Author’s Note: This is an old, old fanfic written back in the day when I was a wee fanbrat on a long-term caffeine high. Consequently it is rather long and convoluted and a little silly. There may be a couple OOC’s here and there, as while I like Princess Allura’s character, she was admittedly a wuss in the series. It was like, “Come on, girl, stand up for yourself!” And that’s when I caught myself yelling at my TV and decided to write this sprawling fanfic. At any rate, I hope that you enjoy it.
Opposites Attract,
"So, what happened this time to get your hormones in such a knot?" Haggar asked dryly, smoothing out the wrinkles in her brown robe with one withered hand, "A slap in the face? A kick in the-"
"Shut up, witch!" he muttered acidly, cutting her off, "I used the damn drug like you suggested, and it... affected her..."
"Oh, so it does work, then?" she replied with a raised eyebrow.
"I wasn't finished yet!" Lotor snarled with the good manners he was universally known for, "But, yes, if you must know, it does work...," by now his palms had unclenched themselves, and they slid off of the countertop in self-admitted defeat, "However, I too... accidentally imbibed some of it..."
"...Really?" this time there was a spark of amusement in the old woman's yellow eyes.
"Yes, really, you stupid hag! Now quit interrupting me!! Stuff... happened, and she got... uh, a little fresh...," Lotor trailed off and started to fidget, too embarrassed to admit to the fact that a woman half his mass, at least, had almost forced herself upon him.
Haggar immediately caught on to his badly constructed nuances and began to laugh uproariously, leaning against her gnarled staff for support.
"Are you attempting to tell me that the princess you have been trying desperately for the past year to get in the sack has in turn tried to rape you?" she gasped, her vision blurring through the flood of tears now streaming down her face, "Oh, this is too much!! No wonder your mission was a failure!"
Lotor fought the overwhelming urge to slash the decrepit witch's neck.
Gritting his teeth, he said in a voice that dripped venom like honey, "Keep laughing, Haggar, and I'll make sure that you'll be practicing your craft in the bottom of the Pit of Skulls... Now tell me, why did you not inform me about the side effects of your little project?"
The echo of Haggar's snickers finally died away as she straightened herself out once more.
"You don't scare me, Lotor, so don't even try," she replied indifferently, mirth still edging her tone, as she shrugged off his death threat like it was simply some bothersome insect that was pestering her, "Remember, I tried to warn you about what the powder could do, but did you listen to me? No... As usual, you let that," she pointed towards his midsection, "Do the thinking for you, rather than that," she now pointed towards his head.
The alien prince looked like he was about to explode at that very moment, knowing fully well that she was right, but would never admit to it. He instinctively reached towards his side for his lazon sword (never mind that he forgot the fact that he had left it up in his rooms in the first place), but in a rare moment of self-control, though, he halted his sudden movements. Stilling himself, he closed his eyes and inhaled a few deep breaths before speaking.
"No, not this time, witch... You are not going to succeed in baiting me...," Lotor said evenly, calmly tucking a few white strands of hair behind a pointed ear, "So, why don't we stop wasting all of this time and simply get to the point- where is the antidote to your spell?"
"Why should I tell you anything?" Haggar scoffed.
A crooked grin spread across Lotor's face.
"Because," he fluidly grabbed Coba, who was still stupidly standing there in the tub of bathwater, and dangled him by the scruff of his neck, "I would hate to see how the absence of your familiar would affect your work."
Haggar's eyes widened in horror. "No, not my baby!!" she shrieked in a higher pitch than she had intended, "You let him go, right now!!"
Lotor disregarded the sorceress's protests and made a threatening move to snap the blue cat's neck.
"Oh, I'll let him go, alright," he informed her darkly, "If you don't tell me where the antidote is!!"
A moment of silence hung heavy in the air as the aged witch froze and stared into the prince's equally intense eyes. Was he bluffing? It was difficult to tell; his gaze was diamond-hard, virtually unreadable.
Meanwhile, her only weakness hung limply from his large hand, not even struggling for some reason. She could use her magic to try and rescue Coba, but not before Lotor got to him first; one twitch of his finger, and the cat's life, along with the main conduit for her power, would surely be severed. Over something this trifling, it just wasn't worth it.
Lowering her eyes, Haggar dropped her hands to her sides and breathed a heavy sigh of resignation, "Fine, you win, Lotor. Let him go."
"First tell me where the antidote is!" he rumbled menacingly in the back of his throat.
"There is no antidote-"
"WHAT?!" Lotor's grip on Coba's neck tightened instantly, making the cat's eyes bulge dangerously.
"-but if you'll let me finish," Haggar continued almost patiently, despite the interruption, "It does gradually wear off... I think in your case, it'll take about a week."
Lotor's hand relaxed.
"A week?!" he whined, "I can't wait that lo-," he then abruptly tightened his mouth into a thin line, realizing that that was the best he was going to get, "Fine, take your cat."
Coba dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, but then bounded over to the witch and leaped up into her waiting arms.
"Are you all right, baby?!" Haggar simpered, hugging the familiar so tightly all that came out was a strangled "...Mre...ow?", "Did that bad man hurt you? I'm so gwad you're all wight!! Yesh, I am!!"
Lotor watched this exchange with disgust. As the sorceress continued to lavish her pet with insipid baby talk, he brushed off the blue cat hair that had accumulated over his pants.
"If you don't mind, make sure I don't have any missions on Arus for a while," he stated briskly," For obvious reasons, of course..."
"Of course...," Haggar agreed in defeat before choosing to change the subject, "Where is your father, anyway? He hasn't been seen by anyone for the past hour or so."
This time a small half-smile curved across Lotor's lips, as if he were enjoying some private joke,
"Oh, I think he's dealing with some shit around the castle..."
"Alright, alright... Just get out of here, will you?" she huffed, still perturbed at being bested.
"As my 'Lady' commands," Lotor answered flippantly, giving a mock bow shortly before leaving.
If looks could kill, the one Haggar shot him would have left him disemboweled.
"Arrogant, little son-of-bitch..."
Turning around, the prince returned her venomous glare with yet another ridiculing smirk that she wished she could just wipe off of his face.
"Haggar! If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to kiss up to me!"
"Piss off, you brat!"
"And you kiss my father with that mouth?" declared Lotor with a feigned hurt pride, "For shame!"
The witch felt like she would implode at any moment, "Will you just shut up and get the hell out of here, smart-ass?!"
Laughing, the white-haired prince turned smartly around and sauntered out of the lab at a leisurely pace; the knowledge of knowing that both he and Allura would be back to normal within a week's time left him in good humor. However, he couldn't help but throw out one last insult.
"Hey, Haggar, you look good for your age - almost life-like!"
The sorceress conveniently tightened the death grip she held on her familiar.
...Why does that little bastard always have to have the last word?!... Well, no matter...
With that in mind, Haggar's temper slowly diffused when Lotor finally rid her precious lab of his infuriating presence altogether. Relaxing her grip, she lofted the blue cat up towards her face once more.
"Well, Coba, what say we forget about that idiot and... finish taking that bath?!"
That suggestion definitely put some reanimation into the poor familiar. After a close brush with death, this was the last straw. His claws slashed at the air with an energy born of renewed desperation, but Haggar merely giggled as if it were the funniest thing. Holding the wriggling Coba high above her head, she marched towards the small tub of water on the countertop, singing in a scratchy, off-key voice that blended in the air melodiously (at least in the opinion of a witch) with her cat's yowling:
"Oh, Zarkon, my darling, how I love thee!
How I long to drench wine on your naked bo-dy,
And s-l-o-w-l-y move my way down,
After you take off your great, big... uh, crown!
I will show you such pleasure,
It'll surely be the greatest (Ow, you damn cat! Don't scratch me there!!) ah... treasure!!
One day you shall again be mine,
I will really blow your mind!
I am one foxy femme,
And we'll have a nice session of S&M!!
I imagine the sweat on your... thighs,
And your yellow eyes... uh, er... hypnotize!
You must have come from above,
Oh, Zarkon, my love!!..."
Several windows cracked, but luckily, no innocent souls, except maybe poor Coba, were around to witness how little Haggar knew about poetry.
Opposites Attract, Ch. 32
Princess Allura stared wide-eyed out the thick, glass windows of her Lion and into the aquatic environment that surrounded her, absentmindedly watching small shoals of brightly-hued fish weave brilliant patterns in the water. The dim moonlight that usually gave way to dawn filtered softly down from the water's surface.
Blue Lion had landed in the depths of the castle lake at least two hours ago, but her tough safety straps and Lotor's leather thong had held her into her pilot's seat good and tight. Of course, she had tried, cussing and spitting in an extremely un-princesslike manner, to wriggle out of her bondage long ago, but she quickly discovered that Lotor had used a Drule knot to bind her wrists, infuriatingly difficult to untie, but not so tight that it cut off the blood circulation. The only real way to nullify a knot like that was to use a knife, but unfortunately, Allura had not had the foresight to stash a dagger into her skimpy, barely-there attire during her bipolar rampage.
So, overall, all she could really do was stare around blankly and think about what she had just done on Doom, of all places, to Lotor, of all people. All but too-vivid memories of her straddling the Drule prince like a horse flitted about in her mind like thousands of hyperactive butterflies, mortifying her to the very core. Never in a million bazillion years would she, under ordinary circumstances, ever do something like that to anyone, especially to the man whose idea of sweeping her off of her feet was a slam-bam-thank-you-ma'am in her room right after breaking in and entering! What in the universe had he blown into her face, anyway?!
...Come to think of it, that... drug of Lotor's must have been made by Haggar... I've got to give credit to that witch, this is some of the most potent stuff of hers that I’ve personally experienced... After all, it's practically turned me into Merla..., Allura thought with distaste, sticking her tongue out to show exactly how she felt about the self-proclaimed Queen of Darkness, ...However, it was nice to see Lotor sweat a little bit for once... That stupid jerk had it coming to him... A humorous smile, this time a genuine one, not a product of the sorceress's powder, flashed momentarily across the princess's face.
Allura sobered her expression immediately, though. Actually, for being such a stupid, narcissistic, megalomaniacal, perverted jerk, Lotor had acted surprisingly thoughtful and considerate towards her during her "visit" to Doom. Like her, he had also done something that he would ordinarily never, ever do (i.e. something nice)... she just knew he had... but that special something evaded her at the moment. Her memory was beginning to get so fuzzy it was now at the point where she could remember only the dumb stuff she had pulled. Was this another side-effect of the witch's drug? Probably not; it seemed her sleep-deprived state was quickly catching up with both her normal-functioning half, and her neurotic, drugged-up half. When was the last time she had gotten any rest?
...Let me see... Lotor attacked last week, and again a while ago..., Allura silently pondered to herself with her eyes closed, ...I went to Doom right after that - I still cannot believe that I actually went there - stayed for a few hours, and came back here, I guess... So, is today the day Lotor attacked Arus, or was that yesterday?... Oh, God...
The crap that Lotor had given her a dose of had evidently warped her sense of time along with her personality.
Sighing in disgust at both herself and the futility of her current situation, Allura collapsed, exhausted, back into her seat, knowing fully well that she was at the complete mercy of whoever stumbled into Blue Lion next. Most of the guys would likely never let her hear the end of it, and one in particular would probably use this as fodder for a good, old-fashioned blackmail. With Coran... Allura seriously had no comment. The only being that definitely put the spark of fear in the Arusian princess's eye was the unholy leviathan known as her governess. If Nanny caught her, she would no doubt spank her ass bright red for the whole world to see. Knowing her, she would probably even up the degree of humiliation by broadcasting the whole thing to every known stretch of the universe.
Allura winced at the mental image of Doom's royal court guffawing over the future ruler of Arus being taken over her governess's knee like a 5-year-old brat.
Banishing the ludicrous thought, Allura soon realized that she couldn't rescue herself from Blue Lion's cockpit. Her body deflated in defeat. Once again, she was undoubtedly doomed to play the part of the screaming damsel-in-distress who was there only for ornamental purposes.
...Well, at least I'm not wearing pink this time...
Allura forced herself to choke down the fact she would need rescuing, yet again, like bitter medicine. It punctured her ego to untold limits to admit to it, but she did need help. Normally, she would have adopted her usual gung-ho attitude and tried to rescue herself like some quasi-warrior woman already, but the fact she couldn't even get her chafing wrists unbound quickly grounded that idea. She needed help, alright, but it would have to be from someone who was sympathetic towards her, someone who actually possessed enough understanding not to tell anyone else the embarrassing circumstances surrounding her being tied up...
"Hunk!! That's it!" Allura cried hopefully, shooting up (well, as much as her safety straps would allow) from her seat, "He's the guy that I need!"
Hunk would rescue her! Underneath his gruff exterior, that gentle giant possessed a heart of gold. Of course, all of the guys were truly noble in their own ways, but Hunk was the only one she knew who wouldn't accidentally snitch her out. She would have to fib to him a little, but still...
Deftly maneuvering her feet to bring up the thick comforter that she assumed Lotor, in another unexpected act of compassion, had left onboard for her in case she got cold, Allura managed to cover herself somewhat before she strained her body forward and pressed the comm button on the console with her nose. Aside from being linked to all of the other Lions, the comms also had an automatic connection to Castle Control, where, hopefully, Hunk would be. ...For my sake, he'd better be!...
Her view screen came to life, giving the princess a view of the wide, metallic expanse that was Castle Control. Allura peered into the dim lighting, but stifled a groan of disappointment when she sensed nothing. Nobody was out there...!
Just as she beginning to think that she would have to spend the remainder of the night in Blue Lion and face the wrath of Nanny in the morning, she spied a sudden movement on the screen out of the corner of her eyes.
...Hunk?...
Sure enough, this person's body shape was conveniently shaped like Hunk's and he was making a definite beeline towards the kitchens, the light offering tantalizing glimpses of a red sweat band and brown, flannel pajamas.
"Hunk!!" Allura was so ecstatic, if she hadn't been tied down, she would've fallen off her perch, "Hey, Hunk!"
But Hunk kept marching on, deaf to her pleas. Allura narrowed her eyes and peered closer into her view screen. Why was he ignoring her? It wasn't like him.
As he came nearer, she wanted to slap herself when she noticed the slack look on his face and the thin trail of drool that leaked out of the corner of his mouth – he was sleep-walking!
"Hunk!" Allura hissed loudly, pounding her feet against the screen, "Wake up, damn it! Wake up!!"
"What?"
Allura exhaled the deep breath she didn't even know she was holding in, "Thank God! I thought I'd never be able to wake you up!"
"What are you talking abou- Princess?! What are you doing in Blue Lion at this hour?! In fact, where have you been all day? We've been missing you since Lotor attacked last night."
"Ugh, l-o-n-g story," she sighed tiredly, grateful that her traitorous body was, for once, choosing to behave itself, "I, uh, went to- hey! Now, just waitaminute..."
Allura, her blue eyes still squeezed shut, hesitated. Hunk's voice... it didn't seem to be its usual deep tone. Instead, it was... lighter, more suave, with an oh-so-slightly sarcastic lilt to it.
...Oh, good lord, please, please don't let it be him...
Opposites Attract, Ch. 33
She cracked an eye open and nearly jumped out of her skin, her worst fears confirmed.
"LANCE?!" she shrieked and shrank back into her seat, feeling the knot around her wrists dig into her back.
"Yuh, who wants to know?" the Red Lion pilot answered nonchalantly, reaching up to take a swig of the milk carton he was carrying in one hand.
"Uh, er... uh... Wha-where's Hunk?!"
Wiping off his milk mustache, Lance regarded the general area the kitchens lay in with a casual wave of his arm, "I think he's raiding the fridge; I was just walking a few yards behind him. If you ask me, I think the big guy is sleep-walking again..."
Allura only heard about half of what he said; she was too busy sweating in momentary panic.
...Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap! He's going to tell everyone!!...
Lance, dressed in a pair of blue boxers, merely gazed at her quizzically with an arched eyebrow, still holding the milk carton in midair, "So... are you going to tell me why both you and your Lion went AWOL yesterday, and why you're ...sleeping?... in Blue Lion right now?"
...Oh, sure I'll tell you..., Allura thought spitefully, her wild alarm abandoned for a renewed anger, ...That stupid pig who passes himself off as royalty turned me into a sadistic bitch who chased him across the whole bloody galaxy just because his equally stupid master plan backfired! That's why I went AWOL, THAT'S WHY!!...
However, she instead inhaled a deep breath before simply replying, "Okay, Lance, I'll tell you, but first I need you to get in Blue Lion and let me out."
"Why? Can't you get out yourself?"
"Um, no... I'm strapped in."
"So, unstrap yourself."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because... I'm kind of slightly tied up at the moment. Literally."
An expression crossed Lance's face, one that was an odd combination of his brow furrowing in suspicion and a wide smirk that once again resembled Lotor's a little too much for Allura's liking.
"Why, Your Highness, were you having a party in there that I wasn't invited to?"
"Augh!! Just get me out of here!" she detonated indignantly, "...Please?!"
Laughing softly to himself, he crossed his arms and shook his head in disbelief, "Fine, I'll come down for you, but you have to tell me everything that happened, and I mean everything."
The light footsteps of bare feet and the hiss of Blue Lion's hatch opening notified Allura to Lance's arrival. Already she could feel her plans to escape unscathed unraveling around her like a cheap sweater.
...Well, here goes nothing...
Screwing on the most innocent, plastic smile she could manage, she beamed at Lance when he at last sauntered into the Lion.
"Lance, ol' buddy, ol' pal, ol' compadre! Glad you could drop in!"
"Yep, I know you wouldn't know what to do without me," the pilot replied with a grandiose air, stretching his arms behind his head in order to flash her a gratuitous glimpse of his abdomen, "But, your savior is here at last. Please, hold your applause."
"My hero," Allura stated dryly, her artificial smile fading, "And I thought that Lotor was bad enough."
Grinning ear to ear, Lance was visibly preening his ego, "He only wish he were," his sharp gaze then fell across the blanket that covered her, "Random question, but may I ask where you got that? I don't think I've ever seen it before."
"None of your business," she scowled, choosing to change the subject, "Well, aren't you going to help a lady when you see one?"
"Lady? What lady?" Lance quipped, turning his head from side to side, "I don't see a lady anywhere in here."
"Please, Lance, stop, the hilarity is killing me," retorted Allura acidly, sending him reeling as she kicked him in the shins as hard she could, "I'm surprised you're piloting instead of doing stand-up right now."
Gracefully recovering from the blow, he stood up once more and ruefully massaged his left shin, "I suppose I deserved that... Okay, Princess, I'll get you out of here, but I can't do it with that blanket covering you."
"Yes, you can," Allura suddenly shrank back into her seat for some reason.
"Um, no, I can't."
"Yes, you can!" she complained, "I'm, uh... too cold!"
"Would you like some cheese to go with that whine?" Lance remarked in a plaintive tone of voice, sticking out his lower lip, "Face it, Princess, if you want out, that thing has to come off. I'd prefer not to have to grope in the dark. And besides," he added casually, squatting down to her level, "It's not like you're naked under there."
"Of course not, heh-heh-eh...," she stated with her teeth clenched in another Barbie-esque grin, "Whatever would give you that idea?"
"Nothing, nothing," he sighed errantly, waving a hand in an impatient gesture, "Just off with it already, would you?"
Worrying her lip, the princess of Arus was at a loss for what to do next. Each second that Lance continued to stare at her like she had sprouted an extra arm was a second less she could manage to stall him.
...God, he's never going to let me live this down...
Opposites Attract, Ch. 34
"Before I even do anything," Allura phrased her words very levelly, meeting his stare head-on, "You have to swear to me that you won't reveal to anyone what you are about to see or hear. I'm serious!"
"Why?" Lance, for the first time since setting foot in Blue Lion, was puzzled.
"Just swear!" she yelled, trying very hard to cage her pent-up frustration as she strained uncomfortably in her bonds, "I've had a long night, all right?"
Holding his hands up in defeat, he said simply, "Fine, I give. I swear. What's the big deal, anyways?"
"This is," Allura kicked off the blanket without too much gusto, revealing her scantily-dressed state.
Lance's pupils dilated as he first looked up, then down, up, down, up, down, and finally up again. Standing rigidly back up, his normal laid-back, smart-ass self resumed momentarily.
"Well, that's certainly a side of you I haven't seen in a while," he remarked almost indifferently, lightly rubbing his chin, "I must admit that I'm surprised you're not wearing pink right now."
"Lance, look at my face when you talk to me," the princess stated icily as she noted the direction of his gaze.
"Huh- what?" he shook his head like a dog who had been smacked with a newspaper, "Oh, sorry. Here, let me get me out of there."
Without making too many jokes or wisecracks, which Allura was grateful for, the Red Lion pilot skillfully maneuvered her out of her safety straps and the maddening knot that bound her wrists together. The minute her aching, sore hands became free, she dove for the only refuge she could immediately find - the thick, black comforter that she had kicked off onto the floor. She quickly wrapped it around herself so tightly, she might as well have been mummified within it. So what if it came from the blood-thirsty heir to a blood-thirsty empire? It was damn comfy. Almost as comfy as her own bed. Which she would be getting back to. Soon.
"Thank you, Lance," she breathed gratefully, carefully sitting back down in the seat that had held her prisoner just moments before, "You have no idea how long I've been down here."
"Would you care to enlighten me at all?" he said, his shoulders bent in that trademark shrug as his body leaned against Blue Lion's hull adjacent from her, "After all, I kept my part of the deal."
Allura nervously clutched the blanket even tighter around herself. Lance, of course, noticed this with mild interest.
"Well, you see, Lance, it's like this...," she trailed off slowly, licking her dry lips as she waited for the next random thing her mind could spew out, "I was just, uh, minding my own business when, all of a sudden, my Lion was... hijacked! Yeah, I was hijacked by... Merla! She... well... came aboard and stole... my uniform! And then she tied me up! And then... she left... with my uniform... So, yep, there you go! That's why I'm down here." Allura then finished her speech with the cheesiest grin imaginable, the kind that screamed, "Please, please say that you just bought that!"
...Oh, yeah, Ally, that was real smooth...
Inwardly, the princess quailed. She had never been very good at lying.
"By God! That's it!" Lance declared, slamming his fist into the hull as if he had discovered the most mind-blowing revelation of the ages, "Why didn't I see it before! The Drules aren't waging a galactic war against us because they want to expand their empire and loot and pillage to their hearts' content! They're just secretly jealous of our superior fashion sense!"
Shooting him a venomous glance, Allura just mumbled, "Oh, shut up, Lance."
Grinning, he crossed his arms and removed himself from the wall.
"You forget, Princess, that you're speaking with the resident lie detector of the team, here. Face it, you just can't kid a kidder. So, spill it."
Allura was crestfallen. "What gave me away?"
"What, aside from the fact you can't lie worth spit?" he laughed, "I don't think Merla will be breaking into Blue Lion and then returning it back to its proper place just so she can make off with your uniform any time soon. No offense, Princess!" he sobered his jesting tone upon noticing her fierce glare, "Er... that is, I think your tastes are little too advanced for her primitive mind-"
"You mean Nanny's tastes," she broke in, wrinkling her nose.
Unperturbed at the interruption, Lance continued, "Anyway, Keith mentioned you had been acting strangely, and that you had even gone off on your own to go after who I like to fondly call His-Royal-Pain-in-the-Ass, which is obviously very uncharacteristic of you. You then disappear off the face of Arus for an entire day, and just as suddenly as you had popped off, you're back- in the buff, well, almost, and tied up, with a Drule knot, if I might add," he took an experimental whiff of the air, "This whole thing reeks of Lotor, but if you ask me, something else weird must have happened, because if he had had his way, the Lion would have been sent back crushed into a fine dust, and you'd be getting some very rigorous exercise right now. So, all in all," he concluded, pointing his index finger in the air much in the way Pidge would after explaining the solution to a complex math problem, "It was simply elementary, Princess."
"Wow," Allura's jaw dropped open, "You're good. No really, you are!"
"Yep, I know," he puffed up with false modesty, rubbing his knuckles on his chest and then breathing on them, "So are you going to tell me the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, or am I going to have to spread around my own version of it?" He smiled winningly, fluttering his eyelashes.
"Why, you low-down, dirty, lying snake-in-the-grass!" she growled dangerously, swiftly standing at attention.
"Who, Lotor? No, I don't think he's here right now."
"Are you blackmailing me?" she demanded, letting some of her blanket slip off her in her anger.
Seeing that his joke had gone too far, Lance defensively raised his hands into the air, "I wasn't being serious about that, Princess. You know me better than that. I may be an egotistical ass who knows how to have fun, but I can be a Keith, too; I know the meaning of honor," he said reasonably, "I just thought that you could use a little coaxing, that's all."
"I know, I know," Allura sighed, raking her slender fingers through her tangled mane, "My nerves have been shot as of late, so please excuse that. I'll tell you, but promise you'll keep it to yourself?"
"Promise," he swore solemnly.
Inhaling yet another deep breath, she told him the highlights of her harrowing adventure, of course leaving out the more racy details. Lance had a right to know, but not that much. And judging from the ludicrous expression on his countenance, she couldn't tell whether he believed her this time or not.
"Well, paint me blue and call me Zarkon! I'll be damned!" Lance chuckled, holding his sides so he wouldn't bust out laughing, "Are you serious? Lotor's an even bigger doof than I thought! I mean, I'll give him credit, he's a great tactician, but his mind is even more one-track than any of the space mice!"
"Tell me about it," Allura muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"Hey, at least it's over," he smiled hugely, trying to cheer her up, "That stuff has to be out of your system by now, right?"
"I don't think so," she replied regretfully, "I've never seen any of Haggar's spells or potions last for very long, but I never heard whether or not if this particular one had an antidote. I'm afraid this is just going to have to be a waiting game..."
Patting her reassuringly on the back, Lance started to guide her towards Blue Lion's hatch and Castle Control.
"Well, all that matters is that you're back and in one piece. Don't worry, you'll be fine," he then added, "By the way, you wouldn't happen to remember how you managed to infiltrate Doom's security system, would you?"
Allura paused thoughtfully for a moment, and then smacked her forehead.
"Damn it! No, I don't! And we've been trying to hack into that for the past few months, haven't we?!"
"Yeah, we have...," he sighed regretfully, "Oh, well, let's just get inside."
"I think I can agree with you on that one. All I want... is some sleep... Do you know I haven't slept in two days?" Allura murmured as she cocooned herself further into Lotor's blanket.
As Lance nodded, the hatch to the Lion slowly closed behind them with a hydraulic hiss.
Opposites Attract, Ch. 35
Allura was so tired and so drained of energy, she was practically asleep before she even hit the blessed familiarity of her mattress in her bedroom. Her entire mind was ridden with rampant, conflicting emotions, her body was extremely sore, and her eyes were probably bloodshot as hell, but she still somehow managed to slip into the most satisfying slumber she had experienced in ages.
She had locked her door and all her windows from the inside so she wouldn't be able to go off on another joyride in Blue Lion should the influences of Lotor's drug steal upon her unawares. Lance had also said he would concoct a good cover story for her absence, she had no idea what, but she had some faith in him.
...Actually, maybe it was better he found me, instead of Hunk...
Yawning, she rolled over onto her side and burrowed further into the black comforter she had dragged with her all the way up to her room.
The Arusian princess had become a virtual hermit within the confines of her own room. Her door and windows were still locked, and it had been at least five days since Lance had brought her back. She had had to frantically stave off all visits from Nanny, Coran, and the rest of the guys the whole time by feigning sick. Keith had even grudgingly given her leave from flight practice. And not surprisingly, no one from Doom attacked all week.
She still didn't know if the stuff Lotor had induced into her system was permanent or not, but she didn't want to take any chances with other people possibly finding out about it. Luckily, whatever it was that Lance had told everyone as her cover story also worked, since no one really ever interrogated her. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep up this charade forever, but what else could she do? She had virtually no way of finding out anymore information on that damn drug.
Meanwhile, Allura avoided going stir crazy in her solitude by passing the time reading cheesy romance novels and watching some old movie discs Pidge had given her a while ago. It kept her busy, but the back of her mind was always occupied with complete thoughts of its own.
Slowly, what had first been fuzzy details of her expedition to Doom soon became painfully clear memories. She had had to admit, the role reversal had, in its own insidious way, been fun, but the pure mortification she felt far outweighed the perverse satisfaction.
...My God, did I actually touch a whip?!... I was almost worse than Lotor ever was!... And that's pretty slutty!...
And what was more, things that the Drule prince had done that had been blocked from her memory came assailing back with a vengeance, as well. Things that would have made Zarkon, if he were dead, roll in his grave.
Victimized by his own plan, Lotor had still refused to take advantage of a situation that was clearly in his favor, even though it at least looked like he had pretty much severed the drug's influence over himself while he was still in the Castle of Lions. All he had to have done was just lay back and let her take care of everything. He could have even taken her hostage, but he didn't. He had sent her back. Even though he had everything to gain, and nothing to lose from the predicament. Why?
Could he have actually meant what he said?
Allura wonderingly traced a pattern with her fingertip onto the pillow she was staring blankly at in her lap. Lotor had acted... gentlemanly, and without thought to himself. Again, why?
...Well, that doesn't really change anything, but still... Geez, you think you know someone..., she pondered offhandedly, ...He's like a puzzle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in stupid...
Even though he went about it the wrong way, could the prince, so lacking in subtlety, actually, truly care for her?
Gradually, unanswered questions led to yet still even more questions, and Allura's curiosity gradually overcame her better judgment, which led her to do what she did. And besides, she still needed to know if Haggar's drug was permanent or not.
Late one night, she managed to steal downstairs and sneak into Castle Control without anyone's knowledge.
...God, strike me down before I do what I'm about to do...
Quietly pushing a few buttons, she spoke into a small view screen.
"I have no idea why I'm even doing this, and this is probably the stupidest thing I'll ever do in my life, but thanks to your little stunt last week, you owe me some answers, you bastard! I know you don't need any encouragement, but I'd like to discuss a couple of things with you. Meet me at the usual spot tomorrow at midnight. You know, one of the windows in my room you usually manage to jimmy open and terrify the hell out of me. Yeah, that one! And unlike last time, I will take some precautions in case anything happens... Catch my drift? In other words," she added with a shrill yell, "NO FUNNY STUFF, YOU BIG LUMMOX!!"
Pressing one last button, the encoded message was swiftly delivered to Lotor's one-man fighter.
Opposites Attract, Ch. 36
She was ready. Oh, she was so ready... Her gaze fixed on her bedroom window with the trained patience of an assassin, Allura clenched and unclenched her fists repetitively. After what seemed like an eon had passed, she rigidly checked her watch and saw that it was only 11:50 PM; it was still too early. Suppressing a yawn, she mechanically swung her iron view back to what was visible of the black Arusian night through her window. The stars winked innocently, betraying nothing of the fact that an asshole in prince's clothing probably slinked among them right now.
All of a sudden, Allura's entire body became coated in a light sheen of cold sweat. Unease and the first hint of fear played about in her widened, sapphire eyes.
...Ack! What am I talking about?!... There is no way in hell I'm ready for this yet!..., she pondered in a wild frenzy of panic.
What had she been kidding herself? She might've dressed up the situation by telling herself that she had done what she did because she rightfully wanted to find out if the damned drug had an antidote or not, but deep inside, whether or not if she wanted to admit to it, she knew what she really wanted - answers to Lotor's obscure, and sometimes unvoiced, statements.
But no matter how you looked at it, she had, in her princessly stupidity, basically invited her world's would-be conqueror and her mortal enemy to waltz into her own castle, her own room, even, for some pointless "talk". Why stop there, though? Why not ask Lotor over to discuss politics over tea and cookies while she was at it? Allura temporarily smothered a quick giggle over the mental image of the Drule prince struggling with a tea cup, with Nanny advising in the background, "Peenky out, Preence Lotor, peenky out!"
She swiftly regained her nervous composure and gently reprimanded herself. Seriously, though, what would stop him from lying? And if Lotor just so happened to conveniently revert back to his creepy, slimy self and successfully made off with her this time (kicking and screaming, of course), she would have no one to blame but herself. Hell, she didn't know if he'd even show up.
...What, Lotor pass up a chance this stupidly easy to have the heart of Arus virtually fall into his lap?..., Allura thought wryly to herself, momentarily forgetting the prince's unexplainably nice act, ...No, he'll show up... He had to have received my message…
Gently shaking her head, she loosed herself from her reverie. Glancing once more at her watch, Allura read 11:56 PM. It still wasn't too late to run up and slam the window shut, locking it, but she really had come too far to back out now. Or was she simply finding another way to justify this seemingly frivolous meeting with her notorious adversary? Well, even if she did slam it shut and lock it, Lotor would probably find some other way to squeeze past the castle's defenses; he always seemed to.
...Geez, there I go again!...
Did she want him to come?! Sighing, Allura checked her watch yet again. 11:58 PM. Luckily, she would not play the part of the ditzy, little princess tonight; she was definitely prepared. She had taken virtually all proper precautions, some of which she couldn't even remember- weapons of all sorts were stashed throughout her room, more alarm buttons had been installed along her walls, and she had tried to make herself look as unappealing as possible.
Swiftly giving herself a once-over in her full-length mirror, Allura was somewhat satisfied with what she saw. She was clad in the loosest, longest gown with the highest neckline she could find in her closet, but the thing that really cinched it was the fact that it was so hot a shade of pink, it was practically radioactive; enough to make any man go blind, at least.
Nervously looking at her watch for the umpteenth time that night, she was greeted with the sight of 11:59 PM. Well, she would discover very soon if that powder's influence had truly run its course, or if it was merely hibernating within her. Lotor's mere presence would advertise its temporality; it would have had to dissipate at least a little bit for him to brave the journey from Doom to Arus. She had taken a gamble requesting him to meet her on her own turf, and using herself as bait to satisfy her own insatiable curiosity, no less, but would it pay off? Either way, she would soon find out.
Holding her breath, she stared at her watch for what would hopefully be the last time. 12:00 AM on the dot.
...It's show time...
Opposites Attract, Ch. 37
After a few torturously long minutes, a slow, deliberate, fluid movement finally broke the monotony. Keen eyes peered into the darkness as a pair of large hands cautiously parted Nanny's feminine window treatment. Pretty soon, the rest of Lotor's tall frame followed, adept after many, many break-ins of the Arusian princess's bedroom.
Immediately clicking on her lights, Allura stonily faced him with arms crossed, her fingers drumming a light, yet extremely pissed off, rhythm over an upper arm.
"Fashionably late, I see," she ground out in a voice that dropped icicles, "Personally, I'm surprised you even had the gall to show up at all..."
The startled look on Lotor's face was reminiscent of a child caught red-handed stealing cookies from a cookie jar.
"Well, um... er- Hey, wait a minute! You're the one who asked me to come here!"
Suddenly, he was all smoothness again. Straightening himself out, he surveyed her and his surroundings with partial wariness and a light smile.
"I usually don't make house calls, so to what do I owe this pleasure?" he inquired humorously.
"Don't play the innocent with me, Lotor, you're the last person who should do that, ever!" she snapped, "You know perfectly well what you did!"
At this, his feathers clearly became ruffled. Rolling his golden eyes upwards towards the ceiling, Lotor wearily ran a hand through his shampoo commercial-quality hair.
"Look, don't you think I haven't suffered, either?" he asked rhetorically, gazing at her almost helplessly, "I did something thoughtless and idiotic that I thought would work, and it backfired. Very badly, I might add," he then sent her a sidelong smirk," In retrospect, it was well worth it, though. You can be pretty sexy when you're domineering, you know, now that I'm in a position to... ah, appreciate it without," he added with a wry curl of his lip, "Cowering in a corner every time you tried to jump down my pants. Tell me, was I ever that bad with you? I couldn't have been... could I?"
"Are you crazy? You seriously don't know how much you freak the hell out of me?!" she exploded incredulously, "You, who manage to break into places you physically should not even be able to stand in?! Anytime I am in a situation where I'm clearly at a disadvantage, you somehow miraculously appear; I'm stranded on the toilet with no toilet paper, and boom, you're there! I have no damn idea how you do it, and I never know where you're going to pop up next! You have given me a whole new level of paranoia that has yet to be paralleled; I have to Lotor-proof my room every night before I go to sleep, for crying out loud! And even that doesn't seem to work! And you want to know if you were ever as bad as I was with you while high off of Haggar's little project?!"
Lotor, with the good grace not to fall to the floor laughing over the princess's outburst, remained stoic.
"Okay, I guess I'll take that as a 'yes'..."
Biting down on her lower lip, Allura sighed loudly and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Look, this is all regardless... Just please answer the question that is the only reason I, much against my better judgment, asked you to come up here for - where is the antidote to that lovely substance you blew into my face last week?"
"There is no antidote," he told her calmly.
That did it.
"WHAT?!" Allura shrieked in horror, rushing up to him and gripping his uniform's shirt in her shaking hands, "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!"
Apocalyptic visions of her forever pursuing her former pursuer like a dog in perpetual heat assailed her very being, which Lotor could see plainly reflected in her oceanic eyes. This disgruntled him slightly (what was he, chopped liver?), but when Allura began to blink back angry tears of frustration, he let out a heavy breath and relented. He couldn't bear to see her in distress; did she even realize the power she held over him?
Gently disengaging her clenched fists, he said in a placating tone, "There is no antidote to the drug because it doesn't need one - it wore off a while ago; it was only temporary."
Stepping back, Allura cautiously took in what he said, weighing his words with care.
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" she asked, a touch of skepticism lacing her voice.
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Lotor countered, some of his ire returning as he gestured widely around her room, "I've taken just as much of a chance as you have by even coming here!"
Taken aback, she remained momentarily silent, lost in thought, but, before she knew it, a swift tide of relief was soon washing over her.
"If you're telling the truth, you have no idea how happy you've made me," Allura breathed dramatically, leaning against the wall as she allowed her body to relax somewhat, "And to think I would have had to...! Oh, Lotor, I could almost kiss you!"
As soon as she said that, she clapped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late.
Opposites Attract, Ch. 38
A half-smile slid across the mercurial prince's face.
"Why, Allura, if all you wanted was a little encouragement, you should have said something in the first place!"
Allura's eyes widened in alarm as Lotor began to move towards her in the all but too-familiar maneuver to corner her, shocked that he would even have the audacity to do what he was about to do after recently suffering similar treatment himself.
"Damn it!!" she swore out loud, more to herself than anyone, "You are an asshole! I knew you'd do something like this, but did I listen to myself? No!" Allura then spoke directly to him, growling like a trapped dog raising its hackles, "Unless you want all your fingers broken off, don't you even think of touching me!"
It was a threat, albeit an empty one, but the only effect it appeared to have was to amuse Lotor, who still continued to advance on her like a wild animal stalking its prey.
"Uh... I've taken... precautions, so you... better watch out!" Allura sputtered out lamely, her voice rising in pitch as her brave front started to chip and crumble away into panic.
Within moments, her back was pressed flat against her bedroom wall.
"Oh, yes, I seem to remember you saying something like that...," Lotor trailed off methodically, pretending to be in deep thought, "However, I don't think the laser rifles you have hidden in your bed will be of much use to you, as will either your new and improved alarm system; let's not forget that clever stunt you pulled off a couple of weeks ago! And as for trying to make yourself look as unappealing as possible," he eyed her gaudy dress with a certain level of amusement, "I know you hate pink, but you're beautiful no matter what you're in, even if it is radioactive. I rather like the color, though. We could perhaps use it on a few new robeasts; maybe it would blind the rest of the Voltron Force."
By now, Lotor had invaded Allura's personal space bubble, and was now uncomfortably close.
"I can't believe you're doing this!" she snarled, "Despite the fact that you have gone through exactly what I'm going through now, you haven't learned anything, have you? Or do you know how much it sucks, but just not give a damn?"
"It is not that I am unaware of the double irony of my actions, but more that I am aware of the natures of the universe; I took a gamble in coming here, as did you in inviting me. However, I won, and you lost. It's that simple," Lotor informed her, not quite coldly, but close enough.
"You callous son-of-a-bitch!" she railed against him, spitting in his face.
"Quite," Lotor muttered, unfazed, as he neatly wiped off the spit with two fingers.
Feeling betrayed, Allura began to pound against him with her fists, but he pinned them to her sides in order to still her.
"Although I've always admired your spunk, this is getting tiresome," he said impatiently, but finally taking in the full extent of her rage, he sighed and relaxed his steel grip on her, "Do I truly repel you so much?"
Caught off guard, she unexpectedly paused in the midst of her struggling, not quite sure on how to answer this off-hand question. She knew how she felt, but it was difficult to formulate into words more eloquent than, "Yes and no, you dope," despite her situation.
Lotor's gaze carefully swept over her, studying her features. If she was feeling any inner turmoil whatsoever, it didn't show, for her face was like a mask, betraying no emotion. He had always been so sure of her feelings towards him, although they were similar to how his used to be- confused, scattered. Could he have been... wrong? That very concept was alien to Lotor. How could he be wrong? Either way, the first seeds of self-doubt began to plant themselves within his mind.
Bracing himself for her answer, he felt as if the suspense would kill him.
Finally looking up at him, Allura simply answered dully, "I don't know."
A strange expression crossed Lotor's countenance. So his intuition had been right, but should he be elated that she didn't hate his guts, or disappointed that she did not expand upon her three word sentence? Well, it was good enough. Attraction was the first step into something more, after all.
"Allura, I can make things very pleasant for you...," he stated quietly, convincingly, "If I do not repel you, then why are you being so obstinate?"
Some of Allura's fiery temper dissipated as Lotor softened his tone, but the essence of her anger remained.
"Don't you think I know that already?" she snapped, straining against his hold on her, "I am aware that intelligence is not exactly your forte, but you certainly have to have as much brains as the space mice, at least. So supposing you were to step out of your role as the evil megalomaniac, why do you think I'm being so adamant?
Lotor doggedly stayed with his method of persuasion.
"Allura, really, I could do things to you that you haven't even dreamed of," he continued persuasively, a hint of seduction entering his tone as he let an arm circle around her waist, "And... what the hell is that?"
Pausing in his speech, his hand passed over a large, bulky object surrounding Allura's lower abdominal area. She began to wriggle in earnest once more when she noticed what had caught his attention, but he managed to silence her before stooping down and experimentally knocking against the thing. Sure enough, a metallic ring resonated throughout the room.
"Ha, joke's on you!" Allura laughed with a triumphant smile as her trump card was revealed, "It's a chastity belt I raided from my governess's closet! I'd like to see you try and get past that!"
"What?!"
Not quite believing his pointy ears, he incredulously flipped the lower half of her gown up, despite her sudden yells of indignation, to see if she spoke the truth.
"Holy shit!"
True to her words, a chastity belt hung around her curvaceous waist. It was relatively simple in design, but the nondescript metal it was constructed of was thick. Other than that, all that was on the belt was a small keyhole and a hastily scrawled "Keep Out".
"Enjoying the view?" Allura demanded angrily.
"You bet," he grinned wolfishly as he rose up, but not before giving a light slap to the back of the belt, "I can't believe you actually did that! I'm pretty good at picking locks, though. I think Haggar might have some bobby pins in her lab someplace... Either way, it'll be interesting to see how long it takes to get this baby off!"
Allura was horror-stricken. Without even doing anything, Lotor had nullified her last line of defense against him. His reputation as a strategist was well-deserved!
Opposites Attract, Ch. 39
Renewing her struggles, Allura spat out venomously, "If you think I'm going with you to that stinking planet, then you really are out of your mind!"
"We'll see," reasoned Lotor as he easily hefted her over his shoulders.
"Ah, damn it!! Not again!!" she howled in fury, kicking and beating with a restored desperation, "You monster! You bastard! You animal! You... you... JERK!! If you go anywhere near that window, I'll... I'll scream!"
"I know how to shut you up," he told her lightly, but it was a viable threat.
"AUGH!!"
The closer Lotor strode towards the window he originally came through, the more Allura thrashed violently, but it was like she was glued to his back. As her energy gradually dwindled, she couldn't help but think bitterly to herself that she really did have no to blame but herself for this. Lotor had been right; she had played with fire, and had gotten burnt. Her people, her planet - all were utterly doomed because of her womanish desire to satisfy her own inquisitive nature, and because she had held some trust in Lotor that he would, for once, behave himself. Oh, how pitifully wrong she had been.
Fearfully glancing over her shoulders, she saw that he was within a few footsteps of her window, where his fighter, no doubt, hovered on autopilot.
With the immense weight of her failure pressing down on her, Allura quietly choked out, "I really will hate you if you go through with this."
Evidently, this had an effect on Lotor, who abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"I can make you change your mind!" he stubbornly refused.
"No, Lotor, I really will hate you," she replied sadly.
Still grasping her form, he struggled with himself as his conscience reared its ugly head yet again. He didn't have very many, but Allura knew just what buttons to push to get through to him. Deep inside, he knew she was right. It was the only reason he had forcefully released her before she could have her evil, evil way with him while under the influence of the powder.
After a few tense moments, Lotor finally set her down roughly with a guttural sigh, swearing under his breath.
"I really hate it when you do this," he growled, disgusted with himself, as he scuffed the floor hard with his foot.
Surprised, Allura blinked back tears that had been threatening to spill over during the whole episode. She guardedly adjusted the sleeves of her ghastly pink dress, hoping he wouldn't notice.
However, tears seemed to be the last thing on Lotor's mind as he paced back and forth like an agitated, caged animal. He exuded a fierce aura overflowing with wrath and conflicting desires until he eventually stopped. He had evidently been thinking, but his voice was thick and harsh.
"I know that I have caused you much grief in the past, but I truly believe that this is for your own good; I have only the best of intentions for you. Like it or not, our fates have become intertwined, you and I," he smiled bitingly, "And what really pisses me off about this whole thing is that, no matter what, I really am damned if I do, and damned if I don't; if I take you, in more ways than one, against your will, you'd despise me for the rest of your days, which I wouldn't be able to bear. And yet if I do nothing, I'd feel as if I'd waste away to nothing... Now do you realize why I'm so messed up? It's just, I've come so far to go back now, and I can't... just can't... go back, knowing that if I had tried just a little bit harder, I might've changed your mind. And it's just my good fortune that you're as headstrong as me."
Allura said nothing, but was overwhelmed by his words. She wanted to do something, but what? Lotor slipped into a lie as easily as he did the truth, but an old adage her father had told to her years ago reechoed within her mind, "A person may lie, but the eyes cannot." And Lotor's were filled with a crushing despair. Could he really be that good of a liar? Or could it be that she was simply too soft-hearted?
...I'll be damned if I'm leading myself back into a trap...
Exhaling a heavy breath, she admitted softly, "Lotor, actually, I had another reason for asking you to come here..."
"Yes, what is it?" he replied off-handedly, suddenly sounding very tired.
"We've never had a chance to really talk," she continued hesitantly, "Since you're already here, I was thinking that we might as well-"
"Please, have a seat," Lotor agreed wearily as he motioned towards the bed, even though it was her room.
However, Allura didn't budge.
"First, how do I know you're not going to pull a repeat of earlier?"
Lotor had to smirk a little at that, although it looked almost slightly apologetic.
"I suppose you have no good reason to trust me for now," he reached into his uniform and drew out a small control unit, throwing it towards her, "If you hit the button on the right, it will take my ship off autopilot mode and it'll crash into the lake to rest alongside my old uniform," she reflexively caught the unit, flushing a light red from his reference to her earlier rampage, "I might still be able to get out if I try anything, but I have no other way of escaping Arus."
Allura fiddled around with the unit for a second, and then dropped it into her gown's bodice, satisfied that it was authentic.
"Second, I want a truce, even if it's only temporary."
"What, the last thing wasn't good enough?" Lotor asked, astonished, but upon noticing her death glare, he grudgingly added, "Fine, fine... I won't kidnap you... Consider this a one-time freebie; you're lucky I'm letting you off so easily. Just don't tell anyone... Is there anything else Your Majesty so desireth?"
"Cute, Lotor, cute...," replied Allura briskly as she brushed off the laser rifles, which clattered noisily to the ground, she had concealed within her bed and seated herself as comfortably as she could manage to with her enemy in view, "I'm good for now. Just know that if you try anything, your ass will land in the dungeon so fast, you won't even know what hit you."
"I suppose I deserved that...," he said, wincing nonetheless.
Lotor still fairly itched to whisk her off to Doom again, but her earlier words reverberated inside of his head, "No, Lotor, I really will hate you." With a mental groan, he resigned himself to his promise.
...Alright, easy, boy...
He languidly drew up a spare chair and sat in it backwards, directly opposite of her. Cracking his neck, he settled himself in.
Spreading his arms to demonstrate his openness and sincerity, he simply stated, "Okay, let's talk."
Opposites Attract, Ch. 40
Allura still couldn't quite believe it. Here she was, plopped on her bed, ready to engage in a trivial, impromptu conversation with Lotor, of all the people the universe chose to throw at her. The whole situation possessed a surreal quality to it, like some bizarre dream.
She had already unofficially forgiven Lotor for attempting to steal her away for the millionth time because he had released her of his own free will (she was assuming, at least), and not because of the guys' meddling. This suddenly reminded her again, she was alone with in her room with him. She was alone with the son of her father's killer. She was alone with the most oversexed pervert in the galaxy. Alone. Alone. Alone! And from time to time, Lotor still sent her looks like he was a starving animal, and she was food that was dangling just out of reach, but for the most part, he appeared to be holding great self-restraint, which she appreciated.
"Why did you send me back?"
The question was out of the blue. Lotor evidently thought so, as well, as his saffron eyes opened in mild surprise.
"What?"
"You heard me. Why?"
Allura didn't specify what, but he knew what she was speaking of.
"Because," he exhaled heavily, clearly feeling ill at ease as he leaned back in his seat, "Like you had said earlier, you would have hated me, and like I said earlier, I would not be able to bear it. I already explained this to you beforehand."
"But-"
"But what?" he countered, abruptly cutting off her protests, "Could it possibly be that the son of Zarkon is not quite as much like Zarkon as you think? Could it possibly be that things are not strictly black and white? And could it possibly be that the princess of Arus is so wrapped up within her own innocence that she doesn't realize that she might, just might, have the hots for the son of her enemy?"
"And it could it possibly be that your ego knows no boundaries?" Allura retorted heatedly as she crossed her arms defensively.
"Hey, you may say, 'No, no,' but your eyes say 'Yes, yes,'" Lotor grinned widely, revealing slightly pointed canines, "People tell me all the time that I'm in self-denial, but you should check yourself out."
Fuming, she gripped the edges of the comforter she was seated upon and resisted the urge to yell in his face.
Noticing the reddening in her cheeks, Lotor's smirk broadened, "Admit it, you wouldn't know what to do without me. I add excitement to your life, don't I?"
"R-i-g-h-t, how could I possibly forget about that?"
"I thought so," he concluded smugly.
Rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time, Allura shifted her position in the bed and tried to change the subject to the question that had been bothering her all week, "Did you mean what you said last week?"
"I don't remember - I've said many things since then."
...Well, maybe that's because your mouth is big enough to admit in any robeast ever created...
Her tone abruptly turned solemn.
"Were you speaking the truth when you said that you were in love with me?"
The awkward silence that infiltrated the air shortly afterwards was suffocating; Lotor stared at her as if she had a huge, gaping hole smack dab in the middle of her forehead.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Allura cried out, confused.
Finally, he lowered his head to his hand and chuckled softly to himself.
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