Every once in a while, they had to stop to get supplies.
Well, "supplies" was a loose term. It covered everything from food, because Hunk flatly refused to let them eat only the nutritionally balanced goo the Castle provided, to spare mechanical parts to gifts for ambassadorial visits. Coran usually led these shopping trips, and at least some of the others usually accompanied him. To accommodate for this they'd developed an allowance system of sorts so the hangers-on could get knickknacks of their own. Lance mostly went to girl-watch, but Hunk usually spent his on exotic foodstuffs while Pidge often picked up some sort of gadgetry to tinker with, and if there was a weapons vendor everyone knew where to find Keith when it was time to go.
Allura and Shiro rarely participated on these excursions unless there was a specific reason for them to tag along, as there always seemed to be more important things to do elsewhere. On this particular day, while the others traipsed off with Coran to a series of secondhand shops and Allura ran diagnostics on the Castle systems, Shiro opted to do some extra solo training. It was always somewhat freeing to have the floor to himself, and he spent almost two hours running basic kicks, strikes, and blocks and going through his forms before doing several rounds with the gladiator. Finally, exhausted, sore, and in dire need of a shower, he dismissed the training programs he had running and headed for the door.
As it slid open he jerked to the side just in time to avoid crashing into Lance. The blue paladin screeched to a halt, arms windmilling as he tried to keep his balance. Shiro grabbed his shoulder to steady him. "Whoa now, what's the matter?"
"Shiro!" Lance braced his hands against his knees, panting. He must have run all the way from the pod bay. "You've gotta come see what Pidge found!"
Unease knotted in Shiro's stomach. "What is it?"
The younger paladin looked up at his leader's concerned expression and grinned. "No, no, it's nothing like that! Dude, we don't just go finding trouble everywhere we go!"
Shiro raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, so we've kinda got a bad track record. But this is a good thing this time!" Lance set off at a trot down the hall, waving Shiro after him. "Come on, she's setting it up in the lounge!"
"I need to get cleaned up first," Shiro protested. "Can I join you later?"
"Fine, but hurry up!"
Mystified, Shiro scrubbed himself down and changed into fresh clothes. Pidge had found several interesting things in her junk shop excursions, true. Some had been quite useful, like the contraption she and Hunk had jury-rigged as a waffle iron, while others, like the fairy lights that now adorned their resident tech geek's room, had been more for entertainment. But what could have provoked such a reaction in the blue paladin?
He was still puzzling over the matter when he stepped out of the showers and headed for the lounge. As he approached he slowed, listening.
What in the world…?
The door opened to a burst of sound. Keith was leaning against the wall, wearing an in-spite-of-himself grin, while the other paladins and the Alteans had arrayed themselves on the couches with varied expressions of amusement. Center stage stood Lance, gripping a microphone in both hands while an instrumental track of drums and electric guitar blared over two massive speakers. The blue paladin was in fine form as he belted out the lyrics in true rock star style.
Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling
Streetlights, people
Shiro stared. And grinned. And leaned against the doorframe, still grinning, while Lance went through the final chorus. Then he stepped down to join the others as they applauded their entertainer, elbowing Lance as he passed. "So you've been holding out on us, huh? I didn't know you could sing."
"Who, me?" The younger paladin smirked at him. "I will have you know that I learned from the best."
"Doing off key Shakira songs in the shower doesn't count," yelled Hunk from the far couch.
"Hey, those were not off key!" Lance protested. "And just for that, you're up next."
The yellow paladin caught the mic his buddy tossed to him, looking very much like a deer in the headlights. "No, nonono, I'm not a singer, I don't—"
"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Lance snagged him by the wrist and began hauling him up the steps. "If I sing with you will you do it?"
"Uh…"
"Awesome! What song do you wanna do?"
Shiro flopped down beside Pidge as the two boys began arguing over song choices. "So you found a karaoke machine, huh?"
"Yep!" The green paladin adjusted her glasses, clearly proud of herself. "I have no idea how this guy got it—I guess aliens have been to Earth before and we just didn't know about it? I mean, I guess they had to because of that video game Lance and I got, but… I looked through the songs, and there don't seem to be any after maybe fifteen years ago, and the speakers and such are super outdated, but anyway, this guy had it in the back corner of his shop, and I looked it over and it seemed to still work, so I got it. Thought it could be fun."
"Uh-huh." Shiro raised an eyebrow at her. "You know we're never going to have peace and quiet again, right?"
She blinked innocently. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
He said nothing, just raised his eyebrow higher.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." The girl grinned, unabashed by his amused reproof. "But seriously, it'll be fun. Plus…" She trailed off for just a moment, eyes sliding away as she tried for a nonchalant shrug. "It's a bit of Earth we can have around."
Shiro remembered Matt and Sam Holt humming all sorts of tunes during their trip to Kerberos, and hid a wince. She had a point. Besides… He noticed with a start that his foot had begun to tap out a beat and realized that Hunk was starting his piece.
Okay, this could be fun.
The yellow paladin grinned a bit shyly and glanced at the lyrics being fed across the screen. Lance, hanging at his shoulder, gave him an encouraging nudge, and he took a steadying breath.
Don't you turn your back on me
Don't you walk away
Don't you tell me that I don't care, 'cause I do
Shiro relaxed back into the couch as Hunk gained confidence and forged through the first verse—not professional by any means, but with a warm, mellow timbre that grew in volume as he eased into the music. Beside him Pidge was smirking at the results of her work, while on his other side Allura looked a bit puzzled but entertained.
Yeah. This was fun.
At the chorus Lance joined in, enthusiastic but careful not to overwhelm his friend.
We belong together
We belong together
Oh, it's true
It's gonna stay this way forever
Me and you
Between them the two boys finished in fine style. The others applauded their performance, and Coran insisted he have a try next. At first the others balked because he didn't know any Earth songs, but he was game to learn, so they began to toss around song suggestions. Shiro kept his own ideas to himself, rather enjoying the friendly bickering.
"Maybe start with a Christmas carol?" Hunk suggested. "Those are pretty easy."
"Pfft, no way!" Lance waved his arms for emphasis. "You don't do Christmas carols for karaoke! That's completely missing the point!"
"What is the point?" Allura asked. "I mean, this is fun and all, but I'm not sure I really understand."
"The point," Lance shot back, "is to be a rock star!"
"A… rock… star?"
"It's a kind of singer, on Earth," Shiro filled in. "They tend to be rather… dramatic, when they perform."
"So like Lance did earlier."
"Yes! Exactly!" The blue paladin rounded on Hunk. "Which is why we're not going to do Christmas carols!"
"All right, all right!" Hunk raised his hands in surrender. "It was just an idea! Pidge, you got anything?"
Their resident tech geek blinked, momentarily nonplussed. "Uh, I don't know. Carry on My Wayward Son?"
"No."
"Do Under the Sea."
Everyone turned to stare at Keith. The red paladin stared back, expressionless. "What?"
"That's… that's perfect." Lance rubbed his face and turned wide eyes on Coran. "Wow. Yeah. Perfect. Keith, you're a genius!"
"Oh, man." Pidge pulled her knees up to her chest, grinning wickedly. "This is gonna be great."
They had a somewhat rocky start. Coran had to be walked through the song once, and then the second time he just spoke the lyrics instead of singing them. Lance restarted the track, explaining once again how to properly do karaoke, and the ginger chewed the end of his mustache. "Sing it. To the melody. Okay, I think I've got it this time." He frowned at the lyrics screen. "Although, what is this song even about anyway?"
"It's a crab trying to convince a mermaid to stay in the—" Lance shook his head. "Never mind, we can tell you the story some other time. Just do the song, okay?"
Coran gripped the microphone. "Okay!"
He plunged into the first verse with gusto, and to everyone's surprise the third time seemed to be the charm. By the time he hit the final chorus he was rather literally in full swing, almost knocking over the speakers as he hopped enthusiastically through his own improvised choreography.
Under the sea
Under the sea
When the sardine
Begin the beguine
It's music to me!
Everyone else by now was tapping along, with Lance adding his own contribution to the dance routine down between the couches. Hunk and Pidge were singing too, and Shiro spotted Keith drumming his fingers against his thigh in time to the music. The red paladin caught his friend's knowing look and grinned sheepishly.
That's why it's hotter
Under the water
Ya we in luck here
Down in the muck here
Under the sea!
Shiro added his own voice to the last line along with most of the others, grinning as the upbeat music drew to a close. He was surprised to notice that Allura had joined in too and, as Coran received the congratulations of the younger paladins, turned to her with a smile. "You liked that one?"
"It was so… cheerful." The princess tipped he head, expression warm. "I'm glad Coran got to sing. This really is fun."
"You should have a go."
"Me?" Allura blinked, and smiled the sort of smile people make when they're slightly uncomfortable. "Oh, no, I'm not really a singer."
"None of us are," Shiro replied, a bit surprised at her hesitation. He'd never seen her nervous about getting in front of people before, but then again, singing was rather different from giving a speech. He tried for an encouraging grin. "Go on, you'll enjoy it."
"I don't know…"
"Allura!" Hunk, oblivious to their exchange, waved the princess toward the microphone. "Come on, it's your turn!"
"Really, I'm not a good singer at all," Allura protested, but she leaned forward anyway, fingers flexing against the edge of her seat. "Coran's much better at this sort of thing than I am."
"Hey, we can help you through it," the yellow paladin offered. "I've got an idea for a good one, you could just sing the chorus if you'd like."
"Well… okay…"
Hunk and Lance sandwiched the nervous Allura between them, and the trio launched into Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer. The blue paladin carried the first verse, rocking out to his heart's content, and Hunk joined him during the chorus while Allura murmured snatches as she picked up the words and tune. She caught on fast, though, and by the time they hit the final chorus she was belting right along with them, whole body animated by the pounding music. Shiro grinned and sang along with the others. Even Keith, who'd finally sat down on the opposite couch, joined in, tapping out the rhythm with his boot as his head moved in time.
The trio finished, breathless and laughing, to another round of applause. Allura thanked both her companions and hastened back to her seat, eyes sparkling and a bit flushed from the music. Shiro gave her a friendly bump with his elbow as she sat down. "Hey, you did great."
The princess flashed him a sidelong smile and looked down at her knees, beaming as she tucked a stray bit of hair behind her ear. "Thanks. I… I really did enjoy that. Thanks for encouraging me."
"Any time. And by the way, even if you don't think so, you're a great singer."
She glanced up at him with a hopeful, almost timid expression. "You think so?"
Shiro blinked, startled by the warmth he felt under her gaze, and smiled. "Yes, I do."
Her eyes dropped again, though a shy little smile remained. "Thank you."
"Hey Keith." Pidge's grin was wicked. "Remember the other day?"
The red paladin blinked. "What?"
"You know, during training?"
Shiro narrowed his eyes, looking between them. He vaguely recalled the pair doing some partner training a few days before, but they all did rotations in pairs so there was nothing unusual about that. Did something happen?
Slowly, Keith broke into a wide, edged grin. "Oh, yeah. Let's do this."
He jumped up and headed for the mic, with a smirking Pidge hot on his heels. "Hey, Lance, hand it over. Our turn!"
The blue paladin gaped as their resident emo and nerd claimed the limelight. "You… but… seriously?"
"Go buckle up, buttercup," Pidge grinned. "You gonna learn today!"
"What is even going on?" Hunk looked completely bewildered by this turn of events while Keith and Pidge put their heads together over the screen. "Did someone do something to them when we weren't looking?"
"Beats me." Lance dropped onto the couch beside Shiro. "Hey, guys, what song are you doing anyway?"
"Oh, you're gonna know this one." Keith grinned at Pidge. "Ready?"
"Take it away."
Stomp stomp clap. Stomp stomp clap.
Shiro stifled a groan as Pidge and Keith's wicked grins stole across the other paladin's faces too. He could even feel one forming on his own. Nope. No peace or quiet, ever again.
Within seconds all five humans were stomping and clapping along, and the slightly puzzled Alteans joined in after a moment's hesitation. Keith gripped the microphone as Pidge led the percussion, and grinned at them.
Buddy you're a boy make a big noise
Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day
You got mud on yo' face
You big disgrace
Kickin' your can all over the place.
Shiro exchanged looks with Lance and Hunk. Yep. They all knew what to do next.
We will we will rock you!
We will we will rock you!
The shouts shook the room, startling Allura and Coran as all five paladins roared out the time-honored chant. Shiro grinned and shrugged at the Alteans. Some things you were almost honor-bound to do, and this was one of them.
Keith led them through the song with an enthusiasm that amazed Shiro, going so far as to punch the air with a "Yeah, Zarkon!" during the second chorus. The lounge trembled with the shouts and the stomping feet, which only grew louder as the Alteans caught on. Allura in particular put some enthusiasm into her contribution after the chant was associated with Zarkon, and they charged into the final chorus with unbelievable volume. Pidge then did a rather spectacular air guitar to the cheers of Lance and Hunk, and high fived Keith as they headed back to the couches. "Whoo, that felt good. I can't believe we haven't used that yet in a fight!"
Keith smirked. "Yeah, I think that kinda one-ups your 'I say Vol' chant, Lance."
The blue paladin flopped back against the cushions. "Hey, that chant is still awesome, don't get me wrong, but I will always yield my claim of best battle chant to the almighty Queen."
Allura blinked at them. "But I'm a princess…?"
"No, no, no!" Lance bolted upright, waving frantic hands. "Queen's not—I didn't mean you! Queen wrote that song!"
"Do queens on Earth write songs?"
The conversation devolved into a discussion of bands, and band names, and albums, and all manner of other music jargon. Eventually Lance and Keith got into a heated argument that seemed to center around either Phil Collins or Survivor while Pidge began to tinker with her newest machine, a curious Coran looking on. Hunk snagged Allura to help him bring snacks from the kitchen and the two disappeared down the hall. Shiro drifted over to Pidge, not feeling the desire or the need to break up the two bickering paladins—they were being relatively civil, and the spat was over something harmless, after all—and began poking around the machine's touchscreen. "How many songs does this thing have, anyway?"
"Not sure." Pidge checked over a wire, apparently looking for cracks in the outer sleeve. "It's got a pretty decent library, though. We've been able to find every song we've searched for so far. I even tried some kinda obscure ones earlier, and it had all of them."
Shiro flipped open the song library and began scrolling through at random. The green paladin was right; the number and variety of songs were impressive, spanning the better part of the past century and covering everything from rock to pop to Disney to Broadway. One happened to catch his eye, and he chuckled to himself as he opened up its file to look at the lyrics. "Wow, haven't heard that one in a while."
Pidge popped her head up to look. "Which one is—oh." A slow grin spread over her face. "You know, you haven't had a turn yet."
Shiro chuffed a laugh. "That, is a terrible idea. I'm an awful singer."
"You and Allura. Seriously." The green paladin shoved the mic into his hands and began tapping commands into the screen. "Come on, Shiro, nobody cares if you're not Frank Sinatra! It's just for fun!"
"Is Shiro gonna sing?" Lance's attention swiveled toward them. "What song did you pick?"
Almost in answer, the machine blared out the opening bars.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh,
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest
The others exchanged grins and began to snap their fingers in time. Shiro looked at all the happy, expectant faces, and almost against his will lifted the mic.
If you said goodbye to me tonight
There would still be music left to write
His voice wobbled, wasn't loud enough. He cleared his throat, missing half a verse, and tried again. This time he was able to put a bit more air behind the words, and they seemed almost firmer, more sure. More real.
I'm so inspired by you
That hasn't happened for the longest time
The rhythm was soothing, steadying, and he found himself falling more comfortably into the swing of the beat. Lance gave him a thumbs up.
Once I thought my innocence was gone
Now I know that happiness goes on
Huh. He hadn't actually thought before he started about how accurate the words were. He grinned back at the smiling faces in front of him, his friends, his team, feeling his confidence growing.
That's where you found me
When you put your arms around me
I haven't been there for the longest time.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest
When was the last time he'd sung? It must have been before Kerberos… before the Galra, before the other paladins, before Voltron, before Allura. They'd needed him. She'd needed him. It was… a strange feeling, though not unwelcome. Needed… wanted…
I'm that voice you're hearing in the hall
And the greatest miracle of all
Is how I need you
And how you needed me too
That hasn't happened for the longest time.
Maybe this won't last very long…
Keith was smiling. Keith was smirking, and he wasn't looking at Shiro. He was looking behind him.
Oh no.
He turned.
Allura stood in the doorway, holding a bowl of… something, he couldn't tell, and she was smiling at him—smiling through a light blush that deepened the pink of her markings. He felt his own face flame, and the rest of the verse choked and died in his throat. For a long moment his brain was unable to form a single coherent thought. He could feel the eyes of the others as the snapping died away behind him.
How long has she been listening?
It didn't matter, any at all was too long, and he'd just been thinking about her, he hadn't meant to, why had he let Pidge talk him into this—
"That's a lovely song, Shiro." The princess tipped her head, that shy little smile making a reappearance. "Why'd you stop?"
The heat in his face went from hot to flaming. "I… uh…"
Hunk stepped around Allura and deftly relieved her of her burden. Shiro could have sworn he glimpsed a knowing grin as the yellow paladin edged past him and down the stairs. "It's still playing, Shiro, keep going!"
Shiro swallowed, and stammered, and clamped his mouth shut. He'd already made enough of a fool of himself, he needed to turn the stupid thing off and—
Allura stepped toward him, movements almost hesitant—but this was Allura, when was she hesitant about anything?—and slipped the mic from his hand. Her shoulder brushed his as she leaned forward to read the lyrics, and stayed there.
Who knows how much further we'll go on
Maybe I'll be sorry when you're gone
Blue eyes glanced up at him, a question there, an uncertainty. Something clattered into working order in Shiro's brain, and he blinked. She's wondering if… she's doing it right?
He leaned in, picking up the verse where she'd hesitated.
I'll take my chances
I forgot how nice romance is
I haven't been there for the longest time
The world slowly came into focus again, the circle of beaming faces in front of him, the other paladins' snapping fingers, the shy smile of the princess as she took the next verse.
I had second thoughts at the start
I said to myself
Hold on to your heart
The fire in his cheeks was subsiding, replaced by a flush of warmth all through him. Shiro felt his face crack into a broad smile and he joined his hand with hers on the mic, steadying it between them. Allura didn't turn toward him, but she slanted him a smile that he just knew made his ears go pink. He sheepishly returned it and picked up the next lines.
Now I know the woman that you are
You're wonderful so far
And it's more than I hoped for
I don't care what consequence it brings
I have been a fool for lesser things
I want you so bad
I think you ought to know that
I intend to hold you—
—for the longest time
Allura joined her voice to his, and her eyes smiled up at him before dropping shyly back to the lyrics. They finished out the song together, heads almost touching as they held the mic between them.
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
For the longest time
Whoa, oh, oh
For the longest time
The track faded out, and for a moment the room hung in breathless silence as the two singers came back to earth, fingers still tangled around the mic. Shiro blinked down at her, realizing with a start that he had an arm around her shoulders. When had that happened? Why is she standing so close? She hadn't done that with Lance and Hunk, what was going on—
The sound of applause jolted him back into reality, and he snapped his head up to stare as a grinning Keith led the clapping. "That was fantastic!"
"Amazing! Brilliant!" Coran cheered them on, mustache giving his own grin a slightly crazed tilt. "Haven't heard anything that good in years!"
"Whoo!" Hunk pumped a fist, hooting his glee. "Yeah! You guys rock!"
Allura blinked at the other paladins and then up at Shiro with a quizzical smile. "Pardon my ignorance, but how, exactly, are we rock?"
"It means you're awesome!" Lance announced. "You guys should start a band!"
Pidge rolled her eyes. "They can't have a band with only two people, genius."
"We can be in it too!" The indefatigable sharpshooter flung his arms wide. "We can call it The Princess and the Paladins!"
"Uh-huh, sure." The girl jabbed him in the ribs, making him yelp. "Did you happen to notice that Shiro and Allura were the ones singing, not you?"
"Hey, we were doing the percussion!"
"Learn how to do all that without a background track, and then we'll think about making the paladin part plural."
Shiro tried to get control of his silly grin, and caught his breath, and eased his arm away from Allura as casually as he could. He was both surprised and slightly alarmed at how reluctant he was to do so, and in an attempt to cover the movement he rubbed at the back of his neck. He couldn't make the grin go away, and to his frustration it slipped from silly to sheepish. "That… was a lot of fun, princess. Thanks."
"No, thank you." Allura placed the microphone onto its stand with careful precision, fussing with the wire. He couldn't see her whole face, but the cheek marking he could see was a deeper pink than usual. "I do enjoy this Earth pastime. We should do it more often."
Something about the way she said that… Shiro blinked. "Really?"
She looked up at him then, and smiled, and something tightened in his chest. "Really. You're a good singer, Shiro."
He felt his face flame, and his hand went to the back of his neck again. "Not really, I just…"
"No, you are." Allura regarded him with amusement. "Even if you don't think so."
Shiro blinked as she echoed his earlier words and gave her a reluctant grin. "Well… it's not like we're going to get rid of the karaoke machine. Pidge would do something horrible in revenge if we threw out one of her toys."
"She would, wouldn't she?" The princess turned to survey the other paladins with a fond expression. "Lance too, I'm sure. He's been singing more than anyone else." She almost unconsciously stepped in to lean against his shoulder, and Shiro felt a pulse of alarm as he found his arm sliding around her waist on reflex. No no no, not supposed—not how—what—why—
Allura looked up at him, probably seeing every panicked thought that was scrambling through his head, and laughed. "Really, sometimes you paladins are just so dense."
Before he could come up with an even slightly coherent reply to such a cryptic remark she went up on her toes, kissed him on the cheek, and disappeared down the hall.
Shiro gaped after her, trying to compute what had just happened. I—she—but why—she—what?!
"Hey, Earth to Shiro, come in Shiro, do you copy?"
"I think he's broken. Should we poke him? I think we should poke him."
"He'd probably just fall over. Shiro? Helloooo?"
Shiro blinked, and shook his head, and stared around him. Lounge. He was in the lounge. Keith and Pidge were flanking him, both wearing expressions of great amusement, while Hunk and Lance watched from close by. "Uh…"
"Oh, good, you're alive. I was starting to wonder." Pidge put her hands on her hips and smirked at him. "Wow, if the Galra knew it was that easy to break the black paladin, we'd have lost a long time ago."
His face was on fire. Shiro just knew it. "What? No!"
"Oh yeah." Lance wore one of the most gleeful grins Shiro had ever seen, even if there was a tinge of jealousy beneath it. "One peck on the cheek and you were just gone, dude. I'm pretty sure you weren't even breathing for, like, half a dobosh."
"A lost cause." Hunk threw an arm over the blue paladin's shoulders, sighing dramatically. "If music be the fruit of love, play on!"
"Seriously." Keith regarded his leader with a satisfied smirk. "So, you back from cloud nine yet?"
"Guys, stop!" Shiro waved his hands, trying to stem their enthusiasm even as his heart continued its mad gallop. Did she really…? "It was just a friendly kiss!"
That had the exact opposite effect he'd intended; Pidge and Lance both cackled as Keith rolled his eyes and Hunk stared at him with disbelief. "Seriously, man? She destroyed you."
"'Just a friendly kiss', huh?" The red paladin looked even less impressed. "You, are a goner."
"She's your downfall, she's your muse." Lance snatched up the discarded mic, crooning into it despite having no background music. "Your worst distraction, your rhythm and blues!"
"Guys, stop, that's not—"
"Can you feel the love tonight?" Hunk elbowed the blue paladin. "'Cos I sure can."
"Yeah," Lance jabbed a thumb in Shiro's direction, "but he don't have a clue."
Pidge sidled up beside them. "In short, our pal is doomed."
"Unless we convince him otherwise," Keith added, turning a significant look in his leader's direction.
Four pairs of eyes fixed on Shiro with unnerving intensity, and he raised his hands to fend off… what? "Come on now, really, I think you're taking this a bit too seriously."
"I don't know, guys." Pidge tilted her head, her glasses reflecting the light so that he couldn't see her eyes. The effect was slightly unnerving. "Think he needs convincing?"
"Well?" Lance scowled at Shiro. "Do you?"
"Uh…" The black paladin looked between them all, still feeling wary under the scrutiny. "Convincing about what?"
"Dude. Song. Kiss. She likes you." Keith folded his arms and raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "And you've been a stammering idiot for the past five minutes."
"Plus you're still red as Keith's jacket," Hunk added. "Seriously, man, are you really gonna keep trying to convince us that that was just a friendly kiss?"
Shiro stared at them. Sighed, and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a slow, sheepish grin creep across his face. "Well… I mean, I guess you guys are right."
"You guess?" Lance snorted. "Dude, we know."
The black paladin allowed himself to be swarmed with enthusiastic chatter, drawn into the circle of his team as they cheerfully ribbed him. His ears were still warm as he remembered the light brush of Allura's lips against his cheek, the laughing light in her eyes. And he smiled to himself.
Yeah. He knew too.
A/N: I am posting this as a celebration because today (July 22, 2018) marks exactly ten years since I joined FF, so yay!
Yes, I am fully aware that VLD is set in the future. Yes, I know all these songs would probably be super old by their standards. No, I don't care. (Also, VLD seems to use the 20 Minutes into the Future trope. So that's my defense.) In case you're not familiar with any of these amazing songs, they are, in order, "Don't Stop Believing" (Journey), "We Belong Together" (Randy Newman, Toy Story 3 (a fantastic team Voltron song if their ever was one)), "Under the Sea" (from The Little Mermaid), "Living on a Prayer" (Bon Jovi), "We Will Rock You" (Queen), and "For the Longest Time" (Billy Joel). All belong to their creators. Alas, I do not have such talent as they.
If you're looking for a story in a similar vein to this, check out my sister FaceplantNINJA's oneshot "Party Prank," especially if you like Pidge and/or Lotor. It's a fun read!
Finally, a question for you: should I up the story rating to T? In a chapter I have drafted there's a fight and the POV character gets stabbed, and there's a broken neck and… yeah.
Please send me an answer! And even if you don't, please review!