There has to be an After for Us ~ (shadam / klance)

Chapter 10 - A Human Label

"You have a specific word for that?" asked Allura.

"You mean for a man that loves men?"

"Yes. You have a term for it?"

"Do you find that... strange?" asked Shiro.

"A bit," said Allura, now downplaying her earlier surprise. "I think we are best to keep moving forward. I do not know what happened to the other paladins, but they can take care of themselves. After what just happened, I would like to get you to the astral plane sooner rather than later.

Shiro nodded his agreement and the two of them fell into step together. Indistinct grey figures to either side, a black string connected to his heart and tied to Allura's wrist, and a set of colourful stars as their guidepost. Shiro wanted to focus on getting to Adam, but he couldn't shake the odd exchange he'd just had with Allura.

"Were there no gay people on Altea?" asked Shiro. "I mean men like me, who love other men."

Allura gave Shiro the side eye and laughed. "Of course we did. Could you imagine if we didn't then what?"

"I guess then just men and women as couples."

"You mean just breeding pairs?" asked Allura. "That would leave a lot of Alteans out of luck."

"So you did have gay people?"

Allura seemed a bit frustrated. "You keep using that term, but for me it would be like labeling a male's attraction to legs."

"Leg man."

"Or a mature female's attraction to younger males."

"Cougar."

"Honestly," scoffed Allura, "Do humans have labels for everything?"

"We might," said Shiro. "Everything we've thought to label, but those last two were a joke. Being gay, however, is a big deal."

"Why?" asked Allura.

"Because it differs from the norm."

"Shiro," said Allura. She stopped and grabbed hold of his wrist tight then looked him in the eye. "What are you doing? Calling yourself not normal?"

"No, I -," began Shiro, but then he played back what he'd said in his head. He had said that. It's amazing that after all these years, the internalized homophobia could still bite him in the ass. "You're right. I said it completely wrong. I meant to explain that others don't always see me and those like me as normal. I guess that's why they gave it a label at all. To other our identities, to make us stand out."

Allura suddenly looked so sad. Shiro wished he could take back what he'd said. "I've upset you?"

"Pardon me," said Allura. "It's just... everything I've learned of humans so far as been so wonderful. I mean, some of it has been horrifying like drinking the liquid that secretes from Kaltenecker's bosom, but the rest of it... you and the paladins, the way the people of earth held off the Fire of Purification for over three deca-phoebs... humans are truly capable of incredible things so to learn humans can think of you, Shiro, as abnormal... It just near breaks my heart."

Shiro saw the tears well up in Allura's eyes as he felt them do the same in his own. It took an alien perspective to really drive home how ridiculous it was to be discriminated against over whom he loved.

"I'm sorry to shatter the illusion of human perfection," said Shiro. He turned and started to walk. If he stayed still he risked collapsing into tears. "It's getting better, slowly. Too slow. We only won the right to marry in my lifetime."

"They wouldn't let men form unions with other men?" asked Allura, the disappointment in her voice, deepening.

"Or women with women. I mean... there was a time before mine when they wouldn't even let different races marry. There's a lot to human history that's shameful. But I guess we're rebuilding from scratch now."