Prompt by theragingartist, "...Kagome to be trying to figure out some mystical Altean stuff of the ship and just for her to grumble "Fuck me" as Shiro is standing by. Whether he gets flustered or flirty is up to you!"

Creaking in a puzzle-like piece of a…child's game into a rubik cube-like object so full of swiggly, foreign letters, Kagome huffed when it made a negative musical sound. Wrong word, she thought dejectedly. She carefully read the swirly lines when the cube recycled to different words and the pieces fell off.

Allura thoughtfully gave her the object, when she saw Kagome showing intense interest in Altean language and magic. Or, rather, she was interested in Altean everything.

It was almost insulting she was given something that was for a child to play with, but Kagome wasn't slow. She knew that any object meant for children are often for their entry into better understanding their culture, so it wasn't always just for children but for anyone who don't speak their mother tongue and showed interests into learning. But this…toy wasn't something Kagome was expecting for kids.

This was no mere jigsaw and match the number and letter toy. It was a freaking fill-in-the-blanks not meant for young kids!

"Ugh!" She slammed a hand on her forehead, when her next attempt was buzzed incorrect. Kagome slumped against the couch, reclining in between the hefty furniture and the low table. She whined and pressed her cheek onto the hard black-clothed knee.

She felt the chuckle before she heard it, "Having a hard time?"

Kagome huffed, not turning her head to see Shiro's handsomely amused face, "Do I look like I'm having fun?" Not wanting a response she drifted her head from his leg and picked up another puzzle piece, prodding the piece again.

"Hmm, no," Shiro bit back a smile–his piloting partner was so utterly adorable it was almost ridiculous, "I'd say you looked very determined." He assured, ignoring how a small part of his brain was whispering of his desire of having Higurashi Kagome more than just his piloting partner and friend.

"Good!" She finally looked up, her eyes blazing blue fire, "Because I will master this gosh damn toy!" Kagome grunted out, now glaring (and pouting) at the cube. She grabbed it and tried again.

Humming and fighting back another amused grin, Shiro entertained himself by watching Kagome spewing words of frustration at every one of her failed attempts while discreetly reading a book on his tablet. He reclined in his seat, sometimes poking her crossed legs with his feet to remind her to breathe and to calm down. The cube changed letters, making Kagome's effort often in vain.

And while Kagome is (or was, in today's case) naturally a patient person, she had been struggling with understanding the basics of the Altean language. Shiro couldn't blame her–he opted to take advantage to use his portable translator instead via his tablet. Pidge was the only one of the Paladins who half-mastered the Altean language, and even she said it wasn't really worth the hassle of learning it.

(Though Pidge was wise to state this out of Allura and Coran's earshot. Last thing she wanted was to hurt them.)

Kagome, however, was dead set on learning every bit of Altean's language and culture. Initially it started with her boredom upon her arrival on the Castle of the Lion, the moment she sensed magic behind Altean's ancient objects with swiggly words on them was the moment she put her heart in learning them. Allura and Coran were very happy to help her.

She made notable progresses in which they praised wholeheartedly, but when it comes to making complete sentences, she struggled. Thus the purpose of the puzzle cube. Plus, Kagome made for an entertaining watch more she loses her patience.

"Does Y'nik go before or after Umk-la?" Kagome drummed her fingers on the numerous pieces and pressed her cheek onto her other hand. She read the shining words on the cube yet again.

Shiro couldn't resist grinning at her almost-defeated whimpers, "I don't even know what those two words are." He said, while thumbing the screen to the next page. He was barely reading it, not being able to ignore Kagome's disgruntled noises.

Too cute, too cute! He absolutely ignored the more-lusty side of his brain, correcting his words into something Shiro didn't want to imagine. Not yet, anyway.

Rummaging through the pieces, Kagome didn't look back to Shiro, "Y'nik is some kind of milk? And Umk-la is the mother and the baby…" She then added in as an afterthought, "Or babies. There's no plural in Altean language for some reason."

Quirking a brow Shiro squinted to see the nonsensical letters through the glowing of the puzzle, "Ah, I see." Absently he lowered his tablet to his laps and watched bashfully at Kagome's yet another attempt.

Smoothly slotting in the pieces, Kagome bated her breath and desperately hoped she'd get a soft cling! of congratulation.

But, instead, the cube gave a musical buzz and cycled through different letters again. The pieces fell onto the table, leaving voids into the object waiting to be filled again. It seemed to be mocking Kagome at her imbecility.

Throwing her head back into the cushion and her hands flying into her dark mane, Kagome groaned, "Oh, fuck me!"

"I'd love to." Shiro said, without thinking.

He said it so automatically that those three damning words didn't register into his goddamn corrupted brain until Shiro saw Kagome's eyes shot open to the ceiling. They stayed there for far too long that Shiro finally realized what exactly he just said. Oh gods the hell did I just say?