Written for the prompt "I can't not care about you!" for allurance. Mild spoilers for season four, I guess. Enjoy!
Allura had sounded tired after she'd used her magic to save them, but she had insisted that she was fine. Lance knew that getting them off that planet must have taken a tremendous amount of energy, but the reality didn't really hit him until they made their way to the castle's control room-and Allura promptly collapsed, Lance barely managing to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Whoa, Allura! Are you okay?" he asks urgently, steadying her with an arm around her waist and steering her to chair.
"I'm alright, Lance, just tired," she insists, but she looks paler than normal and her voice seems rougher.
"You used too much magic back there, didn't you," Lance says. It isn't a question. He puts the back of his hand to her forehead, and frowns when he finds her skin to be cooler than normal.
"I suppose I did," Allura admits reluctantly. "But it's nothing major, I just need to rest for a bit."
"This is all my fault," Lance blurts out, sounding guilty. He grimaces, biting his lip, and casts his downcast eyes to the floor.
"Lance," Allura demands, and when he doesn't respond she takes matters into her own hands, tilting his chin so that their eyes meet, deep blue meeting sapphire. "If you hadn't done what you did back there and encouraged me like you did, we wouldn't have been able to get out of there. You helped me to save us all." She smiles gently at him. "You don't have to worry about me. I think a little magical exhaustion is more than worth it."
A tiny smile graces Lance's lips. "I can't not care about you." A moment's pause, then: "We do make a pretty great team, huh."
"Indeed," Allura takes his hand in her own and squeezes it. She's about to say something more, when an incoming message shatters the atmosphere.
"Is that," Lance swallows hard. "Lotor?"
"I guess we'd better see what he wants," Allura says, standing up and brushing the nonexistent dirt off her armor.
"You sure that you're going to be okay to do this?" Lance asks, blue eyes anxious.
"I'm sure," Allura reassures him, giving his hand another quick squeeze. "Now, let's go see what Lotor wants."
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