Almost a year had passed since (Y/n) saved Haxus and within that time span they had slowly been falling in love with each other but neither of them had taken the first step towards actually confessing their feelings for each other. Haxus tried a few times, unfortunately he felt so overwhelmed that he was at a loss for words and it led to a few awkward situations. As time went on they cuddled with each other every night and (Y/n) always woke up in Haxus' embrace, almost like they were a real couple. (Y/n) also tried confessing her feelings for Haxus a time or two but every time she attempted to do so she started stuttering so much that she had to stop speaking. She was still able to keep him hidden from the paladins; there were a few close calls when someone almost came into her room or found his armor in the lower levels of the castle, thankfully she was able to prevent them from finding the galran stowaway.

By then, Haxus was absolutely positive that he wanted (Y/n) to be his mate and he knew he needed to make his move before someone else did; he'd never met anyone like her and he didn't want to lose the woman who unknowingly captured his heart. He felt ashamed that he couldn't find a first courtship gift to give her as the ancient galran traditions demanded, although he supposed that he could make it up to her later on. (Y/n) wasn't doing much better; she wanted to ask Haxus on a date after she confessed her feelings for him but there weren't any good first date locations seeing as they were stuck on a castle ship. She wanted him to be her lover so badly and every day that passed with them not being a couple made her feel like she was dying on the inside. (Y/n) had a plan though, during an upcoming meteor shower the paladins and Coram would be away at a feast held in the paladins' honor, giving her and Haxus the perfect chance to watch it together in the observation deck where she would hopefully confess her feelings for him.

On the day the paladins had to leave (Y/n) made sure they had everything they needed before they left, reassuring them that she would be just fine while keeping an eye on everything around the castle. As soon as she was absolutely sure they were gone the young woman rushed to her room where Haxus was waiting for her as usual, although before she entered she took a deep breath, reminding herself that if things didn't go as planned that she and Haxus would always at least be friends. There was a voice of doubt in the back of (Y/n's) mind telling her not to go through with her plan but she pushed it aside and placed her hand on the scanner next to her door, unlocking it so it could slide open and she could walk in. The meteor shower would be starting soon, so they needed to get to the observation deck before it began. Haxus had been waiting for (Y/n) to come get him, already knowing the paladins were gone; he was determined to confess his feelings to her that evening, no matter what.

"They're gone, now come on." (Y/n) beckoned while standing in her doorway, excited to go see the meteor shower with him even though she felt anxious at the exact same time.

"You seem excited this evening, is there something you have planned for us?" Haxus noted with suspension, knowing she was up to something; he could easily read her body language and judging by the tone of her voice he wasn't sure what to expect.

"I might have something planned, but we have to go to the observation deck to do it." (Y/n) replied, feeling her palms becoming slightly sweaty while her heart raced within her chest.

"Very well, I'll join you." Haxus responded as he stood up and walked towards the door, following (Y/n) out into the hallway whilst wondering what he was about to get himself into.

(Y/n) smiled anxiously before heading towards the observation deck, feeling lightheaded as she thought about what she was about to do; she naturally had her doubts but she refused to chicken out. She wondered if she was making the right decision by telling Haxus how she really felt about him, although she'd never been in love with anyone before like she was with him and it's not like she had a lot to lose aside from everything. The more (Y/n) thought about it the more she wanted to give up, afraid about Haxus rejecting her but reminding herself that she needed to find out. Then again, confessing one's feelings to someone could cause them to doubt themselves and (Y/n) didn't want to miss out on a potentially beautiful thing in life. If things didn't go well then she would let Haxus take one of the escape pods and cover up for him, that way he could at least go live out the rest of his life somewhere.

In the meantime Haxus was thinking of ways he could start courting (Y/n) despite not having any first courtship gifts for her, although he knew he needed her as his mate and he could always make up for the lack of gifts later. He never imagined himself being in a situation where he had to confess his feelings for someone but now that he was he realized just how lonely he'd been since before he started having romantic feelings for (Y/n). Back when he lived with Sendak he never even considered taking a mate, although ever since he made a change for the better in life he wanted someone to love and be loved by; he would make sure to be a good mate for her when they hopefully eventually got to that point. When they finally entered the observation deck after a long walk and an elevator ride Haxus noticed how the lights were dimmed down and the stars in space were fully visible. Haxus sat on the steps of Allura's platform after (Y/n) did, suddenly feeling a mixture of anxiousness and heat in his lower belly, realizing just how alone he was with the woman he unexpectedly fell in love with.

"There's supposed to be a meteor shower while the others are away. I thought that we could see it together." (Y/n) spoke quietly after a few moments, looking up at the male next to her while a light blush dusted her cheeks.

"I haven't seen one in ages, thank you for bringing me to see it." Haxus replied, a soft smile gracing his lips while he looked into her beautiful (E/c) orbs.

(Y/n) felt her heart fluttering within her chest and she looked down at her lap for a moment to hide her darkening blush, twiddling her thumbs whilst feeling a little dizzy. She and Haxus sat there in silence for what felt like forever, neither of them knowing exactly what to say to each other even though they wanted to say the exact same thing; they wanted to be together so badly and yet they were completely speechless. When the meteors began streaking through space they looked up, Haxus feeling grateful for the particle barrier while (Y/n) realized just how different meteor showers looked from in space compared to on Earth. (Y/n) glanced at Haxus every few moments and saw how in awe he was of the meteor shower, knowing it had been a long time since he'd seen one. She also knew how old he was compared to her in human years and galran years, although she didn't care about their age difference because he was still technically in the prime of his life and he wasn't even considered anywhere near old, she didn't even mind his occasional salty behavior.

Haxus looked at (Y/n) when he was sure she wasn't looking at him, realizing just how beautiful she looked in the dim lighting of the observation deck accompanied by the stars outside; it was as though the past few thousand years passed in a blur but now that he was alone with her he finally saw things the way they were. It was as if a fog had lifted and he realized that he belonged there, not necessarily in the castle of lions, but he belonged with (Y/n). Neither of them knew how much time passed while they were watching the meteor shower outside, although at some point they turned towards each other a little and made eye contact; (Y/n's) mouth felt dry all of a sudden and she was sweating a little while Haxus felt as though his heart was going to leap right out of his chest. (Y/n's) mind suddenly went blank which caused her to panic, she wondered if she would be able to confess her feelings for him at all. She wanted to so badly but each time she tried she couldn't and it made her feel worse later; (Y/n) briefly pondered if she was making the wrong decision and if she should just be friends with Haxus instead.

"(Y/n), I have something important I need to tell you, but I'm not exactly sure how." Haxus began to say before he stopped, needing a moment to choose his words carefully; he wanted to woo her with his confession, so he needed to be as romantic as possible.

"I have something important that I need to tell you too, but you can go first." (Y/n) spoke quietly whilst looking up at him, noticing the light blush dusting his cheeks; she didn't see him act flustered very often and to her it was adorable.

Haxus opened his mouth for a couple of seconds before closing it again, losing his train of thought which made him panic for a moment. He could fight several alien soldiers at once and win and also help Sendak conquer whole planets, but confessing his feelings to (Y/n) was completely different and it was a lot harder than it should have been. Haxus averted his gaze for a couple of seconds while thinking, taking a deep breath as he struggled to keep his composure. (Y/n) just sat there in silence while waiting for Haxus to say something, her heart beating so hard that she wondered if he could hear it. Her assumptions of him secretly liking her appeared to be true, although she didn't want to jump to conclusions too soon.

"When that drone made me fall to my death almost a year ago I was prepared to die alone but then you came along and saved me, and I'll always be grateful for your act of kindness. As I've gotten to know you better my feelings about you have changed; I no longer see you as an acquaintance or a friend, I've come to realize that I have romantic feelings for you. Every morning when we wake up together my heart races within my chest when you open your eyes and look at me and before we go to sleep together I look forward to embracing you in my arms where you'll always be safe. My heart aches every day that we're not together as a couple and I can't go on any longer without having you in mine. I apologize for not being able to follow the traditional galran courtship traditions the way they were meant to be; (Y/n), will you allow me to court you?" Haxus confessed with the gentlest tone he'd ever spoken in, but as he finally confessed his feelings for (Y/n) he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his chest.

"Haxus, I- I've felt the same way for a long time; the romantic feelings part, anyway. You have no idea how long I've liked you and couldn't tell you because- W-well, it's not important, this is one of the happiest days of my life! I give you permission to court me." (Y/n) responded, her voice coming out as barely a whisper; she couldn't believe Haxus loved her and as she accepted him she felt as though she was going to faint.

Haxus carefully picked (Y/n) up and sat her on his lap, carefully hugging her against his body while purring; he was so happy to finally have her as his intended mate and he couldn't have been happier. Galra purring wasn't anything like what a cats' purring sounded like, it had a deeper sound to it and Haxus' purr sounded slightly raspy, but (Y/n) loved it because she knew he was feeling happy. She was a little confused when he kept nudging her right jaw with his nose until she exposed her neck to him and he rubbed his face and lower jawline against her collarbone, occasionally lightly nipping at her sensitive flesh until she let out a quiet moan. (Y/n) kind of knew about the whole 'scenting' thing, although she didn't know how it worked and thought he was simply being overly affectionate now that they were unofficially an official couple. Even though most of everyone in the castle couldn't smell galra pheromones Haxus wanted her to smell like him, so naturally he rubbed the scent glands lining his lower head against her (S/t) skin so she smelled like him; besides, he liked smelling himself on her.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" (Y/n) queried with a humorous tone, smiling as he continued rubbing himself against her.

"I'm scenting you so that everyone knows you're mine, darling." Haxus growled possessively, gazing into her eyes for a moment before going back to his task of getting her to smell like him.

"Kiss me, Haxus." (Y/n) softly demanded, gazing at his lips with the burning desire to have them pressed against hers.

"What is a 'kiss'?" Haxus questioned, suddenly feeling a little confused; he didn't exactly understand kissing so it was natural for him to be confused.

"Instead of explaining it, I'll show you. Close your eyes and bring your face closer to mine, and pucker your lips a little." (Y/n) instructed, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke.

Haxus was too in the moment so he did exactly as (Y/n) instructed him to do by closing his eyes, moving his face towards hers and puckering his lips ever so slightly while waiting for a demonstration. As soon as he felt (Y/n's) lips pressing against his he felt a warmth spread throughout his body, specially in the pit of his stomach as though he had mini explorations going off inside of him; the size difference made it a little awkward but neither of them cared. Shortly after (Y/n) closed her eyes and kissed Haxus it was though her love for him intensified, never once had she ever loved someone as much as she loved him and she knew during that moment they were destined to be together. It took them a few moments but eventually their lips moved in sync, both of them listening to the quiet kissing sounds and moans between them and it only made the situation more surreal. (Y/n) felt tingly while she and Haxus tenderly kissed each other, her arms wrapped around the back of his neck while his were gently wrapped around her much smaller body.

They broke away for a few seconds every so often so that they could catch their breath, but then they went right back to kissing each other. (Y/n) knew Haxus was turned on when she felt something hard and long in his pants and she would have totally been down to do 'it' with him, unfortunately they couldn't because the paladins would be back within a few hours and she couldn't risk them finding out about Haxus. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't turned on, and Haxus could definitely smell it; he would mate with her too if they had the time. (Y/n) and Haxus had waited for so long to be together and now that they could they would never let each other go; finding one's life mate only truly happened once in everyone's life, Haxus would cherish (Y/n) forever. The new couple broke the kiss after a few moments, pressing their foreheads together while looking each other in the eye.

"I enjoy this 'kissing' thing you humans do." Haxus spoke quietly while he gazed into (Y/n's) eyes, finally deciding to say something to break the silence.

"Yeah, it feels pretty good; I've been waiting to do that for so long. Haxus... I- I love you." (Y/n) whispered in response whilst her heart pounded in her chest, feeling nothing but love for the galran man.

"I love you too, darling." Haxus purred before he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against (Y/n's) again, unable to resist kissing her.

As soon as Haxus leaned in for another kiss (Y/n) closed her eyes and let him take the lead, loving the feeling of his warm body pressed against hers despite the clothing barrier between them. Having a lover felt kind of strange for the young woman because she never imagined ever finding someone who loved her, especially since she found her significant other in the lower levels of an alien castle ship in the middle of space. (Y/n) couldn't wait to do some of the cute couple things with Haxus that other couples sometimes did, whether in real life or in movies, it just so happened that making out during a meteor shower was one of those things. For the rest of the meteor shower she and Haxus either kissed each other or chatted about things for their relationship such as goals and boundaries; having such a talk was important, so it was a good thing they had the time to discuss such things. They also enjoyed their time alone as much as they could before the others returned, both of them knowing it would be a long while before they could do something fun together again.

__________

(Y/n) felt a little sad when the paladins came back because it meant Haxus couldn't be out and about like she could, although they were still a couple and sneaking around had the potential to add a little excitement to their lives. After they returned to their room for the night right before everyone else came back Haxus and (Y/n) shared their first goodnight kiss; they still put their pajamas on while facing away from each other but their first goodnight kiss would always be memorable. Haxus snuggled with his intended mate for the entire night, purring until they fell asleep together and they were still cuddling together when they woke up the next morning. It took (Y/n) a moment to remember that she and Haxus were in a relationship, although when she did she gave him the most passionate good morning kiss that she could. She still could hardly believe it, she was actually in a real relationship with Haxus which made her feel a rush of excitement.

"Good morning, darling." Haxus purred after (Y/n) kissed him, a loving expression etched on his face while he gazed into her eyes, loving how beautiful she looked whenever they woke up together.

"Good morning, hot stuff." (Y/n) responded groggily, a smirk replacing her smile as soon as she gave him a nickname; he already gave her one, so it was about time she came up with one for him.

"If you keep that up then you won't be leaving this room until much later." Haxus spoke with a false threatening tone, a quiet growl laced within his tone.

"Does it look like I care?" (Y/n) questioned, a dark blush appearing on her face after she finished speaking, feeling heat in between her thighs.

"No, it doesn't, but I do because I'm starving." Haxus responded right before his stomach growled with hunger; it wasn't like he could just go to the kitchen, so he was relying on (Y/n) to bring food to him.

"Alright, I'll get up." (Y/n) pouted cutely, letting out an over dramatic sigh when she sat up; she wanted to spend more time in bed with her new boyfriend but she knew he was hungry.

Haxus sat up after (Y/n) did, briefly wrapping his arms around her smaller form and leaning down so he could once again rub his scent glands on her right shoulder whilst purring. Now that the young woman was his significant other he could finally be affectionate with her, something he'd been wanting to do for a long time. (Y/n) gave him a kiss after he let her go and she stood up; right before she left their bedroom she gave him a suggestive look, knowing it would definitely have an effect on him which he would probably take care of during his morning bathroom trip. Haxus felt a little lonely after (Y/n) left their room; he wished that he could join her for breakfast but he knew the paladins would never be welcoming to someone like him because of what he did in the past. He hoped that someday they could leave the castle together and find somewhere nice to live where no one would stop them from being together.