Shiro's chest was tight, his heartbeat pounding in his ears, his breath caught in his throat.

How did he get himself into this situation?

30 minutes earlier...

"Shiro!" the call of his name made him stop dead in his tracks in the hallway. He turned to see Allura running up to him. The front of her long dress in her hands and a distressed look on her face.

"What's wrong, princess?" He asked her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Are you hurt?" He continued, concern evident on his face.

"No, I'm alright. However, I do require your assistance."

"My assistance?"

"Yes. The Black Lion chose you for your exemplary leadership skills. Everyone follows your commands without so much as a question. I could use that quality of yours right now." And with that, Allura grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hallway. It had been a while since he felt a grip that strong. He instantly felt sorry for whomever was on the receiving end of her wrath.

But then it hit him. "Wait, who isn't following your commands?" Shiro asked. He couldn't think of anyone on the ship who would disobey a direct order from the princess.

"The mice!" she nearly shouted. "They got into the food container. Now my room is covered in tiny green footprints and they won't get into the bath!" She came to a halt and shoved the door open. "See?!"

And Ih, it was bad. Even worse than Shiro expected. The four green blobs were still running around, making the mess worse than it was before. He had to try so hard not to laugh. He felt Allura nudge him with her elbow. Okay, it's go time. Shiro took a deep breath and put on his best angry face and most authoritative tone. "Platt, Chuchule, Plachu, Chulatt." The mice screeched to a stop. Good, they were listening. "You better be getting your fuzzy little butts into that bath tub before the count of three, or so help me—"

He was cut off by the squeaking of the tallest mouse. He turned to Allura for a translation, but she looked... flustered.

"I—uhm... I believe that can be arranged..." she stammered.

And that's how Shiro wound up in a bath tub with the woman of his dreams, naked, save for the Altean equivalent of saran wrap covering his robotic arm. He swore he got heart palpatations just watching her play with the mice, she was that charming. He felt his face grow redder by the second, his voice was caught in his throat. At some point it must have been noticeable to Allura too.

"Are you alright, Shiro? You're even quieter than usually."

The blush on his face only grew. He quickly looked down in an attempt to subtly hide it.

"ye-yes..." he mumbled. "It's just... It's very intimate. Back on Earth this kind of thing is usually reserved for lovers..."

"Do you not wish to be intimate with me then, Shiro?"

"No! I mean, yes, I do—what—where is this coming from so suddenly?"

Allura took a deep breath. "I wasn't initially planning to do this now, but I might as well just say it outright now that the lion is out of the bag. Takashi, I am very much in love with you." She smiled, softly cupping his chin in her hand and turned him to face her. "I want to know if you feel the same about me."

Shiro blinked. He felt like he was over the moon in the sense that he was in the vacuum of space without a space suit. Breathe, Shiro. Breathe! Don't pass out like that one time in high school! And sure enough, he gasped for air.

"Princess—"

"Allura."

"Allura, I feel the same way about you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, leaning more and more toward him.

"Because you're my commanding officer... That would be highly unprofessional."

"Well, I won't always be." Allura closed the gap and laid against his chest. "And I quite like the idea of settling down on your home planet, if Lance's stories are anything to go by."

Shiro was stunned for a solid ten seconds, but he slowly started to wrap his arms around her. "Lance's stories are pretty accurate, to be honest."

"Maybe have some princes and princesses of our own."

"You know, I can really get used to that idea."