Requested by:notebookgirl30

Prompt: Self given

Warnings: None

Extra: The songs I used in this were Why Don't You Do Right from Who Framed Roger Rabit and A Man What Takes His Time from Burlesque.

~*~

All types of people came through the club I worked at, and I loved it. The pay was better than first impressions would give, but considering the planet and our club's notoriety and regular patrons, it was a given.

Sure, every once in a while a fight would break out, or there would be sketchier characters that prompted me to hide out in the back for an extra hour or two after my performance, but the trill I got from performing outweighed all of those moments.

It was supposed to be a normal night. All I had to do was go up there, sing a few sets, take a small break, and go back up again for the finale. But when I went up for the first set, I took notice of the new group. They were in the corner, obviously trying to be discreet. There were three males and a female, all human. Humans were rare, in fact, I wasn't sure if I had seen any in person before. They were so far behind the rest of the cosmos that everyone agreed to leave them alone and let them develop on their own.

And there they were, four humans casually lounging around like they were meant to be there. Well, if humans were there then I'd give them a familiar show. Raising a brow, I cleared my throat and sent the crowd an award winning smile.

"You had plenty of money, 1922. You let other women make a fool of you. Why don't you do right like some other men do? Get out of here, get me some money too. You're sittin' down wonderin' what it's all about. If you ain't got no money they will put you out. Why don't you do right like some other men do? Get out of here, get me some money too."

Stepping off the stage, I moved slowly around the club, stopping at a table here or there to give a patron a flirtatious smile. Then I finally made it to the humans in the back. Most of them shrunk under the attention they were getting, as if they were desperate to stay out of sight, but I wasn't going to let that stop me. I walked around the table, taking the chance to observe them closer.

"If you had prepared twenty years ago. You wouldn't be wanderin' now from door to door. Why don't you do right like some other men do? Get out of here, get me some money too."

On each of the person's hips was a strange device shaped like a claw. The tech was unlike anything I had ever seen, and I struggled to keep my facade up when I finally realized what they were. Bayards. Bayards that only the pilots of Voltron have.

"Get out of here, get me some money too Why don't you do right, like some other men, do?" I stepped back onto the stage as I finished the song. The audience cheered, the majority calling for an encore. But I needed a break and a drink before I went back up again.

Stopping backstage, I wished the next performer good luck and slipped a jacket on over my dress. The nights were getting chillier. Taking a seat at the bar, I waved to the bartender and he poured me a glass of my usual.

"That was some nice singing," someone sat down next to me.

I turned, ready to snap at them for assuming they could get something from me, but paused when I saw it was one of the Voltron paladins. The leanest out of the men, and the one who caught my eye the most when I swung by their table. Swallowing my insult, I simply smiled.

"Thank you. That song is one of my favorites so I always enjoy singing it. I'm (Y/n)."

"Lance. How long have you worked here?"

An interrogation. So the paladins weren't at the club for a simple get together. It made more sense why there was only four of them. The leader was missing, probably scoping the place or hiding in wait.

"As long as I can remember. Performing is my passion, and this is one of the best places to do it. What about you?"

"What about me?"

Leaning in a little closer, I smiled, "I'm curious, what is a paladin of Voltron doing in our little club?"

Paling, the Paladin quickly jerked back, "Wha-"

"I'm not stupid. Quite smart, actually. I don't give a damn, either way. But if it deserves my club I think I have a right to now, don't you think?"

Albeit hesitantly, Lance sighed and explained, "This club is a halfway house for Galran shipments of equipment. Massive weapons of destruction that have been broken down into smaller pieces so they're easier to transport."

"And you came over here to talk to me because you assumed I would have some information?" I concluded, taking a strange satisfaction in watching Lance blush in embarrassment, "There's been small fights here before, nothing we couldn't handle. I would have never assumed that our management was working for the Galra,though, given the universe and our planet's location it makes sense."

"So you really had no idea what was going on?"

Making a small motion with my head to the other members of Voltron, I asked, "If I did, would I have greeted your table so happily?"

The bartender was hovering at certain clients too long. There were others patiently to be served, but he kept going back and forth to the same people. The more I looked at them, the more I noticed the Galran features they were hiding under elaborate clothing. Tensing, I turned back to Lance and leaned in, sultrily putting my lips next to his ear. To any other person in the bar I'd be harmlessly flirting with a client in an attempt to lure them into becoming a regular.

"There's Galra soldiers here. Go back to your team like nothing is wrong and wait."

"What will I be waiting for?" Lance's eyes flitted nervously around the place, taking notice of the enemies in our midst.

"The end of my song, of course. Give me two minutes to get ready, tell your team in the meantime. Be ready, as soon as I'm done you'll have to strike."

With that, I hopped off the stool and rushed backstage. Flipping through my costume rack, I settled on the one that matched the song. I despised wearing it considering it was one of my showier costumes, but not only would it draw attention away from the Voltron team, but it was perfectly set up so I'd be able to hide a small blaster under the skirt as well.

I made the fastest change of my life, not bothering to touch up my hair of makeup. I stepped onto the stage just as my replacement finished her last set. Our management looked at me in confusion, well founded confusion considering I wasn't supposed to go back on for another three songs. But none of them tried to take me off the stage. I was their youngest singer, and the most valuable, and everyone knew it.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh," I hummed out. The band immediately picked up on the tune and began the song I was thinking of, "A guy what takes his time, I'll go for any time. I'm a fast moving' gal who likes them slow. Got no use for fancy driving, wanna to see a guy arriving in low. I'd be satisfied, electrified to know a guy what takes his time."

Stepping off the stage, I avoided the tables and stayed closer to the bar. To anyone else, my movements were precise yet casual, but I knew exactly what I was doing. Lingering near the Galran soldiers, drawing their eyes away from the Voltron paladins to me and my performance. That was exactly what I needed.

"A hurry-up affair, I always give the air. Wouldn't give any rushing gent a smile. I would go for any single who would condescend to linger awhile. What a lullaby would be supplied to have a guy who takes his time, ooh."

My eyes flitted over to the team in the corner. All of them were tense, hands near their weapons. Only Lance seemed to have a smidgen of faith and peace of mind as he watched me with wide eyes. Grinning, I jumped up to sit on the bar counter. I liked the audience I was performing for tonight.

"A guy what takes his time, I'd go for any time. A hasty job really spoils a master's touch. I don't like a big commotion, I'm a demon for slow motion or such. Why should I deny that I would die to know a guy who takes his time."

The Galran soldier I was lying in front of shot a look to a man across the bar, almost as if asking for permission for something. He was the lead of the operation, the person there to pick up the product and continue the transport after hours.

"There isn't any fun in getting something done," making a grand gesture of getting up, I strutted across the bar until I reached the leader, settling in front of him with a smile, "If you're rushed when you have to make the grade. I can spot an amateur, appreciate a connoisseur in trade. Who would qualify, no alibi, to be the guy who takes his time. Ooh, ooh."

As the chords quieted, I ran a hand up my leg, confidence filling my veins as my fingers wrapped around my blaster. Leaning in close to the man, I kept his eyes on my own, pressing the blaster against his chest.

"Enjoy the show?"

I pulled the trigger before he could answer. The team in the back sprang into action. From the front action came the member they were lacking, the Black Paladin. Because the Galran soldiers were caught by surprise and there were fewer of them than expected, it was stupidly easy to handle them.

The crowd and fled that bar as soon as the fight started, and my heart sank when I realized the majority of them wouldn't come back. Glancing at the stage, I wasn't sure if I wanted to either. To work for a place that transported mass weapons of destruction just to gain some extra money from an empire on the wrong side...

"(Y/n)!"

The Galran general had been wearing some form of armor, and while my blast hadn't killed him, it was enough to knock him out for the course of our first fight.

Yelping and ducking under the first punch, my eyes widened when he drew a blaster. Acting on pure survival instincts, I threw out my fist as hard as I could for his throat. My knuckles stung, but he dropped the blaster in favor of supporting his throat.

The others jumped in at that point, Lance quickly pulling me away from him. Taking in a few deep breaths, I calmed the nerves that were just now making themselves known.

"You did awesome!" Lance reassured me, catching on to my anxiety, "This mission wouldn't have been a success without you."

"Now we can retrieve the weapons and keep them out of Galran hands," the leader added.

"Glad I could help," I managed a smile. What was I going to do? Find a new job? It'd be difficult to locate another planet with a popular club that didn't already have a star. I had years to work my way up, but what would happen to me within my time.

"How did you manage to get a blaster so small?" The smallest, the female, questioned, motioning to my blaster.

"Oh, I just messed around with a few bigger models. A lot of what's inside them isn't necessary for use so I just took it out and reformed it. I always keep it on me just in case."

"Brilliant," the girl held out her hands, and I dropped the blaster into them so she could look it over.

"She'd be kinda useful on the ship," the Red Paladin muttered, avoiding eye contact as if compliments were difficult for him, "If she's good with stuff like that. And she held her own just fine."

"How fast can you learn?" The Yellow Paladin asked.

"I learn new sets every week, I'm a master at memorizing things," I said slowly, processing what they were saying. They were offering me a place to stay, a place to work, a purpose in the war raveging the universe.

"She'd learn the Altean tech really fast," Lance cut in, voice eager and excited, "She could help with the training sims and be a good strategizer for our missions."

The team murmured in agreement, all of them coming to the unanimous decision that I was welcome to join their team. Shaking my head to rid myself of the shock, I laughed in partial disbelief.

"Okay!"

The team rejoiced. I felt at least three pairs of arms around my shoulders as they guided me out of the building. They'd go back for the weapons once I was introduced to the two Alteans on their ship.

"Are you gonna be okay with not singing anymore?" Lance seemed concerned, and I blushed. He easily picked up on how crucial singing was to my life. He listened, and I appreciated that on many levels.

"Who said I'll have to stop?"

"You'd sing for us?"

"All of you, or maybe just one," my smile grew slightly mischievous, "Just ask nicely."