This always happens: I write a one shot, and it's like my brain just can't stop there! Not sure how much more I'll continue this, but I certainly want to keep going for a little bit longer.

She was...confusing.

Okay, maybe confusing wasn't the right word, but certainly perplexing. Keith remembered when he first met Romelle— skittish was the word he'd use for her. Frightened, tense, and ready to run at a moment's notice.

But then they'd explained why they were there, and he'd watch her change before his very eyes— bold, uncompromising, filled with a righteous fury to avenge her people.

She stayed that way for a while, and honestly, he would chuckle to himself when he saw that fiery spark in her eye. He remembered when he used to be like that, always angry and stubborn and wanting to jump the gun. Not that her wrath was unwarranted; she had the right to be as mad as she wanted for as long as she wanted given what Lotor did.

Then they came back to Earth, and she surprised him yet again. The last time he had seen her, she was still angry. But when she was standing in front of him at his door, it was like talking to an entirely different person.

She was awkward, a little clumsy in her speech. Her eyes were bright, filled with an innocent curiosity. Her smile was warm, and her voice carried that same feeling of kindness and acceptance.

And then she kissed him on the cheek, and Keith really didn't know what to think.

He tried to brush it off at first (after he'd been in a daze for a solid minute and then arrived at the meeting late, of course). Then he sent Chaka to go get Romelle and bring her to his bike, however, and now he felt like pacing.

She had just done it so...casually? No, that wasn't the word he was looking for. It had been a genuine action, not one of those spur of the moment things he'd seen back at the Garrison. Maybe that was the other thing, too: he'd never received this kind of attention before. He'd always been too stuck in his own pain to ever even think of opening his heart to the possibility of, well, whatever this could be.

Perhaps that's why it caught him so off guard. He felt like an idiot now— she'd had to have noticed how he stuttered and blushed, right?

Keith took in a calming breath. Patience yields focus. Be patient. Go through your thoughts slowly. Don't rush. Don't think. Just feel.

He had those two years with his mother to thank for those thoughts. Feeling, while it had always come naturally to him as it did for all humans, was never a positive experience before. He was always angry, always hurt, always wondering what happened or where he went wrong.

Now that all the mysteries of his life were solved, he felt calm, more sure. He could handle feeling again, and if Romelle made him feel warm inside and jittery with excitement, then he'd welcome that.

He could see her approaching on the horizon now, Chaka at her side. A little jolt of nervous energy ran through Keith, and he double checked that he'd brought an extra helmet for her.

She was smiling brightly when she arrived. "Hello, Keith! Are you ready for our journey?"

Her question immediately made him crack a grin. "It's not as much of a journey as you may think," he said. "It'll take us maybe twenty five dobashes to get there."

Romelle's pink eyes widened. "Oh, that isn't far at all!"

Unsure of what to say, Keith just nodded in agreement and reached for her helmet. "This is for you," he stated as he handed it over.

He expected her to be confused by it (just as Coran and Allura had been confused by many different Earth things), but Romelle simply put the helmet on and nodded firmly.

Keith blinked. "A-Alright, ah, you can just— behind me is your seat."

A smile overcame her serious expression. "Okay!" The next moment, she was up on the bike behind him. "What do I hold onto?"

"I, um— me." Keith was so glad she couldn't see how red his face was right now. 'Patience yields focus,' he reminded himself internally.

Romelle's arms wrapped around his waist snuggly, and he wondered why he felt tingly all over. Thankfully, he was able to focus his entire attention on driving—

"Keith?"

His head turned. "Yeah?"

She smiled. "Thank you for your kind offer. It means more than I can say."

His heart beating out of control, all he could do was say a lame, "Oh, you're welcome."

He turned back to the front and squeezed his eyes shut. Patience yields focus. Concentrate on driving. Don't think about it.

Keith opened his eyes, stared down the flat Arizona plains, and gunned it.

Romelle let out a squeak, and he couldn't help but laugh. If someone asked him later, Keith would've had to admit that the ride was actually really nice. Every now and then, he would hear Romelle gasp in awe at a new sight they were passing, and it was fascinating to hear someone react to his home planet with such wonder. Plus…every time he sped up, she had a habit of tightening her grip on him. He may or may not have pushed the throttle a little bit just because.

When they finally arrived at the mall, Keith heard Romelle let out her biggest gasp yet. "Oh Oriande, look at it! I've never seen anything like it!"

He quirked an eyebrow as he helped her down from the bike. "You didn't have places like this back home?"

She shook her head. "Mostly just open air markets…I get the feeling that free trade was not something Lotor wanted any part of. Too much information that could slip through." Her voice was tinted with a sort of faded anger, almost like she knew at one point she'd have to get over it, but that was not going to be anytime soon.

Suddenly, Keith realized that he hadn't let go of her hand when he offered assistance down from the bike, and he was quick to draw away. She seemed to have noticed it, too, because a blush ran across her face.

"L-Let's get going," Keith stammered. "I thought we could handle your stuff first?" Quiznak, why had his voice gone all high and squeaky.

Romelle's eyes brightened, and she nodded meekly. Keith swallowed and turned away, gesturing vaguely for her to follow him. He really hoped he'd be able to keep his cool during this trip— he felt like he was already forgetting what he'd actually come here for.

He lead her over to where he knew the majority of the clothing shops were and picked one at random. "So…" he trailed off awkwardly. He really was in over his head, wasn't he? "What were you thinking of wearing?"

She was already scanning the racks of clothes thoughtfully. "Hm…I am not sure," she said. "I need to touch something to see if it is suitable."

Keith nodded understandingly. "Well, uh—"

"Can I help you?"

The pair turned around to see a sales assistant smiling at them, and Keith let out a relieved sigh. "Yes, we could use the help," he told her. "My, um, friend here is, well, it's a little difficult to explain—"

Romelle stepped forward. "I am from an Altean colony in the Beta quadrant," she introduced shyly. "My people are very sensitive to materials, and I need something that will not bother me during my time here on Earth."

The sales assistant blinked, her eyes shifting to the elven ears and facial markings that should have marked Romelle clear as day as alien. "Oh! You're with those paladin people!"

"That's us," Keith chuckled. "Do you think you can help her? I have no idea where to start."

The sales assistant's head bobbed up and down. "Of course! Come with me, Miss…?"

"Romelle," the young Altean supplied.

"That's a pretty name!"

"Why thank you! My mother always liked it, and I—"

The two wandered off further into the store chatting away, and Keith took in a deep breath. He'd gotten lucky with that one— he'd really had no idea what to do. Maybe it would've been a smart idea to bring Pidge along, but she'd been busy anyways.

'And besides,' he mused as he watched Romelle rifle through a rack of dresses with an excited smile on her face, 'this is way better.'