Shallura Week Day 2: Bridge/Tradition
Author's Note: Annnndd we're back! And for day 2, a little bit shorter piece, but hopefully you'll like it! And maybe, if you're all good little readers, you'll get a lil somethin' somethin' at the end!
(Aw who am I kidding, I can't resist the fluff)
Shiro watched his fellow Paladins scramble around as they prepared for the holiday. The ship had kindly informed them that it was New Year's Eve back on Earth, and they intended to celebrate as if they were still there, much to the confusion of the two aliens in the group.
"So humans celebrate every single rotation they make around their sun? How…excessive." Allura murmured to the eldest Paladin, although he knew deep down she couldn't resist celebrating.
"Well, how long is a revolution on Altea?" Shiro asked, though he suspected it was much shorter.
"Fourteen days." She stated simply. "Although…those are Altean days, so in human terms it's probably closer to…" She tapped something into the Castle's controls. "20 of your days, it seems."
"Well that explains it." Shiro smiled as he replied. "Our years are 365 days. A new year is actually a cause worth celebrating when they don't happen that often."
"Very true Shiro." Allura grinned as she watched Pidge and Hunk pin up streamers around the docking bay, while Keith and Lance decorated the no doubt confused lions. "So what other traditions do you Earthlings have that I should know about?"
"Well, Christmas is a big one. I'm sure you remember that fiasco." Shiro laughed with the princess as they recalled the all-out prank war that had waged during the Paladins celebration of the holiday. "That, uhh…that isn't a normal part of the festivities though. We have a different holiday for that."
Allura nodded, somewhat impressed. "I'd like to spend a year on Earth I think, just to see all the interesting things you get up too. Altea was…well, my home, but we didn't have nearly as many holidays as you seem to have."
"There are others that none of the 5 of us celebrate too. Like Lance's family celebrates the Day of the Dead, but us other 4 don't. There's quite a variety." Shiro explained further. "We're a very festive species, it would seem."
Allura laughed at that. "It would certainly seem so. I can tell you the Galra aren't any more exciting than the Alteans in that way."
Shiro laughed with her. "Yeah, something tells me Zarkon isn't going to take a day off for Halloween."
They faded into a comfortable silence, occasionally chuckling gently as Keith tried to convince the Red Lion to wear one of the giant party hats Hunk had fashioned out of some spare parts he had found. The robot finally relented and the 4 Paladins came over to where Shiro and Allura were watching.
"Hey princess, can you try and see how long we have until midnight? On Earth, that is." Lance asked.
"Of course Lance. I will have to know which time zone you all are from." She noted as she returned to the console and began tapping away. Shiro came and picked out the correct area on the ship's map of Earth, and a small countdown clock appeared in the screen. Apparently, they had around an hour before 'midnight.'
"Alright, we have an hour to kill. Hunk, you think Coran would be up to helping you whip up some snacks? I have a little…surprise for everyone to get ready." Pidge asked. Hunk agreed snacks would be a necessity, so he went off with Coran to make some, while Pidge prepared her surprise. Keith and Lance had barely gotten up again before the Red Lion knocked its adornments off and both went off with a sigh to fix it.
This left Shiro and Allura alone again. For a moment, they said nothing, then Allura came up with a question.
"So what sorts of things do you Earthlings do to celebrate the New Year?"
Shiro had to think for a second. "Well, a lot of people do things differently. Fireworks aren't uncommon, and in one of the really big cities there's a big event where they drop a huge ball at midnight. There's also a song that we all sing after midnight."
"Well a few of those things sound more complicated than others." Allura noted with a giggle. "But I look forward to hearing you all sing."
"Oh yeah, that'll be interesting." The Black Paladin agreed. The pair sat and chatted for the next hour or so, until Hunk burst in with his treats and everyone realized the clock only had a few minutes left.
Pidge then showed up with her surprise. "Alright guys, so I've been working on enhancing our long range scanners to pick up distant radio waves. With any luck, we'll be able to pick up the TV signals from Earth and watch New York's ball drop live!"
As it turned out, Pidge hadn't accounted for how far those radio signals would have to travel, but with a little recalibrating, they picked up the signal from New York's celebration…from 1988.
"Well, it's something." Shiro assured her while they all stifled a laugh. "Not like the ball drop has changed all that much over the years."
As the watched the performances ("Hey, it's Marg Helgenberger!"), the clock wound down, as once it rounded past the final minute, the Paladins all started counting down the final seconds. Allura and Coran watched with some amusement.
"3…2…1…Happy New Year!" The all cried in unison as fireworks shot off on screen. Shiro bit his lip and turned to the princess.
"So I forgot to mention one last little tradition we have on New Year's. Right at midnight, most people…well…"
"Well what?" Allura questioned, confused, and Shiro flushed.
"Well, most people give someone a kiss."
Allura's cheeks went pink as she watched humans kissing on the screen, and Lance managing to give Keith a peck on the cheek, which promptly started a fight Pidge and Hunk had to break up.
"Well…" She cleared her throat. "It is tradition, is it not?" She hesitated for a second before giving him a quick kiss on the lips, which set both their faces burning. Fortunately, they weren't seen by the others, and were quickly distracted by the Paladins frankly atrocious rendition of Auld Lang Syne. But despite that, Shiro and Allura both knew this New Year's would not easily be forgotten.