SO SEASON 5 WAS AN EMOTIONAL ROLLER COASTER!

With that being said, I should specify that this story follows the VLD plot line up to a certain point of season 2 (the exact point will be specified in future chapters, just avoiding spoilers). After that, it will be a plot line unique to the story.

This chapter is shorter than usual. Been busy with school, my princess Allura cosplay and fandom related tears T.T

Anyways, I don't own Voltron: Legendary Defenders.

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Glowing Feelings

To their surprise, the ball didn't go until the late hours of the night. One by one, the guests said their good nights and thanked the Paladins and Alteans for saving their planet before taking their leave. The group went back to their quarters for the night. "Well done everyone!" Allura praised as she sat on a flower-couch, "I believe we made a good impression on the people of Unus tonight."

"Specially you, Allura," Lance commented, "everyone wanted to talk to you! And you just – he imitates the princess' gestures – float and charm your way around the crowd."

"I think the only reason she made it out alive is because Shiro was there," Pidge added while siting directly on the floor.

"I am very capable of defending myself," the princess replied in a defensive tone.

Shiro chuckled at her comment, sitting next to her. "I think what they mean is that I was preventing a crowd. Remember how the kids were pulling at your dress to get your attention?"

"I sure do," Keith answered while shaking his hair, "Allura had to keep talking to the grownups so she put me in charge of entertaining them!"

As they each told their experiences of the night, Allura leaned in to talk with the black Paladin. "Thank you for staying by my side, Shiro," she said while putting her hand on his. "I know it's not how it would traditionally happen and it must have been a little weird…"

"Allura," he replied, "the honour was all mine. Besides, it's not everyday I get to escort a princess." Shiro's answering smile made her lose her focus. For a moment she found herself lost in his gaze. "I…" she mumbled, "I'm going to call it a night." She quickly shifted her attention from Shiro to the team, removing her hand from his. "Everyone get some sleep, I informed the high-ruler that we still have a mission waiting for us so we'll be leaving early in the morning. "

"Is that really the safest idea, with this planet filled with white quintessence?" Hunk asked. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice," she replied while making her way to her room, "but I gave Sadachbia a communication device that they can use to contact us directly in case of an attack."

And with that, they wished each other goodnight and took their leave, preparing for the next day's departure. Shiro looked at the door leading to the Pidge and Allura's room. "Was it something I said?" he whispered to himself. He noticed Allura's quick mood change and decided he would take the time to apologize to her the next day.

"This wasn't as exhausting as I thought it would be," Pidge noted while cleaning their glasses. The roomates both had exchanged their formal evening wear for the sleepwear that was inside one of the room's closets. Pidge chose a green and brown butterfly pattered sleeping ensemble. Allura was sitting at the vanity, wearing a white and blue pajamas dress, taking the time to remove the flowers from her hair and putting them back in a vase to her left. "I guess I didn't even need Shiro to accompany me after all," she commented, the last flower finally removed. She then started undoing the jumbo braids from her hair.

"But it was so much better having him, right?" Pidge specified, their lips forming a grin. "Your hand wrapped safely around his arm, sitting next to him at dinner, talking to the guests during the ball…" The Altean markings on her face emitted a small glow. "Wow! Is that how Alteans blush?"

"I am not familiar with the term," the princess replied cautiously: she didn't want her markings to glow any stronger but she could tell there was no escaping from this conversation.

"Blushing is a human reaction to a sudden rush of blood to the face, usually around the cheeks. Sometimes it spreads to the rest of the face."

"What causes it?" Allura asked, as if she didn't already have a clue to the answer. The marks on her face were now glowing stronger.

"Oh nothing serious, just strong emotional responses to something said or done," Pidge replied while catching her gaze through the mirror. They stared at each other until Allura finally broke the stare. "I don't see what you're talking about," she tried while undoing one of the braids in her hair.

"Oh come on Princess!" Pidge shouted while joining her at the vanity table to help her out. "Your face is glowing! Besides, did you see the way Shiro was looking at you?" They dramatically placed a hand over their heart. "You look like a goddess," Pidge said in their best attempt to imitate the black Paladin.

"I did look good," she mumbled.

"Allura," Pidge replied exasperated. "Look, I don't mean to overstep but Shiro obviously likes you."

"Like?"

"Human term. Romantic feelings, not developed into love yet. At least not that I know of…"

"I'm familiar with the term, Pidge, it's just…" Allura detangled the final braid while thinking of how she would respond to the green Paladin's comment. "On Altea, before the war started, there were talks about meeting suitors who would be ideal husbands for me… I would technically already be married. So as a princess, I never really had to think about love. But… but now… I… how would I even know if I… if he…"

"Okay, let's take this slowly," Pidge said while siting down next to her. "Just... Take it easy." Allura nodded. "Close your eyes and think. How did you feel when you stepped out of our room and saw Shiro?" Her Altean markings that had started dimming down picked up in luminosity. Pidge laughed. "Stop laughing!" Allura begged while hiding her face with her hands and squealing. "I'm a princess, I can't be behaving so squeamish!"

"Okay okay okay," they said between laughs, calming themself down. "I'm sorry, this is too cute. Okay. Answer the question. Princess: how did you feel?"

She closed her eyes, focusing on bringing the memory forth in her mind. She spoke barely above a whisper. "It… it was like I couldn't see anyone else. He looked so handsome: his black and purple tunic, and his white hair pulled back, and the little purple flowers in his hair… I don't remember what they're called…"

"Pansy."

"Yes! He looked fantastic and … I was taken aback for a moment. And then when I realized how he was looking at me… His face was just… And he took my hand and...It's not the first time he looked at me with those eyes," she realized while opening her eyes. She though about when he took care of her the night she destroyed King Alfor's AI, when he caught her dancing in the private ball room, when they first held hands that night she found him in the piano room.

Allura didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her heart. But if what Pidge said was true, just for a moment…

"Shiro likes me?" The princess whispered.

Pidge nodded. "Nobody dares to meddle in your business but we've all noticed how Shiro's attitude shifts just so slightly when you're around. He stays as polite and professional as possible but there are those moments when his guard falls for a moment. Like tonight when you stepped out of our room. Of course, it could always be confused with kindness but tonight convinced me otherwise."

Allura gathered her hair and started braiding it into one huge french braid. She should have known. That was the true reason why the call of the heart worked when she helped Shiro many nights ago. It only worked when the two individuals had a mutual emotional bond. And if it worked, and if Shiro liked her, it could mean one thing. Allura looked at Pidge. "I'm totally…. What's the word… screwed?" Pidge nodded again, smiling uncontrollably.

"You really like him, don't you?" They asked. Allura nodded shyly. "He is so..." She bit her lips, trying to find her words. "Even with everything that happened to him, he is just... so filled of warmth and tenderness and kindness and..." She shook her head. I'm really screwed, she thought. "Now what? What do humans usually do?"

"There are only two options: you tell him or you don't. Weight the consequences for both situations and choose which option could you live the rest of your life with. Love is complex, specially with humans. We often can be too afraid to express how we truly feel and we end up regretting it."

"I guess that's one more thing alteans and humans have in common." Allura sighed. She got up and slid in her bed. To her surprise, Pidge followed her. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Duh, sleeping in your bed! You are emotionally distressed, I'm not going to leave you sleep alone!"

Allura laughed. "I guess it'a alright, I always did want to have a sibling."

"Well, I'll be your stand-in sibling today," Pidge declared. The princess smiled. As they talked about her next moves, she thanked the ancients that she awoken upon such a particularly complex and endearing group of creature.

This chapter was brought to you by the letter W

W as in Wholesome-bonding-between-individuals!

Tell me what you think!