Allura ducked and dodged, her bayard clutched firmly in her hand. It sprang to life at the flick of her wrist, a whip of blue slicing through the air around her, cutting into her digitized enemies. Sweat trickled down her brow and into her eyes, forcing her to blink. She breathed, falling into her other senses and using them to guide her.

A few more flicks and a spin, and it was over. She stilled, her chest heaving.

"That was awesome."

A grin arose to her lips at the voice, and Allura turned to see Lance leaning against the wall of the training deck. His warm gaze made her feel light, and a chuckle sprung from her lips. "That was nothing," she said. "I was just warming up."

Lance scoffed. "Yeah, okay, sure. You just obliterated the program like a pro, no biggie." The praise had Allura flushing, and she shook her head.

"I assure you, it was set on easy."

The blue paladin waved his hand, dismissing her humble protests. "Nah, if anyone needs the easy setting, it's me." There was a teasing lilt in his tone, but that didn't stop Allura's lips from tugging into a frown. Despite herself, she couldn't stand his self-deprecating jokes. It was something that all the paladins did every now-and-again; an earth thing, she figured. But Lance being the jokester that he was did it quite often, and for whatever reason she couldn't pinpoint, she hated it.

Lance seemed to ignore her frown, pushing away from the wall and strolling over. "Y'know, Hunk's probably about done with dinner."

Allura bit back a sigh. "I'd like to train a bit more," she said. "I'm almost to the next level."

The training system was set in a myriad of levels, each one harder than the last. It was meant to keep trainees on their toes, helping improve not only their battle ability, but also hand-to-eye coordination, balance, quick thinking skills, among other things. Plus, training helped alleviate stress, something Allura found to be a blessing in this ongoing war.

Lance raised a brow, a devious grin warming his features. "You know, it's been awhile since I've trained, too." He shrugged off his jacket, much to Allura's bafflement. She watched him with raised brows, her confusion increasing when he reached for her bayard. Lance snagged it from her grasp, tossing it down with his jacket. He scooted them off to the side, his grin widening as their gazes met. "Let's spar."

"Spar?"

"Yeah," he said, "like, hand-to-hand combat. With each other." He pulled a fighting stance, much to her amusement. Allura snickered.

"And why should we do that?" she asked. "We do have a training system, you know. Tailored to fit whatever fighting style you choose."

Lance laughed. "So? C'mon, Allura, for fun! Don't tell me you've never trained with a person before."

Allura tilted her head. She supposed he had a point. While the program the castle had was probably one of the most sophisticated around, it wasn't particularly fun. It was rigorous and intense, and a good way to relieve pent up stress, but that was about it. With a shrug, Allura mimicked Lance's stance, an enthusiastic grin warming her lips. "Alright, just this once," she said. And so they began.

They dodged and swung and leaped and tussled. It was…invigorating, and different, and fun. Allura found herself working harder to deflect his movements and slip from his grasp. Lance was real and unpredictable, something the machine was not.

Still, Allura, too, was unpredictable. So when Lance threw a punch, she instinctively dropped and kicked out, knocking him down. Using the momentum from her fall, Allura rolled and pinned him with ease. "I believe I win," she said, breathless.

"Y-yeah," Lance murmured. Their gazes met, and Allura realized just how…close they were. She could see the smattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks, almost like a constellation on his skin. His eyes were swirling waves of an ocean, rippling with emotions Allura couldn't even begin to know. His warm breath tickled her cheeks, and Allura's heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her gaze wandered down to his lips, and she suddenly found herself wondering just what they tasted like.

Before she could properly process such thoughts, she found herself leaning forward and kissing him. His lips were surprisingly soft, and she pressed herself closer. Lance stiffened beneath her, still as a board. Allura's heart beat erratically in her chest, but she didn't pull away. She parted her lips against his, her hands sliding to cup his face. The motion seemed to spur Lance to life, and soon he was wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back.

He tasted minty, like the little candies Hunk offered her once. The taste was addictive, and Allura found she couldn't get enough of it. Her hands tangled in his hair and she nibbled at his lip, eliciting a moan from the paladin beneath her.

Lance pulled back, breaking the kiss. The sudden departure had Allura blinking, and she stared at him, suddenly aware of how hot the air around them had become. There was an intensity in his gaze that wasn't there before, and Allura found herself drowning. His eyes were dark, as if there was a storm brewing in his irises. "Damn," he said, his voice hoarse. Allura sucked in a breath. She felt almost dizzy, and while her logical self urged her to get off of him and stand up, Alura couldn't find the strength to move.

"We, uh, we should um, probably go to dinner," Lance said, his gaze still lingering on hers. Allura nodded, but still didn't move.

"Yes, that is an excellent idea."

They laid there, as if in a trance. It wasn't until Coran's voice crackled from her earrings that the two spurred themselves apart.

"Princess? Are you coming to dinner?"

Allura blushed, pushing herself to her feet. "Y-yes, Coran, be there in a tick."

"Alrighty, then."

The silence that followed was deafening. Allura peeked up at Lance, who fiddled his his jacket and avoided her gaze.

"Uh, here's your bayard," he said lamely, holding it out for her. Allura reached out, her fingers brushing his as she took it. A flush burned at her cheeks, and she cleared her throat.

"Thank you, Lance."

The air felt thick between them, an unspoken tension filling the silence. There was a beat where the two stared at the floor, motionless. Then Lance moved for the door, and Allura's eyes went wide. This was too awkward, too weird for her to not do something. She had to do something to fix the awkward. Her hand connected with his wrist, and she tugged him to a halt.

"Wait!"

Lance looked at her, his face still flushed. It was oddly cute, and Allura couldn't help herself. She lurched forward and pressed a quick kiss against his lips once more. Impulsive? Maybe. But Allura didn't regret it for a moment. Especially not when they walked to dinner hand in hand, the taste of earth mints still lingering on her lips.

I've done a few oneshots for this pair, but I've yet to post them anywhere but tumbles, lol. So here! Let's try a 'lil something new.

-Kat