#I guess Allura can hide as many sparkly things as she wants to in their hair now. It acts like a sort of wormhole

[ethereance]

Au whereupon reviving Shiro and Lance through the power of Altean alchemy, a side effect of Allura’s ability is that they end up bright pink. Everything is the same except they’re just. Bright pink.

[ebhenah]

Time travel au blurb that won’t ever make it into the actual fic:

She stared at the box, her face a mask of confusion. She looked so much like Keith in that moment that Shiro had to laugh, which earned him a glare that did roughly nothing to dissipate the resemblance. Her weight shifted to the other leg and she bent her knee, poking the box with her toe. “Explain, please.”

“There’s a Meet and Greet,” he said, fighting the urge to giggle, and failing. She flipped him off and he managed to rein himself in. Taking a breath, he continued, “you are expected to make an appearance. I’ve been told that it is vital to you getting Diplomatic Status.”

“But,” Lia said, nudging the box with her toe again. The steel toed boots were surprisingly stylish, but still heavy and bulky and didn’t exactly make it seem any less likely that she believed the box to be filled with venomous snakes rather than clothing. “I don’t WANT Diplomatic Status. I suck at diplomacy- why won’t you people believe me about that?”

“Oh, I believe you. Allura believes you. We all BELIEVE you, but it’s still your best bet. You DO still want security clearance, right?”

She sighed, “yeah.”

“Then Diplomatic Status is the fastest way to get that. You’ll be representing the Alteans on the Lilliput, so Allura is invested.”

“I’m going to look like an idiot,” she huffed, “I don’t DO fancy.”

“Not buying it, sorry. I’ve seen too many home movies to believe that.”

“I really hate that Lance figured out that his voice match unlocked allllll the home movies and photos.” Uncrossing her arms, she shrugged and opened the box, “ohhh no! Nope! Not putting this on my body.”

“Lia, it’s not that bad.”

“Yes it is.”

“It’s a perfectly lovely dress. Adam helped pick it out.”

“Traitor,” she hissed, “he’s dead to me.”

“For the love of- you two have to STOP with the whole ‘dead to me’ joke. It’s really not funny. We are still at war...”

“Which is why it is funny,” she insisted, ”it’s fucking hilarious... and I do NOT wear dresses.” She rummaged through the box, hoping that the dress was a gag. A misdirect. She did not find a tailored suit, or any kind of pants at all, for that matter. She did, however, find a pair of heels that looked like torture devices- all sparkly straps and thin, tiny spike heels. “Stilettos? I don’t wear heels- especially not open-toed, rhinestone encrusted strappy heels. This is a mess!”

“It’s one night...”

“No. I’m NOT putting this on. I don’t know why Allura thought I would- I didn’t even wear a dress when I got MARRIED. I haven’t worn a dress in over a decade, Shiro- and even then it was for a pretend tea party with Esme.”

“I’m not sure there’s time-”

“I just won’t go.”

“Again, this is the fastest way to get what you want. It’s one night. One party.”

“I can’t fight in this,” she said levelly, holding the dress to her frame to illustrate her point. It WAS a lovely dress- creamy white satin overlaid with lace in a purple so dark it would look black against anything but that white. It was simple, a column gown with cap sleeves, square neck-line, and a long slit up one side of the skirt. It would look amazing on her. Adam and Allura were so thrilled about finding something so flattering that wasn’t fussy or hyper-feminine. “Especially not on my tiptoes. Shoes are meant to PROTECT the foot, not... whatever the hell those things do!”

“Those ‘things’ make your legs look nice... and I doubt you will have to fight- it’s a party.”

“You know what makes my legs look nice? Wrapping them around the head of a beautiful woman. That makes them look fucking AMAZING!”

Shiro groaned, “I really didn’t need that image, Lia.”

“Yeah, well I really didn’t need,” she toed the box again, “ANY of this!”

“It’s a party, Lia,” he tried again, “you like parties- I know this for a fact. Sure, it is fancy, but it is still just a party. You know, a very high security party.”

“Look at my face and guess how much that reassures me. Do you have any idea how many fights I’ve gotten into at parties?”

“It’s not that kind of party, Lia.”

“Yes, it really is, Shiro. You don’t know my life!” Dropping the dress back into the box, she made a gesture that ringed her face, “BAD at the whole diplomacy thing, remember?”

“Well,” he prompted, “do you have any BETTER options at hand?”

“I... actually, I just might!”

“Oh, this should be good,” he muttered, following her out of the room and down the hall to... actually, he had no idea what that particular room was. He didn’t spend as much time in Lia’s family’s quarters as the others did.

“Ryung’s room,” she explained, gesturing to the barren space. He looked around as she disappeared into the closet. There were clear outlines on the walls that indicated that they’d been plastered in posters at one point, and several empty instrument and music stands. A bin of wires and circuit boards sat near a small desk that was covered in marker doodles and notes.

“Awww YEAH! It’s still here!” There was some rustling, the sound of a zipper, and a couple of clunks that he guessed were her boots. “I fucking LOVE Altean clothes! Made to accommodate shapeshifters soooo... Alfie’s old shit fits me!”

She stepped out of the closet and did a little pirouette, “tada! Do you know what this is?”

“Uh... it looks KIND OF like something Coran would wear? Other than the uh... shirt... thing.”

“The shirt thing is a corset, Shiro,” she tsked, picking some kind of lint off of her cuff. She was wearing tight black leggings that had a gold strip up the outside of the legs. The boots she pulled on over them were deep purple edged in gold and extended up over her knees, the highest point of the gentle slope sitting at about mid-thigh. The stylized cut of the Altean coat fell longer in the back than he’d seen, reminding him a little of the old ‘tails’ style of tuxedo coats. The high, stylized collar was that same deep purple edged in gold, and the rest of the coat was black with gold highlights. He could see the lining when she moved, and the pale lavender was almost the exact shade as her skin and matched the gloves she was wearing.

“You look...ummm...”

“Kind of like a sexy lesbian pirate? Why, yes... I very much DO,” she laughed, “but actually, this is official garb for the royal house of Altea. Or, at least, it is back in my timeline. There’s this whole thing where the Crown Heir creates a custom palette that represents their station and is made official by Royal decree... yadda, yadda, yadda... BUT the important thing is that HERE, there is no Alfie and no Alfie means no Crown Prince and THAT means that this glorious creation is just a very, very well made formal Altean suit. Completely appropriate for me to wear to a gala.”

“Uh-huh, so you just need a shirt, then,” he sighed. Adam would be livid that she rejected the ‘perfect gown’ they’d picked out for her, but at least Lia would BE THERE. So, fine. Whatever. Sexy pirate Altean whatever. He wasn’t fighting with her anymore. She could be so exhausting... it was as if she could summon the most frustrating traits of all four of the people that contributed to her genesis- and annoyingly ‘stubborn and willful’ were traits they ALL had a tad too much of.

“Ummm... I HAVE a shirt,” she pointed at the corset.

“That’s underwear... isn’t it?” 

“Ehhh yes and no. It’s either. But, hey, it’s black satin. It looks nice and formal. This is what I’m wearing.”

“Sure. Okay. Just... send a pic to Adam and Allura so you don’t blindside them.”

“Will do. Ooooh! You think I can wear the ceremonial SWORD?? I saw it in the back of the closet...”

He stared at her, her whole face absolutely alight at the possibility. He didn’t even know why he was surprised. Keith’s kid. She was Keith’s kid. Of COURSE she had a thing for swords. “It’s a PARTY,” he repeated, not really sure why she couldn’t grasp this concept.

“Yeah,” she sighed, her face melting into a pout, “a sword is way too obvious. Blaster it is. I can hide that easy in this coat.”

“Lia!”

“What?”

“A PARTY!”

“Yeah?”

“No weapons. Leave the weapons to the security detail.”

“But-”

“No BUT! No. No weapons. Got it?”

“I’m pretty sure I should be armed,” she countered. “My history suggests that I sho-”

“Lia! This is not your original timeline! Noooo weapons. Leave it to your security detail.”

“Wait... MY security detail? I have a specific security detail?”

“Yep,” he turned on his heel and exited the room. He wasn’t supposed to let that detail slip.

She jogged after him, “Shibo? Shiiiiiiiiibo? Do you know who my security detail is?”

“Hmmm? Oh, wow- look at the time. I’m sure you have... uh... hair? and umm make-up to do? You’re Lance’s kid so... like some kind of face mask maybe? And uhh... I still need to get ready.”

“Shiro...” She stopped, eyeing him suspiciously. “No. Oh God, please NO! It can’t be... he’s like one of the shining stars of the whole...” her shoulders sank, “seriously?? GRIFFIN! I hate that guy!”

“Yeah- I know. It wasn’t my decision. Blame Iverson.” He waved as he ducked out the door, “see you in a couple of hours!”

She growled to herself, kicking the wall. This was going to be the shittiest fucking party ever... “I’m getting that goddamn sword,” she muttered to herself. “Griffin will HATE that.”

[blacklionshiro-backup]

shallureith- They go to the Space Mall for one reason, and one alone: sparkly things.

Thank you for the prompt! Honestly? She doesn’t deserve one single sparkly thing. She deserves multiple sparkly things.

In which Shiro goes along with Keith’s idea that a dagger was a proper sparkly gift and Coran most certainly brings another Kaltenecker home.

Shiro couldn’t help but snort at the gleaming dagger Keith held up, meticulously inspecting it all around.

“That’s not exactly what I would consider a sparkly gift.”

“Nonsense!” Allura approached Keith, eyes shining with wonder at the blade and the antique Kerzal made handle. “This is perfect. I used to have one before the war, father had it made from Balmera crystals.” A longing note adorned her voice as she spoke softly. “Guess it was lost after the attack on the castle. Kerzal built blades are some fine workmanship that weren’t easily found, even in my time.”

Turning to Shiro, Keith smirked in victory. “I told you, daggers make for perfect gifts.”

Shiro sighed but conceded with a smile. “Alright, alright. No complaints here.”

“We can’t always be by Allura’s side.” Keith put away the dagger on top of the counter and grabbed another one from the five different blades the salesman offered him. “A sword is too big and she’s already got a staff for range.” Bringing one of the daggers close to his face, he felt the blade and smiled approvingly. “So a dagger can protect her if we don’t make it in time.”

“I could very well handle myself without any weapons, I’ll have you know.” She shot him a glare, but put her hand on top of the dagger approvingly. “But a dagger is easier to carry around, and easier to hide too. Could give me an advantage, when needed.”

Reaching for the money pouch Coran had given him earlier, Shiro let Allura pick the one she felt more comfortable with and walked to the counter, separating the money. “Fine, but I don’t have a whole lot of skill with short blades. I’m not sure there’s much I can teach you.”

“Didn’t I just say father gave me one before? You think that was just for show? Who do you think you’re talking to?” Allura pressed the blade close to her chest, feigning indignation at his suggestion that she couldn’t already wield the blade. “If anything, I’ll be the one teaching you boys a thing or two about melee combat.”

“Fair enough.” Keith smiled.

If there was one good thing that came of Keith’s first visit to the space mall, it was that he now managed to win them a discount on the blade. After his previous encounter with the blade shop, the salesman shook in fear the moment he recognized Keith and arguing with him for a better price was remarkably easy.

Holding the dagger close, Allura smiled. “This is a wonderful gift.” She turned to the other two, pulling them in for a hug that took them by surprise. “It may not exactly be sparkly, but I think it’s even better!”

“Well then,” Shiro put a hand around her back for a moment, then stepped back. “In that case, Keith?” He glanced at the other boy.

Keith folded his arms and smirked at Allura. “I suppose you wouldn’t want a really sparkly gift then?”

There was something they were not telling her and she could only glance from one to the other, attempting to decipher it.

“What do you mean?”

The two of them shared a last glance at each other before Shiro reached for his pocket and removed a black box. It was round and nearly flat, barely fitting in his hand.

“We picked this up earlier.” He said. “While you were still looking at the daggers.”

Allura’s mouth fell slightly open, and she stared at Shiro. Somehow he managed to distract her enough for Keith to slip away and buy something else without her noticing it. Has she been more relaxed around those two? Probably.

“I’m really not that great with gifts though.” Keith pouted. “Hopefully it’ll be to your taste.”

Dumbstruck, Allura slowly reached for the box. Shiro held the dagger for her as she opened it to reveal a necklace. It was fairly simple, just a chain and a small pendant holding a diamond shaped crystal. It was so clear that when she picked it up, it reflected the light coming from the ceiling.

“I… don’t believe it.”

“It’s not that impressive, Allura.” Shiro approached her, offering to put it on for her.

“That’s not it.” She said, giving him the chain and pulling her hair over her shoulder. “I’m just impressed that you went out of your way to buy something based on a silly whim of mine.”

Keith stared down at the floor. “We’re fighting a war. We don’t know what might happen tomorrow. Zarkon might find another way to track us. There are so many things that could happen.”

Allura felt a gentle tap to her shoulder and she looked down at the necklace. Pushing her hair back, she smiled at the at the way it almost seemed to glow under the intense light.

“We never know what could happen. We have to make the most out of our lives now.” Shiro nodded towards the necklace. “Besides, it suits you.”

“Lance will probably be sad that he wasn’t the one to give you something sparkly, though.” Keith mentioned. Perhaps he should buy him something as well, to make up for stealing his idea.

“I’ll make sure not to let him notice, then.” Allura held the pendant, giving it one last look before pulling the collar of her dress with a finger and letting it slip under her clothes. “Thank you, truly.”

She pushed herself on her tiptoes to give Shiro a kiss on his cheek then another on Keith’s.

“Now let us return. Coran must be tired of waiting for us.” Allura laced her arms around theirs, pulling them along.

“I’m sure he’s enjoying his time at that Earth store.”

“Let’s just hope we don’t have to bring another cow to the ship.”

If you liked this, please consider buying me a coffee. ☕

[san-bika]

A Fated Family - Voltron fic

**Vague Season 2 Reference**

Rating: General

Pairings: Allura and Lance friendship

Length: 1913 words

Tags: S2 continuation, BAMF Allura, Leader Allura, fluff, world-building, homesick Lance, hurt!Lance, hurt-comfort

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The observation deck was one of Allura's least favorite place to be, if she was honest with herself. 

The star maps were beautiful and reinforced how vast and complex the universe really was. 

But it was also a reminder of the many beacons, red for emergency and green for safety, that were floating out there relying on her and her paladins. How much was truly riding on their efforts.

It was a reminder, as painful as it was to admit, of how her father had failed not only their planet but the entire universe by hiding away its greatest defender out of fear. 

And it was a reminder of the responsibility she was willingly placing on herself; how she was marrying herself to a vocation of protection and defense against evil. 

She didn't have a planet or a family who relied on her, although Coran was more than a friend at this point, something between a father-figure and a brother-in-arms. 

Allura was comfortable in the role she had chosen for herself. Her family was the universe; her destiny hidden in tiny planets and outposts among the stars. Coran, too, had agreed to marry himself to justice. 

Losing everything meant that they felt, in a way few others could, a desperation and a hunger to prevent such tragedy from occurring again. War was the enemy. Fear. Isolation. 

But she wasn't sure how she felt when she considered that her destiny was intertwined with five others, five who were more than friends, her fated but not chosen family. 

Five whose destinies may not always lead to the stars, at least not forever. 

Coming to the observation deck always pushed that thought to the front of her mind, wondering how and when to discuss the topic of long-term plans. Whether she needed to ask if the paladins were as committed to abolishing evil as her, or whether they were only committed to abolishing Zarkon. 

The paladins of the past were  not defined by a specific evil. They were called to fight against injustice, to risk their lives for any, for all. But her paladins... did they truly understand that?

Today had been no different. Allura needed to focus on these troublesome thoughts and she needed to let them go, for a time. The star maps let her take her moment and release the worries she hid away. 

But she wasn't alone. The lights were dimmed, so she hadn't seen him at first, and he clearly hadn't seen her, his body still folded over itself in front of the maps, hands wrapped around his head, gently and firmly massaging his scalp. 

Her heart clenched and her thoughts turned again to her father, wondering whether he had guilt over the wounds his soldiers had gotten in the line of duty and how he would have handled it. 

Though they had managed to get Lance in a healing pod after the Castle Ship had been overrun by Galra, they hadn't done it in time to save him from long-term effects of concussions, a disturbing human affliction. So unlike the Alteans, so fragile, really. Allura ached when she considered how much these humans were risking for her mission.

  And besides that, the pods were meant to heal Alteans from life-threatening trauma: swelling, blood loss, breaks, ruptures, wounds. It wasn't necessarily meant to heal other problems. 

Things like diseases or infections, for example, wouldn't heal, though Coran, Pidge, and Hunk were excitedly working hard to hopefully configure them to do just that. "Think of what we could do on Earth with this tech!"

Regardless of the possibilities of Altean healing technology, the fact remained that she had gotten complacent and as a result Lance faced real pain for the rest of his life. Besides the thankfully infrequent severe headache he experienced, Lance also dealt with vertigo and dizziness, sudden mood swings, and difficulty focusing or getting easily confused. 

All of which had affected him during training, and, just once, in battle. The mood on the ship was grim; Keith and Pidge frustrated by the errors and Hunk protective of his best friend while Shiro hovered between understanding and anxious.

  Lance had only become more aware of his perceived deficiencies, training harder and withdrawing from the group when he was affected. Pidge told him that things should even out eventually, he should even be able to predict when he was about to suffer a migraine or an episode, but thus far they'd proven to be random and of varying strength. 

To see him hunched and trembling, normally so tall and bursting with wiry strength....

Allura allowed herself to feel the fullness of her guilt, if only in solidarity with Lance's pain. 

"I wish I could take that pain for you," she found herself saying in a very soft voice.

He turned then, grimacing, and wrestling one eye open only to turn back towards the star maps. 

"No, you really don't," he replied, managing a chuckle. 

"May I sit with you?" Allura allowed a bit of her authority bleed into her voice. She really and truly didn't want Lance to suffer alone.

He moved a little so there was more space and she gracefully sat down, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Lance managed to turn towards her again, eyes bright blue despite the dim light. Or perhaps because of it. 

"I don't think so. 'M testing a pain killer those nuts cooked up. Hunk tested it on himself. Said it works. Guess we'll see." He always spoke like this when afflicted with the headaches, clipped and efficient. It was so unlike him that Allura's heart sunk. 

She noticed a necklace clasped in his hands, the beads and chain pressing against his unruly hair.

"What is that, Lance? Something sparkly for me?"

The pilot chuckled.

"No, Mama's rosary. Gave it to me when I left for the Garrison. Said she knew I'd do great things and wanted me to be protected."

His face grew somber for a moment, "It's like she knew... she had this look... like she knew I wouldn't see her for a long time."

"May I see it?" Allura offered her palm to him, and he dropped the jewelry into her hand.

It was a series of glass beads on a some kind of metal chain. At the end was a silver cross with a man on it and a medal of a woman, her arms outstretched.

The princess gazed at the woman, feeling drawn to the gentle face.

"Who is this? Your mother?"

At that Lance laughed outright before clutching his head and grunting a little.

Allura gasped, "My apologies, should I go? I do not want to cause you any more pain."

He put a hand on her arm, "No.. stay... company's nice.... I mean, it's not that bad."

He managed a smile at her, one of his real ones before turning his gaze to the star maps and sitting up a little. Allura hoped that this meant the medication was working.

"That's Maria, not my mom. Could say she's not JUST my mom. I mean. In my religion, she's all our mother, she's the mother of God," he pointed at the cross, "and my Mama loves her so much. Told me I could always ask her for help. No matter what I did or where I go."

The princess nodded slowly. Altea.... didn't really have a religion. They had been a scientific race.... they had believed in magic to a limited extent in that they believed quintessence was a force that could not be understood. But they had not ascribed persons or a creator to it. They had been content believing that the universe was too vast to completely understand and to respect it by learning with humility was enough. The idea of religions, of definitions, was fascinating to her, and she eagerly learned from her paladins their concepts and opinions of creation and belief.  

She had to admit that it was nice to imagine a loving mother who was always there for her.

"So do you ask her?"

Lance looked confused for a moment before he realized what she meant. He had to concentrate hard to keep his train of thoughts during and after these attacks.

"You mean ask Maria for help? Never used to... it wasn't for me. I mean, I was happy to... make my mom happy. Do what she wanted. But I never really thought about it for myself. It wasn't my belief, it was Mama's...."

Allura glanced down at the beads, feeling as though Lance was struggling with something. The beads were glass but not perfectly round, some chips smoothed over and worn soft.

"But now, I feel like everything I was sure of... the universe, my purpose, all that's changed. It isn't hard for me to believe maybe Mama was right. My purpose is here protecting the universe, protecting Earth and my family.... maybe she really did know that when she gave her rosary to me... when I see all the stars and the planets, it's hard for me to reject the idea that we all have some purpose. And maybe... Maria really is watching over me since Mama can't."

Lance dropped his face then. Allura didn't look up, recognizing his hitching breaths as a need for privacy.

Allura spoke delicately. "I think that is a lovely thought, Lance. Perhaps you can ask her to watch over me too. I do not have a mother here either, none of us do."

She heard a watery chuckle before he answered, "You're right, princess, I shouldn't forget that either. We all need a mother now."

"Is your head feeling better?" She ventured as she passed the rosary back to him, gently rubbing her thumb over the medal.

The paladin nodded slowly, "Kind of a dull ache now but not nearly as bad as before. I've gotta thank Hunk for whatever magic he cooked up. And maybe rehydrate and sleep so I’m useful tomorrow and not a waste of space."

Allura rose and offered him a hand, pulling him up, "That is the spirit, paladin. Getting plenty of rest and fluids should help you recover nicely! Although you are not ever a waste of space, you should know that by now!"

Lance smiled wrily as he put the rosary back over his head, tucking it neatly under his shirt, "Now you're starting to sound like a mom, Princess!"

She flushed before pinching him neatly on the arm. Walking side by side, Lance turned to look at his planet one more time before the star map flickered off as they left the room.

"'It’s funny. My mom always got these migraines... She didn’t hit her head or anyhting but still got them, sometimes really bad. She couldn't get out of bed. Too sick. But she would still take care of us when Dad was out working. She could do it. If she can... I know I can too."

Allura bit her lip, "You must get your bravery from her, Lance. And if you would ever like company when you get a headache like this, I would be happy to be there for you."

Lance flushed a little but his small smile warmed her heart. 

  He was, they all were, her family now and while she couldn't protect them from injury, she could be with them and help them through their pains. Allura knew her father would be proud.