Chapter 3
Monkeys, huh? They're so....AWFUL! Some of them at least. And these ones surely were. They distracted the people with their cute facade while the others robbed everything out of them....Ok not everything but- don't expect to still have your watch after you meet up with them.
"Hello, boys. Seems like you've had a busy day" Lotor said from behind the trees as the monkeys were celebrating their gatherings. The leader of the monkeys jumped up in surprise.
"What? This? This is just some stuff we found. Right, boys?" He asked. The other monkeys responded and agreed. Lotor didn't buy it.
"l'm not interested in your nicked knick-knacks. Your burgled baubles bore me. There are two blue macaws out there and l need your multitude of eyes to help me find them~" Lotor said with a cruel smile on his face. The monkeys looked at each other as the white feathered bird could see them thinking about it. Too easy.
"Yeah? What's in it for us?" The monkey said, trying to stand his ground. Lotor shrugged.
"Well, that's a fair question~ Let's discuss it." The bird grabbed the monkey lifting it high up in the sky as he screamed in protest, all the jewelry and gold on him, falling off the second he got lifted off the ground. Lotor smirked as he let go of the monkey and he started falling.
"l certainly see your point, but what could l possibly do for you in return?" Lotor asked as he let himself fall as well. The monkey was frantically swimming in the air.
"Save me! Save me! SAVE ME!" The monkey pleaded. Lotor hissed and then rubbed his chin in thought. They kept falling.
"Well, that's a thought. Yeah. But is it enough? l don't want to feel like l'm cheating you." Lotor said, with a fake pout. The monkey's eyes widened.
"Help me! Help me! No, no! We'll do it, we'll do it. Save me, please. Save me!" The monkey pleaded. Just as he was about to hit the ground and he closed his eyes, Lotor caught him by the tail. He smiled cruelly.
"All right, you've twisted my wing. Deal. Now then? Any more questions?" He said, puffing his wings. The other monkeys backed away.
"No? Good. You will spread out and you will find these macaws by the end of the day or it's flying lessons for everyone! Go! Go do your monkey business!" Lotor yelled as the monkeys ran, spreading around in the woods. Ready to find the birds.
Lance, Pidge and Rafael were all sitting on a cliff, watching gliders glide in the air elegantly. Lance looked down and felt sick. His knees buckled and he jumped back, falling back. He gulped.
"l've changed my mind, yeah. Maybe we can find a bus schedule or something..." He said, shakingly. Pidge looked at him confused and Rafael frowned. The tukan leaned towards him.
"Come on, you're not going to back out now. Not in front of the lady." He said, whispering the last part. Lance looked at Pidge for a second too long and he felt a small blush tinge at his cheeks. He coughed and got up, dusting himself from the small....jump...
"Okay, yeah. Yeah, sure..." He said, more convincing himself than the other two. Rafael chuckled and smiled.
"All right, that's the spirit!" He said to Lance. Pidge frowned a bit and reached out to Lance.
"You're sure you're up for this?" She asked, a bit worried. Lance would have been quite touched by the fact she cares if not for the fact they were so up high and he couldn't fly.
"Yeah, yeah. l mean, it's not like we're just hurling ourselves off a mountain or something.....Right...?" He asked, his voice cracking at the end. Rafael chuckled warily.
"Actually that was pretty much my entire plan." Rafael said. Lance blinked in horror and he shrunk a bit.
"...what...?" He asked in disbelief. The tukan came and patted him on the shoulder to reassure him.
"Don't worry, Lance, it's in your DNA. And if our featherless friends can do it, how hard can it be?" Rafael asked. That's when they heard an altean plead from the lunching dock of the gliders.
"Wait, wait! Mommy!" He screamed and Lance watched as he was gliding away. Pidge and Rafael turned to him and they smiled awkwardly.
"Fun, right?" The man asked as Pidge chuckled awkwardly.
"Yeah....'fun'..." Lance said. He was pretty sure he might pee himself in fright.
"Okay. l need you two to get closer." Pidge and Lance looked at each other and took a step towards the other.
"Closer." They looked at each other again and then took another step, this time touching shoulders. They both blushed and looked away.
"Nice. Now put your wings around each other." Lance spurted in disbelief as his face turned to one of pure shock.
"What?" Lance asked. Rafael rolled his eyes.
"Come on, amigo! lt's not like she's going to bite!" The tukan said as a joke. Lance turned to Pidge.
"Will you?" He asked. She smiled cockily.
"We'll see~" She sang. Lance gulped.
"Now, you flap your right wing, you flap your left wing and together you fly." Rafael said, doing a small flap. Pidge's wing extended on que but Lance was reluctant. Reluctant to fully trust her...Reluctant to trust himself.
"That....doesn't seem possible....We need to coordinate and if we mess it up--" The tukan face-palmed.
"AYE AYE AYEEEEE! You think too much. Flying is not what you think up here, it's what you feel in here." Rafael told him as he pointed at Lance's chest. Lance frowned.
"And when you feel the rhythm of your heart, it's like samba. You fly!" The man let himself drop back and then he shot up, flying. He cheered and Pidge watched with a smile on her face.
"See? lt's easy!" Rafael called out to him. Lance frowned.
"Easy? Easy for you to say, because from here it looks really, really hard!" Lance called back. Pidge turned to him and sighed.
"Hey, if you want to see Allura again, this is the only way." She said, pointing to the sky. Lance looked up and sighed as well.
"Okay. You're right." Lance said. Pidge smirked.
"Yes, l am." She said.
"This is for Allura." Lance said, shaking his arms and feet to get ready. Pidge nodded.
"Right." She agreed.
"Keep it simple." Lance said to himself.
"Easy breezy." Pidge said, childishly. Lance inhaled and exhaled.
"Ok...I can do this...." Pidge rolled her eyes and put her wing around him.
"Come on! Let's go!" She said, pulling him after her. For someone that small, she sure was strong.
"Wait--" But it was too late, they were going towards the edge of the cliff.
"lnside, outside, inside, outside." Lance had to repeat to himself so he wouldn't get caught in the chain.
"Come on, Lance! You can do it!" Pidge told him. He watched as the edge got closer.
"l can do it. l can do it. l can do it. l can't do it!" Lance screamed at the end and Pidge realized in horror he let go of her and he was now holding onto the ledge. She groaned.
"NOT AGAIN!" Lance let go and the weight was too much as her wings couldn't carry him. They were going down and fast. They rolled on the side of the cliff, thanks to the chain, and ended up on a glider. Pidge and Lance both groaned.
"Am l dead...?" Lance asked. Pidge's eyes widened and she started laughing.
"No! We're still alive!" She said, throwing her hands up. Lance held onto the ledge and looked around. His eyes twinkled at the sight. Rio underneath, the cloud, the statue with his hands reaching towards him. I-It was...
"Wow! This is incredible....This is the most beautiful thing l've ever seen. Wow...." Pidge laughed at him, again.
"See what you've been missing?" Pidge said to him as she let her wings extend a bit so she could feel the wind through her feathers. Lance smiled as he kept looking at the view.
"Yeah..." He said, softly. Pidge looked at him and smiled a bit. She had the same twinkle in her eyes the first time she flew with her brother.
"All right, Lance, you're flying! Sort of. Not really, but do you feel it?" Rafael asked.
"Yes! l do feel it." Lance looked over at Pidge who was enjoying the wind with her eyes closed and tried to get up like her. She cracked one eye open and then she opened them both fully, her eyes widening right after.
"Lance- wait!" But it was too late as the wind was too strong for him to open his wings that much. They screamed as the wind flew them off the glider.
"Aye caramba!!" Rafael exclaimed as the two were falling. They bumped into multiple gliders. That's when they landed on an altean's face, right above the beach. They all screamed as the glider ran over multiple umbrellas. The altean man crashed in the sand and sent them flying in a palm tree. They both groaned as they slid down in the sand.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You did not feel it in here!" Rafael said as he pointed at his chest. Pidge got her face out of the sand and spurted sand out of her mouth. Lance frowned as he shielded his eyes from the bright sun.
"You think?" Pidge said, sarcastically. That's when they spotted a car.
"Let's catch a ride to Coran. Hurry, you two!" Rafael called to them as he got in a car with fruits. Pidge pulled Lance after her and jumped in, the chain doing the job for Lance as well. He tumbled inside, face first. Pidge snorted at him.
"l would love to go five minutes without almost getting killed. ls that too much to ask?" Lance said. Pidge snorted as she looked down at him. He turned to face her and froze as sun was coming from behind her and she looked like an angel reaching out to him. She laughed at him, sweetly. Was this the same Pidge that tried to kill him yesterday...?
"For a bird who can't fly, yeah." She said, jokingly. He smiled and grabbed her hand to stand up. For a second the two got lost in each other's eyes. Rafael coughed and they immediately pushed away from the other, sitting down. Yeah...Just getting to Coran, getting the chain off and never hearing of each other again. It's perfect!....right...?
"They're starting to close off the streets for Carnaval. You better be right, kid. Because we're running out of time." Shiro said as he, Allura and Fernando were sitting in a car, watching as the cops were closing streets. Allura looked worried and the kid frowned in thought. Soon, they arrived to a crowded street, multiple people out for the Carnaval. Shiro groaned and honked but nothing.
"l'll never be able to get my car through this crowd." Shiro said. Fernando frowned.
"Don't worry, l'm on it!" Fernando said. And next thing they knew, they all three were on a bike, the kid driving.
"l traded it for your Jeep!" Fernando said. Shiro spurted in disbelief.
"What?!" Shiro asked in shock. Fernando nodded and patted the bike.
"Yeah, it's in great condition." The review mirror fell.
"Well, good condition!" Fernando said. That's when they almost ran over a person.
"Hey! Out of the way!" Allura shrieked at all the curbes.
"Look out!" Allura said, panicked. Fernando frowned and started going faster.
"Hold on!" The kid said to them and they started speeding.
"l'm going to chew through my own leg if this doesn't come off soon." Pidge said as they got off the truck. Rafael chuckled at her.
"Relax. lf l know Coran, we're right where we want to be--"
"Hey! Rafi!" Someone called out. Pidge's eyes widened.
"HUNK! KEITH!" She said, smiling. The two's eyes widened as well.
"PIDGE!" They both said. She tried to go hug them but the chain held her back. She looked at them with a saddened looked an Lance walked a bit forward to let her hug her friends.
"Oh....Pidge...What did you do...?" Hunk asked, looking down. That's when they spotted Lance and the two birds, the yellow and red one, looked at them, shocked.
"Hold up! Rewind. Ain't that the bird from the cage?" Keith asked. Hunk blinked and surprise and smirked.
"I feel bad for that man...It's PIDGE we're talking about!" She chuckled and looked at Lance. The poor blue bird wanted to just hide. He chuckled and rubbed his neck.
"Umm...It's not what you think...we're just chained together." Hunk and Keith shared a look and then Rafael intervened.
"Hey, guys, we're looking for Coran. Have you seen him?" The two hissed.
"Yeah, l seen him, but you didn't, because you just missed him." Hunk said. Keith took off his bottle-cap tambourine and twirled it on his finger.
"He took the trolley back to the garage." Keith said. Pidge groaned and Lance face-palmed.
"Great." Lance said sarcastically. Hunk and Keith chuckled. Pidge looked at her friends, unimpressed.
"Relax, baby bird. You could catch the next one." Keith said. Pidge smacked him over the head. Hunk snorted.
"I told you to stop calling her that." Hunk told him.
"Yeah, it's time to take it to the next level for these two, then." The red bird said with a shrug. Pidge gasped.
"Do we have time to..." Keith, Hunk and Rafael smirked knowingly.
"There ALWAYS is time for that." Pidge cheered and Rafael started pulling Lance after Pidge who seemed over-excited by something. But as they were leaving, a monkey has seen them...The word will travel. But for now? They all got to some boxes with some colorful sheets on them, forming a tent. Lance was pushed inside as Pidge, Keith, Hunk and Rafael entered happily. Lance couldn't believe his eyes. It was like an altean club....But for avians! The beat was nice, there were lights by some colorful flash-lights and neon bracelets and they managed to get drums and shakers in the place. Lance was impressed.
"Welcome to paradise!" Hunk said, cheerful. Pidge was jumping up and down like a little kid. Lance looked at her amused.
"This is the coolest place l've ever seen." Lance then said. Pidge looked at him and smiled brightly. He blushed.
"All right, everyone, listen up! Rafi has some special guest from out of town!" Hunk said.
"And let's show him some love, because l don't think he gets out much." Keith then added. Pidge snorted and Lance frowned.
"And guess who's back? PIDGEYYYY!" Hunk called out. The birds cheered. Lance raised a brow.
"Famous much, eh?" He asked. She chuckled and playfully punched him.
"Shut up!" He laughed at her.
"Everybody put their wings together and clap as loud as you can!!!" Hunk said as he was flying in circles. Lance was confused at what was happening. Pidge chuckled and grabbed his hand.
"Come on!" She called. She pulled him to the middle and put her hands up and extended her wings. Lance blinked in surprise. Suddenly the music was sinking in. He felt the rhythm and started dancing. She laughed at him as he started dancing. He had the moves, she had to admit.
"Party in the lpanema, baby~" Keith said as he was beating the make-shift drums.
"What are you doing?" Pidge asked as she was watching Lance dance. He smirked at her.
"l don't know." He said. Pidge giggled and started to dance as well. Lance froze, his eyes widening as she started watching. She was so graceful and looked so happy. She really knew how to dance. And she seemed to know this place quite well. Who knew she enjoyed dancing! You learn something new everyday. The brainiac is a dancer. But hey- This is Rio after all.
"Hey. She likes you." Rafael said to Lance. He flushed.
"What are you talking about? Haven't you been listening?" Lance asked. Rafael laughed at him.
"No, but l've been watching. Just be yourself. Go on." Rafael pushed him into Pidge. They both stared at each other for a second. She smiled and he smirked as they started dancing together. He put his hands around her and she got closer, letting the beat lead them. They both laughed as they were having fun dancing.
"l wanna samba
Party
l wanna party
Party
l wanna samba
Party
l wanna party
Party
And live my life
My life"
"TAKE IT FROM HERE, PIDGEY!" Hunk said. Pidge extended her wings and started flying up. She started singing as well. Lance's eyes widened as she sounded and looked like an angel as she was hovering above ground, in front . He blushed a bit and she came back down, right in his arms. He smiled at her.
"What other secrets do you have, huh?" Pidge chuckled.
"I don't know...Want to find out?" His eyes widened and so did hers at what she just said. They both snorted and started laughing. But then they leaned closer...and closer. And-
"MONKEYS!" Hunk yelled. The make-shift tent was ripped apart. Everyone was now standing face to face with the monkeys. Hunk, Keith and Rafael were right behind them.
"You two are coming with me." Pidge snarled at the monkey.
"ln your little monkey dreams." She spat right in his face. Hunk covered his mouth and Keith and Rafael snorted.
"You....little....BITCH!" He lounged towards Pidge. She narrowed her eyes and picked the chain upas the monkey came closer she twirled the chain and his hand and stopped him. She let him go and kicked him backwards. Lance's eyes widened. She knew how to fight as well?!
"You mess with my friends, you mess with me, monkey-brain!" Keith said as he stepped forward. The tension was thick...you could cut it with a knife.
"Yeah, little King Kong." Hunk said. Rafael then screamed.
"Birds versus monkeys! Get them!" The monkeys and birds both lounged towards each other. Hunk and Keith, Lance and Pidge, Rafael and all the other birds were caught in different fights. A monkey jumped Lance. He screamed as he rolled with him and he was about to throw in a good punch.
"LANCE!" She pulled the chain up and he got hit right in-between. Lance hissed.
"Ouch..." Pidge scrunched her face up as well. That's when they heard a small bell. She gasped and turned towards the sound.
"LANCE! WE NEED TO GO!" He looked up and saw the trolley.
"Let's go!!" They started running but the monkeys surrounded them.
"NO YOU DON'T! UPITTY UP!" Hunk said as him and Rafael lifted them by the chain. But the monkey's caught onto Pidge's arm.
"PIDGE!" Lance tried to help her. Keith frowned.
"Oh hell no." He threw the bottle cap and it was a head-shot. The monkeys fell and the four rolled on the trolley roof. Keith landed as well and they all cheered.
"That's what l'm talking about!
"Man, we threw down!" Lance said. Pidge laughed and jumped up.
"Yeah, we threw down." She said. They high-fived as the other three started laughing at them.
"You guys were like fire and ice." Rafael said.
"Thunder and lightning!" Keith said.
"Hip and hop!" Hunk added.
"Cheese and sprinkles!" Lance added. The other four looked at him, confused. Lance sighed, slumping down.
"lt's a Minnesota thing." He said. They all started laughing right after.
"Coran, here we come!" Pidge said, throwing her hands up. Everyone cheered.