Author's Notes:
Thank you to my amazing editor Dawn for sending this chapter so quickly!
Thank you to reviewers Limetwist, Paulina Ann, WarzonePrez, FroofyB and KathDMD.
Time to pop the champagne, KA fans! (grinning)
With the usual standard disclaimer, WEP owns Voltron and Voltron Force,
here's ...
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Chapter Twenty
"What's with the hush-hush, Pidge? You know I don't like surprises," Lance grumbled, walking purposely along the castle's corridors. He hated when a lion practice was interrupted and rescheduled. He still wasn't used to the new team configuration.
"And why not with the cadets...er..." Hunk stammered, realising his mistake that the younger set of Voltron Force pilots were no longer cadets.
Pidge suddenly stopped in his tracks. "I don't know why. The only information I have is this highly classified video call on queue straight from the GA President's office."
All three of them stood in front of a hidden door along a non-descript hallway. Nodding to Lance and Hunk, Pidge raised his palm onto the smooth titanium wall. A hidden door emerged and hissed open.
"Why the Panic Room? I haven't been in here since..." Lance's voice trailed off. He realised the last time they were all in the Panic Room was a couple of days after the Galaxy Victory Celebration. Stepping inside, Lance looked around the room that was the same size as their usual meeting room. It had a conference table, computer consoles and its own well stocked kitchen-and-pantry. "Wow, Pidge! There are no cobwebs, and it has the latest consoles as well."
Pidge sat in front of a keyboard and went straight to work. He began typing a series of computer commands and a large holo-screen appeared in front of the three veteran robot lion pilots. "The encryption is of the highest level, which can only be keyed in by either the Head of Intelligence or the President himself. I'm activating the transmission now."
Hunk and Lance stood behind Pidge as the holo-screen came to life.
"What the hell is wrong with you three? Took you like, forever." An irate voice boomed from the holo-screen.
"Hey Grumpy-pants, what's with all the secrecy?" Lance replied with equal candour as Keith's face appeared on-screen.
"First of all, you all need to congratulate me." Keith grinned.
"Congratulations. There. Happy?" Lance smirked, "Why pray tell do we need to congratulate you?"
Hunk merely shook his head, laughing at the volleying retorts between the two.
"Because of this…" Keith stepped backwards from the view screen and raised his hand, showing a gleaming platinum band on his left ring finger.
"You got married! Congratulations, bro! Now, where's the ball-and-chain?" Lance teased.
"I heard that, Lance!" Allura smirked, crossing her arms as she came into view beside her newly-minted husband.
Hunk cheered, "Congratulations, you two! Back up a bit so we can see what you're wearing on your wedding day!"
"Why, thank you, Hunk." Allura smiled at Yellow Lion pilot.
Keith beamed proudly in his black Hugo Boss suit as he lifted Allura's hand.
Holding Keith's hand, Allura gave a graceful turn, showing off her strapless ivory-beaded tight-fitting gown that seemed to sparkle like stars.
"Well done, Your Majesties," Pidge spoke reverently with emphasis on how to properly address royalty. "But why the secrecy and the highest level of encryption?"
"We'll tell you in a minute," Keith paused. "First, Pidge, I'm wiring you a bank account balance now…and when you see the amount, it's not a tech glitch. It's real and you need to merge that account with the rest of the Arusian Treasury."
"Whoa! That's more than what Balto has in their entire banking system!" Pidge exclaimed.
"It's a hell of an obscene amount of motherfu—oof!"
"How on Arus did you get that much money?" Hunk elbowed Lance.
"What galaxy did you sell or hijack to earn that much dough?" Lance asked, eyeing Hunk with future bodily harm as he rubbed his side.
"We'll tell you when we get home…" Keith replied.
"…in a month's time," Allura added, smiling sweetly at Keith.
Lance waggled his eyebrows. "Of course, you'll be on your honeymoon straightaway."
Keith gave out an embarrassed cough, "Ah, yes, which brings us to the next reason why we called you. We would like to keep things low-key for now. We'll inform the galactic media about our wedding when get back to Arus." Keith wrapped a protective arm around his bride. "Allura had another dream."
The queen nodded. "How are the lions lately?"
Hunk rubbed the back of his neck and gave a nervous chuckle. "Now that you asked about it, we were having lion practice earlier and there was a tech glitch on Blue and Black. They just suddenly didn't want to follow their pilots' commands, y'know? It was weird, like they were very vocal, some kinda roaring-grumbling or something. When Black and Blue didn't listen, Lance and I had to talk down the lions, and eventually they grudgingly followed." Hunk shrugged his shoulders.
"Yeah, and after that, Pidge called us about this important video call," Lance added. He noticed Keith and Allura staring blankly at them. "Hey wait...you two are doing that mind-talk again! Spill it you two," Lance pouted, folding his arms.
Allura shook her head, blushing deep crimson. "We think that even though we're no longer their pilots, we are more connected to Voltron than ever."
Hunk chuckled. "We promise to keep an eye on your kitties, Your Majesties."
"Pidge, one last thing," Keith began, "I want you to make a full defence systems upgrade on the castle. We have an unlimited credit line with Balto now. Make all the necessary online orders; anything you need to upgrade the castle's defences. I want you to start installing them as soon as your supplies arrive."
"What's the rush, Keith? We all know that Lotor's gone, along with that Lider robeast. Why worry about upgrades when it's already peace time?" Lance flippantly asked.
"Peacetime is the best time to upgrade your defences. I want it done, Pidge," Keith ordered.
"Gotcha, chief," Pidge promptly replied.
"Anything to add, Allura?" Keith asked.
Allura nodded, "Lance, keep an eye on our new pilots as well. I can't tell you why until we get home."
"Babysit newbies due to vague and unspecific reasons. Well done you two." Lance grimaced.
"See you next month!" Allura waved cheerfully and blew a kiss to her friends while Keith simply nodded.
"Enjoy your honeymoon!" Hunk waved back until the holo-screen went blank.
"You got all that, Pidge? 'Cos I hate taking down notes." Lance walked towards the doorway, leaving Pidge behind to power down the consoles and lock up.
"So, what's with the cadets…er…newbies?" Hunk asked as he followed Lance on the way out.
Lance narrowed his eyes and scratched his chin. "I don't know, Hunk…I don't know." There was something that had been bugging him, but he couldn't pin-point exactly what it was. Suddenly, one month felt a long time to babysit the newbies.
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Mrs Allura Raimon Kogane sat quietly beside her husband. She was finally married, and it was finally just the two of them after spending the morning at the GA President's office.
They were married in the presence of no one except Coran, current president of the Galaxy Alliance, Keith's uncle Kensan Himura, Head of Intelligence, and Keith's Aunt Kay Himura, who was also a high ranking Intelligence officer. They were all there to bear witness, as they recited their wedding vows. The wedding was officiated by the GA's resident chaplain.
After a light repast, the newlyweds were escorted to an awaiting black, armoured stretch hover-limousine and whisked straight to their honeymoon.
Married. Husband and wife. It felt surreal; it was something for which she dreamed and patiently waited for five years or so. Their wedding day finally happened.
Allura stared at the window, her ring glinting in the sun's reflection through the limo's window. Her wedding band of gold and platinum felt new on her left hand, just above her engagement ring. Both rings had a blissfully weighted presence, of cool metal against her warm ring finger, both given to her by Keith within the last twenty-four hours. How he produced the new set of wedding rings so quickly, she didn't know, nor did she care. All that mattered to her was that their names and wedding date were etched on these new wedding bands.
"We're nearly there," Keith finally said, squeezing her hand. He had been coordinating with his uncle through a series of messages on his voltcom. "You okay? You're awfully quiet," he asked, furrowing his brows.
Allura let out a happy sigh and moved closer to him. "I'm just savouring this moment."
With eager hands, Keith swiftly pulled Allura on to his lap. He brought his mouth down on her bare shoulder, tasting the cool sweetness of her skin, "Wife, I need to savour you soon. Your dress has been driving me insane since this morning. The strapless gown without a single slit on the side and all that beadwork! I couldn't even run my hand and squeeze your lusciously tight ass. I'm sorely tempted to rip your wedding dress and take you right here, right now." Keith's fingers slid along her skin, down to the neckline of her wedding dress.
Allura shivered at the intensity of Keith's words, echoing through their empath bond. Ensconced in his tight embrace, she buried her face in his neck, "Husband, if you only know how much you affect me in your handsome wedding suit." She tilted her head up and brushed her lips to his.
Keith captured her mouth and deepened their kiss. Tightening his arms around her waist, Keith coaxed his tongue into her mouth. He was impatiently hungry for his wife. He pulled her lower lip and trailed kisses along her neck. Before he could go any further, the hover-limousine came to a full stop.
Allura's eyes fluttered, trying to push the lustful fog back a bit, realising that their vehicle had stopped outside a single-storey house.
"We're here," he said softly, brushing a hand on her cheek.
The house looked like any other house in the suburbs. The difference was that the property had the latest, top-of-the-line security system; the house's structure was built with thick, poured concrete that was meant to be bulletproof and blast-proof; the windows had shatterproof and bulletproof glass panes. With state-of-the-art technology, the entire house also had climate-control.
Keith used to live in this house with his parents. He remembered spending his childhood days here, until Keith's parents were killed and he had to move to Japan. When it was time for Keith to enroll at GA Academy, his godparents Uncle Ken and Aunt Kay, who were also his legal guardians, decided to accompany their nephew and they stayed in Keith's old house while he attended the GA Academy nearby. He would go home during the weekends. By the time Keith graduated from the Academy and was sent straight to Arus, Keith's guardians moved back to Tokyo. The house was kept vacant and serviced regularly to maintain proper upkeep.
Keith stepped outside the limo and offered his hand to Allura as she alighted the armoured vehicle. As they entered the house, Keith was surprised that the house's interior design didn't look anything like he remembered from his childhood. Instead, the house looked sleek and modern, with its open-plan design.
As co-rulers, the King and Queen of Arus, with benevolent royal titles of His and Her Royal Majesties, they decided that they would spend the first week of their honeymoon as a normal married couple, without the trappings of royalty.
Grinning broadly, Keith effortlessly carried his new bride across the threshold.
Allura squeaked in surprise, "Keith, what are you doing?"
"Earth custom. Welcome home, Mrs Kogane."
"Is this home away from home?"
"When we're on Earth, we can make this our home." He gently set her down in the middle of the living room.
"I like that." Allura smiled, touching his rough jaw. Looking at her new surroundings, Allura walked towards the kitchen. It had hidden cabinets. Even the fridge and other appliances seemed to be hidden behind a series of seamless black cabinet doors. In the middle of the space was a large kitchen island, where a package, brightly displayed on the countertop, welcomed the newlyweds. Allura curiously unwrapped the large present and found a fruit basket, a couple of boxes of Earth's finest chocolates, a bottle of chilled champagne and two champagne flutes.
Sensing a question in the air, Keith sauntered towards his wife, "The house is fully-serviced and I would expect the fridge is full too. We won't need to go out for groceries." Standing beside her, Keith reached for the bottle. He peeled off the foil seal, and uncorked the chilled champagne.
"Would we even have time to go out for groceries? Though, I'm not sure if I packed enough clothes for a week." Tapping a finger on her chin, Allura doubted she packed that many clothes in her backpack.
Keith openly flirted with his bride, "You don't need clothes on a honeymoon," he said, tilting the champagne glass and slowly pouring the bubbly drink. He handed Allura a flute then proceeded to fill another. Stroking the glass stem, Keith lifted his champagne glass, "To us and our future."
Allura clink her champagne-filled flute to Keith's. A secret smile escaped her lips as she sipped the interesting liquid that had a pale yellow-orange tint. Putting her champagne glass down on the kitchen island, Allura lifted her grey voltcom bangle and raised a small holo-screen. "I think it's my turn to give you a wedding present. This is the schedule of my next dose. I'm supposed to have an overlap of two days, before the next dose is administered through the patch," she said in a nonchalant way. Now we are married; is it time to think about starting a family?
Keith was suddenly confused as he looked at the holo-chart. Next dose? What is she talking about? Then it dawned on him what his wife was telling him. Long before they had voltcoms, they already had security protocols in place for Allura if she was taken by force, against her will, or kidnapped by an obsessed adversary. When the voltcoms were created, this security protocol became a part of Allura's voltcom's bio-nanotech parameters. When others had tiny compartments in their wrist devices, hers had a tiny patch that would regularly administer the contraceptive drug through skin contact. Finishing his drink, Keith closed the gap between them. Tilting her chin, he leaned down, his lips grazing the shell of her ear, "What would you like, Allura?"
Was her husband giving her a choice? After all these years, to finally stop the contraceptive doses felt... liberating. Her heart was in her throat; Allura was all too hyperaware of his hard hot body against hers.
"Of course, we are in a partnership now," he said matter-of-factly.
Allura raised a brow, "That's it? No arguments whatsoever?"
Keith merely shrugged, "Looks like married life agrees with me."
"I might get used to this." She laughed softly, her eyes dancing with anticipation.
"It is our honeymoon, and I want to get started already. Less talk, more undressing."
"Really, Mr Kogane." Allura rolled her eyes in faux exasperation.
Placing his palms on the kitchen counter, Keith caged Allura between his strong arms. "Did you just roll your eyes at me?"
Lifting her chin up in defiance, Allura felt her backside touching the edge on the kitchen counter, "What if I did?"
Keith let out a dangerous low growl. Unleashing his inner caveman, he hauled his wife over his shoulder and strode down the hallway towards the main bedroom.
Taken by surprise by her husband's lightning-fast actions, Allura squealed, "No fair!" Laughing, she tried to reach down and give his backside a ringing slap.
Stepping inside the bedroom, Keith and Allura found a massive king-sized bed with a high cushioned headboard. He stopped at the edge of the bed and gently set Allura down on her feet, "Negotiations are over, Your Majesty. This dress needs to go. Now."
(To Be Continued)
Endnote:
Visit either kaex yahoogroup or twitter-dot-com /keithandallura for reference image of KA's wedding attire.
Had to separate the next scene into a separate honeymoon chapter with an indulgently Mature Rating (with Sexual content /Sexual Language Used). Next chapter shall be strictly for Mature Readers Only. You have been warned. Read the next chapter at your own risk.