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Two years had changed many things for the paladins—Allura and Keith, especially.
Physically, Keith had matured in looks. His jaw had gotten sharper, his figure was beginning to reflect the hours he put into training—not that Allura was staring, of course. His hair had periods of time in which it was longer than usual, but Coran had become the personal barber for Keith and the other paladins.
Allura could hardly notice the changes in herself, but upon looking in the mirror, she found she was looking more and more like her mother, an image that had nearly been long forgotten. When staring at her reflection, she often wondered how her appearance would have differed if the Galra had been defeated years ago. She would certainly not be wearing her armor, and her hair would’ve been styled in neat curls, rather than the relatively sloppy updo she typically settled for.
There were changes a little less noticeable, too. Allura and Keith’s friendship had grown, until it was balancing on the fine line of platonic and something more. Overall, they had been nothing too serious. How could they be? With the Galra lurking around every corner, Allura's standards for romance were not very high—if existent. But, she and Keith had something special, she'd admit. There was something in the moments they stole, the times they'd meet up in early morning or late evening, simply to laze around the main deck of the castle, chatting until the others woke, or until their eyelids were too heavy to continue.
Though, that was the extent of their relationship. They had never even discussed if they were something: It was merely an assumption by Allura, between their secret conversations and tight embraces.
On top of that, the other paladins were unaware of whatever was between the two. Coran—he seemed to be clueless. In the company of others, Keith and Allura remained professional. For the most part, that is; sometimes Allura couldn’t resist stealing a glance, or tapping against his leg beneath the table. The first time she had done it, Keith seemed hesitant, but now he returns the gesture with a coy smile.
Lately, though, Allura hadn’t seen Keith; tensions within the castle were high, as no recent attack from the Galra left them all wary. She’d asked about him a few times, to Coran, as they ran scans on the castle. He only guessed Keith was stowed away in the training room.
One particular night amongst this downcast, Allura had been unable to sleep, so she and the space mice decided to stroll around the castle. It felt so peaceful; as of late, she hadn't let her hair loose, nor had she worn a dress in any other room aside from her own—even if it was only her nightgown. She hardly minded the cold metal floor against the bottoms of her feet.
For a moment, she almost fooled herself into believing everything was fine, that the Galra empire wasn't permeating every inch of the universe. She released a drawn-out sigh, feeling the space mice look at her from her shoulder. Without sparing a glance, she could feel their concern. "I know, my apologies. I'm fine, really."
"What’re you doing, princess?"
"Keith?" Spinning on her heel, she locked eyes with the paladin. The mice sprung from her shoulder, scurrying behind a pillar. Every beat of his shoe against the floor as he approached spurred her heart. "I-I wasn’t aware you were awake. Or did I disturb you?"
"No, not at all,” he replied softly, “I was already up."
As he stepped closer, Allura found herself studying the little features. What he had claimed appeared to be the truth: There were slight bags beneath his eyes (though, it wasn't like any of them were getting much sleep these days.) His jaw was adorned with stubble, a clear indicator he’d been wrapped up in his training as of late. He wore his typical black t-shirt—Had it always clung so tightly to him?—
"Princess?" With a slight jump, her attention returned to his face. His brows were furrowed. "You okay?"
"I'm just fine," she replied. Her face burned. Why was she so nervous? She settled on leaving before anything humiliating left her mouth—as if her stumbling over her words wasn’t embarrassing enough. Shouldering past him, her bare feet were heavy against the castle floor, as she hurriedly suggested, "We should be getting to sleep, shouldn't we?"
She was halted by his grasp on her wrist. "Wait. I thought maybe we could stay up for awhile."
His fingers were cold, soothing against her warm skin. She took in a breath, convincing herself it was simply her lack of sleep and her recent unease that had been making her so jittery. "Of course,” she said, as she looked over her shoulder. His eyes seemed to lighten. “I would love that."
He offered a small smile back, and released his grasp. There was a moment of hesitation before he blurted, “You seem on edge.”
“Oh. Well, I suppose I am,” she answered, looking down at her feet. She wiggled her toes. “The Galra”—she paused at that particular word—“er, Zarkon’s former fleet. As of late, we’ve managed to avoid them. Or, perhaps they’ve stopped pouring so much effort into finding us. Either way, I’m … I’m unsure what they have planned.”
His hand rested upon her shoulder, prompting her to look to him. He averted his eyes. “ … I know how you feel. It’s not easy—for any of us. They’re still out there.” His attention returned to her, his eyes brimming with nearly the same passion he sported on the battlefield. His voice was thick. “But, we can’t let that fear stop us from living.”
She closed her eyes for a moment. It was almost calming, opening her eyes to see Keith right there before her. “You’re right. I suppose this apprehensiveness is distracting.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about it. Y’know, while training. I mean, it’s good to be skeptical, but … I guess I was starting to miss seeing you.” Allura felt her face completely flushed. Keith’s eyes flashed, his lips still cracked open. “Y-You and the others, and all.”
“I understand,” Allura assured him. “I was beginning miss all of you myself—even Lance.” The two smiled, sharing a soft laugh.
Keith’s chuckle had broken abruptly, as he began to speak, “Hey, I have an idea.”
Her brows quirked. “I’m unsure whether I should be overjoyed or concerned.”
“Close your eyes.”
She did as he instructed, though, she soon felt her back pressed against his chest, his hands hovering over her eyes. “Do you not trust me?” she teased.
“I do,” he said, “but I’m not dumb enough to think you won’t peek.”
Her fingers curled around his wrists, latching to him as they walked slowly together. It felt rather strange, but she trusted Keith, nonetheless. “You wouldn’t run me into a wall, would you?”
“Promise, princess.” She could almost discern the smirk in his voice. Her smile widened. Eventually, the two rounded a corner—Allura had been trying to make a mental map, to see if she could discover their location beforehand, but she had quickly lost track amongst her other thoughts—and Keith said, “We’re here.”
His hands slipped from her eyes, revealing the pods. He circled around her, entering further into the room, but she couldn’t help the confused look she directed at his back. “Why are we here?”
“Well, you remember a few years back, right?” Keith started. “Y’know, when we went off on our own.” He turned back towards her, a soft smile on his lips. It was enough to make her blush.
“Yes, I remember.”
“Why not take one for a spin?”
“Are you mad? What if the Galra—?”
“The Galra aren’t going to find us. Besides, we won’t go out too far. Just a quick spin around and back.”
Allura bit down on her lip. Could they really risk it? Keith—he really was getting a bit too reckless. Perhaps all of the training had gone to his head.
Though, it could be alright. They hadn't had a fight with the Galra in a while—really, the Galra had no way of tracking them anymore, so it was highly unlikely they'd make a surprise visit. And Keith was, undoubtedly, the most skilled pilot in the castle. (Besides herself, she’d argue.)
"Maybe it'll relax you a little,” he added. “Plus, it might be fun."
"You're beginning to sound like Lance."
"Can't help it. We’ve been stuck in this castle together for a couple years now—at least, as Pidge calculated. C'mon, Princess. We'll be back in a tick."
Allura couldn’t say no. In fact, she was beginning to admit the offer was enticing. And perhaps it would help her relax: It was comparable to dipping her feet in the water, just to calm any fears of what is lurking beneath. It would be proof, there was nothing to fear at the moment. She could rest.
“Alright,” she said, giving an arch smile, “suit up.”
★
The two returned to the room in their full gear: Keith in the black paladin uniform, Allura in the red that both he and her father had worn before her. Keith arrived a few minutes after her. She was leaning against the pod as he entered. “What took you so long?”
“Why are you so early?” he retorted with a smirk.
Keith walked to the passenger side with her, placing his hands at her hips as she climbed in. She’d admit that the touch was unnecessary, but it had been enough to make her heart race. “Thank you, paladin,” she said smartly.
“No problem.”
He circled the front of the pod, plopping down into the seat beside her. Switching the gears, the pod riled as the glass covering lowered over them. The launching doors slowly collapsed, and after a bit more fumbling with the switches, they were off the ground, and out of the castle.
It was quiet. Keith had his eyes focused on the space ahead—not that there was much to look at, anyway—and Allura sat with her hands in her lap, her attention fixed outside. Though it had been a familiar sight, it was still rather charming. Stars sprinkled around them, Allura found her worries starting to dissolve.
“Better?” Keith asked.
She looked to him, observing his profile. She could see the small curl of his lip, how his eyes were still so deep in focus—but, far from lifeless. “Yes, thank you. I suppose this venture was just what I needed.”
“Good.”
The silence returned. Despite the lack of conversation, it hadn’t been uncomfortable. It was simply tranquil, two people who had endured so much, enjoying the silence. Allura began to think there was no one she’d rather spend the silence with.
“Hey, Allura—um, what’s that?”
Allura’s heart sank, as she shifted in her seat. “What are you talking about? Where?”
He pointed out his side window. She leaned over him, lifting her chin, looking down at the window. What she saw wasn’t what she expected. What she saw wasn’t a Galra ship.
“I believe it is … a planet?”
The aerial view of it hadn’t been enough to tell. But, waves of deep green, that slipped into a gradient of blues and purples and pinks, shimmered. “It looks like … an aurora,” Keith noted.
It was simply breathtaking. Allura hadn’t seen anything like it in quite a long time; she vaguely remembered visiting planets with her father, on diplomatic grounds, and seeing the spectacle on another planet. The hues rippled, the many stars and lights soon becoming blurred by tears. The sight caused her heart to swell.
Keith had his eyes fixed upon the planet until Allura sniffled. He swiftly turned his attention to her. “ … Princess?”
She cracked a smile, emitting a tiny hiccup. “My apologies. I’m not sure why I’ve become so emotional.”
She wasn’t sure he’d ever looked so confused. She averted her gaze down, only for a hand to cup her face. The pad of his thumb ran smoothly on her skin, smearing her tears. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s get back to the castle.”
“Could we remain here for another tick?”
“Of course, Allura.”
★
Upon arriving at the castle, Allura’s anxiety was beginning to seep back in. This time, however, it was not anything Galra related, but instead the fear they had stayed out too long, and would be caught by the others.
As the pod came to a landing, and the glass opened with a burst of air, Allura halted and listened. Nothing.
Keith hopped out first, coming to her side and offering a hand. Looking down at him as she stood, she almost felt embarrassed; she could still feel where the tears had stained her cheeks. She sniffled once more, noting, “I noticed you have been acquiring some manners,” as she slipped her hand into his.
“Maybe you just never noticed before.”
Her shoes planted against the floor, his arms at her side, steadying her landing. “Thank you, Keith. I feel as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”
“Yeah,” Keith replied. “C’mon, I’ll walk you back.”
Allura followed a few inches behind him. “I don’t require an escort,” she piped in a hushed voice, “I hardly believe we’ll make it to my room without waking the others.”
Keith shrugged. “Let them wake up.”
“You’re growing careless.”
The two slipped through the halls undetected—aside from the space mice, who had rushed to Allura’s side upon her entrance to the castle. When they arrived to her room, she cracked open the door, allowing the space mice to rush in. As she watched them, she felt Keith’s eyes heavy upon her.
She looked to him, beginning to feel self-conscious beneath his stare. An impulsive thought sent her muscles reacting immediately, and she found herself with her arms wrapped around his neck, her chin resting against his shoulder—which, was hardly comfy, considering the armor.
His arms slipped around her waist, and they stayed like that for a moment. Allura even flirted with the thought of inviting him into her room, so they could continue their conversations, but she was reminded that it wasn’t exactly proper etiquette. Not to mention, if the paladins were to find out, the two would never live it down.
As they parted, Allura locked eyes with him for a tick, before her hands cupped his face. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was doing, nor what the consequences would be, as she pressed her lips to his. He pulled her closer to him—as close as they could get in the bulky suits—and they kissed, again, and again, and again. She was almost addicted to the feeling of his lips on hers, the way in which he was almost a bit forceful, tugging her lip between his. It almost seemed as if they would be there all morning, but a mutual glance between kisses was an unspoken agreement to halt.
“Goodnight, Allura,” he said smoothly, planting one final kiss on the corner of her mouth.
“Goodnight.” When she slipped back into her room, and hurriedly closed the door, she turned to meet the half-lidded eyes of the mice. She didn’t think the interrogation would ever end.
★
When her eyes fluttered open the next morning, she promptly asked the mice to report the time. They told her she’d only slept for a few hours, and Coran had stopped by to make sure she was alright on his way to the dining room. They then teased her, pulling on their cheeks, claiming she’d smiled all through her sleep.
She let out a small sigh. “Oh, I suppose I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
In a few minutes she was dressed in her usual armor, her hair pulled into a bun. She left her room, heading down the hall, the mice trailing behind. Upon opening the dining room door, she saw Coran, whipping around the table, setting plates at every seat. A small cart stood in the room, holding the dishes.
“Oh, Princess! Good morning to ya.”
“Hello, Coran,” she said. As he set the final plate, she was just picking up the silverware, preparing to help. In a tick, he was at her side, requesting the silverware with an open hand.
“Don’t worry about it, Princess! I can handle it.” The silverware clattered as she dropped it into his palm. He turned to continue, adding, “You should sit down—you didn’t get much rest last night.”
She suddenly felt rooted to the floor. Her heart pounded in her ears, her face growing hot. Had he known?
“Oh … yes, I suppose I didn’t get much sleep last night,” Allura said as she walked to her seat, pulling out the chair and plopping down. Though so much of her told her to end it there, she had to know how much Coran knew. “Er … how did you guess?”
Allura watched him closely as he circled the table, tapping her foot. “Well, you look exhausted!”
Releasing a held-in breath, Allura began to calm: Her venture with Keith was still a secret, and she would ensure it remained that way. Her mind slipped away from her fears, leaving her feeling optimistic for the day ahead. Though, seeing Keith might be rather awkward at first, but she was still excited to see him, nonetheless.
“I’m quite surprised you’re up this early, Princess,” Coran noted. “I figured you and Keith would be the last ones to roll out of bed.” He glanced over his shoulder at her, giving a quick wink.
Perhaps Coran wasn’t as clueless as she once believed.