Disclaimer: This is just for fun and WEP owns all rights to Voltron and its characters.
That night, after dinner, the Princess goes looking for the Commander. She needs to return his handkerchief and she wants to thank him for his understanding in missing her family. Few people in her life have understood her feelings of loss and guilt, sadness, and anger that she feels nearly a decade later after the loss of her family.
"Who has Keith lost?" She wonders. Allura is curious about his life back on Earth. Of all the Voltron force members only Keith is quiet about his life there. She knows about Hunk's family, Pidge's brother, and Lance's escapades. Even Sven shared stories of his home in the icy north when he was the Blue Lion pilot.
Having looked in the common room, his office, the control room, and even in the working areas of the castle(startling the kitchen staff) she is ready to give up. Keith has disappeared. Allura sighs and heads to the repair bay. Pidge mentioned something about checking on Green Lion's systems after practice. Allura is finding the computer system work intriguing and Pidge is a good teacher.
Unexpectedly, she finds Keith in one of the repair bays. Muffled clanging and high pitched whines tell her that someone is working on the Green Lion. The last short skirmish with Doom patrol ships burned a layer of metal off of Green Lion's right leg leaving a jagged slash that has to be cleared, welded, and then tested out. Which is why Pidge wanted to check out his Lion.
"Pidge?" she calls out over the noise.
The answering exclamation is not Pidge's voice. Continued swearing comes from the right leg of Green Lion.
Allura rushes over to where she finds Keith fumbling with the first aid kit near the tool storage cabinets. He has trouble opening the kit because his arm is cut above the elbow. Every time he moves it bleeds faster. There is blood dripping down his arm and onto the floor.
"Keith!" she cries as she takes the first aid kit away from him. Quickly she opens the kit and removes the necessary first aid supplies for his arm. "What happened?"
"I was clearing off that jagged metal on Green and someone yelled. The tool slipped and cut me." Rarely heard sarcasm escapes the Commander. The throbbing in his arm has made his famed control slip.
Allura blushes. "My apologies, Commander. I had no idea you were here working on the Green Lion."
As she speaks she cleans the cut on his arm. It is no longer dripping blood, but it hasn't started to clot yet. She presses the cotton pad harder against his arm, soaking up more blood.
"Can you hold this please, Keith?" she asks absently. He covers her hand with his for a moment Their hands tingle with attraction while they touch. Allura opens the bottle of antiseptic quickly to cover her reaction "This may sting," she warns him. Before Keith understands what she's doing she has applied the liquid to his cut.
It does indeed sting and burn. Keith clenches his teeth and swears under his breath. The Princess giggles.
"How'd you know what I said?" he asks astonished. Now he's embarrassed and in pain. "Great going, Kogane. All I need is Nanny here dragging me off by my ears to complete the humiliation." He thinks.
"Hunk has been teaching me Japanese." Allura is now bright pink, a good sign she's lying about something.
"There's no way he's taught you that." Keith asserts. The back of his neck grows hot as he remembers what he said.
"Well, not at first," she admits. "I asked him for some help a few months ago with pronunciation and nuance. And well," she shrugs. "I overheard him complaining about Nanny's diets and made a deal with him."
One dark eyebrow arches.
"I snuck him snacks once in a while in exchange for knowing some slang," she admits out.
Keith dissolves into laughter. "Then the Big Guy would teach you anything he knew," he gasps out between laughs.
Allura has bandaged his arm. She tries not to think about how solid his body is and how smooth and warm his skin feels. "Your shirt is going to need to be washed." The sleeve of his t-shirt is stained red. "I'm sorry, I distracted you," she apologizes again.
"You're right. I should soak it." Making an impulsive decision he pulls it over his head and is standing bare-chested in front of the Princess.
She stares at his tanned chest. Her eyes trace the long scar starting at his shoulder and slashing across his chest to his hip. A remnant of his battle with Lotor. A pink, puckered circle marks a laser blast. All scars received in defense of her world.
Along with his scars she takes in the broad shoulders and his well defined chest. His body tapers down into a lean waist and is all a smooth tan color that makes her want to caress it with her hands as well as her eyes.
"Were you looking for Pidge?"
"Hmm," Allura stares at him.
"Who were you looking for, Princess?"
The use of her title recalls her errand to mind. "OH! I wanted to give you this back." She hands him his handkerchief back. "I had it washed."
"I also wanted to thank you for your understanding. I miss my family a great deal. And I can't always talk to Nanny or Coran about it. I'm grateful to them and for my survival,"
"But they feel guilty your brothers and parents aren't here too," he finishes.
She nods. "And some things were—are personal. The way my brothers would tease. Or the first time I got to explore the castle catacombs with them.
My mother would tell me stories at night and Father would let me play in his office." She shrugs again. "Those were family times."
Keith nods. He has his own memories of his family before the crash.
She looks at him curiously. "Who did you lose, Keith?"
A silence answers her. He has looked away.
"You're the first person to understand how I feel." Allura explains, " You must have known the same thing."
He nods. "My parents were killed in a plane crash when I was young."
Allura squeezes his hand in sympathy. She knows, none better, that words don't really help.
They stand with hands joined for a minute, both lost in memories of family. Keith is the first to break contact.
"I need to finish the repairs on Green Lion and have Pidge check the systems before morning." He slowly releases her hand and steps away, back to the Green Lion.
Allura picks up his stained shirt and leaves the repair bay.
The next morning she finds a note propped up next to a vase of lilies. "How in the world," she wonders aloud, "did someone get in here?" A chill, born of fear, skates down her spine. In a second she is transported back to the scared girl hiding in the caverns. She unfolds the note and reads it. "I love your tender touch." She smiles. The note is the same paper and printing as the previous two. She is nervous, but not scared any longer. She breathes in the light, fresh scent of her favorite flower. She smiles. Only a few people can make the trek to get those flowers.