Ok… This is the last chapter (plus there will be an epilogue)... and is VERY KA oriented. :)))))

As I said in the beginning, this fic was inspired by the listening of a song… In this chapter you'll find that very song that, needless to say, is a favorite of mine.

I don't own Voltron, nor the lyrics and music of the song quoted in the story (that belongs to the author/singer/band also quoted in the story).
Since this is a fanfiction and I wrote it only for enjoyment purpose (not making money, etc, etc), I felt free to cut down some lines (mainly repeated chorus) of the lyrics of the songs. I also chose to insert a little word, but it's marked between square brackets [ ]

The day after – part four

Keith and Allura found themselves alone in a room that had become all of a sudden completely quiet, filled only, in the background, by the sound of the fire crackling in the fireplace. And even if they felt that things between them had been put again in their right place and that there was no anger or bitterness in their hearts, still they struggled to get out of the awkwardness they were in.
Keith was still seated on the stool with the bass guitar in his arms and was looking at the princess who had her back to him, her mind lost in a thousand thoughts. When she turned to go and sit down on the couch, she briefly met his eyes, but quickly she redirected her stare back to the floor, as fearing that his gaze could burn her.
Keith timidly tried to look for her eyes. That embarrassment was incredibly frustrating to him... It was like they were back to the early days when they had just met, and when even tell her a single word that went beyond the pure professional relationship made his heartbeat run faster. He had in mind hundreds of things to say, but he couldn't find the words to make any statement.
Allura felt his eyes on her and the silence became unbearable by every passing second. Finally she decided to break that hesitation, lifted her face and turned to him.
"I..." they said together, and for a moment they felt even more embarrassed. But that situation finally brought a smile on their lips.
"Sorry..." Keith continued, "please, continue. What were you going to say?"
"No, I'm sorry. I was the one interrupting. You go ahead."
"The truth is that I'm the one who should apologize to you... for everything. Last night I was a complete jerk!" Keith sighed.
Allura smiled weakly in front of his suffering face. She could see that that admission of guilt had cost him a lot and he had to force himself to put aside his pride.
Allura immediately shook her head: "Don't worry... It 's all forgotten. By the way, I should've been more careful and more sensible..."
"Don't," Keith interrupted, "I won't let you blame yourself for what you didn't do."
Allura's eyes widened in surprise.
Keith suddenly rose to his feet and put his bass guitar down on a support. Instead he picked up an acoustic guitar and walked over to the couch where Allura was sitting. With the guitar in his arms he sat by her side. At this point the princess' face showed a certain surprise.
"This time the fault of our argument is completely mine... and you should give me the chance to properly make it up". With his left hand on the guitar keyboard and the other holding a plectrum between his thumb and forefinger, Keith began to play some chords.
Allura, who now began to understand, couldn't help but crack a smile. "And what are you going to do to make amend and be forgiven?"
But looking at Keith, who was now strumming, a shy smile blossoming on his face too, Allura had already figured out the answer, and inwardly thanked Lance and the guys for letting her have, once again, a moment of privacy with him. "I guess this is the last surprise Lance was talking about, isn't it?".
Keith shrugged with indifference. "Indeed it is. I had this song to dedicate to you... But, after last night, I thought I would never had the chance to play it for you... I thought the party would be cancelled, and with it our surprise!
"But Lance had one of his ideas... And I must say that this time he was brilliant! He was also able to bring you smile back..."At this point, his face darkened. "I'm just sorry it was me that had taken it away in the beginning..."
"Keith, stop blaming yourself!" Allura interrupted him, laying a hand on his arm. "I just told you that for me the yesterday's argument is forgotten. This evening you all threw a so beautiful party and I don't know how to thank you. All of you..."
Then she paused a moment to consider: "Sincerely... a special thanks goes to Hunk."
Keith smiled weakly: "It 'was a surprise for me, too... Really a nice song... full of meanings."
"Yes, it's true ... But do you know what I really liked of that song?"
Keith looked at her, not understanding.
Allura continued, sighing: "More than the lyrics, more than the meaning of the words, what I liked about the song was the fact that despite THAT lyrics and THOSE words, you didn't get angry or sad. When our eyes met, I knew that you were sorry like I was, for what had happened last night, and that you were asking for forgiveness and that you were not mad at me. This, more than anything else, made me smile again..."
Keith's dark and deep eyes in that moment looked at her with an intense expression that Allura couldn't understand, but that left her utterly enchanted and defenseless: in those eyes there were tenderness, affection, joy, but also sadness... and other powerful feelings that she dared not even name... Allura had never experienced anything like that, and she wished that moment could last forever, for her would've stayed eternally wrapped in that look and in that flood of feelings she felt coming into her soul.
Keith desired, might and main, to hold her, and ultimately break the barriers that still hold up between them... But so far he didn't feel ready for that step that would definitely bring their relationship to a different level. For this reason he decided to break, even if only for that time, that magic moment: "So do you want to listen to the song I arranged for you?"
Allura suddenly awakened from the trance state in which she was.
"Of course," she said, genuinely interested and even excited, "What song it is?".
"This song I love very much: it belongs to an Earth's band of the twenty-first century called Incubus. I think this song is quite representative of me... When I listened to it for the first time I was amazed, both by the melody and the lyrics. I said to me: they're talking about me! The same doubts, the same sufferings... With one difference: the protagonist of the song had someone by his side to help him, and I, instead, had no one.
"And then I understood that I was looking for this one. I needed this One... and maybe I had finally found her".
Keith felt he had to be completely honest with her, even though he knew he was, as a matter of fact, confessing his feelings for her. Allura's eyes were already shiny with tears for those words were deeply moving her. Keith smiled weakly and continued: "This song is called Dig and I dedicate it to you with all my heart." With those words he focused on the guitar. At first there was only the melodious sound of some chords from the musical instrument, then the amazing, sweet and strong voice of the captain filled the room with the words:

We all have a weakness,
but some of ours are easy to identify,
look me in the eye.
and [I] ask for forgiveness,
we'll make a pact to never speak that word again,
yes, you are my friend.

We all have something that digs at us,
at least we dig each other.
So when weakness turns my ego up
I know you'll count on the me from yesterday.

If I turn into another
dig me up from under what is covering
the better part of me.
Sing this song
remind me that we'll always have each other
when everything else is gone.

We all have a sickness
that cleverly attaches and multiplies
no matter how we try.
We all have someone that digs at us,
at least we dig each other.

So when sickness turns my ego up
I know you'll act as a clever medicine.

If I turn into another,
dig me up from under what is covering
The better part of me.
Sing this song!
Remind me that we'll always have eachother
when everything else is gone.

Oh, each other when everything else is gone.

When he finished the last chords, Keith didn't even have the time to rest the guitar on his right side that Allura threw her arms around his neck, almost taking his breath away, and buried her face in his long hair.
Overwhelmed by the emotions she felt, the princess couldn't utter a word, while some silent tears finally found their way down her cheeks and began to wet Keith's shoulder.
Keith felt his heart filled by that demonstration of affection, and gently pushed away the guitar that was still between them and prevented their bodies from touching. Then he slipped his arms around Allura's back, pulled her even closer to him and held her tightly to his chest.
It was so long that both desired that intimate contact and, without further inhibitions, they abandoned theirselves to one other, supporting each other and enjoying in silence the feeling of their bodies' closeness. Nothing had never seemed so right, so proper, like that conctact: they belonged to each other. For both it was pure bliss: they felt filled with a joy and serenity never experienced before. It felt like, after a long journey, they had finally found their home.
Keith was the first speaking, not even for a moment loosening the embrace: "I guess you liked the song..." It was more a statement than a question.
Allura slightly loosened the hold around his neck and looked directly into his eyes. Their faces were dangerously close and Keith felt almost stunned by the look of those beautiful blue eyes of hers. He felt like under a spell and was sure that if she hadn't immediately started speaking, he would haven't resisted the temptation to kiss her.
"Oh, Keith! It was beautiful... But you... you really think this... about me, about us?".
Keith nodded, looking at her gently: "We'll always have each other, when everything else is gone. You're that One... The girl of the song... the one who manages to dig out the better part of me, even when it's buried under my pride and fears... And I think I'm a better man thanks to you."
Allura's gaze softened even more and, as she felt her eyelids getting heavier, bent by the power of the ardor that Keith's proximity gave her, she began to slowly caress the back of his neck, moving voluptuously her fingers between the strands of his thick raven hair. The scents of his hair and breath were so sweet and irresistible that it took all her willpower to not plunge into his lips.
"Keith, you ARE a wonderful person. You have to just try to not forget it... ever again."
Keith's lips curled into a smile. "With a princess so beautiful at my side to remind me, I promise I'll never make this mistake again."
Allura's tone became suddenly more serious: "This, above all, you have to promise me that you'll never ever forget..."
"What? That you're beautiful?" Keith smiled again. "I assure you that it's impossible to forget..." Keith began to gently stroke her back, with slow but steady movements of his hands, bringing her face even more close to his. Their lips were now only a few inches apart.
But Allura pulled slightly back from him and looked at him with an intense stare. "It isn't what I meant..."
Keith looked at her quizzically and a bit anxious. Allura couldn't help but smile seeing his impatience, that she fully understood and shared. But there were still a few things to say and she didn't want to lose that opportunity. Tenderly she leaned her forehead against his and sighing said, "What you have to promise me is that you will never forget again that I AM by YOUR side... and I'll forever be, if you will... And probably even if you won't!
"Know that you'll be free to tell me everything comes to your mind and heart, for I am here to listen to you; promise me that you'll feel free to be happy and sad in my presence, because I will rejoice and suffer with you... and that..." But Allura couldn't finish the sentence, because the words died in her throat, blocked from the eyes of Keith staring at her longingly.
Keith slid up both his hands, running his fingers through the golden hair of the princess, and firmly grabbed her head and framed her face. A tense silence fell between them, while they looked intently into each other's eyes.
"I swear it." Keith told her. And his breath brought to Allura's nostrils the scent of a sweetness that she could hardly wait to taste. Keith move closer to her lips and whispered: "But now... stop talking."
Their lips met gently, adapting perfectly to each other. For both it was the strongest sensation: the flood that until then they had managed to contain, had finally overwhelmed them. But that wave wasn't scary at all, nor painful. Rather it resembled the smooth and continuous ebb and flow of a warm tropical sea, that in the evening rolls on the beach, happy and eager to merge with the earth. That feeling of warmth and peace invaded them and finally soothed their worries, filling the space that the wait had dug into them during that year.
For a few moments their mouths stayed pressed against each other without moving, tasting the mutual sweetness. Then, together, they began to move slowly, carefully and gently at first, but then with more confidence and boldness, looking for a deeper contact between them.
This time, the feeling that covered them was pure passion. Keith began to stroke her back, drawing her body even more against his.
Allura, with her arms still around his neck, sank with more fervor her hands in his hair and leaned with all her weight against his chest. It was as if in the whole universe existed just the two of them and the fire that was burning in their bodies, and that made them want to merge into a single being.
By now their minds had ceased to reason, to assess what was right or wrong to do. They felt that the ardor in which they were letting themselves go was right and that they had to taste every flavor and enjoy the warm of every single spark.
Without breaking contact, Allura and Keith parted their lips together and allowed their tongues to eagerly meet and bring their kiss to an even deeper level of intimacy. The intense caresses their tongues exchanged arose in their bodies new and exciting sensations.
Overwhelmed by that new wave of passion, Keith could not stop himself from press Allura even more closely to him, and, with a mighty impulse of his body, he leaned her gently back until they were both lying down on the couch and he above her.
Their bodies were driven by a new anxiety of contact: Keith put his bent arms on the sides of her face and, with his hands in her hair, he caressed and clutched her face deepening ever more their kiss; Allura slipped her arms around his chest and her restless hands explored the length and breadth of his back with gestures not at all inhibited.
Then frantically both slid their hands under the lower edge of their shirt finding contact with the skin of the other. Their legs intertwined, trying to find a position to fill the gap that still stand between them and gave them an unbearable feeling of emptiness.
When their bodies finally found the contact they were looking for, his groin pressed between her thighs, Keith and Allura felt allowed to break their kiss and catch their breath. Until that moment breathing was something they could do without, so strong was the urge to avoid wasting that chance to be finally united and complete.
With the breath shortened, the two stared intently to each other. Their hands were still tucked under the shirt of the other, eager to keep that skin contact. They hadn't really realized how they got in that position: every gesture had been completely natural and unpremeditated, and they felt no shame and no need to apologize.
They smiled at each other with complicity, then Keith rolled to one side and turned on his back, bringing Allura against him. She snuggled against his chest, her arms still wrapped around his chest.
He hugged her and gave her a kiss on the head. "If making peace means doing this, then perhaps we should argue more often..." He chuckled, pleased.
Allura glared at him. Keith, seeing her frown, laughed uproariously.
Allura also joined him in his laughter, then, raising an eyebrow and winking, she added: "I hope this could become quite an antidote to our discussions." And so saying, she neared her face to his and lured him into another kiss.
When they parted again, Keith sighed: "I'm afraid my days as your commander finished today. I don't think I'll be able to give any order to you if you use these weapons with me..." And to emphasize his words, he traced with his thumb the outline of her perfect lips, mentally savoring their softness and sweetness.
Allura looked merrily at him with a seductive look and Keith sighed: "And if you look at me with those eyes..." And as if impelled by an irresistible power he kissed her again passionately.
A moan of pleasure escaped her lips: "I'm afraid it will be a weapon that you'll turn against me... because I think I could become quite addict of your kisses. And if you were to deny them to me I might as well suffer from withdrawal symptoms." They looked at each other smiling.
Keith gently took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. He wanted to tell her a thousand things, open his heart to her and confess everything he felt. But in a way it seemed that every word would be reductive. What he felt for her was so immense, and almost ineffable. So he kept stroking her face and looking at her.

Yet I have tofind a way totell her...I can't letany doubtlingerbetween us.She has to know thatI...
Why is it sohard to say? They're justthree words.Yes, they're only threewords, but they are all the world. Simply andeverything I feelfor her...

"Allura, I... I love you."
Funny how all that mattered in the world could be summed up in three words so small. But it was the truth! The very truth of what he was and wanted to be: the one who loved her and would love her forever. The fact that she reciprocated the sentiment came in second place... because he was perfectly happy just to be there for her.
Allura looked at him gently. Her eyes were moistened with tears that the excitement of those words had brought up. But she wasn't going to cry. So great was the joy of that revelation that at the moment she felt only the desire to let herself completely go in that love she had for so long nurtured in secret.
"And I love you... always." She whispered.
The truth of those words didn't escape them: it was as if for all their whole lives they had done nothing else but wait for the other. They were meant for each other, and at the very moment they met, they recognized each other. And now it was the time for revelation.
They clung to each other's arms and stayed still, motionless, for several minutes, without speaking, just enjoying each other's proximity.
Keith stroked her hair and tucked a golden strand behind her ear.
"You know, there would be another surprise for you" he whispered in her ear.
Allura stood up on her elbows and slightly withdrew from him. With a curious look, she asked him: "What? I thought I had just enough surprises for this evening... What else do you have prepared?"
"I think you'll like this gift..."
And so saying he reached under the couch and pulled out a massive box that Allura promptly recognized.
"You'll have to thank the others too, for this gift. Each of us has done his part."
While both rose to find a more comfortable position on the couch, Keith handed her the photo album the princess had shown him the previous evening and that was the cause of their argument.
"This afternoon me and the boys concluded the section dedicated to the Voltron Force's past." Keith began flipping through the pages of the album in front of her and stopped on those about him.
Among many photos depicting Keith at the Academy, Allura immediately noticed one which she already knew: Keith had attached the picture of his brother anew. Under the picture he had written a single word: Ethan. Allura turned her eyes to Keith and quietly waited for him to explain.
With hard struggle, but this time resolved to not hold back, he said: "For a long time I tried to leave behind the past, to pretend it didn't exist... but it didn't work. Now I know I was wrong. Forgetting is useless... You too had to overcome so much pain, but you never forwent your past. As a matter of fact, your happy memories made you stronger.
"Today I decided that I wouldn't try to forget any more. So I thought the best way to do so was by putting my memories in front of everyone and talk about it."
With those words, Keith flipped another page of the album and showed her a photograph of his family: Ethan had just been born and was in the arms of his mother, a beautiful raven-haired woman. A little five years old Keith looked at him curiously, while the two happy parents looked, smiling, at the camera .
In front of that image Keith sighed. Allura put a hand on his arm, trying to give him strength and comfort.
Looking at her with gratitude Keith grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers, and slowly he began to SPEAK about his family.

A.N. about the song:

I'm a very very huge fan of the "Incubus" band, and Dig is one of my favorite. I love the lyrics, and I think it's very suiting Keith (plus, I believe Brandon Boyd's voice and face would be perfectly suitable for Keith, too).