Dance with Me (Allurance One-shot)
CASTLE OF LIONS â Season 6 Episode 5
âOkay, looks like we have the power we need to attempt a system restart!â Coran shouted, swinging back and forth upside down like a pendulum on the holographic screen. He slowed to a standstill, still upside down, clearly enjoying way too much of this at such a critical moment. âAllura, begin the reboot sequence!â
Allura stared at the hologram blankly. Her arms were crossed, tight against her chest.
âAllura!â Coran cried. âCan you hear me? Is this thing on mute? Thereâs a lot of blood rushing to my head so I keep hitting the wrong buttons!â
Still, she just gazed into the hologram, no life in the bright blue skies of her eyes. She looked a million light-years away, lost in some alternate reality. Lance glanced at her from his console. She did not stand upright at her post as always. Her back was slumped. Not a very good sign.
âAllura?â he said.
She flinched. âOh, right! What is it you need?â She tried to sound upbeat but after all this time, Lance could see right through the façade. He knew what it was like. His whole life has been a façade.
Until Allura.
She mindlessly, perhaps even carelessly typed the sequence on a cyan keyboard that materialized from thin air.
Again, not a very good sign.
Before long, Coran again screamed over the intercoms that they ran into another snag and the Castle was still not operational. In that moment, Lance swore Coran sounded like a flock of ravens back home on Earth. And ravens usually signify some sort of incoming negative outcomes.
âIâll head down to assist with repairs,â Krolia said. The tapping of her feet against the floor gradually faded until a sliding door closed behind her.
The hologram of Coran vanished, basking the room in deafening silence. Lance realized they were now alone. Lance. And Allura. Alone. Not often this happens.
Not long ago, he would probably start riffing off age-old pickup lines. But he was different now. She was different now.
No, she wasnât different. He just opened his eyes. Finally looked around, for the first time. She was always Allura. Once just a hot alien reward. Now? Everything he could ever hope to be. The best version of Lance McClain. The bravest, awesomest person he ever met. Also the one who, by the looks of it, needed someone right now more than ever.
Sweat stained his palms. Her heart started galloping. He teetered over to her. âAllura, are you okay? You seem a little distracted.â
She stared at the ground, motionless, but closed her eyes in regret. He knew that look. He wore it his whole life. âIâm just so angry at myself for allowing this to happen. I played right into Lotorâs hands, and I fear my actions have placed us right into this dire situation. All of this is because of me.â Water glistened in her eyes.
Lance shook his head. âYou didnât put us in this situation. It was Shiro who went rogue and released the virus in the Castle. I thought I knew who he was.â
âNo. This is my fault. I trusted Lotor. I helped him build and empower his ships, granting him unlimited access to the Quintessence field and put the entire universe in jeopardy. How can the Coalition ever be expected to trust me when Iâm not sure I can even trust myself?â
Lance furrowed his brow, a wave of compassion coming over him. He desperately tried to come up with words of support. Honestly, he never had to do this before. âAllura, it wasnât just you who trusted Lotor. We all did. I had more reason than anyone not to trust him, but he did everything right.â At this, she finally glanced up at him. Her eyes were big and bright and blue and more imposing than ever. A needy Allura. What a nightmare. He gulped. âHe didnât just fool you. He fooled us all.â
Suddenly, she threw her arms around him. He froze up for a moment, not expecting her to go so far so quickly. She snuggled her head against his shoulder and held onto him for dear life, as if they were both falling into the abyss. But maybe they would fall together.
He took a second to memorize her warmth, and honestly, it was the best second of his entire life. Somehow, they connected on a deeper level than ever before. She was okay with letting down her impervious walls. She was okay with baring her vulnerabilities. She was okay with him.
She was the rock that held the universe together. The force that ignited Voltronâs iron heart. The one who gave up everything she was for everyone else. Maybe, just maybe, Lance McClain is how the universe gives back. Someone who held her together. Someone who gave up everything he was just for her. It was ridiculously poetic, but if that was his lot in life, he wouldnât even blink. He would run down that road with every fiber of his being. She was worth it.
âLet me tell you,â he started, âas someone who has made a million mistakes, all you can do is get up and try to make it right. We need you. The universe needs you.â Her shattered breaths shocked his shoulder. She weakened against him, letting him support her.
How much better could this day get?
No. Shut up.
He quieted down that old smelly Lance and held her all the more.
âThank you, Lance,â she croaked. She pulled away and looked up at him, her eyes wet but far firmer in their glory than before. She grinned, a rainbow in the rain. A sun shining through a storm.
The entire room quaked and static overpowered the comms. They both jumped. Just as suddenly, a hologram appeared and displayed some random gibberish. Lance raised an eyebrow.
âNow playing: Lanceâs Playlist.â
Lance shrieked. âShit! I mean, quiznack! Quiznack!â
Instantly, the comms blared American Pie by Don McLean. One of his favorites. It reverberated against the walls, causing the room to vibrate and tremor.
Do you believe in rock ân roll? And can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow?
Lance cringed, afraid to look at Allura, but what he found was pure, childlike wonder. She grinned sheepishly. He reddened in embarrassment.
What the quiznack was the Castle doing hacking into his playlists? Is this like the time the Castle tried killing everyone?
Well, I know that youâre in love with him âCause I saw you dancinâ in the gym You both kicked off your shoes Then I dig those rhythm and blues!
How metaphorical. He hated to give in but the classic seduced him easily. He started tapping his feet and bounced his head this way and that. Worse, he was snapping his fingers to the beat.
Allura just watched him, an awkward smile etched on her face. âIs this Earth music?â
âGreat, right?â he returned. He drowned himself in the melody and literally, despite the hell going on outside, broke into a dance. He loosened and twisted his knees this way and that. His shoulders rose and fell in a cyclic jig, giving way into a ballerina-like spin. He laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all.
And while the king was looking down The jester stole his thorny crown
Allura kept smiling, but Lance swore she blushed a little. Maybe it was imagination, maybe it was legit, or maybe it was out of sheer second-hand embarrassment. Who knows? Maybe itâs all three.
âI never knew you were a dancer!â Allura said.
He smirked. âCome on, Allura!â
She shrank away and stiffened her arms timidly. âOh, no, no. Me? This is not the timeââ
He slid in front of her and grasped her hand tenderly. âNuh uh, donât âthis is not the timeâ me. Come on. You need this. What else are we going to do?â
Her frown flipped into a grin. She loosened and watched his movements, trying her best to copy. Earthâs dances were really weird and erratic.
Or maybe this is just Lanceâs form of dancing. Yeah, thatâs probably right.
She held his hand while they faced each other, doing a silly jig by moving their arms in synchrony up and down, side to side. She felt herself blush, but he was definitely red as a tomato. Her stomach went into annoying knots. She felt them before. With Lotor.
We were singing, bye, bye Miss American Pie Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry The good old boys were drinking whiskey ân rye Saying, âThis will be the day that I dieâ
He pulled her into a twirl then switched sides and pulled her back again. She spun again with a happy laugh and brushed against him. Her eyes exploded in a breathtaking supernova of white and blue. She looked more beautiful than ever. Happier than ever. Honestly, sometimes he forgot how young she was. She was really supposed to be like nineteen or whatever. If you didnât know her, youâd think sheâs ten thousand years old.
Oh wait.
Without any warning, he took her other hand and slowed into a gentle rock just as American Pie did as well. He clenched his jaw as they swayed side to side.
Donât make this awkward. Donât make this awkward. Donât make this awkward.
She looked up at him, almost as if she heard his thoughts. Her dried tears on her cheeks shone like diamonds held to light. He warded off a gulp. How did they even get in this position? Face to face with Allura like this was not something he expected to happen today. And thatâs after Lotor turned out to be Zarkon 2.0.
âAllura, I . . . I just want to . . . I want you to know . . .â Her eyes widened a bit, even more enveloping than before. He had to channel every ounce of Paladin strength to avoid being consumed by them. âI wish I could take the pain away. I wish I could make it all better, but Iâm just some stupid boy from Cuba.â
âLanceââ
âItâs true. What I mean is, youâre not alone. You donât have to suffer alone. You have all of us. You have . . . you have me, I guess.â
âNo. You are more than that. I believe you are more than that. You are a Paladin of Voltron. You . . . you are so much like my father but you donât see it.â
He made a face. âI donât get it. How could I be anything like King Alfor? Heâs Alfor!â
She grinned slightly and grasped his hands tighter. He was sure he was red as a tomato but couldnât care less anymore.
âYou are brave. You are strong, you know who you are, you give up your life for so many others, you love mâ I mean . . .â
They both tensed at the same time. Her eyes widened into bowling balls. She flustered and looked away.
Too late. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach. Wait, was she going to say what he thought she was going to say? How did she know that?
What? What? What?
The mice.
Those savages.
âAlluraââ
Keithâs voice screamed over the intercom.
Interrupted, again.