Prompt: Marigold

Category: Pining and Fluff

Timeline: Sometime after season 8

Summary: Keith pines after Allura during a Garrison celebratory ball.

Other: Established Plance if you squint.


Marigold. Such a strange name for such a beautiful color. Though, in hindsight, Keith had never even knew the color existed until this night. At first he had no clue what it was. But apparently Pidge knew. Of course Pidge would know. He should've just asked her instead of asking Hunk who asked Lance who then asked Pidge. Now everyone knew he was watching Allura. Beautiful Allura in her beautiful Marigold dress.

The way the princess moved around the black tie event, chatting with anyone who requested a conversation, was most intriguing. She was completely in her element. Keith caught himself staring so many times. Luckily, Allura was too involved in her talking to notice. Unluckily, Lance was not as distracted to notice.

"Why don't you just ask her to dance?" Lance questioned, coming to stand by Keith next to a cheese table. "There is a reason why the Garrison hired an orchestra."

Keith pried his eyes off Allura for the hundredth time that night and looked at Lance. "Because they are very extra? Who hires an entire orchestra for a celebratory ball?"

"The same people who have an open invitation to their celebratory ball and end up hosting almost six hundred people," Lance replied, picking a cube of cheese off the table and popping it in his mouth.

"Yeah, I really wish they wouldn't have done that. Do you know how many random girls have come up to me expecting me to fall in love with them at first sight and whisk them away to another planet? A lot. They aren't even here to celebrate anything."

"Those are just intense fans, Keith," Lance reasoned.

Keith gave Lance a "Really" look. "You're not at all bothered by girls asking you out in front of Pidge?"

Lance put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Actually, when I'm with Pidge, they tend to back off." There was a second of silence as Keith thought on this before Lance spoke again. "I must give you a round of applause though for avoiding my first question so smoothly. "

Keith let out an exasperated sigh. "Lance, she already has like twenty people who are waiting to dance with her. She doesn't have time."

"Well that's anything but true. Look at it this way, all those people either want Allura to fall for them or want to talk politics and Altean. Allura could use a friendly face to dance with, a breath of fresh air so to speak," Lance stated before heading off to some older gentlemen who had been waiting to speak with a paladin.

'What if I want her to fall for me too,' he thought, surprising himself. What had he gotten himself into? His gaze turned back to the Altean princess. What if Lance was right? Maybe Allura did need a break from the hoards of admirers.

After an intense mental agruemnt, Keith finally made his way to the object of his affections who happen to be on the dance floor. "Excuse me," he started, interrupting a conversation about Altean architecture. "But may I cut in?" The tall, curt man Allura had been dancing with let out a huff of cooperation and disappeared into the crowd in a second.

"Oh thank Altean!" Allura exclaimed as she and Keith began a comfortable ballroom dance. "I love my home planet but it's exhausting explaining everything about it to a hundred different humans. Not to mention, dancing with strangers who step on my toes."

Keith smiled a little as he looked down at her. "I can't promise no toe stepping. I've never actually done this before."

She giggled a little at his comment. "Why not?" Allura asked in a completely inoccent, baffled kind of way.

The man leading her shrugged. "I don't know. It's not really my style, I guess," he replied.

Allura closed her eyes with a smile as the couple spin around the floor. "I don't understand how you couldn't love it," she stated, opening her eyes once again, her sparkling eyes. "The live music, the fancy dresses, all the suits, the food, it all just makes me happy."

Keith couldn't help but smile even more at this. "I'm glad you're happy."

Allura smiled back and laid her head on Keith's shoulder, enjoying not being pressured to engage in conversation. Meanwhile, Keith tried to calm his heartrate. He was sure the princess could hear it, possibly even feel it. Looks like Lance was right. How is he always right about these things? Allura did need a break from the curious civilians. Keith smiled to himself. He was glad he could help her, even in this small way.

"Keith?" Allura asked, head still against his shoulder. "Why did you wait so long to dance with me? You kept glancing at me all night."

Well at least Keith knew Allura couldn't feel his heart beat anymore cause he'd stop breathing. "Y-you saw that?" he asked, voice catching for fear he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Allura replied. Then a second of silence. "You look very charming in your suit. I couldn't help but notice you."

"Me? You look absolutely gorgeous in marigold. That's why I kept looking at you. I didn't ask you to dance before cause I thought you had plenty of people who want to share a quick spin around the room with you," Keith stated.

Allura giggled again as she pulled her head back to look at Keith. "Well I'm glad you realized I needed saving."

Their eyes locked, purple on blue. A stare down that had no dramatic characteristics. Slowly the music and the talking around them started to fade. Allura glanced down at Keith's lips before looking him back in the eyes.

Neither knew what was happening. It was like they were being drawn together by something beyond their control. Inches of space turned to hairs. Allura closed her eyes as her parted lips finally made contact with Keith's.

The kiss started out as sweet but soon became somewhat fierce, both apparently wanting to dominate the other. Allura arched her spine, pushing herself into the kiss, as Keith placed his left hand on the small of her back.

Sadly for them both, they needed oxygen. The reluctant separation of their lips was met with so much emotion in the opening eyes. Allura swallowed insecurly. "Uh-that was..."

"The best feeling in the world," Keith finished, hands still on her hips and back.

Allura could only nod in agreement, licking her lips. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened but she liked it. And she wanted it to happen again. But before it could, Coran appeared.

"Ah! There you are Allura! I have someone who wants to know more about your father," he exclaimed, motioning to the edge of the dance floor where a middle-aged man waited patiently.

Allura turned back to Keith. "Dance with me again in an hour," she declared, letting Coran excitedly drag her off.

An hour. Keith could do that. He's waited so long already, what's another hour? Torture. That's what it'd be, torture. Keith watched until Allura greeted the man before turning to go get a drink. When facing the opposite direction, he found the trio with cheeky smiles before him. Nothing was said. Lance just raised his eyebrows suggestively and Keith rolled his eyes and walked away.

He kept watching Allura for the next hour as she mingled. Her marigold dress flowing around her as she walked. She was breathtaking. Keith was in, and he was in deep. His second dance with her, which turned into a mini makeout session, past way faster then what he would've liked. But he wasn't worried.

At the end of the night, he'd get to talk to Allura again. Allura in her marigold dress.


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~ Pickles