AN: Here's another unrelated chapter for my Protect Au project. I've been thinking about this, but I'm thinking about doing an actual story for these ficlets. Of course, I'll still do the ficlets on the side, but what do you guys think of an actual story for this? One with a solid plotline, and character development? Please let me know! If not enough people want it, then I'll just keep it to the ficlets.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this. It contains of my favorite tropes: Fake Dating.
Sometimes Allura was too nice. She knew that. It was one of the few things everyone knew about the princess. She always had the tendency to disguise how she truly felt behind a dazzling smile and uphold the regal composure that took years of etiquette classes to master. Sure, on more than one occasion, it had landed her in her fair share of easily avoidable situations when she gave people the benefit of the doubt when she knew she shouldn't have, but it was never anything she couldn't handle.
Until now.
Now, at this exact moment in time, while she was trying to complete her workout, she was doing everything in her power to remember her training by refraining herself from driving her fist directly into the mouth of the arrogant man who was desperately trying to get her number. He had been at it for far longer than she would have liked and even though she kindly rejected him, more than she could possibly remember, the man just couldn't seem to take the hint. Her smile wavered with every obnoxious word that left the man's lips and her fingers itched to find a new home in his mouth.
With perfect form, she did another forward lunge and masked her irritation with a deep breath that could be easily mistaken for exhaustion. Well, it wasn't far off because she was exhausted. Just mentally. With him.
The only reason why she chose this gym was so she could have a peaceful workout. It was just far away from home so she could remain unrecognized most of the time, but just close enough so she could return within the hour in case something came up. For the past month, she enjoyed this gym; it was spacious, clean, and it had various activities, like yoga and spin classes she could attend if she ever felt the need to. All in all, it was a very nice gym...except for him.
The man laughed at his own joke and it almost made her sneer. "I was just thinking that. Ya know since we both like purple…" Allura feared that if she rolled her eyes one more time, they'd get stuck like that. This man was saying anything and everything to woo her even if it meant resorting to him assuming that her favorite color was purple simply because it was the color of her oversized tank top. "...that me and you could…"
"You and I," she corrected under her breath with another lunge forward.
The man made a questioning sound. "You say something, darlin'?"
She shook her head innocently with a forced smile. "No, I didn't say a thing." She'd lost count of how many lunges she put her left leg through, but the burning sensation told her that it was time to switch to the right.
He leaned heavily on the machine next to him and folded his arms over his puffed out chest. "Anyway, yeah, what do you say to me picking you later tonight for a little...one-on-one time?" He finished the vain proposal with a wiggle of his eyebrows and Allura couldn't help the subtle snort that left her lips at the ridiculous attempt to look...literally anything but sexy. This man was persistent, arrogant, and vain. What an unfortunate combination of shitty characteristics.
She quickly finished her set before she turned to him and wiped the sweat off her brow. "Look, I'm very flattered by your...persistence, Jerry."
"The name's Gavin." She knew his name, but she was irritated.
She expertly hid a smirk under an artificial look of confusion. "Mason?" she responded absentmindedly with a fictitious frown as she picked up the various weights and placed them back in their appropriate locations.
"Gavin," he said a bit louder, just in case she didn't hear him over the sound of grunts and the machinery around them.
After she placed the weights back, she freed her hair from its loose ponytail so she could redo it tighter. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and raked her fingers through the strands to work out the newly formed tangles and knots. "Michael, please don't make this hard for me…"
He suddenly clapped his hands together once as if he just witnessed an impressive trick. "How did you know my middle name?" he asked enthusiastically and Allura suppressed a groan at her accidental discovery. Out of all of the names she threw out, she just had to pick the one he identified with. "Wow, we have such a deep connection! Amazing!"
"Yeah...amazing," she said sarcastically, fixing her hair. This was getting old and her patience was wearing dangerously thin. She decided then and there that she had finally had enough. "Gavin, listen to me and please listen to me carefully. I do not want to go out to dinner with you. I do not want to catch a movie with you. I do not want to take a long walk on the beach with you and talk about 'our future together'," she finished her sentence off with air quotes. She looked him square in the eye and spoke with the same authoritative voice that she used when she commanded the attention of the room. "I want nothing to do with you. Now, please leave me alone so I can continue my workout in peace. Am I making myself perfectly clear?"
Gavin seemed taken aback at her tone as the words started to sink in and for a moment, for a sweet, blissful moment; one filled with silence and the peace she longed for, Allura thought she finally had reached through to him.
He nodded slowly. "I think I get it," he said with a roguish grin. "You just want to skip all the formalities and go right to the bedroom, don't ya?"
Something snapped within her, and all of the training her etiquette tutors spent years embedding into her flew directly out the window. Allura didn't think twice as she brought her balled fist back so she could deck the arrogant man who dared considered he even had a sliver of a chance with her, but before she surged it forward, a firm but familiar grip caught her wrist and eased it down to her side smoothly in one fluid motion.
"Hey babe, we still on for dinner tonight at your Dad's place?" Allura didn't need to look back to know exactly who just saved this idiot's two front teeth. The arrogant man's vision was so clouded with his own self-inflated ego, that he didn't even know his, so-called, good looks were in danger of the princess' wrath.
It took a moment, but when she realized exactly what he had said, her eyes darted to meet his and she knew exactly what he was doing. Her bodyguard was only confrontational when he needed to be and right now, he was looking for a way to let the guy down easy, even if Allura wanted to do anything but that at this point. Shiro raised his brows as if he had asked her an unspoken question when she didn't immediately respond. She narrowed her eyes but reluctantly followed his lead with a huff and relaxed her fist.
Within a fraction of a second, all of her training rushed back to her and she sent him the perfect smile. "Of course, but remember we need to stop by that cute little bakery I like so we can pick up dessert because I won't have the time to make anything."
Shiro released her wrist when he realized that she wasn't going to follow through with her assault on the poor, unsuspecting man. "Okay, that's fine. I'll pick up a pie on the way home," he lied smoothly. "Your dad's allergic to apples, right? Or is it cherries?"
"Rhubarb," she corrected him casually, even though the allergy was completely fabricated information about the reigning king.
Shiro made a sour face. "Great, rhubarb is trash anyway."
"It's absolutely delicious, you just have trash taste buds." She turned her back to him then handed him her hair tie over her shoulder.
Shiro rolled his eyes. Of course, she would take this fake dinner date opportunity to make him fix her hair. But he's not complaining. He'll never complain. He absolutely loves the way her soft hair felt against his fingers. Although sometimes, the strand did tend to snag on his metal joints, thankfully he's gotten better at keeping it to a minimum.
He rolled the elastic hair tie that's seen better days onto his wrist before he gathered her thick curls in his hands. He finger-combed her scalp to wrangle in runaway strands before he secured her hair into a neat ponytail that left them both slightly surprised.
"Hell yeah," he mumbled to himself, praising his small victory.
She looked over herself in the mirror that covered the entire back wall of the gym and tightened her new ponytail from the base. "Not bad, Shirogane." She turned back to face him and was surprised and equally annoyed to see that Gavin was still there, looking back and forth between the two. Even when she was clearly "taken", the obnoxious man still couldn't even grasp the mere concept that she wasn't interested in him.
Her irritation must have shown because Shiro reached forward to grab her by the hips and gently, he pulled her closer to him. She came to him without the slightest ounce of hesitation and without being prompted to, she casually brought her arms up to rest atop his shoulders. With her in his arms and with him in hers, he almost forgot it was a charade they were acting out. He knew it was dangerous to be with her like this - for this to feel all too natural to him. It was such an intimate position but strangely enough, it felt like he'd done it a million times before.
Maybe because he did.
He's held her like this plenty of times. Like when they were at formal events and she gave him a look that told him that she wanted to dance. He's never told her no and using the simple steps she'd taught him, she allowed always him to lead her gracefully around the dance floor. Or when she brought out the teenage rebel in him when she wanted to sneak out of her luxurious home, "the old fashioned way" as she so elegantly put it, and he'd had to help her down from the second story when he knew damn well she was capable of doing it herself.
...Or when it just the two of them on those quiet nights when the manor was asleep and the only thing left for them to do was to explore the boundaries of the friendship they are both painfully aware that went well beyond what separate friendship from duty from something else he was always scared to admit out loud.
"What time do you want to leave?" he asked, breaking himself away from his runaway thoughts.
She made a thoughtful face. "I want to get there around 7:30," she told him.
He looked at his watch to check the time, not that it even mattered. "Okay, I'll do one more round, then I'll head out and grab the pie on the way home. Don't stay here too long because you know how long it takes you to get ready." Unlike the rest of their ruse, that part was him speaking nothing but the truth. Sometimes, she could be a brat and she'd take forever to get dressed. Most of the time, it was because she was too busy pestering him, and other times, she simply didn't want to go, so she waited until the very last possible moment before she started to even consider getting herself together.
She pouted and clicked her tongue. "I do not."
"Oh, you might think that you don't, but you do." She playfully jabbed him on the shoulder in retaliation, knowing damn well that he was right.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gavin watching them intensely as if he was waiting for Shiro to leave so he could make his move on her again. He felt Allura's irritation rub off onto him. What was with this guy? What did it take to get him to beat it?
In front of him, Allura giggled and she gave him a look that he's seen plenty of times - when they glided around the dancefloor, when he helped her sneak out, and when it was just the two of them late at night hidden away from the harsh reality of the world and their position in it. He knew this look all too well and it always signaled for the one thing he's never given to her.
But he'd be damned if he gave in to her now because some jackass that couldn't read a room.
Instead, he hooked a single finger under her tank and pulled her close until her lips almost met his. She watched his mouth move as he spoke just loud enough so Gavin could hear what he was going to say next. "Also, I want my tank back." He almost laughed out loud when he heard Gavin release an annoyed gasp, followed by a few brash words.
She smirked at the man's reaction and caught her bottom lip between her teeth, both out of spite for the arrogant man and also to tease Shiro with one of the many things she did that she knew drove him wild. If they were playing a game, then she might as well play to her advantage. She knew she hit her intended target when the hand that still rested on her hip tightened in warning.
She laughed to herself before she released her lip so she could speak. "I don't think I can do that because it looks better on me." Once again, the lines were blurred between the show they put on and the playful nature that was their undefined relationship.
He shrugged. "You look a'ight."
She looked amazing.
Seeing her wear his clothes always stirred something within him. She had enough money in the world to wear the latest fashions, but instead, she chose to raid his closet for her casual attire. He still hasn't seen his favorite hoodie. Well, no that was a lie because he's seen it. On her.
When he was sure that Gavin had finally retreated somewhere deep into the gym, probably to cancel his membership, he stepped away from Allura. "You alright?"
She nodded. "Of course, and it's all thanks to my knight in sweaty joggers," she laughed.
"I would have come sooner, but you keep insisting that you can handle these types of things." His sentence was laced with sarcasm. Of course, if Gavin had displayed any type of aggressive behavior, he would have stepped in before the man even told her his name. But a subtle hand signal from Allura kept him at bay.
"And I was about to handle it until you showed up and pretended that you were my boyfriend," she responded full of confidence with her head held high.
He raised a thick brow. "You call laying that guy out, 'handling it'?"
She used him for balance while she stretched her legs for her upcoming jog on the treadmill. "As a matter of fact, I do. I can bet you my horse in The Netherlands that if I would have handled it the way I intended to, he wouldn't have ever bothered me again."
Shiro snorted. She was completely right, she would have made her message clear as day if she had done it her way. She may be petite compared to his large frame, but the tiny princess had a mean left hook that was nothing to take lightly. He knew for a fact that he saved Gavin and not the fight club princess who was ready to throw hands. But also, "Who the hell bets a whole horse?"
She walked away with a flip of her new ponytail. "People who have horses to bet, of course." She made it sound like he should already know this. "I guess it's time for cardio." She looked almost defeated by admitting it.
Shiro laughed at her tone. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing."
"Because it is," she whined. Allura only liked to work out to keep her body healthy. Sure, there were certain activities she liked to do, but there's one thing she hated more than anything and that was running. She definitely had the stamina to jog five miles easily, but her laziness tended to peek through and stunted that trek down to only two or three. Shiro lost count of how many times she dragged him out of bed for a morning run, only for her to give up at their further point and call for a taxi.
"You're a drama queen, you know that?" He leaned her over to the treadmill and leaned over the frame as she programmed it for a steady walk.
"I am not a drama queen." She increased the speed to a light pace she could be comfortable with before she placed her headphones into her ears. "I'm a drama princess." She gave him a purposely cheesy wink before she fully started her cardio session and Shiro shook his head before he ventured off to finish his own workout.
.~.xXx.~.
Allura wiped the sweat off her brow once she finished her run. It wasn't as bad as she made it out to be. She actually made herself proud at the fact that she ran for a lot longer than she usually did, but she felt like she needed to make up the extra cardio from all the time Gavin wasted trying to woo her.
Allura took a long drink of water before she came to the decision that she was done putting her body through hell for the day. She wrapped her headphones around her cell before she left to search for Shiro in the massive gym.
She immediately knew where he was. Unlike her, who just did what she pleased at the gym, Shiro had a strict schedule that he religiously stuck to. Today was arm day for him and along with a few reps using the equipment, he also liked to work on his agility in the boxing ring.
She heard him before she saw him. The hard jabs that met his opponents punch mitts echoed throughout the room and it gathered a crowd who looked on in awe. She found a gap in the crowd and approached the edge of the ring so she could watch him as he went through the speed drills. His feet were silent and his hands were quick and powerful as they met their target with deadly precision. He showed perfect form when he followed two quick jabs to the right with a hard left hook and a tuck to the right. The action happened so fast, she almost missed it.
His steel grey eyes were focused on their target and they held a different light than what she was used to seeing. It was like he wasn't her Shiro. The Shiro she knew was always so kind and gentle with her that she always forgot that he could be extremely dangerous when he needed to be. He had been top of his class after all.
Beside her, a few women swooned at the sight and she rolled her eyes. Gavin and these ladies would get along just great, she thought.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shiro saw a flash of white. He knew he had gathered a crowd but none of them phased him like she did. Right now was the absolute worst time to be distracted, not during a speed drill. He twisted his body to evade an incoming punch before he gave a precise combination of jabs and hooks.
When the whistle blew, both praised the other for their participation. Shiro unfastened his gloves before he made his way to Allura who was stood at the side of the ring. His face heated at the realization of how many people had gathered around to watch him.
She handed him her water bottle so he could take a well-needed drink. "You're so cute when you blush," she teased loud enough so the gossiping ladies could hear her. They immediately went silent when they watched Shiro take her offered water.
"I thought I was cute all the time?" he caught her tease and threw it right back at her.
She folded her arms over her chest and raised a brow. "And what hussy told you that?"
He finished off the rest of the water before he handed it back to her. "You did, ya hussy." He laughed at his own joke and she couldn't help but join in. He squatted down to her level. It was rare that she watched him do his drills. She always tended to keep her space from him until it was time to leave or if something was bothering her. His face suddenly turned serious and she saw the same dark look flash in his eyes when he was focused in the ring. "Is that man bothering you again?"
She quickly shook her head. She was glad that Gavin gave up on her because there was no saving him if Shiro took him as a serious threat. "Nope," she said lightly. "However, something is on my mind."
"What is it?" he said quickly. When she disclosed something to him, he always took it seriously, regardless of the severity.
"What time should I be ready?"
Huh?
She didn't have anything scheduled tonight. Along with being her bodyguard, he was also sometimes her personal assistant. He knew of every event, every public appearance, and every trip she had coming up within the next two months memorized down to the hotels they were staying into the roads they would be using. When he couldn't think of what she was referring to, he furrowed his brows in confusion.
She rocked on the balls of her feet causally and her crystal blue eyes danced with mischief. "You promised me a date tonight, Shirogane," she said playfully. "Or did you forget already?"
Shiro searched her eyes, looking for any sort of indication if she was joking or not. There were ladies around ogling his form, so maybe she was just returning to their little charade they played earlier.
But then…
She always told him that she'd get him to take her out one day, and he did. He did every single time she asked, but it was always in good fun...that always ended with a missed opportunity. But now, he could tell that she meant it.
He smiled at her warmly before he brought her knuckles to his lips. "How does 8:30 sound, Princess?"
"It's perfect."