, fingers snaking under the straps of Lance’s harness to knead the supple tan skin beneath. “You can’t have me all to yourself you know, but I can make it up for you.”

“How’s that?” Lance teased, his leg finally making its way up to hook around Shiro’s hips, pressing their waists together. He could already feel the growing of Lance’s excitement between them pressed against his own. He leaned up, teeth latching onto one of Shiro’s long ears and tugging it forwards, hiding their eyes from the crowd’s view. They stayed like that, tension crackling in the air, Lance grinding into his thigh, eyes daring Shiro to go further.

“Why don’t we start with me fucking that sweet little hole of yours?”

Lance released his hold to the hoots and hollers of the crowd, hands moving to Shiro’s pecs with a knowing smile. “You going to fuck me right? Make me beg for it, daddy?”

Shiro suppressed a groan at that. Lance always loved that nickname, loved to tease Shiro with it, loved to rile him up over it as much as it got himself going. He could feel Lance’s dick twitch in the other’s bottoms, even as the telltale strain of his erection made it painfully clear he was ready for this. Kolivan and Keith had worked him up well.

“We’ll see… depends on how well that pretty little mouth does at worshipping my cock.”

There was pounding on the tables in response to that, Lance dancing away from him to work his way around the pole once again.

“Mmmm, tempting. But then again, how well I take that fat cock of yours is all up to how well you prep me daddy. Can’t have me just start out of nowhere. Not with what you’re packing.” One of his hands slinked south, dipping lower and lower until it sunk into his drawers, and the filthy scent and sounds of sex began to fill the room. “Can’t wait to feel it in here daddy.”

Lance fingered himself unabashedly in front of the crowd, legs wide, ass raised, giving the Galra seated below him a prime view of how his fingers worked beneath his lingerie. There was a shout of “

do it baby

” from one of the patrons paired with several wolf whistles as Lance’s hand disappeared further down the front of his waistband. The companion’s face flushed as he (from Shiro’s perspective) worked another finger into himself, the wet noises coming from between his legs increasing as he bend over further, mouth open and panting with the sensation. His ears quivered against his hair, his other hand surging up to pinch his nipple through the flimsy fabric of his top.

Shiro stepped forward, hardly noticed by Lance of the crowd, until he was was reaching down, fingers toying with the fob of his zipper just inches away from Lance’s face. The other companion looked up at him, cracks in his bratty persona beginning to show as his wry smile struggled to stay on his lips as he continued to finger himself. By the sound of things, Lance might have been close to adding a third, if he hadn’t already.

“You want this baby? Want my cock?” He waved his hips before Lance, taking in how Lance’s eyes followed the tent in his pants.

God

… he was just as ready for release as Shiro was, but not yet… they still had more fun to have. Lance nodded, bottom lip tucked behind his teeth as he struggled to keep his voice contained for just a few seconds longer, and Shiro reached forward to stroke down from Lance’s small set of horns to his chin. “Then you have to get it yourself… show me how much you want it.”

Lance’s hand shot forward from his own chest, quick and eager, but that wasn’t what Shiro was looking for. The crowd went silent to the sound of Shiro’s hand clapping around Lance’s wrist, holding it still as the deer companion stood frozen, looking up at Shiro in confusion.

“Not with your hands…”

Slowly… lashes curling down to dust his cheeks, Lance bent over further, lips coming to brush Shiro’s trapped member. A single cocked eyebrow was the only warning Shiro had before Lance lunged forwards, teeth grasping the zipper and pulling.

Shiro stumbled as the crowd erupted in cheers, Lance pivoting on the spot to sit between Shiro’s legs, facing the audience with him as he continued to unzip him. Control ripped from him, he suddenly felt naked, exposed as Lance turned him into the main spectacle, the deer’s arm winding around his thigh even as he continued to tug the zipper still further.

A quick glance down revealed Lance was still fingering himself with his other hand, legs spread wide, panties now tugged to the side to give the crowd a prime view of his entrance, fingers and hole glistening with his own arousal. Shiro suppressed a whine of his own as he watched three fingers push in to the knuckle, stirring Lance up with the filthiest noises as the hybrid moaned hot breath over Shiro’s own privates.

His entire face was between Shiro’s legs now, his nose butting into Shiro’s asshole as he continued to expose him. There was pressure against his cock, a pull, and then it sprang free, bouncing up to hit his belly before falling thick and hard, head leaking a steady stream of pre as it bobbed at attention before the audience. His balls were next, freed from the too-hot confines of his pants, and yet Lance still continued further. He could feel hot breath blow against his cunt, and then the cool recycled air of the club as Lance exposed him there, pausing for just a moment. Shiro’s hands fisted in his tights as a tongue swept over his muscles, still wet and loose from the plug-fucking Kolivan and Keith had just subjected him to.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Lance chuckled against the sensitive skin of Shiro’s taint, “I’d think that you wanted me to fuck you here instead of the other way around. You’d like that, wouldn’t you

daddy?

Fuck me only for me to turn you around after you came and plow this slutty little hole.”

Shiro had to bite his tongue to keep from keening, from begging Lance to continue rimming him even as the deer hybrid continued to unzip his shorts right around to the back, leaving his entire crotch exposed to dozens of Galra around them.

I’m here to fuck Lance…. not that… I’ve got to…

he tried to remind himself, recover control of this game, put Lance in his place just as he liked it, fucked until he could no longer speak. But that hot breath on his groin, the ghost of the too-recent feeling of something teasing his hole was enough to keep from moving.

It was the fingers wrapping around his cock, stroking Shiro as if he still needs any persuasion to reach full hardness, that had him coming back into himself, blood rushing forward instead of back.

Right…

It would feel so much better inside Lance than in his fist, feeling the way those walls clenched around him out of Lance’s control. He could play Lance like a symphony that way, milk perfect little noises out of him as he begged for more and more of Shiro’s cock. It was thoughts like those, the promise of times past that quelled the shaking of his legs and his frozen nature. It was what made him bend down, ignore his cock, and coax Lance’s lips into his own.

The kiss was sloppy, noses hitting chins as they leaned into each other, but that was part of the feeling. The desperation they both kissed with as their tongues melted into one another’s, the heat of each other. He could feel Lance take a step back, relinquish control, let Shiro be the one to kiss deeper, tongue exploring further into his mouth to taste the insides of his cheeks, still sweet with traces of his last drink. That was all the confidence he needed to push further, become bolder as his hands sunk further, running down Lance’s waist, to settle beside Lance’s.

The mewl that escaped Lance at that was all it took for Shiro to rip the gusset from Lance’s crotch, fully exposing him for all that could see. Gazing down himself, Shiro found the welcome sight of Lance’s hole, pink and twitching. Three fingers buried to the hilt, Lance’s slick dripping from his legs and knuckles. At Shiro’s touch against his rim Lance let out a needy whine, turning full out whimper as Shiro pulled the deer’s hand back, revealing the deep pink flush of his winking entrance, empty and desperate and ready.

Ready for him.

Shiro broke the kiss, nose running along the curve of Lance’s jaw, combing through his sideburns as he stroked the insides of Lance’s thighs, coming close, but not touching —

never touching

— where Lance desperately needed him.

“You want it baby?” he whispered, voice just loud enough for the first row to hear him. “If you want it you need to beg.”

“

Please…”

Lance whined, breathy. Shiro traced one finger down the curve of Lance’s pretty little cock.

“Need to be louder than that. Tell me exactly what you need.”

“I want it…” Lance tried again, but Shiro shook his head, finger moving away-

“I want your cock!” Lance cried, uncaring of the heavy panting of the Galra around them. “I want your dick, I want you to fuck me, mix up my insides until I’m coming to the feeling of you shooting your load inside me.”

He fought to ignore how hard his dick felt at that, how close he was to coming. “What’s…” he licked his lips, hardly believing himself, “what’s the magic word?”

Lance leaned back, finally far enough away that Shiro could see into his hazy, lust filled eyes. Just for a second, that mysterious spark was back.

“

Daddy

…” Lance growled.

And without another word they were tumbling into position to the cheers and shouts of the spectators around them. Shiro on top, straddling. Lance sprawled beneath him, already hooking a leg around the rabbit’s waist as the other slunk up to hang his ankle behind Shiro’s ear.

“Showoff,” Shiro whispered.

“Flaunt it if you got it,” Lance hissed back with a wink, but the smoothness of the line was somewhat lost with the crack in his voice.

“I thought I taught you the magic word was please,” Shiro purred louder, for the audience’s benefit, as he ground his dick against Lance’s. “Looks like I’ll have to drill some manners into you yet.”

Lance was actively trying to maneuver Shiro into him, using his two grapple holds on his partner’s body to maneuver. Not that Shiro was letting him get far. “Please daddy! Drill it into me good!” His cheeks puffed as he fought back at laugh at his own pun. Shiro groaned… he’d set him up for that one.

“Almost there…” he panted, squeezing Lance’s ass cheeks between his palms as he hiked him up into position, pre smearing in with the slick of Lance’s thighs. “One more time, let me hear you beg for daddy one more time.”

Hands grabbed Shiro’s ears, pulling him to nose to nose with the hybrid under him. Lance’s eyes were crazy, sparking with blue lighting of anticipation, his cheeks tinged bright pink, white freckles gone rose.

“Please daddy… fuck me on your fat cock… come inside me… make me your bitch! Make-”

Shiro drove into Lance, forcing the words from his throat and replacing them with nothing but a high pitched whine. He sunk in, inch by inch, Lance’s body opening readily to him, welcoming him in. He could feel the heat envelop him. Halfway. Two thirds. Three quarters.

As he hit bottom, balls coming to rest against Lance’s ass, a shudder escaped him. One that shook through him into Lance, who let out a wanton moan.

“

God

… that’s…

so good.

Shiro…”

“Not yet baby…. not yet, you look so gorgeous baby.” Shiro nuzzled Lance’s cheek, licking at the beads of sweat now trailing down that thin neck.

“More… more…” Lance whined, trying to rock up onto Shiro’s cock, but he held him still. Not yet. He needed Lance to get used to him, as much as they needed to hold for the audience, show them just how well Lance’s cunt took Shiro’s cock… how well it could take any of their cocks, even if it never would, not even in their wildest daydreams. He could feel Lance’s walls rubbing against him, massaging his dick and sending fresh waves of blood between his legs, only further exasperating the problem. He couldn’t hold out much longer… but Lance needed to adjust… but he… he…

Shiro jackrabbited into Lance to the roaring of the crowd.

Lance clawed at his back, a desperate twitching mess. Fingers scrabbled for a footing on the naked expanse of his shoulder blades, finally finding a hold on the joke of a top Shiro was wearing and clinging on for dear life and Shiro continued to pound into him. They were both so worked up already the need for pleasantries — for slow and soft beginnings — were gone. Lance continued to babble against Shiro’s neck, strings of near nonsense to everyone but Shiro, picking out the “there”s and “deeper”s lost on everyone else. Whether he was able to act on them or not was another story. Lance’s hole hugged greedily at his cock, hot velvet on skin, softer than anything on earth, in this whole galaxy.

And it was his right now, a treat no one else but Hunk and Keith would ever get to savour.

Fresh pleasure pooled in Shiro’s belly at that. They were free to do as they wanted, fuck whoever they wanted, live as they wanted here, dangled tantalizingly before the very species that hoped to possess them. The closest most would ever come to this feeling was three feet away, watching at the edge of this very stage, witnessing the throes of ecstasy washing through him now.

The roars of the crowd were drowned out by the rush of blood in his ears, by the sweet heat of Lance’s breath on his neck, and the tight wet heat wrapped around his dick. Lance was rocking back into him now, meeting his thrusts and bouncing wildly on his shaft in chase of his orgasm. Each time they rammed together, hips jolting into each other’s he felt himself unravel another thread, endurance failing along with resolve. He was close… so close… Lance felt amazing around him, sweet nonverbal noises of pleasure tingling in his ears. It was nothing but the two of them in this bubble, tied together, racing against one another to reach the peak of pleasure.

In the end it was Shiro who came first.

Lance squeezing down around him, arms and legs squeezing him tight, feeling all that strapping rubbing up against his too-hot skin, he came. Like a cork from a bottle his orgasm left him, spurts of come streaming into Lance even as he continued to fuck through the delirium of the pleasure, hind brain still somehow aware Lance needed pleasure too. He could feel it, streaks of hot, white streaking down Lance’s ass and his own thighs, but he kept on, letting his balls continue to empty as he rode it out to the point of eyes crossing, vision blurring, hips only beginning to slow as the final few spurts left him.

He was dully aware of Lance whining beneath him at the loss of friction, ever more so at the loss of warmth around his slowly softening member as Lance pulled himself off. He should apologize, part of him realized, do something to help Lance finish, but he was still floating in the cotton of afterglow, unable to process much more than the warmth flowing through his bones.

The need for action was gone though. With a grunt and a tug Lance rolled them, flipping Shiro onto his back and only serving to let more come drip out of him. Shiro watched in a daze as Lance’s hole twitched before him, uncaring of how sloppy and open it was, or the screams of the audience around them. He only half registered Lance handling his cock, trying to get it to stand back to full hardness, or the half-amused, half-frustrated look he gave him. He really only processed half of everything.

Until Lance pushed two fingers into Shiro.

His entire body jerked to wakefulness. It was like breaking out from underwater, the sounds and smells of the club rushing back in full force as his body twitched back into the real word, and fuck… the need that was already building in him just moments after his last release. Between their heated bodies his cock made a valiant effort to bob back to life.

“Ride him!” someone shouted.

“Milk him dry!”

“What do you say daddy?” Lance asked, in a voice that carried over the heckling of the crowd. “Should I ride you until you’ve emptied those fat balls into me?”

The fingers inside him twisted, and Shiro let out a groan. His cock persevered to rise another inch.

“You think that’s a yes?” The crowd roared as Lance continued to massage the bundle of nerves right behind Shiro’s dick. He was too spent to care right now, even if his belly was churning with the fire steadily building inside it. Dazedly he looked out at the crowd. There were the same old customers, the ones assigned to this quadrant that made themselves known every few nights at the tabled surrounding the stage, with newer faces either pressed up against the sides or sitting further back, some of them nursing barely hidden erections beneath their tables. Once you’d seen it it was impossible not to recognize (he had Keith to thank for that). There was the same face on all of them, a face he wondered if he was making himself. One of lust and want, or carnal need. Even Lance had his own version as he sunk down on Shiro’s half-hard cock. Everyone in the club… except one face.

The same Galra from before, quietly sipping his drink, a look of polite interest the only sign he’d been watching at all.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Keith wriggled further into Shiro, ignoring the sputtering and noises of protest as he buried the point of his jaw right in the meat of Shiro’s neck.

“Keith! That feels weird!”

“Too bad,” he sighed, letting his body sink into Shiro’s, “it’s comfortable, and it’s your fault for letting Lance push you way too far tonight.”

Shiro let out a groan of exasperation, but they both knew who’d won on the matter. He let the cat hybrid make himself comfortable on his chest, eventually spreading his knees wide enough apart for Keith to settle between them. Keith felt large hands wrap around his waist, palms snaking down until they cupped his ass and the thumbs got to work at massaging the tension at the base of his tail.

Keith moaned in happiness, and Shiro let out a good-natured chuckle.

It always felt good coming back to something like this after a long day’s work. Even if what they did wasn’t always physically demanding, he was still always there, having to interact with strangers, listen to boring stories and pretend they were fascinating, act like hearing soldiers brag about their latest missions made him want to get on all fours for them. It was a different type of tired… one that got his muscles all knotted by simply being around the crowds and left his brain buzzing in a dull throb of too much conversation.

Time with his friends was different though. Comfortable. He could spend three vargas scrubbing drink and dirt stains from the booths with them and still come back to their room and night with energy to spare. He wasn’t sure if it was the same for the others, certainly not for Hunk, who seemed to only grow more excited the more people he met. But he loved them… loved that any night he could crawl up onto the big bed in their quarters and snuggle against them, hear their heartbeat in his ears, and rest.

“Enjoying yourself?” Shiro asked, continuing to rub slow circles into Keith’s hips.

Keith nodded into Shiro’s chest. He’d just realized he’d begun to purr somewhere along the line. “S’nice. Bit lower if you can.” The fingers moved, and Keith started to rumble with the strength of a freight cruiser.

“Anything interesting happen with Raht?”

“Define interesting.”

“News… dropped secrets… any weird kinks he tried to talk you into…”

Keith snorted at the last one. “Seemed like the type to like little submissive things. Guy has a major need to feel like his power means something. Kept going off on how if I was his he’d want to fuck me from his command tower. Probably wouldn’t be able to come unless he could count the number of battalions he had at the same time.” He’d also stunk of unwashed hair. Thank fucking god Raht hadn’t been the type to try and get him sitting in his lap.

“Sounds like he’d be easy to crack then. You even have to do much to get him to talk?”

“I literally asked him how he came to ‘this fine establishment’ and he started power tripping about his importance in the empire. The other people with him looked like they’d had to put up with it for ages. Fuck…” he rolled back into Shiro’s hands, feeling the pressure roll over the dimples at the base of his spine. “He could bore the ears off a yelmour.”

“No wonder you’re tired then. Poor thing.”

Keith snorted, shifting his position so he could rest his hands beneath him on Shiro’s chest. “Don’t you start sassing me or so help me I’m gonna tell Kolivan you want to volunteer to host him next time.”

“I’m not…” Shiro grinned, “I mean it, you seem tired. Just couldn’t help myself.” He trailed off, letting his hands move up to start rubbing out the tension in Keith’s back. He was forgiven, even more now that Keith felt his body starting to loosen in his hands. He let himself sink into a state of half-wakefulness, slowly falling into synch with the rise and fall of Shiro’s breathing.

“He told me what’s going on, by the way. Why he showed up all of sudden, even if he’d usually posted three quadrants over.”

Shiro let out a hum of interest.

“Apparently there’s some big war exercises going on a few solar systems over. A lot of divisions are bringing their fleets in for it. Something about competition and showing off the best squadrons and stuff.”

“Which would mean-”

Keith nodded. “Means we’re probably going to get a whole lot busier soon. Just what we need.

More people.”

“More generals though,” Shiro said thoughtfully, “means the chances of better intel are higher.”

“Or worse. Some general’s assistant is going to be way more likely to spill what they know to sound impressive.”

“Mmm… maybe… but generals will know more about what’s going on in the empire. Even if they’re harder to open up, it’s probably more worth it in the long run.”

“Whatever you say… still means they’re gonna be a pain to deal with.”

“Who’s a pain?”

Keith’s ear swivelled at the sudden noise. With a groan he ripped his eyelids open to look at the new arrivals.

Lance and Hunk stood in the doorway, Lance with Pidge slung over his back and Hunk with a platter of buns. The smaller cat hybrid squinted at Keith, small nose twitching as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

“It better not be us, I’m just saying…” Lance shrugged, “Hunk’s got some wicked good snacks, but if the two of you’d rather lie around complaini-“

“What kind of buns are those?” Shiro sat up, dislodging Keith from his comfy place and sliding him down into the rabbit’s lap.

“Some are yawnab bean… a few others have that sweet and sour filling I made the other week.” Hunk grinned. “You want some?”

“Yawnab me,” Keith sighed from between Shiro’s thighs. A sticky bun was pushed into his outstretched fingers as the bedding shifted around him. He felt Hunk come to cuddle up at one side, Lance and Pidge crawling in on the other. Pidge managed to worm herself right up against him, fluffy bangs brushing his shoulders as she settled in with several of her own snacks.

“Rough night?” she asked, letting Keith snuggle closer.

“Raht brags about himself a thousand times more than Lance could ever hope.”

“I saw,” she said through a mouthful of dough. “Dude looked like he was boring the tar out of all of you in that room. Saw that little guy in the corner almost fall over asleep.”

“Thank you! See?!” He waved his bun at Shiro. “She understands.”

“Never said I didn’t.”

“You owe me for the rain check later is all I’m saying.”

“I’ll make it worth the wait,” Shiro smiled, and Keith had to turn away from that look.

“Y’guys wanna see what’s on TV?” Lance, already with remote in hand, flicking through channels on the large projection screen above the headboard. “Bi-boh-me should have a new episode out.”

“Sounds good.”

“Yeah, I could go for something stupid,” Hunk said. “Everyone else?”

Pidge shrugged, snuggling up into Keith’s chest like the oversized kitten she was.

“I can watch an episode or two,” he said, pulling her into his arms and settling into the warmth of their pile. If he was being realistic he’d probably make it no more than half a show. He could already feel the call of sleep starting to ring for him, safe and warm in the middle of his pack. He let his vision dance in and out of focus at the stick figures on screen, breathing in the smells of his little found family, slowly drifting off until he was snoring softly.

Just as Keith had said, the next night found them busier than usual, Vrek even forced to turn some customers away at the door as the tables and couches filled up inside. Judging by the few conversations Shiro had already managed to eavesdrop on already, there were still more fleets to come. They were still lacking at least four generals before the exercises started two quintents from now (even if two of them, by the way a set of lieutenants talked, were unlikely to ever set foot in the Lions Den).

The sheer number of guests was spreading them thin. Between the number of squadrons and levels of friendliness between them it was hard to pair off with a single group and spend the night talking to them without leaving others uncovered. The higher ranks didn’t help either. Everyone was a potential person of interest, meaning that leaving one group alone was less than ideal.

Shiro caught one of the security drones swivelling madly in place where it was mounted on the celling, Pidge no doubt trying to find her bearings in this sea of purple. They’d long agreed that the youngest, still under the age of regularly sold companions, should stay as far away as possible from the Galra public. Even if most wouldn’t act… that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be one depraved soul taking an unhealthy interest in her.

He gave the camera a quick wave and continued running between sections. They’d opted for a swap on their usual operations today. Rather than them working like hosts, spending the night dedicated to a group, they are meant to flit between groups. Regris and Kolivan had devised a little… incentive for that. Shiro, Lance, and Keith had been given something that resembled bodysuits for a race half the size of them, barely reaching mid-thigh and straining against their skin as if it might break. Amazingly it didn’t… at least, not at first.

“Shiro! You doing another drinks run?”

Lance was splayed out over a table between a group of no less than twelve Galra, several shot glasses scattered over his back and ass as he lay there like a pinup model. Little holes of bare skin littered his outfit, with more and more concentrated over his hips. He could see the hint of Lance’s lingerie underneath, blue and strappy just like the deer hybrid liked it.

“Aren’t you supposed to be getting them yourself?” he sighed, empty tray from his last table cocked on his hip. His own suit had its fair share of holes as well, but more of them scattered over his front.

“And leave all this lovely company?” Lance laughed, then squirmed to stay still as a willowy female officer bent down to take a shot off his rump. A fresh hole uncovered as she lifted the glass off. There was a large male playing with his ears, looking extremely interested in where all this drinking was going to get their party with Lance.

“Fine,” he sighed. “But I’m only getting you four.” Lance stuck out his lip in a mock pout, and Shiro couldn’t help but add, leaning over with a stage whisper. “They should have to watch that pretty ass of yours walk away.”

He left Lance to the noises of hooting and hollering at that, no doubt having stirred the pot even more than it had already been. Keith was at the other side of the club, looking as if he was using the hard to get routine on a set of Throk’s captains (the four of them trying to barter with where they could drink off of him). Ilun ran past with him another tray of drinks — not shots — for some of the more relaxed tables more interested in watching the entertainment on stage.

Hunk was slowly teasing a cover of traditional Galran robes off himself to the cheeky tune of a sultry brass number. Shiro took the chance to watch for a second as Hunk spun on the spot, one hand trailing up the length of a single leg, uncovering the tops of his ornamental, thigh high boots, offering just a whisper of what lay above them before dropping the robe’s slit back in place. It would be a while before he was done, with those watching no doubt going to be close to bursting when he finally was.

He smacked the empty tray back on the bar, startling Regris. The poor guy had both hands and tail filled trying to keep up with demand tonight. Didn’t help that he had to water shots down somewhat to keep up with the level of demand. “I need four more for Lance and the group of Gnov’s officers. Then… where do you guys want me next?”

“There’s a group that’s a mix from different factions over in section 2,” interjected Kolivan. He was standing beside Regris, madly flipping through a set of notes on his tablet. “One there called Lahn has expressed some interest in ‘the long eared one with the nice rack’.”

“Lovely,” Shiro rolled his eyes. Regris started filling up new glasses. “I don’t suppose there’s anyone else, is there?”

“Quartermaster Janka and his fellows have requested you as well, though I would precaution allowing them to have free reign over where they place their drinks on you. Antok overheard them scheming how to get your bottoms to fall away with the least number of drinks. Judging by the fact they ordered fourteen for the four of them, they are not toying around.”

Shiro’s jaw set. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Regris was stacking up his tray with a nearly ridiculous number of drinks, so many he was hoping he’d manage to get them all to the patrons before something spilled. He dropped off Lance’s four shots (the Galra around him protesting the pitiful number compared to what was on his tray) and made his way over to the corner at stage left were Janka and his friends were seated. He could feel their looks creeping up his spine as he removed their order from his tray. It was like their eyes were searing holes even bigger than the tech in their glasses. His tail tucked over the hole in the cleft of his ass when he had to turn.

“You’re a pretty one,” one of them chimed. “You really don’t see or hear much about this breed do you? What are you?”

“Rabbit,” Shiro said as he set the last one down on the table and tucked the remainder of his orders safely under the couch. “It’s a small prey animal from Earth. Usually quiet but with very soft fur.” He could continue on with the advertising spiel he was taught at the breeding facility, but going on to describe exactly why one of them should want to fuck him was something he’d rather do on a third date. Or really never.

“Nice…” Another one whistled as Shiro sat on the ottoman in front of them, crossing his legs to hide the worst of the damage other patrons had made. Janka adjusted his artificial eye, only serving to make this all the more obvious why he’s been picked.

“Can I feel?” One of them asked, and Shiro quietly bowed his head to let him stroke his ears. They jerked as the Galra wrapped their fingers around them, stroking back and forth and pushing the hairs back against the grain. Even if a lot of Galra had fur, they never quite seemed to know the best way to pet him. Those with shorter coats seemed to know enough, but guys like this one, with long hair, or bald like Janka, now rubbing his other ear, weren’t quite as attune.

“Silky…” Janka mused, settling back into the chesterfield. “I’d always considered a feline type if I were to purchase one, but your coat is quite nice as well. As for the tail—”

“Just the same as the ears.” Shiro’s voice was curt and to the point. He wasn’t about to let them get to second base within minutes of meeting them. “Is there anything I can do for you gentlemen tonight? After all, you did order quite a lot of drinks.”

Janka laughed. “Straight to the point. I appreciate that in a companion. Very well, present yourself.”

Shiro leaned back on the ottoman until he was draped over the cushion, shoulders hanging off the other side. His knees stayed locked. Not so much that it was obvious, but a subtle hint that that type of play was off the table.

The group seemed displeased.

“The other way,” Janka drawled, “for mating. Assume that position.”

After a beat of silence, Shiro turned. His belly pressed into the padded box, rear on display as he lay spread over it on all fours. He’d hoped they’d have a bit more tact than this, but then again, Kolivan had warned him. Satisfied, the party began to stack drinks on him, one of them giving his hair and ears another ruffle. One of the better ones, it actually felt pretty nice. They almost seemed to tune him out now, more focused on arranging the set of shot glasses around the curve of his ass and up his spine. Which was good. The more they thought of him as nothing more than a welcome distraction the more likely they were to let something drop.

Relaxing into his role for the moment, Shiro let his eyes and ears drift around the club again. He could hear the next table over talking about the exercises to happen. Mildly interesting. It would be nice to get an idea of what the schedule would be like, but chances were Kolivan or Regris would easily be able to get that information out of someone just by striking up a conversation. He managed to pick up bits and pieces… It seemed as though it was planned to last for one standard lunar rotation, so a few weeks, a fact the captain over there seemed to loathe.

Hunk was still dancing, but differently now. The canine had shed one shoulder’s worth of his robe, the belt looped around his neck like a scarf as he offered a view of his muscled back, rippling under the stage lights. He gazed coyly over his shoulder, fingers dancing up the flawless skin, before yanking up the sleeve and dropping the other to repeat the same motion. Several groups, including the one that had been with Lance were taking note. He flashed his entire back to the delight of his audience, only to cover back up as those distracted tried to spot the source of the commotion.

Shiro continued to survey the rest of the room, trying to hold himself steady as more and more shots were piled onto his rump. He figured he should tell them to slow down, not to spill, but in the end it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t the booze, but the glasses that wore away at his suit, and as soon as they were lifted off him they’d be rendered null. If he enjoyed playing the brat he might even knock them over on purpose, but he was perfectly happy taking a load off his feet now.

“Did you hear about what happened in quadrant 36?”

“The base attack? Yes.”

Hot breath ran over Shiro’s tail as someone bent down to take a drink. He had to fight still to keep his ears from swinging right around.

“Damn insurgents, thinking they can attack the empire like that.”

“Sniv wasn’t happy about it. Had to answer to Zarkon a lot for it.” Janka, taking a drink from Shiro’s backside as well. “Of course, I offered to help settle the logistics of the mess, and the Emperor sounded oh so pleased to know it wouldn't be in the hands of a bumbling fool.”

Shiro smiled to himself. He remembered how months ago Keith had landed Sniv in his paws, all but confirming the development of a new weapon at his base. Hopefully the resistance had managed to destroy it.

“If it had been our faction they would have been caught.”

“Damn idiots lost half their research base. It’s a miracle they made it out with what they did, but of course he’s not talking.” Bingo.

“Probably doesn’t want us to know how much he’s lost.”

He was beginning to feel more and more breath on his flank with each drink they took, even if it was getting them more loose-lipped by the second. Shiro adjusted, wiggling his hips ever so slightly to let his tail cover some of the drafty spots.

“Probably didn’t even have much to begin with. That dolt wasn’t the smartest of the bunch.”

Wrong

. Sniv was extremely eloquent when he wanted to be. Playing dumb just served him best most of the time, meaning in everything except trying to woo Keith.

“Are there any leads for how they were targeted?”

Janka hummed above Shiro, fresh shot glass plucked from his lips and set on the table beside him. “I wasn’t made aware of any.”

“I’d heard there were a few in his ranks who resented him. Might have been from there.”

“They could have just had spies infiltrated in his base.” Another shot was taken off Shiro. “They could be anywhere.”

“Except that all personnel were accounted for, dead or alive. Meaning they were either killed, or they still remain in his army.” Shiro felt claws rake his ass as a glass was taken from him, touching far more skin than he’d have liked. Still, they were almost done and then he could leave. “Know that if any of you show the slightest sign of dissension, you will be terminated. There is nothing personal about the matter, simply—” Janka took a swig, “proper business conduct. The one who lets snakes breed in his crops is a fool.”

Three glasses were taken from their places on Shiro and swallowed with audible gulps.

“Yessir.”

“Of course Quartermaster.”

The party fell into silence, the merriment of nearby tables the only thing filling the otherwise somber mood. Shiro debated if he should speak up or not. Probably not. It was best if they didn’t remember his presence at all in that conversation.

Luckily, the silence didn’t last long. With a grunt one of the officers removed the final glass from his back, draining in a blink of an eye.

“Enough talk of work, I think we’ve earned ourselves a little treat by now.”

The breeze on Shiro’s hindquarters was noticeable now. It almost felt as if he had nothing on there at all, even if that wasn’t the case. Or….

He let out an inward groan as one of the Galra reached forward and tugged at the opening above his crack. The fabric flipped right over, unimpeded. He’d messed up. He’d thought they’d planned to cut his bottoms off like a pair of shorts, but it seemed they’d really only cared about making a flap to uncover one part of him.

“Lovely…” Janka cooed, running a hand over Shiro’s exposed ass. There was still his underwear of course, and the garter belt he was wearing along with the plug tightly seated in his insides, but they were still a layer or two few for him to be comfortable with this. He wasn’t one for strangers touching. At least, not like this.

“I really need to be going,” he said, making to get up. “I still have to look after another group.”

“But you barely looked after us…” One of the group, the scrawniest, batted his eyelashes sardonically. “After all, it’s only fair that we get to play with what’s rightfully ours.”

Shiro wanted to scoff and point out they’d been completely ignoring him up until they’d realized they had an opening to his rear, but he clammed shut.
Instead he cupped his chin, wry smile on his lips. “Shame… I supposed you’ll need to order more drinks then. I’m only yours until they run dry.”

“We’ll take these then.” Another one had slid the tray he’d stashed out from under the couch, already taking two in hand to place on Shiro again. “That shouldn’t be a problem… we’ll drink them nice and slow… until our thirst is gone.”

“You really… you didn’t order those,” Shiro stammered. These soldiers weren’t regular patrons, they didn’t know the unspoken rules of the Den. Number one being companions were never ‘rented’ out. At least, not on the floor, and never for

that

. “It’s a busy night tonight, unfortunately I can’t just stay with one group.”

“Aww come on sweetlips,” one of them cooed, sliding his fingers down Shiro’s ass and towards his inner thighs. “We got 14 drinks. That’s three times our number, which means we get three times as much time with you as normal…” His fingers wandered lower. Shiro froze up as he felt them try to press between-

“Excuse me.”

Kolivan, with his imposing stature had appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed Shiro off the ottoman and away from the officer’s touch, one arm looped protectively around Shiro’s waist far more than he ever would in polite company. He glared down the tip of his light tipped nose, lips pursed in something beyond disapproval.

“Gentlemen.” Though his voice was calm, it was anything but pleasant. “If you cannot obey the rules of my establishment I’m afraid I cannot allow you to remain. My companion told you he was needed elsewhere, and yet you attempt to lay your hands on him.”

“But… we paid for him, didn’t we?” Scrawny was talking, but he didn’t look convinced. “We paid good credits for a lot of drinks. We were just taking what was ours.” Shiro pressed a little closer into Kolivan, trying to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

“I seems to me you’ve already finished everything in your haste to undress him.” Scrawny opened his mouth to respond, but Kolivan cut him off. “As for ‘taking what is yours’,” he hugged Shiro closer to his side. The companion clued in, planting a hand on Kolivan’s chest and smouldering at the group over the touch. “I don’t believe this human belongs to any of you. I’m quite certain you know who he

does, in fact

, belong to, and

who

has final say in what happens with him.”

The officers shut their gaping mouths.

Kolivan turned to Janka. “Quartermaster. I hope these officers are not a representation of your entire staff, that one in particular.” He jerked his head at Scrawny. “It would be a shame if your entire fleet was this ignorant of proper conduct. That said,” Kolivan continued, stroking the curve of Shiro’s spine, “I will show your group kindness. While you will no longer be allowed to partake in our special offer of the evening, you are more than welcome to enjoy the rest of the entertainment from here in your seats.”

The small commander nodded meekly as Kolivan led Shiro away, the tray of drinks hurriedly picked up from the couch.

“Thanks,” Shiro whispered.

Kolivan shrugged, though his jaw remained set. He’d released his hold on Shiro’s waist, now striding beside him. “It was nothing. They were exceeding your boundaries. Are you alright?”

Shiro smoothed down his outfit. He was still a little shaken by their boldness. “Nothing I can’t handle sir.”

“Good to hear.” The manager smiled at him before handing over the tray of drinks. ”You’ll be happy to hear I’m not letting them be hosted by any of you any time soon. Besides, you’re needed at the other table. They were beginning to mount complaints about Janka’s group tying you up.”

“I’ll try and make it up to them.”

“Kind. Fortunately they do not seem to be as likely to make a calculated attempt for your chastity. We’ll try to keep it that way.”

“Thank god,” Shiro smiled. “Lemme guess, they’ll make an uncalculated attempt.”

“Doubtful, but I will have Antok pass by to make certain.”

He waved Shiro off, but not before placing two large glasses of soda and nunvil on his tray. “For the wait. It should be enough as an apology.”

Shiro smiled, checked himself in the mirror behind the bar, and dashed over to the group that had been waiting for him. It was a pretty sizeable group, at least seven Galra, a mix of males and females, all lounging over arm chairs and loveseats as they watched Hunk shed his robe at last and reveal the many beads and coins on his belt. Finally getting to the main event.

“Sorry for the delay!” Shiro set down the tray of drinks and skimmed the group. “Who’s Lahn? Kolivan wanted to apologize with these.”

A Galra with intense muttonchops raised a hand, face suddenly lit up like the sky on a night with three moons. “Finally! We were starting to think Janka and his cronies managed to convince you to stay with them.”

“No…” Shiro said with a forced chuckle. “You could more say they were making it hard for me to do my job.” He was starting to offer Kolivan’s two peace drinks around, but most already had one in hand.

“The little calculator has always had too big an ego for his body. Surprised he’s only let it go as far as it has,” a thin faced Galra with penciled-on brows looked up over his drink. “Wouldn’t you say Ulaz?”

Shiro nearly dropped the glass he was holding as he turned to the Galra in question. It was the same one from the other night, the pale one with pointed ears. He hadn’t expected him back, at least, not so soon.

“You could say that,” he shrugged, reaching out to take the proffered drink. Shiro’s grip tightened as he fell the warmth of his hand brush over his own fingers. Ulaz’s hand, he corrected himself. He had a name for him now…

God… don’t spill another drink on him

. “Thank you… what is your name?”

“Shiro.” His voice squeaked about a half octave higher than he’d have wished as Ulaz began to stir his straw in the mixture, letting a galaxy of blenperberry juice swirl in his glass.

“Ulaz,” he nodded. Was there a hint of a smile there? “You seem to already be familiar with Lahn, but these are Haxus,” the one with the cartoon eyebrows waved, “Menak… Twyla, Valkyre, and Nerok.” The two females waggled their fingers at him as the males nodded, Nerok taking an interest in the open flap that was the back of Shiro’s shorts now.

“A-are you all part of the same fleet?” Shiro asked, carefully sitting down beside Twyla, the tamest looking of the bunch, who immediately began to stroke the velvet tip of his ear. Valkyre seemed to pout beside her.

“Hardly.” Lahn waved his arm at the rest of them, glass nearly sloshing it’s contents. “Simply old friends reuniting under fortunate circumstances.”

“So.. you’re…”

“Lahn is under commander Bogh, Twyla and Valkyre with Ladnok, Nerok is with Prorok, and Ulaz and myself are from the same company.” Haxus leaned back and eyed Shiro. “Though I don’t suppose a human like yourself is aware of the entirety of the Empire’s forces.”

Shiro shrugged. “I know some.” Try hundreds, but of course, it wasn’t as if Haxus had to know that.

“So, how does this all work?” Lahn was holding two shots, ears perked with clear excitement. “I saw the leggy Altean-type had numerous holes on him after he left his last party. Do we pour them over you?”

“Not… exactly.”

“You’re an idiot. You’ve been ogling that that feline-type ever since that table near the stage called him over and you still don’t get it. Here…” Valkyre swiped one of the shots from Lahn and gently pushed Shiro back into the couch. “I’m good to do this right?” He nodded, letting her boldness take over as he sunk into the cushions. “You get him to sit still and put it…. There! Hold it!”

Shiro glanced between her and the shot she’d pressed between his pecs. “Are you…?”

“Yes!” She yelled, bringing his hands up to either side of his chest and encouraging him to press. “They look so nice and firm…. Gosh, you must have a ton of muscle under all this, they might even be bigger than mine. I wanna take a shot from them before Lahn slobbers all over them.”

“How dare—“

“You

did

say tits like his made you want to stuff your face between them.”

“I didn’t!!” Lahn sputtered.

“You did,” Twyla sighed, now massaging Shiro’s scalp. It felt deliciously good. Hunk usually got the female officers, but whenever he could spend time with them they always showed him a good time too. “Get it over with Val… the more he stalls you the higher the chance it spills.”

“Can I?” Her eyes sparkled as she leaned right into Shiro’s face.

“Y-yeah… just be careful.” He cupped his chest, pushing his tits together until they nearly engulfed the glass. “Avoid the teeth.”

Valkyre nosedived straight into his cleavage, the cartilage rubbing up against Shiro’s breastbone as she worked to get the glass out from its valley. She rooted around in there for several seconds, hot puffs of breath dancing over his sensitive skin and making him squirm. At last she surfaced, empty glass between her lips, eyes twinkling mischievously as she gazed at the new hole that had formed dead centre in the middle of his top.

“Amazing. You feel really nice you know?” Shiro gave her a sheepish thanks as she slammed the dead soldier down on the table and wiggled over onto his other side, content. “Well, I’m set. Who’s next?”

Nerok raised a hand hesitantly and began to study Shiro for a place to drink from. The rest were breaking out into conversation or watching Hunk on stage, now down to just his beaded top and skirt, swaying his hips to and fro. Twyla let out a low whistle as she watched him make a full rotation, face the picture of serene grace.

“That one’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, Hunk’s pretty great.” Shiro was relaxing even more into her petting, head slowly but surely sinking towards her shoulder. “Big sweetheart, loves making people happy.”

“Val… that’s totally the commander’s type, isn’t it?” Shiro’s ears perked up under her fingers as Valkyre looked away from Hunk at them.

“Well… yeah, from what I know.”

This… this could be huge. A commander who might be willing to give everything up to Hunk. He knew he really shouldn’t be discussing this, not without Hunk around to ask, but ladies

were

his specialty. He’d never known one to be outside of his comfort zone, and then again, most of the VIPs Hunk looked after were the type who wanted the canine’s companionship and unwavering aura of loyalty as they fought to deal with what was on their mind. It also helped that the guy was a

god

with his tongue.

“Y-you know…” Shiro dropped his voice, “we’re really not supposed to advertise, but for high ranking officials… sometimes we can do a little more for them.”

Twyla cocked an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“A private room one on one. It's not guaranteed, the companion has to be interested in it as well, but Hunk’s usually pretty understanding with anyone honest with him.”

“Hmmm…” the Galra drummed her fingers on Shiro’s scalp in thought. “Bringing her some good times would certainly improve our holding with her. Is there a way to request such a thing?”

“Just have her tell Kolivan what I told you and he’ll work things out.”

“Mmm… I’ll definitely have to tell her that.” She combed Shiro’s bangs and he let himself sink fully against her. “Nerok! Pick a place or I’m going before you.”

The other officer almost spilled his drink, quickly placing it on Shiro’s lap just a scant distance away from his v-line and mashed his face into it. He could feel drink spill down his leg as Nerok sloshed some in his haste. Clearly the type who was uncertain as to how to act around companions. The second best type in Shiro’s mind, after ones who just treated him like a normal being. He surfaced, face a little more magenta than it had been a few seconds ago.

“Sorry…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shiro smiled, “it’s weird for a lot of people at first.”

Haxus went next, demanding it be nested in Shiro’s navel, pushing him so far down the couch he had to splay over both Twlya and Valkyre’s laps. He didn’t miss the way his hands danced over his sides as he took his drink, clearly sussing up his shape. Let him, Shiro thought, and threw his hands around Haxus’s head for theatrics, earning whoops from the rest of the group as Lahn snapped a photo of him in a compromising position. He flashed it at Shiro, clearly delighted with how much it resembled his friend going down on a laughing Shiro.

They took a pause, Menak and Lahn drooling over Hunk effortlessly shimmying his way across the stage, the others discussing head commanders and drama within their own fleets. Apparently a couple that was split between Nerok and Twyla’s factions were in a bumpy patch after one had accidentally sent a gift to the wrong person. The group was split on whether or not they’d make up or not. Ulaz seemed to be of the mind that nothing would resolve without clear communication between the two of them.

“Unless he apologizes to her in person, I see no way that they’ll remain intact.” He shrugged, waving off Nerok’s protests. “Baltor can’t do that properly through a holoscreen or letter.”

“He has a point you know,” Twyla sighed.

As Hunk took a quick breather Menak managed to tear himself away long enough to take his drink off Shiro, requesting, of all places, his armpit. It took three of them to hold him in place as the Galra snuffled and licked around the sensitive skin there, clearly enjoying Shiro’s stale scent far more than the average guest. Lahn called him out for as much. It was his choice next, demanding the same as Valkyre, except spending far more time fiddling with his chest, stroking and licking at what bits of skin were exposed as he made his way to his drink. Shiro felt flush creep into his cheeks as his heavy tongue brushed one nipple, then the other. He felt his chest pinch, almost swelling under the attention. Way too much attention… he couldn’t take much more without having a serious problem on his hands…He bit his lip, trying to focus on something else to take his mind off his tits...

And accidentally locked eyes with Ulaz.

Shiro's cheeks flushed bright pink, immediately looking away as he felt his chest jostled by Lahn's face.
A moan escaped him as Lahn's tongue dragged over his nipple again, and from the corner of his eye he could catch the Galra freezing. He swore he saw Ulaz's eyes go wide, saw his straw fall from his lips, but then Lahn was pulling back, licking his chops and clapping Shiro on the leg in congratulations for the “fabulous pair” and the moment was gone.

“T-thanks…” was all he could manage as Lahn took his seat.

“I’m next! Roll over!” Twyla gave his nose a little boop as she ushered him into Valkyre’s lap, leaving his ass on full display.

“Quiznack,” Lahn swore. “If I’d have known it was like that I would have chosen there.”

“It’s only on display like that because of Janka’s group,” Ulaz said, taking a long sip from his drink. “He hid it as soon as he sat down, he’s probably glad you didn’t see it.”

“ ‘Sides, you just couldn’t pull your eyes away from his tits,” Twyla teased. She gave Shiro’s butt a little caress as she eyed him over and carefully placed the scrap of fabric Janka’s group had been trying to cut out of his shorts back in place. “Is it okay if I put it right next to the tail? I want to feel how soft it is.”

Shiro nodded into Valkyre’s lap, already feeling the stirrings of an erection happening downstairs after all the attention Lahn had given him. Here was hoping Twyla wouldn’t be as… mouth on as he had been. He felt the cool glass of the shot press right up against his tail and the start of his crack, balanced so precariously he was scared he couldn’t breathe without knocking it over. Which of course meant that she was going to tease him.

The first time her lips touched one of his cheeks he jumped, shot just saved from spilling thanks to her quick fingers. She worked up, not delving into the taboo zone between them but being more than attentive to what was hanging out around his underwear. He could feel his dick harden a bit more as she sucked the globe of one gently, two fingers stroking the base of his tailbone in an effort to keep him still. He let out a silent gasp as her face pressed into the puff of his tail as she took her shot, rubbing against the sensitive bundle of nerves right there.

“Thanks,” Twyla sighed, gently patting Shiro’s ass as she sat back up. “God… it’s so soft I wish it was big enough for me to put my whole face in. It’s a shame the hair on your head doesn’t feel quite as good.”

He could only nod from where he lay. But that was it, he was all done here, he could get up, duck backstage, and take care of himself before heading to the next group.

“Ulaz, you still haven’t done one, have you?”

Both Shiro and the pale Galra jumped in their places as Haxus squinted at him. Ulaz stirred his drink, mostly ice at this point, avoiding eye contact with his friend.

“I suppose not, but I thought Lahn would want two tries at it.”

“We’re all here together, we’ve got to do something to celebrate it! And that just so happens to be taking shots off a companion.” Menak scowled at him. “We can make this a tradition, every large scale training session.”

“You’re just timid, like Nerok was,” Haxus groaned. “You don’t have to drink from inside his ass you know.” He plucked the final glass off the tray.

“If Ulaz doesn’t want it, I’ll take his! I want a shot to see what Twyla’s talking about with his rear. Was it really that-”

“I’ll do it.”

Lahn and Haxus blinked. “You’ll…”

“I’ll do it. And I’ll place it myself.” Ulaz repeated. He took the final shot from Haxus and came to kneel beside Shiro. He found himself looking away, into the wrinkles of the couch to avoid that studious gaze tracing over his body. After a moment he felt a hand come to rest on his side.

“Try to stay still please.”

Shiro felt a weight press against the nape of his neck. The glass, balanced carefully in the junction where it met his shoulders.
He sucked in a breath as Ulaz’s fingers ran down the curve of his spine, careful, so careful in avoiding brushing him with his nails. It planted itself at his waist, holding his side with a confidence his previous movements had suggested none of, the other cupping the curve of his bicep. He was held in place, Ulaz’s thumbs rubbing into the muscles of his waist and shoulder as the shadow of the large alien leaned over, blocking him from view.

Shiro jerked as lips brushed the skin just below his hairline, and Ulaz’s hold tightened, just for a second, suddenly working harder to relax Shiro’s muscles under his fingers. He forced himself to remain still but every last nerve in his body was firing. This… this was hardly anything and yet it felt like way too much. Ulaz was barely touching him, using almost no pressure as his lips continued to ghost lower. He wasn’t even touching anywhere taboo, two perfectly innocent holds on Shiro’s body, but the way he was moving down his neck, so slowly, so intimately aware of how vulnerable it left him it made his heart pound in his chest.

The shot glass tipped where it sat, and Shiro fought not to grab onto Valkyre’s pants. Ulaz was drinking from him, not just moving to get the glass and get out. He could hear every last minute swallow, feel his breath, shallow, nervous, on the hairs of his neck.

“You still haven’t grabbed the shot yet?” Someone was talking above them, but Shiro couldn’t reply. It took all of him just to press his lips together and try to ignore the feeling rushing through him, crashing down his spine and into his veins as he lay trapped in the hold of this feeling.

“He’s always been such a square, I’d be surprised if he wasn’t having trouble fitting something in that tight mouth of his.”

Ulaz’s head jerked, glass falling back fully onto Shiro’s skin and he felt the Galra’s chin bump him. For a second he could feel his short, silky pelt against his skin.

Then he was pulling away, hands falling off Shiro, shot held awkwardly between his teeth. If there was blush on his face it was too faint to see. It was if all the colour that should have gone to him had instead gone to Shiro. Shiro, who even now, was trying to still the pounding in his heart.

There was no way he should have liked that.

He squirmed even when one of the other companions played with his scruff, he absolutely

hated it

when a patron tried to grab him there, so much so it was an automatic strike against them if Antok or Kolivan caught them. But

that…

as much as his cheeks were flushed, as much as the adrenaline now flooding his veins… he might have

wanted

to feel that again. Just for a few more seconds.

“Told you,” Merok said with a roll of his eyes. “Can’t even pick a glass up right.”

Ulaz looked sheepishly at his friends, ears flattened slightly as he set the glass down.

“Well, he didn’t spill any at least! Practice makes perfect.”

“Can we order another set?” Lahn asked, clearly trying to hold back excitement.

Crap… that was a question for him.

“Yeah…. you can,” Shiro said, getting up somewhat slower than he normally would. He hoped the lights of the Den were dark enough to hide the remaining colour in his cheeks. And the half-pitched tent in his pants. “It just might take some time before someone gets back to you.”

“Who’s interested?” Lahn was already sorting through his belt for more credits.

Shiro wasn’t really paying attention. He was collecting the finished drinks, trying his best to avoid eye contact with anyone, especially Ulaz. He made his goodbyes, quickly bowing to the entire group and thanking them for all their hospitality, before making his way back to the bar. He dropped the tray off in the dirty pile, and, ignoring the look Regris gave him, dropped behind the counter and slid down onto the floor below.

His heart was still pounding.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Mmmm, lower… like that.”

Fingers carded through Hunk’s hair as he moved to the request. He could taste fresh slick on his tongue as he worked his way down, nose tickling the bush of curls in front of his face. He let his tongue pull a long, torturous stroke between the thighs that had his head trapped between them, and the fingers tightened.

“Fuck… yes…”
Ladnok groaned.

The Galra commander had showed up this evening, extremely insistent on meeting with him after the suggestion of one of her officers, so much so both Hunk and Kolivan’s eyes had bulged as she’d dropped a fat stack of credits on the bar and all but demanded a private room together. He’d known that she might stop by after Shiro’s warning, but

still.

A few minutes in the main club area of the Lion’s Den getting to know her better, and then, after moving to one of the private rooms it had taken less than half an hour for her to get to the real reason she’d come, and well… twenty more minutes and several pieces of clothing had disappeared since then.

“That tongue of yours… quiznak… it’s longer than a yalmor’s trunk.” She adjusted her position, opening her loins up more to him as she settled back against the cushions of the bench. “It’s been a good decapheeb since I’ve found something half as good with a tongue as you.”

Hunk let out a hum of thanks as he continued to lav over her slit, pushing and probing for what he was really looking for.

“You know… it’s hard to find a mate these days, especially considering the number of males whose cocks droop the second they find out you’re a higher rank than them. Such a pity…” she stroked Hunk’s ears and his tail responded in turn with a vicious course of wagging. “But this… I could get used to this… Such a good boy…

Amazing boy...

”

Her nails raked her neck as Hunk lapped over something new, something stiff and twitching. He honed in on it, lips wrapping around the short, fat tip and sucked. Ladnok screamed as she clutched him between her legs.

“There! There! Again!”

He continued sucking, tongue dancing around the tip as his fingers came up to stroke her dripping entrance. The combination was too much for her. He felt her entire body spasm as she tightened around him, orgasm wracking through her even as he continued to tease her clit. He kept sucking, kept working her as wave after wave rocked through her. Two fingers teased her hole, giving her just that extra bit of stretch that had her screaming, cursing for her life as he continued to milk every last shred of ecstasy from her body. Even when she begged for mercy he continued.

The hands…. hands never lied with a partner.

Wringing the sensitive skin of his ears, thumbs stroking the silkiest, most sensitive parts of them, that was anything but a gesture of fear. It wasn’t until they started to fall slack, as he felt Landok relax in his hands and mouth, that he let off, lapping her stiff clit and messy thighs one final time before settling back.

The commander sank down the bench, half on, half off, delirious smile glowing on her face. Her chest heaved, hair rising and falling with each great gasp of her lungs. Hunk nuzzled the hand beside him, trailing gentle kisses along the curve of her abdomen.

Slowly, slowly, she came back to herself.

“Daibazaal… I needed that,” Ladnok moaned.

Hunk’s tail wagged. “I can see that. You were so tense, glad I could help with that.”

“Breather… need a breather… come here…” She patted the couch beside her, and Hunk gladly snuggled right against her, enjoying the peppering of kisses along his head and shoulders she gave him. Ladnok let out a hum of appreciation, pulling him closer into her lap. His face rested on her chest, her hands once again petting through his ears and long locks. The satisfaction was just radiating off her, so infectious it was almost pandemic. Hunk felt a warm stirring of it deep inside himself, like Ladnok was slowly feeding him sips of hot cocoa on a cold winter’s night.

“Command’s been insane lately,” she sighed, “

ridiculous

really, what we all have to put up with these days.”

Hunk let out a hum from where his face rested against her armpit. Some people got like this after sex, so relaxed and ready to share with someone who made them happy. They didn’t expect him to solve their problems, or even comment on it, but listening, just listening seemed to do them so much good.

“There’s more and more unrest in the colonies, not to mention the royal family asking for more and more from us, as if we’re all made of quintessence. There’s only so much we can do. And those rebels… those….

those infidels

!” Ladnok let out a hiss, fingers tightening so hard along the nape of Hunk’s neck he whimpered. She stopped immediately, eyes wide in shock, and grabbed his cheeks, immediately stroking along his temples. “I’m sorry… you didn’t do anything, did you? You’re such a good boy… wonderful, sweet boy.” She kept petting him, hands running up and down his back and sides, and Hunk relaxed back against her.

“I shouldn’t be thinking about them, should I?”

Hunk shrugged, cuddling closer. She wasn’t looking for words right now, just validation. Actions were better for that, more personal.

“You’re right,” Ladnok sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m here to forget about work. I should be enjoying my time with you.” She booped his nose with a finger, her other hand slipping lower still, massaging his hips. “Something tells me you’re a big boy with big talent. I can focus on that little rebellion problem later, not like it's going to be around for much longer.”

“Hmm?” Hunk’s ear flicked. Ladnok’s hands were drifting even lower now, starting to reach beneath the base of his tail and lower still. He could smell a fresh hit of arousal roll off her.

“We’ll be taking care of them, they’ll be destroyed before this rotation is finished. That much I’m sure of.”

Cold dread hit Hunk like a bucket of water. It took every last ounce of control not to freeze against Ladnok, now fiddling with the front of his daisy dukes. The rebels? The Empire was onto them?

“Now… what I’m wondering is if you’re as good with

all

your tools as you are with your tongue. Because I’m looking for something extra tasty, and I feel like you’re just what I ordered.”

Hunk let out a nervous chuckle and sat back, thumbing the button on his shorts. He couldn’t let on anything.

“That depends… How good of a night are you looking for?”

“

Guys?!

We have a huge problem. Like…

HUGE

! Where’s Kolivan?”

Hunk had made a straight beeline out of Ladnok’s room the second the commander had fastened the final scrap of armour back on herself (promising she’d come back “

very soon

” for her new favourite pet). The club was practically empty by then, just the final regular or two finishing up drinks at the bar with Regris and settling their tabs. They hardly looked up from their conversation as he darted by, both of them more than used to seeing a companion run past them in a disheveled state at the end of the night. Which he definitely was by any definition of the word. Even if he’d cleaned himself and Ladnok up after their final round (involving more than a fair share of tongues from both parties), his shorts were unbuttoned, top askew. He’d booked it straight through the maze of corridors backstage, swiped his fingerprints, recited his codes, and tumbled straight through the door to their dorm.

“Have you seen him? Guys? Gu…”

Hunk trailed off mid sentence, staring at the scene in front of him.

Shiro was spread out on one of the extra bunks in the room, book in hand, ears wrapped tightly around his head with what looked like a pair of thigh highs. Pidge was asleep on his lap, glasses askew, dressed in one of Hunk’s large t-shirts. Drool was slowly trailing out of the open corner of her mouth, getting dangerously close to Shiro’s shirt, but the rabbit hybrid seemed dead set on ignoring it. Or… ignoring everything around him really.

Keith and Lance were sprawled out on the bunk across from them, sheets half ripped off the mattress, clothes thrown every which way. Keith was balls deep in Lance, fucking him like he was a stud in rut, the tawny hybrid mewling and writhing beneath him. He could see scratch marks along Lance’s back, almost feel the strength behind Keith’s thrusts as they jostled Lance. Each time he pounded into the deer hybrid he could see another dribble of cum slide out of Keith’s ass. Clearly they’re been switching for some time now, if the sheer mess of Keith’s ass was anything to go by.

With a grunt Keith slammed home inside Lance and stilled, hips rocking as he started to pump his load inside. Lance whimpered beneath him, tugging his own cock until a half-hearted spurt of cum spilled from it. By the looks of it they were getting to the end of their activities.

“

Soooo….

” he pulled at the word, drawing it on until both Lance and Keith seemed to come into their own and looked up at him. “Have you guys seen Kolivan? He’s not on the floor of the club, and I didn’t see him in the back office.”

Lance let out a giggle like a schoolgirl, brain so well fucked out of him he could hardly see straight. “Not for a while now… Got him to let us off ages ago when people started leaving and came back here. You wanna join Hunk? Think we got….” he stopped for a second, clearly trying to count back how many rounds he and Keith had done. “… at least one more. Maybe.”

Hunk rolled his eyes and waved a hand in front of Shiro’s face. At least he should know.

The rabbit hybrid nearly toppled off the bed at the sight of Hunk’s palm shooting itself into his line of sight, just barely keeping his legs on the cushions as the rest of him tumbled off, clutching onto Pidge for all he was worth. Miraculously, she didn’t even stir from it, just let out a loud snort.

“What…” Shiro gasped, tugging the socks off his ears, “ ’s going on?” He looked over at Lance and Keith, slowly melding into the mattress. “Are you guys finally done?”

Hunk knelt down beside him until he was hovering over his face. “Shiro, this is really important. Like, super,

super

important. Where’s Kolivan? I just found something out, and it’s not good. We don’t have much time to act.”

Everyone froze around him. It only added to the uneasy feeling that had been bubbling in Hunk’s gut ever since Ladnok’s cryptic comments.

Shiro’s brow wrinkled. “I think he was talking with some guests who were in one of the VIP booths. Trying to drum up a bit more regular business with them by selling the features of them.”
The prime of which was privacy, letting those who didn’t want their officers to know they were frequenting the Lion’s Den. With all the commanders in the star system now, it made sense.

“Act for what?” Keith looked as worried as Hunk was, which was

some

feat for someone draped over Lance’s ass.

“Let’s just say, if we don’t find a solution to it, the Lion’s Den might not have a purpose anymore. Let alone

exist

.” Hunk shuddered. He hated to think what might happen if Kolivan was found guilty of treason. They’d all be split up, first and foremost, but

after?

He didn’t want to picture it.

“That… that doesn’t sound good,” Lance moaned.

Shiro gently set Pidge down on the sofa. His ears were flatter against the crown of his head than Hunk had ever seen them. “Let’s… Let’s see if we can get Antok to track him down for us. If it’s as bad as you’re making it sound like it is, he needs to hear this. Keith, Lance. Can you guys get dressed in the meantime?”

Shiro disappeared out the door, leaving Hunk and the others in unsteady silence. Lance and Keith were making motions to get out of the mess of sheets. He took pity on them and threw them both some pyjamas from the pile strewn over their dressers (who cared if they matched right now? Not when there was the entire resistance at risk). Gently, he shook Pidge awake, big hands patting her cheeks until she was glaring up at him through a crust of sleep.

“This better be important,” she grunted. “At least Keith getting his dick stuck in Lance or higher.”

“Oh, it’s higher,” Hunk sighed. “Much, much higher.”

The electronic lock of the door blipped and the lock slip open to reveal Kolivan, Antok, and Shiro, the latter of which’s ears were still pressed hard into the hair of his scalp. A deep crevice was forming in Kolivan’s brow, jaw set so tightly Hunk was worried he might snap a tooth.

“What is this about? Shiro said I needed to come immediately, even if…” Kolivan paused, sniffing the air, eyes wandering around the room until they finally landed on a disheveled Lance and Keith (Lance’s pants on backwards to boot).
“… if it meant interrupting certain activities going on.” The pair looked away guiltily.

“Kolivan! Oh thank god! Okay, this is bad… really really bad.” Hunk stroked his hands through his bangs several times, trying to figure out where to start. “Okay, you remember how Commander Ladnok came in this evening and asked to spend time with me?”

“And that she kept dropping more and more bills on the counter until I’d let her? Yes, I’m somewhat aware.”

“Okay, so… I was doing what I was supposed to be, getting her guard down, making her relaxed, not really trying super hard to get anything out of her and then… then she said something super freaky.”

Shadows darkened on Kolivan’s face. “What exactly did she say?”

Hunk licked his lips. “It was a little cryptic… she didn’t give me any details or anything, but she said the rebellion would be taken care of —

destroyed

— by the end of the rotation. She was… pretty certain of that. Like it was a sure thing.”

No one moved in the room. Not a flick of an ear, a jerk of a muscle. The atmosphere had grown heavy, imposing, like a weight sitting on their chests, pressing the air from them.

“S-so…” Lance whimpered, “t-that would mean…”

“That unless we can determine how exactly they plan to strike, there is a very real possibility we might not be here by the start of the next.” Kolivan bowed his head, stroking his chin. “This is not good. If what Ladnok speaks is true, we have very little time to salvage the situation. We have to determine which members of the Empire are aware of the plot, and who will be executing it. With most of them in our star system now, the home advantage is ours… but the time frame, and the doubtless secrecy of this operation… It may be near impossible to crack.”

“But we can, can’t we?” Shiro’s ears were cocked hopefully, even if his arms hugged himself in self-doubt. “We can try and fish information out of them, right? Maybe cause a small incident a few sectors over, to trigger some talk? It might speed up our chances to hear something important. And if we find out some of the main players are part of the war exercises, that means we can try and play to their weaknesses. We might be able to figure things out in time.”

“Shiro’s right.” Keith sat up on the bed, eyes locked with Kolivan’s. “We have everything we need to catch them off guard before they can put their plan into action.”

Shiro nodded, then Pidge, and after a few seconds… Lance. The bubbling dread in Hunk’s stomach seemed to settle, burner turned down to a simmer. They could do this. They still had time. If anyone could, it was them.

“We can do this Kolivan. Just make it happen.”

The Galra looked them over, each and every one with the same look of determination, of confidence in each other. The wrinkles in his face lessened. “Very well,” he sighed, “prepare yourselves for another level entirely.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“A whole new level was exaggerating a little, wasn’t it?” Lance stacked a 6th drink onto his tray and checked the order one more time. “It’s just a little busier here and Kolivan’s trying to pull in more prestigious clients, that’s all.”

“No need to pout about,” Keith said with an eye roll, back at the bar returning his own tray of empty glasses to Regris. “Just because we’re not on stage tonight, or should I say

you’re

not on stage.”

“I’m not pouting! I’m just…” Lance stuck out his tongue. “I’m just a little hurt Kolivan didn’t cast me in the whole ‘wolf’s prey’ concept for the night.”

“You know why…” Keith grumbled, now adding fresh drinks to his own tray. “They want to see someone put up a fight against Hunk for show, and you don’t exactly look like the buffest out of all of us.”

Lance let out a mock gasp of hurt.

“ ‘sides,” Keith continued with a little pat on Lance’s cheek, “you know they all look at you like some rare Altean species. It’s better if you play to your strengths there.”

“True…” That was the case. The Galra did breed hybrids like him with the express purpose to recreate the look of Alteans of old. Something about the tan skin and long ears was desirable to them in some way (one creepy old pervert who’d come to the club once had told Lance he looked as if he could have been the last Altean king’s son). Apparently there was some fantasy amongst Galra to get with an Altean, even if the race was essentially extinct according to anyone’s best knowledge. There’d been talk in the facilities of trying to give companions shapeshifting abilities like the Alteans of yore, but they’d never been successful, as much as they’d tried. All Lance had to show for months of confinement to the experimental labs was the unreliable ability to shift the locations of the white freckles that spotted his cheeks and back. If he really focused, he could just pull them together to form the signature Altean markings on himself, but he could never hold them for long.

“Look on the bright side, with Hunk and Shiro performing tonight, that means most of the more skeevy guests aren’t going to be trying anything on us.” The hair at the back of Keith’s neck bristled as he stuck out a tongue in disgust. “Not exactly excited to have a repeat of the creep who tried to stuff his hand down my shorts.”

“I thought Kolivan banned him after that.”

“He

did,

” Keith said with a sigh, heaving his tray over one shoulder like it weighed nothing. “Doesn’t mean there won’t be another perv in the future. Why can’t I be like Hunk? He always attracts the chill ones.”

“I think you need to be chill to get chill,” Lance smirked.

“I hate you,” Keith groaned, but he was smiling all the same. “See you later, don’t forget to keep your ears peeled. Especially near lieutenants and higher.” He wandered off, hips and silky tail swaying behind him as he made his way over to a set of tables near the stage front. He was dressed in a mesh top and skin-tight leggings, both ripped so perfectly in just the right places it was impossible not to notice the curves of his figure beneath them.

Lance sighed, ready to head out with his own tray, when he noticed Shiro a few feet over. He was with a Galra, cheeks dusted with pink as he clutched an empty tray in front of him. Both him and Regris shared a look. Shiro was supposed to be backstage getting ready now, not attending to guests.

“I’ll handle it,” he sighed, leaving his tray and wandering over. Despite Shiro’s flush, the Galra didn’t seem to be coming on too strong. Really, if anything, it might be

Shiro

, chattering away to him.

“You know… if your wrist’s been clicking lately, it might be flaring up because of something else. What’s your working posture like? Are you stretching enough?”

The Galra shook his head, scratching his ears a little bit before hunching over in front of Shiro. “It is not uncommon for me to work like this, considering my responsibilities. But I regularly exercise, it should not be so much of a-”

“Are you

stretching

though?” Shiro pouted, hand on his hip. “Strength work alone isn’t going to stop it.”

The Galra’s ears lowered. “Perhaps…

not

. Time is not always as free as I would hope.”

“It’s not hard, there are a few things you can do that don’t take much time at all. Here-” Shiro wedged his tray between his knees and stretched his arms out in front of him, tugging back the fingers of one hand with the other. “Thirty tics, once or twice a day. Flexed both ways.” He watched the customer carefully, until they moved to copy him.

“I… I suppose it would not be too complicated to do this as I waited on results to calculate.”

“Right?” Shiro smiled, adjusting the stranger’s grip on his wrist. “You have to look after yourself, there’s no counting on someone else doing it for you.”

“Speaking of…” Lance slid in beside him, giving Shiro’s tail a little tweak, “shouldn’t you be taking care of some responsibilities

backstage?

”

“I…

crap!

” Shiro winced, looking between Shiro and the Galra. “I lost track of time, sorry Lance. I didn’t even realize we were getting that close.”

“My apologies if I was keeping you. It wasn’t my intention-”

“It’s fine…” said Lance, waving a hand at the Galra. He was a tall gangly guy, and pale as all hell too, somehow capturing that nerdy look while still looking intimidating and aloof. Maybe it was the short mohawk. Whatever it was though, he figured he’d help Shiro land him, nothing wrong with a guest getting smitten over him.

He slung an arm around Shiro’s waist, giving the rabbit’s cheek a little pat as he grinned up at the Galra. “It’s just in his nature. Shiro here can’t help it, he’s just got such a big heart.” And with one move he grabbed Shiro’s chest in his hands, giving it a little squeeze and the Galra a front row view to the majesty that were Shiro’s pecs. “Overflowing even, can’t keep it from spilling over.”

“

Lance!”

Shiro squeaked, face and ears as red as the cherry in the Galra’s glass. “What are you-”

“Just telling him the truth,” shrugged, falling back and letting Shiro’s pecs bounce back into place. The Galra stared pointedly at a spot some five feet to their left, hand covering his mouth. “You’re a catch, can’t have someone taking that for granted. ‘Sides,” he leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper, “you were coming on a little hot.”

The look on Shiro’s face is all he needed to know that the rabbit had had no idea.

“I… I’m going to head out then,” he mumbled, eyes flicking back onto the Galra for a second. Lance could have sworn he saw something there, something more than Shiro simply finding someone with juicy information. “I hope you have a good night, and look after yourself, okay?”

“I will…” and in seconds the two of them pulled away from Lance, headed in opposite directions trying their best not to catch the other’s eye.

“That was a little weird,” Lance said to no one in particular. But then again, Shiro wasn’t always the smoothest at flirting. He had three modes: flustered, oblivious, and cheesy porno, none of which blended seamlessly into the other. Chances were he’d been completely clueless he’d looked like he’d been coming onto the guy until Lance had called him out for it, and hadn’t been able to save face and crank it back into smouldering Shiro. At least it had done the trick, he caught the Galra turning back around for a final sight of the rabbit companion as he disappeared behind the stage door.

That business taken care of, he snatched his tray back from the bar and went about his rounds. He dropped off a few drinks at one table with a few lower-ranking officers, making sure to flirt with them, letting them see just how high his legs went up through the half-undone zipper of his skirt, bending at the waist to let it ride up just a little more. Even if their instructions were clear: focus only on higher ranking Galra, it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to give them a little something to keep them coming back. Some of their best middle ranking patrons had found the Den through lower officers recommending it to them.

The next one had a few burly female soldiers, one of which insisted on bench pressing him in front of all of her comrades (laughing the whole time about the true power of Galran women). At least she’d been gentle with him, ruffling his hair and ears as she set him down and praising him for how well he fit in her hands. Lance gave her a shy smile as he left, too overwhelmed for smooth pickup lines. He stopped by a table with two druids, both staring unblinking at him beneath the dark hoods of their robes. Neither said a word as he set down their drinks, instead staring at him like a set of lions scouting an injured gazelle. He got out of there fast. Druids were never the type for chatter.

Finally, he was down to the last few drinks on his tray. Lance made his way to the staircase at the back of the club, tucked strategically beside the entrance hidden in the shadows. Most who entered the club would never give it so much as a second glance, assuming it went to Kolivan’s office, but the truth was simpler. The hidden rooms, the ones reserved for the private Galran who didn’t want their patronage known. Each of them opened out onto the back wall of the club, allowing for a sweeping view of the stage without the guests below ever noticing. They were usually big enough for a commander and a handful of their chosen guests. He was headed down to one at the end, housing Morvok and his crew, when a Galra stepped out from another doorway. His pointed ears peaked at the sight of Lance.

The same Galra from before. From the looks of it, he’d recovered from Lance shoving Shiro in his face quite well.

“Ah… good to see you! I was hoping to find someone,” he said, coming forward until he nearly towered over Lance. “How do we go about requesting another order? My commander is getting…” he looked over his shoulder at the door, “somewhat impatient.”

Lance sighed. Of course, taking both Hunk and Shiro off the floor was leaving them more short staffed than they should be. They should have been more careful on the number of high-ranking guests they brought in. Looked like he’d have to handle this.

“You can tell me what you want, but it’ll be a little while until I can come back to you. I have to pay my respects to Commander Morvok.”

“Is there any telling how long?”

“At least twenty doboshes. With private rooms I spend some time with the guests as well.”

“So that would mean ours as well?”

Lance nodded, and the pale Galra began to scrawl a list of requests on scrap of paper. He passed the note off to Lance, who quickly pocketed it down the front of his top, and disappeared back into his room with a brief uttering of thanks, leaving Lance to finally, finally, make his way to Morvok’s room.

“Who’s thirsty, ‘cause the main event’s finally arrived!”

Lance kicked open the door, one leg propping the it open and revealing the garter peeking out from beneath his outfit. He winked cheekily over one shoulder, drinks tray propped against his hip like a pin-up of a classic wife of bygone eras.

“Thank the stars!” Someone yelled, and Lance was immediately swarmed and tugged into the booth. Glasses were swiped off his tray, bowls of snacks taken in excited hands. Before Lance knew it he’d been plunked down between an unusually tall, thin, Galra and his polar opposite, a short squat midget. He looked barely taller than Pidge.

“So…” Lance drawled out, crossing his legs in a seductive swing of the hips. “Who’s this commander Morvok I was called to see? Is it you, handsome?” he asked at he batted his eyelashes up at the tall one.

“No! It’s me!”

An elbow jabbed Lance in the gut. He turned wincing, to find the pint sized Galra looking him up and down. “You’re an Altean-type, aren’t you? I didn’t think they had… horns.”

“That’s me,” Lance chuckled self-consciously, touching one of the small nubs at the top of his head.

Dang Morvok was shrimpy.

“And while Alteans don’t per-say, can you blame me for not being horny around here?” He swung his legs over into Morvok’s lap, giving him one of his most dazzling smiles.

Morvok looked like he was in the middle of short-circuiting. He kept looking between Lance’s face and legs, hands hovering over top of them like he didn’t know what to do. The posture, combined with his small stature reminded Lance of a kid looking for permission from their mother.

“You can touch if you want.” He stretched out a little, letting his hemline ride a little higher. “They don’t bite…”

The commander’s hands shook as they made contact with Lance’s skin. If Lance didn’t know any better, he’d say that Morvok had never even been in the same room as a companion before, let alone up close and personal with one. Which made this all the more easy to take the reigns.

“So…” he purred, “I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before, and I remember all the hot commanders who come through here.” Cheesy, he knew, but if Morvok was the type he thought he was, there would be no issue with using his body a little to get him to spill his guts. From the corner of his eye he could see one of his men roll their eyes at their commanding officer blushing. Clearly he wasn’t the only one who recognized the weakness in his character.

“I- I’m here to lead the war exercises on behalf of our beloved Emperor, Zarkon!

Vrepit Sa

!”

“Vrepit Sa,” Lance returned, leaning in a little closer. “I’d heard a little bit about that from some other patrons, a lot of them seem to be pretty excited about it. When you say lead—“

“I mean lead! Yes, I…

the great Morvok

, am one Zarkon’s most trusted generals, requested to guide my troops into battle for the glory of the Empire.”

“Really… I was thinking you weren’t going to fight anyone for this. I just heard it was war exercises.”

“Right…. yes… that. Well…” Morvok stammered. “When I say battle, I do not mean battle against the Empire’s enemies. We are engaging in mock combat between the legions, a test of our might, to separate the strongest troops from the weak, and determine who’se soldiers are the best across the universe.” He puffed up his little chest. “It’s extremely prestigious. Those who show the best performance will be forever in the Emperor’s best graces, and have their pick of the best resources the empire has to offer.”

This little shrimp clearly had a complex. Looking at him, with the complete lack of intimidation that was almost part of the uniform of all strong Galran soldiers, he was pretty sure Morvok’s troops weren’t about to measure up to some of the other commanders.

“This combat,” he tried, “what kind are we talking? Like battling ion cannons? Seeing who’s warships can destroy the most planets?” He let his body shake in false pleasure, as if the very image of a moon crumbling in the wake of a cannon’s blast was as sweet as a tumble in the sheets. The way Morvok stared at him, it looked like he’d done a good job of faking.

“No… but I’m sure you would love that, wouldn’t you? I could show you one day perhaps. Have you on the bridge as I obliterated a rebel ship.”

“That

does

sound appealing,” Lance crooned. He crossed his legs in Morvok’s lap, letting the Galra’s hands slide a little higher up his thighs. Morvok responded by growing increasingly red. “Tell me… how would you deal with them?”

Lance’s body seemed to be making it increasingly difficult for him to function. “I…” Morvok stuttered. “I would blast them! With every last weapon on my ship! If they showed up right in front of us I would shoot them out of the sky!
If they boarded my ship I would kick them—” he let out a high-pitched shriek and kicked the air in front of him.

Lance had to hold back his laughter.

“— like that. I would tackle them to the ground and make them surrender, reveal their leader, and squash every last trace of the rebellion from the Empire.” His voice took on a wistful tone. “Zarkon would love me so much for it. Our great Emperor would shower me with praise… maybe even…” he looked Lance up and down hopefully, “grant me permission to have a companion of my own.”

“Sounds like you have it all figured out,” Lance sighed.

There was no way this idiot knew anything about any plans to take out the rebels, unless he was secretly hiding a dark mastermind under his silly, simple face. Which he clearly wasn’t. Morvok was about as one note as they came, so obviously a suck up to Zarkon and the more powerful members of the army he was surprised his face wasn’t glued to someone’s ass right now. He needed to figure out how to make his exit, and soon. There was no point in wasting any more time around here than he had to.

His chance came several minutes later as Kolivan strode into centre stage and announced, in his melodious bass voice that the main event was about to begin.

Morvok bounced in his seat as Shiro and Hunk made their way on stage beside Kolivan. Shiro was done up in a lacey, floral outfit, sheer fabric revealing almost all of him save for a few expenses covered by beading or ribbon. Hunk was in something darker, a combination of leather strapping and tight black fabric that accentuated his muscles and drew attention to the bulge between his legs. There was no questioning where they were hinting at this going.

“I kindly request that any guests who find our little flower here,” he gestured at Shiro, growing pink at the use of that name, “trying to escape his way off stage to help him find his way back. It would be a shame if the most exciting part of the hunt ended between your ankles.”

Several of the people in the front row chuckled, some dragging their chairs closer in anticipation.

“Otherwise, everything is fair game. I hope they do put on a compelling performance for you all.” Kolivan wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and stepped aside, leaving Hunk and Shiro alone on stage, slowly circling around each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. The crowd cheered Hunk on, goading him to grab the ‘little morsel’ and get on with it, but Hunk continued to shadow Shiro, tail wagging vigorously.

With barely a second’s notice, he lunged, going for Shiro’s right leg, but the rabbit was quick, ducking and rolling to the other side and out of Hunk’s grasp. The entire audience cheered.

Morvok was inching forward in his seat, to the point Lance was finding it hard to splay across his lap. No doubt he’d find the commander pressed against the edge of the booth in a few more minutes, all but drooling as Hunk and Shiro played their game.

“I’ll be leaving you fine gents to it then,” he said, slinking off the bench and starting to collect a few of the empty glasses from the last round. “Just call the bar if you need anything.”

“Uh-huh,” Morvok said, half listening as he watched Hunk make another dive, this time just catching Shiro’s ankle for a second before the other companion managed to roll out of his grip yet again.

Lance made his way down the hall, checking himself for a second in the long, mirrored expanse to make sure his outfit was still nicely in place. A few tugs here, adjustments there, and he was back to looking pristine.

As he made his way back to the bar to get the order for the other Galra’s room, Hunk managed a good grip on Shiro’s ankles, leaving the other to try and worm his way out before trying to trap Hunk in a headlock between his thighs. The crowd screamed bloody murder as Lance passed the note off to Regris, now goading Hunk on to grab Shiro and flip him.

“Anything?” Regris whispered as he began to fill a glass up with soda and blenperberry syrup.

“Not from Morvok,” Lance sighed, “I don't think he knows anything.”

“Keep trying, there’s supposed to be a few other commanders here tonight.” He handed Lance a small glass of juice, which he took gratefully. “You never know what might happen.”

“Mmmm.” Lance chugged the drink, letting himself sink against the bar in a few seconds of blissful relaxation. No shields up, just a some breathing room as Regris continued to mix drinks. “We’ll see. Keith tell you anything interesting tonight?”

“Not much,” Regris shrugged, putting the last of the cocktails on Lance’s tray. “Trugg’s men are saying she’s deadset on performing the best of all Zarkon’s generals, there might be something there.”

“Morvok said something like that. Whoever impresses him the most at the war games apparently gets some pretty sweet benefits.”

“We can talk shop later,” Regris shrugged, turning to a slightly tipsy officer asking for a ‘folded fashion’. He pointed to several clusters of drinks. “Tables 11, 23, and 25.” Lance took that as his cue to leave, and with one last look at Hunk and Shiro (now wrestling madly, spinning about on the floor of the stage as they fought to gain the upper hand), he headed over to the tables.

One of them was the same he’d been to before, the female Galra welcoming him back boisterously, clearly lubricated with a few more drinks since the last time he’d seen them. They slapped his back, invited each other to touch the soft velvet covering his horns (several of them exclaiming it was much like the short fur of some of their peers), and insisted he stay for longer. He had to make his apologies, even if he desperately did want to stick with them. They seemed like a fun bunch, even if they weren’t high up enough in the army to be of much help gathering intel right now. Maybe another time, when they didn’t have a time crunch. He said as much, suggesting the largest one needed to come back and try to do arm curls using him and Keith. She and her friends agreed unanimously, only turning away as the shouts of the crowd drew their attention back to Hunk and Shiro.

The dog hybrid nearly had Shiro pinned under him, one of his arms held behind his back. But Shiro was putting up a pretty good fight, hips bucking to try and dislodge Hunk from his back. He had to notice how several of the straps on both of them had come loose. The belts looping Hunk’s arms had begun to slip down (

god….

How much he wished Hunk’d tie him up with them right now), and the straps of Shiro’s lingerie were falling off his shoulders. Some of the gauzy fabric was ripped as well, revealing one cherry-red nipple and the back of his ass. Hunk hadn’t gone in for the kill yet, that much was obvious. The way Shiro was still insisting on resisting in their play fight meant the other hadn’t found a chance to hone in on his weak spot and turn Shiro soft and placid.

He stopped by another table, all of them so distracted by the going ons in front of them he had to take an empty glass from one of the officer’s hands. The guy hardly noticed as he slipped a new one in there, not even seeming to question how it had suddenly filled back up as he took another sip.

Then again, Hunk was managing to pin Shiro more and more every time he looked up. Now he’d managed to stop most of Shiro’s more erratic squirming, pinning him with the weight go his upper body against the stage, their faces away from the crowd as he held one of Shiro’s legs still beneath a knee. His tail wagged slow and low, mischievous Hunk, no doubt whispering in Shiro’s ear right now, talking him into giving in.

Lance watched as one of Hunk’s huge hands slid down the curve of Shiro’s ass, two fingers spreading his cheeks for the crowd as the one in the middle circled the rim of Shiro’s ass. He could hear the growl of Hunk’s voice, even as the words were lost, and the sweet keening of Shiro as that digit pushed inside.

The result was instantaneous. Shiro sunk into the finger, boneless and willing as the crowd erupted into screaming, tables everywhere shouting for Hunk to take him then and there. Lance tore his eyes away, dropping off the final few drinks to the main lounge area with no one even giving him a second glance. He could see Keith on the other side of the club doing the same thing. Kolivan had called it. With something like this going on on the main stage, it was easy for them to flit between guests, looking for anyone who wasn’t paying attention. Not that anyone wasn’t.

He made his way back to the private rooms just as Hunk freed his straining cock from his pants. He was rutting up against the rabbits thigh, growling for Shiro to continue loosening himself as he spread precum over his ass and outfit. Two fingers in and moaning loudly, Shiro wasn’t protesting anymore.

Lance counted doorways. Shiro’s pale Galra had come out of the second? No… the third? He tested one, ear pressed against the door. No noise. Either empty or everyone inside was silently watching. Compared to the other room it was night and day, the second filled with boisterous yelling and layers on layers of voices. He knocked.

“Finally!” The door swung open to reveal another Galra, this one with a pinched face and pencil-thin brows. “The commander has been waiting far too long for this!”

“I’m sorry…” Lance stepped in behind him, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. If it had been such a big deal to the commander here he could have paged the front for one of the wait staff to bring him something immediately. But of course, he probably wanted a companion instead of a Galra, so who’se fault was it r

eally

that they waited this long for drinks.

The room had four officers in it. Pencil-brows was rubbing the bridge of his nose, droning on and on to nobody that the service here had been far better before and his commanding officer should have been treated better. The Galra Lance had met earlier was sitting to the side of the booth, carefully watching the show on stage. He gave Lance a little wave and nod of thanks, before turning back to the sight of Hunk pounding into Shiro beneath the spotlights, mouth twisted into a small pout.

The remaining two Galra were more burly than their counterparts. One was leaning forward in his seat, trying — and failing miserably — to hide the growing erection in his pants. Lance dropped a drink at his side and a handful of napkins.

“Careful of the upholstery. Would be a shame if you stained it all of a sudden.”

The big lug looked at him in blank shock for a second, before turning away to grab a few of the offered napkins and continue nursing his bulge.

That left… the last one. Even if the other guy was burly, this one put him to shame. He looked thicker than Antok, even if he did seem like he might be a might shorter than him, but that wasn’t saying much. Even if he wasn’t the tallest Galra Lance had ever seen, this guy was intimidating as hell. A great bushy mane of fur sprouted from the top of his commander’s uniform, great bat-like ears adding to his overall demeanour. His hands were pointed with wicked talons, now gripping the balcony’s edge as he continued to watch the display beneath him.

“Commander Sendak,” pencil-face said, “the companion is finally here.”

Sendak turned, and Lance felt a prickle run up his spine. He’d thought just the back of his head was intimidating, but the front put it on a whole other level. A sharp gash ran down the path from heavy-set brow to cheek, intersected by a single, unfeeling prosthetic eye. The other was equally cold, looking Lance up and down in a way that had him wanting to bend down and kneel in front of him.

“About time,” he drawled, extending one enormous hand towards Lance. “I thought Kolivan was purposefully ignoring me.”

“Nope.” Lance’s voice squeaked as he passed Sendak a large flagon of mead. “Just busy tonight.” The commander squinted at him, before taking hold of Lance’s arm and tugging him to his side.

“Tell me,” he said, slowly feeling his way up Lance’s arm. His gaze had swung back to the stage, where Hunk had twisted Shiro onto the side, giving the audience a look at the fucked-out bliss on the rabbit’s face. “What is it like… seeing your compatriots engaging in front of you so publicly? Without shame.”

“I-“ Lance stammered. He really hadn’t expected questioning like this. “I-I guess similar to you? It’s pretty hot, but it happens enough around here that I can still work without being too distracted.”

“And you aren’t ashamed of how they display themselves like this?” Sendak waved at the tangle of limbs that were Hunk and Shiro.

“N-no? We all do it? We enjoy it? It’s not like we’re acting or anything?” Even if some of the lines were cheesy fodder they played up for the crowd, or the set-ups were contrived porn plots, the actual fucking was barely different from what they did behind closed doors. “I-it’s kinda nice actually… getting to show people how good it feels.”

Sendak’s eyebrows rose, and for a second he looked away from centre stage.

“Are you meaning to say you’d rather be up there right now, spread open for me to see?”

Lance’s cheeks darkened as his ears flattened against his head.

“

Ahhh,

” Sendak’s claws combed at his jaw. “So that’s it… you would rather be the one being taken right now.”

Lance looked away, but Sendak caught his cheek, forcing him to keep his neck turned.

“You are a very pretty one… clearly well made, from quality stock. Deer types can be flighty and fragile, but-” he took a hold of one of Lance’s knees, pulling it towards his shoulder. Lance raised an eyebrow at that, but he wasn’t against a little showing off. He hooked his ankle behind the commander’s neck. The commander seemed impressed.

“... You seem quite flexible. Strong too.”

His leg was dropped, and Sendak continued to comb at his face. “I don’t suppose… ah yes… well, I am quite please Kolivan invested in one with this feature.” Lance shivered as he felt the tell-tale feeling of his skin pricking, a sign that his freckles were rearranging into the two Altean markings on his cheekbones. “I’m told the druids still can’t perfect the genetics behind it, but your case seems to be well-made enough, if perhaps a bit short lived. Yes… all in all, a good specimen.”

“T-thanks?” Lance mumbled, stepping aside as Sendak’s hand finally released his face. “I guess I’m fond of myself too.”

Sendak gave him one more look over, a long, pointed fang emerging from his lips as he glowered down at Lance. “I suppose Kolivan’s orders are for you to leave as soon as you finish your delivery. Typical.”

“I can stay a little?” he offered. “Not forever, with Shiro and Hunk on stage, but for a bit longer if you want?”

“Kind. Though I would prefer to save my full attention for you.” Sendak looked back at the stage, one fist tightening on the railing as Shiro began to beg to come. His outfit was half-ripped off his body, eyes glassy with pleasure as the start of Hunk’s knot continued to pop in and out of his ass. “I have… other matters to focus on right now.”

Lance nodded slowly. “So… so I’ll stop by later then?”

“That is satisfactory.” One massive hand dismissed him. It didn’t look like he wanted him around right now, not if he wasn’t being fucked within an inch of his life. He made quick work of dispersing the drinks among the others. Pencil-brows took his smaller stein of mead (diluted, the note had requested, clearly this guy was trying to suck up to Sendak), and finally… the original Galra, soda and juice with a hint of nunvil.

“My apologies,” he whispered, waving his head towards commander Sendak. “The commander can have a…. a one track mind at times.” His mouth twisted as he took a sip of his drink. “I’d like to say he’s more charming when he isn’t as distracted, but I’ll leave that to your interpretations.”

Lance took one final look at Sendak. The officer was gripping the balcony with two hands, leaning so far over that Lance was worried he might tumble out onto the guests below if
he moved any further. His eyes were locked on the spectacle on stage: Hunk’s knot had finally swollen to the point of trapping itself inside Shiro, the canine panting and rumbling deep praises about the tight, wet hole milking his load from him. And Shiro,

Shiro

… almost lost to the world, eyes rolling back, chest heaving as he worked himself on Hunk’s cock, spurts of cum spraying from his own dick with every thrust.

“Is this a common occurrence?” The Galra asked, waving a hand in the direction of Shiro slumping into the hardwood of the stage as Hunk finished inside him. “Having them… do this? For entertainment?” He couldn’t tell if it was distain or genuine curiosity in his tone.

“Not a lot. More of a special occasion type deal. Usually it’s just dancing, but sometimes we mix it up.”

“I see,” he said, turning back to look at the stage with that same strange expression on his face. “And you all enjoy it? You don’t find it odd, being on display?”

Lance’s cheeks darkened. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted this guest knowing watchers actually turned him on even

more

than simple one-on-one sex. “I think so. I definitely don’t mind. I don’t think any of the others do either.”

The pale Galra nodded, continuing to watch as Hunk licked as Shiro’s ears, trying to rouse him from his stupor. Around them he crowd cheered for another round.

There was a deep rumbling filling the booth.

From Sendak

, Lance realized. As he forced himself to turn away, to make his leave, he swore he saw a flash in Sendak’s one good eye, a sign of something, as his lips twisted into a wicked smile.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Oh

come on

, there has to be something.”

Pidge was flicking through camera view after camera view, earphones pressed tight against her head as she tried to get a read on something, anything interesting going on downstairs.

So far the most action that had happened tonight was Keith’s tail getting tugged on by a frisky guest (he’d hissed right in their face before springing backwards into the nearest couch and tumbling into another guest’s lap. Kolivan had settled things of course).

“Boreeeeed…” she groaned, scanning the four small screens that wrapped around the main one the audio was linked to. “Someone has to be talking about something interesting…” But noooooo, most of the conversation right now was about what a good fuck Shiro looked like and how sweet Hunk’s lips would look wrapped around their dicks. Something that really brought no interest to her.

On some level, she knew it should. All companions growing up in the facilities knew about little couplings that formed behind closed doors before they were inevitably shipped off to some sad sack with more money than social skills. She’d caught enough of her friends making out in dorms and beyond, but considering none of them had ever reached the age of that kind of exposure, a lot of it had stayed a mystery. Well… until she’d been adopted by Kolivan.

She flipped through the cameras, finding the club manager talking to one of the lieutenants who had come in tonight, braid slung over his shoulder like some suave ladies man. As if. She’d never seen him so much as bat an eye at someone if he wasn’t turning on the charm as a front. The real face behind that mask was harsher, carved by war and loss and regret.

She still remembered that face when she’d seen him break through the wall of the compound, all those years ago. He’d had a companion slung over one shoulder, another masked accomplice setting fire to a mangled, human-shaped hunk of meat. She remembered shrieking in terror, thinking it was real until he’d knelt down beside her and drawn his mask up, finger pressed to his lips for silence.

She remembered him asking if she wanted to escape, find a different life than the one she was to be sold for. And how it had felt when the ID chip was pulled from her arm, grafted to another hunk of meat and set ablaze. Being tucked inside a bag on the back of the huge accomplice - Antok she later found out -
and carried away, galaxies away, from everything she’d thought she’d known.

That had been how she and Lance had come here. Speaking of… she flicked the controls to swap him to her main view. He was in the middle of chatting up some big hairy lug, the guy clearly hoping to see more of his body than Lance was showing now. Judging by the tones of the conversation it was something casual. If anything interesting came up he’d let her know later. She’d check back on the booth when he left the room.

Her nose crinkled as she accidentally flicked to a stage view, revealing Shiro nursing Hunk’s dick as they took a breather. Nope… didn’t want to see that. She flicked away immediately. Being the youngest here by far, just having turned ‘training’ age, the others had essentially adopted her as a little sibling, looking after her and… in Hunk and Shiro’s cases, basically demanding she not even set foot on the club’s floor until she decided she was ready for it. Which made it especially weird to watch them turn it on for guests. It was like catching a bunk mate masturbating. Squicky, but a life choice of theirs you had to live with.

Keith was off with a group of pilots, and by the looks of it talking about flight. Same deal as with Lance, she sighed, moving channels yet again. Bathrooms: empty. Bar: covered by Regris. Table of druids: playing…

cards

by the looks of it? She’d have to ask Ilun or one of the other Galra on the floor to check it out in more detail. She kept scanning channels, listing for any juicy tidbits of conversation, and almost missed one, just scanning back in time to catch the end.

“—lan to set the Empire on top once and for all.”

“She tell you anything?” It was a small group, one female lieutenant and a couple of her friends, off in a table in the shadow of the bar.

“I wish… apparently it’s pretty under lock and key with all the commanders. Sendak supposedly knows more, but he’s not telling anyone anything, just promising commander Trugg everything will be clear when the time comes.”

“Clearly he just wants all the credit for himself. Typical.” One of the officers rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad I transferred out of his ranks.”

“Probably. Anyway, Commander Trugg told me to keep my eyes open for anything suspicious happening. We can’t have the rebels interfering with the war exercises, it’s too perfect a target for them not to strike.”

Bingo.

Pidge pulled her finger off the record button, grin spread wide on her face. Even if they didn’t think they had, they might have given them all they needed to take down this little plan from within. Now all she needed to do was figure out more about this Sendak guy.

They were all gathered in the staffroom backstage after the Lion’s Den finally closed. Keith was snuggling up between Hunk and Shiro, rubbing his chin all over their shoulders as he tried to settle into a comfortable position. Lance was sprawled out beside them, legs dangling off the sofa’s arm and head in Shiro’s lap. Pidge meanwhile was at the large desk in the corner of the room, propped up of Antok’s knee in order to reach the keyboard.

“Okay, so I heard something tonight you’re all going to want to see. I think I might know who’s the one who’d leading this anti-rebel plan we heard about.” She pressed a few keys and pulled the video up from before. The whole room was silent as the groups voices crackled through the speakers. It wasn’t until the clip froze, at the last frame that anyone spoke.

“Sendak. It makes sense.” Kolivan crossed his arms from where he leaned against the wall. “He’s always been in the Emperor’s good graces, of course he’d be trusted to do something like this.”

“And pretty quiet about the whole thing too,” Regris nodded. “Looks like it’s only a handful of higher ups in the know. We’re lucky Trugg let as much spill to her lieutenant as she did.”

Hunk looked up from petting Keith’s ears. “Do we know anything about him? I mean… the name rings a bell but I don’t think I’ve ever met the guy.”

“I have.”

Everyone turned to Lance.

“He was here tonight, in one of the private booths with some of his men. He’s… interesting.” Pidge couldn’t help but notice as Lance pulled the zipper of his skirt down a little lower.

“Did he say anything?”

Lance shook his head. “Didn’t hear anything about his forces at all. He seemed more interested in the club than anything else. Or… well… pretty interested in all of us.”

“Word amongst the ranks is that he’s pushing for Zarkon to grant him licence for a companion of his own..” Kolivan stood a little taller, face twisted into a scowl. “He was always bitter when I was discharged with a companionship permit. It looks as though he might finally receive one if he can cement Zarkon’s favour.”

“He was… pretty up to speed on things. He knew what my type was, and a lot of the usual… buyer’s guide stuff.”

Pidge sat up and flicked through the footage she’d taken tonight.

She could swear…

“This was him, right?”

The frame she’d pulled up was one from earlier, when she’d been checking up to see if Lance was still in the room with him. A huge Galra, one who could give even Antok a run for his money in size, had his arm wrapped around Lance’s waist. The other hand was holding his leg, tugging it up until Lance’s knee was practically in his armpit.

“That’s him.” Lance and Kolivan spoke in unison.

“Wow… he’s uh… handsy looking,” managed Hunk.

Kolivan nodded. “He’s a ruthless warrior. After our first few campaigns together I knew he’d climb the ranks, he has the bloodlust for it.” At the way Lance blanched into Shiro’s lap he continued on. “Not that he’d try anything like that here. He’s smart. He knows how to work the ladder, to not make a scene. He wouldn’t do anything if he thought it could jeopardize his place in Zarkon’s inner circle.”

“So you know him Kolivan?” Shiro’s ears were cocked to the side in suspicion. “You never said that before…”

The big Galra huffed. “I’ve lived for enough decapheebs to have experienced some things without you all around.

Yes

, I was familiar with Sendak in my early days as a soldier. Before I realized what the Empire was doing to the universe.”

“That means you can call in a favour, right?” Pidge was still studying the image of Sendak on her screen. The more she looked at him, the harder it was to believe he’d been friends with Kolivan way back. But then again, there was the same serious set to the jaw. The perfect soldier’s posture, spine as stiff as luxite. Even the way he commanded the room. Maybe in some other timeline Kolivan could have been in that room with him, leering at Lance. But then again, if he was, Lance would have never been there. None of them would.

“A favour is perhaps a bit to large a gesture to ask of him,” Kolivan frowned. “He is not the type to do something without any return for himself.”

The group dissolved into muttering, Mamora and companions both whispering to themselves as they thought out ways to pry information out of Sendak.

“Maybe Kolivan invites him here to reminisce about the good old days?”

Kolivan snorted at that one.

“Okay, not that.

Uhhhhh…

. we could throw an event for all the commanders? Like only them and see where it takes us? Even if Sendak doesn’t leak anything one of the others might.”

“We could just try and crack one of his subordinates. They’ve showed up here before, right? They have to know something.”

“But would Sendak trust them with that information?”

“… good point.”

“Okay!” Pidge said loudly, enough to cut though the din. “What about this? Kolivan, you know him, but you also know he won’t do anything that doesn’t serve his own interests. And Lance… you said he was really interested in checking out companions, and we’re pretty sure that he’s looking into different breeds before he gets one of his own. So what about this? Kolivan, you reach out to him… ‘I heard you’re hoping to get a companion of your own…

yadda yadda yada

… I’d be willing to let you spend some time up close and personal with them in goodwill’… I don’t know, we can make up some bullshit excuse about how we’d appreciate him promoting the Lion’s Den to other higher ranking officials and making the club have a classier reputation. Stuff like that so he doesn’t get super suspicious.”

“That… might work.” Kolivan was looking at her in total disbelief. “We’re on speaking terms but that type of invitation still allows for — well — our

current

dynamic to persist. He’ll likely think of it as nothing more than myself taunting him for how long it’s taken him to get to this point. Whether he accepts or not is another factor altogether.”

“But it’s not like it’s out of character for you to do, right?” Keith glanced up from where he was steadily oozing into Hunk’s belly, eyes already half glazed in sleep.

“Not at all.”

“So then let’s do it.” The cat companion rubbed his cheek further into Hunk’s frame and let out a small trill of annoyance. “No point in spending the rest of our time debating plans.”

Kolivan looked at all of them in turn. Each and everyone returned his uncertain expression with steely resolve (although Keith’s was more along the lines of ‘

do it and let me sleep

’). “I suppose it’s decided then. I will contact Sendak immediately.”

Things resolved quickly after that. The rest of the Galra slid out of Kolivan’s office as the leader began drafting his communication to Sendak. He called Lance over, and after a suggestion from the him, Hunk and Shiro as well. Apparently, Sendak had been very interested in watching the two of them go at it with each other. Chances were high that he’d be interested to see them up close and personal too. So that left Pidge with Keith, now a sulking mess on the couch as his two body warmers had left him.

“We can go to bed you realize, you big idiot,” she snorted.

“Don’t wanna.” Sometimes Keith really could act like the youngest of the bunch. Especially when he was tired. Or hungry.

“But you’re falling asleep.”

“Don’t wanna walk. Just wanna cuddle.” He stuck out one arm in a half-baked invite to her.

“We can’t stay here all night, and I can’t carry you know. I’m not exactly built for that.”

Keith wiggled his fingers a little more insistently. Pidge sighed. At this rate Keith was going to conk out in minutes, and get grouchy and disoriented when Hunk and Shiro woke him up later to head to bed. She really hadn’t thought tonight had been so hard on him, but apparently it had. He looked even more wiped than Shiro or Hunk, and those two had gone at it until Shiro was coming dry.

“Hey, Antok.” Pidge caught eyes with the silent giant, now trying to slink out of the room as Kolivan began setting up the holo-call. She jerked her head towards the deflated Keith. “Mind helping me with this?”

Carrying Keith was child’s play for Antok, easily able to sling him against his chest with one arm. Which meant it was equally easy for Pidge to hitch a ride on his shoulders. He hardly ever rejected her demands either, the big softie. All she had to do was puff her cheeks up a bit and use some big sad brown eyes and he’d cave to her demands (but then again, 90% of them were usually in the heavy lifting or reaching departments. She hadn’t tried getting him to smuggle a taste of nunvil yet, something she was pretty sure he’d vehemently oppose… or just give her soda in its place). He was comfy to ride on too… big head the perfect size and shape for her to drape herself over as they chattered away. Well, it was mainly her, with a few grunts from Keith and Antok’s many nosies of interest, agreement, or disbelief. Since arriving here she’d learned he was a pretty big fan of soap operas, and all that time in the A/V booth gave her a pretty decent chance to catch up on some of the older series.

“And so… in the last episode I watched Sven just died… like that! But it was almost played for laughs, like he kept asking to go to a hospital and that he’d be fine, even if Akira and Isamu were getting all upset. Feel bad for the actor’s fans though… they’ll be crushed after this.”

Antok let out a whine. Sven had been his second favourite.

“You think they might bring him back in the future? Like as an evil twin or something?” The big alien shrugged. “I guess we won’t know until it happens.”

He stopped in front of the door to their shared room and tried to jostle Keith, now fiercely hugging the bicep supporting him and trying his utmost to look asleep as possible. He wasn’t. Keith always let out little kitten snores for the real thing.

“Here, let me.”

Antok bent down for her to press her palm to the keypad. There was the three second delay, the system making sure that her DNA matched the human records Kolivan kept on file, and the door slid open with a ping. She slid down easily from Antoks’s shoulders onto the large group nest, suppressing a laugh as Keith continued to cling onto Antok’s arm with a scowl on his face, even with his eyes still scrunched closed.

“C’mon you big baby,” she said, grabbing his waist and dragging him off Antok. “Can sleep properly now. Ninight Antok! Thanks for the help with him!”

“Sleep well, little cub,” he whispered, and with a nod he was gone. Keith wound his way around Pidge, like a vine trying to wrap around a tree, or in her case, a seeding, firmly burying her face into his neck until he found a position he deemed comfortable enough.

“Long day?” She wrapped an arm around Keith’s middle and squeezed. His heartbeat was already slowing down against her ear.

“Mmmm,” was all Keith managed. “I guess. Just wanna be close with people now.”

“S’fine. Get some rest before tomorrow. Things are gonna start moving fast.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As it turned out Sendak was interested in Kolivan’s offer. He’d nearly rejected it the second Kolivan had brought up mention of his many companions and Sendak’s lack thereof, threatening to hang up if that was the entire purpose of his call. But the morning after, bright and early, he’d called Kolivan back, demanding a private booth for himself and his staff, and two companions for the entire night.

Lance and Shiro.

Shiro’d been a little surprised at his pick. Most Galra were interested in the two most common breeds, cats and dogs, mainly due to their looks and natures being similar to Galran ideals. He’d expected Hunk and Lance or maybe Lance and Keith to be more his types, the guy clearly looked like the kind who’d want a companion he could dominate with his size. But it turned out he had a thing for the unusual or rare, so Shiro and Lance it was. Lance was a combo of both, a breed in short supply and high demand, and the addition of his modifications made him even more so. Himself though… rabbit types just weren’t really that common. People liked them well enough, but if given a choice of their own companion they’d usually go with something a little more to their aesthetics. Meaning triangular ears and a longer, expressive tail to tug and play with.

He was trying to think of other types of companions Sendak might be into, other rare breeds. He’d known one or two cattle types when he’d grown up in the facility, those were usually reserved for people either really into tits or milk, and there’d been a few reptile types he’d heard of being special orders for foreign aliens. Come to think of it, one really sweet sheep girl too, but then again she’d been bred as a caretaker, not the usual purpose. He was pretty sure that wasn’t exactly what Sendak was interested in.

Shiro looked himself over in the mirror one last time. At Kolivan’s request he and Lance were going for a classier look. If classier meant a slutty tuxedo. Completely backless, two thin straps leading down from his neck into a deep V of a neckline that plunged past his cleavage and down towards belly-button. The shorts of the body-suit were near see through, a thin sparkly material that showed every muscle of his thighs and ass. A keyhole back revealed a glimpse of his ass, the two straps of his plug cutting through the creamy flesh towards their tether point inside him.

Yeah…

classy.

“You about ready for this?” Lance was propped up against the vanity next to him in the exact same outfit, the only difference being a bright blue choker where Shiro’s was white.

“Think so?” He struck a pose, butt cocked out ridiculously. “You think this says ‘

my boss is sending me out like this to show you u

p’ enough?”

Lance snickered.

“I’d say push your boobs together a little more and yeah.” He grabbed Shiro’s pecs and squeezed, making the valley between them look more like a canyon. Shiro shivered at the feeling.

“Careful….” he whined. He’d always been sensitive there, even more so than the others. It really didn’t help that the more people played with them the more tender they got.

“Oh. Right.” Lance dropped his chest and stepped back. “Sometimes forget that time Keith made you come from just your nips.”

“

Really...

” Shiro said dryly. Lance had gone and done it to him immediately after Keith’s discovery of his newly found erogenous zone. “Could have fooled me.”

Lance clicked his tongue and shot him a pair of finger guns before ducking out down the hall towards the club. “I’ll let you know when he shows up! Kolivan says he’s bringing five or six others too

sooooo

… be ready for that I guess.”

“Sounds good,” Shiro laughed. He gave himself one more look over in the mirror, making sure the straps weren’t tugging too much on his tail, and headed out behind Lance.

Things were quieter tonight. Apparently the war exercises had started, keeping most of the soldiers at the practice grounds. There was a decent number of Galra from one or two specific factions, he recognized a group from the one based nearby, but most out-of-quadrant suspects were gone. Lucky, considering that he and Lance were being pulled off the floor. Keith had already settled in with a small group of mechanics, leaning up against one of their arms as he explained a device in his lap in detail. Kolivan was fidgeting near the main entrance. He decided to make his way over.

“Feeling okay?”

The club manager blinked at him in confusion. For a second Shiro could see the worry lines above his eyes, but all too soon they disappeared under his usual mask.

“I’m simply waiting to welcome guests. That is all.”

“Well, it’ll be fine. Do you want me to prep the booth for them? Pidge mentioned she had a few records of what Sendak and his men usually like.” He swore he could see a little tension melt from Kolivan’s shoulders.

“That… might be nice.”

Figured as much. Kolivan had always been like this, ever since he’d swiped Shiro off the assembly line. Sometimes it made him wonder if the old soldier really

did

need the love of a companion, even if he seemed to vigorously shy away from any shows of affection. He’d just learned to accept it as an odd quirk, but he knew to keep his eyes open for the signs. Even if he didn’t need that type of support, he never rejected other forms.

“It’ll be fine,” he said, patting Kolivan’s bicep. “You trained us well, we can handle this.”

Fifteen minutes later, he began to second guess that idea.

He’d done everything Pidge had suggested, gotten a large flagon of mead for Sendak, a bottle of chilled champagne sitting in a bucket in the corner as a gesture of good faith. She’d even gone so far as to guess drinks for the rest of Sendak’s party, a few more glasses of mead, some nunvil and soda, and a glass of fire spirits with a twist of citrus. He was about to step out and look for Lance when the door handle turned and four gala strode in.

The first looked vaguely familiar, the second definitely. He’d recognize that pinched face anywhere. He had no idea who the third one was.

There was no mistaking who the fourth was though.

Behind Haxus and the two other Galra was Ulaz. The same person he’d slopped his drink all over, the one Lance had embarrassed him in front of just the other day and…. Shiro clapped a hand to the back of his neck before he could stop himself. The one who’d kissed him there. It was impossible to fight the blood creeping into his cheeks now at the memory of it. It’d been hard to forget. How carefully he handled Shiro. How soft those lips had felt right against his most vulnerable place. How chaste they’d been. How much he’d actually liked it.

“I assume this is our room?” Haxus asked with a look of clear recognition at Shiro. “The commander had mentioned he’d requested specific companions. I knew you’d be to his tastes the second I saw you.” Shiro tried to ignore the look he gave him, like a teacher’s pet gleefully awaiting another gold star.

“Y-yes,” he said, still trying to avoid eye contact with Ulaz until he could get his face under control again. “I didn’t realize you… well… you and Ulaz were part of his faction.”

“I’m his lieutenant, his second in command,” Haxus said, spreading himself over a bench in tandem with the tangible swelling of his ego. “Draxx here is his weapons specialist,” he nodded to the burlier Galra eyeing the drinks in the corner, “Yakult his head engineer, and Ulaz… well…”

“I joined his company more recently as a biotechnology specialist. I’ve been assisting the commander with improvements to his cybernetic enhancements, among the

other things

that are still within the jurisdiction I cover.” There was a definite note of strain there as he looked at Haxus. Shiro glanced at both of them. There was something there. Definitely a sore spot.

“Is everything okay?” Shiro asked before he could stop himself. Ulaz blinked and Haxus squinted at him, making him stammer on to explain himself. “I-I mean… the other day you both seemed on good terms and now…”

“Haxus is simply sensitive about his position with Sendak,” Ulaz shrugged. “The commander’s requested more of my time leading up to the training exercises. That he has invited me to attend his excursions here seem to have made him more sensitive.” He pointed to the tray Draxx had been eyeing. “May we?”

“Ah! Yes! Allow me.” He passed the drinks around, not even having to guess which was Ulaz’s.

The Galra gave him a small smile as he passed over his spritzer without pause. Haxus took his fanciful cocktail from Shiro’s tray with nod, quickly turning to pull Draxx and Yakult into a discussion about the condition of Sendak’s fleet. It left Shiro with little room to join the conversation, let alone sit between them.

Shiro sunk into a bench beside the lieutenant, realizing, only after, that he’d just placed himself beside Ulaz. He almost wanted to move, but when the Galra gave his thigh a gentle pat he knew there was no way to do so without being obvious.

“So we meet again.” He was smiling at Shiro over his straw, one of those slow easy looks Shiro could picture him giving an old friend. Maybe because he’d seen him give those before. Many times, the last time they’d been here.

God

, he was remembering how Ulaz had rolled his eyes at all their bad jokes. How he told some of his own. “Don’t mind Haxus… he gets like this when he worries is rank may be undervalued. Trust me, he’s far friendlier one on one.”

“Ah… good...” he managed. His mouth felt dry, stomach aflutter. Ulaz seemed to notice, his face scrunching up in concern.

“Are you alright? You seem… somewhat out of sorts.”

Fuck…

Shiro bit his lip. He’d thought he’d been better at hiding his distraction. The memory of Ulaz’s eyelids flying up in alarm as Lance played with him made him want to sink into the sofa.

They’d been having such a good conversation before

, he’d actually thought he’d been handling his initial panic over the drinks incident and the neck thing, even saying something halfway intelligent. He was probably back at square one, or further back even. Not that he should mention that to him. He was supposed to be a perfect host and companion, attentive, caring, sexy without being overbearingly so. He should just come up with a little white lie, something he could easily brush off...

Speaking of....

Shiro stilled, the thought of telling Ulaz he had something on his face and brushing his cheek flashed before his eyes. The idea made him freeze even more. He was

supposed

to be used to doing that type of thing to distract clients, but right now… thinking of doing that to Ulaz… he didn’t think he could handle it.

“It’s just…” he stalled, hoping something else would come to him, but nothing did. He sighed.

Honesty it was

. “I guess...
I feel like I keep embarrassing myself in front of you every time I see you. Even when I’m trying not to, something comes up and throws something in my face.”

Or someone throws something in yours

. His ears drooped at the thought, hoping to god that for once, tonight might be different.

Ulaz raised a hand to pet one in condolence. Base to tip. No going against the grain of the fur. Shiro fought to keep surprise from creeping into his voice, muscles relaxing into his touch. Ulaz knew how handle his type of fur.

“I was thinking quite the opposite. You seemed to handle yourself quite well. I can’t think of anything you did wrong at our last meeting.”

“Ah… well…” Shiro balked. He tried and failed to comb his hair from his face. “I guess I still feel bad about the first time I bumped into you.

Literally

bumped into you.”

God…

he prided himself on being good with guests and he’d gone and done the first thing you were supposed to train out of yourself.

Ulaz seemed to study him for a moment, rubbing the junction where Shiro’s ears met skull, the softest and most sensitive place on his head. He tried to look away, focus on the back of Draxx’s head, but he couldn’t ignore how those fingers combed through those silky hairs or the gentle cadence of his voice.

“If it’s any consolation, I found it rather endearing. You handled the situation well, and I have no hard feelings from it. You got along well with my friends as well. I haven’t seen Valkyre that excited in quite some time.”

Despite himself, Shiro was starting to relax into Ulaz’s fingers, spine starting to slump forward as he let himself grow more comfortable in his presence.

“Really?” He wasn’t sure why that small bit of praise was hitting him, but hitting him it was.

Ulaz let out a hum and Shiro looked away, down at his stocking clad knees.

“Good to know…” So he hadn’t come across as space cadet to Ulaz. That was good. But as for why he cared if he did… he didn’t have an answer for that.

A chuckle escaped Ulaz, starting Shiro from his thoughts. “I suppose you’d like me to change the subject though? Maybe ask you about yourself? Do guests actually do that?” He settled back against the back of the bench, watching Shiro blink at him over the sharp curve of his cheekbones. He sat back himself. Ulaz’s hand slid off his head, but the warmth remained.

“Sometimes? Most of the time it’s to ask what I am or more about my breed. Most people are really only familiar with cat or dog types, they usually think I’m a weird subclass of one of them.”

“Really…”

Shiro laughed nervously. “I mean… I can’t blame them. My type isn’t really one anyone bothers to learn about.”

Ulaz scoffed. “You’re a rabbit. A prey animal native to earth known to be skittish and flighty around unfamiliar observers, but can be quite affectionate and gentle with those close to them. They’re also known for their soft pelts, long ears, and ability to reproduce rapidly.”

Shiro stared back, slack-jawed. “You…

You know

...” Even Pidge had been confused as to what he was when they’d first met.

Ulaz shrugged. “I spent a few years working in one of the companion facilities of the empire. Looking at increasing the predominance of desirable traits mainly. Higher sensitivity…. Inclination to purr… more rapid reproduction cycles… that type of thing.” At Shiro’s continued staring he slunk back further into the bench, his ears even drooping a bit. “Most of it was simply going through databases to find suitable studs and dams. Do not think I was one of the druids who conducted experiments…” The way his ears pressed closer against his scalp suggested shame over his history.

Then again, Shiro’d spent his fair amount of time with the druids, and the memories weren’t exactly the most pleasant.
Most of them were him being put under with gas only to wake up hours later, stiff and sore from everywhere they’d poked and prodded him. It had been an uncomfortable blank space in his memories at the facility, but from everything he could tell and by Lance’s own accounts, they’d treated him well enough. It made sense that Ulaz would be wary of a companion’s view of someone in that line of work. But the fact he was that conscious of it… it left a spot of warmth inside him.

He leaned forward, hands squeezed between his thighs as he gazed in front of himself. “I guess it’s just a surprise you’re that familiar with it… but if you were part of the breeding program it makes sense.”

Ulaz hummed. “Considering I already know that aspect of you, is there anything else I should be aware of? Or is the only thing to your personality the description the salesfolk wrote on your card?”

He swore Ulaz was sassing him under that polite tone of his.

“

No…

” he tried elbowing him. Just a little. Not too hard. Ulaz chuckled into his drink, music to Shiro’s ears. “It’s just usually most guests prefer to talk about themselves or my more… physical attributes.” He waved a hand at the gaping hole in his front.

“You do have a nice figure,” Ulaz nodded, “but focusing on that is not particularly personal. I suppose it’s strange of me to ask if you have any hobbies, or dreams for that matter, but I can’t imagine there isn’t something else to you.”

“Oh…” Shiro could feel the tips of his ears go pink. He was actually being asked about himself. It put him on the spot. He really wasn't used to selling himself beyond what was needed on stage.

“I guess… hobbies… I work out a fair bit? Kolivan has a gym for us where we can do that. I sort of like the headspace you get into doing it… pushing yourself and really listening to your body, feeling it work. I uh… I suck at cooking,” he laughed. “Hunk’s the chef out of all of us, but Lance isn’t bad either. I’m really only good with my hands when I’m working someone.

Massage,”

he added, as Ulaz gave him a inquisitive look.

“Is that why…”

“Yeah.” Shiro scratched his neck. “I had some nerve issues when I was younger, back before the druids sorted them all out. I spent a lot of time reading up on muscle and nerve systems back then, figuring out how to deal with it and all. Most of the material they’d give me were only on Galra, but it turns out we’re both pretty similar when it comes to that. At least, on a basic level. Speaking of, how’s your wrist? Is it still acting up?”

Ulaz looked down, flexing his right hand in his lap, fingertips running over the tendons. “I have been attempting to take your advice, but it is difficult to say if it is working. Though, it hasn’t become any worse, if that was what you were wondering.”

“But not any better?” That wasn’t great. While he was pretty sure what Ulaz had described to him the other day was just a little overworking, it had him curious. “Wait… can I?”

He reached out, hand poised over Ulaz’s arm. At the Galra’s nod he took hold, kneading the muscles in his palm as he made his way up the trunk.

“How does this feel? Any tender places?”

“A little on the inner arm, but not by much.” Ulaz watched him carefully as he made his way up to his bicep, trying to feel out the underlying musculature through his armour. The shoulder would be out entirely, covered in plate, but maybe…

“Can you tilt your head for me?”

Ulaz turned it to the side, and for a second he looked like a lost puppy, face blank and trusting. Shiro sucked in a breath, pressing carefully on the muscles on the opposite side.

“And the other way?”

He did so, Shiro making sure to focus on the shadow of his jaw instead of those deep set gold eyes watching him.

“Is there are reason for this?” he asked, letting Shiro stroke the tension in his scalenes. Shiro licked his lips, tilting Ulaz’s head over for a second and then back again.

“If I’m right,” he said slowly, “you’ve been letting your whole right side tense up. It goes right up to the base of your skull, and it’s been restricting how well you can move your wrist. It might also have been pinching one of your nerves as well. I can fix it if you want, uh… that is, if you want me to.”

His tongue glued itself to the roof of his mouth as he locked eyes with Ulaz. The Galra was looking at him with something close to disbelief. He wanted to pull away, remove his hand, but he couldn’t.

“Wouldn’t that be troublesome for you?”

“I…” Shiro swallowed. He was just being a good host, there was nothing more than that. Making Ulaz more comfortable would make him want to come back more often and him coming back more often meant-

“It’s nothing,” he blurted, deciding to focus on Ulaz’s left ear instead of his face. “I’m here to make you comfortable. If I can help with some pain, that’s good.”

He cringed internally as he felt Ulaz’s gaze sweep over him. He didn’t have ulterior motives, he

couldn’t

. He was just making up for embarrassing Ulaz in the past, patching over those awkwards memories of himself with something better.

“M-may I?”

With Ulaz’s nod of agreement Shiro sat himself behind the Galra, propped up on his knees as he eyed the expanse of his shoulders. They were broad, especially for a skinnier Galra. Looking closer he could see the lines of the muscles in his neck, veering down into the collar of his uniform. Inwardly, Shiro cursed himself for not having any oils, but then again, he hadn’t been expecting to do this today. Bare hands would do, and it wasn’t like he was going to work Ulaz’s whole body, just his neck. Asking him to strip right here, right around his crew members?

Well, Shiro wasn’t about to add a third embarrassment to the list.

“Just relax, okay?”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer for me to remain tense? After all, that is what you are working on, is it not?”

Shiro bit back a snort of laughter, taking both sides of Ulaz’s neck in his hands. In front of him, he could hear a puff of amusement from Ulaz too.

“You didn’t strike me as a jokester, at least, not at first glance.” He tried to focus on feeling out the tension in each side, testing the balance, finding where it remained and where it lacked.

“It is something they tend not to prefer in the army, but still, sometimes a wry comment is just what someone needs. Besides, it can be difficult to always play the straight man when everyone around is also straight.” He let out a huff of amusement. “It pays to be flexible.”

“You’ve got that right. Some of the other companions here are so bendy it’s hard to process how they do it.”

“Are they flexible breeds?”

Shiro smiled, remembering some of the more ridiculous times he’d walked in on Keith and Lance doing it. “Yeah probably. They’re the deer and cat types here, might just be the territory. Meanwhile me, I have to stretch every day to even start getting close to where they are.”

“It’s nothing practice could not fix, I’m sure. After all, I think it was you who told me just a few minutes every day make all the difference.”

The colour swelling in Shiro’s cheeks was drowned out by the rumble of satisfaction rolling out of Ulaz.

He’d remembered

. It wasn’t super surprising… but still, it was hard to remember the last time a return guest had seemed to take his advice to heart. He fought down the feeling bubbling up, focusing instead on kneading the knot from Ulaz’s right side. There was a gasp as he crooked his thumb deep into the middle of it, his hands flying off Ulaz immediately.

“Are you okay?!”

“Fine… fine…” Ulaz rubbed his shoulder. “It is tender, but in a good way. Sometimes pain needs to happen for better things to come. Please, don’t worry about me.”

“O-okay,” Shiro mumbled, hands going once again to Ulaz’s neck, “but tell me if it starts getting to be too much.” He kept working, more carefully after that, slowly easing Ulaz’s muscles back into place. He kept working, down along the shoulder, tracing out the line of tightness, but when he came to the armpit, he stopped, lip worried in his teeth.

“Is there something wrong?”

Shiro weighed his options. He’d already loosened Ulaz up a good deal, but he was far from being done. He could leave him here like this, or…

“I… There’s some tension that’s stretched along your pectorals too, right where they merge with the deltoids.”

“And is that cause for concern?”

“Not really…?” Shiro sucked in a breath. He was a professional, he could separate his thoughts from his hands. “But it means if you want me to deal with everything, I’ll have to do that too, and I can’t quite rea-”

His hands slid into his lap as Ulaz turned around to face him. “Would this be sufficient? I can remove part of my breastplate if you need more access, or-”

“No! This is fine!” Shiro planted a hand on Ulaz’s chest, holding the Galra back from moving to do more. He could feel the rise and fall of Ulaz’s breathing, feel his pulse, or maybe it was his own… His lips suddenly felt dry, the urge to lick them too strong. “I… I can work with this.”

He tried to ignore the little twitch of Ulaz’s muscles as he took hold, tried to focus on his collarbone and not those eyes, deep and unending as a pit of moonlight.

Small circles

, he reminded himself,

tight, small circles, work into the knots

. Ever so often he’d squeeze a noise out of Ulaz, a sharp inhale, a hum of pleasure, the start of a deep Galran purr. He found himself relaxing more, letting his motions loosen up in time with Ulaz’s muscles.

“So,” Ulaz asked after a long pause, “do you do this often?”

“Not really?” Shiro was working on his arm now, working out the final bits of tension that stretched down to his elbow and forearm. “Usually Kolivan has me charge guests for it, because it can keep me tied up for a long time. It’s not something I tend to do on the floor too, in case I get a lot of comments about what

else

I can touch.”

“Your guests sound charming,” Ulaz snorted. “I suppose I can expect this added to my tab then?

“Nah… it’s on me. Don’t worry about it.”

Ulaz shifted, pushing Shiro’s hands free of his arm. “Are you certain? If this is something you do for your livelihood I should be-”
“Ulaz.” Shiro cut him off. “It’s fine. Really. I do this all the time for people I care about, I can do it for you too.” Crap. Bad wording. “I… I mean I do it for people as a nice gesture, y’know? It doesn’t have to be about money or a companion’s other responsibilities.”
“Ah… I see.” Ulaz still sat still, though his face showed no signs of anger or confusion, just simple acceptance. “I take it you do it for many of the members of your staff then?”

“Well yeah… the companions especially, seeing as Kolivan is always wary of us getting too close to the other staff. But I do it pretty regularly for all of them whenever they’ve had a hard day. Sometimes Keith will just come and drape himself over my lap until I do something about his aches and pains.

Ulaz’s ears twitched. “Keith? That is the feline type, is it not?” His eyes swept over the floor of the Lion’s Den, as if seeking him out.

Shiro blinked. Why Ulaz suddenly seemed interested in him, he had no idea.

“Yeah… he’s been here the longest out of all of us. I think he was Kolivan’s first companion. He got me afterwards…. Uh…” he bit his tongue. He wasn’t about to tell Ulaz Kolivan had hijacked the ship delivering himself and several other companions. Considering he didn’t know where the rest of them had ended up, it was always easier not to think too much of it. “I think I had some defects or something, I didn’t go through the normal sales route. I guess he got me to keep Keith company when he was busy? And from there I think he just took in other cases that didn’t look like they would sell.” That was probably the easiest excuse for how Kolivan had managed to get his hands on four (or really… five) companions. He really hoped no one else gave Ulaz their version of events.

“Is he good with you?”

“Wh- Kolivan? Yeah…” Most guests didn’t even acknowledge he existed unless they were asking about what he did with them, looking for dirty stories, and yet here Ulaz was asking. “I mean… we still have to work and stuff, but he respects our boundaries. He won’t make us do anything we’re not comfortable with if we tell him. He’ll lay off if we ask him to, and he doesn’t ask much of us, just that we trust him and listen to him. It’s pretty much everything you could hope for as a companion.”

“But…” Ulaz frowned, “there’s clearly a but there.”

He bit his lip. He knew it was being ungrateful to want more than what he had. He had a found family in the Lion’s Den, a place where he was safe. They were free to choose what they wanted to do with their bodies, a luxury far too few companions had. Even so…

“I guess… it’d be nice if I could leave this planet sometimes. See the universe.”

“The universe?”

Shiro nodded, painfully aware of how colour was spreading down his drooping ears. “I know it sounds stupid… but there’s so much out there that I’ll never get to see. I still have dreams about it sometimes though, spinning through space, stars everywhere, spreading out to infinity. It’s just too bad I can’t see it for real.”

Ulaz’s brow darkened. “Why not?”

“Uh… I mean…” Shiro stared at him, ”I’m a companion. It’s not like I can just head out on my own without something happening. And Kolivan can’t drop everything and take me. He needs to run the Lion’s Den… and he needs all of us to do that.”

“All of you… but…” Ulaz looked out over the balcony, where Hunk and Keith were looking after the rest of the patrons alone. “It seems the place is able to run fine without your full employ.”

“We all have our usual customers,” Shiro sighed. “The last time Lance got sick there were four or five patrons who got seriously upset Kolivan was keeping him from them. There’s one weapons designer who gets irate if I’m not the one looking after them too.”

“I see…” Ulaz said. He stirred his drink thoughtfully. The Galra was lost in silence, leaving Shiro to look back to the rest of the room. Shiro was about to lighten the mood, say something to bring back that sunny feeling from before, but at that moment the door opened.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as Kolivan led three others into room. Lance, a female Galra, and Sendak. His single good eye locked onto Shiro the moment he stepped in. Seeing him on film was one thing, but in person was another. The camera angle hadn’t captured the full magnitude of his height, a good inch or two taller than Kolivan, plus his ears. And his aura… it almost pushed Shiro back, made him want to press himself against the wall to keep his knees from buckling. His full attention was almost suffocating.

“Commander,” Kolivan said with a touch of gravel in his voice, as if the title pained him to say. “I’m glad you could accept my invitation. I’m happy I could provide you with the expertise you desire.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.” Sendak’s voice was steel and silk, stretched to the tension point as he gave Kolivan an empty smile. “The very prospect of being able to examine the merchandise up close is far too kind of you.”

Lance slipped in beside him, spine so straight Shiro wouldn’t be surprised if his plug had shifted into a stick up his ass.

“Have they been doing this much?” he whispered.

“Ever since Sendak arrived. It’s like one big fake display of friendship. I’ve been waiting for the two of them to roll up their sleeves and start arm wrestling it out as soon as it started. I really hope he doesn’t try and stick around.”

“I don’t think he wants to,” Shiro mumbled back. Kolivan and Sendak seemed to have ended whatever they were forcing themselves to talk about.

“I hope you’ll enjoy yourself,” Kolivan said through gritted teeth. It was a miracle he wasn’t flashing his fangs. “I do remind you however, that no matter how friendly my companions act, that their wishes are to be respected. Any harm to them is enough reason to keep you from ever returning.”

Sendak shrugged with a smirk and settled himself down in a large overstuffed armchair. “It’s a shame your hospitality ends at that point old friend, but I suppose I’ll have to respect it for now.”

“Shiro, Lance, you both know how to reach me if you need anything.” The two companions nodded, and with one final sigh and bow Kolivan left.

The second the door was closed Sendak uncrossed his legs, leaning forward in unbridled excitement as he stared at the two of them. “I always knew Kolivan had gone and let himself run amuck with his little permissions, but it seems it actually works itself in my favour for once.”

“You had your eyes on us, handsome?” Lance’s eyebrows almost danced off his forehead as he leaned over towards the commander. “Cause I hate to break it to you, but I won’t bend over for just anyone.”

“Perhaps… or maybe I’m simply taking up an old friend’s offer of peace.”

“The two of you know each other, right?” Lance asked, trying to sneak a hand onto Sendak’s bicep and start flirting full force. “How’d that happen?”

Sendak let out what Shiro could only describe as an eyeroll put to sound as he took a sip from his flagon. “We trained in the same elite faction, under General Thace. But of course, right as he began to climb the ranks Kolivan lost his nerve. Dropped out and somehow managed to get the permissions to purchase, well…” he waved a hand at Shiro and Lance. “How he managed the permissions for one, let alone several I have no idea. Whatever he claimed in his discharge must be woefully overstated.”

“He was weak, unlike the commander.” Haxus had perked up on the arrival of Sendak. Now he sat at attention, face shining at the chance to compliment his superior. “They both suffered the brunt of a rebel attack on the General’s ship, but while commander Sendak has fought on despite his scars,” he nodded at the hulking Galra’s eye and enormous prosthetic, “your

master

claimed his were too great to continue on and needed the care of a human companion to deal with his.”

Anger seared through Shiro’s body as Haxus almost seemed to orgasm at Sendak’s grin of approval. Kolivan wasn’t like that, he didn’t just run when times grew tough. The idea that the rest of the empire thought as much…

“Maybe the truth of his injuries were kept from the Empire,” he said, fighting to keep his voice even. “Just because his sacrifices are not easily seen by everyone doesn’t mean he hasn’t made them.”

“You don’t say…” Sendak drummed his fingers against his armrest. “Praytell… what intimate

sacrifices

do you know him to have taken? A companion who never even saw him in his glory days… how could you even begin to comprehend how far he’s fallen?”

Sendak’s followers let out little

oooooo

s at that, save Ulaz. Shiro felt his ears dip back against his scalp, could feel Lance fidgeting on the bench beside him.

“Hey…” the cushions beside Shiro moved as Lance sat up, crossing the few feet between them and Sendak. The deer hybrid combed the fur of Sendak’s chin, the picture of seduction as he continued to pet down to Sendak’s muscles. “I might not have any idea of how much Kolivan’s fallen, but how about we talk about how much you’ve fallen for me?”

Sendak’s brow arched. Shiro had to hold in a snort at the line, but Lance had done it. He’d diffused the situation before Shiro could escalate it any further.

“Or…” Lance continued, letting Sendak trace a claw down the line of his chest, “you could tell me more about yourself and see how far you can make me fall.”

“The commander won’t be coerced by a simple companion,” Haxus hissed, but Ulaz reached across Shiro to press a finger to his friend’s lips. His arm was so close Shiro could smell the iron and leather of his uniform, the faint tang of mineral oil and something lighter, more floral beneath it.

“The commander wished to visit here tonight. I can’t imagine he would agreed to come if he did not want such engagements.”

“Thank you Ulaz,” Sendak purred, and the look Haxus shot the pale Galra’s way was pure murder. “As for you…” he pulled Lance into his lap with a small squeak from the human, “shall we see just how well these charms of yours perform?”

“Mmmm… we can.” Lance was playing with the fur trailing down Sendak’s neck. “Tell me about yourself and why I should be so impressed. Tell me just how

good

you’d be.” He’d draped himself over Sendak’s lap, feet dangerously close to knocking Sendak’s drink off the table beside him. Neither of them paid any notice. If there was anything Lance was good at it was turning on the charms.

“Sendak’s conquered dozens of worlds!” Haxus began, but Lance continued to bat his lashes at his superior officer. “He’s destroyed the strongest armies, crushed through defenses other commanders trembled at.”

“Is that so?” Lance looked at Sendak like he was the universe’s gift to mankind. “Care to tell me about any of them?”

Sendak grinned. “My latest victory has been with the Luxerians. An aquatic race… I found their leader had been brainwashed by a very

interesting

creature, one able to control most of the population. After several waves of battle we were able to capture the queen and force her surrender. As for the creature…” he stroked a finger down Lance’s jaw, “we’ve taken it as a spoil of war. It is only a matter of time until we learn it’s secrets of mind control and with that our territory will only continue to expand.”

Brainwashing… was that it?

That definitely sounded like something Sendak would try and keep out of his other officer’s hands, and if he could get it to work,

really

work, there’d be no telling how the resistance would be able to fight something like that. Shiro opened his mouth to speak-

“Mind control, eh?” Lance gave Sendak a dismissive look. “That’s all you’ve got? Saying you’re going to use that on me. No stories of your strength? Of these muscles?” He grabbed the bicep of Sendak’s good arm, kneading the firm cords of muscle.

“Hardly,” scoffed Sendak. “Such a technology used on a companion like yourself… ridiculous. The druids in my ranks are still continuing to work on it. As for displays of my strength, I could show you, right here, right now?”

Could be a red herring though

, Shiro fretted. If Sendak was keeping things under wraps from other commanders, the chances of him telling his staff his true intentions were also low. This might be bad… really bad, if not now but later on, down the line. If Lance had noticed this too he paid it no attention, both hands planted on Sendak’s breastplate.

“So,” he chimed in casually, making sure to let his cleavage slide into the light as he sat forwards. From the corner of his eye he could see Yakult staring at him. “You’ve got a wild card going in the background.

Impressive

.” He crossed his legs, making sure Sendak caught the brief flash of what lay between his thighs. “I’ve been hearing talk from other officers about who’s going to come out on top. Commander Branko’s been claiming some pretty big things. I’m assuming someone like yourself isn’t about to step aside and give all the glory to someone else.”

Sendak stared at him thoughtfully, one enormous hand stroking the back of Lance’s neck. “He

has

always been one to think highly of himself. What has he told you?”

He shrugged. “Nothing really. Overheard some of his officers talking about him wanting to win Zarkon’s favour. I figured you’d be vying to do the same.”

“Seems as though Kolivan’s bought a perceptive one in you.” Sendak’s hand slid lower, feeling along Lance’s hips and belly, even as he continued to fixate on Shiro. Lance let out a little coo of approval. “You’re not wrong. To pass up this opportunity to impress Emperor Zarkon would require incredible stupidity. But to think that any other army has a chance of comparing to my own is hearsay.” His claws raked over the thin fabric covering Lance’s hips. “There is no doubt, by the end of this, who reigns superior in the Galran empire.”

“Is that so? You have plans to make sure of that?”

Sendak frowned. His fingers stopped, tips curled against the lowest reaches of Lance’s belly. The boy let out a whimper as his nails pressed into his skin. Shiro immediately regretted it. He’d stepped a line too far, pushed a little too much. He could feel that bubbling sensation in his gut, that electricity in his nerves that was his prey instinct coursing through him. Lance locked eyes with him and in an instant he knew he was feeling the exact same thing.

“I’m surprised a companion would be so interested in such a thing.” His voice was honey laced with arsenic, and Shiro felt a shiver run up his spine. “Let alone one coddled by a weakling like Kolivan.”

Nervous laughter broke between them. Lance, still in Sendak’s lap, was beating the commander’s chest with the flat of his palm.

“Shiro…” he wheezed, ear twicking in a way that begged Shiro to play along with him, “Now’s not the time to be letting your mind wander like that. The commander’s not interested in that type of thing.”

Sendak’s brow raised. “What type of thing?”

Shiro opened his mouth, but Lance cut him off.

“Shiro’s…

uh

… got some preferences. Displays of power are one of them. You were here that night he was getting pinned down, right?” Sendak nodded and Shiro silently screamed at Lance to

shut up

but he knew it was no use. He’d walked himself into this pickle right here and Lance was digging him out, even if it was going to make his face grow steadily redder by the second.

“You saw how he just took it after Hunk pushed him down, how much he begged for it when he’d been overpowered. He likes it like that, you know… knowing how easily his partner can manhandle him.”

He was pretty sure the entirety of his face, hair, ears, and all were pink right now. Shiro hid behind his hands, but even there he couldn’t escape the feeling of the group’s eyes on him.

The worst part was, Lance wasn’t entirely

wrong

. When Hunk manhandled him… or even Lance and Keith… bent him in half so they could fuck him better… he loved it. On those few occasions Antok or Kolivan would physically pull him out of a sticky situation, lift him like he was nothing… there was a thrill to it. Surrendering himself to someone he trusted, letting them decide what was best for him, he’d be lying if he said it didn’t turn him on. Still… telling someone else that, especially an enemy on the outside…. Or…. Shiro swallowed.

Ulaz.

One of the few patrons who seemed to be actively trying to not just look at him like a set of tits and ass. Lance could have stripped him bare in front of him and he’d be no less embarrassed. And here he was, sitting right next to him, burning up like a star as Lance threw his dirty laundry out in the open to distract Sendak.

“

Fascinating…

” Sendak’s voice echoed through the room. “I’d overheard some of the rarer companion types enjoyed submitting… but I never expected I’d see it firsthand. What about yourself?”

Shiro heard a squawk from Lance and peeked out from behind his fingers.

The deer hybrid had been flipped onto his stomach by Sendak, the commander’s nails running along the bare skin of his back and curve of his ass. With his other hand he was reaching beneath Lance, feeling around the legs of his shorts.

“I’ve always wanted to examine a companion up close. You know they don’t allow us to do that while purchasing? It’s simply headshots and viewing sessions, nothing more…. But this…” Sendak pinched Lance’s tail and the hybrid squeaked. “This is fascinating… I wonder if the druids breed all of you to react like this. Do your markings extend fully?” he purred, one hand beginning to tug aside Lance’s top to examine his chest.

Draxx was sitting forward in his chair now, even Yakult and Haxus perking up to attention as Sendak continued to toy with Lance. This was escalating quickly…

far too quickly

… if he didn’t do anything, and fast, Sendak would wind up going a step or ten too far. But he couldn’t straight up kick him out, not with everything they had riding on this moment.

“Hey.” Shiro stood in front of Sendak. Hands planted on both handles of his armrests, heels planted firm around Sendak’s legs, he glowered up into the commander’s face. “Stop putting all your focus on him.”

“

Oh?

” Sendak’s mug twisted into a smile. “Jealous are we?”

“Maybe…” Shiro hummed.

Or maybe I just want you to lay off Lance a bit

. As much as he could handle himself most of the time, letting Sendak have free run over Lance’s body was just asking for trouble. As if in response to his thoughts, the commander’s hand slid out from between Lance and his lap to rest on Shiro’s hip. Lance twisted around in his lap. His top was askew, one nipple now exposed from Sendak’s wanderings. Shiro could just see the hint of a tent forming in the front of Lance’s shorts.

Of course… Lance always loved being played for a crowd,

but there was no telling how far Sendak would try and push things and he wasn’t sure he could count on Lance to stop him at this rate.

“You mentioned wanting a closer look?” He turned into Sendak’s palm, letting the commander feel the meat of his thigh. He pushed the suggestions Lance had thrown out there out of his mind. He’d had to deal with types like him before, ones so caught up in the fantasy of companion ownership they’d act as if he was theirs, trace out every last little curve and muscle in his body as if committing it to memory would have him appearing in their bedroom that night. He just had to maintain the upper hand, never lose that easy, dominating confidence that came with the knowledge they wanted him, and he could lead them straight towards his target.

“Of course. You think I would pass up such an opportunity?” Sendak’s thumb ran along the line that intersected Shiro’s groin and thigh. “You both seem far too used to this. Is Kolivan truly fine with letting patrons touch you like this?”

“He knows what his customers want,” Shiro crooned, leaning over to give Sendak a slightly better view of his chest. “We’re free to do what we feel fit.” The hand moved higher, kneading Shiro’s belly and sides. The second joined it, circling his waist as Sendak continued to stroke along the muscles of his abdomen. Shiro fought down the urge to make a noise.

They moved higher still, thumbs pausing to judge the softness of his chest, working themselves into the sensitive flesh of his pecs. A nail brushed his nipple and Shiro’s entire body rippled with sensation. Sendak let out a tut of approval.

“Sensitive… and full there. Yes… very good.” He worked higher, feeling along Shiro’s collarbone and down his arm, judging the bulk of his muscles. “Are all those of your type like this?” he asked, pausing as he felt the muscles of Shiro’s forearm. “I was under the impression breeds such as yourself were weaker… more… Altean in build.” At the suggestion, Lance stirred in Sendak’s lap.

“I couldn’t tell you,” he hummed, “but chances are most are more similar to Lance.”

“Fascinating… so the old dog actually managed something interesting.” Sendak began to thumb at Shiro’s hemline where the backless top merged with his near-invisible shorts. “If you would just… turn…”

Shiro sucked in a breath and did as he asked, turning slowly on the spot until his ass was on display for Sendak. Like this he could see the other Galra in the room. Haxus was grinning like a hyena at his boss’s enjoyment. Yakult was making little squeezing gestures as he stared at Shiro. And Ulaz… Shiro gulped. He was glancing between Shiro and his empty glass, lips pressed into so thin a line they might disappear at the next second, looking as uncomfortable as Shiro felt now.

Shiro closed his eyes as Sendak’s claws stroked his skin. He couldn’t focus on that. This was his job, sometimes he had to use his body. He knew Ulaz wasn’t fully comfortable here. He didn’t seem to relish the same liberties his familiars took in stride. He didn’t try and oogle him. There was a very real chance he was just like that, someone who hated physical touch. He couldn’t let it get to him. Just because he took an interest in Shiro as a person didn’t mean he should care what Ulaz thought of him now… he shouldn’t…

Sendak’s hands played with the meat of his ass, juggling it, feeling how it bounced. “Full as well… A pleasant surprise. I’d thought Kolivan’s taste was little wirey things like that cat of his, but it seems he might be a man of culture after all.”

Shiro’s eyes flung open. He felt a snap of a band on his ass, and then again, tugging, exploring…

Hell no.

“What do we have here…” Sendak tugged harder, and Shiro groaned as his plug strained against his entrance. Large fingers began to spread his cheeks as Sendak looked for the anchor point.

“Commander…” Lance whimpered, and Shiro could feel another set of trembling hands brush against him. “Sir… you’re really not supposed to touch that.”

“And why not?” Sendak pulled harder, and Shiro’s knees fought to remain steady as his insides fluttered around thickness moving inside him. He gasped, eyes wide, and for a second they locked onto the equally shocked face of Ulaz.

“It’s Den policy! Companions can’t be touched there by patrons. It’s there for Shiro’s own safety.” He could feel Lance’s fingers between his legs, pushing against his entrance to make sure the device stayed rooted inside him. Shiro held in a whimper as the added pressure pushed the plug in deeper, the ridges rubbing up against his walls.

“And yet last time he was spread open moaning like a whore in heat… surely as an honoured guest of Kolivan, allowed to inspect you both for my own research I’m allowed-”

“That’s different!” Lance snapped. Shiro’s waist was suddenly engulfed by Lance’s arms as the deerboy jumped out of Sendak’s lap and dragged him out of reach. He could feel Lance’s half hard dick pressing against his thigh as he was shuffled over into open space, out of reach of any of the Galra. “The only one here allowed to touch him like that is me!” He spun Shiro around so they were chest to chest, his hands shooting down to Shiro’s ass at once in a protective move. Shiro bit his lip as Lance stroked the dimples just above his tail. From the corner of his eye he could catch Lance flicking one ear, trying to signal Pidge to hold back her call to Kolivan. They could recover from this.

“And what about yourself?” Sendak grinned at him like a child finding loopholes out of parental rules. “I don’t hear any such thing for yourself.”

“He’s mine,” Shiro said, finding his voice at last, hands wrapping around Lance’s waist as well. “You can look, you can touch, but you can’t

have.

We belong to each other, and Kolivan.”

“Is that so?” Sendak snorted. “He’s got so many of you he can’t even care for you enough to treat you right. He needs you to tend to each other, which simply shows his weakness. He’s clearly grown soft with age. Maybe these

sacrifices

as you refer to them are why he’s incompetent at bedding you.” His one eye gleamed at Shiro. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he lost a

different

type of leg to stand on.”

“You know nothing,” Shiro spat. Rage was coursing through him now. Touching him was one thing, touching Lance was another, but insulting Kolivan, one of the few good Galra he knew, who would

never

let his vices get the better of him? Dismissing everything he’d done, his sacrifices, and impotence? He couldn’t stand for it.

Shiro’s fingers curled into Lance’s hips as he ground against the other’s groin. The boiling anger inside him turned into a simmer, brows softening as he continued to glare at Sendak.

“Kolivan’s cock is second to none,” he purred sweetly. “He’s the only one who can treat us right, fuck us like we need it. We’re just distractions for each other until he takes us in his room, fucks us for all we’re worth. He’s the only one allowed to enjoy

this

…” he canted his hips forward, grinding against Lance’s thigh, a mewl escaping them both.

Sendak’s eyes narrowed, face twisted into an unreadable expression, but Shiro knew he’d hit a sore point. No matter how far up the ladder he climbed, he’d never have the harem he saw Kolivan with. Electricity crackled through the room, suspending them all in the trappings strung between Shiro and Sendak. They remained frozen, unmoving, until the sound of a cough roused everyone from their statis.
“Is it’s not too much trouble,” grunted Ulaz, “could we have a round of food brought here? And then afterwards could we perhaps discuss topics better suited for polite company?” Even if he refused to look his way, Shiro knew who he was addressing.
Lance stirred in his hold. “Shiro and I can go to the kitchen and get some roast grackle and hot cakes. Is there anything else we should pick up?”

“Uh… citrus fizz,” Yakult said quietly. Sendak grunted in mute acceptance, and the other Galra nodded quietly.

Haxus gave his commander a sidelong glance. “Perhaps some spiced dates for the the party as well. They

are

the commander’s favourite after all.”

Shiro let himself be lead out of there by Lance, lips pressed together as tightly as Ulaz’s had been. As soon as they rounded the corner Lance spun around to face him.

“What the heck was that about?” he whispered. “Telling Sendak that Kolivan screws us? It’s a straight up lie, it’s never going to hold up as soon as Sendak confronts him about it. You know what he’s like Shiro! Kolivan doesn’t like anyone knowing about his personal life.”

“I know,” Shiro sighed, running a hand along one of his ears. “But I couldn’t handle it. He was mocking him Lance! You could tell how little he thought of him! That was the only thing I could think of to shut him up, remind him how he’ll never have what we have.”

Lance stared at him for a long minute, eyes tracing over Shiro’s face for signs of truth. At last he pulled away, turning once again towards the stairs to the club.

“Don’t blame me if he gets upset when you tell him what you did. I can’t help you if he swaps you onto bathroom cleaning duty for it.”

Shiro followed behind, still toying with the tip of his ear. “Trust me… I think he’d be happy I shut Sendak up for once.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shiro woke to the feeling of something between his legs. At first he thought it was a pillow, or someone’s leg tangled into his own. He blinked, still weighed down by sleep, and tried to burrow deeper into the blankets, chasing the fading edge of his dream. Whatever it was, he could sleep through it.It shifted between his thighs, and Shiro scrunched his eyes tighter. Maybe it was Lance… he always slept in crazy positions. It wouldn’t be surprising if he woke up in another hour or two to find the deer companion hugging his leg like a tree. Right now he just had to focus on the steadily dissolving feeling of being on a beach, warm sand between his toes, gentle hand petting the curve of his shoulder as he gazed up at the galaxy above him.His eyes flew wide as whatever was between his legs pressed into the depths of his crotch and heat enveloped the shape of his clothed bulge.Shiro rocketed up in bed, blanket ripped from around himself. Only to find Keith, hackles raised, eyes wide, with Shiro’s semi-hard dick in his mouth.“K-KEITH?”He was much louder than he knew he should be, the shout enough to rouse the others. He could feel Hunk and Lance moving on either side of him from the outburst, but Keith remained frozen, eyes locked onto his, even as his hands made the slow and deliberate move to start tugging down Shiro’s pyjamas.“Keith…” he repeated, quieter this time, but the feline’s sole mission in life appeared to have morphed into getting Shiro’s dick as wet as possible. He let out a low whimper as it sprang free of his waistband, immediately caught in Keith’s small, deft fingers. It was immediately transferred to his mouth, and the heat was back, Shiro’s cock sliding down Keith’s throat like it belonged there.“Wha’s going on?” Lance grunted, and there was similar noises from Hunk as well. Shiro covered his mouth with a hand as Keith swallowed around him. Keith’s dark eyes flashed dangerously where they rested above his curls. A scrape of teeth shot warning and fresh sensation down his dick.“N-nothing…” he stammered. “Just Keith kicking a little in his sleep.”Seemingly satisfied with his response, Keith swallowed him again. Shiro fought to stop his brain from plummeting out his ass and into the basement below. Fuck… it felt so good. Goddammit Keith, why here? Why now? Lance let out a groan and rolled over onto his other side. “Jus’ giv’im a kick back. He’ll get it.”“O-okay. I’m just…” Another wash of heat pulsed around his cock as Keith leaned right into his curls. “...gonna hit the washroom.”Keith’s eyes flicked up to stare at Shiro’s face, mischievous. For once, he was grateful he was on the edge of the large bed. He swung himself over to the side, careful not to knock Keith as they moved in tandem in the lewdest game of wheelbarrow Shiro’d ever seen. The cat companion’s lips twisted into a pout as they popped free of Shiro’s member, pink and ruddy from their work, a string of drool stretching between them and his steadily stiffening mast.“C’mon,” he whispered, urging Keith to slink away with him as fast as they could. They stumbled out into the light of the hall, blinking at the sudden brightness. Shiro glanced at a clock on the wall. Quarter past two. They didn’t need to get up to prep the club for another hour or so. Realistically they should be sleeping, but…He was yanked into a small alcove, one usually reserved to hold extra cases of drinks and glasses when storage grew short. Now it was empty, save for a half-open flat of beers. It was where Keith dragged him to sit.“You’re excited,” chuckled Shiro, rucking his hands up Keith’s waist and beneath his baggy sleep shirt as Keith straddled him. A hint of musk filled the air around them.“Had a dream,” Keith growled, nipping at the base of Shiro’s ear and lapping at the sensitive skin of the inner shells. He had to bite back a noise as the rough texture sent pleasure rushing through him. “I was getting fucked good and proper. You were there… watching. Coaxing me to come.”“Mmmm. Did I now?” His fingers wandered lower, skirting over Keith’s ass and between his legs. Warm arousal bathed the pads of his fingers. “Was it good?”“The best… so full… You were playing with me too. Making it so that I couldn’t focus on the dick in my cunt.”“Really?” Shiro crooked his fingers and pressed up into Keith’s heat. They slipped inside like butter, a sigh sweeping out of Keith. They all had dreams like that, being fucked to the point of pure bliss. He worked himself deeper, spreading and rubbing their way up Keith’s walls. “Like this?”“N-n-no…” The word left Keith as a gasp. He’d just touched his most sensitive spot, fingers trying to press into it again, nails grazing the tender area just enough to give Keith that edge he loved. With a tug to Keith’s thigh he spread him further, finally sinking in to his knuckles. Keith’s walls clamped down like a vice. “M-my dick. But… fuck… you should have...”“You wanna have the real thing baby? Recreate that little dream?” Shiro’s other hand shot to Keith’s cock, fingers wrapping around as his thumb smeared precum over Keith’s already drooling tip. What was he saying? Of course Keith did. He always wanted that. Slowly he began to pump his shaft. Squeeze the base, twist along the length, all out mess with the head. Keith was easy to play with. Nearly everything felt good.“ Fuck yes... “ whined Keith. “You… you were… just like that… just like that Shiro. You… need it harder.”“Like this?” Shiro bounced Keith on his knees, jostling his bare ass back and forth on the hand now three fingers deep inside him. He fucked his fist harder around Keith’s cock, tugging it each time it bounced away from his grip.“ YES! MORE!” Keith began to rock in earnest against him, fucking himself back and forth between Shiro’s hands. “Wanna be… need to be full, so full Shiro. Need to be stretched out… feel that fat cock inside, wanna feel it come …”One of Keith’s hands found its way between them, once again yanking Shiro’s cock free of his pyjamas. It jostled in Keith’s grip with every buck of the other’s hips against him, growing harder by the second as Keith continued to lav up and down his neck, moaning into his ears.“Come on Shiro… make me feel good.”“I will Keith… I will…”He was fighting to stay focused on Keith’s body right now, his own thrumming with its own flames. His rhythm faltered, falling in line with how Keith was playing with him. Keith took the lead, sliding his way further down Shiro’s thighs until they were chest to chest, fists and cocks bumping into each other’s as they stroked one another. It wasn’t until Keith’s grip slackened, that he felt his weight shift in his lap and something else push against the fingers he had buried in Keith that he realized Keith’s intent.The feline was trying to sink down onto his cock, fingers in his hole be damned. They were squeezed into Keith’s wall as his head was forced inside, Keith’s rim stretching around the ridiculous girth of it all. A low, rumbling moan shook through Keith. He was purring, purring at the sensation of sinking down on his dick.Shiro squeaked two fingers back out to give him room, about to remove the third and final, when Keith’s hand grabbed his wrist.“Keep it.” His voice was gruff, dripping with arousal. “Want you to feel it fucking me.”Shiro gulped. He forced himself to sit still, watching Keith continue to work his way onto his cock, eyes closed, lips parted as he lost himself in the fantasy Shiro was now a part of. The finger he’d been made to keep inside rubbed up against Keith’s insides, knuckles rolling up against the wet, velvet heat of his passage as his cock sunk deeper still. He sucked in a breath as he felt the head of his own cock push past the tip. The feeling in his hand was one thing. The feeling in his dick was another. He bit his lip, moving to mouth along the curve of Keith’s outstretched neck. With a final push, he felt Keith’s hips connect with his own.Keith’s purring was louder than ever. One hand stroked his belly, right above where Shiro sat inside him. “Feels so good, having you inside.” He rose up, drawing off Shiro’s cock, panting all the way. He stalled as he reached the top, sinking back down just as slowly, relishing every inch that slid in and out of him. “You feel that Shiro? You feel it?”“Yeah,” Shiro groaned, kissing along Keith’s neck. “Can feel you, you’re so tight baby, feels amazing.”“It’s so big… fills me so good.” Keith continued to fuck himself up and down, obscene noises leaving his hole as slick and precum squelched out with each pass. Shiro smelt the ruddy scent of heat and longing, of Keith’s desperation. “Gonna make it come Shiro. Gonna make it come inside me, mess me up good.”“That so?” Shiro crooked his finger inside, pushing his dick harder against Keith’s g-spot. A swear left the cat hybrid’s lips. “What if I make you come first?”Keith mewled, face burying itself in Shiro’s shoulder. His hips were moving faster now, trying to make Shiro’s cock work up against that spot inside himself even more, pushing his body closer and closer to climax.“D-don’t…” he gasped into Shiro’s skin. “I want… wanna come feeling it come.”“Oh, it’s getting there ,” rumbled Shiro. He could feel his dick heating up inside Keith, the warmth of his cunt working its way into his shaft, coaxing the heat in his belly to swell, that ever-growing sensation of needing to come drawing closer and closer with each slap of Keith’s ass against his thighs. “I’m getting close… only a matter of time Keith.”Keith moaned, speeding up even further, practically bouncing in Shiro’s lap as he began to chase his own orgasm. His nose pushed into the crook of Shiro’s neck, tongue lapping at the salt of his shoulder. “Me… me too Shiro… I can feel it. He’s… he’s gonna come…”Shiro’s eyebrows arched. So Keith was fantasizing about his dream of him being pressed between Shiro and another. “Is he now?” he coaxed. “Why don’t you tell me about it, there’s only so much my finger can feel.” As if in emphasis, he wiggled it inside Keith, stretching him out even more than he already was.“He… he’s so big… fills me right up,” Keith whined, breath hitching. He was close. “B-best cock… ever… knows how to - nnnn - fuck me just right.”“Why don’t you come for him baby? Let him feel you milk his dick for all you’re worth.”Keith pushed his face further into Shiro’s chest, chin and nose bumping into his collarbone again and again as his thrusts became erratic, stirring the shafts inside him.“He wants you,” Shiro carried on, free hand petting the curve of Keith’s spine. “You feel that?” He bucked up to meet Keith’s thrusts. “He’s ready to fill you up right, you just have to make him. Get him there Keith, make him give you everything you need.”“Yes… Yes!!” Keith’s body was trembling around him, cunt preparing itself for what was to come. “I… do it!! Come inside!! Mess me up!! Make me… c… Col…” His final word lost itself in a scream as Keith came. Shiro’s cock and finger we squeezed in a vice as Keith’s body tried to milk him for all he was worth, and it was seconds before he was coming himself, painting Keith’s walls and his own hand. Keith’s dick shot spurts of semen over his shirt, painting it with flecks of white as his slick mixed with Shiro’s cum and began to spurt form his hole, painting his thighs as well.They stayed locked like that, universe drawing in on itself around them, until everything else was fuzzy as distant, a soup of white paling against the feeling coursing through them. He was lost in it, lost in Keith, until the grip around him slackened. Keith’s forehead flopped against his shoulder, slow pants filling his ear as they both recovered from the crash of their orgasm.“So. There you are.”

Keith blinked where he lay slumped against Shiro, insides still pulsing around the cock buried inside him. The rabbit had stiffened up, a tinge of fear creeping into his scent. Keith took a long shaky breath and looked up.Kolivan, the real Kolivan, was standing beside them, face wrinkled in distaste. Or at least, partial distaste. He could see how Kolivan’s bottom lip pushed up, trying to block the smell of sex from filling his nostrils. His arms remained firmly crossed, hands clasped against his biceps. Pity, really . When Kolivan spoke, he could tell it was with effort to inhale as little as possible.“I’ve been looking for you. We have guests.”“But… we’re not supposed to open for another few hours.” Shiro’s voice warbled in embarrassment as their manager towered over their corner of debauchery.“Special guests,” Kolivan said. “They’ve requested I bring Keith with me.”He shot Kolivan a look. “Really? Guests at this hour?”“ Really Keith,” the Galra groaned, “and they don’t have all day. Could you please… disentangle yourself…” Special guests? And ones that wanted to see him? Kolivan was being more cryptic than usual. “I’m not exactly dressed for that. You’ll have to give me a while to clean up.”“No time. They can only stay for a short period. It’s now or never.” His golden eyes turned away, away from where Shiro’s come was steadily leaking out of him.“Kolivan. I’m not exactly company ready right now,” he groused, pulling himself off Shiro with a wet noise. He could feel come running down the insides of his thighs.“You don’t need to dress up for these guests,” the Galra said, still making a point of staring at the wall opposite.Keith gave him a look. Somehow he really doubted all this. “ Really… and it’s fine to show up looking like this?”Even if his shirt had somehow made it out unstained, his bottom half was another story. No pants to speak of, dripping fluids. Unless he was walking into a porn shoot there was no way this was alright.“A little cleaning,” Kolivan grumbled, turning to Shiro. “Lend him your bottoms, would you?”Shiro squeaked, quickly wriggling out of his pyjama shorts. He leaned over and tried to mop up the worst of the mess between Keith’s legs with his shirt, already well on its way to the hamper. His shorts were too big, ready to fall off Keith’s hips unless he tugged the drawstrings until one was halfway to his knees. He tied them off, looking to Kolivan for his opinion. There was no way this was fine.“It’ll have to do,” the big Galra sighed. “Of all nights you decide to do this, why now?” He grumbled to himself, waving Keith to his side. ”Come. We have to go now.”Keith hurried down the hallway after Kolivan, leaving Shiro half naked and alone to clean up the rest of the mess that had leaked onto the supplies of the alcove. Kolivan was being cryptic… What guest would demand Kolivan to bring him, only to be fine with him showing up in Shiro’s pyjama shorts and one of Hunk’s sleeping shirts? His hair was still a mess from his fooling around with Shiro, collar almost falling off his shoulder. He looked like he’d just been dragged out of bed (which well… he had been, in a sense), not ready for company. Add in Kolivan’s insistence they had no time or need to set his chastity device in place and he was beginning to grow suspicious.“ So . Who are we meeting?” Keith frowned, following Kolivan along the path that led them directly to the private rooms. “If there’s actually even someone there.”“You’ll see.”Keith stopped, face set firm into a pout as he squinted at Kolivan. He’d lived with him for a good chunk of his life, enough to know when he was lying to protect him or lying to protect himself. “There is someone, right? You’re not just dragging me off so we can talk alone, are you? Because you could have just said that. Especially now when it’s just you and me.”“Keith,” Kolivan sighed, looking over his shoulder at the smaller companion. “If I simply wanted to spend time with you I would have asked outright, and if so I’d wait until you were more… alert.”Keith snorted and blew some of the matted mess of his bangs out of his face. “Could have fooled me. You make me plug myself even if I’m just stopping down to the kitchen to grab a snack. So who - or what - the hell are you bringing me to meet? There’s only one dick you trust me around that’s not back in my room and that’s-”“My superior!” Kolivan hissed, a finger pressing to Keith’s lips. He eyed the doors to their left. “My commander from my younger days, General Thace.”“General… Thace? You mean…” Keith blinked at Kolivan. “You’re not serious . You’re taking me to meet your old boss looking like this ?” He waved a hand at the entirety of his still-not-showered-by-sunday look. “I still reek of Shiro.”“He wasn’t the one who insisted I bring you.”Keith looked at Kolivan stupidly. “He what?” “He’s not the one that wants to see you.”“So who?” “You’ll see,” Kolivan said, more desperate this time, and took Keith’s hand. He had little choice other than to follow, letting Kolivan steer him to the champagne room.“And you’re sure-” Keith started again, but Kolivan hushed him with a wave of his hand.“I’m certain they’ll be happy to see you, whether you arrive looking like this or covered in diamonds. Trust me. You’ll be happy you came.”The door swung open, and Keith jumped to fall behind Kolivan. Despite how anxious he’d seemed just a few minutes ago, he didn’t seem to be on edge as he stepped into the room. Keith trailed behind, one hand just a hair’s breadth away from grabbing the hem of Kolivan’s coat. He could hear a shout of excitement, and Kolivan was striding across the room so fast Keith had to sprint to keep up with him.“Kolivan!”“General!” laughed Kolivan, and two armour clad arms swung around his shape to give the club owner a hearty pat on the back. “It’s been far too long. What do I owe the pleasure?”As Keith took a step back he caught a glimpse of the Galra embracing his owner. General Thace was tall, but not as tall as Kolivan, with a more wiry, cat-like frame. His hair bled into two peaked ears, shocks of silver hair twining around the curve of their shells. His face was aged with war, but also cheer. Keith could see the outlines of smile lines in the corner of his eyes, a strong contrast against the other whispers of what battles had worn onto his face.“Kolivan, please,” he chuckled. “I’ve told you, you’re no longer a member of my company. Simply Thace is fine.”Keith hadn’t seen Kolivan smile like this in years. He seemed younger, lighter.“Forgive me if old habits die hard. You remember how your sergeant used to punish us for using names in vain.”“Only a little…” The two shared another laugh, Thace sitting back down onto the divan.That was when Keith saw him.Another companion.Kolivan had blocked his view before, but now that he and Thace were settling into chatter, Keith could see him better. Like himself, he was another feline companion, long, tufty fur sprouting from his ears and a great featherduster of a tail, but his build was more like Shiro or Hunk’s… bulky, the muscles of his bare arms highlighted in the low lights of the room.Surprisingly… he wasn’t dressed like the typical companion. While his arms were in exposed, the vest he wore covered his entire body… and his pants. He was wearing pants. Loose ones even. He was dressed nicely, yeah, but the modesty of the outfit caught Keith off guard. He felt underdressed, but in a completely different way than normal. He was too casual, in comparison to-The second he caught eyes with Keith the new companion came alive. He bounded straight between the two Galra, almost skidding straight into Keith as he beamed down at him. Keith suddenly felt very small, standing a good head and a half shorter than him. Calloused hands grabbed his shoulders as his smile took on cheshire level.Thace took notice of it.“Right… I suppose I should introduce your companion to mine. Keith…” Keith’s tail puffed up at the sudden use of his name, “this is Heath. My companion. He’s the reason I had Kolivan invite you.”“Keith,” Heath nodded, still beaming at him like he couldn’t believe there was a 5’ 5” cat companion in front of him of looking like he’d just been dragged out of bed. “You have no idea how good it is to see you.” Before he knew it he was tugged into a great bear hug, face squished into the man’s chest. It reminded him of one of Hunk’s hugs, not just in strength. There was something about the warmth of his body… his smell. It gave off that same easy vibe of early mornings spent snuggling beneath the covers.“Uh… you too,” he managed, clapping Heath on the back“Sit, please.” Thace nodded to the couch where Heath had been seated. Before he knew it Keith was being guided back by the larger companion. Heath’s hand never left Keith’s shoulder, even as they sat.“I take it he knows about everything?” The general gave Keith a sidelong glance.Kolivan gave Thace a look. “Keith is an integral part of my intelligence gathering, sir. It’s unlikely we would know as much as we did without him.” Ah. So Thace was part of the resistance . It made sense. Kolivan couldn’t have found out about it out of nowhere, and even if he’d thought Kolivan had created it back when he was younger, that was impossible. The entire reason he wasn’t undercover in an Empire fleet right now was because of a rebel attack. Whether or not it was staged… that was something Kolivan refused to tell him, but something told him even if it was, something had to have gone wrong in the process. There was only so many ways the scars on his body could have gotten there.Heath’s hand moved to comb the hairs clinging to Keith’s neck. “Resistance already at your age?” he laughed. “Have to say, I’m impressed. Wouldn’t have expected someone so young to be helping the cause so much.”Keith blinked. Normally he’d think those words were barely veiled flirting, the types of lines he’d deliver himself with a private rolling of his eyes, but the only thing coming through in Heath’s voice was pride.“S’not that amazing,” he whispered, “just makes sense. I bet loads of people have done more.”“Oh c’mon now. Don’t go underselling yourself.” Heath’s nose bumped Keith’s head as he continued to stroke the back of his neck. “There’s plenty of folks who’d be too scared to do what you’re doing. You do your mama proud.”Fuzz coated the back of his throat. Keith was at a loss of words. He’d never even known his dam, but hearing Heath say that felt like he was hearing it from them. It was all he could do to sink into himself more in embarrassment, letting Heath’s fingers continue to comb through his hair and slowly work at the knots knit into it. He decided to try and focus on Thace and Kolivan instead.“You’re telling me you haven’t heard anything? Even in your position?”“Kolivan, I’m telling you, it was news to me when you sent the communication last week, and it’s still news I’m yet to hear from anywhere else. It’s impossible for me to determine whether it’s simple locker room chatter or a genuine threat.”“And none of the the agents under your command have heard anything?”Thace sighed, rubbing his temple. “I’m telling you Kolivan. Nothing. Those we have positioned with Trugg know nothing of what you told me her soldiers said, and those we have positioned with Ladnok and Sendak’s ranks haven’t heard anything either. Even those situated higher in their fleets.”Kolivan’s face darkened. “That still doesn’t mean it isn’t real. We heard on good authority from Ladnok! Sendak-”“Kolivan.” A hand was held before the manager’s face. “I understand your distress. But I can’t in good wisdom put this opportunity to waste. There’s far too much to gain with so many ships in one place.” Kolivan scowled. “A chance like this only comes once every century. You know what we stand to do if we succeed.”“Like what?”Keith covered his mouth as soon as it slipped out. He hadn’t meant to blurt into their talk, but now all eyes were on him. Even Heath had stopped working his fingers through a stubborn tangle. He licked his lips.“C-cause from how I’ve heard officers have talked about it, it sounds like they’re expecting the resistance to stage a huge attack during the exercises. Try and take out a bunch of their fleet that way.”Thace snorted, but his face was kind. “Of course they’d think that. They are painfully narrow minded when it comes to dreaming up ways to take down an enemy. Going in guns blazing to the enemy’s nest is the last thing the resistance would do. No… while a well-placed detonation here or there will likely aid the effort, if we can perform a much more covert mission in its stead, we aim to gain far more in the long run.”“So…” Keith pouted, “what exactly are you getting at?”“Just tell him in plain English Thace.” Heath was ruffling Keith’s ears now, completely undoing his past few minutes of work. “M’boy deserves to know.” Keith felt a wave of gratitude towards him at that, even if he couldn’t quite place why.The corners of Thace’s mouth curled up into a smile. “Very well. As you’re probably well aware Keith, the resistance values knowledge over brute strength.”“Meaning that a chance to collect huge amounts of data, the likes of which they can only dream about-”“Especially in a place where countless flagships are to be linked across a shared network… there really isn’t a better time to slip ourselves into the system. Make a… backdoor if you will.”Both Thace and Heath grinned like idiots.“What the old geezer’s trying to say,” continued Heath, and Keith was shocked to see how fire crackled in Thace’s eyes at the nickname, “is that if he can get a few people to patch the resistance into the network without anyone being the wiser, espionage is gonna get a whole lot easier. It’s a whole lot safer to be eavesdropping on people through a computer than it is in person. Way easier not getting caught, plus there’s the added benefit you ain’t never gonna need to go paying people overtime for sitting up around the clock.”“You say this as if you’re one of the ones up at all hours,” Thace teased back.Heath shrugged, pulling Keith a little closer to him. “Waiting up for you to let me climb you like a tree is job in itself. I’m looking forward to a few nights where you still have the energy to remind me who’s on top of this relationship.”Keith’s jaw dropped, and Kolivan looked away politely. T here… there was no way Heath should have been talking to Thace that way… not in public. But he was doing it and… fuck. Thace was into it! Keith’s cheeks went red with second-hand embarrassment as Thace stared over his ears to where Heath sat, no doubt with another look like the one Thace was shooting his way.“I’ll remind you,” Kolivan said, somewhat nervously, “that you’re free to stay here for longer if you need some time. But I’d also ask that you wait until our meeting is adjourned for that .” His ears flatten at the sides of his head, a mirror to Keith’s. Oh god they were getting in the mood. “Right… right.” Thace seemed to come back into himself, sitting a little more upright as he dusted his trousers of invisible dirt. “So… about the intel. I’m sorry Kolivan, but judging on what you’ve told me and the resistance’s plans, there’s not enough there for us to stop things. We’ll be more cautious, yes… and keep our senses open for any whispers of plots, but there’s nothing in what little you’ve been able to confirm that has me believing that what the commanders are discussing will impact the mission.”“And as for the sources we’ve heard from?”Thace stole himself away from another look at Heath. “We’ll have those undercover in their ranks try to get a little closer, but I can’t promise much. I only know of one operative high enough in one of their parties and I’m not certain how much help they might be.”“Better than no action,” Kolivan sighed. “If we hear of anything, anything else-”“Don’t hesitate to let me know. You know how to reach me.”Before Keith realized it Kolivan was getting up to leave. He knew he should follow, leave Heath and Thace to whatever they were about to do ( who was he kidding? He knew exactly what they were going to do, and the thought of doing it himself stokes the little flame at his core ), but his body didn’t want to leave. It wasn't a heat-addled feeling of need need need but something else, something deep and intrinsic calling to him, telling him he wanted to stay. It didn’t make any sense. Thace and Heath were strangers, he should barely even care about them beyond general polite interactions, but there he was, feeling just as comfortable as he were with his family of misfit companions.“I’m so glad you came.”Heath was stroking his ears, staring at him like he hated the idea of Keith leaving just as much as Keith felt right then. A lifetime seemed to flash behind his eyes: joy... anxiety… loss... acceptance… Keith’s not sure if he read them right, but there was something in how Heath looked at him, like he was some puzzle piece left forgotten in the cushions of a couch sold long ago.“... Me too?” It was a question as much as it was an answer. He could see moisture forming in the corners of the other companion’s eyes, and with each passing second he felt like it might start welling up in his own. It hurt. Hurt in a way that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pull the reason into words.
“You’ve grown so much,” Heath smiled, and then Keith was once again wrapped in his arms, wrapped up in that same half forgotten smell of warm milk and easy days. Of simpler times and hazy goodbyes. There was something about it… something he couldn’t help but feel was important, but he wanted to stay in that sliver of time all the same.There was the warm press of the older companion’s lips to his brow, and then Heath pulled back, giving Keith one final smile before he ushered him off to follow Kolivan. The whole experience still felt like a dream state, everything distorted slightly from his understanding of reality. As soon as the door closed, he turned to Kolivan.“Have we met them before? General Thace and Heath?”Kolivan looked at him for a long moment, lips as tight as a gravity field, then shrugged.“You might have. The general’s quite inseparable from his companion, ever since he and his wife were split between factions.”The entire way back to his quarters, Keith racked his brain for when they could have crossed paths.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A week and a half since the war exercises had started, they finally had a calm night. Even though most of the past few had been relatively less hairy than some of their craziest nights, there was still always a flurry of commanders and lieutenants coming through, demanding personal attendants for their groups, each ripe with fresh promise of something, anything new to say about the goings on and the plot to destroy the rebellion.

So far they’d come up with an empty harvest. Underripe fruits, too new to be clued in to such things… soggy, wine-soaked officers focused only on bragging about themselves and oogling bodies. And considering what Keith had said… that one of the resistance’s main leaders had decided to discount their warnings… it made it all the more important that they found something big, and soon.

But judging by tonight, that wasn’t going to be the case. Shiro sighed as he scanned the room from where he sat. There was no one here ranking above a captain, and the two of them that were were already being handled by Keith. Lance was on solo duty on stage, dancing through the air around the pole like gravity had forgotten about him. That left him and Hunk, flitting between groups of minor soldiers, half-listening to conversations as they looked elsewhere for something more.

“How many shots did you fire today?”

“408. A full 30 more than yesterday.” The two Galra he was sitting with were going over training stats from the day. “You only did 317 today…. Gotta catch up Pamok.”

Pamok snorted and grabbed his friend’s wrist, dialing through holo-screen after holo-screen attached to the device on his wrist. “Says the lug who’s accuracy was only 32%…”

“And what was—“ he started, but fell silent as Pamok held out his own device. Even from where Shiro was sitting across from them, he could see the large 77% lighting up the display.

“Quizznak…” poor-shot spat.

They continued to compare stats, looking at everything from leagues run to most calories consumed at lunch. Shiro groaned inwardly, sliding down his chair until he was nearly planking in place, eyes level with his bellybutton. They’d all been like this this week. Count the Galra to immediately try and derive ranks the second they had a way to compare themselves to each other. His least favourite to date had been the little pin-nosed one who’d bragged about their perfect resting heart rate as they shot at model after model of foreign leaders he was supposed to be sniping.

Shiro toyed with his ears as he watched them continue to tit for tat back and forth, barely listening now as they tallied off win after win for themselves. With any luck they might just take this whole stupid competition thing outside and settle it once and for all. Then at least he could spend his time watching something more worthwhile. He swung a glance towards Hunk, sweet patient Hunk, actually putting up with what looked like the exact same thing as him, except with four soldiers and actively joining in on discussing the device in question. Keith was tucked smack between the two visiting captains, letting one of them pet his ears even if his tail continued to twitch with mild distaste.

Maybe he could see if he could join Lance onstage. There wasn’t really enough happening tonight to need him on the floor, but then again… his pole skills weren’t exactly at that level. Bulky muscles, no matter how much people complimented them, still made for a harder time suspending himself in midair. Besides, Lance could handle a crowd on his own. Even now he was chatting lazily to two guests while upside down, legs wrapped around the cool metal.

Pamok shouted and Shiro swung his attention back to his group. It looked like he’d won at the final tally.

“Thirty-six to twenty-four!” he shouted, punching the display on his wrist. “Pay up!”

His friend groaned and handed Shiro a stack of credits. “Get us another round would you? And we’re not done Pamok… we still have the results from the previous week as well. Don’t think we’re not going through those too.”

Relieved, Shiro jumped to his feet and headed back to the bar. Two nunvils with a twist. He could take a break with Regris before getting back out there.

“Shirt,” the Galra said as Shiro came up to him. He glanced down. Crud. It had rucked up while he’d been slumped over. He tugged it down, checking his shorts while he was at it too. Still as high as ever, but properly in place.

“Thanks,” he sighed, “I need two more drinks for table 12.”

Regris hummed and got to work, chatting with Shiro as he did. “Had two of our regulars up here earlier. They’re not exactly happy about having to share their quadrant with so many others.”

Shiro skimmed the room. “Gorvok and Hildrun?” He could see the two lanky officers settled into seats near the stage.

Regris nodded. “It’s usually pretty quiet, but lately they’ve been having to deal with armies fighting over where their fleets can dock. Every commander and their mother is demanding the best locales, so of course-”

“The two of them are having to deal with it interrupting shipping flow.” He’d heard enough over the years from them about their work maintaining shipping routes and keeping pirates at bay. (They’d also, incidentally, been great at letting the Resistance know when shipments of much needed supplies were coming through)

“Y’think,” he started, but Regris cut him off.

“They’ve already asked to see Hunk when he finishes with his current table. Something about his hugs.”

“Gotcha.” No chance he was going to be able to get away that easy. He could just look around for a lonely table, or see if Kolivan needed any work done backstage, or-

“Shiro!” A female voice. Nearby too. He spun around

A bushy eared Galra was waving at him from a table across the room, her tail wagging as she did. “Shiro! That is you! Can you come over?”

Valkyre?

He thought that was her name, one of the ones who’d come in that large group on shots night. She’d been pretty nice, a little handsy, but in a well-meaning way. And by the looks of it, she didn’t have anyone with her to keep comparing stats with.

Shiro swung his gaze back at Regris. “Did she order anything?”

“Not recently.”

He grabbed a glass of water from the counter and started fiddling with his ears. “You think you can get Ilun to do the table 12 run?” he whispered to Regris, and at his nod he plodded over to her in relief.

“Shiro!” She squeaked again, arms thrown out for a hug. “I didn’t know if I’d get to see you again, you seemed busy with some other people and the big tall guy made it sound like I shouldn’t bug you.” He let her squeeze him, his own arms tightening around her as she lifted him off the ground and gave him a little shake like a child hugging their favourite doll. “You have time to chill with us for a bit?”

“Yeah,” he smiled, “I can do that. So long as you promise not to get caught up on your shots record.”

“There’s a lot of that?”

Shiro sighed, entire body flopping over her table. “You have no idea.”

“I mean,” Valkyre sat up a bit taller, “I could tell you I’m in the top 8% of my battalion for everything

buuuuut

… I think I’d rather just talk to you.” She shot him a mischievous grin as she dropped her voice. “So… you know how Twyla was interested in that special offer for commanders?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, it worked! Ladnok listened to her and

holy crap

, I’ve never seen the commander as relaxed as she was when she returned that night. She was practically falling over herself to thank her! She didn’t dish about everything that went down, but whatever it was, she was

happy

about it.”

Shiro’s ears twicked. “Really?” Ladnok hadn’t seemed like the type to be gushing to her soldiers, but then again he hadn’t been the one spending the night with her.

Valkyre rolled her eyes. “Okay… so not falling over herself, but she called Twyla in for a private meeting and since then our quarters got upgraded and she’s in line for a promotion. All thanks to you and that big softie over there… Hank? No… that’s not right...”

“Hunk?”

“Yeah, him!” She gave his hair and affectionate ruffle before moving on to pet his ears. “So… I guess we really owe you one. Well, her more than me, but I mean… if you’re willing to help me hook the commander up with another night she’ll never forget it might I might be just as much for me too.”

He couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Well… by the sounds of it she’s probably pretty attached to Hunk. Chances of her wanting to try out someone else here are pretty low.”

“Aww, don’t say that! I’m sure you’re great with your mouth too!”

“Who’s good with their mouth?”

Shiro choked on thin air as another Galra appeared over Valkyre’s shoulder holding two drinks.

Ulaz.

The pale faced Galra slid onto the stool beside her and looked to Shiro with that tilted-head expression that he’d had the last time he’d seen him, that eager face ready to listen.

God… if the earth could just come and swallow him up right now that would be perfect.

“Shiro,” Valkyre pouted, “or at least, I’m pretty sure he’d be, right Ulaz?”

If there’d been anything flammable within a five foot radius of him, Shiro was certain it would have burst into flame right now. Ulaz was staring at him like he’d just turned bright green, even if the truth was probably the polar opposite of the colour wheel.

“I mean… look at him, he’s got those big soft lips. He’s probably good at kissing too, but I mean, that means he’d be good at other tongue stuff too.”

Ulaz spat out his drink, and Shiro had to spin away to hide the fact he was rapidly turning the colour of a Christmas tree topper.

Fuck

, she was

not

just insinuating to Ulaz he was good at going down on people… even if he was (or at least, to Keith and Hunk’s satisfactions). Kissing… he’d be okay with her saying that… Ulaz hearing that wasn’t bad

per say

, but saying he’d be good at getting someone off… insinuating he’d be good at getting Ulaz off-

Oh god…

now he was thinking about it. He was picturing

Ulaz’s

dick, and then trying not to, which made it all the harder not to picture the mental image of himself between Ulaz’s legs, licking long stripes up his long… probably pale…

Fuckfuckfuckfuck he didn’t need this! He shouldn’t be doing this, this was Ulaz…

This was Ulaz.

Just another customer at the Lion’s Den.

So… why was he freaking out?

“Are… are you guys okay?”

Valkyre was clapping Ulaz on the back, the other Galra gulping in long rasping breaths as he fought to clear his lungs (and… dear god, Shiro prayed, hopefully his head too). “I mean… all I meant was that you’re probably just as good as Hunk at looking after customers. Ladnok’d probably be lucky to have you.”

Ulaz let out a noise between a whimper and a groan. “Why… would she have… him?” he wheezed.

“Awww Ully, don’t try to talk right now,” she coaxed, rubbing circles on his back. “You remember Twyla’s new promotion I was telling you about?”

Ulaz nodded.

“Well… it might have partially — if not entirely — be related to Twy hooking her up with a little happy ending here on Shiro’s suggestion.”

Shiro cringed as Ulaz swung two bug-eyes his way, hoping they were more related to the next sputter of wrong-way water than what she’d just said.

“Anyway… you think Ladnok would give me one too if I hooked her up with Shiro? I could give him all types of info on what she’s like, what she likes…”

“Please don’t…” Ulaz croaked, just as Shiro opened his mouth to shoot down her idea too. Even if his face couldn’t get any redder than it already was, he knew Ulaz didn’t miss the tell-tale droop of his ears, now almost plastered to his skull.

“I’d really… rather not,” he managed, somewhat lamely. “I mean… if she asked for me herself I couldn’t exactly say no, but…” his eyes skimmed over to Ulaz, “I don’t really feel good about the idea of me just being a way to land you some extra credit with her… it just feels sort of slimy.”

Valkyre sat back in her seat and took a long sip of her drink, straw being gnawed to bits between her teeth. “That’s fair. I wasn’t meaning I wanted to dangle you in front of her like a carrot on a stick, but it’d be nice to shoot to the top faster than the normal way.” Her fluffy hair seemed to sink a little as she reached out to give Shiro’s hand a little pat. “You’re not a carrot, don’t worry.”

“I know you didn’t mean it that way,” he sighed, giving Ulaz another glance. The Galra had stopped wheezing, but he remained quiet, eyes flicking between his drink and the other two. For a second, they locked gazes, the two of them quickly spinning away to look elsewhere.

“You guys feeling okay?” Valkyre gave their arms a tap. “You’re both so quiet.”

Ulaz cleared his throat, and Shiro could almost taste the molasses that his tongue was caught in. “It’s best to climb the ranks of your own merit. Doing it through other means just brews resentment and dissent.”

She stirred her drink. “Of course you’d say that, you’re a natural nerd with social skills. Plus you never step out of line. Commanders love that type of thing.”

“Not all commanders.”

A snort from Valkyre. “Okay, fine, maybe not Trugg, but the rest. You landing in Sendak’s circle with Haxus isn’t just coincidence.”

Ulaz took a swig. “He appreciates my sense of humour.”

The entire table snorted. Ulaz cracked a grin from behind his glass.

“Or he

might

, given he had more audiences with me. Any time we talk it’s to discuss software he’s requested or simulations I’ve built. I’m quite sure the only reason he has brought me along on outings is to keep me complacent in my work. After all, it works on the rest of his dogs.”

“

Haxus,

” the two of them said, sharing a look that broke down into giggles.

“He’s always been like that,” Valkyrie snickered.

“Ever since the reserves.”

“I don’t think he’d make it as a commander, there’d be no one else for him to cater to.”

“Zarkon maybe.”

Shiro watched this whole back and forth. Ulaz was so relaxed, happy, as he and Valkyre quipped. He’d always gotten the impression he was well spoken, but awkward in large groups, especially rowdy ones, but here he was, making fun of his friend and fellow soldier, and it was like watching weight roll off his shoulders. He seemed lighter, less guarded. He had a nice smile too, not that the one Shiro had seen before hadn’t been nice. It was just… different. His unconscious smile just pulled the corners of his mouth a bit more, softened his eyes that extra little bit. He hadn’t known a Galra to look like that. Not even in all his years of living at the Den had he seen Kolivan or Antok or the rest of the members soften that way. Just a look of full peace…

A lump had formed in Shiro’s throat.

He… he wanted to see that more. And more than that… he was pretty sure he wanted to be the one to make Ulaz look that way.

Conscious… way too conscious of himself, Shiro siddled closer to him. It let him take Ulaz in better. The hint of bags below his eyes. The gentle curve of his pointed ears. The way some of the short fur of his stripes had been mussed, spiking into his darker fur. Part of him wanted to comb it back in place. The rest of him knew better. Even if he knew he’d have done it for other guests… that Lance would have definitely do it. That was easy… actions to break down officer’s defenses, ways to coax information out of them. He barely batted an eye at that. But right now the thought just made him want to sink down deeper into the collar of his shirt in embarrassment.

“You guys want some food?”

Valkyre pulled him from his thoughts so fast Shiro felt like he’d just been dragged up out of a deep tank of water, left sopping wet and blinking in the sunlight. “What?”

“Food. I could do with some grackle wings, what about you guys?”

Ulaz shrugged noncommittally and Shiro continued to blink stupidly. “I can get that, yeah.”

“Nonononono,” she patted his shoulder, “I’ll grab it, don’t worry. You probably have to run around enough without me making you get stuff. ‘Sides,” she glanced over at the bar, “I kind of want to talk to barkeep over there and see what he’s like.”

Shiro’s protest died in his throat before he could stop her. She was already striding off towards the bar, leaving him and…

“So…” Ulaz tried, fingers drumming against his glass, “how have you been?”

How have you been?

It felt like a step back. Just a second ago Ulaz had seemed to relaxed, any now his guard was back up. Shiro’s ears drooped. They weren’t as comfortable together as him and Valkyre. He knew it was stupid to expect anything otherwise, but still…

“Not bad,” he said, deflated. “Work’s been busy but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“That’s good,” nodded Ulaz, taking a sip as he did. “Still finding time to exercise?”

The stark contrast between then and now meant Shiro couldn’t help but wince as he replied. “Yeah, but not as much as usual. I’ve been having to do… other stuff, so my time’s not exactly as balanced as usual. You? Looking after yourself?”

Ulaz’s eyebrows had arched at the

other stuff

, but he carried on. “I am fine. The war exercises are taking away time from my primary projects, but there’s little I can do about that. What extra time I have is set aside for my health and my passions.” He shrugged. “I can’t complain. It’s what’s required for the empire.”

“Yeah…” Shiro stared off, almost looking through Ulaz as he fought to focus on anything, anything less awkward than right now. Hunk was laughing with a group a few tables down. Lance was splayed out on the stage, calves still wrapped around the pole as he chatted with some sorry sap who’d found themselves caught in his web. “Sometimes you just have to do what’s needed…”

“That is true.”

It was like the vacuum between them was expanding, sucking up the sound of the club and actually making everything

quieter

within a four foot radius of them. He swore he could hear drips of condensation sliding down Valkyre’s abandoned glass, let alone individual lashes flapping in the breeze as Ulaz blinked (had had eyelashes… thin, translucent lashes).

“Actually…” Shiro sighed, “can I ask you something?”

Ulaz sat up, eying him warily. “Yes. Of course.”

“Are you feeling okay? You seem… different tonight.”

A shadow crossed the Galra’s brow. “What do you mean?”

Crud.

Shiro licked his lips. “I mean… don’t you feel like right now is different than last time? Like… it’s more awkward or something.” Like Ulaz was guarded, or unsettled. Just like he probably would be if he knew Valkyre had Shiro picturing his dick just a few short minutes ago.

“I suppose our conversations tonight have been different,” Ulaz said carefully. “The last time I was here with my commander was a different event. More formal than simple drinks with an old friend.”

True, but why would tonight’s conversation have fit in more then?

“I know,” he pushed, “but doesn’t it feel… harder than then? Like there’s something hanging in between, something... happened…”

Like the show he’d put on for Sendak in front of Ulaz. Or just a few minutes ago with Valkyre…

Shiro gulped. There was a nagging feeling in the base of his tail. “You’re uncomfortable, aren’t you? And it’s not with Valkyre… it’s with me.”

Ulaz was fidgeting now, foot tapping against his stool even as the rest of him stayed still. He’d touched on something there. “I don’t know what you’re talking about...”

“Is it… is it hearing about sex stuff?” He bit the inside of his cheek. “You got all uncomfortable when you were here with commander Sendak and intervened. And then just now, when Valkyre just suggested…

things

… you went quiet until you could change the topic. It’s… that’s what it is, isn’t it? You don’t like sex, do you?”

“I… Shiro…” Ulaz started, but Shiro knew he’d struck a hit. His body language didn’t show surprise at the suggestion, and his eyes flicked down, as if trying to hide. “It’s not that I don’t like it…” he stalled. “It might be true that I was caught off guard tonight-”

“So the night before? When you snapped?”

Ulaz’s fingers tightened on his glass. “That was not… that was different. It was watching my commander try to do things to you he shouldn’t have been doing. Those were things no commander should do in front of his-”

“It’s fine,” mumbled Shiro.” It’s happened to me before.”

“

What?

”

Shiro blinked, a little colour creeping into his cheeks. He hadn’t expected Ulaz to react quite like that. “It’s happened before,” he repeated, “Galra touching me in front of their officers. It’s part of why they come here.” He traced circles in the drips of condensation on the table. “They all want to indulge in a power fantasy where they can lord me over their underlings. It’s not exactly something I enjoy, but...” he shrugged, “I can see where it comes from.”

Ulaz frowned. A napkin appeared in his hand, wiping the water away so there was no place for Shiro to look but his face. “So multiple members of the army have made advances that strong? Trying to…” he faltered, instead pointing at Shiro’s crotch through the table. “... reach levels that far?”

“N-no…” he stilled. “That… that was the first time someone tried something like that on me.” He’d let people play with him before. There had definitely been the over-adventurous VIP or two he’d let roam further south than his mouth and chest, even one inexplicable captain who wanted their head between Shiro’s thighs as they vented about the stresses of their quadrant (then offering a mindblowing blowjob in thanks). But no one else had gone far enough to touch his plug. Usually if someone tried to get that far… like Janka… Antok or Kolivan would storm across the floor and mark a strike across their record as they struck their hands from him

“We stop them before they can get that far. Us companions or the other staff.”
The shadows on Ulaz’s face had sharpened. “Forgive me if this appears harsh, but that was not what I saw that night. This ‘comfort’ you said Kolivan respected, it seemed to have been passed without a blink on his part, no intervention of any kind. And then according to Valkyre, you’re made to do things behind closed doors. Being used like…” he seemed to weigh his words, dropping his voice as his eyes squeezed shut, “... escorts for hire.”
Shiro’s hands shot up.“No! It’s not like that! It’s not… it’s really rare! I can count…”

He trailed off, words dying in his throat at the look Ulaz gave him. Even if he could count the number of Galra he’d ever serviced beyond a massage (and not the happy ending kind) on one hand, it still didn’t sound good. Some guests would spend good money for alone time with companions, no matter what that alone time ended up being. Ulaz was still looking at him like that. Like a germ under a microscope, unsure what to make of him. It made the base of his spine tingle with fight-or-flight.

“It’s…” he deflated. “I know it sounds really bad right now, but its not, trust me Ulaz.
I’m not just some piece of meat for sale behind closed doors. It’s not like the Lion’s Den is all just a front for Kolivan to find customers willing to pay for… for that type of thing.”

Shiro’s lips pressed together, eyes lowered to the spotless tabletop. Kolivan would

never

, even if companion prostitution rings suddenly became legal. He was far too protective, too territorial over others in his space. “

I promise… I...”

his hands balled into fists in his lap. “When we let a patron be alone with us it's more about companionship than being physical. If anything happens back there it’s because we want it to. And there aren’t many.” He chanced a glance up at Ulaz, the Galra’s face as unsettlingly unreadable as ever. “I… if I’m being honest, I can’t think of more a dozen, between the four of us, that we’ve entertained that way. Only ones we feel like we can trust to not take advantage”

“So Valkyre and Twyla…”

Shiro swallowed. “I didn’t promise anything. I just said it was possible for higher ranking officials to be hosted in a private room. Like what we did for Sendak, just one-on-one. Whatever happened that night both Hunk and Ladnok agreed to.”

Ulaz seemed to study him for a moment. “So Kolivan does not simply provide you to the highest bidder? But he still allows such a use of you for sale?”

Shiro’s adam’s apple bobbed. His hackles were prickling, the urge to jump of his stool and flee mounting with every rising second. “Not exactly?”

God… all he’d hoped for was a calm night and good company, not this. Not feeling like Ulaz was judging his every word, weighing his worth with every syllable that came out of him.

“I’m not being sold to whoever wants me. Kolivan would never ask that of me. It’s...”

A bubble of nervous laughter left him, loud enough to make Ulaz jump. He clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Honestly Ulaz?” he said, staring at the Galra’s hands. “If you want me to ruin everything for you, a lot of this is all just for show. To sell the idea of a fantasy to people, make them think they’re in control, that we’re in service to them for the night, when really we probably care more about crawling into bed after work and watching bad TV. It’s not as though people can’t grow aggressive, or expect too much, but we have each other’s back here.” He closed his eyes, a finger rubbing where tension was settling in his temple. “I… I know how it must have looked to you, Lance and I without backup, Sendak acting like he did, but there never was any danger. If we didn’t think we could handle it we would have let Kolivan barge in, but we didn’t.” Shiro risked a smile. “From how they seem together, having Kolivan walk in would probably just have made it worse.”

There was a second of stillness, a moment as Shiro’s words faded into the din of club, then Ulaz shifted. The sternness of his jaw softened, eyes mellowing just a touch. He leaned backwards, finger tracing the rim of his glass. He seemed deep in thought.

“I see,” he said at last, corners of his mouth no longer worried downwards. “That would indeed be the best course of action considering their complicated history, though I highly doubt describing how much you love Kolivan’s privates to him did much good either.”

“Desc-” Shiro spat, blood rushing to his ears. “I… I… he was insulting Kolivan! Saying he wasn’t a man! I… I had to do something!”

“So describing your love life was the solution?” Even if Ulaz’s tone was serious, there was a hint of a smile there.

“I... “ Shiro flushed scarlet, “no one’s done… I mean… I haven’t ever… well I have, but…” He bit his lip, trying to control his voice. “I… I haven’t done

that

with anyone other than another companion. Kolivan hasn’t done that with any of us.” He didn’t know why he felt he needed to tell Ulaz that, but somehow it pushed its way out of him. “I… it’s just something I haven’t wanted yet.”

Ulaz looked at him for a long moment. Shiro wanted to say more, keep spilling stupid secrets like these until Ulaz would finally say something, but he clammed up. It was probably best for him to stop before he kept elaborating even more. He sat there, fidgeting in place, until finally, the Galra spoke.

“That is relieving to hear. Seeing what the commander was permitted to do to you the other night, paired with what Valkyre was suggesting… I was concerned what was happening to you. I’d thought…

well

,” he sighed, nose crinkling as he took another sip of his drink. “But if it is other aspects of yourself that are what are truly appreciated by privileged individuals, well,” a whisper of a smile crossed his face, “I am somewhat jealous of what they’re treated to.”

“I… I could maybe,” he started, only to have the image of Ulaz laid out bare on a table beneath him, Shiro seated on his back as he worked Ulaz’s muscles. Warmth flooded his cheeks. A small current twisted somewhere further south. It seemed like some of it was crossing over to Ulaz too.

The Galra sat up, poker straight, hands waving in front of him. “You do not need to! I was simply…” Ulaz stopped, clearing his throat. “I was simply concerned about your well-being.” The little glance he gave Shiro from behind his palms shot straight through his chest.

He’d been worried.

Shiro slumped back in his chair, something like relief and something else starting to flood through him.

Ulaz had been worried about him. Worried for his safety

. Even now, as Shiro began to sink down the miniscule back of the barstool Ulaz’s eyebrows were steadily creeping towards his hairline in alarm.

He… he was trying to look out for him

, in some weird way. Ulaz knew what companions went through… he’d worked at a facility… there was no doubt he’d heard stories about those who abused their ownership licenses, or the rings of black-market breeders. Shiro felt a little bubble of warmth swell in the calming depths of his stomach.

Ulaz was… he was...

A hand reached out to catch Shiro from sliding down any further. “Are you…”

“I’m fine!” he jumped back upright, back to himself, feeling giddy and half-drunk. “I’m… honestly…” he breathed, “I’m honestly

relieved

. I thought there was something about me or something I’d done that had soured you for good. But you were… you’re just worried about me.” A laugh escaped him. “I can’t… that’s all it is… you were worried.”

Ulaz blinked, hand retracting from where it hovered protectively over Shiro’s heart. “So you are alright? You are happy?”

“I… I’m fine.” Shiro smiled.

More than fine.

His chest felt ten pounds lighter, better than when he took off a corset after a hard night’s work. “It… it means a lot that you care about me. I don’t think I’ve known any customer here to worry that much over my safety. They take that type of thing to just be part of the job… if I don’t make a fuss they don’t either. And you… you…”

“I?” But Ulaz spoke no further, staring at Shiro like he was the only answer to a question he didn’t even know. Shiro swallowed. He hadn’t expected to find himself here. Butterflies were starting to flutter in his stomach.

“You… I like how you talk with me. How you can make it easy to talk about myself. It’s like you really

care.

You feel… safe.”

“

Safe,

” Ulaz repeated slowly. Shiro bobbed his head. He wasn’t sure he trusted himself to look Ulaz in the eye.

“I… I got worried for a while tonight that that it’d just been a fluke. That maybe you’d just been polite the other times and that conversation had just been some once in a lifetime thing...“ The corners of his mouth pulled up into a small smile. ”Maybe it’s not though? I don’t know how you feel, but I guess what I’m saying is, I like talking with you like that. I want to get to know more about you… share things with you too.”

“You do?”

Shiro nodded, ears flopping in front of his face. He prayed no more flush had made its way into his cheeks.

“I… I enjoy your company as well,” Ulaz said slowly, as if not quite believing the words himself. “You don’t feel as though you are pushing an agenda behind your words, only how you feel. It feels like a true connection, not something manufactured for your own gain. You are simply… you. There is no pressure to continue purchasing this club’s overpriced drinks.”

Shiro risked a glance at Ulaz. The Galra was smiling. They both shared a short puff of laughter.

“It is a welcome change. Too many of those around me are too obvious in their ambitions. Sometimes it is just nice to find a friend.”

A friend

.

Shiro’s chest lit up. Ulaz thought of him like a friend. A new one… still fresh and taking their first few steps on unsteady feet, but a friendship nonetheless. He smiled nervously back at Ulaz, pulling his chair closer and hating every last decibel of scraping as it shortened the inches between them. “So…” he tested, “seeing as we just sorted all that out, you want to tell me a bit more about you? Or is your whole personality just the title you have in the Empire?”

Ulaz chuckled, and Shiro felt the warmth inside him flare. “Touche,” he grinned. “I suppose I have been somewhat private with you. So then, what would you like to know? Hobbies? History? Aspirations?”

That warmth was spreading. “Hobbies are good,” he shrugged, trying to hold back the stupid smile threatening to spread across his face. Ulaz’s smile looked so good on him right now. Knowing he’d been the one to put it there… well… it only made it harder not to smile himself.

“Very well. I suppose it wouldn’t surprise you to know most of my time is taken up with my work.”

“Right… Bio.. techy…”

“Biotechnics, yes. You were listening before.”

“Yeah, well, with these,” he pointed at his ears, “It’s kinda hard not to.”

“Very true. It would be a shame to let them go to waste.” Ulaz’s gaze swept up the length of them with something like… fondness? Shiro found himself leaning closer, hoping he might reach out and touch one. “I spend a lot of time tinkering with how biosystems can interact with robotic ones, even in my off time. Small projects, goggles to adjust for the light and eyes of the user, prosthetics for small animals, those types of things. I also enjoy plants.”

That was something. “Plants?” Shiro’s nose twitched in surprise.

“Yes,” there was a distant look in Ulaz’s face now. “I cannot keep many with me on board a ship, but I try all the same. Miniatures mostly. Small loaf-sized trees, hearty rock-growing species, a few rare flowering shrubs. It’s calming, looking after them.”

He could picture it, Ulaz with a tiny garden in the window of his quarters. Or maybe even just a table. He had no idea how he lived, but he liked the thought all the same. Ulaz with a little watering can, tending to each plant in turn, trimming their leaves, making sure they had enough light. Did he create a mini garden? Or have small lights strung over them to help them grow?

“You might find it silly,” Ulaz rubbed the back of his neck, pointed ears turning down. “Most of the others do… Valkyre included. She thinks I should focus more on larger robotics in my spare time.”

“It’s not silly.” The words left Shiro with more force than he expected. Ulaz looked at him for a long moment and he found himself racking his brains for words to follow.

“It’s sweet. It’s something just for you, and it doesn’t matter what others think.” Without thinking he reached out to squeeze Ulaz’s fingers.

They both remained frozen, staring at where they connected. Even as Shiro’s stomach fluttered up into his throat, even as he felt Ulaz tense and relax beneath his fingers, he couldn’t help but take in the feeling of them. Warm and weathered, but with an underlying softness that suggested good care. Slim too… but not so dainty that Shiro could feel the bones beneath. He wanted to hold them more, commit them to memory and never let them go. Somewhere deep inside him something clicked, like the first barrel of a lock undone, just as Ulaz’s fingers turned to cup his own.

“You… I…I like...”

His hand leapt off Ulaz’s as something crashed to the ground to the side of them, and with that the moment was broken. His next thought stayed just that, a thought.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Keith’s table had knocked their drinks to the ground, but instead of trying to pick them up, Keith was pressed into one of the captains from chin to belly, tail swishing playfully. The Galra didn’t quite seem to know what to make of things, not even as Keith pulled one of his hands to cup his waist and guided it lower.

Then it all clicked. The extra sleeping lately, the strange dreams, the extra libibo...

“Kolivan!” Shiro yelled, vaulting off his chair and sprinting towards the group. “We’ve got a problem!” He could hear the footsteps of the manager from across the room, see Antok spinning around to see what was unfolding. Keith was winding a finger along the ridges of the captain’s armour. Even from here, Shiro could hear him purring.

Keith never purred for strangers. Not unless…

Shiro ripped the cat hybrid from the guest’s lap, even as Keith let out a yowl of anger. As soon as he was in Shiro’s arms though, he softened.

“Shiroooo…” His words were slurred, almost drunk as he wound his arms around Shiro’s back and sunk his face into his front. “M’ so glad you’re here. Baldy here didn’t seem to get the message…”

“I’m here Keith,” he soothed. “Just relax, I’m going to get you backstage.”

“Whyyy… here’s good.” Keith’s nose connected with Shiro’s breastbone as he buried his face into his chest. Even without touching the curve of Keith’s ass, feeling his way down his crack and between his legs, Shiro knew what he’d find.

Damp.

Keith was in heat.

“Shiroooo… I want you… or if you don’t wanna… Where’s Lance? Or Hunk?”

“They’re busy. C’mon Keith…” They were making a scene now, other tables from around the Den were taking notice. Some guests were even trying to come closer, a few no doubt cluing in to what was happening. He had to get Keith out of here, and fast.

“Move.”

All of a sudden Kolivan was at their side, all but shovelling them off to the stage door. “We need him out of here!” He hissed, brushing off strangers, wheeling Shiro and the delirious Keith in his arms off into the cool darkness of the back hallway. Shiro caught a glimpse of Ulaz, half standing beside their deserted table, one hand stretched in front of him. He hoped he could see the apology he mouthed as he helped Kolivan carry Keith backstage.

As soon as the door slammed behind them Kolivan was in front of them, pulling Keith out of Shiro’s cleavage and spinning him around to face him.

“Keith,” he frowned, the cat hybrid’s cheeks in his hands, “how long has this been going on for?”

Keith blinked dreamily up at Kolivan, as if he couldn’t quite believe he was there. “Few days… maybe… wasn’t sure if it was that or just this dream I had yesterday.”

Yesterday… when he’d woken up to Keith under the covers.

“And you didn’t tell anyone?”

“S’fine Kolivan…” Keith drawled, the N drawn out so long there was nothing ‘finnnne’ about it. “It just hit a day before I thought it would. But now that we’re back here…” he twirled a finger through the manager’s braid.

“You’re not going back out. And you’re not getting

that

,” he pulled Keith’s hand off, “until you work out the worst of it. I’m getting the machine.”

The machine. Even if Shiro’d never needed it he knew what it did in exquisite detail. All of the others had talked about it at length after some of the worst of their heats. A device that Kolivan could attach between their legs, fuse right against their plugs and move…

‘Fuck… it moves’

Lance had moaned after his first time. Vibrations, size changes, everything. Somehow Kolivan had rigged something to fuck them on their plugs, even if he couldn’t be there to do it himself. Shiro’s mouth had watered at the thought of it, hoping… waiting for a time when he’d have a heat bad enough to need it. It never came though.

Keith whined, pawing at Kolivan even as he was passed back to Shiro. “Get him into a spare bedroom. I’ll meet you there.”

“O-Okay…”

He half dragged, half carried Keith down the halfway. The cat hybrid was all over him, rubbing his chin up and down Shiro’s shoulders and arms, tongue and lips kissing at any exposed skin… a far too easy endeavour in the peephole top he was dressed in, hands clumsily trying to grab at Shiro’s balls. After wrestling with him trying to climb him Shiro yielded, letting Keith wrap his legs around his waist and carry him the rest of the way, Keith’s dripping shorts grinding into his own, smearing slick marks everywhere.

The spare room was a seperate from their living corners. While they had three or four bunks surrounding the main bed they all usually shared, Kolivan had reserved a room for when they needed more privacy, or in cases like this… when the delirium of heats struck.

Shiro dropped Keith onto the mattress, only for him to immediately spin around and spread his legs, fishnet-clad ass raised and presented, tail twitching in anticipation. “Shiro…” he whined, “please… I need it.” Shaky hands worked to undo his leather shorts, tugging them down to his knees and exposing himself.

Even with the plug buried deep inside him, Keith’s slick was leaking out, glistening around the oynx pommel and making the diamond-shaped windows of his ass glisten in the low light. As he rocked backwards Shiro could see it move, body clenching around it, begging it to move.

“Hang in there baby,” Shiro whispered, coming to sit beside him. He stroked the base of Keith’s tail, earning a moan as Keith’s purring returned in full, his back arching into his touch. “Kolivan will be back soon. You’ll feel better soon.”

“Want it… want it now.” Keith’s ass butted against his hand, trying to coax Shiro to remove his plug as if he had any control over it. “Want to feel it. Big. Hot… filling me up.”

“You will. He’s coming.” He stroked Keith’s bangs back from his brow. Keith was burning up, cheeks hot and flushed as he continued to try and fuck himself on his plug in mid-air to no avail. In a fit of mercy he took Keith’s cock in hand, trying to coax some of the edge off for him even if he knew it wasn’t what he wanted. He’d only calm down after he came from being penetrated. “Hang in there.”

A whine vibrated through Keith’s entire being, and Shiro’s hand moved lower, fondling the base of his plug. Pushing it into him, pulling back until the knot inside strained against his hole. It was slow, teasing fucking, nothing that would quench the fire burning through him, but it seemed to calm him, Keith’s back arching into it as he bit down on the sheets.

That’s how Kolivan found them, Shiro tending to Keith the best he could, two of his fingers in the feline’s mouth, letting him nurse on the closest thing to cock Shiro could provide.

“Move aside. This will take a second.” In Kolivan’s hands was the device. To the untrained eye it was nothing remarkable, a curved shape with clasps at each end. To those in the know though, there was no missing the small recess in the center, or the symbol etched on the other side, dark and barely visible against the polished metal. With one hand Kolivan grasped the pommel of Keith’s plug, the same symbol flashing to life with bluish light.

Keith keened immediately, mouth wide in a silent groan as the plug began to shapeshift inside him. Kolivan tugged at the base, Keith’s body resisting against the very idea of the shaft inside him leaving. Shiro watched, mesmerized as Keith’s hole fought to hold the device inside as Kolivan fixed it to the base, the living metal locking around the control point and fusing itself before his eyes. With that, Kolivan released his hold, the combination sinking back into Keith and coming to rest over his ass and balls.

“Pass me the belt, would you Shiro?”

Shiro swallowed, grabbing over the piece. Leather and black lace exchanged hands, circled Keith’s narrow waist and clicked into position with the machine, holding the sling in place between Keith’s legs. Kolivan’s hand slid between them, Keith spreading himself wider still as the large fingers cupped around him. There was a flash of light, a high, whirring whine as the machine booted up…

And then Keith was biting the mattress, hips rocking against the bracket. Shiro could see it vibrating against his ass as Kolivan removed his fingers, see the symbol on the plate flare bright purple in time with the little jolts of Keith’s hips as the plug inside changed, fucking him on it.

Kolivan stroked Keith’s ears, petting the soft hairs at the curve of his neck before pulling back.

“I’ll return soon enough to see how you’re feeling. When you’re able to speak calmly we’ll determine what to do for the rest of this.”

Keith whined into the sheets, but other than that there was no sign he’d heard Kolivan. Shiro repeated the same gesture, petting Keith’s head, letting him push a cheek into his palm. “Feel better soon,” he whispered. “I’ll check on you as soon as I can, okay?”

“Mmmkay,” Keith slurred, the glaze over his eyes fading away for a moment before he sunk back into the mattress, giving in to the feeling of being fucked.

They left the room quietly, Kolivan carefully locking access for everyone but the two of them. His jaw was locked, tension radiating off of him in waves. Shiro gave the sealed door a long look, lip tenderizing between his teeth as he fought down the nerves of the past few minutes.

“You think he’ll be okay? You know how he gets…” but he trailed off as one of Kolivan’s hands came to grasp his shoulder. Keith sometimes had the worst heats out of any of them, lasting days, so wound up they needed to take turns tending to him and calming him down. But then again, Kolivan had known him for years. If anyone knew how to handle Keith, it was him.

Kolivan pulled a face. “Keith’s heat couldn’t have come at a worse time. We need answers, and losing a man is not going to help that. Now more than ever, we need a break” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “That officer you were talking to tonight. One of Sendak’s…”

“Ulaz?” Shiro blinked. He’d thought Kolivan would have wanted to talk about what to do about Keith. “What about him?”

“You were with him for some time… both with and without his comrade. What did you learn about Sendak or the plot?”

“The plot?”

“Yes,

the plot

. Surely you managed to get something out of him, spending that much time focused on him.”

Shiro’s stomach lurched. His mouth went dry, voice box plummeting into his stomach, the two of them dropping even further through him. He hadn’t even thought of that. He’d been so focused on Ulaz… he hadn’t even…

His ears flattened in shame. He’d forgotten his real mission.

“Nothing. We didn’t even talk about him.” He highly doubted Kolivan would consider their talk about the smaller details of that night would constitute ‘intelligence’. He was 100% sure Ulaz’s love of gardening wouldn’t go over well either .

“And anything on the meat of the matter?”

His stomach tried to settle somewhere between his knees. “Nothing came up that we don't already know.” At least… nothing relating to what Kolivan cared about.

The large Galra sighed, forehead a mess of fret and exhaustion. “Shiro… I didn’t think you would be the one I would have to remind of the importance of this issue, but here I am, doing it. Time is counting down, and Keith… Keith is indisposed.“ Kolivan sighed. “If something is going to happen, if Sendak is going to make a move to take down the Resistance, we all lose. Agents are already getting into place for Thace’s plan. I can’t in good conscious let them proceed without knowing what they’re getting themselves into. We need information. And we need it soon.”

“I… I know that-”

“I know you do, which makes it all the more worrisome that it seems you’re faltering. We can’t afford to waste time, even if you’re trying for something for the long run. I need action, and I need it now.”

“I…” Shiro bit his lip, racked his brains for anything useful. Something… anything that might make the guilt bubbling inside him calm.
“Ulaz… Ulaz mentioned that Sendak can be a little handsy. He brought up the last time he was here and he was paying a lot of attention to Lance and me. I think… I think he wants to see more of what’s possible here… of what other… talents we have. It might be the type of lubricant he needs.”

Kolivan sucked in a breath. “At least that is something, even if you looked to have forgotten it until now. We’ll consider that. As for now, I need you to look after Keith’s guests.”

“The captains?” With a jolt he realized he hadn’t explained himself to Ulaz when he’d run off. What were the chances he could explain things to him before he had to leave again?

“Of course.”

He had to run to catch up; Kolivan was already marching down the hallway. “You want me to take over the rest of the night?”

“That

is

what I said. With Hunk already requested and the other two occupied,

you

are the prime candidate. You were simply alternating tables earlier. If you could gather no more intelligence from Sendak’s man, I see little reason why you should return there.”

Ah. So no chance.

Shiro nodded, grabbing a proffered towel and wiping away the worst of the mess Keith’s slick had made on his front. It wasn’t perfect, but it should leave him presentable enough. He had to focus on the mission now, work out the truth behind the rumours. He couldn’t be distracted. Not now, not even if a part of him was whispering in the back of his head, telling him to go back.

The next few days had been anything but easy. He’d had to swallow around the lump in his throat as he’d sat with that group of captains, directly facing the table with Valkyre and Ulaz, fighting to ignore her waving and Ulaz’s silent stare. Kolivan had been explicit. On no accounts could he lapse from his mission. Distractions were out.

Even if he’d felt like his lungs were caught in his throat as he’d watched Ulaz slap a set of credits down on the table and leave. The way his ears had flattened, the way he’d brushed her hand of his back had burned themselves into his eyes. He knew in his gut he was the one who’d caused that. And still, he’d been forced to stay put, smiling like nothing was wrong as the Galra around him joked and drank.

Ulaz hadn’t been back since then. Shiro knew it was stupid to expect him to be. He was busy, he’d said as much to him, and yet every day that Ulaz didn’t show up at the club was one more day where he couldn’t apologize, couldn’t make up for that night where he’d left him hanging, the meaning of their final moment continuing to go unspoken.

Usually if he was in a funk like this he’d talk to Keith, but Keith… Shiro bit his lip, stopping the tricky process of working himself into a pair of tights. Keith was indisposed. Whenever he returned to himself between flares of heat he was tired, wanting nothing more than to curl against someone’s chest and listen to their heartbeat as he slept. Shiro’d tried, twice now, to unload with his best friend, let the feeling of Keith’s silky hairs cascading through his fingers calm him down as he vomited out his thoughts as soon as they swarmed up in his head, but it wasn’t the same. Keith’s bulk at his side was reassuring, but his gentle snores did nothing to calm Shiro’s mind. He’d leave Keith’s room relaxed, but those storm clouds over his shoulders continued to hover there, just out of reach of clearing.

“You feeling okay Shiro? Need some help?”

Pidge was staring at him, big bushy ears peaked with interest at him balanced over an ottoman, waistband squeezed around his knees.

“Uh… sure.” The youngest hybrid bounced over, grabbing the back of the tights and helping him shimmy further into them.

“So,” she said, “you’ve been kinda off since Keith went into heat.”

Shiro winced, and not just because the waist was starting to cut into the thickest part of his thighs. “You noticed?”

“Yup. Even if you try to hide it you’re pretty obvious. Your ears have been lopped since then, I don’t think I’ve seen you fully relaxed. So, something happen?”

“You could call it that.”

Pidge arched an eyebrow and Shiro groaned before continuing. He hated how she could make him obey with just a look, something about those big brown kitten eyes.

“Kolivan told me we’re running out of time to figure out what’s going on. He made it sound-” he gasped as Pidge tugged, pulling the tights over his rear and trapping his tail in the process, “-like a big number of resistance members are in danger. Can you…?”

“On it,” she shot, quickly grabbing his tail and pulling it out the hole in the back. “Sorry about that. I forget how tight your clothes are.”

“Yeah, well,” he sighed, tugging on a virgin-killer sweater over himself and adjusting the hem around his thighs, “it’s a sacrifice I have to make for the resistance.” They weren’t all bad either. Even if he hated to admit it out loud, he liked how the seams up the back made his legs look. The sweater too, even if it left his back exposed, was cosier than his usual work clothes. Lance might roll his eyes, tell Shiro to suit up properly, but he didn’t care right now. He wanted that extra little edge of comfort now.

“Speaking of the resistance, Kolivan called me out for not doing enough.”

“You,

not enough

?” Pidge snorted, settling on the vanity and looking up at Shiro as if he’d just proclaimed he had three heads. “

Right.”

“

Really,

” he said. “I might have gotten distracted and missed a chance at something.”

“That still doesn’t explain why it looks like you’ve been beating yourself up like you single handedly doomed the universe. Mistakes happen, you know that. Kolivan knows that. We all do.” She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Something else happen?”

Shiro paused. It wasn’t as if it should matter to anyone else, but…

“I think I might have upset a client. One who might have been important.”

“The same one you think you missed your chance with?”

Shiro couldn’t help but feel a his stomach flip-flop at her choice of words. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden. “Maybe?”

“Well,” Pidge hummed, sweatpant clad legs swinging back and forth. “Tell me this. Do you think they were the only one you could have gotten that important information from?”

Shiro’s mind immediately went back to that night, of Ulaz petting his ears and that far off look as Shiro’d confessed his long lost dream. Of all the other member’s of Sendak’s inner circle in that room. Of how Haxus might even know more than Ulaz.

“... No? At least, I don’t think so?”

“Well then, that’s your answer. Even if you struck out with one, you’ve still got other chances to nail it.” She patted his arm reassuringly. “There’s lots of Galra in the universe, there’s always more than one out there with the key.”

“Yeah…” He knew she was right, like she so often was, but it didn’t make him feel any better. There was still that lingering feeling of something slipping through his fingers like water. He forced a smile, ruffling her puffy mess of hair. “Thanks kiddo. You always just know what to say.”

He pulled away before she could look him in the face and piece together his lie.

Shiro slipped out into the hall and down towards the club floor. If he helped Antok prep tables or Regris stock the bar he could distract himself from this feeling, keep himself content with the feeling of a job well done (even if Kolivan would insist he stop pushing himself at the risk of running his tights. They all knew the patrons loved the look of sheared ladders up and down his thighs, suggestions of how their claws would catch on his hips). He grabbed an apple from the kitchen and hefted the bins of citrus wedges onto his shoulders, giving Sal a little nod as he did. One less trip for the others.

He managed to find work with Ilun and Vrek wiping down tables and chairs, letting their boisterous teasing distract him from the thoughts of the past few days. They were fun like that, turning work into games, taunting one another with a series of increasingly bad puns.

“I’m wiping the floor with you!”

“Better mop that grin off your face, I just did two!”

“You wash you were as fast as me!”

Shiro held back a snicker, racking his brains for something just as groan worthy as “

Soap, not in your wildest steams.”

He couldn’t come up with anything better than “You guys are getting all wishy-washy”, which just led into a bunch of water related puns until the entire Den was spotless.

“Good work,” Vrek said with a slap on Shiro’s back. “We did that in ‘snow time flat.”

“I hate you,” groaned Ilun, but they were smiling all the same. Shiro could see Hunk warming up on stage now, a small pile of equipment beside him for tonight’s performance. He gave the canine a little wave who returned it in kind, big doofy grin spreading across his face in time with his rapidly accelerating tail, before returning to easing himself into the splits. What he was working up to for tonight, only he knew.

There wasn’t much prep left to do. Lance was already at the bar with Regris, helping him count the final few bottles (and help himself to a first drink of the night as well).

“Shiro!” he waved, nearly sloshing the contents of his - poorly chosen - martini glass over himself and his sheer white top.

“You’re not already tipsy, are you?” He teased, sitting across from the two. “He giving you any problems Regris?”

“Not ‘til now,” the Galra chuffed, mopping up the bright pink liquid splattered over the counter.

Lance stuck out his tongue and took another sip. “I’ll have you know I’m the best help he ever had, isn’t that right Regris?”

“If you say so.”

“Awww, c’mon, I’m not that bad.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow. Lance rolled his eyes in response.

“I’m

fine, dad

. It’s just juice with a half-shot of lavender wine. Regris wanted to test out the flavour combination and see how much was needed. Here, try.” He pushed it forward for Shiro to take a sip. It was light, bursting like sunshine in his mouth, finishing with the barest whisper of a floral note. He couldn’t even taste the burn of alcohol.

“Nice,” he nodded, handing it back to Lance. “Anything else left to do?”

“Not really. Club’s bound to open up in another few minutes, you could check with Antok if he needs help on door duty, but then again,” Lance waved a hand up and down Shiro’s frame, “you don’t exactly paint the picture of a bouncer very well right now. Though, you look like you

could

be a housewife ready to welcome their husband home.”

Shiro tugged at his collar, glancing down at the modest (at least, modest for him) peephole that gave the smallest suggestion of his chest underneath. “You think so? I just wanted something comfy tonight.”

Lance chuckled into his drink. “It’s like that oversized dress shirt thing. Modest until you think about how easy it’d be to lift it up and have at it.” He licked his lips. “If I’d have known you were gonna look like this I would have cracked my maid outfit out.”

It was Shiro’s turn to roll his eyes. “You know those are for special occasions. It can’t

just

be you.”

“

True,”

Lance said, popping his lips as he sucked a cherry off his stir stick, “but it doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate it. “Maybe we have a little fun tonight after the Den closes.”

“Maybe.” He welcomed a distraction for tonight. Rolling around with Lance until he passed out from exertion would be a nice change from the long hours spent calming the nagging feelings in his head that he was missing something.

“And maybe the two of you can stop flirting in front of me long enough to realize we’re open,” Regris huffed. “Get your tails on the floor already.” He shooed Lance out from behind the bar and waved the two of them off.

“See you later Shiro,” Lance winked, but not without trailing a finger along the curve of his pec, snapping his sweater as he pulled away. “Lemme know if you want to start early and we can tell Hunk to wrap up his last set faster.”

True to Lance’s words, Shiro’s outfit was turning more heads than he’d thought. There’d been several Galra, both large and small, suggesting he sit on their laps and let them rub the tension out of his shoulders after his ‘hard days work’. He humoured a few of them, slapping their hands away when they got a little to cheeky and tried to dip their hands beneath the knit. For the most part though he’d sit across from them, letting them take in how his legs disappeared into the faded grey fabric, knees knotted together as he leaned forward, listening to the happenings of their days as if it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever heard.

Some of it was and some wasn’t. He met a few men from Ranveig’s forces complaining that Brax’s soldiers were overstepping their bounds. Tension from within. They might be able to use that one day. A few more guests were complaining about ship-to-ship security.

“I could barely even sneak out and see my friend from another faction,” one female grumbled.

“You mean your

lover

,” her friend teased. “I

told

you. They’re keeping tight ships right now as they all compete with each other. They don’t care about clearances from another commander's fleet so long as they don’t see them as a threat. I’m telling you, you should just have someone in Morvok’s fleet make you a copy of their card,

no one

will think he’s sending you over to spy on them.”

“Easy for you to say,” she groused back. “You’re under Varkon.”

And of course, still more guests talked about the competition of the war games. Two members of Gnov’s army described to him,

in painful detail

, the rankings of every army in the Empire. Their strengths, their weaknesses, even the breakdown of their resource uses. Shiro’d listened in interest at first, ears alert for any mention of Sendak’s name. He’d come up once or twice, primarily for his army’s rankings in hand-to-hand and battle strategy, but not much else. There was no significant extra demand for quintessence or materials like he’d expect if Sendak were secretly creating a giant weapon. There was a slightly higher than average demand for neuro-connectors than other fleets, but considering Sendak’s giant prosthetic and the type of work it sounded like Ulaz did, it was more than likely he just had extra engineers working on making him more advanced enhancements.

Ulaz…

Amazingly, Shiro hadn’t thought about him for hours now. He’d been so focused on clients until their recent conversation, but now the Galra’s face was swimming before his vision, remaining there how much Shiro tried to shake it away. How was he doing? Was he back on Sendak’s ship, working on whatever task Sendak had for him? Or was he tending to his plants? Maybe training? He didn’t know if Ulaz fought on the front lines. His job description suggested not, but there was a definite strength to his slender arms, a cat-like grace that couldn’t come without being in-tune with his body. Maybe he sparred like Kolivan and Antok? Limbs whirling, blade dancing from hand to had, arms bare and shining with exertion…

“Are you listening?”

Shiro jolted back into reality, trying to push the hazy image of a shirtless Ulaz to the back of his mind.

What were his fur markings like? Did he have scars?

He squeezed his thighs tighter together, fighting to wipe the picture of Ulaz and Kolivan pressed against each other, willing the other to submit from his head. The group of four analysts were looking at him curiously.

“Your face went all fuzzy for a bit. Are you still listening to us?” The one with thin lips drummed their fingers against their armrest.

Shiro bowed his head. “Sorry, something you said had me thinking about other things…” he hoped they wouldn’t ask what about.

“Really? Talk about biofuel use has you reminded of something else?” They squinted at him.

“Oh come on Garnov, you’re boring the poor thing half to death. Can’t blame him for wanting to listen to something other than your boring-ass voice.”

Technically half true. He’d already exhausted all interesting areas of conversation with them ages ago, just letting them keep talking analytics in the off-chance something else important came up.

Garnov glowered at their friend. “He was interested up until then.”

“Because it’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s a companion. He’s supposed to find all Galra fascinating, but you’re giving that a run for its money right now.” He planted a hand on Shiro’s knee, acting as if he was being subtle in how it started to snake higher. “I’m sorry about that. How about we talk about something more interesting?”

“We could,” Shiro said carefully, winding his fingers into the Galra’s and stopping them from trying to feel what was under his sweater. He scanned the room, trying to find an easy way to excuse himself. His eyes landed on a figure at the far wall. “But my boss is signaling to me that I have to look after some other guests.”

“What? Where?”

Shiro nodded at Antok, positioned at the other end of the club, scanning the tables for trouble. The Galra holding his hand pouted.

“How is he signaling you?”

“Oh you know…” Shiro shrugged, grateful for the fact that Antok’s mask made it impossible for people to tell where he was looking. “There’s that look he’s giving me, and the way his tail’s moving. He’s getting impatient with me. Better figure out what he wants.”

He patted the large hand, giving it a little peck for good measure, just a wipe of his lips against it, batting his eyelashes up at the officer in a way that would make Lance proud for how cheesily flirty it was. “I’ll see if I can return later, but we’re short staffed tonight. One of our own is sick. You gentlemen understand, don’t you? It’s my job to keep all guests happy.”

He wandered over to Antok, if only for show. The big giant looked at him in surprise, but let Shiro sidle up next to him all the same, one enormous arm coming to rest on his waist as they both looked at out the floor of the Lion’s Den.

“Just let me hang out here for a second, would you?”

Antok nodded, giving Shiro’s middle a light squeeze as the two of them studied the sea of couches and tables. He felt the Galra’s tail wrap protectively around his legs.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” he said with a little pat on Antok’s side. “Just used you as an excuse to leave my last group. I don’t think they know anything about what Kolivan’s really interested in, but they still had some interesting things to say. You spot anything promising?”

Antok shrugged, pointing to handful of tables, two or three of which Shiro was pretty sure either he or Lance had already visited.

“Anything you think I should check out?”

Antok made a noise of non-committance, moving his hand to pet Shiro’s head. Shiro suppressed a laugh as Antok tried to muss up his ears.

“Ok, ok, I get it,” he snorted as Antok’s thick fingers tickled his scalp. “They’re not that important. I’ll go check with Kolivan or Regris if they’ve spotted anything else.”

Shiro made his way across the floor to Kolivan’s side, the manager just as stiff and tight lipped as ever as he stared out over the floor.

“Any news?” Kolivan asked as Shiro came to stand beside him.

“Got some useful stats on resource consumption between the factions, along with the levels of trust several of the commanders have between each other. Seems like Morvok and Varkon are so low down on other commander’s radars they don’t consider them a threat. They’ll let their soldiers come aboard with barely a blink.”

“Good to know. I’ll pass word on to Thalia.” Kolivan’s contact with the top operatives in the resistance. “They’ll appreciate that knowledge. Anything in regards to-”

Shiro shook his head. “Nope. I got a few stats for Sendak’s crew as a whole, but nothing detailed. I don’t think any of his officers are here tonight.”

Kolivan sighed, the years starting to show through on his face. “Very well. Check with Regris. He’ll have a list of any requests for the night.”

“Nope, no requests for you or Lance right now.” Regris was spinning bottles with Ilun behind the bar, trying to keep up with demand of one rowdy party in the back corner. “Looks like most of them have either already had a visit from one of you or are happy to just watch Hunk.” In the background Shiro could see the canine working through his chair routine, hair slick and messy with exertion and the heat of the stage lights.

“Any groups you think could use another pass?”

Regris hummed, looking over the hologram of a seating plan he used to track tabs and and keep tabs on guests. “It’s the normal type of crowd tonight, no big ticket customers. You’d basically be fine with stopping by any of them.”

“Anything new Regris?” Lance appeared at Shiro’s side, gauzy shirt unbuttoned more than at the start of the night, exposing the lacy blue undergarments he was wearing. Immediately he was butting up against Shiro, giving him a squeeze and petting his chest over his top. He shot Shiro a wicked grin. “Anyone suggest they want to put you in their pocket and take you home bunny?”

Shiro pushed Lance’s face away from his own. “What? So you can live vicariously through me?”

“

Exactly

why,” Lance grinned back. “But seriously, Regris, any more tables in my queue?”

The Galra rolled his eyes and grabbed another glass down from the shelf to fill. “Like I was

telling Shiro,

you’re both free agents at the moment. Doesn’t mean you should stick around here for long though. It doesn’t look good on either of you.”

“Aww Regris, you

do

care,” Lance teased. He stood back up, skimming the room. “Just gimme a sec to find my next target and I’ll be out of your hair. Anything look good to you Shiro?”

Shiro took another look around the club. There were a few small groups tucked into booths that seemed to be keeping to themselves. He could try and see if they wanted him to join them (and if they refused, point Pidge and her cameras their way). There were a few more boisterous groups on the middle of the floor, ones Lance would no doubt gravitate towards with the promise of a good time.

“Ooo Shiro, fresh meat.” Lance elbowed his side, gesturing to the door. “Look at the two that just walked in. They might be interesting.”

Shiro squinted into the dim entryway to the club. He could spy two figures checking their weapons with Vrek. The first of them stepped into the lights of the club and he sucked in a breath.

Haxus

.

“I don’t know about you, but he looks a little familiar. He’s been in recently, hasn’t he?”

Shiro could only nod, trying to ignore his steadily increasing heartbeat. Haxus’s friend was taking their time with the weapon’s check, but already he knew they didn’t have the same bulk as Sendak or his weapons manager. There was a chance… a chance…

The second figure stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, and Shiro grabbed Lance’s arm.

“Shiro… what?"

But the rabbit hybrid didn’t turn away. His eyes remained fixed on the pale lavender face behind Haxus, scanning the club, as if looking for something. He licked his dry lips, trying to hear over the rush of blood in his ears.

“Dibs,” he whispered.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He left Lance and Regris before he could even fully hear the Lance’s “

uh… okay?”

, dodging his way between tables and chairs, trying to make his way over to the new arrivals before someone else could intervene.

Ulaz. Ulaz was back

. This was his chance. His chance to see him again, to apologize, to make up for last time. A little thrill raced up Shiro’s spine at the thought of continuing their conversation where they’d left off before. He’d spent some of the past few nights looking up things on the club’s data servers. Types of bioengineering advances, different alien flora, even - to Shiro’s embarrassment - some articles about Galran sensitivities. He’d wanted to know what types of touches were best between Galran friends, along with a few other bits of body language the facilities had never taught him (most of what he’d learned to pick on was a lot more… sexual in nature. It wasn’t like the breeding plants didn’t know what most companions were used for).

He nearly bumped into three tables, trying to reach them in haste before they disappeared further into the club. Both Haxus and Ulaz were skimming the busy floor for free tables, wandering further and further away from him with every second.

Shiro made his choice.

“Sir! Lieutenant Haxus!”

Haxus paused, yellow eyes wandering over to Shiro’s waving arm as he squeezed his way through the last few tables between him. Ulaz’s gaze followed a second later, face first stunned, then softening as Shiro closed the last few yards between them. His face felt like it might burst from smiling as Ulaz’s lips turned up into a gentle one of his own as he came to stand before them.

“Ulaz…. Sir…” he gasped, still a little out of breath from his sprint across the floor. He grinned up at the both of them, his eyes maybe flicking over to Ulaz a little more. “What a nice surprise! I…

we

didn’t think you’d be back so soon!”

Haxus blinked at him. “Ah… yes…”

“Shiro,” Ulaz offered, in a voice so gentle Shiro’s heart felt like it might burst from how it sounded on his tongue.

Why was he so excited? Why did that make him so happy?

“Right… Shiro. Well, we figured a night away from the fleet might be a welcome break.”

“That’s great! It’s great to have you!” He tugged at his hemline, trying to make sure it fell properly. “Do you want me to help you find a table? I’m free right now.”

“That might be nice,” Ulaz nodded. “Haxus, would you like to sit?”

The lieutenant gave Ulaz a look, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend his friend was taking the lead. It was gone in an instant, Haxus squaring up his shoulders, and scanning over the club once more. “Perhaps, but it depends on what you’re offering. I’m not particularly fond of… stools.” His lips curdled at the sight of a free bar table several dozen paces from them.

“I can find you a couch, I think there are a few closer to the back, so long as you don’t mind as good a view of Hunk.”

“...Hunk?”

“The canine performing Haxus. The one on stage. That will be fine Shiro, lead the way.”

Haxus gave the stage one more look, Hunk currently in the beginnings of his fan dance. “We

will

have other entertainment though, correct?”

Ulaz shot Haxus a face, but the other didn’t notice. Shiro gently patted his arm, guiding Ulaz back toward the comfy booths in the back of the club.

“It’s fine, I’ll stay with you. Don’t worry,” he said as Ulaz opened his mouth, “I have the time.”

Partway to their seats he bit his lip, turning back to look up at him. “About the other night… I’m sorry. Keith went into heat and I had to get him out of there. And then Keith’s guests had to be calmed down, and Kolivan wouldn’t let me leave them, and-”

“Shiro.” Ulaz’s hand squeezed his bare shoulder. “It’s alright. I understand. You did what needed to be done. I accept your apology.”

“I’ll make it up to you tonight,” he whispered, hand coming to rest on top of Ulaz’s, if only for a second. Something stirred inside him, knots and adrenaline and nerves. “I want to.”

Ulaz’s hand tensed for a second, holding Shiro’s arm tighter, and then it was back to resting lightly on its perch. He let Shiro guide him the rest of the way into their seats, a rounded couch just bigger than a loveseat. Shiro managed to squeeze himself in on the edge beside Ulaz, Haxus peering at them from the opposite cushion.

“So - uh - how have you been?”

Ulaz moved over a little bit more, but his thigh stayed touching Shiro’s. He tried not to focus too much on the the subtle warmth radiating through his flight suit. “Busy, but quite alright. The exercises have been tiring, but I’m still finding the time to work on my projects in the evenings. I’m getting closer to finishing the improvements to the commander’s arm. As for-”

“As for myself,” Haxus interrupted, “I’ve been doing splendidly. Commander Sendak has complimented me on my skills directing the common soldiers. A far cry above all other lieutenants, an absolute shoe-in for the next round of promotions.” He was practically glowing. “Just imagine… it’s only a matter of time until I’m put in charge of a base of my own for the commander.”

“And you Ulaz?” Shiro looked up at the other Galra, fingers calmly laced in front of himself as he let his friend brag. “Any good news?”

“Well, I suppose-”

“He’s representing the commander’s forces well enough,” shrugged Haxus. “At least for a scientist-class soldier. He’s not particularly expected to perform that well in battle.”

Shiro’s nose crinkled. “I’m sure he’s better than you’re making it sound. Ulaz how are you-”

“Perfectly fine for my rank, thank you Shiro.” Ulaz gave him a look that told him to leave well enough alone. “I am comfortably above the median for my jurisdiction, but in comparison to a common soldier, or more… a common soldier of Sendak’s forces-”

“You’re perfectly average Ulaz,” Haxus said with a little smile and pat on the table. Shiro supposed it was supposed to be reassuring, but all it did was come off as condescending. “The commander simply demands the best of his soldiers. Amongst a more

common

fleet you would be exceptional, but in Sendak’s ranks you fade to the middle.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, right?” Shiro looked between the two of them. He was picking up on that edge of competition between Haxus, that grating pressure the other seemed to push on the conversation.

“No, not at all,” Ulaz said, giving Shiro’s leg a little pat of reassurance. “We’re both members of one of the most elite forces in the empire. Haxus is perfectly right, with so many exceptional soldiers surrounding us, it’s easy to fade into feeling ordinary. But I have my place, as does Haxus. We have nothing to worry about, being replaced. Right Haxus?”

The other soldier startled, clearly caught off guard. Shiro though he caught a flash of insecurity there.

“Right…” he mumbled.

Shiro took the chance to change topics, looking up at Ulaz shyly. “So… uh… how are your plants?”

“

Ulaz

, you didn’t tell him about your silly flower arranging hobby, did you?” Haxus was rolling his eyes, slumping back against the couch as if hearing about this one more time would kill him. Ulaz on the other part, ignored it, face lighting up as he moved to face Shiro more.

“They’re doing well, though the cosmic radiation in this galaxy is different from where we usually patrol. A few of my deep-space species aren’t faring as well, but I should be able to supplement them for the time being until we’re able to return with some radioisotopes. However, my lithops are doing wonderfully.”

Shiro blinked. “Lith-whats?”

“Lithops. One second.” He began fiddling with the controls of his wristband while Haxus grumbled.

“Do you have any hobbies?” Shiro asked, half out of politeness, half to keep him from interrupting Ulaz even more.

“Haxus has dedicated himself to the commander,” Ulaz said as he scrolled through a long list of galran text. “He does not spend much time by himself anymore, but he

can

be persuaded into singing on stage at a bar if given enough drinks.”

“

Ulaz!”

sputtered Haxus, but the tint in his cheeks was enough to confirm the truth. “He doesn’t need to know that!”

“What? You have a lovely singing voice. It’s nothing to be ashamed of Haxus.” A grin decorated Ulaz’s face. He was enjoying this. “Ah, here we go.”

An image was pulled up on Ulaz’s holoscreen of a shallow glass bowl of rocks and soil. Shiro stared at it. He couldn’t see any plants whatsoever, no green leaves, not even a flower. Just bright pink and bluish-green stones sitting on top of the under layers of white gravel. “I don’t-” he started, but Ulaz scrubbed his finger along the bottom of the frame.

A watering can entered the image, raining down moisture onto the bowl. In fast-forward Shiro watched as what he’d thought had been rainbow stones swelled, the tight outer-shells splitting and cracking open to reveal dewy centers, straining towards the source.

“They’re… they’re plants,” he whispered, dumbfounded. “They don’t look like it though.”

He could feel, more than see Ulaz nod beside him, chin hovering over Shiro’s shoulder in the edge of his vision. “It’s amazing really. There’s so much diversity in the universe, so many adaptations. This is just one of the many. In fact…” he settled in closer, scrolling through another long list of files, “I think this one in particular may interest you.”

Ulaz’s screen changed, showing a small plant housed within a cloche, leaves faded steel and purple. Shiro squinted. They were jagged, densely packed, like a child had scribbled a bunch of zig-zags to create it. He could just make out Ulaz’s face in the dim reflection of the dome, one hand holding a filming device.

“Watch,” Ulaz said, and his film duplicate reached out, resting a small sliver of ore on the top of the dome.

Shiro’s watched in disbelief as the plant seemed to shudder beneath the rock’s introduction. The leaves shook, then one by one began to glow. Soft pinks and blues began to light up down the spindly branches. At first it was the tips, but soon enough the entire plant was glowing, film Ulaz’s hand now a dawn rose in it’s light.

And then one leaf detached. Instead of tumbling down to the terrarium floor it hung there, motionless, before slowly, ever so slowly, it began to float. Shiro watched, awestruck, as a miniature star orbited the glowing plant, more and more of it’s brethren joining it, lighting up the small bubble on Ulaz’s desk like a starry night. They danced, free of gravity’s will, swirling in their cage, a cosmos in the palm of his hand.

“

Astrum erraverunt,”

Ulaz whispered as film-him removed the stone from the top of the cloche. “Able to survive completely without air or heat, yet still incredibly rare. Only certain planets have the right organic make-up to supply the radiation they need to live. Their blossoms wander out from the core, seeking more nutrients for the mother plant.” As he spoke, the lights began to dim, the star-shaped bundles returning to the stems of the base, until it was as if nothing had ever happened at all. “They’ve been known to flourish in even the most desolate asteroid fields, so long as they can find the radiation they need to subsist.”

“They’re beautiful,” Shiro breathed. It felt wrong to speak any louder, as if words would destroy the miracle he’d just seen before him. “I never thought something like that could exist out there.”

“You’d be surprised,” Ulaz smiled, settling back into the couch, “what you find when you’re not looking. Some of the best discoveries in this universe are accidental.”

“Y-yeah…” Shiro stammered, tiny light still dancing through his memory. “They’re amazing.”

“Maybe one day you’ll be able to see them for yourself.”

And with that, Shiro was hit with an image. Of him standing beside Ulaz, watching his plant flower, the blossoms filling the room around them, petals drifting heavenbound, soft light surrounding them. Of the warm press of Ulaz’s body against his, reassuring bulk, grounding him, keeping him tethered to the earth. Of his fingers lacing into Shiro’s…

“Y-yeah…” he croaked, brushing it away, forcing himself to come back to dim lighting of the Lion’s Den. He pulled away from the warmth of Ulaz’s thigh on his own. “Maybe…”

“Can we

please

talk about something other than plants?” groused Haxus. “Honestly Ulaz, I didn’t think you’d go and pull a snack like him into your weird pastimes and yet...

here I am

.”

Ulaz let out a huff. Shiro couldn’t tell if it was in amusement or irritation. “Very well, Shiro, how have you been?”

The question caught him almost as off guard as it his last fantasy. “Uh… fine?” he blurted, trying to remember how to tie more than four words together at a time. “Better now? It’s been a rough few days since you know… what happened to Keith.” He left any mention of how Ulaz’s arrival impacted that out of it. There was no way he was throwing himself that far out there.

Haxus’s thin brows rose. “Keith? That leggy Altean? Isn’t he over there?”

“That’s Lance. Keith is the cat.” This was the second time Haxus had forgotten their names. He wasn’t a regular, but clearly even after a handful of visits nothing had stuck. “He started his heat a few days ago. Ulaz was here when it happened.”

The lieutenant gave Ulaz a look like a schoolgirl egging her friend for gossip, the latter looking away, focusing entirely too hard on the upholstery pattern on the wall behind them.

“A heat? So none of you are fixed then? Kolivan not ruling out the idea of pups then I see.” There was a flicker of something dangerous there. Ulaz’s lips pulled into a tight line.

Shiro did his best to shrug it off nonchalantly. “I’ve heard there are different ways of doing it. Some get rid of heats, others don’t. I don’t know what the others have had.”

Half true really. He knew they’d all been neutered, a near-universal precaution taken in all breeding centers to keep accidents to a minimum, but as for the other problem… well.... He was pretty sure they weren’t 100% snipped across the board. It probably played into the fact that only Keith and Hunk were Kolivan’s only - strictly legal -
purchase. He wasn’t about to take four other companions back to a facility he’d never bought them through. Considering none of them ever made it beyond third base with a Galra, not going through with it didn’t mean much.

“But you aren’t, are you?” Haxus’s eyes glinted. “I bet you beg him every time you’re in heat. I’ve heard that a companion in heat can’t be satisfied without being bred by a Galra.”

Ulaz opened his mouth but Shiro cut him off.

“Actually,” he said, hand wandering under the table to hold Ulaz’s knee. The large alien tensed as his fingers ran over the bone. His shoulders though… those relaxed as Shiro’s palm slid to cover his kneecap and deliver a gentle pressure of comfort.

He could handle this.

“We look after each other just fine. I think you might have seen too much porn.”

Ulaz snorted. Haxus had retreated into the collar of his armour.

Victory: Shiro.

“So,” he sulked, looking pointedly away from Shiro and towards Ulaz. “Why were you here this week?”

Ulaz shrugged. “Valkyre wanted to go out. She figured here would be just as good a place as any, and in

her

words ‘it has some yummy treats’...”

“Ugh… don’t tell me she was-”

“Fried cucumber rounds Haxus, she was talking about the cucumber rounds.”

Shiro bit down the urge to correct Ulaz on the finer details of pickles. He could feel the heat of Ulaz’s own hand, resting hairs away from his own. It definitely hadn’t been there before.

“We both felt like taking a break from our ships for the night. It just felt like the natural choice. She even helped me determine what was wrong with the commander’s new prosthetic, it has a much faster response time now.”

“You still could have invited me you know.”

The heat of Ulaz’s pinky seemed to burn brighter the longer it rested beside Shiro’s own. He would have removed it by now, but Ulaz was making no move to shake him off. In fact… Shiro felt it slide over his.

“

Haxus

. You make no secret of how much our careers bore you. You would have hated hearing us talk about magnetic suspension and nerve-motherboard interfacing.” Shiro sucked in a breath as he felt Ulaz’s finger wind around his own.

There… there had to be a reason he was doing it. Right?

Shiro bit his lip. Did he try to make a move? There was still a chance Ulaz was just tolerating their contact, not actively trying to encourage it. Maybe just a few more seconds, see what he was going to do. Then…

then

he might...

“Fine. But if I hear you both went out and had fun without me again-”

“So you

do

consider discussions on biomonitoring fun…”

“

Shut up Ulaz…”

Haxus mumbled, sounding entirely too much like a grouchy Pidge instead of the mid-ranking official he was. “You know what I was implying. Bring me next time.”

“I’ll let you know the next time we plan to get together Haxus.”

The lieutenant shot Shiro a

can you get a load of this guy

look and simply shrugged in response. His own finger slipped against Ulaz’s leg, twining closer… He could feel the silky pelt of Ulaz’s fur breezing against his skin like cobwebs, caught the scrape of a nail against his knuckle...

“Are you going to offer us drinks or not?”

Shiro jumped, hand dislodging from Ulaz’s leg, and the moment was gone, lost.

“

What?”

“

Drinks.

Half the reason why people come here. It’s been nearly twenty doboshes and you haven’t so much as suggested-”

“Right!” Shiro squeaked, peeling himself awkwardly off the sofa. “I can go and get some for you right away. What would you like? Cocktails? Spirits?”

Haxus made a great show of rolling his eyes. “You’ve previously succeeded at remembering my order, surely you can do so again.”

Shiro racked his brains. Something with a twist…definitely not a flagon… he’d figure it out. As for Ulaz…

“Surprise me,” the Galra smiled, and Shiro found his throat going dry at how the corners of Ulaz’s mouth pulled into his cheeks as he did, almost like he was apologizing for Haxus’s temperament.

Oh man,

he thought, weaving his way back to the bar. This interest with Ulaz was getting to be too much. At first he’d just been nervous around him, their first meeting and the feeling of his lips on the back of his neck… Shiro shuddered. He

still

remembered it. There was something about that touch, how different it had been from how other Galra had handled him. It intrigued him, and then that had only spiralled from there. Ulaz was interesting… he was thoughtful. He had hobbies that made his ears press shyly against his scalp as he talked about them, even as his eyes would light up like those petals on the star plant. It reminded him of how Hunk’s voice would sing as he talked about cooking, or the feeling of Keith grooming his ears, or…

Shiro swallowed.

It felt so familiar and even if every part of it was new. Even as he kept wading deeper and deeper into the uncharted territory that was Ulaz, the more it felt like coming home.

“Order?” Regris asked him as he made it to the counter.

“Uh… spirit with a twist… Whichever one you think an officer would assume someone the rank above them would get.”

“So firewhiskey in a fancy glass.” Regris clucked his tongue, giving Shiro a knowing smile. “Anything else?”

“Nunvil and- no… wait.” Shiro stalled, racking his brains.

Surprise me

, Ulaz had said. The same old drink wouldn’t do. He needed something new… better… His eyes scanned over the bottles on the back shelf.

“What about… what you served Lance before?”

One of Regris’s brows arched skyward. “That one? It’s not on the menu yet, I still haven’t figured out the mixing ratios.”

“It’s fine,” Shiro breathed, eying the bartender’s crop of additions. “Not much alcohol is good. And if you could make it fizzy… or add in plants somehow… or…”

“I got it, I got it.” Regris shook his head, hands and tail already working to grab bottles and glasses. “Lemme know if they like it though. No promises it’ll be my best work.”

He pushed two drinks towards Shiro. One a tumbler of deep-orange liquor, the other a tall glass of palest-pink. A spring of dried elderflowers had been planted amongst the ice cubes, stem descending down into the depths of the beverage, to where the light violet of the wine lay still undisturbed.

It was perfect and Regris had no idea how much.

“Will do,” he nodded, reaching out to take them. Just as his fingers touched the cool condensation a shadow appeared over his shoulder.

“

Shiro.

”

The rabbit companion turned.

Kolivan

. His arms were crossed, suit straining to contain the muscles beneath it. A nagging feeling crept up Shiro’s tail.

“Have there been any developments from Sendak’s soldiers? I see you escorted them to a table as soon as they arrived.”

Crap. He’d completely forgotten he was supposed to be pulling information out of them

. He’d just been so relieved to see Ulaz again, look at that easy smile…

“They’ve told me a little about the performance of Sendak’s army recently,” he tried, doing his best not to look sheepish. “And he’s getting a new prosthetic arm…”

“But…”

“

But

,” Shiro groaned, knowing what was coming, “I haven’t managed anything else yet.”

Kolivan rubbed his brow. “Shiro, this is your final reminder.

Please

. If you cannot find anything concrete tonight I need you to ensure Sendak returns here,

post haste

. It is critical.”

That sinking feeling in Shiro’s stomach was back. The same one that had sunk in there back when Keith’s heat had started and had only fully lifted as he’d sat down beside Ulaz tonight. “I know,” he said, for what fat lot of good that did. “I’ll do my best.”

“Unfortunately, I’m beginning to worry that your best is no longer enough. You’re distracted.”

Shiro’s jaw fell open.

He couldn’t...

“I realize,” Kolivan continued, cutting him off with a wave of his hand, “that Keith’s sudden heat caught you off guard, but you cannot let that impact your performance. If I deem that you have not found enough by tonight I

will

intervene. Am I clear?”

His stomach felt like it was being pulled out by his plug. Suddenly rejoining Ulaz and Haxus didn’t have the same appeal.

“Yes sir.”

“Good. Then get back out there.”

Shiro nodded, grasp tight on the glasses.

“And Shiro…” He turned back. Kolivan was leaning on the bar, a small glass of water in hand. “You know I’m usually content with how you work.” He lifted his glass in subtle cheers, face pulled into an attempt at a smile. “The circumstances are simply too important to let them take their time. I trust you will do the right thing.”

“I will,” he whispered.

Ulaz and Haxus were elbows deep in talk about locker room etiquette when he got back to them.

“The proper course of action is to retrieve one’s combs and soaps

before

entering the sanitation area!”

“But if they do that, the entire room smells foul!”

“That is

why

there are air recyclers,” moaned Ulaz, his arms splayed over the table, seemingly half deflated from the energy this debate was taking from him. “To

clean

the air. Meanwhile, there are no systems in place to regularly remove wet hair and puddles.”

“Smell is worse.”

“

Mess

is Haxus.”

“

Smell.”

“Drinks?” Shiro interjected, sliding them towards the two of them. “And maybe a topic change too?”

“Thank you,” Ulaz sighed, pulling his toward him and taking a sip. Haxus eyed the concoction as Ulaz started to mix the layers together, turning it to the colour of his own stripes.

“What is that? How come Ulaz gets it?”

“It’s something the bartender was playing with this week,” Shiro said, sliding back into the booth. Ulaz didn’t even try to move aside as Shiro squeezed his ass onto the cushion beside him. At Haxus’s face he continued. “Ulaz said to surprise him, and seeing as it’s not on the menu, well… I figured it would be.”

“

Very

refreshing. Pass along my compliments.”

Shiro felt his cheeks go pink, ears flopping with praise. “I thought you might like it.” Haxus rolled his eyes and took a drag from his own glass.

“So what

topic change

were you looking for…

Shiba

, was it?”

“Shiro,” chided Ulaz, “his name is Shiro.”

Shiro racked his brains. He needed to know about what Sendak could be planning, but couldn’t be blatantly obvious about it. He needed something subtle, not quite on the nose. But then again… too vague was bad. He couldn’t keep circling the drain endlessly. He had to start close enough to the center.

“So… about that sea monster you found. The sea creature? Have you made any progress with it?”

The ice in Ulaz’s glass clinked as he turned to glance at Shiro. Haxus on the other hand, looked excited.

“Not yet, though the commander is getting close. Most of the efforts have been in preserving the creature without allowing it to perish or control the staff studying it. We’ve had to implement a remote locking system controlled by personel outside of it’s range.”

“Which is?”

“Big enough,” Haxus shrugged. “The commander does not seemed to be particularly concerned.”

Shiro inwardly cursed. That wasn’t giving him much on how the resistance should have to deal with it.

“Is that for any reason?”

“None that he’s made apparent to me. And he

does

confide in me.” A dopey smile crossed Haxus’s face. “I

am

his most trusted advisor after all.”

Something about his time spent with Valkyre and Ulaz made him doubt that was completely true, but still… It might be time to turn on the charms.

“So he tells you

everything

then?” Shiro leaned forward, letting his chest spill onto the table, sweater hanging forward and threatening to expose a nipple. There was no missing how Haxus’s posture changed right there. “And just what type of

secrets

does he share?”

Haxus looked up over the rim of his glass. He seemed to be surprised at Shiro’s sudden eagerness to listen. He was also definitely oogling his swaths of bare skin as well.

“That depends,” he purred. “Telling anyone, even a companion like you puts me at great risk. What incentive are you suggesting?”

“Oh… you know…” Shiro drawled, as the gears in his head started to spin.

Crap

. Haxus was smarter than he’d taken him for. He wasn’t just about to spill the commander’s darkest secrets on Shiro. He’d have to loosen the squeaky wheel a bit. “I can be pretty persuasive if I have to. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” He reached out and tapped Haxus’s nose. “I can’t go getting you into trouble after all. It’d be

such a shame

if you couldn’t come back again.”

Haxus laughed nervously, taking several swigs of his drink.

“The commander is quite private really,” Ulaz chimed in suddenly, arm wrapping around Shiro’s waist. “He does not speak of his personal affairs to anyone.” At the sour look Haxus gave him he continued. “That is not to say Haxus is not perceptive when it comes to him, but it would come as a surprise to me if he had told you his darkest fears,

dear friend

.”

“That is only because he would never confide in a scientist Ulaz, even if you have managed to make your way closer to his side than any others. He trusts no one in connection to the druids, no matter how small that connection may be. Even if you did create a better response system for his prosthetics, you are not truly one with his inner circle. You have no idea what it is like.”

“I’m sure you’re both important in Sendak’s eyes,” Shiro said, trying to avoid letting himself sink into Ulaz more.

“

Commander Sendak

,” corrected Haxus, “and yes, I suppose. Though I should impart on you that no matter how restrained the commander is, he still plays to favourites. And those favourites have favourites in turn.”

Shiro felt something rub up his calf. The hard sole of a soldier’s boot dragged along the thin netting of his stockings. Haxus smiled innocently across the table at him.

“How are you gentlemen doing?”

Kolivan had appeared beside them, one of his hands coming to rest on Shiro’s shoulder. “Are you finding everything to your liking?”

“Fabulous,” Haxus grinned, flashing Kolivan his glass. “Though it is a

pity

that you do not have a real show happening tonight.”

Shiro looked over at Hunk, absolutely oozing sex appeal as he let a guest lick whipping cream off his fingers before bending over to do the same.

The manager shrugged. “My apologies. We are short staffed tonight. But otherwise, the night is to your satisfaction?”

“Shiro is wonderful company,” Ulaz nodded, his arm rubbing up against Shiro’s. The feeling had Shiro wringing his lips together trying not to fidjit from the compliment. Beneath the table Haxus’s leg began to wander higher. “You have a special one in him.”

“That I do. I can always trust him to

come through

, isn’t that right Shiro?”

“Y-yeah…” he stammered. Haxus’s foot was between his knees now, the rough scrape of the heel rubbing against his skin. It would be so easy to bring attention to it, to have Kolivan cut it off there and throw him out, but he was

so close

. “I do what I can. Need to make our guests happy after all…” Ulaz let out a little noise of confusion, one of his hands coming to bump up against his outer thigh.

Shiro bit his lip. He could handle this. Just act scandalized but interested and maybe Haxus would drop something. He was getting somewhere. “Actually Kolivan, I think I can see Lance calling you over. I’ll let you know if we need anything though?”

A rumble of acknowledgement left the Galra. “As you should. Have a pleasant night gentlemen.” He bowed curtly to the group, one heavy hand delivering a squeeze to Shiro’s shoulder, and left.

Haxus’s foot crept even higher and Kolivan made his way away. Shiro could feel the hard rubber soles grating along his inner thighs, still pushing it’s way up. He twisted in place, trying to give Haxus the hint without drawing any more attention to himself. They couldn’t kick Haxus and Ulaz out. Not now. Not when they desperately needed a lead, not when Kolivan had just made it

abundantly

clear how important this was. He just needed to stick this out… find out the right move…

“Shiro, are you alright? You seem pale.” Ulaz’s other hand was hovering over his shoulder, just as Haxus’s leg fully extended, toes burying themselves up beneath the hem of his sweater and pressing… pushing into his groin, grinding up against his… Shiro swallowed, fists balled over his lap, trying his hardest not to react, even as his eyes began to water.

“Shiro? Are you-” Ulaz began, but anything after that was lost as Ulaz’s gaze wandered south, right down to the leg disappearing between his thighs.

“HAXUS!”

Shiro was ripped off the bench, tugged away from Haxus’s foot and into Ulaz’s lap. He could see the runs the boots had made on his legs, great nude racing stripes leading up between his thighs and into the wool. He could feel Ulaz’s grip on him, body squeezed in one of his large arms, the other pulling one of his knees away, up out of Haxus’s reach. He was a mess, top twisted to the side, straps of his underwear peeking out from beneath his jostled hem and the ruined tights. His heart pounded in his ears as Ulaz hugged him closer, cocooned in his arms.

“

Haxus!

” Ulaz hissed. “What in

quiznack

are you doing?”

He could see Antok in the crowd making his way over at the sight of Shiro being pulled into someone’s lap. With bug eyes he slashed at his throat, trying to signal him to stop.

Haxus rolled his eyes. “What it looked like. I’m just returning his interest. He was enjoying it up until you went and grabbed him.”

“He was not!” Ulaz growled, still not moving Shiro an inch even as the rabbit hybrid tried to cover more of himself. His body temperature was warm… even through his uniform Shiro could feel the heat of his body on his bare back. “You shouldn’t be touching him like that.” He scanned the club for Kolivan. “Now where was…”

“You weren’t any more subtle Ulaz. If you thought I didn’t notice you trying to get a feel of his juicy little rear-”

“

I was not!”

Ulaz’s grip slackened and Shiro slid part way out of his lap, cheeks cherry red.

Hands… Haxus had noticed their hands…

“If you think I would commit an act like that you have another thing coming!

You

are the one acting like a deviant.”

“And yet I’m not the one with a companion in my lap now, am I Ulaz?”

Ulaz’s ears went pink at that, even as he bared his small fangs at Haxus. “Only because

you

couldn’t respect his space. Shiro wouldn’t want someone acting like you.”

“Guys…” Shiro could see other tables taking notice now, Antok beginning to pick his way closer again. “

Please…”

“Oh I’m sure he wants it Ulaz. You were here after all, you can’t deny he’s interested in me.”

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut.

Only because Haxus was the best chance at information he had right now

. Otherwise, he’d much rather be alone, just him and Ulaz right now. The Galra’s hands tightened on him as Haxus continued.

“He’s a slave for pleasure. You’ve seen how his body reacts to touch. He was putty in the commander’s hands, let alone when he let that big canine dominate him. A companion like him lives to be played with. If you’re so concerned with protecting his chastity perhaps you should have security called on you.”

Ulaz let out a scandalized scoff.

“Ulaz… Haxus…

please….”

whined Shiro. “It’s… it’s not that big a deal.” They couldn’t get kicked out, not now, not with everything riding on this.

“

It’s not?!”

Ulaz’s eyes bugged out at him as if he’d just suggested being hung up at gunpoint was part of his daily routine. “You’re just going to

let

him get away with trying to touch you like that?”

“I…” Shiro bit his lip. Subconsciously he curled closer to Ulaz, thighs pressing tighter together. If it weren’t for how important Haxus was to them right now he’d already have Antok tossing him out on his ass now.

“I think that answers that Ulaz,” Haxus huffed. “Even if he won’t admit it, he doesn’t seem to have any issue with me.”

“I… no... Ulaz is right,” Shiro said, one hand curling itself against Ulaz’s chest armour before he could stop it. “You’re not supposed to do that type of thing here.” Hopefully Haxus could just leave well enough alone.

“And yet I’m quite sure I’ve seen your hungry little hole pounded in front of a cheering crowd,” Haxus leered. “It looks to me you relish being toyed with for a crowd.”

“

That’s different!”

“Really,” Haxus purred. “Because right now it sure doesn’t seem that way. What’s the difference between me coping a feel beneath the table and you spreading your legs for the entire house?”

“

That’s… it…” Shiro stammered, “It

is

different! It doesn’t involve guests! And it’s not in the middle of the Den,” he said faster, face heating up. “We’re not supposed to do that on the floor. It’s for behind closed doors, for special...”

He trailed off, realizing what he’d just been about to say. The tips of his ears went cold. Ulaz squeezed him closer.

Haxus had stilled, no longer looming over the table towards him and Ulaz. Instead he’d settled back down, hands propped below his chin.

“So…” he said, “you

do

allow for that type of fun here. I knew it.”

The base of Shiro’s tail was prickling, nerves steadily creeping up his backbone. This… this was bad. Haxus might not be the last person on Shiro’s list he’d want to have an uninterrupted one-on-one with, but right now he was pretty darn close to the bottom. And judging by how shameless he’d just been, he wasn’t going to drop this in a hurry. Even now he could feel Haxus’s eyes roaming up and down him, taking in his disheveled form.

One pencil-thin brow arched. “Well? Aren’t you going to say something? Or should I go ask your owner myself about this

fun?

”

He’d gone and cornered himself. There really wasn’t any way out of this conversation now without having to talk about it on some level. But maybe he could make the best out of it. Maybe he could manage just enough grease to get Haxus to squeak. Make him think he’d have to spill enough secrets in order to have a chance at what he obviously wanted.

“No... It’s… I’ll talk,” he said, voice falling to a whisper as he pulled himself closer into the cushions of the booth. Ulaz’s arm was still wrapped around him, grasping his shoulder protectively. “But keep your voice down…”

“Shiro…” Ulaz breathed. He could feel Ulaz’s grip tighten on him. It made his voice hitch in his throat, but he had to see this through now. He was rapidly running out of options to save tonight. Selling himself might be… might be the only way forward.

“Tell me Shiro,” Haxus purred, hands crossed beneath his chin, “What exactly does a bit of closed door play involve?”

“I… that depends on the companion and what they’re willing to do.” He hoped he could leave it at that, that Haxus’s imagination could do the rest, but it seemed like no such luck. The lieutenant was thrusting his finger in and out of his drink, eyes locked onto Shiro.

“So… if I wanted to play with that chest of yours, or see your pretty little lips wrapped around my cock…”

Ulaz’s fingers dug into Shiro’s skin. Haxus was going too far,

way too far

, and both of them knew it. It wasn’t teasing banter, it was loaded with intent. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that Haxus wouldn’t humour anything less than something that got him off.

Still

, he was Sendak’s right hand man. He couldn’t just drop him like the pile of manure he was being. Not with what was riding on this.

“That’s right,” he swallowed, words tasting sour on his mouth. Ulaz’s touch on his body made every syllable ten times harder to form. “That’s… that’s a possibility. It’s…. It’s negotiable… between guest and companion.”

“Is that so? But what if I were rather

particular

on my demands. I don’t suppose you’d allow me to leave unsatisfied.”

Shiro bowed his head, fighting to keep his voice steady and calm, even as his stomach was steadily sinking into his gut. Haxus was beyond gross right now, beyond even the most basic of manners. He wished he could be gone, that he’d never showed up, that it was just him and Ulaz in this booth.

But he was Sendak’s right hand man. He had to take the chance, no matter how slim. The good of the resistance fell on it.

He licked his lips. Ulaz hugged him closer to his side and Shiro wished he wouldn’t.

“Shiro…

don’t…”

I have to

, he wanted to say.

Please don’t judge me, I have to do this everyone I love.

“We see to it that everyone leaves satisfied. After all, we are the

pride

of the Lion’s Den.”

Haxus grinned, arms crossed over his chest. “Fabulous. I can just see it now, those big ears in my hands, that pretty little face of yours utterly ruined. Why…” his eyes glinted in the low light. “I wonder how the commander would react to you… or how he’d play with you. I’m told he enjoys marking his conquests, making them squeal. Hopefully you’d be nice and vocal for him, give him everything he likes.”

Shiro’s stomach flip flopped. “I… I could…” he stammered, trying to think of something to diffuse Haxus’s rising libido and put a stop to this once and for all. Mission or not, he wanted this conversation over. “We’d have to see. That’s something for another time.”

There was a growl beside him. He winced as Ulaz’s nails dig into his flesh, harsh enough to feel as though he might break, and he was pushed from the booth, onto stumbling legs and a single shoe as Ulaz shoved his way past him, face a dark mask.

“Ulaz?” he whimpered, but the name falls on deaf ears. Cold crept into his body from Ulaz’s touch, ice water filtering out into his veins.

“So about this

‘Pride of the Den’

?” Haxus asked, unbothered but Ulaz’s outburst. Shiro was willing to bet a month of the Den’s revenue he was hard under the table. “Tell me more about it. Just

how prideful

can it get?”

“Talk to Kolivan,” Shiro gasped. Ulaz was already beginning to disappear into the sea of tables.
He just managed to raise a hand to flag the manager down and then he was running after Ulaz. The bioengineer was nearly to the weapon’s check, with no signs of turning back. Shiro caught the white flash of a claims chip in his fingers.

“Ulaz!” he shouted, nearly colliding into the Galra as he clopped across the final dozen steps between them in a single heel. “

Wait!”

His heart was hammering in his chest, blood pumping through his ears in a torrent. “I can…”

“You can explain what?” Ulaz turned on him and Shiro shrank back on instinct. The Galra’s eyes were harder than he’d ever seen them, flashing dangerously at Shiro. “That you’d flirt like that with someone like Haxus?”

“

What?!

No, that wasn’t… I wasn’t flirting Ulaz! Why would I ever want to with someone like him?”

“

Please

,” Ulaz glowered. “I was there. I saw everything. I know what an interested companion looks like.”

“

Ulaz

…” Shiro breathed. The idea of him flirting with Haxus,

actually

flirting made acid wash up his throat. “It’s not like that… I… you know I have to work! Even if I don’t like someone I still have to humour them!”

“To

that

degree?” The machinist scoffed. “What happened to the staff? What happened to ‘

they’ll get rid of anyone who tries to touch me like that’

? Your club owner should have tossed him out five infractions ago!”

“That’s… that’s different. It’s-” Shiro bit his lip. He couldn’t just

tell

Ulaz what Kolivan was asking from him.

Maybe he could…

no, that was stupid. Or maybe… he just needed one little white lie that would solve all this, a stretch of the truth.

Ulaz’s eyes narrowed, something flashing in their depths. “Is he putting you up to this? Whoring you out to subordinates of his old comrade for clout?”

Shiro’s jaw dropped open.

“N-no… no,
Kolivan’s not. Ulaz

please!

I’m trying to explain, Kolivan isn’t selling me.

”

“Then you lied to Haxus? You have no intent of following through on what you just said?”

“I… N-not exactly…” His voice faltered. If it wasn’t for the entire weight of the resistance hanging over him he’d have called Antok over in an instant and had Haxus tossed out on his ass. But with the uncertain countdown looming over them all, there was no way he could fully back out. There was a chance he might have to make good on his words tonight. He suppressed a shudder at that thought. “I… it’s complicated.”

He couldn’t… he couldn’t tell Ulaz the truth. No matter how thoughtful, how caring… how he made him feel… he was still a part of Sendak’s army. The truth could spell death, the lie...

“Is it really?” Ulaz glared at him. The look made Shiro’s stomach curdle like it was filled with spoiled milk. “From my perspective it’s quite simple. Either you were lying to him, acting as if you truly intend to allow him or Sendak to touch you when you really do not, for whatever ulterior motive. Or else…” Ulaz’s eyes grew steely, “… that means everything you told

me

was a lie...”

“NO!”

It felt like his heart might hammer it’s way out of his chest. Not that,

never that.

In everything since that first chance encounter there’d been something warm about Ulaz, something that made Shiro ready to open himself up petal by petal until his core was laid bare. The idea that all of that had been a lie…

He reached out for Ulaz’s hand, only to have it swatted away.

“

Ulaz…”

he croaked. Shiro’s vision was swimming, body speeding up and shutting down in a jumbled mess. Him lying to Ulaz?

God no… he’d shared more of himself with Ulaz than almost anyone else, second only to… only to his closest friends.

He wanted to crack himself open, show Ulaz everything as he laid himself bare, answer every last doubt the Galra had. “I’m not trying to lie to you. I’d-”

“Then

tell me the truth!

” Ulaz hissed. “

Tell me

you weren’t lying to me, tell me you aren’t, because I know Shiro,

I know

you’re keeping something from me!”

Like the resistance. Or the feeling in his heart now, like the muscle was tearing apart stitch by stitch with every passing beat.

“I want to, but I can’t!” He grabbed for the Galra’s arm. “Please Ulaz!
You have to trust me! I just can’t!”

I want to tell you more than you know.

Ulaz shook his grip off. It sent shockwaves down Shiro’s limbs. The Galra strode backwards, passing his chip off to retrieve his cloak. “You can’t tell me the truth, or you can’t not lie to me? Because right now it looks very much like one of two things. Either you’re being rented out to patrons against your will, or you’re being caught in a lie about not spreading your legs for whatever depraved soldier offers you a roll of bills. So which is it?”

Shiro’s throat was raw, his heart hammering against his windpipe, making each breath a battle to fight for.

Why… why did he have to do this? Why couldn’t everything have been easy, why couldn’t he just spill his guts to Ulaz and solve everything? Why couldn’t he just shut down this mess with a simple banning of Haxus?

“Neither… neither of them is true. I’m not… I’m not a body for sale, no matter what it looks like right now. I told you! I told you everything I can! You have to believe me!”

“I want to… and yet I don’t think I can.” For a second he saw a flash of exhaustion behind Ulaz’s anger, a flicker of

other

, a complex roll of emotions so jumbled Shiro couldn’t try to pick them apart if he tried. “Watching you… doing

that

-” The way he said it made Shiro’s insides shrivel, “I don’t think I can be around you right now.”

If he never heard that voice again it would be too soon. He wanted to take Ulaz’s face in his hands, tell him everything was okay, convey everything he couldn’t say right now in a single touch. Never… he never wanted to make Ulaz feel like this again.

“I… I’m sorry! I’m so, so so sorry Ulaz! You don’t even… but it’s… it’s done! It won’t happen again! Haxus won’t-”

“Won’t

what

, Shiro?” Ulaz shouted, cloak and knife retrieved from the check android. There were lines in his face Shiro thought he’d never see on it. “Won’t make advances at you? Won’t insult me to your face in his attempts to win your favour? Because right now, from my perspective, it’s already worked. He’s already entered that ‘

circle of trust

’ you made sound so important to you. Why else would you tell him?”

“That’s different…” Shiro choked, “I

had

to!”

“Did you

really?

” Ulaz growled. His fists were shaking now, face fighting to stay neutral. “Because it didn’t look like that. You could have had someone intervene, you could have asked

me

to stop him, but you didn’t! So why! T

ell me!

”

Because I had to. Because Haxus is the only one who might know what’s going on. Because your boss might be trying to destroy my entire world. Because I can’t keep disappointing Kolivan. Because Sendak could choke out everyone I care about.

Shiro swallowed around the lump in his throat. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. He thought he might see the glimmer of moisture in Ulaz’s own. It couldn’t be… it was just his own, making it hard to see, harder to look at him. He wanted to tell Ulaz, tell him everything, clutch at his top and sob into his chest, lay himself bare and let those gentle hands card through his hair, telling him everything would be okay. He wanted it all and more. He wanted

Ulaz.

His heart panged stock still.

“I… I can’t…” he choked. “I can’t…”

Shiro’s voice was shaking with his knees, tears starting to cloud his vision. The room was spinning, spinning out of control and

still

he couldn’t tear himself away from Ulaz’s face. “Ulaz….

Please… I swear… I…

I don’t want to hurt you…

I just.. I”

“I’m sorry Shiro...” The entirety of Ulaz seemed to droop, years depositing themselves on his thin face and Shiro’s heart felt a spear of ice stab through it at how

wrong

it looked. Of how

deep

it cut and twisted inside his chest. He stepped backwards, head shaking, as he pulled his cloak around his shoulders. “I don’t think… I’d thought you were different, but right now… now I can’t believe you. Not after that. This… this is goodbye. I hope you can respect that at least.”

The cold gripping his body settled it’s way into his very core. Shiro shook like a leaf, frozen, his body screaming in shock louder than any cold plunge had ever taken it before. It was that locking of his body, that sheer

lockdown

of

everything

, that was the only thing keeping him from collapsing to his knees as he watched Ulaz’s back disappear in front of him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shiro squinted in the fluorescent lights, nose wrinkling at the harsh smell of antiseptics. The stark white room was cold and empty save for a handful of metal cabinets against the back wall. Sterile. Impersonal.A doorway opened from nowhere and Shiro shrank back. Only then did he realize he was bound to a backboard, arms pinned to his sides. He struggled against the bonds, a desperate bid at freedom, but the bindings held fast.Four druids entered their room, blank, emotionless plague masks inspecting him like birds of prey. His ears flattened at that. He shouldn’t… he’d thought they’d finished their experiments on him… he was supposed to be ready already… A fifth figure entered the room.One cupped his chin, turning his face this way and that, letting the harsh lighting catch his cheekbones and expose his throat.“He really is a beautiful specimen. A perfect toy for one such as yourself.”“Show me,” rumbled the fifth, their face masked in shadow despite the brightness of the operating room. Every time Shiro tried to look at them his face was twisted away, into the painfully bright lights.“Of course sir.”Shiro’s body jerked as something cold and metal ran against his midriff, sharp point poking dangerously into the soft flesh of his belly. He tried to squirm away, to flee from it, but another druid pinned his leg down, ending any possibilities to pull away. Something else touched up against him, cold and alien yet again. His heartbeat jumped as it buzzed to life against his navel, the toy moving down his hips and towards where all of them knew it was going.“No…” he croaked, trying to buck against it in an effort to dislodge it.“He doesn’t seem to be very willing,” groused the figure. Shiro almost wanted to thank them in that moment, even as the freezing vibrator was trying to wedge itself between his legs. The sharper toy had been joined by another, both moving higher, tracing the sensitive buds of his nipples. Shiro let out a scream as they clamped down onto his tits.“Ahh, but that is the best part. He makes for the perfect submissive. Just watch how he responds to a touch on his neck…”His chest aching, belly quaking with fear, Shiro squirmed harder, even as a druid’s long nails raked along the curve of his jaw, moving back, scraping over the skin of his nape... razing over the nerves there… grip digging in…He jolted upright, so fast he should have headbutted straight into the druid trying to scruff him into submission, but his head connected with nothing. His body was sweating, chest rising and falling in heavy gasps. The room around him had changed. He was on a bed, soft grey blankets the closest thing to bindings, plush mattress the closest to the metal table. Shiro raked his hands through his hair.
It was just a dream… only a dream…
Slowly he came back to himself, touching his nose, his lips, his arms, tracing out his form as if in reassurance that this was him. His heart was finally beginning to calm. The smell of the blankets echoed lazy mornings tangled in safety against the cold of a new day. Soft lighting filtered from the walls, dark enough to let him sleep, but bright enough he could take in his surroundings.His bed was nestled in a corner of the small room, multiple shelves overhead housing an organized chaos of papers, books, and trinkets, the meaning of which was lost on him for now. An airlock door rested at the foot of the bed, and across from it, a wardrobe, small and compact, a few of his socks and shirts strewn over the counter and vanity mirror.
A large desk before the tiny porthole window, littered in tiny gears and tools, diagrams and half-forgotten projects scattered through a forest of tiny plants. Some he recognized, some that could only be the product of some divine creator’s fever dream.But that all fell to the wayside as he took in the silhouette of the figure seated there. The sweeping points of his ears, the gradual taper of his waist, the lithe arms and perfect stripes of fur and hair lining his scalp.
Ulaz.
At Shiro’s movement the Galra had turned to look at him, spray bottle in hand. He blinked slowly, the same catlike look Keith made when he was relaxed and content, a smile finding its way into the corners of his mouth.“Did you have a bad dream?”Shiro could only bob his head. He was here, with Ulaz. Everything in that dream, the druids, the tools, was just that… a dream. Everything was okay. He was here now. He was safe.Ulaz made to get up, groaning as he hoisted himself out of his creaking chair. Shiro noticed how it wobbled. One leg must be shorter than the others. He came to sit on the bed beside Shiro, one hand coming to stroke back his sweat-damped bangs and ears.“S’better now…” he mumbled, letting his eyes slide closed as Ulaz continued to pet his head. “Now that you’re here… just you and me.”“Just us,” Ulaz repeated, hand pausing as he combed through the hairs behind Shiro’s ears. “As it should. The two of us… together… Bond-”The grip in Shiro’s hair tightened. Shiro cracked an eye open.“Ulaz?”But the Galra’s grip didn’t waver. His hand began to shake, eyes steeling even as pinpricks of tears began to form in the corners. “You… you…. How could you?!” “How could I-?” he started, but then he caught himself in the mirror.His entire body was covered in markings. Hickeys, scratch marks, lovebites and lipstick smears. He felt sticky all of a sudden, and… fingers shaking, wiped a glistening patch on his collar.
Semen.
How? He didn’t think he’d woken up looking like that but…. There was no way… Ulaz had been at his desk, they shouldn’t have… but the look of hurt in his eyes. The way he was backing away from Shiro, hand still trembling as it had been against his skin.“ Ulaz…” Shiro croaked, but already he could tell it was too late. “Ulaz… I didn’t… I don’t know how-”“You promised… ” he whispered. “You promised me you wouldn’t… that you’d never do that again!”“ Ulaz! I swear I don’t know what’s going on but I swear I didn’t do anything! I don’t know how these got here… I don’t-”Ulaz’s ears flattened, hugging a notepad to his chest as a shield. “I should have known. I should have known you could never leave it behind… Old habits die hard after all, I should have listened to my friends, but you… you swore… you said you loved me !” His voice cracked on the final word.“ I do! Ulaz I do! I-” His voice cracked, words falling from his lips. Everything was growing blurry, Shiro’s vision swimming as Ulaz continued to back away from him. “ Please… why don’t you believe me? ”But out of focus Ulaz continued to shake his head, covering his ears, backing away from Shiro further. He was leaving… leaving again… he was going to lose him. He had to do something… had to- Shiro flung an arm out, desperately reaching, straining to take Ulaz’s hands in his, to wipe the tears away and make everything right.Only to reach into thin air. Nothing but darkness and void around him, starlight dimming as the shape of Ulaz disappeared. His gut clenched. He was alone. Alone and falling… falling through space, falling into nothing but blackness, speeding up his descent into the black hole beneath his feet, drawing him closer and closer to cold unforgiving darkness. Into-Shiro woke with another start, limbs tangled in his blankets, heartbeat in his ears so loud it was a typhoon crashing against cliffsides. For a second his vision was only darkness, blurry, isolating darkness. Only as he continued to stare wide awake, blinking away sleep and tears, did it finally begin to clear.He was in the bedroom. Their bedroom . He could catch the shape of Hunk and Pidge’s sleeping forms in the large bunk across from them. Carefully, his legs still felt too weak to stand, he propped himself up. After a moment’s thought, he raised his wrist to his mouth and bit down. Pain .He was really awake this time.But that dream… Fuck… Shiro swallowed. That had been… something… definitely something alright. His stomach was still twisted in knots, pulse still racing. That definitely wasn’t something he was going to be able to shake off fast.He took another look around the room. It was just him with Hunk and Pidge. No Keith. No Lance. Keith made sense. He was still in heat right now, off in his own room to give them all a chance to sleep themselves. Like he could even think of sleeping right now, he sighed. But that was probably good. If Lance was gone too, there was a chance they’d both be up, probably together too. Maybe… maybe he could talk to them, figure all of this out.Shiro’s stomach let out a pang at the final image of Ulaz’s face still burned into his retinas. Or maybe not . Talking about it… that would only make it more real. Maybe just being close to someone else, listening to their easy breathing and simple conversation would be enough. He just needed to feel grounded again, remind himself everything was the same as it had always been. The Lion’s Den was his home. Nothing was going to change the safety he had here, all he needed was someone to remind him of that.Lance had been planning to check up on Keith. Shiro usually did the final shift in the early morning, but the rabbit had left the club as soon as possible, ignoring Kolivan as he followed him at his heels. From what Lance could tell, he’d gone straight to their room, wrapped himself in a metric fuckton of blankets, and taken the smallest bunk in the wall. He was already asleep by the time the rest of them had finished cleaning up.It wouldn’t take too long, or at least, Lance told himself it wouldn’t. Heat sex with Keith was always fun. He was so much more vocal… so needy and honest… Lance loved seeing him with lust-glazed eyes, pouting up at him as Lance let him beg for his dick. With any luck they’d both have enough steam for a round or two before they both tired out, and then a bit of those sweet post-coital cuddles that were honestly just as good as sex.He padded down the hall, careful not to make too much noise in case Keith was sleeping. They’d all learned the hard way that Keith woke up in one of two ways, and there was no way he wanted to deal with the second. Best to peep in first and see how he was doing.To Lance’s surprise the door to Keith’s room was already ajar. Maybe he was awake? Made a trip to the kitchen? His ears perked up. This was good. He was probably already up. Tail twicking in anticipation he grabbed the handle.Only to spring back in shock.
Keith was awake alright.
Lance clutched his chest. Moving slower now, he crept back to faint ray of light filtering through the doorframe. Don’t make a noise. Don’t move. Don’t do anything. He peeped again.The room was dimly lit, the warm purple lighting tracks the only things illuminating the scene in front of him. Keith was sprawled out on his hands and knees, eyes lazy and filled with lust. That was normal. He’d expected that.The dick in his mouth though, that was a new development.Seated on the bed, knees spread wide, one of his hands combing through Keith’s hair, was Kolivan.The manager was leaning back against the blankets, shirt off. Fuck he was ripped. Lance’d always had his suspicions - for cripes sake he could easily lift Hunk or Shiro - but he’d never gotten as good a look as this. Scars striped across his massive pecs and biceps like pale pink spiderwebs where the fur no longer grew, the dude had abs for days… rising and falling in time to his rapid breathing as Keith…Well, fuck. Keith was laving all over Kolivan’s cock like it was god’s gift to mankind. Which it might just be by the looks of it. Lance licked his lips as he watched Keith’s tongue run up the massive length before returning to the head. The thing had to be like… a foot long, and thick . Holy fuck it was fat, Keith’s hand just wrapping around it’s girth as he jerked it slowly, trying to work his small jaw around the tip.Lance heard a moan from the cat hybrid as he managed to wrap his lips around it and sink down and shit if that wasn’t the hottest thing he’d ever seen, Keith’s cheeks bulging obscenely as he worked it deeper. A dribble of pre leaked out around his flushed lips.A deep rumble filled the room. Kolivan was purring. He could see how the ridges on his cock seemed to swell at the feeling of Keith’s tongue on them.“Shall I open you up kitten?”Lance’s dick twitched at the sheer arousal dripping from those words. Keith seemed to respond in turn, tail flicking in anticipation as he took yet more of Kolivan’s dick. He could swear he saw it in his throat. Shit… scratch that. He could . Keith swallowed and fuck… He could see the outline of the head bob against his adam’s apple, whatever noise Keith was making now muffed by the massive hunk of Galra meat in his mouth.“You need to be clearer than that, you know.”Keith’s eyes opened for a second, and Lance could see a glimmer of annoyance behind how far gone he was. Pupils almost fully blown, just the barest ring of colour around them, he stared up at Kolivan, the darkness there flashing dangerously, and then he was sinking down, taking Kolivan’s entire shaft down his throat until he hit his fist. Kolivan sucked in a breath, but before he could buck his hips into the tight heat of Keith’s mouth the companion was pulling back, pulling off so fast that in a blink of an eye all that was left was they barest touch of his lips against it, twisted into a smug smile.Lance’s dick strained against his pants.“Feisty aren’t you?” Kolivan chuckled, but he was already sliding a hand up the curve of Keith’s back. He tugged at Keith’s tail as he passed it, a light pull, just enough to lift Keith back off his dick. Keith let out a hiss, squirming his way closer to Kolivan’s package and stuffing the head back in his mouth.“That’s my kitten.” Kolivan’s hand slipped over the curve of Keith’s ass, stroking along his taint. Lance squinted. He couldn’t quite get a full view at this angle, but judging by how Keith’s tail and ears were flicking impatiently, it wasn’t enough. He’d gone back to lapping at the head of Kolivan’s cock, a tease until he got something himself.Lance caught a flash of Kolivan’s fingers behind the swaying tail, now shining with slick from between Keith’s thighs. Inwardly he cursed himself. How the fuck had he never picked up on this before? Kolivan clearly kept his nails trimmed, not even a hint of a pointed claw sticking out from his fingertips as they dipped back into Keith’s crack.Keith’s mouth dropped open, cock flopping from his jaw and against his face as Kolivan sunk a finger into him. Lance watched as Keith’s eyes rolled back, body arching into the feeling. Kolivan’s dick was painting stripes of pre over Keith’s cheeks but he was oblivious to it all. Only the feeling of Kolivan’s finger sinking into him knuckle by knuckle mattered.Fuck… he was gorgeous like thatThe hallway was quickly feeling too hot, his clothes too tight. Lance bit his lip. There was no way he was busting in there to join them, but still… he was so. Fucking. Hard. right now. Maybe if he just… whipped his dick out and gave it a little attention? Just enough to take the edge off?Keith let out another mewl, face sinking into Kolivan’s groin as the Galra began to add a second finger to the mix, fucking them both in and out of Keith’s ass.
Well, that settled that.
Lance unzipped his pants thread by thread, ears alert, eyes locked on the scene in front of him. No way was he interrupting this, not with how Keith was licking and nuzzling at Kolivan’s balls, his one hand moving shakily to massage the mandarin-sized nuts. Kolivan’s purring deepened at that. He was still fucking his hand into Keith, but now he was also toying with his own dick, fingers circling his slit as he watched the feline worship him between his legs. A gob of pre bubbled up from his tip and he swiped it away, offering sticky fingers to Keith.The companion seemed to take pause for a second, not quite certain of the digits presented to him, but one sniff and they were sliding between his lips, lapped at and sucked on as he swallowed every last drop on them. Chuckling, Kolivan began to pull them out, only for Keith to follow them, trying to get at the last few morsels at their very base. With his thumb he hooked the shaft of his cock, pressing it into Keith’s cheek and dragging milky release over that supple skin. Then, in one quick movement, Keith switched targets.Lance took himself in his hand as Keith dove onto Kolivan’s dick. Maybe it was the taste, or sheer determination, or some god given talent, but Keith swallowed it down to the very last ridge of Kolivan’s cock, lips bare millimeters from his hips. There was a muffled noise, and Lance watched, completely enraptured at the stark outline of cock in Keith’s throat as he swallowed. He was choking himself on Kolivan’s dick, squeezing it in his throat like a vice, and shit , if it wasn’t the hottest thing Lance’d ever seen.“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I didn’t feed you.” Kolivan’s one hand combed through Keith’s hair as he added a third finger to Keith’s ass. “Poor thing… you must be starving… Should I give you a proper meal?”Keith whined into Kolivan’s crotch, face now bobbing back and forth slowly, letting Kolivan thrust shallowly into his mouth. Judging by the motor going in Kolivan’s chest, it was going over well.“You’d like that kitten, like the taste of fresh, creamy milk washing down your throat, filling your belly. I bet you’d come just by the taste on your tongue.”Keith shook his head, even with Kolivan’s cock still between his lips. It made his cheeks bulge as the head bounced between them, tears littering his lashes. Fuck he was gorgeous like that. “ No? You don’t want my cock?” Kolivan’s fist knotted in Keith’s hair and the feline was pulled off it, hands scrabbling to bring it back to his mouth. He pawed at Kolivan’s chest, and god, what a picture he made. His cheeks were flushed, blowjob lips shining and swollen with effort, entire body crying out with need as he made to try to bring Kolivan’s cock back to him. Wordlessly, he begged the Galra for more.“Hmm? If you want something pet, you have to ask for it. That’s how it works. You ask for toys and I find them, you ask for pleasure and I provide. But I’ll never know if you never ask.” His fingers pulled out of Keith’s rear, a sob of loss shaking through the companion. “Tell me kitten, what do you want? ”“ Your dick,” choked Keith, voice raspy and soft from the workout his throat had taken. “I want your dick… I want you to fuck me.”Kolivan’s eyebrow raised. “You have to be more specific Keith. Where do you want me to fuck you?”“You know where ,” Keith hissed.Kolivan stroked Keith’s lips with his thumbs. “You know I want to kitten, but you’re in heat right now.”“Fuck it,” growled Keith. “Claim me. Fuck me until I’m passing out on your dick. Carve out my insides until they’re made for you.”“But Keith…” Kolivan rumbled, but the companion was having none of it. He ripped himself from the Galra’s hold, grabbing his wrist and forcing him back, onto the blankets. He was straddling him within seconds, slick ass shining the low lights.“You’re fucking me someplace,” Keith growled. “You’re fucking me here and fucking me now! So shut up and stick it in me or I’m doing it myself.” With his other hand he grabbed Kolivan’s dick, rubbing it up against the cleft of his ass. Lance could practically taste the smirk on Keith’s face. “So daddy , what’s it going to be?”Kolivan’s fingers danced along Keith’s hips, as if in contemplation. It was as if all of them were holding their breath, waiting to see who would crumble first, give in to instinct. Lance’s grip tightened on his dick, trying to hold back the urge to buck against it.It was Kolivan who crumbled.With a growl that sent shivers down Lance’s spine his grip on Keith’s waist tightened, Keith’s hips tugged downwards, onto that massive cock, a cock that had no right to fit, there was no fucking way-Keith’s cheeks parted like the Red Sea, asshole spreading smoother than butter on hot toast as Kolivan sank into him inch after inch. His back was arched, mouth open in a silent scream as he took Kolivan’s length, ridge after ridge spreading him further before disappearing inside, into the depths of his ass. All too quickly the full length disappeared inside him, his hips flush with Kolivan’s.Lance’s dick couldn’t have been harder if it was cast in iron.A low moan rang out across the room, and Keith was leaning back, hands roaming his stomach, petting just below his navel where…. FUCK. He could see it, he could fucking SEE Kolivan’s dick through Keith, a rise in his stomach now there where none had been before, practically touching his belly button from the inside. Keith rocked his hips and Lance watched as his skin moved, the outline beneath it stirring as his hips ground down even further onto Kolivan.Kolivan let out a low whistle, fingers joining Keith’s as they admired the sight of themselves locked together. Keith grinned, fingers winding into Kolivan’s as they stroked against where the head of his cock lay.“You just going to admire yourself, or are you gonna fuck me?”The manager leaned closer, lips against Keith’s ear. “It depends on what you want kitten.”Keith sat back up, balancing himself on Kolivan’s shoulders. “I want to feel you for a week.”A symphony of purring filled the room, tenor against bass.“That can be arranged…”Kolivan’s hands dug into Keith’s thighs, lifting him off his hips and revealing inch after inch of thick, virile cock. It shone in the light, backlit in soft purple and blue, showing off every curve and ridge as it exited Keith, highlighting every stretch and clench of his hole. And it kept going, Keith hovering over Kolivan, the two of them practically face to face, staring into one another as everything but the very tip left Keith. Electricity crackled between them, the air charged to the sparking point, Keith’s tail flicking side to side in anticipation as Kolivan toyed with him one final time.Lance’s breath left him as Keith was dropped back onto Kolivan’s cock. Gravity forced him back down, Keith it’s willing victim, moaning along the entire descent, ass bouncing off Kolivan’s thighs as he bottomed out. They were quickly picking up the pace. No sooner was Keith filled with Kolivan was he picked back up, emptied of that shaft and filled again, again and again to his rising cries for more. Lance’s hand followed suit, jerking up and down his own member as he watched, frozen, blood boiling in his ears and cheeks and cock at the display in front of them.He’d never seen Keith like this before, open, submitting so easily to anyone. Kolivan was setting the rhythm, not him. When the feline tried to change pace, to speed up or slow down Kolivan’s thrusts he was held back, falling fast into meeting him, hips moving up and down with those guiding hands like they were one and the same. Their lips brushed on one pass and the next they were kissing. Sloppy, messy, open-mouthed making out, a combination of tongue and teeth and desperation that betrayed the control Kolivan was rapidly losing. Ears were bitten, necks sucked, hickies scattered as they came together again and again, uniting at lips and hips in a fever. They were so loud, completely unabashed in themselves. Keith was gasping, begging for more with every second his mouth wasn’t against Kolivan’s, Kolivan scattering praise and saliva everywhere he could, worshipping Keith, claiming him as everything and one thing, his , his Keith, his kitten. How he was so good on his cock, how he took him like he was made for him, how the slutty little sounds his ass made were music to his ears, each sloppy sound a tribute to Keith’s worship of his cock.“Do you want more kitten,” he rasped, bouncing Keith against his hips now, tongue deep in the shell of his left ear. “Shall I claim everything you are?”“Yes!” choked Keith, voice muffled where his face lay buried in Kolivan’s chest. “Do it… fuck you’d better do it!” Kolivan’s chin dipped lower, teeth nipping at the hairs that framed Keith’s face. “Not without an audience though. I can’t have you looking so pretty with no one to see it. Why don’t we put you on proper display…" Lance sucked in a breath, veins ice cold, and jumped away from the open door as fast as he could, trying to get out of the line of sight as Kolivan hooked one of Keith’s knees behind his wrist and began to turn him around, towards the door… towards.... Lance.Fuck, there was no way they’d seen him, right? They’d been completely lost in each other, barely even opening their eyes unless it was to take in the other, or in Keith’s case, a glassy-eyed stare of pure bliss. Lance curled into a ball against the far wall of the hall, heart pounding a mile a minute.But Kolivan kept turning Keith, angling his chin away from the door as they sat back to front, facing him towards something on the far wall, out of Lance’s line of sight. Keith let out a little whine, hips rocking up even as he spread his legs further over Kolivan’s thighs. A trembling hand ran down his chest, along his pert and pink nipples, down the line of his navel, past the small nest of curls and weeping cock.Down to the plug, still wedged in his entrance.The dark pommel glinted from where it sat in Keith’s cunt, an eternal presence, even as his fingers spread around it, slipping lower, even lower , stopping only as they reached the source of his pleasure. Kolivan’s cock, buried deep in his ass.Keith’s voice hitched, a breathy gasp leaving him as he traced along his rim, feeling (and seeing) the stretch of it inside him, how it spread him so completely that his legs might never close. He sank against Kolivan’s chest, eyes fixated on the mirror across from them, stroking the place where Kolivan lay tied to him.Kolivan’s hand moved over top of his, and with a flash of light Keith’s entire being jerked backwards.The plug had sparked to life inside him, Kolivan’s fingers working their magic as the plug glowed ice-blue. Holding Keith’s hand he began to move again, slow, deep thrusts into the depths of his insides, all while the plug pulsed with energy. Lance felt his balls tighten, his stomach boil as Keith keened against Kolivan, body fully surrendered to the pleasure that was Kolivan filling both his holes, fucking him with mind and body. Slowly, the pace began to creep up, the shadow of Kolivan’s cock inside Keith moving faster and faster, the companion’s movements growing erratic, fingers scrabbling to spread himself and watch as Kolivan claimed him so completely, so entirely from the inside out.They were close to climax and so was Lance, body uncomfortably hot as he watched this display. He picked up his pace, imagining the feeling of Keith’s tight heat enveloping him, how Kolivan’s dick had to feel, carving out it’s place inside Keith, filling him to the point of delirium. So close… just a few more… just a little… bit….
“Lance…”
He came as his eyes bugged out, body tensing, fight or flight instincts spiking in time to his orgasm to the sound of his own name. His seed spilled on the floor, dribbling over his fingers as he turned, mute, towards the source of the noise.Shiro, bent over beside him, shawled up in a blanket, who even now was just beginning to turn towards the noises spilling out of the bedroom. Shiro, who just spotted the sight of Keith coming on Kolivan’s cock, his own dick bouncing against his chest as he painted it and the sheets with his cum.Time slowed to molasses speed.
Lance watched as Shiro’s eyebrows, then lids, then lashes rose. How his mouth began to open, first in shock, and then in preparation of scream.He clamped his dirtied hand over Shiro’s cry, muffling the scream of shock as Kolivan finally came deep inside Keith, the feline’s belly trembling with the load filling it, excess spilling around the final ridge locked in his rim. They both watched, frozen, as Keith’s hips milked Kolivan’s dick of all it was worth, even as he slumped against his chest with the aftereffects of his own climax. His palm stroked the swell of Kolivan’s climax inside him. For what felt like hours, none of them moved.And then Kolivan was petting Keith’s hair, whispering filthy praise in his ears and the spell was broken. Lance’s limbs found the ability to move again. So did Shiro’s. The rabbit companion pulled away from Lance on jellied knees, face still locked in the same look of disbelief. Lance eyed the pair inside the bedroom, gaze flicking back and forth between them and Shiro.“Shiro,” he whispered. “Shiro... man... are you-”But Shiro was gone, dashing back down the hallway, tail between his legs, ears flat and back in fright.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shiro stumbled through the deserted hallways of the Den. Where he was headed he didn’t know. He didn’t care. All that mattered was that he got far,

far

away from everything. His knees were starting to give out beneath him, spots flickering in front of his vision. No matter how much he gasped for air his lungs couldn’t seem to provide enough. He could hear his voice being called out behind him, but it didn’t matter.
Every time he closed his eyes he could see it. Keith impaled on Kolivan’s dick, eyes rolling back as the Galra came inside him. Anyone… anyone else, maybe he could see it. Maybe his brain could process it properly. Heck, he wouldn’t even bat an eye if it was Hunk or Lance, but Kolivan? Kolivan?
Kolivan had always been so protective over Keith. His first time meeting him still burned bright in Shiro’s mind, the younger companion hovering over him as he woke up, asking all sorts of questions, trying to introduce himself as Kolivan watched from the corner, golden eyes following him like a hawk for any signs of aggression. He’d even…

God…

the first time Keith’s heat had hit with him there Kolivan was taking him aside every half hour to make sure he was looking after Keith properly.

For cripes sake,

this was the same Galra that had tested him four times to make sure he’d been fixed before being allowed to tend to Keith’s needs with his dick instead of his fingers.

It…

none of it made sense.

Kolivan had always been certain to keep them at arm’s length. He made it abundantly clear the only ones who’d ever touch themselves were each other. He’d come across so protective… so safe…

Unless that was exactly what he’d wanted to do the whole time. Build up that trust until he could take advantage of it. Make it so that Keith wouldn’t even bat an eye at the idea of Kolivan fucking him in the throes of heat.

Oh god. What if… what if he’d…

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut as a fresh wave of dizziness shot through him.

No. He wasn’t going to think about that.

Thinking only made it worse, dragging him deeper and deeper into dark thoughts.

If that was true, what other things could be as well?

Shiro made his way, half stumbling, half falling as he clung to the wall, looking for someplace safe. Someplace where he could curl up and block out the world and try to process this. His throat was closing up. His whole body felt like it was trying to shut down, fingers tingling with cold, vision growing more and more spotty. He needed… needed…

“Shiro? What are you doing? Are you… you don’t look good.”

The rabbit blinked, his vision sliding in and out of focus to the throbbing of his head. Hunk was standing in the doorway, one hand holding a steaming mug of something. Beside him was Pidge clutching her own, hoodie strings drawn tight, bunching her face into her hood like a too-tight parka.

“Shiro… come here. What’s wrong?” A strong arm wrapped around his middle as Hunk took on some of his weight. “Let’s go sit down, you can tell me whatever’s going on-”

“Keith fucked Kolivan.”

Hunk’s tea sloshed, splattering hot herbal water over their floor and slippers. “What?”

“He fucked Kolivan. Or Kolivan fucked him. Or-”

“

WHAT?!”

Hunk repeated, spinning Shiro face to face with him and emptying the rest of his drink onto the floor around them. “You’re not serious?! Are you sure you weren't dreaming? Sleep walking? Ate some kind of weird… alien fruit thing that made you imagine the whole thing?”

“Kolivan wouldn’t…” whispered Pidge.

“He

did,"

Shiro croaked.
"I saw them.” The image of it was coming back and he was feeling woozy again. More of his weight slumped into Hunk. “Lance did too. He was there.”

Hunk went silent. Pidge gave him a worried look, tea abandoned on a side table as they tugged Shiro over to the bed and sitting him between them. He was given a pillow to hold, a blanket brought to prop against his back.

“What exactly did you see?”

Shiro ran his tongue over his teeth. As much as he didn’t want to talk about it, he

needed to

. Not talking was going to eat him as much as recalling all the details was.

“It was… raw. Really… carnal? They were just out of it... or at least, Keith seemed to be. I don’t even know if he was aware of what was going on… he just looked so…”

Blissed out

, he thought for a moment, but he pushed it aside immediately. That face could have just been Keith’s heat talking. “...

Gone,”

he tried instead. “Keith was just lost to it. Kolivan was manhandling him and he didn’t even care. He-”

“What were they doing?”

Shiro looked up from his knees, confused. “They were having sex.”

“No,” Hunk said, “I know you said they were having sex, but there’s more than one way to do that. Did you catch what they were doing exactly?”

“I....” Shiro’s cheeks went scarlet. There’d been so much motion and hands everywhere, but there’d been no mistaking the bulge in Keith’s stomach. “Kolivan’s dick was definitely… inside…”

“As in?”

Shiro nodded, feeling sick. “Looked like. All of it in him…

came in

too.”

Fuck there’d been so much come, dripping from both their thighs.

If Keith’s heat was still ongoing, there was almost no way he hadn’t been…

He hugged his pillow closer. He wasn’t going to think about that now.

Hunk and Pidge shuffled uncomfortably beside him. It made the squirming in Shiro’s stomach feel even worse.

“Did you see if he was using any protection?”

Shiro shook his head.

“Did Lance?”

Shiro bit his lip. “I don’t know. I left as soon as I saw it.”

“Did you stick around at all?”

“I only caught the end of things. I don’t… I have no idea what’s happening now… or what happened before.” The thought made him want to curl inward. He should have stayed, confronted Kolivan and made sure that Keith was okay. Instead he’d ran, body acting on it’s own. It was too big a break from reality, too much of a shock, especially after-

Shiro’s breath caught. The dream, completely forgotten at the sight of Keith and Kolivan tangled together, resurfaced. And with it a terrible, terrible thought. Of Keith’s face replaced with his own, mind gone as he rode out his orgasm on a stranger’s cock, and

Ulaz

…. Ulaz standing where he’d stood… watching…

Shiro retched, but nothing came up. His stomach was as empty as the bottomless pit filling it.

“Are you… Shiro is everything okay?” Hunk rubbed circles into his back. “Did you see something else? Should we be worried?”

“I don’t… I don’t know,” he moaned. His body was a jumbled mess of nausea and dread. Dread for Keith, and what this all spelled for all of them. Nausea at the idea of Ulaz seeing him in that same position, of him even having to

picture

that. Over whether Kolivan’s true nature was what they’d always known, or something darker, more sinister. Over how much more that fictional scenario took hold of him, reminding him of the last face Ulaz had ever made at him… over how much worse it could become… if he had to follow through…

when

he had to follow through… “I just don’t know…”

Pidge’s arms came to wrap around his neck, great puffball of hair pressing into his cheek. She nuzzled closer into Shiro’s shoulder, small motor starting up and began to purr. A driving insistent pitch came out of her, almost as if it was trying to will him into soothing himself. “It’s okay Shiro. We’ll figure it out. You’re safe, you’ve got us.”

He found himself completely sandwiched between them, Hunk spooning him from behind as PIdge jetpacked him from the front. They kept petting him, telling him everything was okay.

If only they knew,

then they wouldn’t be saying that. How could it be? When Kolivan was going against everything he said he stood for for them? When his own denial of his feelings had gone and made him ruin something so good, so fresh and new it never even got a chance to bloom?

“Maybe there’s all some big misunderstanding here,” Hunk said, pulling the two of them closer into his lap. “Maybe he was just testing out some new version of the device. Maybe it’s one that feels more like being bred.”

Shiro shivered between them. “It didn’t look like that…”

“Then maybe something went wrong, maybe it was the only way to calm down Keith’s heat.”

“But Lance was right there… he could have…”

“I could have what?”

“Could have…” Shiro started, only to fall silent.

Lance was in the doorway, bedhead and pyjamas in the same mussy state he’d seen them in what felt like hours ago. Bits of hair were stuck to his antlers, bangs half swept up, highlighting even more of his frowning face. But it was what was behind him, hovering just over his shoulder, that had Shiro’s voice dying in his chest. Keith, slung in one of Kolivan’s arms. Whereas Keith looked tired and fidgety, Kolivan looked downright on edge, a child caught with a broken vase.

“I... I thought I should leave Keith with you all. To talk,” the Galra mumbled, vision focused on a pile of laundry some five feet from Shiro and the rest of them. “Seeing as there are likely… things that need to be addressed now.”

“Did you two really… y’know?” Hunk asked over Shiro’s shoulder.

Kolivan’s ears dipped. “I will let Keith elaborate. Right now I do not feel I am the person you wish to talk to about the matter.” His effort in not meeting Shiro’s eye made it painfully obvious why. Keith slid from his arms, chin propping on Lance’s shoulder. “I will see you all tomorrow.”

“Soooo….” Lance dragged as Kolivan disappeared from the room. He hooked an elbow around Keith’s shoulders, shooting him a smug grin. “I guess you have a lot of explaining to do.”

Keith groaned, shrugging Lance off and heading to the dresser to grab a fresh sweater. As he moved about Shiro caught the sight of something red on his neck.

“

Keith…

is that?”

The feline blinked at him, but Shiro was already up off the bed and beelining for him. He pulled the collar of Keith’s shirt aside. There was a forest of hickies and love bites, so many so it wouldn’t be hard to mistake Keith for a cheetah at a distance. Shiro moved lower, starting to lift Keith’s hem. He could see marks there too. Not as many, but still there all the same. A few pink soon-to-be bruises, places where Kolivan had grasped his hips. His stomach flip-flopped for what felt like the umpteenth time that night.

“Are you okay?” It left him, more breath than words. “Did he… did you… what do we need to do? We can… well I don’t know exactly where to get one, but I’m sure we could find a morning after pill somewhere… Maybe Antok would be willing to get one, or Regris, or even Sal. Do we need to

do

something? Do you need-”

Shiro’s hands were lifted from Keith’s hips, squeezed between Keith’s fingers. He couldn’t meet Shiro’s eyes, staring into his shoulder with the same guilty look Kolivan had had, face a warm tint of blush.

“I’m fine Shiro… really.”

“But…” he looked at the mottled expanse of Keith’s collarbone. “How do you know? Keith, you’re still in your heat, something could have happened.”

His hands were squeezed tighter. “I’m fine Shiro. Seriously. There’s nothing you guys have to do. I’m just...” his ears flattened behind his bangs, cheeks growing darker. His eyes squinted shut, tail flicking nervously now.

“You’re what?”

Keith fidgeted.

“

Keith…”

“I’m embarrassed, okay?” He threw Shiro’s hands down, tugging the sweater he’d pulled from the drawer over his head. His voice was muffled in the polar fleece. “I’m embarrassed you guys found out this way, okay?”

“We found... out?” said Hunk.

“That Kolivan and me… we’re,

ugh-

” he tugged the collar down over his head, black hair fluffing up with static.

“You’re fucking on the reg, aren’t you?” Lance stood cross-armed beside them, looking every bit the part of a sibling who’d already read this in Keith’s diary. “Cause that makes a lot of sense. Pet names like that don’t just come out of nowhere.”

“Like what?” Shiro stared, but Keith was looking away again, almost as scarlet as his sleep shorts.

“Kolivan calls him

kitten

,” smiled Lance. “It’s actually pretty hot when he does it.”

“

How long were you-

”

“Since before you fit his whole dick in your mouth.”

Shiro gawked, mouth wide enough to catch flies. Keith and Pidge both groaned, the former moving over to grab Shiro’s abandoned pillow and curl up against the headboard like a steamed octopus.

“No one was supposed to see that…”

“You… you swallowed his dick… his whole dick… ” Shiro moaned.

“Like you all haven’t done that before,” shot Keith.

“Well, definitely not with Kolivan,” Lance shot back. Keith groaned and slumped further down the bed.

“We’ve all sucked a dick or two,” said Hunk, ever the diplomat, “but what's a little more important is how long this has been going on for. By the sound of it this isn’t just a one time thing. You’ve done… more I’m guessing?”

Keith glanced warily at all of them over his pillow shield. “You’re all going to overreact if I tell you.”

“We’re not. We just want to know what’s going on. Shiro came in here freaked out like you’d been made to do it against your will or something.”

Lance snorted. “Didn’t look like that to me.”

He was socked in the face with one deadly flung slipper from Keith. The cat stared at all of them, seeming to weigh the situation.

“Fine. I’ll tell you, but none of you gets to judge me until I’m done.”

“We’re not going to-”

“It’s been two or three years now.”

“WHAT?”

Hunk, Lance and Shiro all screamed in unison. Only Pidge, clapping her hands over her ears, managed to maintain a half-way straight face.

“You

said

-”

“THREE YEARS? That’s like… that’s like before I came here, even before Hunk. It might even be earlier than when…” Lance trailed off. Slowly, his head turned to face Shiro.

Keith ran his fingers through his tail. “I’m pretty sure part of the reason he picked up Shiro was because he realized I’d started to like him around then. He didn’t… like the idea much at first. Kept telling me I was better off keeping my distance from him. Not that he was any good at doing that either,” he rolled his eyes. “So, I think when he was out on a mission for the resistance and they intercepted Shiro’s cargo ship he probably figured getting me a friend would keep me distracted.”

“So… before the rest of us showed up, he never touched you?” Lance frowned. It was understandable. Keith had never been very open about what living alone with Kolivan had been like before Shiro had arrived. From what Shiro himself knew, the Lion’s Den hadn’t been dreamed up until a few months into him living here. The fact he seemed to be willing (even if it was begrudgingly) to talk about it… they didn’t get many chances like this.

“Nope,” Keith said, popping the P. “I mean, the other companion type stuff he was fine with. Petting, cuddling, you name it, but if I ever asked why he didn’t want anything further he’d get all huffy and silent. Not that I really cared at first. After all the facility’s training I was pretty happy not to be looking after some guy’s greasy dick day in and day out, but after a while I started to wonder more and more.” He shrugged. “I guess somewhere along the way I started having feelings for him.”

“And the two of you getting together?”

Keith groaned and side eyed Lance. “If you

have

to know, it was probably a month after we got Hunk. I’d been trying to get him alone for a while and finally managed then. And we didn’t fuck right then and there,” he added, frowning at Lance’s jiggling eyebrows. “That came later. Took a while to convince him to do it.”

“So you started it?”

“Yeah.” He turned back to Hunk. “He never told me what was holding him back the whole time before, something about morals and promises to himself, but in the end he wasn’t hard to convince once I made the whole situation pretty damn clear.”

“Awww, what was your confession like?”

“Hunk, I’ve already told you guys enough, what else do you want me to say? That I whipped his dick out to prove how serious I was about the whole thing? Got him 100 roses?” He snorted, one of those little Keith noises he made when he was trying to hold back his actual laughter. “I managed to talk with him one on one while Shiro was showing you around. Finally drill it into him that this wasn’t just some stupid sense of companion duty. Though he’d still rather label it as ‘friends with benefits’.” Keith's nose crinkled as he pouted at that. “Saying we’re in a ‘relationship’ still gets him all embarrassed and huffy, even though he

knows.

Probably part of why he still wants to keep it under wraps.”

Shiro stood there, dumbfounded. So in the end, it had been

Keith

who’d started his relationship with Kolivan, even if Kolivan was hesitant to call it that. Shiro frowned. Hopefully Keith wasn’t just being blinded, but then again, Keith had always had a good read on people, as talented at picking up on feelings as he was at hiding his own. Come to think of it… if Shiro racked his brains back to when Hunk had joined their family, there

had

been one day where Keith had come back from a supposed nap looking more chipper than usual. He’d chalked it up to a much-needed sleep, but then again… there was a chance that maybe, just maybe it had been that.

“So you two have been slinking around having sex for years now?” Lance pouted. “I’m offended you didn’t ask me to join.”

Keith’s scruff fluffed up, tail going still. He shot Lance a warning glare.

Possessive. Oh my god, he was possessive over Kolivan.

“Considering how bad it would look to all the other resistance members and you guys, can you blame us?” He hugged his pillow tighter now, eying them each like a cat cornered in a back alley. Despite everything... how his brain was still reeling to catch up, Shiro couldn't help but find it cute. Touching even.

“No, I can’t.” He smiled at him, his first real one in what felt like ages. Keith… somehow, against all odds, he’d found someone for him.
No matter how much he must have second guessed it, how much he’d have been told it was stupid, that he’d have no hope, he’d kept listening to his feelings.

Something flickered in his chest at that.

“And you’re really happy?" he asked. "Kolivan does that for you, even if you've had to hide this, all this time?”

Keith looked up at him. His tail still twitched nervously at his side, trying to judge Shiro’s face. He knew the look, the one he'd gotten used to after years together, of him weighing his insecurities over the release of being honest.

A shy smile spread across his lips, knees hugged to his chest. It was like a beam of sunlight striking Shiro, subtle warmth ebbing into him.

“Yeah… I’m happy.”

For a second, he thought he could feel an inkling of what Keith felt.

“And you’re both being safe?”

“

Hunnnnnk.

”

The canine threw his hands up. “I’m just asking. Shiro seemed pretty sure there was no protection there and with heats and all we can’t have you two kids-”

Keith’s face was back to being cherry-red. “

It wasn’t that hole! Lance, back me up!”

“What?”

“YOU SAID YOU WATCHED THE WHOLE THING, TELL THEM!”

“I… uh…” Lance stammered, “he was doing Keith in the ass... while he used the plug... up front…”

“I always knew you were a kinky fucker,” Pidge smirked. “One of Kolivan’s dicks not enough for you you need his metal one too?”

Keith moaned, sliding down the wall into a mortified pile. “I’m going to die now if all of you don’t shut up.”

“We’ll be sure to have a fitting epitaph for you.

‘Here lies Keith, who died from being kinkshamed over his love of dick’.”

“I can make this a murder-suicide Lance,” Keith growled from his puddle, but he was smiling all the same. He seemed lighter, less on guard now. Maybe hiding this truth with Kolivan had been draining on him all this time. It couldn’t have been easy to act like nothing was there day after day, only managing to steal a few hours here and there to not raise suspicions. Maybe after now it would be easier for him. Maybe Kolivan would let him indulge a little more in the small selfish things Keith no doubt probably wanted. Like sitting in his lap, or just leaning up against him, head pressed to his arm as he worked. Even the simple things like holding hands, or admitting his feelings out loud, maybe Keith had a chance at it now.

There was a dull pang in Shiro’s chest, one striking too close to home. But now wasn’t the time for that. He was supposed to be happy for Keith,

was

happy for him. He could push these thoughts away for now, deal with them another time. Now was all about him.

Part of Keith was relieved. The other part, a much bigger part right now, was tired as hell and ready to sleep. The others had been questioning for over an hour about everything from if they’d kissed (yes, he wasn’t a teenager anymore) to if he’d let Kolivan fuck him properly (also yes, but it wasn’t like he was going to admit that to Lance making

that

face). Eventually though, they’d run out of questions to ask him, the pauses between talking growing shorter and shorter, and one by one they’d started to drift off.

Lance was draped over Pidge, snoring softly as they both used Hunk’s chest as a pillow, heads rising and falling in time to his breathing. He’d ended up curled up in on one of the side beds with a nest of pillows around him, blinking slower and slower as the room around him began to blur into darkness.

A weight settled on the edge of the bed, something coming to press into his wall of pillows. A second later, Shiro’s face wormed its way into his vision.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” he nodded, letting him move deeper into the nest. “Y’okay?”

“Yeah, better now.” Shiro’s hand came to comb at Keith’s hair, fingers brushing over the marks on his neck. “At first I didn’t know what to think, but I guess it’s all okay. The idea of you and Kolivan… I’d never have been able to figure it out.” He continued to stroke Keith. “You okay? Do you need a shower or anything?”

Keith felt his cheeks warm. “Kolivan… uh… helped clean me up. I’m okay.” He wasn’t about to tell Shiro Kolivan had eaten him out right into a second orgasm. Or that he’d gone and lapped up every last drop of cum and slick off his body, letting him taste them both as they’d made out yet again until Lance’s calling in the hallway had gone and put an end to their fun.

Hopefully the look on his face didn’t give it away.

Luckily, Shiro didn’t seem to catch anything. He just kept petting at Keith’s hair, movements growing less and less focused as he seemed to stare more

through

him than at him. He was just…

half there

, off in his own little world.

“Something on your mind?”

Shiro blinked, back to Keith and reality. “What do you mean?”

“It kind of seems like there’s something else Shiro. You wouldn’t just climb into bed just to stare at me until you fell asleep.” He frowned, giving the rabbit companion a little poke in the chest. “Dish.”

Shiro chewed his lip for a second, as if debating with himself. Finally, he let out a sigh, ears flopping forwards until they brushed Keith’s brow.

“I guess I’m wondering how did you know? How did you know you liked Kolivan? How do you know he likes you back?”

It was Keith’s turn to stare at him for a second. He’d sort of skirted that this whole time. So many more of their questions had been about the secrecy, the getting together, what they got up to when the found time alone and how many close calls they’d had. Once he’d told them all how he’d confronted Kolivan the whole lead up had been dropped. He’d thought they hadn’t been interested in it, but it looked like Shiro had, staying quiet the entire time.

“I guess… it was just a feeling I had, you know? Like, it just felt right?”

“Right how?”

Keith pursed his lips, racking his brains. “I dunno exactly… I didn’t really realize until I’d actually felt that way for a while. Looking back, I guess it was just curiosity going farther? When he bought me I was just waiting for the day when he stopped going slow for me and asked me to bend over. After some of the other Galra who’d been interested in me before him it was weird that he wasn’t acting like them. He did all the things I’d assumed only other companions would do with me though…”

“Like?”

“Grooming I guess? He’d get distracted when he was reading with me in his lap and start cleaning my ears. He’d deny it whenever I brought it up though.” He smiled. “And he let me wrestle with him. Told me it was foolish not to teach a companion to defend themselves and that I needed to know how to take another Galra down. First time I pinned him for real he wouldn’t stop laughing.” It still brought back good memories, even if they hadn’t done it in ages. Not since Antok had found Lance and Pidge. “It was just a lot of little stuff. Things I took for granted at first, but looking back, those were the things I loved most.”

There was more. There was so much more. The way Kolivan’s nose would wrinkle when he caught Keith making sloppy joes in the kitchen in the dead of night, the smell of tomatoes and onions overpowering the entire room and

still,

he’d sit down to join him. Or how he’d made Keith his own resistance uniform, more pyjamas than armour, but he’d loved it all the same. The way he’d smile whenever Keith woke up in beside him on the couch, or the deep, Galran purrs he’d let out when he was truly relaxed. Keith still remembered the first time he’d heard them, Kolivan bundled up in his sheets as he fought off a fever, falling asleep as Keith grumbled over having to feed him. There was so much…

“I guess it's just a feeling I had. I just… knew I wanted to be with him. He just felt right. Like I was coming home.”

He stopped, fingers curled against Shiro’s chest. The other seemed lost in thought again, lashes fanning over his eyes, ears lowering in turn. For a moment he could see the lines in Shiro’s face darken. The circles under his eyes seemed more pronounced, hair less lustrous. He seemed tired, worn down.

“Is there are reason you wanted to know?”

Shiro’s mouth drew into a line. His hand knotted in the sheets, his one ear unimpeded by the mattress flattening down against his neck.

“I think... I know what it feels like too.”

What?

“W-what do you mean?” Keith’s pulse was climbing. Shiro squirmed in front of him.

“I said, I think I have an idea of what that feels like. What you’re saying about Kolivan… I think I’ve felt that.”

“You mean…”

Shiro nodded, closing the gap and burying his head in Keith’s shoulder. “It think… I think I might…

like

someone.”

His breath left him, the only thing reminding his lungs to take another gasp of air was the warm wind of Shiro’s exhales against his skin.

Shiro. Shiro liked someone. Really,

really

liked someone.

Shiro, who was always so stoic about his feelings. Shiro, who’d joke about his one true love being Hunk’s sticky buns. He wound a hand around the rabbit’s head, cradling him.
“You mean… you mean you like someone? For real? Who?” Was it Hunk? Lance? Him? For a second Keith’s tongue turned to lead. He… he loved Shiro like a brother and beyond, but not like that. Not the same way he loved Kolivan.
“It’s not one of us,” Shiro said, as if reading his mind. “I don’t… I don’t even think you know them. It’s… it’s one of the customers.”

“A customer?” Keith racked his brains for every last face that Shiro had been with. Captains, shrimpy little foot soldiers, he swiped past them in his head, trying to pick one out of the crowd, one he could see Shiro with. He was coming up blank, there wasn’t anyone he could think of, no one…

And it swam up to the front of his vision like a memory from the depths. A hazy one, edges blurred, but the center was crystal clear. Shiro’s hand on a Galra’s, the tips of his ears a dusty pink. The look on his face as he stared at his fingers as if he couldn’t quite believe it. It had come out of nowhere, a flashback after a night of heavy drinking, a spark in the darkness.

He gripped Shiro tighter. “That one… from the night I went into heat… that’s them, right?”

Shiro jolted against him, nose hitting his jaw.

“

How?

”

“Just… just a feeling,” Keith sighed. He couldn’t bring it all into focus, everything about the stranger, but there was something, just something about it. Something that made him know. “I just remember the way you looked that night, looking at him.” He paused. “What’s his name?”

“Ulaz…” Shiro wormed closer, arms wrapping around Keith too.

“Ulaz… that sounds like a nice name. What makes you-”

“I… I think it’s what you said. That there are a bunch of little things piling on top of each other until you finally realize it,” Shiro mumbled into Keith’s shoulder. “He’s kind. He worries about me. He likes plants and fizzy drinks. He listens… he’s just… he feels safe…”

“Homey…”

Shiro nodded. “I think it was that, you comparing him to being home. That’s what made it it finally fall into place, made it so I can’t keep telling myself it’s something else.” His face pressed deeper into Keith’s neck and the feline felt something wet against his skin. “And now I think I might have lost him.”

He didn’t dare move, didn’t dare to extract Shiro from the safety of where his face was buried, even as more dampness began to drip into his fur.

“What makes you say that? Why do you-”

“Because I messed up. I went and did something stupid and I hurt him. I… I tried to do something for the mission and in the end all I did was ruin his trust in me. I didn’t figure out Sendak’s plans, I didn’t even get a lead, and for

what?

” choked Shiro. “For this? I don’t… I don’t…”

He took a long rattling breath against Keith. “Maybe it’s for the best. It’s not like it could ever work out. It’s not like he’d ever like me in the first place.”

Keith rubbed circles into Shiro’s shoulder blades, trying desperately to start purring, try and comfort him, but nothing came out. He could feel heaviness settling in his chest, that black hole setting in to the center of his heart, trying to tug at feelings desperately trying to keep root. Twist and distort them into something unrecognizable. A feeling he’d known all too well.

“You don’t know that Shiro,” he soothed, racking his brain for the right words. “You don’t know if it could work out or not. There’s no way he’d never not like you. You’re you. How could he not?”

“Because I hurt him Keith. I had to lie my way out of a situation with another member of Sendak’s circle and he… he didn’t take it well. He thought that I’d been playing him just to make him comfortable with me. And I…” a sob wracked his body, “I couldn’t tell him the truth! How could I? I’d put all of us in danger if I did… I’d…” Shiro hiccuped. “I wanted to tell him so bad but I couldn’t do it… I wanted to, but I couldn’t let something happen to you.”

Oh.

Oh.

Keith swallowed. He didn’t know what to do. He just kept petting Shiro, trying to process everything he’d just said. Ulaz was one of Sendak’s men. But then again… he remembered how Lance had described the lot of them.

Bunch of pervs, some of them handsy, some of them keeping to themselves.

That didn’t… that didn’t seem like someone Shiro’d be interested in. It didn’t sound like who he was describing at all. It didn’t fit. There was no way Shiro was that blind. No way was any Galra so attractive Shiro’d ignore the glaring flags. There was something else, something different about him. There had to be.

“You didn’t doom us Shiro,” he whispered. “It’s okay. Kolivan can tell Thace to hold back on the attack. He can warn them to keep the communication network limited until they know everyone’s safe. Even if… even if a few people get hurt, we can keep everyone from falling.”

Shiro’s nose dug deeper into his collarbone.

“We still have time. I’ll help you. We’ll all help. You always put everyone before you Shiro. You’ll put yourself into the line of fire to protect the rest of us. You put the Den first, but sometimes it’s okay to be selfish. Sometimes you have to think about yourself. You can’t keep denying yourself just for the sake of others. You deserve to be happy too.”

“But what about you guys?” Shiro’s voice was muffled. “What about the resistance? Or Kolivan? He won’t like it.”

Keith snorted. “I can talk to Kolivan, Shiro. There has to be a reason why you fell for him. He’s got to have good in him. Maybe it won’t work out. Maybe he doesn’t feel the same way you do, but there’s a reason you feel the way you do.” He let out a long sigh. He still remembered when he’d felt like this, when the very idea of Kolivan was a double edged sword. Having him meant changing everything they lived for, but not having him… what was he living for anyway? He’d stayed in that purgatory for months, going back and forth a dozen times a day, telling himself he was better trapped in limbo than stepping out to either side. The idea of taking the chance, making that coin toss, had been one of the most terrifying gambles of his life.

But it had been worth it.

So,

so

worth it.

Keith kneaded the area right behind Shiro’s ears. For all his strength, all his maturity, it felt like Shiro was the younger companion right now.

“You deserve to see it through,” he said slowly. “You need closure, to make things right with him. Even if you don’t get the ending you want, you deserve to know.” Keith stroked the silky fur of Shiro’s head. “The worst part is always taking that step forwards, but once you do you have the momentum to keep going.”

Shiro stirred, wiping his nose on Keith’s collar. He’d have to change it later, but right now all he cared about was Shiro looking up at him, eyes peeping over his jawline.

“You think so?”

Keith smiled again, pulling Shiro’s forehead closer to kiss his crown. “I know so. You’ll get to see him again Shiro. And when it happens, you’ll get the ending you deserve.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shiro was in the middle of changing the bulbs behind the bar. He was wound underneath an abandoned shelf, looking more like a dustbunny than normal rabbit hybrid as he wrestled to pry a stubborn bulb from its impossible to reach socket.

Something tapped his foot and Shiro groaned. “I’m working on it Regris, just like I was five minutes ago. If you’re getting annoyed you can tell Kolivan to buy better fixtures.”

The grip on his angle tightened, and Shiro was pulled out from under the bar to find a much furrier and more serious Galra in place of Regris.

“Kolivan…” he smiled sheepishly, fingers drumming on the fresh lightbulb in his hands. “How are you?”

“We need to talk.”

“Ah. Right...” He’d been expecting this. He’d been avoiding Kolivan since that night after all.

“In my office, if you don’t mind.”

Of course. Kolivan wanted to talk away from everyone one else so as not to make a scene.

Shiro sighed. No one from Sendak’s fleet had shown up in the past day or two (

especially not Ulaz, but Shiro was trying to ignore that thought like the plague)

. They were almost out of time before the attack on the Empire. There was only so long Kolivan was going to let him avoid making a report.

He followed the Galra to the small side room, waiting in silence for him to say something. Nothing. Not while they walked there, not even as Kolivan closed the door and took his seat behind his desk. Shiro fidgeted with the straps of his top, dusting dirt and grime out of his hair and leggings. They were only delaying the inevitable now.

“Shiro,” Kolivan said, hands crossed on the desk in front of him. “About that night…”

He sighed, preparing to report on his miserable failure.

“I realize there are probably still a lot of questions in the air. I doubt Keith addressed everything, so I thought we should take the time to talk about them now.”

“I-

What?

” Shiro stammered. “

That’s

what you brought me here to talk about?”

“Well,

yes

.” Kolivan shifted in his chair. “I wasn’t certain Hunk would feel comfortable confronting me, and Lance… might not have as much tact.”

“You don’t want to have to give a play by play about your sex life, do you?” Shiro asked, feeling like he was watching this from outside his body. He couldn’t quite believe it. Kolivan was squirming in his seat, looking way more like how Shiro’d expected to feel during this meeting than his usual self.

“That… might have contributed.”

“Right. Of course.” This was definitely taking a turn for the unexpected. Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to settle the growing urge to gawk at Kolivan. ”So… just let me get this straight… You want

me

to ask you about your relationship with Keith?”

Kolivan’s thumbs twiddled before him on his desk. “Lance made no small knowledge of how upset you had appeared at catching us being… involved. And considering the likelihood of you reporting back to the others respectfully… ” Kolivan shrugged, settling back in his chair and sighing. “Seeing as this is the position we’re in, what would you like to know?”

Shiro’s brain circuitry was still in the process of rebooting after this about-face. “Uhhh…” he stammered, racking through the functioning portion of it, “I guess… I want to know your side of the story? If it matches up with Keith’s.” His underlying concern of Kolivan’s true feelings still lingered in the back of his mind. Keith loved him, but did Kolivan really feel the same?

“What did he tell you?”

Shiro frowned. “What do you think he told us? I’m not exactly sure what you expected out of this, but now that you’re suggesting it to me, don’t you think I should get to see if both your stories line up?”

It was Kolivan’s turn to frown. “Very well,” he sighed, “but in the least allow me to know what I should be speaking about.”

“I…” Shiro paused, thinking back to everything Keith had let slip these past few days. There’d been a lot of it now that he wasn’t worried about getting in trouble, but he still avoided questions straight up. “I want to know what happened with you and Keith before you had me. Or why you got me. And I also to want to hear your side of how everything started happening.”

Kolivan let out grunt. “You’re asking quite a lot.”

“And you offered,

so

…”

“

Very well

… I suppose you want me to start with purchasing Keith, because yes, in the event you were wondering, Keith was a proper purchase. He was recommended to me by a comrade when I was granted my license for an emotional support companion. They were an advocate for cat-types, to say the least… quite insistent that I select him. The first phase of ownership was an interesting one. Keith needed to learn some boundaries-”

“And did you too?”

Kolivan crossed his legs. “I was well aware of the boundaries when I purchased him. I was not about to cross any of them.”

Shiro’s eyes narrowed.

That was cryptic

. “Boundaries meaning that you weren’t supposed to touch him? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard of some kind of contract preventing an owner from doing whatever they’d like with a companion.”

“

Moral

boundaries,” Kolivan stressed. “Even if I am permitted to do with him as I wish by law, I was not about to take advantage of him. I took him in with the intent for companionship and emotional healing, nothing more. And he was and has always excelled at that, after the initial period of adjustment. The first month I had to extend a gentle hand, demonstrate how I wished our relationship to be. Before I realized it I had taken him under my wing. I wanted him to grow strong. I wanted him to flourish.”

Shiro nodded. So far things seemed in line with Keith’s story, but then again, it was pretty bare bones. “You have any examples?”

“I taught him to fight, and to infiltrate enemy territory.”

“You weren’t expecting him to start joining in on resistance missions, were you?”

“Surely not!” Kolivan scoffed. “That is hardly the place for a companion. Not that… not that I am implying a companion cannot…” He sighed, rubbing his temples. “I wanted him to know should he need to do so, but under no circumstances did I plan to throw him on the front lines. He was… he is…”

“He’s your companion.”

Kolivan nodded. “Perhaps you can tell I grew attached the longer we were together. Before I understood what had transpired Keith’s behaviour had begun to evolve. We had grown comfortable with each other, but then he began to test the degree. He was growing more rebellious. Testing boundaries. Once or twice I caught him attempting to groom himself in more… suggestive manners… in front of me.”

Shiro snorted. He’d seen just how flexible Keith could be, it wasn’t a stretch to see him using it to his advantage, especially after watching him try to clean himself up without leaving the afterglow and comforts of bed.

“He no longer appeared to be satisfied with what I provided, but I had made a promise when I had taken him in.”

“What type of promise?”

Kolivan waved him off, continuing on. “You can see then, why I began to look for outlets for his impulses. I thought it was simply a matter that I was the only person he was close to. I believed all he needed was another, one who was safe to explore those urges with. When Antok and I discovered you on a cargo ship we intercepted, well… it was not a challenge to make it appear you were lost in space during a tussle with the guards. Recovering you was a simple matter after the fact. At first Keith was rather taken with you, but still… we both knew the underlying issue remained.”

“So you

knew

he liked you.”

Kolivan nodded, ears lowering ever so slightly. “I would have been a fool not to notice. You were a welcome presence, someone he could also grow close to, but I would be lying if I were to say everything resolved. You were a new friend, but not a replacement. We both knew that, but we continued to try and act as if it was all smoothed over.” He frowned. “In the end, we were both lying to ourselves.”

Shiro blinked. “So…”

He sighed. “I think Keith may have realized the truth when I purchased Hunk. Even if he marked the beginning of the formation of the Lion’s Den, I understand why Keith reacted the way he did, believing I was trying to distract from what he wanted. Perhaps he was right. I was still concerned of what would transpire if I were to allow urges to go unchecked, ignoring his opinions in the matter. His confrontation woke me to it though, how it appeared to him. How each new companion felt as if I was attempting to crowd out the space between us, and how the moments he valued most were rapidly falling further and further apart. It… was the declaration I needed to recognize I had grown to long for those moments as well.”

Shiro swallowed as Kolivan bowed his head. So… so Kolivan really did...

“Though, with two more of you in my household, and the rules I had established for all staff and patrons of the Lion’s Den, I was expected to lead by example. An owner who did not respect the very rules I had set out? The hypocrisy would create cracks before I knew it. But still… I did not wish to neglect Keith any more. In the end, we reached an agreement. In the shadows we could engage in everything we wished, but in the light there would be nothing, not even the faintest whisper of the truth.” He let out a sad chuckle. “It was how I could justify it in my eyes. If it was not seen, it was not truly real. Now I see the error of my ways. A secret, no matter how well hidden, is always waiting to be discovered. And in this case, in such a shameful way.”

The Galra sat in silence, gaze averted, hands before himself. Shiro wasn’t sure if he was expected to speak or stay silent. It was… it was a lot. He knew Kolivan wasn’t the emotional type, it was always hard to get a read on him beyond stressed or not stressed, angry or neutral, but right now he wanted pick apart his brain and figure just what the hell he was feeling. From what little he

could

tell though…

“Could you answer one more thing? Just… one more?”

“I suppose.”

Shiro sucked in a breath. “If… If you had a place where you could feel comfortable being yourself with Keith, with others around, would you want to?”

Kolivan stared up at him, and for the first time Shiro saw the echo of another Galra, so much younger, more innocent.

“Of course. But-”

“No buts,” Shiro said, whipping a finger up to Kolivan’s face. He could feel his pulse racing. It’d mark a change, a huge change… but for Keith…

“So if we all… me, Hunk, Lance and Pidge… all agreed to keep this secret for you and Keith, you’d let yourselves relax? Be yourselves around us?”

Kolivan didn’t quite seem to know what to say. “You would agree to that?”

“We all care about Keith. We want him to be happy, and if him being happy means he gets to be with you...”

Kolivan opened his mouth, but Shiro cut him off.

“That being said, I’m not saying you’re both free to do

whatever

you want with all of us around. I’m… even though I’m pretty sure Lance would be interested… I’d still prefer it if you both kept… bedroom exploits to yourselves.”

“That… that is fair,” Kolivan smiled weakly. “It did seem to give you quite a scare didn’t it?”

Shiro flushed. He still wasn’t going to touch that with ten foot pole. Especially not the dreams he’d been having since then of him balanced on

someone

else’s lap… making those noises… calling

their

name… Nope. Not even a fifty foot pole was going there.

“T-that’s because it looked like you were breeding him! Keith riding you when in heat, you

know

the risks! What were you thinking! Keith could have-”

Kolivan raised an eyebrow. “You think I wouldn’t take any precautions?”

Shiro stalled. “Well… It didn’t exactly

look

like it…”

“Very well,” Kolivan grumbled, rustling through his drawers. “I suppose if I am telling you

everything

I might as well add this to the list as well.” Kolivan slammed down a bottle of pills and a stack of receipts between them.

“Uh, what are those?” Shiro asked. Whatever they were, they were big. Definitely nothing like the few capsules of birth control he’d seen while undergoing training at the facility. He knew Keith was good at fitting large things in small holes, but even these looked like a tough order to swallow.

“Cyproterone acetate.”

Shiro blinked. He’d never heard the word in his life. “Meaning?”

Kolivan gestured to the bottle. “Turn it around.”

Not sure what he was looking for, Shiro picked up the bottle. It was the size of a jam jar, marble sized pills rolling around inside as he twisted it around to read the label. His brow wrinkled.

“Chemical… castration?”

Castration… castration… that had something to do with the balls… Something

…

removal-wise...

Kolivan took the bottle back. “It means Keith is safe. I couldn’t do anything of the sort even if I tried. He checks those too,” he said, pointing at the stack of papers. “He nearly clawed the hair off my shoulder when I switched prescribers. Not that he was aware I was taking them until after we had become... intimate.”

Shiro flipped through the receipts. Month after month of carefully documented prescriptions and pill taking checklists, dating all the way back to-

“You’ve been taking them since you got him.” Shiro fingered the final few records, dogeared photocopies of correspondence and the first few months of pill tracking. “Even before you both got involved.” He squinted at the first prescription. It was a photocopy as well, dated four years ago.
Shiro racked his brains. He could swear Keith had told him he’d been purchased just after his 21st birthday, but this… this was dated almost a month before that.

“Yes,” Kolivan nodded, taking the pages back. “I would never have forgiven myself if something happened to him in my care. Even though I trusted myself, I wanted to take no risks.”

“You… you really care about him,” he mumbled, watching as the page was tucked back into the drawer. Kolivan had gone and done that, even before he’d had Keith. Probably as soon as he’d met him.

“More than I should really,” he smiled, placing the pills back in the drawer as well. “But sometimes plans go awry. This was one of those times.”

“About that…” Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. “I might have… fallen off the plan as well.”

Kolivan sat up, face back to his usual stern order of business. He frowned at Shiro. “Is this about the night with Sendak’s men? Is there a reason why you haven’t reported it to me yet? Thalia’s surprise party is in less than a week Shiro. We’re nearly out of time. If you have something to say, now is the time.”

He… he’d debated telling Kolivan. He really had. The manager had just opened up to him, no matter how miniscule the crack had been, and for a second Shiro’d felt like maybe… just

maybe

he would listen to Shiro’s conundrum. But that slip back into his usual exterior, the all-business Kolivan he’d known for so long… the moment had passed.

“I… I really don’t think Sendak’s men know anything,” he sighed. “I tried. I really

tried

, I promise. Ulaz…” he squeezed his wrist, “... Sendak’s biomechanist, he just seems to do maintenance of Kolivan’s prosthetic and other similar work around the ship. Haxus, his lieutenant,

thinks

he knows everything going on with Sendak but he really doesn’t. I… I’ve talked to enough officers that know him over the past few weeks and they all say the same thing, that he brown noses up to Sendak and doesn’t even realize how his commander sees him. I… I just get the sense that even if Sendak’s let drop that he’s planning to do something, he isn’t sharing the details with anyone. Even if he has people working on it, he won’t have told them what it is. He’s just… one step ahead of us.”

He bowed his head, stomach prickling with guilt. “I’m sorry Kolivan. I know how much we have riding on this, but I really don’t think we can figure it out from the outside. Only Sendak knows the full truth.”

Silences from Kolivan were always the worst, especially one on one. He’d grown used to them on the floor, where Kolivan was always partly distracted keeping track of all the goings on, but here, just the two of them, he knew every second ticking by was another moment Kolivan was thinking over his words. No doubt trying to find some calm yet severely crippling way of wording his disappointment. Or for all Shiro knew he could be thinking about dinner. Maybe he should ask Keith some of Kolivan’s tells, but then again, he

knew

he didn’t want to read into

those

types of looks.

“I suppose there is nothing we can do then,” Kolivan sighed. “If it is true that Sendak’s men know nothing then we can do little else but sit and wait to see what is to come. Perhaps everything will go as hoped. If Sendak is expecting the resistance to launch a large counter strike then Thalia’s plans will have dodged his expectations. There is a chance he will be unable to respond properly, but there is no way of knowing that, not without extracting the information from him himself.”

“There might still be a chance... You never know.”

Kolivan rose, giving him a look like he’d just claimed he could sprout wings. “

Really

Shiro. It is three days until Thalia’s plan is enacted. The war exercises are nearly over and completely occupying every commander’s time. The only way we would have a chance would be if Sendak arrived at our doors in the next twenty four vargas, and really,

what

is the likelihood of

that?

”

The last of the wind left Shiro’s sails. Kolivan was right. Sendak wasn’t about to stroll into the Lion’s Den like the answer to their prayers. Same as Ulaz. As soon as the exercises wrapped he’d be gone, back to his regular patrol quadrant in space never to be seen again. No chance for redemption. They really were out of time.

A low ping chimed inside the office.

“Uh… Kolivan? Shiro?”

Pidge’s voice crackled through the intercom, the youngest human already upstairs in her usual perch in front of the cameras. Which meant Shiro should be off getting ready for customers.

“I’ll go start getting ready Pidge, don’t worry.”

“

No. It’s not that, but you still might want to Shiro. You’ll never guess who just walked in the front door looking to talk with Kolivan.

”

The two of them almost wrestled half the paperwork off Kolivan’s desk trying to grab the remote to turn the CCTV display on. The picture flickered to life on the holo-screen.

Shiro’s breath left him.

Sendak.

He couldn’t quite believe it,

still

couldn’t quite believe it, even after pinching himself half a dozen times and even letting Lance take a try or two just in case.

It was real.

Sendak was here. In the Lion’s Den, in Kolivan’s

office

of all places, lounging on the sofa as if he owned the place. The manager was seated on the edge of his desk, arms folded, every last muscle coiled as tight as a spring. Keith was behind him, cross-legged on the desk, tag wagging suspiciously. He was still in a pair of sweats and a large sweater, heat leave still in place until they were all sure the last dregs were out of his system. With Lance out on the floor getting ready to great the early guests and Shiro off changing…
that left the three of them there, poker faces plastered on as they waited for Sendak to speak.

All in all, it was extremely hard for Hunk to avoid pacing. Sendak just needed to get over with it!

“Kolivan…” Sendak said, practically glowing as he spread his arms over the sofa’s spine. “Such a

pleasure

to see you again. Though it seems the past few weeks haven’t been kind to you. You look tired. Unable to sleep?” A syrupy smile spread over his smug face.

“It

has

been busy lately.” Kolivan’s voice was carefully measured, a man walking a tightrope. “I suppose I may have you or your superiors to thank for all the additional business that has come my way as a product of all this.”

“You’re too kind…” Sendak said, waving a hand dismissively. “We simply selected the best location in the Empire. Though, if you are looking to extend your gratitude, I wouldn’t protest.”

“And I suppose this would be why you are here?”

Sendak inspected his claws. “Perhaps. I heard something interesting from one of my underlings, something

very

interesting indeed.”

Interesting could be good, or it could be

very, very bad

. Second only to fascinating, which had a whole other meaning coming from someone like Sendak, waltzing in and acting like the whole place was his. Hunk’s tail pressed closer against his leg. He fought back the urge to whine.

“You see Kolivan, the last time my officers were here they learned of some little back alley dealings you’re getting up to here. Things that could get you in serious trouble. Of course, I had to come see for myself. After all the pretenses it seemed you have set up here, everything your companions insisted on to my face, I find out you’re running your very own brothel behind closed doors.”

If Kolivan had reacted, he didn’t show it. Not Keith though, or Hunk. The feline’s tail had stopped moving, the hairs on his neck beginning to puff up. The hairs on Hunk’s neck were prickling too.

The manager recrossed his arms, leaning further against the polished wood. “I’m quite surprised. What gave them that impression?”

“Oh come Kolivan, you don’t need to be shy. Really, it makes so much more sense as to why you insist on collecting a zoo,” Sendak scoffed. When he smiled Hunk could see the predatory flash of a fang. He was enjoying this. “Haxus has told me everything. How this little front of yours covers up for what you allow officials to do behind closed doors, what your little pets are allowed to partake in, provided it’s never seen. How they’ll do

anything

to be the pride of the Lion’s Den.” He sat back, beaming in victory. “Your little long-eared one told him everything.”

Kolivan’s left ear twitched. Hunk’s eyes bugged out at Keith.

Shiro. Shiro had told one of Sendak’s men about that.

And by the sounds of it, made it painfully explicit the potential for their closed door sessions. Either he’d known exactly what he was doing, or he’d been incredibly desperate. Shiro, more than any of them, save Keith, was insanely picky about who he was willing to be left alone with. Prey instincts probably (even though Lance, the other prey type, practically

lived

to be dominated). The same thoughts were probably going through Keith’s head too.

Why did Shiro tell them, and what the heck had he been thinking?

The answer was obvious though. The rebellion. The rumours of Sendak’s plans. And Shiro, the one of them in the thick of it, had run out of time. He’d gone and pulled a hail mary in a last ditch attempt to figure everything out.

A hail mary that seemed to have hooked a

very

big fish. But the fight still wasn’t over. They still needed to haul him in.

“While it may be true that I extend the courtesy of private meetings between my companions and some guests, it seems your lieutenant’s imagination has gotten the best of him.” Kolivan was treading carefully, though Hunk wasn’t exactly sure why. They had Sendak here, practically

begging

for an audience with one of them. It wouldn’t be hard to work him-

“I believe

you

are mistaken Kolivan.” Sendak crossed his legs, staring down Kolivan like he was a stubborn toddler. “You see, I’ve spent some time looking at companion contracts, I

know

what conditions your license provides you.”

Kolivan stiffened. Sendak grinned. There was a mounting sense of dread building in Hunk’s chest. Whatever was going on here, it wasn’t good.

“Seems like you

do

know your limitations, which makes it all the more shameful that you’d go and breech them Kolivan. Really… who would have thought you, army golden boy, would go about violating Galran law? I can give credit where credit is due, you

do

have a smart little operation going here. Everything the public sees seems official, the vibe you give off makes it seem like you have everything in order, but it’s all a clever farce. Smoke and mirrors to distract from the truth. Even if you give off the impression of a commercial enterprise here, your little pets are nothing more than that,

pets

. And you know the rules surrounding personal companions.”

“I am well aware,” Kolivan hissed through gritted teeth. “What are you suggesting?”

“Nothing really,” Sendak shrugged. “Only that it would be a shame for you if it got out you were pimping your companions on a personal use license. In fact…” he drummed his fingers on his chin, “considering the number you have, I wouldn’t be surprised if yours was even more limited. Imagine what would happen if

someone

let the truth slip to an official. The repercussions to be had.”

Keith’s ears flattened against his head. That unease in Hunk’s stomach bubbled to a boil. Kolivan… Kolivan getting caught skirting the law spelled bad news for all of them. Even if he could feign ignorance, act as if he’d never known what transpired between them and their clients, there was no way any Galran court would believe him. Most officials they clued into their little backdoor dealings either didn’t know or didn’t care, but Sendak… Hunk rocked back onto the balls of his feet… Sendak seemed to have a grudge with Kolivan, something that dated all the way back to when they were soldiers together. He wasn’t about to ignore something like this… not without a price.

“What do you want?”

Sendak blinked innocently at Kolivan. “What do you-”

“You

know

what I mean Sendak. I

know

you. If you wanted to strip me of everything you could do it with a snap of your fingers. Instead you come here. Meaning…” he frowned, “you’ve come here to bargain.”

Slow clapping cut through the tension sizzling between the two Galra. Every echo felt like another jab of sound in Hunk’s ears as Sendak leered at his compatriot.

“

Very good

Kolivan. I

could

be persuaded to leave you and your illegal dealings alone, but for a price of course.”

“What are you-”

“You

know

what I want,” Sendak purred, and his gaze shifted over Kolivan’s shoulder. “It shouldn’t be hard for you really. After all, you clearly seem to enjoy letting your little pets copulate anywhere they please. All I’m asking for is the night with one of them.”

“We don’t-”

“A full night Kolivan. No one goes in, no one comes out. Just me and one of your pets until sunrise, doing whatever we please.” Sendak adjusted his belt, and only then did Hunk notice the sizeable bulge pressing against the seam of his pant leg. “The cat for instance… he looks as though he’d look good wrapped around my cock.”

“

Absolutely not!

” Kolivan growled, stepping between Keith and Sendak. Adrenaline flooded Hunk’s veins as he took a step forward as well, barring all of Keith from Sendak’s view. “Keith is-”

“Can you really call the shots here Kolivan?” Sendak mused. “Seems to me like I am the only one with cards left to play.”

“Kolivan’s right,” Hunk said, surprised at the edge of aggression in his voice. “Keith’s off the table. No one gets to touch him right now, and that means you too. Or do you want to deal with the repercussions?”

Sendak’s eyebrows rose, just for a second. Then he was back to normal, smiling at them both.

“I suppose your guard dog has a point. Very well. I’ll take another then.”

“I’ll do it.”

Both Keith and Kolivan looked at him. Hunk’s knuckles were white as he gripped the desk’s edge, beads of sweat sliding down his forehead betraying his nerves right now, but still he stood firm. Out of all of them he knew he was the best for this. He was good with unruly customers, he could calm down even the most aggressive or rambunctious of the bunch, bring them to that steady state of mind. It might take a while,

heck

, it might take half the night, but he was pretty sure he could coax Sendak away from where his mind was no doubt fixated and satisfy him in other ways. Lance definitely wouldn’t, not with someone like Sendak. In the end the commander would get just what he wanted and retain his power. With Hunk… well, there was a shot he’d still maintain control. He wasn’t going to be bent over easily.

Keith’s palm came to rest on his shoulder. “Hunk, are you

sure

?”

“Yeah…” he swallowed. “Pretty sure.”

A smattering of clucks left Sendak. The commander was shaking his head, that same smirk still spread across his mug.

“Honourable, but not to my tastes. I prefer something different… a little…

closer to home,

shall we say Kolivan?”

Hunk felt Keith press closer against his back. A growl was forming in Kolivan’s chest, a deep rumbling the Galra was suppressing has hard as he could.

“That rabbit of yours, he’s your second favourite, isn’t he? Seems to worship your cock by the sounds of it.” Kolivan let in a sharp inhale of breath, but Sendak brushed on. “Why don’t I take him for a spin? See how he reacts to a true warrior claiming him? Maybe then he’ll finally see what he’s missing.”

“Shiro is-”

“I’m what?”

The four of them spun to the doorway. Shiro stood there, leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. He’d changed into his wardrobe for the night and… well… it definitely left little to the imagination. Black straps and silk hugged at his chest as a mesh garter belt cinched his waist, highlighting the subtle hourglass of his hips. Even his underwear… little see-through patches everywhere, stood in stark contrast to his snow-white hair. The sight of him standing there had Sendak’s smile brightening another megawatt.

“Sh-Shiro…” Kolivan stammered, “we were just…”

“It’s me, isn’t it? You want me?” He uncrossed his arms and strode into the room, lip fixed in a pout. “Let me guess… Haxus told you.”

Sendak merely smiled at Kolivan. “I knew you had a smart one in him. Knows his place.”

“Shiro is-”

“It’s fine Kolivan,” snapped Shiro, so sharp the manager actually shrank back. “I’ll do it. After all, it’s my fault isn’t it? He wouldn’t be here asking for this if it wasn’t for me. The honourable thing is to see it through.”

“Shiro…” Hunk whispered.

He turned to face him, softness returning to his eyes for a second as he looked at Hunk and Keith. “Don’t worry. I can handle myself.” And then the steel was back, the cool, collected mask slipping back over his face as he turned back to Kolivan and Sendak.

“So… what exactly is the arrangement?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shiro tried to keep his breathing calm as he closed the door to the champagne room. More than ever before he was in the lion’s den. Willfully locking himself into a room with Sendak… a month ago he’d never have dreamed it, never even humoured the idea, but here he was. It had come down to this: him and Sendak. A battle of wills to see who would come out on top. Shiro bit his lip. No matter what, he’d crack him. It didn’t matter what it’d take, what he’d have to do.

His stomach curled in on itself.

Just not that

, he breathed. He wouldn’t surrender that part of himself, no matter how much Sendak might fight him for it. He’d dangle it like a prize in front of Sendak’s nose, draw him in and make him beg, but never,

never

let him claim that part of him. He just had to play the same dangerous game he always did, string Sendak along and tweeze out his secrets. All while staying safe.

“So… how does this begin?” Sendak was rubbing his claws together in unbridled glee, looking over the poshly decorated room.

“Lie down there,” Shiro said, pointing to the divan in the centre of the room. “And take your top off while you’re at it.”

“Wasting no time I see.” Sendak flashed a grin at him, plopping down into the cushions only to immediately begin unbuckling his layers of armour. Shiro watched as his shoulder pads tumbled onto the ground, arms still crossed over himself.

“I’m not going to pretend you’re here to just sit and talk politics,” he said cooly. “I know what you’re here for, but it’s happening on my terms. Meaning

that

needs to be taken off too.”

Sendak looked down at his massive prosthetic, humming with energy. “

No

, I don’t think so. You wouldn’t have another commander chopping their limb off for you? Or

would you?

”

His lips pursed. He’d been hoping to deweaponize Sendak as much as possible before this started, but it looked like the commander was wise to it. “

Fine

,” Shiro shrugged, leaning up against the wallpaper of golds and creams. “But in the very least turn any weapons systems off. I’m not about to let myself get blasted by something just because you get a little too excited.”

“That confident in yourself?”

“Maybe.” Shiro planted a foot against the wall, still watching. “You

did

request me after all…”

Sendak chuckled as he keyed in a combination of buttons hidden in the underside of his arm. Shiro missed the exact combination, but it was more than enough to know where the target lay. The energy tether connecting it to his shoulder dimmed, glow reduced to a faint purple. He shucked off the last of his armour, revealing the broad expanse of his chest.

Shiro sucked back a noise at the sight of the many scars crisscrossing his body. A great tangled cobweb of red covered what was left of his left shoulder.

“Impressed?” The commander smiled. “This is what a

real

soldier’s dedication looks like. Kolivan could only

wish

to carry so many battlescars.”

Shiro held his tongue. There was no point in arguing with Sendak. While he and Kolivan had the same tiger-striping of cuts long-healed over their torsos, there was nothing to be compared between the much more lasting marks that marred Sendak. By comparison, Kolivan had escaped with only scratches.

“Down on the couch,” he said. “

Face

down.”

“Cheeky, aren’t we?”

“Stalling, are we?” he quipped back, beginning to liberally douse his hands in oil from the vial beneath the table. The scent of citrus and pine filled the room, and Sendak seemed to accept his role and settled down onto his front.

Shiro gave him the once over as he continued to slick up his arms to the elbows, letting Sendak’s expectations mount with every clack of his heels on the marble floors. He was definitely on the large end for a Galra, muscles on the same scale as Antok’s. Probably meaning he was on the slower side, a good thing if Shiro needed to make a speedy dive away from him. Judging from his fur and ear type he would be the type to carry most of his weight in his shoulders.

Perfect

. It shouldn’t be too hard to work a few of the pressure points there, get him nice and relaxed and complacent.

“Now,” Shiro hummed, lips pressed against the back of Sendak’s ear. “Just relax and let me take control.”

Sendak took in a breath, but whatever he was about to say was lost as Shiro’s hands descended onto his scalp, kneading the tender spots just below where skull met ears. What left him was a rumble of pleasure.

“Feel good?” Shiro asked, changing locations to begin working on the spot just at the junction of neck and head. He dropped his voice, letting it wash over Sendak like bourbon and smoke. “You commanders are always so tense. You never seem to look after yourselves right.” Thick fur flowed through his fingers as he worked to lather the oil into Sendak’s coat. “You need to take better care of yourselves, can’t have you seizing up in the throes of battle.”

Sendak just groaned beneath him, pressing his face deeper into the couch. Shiro smiled. Even with all his might, Sendak still fell easy to the basic comforts. He continued to work along Sendak’s scalp, rubbing oil into his skin and making his fur shine. If he had to, he could draw this out for hours, lull Sendak into such a relaxed state the commander might very well fall asleep. Not a bad option actually… he’d have a chance to check through his pockets and devices unimpeded. But he did have to ante up eventually, Sendak wouldn’t be happy with just fingers for long.

Just as he felt Sendak’s head resist against his hands, Shiro made his next move. His palms slid down Sendak’s neck, planting them on either shoulder. Pressing all his weight down onto the Galra, he slipped a leg over his waist.

“What are you…

oh…

” Sendak rumbled as Shiro seated himself into the curve of his back, thighs hugging his sides. “Not so shy anymore, are we?”

“Nope,” Shiro said, coating his fingers in a fresh sheen of oil before bending forwards and starting on Sendak’s shoulders. He wiggled his hips slightly, just enough to stoke the coals in Sendak’s middle, settling himself in place. “Can’t be tonight.”

“Music to my ears…” The Galra sunk deeper into the couch, letting Shiro’s hands bunch and work the firm mountains of his shoulders. There were more scars back here too, though not as much as on his front.

An explosion maybe…

he thought. It would explain the spread.

“Prepping your master for a night with him, you really are looking for a treat…”

Shiro simply hummed, bending over and using his elbow to work a stubborn knot as he ignored that comment.
He kept eying the angry welts surrounding Sendak’s arm’s casing, the many fasteners and electrodes at the junction.

Was there anything special there? Maybe some connections that would let him fully power it down?

Lip tucked between his teeth, Shiro began to let his left hand move further and further down the slope of Sendak’s shoulder, closer to the raw skin peeking out from his prosthetic’s link.

How tender was it? Would he be able to-

“Not there,” Sendak rolled beneath him, knocking Shiro’s hand away. “Too many wirings. I’m not having you mess those up. Would be such a pain to have to sit with my machinist again.”

Ulaz.

Shiro’s heart jolted up into his throat at the thought. Of course. This was

his

work. Of course he’d be the only one Sendak would trust to touch it. Looking at it now… the detail… the dozens upon dozens of tiny interlocking pieces, the seamless lines between them all, he couldn’t help but reach out and touch it. Ulaz’s… Ulaz’s hands had made this. He’d touched every last piece, slaved over every last detail to make it perfect.

It might be the last link to him he’d ever have a chance to hold.

“Do I have to remind you twice?” Sendak growled. “I told you,

hands off!

”

Shiro was almost thrown from Sendak’s back as the commander swiveled to stare him down. His one good eye glinted dangerously at the companion, teeth bared. Shiro shrank backwards at sight. His heart was pounding for a different reason now.

“I-I’m sorry…” he stammered. “It’s just… such beautiful craftsmanship, I couldn’t help it. It’s really…” he licked his lips, “... I’ve never seen anything like it that close.”

He probably never would again either

. A stupid question was forming on his tongue before he could stop himself. “Who designed it?”

Sendak squinted at Shiro, but the companion’s continued frozen state did little to menace.

“My engineer,” he said slowly. “For his backwater progression through the Empire he’s decent at what he does. Attention to detail gets him a long way, even if his skills may be subpar compared to others.”

Shiro’s hands closed into fists against Sendak’s fur.

“He’s no one of consequence, you have no reason to concern yourself more on the matter.” Shiro was jostled again as Sendak turned back to the divan. “Just as it is your job to please me, it’s his to maintain. You occupy completely different spheres. That said…

rub

.” A large hand grabbed Shiro’s wrist, tugging it back up to Sendak’s shoulders. “And do

not

let me catch you toying with it again.”

“Of course.” The rabbit deflated as he brought his hands back into position. “You made yourself perfectly clear.”

“Next time don’t expect me to be so forgiving.”

Shiro avoided Sendak’s left shoulder like the plague.

Sendak… Sendak barely thought about Ulaz

. He shouldn’t be surprised,

really

, he shouldn’t, but for how much time Ulaz had suggested he’d spent with the commander, how much that time had worn on Haxus’s ego, it amounted to little more than Sendak calling him ‘acceptable’.

He was more than that,

Shiro thought, working a stubborn knot in Sendak’s shoulders. Sendak didn’t know anything about the real Ulaz, what made him special. No one really seemed to, but maybe that was okay. Maybe it could help him fool himself that no one else would ever feel the way he did about him, that he couldn’t just be replaced with another. A second, a small selfish seed formed in his chest.

What if he could be that for Ulaz?

What if he felt like a once in a lifetime meeting, a stardust slipping through his fingers? There… there was a chance after all. An incredibly slim one, as thin and fragile as paper. But still, a chance. So long as he hadn’t gone and ruined it, torn it to shreds right in front of him, there might be, just

might be-

“Lower…” Sendak moaned, hips rocking against the cushions, jostling Shiro both from his perch and his thoughts. “Almost…

there…

” Sendak’s muscles loosened even more, a steady groan leaving him.
Right. He had an objective. For better or worse, Ulaz played no part in it.
“You’re really tense,” Shiro coaxed, slipping back into his persona as his chest slid up against Sendak’s shoulder blades.

Use your assets. Focus only on the target.

“Something keeping you up at night lately?” he purred. “All the planning and politics of these war games… it can’t be easy for you.”

Sendak chuffed. “Perhaps... I can’t have my men performing poorly. A slip up is tolerable when they are in some backwater corner of space, but surrounded by other officials…” he grunted, moving into Shiro’s hands, “... failure is not an option.”

“Staying up writing inspiring speeches then?”

“You naive little lap pet,” Sendak laughed. “Men respond to power. They’re motivated by fear and ambition. You need to remind them of their place, and what it will take for them to claw their way to the top of the pack, and what will befall them if they fail. Though I suppose I shouldn’t expect a companion like you to understand.”

A line formed in Shiro’s brow. “Try me,” he said, pressing his elbow just a little bit harder into Sendak’s spine. The commander grunted. “You’d be surprised what this companion can do. Besides, I’m sure getting it off your chest will do you good.”

In the least, it would do the Den good.

He rolled his elbows up the well of Sendak’s back, hearing the discs click back into place. “I’m all ears.”

The commander clucked beneath him. “If you insist. I’ll try and make it nice and simple for you, though I

am

concerned. Just how well has Kolivan exposed you to the realities of the universe?”

“Enough to know when I’m being talked down to. Stop stalling.” For good measure he jabbed at the junction between two vertebrae. “This

pet

doesn’t just know how to fix your body, he also knows how to put it back out of alignment.”

Sendak hissed in pain. “Feisty

bitch

… though I suppose that does seem to be what Kolivan goes after. Very well, but if you get lost don’t expect me to rephrase myself any further.”

Shiro sincerely hoped Sendak could feel the daggers he was glaring into the back of his head. “I’ll take that risk.”

Sendak tapped Shiro’s knee, urging him to continue. “You see, every interaction in Galran society is a finely crafted moment, a game of chess between us all. Everyone vying for power, everyone looking to be the piece to win the game.”

“So what would that make you, a knight?”

“Oh, how naive you are…” Sendak chuckled. “It’s cute, really. It shows how little you know about games of strategy.”

And yet, you’re the one being lulled into the false security

, Shiro frowned. He stalled, letting his weight sink more into Sendak’s waist and make the commander work for his touch.

“You see,” Sendak continued, “a true king doesn’t rely on only his queen. He

creates

new ones, forms them from his own ranks. Pawns who demonstrate their worth are rewarded, promoted to levels other lowly soldiers could only dream of after emerging victorious on the other side of the battlefield,

queens

in their own right. Once granted that power, they possess everything they need to end the war.

“Zarkon knows this of course, as do a

select few

of us, including

yours truly

,” Sendak said, examining the wicked points of his nails. “But the Emperor is fickle. Impress him once, and nothing more will impress again beyond the defeat of the enemy’s king, captured and beheaded. But with so many queens in his ranks, so many vying to deliver that finishing blow, well…” he turned his face to eye Shiro, lips curling into a smile. “Anyone who will tell you these exercises are for mere training are fooling themselves. It is a bitter war, a battle for dominance between Zarkon’s finest. One that I will win.”

Shiro sucked in a breath.

Sendak couldn’t mean…

but he was practically on the verge of

admitting

to it, chess metaphors be damned. Sendak, Trugg, Ladnok, Ranveig… all the top commanders, all competing to be the one to stage the decisive check that would lead to the inevitable downfall of the resistance. It… it all made sense. Why only a select few knew about it, why the remainder of the army had no clue. This was a war between commanders, a battle from within only

they

knew of.

Meaning only

one

person could answer the question that had plagued them for weeks.

The one pinned between his legs.

“You sound pretty sure of yourself,” he cooed, leaning forward, turning Sendak’s face back into the pillows and playing the cords of his neck to keep him in place. “Be careful. The closer you are to victory, the harsher the defeat.”

“Unlikely,’ Sendak snorted. “I’ve all but assured victory.” One of his hands tried to snake up Shiro’s thigh. He slapped it away.

The commander growled into the cushions, trying to turn and glare at Shiro, but the companion held him firm by the base of the ears, working the pressure points until the resistance died.

“

See?

You got too cocky and look what happened. Denied when you were so close.”

The commander grumbled, but his hands stayed put.

“Moves like that make me worry,” Shiro continued, letting himself settle back into working the lower reaches of Sendak’s back, right between his thighs. “If you can’t handle a simple companion like me, how can I trust you can handle your ships when the time comes for action?”

“By removing follies from the equation. My ships could plummet into nonexistence and

still

I would emerge victorious.”

Shiro’s heartbeat began to mount.

It was a hint. A big one, vague as it was.

He tried to keep his breathing easy, his hands steady.

“Someone’s confident in themselves. But without a fleet, how are you supposed to surpass all those other rivals you’re talking about?” He pressed harder, almost as if he were trying to milk Sendak’s secrets from his body.

“By delivering what Zarkon wants above all else. The resistance’s leaders in his hands.”

A jolt racked Shiro’s body, fingers freezing in place. He’d been expecting it…

hoping

for it, and

still

, hearing it in person made his heart stop cold. His head swiveled to the camera mounted in dark ceiling of the room, praying Pidge had captured it.

“That’s… that’s a bold statement,” he chuckled nervously, slowly picking up from where he left off. “I thought no one knew anything about how the resistance was organized. I just thought it was a bunch of smaller ragtag groups.”

“They attempt to give off that air, captured ships admit to nothing before they kill themselves to evade capture, but it’s too elegant. There’s no way they could strike as they do, disappear as soon as they hit their marks without a network behind it. And no network, no matter how perfect, can’t be hacked. There will always be a weak link in the chain.”

Shiro swallowed, thumbs rubbing slow circles into Sendak’s waist. The network was supposed to be ironclad. Only the most trusted members, most elite were ever placed in the ranks of the enemy. They’d never turn… never give up their secrets… Sendak was bluffing, there was no way he’d be able to-

“Their next outing will be their last.

Then

,” Sendak’s fingers brushed Shiro’s knee, “it will only be a matter of time until we capture e

very last one

.

No. There was no way. No way Sendak would be able to track them all, no way he’d be able to route his way through the entire resistance. But…

Shiro’s blood ran cold.

He didn’t have to. He just had to track his way back far enough. Until he found Thalia… or…

Them.

They’d lead Sendak right to the head. Every piece of correspondence, every last encrypted signal. All it would take is one file left undeleted, one crossed wire, one confession, and everything would fall apart. Kolivan was too entrenched for it not to. Just one string linking back to them was all it would take for the Empire to invade the resistance

“What’s wrong? I told you not to stop and yet…”

“Ah… it’s nothing!” Shiro jumped where he sat. His whole tail was prickling, heartbeat causing his fingers to shake. He

needed

to get this information to Kolivan immediately. “Just… surprised, that’s all.”

“Interesting…” Sendak shifted under Shiro, rolling until they were face to face, the companion balanced in his lap. Two large hands ran up and down Shiro’s legs as the Galra gazed up at him like a cat who’d awoken from a pleasant nap. “I wouldn’t think a

companion

would find anything of consequence from the dealings of the Empire.”

Crap.

He’d been over zealous, pushing harder than he probably should have. It was time to backtrack, to cover his bases and lull Sendak back into blissful oblivion.

“It’s… it’s just so remarkable! That,

uh

, you…” Shiro racked his brains, “... you… found a way to defeat the resistance! People have been trying for years now and no one’s even come close, and here you are, with a way to take them out without even any ships or men. Just weeding out their spies and taking them out from the inside… it’s… I’m just amazed how simple it is.”

“I suppose it is.” A mask of modesty appeared on Sendak’s face, the commander’s hands rubbing circles into the creamy skin of Shiro’s thighs. He stared off, contemplative. “To conquer an enemy is to understand them, learn their weaknesses so you can exploit them. Though, I do have one question…”

Shiro paused in the middle of adjusting the straps of his top, hoping the tighter pressing of his chest would help distract. “... Yes?”

“I

am

curious… when did I ever mention my suspicions of spies within the army’s ranks?”

Shiro’s tongue turned to lead.

“Wha?” he said stupidly, thumb still underneath one of his bra straps.

“I

said

, when did I ever make any mention of spies? All I suggested was the capture of a single member could lead to the unraveling of their forces. In fact... “ his grip tightened, claws digging into Shiro’s skin, “I all but

said

I would capture them at their next attack. Even Trugg believed that to be my goal, and she is privy to

far

more than you could ever dream of being.”

Sendak was rising slowly, great beastly face drawing closer and closer to Shiro. Any humour in it was gone, replaced with something darker,

colder

.

“... Lucky guess?” Shiro squeaked.

“No… no I don’t think that.” Sendak’s nails dug in deeper. Shiro winced in pain, twisting and jerking to free himself. “Why would a simple companion guess that, when his world ends at the tip of Kolivan’s cock? How

could

he know the whisperings that few officials dare to speak of?” Sendak’s eyes flashed dangerously, maniacal grin mere inches from Shiro’s face. He could see every tooth, every wicked point, every line on the commander’s lips as he spoke.

“Unless he’s been told by someone. Someone who’d seek to ruin me, someone wishing to steal my glory for their own. Someone who, after years of silence, reaches out to me from the blue.”

“That’s not it! Kolivan didn’t!” Panic was creeping into Shiro’s voice now. It was like venom was entering him from Sendak’s hold on his body. “He never even mentioned knowing you until you showed up one time!”

Sendak was bending him backwards, Shiro shying away on instinct as his shadow loomed darker and darker over him. “Is that so? Well well… that

does

give some credence to Kolivan not being the orchestrator. Still...” he grinned again and Shiro felt a jolt of fear rack up his spine, “it builds on my other suspicions even more. Would you like to know what I think?”

Shiro’s mouth opened and closed. He prayed to god Pidge could see this, that she could tell what was going on. He needed intervention and fast. But until then, until he could find an opening for escape, he needed to stall Sendak out. He nodded, mouth agape.

“I think Kolivan still holds a grudge from our training days,

jealousy

from how he’s wasted away as I continue to prosper. I think he makes no effort to hide it, that it is obvious to anyone who thinks to speak my name in his presence. And I think that if presented… he would jump at the chance to aid in my ruin. For instance… one of the other commanders. For instance Ladnok-” he snorted. “That hag can’t stop praising Kolivan’s sorry ass for this hovel.”

Shiro rocked into Sendak’s grip, half in fear, half in testing the strength of the commander’s grip.

Just a bit looser… just a bit more…

He rocked again, only for Sendak’s nails to pierce into him with renewed aggression.

“They’ve recruited you into their little ploy haven’t they? Dangling you and your fellow whores in front of me in the hopes I’ll swallow their little bait and spill my secrets to them? That’s their plan. You’re here to warm my cock and tongue until you can crawl back to them, seed still leaking from between your legs to steal my success from out beneath me.”

Shiro couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even breathe. he was rooted to the spot, pressed into the arm of the couch. Even if every fibre of his body

screamed

to run, to fight tooth and nail for his life, even as Sendak’s grip drew blood or his eyes flashed with intent, Shiro was frozen.

His blind rush to his goal had ended in checkmate. For

him

.

“You’ll tell me,” Sendak growled. “Oh, you

will

tell me who put you up to this stunt. I

know

a companion isn’t smart enough to get this far on their own. No. You had help. You had information. So who…” he grasped Shiro’s neck, tugging the rabbit nose to nose, “

who

pulled Kolivan into this scheme?”

“I-I… I don’t… know!”

Sendak’s palm squeezed tighter around Shiro’s windpipe. “Oh,

but you do

. The sentimental fool has no idea of the inner dealings of Zarkon’s court. How would he know to target me otherwise?”

“I don’t know!” he choked. “

Really!

I don’t know anyone outside the staff!” Even as tears stung his lashes he let out a whimper of gratitude Kolivan never told him anything of the resistance’s members beyond fake names and the vaguest of descriptors. Even if Sendak tried to break him, he’d yield little more than dreggs.

“

Oh,

but I think you

do.

” A talon was tracing up the line of Shiro’s belly. He’d never felt so exposed in his life, even when he’d been spread fully bare for the world to see. All it would take was a flick of the wrist, a thrust of a finger and crimson could be spreading over his middle. “And you’re going to help me find out, whether you want to or not.”

The hand drew away for a second, and Shiro made his choice.

He kicked out at Sendak’s middle, landing a heel in the commander’s stomach and winding him with a crumpled gasp of surprise. He didn’t pause to check the commander’s response, kicking and lashing his way out of his grip, great pink claw marks scraping down his sides as he twisted from it, tumbling to his knees. He wasn’t even to his feet before he was bolting, making his way towards the door. Ten feet. Ten feet separated him from Sendak and freedom.

Eight.

Six.

And Shiro was lurched off balance, ankle trapped in a vice. He crashed forwards, wind knocked out of him, head reeling from the impact as he felt his bare belly scrape against the carpet as he was tugged backwards, back towards…

“

You

bitch!

You

do

know! You’re not getting away from me so easily!”

Shiro clawed at the carpet, fighting tooth and nail to keep from being pulled back into Sendak’s clutches. “I don’t! I don’t know anything about a commander plotting against you!”

“Lies

,” Sendak growled, one of his hands descending on Shiro’s neck to scruff him. The rabbit squealed, bucking under his hold as he tried to free himself.

It felt so wrong, so invasive… Sendak was a temper away from tightening his hold, closing down, crushing…

Hot tears slid down Shiro’s cheeks. He screamed, only for the grip to tighten. His head was dragged up, Sendak’s voice growling in his ear.

“Calling your master, are we?” At Shiro’s whimper of pain he could feel Sendak’s body weight press harder against him. “Good. I want to hear it from his own lips. It will make it all the more easy to try him for treason.”
God… they had to have noticed it now. There was no way Pidge or Kolivan could see what was transpiring on the cameras and not know things had gone terribly wrong. Faster…. They needed to come faster.
“I wonder…” Sendak purred, and the sound sent fresh shivers down Shiro’s spine. “If an owner takes after their pet, how prideful will Kolivan be in his denial?” The claws of his other hand slid down Shiro’s belly, Sendak’s bulk pressing into his back. “Perhaps he needs some…

incentive.

”

Shiro choked as he felt Sendak’s hand wind around his hips and down his thigh. He was boxed in, pinned down beneath the commander.

No…. no, he

couldn’t

be.

The waistband of Shiro’s bottoms snapped against his ass. He could feel something pressing up against his cheeks, hot and stiff even within the confines of the Galra’s pants.

“I

had

been planning to wait to enjoy you, truly make it a night never to forget, but sometimes plans change.” A finger wormed its way beneath the silk of Shiro’s panties. His whole body stiffened as he felt it thumb at the strap of his harness. “But I suppose I can move it up. After all, I doubt Kolivan would stand by idly as I claim his property as my own.”

Shiro rammed the back of his head into Sendak’s face. He screwed his eyes shut, jaw braced for impact as he connected to Sendak’s nose with a sickening crunch. The grip on his neck loosened and he yanked himself out of it.

Only to be thrown back to the ground, flipped on his back skull rattling in his ears.

“Bitch!

I’ll have to train that treachery out of you.” Sendak’s face was darker than Shiro had ever seen it, the only light the angry yellow of his eye. “You

will

submit as you were made!”

Shiro spat in his face, once again trying to twist away for dear life, but Sendak held fast. His hips were yanked up, onto Sendak’s knees, his face grabbed, chin pressed backwards, fingers pressing into his cheeks…

His eyes went wide in shock, lips moving but nothing coming out.

Sendak shouldn’t… he

shouldn’t

.

“I’ve been reading about your species,” Sendak smiled, continuing to apply pressure, forcing Shiro’s chin back. He could feel his control over his limbs disappearing, muscles locking up. Memories of the druids... hazy, fuzzy memories swam in the back of his mind, of being pushed down, haunches raised… “It’s quite fascinating really, just how many traits there are to make you the perfect little breeder. Submission is built into you whether you want it or not.”

Shiro whimpered in the back of his throat as Sendak continued to force him into a trance. It was like his body wasn’t his own. He could feel everything, hear the rocketing of his heartbeat, but nothing responded. He was frozen in Sendak’s hold, trapped.

Satisfied, the commander removed his hand from Shiro’s chin, allowing it to return to Shiro’s hips. His heart was beating a thousand miles a minute and

still

his body wouldn’t respond, the instinct to play dead overriding every other screaming voice in his head.

This wasn’t happening. This wasn’t supposed to happen, no one was ever supposed to trap him like this

. A whimper scrambled for freedom in his throat as he felt Sendak’s fingers parting his thighs

“Now…” Sendak grinned, a wicked, evil grin that had Shiro wanting to retreat inside himself.
“Shall we start here?” A claw traced up the curve of his ass, scraping over his hole, moving higher -

god not there

- high….

“... or

here?

”

Shiro’s insides clenched as he felt Sendak prod the root of the plug within him. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes, unable to flow.

“Yes…” Sendak purred, “I think here is best. After all, sullying the purity of Kolivan’s little toy… it

is

the best attack to his heart.”

A noise was torn from Shiro’s throat as his body was tugged closer to Sendak, pulled along on the plug that protected him from

that

. It was too much, too big, Sendak couldn’t take it out as it sat inside him, not strapped down as it was, but he continued to try all the same. The commander’s eyes narrowed in frustration, his great furry chest rising and falling rapidly as his fingers grabbed at the pommel that kept him from his prize. Shiro let out another scream, but his voice was faint, echoing in his own ears as if coming from miles away. Distantly, he could feel Sendak trying to get a better grip on his plug, great metal fingers making Shiro shiver as they closed around the hold.

And then there was a roar. Not from Shiro’s lips, but from Sendak’s.

The Galra’s body convulsed, muscles jerking, hand shaking against Shiro’s legs. Shiro could only watch in horror as Sendak’s eyes went wide in shock. His eardrums shook under Sendak’s bellows, incomprehensible words tumbling from his lips. The commander grabbed at his chest, clawing at his shoulder plate as the pitch of his screams heightened as waves of pain wracked through his body. Crackles of electricity sparked from around the stump of his arm, Sendak’s eyes rolling back in time with his spine as he let out a final shriek of pain.

Shiro could only close his eyes and brace himself as Sendak’s body tumbled on top of him. His rear struck the floor, chin bashed painfully against Sendak’s chest as it collapsed on top of his face, the metal of his prosthetic slicing across his nose. He lay there, trance broken but still unable to move, unable to process what had just happened.

Sendak had just…

what?

Distantly he could hear the sound of doors opening and slamming shut, footsteps thundering down the halls. He tried to push Sendak off him but the commander’s body weight and position were too much. He couldn’t get enough leverage to pull himself free.

Light flooded the spot where Shiro lay pinned, a sliver of blue-grey from the hall filling the gap he could see out from beneath Sendak’s frame. Two feet emerged in the sliver of light, a gasp leaving their owner as knees suddenly materialized before him and Sendak’s bulk was being shoved off him. He struggled faster now, working with them to free himself, only to find his elbow grabbed in a strong grip and ripped from under Sendak into their arms, face pressed up against a thundering heart. He was crushed against a warm chest, long fingers stroking through his hair. Something was wrapped around him, warm and flowing, shaky breathing in his ears.

This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. But the smell was right, the touch, the frame he was held against as if he’d never be let go. Shiro’s heartbeat continued to mount, body still as alert as a bowstring, even as every touch and breath made his adrenaline drop more and more. It wasn’t possible, but there he was.

“Thank Daibazal…” croaked Ulaz.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shiro couldn’t process it. His face was pressed into fur that smelled of fresh earth and mineral oil, body held so carefully as if he might break. A foot was still pinned under Sendak’s unconscious form, he could feel something dripping down the bridge of his nose, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not with shaking fingers stroking his head and cradling his spine, not with the breathless words rushing past his ears.

“I saw his console… oh Oriande, the

things…

the

things

he had pulled up, the pages from my own work. And then

Haxus

…” Shiro’s tail tingled at the growl, the sheer emotion there, “

Haxus…

if I don’t see him for another decapheeb it will be too soon. What in quiznack was he thinking? I-”

It wasn’t possible. Ulaz shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t have come back to the Lion’s Den, shouldn’t have been the one to drag him out from beneath Sendak. There… there should be Antok. Or Kolivan. Or Regris or Vrek or any other member of staff. He shouldn’t be here, wrapped in Ulaz’s arms, hearing the

crack

in his voice, the desperation and relief crashing together with such force he struggled to speak. It was all… all too…

Shiro hissed. Pain shot through his arm where he’d pinched himself between finger and thumb. He did it again, just to make sure, nails cutting hard, drawing another grunt of pain out of him.

Real.

It was real.

His face was yanked from against the warmth that had been steadily stoking his calm, grounding him to the reality -

this reality - and

taken between hands he’d never think would touch him in again.

Ulaz gazed down at him, eyes wide with fright. The sight took his breath away. It was a face he never expected to see, one so raw and bare he wanted to take it in his own palms, stroke his own thumbs over those sharp cheekbones and tell everything was alright. It was like looking into a mirror to himself, bare minutes ago.

“Shiro. Are you alright? You’re…” A finger swiped over Shiro’s cheek, and from the corner of his eye he could see the red seeping into the fur. His lower face felt like it’d been splashed with warm syrup, but that was the least of it. It didn’t matter right now.

“It’s okay,” he said, his voice smaller than anticipated. He leaned into Ulaz’s palm, trying to place this feeling, why it felt so

right

, like it had happened a thousand times before. “Mm’okay.”

But Ulaz didn’t quite seem to be listening. He was scanning Shiro now, up and down his arms, his legs, his torso. His head was pulled this way and that as Ulaz completed his once over, eyes growing wider and wider in time to the steady dip in his ears.

“What else did he do?” Shiro tried to look at his body, see the damage to it, but Ulaz held him back. All he could catch were great stripes of pink up his legs.

Claw marks

.

Shiro’s stomach flipped.

The reaction clearly wasn’t what Ulaz had wanted to hear. Thumbs were stroking his temples, his face tugged back to look the Galra in the eyes.

“

Please.

Tell me he didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” But the realization struck him before Ulaz could continue.

That

.

He went stock still, muscles strung between freezing and giving out entirely. It did not go unnoticed.

“Shiro…

please

. You have to tell me. If he did there- there isn’t much time…”

He was distinctly aware of Ulaz’s hand sliding down his back, along the curve of his shoulder blades, down his waist, freezing at the small of his back. A look of conflict wiped over the Galra’s face as his grip tightened on Shiro’s jaw. It moved no further, shaking against the band of his garterbelt.

Shiro’s belly churned. Ulaz was frozen, as unable to move as he was to speak, to say the words neither of them wanted to think of. He…

why was Ulaz so worried? Why did he look as though it was life of death?

Before he could stop it, his hand was moving, slipping along his side and threading closer… almost touching…

Ulaz’s hand jumped back at his touch, even the one still holding Shiro’s cheek pulling away as the companion reached out. His fingertips just managed to catch a single digit, holding it in space, a single fragile tether, as delicate and temporary as the look they shared. But it didn’t flee any further. Heart in his throat, Shiro tightened his grip. Eyes still locked onto those wide, unblinking golden voids, he guided it lower, past the quivering mess of his tail, past the straps and frills. Ulaz sucked in a gasp as Shiro pulled it down along the curve of his rear, beneath the fabric of his bottoms, lips pressed into a thin line, but still Shiro continued on, eyes sliding shut.

Together, their fingertips hooked the string anchored inside himself.

Relief flooded his bones as Shiro gave it a gentle tug, the plug protesting. It was still there. Intact. Safe.

“No…” he whispered, body still processing the fact that his plug was inside, firm and unyielding in his passage. Ulaz’s finger tensed and Shiro felt a little shot of warmth at the feeling of his entrance resisting, trying to keep it locked inside. His hips rocked forwards slightly, increasing the stretch against his ring.

“Thank god…” he groaned, body finally releasing a fraction of the tension stored within it it for what felt like eons now. “I was… He tried.

Really tried.

I thought he might do it. Thought he might...” he swallowed, the very words turning to ash in his mouth. Repeating things, letting them play out behind his eyelids, it almost felt as if he were back then. “He said he was going to sully me. Do it to hurt Kolivan. It was-” but his future words were erased, gone as he was pulled into Ulaz’s chest yet again, the fresh feeling of tears staunched against the pressed fabric of Ulaz’s uniform.

“Thank goodness you stopped him,” Ulaz whispered, hand once again in Shiro’s hair, petting the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. “He had accessed my files and gone through my old notes. I… I’m sorry Shiro. I-” his fingers knotted in Shiro’s short locks, “I feel as though I might be responsible for his intentions. I believe he came here tonight with something in mind.”

Nerves bubbled in Shiro’s stomach, remembering the confrontation from earlier.

God…

it felt like weeks ago now, Sendak threatening Kolivan with repercussions, demanding an audience with one of them. “It… I’m pretty sure you’re right,” he croaked. “He knew what he wanted. Asked for Keith and then me.”

Fingers dug into Shiro’s sides. A prickle of fear burrowed in at the root of Shiro’s tail.

“Ulaz?” he breathed.

The Galra drew in a breath, pressing Shiro even closer to him, so close Shiro could feel individual hairs tickling his cheeks. Another time he would relish the feeling, but now… now it only added to his mounting unease.

“It’s as I feared. He’d planned to land an emotional blow to your owner, one that would throw everything into question.” Ulaz paused, Shiro’s pulse skyrocketing. He’d… he’d gathered as much, Sendak wanting to be tended to by forbidden fruit, get to enjoy something few Galra ever did. It was almost stupidly obvious, but the tone in Ulaz’s voice made it feel darker, more sinister. The tension in his arms belayed something else, something

worse

.

“Ulaz?” he whimpered.

The Galra’s ears fell back, his voice even more so.

“He planned to breed one of you.”

Whatever he’d been expecting, it wasn’t that. Shiro blanched, pushing his way out of Ulaz’s arms. “He

what?

”

“Breed you,” Ulaz repeated, a note of confusion creeping in with a rising sense of panic. “He… he had my full portfolios on companion cycles open. He was looking at-”

“That’s… that’s not possible,” Shiro laughed, a hysterical bubble of relief breaking from his lips before he could stop it. “It’s not… Keith’s the only one in heat right now. And I can’t, I’ve

never

had one. He… he was just trying to get under Kolivan’s skin. Even… even if,” he bit his lip, “even if that was his plan, it wouldn’t have worked…”

Ulaz had gone still. Shiro froze. Something in that look, the same pain and something extra
from

that time

mixed in with the rest of his face. The brief helium rise of his mood was gone, weighed down as heavy as radon. Something was wrong.

“What… is there something?”

Ulaz’s voice was quiet. Too quiet.

“You don’t know… do you?” At Shiro’s silence, he pressed further, urgency rushing in. “Does Kolivan? Does anyone?”

“What?” Fear was creeping up Shiro’s spine, fibre by fibre, rising with every second Ulaz continued to look at him like that. “Ulaz… is there something I should know? Something I don’t-”

“You… your species,” Ulaz breathed, eyes sliding away from Shiro’s face. “You… your heats are induced. You enter one every time you are… when something... penetrates.”

His heart stopped. And yet somehow Shiro continued on living, rushing noise growing in his ears.

It wasn’t possible. He was sterile. He’d always been. He… he just liked sex, that was it. There was no other reason he loved the feeling of something sliding inside of him, no other reason that even now, moments ago, he’d felt the feeling of something stoking the flames inside him at the barest tug of the plug inside him.

“Y-you’re wrong!” he stammered. “I… there has to be a mistake. I-I have to be spayed or-”

“Shiro… there is no rabbit companion on record that has been-”

“Then the records have to be wrong! It has to be some kind of oversight! Or I’m not purebred! Some kind of- of exception!” His pulse was back now, racing forward like a sprinter to the finish line, faster,

faster…

“Shiro,” Ulaz warned, a hand coming to steady him, but it did the opposite. His mind was racing a mile a minute. A second. A nanosecond. It wasn’t possible, except it was. Everything was rushing back to him now, every word, every finger, every moment rolled between sheets.

Submission is built into you...

Finger him for a few seconds and he’s ready...

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you wanted me to fuck you instead of the other way around...

His hand found its own way between his legs, fingers wrapping around the cold metal of his plug. Shiro tugged at the device, throat seizing as he felt his insides contract, a shot of warmth going directly to his cock.

The truth made his head spin.

He was… he was a breeder.

There were always rumours about them in facilities, hushed whispers late at night, stories of people taken away out of nowhere, purchased without so much as meeting their owner. Made for one purpose, shipped across the galaxy never to been seen or heard from again, save from the ones who would take them every night, push them until their bodies could hold no more and still push, all in the name of continuing lineages. They were never heard from again, not unless their bodies finally gave out, returned to facilities through hushed whispers, kept away from the innocent eyes of those who had never left the gates.

He’d never met one. Never met anyone who’d known one, and yet the nature of his sale. The dark patches in his memory from checkups and druid tests. How he’d always been expressly kept away from the studs, even more so than other general companions…

It all added up.

Shiro clapped a hand over his mouth. He felt like he was going to be sick. The danger of tonight loomed so much closer now, towering over him like a beast made of only teeth and claws.

Sendak… Sendak could have… No. Not could have, he was

going

to.

He was going to breed Shiro, dangle that over Kolivan’s head, make the manager have to fight to end it all.

And worse…

worse…

Shiro gagged, the room spinning around him, feeling far to big and far too small all at the same time. Worst of all, they

couldn’t

have done anything. He wasn’t even Kolivan’s, not legally. There was no way he could be taken to a facility to fix things. He’d have had no choice but to wait month after month, feel Sendak’s spawn grow inside him. He’d been so close to it… just a few more minutes away… just…

He knew there were hands on him, trying to comfort him, to stroke his sides. He knew Ulaz was saying words, trying to snap him out of it all, but nothing came through. It was like he was underwater, ten feet deep and sinking, the outside world further and further away from him, leaving him with only himself and his thoughts. Only himself and-

Shiro’s eyes snapped onto the prone form of Sendak’s body, still laying in a crumpled heap on the ground.

Fresh nausea wracked through him.

He couldn’t be here anymore.

He needed someplace else. Someplace small, someplace

safe

, far away from

everything

.

He made to stand, only to sway forward, caught by Ulaz.

“Leaving…” he groaned, pushing off the other and shuffling forward on his knees towards the open door. “Can’t… can’t be here.”

He crawled across the hall ignoring the noises around him. He could hear a haze of footsteps, of voices and music and more. They were all blissfully unaware, naive and stupid, same as he used to be. How had he never questioned it before? How had he never wondered more? How had Kolivan never bothered to check?

His hand found a doorknob. Shiro pushed. The dark expanse of a broom closet opened up.

It had been sheer dumb luck that he hadn’t found out sooner the wrong way. Kolivan’s protections for all of them had kept it that way. Even each other… If… if Kolivan hadn’t been so concerned over Keith, making sure all of them posed no risk to each other, how quickly would they have found out the truth?

Shiro slumped down beside a mop and bucket, ears fisted between his fingers as he tried to block out all noise, even the rushing of his own heartbeat. It was better in here, not by much, but it was a start.

There was more noise outside now, shouts by the sound of it.

Please… let them find Sendak, but leave him alone for now.

He couldn’t deal with more, this was enough. The reality he’d lived was crumbling around him, peeling back the illusion of safety to reveal the truth, the tightrope act he’d been navigating blindly his entire life. He should shut the door, keep them out, give himself a little more time-

The door slammed closed, throwing him into near-darkness. The cracks around the frame provided the thinnest halo of light, just barely illuminating the edges of the figure leaning against the metal.

“Shiro…” Ulaz whispered. “Shiro,

please

talk to me. I need to know if you’re okay.”

Shiro made a noise like a dying motor deep in his chest, a whining groan on its last few puffs of life.

“Shiro… I… I couldn’t have known you had no idea. I assumed-”

“You assumed wrong,” he choked. Where the strength for words was coming from he had no idea, but now that they were coming, there was no stopping them. “

I

assumed wrong. How was I supposed to know? Everyone else… everyone I’ve ever known… it’s a heat cycle. No cycle, no heats. The druids never told me, Kolivan

definitely

didn’t know… I…” he sucked in a breath, trying to ground himself just a fraction more, “how was I supposed to know I’m a breeder?”

“A wh-”

“You know,” Shiro said, waving a hand at Ulaz’s shadowy figure. “We all heard rumours in facilities of companions made just for that. Turns out I’m one of them… That’s… that’s why you were so concerned, wasn’t it? You

knew

how risky it was for me to be around dozens of Galra, didn’t you?”

He could just make out the slow bob of Ulaz’s chin as the Galra lowered his eyes.

“That… that was certainly a part of it.”

“And there I am,

stupid

, having

no

idea what the heck could happen to me, thinking I’m the

safest

out of everyone here? That that’d

never

happen to me?” He snorted, fresh bile washing up his throat. “God, look at me. Giving Sendak that opening, not even knowing what could go wrong. It’s just dumb luck that his arm went and shocked him unconscious. If that hadn’t happened… if that-”

“What?”

Shiro bit into his lip, holding back from reminding himself of the nightmare treading just below the surface. “You… you know what Ulaz. You’re the one-”

“

No

, I mean, what did you say about his arm?”

Shiro stirred in place, grip around his ears loosening. Funny that Ulaz should be so interested in that, but then again, he

was

the one designing it. “That it malfunctioned? He was trying to… to…” Shiro sucked in a breath, “get at things, and it just happened. All of a sudden he was screaming and twitching and-”

He shook his head, trying to get the memory out. If he ever had to go back in that room it would be too soon.

“Shiro…” Ulaz’s voice was carefully measured, leaning forwards until the faint yellow halo of his eyes were level with Shiro’s own. “Did he do or touch anything in particular when it happened?”

“My… my plug,” he said slowly. “It’s a strange metal, so only Kolivan can remove it safely. There’s a chance it reacted badly with his arm?” Saying it out loud, the idea didn’t surprise him. Maybe Kolivan had rigged them that way to shock anyone that wasn’t him. But then again… it had never shocked anyone else. There’d been countless times he’d played with it, and the others too. There was even that one instance with Vrek and Lance, and nothing had gone wrong there. Which meant it

had

to do with Sendak’s prosthetic. Maybe the materials weren’t compatible…

“Shiro,” Ulaz repeated, slower now. “I need you to be honest with me. Is there more you aren’t telling me?”

He stared into the darkness. Ulaz remained statue still. “I didn’t try to kill him if that’s what you mean.”

“That’s…

no

, that is not what I’m asking. Why did you willfully agree to be alone with Sendak, even after seeing first hand his attitudes towards companions? Why did Kolivan let it happen even though they both make their feud no secret?” Ulaz raised a hand as Shiro’s mouth opened. “What could you possibly have wanted from it?” The golden gleam of his pupils narrowed. “Do not say satisfaction of a job well done. I now know your true feelings about the idea of

that

exploit with the commander, whether you knew of the risks or not.”

Shiro blinked at Ulaz, trying to make out his face in the dark. “Why does it matter to you?”

“Do I not deserve the truth at this point?”

The words sent a pang shooting through Shiro, and with that, he was taken back to that night. The knots on knots of guilt, the look on Ulaz’s face, the way his chest felt, tugged into two directions so hard it might split at any second. There was no telling what Ulaz looked like now, darkness obscuring all but the silhouette of his head.

He wanted to tell him. He

did

. But the rules... the safety of the resistance. He’d just come so close to Sendak ripping it from him, tearing it from his body like he would have Shiro’s most intimate parts, he couldn’t… not so soon. But Ulaz… despite everything, despite Shiro taking his trust and letting it tumble to the floor and shatter in his own fingers, was here again before him. Here to protect him, save him from what he’d suspected Sendak would do. Even after their last moments together, he’d come back, ears steadily drooping with each passing second of silence from Shiro.

Despite everything, despite his worries that what may have been that connection was gone for good, there he was, the same steady energy diffusing from him, willing Shiro’s bones to calm.

“I… I want to…” he breathed, heart feeling tight in the confines of his chest. “

Really

Ulaz, I do… more than you know.”

Oh god,

way

more than you know

. “It’s just…” he bit his lip.

“Just what?”

“Just… can I trust you? As in,

really, really

trust you? Because as much as my gut keeps screaming at me that I can, that everything will be fine, there’s always a part of my brain screaming back

no

, no I can’t. Not when you’re one of

his

, working with

him

. I shouldn’t be lulled into security, no matter how different you are… how kind you are, or how gentle. How you’re nothing like Sendak or even other officers who’ve ever taken an interest in me. You… you treat me like I’m real… an equal. But it’s so hard to shake it...”

“Shake what? Shiro… you can tell me.”

Shiro shook his head, ears flopping to and fro even as his vision swam. “I’m sorry… I really want to, but if I’m wrong… if I’m wrong then things could get so much worse. But-” he sucked in a breath, “Ulaz, there’s so much I

wish

I could tell you, so much that would all make this okay, make it so you could understand every stupid mistake I made, why I had to do things that ended up hurting you…”

He could feel the heat of the Galra’s body nearby, but he didn’t look up. Words felt like stones on his tongue, weighing it down, making it work to form every last thought his brain put forward.

How could he spill his guts and still remain safe? How could he do it and protect the Den?

“I… I heard a rumour…” he said finally. “A rumour about Sendak and…

that

. His issues with Kolivan and stuff, how he might… might find a way to shut the Den down.” He could do this, he might be able to do this, keep all mention of the resistance out and hopefully,

hopefully

Ulaz would understand him for what he did. “I was scared, so was Kolivan, we had no idea what he might be planning. And then… then I ended up befriending

you

.” He bit his thumb, trying to keep himself from rocking in place. “I… I didn’t want to, but Kolivan thought we didn’t have a choice. We needed to know what Sendak was planning,

if

he was even planning anything. I didn’t want… I

couldn’t

let him just separate all of us! I don’t… none of us knew what would happen if we were returned, what even

happens

to companions in that case? So… so you see… that’s why… that’s why I had to do it.”

He could feel the warmth of Ulaz’s hand, hovering over his shoulder. He didn’t deserve it, not now, but his heart wouldn’t let him swat it away. It touched down, firm and stable, and Shiro felt a fresh wave of emotions wrack over him.

“I’m so sorry Ulaz…” he croaked, voice finally betraying him. “I never tried to use you. I didn’t want to, I

never

did, no matter how much Kolivan pressed me to, because… because…” he bit his lip, hard enough to feel the threat of blood welling up, boiling like his insides were right then. It was too much. So, so much, thoughts and feelings buried down deep now threatening to boil over as his lips moved on their own, saying things he never thought he would.

“I… I like you more than I think I ever should. More than I have any right to. I was just supposed to-to learn what I could, but you…

you…

” He had no idea what he was doing, words rushing out of him before he could stop himself. It was like a dam he’d let loose, feelings flowing out of the bottomless pool of his insides. “You…

you’re so amazing

. You’re like no one I’ve ever known. I just wanted to

be

with you, listen to you, t-touch you…” he felt his cheeks flare red. “The way you smell, and how your ears look like a puppy’s when you get worried, how you light up when talking about the things you love… it’s just… how was I supposed to ignore all that? I don’t… I don’t know how. It wasn’t supposed to happen, but it just

did

. I think… I think I lo-”

But Shiro never got a chance to complete his last thought, not even so much as breathe the last syllable. Before he could shape his lips, form his tongue around the

‘v’

, they were met with Ulaz’s own.

Tears he’d been fighting back overflowed, knees struggling to stand locked in place. Ulaz’s mouth pressed up against his own, soft, insistent, pushing forwards more and more until instinct took over and he leaned in, deeping the kiss. He could taste him, the salt and heat and

Ulaz

of it all, slowly washing over him like bathwater, coaxing him down, down into only the feeling of the moment. Before he knew it he was leaning in further, opening up more and allowing Ulaz inside as he tasted the beyond his lips, the feeling beyond anything he could have expected, ever

dreamed

of imagining.

He let Ulaz take his weight, one of his arms wrapping around the Galra’s neck and pulling him closer, letting him taste every corner of Ulaz’s lips, holding them in his own as if he’d forget them the moment he pulled away. A palm cupped his cheek, thumb stroking his cheekbones so gently he wanted to cry all over. This wasn’t happening. It shouldn’t be happening. But it was and it was everything and more… more than he’d ever let himself dream of. The light in his chest flared bright, every last fear, every last doubt and reason cracking and falling away. That feeling in his chest bloomed, brighter than a star and twice as warm. Nothing… nothing could overtake this.

They pulled away, panting, Shiro’s head spinning from the dive he’d just taken. It felt like he’d surfaced in another universe entirely. One where-

“I think I lov-”

“I know,” Ulaz said, cutting him off as his other hand moved to cup the back of Shiro’s head. His eyes were lidded, the barest hint of flush showing through the pale fibres of his fur. He looked so gorgeous right then, the ripple of his eyes standing out amongst the darkness that surrounded them. Twin stars, pulling him in and never letting go. He pulled Shiro’s face to his own, foreheads together, tips of their noses touching as Ulaz stroked the back of Shiro’s neck.

“Y-you do?” he choked. He’d never thought… not

ever…

A deep vibration was running through Shiro’s skull now. Purring. Ulaz was purring, thumbs wiping the final traces of tear tracks from Shiro’s cheeks, nose rubbing his own, soft fur tickling his skin.

“It was a feeling,” he hummed, letting his bottom lip rub against Shiro’s. “And I feel the same.”

The companion’s lips parted, eyes rolling closed, their bodies pressing together as he let Ulaz’s words sink into him with their next kiss.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

He’d expected the worst. He’d expected blood maybe, or shredded scraps of fabric. The second Keith had seen Sendak pin Shiro to the floor he had bolted from his position behind the manager’s desk to find Kolivan. When they’d made it to the private rooms he hadn’t known what they would find, only that they hoped they weren’t too late. He hadn’t expected to it to be Sendak’s body in the middle of the floor, without a scrap of Shiro to be found. Anxiety had skyrocketed, the fact Sendak was still breathing was an afterthought to the real pressing issue:

where was Shiro?

As it turned out, in the closet across the hall. Sucking face.

Shiro’s leg was wrapped around a Galra’s waist, a single hand scrunched up in his mohawk, the two of them completely oblivious to Keith and Kolivan standing in the doorway. The stranger had taken over Shiro’s whole world, which in a way, he guessed he had. Keith felt a little swell of happiness in his chest at the sight of Shiro pulling back for a second, whispering something only the Galra could hear. He looked so happy, at peace (and also halfway to wrecked). The other hummed, pulling Shiro’s jaw back in place and resuming their kiss.

“

WHAT IN QUIZZNACKING ORIANDE IS GOING ON HERE?”

The Galra nearly dropped Shiro ass-first into a bucket, the companion just managing to avoid the fall by spidering even tighter onto his chest. Both of them looked completely shell shocked - frightened rabbits, Keith smiled to himself - at the sight of Kolivan seething over the feline’s shoulder. The air was suddenly tense, static crackling in the cramped space. No one dared to move. He figured he needed to do something to break it.

“Hi. I’m Keith. You must be Ulaz.”

All attention snapped onto his outstretched hand, nowhere within shaking distance of Ulaz. Realistically, he probably could have thought of something better than that.

“You…. you

knew

about this?” Kolivan growled.

“He… he knows about me?” Ulaz whimpered, voice somewhat muffled by the fact Shiro had frozen with his bottom lip between his teeth.

“We had a moment,” Keith shrugged, letting his hand fall away in favour of crossing his arms. Ulaz and Shiro continued to remain frozen against the closet wall. There was a gash across Shiro’s nose, but that seemed to be the worst of it. Paired with the markings on Shiro’s legs, chances were they were more related to Sendak’s sudden turn than anything Ulaz had done. Come to think of it, Ulaz probably had been the one to knock Sendak out. The tip of Keith’s tail wagged in approval. Beating up his commanding officer to protect Shiro. Yeah, he was definitely leaning towards pro-Ulaz.

He turned to Kolivan, still seething behind him. “It’s been going on for a little while, at least on Shiro’s side. If you’ve been wondering why he’s been distracted lately, it’s probably thanks to his massive crush he’s been trying to ignore.”

Shiro and Kolivan winced, the former trying to sink even further into Ulaz than he already was, and the latter’s lip curling up to reveal the point of one of his canines. Ulaz on the other hand, had a dopey look on his face, one Keith recognized as the same one Kolivan made when Keith said something exceptionally sappy about him.

“So he’s been seducing Shiro, has he?” He could feel Kolivan sizing Ulaz up, trying to figure out how easy it would be to take him. Probably not too hard, judging by the fact his hands were still busy holding up Shiro. Keith hoped he’d be able to read the room enough to put him down. “Trying to brainwash one of my own to fuel your fantasies?” The manager’s knuckles cracked, jaw set in preparation for a fight. “I almost feel sorry for you, I have no idea what you must have been thinking.”

“What about you?” Ulaz said cooly, carefully setting Shiro down before standing between him and Kolivan. “I could ask you the same thing. As his caretaker you should

know

the risks that come with his species. What you just did to him would be grounds enough for him to be seized for negligence.”

“He knew what he was doing, unlike you.”

“Really now?” Ulaz stepped closer and Kolivan let out a growl, pulling Keith behind him. The officer seemed to hold no fear. “From what I can tell,

neither

of you knew what would have transpired if Sendak had managed to do what he’d come here for tonight. Handing over a rabbit companion to someone you don’t fully trust,

that

is something a proper owner would never do. But you’re not his proper owner, are you?”

Keith sucked in a breath as Kolivan took a step back, clearly shaken.

“You don’t know what you’re saying…” he growled, but Keith knew his voice well enough to feel the tension in it.

“I think I do actually. There was a shipment a few years back that was hijacked. Rebel attack, the ship was damaged, one of the transport pods released in the fight. The companion was assumed to be lost in space, but that wasn’t the case, was it?” Ulaz fingers drummed against his arm, the hint of amusement edging it’s way into his face. “Shiro’s that companion. Am I wrong?”

“You don’t… I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kolivan hissed, but he was faltering, cracks starting to form in his mask. “What on earth would give you that idea?”

Keith’s ears pressed back, hairs on his tail beginning to stand on end. If Ulaz was right, and

fuck, he was definitely right

, it wouldn’t be hard for him to piece together the rest of the story and everything else. He was just a few small steps away tying Kolivan to the rebellion. From behind him, Shiro whined, his own ears pressing against his hair at the standoff.

“A lot of things haven’t made sense to me. How you were able to secure the licenses for so many companions without being a commercial entity. How you were discharged from the army with honours, with mere scratches in comparison to what Sendak received in that firefight. Why you’d insist on forcing your companions into doing things they didn’t want.”

“He… he didn’t force me,” mumbled Shiro. The Galra turned to look at him, the companion’s ears turning pink at the tips. “I just… I couldn’t let him down.”

Ulaz’s gaze swung back to Kolivan, lips cemented in a thin line. “Thank you Shiro, my mistake. Making them

feel

they had no choice in certain matters. But certain information tonight has
illuminated all of this. I think I know your game-” Kolivan tensed, “-and it all has to do with

him.”

Ulaz’s finger swept down the line of Kolivan’s shoulders, landing squarely on…

“

Me

?” Keith startled, taken aback. He was seconds away from jumping back, hackles raised, energy in the room keying him up. “

What?”

“It is not a mistake you ended up with him, is it? He was the condition of your discharge, the entire reason for it. At first I’d thought it was just coincidence but-”

“

Who

are you?” Kolivan growled again, and Keith could see him reaching for where he kept his dagger hidden in his belt. “And why do you know about Keith?”

“The same as you,” Ulaz leveled, own hand creeping towards his side, “a request of Krolia’s.”

Both Galra drew their blades in an instant, whirling them towards each other’s faces. Keith felt a shout leave his throat, heard Shiro echo his yell, but it was too late. The two of them shot towards each other, metal gleaming in the low light-

Only for their blades to tumble to the ground. Keith caught the flash of an insignia, a familiar icy blue glow on Ulaz’s as it fell from his fingers. It disappeared in an instant, leaving him unsure he’d ever seen it at all. Both Galra stood still, hands raised, eyeing one another.

No one moved.

“I… I’d never have thought,” Kolivan whispered, voice low. “I had known there were deep operatives, but I never believed I would come across one.”

“Just as I never expected to find one running a seedy establishment on this side of the galaxy.” Ulaz’s eyebrow arched in amusement. “And yet here we are brother.”

“Brother?” Keith echoed. “Wait. Kolivan, what’s going on? Why are you…” but the two of them had already grabbed palms, shaking vigorously, all signs of malice gone. Kolivan laughed, hand heartily slapping Ulaz’s arm.

“Brother in arms Keith. If I’m not mistaken,

you

must be Thace’s man in Sendak’s army.”

“It would appear so,” smiled Ulaz.

The four of them found themselves in Kolivan’s office, all crammed around the leader’s desk. It was entirely too obvious how aware Shiro and Ulaz were of each other, altogether far too focused on keeping their elbows from touching as they were faced down by the frowning fuzzball in Kolivan’s chair.

“So,” Pidge said, arms tucked around her like a straightjacket, round face scrunched into the most disapproving maternal look she could muster. “You like this guy.”

“Y-yeah…” Shiro rubbed the back of his neck, nose wiggling as he tried to adjust the band aid now covering the scratch across it.

“And you were bad, but now you’re good. And on our side.”

“He wasn’t ever bad

per say

,” offered Shiro. “More like… he had no idea he was on our side until now.”

“Uh huh. And why did it take so long for you to figure that out? It all seems awfully convenient that you just

so happen

to turn out to be good, right at the last second. Even if you were for real this whole time, what made you suddenly decide to reveal yourself?” Her eyes narrowed. “This whole thing smells fishy.”

“He’s aware of secrets only a handful of operatives know of.” Kolivan was standing on Shiro’s other side, still watching the pair from the corners of his eyes like a parent chaperoning a dance. “I can’t imagine any other way he could have learned of them without meeting the resistance leaders themselves.”

“There’s more than one?” But Keith was spoken over by stubborn-as-ever Pidge.

“Sure. But say he’s a double agent working for Zarkon. What proof do we have you’re

really

on our side?”

“He knocked out Sendak -

his commanding officer

- and saved Shirio, isn’t that good enough for you?” Keith’s blood pressure was steadily mounting now. He still had dozens of questions himself, ones he was ignoring in favour of the more pressing matter of

Sendak’s threats

, but right now Pidge continued to hone in on ones they’d all either knew or accepted.

“Not really,” she shrugged, “especially considering he was nowhere near Sendak when he went down. I watched… a lot of it.” She winced noticeably, eyes turning to Shiro. “How the hell are you still not freaking out over what happened to you?”

“I’m trying hard not to,” the rabbit said, drawing a little closer to Ulaz whether he was aware of it or not. “It helps there are some other things to keep my mind off it.”

If Pidge could have seen Shiro’s ankle bashfully rubbing against Ulaz’s shin he was sure she’d be rolling her eyes. “Well, if you need to talk later, I’m here. But that still doesn’t take away the fact that it was just dumb luck that saved Shiro. Sendak’s arm malfunctioned. That’s what knocked him out, not any heroics from… what’s your name again?”

“Ulaz,” the Galra offered, ears lowered in humility. “And as for Sendak’s arm, I believe I may have an explanation.”

“We’re listening.”

He blinked, waiting for someone to stop him, but no one did. “Very well,” he said. “When I was transferred to begin working on Sendak’s ship he took notice of my skills and requested I perform maintenance on his neuro-connectors. He had complained about the connections being slow. While I made adjustments I also allowed myself a few liberties, a few security measures if you would.”

“Get to it already,” Pidge groaned. “I’m not getting any younger.”

Ulaz looked between Shiro and Pidge, as if in confirmation that

yes

this tiny companion was allowed to act like that.

“It’s part of her charm,” Shiro offered. “You’ll get used to it.”

Keith’s eyebrows arched at that remark. Seemed like Shiro wasn’t planning on letting Ulaz slip away any time soon.

“Moving to the point then,” Ulaz continued, “I installed an override sequence in his arm, one that would sever power to it if he ever came into contact with one of our own. But not wanting to encode genetic signatures into it, I opted for a more simple trigger. One I had anticipated would only ever be found in a Marmora blade.” His nose crinkled as he shot an amused look at Kolivan. “Imagine my surprise when I discovered something

else

had triggered it. I would imagine Thalia would be surprised as well to know what you have been using luxite for, though I do commend your creative solution to protecting your charge’s chastity.”

If Keith had been drinking, he would have sprayed the entirety of Kolivan’s desk. As it was, several drops of spittle landed on the paperwork strewn about from both him and Shiro.

“You mean-”

“Our

plugs?!

”

“They’re made out of the same thing as your

knife?!

”

“It made the most sense at the time,” Kolivan huffed defensively. “Luxite responds only to the hand that cast it. I could trust myself with your safety, using it seemed the best option.”

“So… instead of ceremonial secret society daggers, you made buttplugs,” Pidge snorted. “Buttplugs of Marmora.”

“It made sense!” Kolivan hissed at her, but Pidge simply crossed her legs and smiled up at him.

“You used some ceremonial metal to hand-craft buttplugs, you

really

think I’m just going to forget this? Just wait until Lance and Hunk hear about it. Believe me, you’re

not

going to hear the end of this any time soon.”

“I will

pay you

not to,” Kolivan groaned, a hand dragging down his face. “Could we please focus on more relevant matters at hand right now?”

“You mean the fact your custom buttplugs probably just saved Shiro’s life? That still feels pretty relevant.”

“Pidge, drop it.” Keith said, pushing her into his lap and beginning to pull up screens. “You can go back to lording this over Kolivan’s head afterwards, but right now we need to focus. We’ve got an unconscious commander upstairs and who knows how much time until he wakes up.”

“About two hours, give or take. It would depend on how strong the current that passed through him was.”

“Pretty dang strong by the looks of it,” said Shiro.

“Then it looks like we maybe have another half hour, or an hour if lucky,” Keith sighed. “Ulaz, is he going to remember much when he wakes up?”

Ulaz pinched his chin. “I had hoped to rig the circuit so that it would target the cortex for his short term memory as well as his motor neurons, in order to remove any memories of an operative’s face. However, I cannot confirm it will work as designed.”

“Gotcha. So we might need a backup plan if he wakes up angry.” At Shiro’s ears flattening back Keith looked up from the keyboard. Kolivan reached over to grip Shiro’s shoulder.

“Do not worry. You will not be asked to confront him again.” Relief flooded into Shiro at those words. “But we still have precious little time to determine his ploy. I assume he did confirm it?”

“Y-yeah,” Shiro nodded, somewhat shakily. “He was practically ready to tell me everything about it, or at least, everything about how it showed his superiority.”

“I always hated that part of him,” said Kolivan and Ulaz in tandem. Both Galra gave each other knowing looks.

“He didn’t tell me

what

exactly, but he did at least rule out a lot? Whatever he’s planning, it doesn’t need armies or ships, and it still seems to depend on the resistance acting first. He seems to think he’ll be able to find a spy planted in the empire’s ranks, one that he’ll be able to crack. He also-” Shiro shuddered, “also really seemed to think that everyone would believe his plan was to capture an attacking rebel. That’s how he caught me, seeing right through that misdirection.”

“So we have a plan to capture a deep cover operative,” Kolivan frowned, “one that he’ll extract information from. And he hopes to be able to uncover them during an attack.” Keith didn’t miss how Shiro nervously eyed Ulaz, one hand reaching to slide around the other’s wrist.

“I will be fine,” Ulaz shrugged, squeezing Shiro’s palm. “My role is relatively minor for the plan due to my proximity to Sendak. If I continue as I have, I should have no concerns moving forwards.”

“And you are certain he has no suspicions towards you?”

“None,” both Ulaz and Shiro replied, the latter’s cheeks turning as Ulaz looked at him.

“I, uh… tried to get him to talk about you a bit. He didn’t seem all that interested in you beyond your engineering skills. Told me you weren’t anyone of consequence.”

Quizznack they had it bad

. Ulaz was rubbing his neck, shy little smile on his lips as Shiro looked the other way, still clearly embarrassed. Neither of them seemed to notice they were still holding hands.

“Are you aware of any developments in Sendak’s fleet? Anything he might use for this purpose?” Kolivan was pacing now, not a good sign.

“He has always had several developments in the works, but many of them are far more offensive than seem necessary for whatever he has planned.” Ulaz’s brow wrinkled as he thought. “There is of course his developments in close combat devices, as well as his efforts to recreate druid magic into weapons, but neither of which is close to completion.”

“What about that sea creature?” Everyone turned to look at Shiro. “You know, the one him and Haxus were talking about, the one that can mind control people?”

Kolivan opened his mouth to speak but Ulaz shut him down. “It died half a rotation back. There are still efforts to salvage its eggs and recreate another, but without the correct containment conditions it will die as well.”

“And the possibility that Sendak is hiding that it remains alive-”

“Exceedingly low,” Ulaz snorted, “unless you would consider him kicking its corpse and yelling expletives at the scientists subtlety.”

“There has to be

something

, something you’re not aware of!”

Ulaz sniffed. “Although my rank is minor, I am still plenty aware of the research occuring in Sendak’s forces. There is nothing remotely in the works, or has been, that has been constructed to glean a spy from a normal soldier, just as there is nothing created to search through an entire army. Such a technology would need power far greater than anything Sendak could generate secretly, or else unwitting willing participation from the entire-”

He froze, finger half raised to his lips. “Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“Unless…. Shiro, what had Sendak said of his plans? That they would only work if he knew the resistance to be moving?”

The rabbit’s face screwed up in effort. “He said something… something about-”

“Their last outing will be their end.”

Sendak’s voice crackled over the small speakers of Kolivan’s console, the grainy image of Shiro seated on his back frozen on the screen. All three companions swallowed, remember hearing the words for the first time, whether in person or from behind a monitor.

“Their last outing…” repeated Kolivan, “what does it mean?”

“I think it means the next time we attack,” Keith said, grateful that Pidge wasn’t letting the video play out any further than that. “The next time we make a move, he will as well.”

Ulaz’s voice was low. “There’s a possibility… extremely slight, but perhaps… yes… it just might be possible. No one would suspect anything… no one has even questioned it, it has been taken for granted as part of the exercises...”

“What?” Keith asked, but it wasn’t Ulaz to respond. It was Shiro.

“The monitoring bracelets… they… they record everything. They could track heartbeat… position, could they even-”

“-Even detect a lie.” Ulaz finished, voice barely above a whisper. “The software is there, the sensor link to everyone established. If Sendak knows when an attack begins, he can begin to whittle through records, look for irregular behaviours, even use the sensors for interrogations. It is entirely possible he may be able to determine an operative’s identity, and then…”

“He could choose to torture them into confessing, or following them until they revealed vital information. It would only be a matter of time until…”

Ulaz nodded, staring at the metal ring fastened around his left wrist. “Until he was able to find the identity of one of the key members.” He thumbed at the screen, transmitting light blinking red beneath his finger. “From there, everything falls apart.”

“Can the devices record audio?”

Ulaz’s face snapped back to attention, eyes locked with Kolivan’s. “Not at the present, but the modifications to do so are simple. Even a simple operative would be able to make the adjustments.”

“Then we have little time. We need to alert the resistance. If they know what is coming, they can know what to expect. And what to avoid.”

“Agreed.”

“Thalia must be reached immediately. If we are lucky, we may just be able to-”

“Guys,” Pidge piped up from Keith’s lap, “I hate to cut in here, but Sendak is showing signs of life again.” On the live monitor, they could all see Sendak’s organic arm twitching, one foot stretching along the carpet. “It’s not going to be long until he’s back up.”

A growl sounded low between the walls of the room. Kolivan’s jaw was locked, lip curled in a grimace revealing several fangs. “Then we need to divide and conquer. Ulaz, I believe you know Thace’s frequency?”

Keith sat back on the sofa, some several long conversations later. Beside him Pidge let out a little amused snort, patting his fringe out of his eyes as he tried to finally relax. Ulaz was leaning against the desk, staring anxiously at the door.

They’d managed to reach one of Thalia’s operatives, a female Ulaz had the contacts for. As disbelieving as she’d been, she’d noted down everything Ulaz has said, even a few potential countermeasures. They’d signed off with Ulaz promising to send a copy of the blueprints when he could, her sighing and giving the three of them a small smile and wave as her image flickered out. Something about her face was familiar, like someone he’d met long ago. He’d have to ask Kolivan if he’d ever met her before when he got the chance. But for now, he was just happy to sink into the couch and let the drama of the past few hours leave him.

They all jumped as the latch to Kolivan’s office turned, but no one as much as Ulaz, already halfway to the door as Kolivan and Shiro made their way inside.

“Are you alright? Did he leave?” Ulaz paused, sniffing the air. “

What

is that

smell?

”

“Callery pear nectar,” Shiro grumbled, wiping sticky fluid from his stomach and thighs. “Sal had some in the kitchen and Kolivan thought it would fool Sendak.”

“And it did,” the manager huffed.

“Shiro, I’m all the way over here and you still stink like a week long sex marathon.” Pidge’s eyes and hair were all that was visible above the collar of her sweater. “No offense, but you

reek

.”

“That was the plan,” Kolivan said, tossing Shiro a towel and letting the companion try and scrub off some of the semeny smell to mild success. “From what he knows, he blacked out from excitement when he was with Shiro. An occasional side effect of the oil Shiro uses for massages, along with hallucinations. The look on his face when I told him he was too sensitive was more than I could have hoped for.” He smiled, a faraway look on his face suggesting he was going to be reliving that moment for weeks to come. “He’s left now, which means it is safe for you to go as well.”

Ulaz looked up from where he’d been watching Shiro towel off his stomach, shifting his garterbelt and revealing glimpses of his navel. He blinked like he’s just stepped out of a cold shower.

“Right now?” Shiro asked, stopping with the towel threaded between his legs. “Don’t we have a bit more time?”

“The longer he is here the more suspicious it looks.”

The rabbit frowned at Kolivan, long enough for the manager to share his own look of disapproval back.

“Kolivan is right Shiro,” Ulaz interjected, but the dragging of his feet as he stood up was way too obvious. “To the commander’s knowledge I am still on board his battleship, working on my own projects. Additionally, if he recalls his prosthetic malfunctioning he will certainly come in search of me.” His shape of his eyes sank visibly, corners turning down. “If I hope to return undetected, I cannot stay here any longer.”

“Not even for another few minutes?”

Ulaz’s ears had the exact same cant as Shiro’s now. If they were trying to hide how they felt from each other, they were failing miserably. “Likely not.”

“So… I’ll see you soon, right?”

Ulaz shrugged, making a point of looking no higher than Shiro’s knees. “With luck, yes. I should be able to return once or twice more before the war exercises are completed, but after that, I am at the mercy of my assignment. I can’t simply leave my post to visit.”

It was now, more than ever, that Keith felt his heart breaking for Shiro. He’d made it so far, worked past his doubts and uncertainties to find Ulaz felt the same about him, maybe even more, only to be ripped apart by distance. Him and Kolivan had been so easy by comparison. The same roof, same household, the only thing holding them back was Kolivan’s concerns of what others would think. This was even worse. They both wanted each other, wanted to learn each other, inside and out, but their placements made it impossible. Shiro was Kolivan’s companion… and Ulaz, Ulaz was buried eyebrows deep in enemy territory. It made knots form in his stomach for them.

Shiro looked down at his feet, towel wrung between his hands. “So… so I guess what you’re saying is, is this needs to be goodbye.” He could almost taste the water in Shiro’s voice, the effort to press back disappointment. He’d known what he’d gotten himself into, but he’d come so so close… closer than he could ever have hoped to a happily ever after.

“Perhaps,” Ulaz said softly. His hand came to rest on Shiro’s, the other reaching up to tilt Shiro’s face towards his own. “But I have every intention for it not to be goodbye forever.” Shiro’s lips parted, and Ulaz dared to smile. “Nothing would make me happier than seeing where this beginning could lead.”

Shiro let out a noise that had Keith’s heart panging in his chest. “Me too,” he breathed, “I don’t want to let you go. I-I’d thought I’d already had to, but now… it feels like there was a reason we found each other. I can’t just let you walk out forever.”

They leaned closer, lips almost brushing, Keith’s hands shooting to clap over his face before his gasp could interrupt the moment. Shiro’s lashes fluttered closed, Ulaz’s nose brushing along his cheek-

Only for Kolivan to interrupt them with a loud clearing of his throat.

“May I remind you both you are not alone?”

“That, and I already have to watch all you idiots PDA it up enough as it is,” Pidge smirked, saluting the two of them with a finger. “Not that I’m not happy for you guys, just,

c’mon

. Read the room.”

“Pidge!” Keith squawked. “Can’t you... don’t you...

ughhhh!”

He tugged at his hair. “They found each other, went through the entire ‘forbidden lovers’ deal, Shiro was depressed for the better half of the past

week

over thinking he’d never get to see Ulaz again without apologizing, and you think it’s okay to just cut in to the last moment they’re going to have! They have no clue when they’re going to be able to see each other again, just let them have this!”

Both Shiro and Ulaz were beginning to turn red. Shiro’s was that particular shade of tomato that meant even if he’d avoid Keith for the rest of the day, he’d be crawling into bed beside him to thank him under the safety of darkness. Pidge stuck her tongue out, shrinking back into the cushions in apology as she waved the two of them on like a director. “My mistake. Have your movie climax kiss.”

Shiro stammered, looking back up at Ulaz, flush making his snowy hair stand out even more. Slowly, he started to lean back in.

“Might I remind you all,” Kolivan said loudly, stopping Shiro in his tracks, “that as Shiro’s guardian I still have a say in all this. While I am grateful he has protected Shiro from Sendak, he has far from won my favour yet. A relationship between a companion and a non-owner is extremely unorthodox. Until I have made up my mind, I would prefer if you

refrained

from such displays.”

“Since when are you Shiro’s dad?” Pidge frowned. “Cause you really sound like one right now.”

“Since I took him in, and I am

not

his father!” Kolivan frowned back at her.

She shrugged, ears lowered to maximum sulk. “Suit yourself,

daddy

.”

Shiro let out a scandalized noise, Keith and Kolivan both looking pointedly in opposite directions. He could feel his own cheeks burning now, for entirely different reasons than hearing Pidge say something he

never

wanted to hear her say like that ever again.

“Never say that again,” moaned Kolivan.

“What? Is that Keith’s pet name for you when you two sneak off together to have some fun?”

Ulaz’s jaw dropped. “Wait.

You

. And

him? HIM?!

As in?!”

“Pidge…” Kolivan warned, but the stern tone was completely ruined by the face he was making, like a guilty child caught drawing with crayons on the wall. Keith sunk lower into the couch as Ulaz gawked at him like he’d just grown a second head. His face was ping-ponging between Keith and Kolivan, jaw steadily dropping lower and lower until Shiro propped his head still with a palm.

“Tell me you didn’t… do you have any idea-”

“

Yes

,” groaned Kolivan, ears flattening, trying to hide as much as an 8 foot tall alien could hide against a blank wall. “It just… happened. I’m aware of the optics.

Painfully aware.

”

“And

still?!”

Ulaz shot Kolivan a look of disbelief and pity. “Surely you know what could come of this? What Krolia would do if she found out that you and her-”

“

I AM aware

,” Kolivan repeated, a tinge of desperation creeping in. “I know exactly how she would react, which is why I would greatly appreciate it if it could be kept quiet.”

Ulaz drummed a finger against his chin, deep in thought. He shot Shiro a look, and for a second Keith caught a different side of him, someone bolder, rash, with an edge of mischief. When he looked back to Kolivan, there was a glimmer of something extra behind his eyes.

“Enough to assure a truce for our little… unorthodox arrangements?”