A/N: this chapter earns a high T+ rating, but only near the end, so once again, if that is not your thing, you are have forewarned. Also, bonus points to anyone who can catch the ATLA reference I slipped in there. Without further ado, here is chapter nine.
CHAPTER NINE: Supernova
Growing up, Shiro had wanted to be an astronaut. He had never wanted to be a soldier, or a gladiator, or a paladin. He had wanted to touch the stars. He had just never thought that one day, a star would be lying next to him in bed, with hair made of moonlight that made his fingers itch with the urge to run his hands through it. And yet... he still couldn't touch her. She was so peaceful in sleep, years and worry falling away from her shoulders, and he wished she could look like that all the time. Maybe, one day, once the war was over.
He eased himself into a sitting position, dragging a hand over his scarred face, and went to get up when her hand, warm and soft, latched around the wrist of his galra arm. He hadn't even known when she'd woken up.
"Stay," she said drowsily, her eyes looking at him so softly it made him want to melt into them. Into her.
"Princess―" Truth be told, he didn't know exactly why he was putting up a fight. Or at least, he didn't want to admit the reason why.
"Please, Takashi?"
How was he supposed to say no to that, even if he wanted to? He let her tug him back down into the soft sheets, slightly surprised when she laid them down side by side, face to face. Her eyelashes were dark, and the pink markings underneath her eyes seemed to glow in the faint sunlight.
A lump formed in his throat. "I'm sorry, princess," he said.
Her peaceful expression faded, as a crease appeared in her brow. Bed was one of the few places she didn't wear her circlet, he had learned. "For what?"
"For overstepping my bounds yesterday." It wasn't what he wanted to apologize for―the true reason was buried deep down, got lodged in his throat every time he had tried to bring it up in the past―but perhaps apologizing for the incident yesterday was a good enough place to start.
Allura frowned a little. "You have nothing to apologize for." Her cheeks darkened, as though thinking back to their conversation in the tub. The way they had touched each other. The way they nearly had, and how they had wanted to. "I also encouraged it." When he stayed silent, her face fell more, if that was even possible. She sat up, sweeping her hair behind her ears, and not looking him straight in the eye. "Shiro, do you have a lover waiting for you back on Earth?"
He blinked. "What? No. No... why would you think that?" He tried not to sound too upset, or God forbid, whiny. He was the Black Paladin, the leader of Voltron, he should know how to have a conversation with a girl. Just maybe he couldn't hold a conversation with a star.
"I just thought," said Allura helplessly, shrugging, "that perhaps―" Her earrings flickered, and she immediately perked up. "What is it, Pidge―hold on, I'm putting you on the communal link―"
The green paladin's voice radiated from Shiro's armour, hung up by the bed post, and a lopsided hologram popped up from the forearm. "Hey―you guys look funny from this angle, but―"
Lance elbowed his way past Pidge, and said pointedly, "Have you told Shiro that while they were getting their beauty sleep, Pidge was making us be hard at work―"
"Congrats, Lance," said Shiro dryly. "In case you were wondering, I'm feeling just fine, now."
Lance blinked, and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, right." He yelped as Pidge elbowed him out of the hologram.
"As I was going to say," they said irritably, "with the other's help, mostly Hunk, really―" There was the sound of a high five happening in the background, presumably between the yellow and blue paladins. "I managed to tap into the feed of the device we lost in the Sinking Sands. It's shaky, but, I think by running with a geological map of the entire planet, I can extrapolate enough information to―"
"Get to the point Pidge," said Keith, stifling a yawn.
"My point is that I think I've figured out a series of tunnels our speeders will be able to fit through, and we can travel to the heart of the Noorin's nest."
Shiro and Allura shared a look. "However...?" the princess asked, sensing a catch.
"The uh, entrance to the tunnels are right underneath the palace. We'll need a drill, some blasting jelly, and for the king to just completely ignore a lot of loud noise in his dungeons for a couple of hours."
"Are you sure we can't just tell him about it?" said Keith. "I mean, maybe he'll want us to find the Noorins."
"We can't know that for sure," said Allura. "And we must do whatever we can to protect both the Sjarkans, and the Noorins."
"The princess is right," said Shiro. "We need to be careful about this, we don't want to put the Noorins at risk if the Sjarkans aren't like we thought they are." He thought of the harsh laws for anything beyond a perfect marriage, and his frown deepened. "There may be a reason the Noorins are hiding, or if the Noorins are doing something dangerous, we don't want to send the Sjarkans into a panic. What we need now is a way to keep the king preoccupied. Any ideas?"
"We could throw a party!" exclaimed Lance.
"You just want to throw a party," said Pidge flatly.
"Well, duh."
"That would actually work," said Shiro slowly, and could perfectly picture Lance glowing with pride. "We can use nunvil to spike their drinks, and while they're all distracted, we'll sneak into our lions. We won't have long, until sunrise maybe, before someone discovers us, but... The Galra will be here in three days time anyway."
"Yeah! All aboard the party train, whoohoo―"
"Lance."
"A secret party, right. Sorry."
"Pidge," said Allura, "have you narrowed down the exact location of the tunnels? We cannot waste time searching the castle for them on the night of the party."
"I'll have my lion scan the entire castle, and then I can start looking at the dungeons. There should be some tunnels that haven't been all sealed up. I should have a better idea by the end of the day, my tech hasn't been working as well in the heat. I think the humidity's been frying it out a bit, but I'll know by tomorrow morning for sure."
Shiro frowned. He didn't want to wait longer than necessary, but if that was the only way forward, than he supposed they would just have to make do. What was the difference beyond today and tomorrow, besides life and death, of course?
"Hunk," the princess addressed, I want you to work with Pidge to uncover as much knowledge about the tunnels as possible, so that we are not going in blind. Your lion's earthly element will be as invaluable as you are."
Hunk sounded bashful over the commlink. "Aw thank you princess, I―I mean, of course I'll help Pidge. We're like science buddies, right Pidge?"
"Right," the green paladin agreed.
"I thought I was your buddy," Shiro could hear the pout in Lance's voice.
"You're my life buddy," Hunk told him, "you know, buddies for life."
Allura and Shiro shared a small smile, even as he rolled his eyes slightly in fond exasperation. "Team, not that I don't love all this bonding, but we have a job to do, and should really get to it. We need to tell the king about the party, and convince him to have it tomorrow."
"We could say its your anniversary," said Hunk excitedly. "Throw a banquet or something."
"We've already told them we've only been married for six months," Shiro pointed out.
"Then say it's the day you met, or something equally lovey-dovey," said Lance.
They shared another look. "That could work," he admitted. "Alright team, I think that's enough planning before breakfast. Go on and get ready for the day, and remember, act natural. We don't want King Ilvaar growing suspicious."
"Don't worry," replied Lance. "You and Allura have played your part extremely well." The other paladins snickered.
Annoyance crossed over Shiro's face. "Meeting adjourned, cadets. Over and out." Allura shut off the commlink before anything else could be said. "Well, now that's settled, I guess we should ready for the day too―"
She tried to quell the disappointment that rose up within her as he went to get out of bed, even if she knew it was probably for the best, not only for the mission, but in remaining unembarrassed around him. After all, she hadn't exactly been eloquent in attempting to explain her inquiry about a possible lover, but he had also been rather flustered too. The less distractions, the better, really, the rational side of her reminded her.
"You can use the bathroom first," she offered, not meaning for her voice to come out so small. The sheets pooled around her waist.
"Hey." Shiro came back to her, taking both of her hands in his own. "Something wrong?"
He was being stupid, he knew, especially after last night, because now she was close―too close, looking up at him under heavy, white lashes with hair falling over one side of her face, and it did funny things to his insides―but he kept holding her hands anyway. Even if such a simple touch felt like it was burning him to the core. How in God's name had he survived being naked in a tub with her last night?
Allura mustered up a smile. "It's nothing. I'm worried about the Noorins, that's all."
He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on her cheek. His thumb touched the pink marking near her eye. "Are you sure? Whatever is on your mind, you can tell me―"
She pulled away. "No, clearly, I cannot."
He frowned. "Allura―"
"It is fine," she said shortly. "Now if you do not want to use the bathroom first, then I will."
"Princess―"
She got up from the bed, her back to him. "Please, Shiro, leave me be―"
She could hear him getting up behind her, and felt his cool metal fingers lightly touch her shoulder. "You said we were alright. I'm sorry if the team interrupted something important, and I've already apologized for last night. If this is you being... embarrassed, about asking if I had a lover, you don't need to be. I've wondered the same thing about you more than once."
She softened, and let him turn her back to him. "Shiro," she said quietly, "I simply meant... we are more than alright. But I knew this mission would change us―I feared it would―and it seems like it has, and I thought I was ready for those changes, but if we are not on the same page, when we have nearly almost been on the same page, then―"
Shiro pulled her into a hug, and Allura fell silent, nestling her nose into his bare shoulder. He still hadn't pulled on a shirt, she remembered faintly, her cheeks turning as vivid a pink as her Altean markings. His skin was warm but dry, unlike when they had been in the tub, and she held him close.
"There is nothing that could ever happen that would take me away from you," he murmured, his breath tickling her ear. "Remember? I would tear apart galaxies for you, because I know you would do the same for me. You... you're a star, and I'm in your gravity, now. Always. I'm your knight, princess."
She pressed her lips faintly to his shoulder. "Thank you, Takashi."
He loosely tangled his human hand in her hair, not wanting her silvery locks to get snagged on metal fingers. "So, we're alright?"
She nodded. "Yes. I am sorry for being distant."
"You don't need to apologize to me for anything." He pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Now, should we get down to breakfast, before the others get inappropriate ideas about what held us up?"
Allura chuckled weakly as he let go. "Yes. How ridiculous."
She stepped aside to let him go to the bathroom, and sighed.
So much for being unafraid of the light, of being ready to go over the brink. Something had changed, and she knew it, but to... Allura sighed again.
Why did she have to be so in love with him?
"A party?"
"Yes, sire." Noruku snorted, which seemed to be a nervous gesture, as his king glanced at him. Allura and Shiro stood a few feet behind with the other paladins, watching on. What would happen if they couldn't get the distraction needed?
Ilvaar's gaze slid onto the pair of leaders. "The anniversary of the day you met, you say?"
"Yes," answered Allura promptly, and then realized the king wanted her to elaborate. "I had just woken from a ten thousand years sleep to the destruction of my people, and five strange humans in my castle. But then I realized that we needed Voltron, and Shiro immediately offered his assistance without hesitation. I knew he at the least was suited to be the Black Paladin, that he could help me save the universe, so despite the heartache of my people, I felt... hopeful, again, for the first time since Zarkon threatened to attack Altea."
Shiro swallowed hard, and squeezed her hand, knowing that she had spoken from the heart. "She was the strongest and most beautiful person I'd ever met, sire. Watching her rise to the challenge set for her, I believe that was the day I fell in love with her, even if I didn't know it at the time."
King Ilvaar smiled. "You must have had very beautiful wedding vows. I would prefer to hold off on anymore festivities until my planet is rid of the Galra, but given the special meaning you have to the day―and the Galra will be gone soon enough, now won't they?" He let out a hearty, slightly unhinged laugh. "I suppose we can splurge on this one occasion. A party in your honour tomorrow, with the two of you as the guests of honour. Won't that be lovely?"
Shiro smiled, but Allura's faltered.
"Yes, sire," agreed Noruku. "I'll begin the preparations immediately." He bowed before exiting the room, and the paladins and princess of Voltron quickly followed.
Shiro ran his thumb along the back of her hand. "Aren't you happy? Everything went according to plan."
"Not exactly. We're the guests of honour―that means we'll be expected to be entertainers. We'll have to be there the whole time, until we find some way to slip away."
"We could drug them," Pidge suggested. "I can whip up a syringe and then―pschoo―" they mimed sticking a needle in their bony arm. "A bunch of unconscious Sjarkans."
Shiro gave her a surprised look. "Pidge!"
"What? Matt was interested in extraterrestrial drug studies too, and it's the same principles, even if it's not theoretical before. Although his university studies weren't nearly hard enough―"
"Anyway," cut in Keith, "what are we going to do about this guest of honour thing? If you and Allura can't sneak away, we can't exactly carry on the mission without you."
"The old plan is the new plan," said Shiro. "We'll sneak away when the Sjarkans are drunk, or preoccupied, and join you."
Hunk raised his hand as though he was in a classroom. "Question: what are we even going to get the Sjarkans drunk on? I haven't seen anything in their food supplies that looks like alcohol. Their planet's resources might be too scarce and homogeneous to support it."
Allura's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "I know exactly the sort of thing we can use."
It was easier than Shiro had expected to transport the cases of nunvil from the Castleship to King Ilvaar's palace. They had some Sjarkans help out as well, saying it was a special Altean drink (which it is), even if Pidge and Coran had messed with the chemicals a bit to give it an extra, added kick of drunkenness. The castle's storage rooms were also below the ballroom, but not far from the dungeons, so it was a good opportunity for Pidge to finish off their scanning of the palace's architectural layout.
They gave him a thumbs up on everyone's way up from the dungeon. "Good job, Pidge," he praised. "Everyone else, go rest and get ready. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
He didn't have to tell the other paladins twice, as Lance went immediately to go nap, and Hunk went to go tinker with Pidge. He didn't know what Keith was going to do, but hopefully he wouldn't get in trouble for once. Shiro was pleased to see when he went off in the same direction as Pidge and Hunk; although the red paladin could be a loner, it was nice to see he really was getting closer to the rest of the team, too.
Not to mention, that meant he and Allura could handle other things other than their paladins.
"Princess, is there anymore nunvil?" he asked, turning to her.
"I think Coran has more than a few bottles left. Why?"
"We should keep some so that the two of us can drink while at the party, without being drugged. Say it's an Altean custom that we drink from the same, separate bottle as everyone else."
Allura smirked as she sidled up to him. "Or we could say it was an earthling custom."
He couldn't help but grin unabashedly back at her. It really did seem like whatever strangeness that had been between them that morning had been dispelled by the day, and he was glad for it. The mission was almost over, and whatever was thrown their way, they could handle it together. And then everything would go back to normal, the way it should be, and they'd be exactly the same page, like always, sharing cups of the Altean equivalent of coffee late at night and early in the morning, like always. Wishing he could kiss away the bags under her eyes and hold her as long as he wanted to...
Would normalcy be enough now when his mouth knew exactly what piece it was missing?
He startled a little, when Allura's fingers landed lightly against his jaw. "Are you alright, my paladin?"
"Hm? Yes. Sorry, I spaced out." He was disappointed when she took her hand away to snap her fingers.
"Ha! I know that earthling expression―another term for zoning out, correct?" She looked so adorably excited, he couldn't help but smile softly.
"Yes, princess," he said with that some softness imbued in his voice. "You're correct."
"You know since the others are relaxing, and it's after dinnertime now, I thought the two of us could go relax ourselves. Who knows when we'll get our chance to next?"
His arched an eyebrow, still smiling. "What did you have in mind?"
Growing up, Allura had heard stories of supernovas. She'd also heard the story of her parents' courtship many times. Her father had been persistent, her mother interested but aloof, and Coran watching everything happen agonizingly slowly when it was just keeping them from their own happiness. Their love hadn't been one of a supernova, but one that was slow, and steady, and made to last.
She didn't think she and Shiro had the same good fortune, nor the sheer amount of time her parents had had together (and even that had been cut out). It was one of the reasons they were kneeling crossed legged on their bed, wearing soft white pajamas and sharing a bottle of nunvil with one another.
If the mission went wrong tomorrow, shouldn't they at least have some fond memories to look back on? Not to mention, it was still early, around ten o'clock, and they didn't have to be ready for the party until the evening. She was sure no one would find it odd if she and Shiro slept in late beyond the paladins; everyone else would just assume they were doing, ahem, what actually married couples did.
Allura passed the bottle over to him, as he took a swig of nunvil. He had nearly spat it out the first time he'd had a sip. "It's an acquired taste," she'd told him, giggling, and he'd explained how wine (made of fruit juice, how strange) was a similar substance back on Earth. By now, she was leaning heavily on his side, their knees touching as he lightly rested the bottle between them, his hand wrapped around it.
"What was the first day we met?" he asked, when their giggles had died down. It was a good thing this was one of the untouched bottles. Beyond her brain being a little fuzzy, and pleasantly so, she felt quite sober, and was sure Shiro was as responsible with drinking as he was with everything else.
"I don't know," she admitted. "It's been... two and a half years, "in your earthling time, at least. Altean years are a hundred days longer." She let her hand fall against the soft fabric of his shirt, over his chest. "I meant what I said today, to King Ilvaar."
He smiled at her, as though he'd already known. "Really?"
"Well I also thought that all of your ears were hideous, but..." She reached up and tugged on the tip of his. "They've grown on me over time."
"Good," he teased. She couldn't bring herself to ask if he'd meant what he had said, too, as a mostly comfortable silence fell between them, until he suddenly broke it. "I'm sorry."
She blinked. "For what?"
"It was my fault you got captured."
She knew what he was talking about at once. "It was my choice. I couldn't let the Galra take you. For the good of the galaxy." For the good of her heart.
"I couldn't even rescue you."
"Shiro―"
Was this the reason he had pulled away last night? Because of a heavy guilt that clouded his beautiful starry eyes, his jaw slackening as the distress slowly took over his whole body?
"You sacrificed yourself for me, and when I went to save you I couldn't even do that properly―I couldn't―and you had to save me again, and I just―I don't deserve you―"
Allura took his hand before he could curl in on himself, and squeezed it. "Because I'm a star?" He managed a nod, even if his jaw worked furiously to try and make his voice work again. "If I am a star, then so are you. Every time I have fallen, you have picked me up again. Every time I have not known what to do, like this afternoon, you have offered me counsel. You are a star, too Takashi, and it saddens me immensely that you cannot see how brightly you shine."
"The Galra could have―"
"The Galra could have done many things." She took his metal hand, and pressed a kiss to his palm. "But I have never regretted my choice. Not of saving you, not of picking you as the Black Paladin, not of..." Of loving you. Her brow furrowed when he raised the bottle of nunvil, and nearly downed whatever remained in it in one large gulp. A smile flickered across her lips when he set the bottle back down. "What was that for?" she said curiously.
"On Earth, we have alcohol so that we can do stupid things we wouldn't do sober," he said.
"Like what?"
"Like this." He kissed her, his lips warm and sour as they were pressed firmly against hers, and she gasped, and then it was over, and he had pulled away again, his forehead resting against hers.
She stared at him, wide eyed, and then found her voice. "I do not think the amount of alcohol you consumed warranted such a lacklustre amount of stupidity."
His brows knit together. "I shouldn't have kissed you?"
"You shouldn't have just kissed me." Allura leaned forward and let her lips graze his. Just this once. They would act like dumb, inebriated teenagers just this once.
Shiro's hand found her cheek, and he ran his metal thumb over the curve of it, his breath hot and ragged against her lips before he closed the space between them, and kissed her more softly, slowly. A soft moan leaked out between her lips as she kissed him back, her fingers grasping at the short coarse hair on the back of his head, pulling him closer by the white cotton of his shirt. He shifted so he was half on top of her, as their kisses grew more heated and he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she felt something spark inside her when he sucked on her bottom lip.
Her hands tugged at the bottom of his shirt. "Takashi."
He pulled away from her mouth, breathless, his nose pressed against hers. They had wasted so much time talking too much and not talking enough, that he immediately knew what she wanted. "Are you sure?"
He sat up so that she could pull his shirt over his head, and ran her hand down his bicep, seeking out scars that were slowly becoming familiar, before she removed her own shirt. Shiro kept his eyes on hers, black meeting blue in the soft, heated darkness, before she guided his hand to her chest, and he looked down. The pink Altean markings continued, almost glowing faintly: semi circles above each nipples, a stripe down in between her collarbone, ending just above her breasts. It was a relief, and arousing sight to see, that Alteans and humans really didn't have very different biology after all.
Another concern wiggled in the back of his mind, even if he could feel energy rising below his waist, his sleep pants uncomfortably tight. "What about―" Did Alteans use protection? At least they would know about conception? "Not having kids," he settled on.
Allura smiled, guiding his forehead back to hers as his hands grasped at her ribcage. "Alteans can only conceive during very limited times of the year. This is not one of them. We have nothing to worry about."
Shiro leaned in and kissed her again, and never wanted to stop, as her hands toyed with the waist band of his pants, and his hands slid down to her hips, grabbing and squeezing and kissing her more fiercely until a whimper rose up from her throat and they removed the last of their clothing.
They were a supernova, bursting and burning and brilliantly bright for one beautiful moment, their hands and mouths and bodies desperate for friction and contact and love, whispering praise and loud moans into each other's skin. "Please," Allura pleaded, as stars formed on the backs of her eyelids, and he was more than happy to do anything she asked of him, anything at all.
It wasn't the last time either of them would beg that night.
a/n: part two. i ended the chapter here because i wanted this fic to retain its T rating, however, they did do the do (in case that wasn't obvious) and maybe once the fic is about five more chapters away from being over (unless something changes, then it might be longer) i would like to post a smutty oneshot of their night together, if anyone would be interested. I'll let you know on my tumblr "shiroallura" as to what the title will be.
have a happy night, you sinners ;)