Chapter Text
Lotor had Voltron right where he wanted them: separated, half in battle, half on the planet below, tension high.
The prince landed his ship a distance from the Blue and Green Lions; close enough to see the evacuation effort, but far enough to not be spotted. With any luck, he could take out two paladins right here and now.
The air smelled of smoke, and panicked screams filled Lotor’s ears. He could see the blue paladin ushering survivors into his teammate’s Lion. When the man turned, and Lotor saw his face, heat stirred in the prince’s gut. Something about the paladin’s dark skin glistening with sweat… the cheekbones… the messy hair… the lean figure…
Lotor felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time: longing. Craving. Unadulterated lust. He had to have the blue paladin. He would do whatever it took.
Lotor returned to his ship, no longer caring if he was spotted. Once he exited the atmosphere, he opened a comm channel to his men and Voltron.
“Hold your fire!” he commanded. “I order all Galran soldiers to stand down at once. Paladins of Voltron, I now speak to you. We can put an end to this fighting with a simple deal: I’ll cease fire, if you give me the blue paladin-“
“Absolutely not.” Keith and Shiro’s voices rang out above Lotor’s.
The prince grimaced. He locked onto the blue paladin’s frequency and sent a message directly to him.
“Blue paladin,” he said, his voice smooth and dripping with honey, “I hate this war just as much as you do. I want to end it. All you have to do is come with me.”
“Why me?” Lotor moaned internally at the sound of the man’s voice.
“Think of all the lives that will be spared. All the ridiculous killing that will never-“
“Okay.” Lotor blinked owlishly, completely at a loss for words. He didn’t expect him to accept so quickly. “Guys, I’m taking the deal.”
“Lance, no!”
“You can’t!”
“We need you! The universe needs you!”
“I know,” Lance sighed, “that’s why I’m going.”
“I won’t let you.”
“I have to, Keith. I’m sorry…”
The Blue Lion soon joined Lotor above the atmosphere. The prince smirked triumphantly.
“I’m sending you the coordinates to the ship you’re going to board. Until then, my dear.” The prince sent out his final message to the blue paladin before telling his soldiers the good news. Everyone returned to their docking ship. Lotor felt that same longing in his gut, only now it was stronger than ever.
~
Keith paced angrily around the common room.
“What the hell was he thinking?!” he fumed. “He’s going to get himself killed or worse!”
Shiro put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “He was saving our lives. We almost got killed.”
“I should’ve tried harder to stop him…” Pidge muttered from their spot on the couch. They curled up tighter, rubbing their watering eyes. “I was right there. I could’ve stopped him. I-“ Their words were cut off by a choked sob. Allura was there in a second to comfort the green paladin.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Hunk spoke, shifting uncomfortably. “Lance was never the type to be swayed easily. If he sets his mind on something, it’s impossible to change it.”
“Why didn’t we go after them?” Keith growled.
Coran sighed, combing his hair back with his fingers. “That would violate the cease fire. Besides, Shiro said it himself, we were dying out there. If it weren’t for Lance, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
Keith resigned himself to leaning against a wall. “So, what are we gonna do? We can’t leave him there.”
“Where do we start? The Galra are all over the universe. They could be anywhere by now…” Hunk slouched lower.
Pidge sniffed, sitting up properly. Allura moved to accommodate. “I managed to put a tracking device on the mothership- y’ know to track Lotor. Luckily, Lance was taken to the same one, but I can’t say if he’ll still be there…”
Shiro smiled warmly, hoping to reassure his teammate. “Lotor’s smart, he would’ve moved Lance by now. Until we find him it’ll just be business as usual. We’ll follow every lead we can. We’re getting our friend back.”
It was a good place to start, but they had a universe to search. The paladins could only hope that Lance could bare whatever torture the Galra had instore.