Shallura, The Queen Mother (@allurashipweek past/future):
It really shouldn’t have bothered Allura.
She’d been to worse diplomatic dinners and had to keep her composure for highly offensive and apathetic comments before. The Voltron Coalition was still fairly small and with limited resources. She’d been prepared to argue in terms of war and politics.
But she hadn’t prepared herself for that comment.
‘She’s still wearing that same outfit,’ came the pitying, off handed comment within Allura’s hearing range, ‘I suppose she’s princess in name only.’
It was shallow and petty. She’d learned to shake off such snide remarks when she was a young girl with out of control frizzy hair. Looks were not everything and even though time - and proper hair care - had finally tamed her unruly hair she came to the conclusion that appearances were often constructed. What was conventional beauty was often an illusion. A person’s inner character was what was important.
But that comment had been humiliating.
She had excused herself from the proceedings to gather herself.
When she returned to the Castle of Lions she went straight to her quarters, paused by her bedroom door, and then walked passed it.
She went further into the royal wing. She entered her mother’s dressing room with her heartbeat unusually high. The room’s lights flickered on. To the left were the wall closets and shoes. On the right was the vanity with perfume bottles still perfectly organized in their glass case and the jewelry box embedded with crystals from across the universe. All of this was within easy reach of the cushioned bench.
Allura let her fingers trail over the vanity table before turning her attention to the center of the room. There was a raised platform with three tall mirrors. To the right side close to the closet were white and iridescent curtains hanging from the ceiling to act as a changing area. An empty hover rack was nearby.
“Alright,” she murmured to herself.
She walked to the closet and pressed the door lock to open. Dried juniberries immediately hit her nose.
She was suddenly a little girl clinging to her mother’s skirt as her mother calmly looked through her warbdrobe.
“Which color today, my darling?”
Her mother picked her up and rested her on her hip. “Then yellow it is.”
Allura reached in and pulled out the dress. She huntg it on the rack and then pulled the dressing curtains to cover her from prying eyes. The high collar and sleeves were white with golden yellow ribbons crisscrossing along the forearms. The overlayer consisted of the same golden yellow bodice and skirt. Ribbon vines were embroidered along the top of the bodice and along the bottom of the floor length skirt. She stepped out to get on the platform. She eyed herself in the mirrors. She takes to herself as the chest part of the dress was visibly sunken in.
Her mother had been fuller in the chest area but at least she had inherited her wide hips. Her fingers ran over the curves of her hips as she took it all in. It looked off. She scrutinized herself then tutted.
“The bun is not right for this,” she muttered as she tugged the pins out.
She dropped them on the platform next to her then shook her hair out. She sighed in relief as her roots relaxed from the tight bun. Her fingers rubbed her scalp and then idly rearranged her hair to sit somewhat neater.
But it still looked off. She looked off. Her brows furrowed a little. It was -
Her ears twitched. She looked in the mirror and spotted black and white by the door. She twisted herself around.
The Black Paladin’s eyes were wide as he took her in. Then he cleared his throat and looked over her shoulder.
“I, uh, just thought I’d check on you. I tried your room but you weren’t there. Coran tracked your earrings this way, so…” he shrugged. “I knocked but you didn’t answer.”
“Why are you looking for me?”
“Well… you usually debrief me right after your meetings,” his cheeks colored slightly, “but you didn’t this time.”
“Oh. Yes. Of course.” She felt her cheeks flush in return. “I’m sorry. The time got away from me. Will you give me ten doboshes?”
“Sure princess. The library or the observation deck?”
“Ok. See you soon.” He turned to go then paused by the doorway. “That color looks good on you.”
Both of their faces were flushed but neither saw the other’s redness. Shiro had quickly turned his face away and left after saying that.
They both sat quietly in the customary window seat.
Shiro waited for Allura to start, like always. She was more subdued than he had ever seen her.
“Have you ever feared you’d never measure up to your parents?”
“My parents died when I was young,” came Shiro’s automatic response.
“Oh, I am so sorry. I hadn’t-”
“It’s fine. I’m sorry. It just came out. I’m so used to having to say that when it comes to my parents.” He softly sighed when she was still looking at him with those blue, concerned eyes. “My grandfather raised me though he was easy going.” He looked out to the stars. “But I had high expectations for myself.” He turned back to her. “What or who’s expectations do you think you’re failing?”
In the beginning, this ease of conversation had intimidated her. But it was late and no one else was around. There was no court to worry about. No gossipy servants.
Even with all of that…there was something very earnest and open about Shiro that made her unguarded. She realized she would have talked with him like this regardless of all of that.
“…Myself, I suppose.” She leaned back against the wall of the window seat. “I already fear I may not reach the levels of my father’s alchemic skills. Today however,” she closed her eyes, “I realized I may not be the queen my mother was.” She let out a tired sigh. “Not that I was expecting to become a queen under these circumstances.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s not easy to explain. I was looking at myself in her gown and it looked wrong.” She looked up to Shiro with a deep frown. “I looked wrong.”
Shiro rubbed his face scar contemplatingly.
“Maybe you’re trying too hard to be someone else. And that’s why it felt wrong.” He laid a light hand on the top of her slippered foot, the closest part of her to him. “Who you are is incredible. You’re doing outrageously fantastic especially considering the circumstances.”
She was still looking at his hand on her foot. Bare hand touch was intimate. Feet touching especially so. It was why she had shooed his hand away when they had been intoxicated and he had been tapping her toes as he counted them. She opened her mouth to tell him so he would remove his hand.
“…I have plenty of assistance.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” He smiled warmly. “We all help each other. I think that’s more than enough to create a better future.”
His thumb lightly trailed up and down her ankle bone. She was suddenly curious to know…
“Am I attractive?” She blushed and quickly added, “in human terms?”
His thumb stopped stroking her ankle. This time she did see his blush.
She hummed. “Simple curiosity.”
He looked at her silently. “In general terms, yes.”
She was looking up at him through her white lashes. “And personally?”
He had flirted with her a couple of times but she had not initiated it before. His hand slowly slid up her foot to circle her ankle and then slid back down.
Her purple oval pupils were wider. He leaned over his raised knee so his face was closer to her.
Her eyes drifted to her foot and then back to his face.
“You seem to like touching me.”
He made a low sound of agreement. “Your skin’s smooth and warm.”
She leaned in towards him.
“Your pupils are also wide open.”
She tilted her head, making her snowy hair slip down her shoulder.
“…Allura,” she quietly said.
His hand lifted up to twirl a piece of her hair. It was soft and curled easily around his finger. This was changing faster than he expected. But he couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to. In all the chaos of his time in space this bond, this force between them, was one of the few things that made sense in his life.
“Is that really what you want?” he lowly rumbled.
She shivered pleasantly. This tone of voice was almost as wonderful as his singing voice.
“I know what I want,” she half whispered.
His eyes half closed as she came forward to fill the gap. There was a gentle, shared breath and then the press of warm lips. It was so faint, so soft that he almost doubted what was happening. But then their lips brushed again, shooting a sharp thrill down his spine. She pulled away to rest her cheek against his.
“Say it,” she breathed against his ear. “Please.”
“You don’t ever have to beg, Allura” he murmured. He brought his right hand up to her cheek without thinking. “You just need to ask.”
He smiled at that. “You sure about that?”
“I don’t think I like your tone.”
He heartily laughed at that. “I’ll stop.” He moved his head so they were face to face. “And focus on something else.”
He leaned in to kiss her lips but then angled his head at the last second to get her cheek.
“That’s not where I want my kiss.”
He kissed between her eyebrows.
He quickly kissed her lips. “Right there?”
They connected more solidly this time. They reveled in the warmth of the other’s mouth, the shape of their lips, the texture of the bit of tongue that lightly rubbed against each other. He pulled away for air. Her eyes were hazy as if under the influence of Nunvill.
He slanted his mouth over hers.