#krollura

[imhereformysciencefriends]

@allurashipweek

Day 5: Fashion/Armor

Rating: T

Content warnings: Stacey’s mom has got it going on, age gap

————————

Meeting Keith’s mother had the whole castle in titters, Shiro obviously the worst, but everyone else was very excited too. Allura patiently waited, at least outwardly, for her turn to shake Krolia’s hand and say hello, smiling the whole while with eyes glued to the woman’s face.

“You must be Princess Allura, then,” Krolia greeted with a smile that showed just the barest hint of fang, extending her hand.

“A pleasure to meet you, Keith’s hot mom,” Allura said, out loud, which left the rest of the castle dead silent.

—

“Keith’s hot mom,” Keith said for what had to be the millionth time, later in Allura’s bedroom while she diligently worked on suffocating herself in her own pillow.

“I can’t believe I said that,” Allura groaned for what had to be the billionth time, earning another bout of mocking laughter from Keith.

“I can’t either. Is this like, a thing with you? Is there something deeper going on here?” Keith carried on, delightedly ignoring Allura slowly lifting and dropping her fist on the back of her own skull. “Do you feel deep, unbridled attraction to me, but since I’m gay and also taken you’ve shifted those feelings onto my mom?”

Allura groaned loudly.

“Or do you just have a thing for older women, maybe? Milfs? Are you into milfs, Allura?”

Allura lifted the pillow from under her face so she could wrap it around her ears, trying to block her friend out.

Keith, absolutely undaunted, sat on her back. “Is it because she’s Galra? Do you secretly have a Galra fetish?”

“I just saw a hot woman in armor and my mouth went faster than my brain!” Allura protested. “That’s it!”

“Right, right. Keith’s hot mom, incredible.”

“I hate you.”

—

Fortunately, the next time Allura saw Krolia, they were not in front of Allura’s friends, Allura’s secondary father figure, god Themself, or Keith’s new dog. It was just them.

“Krolia,” Allura flagged, apology on her lips, jogging a few steps closer.

“Keith’s hot friend,” Krolia greeted in return, grinning with fangs showing. Allura noticed belatedly that she was out of her blade armor, and just wearing a sleek, fashionable tank top. Oh she was in so much trouble.

“Ah, yes, that’s what I wanted to apologize about,” Allura said with a bright blush.

“Nothing to apologize for,” Krolia said before Allura could remark on the inappropriateness of her comment. “I’m flattered.”

“O-oh. That’s good then. I am, glad I didn’t make you uncomfortable. It won’t happen again, though, I promise.”

Krolia leaned on the nearby wall, hand sliding behind her ear and through her lovely hair, musculature on full display.

“Mm. That’s too bad. Something might have happened, otherwise.”

Oh.

Ohhhhhh.

Oh no, Allura was in trouble.

“Well then, I suppose I shall see you later, Keith’s hot mom.”

Krolia grinned wide again and Allura felt her heart flutter. She was playing with fire, now.

She grinned back.

—

“I can’t believe you’re dating my mom,” Keith said into his pillow, for what had to be the millionth time.

“I can’t either,” Allura answered again, delightedly perched on top of Keith’s back. “Does she like flowers? Sweets? What do you think would be good ways to woo her, do you think?”

“I regret everything,” Keith muttered, and Allura poked at his side.

“Pidge also wanted me to let you know,” she cleared her throat, and began singing to the tune of some earth song, “Keith-y’s Mom has got it going on!”

Keith groaned loudly and moved his pillow on top of his head, blocking his ears, while she laughed riotously at him.

[667-darkavenue]

listen before i go

Allura/Krolia

This is an epilogue to S7E05 (The Ruins).

Over the Blue Lion’s video feed of Black’s cockpit, Allura watched Krolia and Coran help a limping Kolivan into the healing pod. Keith sat in the pilot seat, full body craned around to watch as well.

“Will it take long to heal?” Romelle asked over her shoulder.

“Most likely. Certainly not as long as Shiro, at least.”

Allura used the only frame of reference Romelle had so far. Along their journey within the lions, she learned quite a bit from Romelle about cultural differences between the Altean colony and Altea. One being that they lacked any familiarity with Altean tech that hadn’t survived the genocide, such as healing pods.

On screen, the pod fell gently shut. While Coran punched settings in, Krolia quietly placed an open palm on the glass.

“I don’t want her to go,” Romelle whispered.

Me neither, Allura didn’t say out loud. She simply turned around to give Romelle a sympathetic look.

“She found me, you know? She went through the abyss and back again to help me find answers.”

“We’re all lucky Keith brought her in,” Allura agreed softly.

There was something grounded and reassuring about Krolia’s towering presence. Her well of knowledge, her calculated risks, her consistent sangfroid in the face of chaos. The way she always spun a plan out of seemingly thin air. The way she only spoke when it mattered. Her simulations to keep them on their toes.

She hadn’t been around long, but Allura would feel an empty space when all those things were gone.

“Princess Allura,” Krolia’s voice came through the speakers. “Can we talk?”

Both Allura and Romelle jumped. Her eyes whipped back to the blue-tinted video feed to find Krolia leaning over Keith’s chair to speak into the comm.

“Yes,” Allura answered, “of course.”

She leaned forward in her seat to listen, but Krolia didn’t say anything in return. On screen, she crouched down and extended a hand out to Keith’s wolf.

A flash of light illuminated Blue’s cockpit. Its glare blocked the video feed completely with a white circle, until it faded away and Allura saw Krolia—Not on the video feed, but reflected in Blue’s window.

Romelle’s reflection whirled around. “Krolia... Is it true that you’re leaving?”

Inexplicably self-conscious, Allura’s hand went up to fidget with her hair. It was still up in a messy bun that had somewhat come apart throughout the day’s mission. For some reason this became important right now, so her fingers hastily undid it while Krolia addressed Romelle.

“You must understand, Kolivan and I have a long history. Together, we can pick up the remnants of our old cause and revive it. Ask Keith to tell you about The Blade of Marmora.”

“I will.” Romelle’s voice was softly unhappy.

“I told him I would see him again. I hope that you will stick together.”

Allura finished smoothing down her loose hair and rose from the pilot seat just in time to see Krolia reach out to give Romelle’s wrist a light squeeze, quick as a pulse, and letting go.

“I hope so too,” Romelle replied, her tone of voice significantly uplifted.

Krolia didn’t take her eyes off Romelle. “I need a moment with the princess.”

“Oh—Yeah, sure.” Romelle’s eyes bounced to Allura, then to the wolf.

Allura almost said, Wait!, but Romelle touched the wolf before she could get it out. Bright light consumed Romelle and the word died on the top of Allura’s tongue. She vanished with the wolf, leaving only Krolia in the cockpit. Allura had never been alone with her before. Krolia was still covered in dust and scrapes from the day’s events. It all appeared noble on her, somehow.

“I’m sorry.” Allura hovered by the back of her chair. “For what happened to Kolivan and the rest of the Blades.”

Krolia accepted it with a dip of her chin. After a beat of silence, she added, “We stopped the Druid. Everyone came out alright. That’s a mission success.”

“Not everyone. He’s in a healing pod.”

“He’s not dead,” Krolia countered, voice even. “He will get up and move on.”

“It’s not only him. How many Blades died because we weren’t there for them?” Allura’s fingers clenched into fists, crackling with anxious energy.

“They knew what they signed up for, I assure you.”

“No,” she insisted, “No, they—They were promised something entirely different. The Voltron Coalition fell apart and the Blade of Marmora was decimated because they put their faith behind us and—and I handed them to the Empire.”

“Stop.”

Allura drew in a much needed, shaky breath. It came out in a heavy huff.

Krolia stepped closer, close enough that Allura had to tilt her head back to look her in the eyes. “You need to rebuild. We must keep going to make it worth the cost.”

“I want to, but…” Allura looked down, shaking her head. “I’ve let down so many. Am I worth the cost?”

The tip of a claw brushed over Allura’s cheek to sweep a lock of hair out of the way and tuck it behind her ear. A gentle gesture in theory, but Krolia executed it with surprising roughness. Her fingers swept around the curve of Allura’s ear, along the crook of her of her jaw, and stopped beneath her chin. Krolia forced Allura’s face back up to hers, revealing her blue eyes glassed over with barely held in tears.

“Who would follow me,” Allura glared straight into her dark and gold eyes, “knowing I had abandoned them?”

Her heart churned through a hurricane of devastation, regret, shame, and longing all at once. Krolia appeared taken aback by how much could be written all over her expression.

“Their lives matter so much to you. But emotions are a luxury we can’t afford. The mission is the only thing that matters.”

Allura’s eyebrows only furrowed deeper. “I could never believe that.”

To her surprise, the corner of Krolia’s mouth curled into a badly hidden smile.

“What,” Allura challenged.

She expected to be called naive. She expected to be told to toughen up. She expected to be guilted for the hypocrisy of casting aside the Blade’s values while she cries tears for them.

She did not expect Krolia to say, “Neither could I.”

“What?” Allura repeated, soft and confused this time.

“You saved Keith today. Not for the first time, I’m sure.”

Krolia stroked Allura’s hair with her free hand, still learning to be gentle. Allura clung to that hand. It had been so long since she received touches like this. She hadn’t even noticed their absence until now. Allura hadn’t felt anything approximating desire in years; loss had obliterated it and survival pushed even the thought of it out of mind. Just one more thing she’d lost.

“For that, I would follow you to the end of the universe,” Krolia promised.

There seemed to be a soft haze between them and the rest of the world as Krolia brought her face down to Allura’s and pressed her lips to the spot just beneath her tiara. Allura held still for it and her eyes fell shut, releasing the tears she’d been holding back down both sides of her face.