Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
For the third time that day, Tiago Costello found herself surprised with the pressing silence of the small community college. Sure, it had only been a couple of hours since her last observation, but still. You would think young adults like the ones Tiago knew would be buzzing with excitement.
Instead they were silenced with fear.
"You guys know your way back to the room, right?" Tiago questioned the two men in front of her. After trying a few human drinks, Coran began shaking in his seat. At first he was too embarrassed, but soon admitted he really needed to pee.
That in turn led to Keith recalling he needed to do the same.
Tiago had led the two to the boys' shower room, which was eerily empty. No matter the sun's position, college guys– freshman to senior– would be yelling in there, even playing poker. The situation made Tiago so paranoid that she jumped when the motion activated lights turned on.
"Yeah, we'll be fine," Keith responded, before lowering his already quiet voice. "We might be awhile though, I don't think Coran has ever used an Earth shower."
The Altean had been reluctant to leave the unconcious Allura's side, but became even more resistant when Tiago pleaded with him to take a shower. She claimed he would be grateful later, when he was cleaner than anyone else in the team. Coran's hate for the situation could be heard from behind Keith as the alien shouted Altean obscenities.
He turned the knob too far towards the 'H' symbol. Tiago chuckled, waving goodbye, before quickly making her way back to her dorm.
Tiago couldn't even turn to lock the door before a shout came from the bed.
"Wh– who are you? Stand back!"
Tiago raised an eyebrow at the loopy alien princess, whose foot was caught in the tangle of blankets as she tried desperately to stand up. "Uhm, Princess Allura? My name's Tiago Costello, I don't know if Hunk or anyone else has—"
"Oh, Tiago," Allura sighed, her struggles ceasing. "Forgive my foolishness, I should have realized. It's just, wormholes can take a lot out of a person."
"I know," Tiago nodded in understanding, before smacking herself mentally. "Actually, I don't."
"Where is–" Allura paused to grunt, her posture wobbly as she stood up. "Where is Coran? The Paladins?"
"Keith and Coran are using the bathroom."
"And the others?"
"Well, they are... You know what, Princess?" Allura watched Tiago intently as she gently grabbed her arm. "Coran said you need a lot more rest. So, why don't you lie down, and I'll find you something to eat?"
"Coran always says I need more rest," Allura grumbled, yet complied nonetheless. She sat up against the headboard, and pulled the Carebear blanket over her legs.
"He really cares for you?" Tiago guessed, but it came out as a statement.
"Yes," Allura sighed. She got a faraway look in her eyes, and looked down at her hands wistfully. "I suppose." Tiago knew barely anything about the two Alteans' pasts, besides that their planet had been destroyed ruthlessly by the Galra. She could only infer they had lost more than she could imagine.
Tiago squatted in front of her mini fridge, a cold rush of air flying past when she opened the door. The young woman immediately cringed at the findings.
There was a small packet of butter from the college's café, a plastic spork, half a loaf of bread, and for some odd reason, a jar of peanut butter. The jar had no lid either. Despite the limited amount of supplies, Tiago was able to whip up a small snack.
"Okay, Allura– wait, is it offensive to call you that? Seeing as you're a princess and all, I don't want to suggest any disrespect—"
"Yes, Tiago, it is fine," Allura giggled.
Tiago blushed lightly, suddenly finding the idiocy of her rambles. "Sorry, I've never talked to royalty before."
"Really?" Allura was interested.
"Yeah, there's really only one royal family left in the world, in England. Well, I guess there's other royalty but Queen Elizabeth is very well known, so..." Tiago rolled her eyes at herself. There was no reason to get flustered like she was. "Anyways, ever had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"
Allura's elfish ears perked up, and she glanced up at Tiago like a lost puppy. "Sorry, did you say peanut butter?"
"Uh, yeah? You've heard of it?"
"Yes, somewhere," Allura hummed thoughtfully. Almost instantaneously, the princess perked up and smiled widely. "Pidge loves peanut butter!" She slammed a fist into her hand, giving the ground a pointed look. "But she hates peanuts."
When Allura gave no further context, Tiago carefully handed her the sandwich, as if the Altean would burst out with words once again and she would be injured by them. "There's actually no jelly, so it might be dry. Plenty of protein though."
Trusting the Green Paladin's words, Allura bravely bit into the food. And then her face turned green. "Oh, um, how nice..."
"That's alright, you don't have to lie," Tiago grumbled, taking the sandwich away. "It's better with jelly, promise. Anyways, it probably tastes a lot different than whatever you Alteans eat."
"Thank you for understanding," Allura sighed. "It's probably best that I get some more rest."
Tiago nodded in agreement, plopping herself down on a beanbag chair. Allura laid down fully, pulling the ratty blanket up to her chest and turning to the wall. A few minutes of silence went by, Drake and Josh playing in the background, before Allura spoke up.
"Thank you, Tiago."
The mentioned grabbed her chest, thinking that the woman had been fast asleep. After she settled, Tiago turned to the princess, whose back was still turned towards her. "For what?"
"You make the Paladins so happy. They would always come back to the castle after rough battles looking utterly defeated. Even after the ones they won. No hope shone in their eyes," Allura kept her words quiet, as if it was a secret she shouldn't be telling. "But then they formed this ritual. They would gather in a circle in the training room, pull out separate communication devices, and... start laughing.
"They would yell at each other in a playful manner, read jokes off of their devices, bond, and– and... It was always amazing to witness. It made the whole castle bright once again. When I finally asked them about it they explained they had been talking to a girl from Earth. Tiago, you made them happy."
"Oh," the college student squeaked, bolting to her feet.
Tiago then had to step out into the hall before she burst into tears in front of the other girl.
