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Allura woke up with a start to the sound of silence, her senses buzzing. It was early morning, telling by the white light streaming through her window. She began to hear birds chirping, signaling the start of a new day. So strange, this planet…Their sporadic lilts were a sharp contrast to Keith’s morning drill calls. She felt poised to jump into action but remembered that they were on Earth now, in a state of temporary peace.
She rubbed her eyes and took in her surroundings—the Garrison quarters didn’t feel like her room back in the Castle of Lions, or even her cramped space in the Blue Lion. The walls were painted cream. Old photos of the Garrison campus hung on the wall. Her new Garrison uniform was folded neatly on a wooden chair. Allura sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. She instinctively reached for her tiara at her bedside table and found nothing. That’s right. She lost it when she used its crystal for Shiro’s arm. She was utterly relieved that it stabilized him—something as inconsequential as giving up her crown was nothing in comparison to saving her dear friend. Still, she felt off not having it.
She slipped on her orange uniform jacket, its sleeves stiff and wide. Her pants were not as fitted as her paladin underarmor, with sharp creases running along each leg. Allura frowned as she looked down at her outfit. It was a far cry from her Altean uniform, which was safely tucked away in Blue. She tightened the belt at her waist to make it look more feminine. Not a vast improvement but one she could work with. She put up her hair hastily, using several pins to hold her heavy curls in place. The hologram of her parents on her bedside table caught her eye, and she felt a heaviness seep into her chest. The alarm clock next to it rang quietly and broke her stare. It was time for breakfast.
Allura walked to the end of the hall where Lance stood leaning against the wall waiting for her.
“Morning, Princess!” he chirped. He was always eager to start the day with her.
“Morning,” she smiled. She took in his clean-pressed Garrison look. His hair was still as mussed as ever, but he looked really sharp and handsome in his new suit, the jacket framing his torso perfectly. Allura felt something stir in her chest. Odd.
“So today’s breakfast is…you guessed it! The superfood combo again! Tomorrow they’ll probably shake things up and switch the skim milk to 1% milk,” Lance joked.
“I could really use a milkshake instead,” Allura sighed. The Garrison was not normally as rigid with their meal options, but the lack of supplies demanded a diet designed for nutritional sustenance over pleasure.
“Right there with ya.”
“Will we be sitting at our usual spot?”
“Sure, unless you wanted to sit somewhere else? I think Hunk is away doing systems checks right now but Keith and Pidge will be there.”
“No, it’s not that. I just—I feel like people…stare at me.”
Lance stopped walking and tried reading her expression. “Stare at you how?” he asked, his brows knitting in concern.
“They’re not bad stares, just…” She gestured to her face. “An Altean in a cafeteria is like a choferiak in a yelmore’s den.”
Lance smiled. “You know half of the people are trying to wrap their brains around the fact that an Altean princess is one of humanity’s last hopes for survival. The other half just wants to be you because you’re awesome,” he grinned.
Allura blushed, the warmth on her face a welcome surprise since they landed on Earth. So this is the effect Loverboy Lance has.
“You’re giving me too much credit. You know they’re staring at you too,” Allura said shyly. Lance’s eyes widened and he gave a lopsided smile.
“You, and the rest of the paladins,” she quickly added. Quiznack, why was it so hard for her to be honest with him?
Lance’s face relaxed a little. “I do feel pretty badass right now, after our fight with…whatever that thing was.” He scratched his head nervously.
“We’ll find out more about it, in time,” she reassured him. “We’re here. Let’s eat.”
—
Allura and Lance picked up their trays of food and walked over to where Keith and Pidge were sitting. Pidge was explaining something sciency, gesturing wildly with her hands, while shoveling food into her mouth. Keith seemed lost in thought, swirling his spoon in his bowl of oatmeal, but kept nodding to show he was paying attention.
“Hi guys!” Lance plopped down next to Keith and Allura next to Pidge.
“Hey,” Pidge and Keith greeted them.
“What are you guys talking about?” Lance asked.
“I was trying to explain Atlas’s construction to Keith, starting from my dad’s early designs. When he was imprisoned, the Galra found out he was an engineer and used his knowledge to design their weapons, which also drew power from quintessence.” Pidge chattered then paused. “He took a lot of what he learned—was forced to learn—and brought it here to Earth.”
Allura recognized the pain in Pidge’s eyes. “Your father is a strong man. His work has been instrumental to ensuring Earth and the entire universe’s survival. I’ve learned a lot from him since coming here, and I’m constantly in awe of his knowledge and perseverance. He must be so proud of the work you’ve done as a paladin. You’re a lot like him,” Allura said with a soft smile. She meant every word.
“Thanks, Allura. That means a lot.” Pidge said shyly, shifting in her seat. “And the feeling’s mutual,” she smiled. “My dad’s also impressed by you. He said you two are investigating the mecha that attacked us. Just thinking about that thing gives me nightmares.”
“I don’t know how you do it, Allura, jumping right back into work after our fight,” Lance chimed in.
“Do you know what’s powering that thing?” Keith asked. He looked worried, as if the thought had been nagging him all day. Their theories led to Haggar the witch whose Komar utilized quintessence in a similar way.
“We’re not sure yet,” Allura said, frustrated with their slow progress. “Just that it’s related to Haggar.”
One of the cadets walking past slowed down a little, his eyes darting to their table and back, and then quickened his pace. Allura stiffened and looked down at her untouched muffin. She curtly patted her mouth with her napkin and pushed the tray in front of her.
Lance’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked back at the cadet to give him the stink eye. “Allura, is that what you were talking about?”
Allura nodded. “Yes. I’ve been noticing it more and more each day. Even though I work with Sam and his team every day, a part of me still feels out of place,” she said sadly, propping her head on her hand. A strand of hair fell to obscure her face. She wanted to hide, shut herself in her room, something she hadn’t felt in a while when they were in space.
“Hey…” Lance said gently, reaching forward to push the strand behind her ear. The brush of his fingers made Allura shiver as she looked up at him. Pidge and Keith exchanged a quick look and Keith suddenly seemed intensely focused on his oatmeal.
“I’m sorry that they’re making you feel uncomfortable,” Lance said. “I don’t know what’s going through their heads, but I’m sure its nothing bad. You, Coran, Romelle…you’re the reason why we’re here. Alive. People here respect you, but they might not have a good way of showing it since they still don’t understand things that aren’t…human.”
“Yeah, I was talking with my dad and your tech is all anyone in the base can talk about,” Pidge added. “It’s some of the most advanced science that Earth has ever seen.”
Keith looked up from his plate and locked eyes with Allura. “Allura, I understand what it means to feel like an outsider here. Even growing up here, it felt so different from home,” he said.
Allura nodded, remembering her past conversations with Keith about growing up near the base with his father. Keith continued. “My mom, Kolivan…they’ve been getting weird stares too. Like Lance said, I don’t think they’re afraid, maybe just intimidated.”
Allura considered all of this. She commanded the room when they had their military briefings with little push back. That, and her meetings with Sam to investigate what was powering Haggar’s ship. People did respect her…so why did they stare so much? What else was going through their minds?
“Thank you all,” Allura said. A part of her still felt insecure, but their words did help soothe her anxiety. When they finished eating, Pidge and Keith excused themselves to go to their next assignments. Pidge gave her a quick hug and Keith squeezed her shoulder gently before leaving. Allura loved the feeling that only physical comfort could provide.
Like clockwork, Lance rose and scooted next to Allura, his thigh touching hers.
“Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Lance. I feel more at ease,” Allura said, hyperaware that their arms were touching too.
“Of course. I’m glad you do,” he soothed. He broke off a piece of her muffin and tossed it in his mouth, smiling at Allura.
“Lance, you’re like a vacuum,” Allura teased. She became well acquainted with the human appliance after Kosmo became her roommate in space despite her loud protests.
“I just really love blueberries. Do you want a bite?” he asked, breaking off another piece.
She felt her walls go down just a bit. Just because she was in the Garrison didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun. She smiled coyly. “Sure.”
Lance paused. “Um, do you want to—or do you want me to—” he stammered. Allura opened her mouth slightly, knowing this would be the death of him. She relished his expression as he fed her the muffin. Mmmm. Delicious.
“Christ, Allura.” Lance said, raking his hand through his hair as his face reddened. Allura chewed slowly, her expression smug.
“I could use another—” she jokingly crooned.
“Nope!” he said, throwing his hands up in defeat. They both laughed. Loverboy Lance bested again by the princess of Altea.
People were staring again but for an entirely different reason. It didn’t matter now to Allura—not when she and Lance were together.
“Well, this has been fun, as always, but I have work to do in the Altean database room,” Allura sighed. She wanted to take him with her. “They want me to keep combing the records for the Galra’s methods of extracting quintessence. It’s actually quite disturbing subject matter. And so tedious. Pidge and I have been working for what feels like phoebs.” She rolled her neck thinking about all the unexplored files that remained.
“Do you need a hand?” he asked earnestly. “You can teach me how to navigate the records. Or I could just give you a neck massage and back rub. Your pick,” he winked.
Allura smiled. “Sure, that would be great.” She was thinking about the back rub.
—
When they arrived at the database room, Allura led him to her workstation, data pads and archaic texts sprawled all over the desk. She gave Lance a simple coding script used to unpack the files so that she could transcribe them. During her explanation, Lance nodded occasionally, his eyes glazed over with the more technical parts, but eventually he got the hang of it.
“Easy peasy!” Lance said, cracking his fingers before getting to work. Allura rolled her eyes—this boy—and sat at her computer monitor to extract data from the unpacked files. Navigating through the records felt like flying the Castleship—her mind sharp and fingers swiftly typing in several commands. She and Pidge made good progress recently by finding one of the earliest robeast’s structural designs, similar to the one they fought on Balmera. They knew that Haggar’s dark alchemy was what powered the one on Balmera, so the ancient robeast must have thrived on similar magic. The thought of it set Allura on edge, raising the hair on her arms. She thought of Oriande, the birthplace of alchemy. She could only remember its ethereal pink-white glow in her dreams. The kiss of knowledge placed by the ancestors of alchemists before that radiated through every fibre of her being. How could such power be used to corrupt? Her memories harshly transitioned to her most recent reminder of home. Sendak’s disturbing holographic message that shook her to her core: If a planet refuses to give up, then we annihilate it. But only one planet has ever refused: Altea.
Allura stopped typing and seemed lost in a trance, thoughts of Altea, of home, flooding her mind. Lance rolled his chair toward hers, peering at her.
“Allura, are you okay?” he asked.
“I—I was thinking about Altea. I hadn’t thought of it in a while. Especially after traveling through space for decaphoebs. I guess losing the Castle of Lions made me remember what it felt like, growing up there and the work my father did.” She felt a lump in her throat and briefly glanced around the room. Everything was as it was yesterday but looking closer things felt so…alien. Lance nodded slowly, waiting for her to continue.
“Earth feels so different. I was so happy to see you and the others reunite with your families. Coran is my family, and I’m so grateful to have him. But…I still feel out of sorts. Being the daughter of King Alfor, my role as a diplomat was my birthright, so to speak. I always thought that I would carry out his work in space where I grew up, among all the planets we’ve fought to free. It’s hard for me to distance myself from this responsibility—being a recognizable representative of the Coalition across galaxies. I know our efforts as paladins and diplomats have not been fruitless—the people of outer space are being welcomed on Earth now, as allies and refugees. It’s what my father wanted, what Voltron has always fought to secure. I guess the distance from space makes me feel less needed as the Princess of Altea, if that makes sense,” she said, her voice tapering off at the end. The heavy feeling in her chest returned.
“Allura, I’m sorry you feel like all that responsibility is on you. And that you’re not needed as a princess,” Lance said softly.
“What’s more,” she continued, “when I arrived here on Earth I thought I’d feel like same responsibility, that same weight. But I don’t as much. Everyone here is doing the work at a much faster pace than I could have ever hoped to achieve. It sounds so selfish—I know it’s selfish—because that’s the entire purpose of the Coalition, but…Who on Earth is going to remember King Alfor the alchemist one hundred, one thousand decaphoebs down the line? I feel like a stranger in the room at present.”
Her voice began to shake and she reflexively reached to adjust her tiara—like she did whenever she was stressed—but again found nothing. This place survived on Altean technology but still felt far removed from home.
Lance moved closer and draped his arm around her shoulders. Comforted by the warmth of his body, she slowly exhaled, tears running down her face, and let her head lean against his chest. He rested his head on top of hers and his other hand reached for hers to hold it. She looped her fingers through his. Allura felt her muscles relax as Lance rubbed the back of her shoulder in a slow, soothing motion.
“Was it new to you too?” Allura whispered. “This place, new hallways to explore, people to meet?”
“It was,” he reminisced, his voice soft and wistful. “I grew up in Cuba, as you know, and life there is very different. In my hometown during the summer as a kid, I used to wander around the streets talking to shopkeepers and running errands for them. I guess it’s ‘cause I was a really fast runner. They would treat me with a Coke at the end of the day. School was fine, kind of boring, but space exploration? That’s something I could only dream of doing. When Veronica got accepted into the program, she was really nervous about leaving home. She cried the entire first week she was here.” The hum of his voice made Allura desperate to hear more.
“Veronica cried for a whole week?” she asked incredulously, wiping her runny nose with her hand. Veronica seemed like a paragon of strength among her colleagues at the Garrison, which Allura deeply admired. Lance chuckled and wiped some of the wetness from her face.
“Hard to imagine, huh?”
“Not really, considering she’s related to you,” Allura teased. Lance tousled her hair a little, making Allura squeal in protest. God, she’s so cute, he thought.
“But you know,” he continued, smoothing her hair, “I found another family here too. I thought going to a space academy would be an entirely different world—no pun intended—and it was. I was scared to be in a completely new terrain. I mean, it’s freaking Arizona, where there’s, like, no water. But there was still that sense of togetherness that I loved back home. Even though weekend training hours sucked, that’s how I got to know Hunk and we became best friends. Pidge came later in the picture, and she spent hours tutoring me before my physics tests. I was barely scraping by before I met her. Keith was a year ahead of us, so I only saw him when we did flight drills. Watching him was actually really helpful for nailing down flight patterns. Keith being Keith, I tried talking to him and got brushed off, but I know he remembers me,” Lance said smugly, and Allura giggled.
“All of us took the same classes, flew in the same simulators, pulled pranks on Iverson and got stuck in detention. I saw Keith there a lot too, actually…” he smirked.
Allura chuckled again, and the feeling of it on his chest made Lance want to melt.
“And…then I met you,” he said so affectionately it sent a pang through her chest. She looked up to meet his gaze. “I felt like all the pieces were being put together, like I was becoming the person I always wanted to be. I guess home is wherever I’m happy with my friends and family.”
Allura squeezed his hand. He looked so sure of himself, so unlike the time he first shared his insecurities with her. Something was definitely different about him. She saw it in the way he carried himself. In the way he sacrificed himself countless times for his teammates. They were here on Earth, in a dim room lit by pulsing monitors, and yet, when she looked at him she saw stars.
“I can imagine how much of a change it is for you,” he said. “But you’re still Altean, no matter where you are. And the people here respect you so much and your culture. Hell, your crystals saved Shiro. Again! And they made Atlas fly, and that thing is huge. I think the Garrison will start to feel more familiar over time. You have us. Whenever you’re feeling alone, I will always be here for you. Please know that.” His expression was serious this time. The weight of his promise began to sink in. It had always been there.
“It is a big change,” Allura agreed. She could continue talking for hours, but something inside her demanded exploring another option. “I guess I just need to give it some time to feel more adjusted. But hearing you talk about it makes me feel better. A lot better.” Their hands were still interlocked. She looked up at him, her eyes drinking in his vulnerable expression. He raised his eyebrows and swallowed hard. She fought the instinct to bottle her feelings. Her heart was racing. “Having you here already makes it easier.” She shifted his hand from his lap to hers and reached up to kiss him, trying not to laugh as his face spanned several emotions.
“Allura, what’re you—”
“Just stop talking, Lance.”
Her lips met his and she was instantly swept away. Lance buried his fingers in her hair and deepened the kiss, his movements swift, almost instinctual. She saddled herself on his lap, knocking down some papers in the process, and wrapped her arms around his head, her lips tight over his. They pulled away from each other, breathing hard.
“Allura?”
“Yes, Lance?”
“We should do this more often.”
Yes. She could definitely get used to this.