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When Allura had first awoken and stumbled out the cryopod and into the arms of her new paladins, she’d been more than a little underwhelmed. The bunch of them were nothing more than children, untrained and unprepared for a life of war. She wasn’t being harsh, just honest, and she’d found that most of the paladins agreed with her. But regardless of whether they were ready or not, the fact remained that they had been chosen.
The Blue Lion had chosen Lance, of all people, to finally be her pilot. Blue had allowed for the others to come along for the ride, had sensed something in their quintessence that must’ve felt right. Who were they to argue with magical robot lions? Overtime, Allura came to see that though her new paladins were lacking training, they each carried unique attributes and a wealth of potential within. They were young, terribly young, but they were all the universe had in the fight against Zarkon, and Allura would be damned if she had to lose everything again.
She watched from the glass viewing room as the team rotated into a new training routine down below. Each of them had improved significantly in their teamwork, sometimes even beginning to mirror the paladins of old. The thought brought a sad smile to her face. Since waking up, everything had been so fast paced; there hadn’t yet been room to properly mourn all her people. And so grief would strike her like this, in fleeting moments throughout the day, to be shaken off as she focused on the present. Her melancholy was distracted this time by the illuminated movement of Shiro’s arm as he dueled the gladiator with Keith and Lance.
Of them all, Shiro was the first to strike her as a worthy paladin of Voltron. Even though she’d hardly known him, she knew he was a leader by the way everyone handled themselves in his presence. The aging system of earthlings was still somewhat of a mystery to her, but she was almost positive Shiro was the Altean equivalent of adulthood, much like the original paladins had been. He was strong and level-headed, radiating a calm determination when leading the others.
But Shiro was also kind and gentle in a way that conflicted with his almost rough exterior. He was patient yet decisive, graceful in his balance of criticism and encouragement. Already the team had improved so much and it was largely due to the influence of the black paladin. Allura found herself remembering once again how grateful she was towards the universe for bringing her Shiro.
She’d made sure to tell him as much not too long ago, on one of the nights she caught him wandering the castle. He seemed a bit surprised by her sentiment but gracious nonetheless. Allura found herself thinking back to that night more often than she’d care to admit. They’d ended up walking together for what may have been hours, chatting about their worlds and their pasts, about what they’d imagined their futures to be, before the weight of a war was placed on their shoulders.
Allura had felt something shift between them that night, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. But since then she couldn’t deny looking at Shiro a little bit differently. She let her gaze drift to him more often, let her touches linger, smiled a little softer when he looked her way. But for all Shiro was observant and perhaps even intuitive, he hadn’t seemed to catch on just yet. There were certain things that just kind of flew over the man’s head. Shiro wasn’t naive per say, and it’s not like he didn’t care. He was just...Shiro was kind of...just...
“Dense as hell. Wouldn’t know flirtation if it bit him in the ass.”
Allura jumped, barely biting back a yelp at the sudden intrusion. She spun around to face Pidge, who was standing in the doorway looking suspiciously smug. Had she been speaking out loud? She floundered for a moment before clearing her throat and throwing on a shaky smile.
“Hello Pidge, here to observe your teammates’ training?” She offered a spot next to her by the window.
The green paladin raised a brow but conceded, stepping forward into the empty space. They stood in a strained silence for a few minutes, going through the pretense of watching the three paladins below continue training. Allura felt sweat start to gather at her hairline, shooting quick glances at Pidge. The small earthling was the picture of calm, a ‘cool cucumber’ perhaps, if Allura were to use Earth vernacular. Cucumbers were green as well, weren’t they? She believed they were if she was recalling that conversation with Hunk correctly. She giggled a bit at her own wit, which had the negative side effect of drawing Pidge’s attention once more.
“So, princess, how long are we going to stand here pretending that you weren’t just ogling Shiro the whole time?”
“Pidge!” Allura meant to sound a bit more scolding, but her voice cracked with embarrassment, ruining the effect. She cleared her throat, willing her blush away as she turned back to the window. “What would even make you say something like that?”
“It’s fine, you don’t have to be shy. Even I can admit Shiro has a nice butt-”
“Pidge!”
“Objectively speaking, y’know, one gal to another or whatever.” Pidge shrugged, mouth twisting sourly. “Okay yeah I take that back, I can’t relate.”
Allura sighed, turning to face the young paladin. “Pidge, what brought this on so suddenly?”
“I can only handle watching so many people pine at once on this ship. There’s only seven of us for fuck’s sake.”
“W-what? I’m not pining?” Allura asserted though it came out more like a question.
“Do you want me to pull out the receipts? Because trust me, I have enough to spare.”
“Is the usage of receipts in that sentence colloquial or-?”
“No, nope, you’re not sidetracking me with a language lesson. Point is I know you like Shiro, you know you like Shiro. But you know who doesn’t know you like Shiro?” Pidge goaded her on with a snarky raise of her brow, waiting patiently for her resolve to finally crack.
“Shiro.” Allura groaned, shoulders slumping in defeat.
“Look on the bright side princess.” Pidge smiled, catching Allura’s attention. “We can finally have some of those girl bonding moments you’ve been badgering me about.”
And just like that Allura perked right up, eyes almost sparkling at the prospect. Maybe Pidge knowing wasn’t such a bad thing. She’d definitely rather have Pidge on her side than against her at least. She sighed but felt a smile touch her lips again as she turned to watch the training trio below. It seemed they were taking a break, Shiro grabbing some water while Lance and Keith bickered in the center.
“Speaking of pining, were you by chance also referring to whatever is happening there.” Allura asked with a mischievous smile, motioning towards the teen boys. Pidge’s answering grin was downright wicked.
“Consider this our first ‘girl time’ moment. I’ll grab the ice cream.” Pidge offered excitedly, eyes gleaming.
“Meet me in my room in five dobashes.” Allura responded in kind. Oh yes, Pidge was definitely better to have on her side.
⥎⥎⥎
When Allura was still a small child, her father used to tell her stories every night before bed. It seemed that bedtimes stories, in a sense, were universal, for even in Altea certain themes hung around. It didn’t take very many stories for Allura to finally ask her father why the princess was the one who always needed rescuing. She’d argued that Alteans, regardless of gender, were considerably strong compared to other humanoids, and there was no reason the princess couldn’t just change her form and escape.
Her father had blinked at her, smile slowly enveloping his features, before agreeing wholeheartedly. He never told her another story where the princess couldn’t save herself. Her favorite stories became the ones where the princess was the one doing the rescuing. Rescuing animals, rescuing children, rescuing villagers. But even better, she loved the stories of the princess rescuing the foreign prince.
Maybe that’s why, when the moment arrived, she didn’t hesitate to play her part. Didn’t hesitate to grab Shiro and launch him across the room and into the escape pod. Allura stood and watched him cry out to her, watched with a soft smile as he disappeared into safety. It was better this way, a smarter sacrifice and she knew he’d come to that eventual conclusion as well. As the princess she was less likely to be killed on the spot. But a paladin? And the black paladin no less? The prospects were a bit more grim should Shiro have been captured.
At least this way they could still form Voltron and come after her. And they did, and the battle nearly kills them all. But by some miracle they all survive and wormhole away, only to be separated yet again. The time spent searching and retrieving was stressful and Allura was sufficiently drained by the time it was over. For now, everyone was back in the castle, relatively safe and sound. Sometimes, that’s all Allura thought she could ask for. Sometimes, she felt selfish for thinking she could ask for more.
She pondered on this as she watched Shiro, asleep in the healing pod. The wound he’d sustained from Haggar had been downright nasty, and the prolonged amount of time he spent without medical aid hadn’t made things any better. She placed a hand over the glass, a frown tugging at her lips. His condition had been the worst among all the paladins, something that caused a gnawing anxiety to settle in the pit of her stomach. An anxiety that had her restlessly pacing the halls at night, unable to calm herself until she verified Shiro was still alright.
“Princess? What are you still doing up?” A voice called out softly but it still made Allura jump, snatching her hand back from the glass as if it burned.
“Coran, you startled me.” She turned to face the other Altean with a shaky smile.
He simply hummed and kept walking until they were side by side. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, speaking in a tone just as soft. “You should be resting.”
“I know, but it’s hard to relax with...the way things are right now.” She shrugged half-heartedly, eyes drawn again to the healing pod.
Coran let the silence build between them before breaking it, voice filled with fondness. “You’re worried about him.”
“Of course, he’s one of our paladins, the leader no less. We’re highly vulnerable to attack as long as he’s out, unable to form Voltron and-”
“Allura, you know that’s not what I meant.” He interrupted her with a smile, eyes glittering with knowing.
Allura immediately deflated, expression pinched as she whispered, “Am I that obvious?”
“I’m just exceptional at reading you, princess.” Coran assured, patting her shoulders, before pausing with a sudden thought. “As is Pidge apparently. And Lance. Not sure about Keith and Hunk honestly. Well, at least definitely not Shiro.”
“Coran, I get your point.” She smiled weakly.
“Do you though?” The Altean was serious again, moving to slightly tilt her chin up to face him. “It seems as though you’re still waiting for permission.”
“From who?” She asked, brows furrowed.
“That’s what I’d like to know.” He huffed, hands on his hips, but continued in a soft tone. “Who is going to tell you ‘it’s okay to fall in love’ so that you’ll finally listen?”
Allura pulled away from his arms but fought the urge to pace. Instead she moved to take a seat on the steps in front of Shiro’s pod. She pillowed her head in her arms, gazing at the man who knew her far too well as he took a seat beside her.
“Love is...a very strong word, Coran.” Allura whispered, unable to meet his eyes.
“Fine, then call it infatuation. Affection. Caring. Why do you hesitate to let yourself fall?” He whispered back, eyes imploring.
“We’re fighting a war, Coran. There’s no time for such frivolous things.” She huffed, nearly pouting.
Coran hummed, feigning deep thought, before squinting at her suspiciously. “That’s not what you seem to say about the others.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Allura stiffened.
“I caught the boys on the observation deck ten minutes ago. They told me all about their little game.” Coran laughed, face flushing a bit; Allura really didn’t want to know why.
She sighed with a fond smile, thinking about the red and blue paladins. Their getting together and subsequent guessing game had been one of the few things injecting some kind of fun to their daily lives. At least, it certainly kept her and Pidge entertained. It kept them all from lingering too much on what could go wrong, kept them from falling too deeply into despair. It was good for group morale, helped group dynamics, and kept them from losing their minds in this seemingly impossible-to-win war.
“Now, princess, tell me what’s so different when it comes to you and Shiro.” Coran asked again with a smile.
Allura scoffed but there was a genuine smile on her face this time. At this point any argument she could make would probably just be disregarded as hypocritical. They were hypocritical, and deep down she knew that wasn’t what was stopping her. It wasn’t that she thought it was unprofessional or dangerous, that she thought it would interfere with command; Shiro and Allura both had such high amounts of mutual respect, it wouldn’t be undermined by something as petty as a crush. No, the thing that was stopping her so far was far more mundane.
“I think the biggest difference, Coran, is that Shiro is...and I quote, ‘dense as hell’.” Allura’s smile soured as she repeated the phrase Pidge had once used.
Coran erupted into laughter, clapping her shoulder before moving to stand. “Well I can’t argue with you there princess. Good luck with that one.”
And just like that she was alone once more, sounds of the castle echoing in the cryopod chamber. But her heart felt lighter than it had in weeks, and for that she was thankful. Coran was still the one who knew her best and could put her at ease with a short conversation. She turned a bit where she sat, so she was facing the healing pod and took a deep breath. She released with it the remnants of her anxiety, her fears, her frustrations.
Allura watched him sleep, rather peacefully, and tried gathering her stray thoughts. A few nights ago, she discovered that talking to Shiro was all it took to get her to unwind. Asleep or awake, his presence was a comfort that she sorely needed. She smiled lightly and got comfortable, ready to move on with her new nightly routine.
“Shiro, you will not believe what happened earlier today…”
⥎⥎⥎
Things weren’t looking so great for team Voltron right about now. They were exhausted, on the run, and the teludav lenses were deteriorating with every wormhole jump. Allura was nearly running on empty, having powered the castle for well over 24 hours; not to mention her lack of sleep the past week. Ever since Shiro had woken up and the team resumed their missions, Allura found herself with a new case of insomnia. Whereas before she would’ve talked it out in front of Shiro’s pod, she was kind of left without an outlet, not sure how to approach the black paladin about her habit.
For now, it seemed the team found a bit of reprieve, hiding from Zarkon several galaxies away. And not a moment too soon it seemed. Her body was buzzing with over exertion, nearly collapsing as soon as they exited the wormhole. Coran reported he’d need time to change the trajectory of the lenses since so many had cracked. Once they’d navigated the castle ship to a decent hiding place, the team dispersed, in desperate need of some rest and relaxation.
Allura had headed back to her own room, knowing that she really should rest. But just like all the other times she attempted rest these past few days, she was unable to relax. Her thoughts swarmed in a writhing mass of worry and worst case scenarios, leaving her more on edge than before. God, she could cry of frustration that’s how tired she was. She sat up after a failed twenty minutes and bit her lip as a few tears escaped her eyes. Crying would get her nowhere, just add another headache to the mess of exhaustion.
She wiped the last rogue tear and stood up with a huff. If she couldn’t rest then she should at least try to be productive. She suited up again, shaking off the fatigue as she walked back to the bridge. Unsurprisingly the bridge was empty, save for Shiro dutifully scanning the surrounding space area for threats. He startled a bit as she stepped through the doors, frowning as he caught sight of who it was.
“What are you doing here? You should be resting.” His brows were furrowed, voice a mix of reprimand and worry.
She sighed and walked towards her podium, even as he stood to intercept her on the way there.
“I cannot sleep. Zarkon is out there. He’s searching for us.” She lifted a tired hand, summoning a screen to start scanning the area as well.
She had a screen halfway open when she met interference, in the form of Shiro’s hand covering hers. The screen dissolved and Shiro’s face was now in full view, his eyes expressing a gentle worry that made her breath stutter. Slowly, she dropped her hand and his followed, eyes never leaving hers.
“I know how you feel, but you have to step away for a while.” His hand tightened around hers for a second before loosening. “It’s what’s best for everyone.”
She felt him beginning to move away and made an instinctive decision. Perhaps sleep deprivation simply made her more daring or perhaps she finally realized that by keeping to herself, she was hurting more than helping the team. So she made the choice to reach out, literally. Her fingers found Shiro’s again, grasping lightly, but it was enough for him to pause and regard her with wide, questioning eyes.
“Zarkon is not the only reason I can’t sleep.” Is what she eventually said, squirming a bit under his gaze.
“Princess?” He sounded even more confused than he looked and Allura sighed, eyes traveling down to where their hands were still interlocked.
“When you were in the healing pod, I also couldn’t sleep. One night I started walking and ended up in front of your pod. And I started talking.” Allura felt thoroughly flustered by this point but refused to give up, summoning the courage to look back up. “Talking to you I think helped me sleep. It calmed me somehow and...I miss it.”
They stood in silence after her admission, but before regret could consume her, Shiro gave her the gentlest smile she’d yet to witness. He looked down at their hands and shifted his fingers to properly hold her hand before speaking.
“Well, why didn’t you just say so? I understand. I…” Shiro’s smile twitched and Allura was surprised to see a faint blush crawl across his cheeks, “I kind of missed it too.”
“O-oh. So, you’re okay with it?” Allura stuttered a bit, completely caught off guard, and Shiro had the nerve to chuckle.
“Princess, care to take a walk with me?” He offered with a bright smile, stepping away from her podium, their clasped hands stretched out between them.
How cliche. Allura loved it.
Of course, it was at that moment the alarms began to scream, Zarkon’s forces finding them yet again. She didn’t think it was possible to hate Zarkon even more than she already did, but life was full of surprises.
“We are several galaxies away! How could Zarkon find us so soon?”
She swallowed the urge to scream as Shiro dropped her hand and went back to his post, but that would have to wait.
“Particle barrier, up!”
It was another few hours before they made a final wormhole jump and Coran deemed them tentatively safe from Zarkon. For now. Until they could figure out how Zarkon was tracking them, they’d never truly be safe. Finding the source of the problem was another argument just narrowly avoided by Shiro adamantly insisting they rest while they could.
Allura watched the paladins disperse before readying herself to stand with a sigh. She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, fighting a wave of dizziness. Goodness, she really needed some rest. She opened her eyes as someone cleared their throat and looked up to see Shiro standing with his hand outstretched. She took the assistance with a smile as thanks.
“Would you still like to take that walk, Allura?” Shiro kept his grip on her hand even after she was standing and she was surprised to see a light flush on his face.
She smiled.
“I’d love to.”
⥎⥎⥎
It was safe to say that Allura was at her wit’s end right about now. She was closer than she’d ever been to Shiro, yet it felt like they were going nowhere real fast. Allura wasn’t one to be impatient about these things, nor to be upset about wanting to take things slow. In fact, she was all for it. What she couldn’t stand was not knowing where they stood. Allura had been very, very clear about her feelings and intentions she thought. Yet Shiro never rejected her advances and flirtations. But also, he’d never encouraged them or even reciprocated half the time.
Honestly, she started wondering if all earthlings were like this. The other paladins assured her that, no, this was not some strange earthling courtship ritual, but rather just Shiro being dense. She wasn’t sure if that fact was reassuring or not. If there was anything that could lift her spirits, however, it was the team bonding moments with Pidge and Lance. Alright, so it was more like weekly spa night sleepovers, but they were bonding. Originally, it had just been her and Pidge, but Lance had become an honorary member of the girl’s club after showing off his entire skin care routine one night.
And so they all sat in Allura’s room while she ranted about her woes, Lance and Pidge humming sympathetically where appropriate. She told them all about this week’s drama of failed romance, summing up a few stories of what had happened when they’d went on their nightly walks around the castle. The worst would’ve been the story of how she read his posture wrong and went in for a kiss; he’d actually just been reaching forward because there was food goo in her hair. Not her brightest moment. But this next story topped even that.
“I told him yesterday that I liked him.” Allura sighed and Lance’s hands faltered from where they’d been braiding her hair.
“Wait, no way...did you really?” Pidge spoke up from her seat, tub of ice cream in her lap.
“Yes!” She exclaimed, straightening as far as Lance would let her, “I said ‘Shiro, you are a very special person. I truly enjoy the time we spend together.’ And alright, maybe that could go over a person’s head-”
“How does that go over someone’s head?” Lance muttered incredulously, resuming his meticulous braiding.
“So then I clarified, ‘Shiro I like you. Quite a bit. I really do like you.’ And do you know what he said?” She paused to collect her composure.
“I have a feeling I don’t wanna know.” Lance groaned as he tied off a braid, moving to brace himself for the answer.
“He said thank you. He thanked me.” She replied in a near whisper, the room falling quiet in shock.
“He thanked you?” Pidge hissed, breaking the silence, shoulders tense with the need to laugh.
Allura could feel Lance shaking with silent laughter behind her. She groaned and flopped back onto the bed, fighting the urge to cover her face with her hands lest she mess up the still-drying face mask.
“He said ‘thank you Allura, that’s very nice of you.’” She did her best impression of Shiro which had Pidge hollering, but she continued. “I didn’t know what to do so I said ‘oh, you are most welcome Shiro.’ And then-”
“Oh god, oh no please-” Lance gasped between choked laughs.
“And then! He held his hand up and gave me a ‘high five.’ Is there some significance to this gesture among earthlings?”
“No! No he didn’t! Oh my god I’m dying.” Pidge yelled, rolling on the floor, ice cream long forgotten.
Lance cleared his throat, finally stifling his laughter, and patted Allura in a consoling fashion. She sat back up with a pout and managed a small smile when she felt Lance continue braiding her hair.
“I would say there’s no way he’s that dense but...I legit had to tango dip Keith and kiss him so that Shiro would realize we were dating.” Lance chuckled.
“And even then he didn’t believe it for another week!” Pidge cried out with another giggle fit, finally sitting upright again.
“That’s right, he thought you were pranking him.” Allura smiled softly, recalling that conversation with Shiro.
They settled into a comfortable silence, Lance humming as he finished Allura’s hair, Pidge finishing her ice cream before it melted. Once finished with the braids, she scurried away to rinse off her face mask, making room when the other two joined her by the sink. The mask left a pleasant scent on their skin, reminiscent of a lalet, though Pidge and Lance argued it smelled just like “roses”, whatever those were.
She made a soft noise as she caught herself in the mirror, skin practically glowing and hair twisted into a new style. If she recalled correctly, Lance had called this particular style “box braids” and expressed quite a liking towards them. They were time consuming but interesting; Allura should try and make more time for their spa nights, so Lance had more opportunities to experiment.
She toyed with the braids as the other two finished up, settling back into the main room. Pidge threw herself across the bed, snuggling into some cushions and yelping when the mice scurried out from under. Lance settled calmly next to her, motioning for Allura to tilt her head again. She was surprised he wasn’t finished yet, it had been a couple hours, but complied nonetheless. She heard him open a new bottle of what smelled like lightly scented oil and relaxed as he rubbed it gently over her braids.
“What am I going to do?” She whispered, suddenly feeling quite vulnerable as Lance massaged her scalp.
Pidge shuffled forward curiously, catching her eyes with a soft smile. Allura fought the urge to pout but always found it easy to indulge her childish side around these two. So she let a pout overtake her face, which rapidly melted into a deep frown, feeling all her worries and self-doubt begin to bubble up. She sighed dejectedly, looking away from Pidge to pick at some lint on her night gown.
“What if...what if he doesn’t even like me? It’s not like I’m perfect either, he might find me lacking in some way-”
She was interrupted by a crash at her door and the three of them jumped in shock. A second later, it slid open to show Hunk looking frazzled before he strolled in. Allura blinked a few times, confirming that yes, that was indeed Hunk in front of her, which was...odd. The yellow paladin rarely ever stopped by during their spa nights.
“Hunk, can we...help you?” She asked slowly, glancing to the side; she swore Pidge had just hid some sort of communication device.
“My sixth sense started tingling. Which one of you was being self-deprecating?” Hunk narrowed his eyes at the trio, arms crossed as if that would make him intimidating.
“Allura doesn’t think Shiro likes her.” Pidge explained with a smug grin and Allura leveled her with a glare.
Even on her side, Pidge could not be trusted. Little snitch.
“I gave her an outer glow up, but Hunk, only you are mightily skilled at the inner glow up.” Lance stood up and pat his friend on the back.
“I do not think this is necessary-” Allura tried to reason, a sinking feeling in her gut.
“Please Hunk, you’re our only hope.” Pidge begged in an almost sincere tone.
“Please, paladins, this is hardly an issue…” Allura trailed off as Hunk stepped forward, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.
“Are you or are you not Allura, princess of Altea? Defender of the universe?” Hunk asked in a mild voice, but something in his eyes was compelling Allura to answer.
“I, yes…” She answered softly, a touch confused.
“Are you Allura, beautiful princess known for her endless compassion yet unwavering sense of justice?” Hunk kept asking, with that friendly smile full of warmth.
“I...suppose…” She answered again, fighting not to flush at the compliments.
“Allura, radiant inside and out. Soft, kind, even maternal at times. Right?” He was leaning a little lower now, more on eye level, and Allura felt a warmth settle in her chest.
“Yes, Hunk, thank you.” She smiled more sincerely this time.
“Listen, you are Princess Allura, real life, bonafide space princess Allura.” Hunk continued excitedly, smile lighting up the room.
“Yes...I am.” She replied with more conviction.
“Kick ass space princess, Allura!” Hunk declared to the room.
“Eyeliner sharp enough to slice Galra warships!” Lance chimed in from the side.
“Princess Allura, will punch your teeth in with a perfectly manicured fist!” Pidge joined the chorus of praises.
Hunk knelt down in front of her, smile soft but no less compelling. “Are you or are you not Princess Allura?”
“I am!” She exclaimed and everyone cheered.
“Are you worthy of love and happiness and all that’s good in the world?!” Hunk cried out.
“Yes I am!” Allura yelled back, smile wide across her face.
“And are you not a strong, independent woman that could bench press Shiro’s ass any day?”
“I definitely could!”
“So then, what could possibly stand in your way?”
“Nothing!”
“That’s right! Nothing can stop you now!” Hunk exclaimed with a smile, moving to grasp her hands before adding softly, “So go get him, princess.”
“GO GET YOUR MAN.” Lance hollered while Pidge whooped in the background.
“I will!” She stood up with a shout and hurried into the hall.
“HELL YEAH.” The trio yelled out as they scrambled to follow her out.
Allura raced through the halls, her posse not far behind. At this time of day (or night...space time was weird) Shiro would most likely be in the training room. She cut around corners and slid down halls, just now realizing she wasn’t even wearing shoes. No matter, nothing could stop her now, not her bare feet or nightgown or freshly braided hair that kept hitting her in the face. She’d talk to Lance about the practicality of this hair style later. Right now, she was on a mission.
She skid to a stop in front of the training room entrance and the door slid open not a second later. As she predicted Shiro was inside, sparring with Keith it seemed. Allura took a deep breath and stepped forward, reaching the edge of the training floor before Keith noticed her. His brow furrowed in confusion briefly before ducking under a strike from Shiro’s arm. The red paladin seemed conflicted as to whether he should keep fighting or alert the other man to Allura’s presence.
She resolved the issue herself with a sharp shout of his name. “Shiro!”
The black paladin faltered in his steps, spinning around frantically to locate the princess. He startled again to see her so close to them, fixing his wide-eyed gaze on her.
“Holy- Allura you scared me.”
She marched forward until she was right in front of him, eyes never wavering from his. The aggressiveness of her action seemed to confuse him further but he didn’t flinch away. It was now or never.
“Shiro, I am romantically interested in you.” Allura proclaimed in a steady voice, despite her rapidly beating heart.
Shiro blinked several times, obviously taken aback. “I’m, um, what-”
Allura stepped a little closer, not willing to let there be any misunderstandings this time. With a deep breath she focused her sharp gaze on him again and smiled. Keith would later tell her she looked downright predatory in that moment.
“When I say I like you, I mean it in the romantic sense. I am attracted to you, mentally, emotionally and physically. I would like for us to pursue an exclusive, romantic relationship should you happen to reciprocate my feelings.”
Shiro stared back at her as she finished her admissions and...just stared. He wasn’t even blinking this time, just stared with his mouth slightly parted, frozen in place. It was at this point she became aware of her audience in the form of snickering behind her.
“Oh no, you broke him!” Pidge crowed from the hallway, most likely taking pictures of Shiro’s dumbfounded expression.
“That’s his buffering face, I never thought I’d see it again.” Lance commented through his giggle fit.
Keith rolled his eyes from his position behind Shiro and moved to flee the scene. On his way past he reached out and landed a solid smack to the back of Shiro’s head. He muttered something that sounded like ‘get it together man, this is embarrassing’ and that seemed to restart Shiro’s processors. He blinked rapidly, brows furrowing even more if possible and he continued sputtering.
“I’m...I just, I don’t think I’m quite understanding here. Uh…”
Allura let him flounder for a moment, taking pleasure in the way his face was rapidly coloring. Blushing was a good sign, she was sure of that. He immediately shut his mouth when Allura reached out and placed her hands on his chest. She clutched his shirt and smiled in a way that had Shiro sweating. Before he could react she moved quickly, kicking his feet out from under him, and kept him suspended in a pseudo-tango-dip by the harsh grip on his shirt.
“Takashi Shirogane, would you do me the honor of being my space boyfriend.” She whispered teasingly in his ear, enjoying the way his face burned brighter as realization shone in his eyes.
“I, uh, y-yes?” Shiro managed to squeak out, face crimson, hands still clutching Allura’s robe like a lifeline.
“I taught her everything she knows.” Lance sighed, wiping away a fake tear
The rest of the paladins clapped softly as the scene unfolded, all huddled in a corner to watch this momentous occasion. Allura hardly paid them mind, too ecstatic at finally getting an answer from the ever elusive, ever dense Shiro.
“Excellent.” She beamed and he smiled back, full of tenderness.
She lifted him up slightly to close the gap between them and planted a quick kiss to his temple before abruptly letting him go. She giggled as he fell to the floor, back to looking dumbfounded as she strutted away from the scene and out into the hallway. She peeked back in a second later, taking in everyone’s shell shocked expressions with a smile. She focused on Shiro, still splayed on the ground, and smirked.
“This is the part where you chase after me.” She announced with a wink and then was gone again.
Allura smiled in satisfaction at the sound of the room going wild, the young paladins letting out exclamations of joy and surprise. But nothing made her smile wider than the sound of frantic footsteps hurrying after her.
Finally.