A few hours later than Day 5 but I am pretty sure there's still at least one timezone where it's late September the fifth so we'll pretend that I didn't sleep through half the evening and thus not get around to finishing this entry until 11 lol. In any case, this is my first time writing for this particular pairing and honestly I really enjoyed it. I always enjoy writing Voltron and should make a habit of doing it more!

Voltron: Legendary Defender and related characters © Dreamworks
story © RenaRoo

A Woman's Touch

"So let me get this right? We saved this planet with Voltron, so in return, they're trowing a planet wide beach party for us?" Lance clarified for what Allura was certain had to be the tenth time since the leader of the Drikary people had offered the celebration to them. "And this isn't a custom on every other planet we save why?"

"If it was a custom on every planet that we saved we wouldn't be taking the time to celebrate on this one," Shiro astutely noted, arms crossed. "We wouldn't have the time. But since it is the first time in a while we've celebrated and we all could use the time to recoup, I think it goes without saying that now is the best time."

Allura couldn't help but smile in pride at how fantastic the team of Voltron looked as they readied to exit the castle and embark on their celebration. Their sturdy leader, their expert sniper, their heroic swordsman and….

Pausing, Allura put a hand on the back of her large and extremely floppy hat before turning around to do a quick look for the rest of their team. Coran was there, in proper beachwear attire that Allura's mind refused to accept was proper for someone who had all but raised her. Keith, Lance, Shiro…

Hunk then appeared coming down the corridor, swim attire on, beach towel over his shoulder and a picnic basket in his other hand as the walked toward them. "Hey, sorry for the wait, everyone. Had to make sure we had enough sunscreen and sandwiches. Never know how long these foreign planets' daylight hours are."

"Thank you for continuing to be so considerate, Hunk," Allura replied in return. She then looked around the yellow paladin. Blinking in surprise at seeing him alone, she stretched left then right, looking for their final paladin to join them. But Pidge was nowhere to be seen. "Um. Hunk. I don't see Pidge. Doesn't she know we're supposed to be meeting the Drikary people for a feast and ceremony very soon?"

Making a scrunched expression, Hunk seemed torn for a moment before throwing his free thumb over his shoulder. "Yeah, I tried to get her, but she was on her laptop and said we should go ahead of her. She's in the middle of something."

"In the middle of what?" Keith pressed, arms crossed against his chest."We already figured everything out. Saved the day."

"And got a beach party thrown for us," Lance called out before throwing up his arms. "Ugh! And we're going to miss it!"

"We won't miss it, we can wait for Pidge," Shiro assured everyone.

"Uh," Hunk spoke up again, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "I don't know about that. She was still in, you know, regular clothes. Like not paladin armor. She put on her sweats and stuff. Pretty sure she had slippers on, too. She didn't seem concerned with leaving anytime soon."

Allura felt a ping in her chest. It just didn't seem right, didn't seem like Pidge. And it was a feeling that others apparently shared.

"I'll talk to her," Shiro said. "Everyone just give me a few minutes—"

"No, Shiro," Allura spoke up, stepping in front of him. "This feast is being held for the paladins of Voltron. It wouldn't make sense for you not to be there. You all go on ahead without us. I'll bring a pod with Pidge once we're ready."

The offer went over like a lead balloon.

"Well… Allura, technically you're a paladin now, too, you know," Lance reminded her. "Besides, you've got a cute sundress on and everything! Without you we're just a bunch of shirtless guys! Not that I think any of the Drikary will mind. Just saying."

With a somewhat feeble smile, Allura motioned with her hands as she answered, "Precisely. You are a bunch of guys. And it's my women's intuition that this is a situation for a lady's touch," she answered, connecting her pointer fingers with a few taps.

There was a visible cringe throughout their ranks.

"Uh, yeah, I vote on meeting up with you two later," Hunk said nervously.

Lance and Keith were already heading toward the landing ship.

Shilo had seemingly no reaction, standing in wait in front of Allura.

For her part, Allura was simply baffled. "Is women talking such a foreign concept to humans?" she asked him confusedly.

"No, there's a problem of translation," Shiro said, almost but not quite suppressing an eye roll. "But even if it was exactly what they thought it was then they'd still be acting like… well, like teenage boys."

"Which… in truth, they all are," Allura reminded him. "And… in truth Pidge and I are still teenage girls. So this is something I feel needs to be dealt with accordingly."

"I trust you," Shiro nodded. "If anything's been a constant recently, Allura, it's that you have stepped up and met every challenge you've had so far."

In response Allura smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you, Shiro. That means a lot. Now, you go enjoy the feast and make sure to save some food from the boys so that there's something once I drag Pidge down if I must."

Once she got a nod from Shiro and watched him walk back toward the ship with the others, Allura turned her attention to the task at hand and put a hand to her chin, thinking deeply on whatever could possibly be keeping Pidge preoccupied. "I suppose there's only one way to really find out," she determined and started down the corridor.

For as large as the castle was, finding Pidge was not the most difficult task Allura had. She didn't even have to ask the castle security to give her a direction to go, Pidge was just conveniently in the very first place that Allura could think to check — her bedroom.

While somewhat anticlimactic, Allura appreciated that they were going to be able to address whatever the issue was and carry forward without too much time of the celebration lost to them.

Pidge was sitting in her egg-like chair, turned away from the door with headphones over her ears and her computer in her lap. The lights were off making the glow of Pidge's glasses more apparent even than usual. It was difficult to see her eyes with the reflection, and apparently it was difficult for Pidge to notice that Allura had just entered the room from the doorway.

Allure waited a moment patiently, but when Pidge wasn't moving and she wasn't moving for too long, she reached over to the light pad and turned the room's lights all the way up.

At that, Pidge nearly jumped out of her seat, scrambling just in time to keep her laptop from falling to the floor.

"Ah! Who—" Pidge stopped when she saw Allura and breathed a sigh of seeming relief. "Oh! Allura, it's you. I… thought everyone had already left."

"The others have," Allura answered, crossing her hands in front of her lap as she stood awkwardly at the door. "But I wasn't about to leave without you."

Pidge seemed genuinely confused for a moment, glancing around for an answer before settling on her feet and lifting them up just enough for Allura to see them. "Um. I'm already in slippers?"

"The funny thing about slippers is that they can come off as easily as they come on," Allura countered, stepping into the room enough that the door slid shut behind her.

"Says you, these guys are pretty comfy. Don't know if I'll ever get them off my feet now," Pidge joked before drawing her knees up to her chest and balancing her laptop precariously on them. "Also I'm, uh, watching Disney movies so. I'll be a long while."

Blinking, Allura tried to think of what was missing in translation that time around. "That must be a genre of entertainment that we never had on Altea. I'm unfamiliar," she admitted, coming close enough that she could see more into Pidge's room. Of the paladins, Pidge had customized her space the most. Desk full of projects and papers, the Altean alphabet poster hanging beside a printed picture of the current galaxy they were in. Over on the wall her bed was against, a single picture hung by the pillowed side, the titular picture Pidge kept of herself and her brother, Matthew. A couple of large, comfortable chairs, and a certain penchant for the color green.

That was also reflected in the swimsuit that was laid out on her bed — a onesie and green surfer shorts not unlike what Keith and Hunk had been wearing.

Allura did her best to take note of every detail in the room, but her attention was most concentrated on Pidge. She was dressed more for bed than for lounging around the castle, and she was not looking particularly tired despite that.

There was a missing piece to the puzzle and Allura needed to find it to make a full picture.

"You're not planning on going to the celebration, are you?" she observed finally.

For a moment, Pidge straightened up and opened her mouth, as if to protest, but subtly she shifted back, resting into her chair and huffing. "No, I wasn't," she admitted almost in defeat. She then looked intently at Allura. "But that doesn't mean you or anyone else shouldn't go! I'm just skipping out on one thank you bash. It's not that big of a deal, honest."

Letting Pidge's comments hang heavily between them for a few moments, Allura took a breath and walked over to the chair nearest Pidge, taking her seat, being mindful of her dress. "You're right, Pidge, it's not a big deal to miss out on a party once in a while when you're not feeling up to it," she agreed. But then she looked up, locking eyes with Pidge and leaning forward, elbows on her knees. "However, whatever it is right now that is a big deal and you're trying to handle on your own? I believe that is truly deserving of some attention. And it's not attention that should be delivered by oneself. It would be much more helpful to speak through it with a friend. And then perhaps some of your… Diddy Movies."

"I just don't feel like going to big feasts and parties sometimes," Pidge answered. "It's not really a big mystery, Allura. I'm fine. I promise."

"But you did feel like going before," Allura pressed, looking over to the bed where Pidge's swimwear laid. "You had everything sitting out for it."

When Allura turned back to face Pidge, she had been fortunate enough to catch the soured expression on Pidge's face that was directed toward her swimsuit. It was frustration and anger intwined at once, though Pidge was fast to drop it and return to the neutral expression she so often wore protectively.

The moment had taken Allura aback for a moment. She needed to process it — that missing piece.

"You… have a problem with your swimsuit?" Allura asked. "Is it not fitted or… Really, if there's anything wrong with it we can adjust it. You could have told Coran after he made them all. You're a paladin of Voltron, defender of the universe. A little bit of needlework is more than worthwhile."

"No, no. It's… That's… It probably fits fine," Pidge got out.

"Probably?" Allura repeated. "You didn't try it on?"

"I… I was going to. I didn't feel like it," Pidge explained. "I didn't feel like wearing it, and I didn't feel like going to the party anymore when I realized I wasn't going to be wearing anything appropriate so. Disney movies. Slippers. Staying in. Really, Allura, I can't stress enough that it's not a big deal."

"It is for me," Allura responded. "Because I want to understand why. These feelings did not magically manifest themselves. You feel them for a reason. And no matter what that reason is, it is deserved and valid." Allura reached out, putting a hand on Pidge's hand. "And I meant what I said what feels like so very long ago… I am here for you. And we can talk about anything. Even things you don't want to tell the others."

Pidge sunk further into her seat, shoulders sliding up defensively as she glanced off. But she didn't remove her hand from Allura's. Instead, she looked back and met Allura's eyes with some determination. "Okay," she answered, putting her slippered feet back on the floor. "Coran made these swimsuits for everybody, right? Like specially for us to go to this whole beach thing," she pointed out.

"Yes," Allura answered.

"Yours too?" Pidge asked, raising a brow.

"Yes," Allura repeated. "Though, I do have more of a wardrobe onboard since I did live in the castle long before any of you found us."

"I get that, I really do," Pidge answered. "And I get that… not everyone knew me before we all met and found the Blue Lion on Earth. And I get that no one except Shiro knew me before the Academy. And that Shiro only knew me through stories. No one's ever… I mean." Pidge looked woefully toward Allura. "I feel like the person everyone knows me as begins and ends with Pidge. And that's only part of who I am. Half of who I am. And it's a half that… I spent many years being scared of because…" She looked to the swimsuit again. "Because Pidge would get outfits that the boys would wear without anyone thinking twice. No one could dream of Pidge wearing a dress or… or wanting to look nice… or feel pretty in a swimsuit."

Surprised initially, Allura tilted her head and stared at Pidge. Then, slowly, she looked back to the picture of Pidge and her brother hanging on the wall. Except it wasn't Pidge. It was Katie that was on the wall.

Pidge apparently had followed Allura's line of sight because she let out a sigh and hugged her shoulders. "You know, it took me, like, four years to grow my hair out that long. I loved it. It took forever to dry, though. Don't miss that."

Allura looked back to Pidge, words failing her.

"I miss, though… I miss that some days I could just put my hair in a ponytail or… leave it down, or just…" Pidge closed her eyes and sighed. "And I could wear basketball shorts and t-shirts that were too big. But it didn't matter because I had put so much effort into being a girl, wearing dresses most of the time, fixing hair, putting on makeup, that looking comfortable a lot of the time didn't take away from that. I was still able to do both. And I was able to feel pretty when I wanted to." She stopped, opening her eyes just a bit to glance off to the side, her lips pressed together in thought. "It was mostly the hair, I think, though. I think having the hair made everything else a little bit easier."

"Oh, Pidge," Allura said softly.

"It's… It's okay. I like being casual around here. I like that I can just shake my wet hair dry and walk around in a sweatshirt and everyone still sees me as a girl," Pidge assured her. "That honestly makes me really happy. But… I miss that every now and then, people would look at me and think… what a pretty girl. Like, I didn't get it that often. But it was nice that it wasn't taken for granted that I'd wear a cute dress or like pastels or want flowers just for me sometimes. I wish Pidge and Katie were the same person to everyone. And that everyone could look at me and think yeah, she likes it when people think she's pretty."

"Katie," Allura interrupted. The use of her name was so surprising that Pidge nearly sat straight up, stiff as a board, eyes a bit wide. She looked at Allura almost in confusion. "Do you think that we can't imagine you in dresses and floppy hats?"

Pidge chewed on her words for a moment before shrugging. "I mean. I know the only person who can look as good as you in that hat is you, Allura. But yeah, I guess… I guess I feel like everyone else on the team doesn't think of me as… a pretty little girl. God. I sound so ridiculous when I saw this out loud. Can we forget that we ever talked about this. I think that's my favorite option for how to end all of this embarrassment."

"You're wrong," Allura continued.

Looking at Allura, Pdige crossed her arms. "You know a better, less embarrassing way to end this heart to heart?"

"No. Yes. Maybe," Allura said, scooting to the very edge of her seat and reaching forward, gently taking Pidge's hands into her own and bringing them down, intwining her fingers with Pidge's and building a literal bridge between their two spaces. She then smiled pleasantly at her. "As a member of your team, as a fellow paladin, and as your friend, I have to tell you, you are a very pretty girl. One of the prettiest girls I have seen in any galaxy. And I have thought that even without seeing pictures of you with long hair or cute dresses. I have thought that with you in sweatshirts with sleepy eyes and slippers on. And I will continue to believe it because there has not been a side, angle, or moment of you that is not absolutely beautiful. And if you can see it in my eyes, I hope you can see just how much I truly mean what I say."

Almost despite herself, Pidge's eyes welled up behind her glasses. "You… You really think I'm pretty?" she asked hesitantly, almost fearfully.

"Beautiful," Allura repeated, reaching up with one hand to gently thumb away the tears on Pidge's face. "From the moment we met."

"I don't… You're the prettiest person in the universe, Allura, you can't just… tell me I'm pretty and-and-and…" Pidge had to sniff and collect herself.

"I shouldn't have to tell you," Allura said, squeezing Pidge's hand that she still had a hold of. "It should be something I've sung about from the first moment to every moment on. And I am sorry, Pidge. I'm sorry that you didn't know and that you didn't feel how beautiful you are, or feel that the rest of us could understand your need to dress up and be more than the Pidge you've shown us so far."

"That's… it's okay," Pidge sniffed again.

"It's not, but I will make it okay," Allura declared. "We are going straight to my room and we are trying on every swimsuit you want to try, every dress you want to wear, and I will find you the floppiest of floppy hats in all of the castle to show you how well you can pull it off." She reached up again with her free hand and ran her long fingers through the locks of Pidge's brown hair just over her ear. "And as for hair… well. We can always start a new four years today, couldn't we?"

For a moment, Pidge was only quiet, as if contemplating everything Allura had offered. Then, without warning, she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Allura's neck and burying her face against the princess. Allura could feel the drops of tears falling from Pidge's cheeks.

"Thank you so much, Allura. Thank you for… Thank you for… I needed to know that you think I'm pretty. And I definitely will try on every floppy hat even if no one can pull them off like you."

Her own eyes watering up, Allura hugged Pidge back, stroking her hair gently and smiling as she rested a cheek against Pidges head. "The prettiest girls have to stick together," she joked. "And they definitely should show each other more love, because nothing feels prettier than finally having this hug."

"Except maybe not being ugly criers," Pidge snorted against Allura's neck.

Smiling, Allura squeezed Pidge tighter. "Hey now, pretty girl, don't ruin the moment."