It doesn't surprise Shiro when Allura sneaks into his hotel room early that morning wearing only the hoodie she stole from him months ago and yoga pants that she uses strictly to sleep in. She does this often enough that he expects it, and the days that she doesn't, he's left disappointed because he feels like his day didn't start off quite right. What does surprise him is that she has a fire in her eyes, the mischievous kind that's usually only reserved for when she's feeling impulsive enough to stress him out. One look at it and he lets out a defeated groan because he knows that whatever she's planning on doing, she's doing whether he wants her to or not.
She lets out a laugh; a sound beautiful enough to almost lull him back to sleep. "Oh, come on Shiro, don't give me that look!" She pulls at the blankets that bury him in warmth but when his grip on the fabric is too strong for her to pull it away, she gives up and decides to pounce on his bed instead.
The vibrations from her movements are enough to fully wake him and he looks out the window and sees that the sun's light is barely visible over the horizon. He turns to her sharply with suspicious eyes. "Allura, don't tell me that we're sneaking out again."
She plops down on his bed with her legs folded under her. "Fine, I won't tell you that we're sneaking out again," she says once she's completely settled, but immediately follows it with, "but that's exactly what we're doing."
His head hits the satin pillows again. "But it's a bad idea and you know it's a bad idea. Yet here you are, telling me a bad idea." Trying to reason to her was a bad idea in itself because he knows exactly what she's going to say next:
"You're my bodyguard, Shiro, not my father." He says the words at the exact time she does and it earns him a satin covered pillow to the face.
She leans over him and her silver curls fall from around her shoulders and cascade down, surrounding him in starlight. Watching her hair move is almost therapeutic for him. It's better than any sunset or sunrise and he would be lying if denied that he doesn't dream about running his hands through it. Her voice snaps him out of his daze. "Besides, you promised me that we'd go exploring before we left Osaka and I have meetings all day tomorrow, so today is absolutely the last day."
Again she grabs at the blankets but this time she is quick enough to catch him off guard and it's just enough leeway to snatch the covers away from him. She quickly wraps herself in the heavy material before she rolls off the bed to get out of his reach. "Now get up and get dressed so we can leave before everyone wakes up," she says with her voice muffed from the covers.
She almost trips twice over the fabric as she made her way to the door. Before she walks into the hallway, she peeks out cautiously to make sure the hall is clear before she turns back to face him. "When I come back, you better be dressed and ready to go." The fact that she's comically smothered in a thick blanket weakens her threat severely. She pokes her tongue out towards him and with a dramatic flare of her blanket cape, she was gone.
He chuckles lightly to himself at her. It was times like this when he forgot that she was a princess. Sure, she was gorgeous, thoroughly educated, and although she definitely carried herself like royalty; with her head held high and her words spoken carefully, she so also had another side to her. The times when they were alone when he was just Shiro and she was just Allura, she would let her personality shine. She was playful, witty, had the mouth of a sailor, and was stubborn as a mule. He learned the hard way early on that she hated being bossed around and when she set her mind to something, there was nothing he, nor King Alfor, could do to stop it.
He swung his feet over the side out of bed with a stretch before he decided to take a quick shower before she came back and kicked his ass for the fun of it.
When he emerges from the shower fully dressed, as he suspected, Allura is already in his room. She's in the mirror wrangling her hair up into the scarf she uses to hide her unique silver locks and she leaves only a portion of it out to frame her face. It's then that Shiro realizes that in addition to sneaking out, she also doesn't want to be recognized and her silver hair is a sure fire way to immediately get noticed. Unlike her usual expensive clothing, she's wearing an oversized, shapeless dress that would be considered ugly by anyone with basic standards. Even though there's not a single ounce of luxury on her, her confidence alone is enough to make her look runway ready.
After she ties the scarf into a neat knot, she turns to Shiro with a bright, eager smile and it makes his heart skip a beat. She's practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement. "Ready?" she asks as she puts on her sweater.
He throws the towel he used to dry his hair on the bed. "As ready as I'll ever be," he says with a return of her smile.
She's out the door before he can blink. He grabs his keys, wallet, and out of habit, he reaches for his gun sitting at his bedside. Before his hand could make contact, her annoyed voice from the hallway reprimands him, "Shiro, you promised." He's not looking at her but he knows that she definitely has her arms folded stubbornly over her chest and her frown is firmly in place.
He shrugs with a boyish grin. "Sorry, it's a force of habit." He backs away from his weapon and silently follows her out. He takes caution to let the door gently close to not alert the others who share the hall. He knows that today will end with a lecture, but seeing how excited she is, he knows it will be worth it.
When they reach street level, he leads her to the garage and she's already having objections. "The cars all have tracking devices and I don't plan on being followed today. I want to take the trains," she tells sternly him with folded arms.
His mouth tenses in a tight line with a disapproving look at her suggestion. Sneaking out was one thing, but taking public transit? He didn't like the idea of her being so exposed.
As if she read his mind, she took a step towards him. "Stop overthinking so much, Shiro. Things are going to be fine." She took another step forward and laid her hands on his chest. The contact made his breath catch in his throat and his hand twitches. When she speaks again, her voice is vulnerable and almost pleading. "I trust you with my life and I know that you will never let any harm come to me. And I know that I can be…" she pauses to think of the right word, "demanding at times, but just for once, even if it is just for a few hours, I just want to feel normal. I don't want to be a princess. I don't want any special treatment. I just want to be Allura."
He looks down at her for a moment. From his height and her body language, she looks so small and so fragile and he can't help but roll his eyes with a sigh. She knows exactly what she's doing and so does he. He knows it all too well because she's used this tactic with him countless times before and it has a 100% success rate. But will that stop him from letting her get her way?
Absolutely not.
But the way her eyes light up with joy is enough to almost make his worries go away.
Almost.
When they reach the train station, he translates all of the destinations, arrival times, and connecting trains they need for their adventure. She tells him that she doesn't want to go on a shopping spree. Instead, she wants to view landmarks and visit shrines throughout the city.
It's something he loves about her when they travel. She doesn't look for luxurious items to feed into her status. She doesn't like to eat at the finest restaurants or stay in the most luxurious hotel her money and power could buy. Not only did she like to observe the culture and be captivated by all of the wonderful things it has to offer, but she also liked to be a part of it. She liked to attend festivals and ceremonies. And she always made sure to read up on the traditions and customs of the country she visited to make sure she never offended anyone. Even though at times she hated being a princess, she took her role very seriously. She was a representation of her country and she always made sure she made a positive, lasting impression.
When he's done making a mental plan of the destinations they should do and what order they should do it in, he buys them an all-day train pass and they make their way onto the platform to wait for its arrival.
They are just early enough just to get hit full force with the chaos of the morning commute. He grew up in a city just a few hours away, so he knows all too well about how hectic this situation will get. Around him, the locals wait impatiently for a train that's never late and he can see how their feet grow tired of standing still. It's like the calm before the storm and he knows that as soon as that train arrives, all hell will break loose. "Stay close to me," he warns her when he feels the vibrations of the rapidly approaching train.
As soon as the train stops in the station and the doors slide open, it's like a dam broke loose as all the people rush to fill in the void of the car. Everything happens so fast and Allura is immediately overwhelmed with the chaos of it all. For a second, she loses a sense of herself and panic is on the brink of her mind as people push and shove their way past her. The feeling of drowning in the crowd lasts only a split-second before she feels a familiar hand close tightly around hers and she's firmly pulled through the masses. Before she can get her thoughts straight, she's safely on the train with one of Shiro's hands on the small of her back and the other holding on to the overhead handles for balance.
There is hardly any space to breathe and the surrounding bodies are close enough to press her further into him and she feels as if she's suffocating. She doesn't enjoy this as much as she thought she would.
Shiro knows better than anyone that she doesn't do too well in tightly crowded spaces. She's never told him that, but she doesn't need to. He can tell by the way she sinks into herself with stiff shoulders and how she takes deep, uneven breaths as if she's trying to ward off an oncoming panic attack. Immediately, he can tell that she's starting to regret her decision to take the trains, but it's too late to turn back now. He tightens his hold on her and brings her in closer to him and he begins to rub rhythmic circles in her back. "You're okay," he soothes her, "I got you."
The effect is almost immediate as her heart rate slows and her breaths come out in even intervals. Once again, she feels grounded. She feels safe and secure. She wants to thank him but she doesn't trust her voice just yet, so she can only nod her head in gratitude. A sudden jerk from the train unroots her and she grabs on to Shiro to steady herself. She looks for a handle to hold on to but when she notices that they are all taken and that there are no seats available, she decides to wrap her arms around him to keep her steady.
His warmth has her sinking further into him and it causes Shiro's hand on the handle to tighten. It's definitely not the first time she had to cuddle up against him, but the familiarity does nothing to stop the jolt of electricity that shoots up his spine as she makes herself comfortable.
The longer she's on the train, the more comfortable she becomes. All of the mechanical sounds become mere background noise and the sudden jolts from the turns ease into a gentle sway. All of the tension leaves her and she can finally enjoy the ride for what it is.
She's fixated on the distant rolling hills and the mountainside outside the window. "This isn't so bad," she says against his chest. Soon, the inner city lights fill her vision and the colors from the neon lights melt together in a blur as the train rushes through them.
He makes a sound of agreement. "You get used to it," he responds. As much as he wants to enjoy the scenery, his eyes are sharp and his senses stay focused on his surrounding as he looks around for any suspicious activity.
His focus is interrupted when he feels a soft, but firm pull at his cheeks. Her hands are soft against his face and he's forced to meet her blue eyes. "Relax." Her tone tells him that it's more of a demand than it is a request. He smiles when he sees that she's back to her usual bossy self.
"What do you mean? I am relaxed. As a matter of fact, I have never been more relaxed in my entire life," he tells her through a chuckle.
She shakes her head. "You call silently threatening everyone relaxed?" she counters quickly. "I need a break from my duties, and so do you. Today is for both of us. We are going to have a good day, but in order to do that, you need to relax, Takashi." Hearing his name on her lips always unraveled him and once again, he has to tighten his hold on the handle above him. Noticing his reaction, she pauses to take a look around. A sly smile reaches her face and Shiro knows that she's about to test him like she always does. Whatever she's about to do, he knows it's going to ruin him. Her hands leave his cheeks so they could wrap around his shoulders. Standing on the tips of her toes, she leans in close to whisper in his ear. "Your princess commands it."
This was the side of Allura that Shiro was terrified of. She was never afraid to test the waters with him and she made it painfully clear. The lines between the bodyguard were always there. They were tested; often stepped on and usually blurred, but they were never crossed. Her favorite activity was to rile him up just to see him go red in the cheeks and stumble over his words. He's gotten better at handling this playful side of her but he's far from an expert.
He has to take a deep breath to compose himself before he looks down at her. "Why are you like this?" he asks her with an even voice that surprises him.
She only shrugs and moves to place her arms back around his middle, making sure to touch every part of him on the way down. "I like making you blush like a little school girl. If you don't start doing as you're told, it's only going to get worse, I hope you know that." She always had the special talent of getting her way.
"Fine," he says with a huff. You win." He doesn't like to put up a fight with her when she gets like this because it's only going to end badly for him. "I'll try to relax. Does that make you happy?"
'No, you make me happy." Her words have a double meaning and they both know it but will do nothing to validate it. She smiles and she lays her head back on his chest to watch the city fly by.
It isn't long before their stop and it's not much easier getting off the train than it was getting on. It was chaos, but they managed to get off with no major issues. It's much too early to explore shrines and little shops, so the decision to eat breakfast isn't a hard one. They find a little cafe in the city and Shiro translates for her. Her Japanese isn't bad, but it's far from perfect. She can hold a simple conversation but it doesn't last long before the conversation meets a language barrier.
Breakfast is nothing spectacular as it's nowhere near anything that she's used to, but she enjoys trying new cuisine and cooking methods. As usual, when they are alone, they speak as if they were best friends and not royalty and their assigned protector. It always surprises him how easy Allura is to talk to. She has a way with words to where they come out easily and she lets her guard down because she doesn't have to worry about offending anyone. They can joke and tease and there is no punishment for not being "ladylike" as her tutors tell her.
By the time breakfast is over, the city has come to life. It happens so fast that Allura didn't even notice when the streets got so full. They explore shops with handmade items that make Allura marvel in the craftsmanship of it. The locals are fairly nice to them. By no means do they blend in but they feel welcomed overall.
They walk to a park and Allura is blown away at the Sakura trees and how the petals cascade down and blanket the streets in a sea of pink and white. Shiro has never seen her so happy. From all the stress of paperwork and constant meetings over the last few weeks, it's good to see her smile genuinely again.
They visit shrines throughout the city and Allura accidentally wedges their way into a tourist group and for some reason, she decides that she wants to stay with them. She's learning much more from the tour guide about the shrine than she did when she read about it.
Shiro doesn't know when it happened, but he's suddenly aware that Allura's hand is in his. How long had they been like that? If he were to guess, it probably happened between the trip to the museum and the bird sanctuary. Allura doesn't seem bothered by it so neither should he.
"Is she your girlfriend?" asks an older woman as they wait for the train. Shiro feels himself go red and he's grateful that she doesn't understand the woman's question. When he shakes his head, she looks saddened at the news. "Oh, what a shame. She's quite beautiful and her eyes hold honesty. If I were you, I would never let her go."
Shiro can only chuckle at the woman's words. She had no idea of the teasing he would endure if Allura understood what was going on. "I don't plan to," he tells her with a smile.
"What was that about, Shiro?" Allura asks him once they are on the train.
"Oh, nothing. She was asking if I was from here and if I knew where the park was." It's a lie and he knows that Allura knows he's not telling the truth but she drops it anyway.
The day carries on and all too soon, the sun starts to set and the sky turns a gorgeous gradient of pinks purples and blues. Allura looks saddened because she realizes that tomorrow, she has to be a princess again. And it hurts Shiro's heart when he sees how defeated she looks at the realization. He squeezes her hand to grab her attention. "I have one more place in mind that I think you would like," he tells her honestly. "But it's a surprise." He laughs at her reaction because he knows that she has a love-hate relationship with surprises. She loved the idea of getting a present but she hates the idea of waiting for it.
It's a surprise indeed. In front of her stands a huge aquarium. It fills up the entire space and never has she felt so tiny. It has fish in it that she's never seen before that range from small tropical fish to giant nurse sharks. They all share the same tank and they look so at peace. The artificial lighting makes color scales dance and glows with each movement of their fins.
She can't help but be captivated by the calming effect the gigantic tank has on her and Shiro can't but be captivated by the calming effect she has on him.
"Shiro…" she suddenly speaks. Her voice is distant because her mind is elsewhere. "Can we...can we stay here for a little while longer?" She asks him cautiously as if she were afraid he would say no. Which is silly because he would never deny her anything.
He tightens his hand around hers before he answers. "We can stay here as long as you want to, Allura."
Allura was right. This did turn out to be a good day after all.