"Nope. Not doing that."
"Come on, paladin! A bit of manly snuggling never hurt anyone!"
"Seriously? No."
Any of the others would've backed down by now, but Coran was stubborn. He set down his massive pile of blankets in a convenient corner and put his hands on his hips. "Look," he said. "This might be the last time we get to spend outside the castle for a while, and you don't wanna miss the view of the Arusian sunset from the parapets!"
Sometimes Shiro felt like the only responsible adult in this place. Where was Allura when he needed her? "So we are going to be taking off soon?"
"Yes, of course," Coran waved the question off, impatient. "It's an ancient paladin tradition that the pilots gather together to enjoy their final evening on a planet before leaving, especially if they don't know when—or if!—they'll return."
Shiro was eighty-percent certain that Coran made that up on the spot. He resisted the urge to groan. "Our last try at a party didn't go so well. Besides, somehow I doubt that ancient paladin tradition includes a 'cuddle pile.'"
"So? You Earthlings are susceptible to low temperatures. We're going to be very high up!" Coran picked up half of the blankets, nudging the other half towards Shiro with one foot. "Besides, star maps can only tell you so much. I thought you might like to see a little bit of where we're headed before we set off."
Shiro considered that. Put that way, it sounded a lot less undignified and a bit more practical. Always good to get to know the neighborhood, right? And it might be their last chance for fresh air in a while…
Yeah, he was getting talked into it. Sighing, Shiro picked up his half of the blankets. "If we're really doing this, you should let Hunk know. He'll probably want to be in charge of snacks."
He could tell that stung Coran's pride a little, but Coran stayed enthusiastic. "Of course! He'll be the next person I tell!"
"And the princess?" Shiro asked.
"Gave her permission immediately," Coran said, nodding proudly. "She said she thought it was a good idea—a valuable bonding experience for our new team."
And, well, Shiro reflected, maybe it would be. They'd been through a lot, what with Pidge's near-defection, Lance's injury, and his and Lance's capture. It might prove tough at first to wrangle them all into being within touching distance of each other, but it'd probably be good for them in the long run.
"All right, then," he said to himself, following Coran towards what would prove to be a truly ridiculous number of stairs. "I guess we are doing this."