It was late at night, but Allura couldn't sleep. She felt exhausted, but her body simply would not relax enough for her to slip into rest. So instead, she quietly padded out of her rome and headed down towards the kitchens. She made sure she did not disturb the mice who cuddled together on the foot of her bed as she left.
Perhaps she could surprise the others in the morning with freshly made - what had they called them? Chocolate - ch-eep - cookies? Hunk had made them a short time ago, and every Paladin - even Shiro - had absolutely loved them. They'd been gone within minutes.
Hunk had been so proud of his accomplishment that he'd written down the steps to making them, and she was quite sure she could manage to replicate the process.
As she drew nearer to the kitchens, she smiled to herself. Humans had such strange tastes.
But, then again, it wasn't as if - as if they'd ever be able to know what real, fresh Altean food had tasted like.
The food processors in the Castle were nutritious, but as much as Coran was talented in replicating the taste of Altean dishes…it would never be quite the same.
Suddenly, Allura felt tears spring to her eyes, and she stopped walking, raising a hand to wipe them from her eyes.
It was such a small thing, in the grand scheme of things the Galra had taken. Her people, her culture, her family. That grief she had felt immediately, but she was learning to carry that heavier burden, slowly but surely.
But sometimes, the small things cut deep just when she least expected it.
The scent of the juneberry flowers. The view of the Altean valleys and mountains from her bedroom window. The feeling of coming home, of walking around her favorite paths in the garden after a long day of diplomacy.
All of them, gone forever.
She realized the tears were streaming down her face just as she heard footsteps echo down from another hallway. Hastily, she wiped her face with one sleeve and turned to face the person coming down the hallway, expecting it to be Coran.
He also walked the halls at strange hours, checking various systems and fine-tuning the castle's instruments. Sometimes they walked the halls together, speaking of Altea, and of ways they might defeat Zarkon.
But it wasn't Coran.
Instead, she saw Shiro standing in the hallway behind her. He looked…
He looked like he couldn't sleep either. When he saw that she was crying, he came forward, quickening his steps, concern crossing his features.
"Allura - what's wrong?" he asked, coming to stand in front of her. He put out a hand and placed it on her shoulder, his dark grey eyes worried. "What's the matter?"
She waved a hand, trying to express that it was nothing substantial. "It's - it's just -" she said, and suddenly felt even more tired, if that were possible. "I couldn't sleep - so I thought - I thought I'd come down and prepare those - those cook-ies Hunk made the other day - as - as a surprise - but - but then - "
She felt tears prick at her eyes as she explained. Shiro listened, his eyes focused intently on her face. When she'd finished, he nodded in understanding, and then he put his arms around her in a comforting hug.
She didn't even think twice - she reached her arms around him, and they just stood there for a moment, just holding each other.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I wish there was something I could do - to help - "
Allura leaned her forehead against his shoulder, feeling a small smile cross her face. "You already have," she said. "You always help."
She looked up and saw Shiro looking down at her. He was half-smiling. "Always is such a strong word," he said.
She laughed then, just a chuckle, but it was genuine. "Oh, name once," she said. "Name one time you haven't helped in some way."
Shiro grinned down at her. "What, you're saying I'm perfect?"
She smiled up at him again. "Oh, stars, no. But you're pretty close to it."
She saw his eyes change then. They suddenly seemed - sad. When he spoke, his voice was very quiet.
"I'm really not," he said. "Allura - I don't - I don't want you to think I - "
She looked up into his face. "Shiro," she said softly, and he broke off, listening for what she was about to say.
"Do you trust me?" she asked. She felt his arms tighten, ever so slightly, around her.
"Of course I do," he said. The shock of white hair had fallen to one side, and she could see directly into his dark grey eyes now.
"All right then," Allura said. She spoke softly, so it wouldn't sound like a command or an order. "I want you to know that no one - no one - who knows you thinks any less of you for your scars."
His gaze flickered, and he said, in a low voice, "It's not - it's the scars, Allura - it's the things I did under Haggar's power. I - I can't remember most of it - but -"
Allura shook her head gently from side to side. "Shiro, I know you. I've seen you in battle, I've seen you in so many different situations - you're so much more than - "
She broke off, biting her lip, trying to find the right words. Shiro looked into her face, waiting to hear what she'd say next. Then she continued, keeping her voice soft and gentle. "You're an incredible man, Takashi Shirogane. I'm proud to know you, and I'm honored to have you at my side in battle."
She leaned her head against his chest again, and she held him a little tighter. "And I'm going to make you believe me, no matter how long it takes. Your team believes in you, and so do I. We love you for who you are, scars and all."
She felt his breath catch in his chest, and looked up to see tears in his eyes. She smiled up at him, feeling tears start in her own eyes. He hugged her tighter then, and she hugged him back. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Allura felt herself smile through her tears.
"Of course, if Coran finds us like this, I can guarantee we'll never hear the end of it," she said, and she and Shiro broke away from each other at the same time. Shiro was laughing, reaching up with one hand to wipe at his eyes.
"Yeah," he said, and he coughed, seeming to try and regain his usual composure. "Come to think of it - if anyone saw that, we'd never hear the end of it-" He broke off, going slightly red. "I mean, not that - uh - not that I don't think you're - uh - I mean - well -"
Shiro seemed unusually flustered, and Allura grinned up at him, feeling suddenly, irrationally happy. He'd just complimented her, in a sweet, slightly awkward, round-about manner. She liked it.
"I like you too," she said. His eyes got bigger, and she had to laugh at the expression on his face.
"Oh dear," she said, burying her face into her hands, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "I hope that wasn't-"
"No!" he said hastily, his ears now going completely red. "I just - uh - never really thought - you know -"
She lowered her hands to her side and looked back up at him again, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"- that — that you and I would - " he broke off, seeming to gather his thoughts for a second, "that I'd end up liking an - an Altean princess."
She smiled up at him again, feeling something mischievous and happy dancing inside her heart. "And I never thought I'd end up liking a human who became the Black Paladin," she said. Shiro threw back his head and laughed at that.
"Fair enough," he said, bringing his arms about her again in another hug, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. She smiled and nestled a little closer to him. They broke apart soon after that, and Shiro asked, "So - space chocolate chip cookies, huh?"
She beamed at him as they entered the kitchen together. "I could definitely use your help. I don't even quite know what 'chocolate' is…"
She saw him grin then, and it was a genuine grin, one that lit up the room. "Oh, are you in for a treat whenever we get back to Earth."
She got out a mixing bowl and began gathering various ingredients. "Is it popular?" she asked.
Shiro nodded emphatically. "Oh yeah," he said. "Actually - " he grinned over at her then. "It's pretty normal for - " he coughed before continuing. "For - guys to get girls they like - chocolate - as a sign of affection."
Allura felt her interest perk up. "Really?" she asked. "That sounds quite lovely. Or it would, if I knew more about chocolate."
As he searched some of the cabinets, Shiro said, "There are all kinds of chocolate - though I'm pretty sure Hunk could tell you more about that - aha! Here they are - "
Shiro had finally located Hunk's notes and had begun to look through them. "Okay," he said. "Well, I think we start by-"
He and Allura spent the next few hours talking as they worked. Allura found that time spent with Shiro was far more enjoyable than time spent alone.
The next morning, Lance came dashing into the kitchen, Hunk and Pidge right on his heels.
"Cookies?!" he exclaimed, delight coloring his voice. "Awesome!"
"Thank Allura," Shiro said. He was sitting at the table, Allura next to him. "She wanted to surprise you all."
"Aw, thanks, Allura!" Lance said, shooting Allura a big grin as he grabbed four cookies and began cramming them into his mouth. Pidge and Hunk followed his example, talking with their mouths full, spraying crumbs everywhere as they praised Allura's efforts.
Shiro half-grinned to himself. Usually, he would have tried to remind his younger friends about table manners, but he didn't say anything this time. Sometimes, it was okay to just enjoy something together.
Allura beamed at them all, enjoying their expressions of surprise and delight as they dug into the cookie jar.
"I've already put some aside for Keith for when his healing cycle ends," she said. "So eat as much as you like."
When Coran walked into the room, yawning and stretching, he was met with enthusiastic 'Good mornings!' from the three younger Paladins. Lance pulled out a chair, and as Coran sat down, Hunk pushed a plate full of the delicious cookies towards him.
"Dig in!" Pidge said. "Allura made cookies!"
Coran blinked and looked over at Allura and Shiro. "Oh! Thank you, Princess!" he said, beaming. "That was very kind-"
As Coran took a bite, everyone watched him closely. His reaction was priceless.
"AMAZING!" he shouted, waving the cookie above his head in delight. Crumbs sprayed everywhere. "MARVELOUS!"
Shiro looked over at Allura, who was smiling broadly. "I rarely cook," she explained to him in a low voice. "I think Coran was - slightly nervous about this attempt."
Coran had already begun on a third cookie. "Not at all, Princess - " he said, but he had visibly relaxed.
Allura chuckled. "Oh, Coran, no need to deny it," she said, her voice teasing. "I almost burned down the kitchen once - "
Everyone looked over at Coran in an excited-well-now-you-have-to-tell-this-story kind of way, and Coran launched into it with gusto.
"Well, she was much younger," he said, and from then on in, they all enjoyed hearing him tell the tale of a young Princess Allura who had wanted to surprise Coran for his birthday by making him breakfast.
"It was a surprise," Allura interjected then, "but not quite in the way I had hoped."
"I never knew I could run that fast," Coran agreed. "But it is a marvelous story."
While the others laughed at Coran's reenactment of that day, Allura and Shiro exchanged smiles.
They weren't a couple - not really. Not yet.
But they were certainly more than just friends.