He grew up hearing stories about Prince Lotor. Like the gods of the ancients, only real. Prince Lotor, who always came back to their colony, who could be touched and heard and spoken to.
He was a legend and he was real.
And Bandor loved him.
When he was young, Prince Lotor was just another fixture of the world. An absolute, a man of respect.
When he got older, he realized just how much Prince Lotor had given them.
When he got older still, he realized he was beautiful.
The sight of his smile turned Bandor's insides to mush.
And he thought about him. He thought about him all the time.
He began to wait for the days Prince Lotor would come back.
It put a jolt in his heart every time.
"Of course you love Prince Lotor, everyone loves Prince Lotor," they all said to him.
But he knew it wasn't the same.
He wanted to tell him someday. But he would wait. He would wait until he had been chosen.
It would be silly to tell him with nothing to offer. He wanted to mean something to him.
On the day he was chosen, he shook as he boarded the ship.
The Alteans who were worthy.
Prince Lotor personally congratulated each one.
He could have died right there.
Prince Lotor, the bravest person he knew, the savior of the Altean race, standing before him with his hand on his shoulder.
And he was smiling at him. Looking at him, smiling at him, touching him and SEEING him.
Bandor's heart was skipping. He could hardly breathe.
"You look nervous," Prince Lotor said.
A squeeze to his shoulder. The greatest treasure of his life.
"Just… excited," he was able to say.
"I'm glad," Prince Lotor said. "It's the least of the honors you deserve."
His heart jumped. It was impossible. Prince Lotor, who had battled through a hostile universe and risked his life to save them, thought he was worthy. He hadn't even done anything yet. But that was one thing he loved about Prince Lotor – that he saw the excellence, the transcendence, in people who thought they were normal.
Prince Lotor loved them. He loved them all.
And Bandor loved him, too.
"My prince… you deserve much more honor than I do."
Prince Lotor took back his hand, looking in his eyes.
"Do you trust me?"
It was a word stronger than trust. It was everything.
"More than anyone, my prince."
"Then trust me when I say, you are worthy of all the honor the universe has to offer."
Prince Lotor knew about honor. He wouldn't lie about that.
But no one could be worth the honor of Prince Lotor's love.
If you ask, he'll probably say yes, Bandor thought.
Just once. He would be happy.
Prince Lotor pinned a flower to Bandor's lapel. It was pink.
He could feel the prince's breath on his face.
He had to ask. Prince Lotor thought he was special, they were so close, would anyone even care?
"Prince Lotor?"
"Yes?"
He took a breath.
"…No, nothing."
He would ask when they got to the colony.
He would ask when he'd earned it.