A/N: I wanted to put something out for this AU before canon Lotor drops this Friday. So have this hastily crafted scene.
Special thanks to rainingWolf for beta'ing and for encouraging me!
Pidge trod carefully in the sand, her blaster held loosely in her hand and aimed at the brush before her. She waited silently for the movement she'd just seen to recur. As soon as it did, she knocked off the safety and the blaster charged up.
"Easy there, little lady," a smooth voice greeted her. A split second later, a sneering purple face emerged from the greenery. The hilt of a sword was visible behind his shoulder from where it was strapped across his back.
"You," she scowled. Shoving her blaster back into the waistband of her shorts with more force than necessary, she turned on her heel and stalked back the way she had come.
"I know you probably feel safer with me by your side, but you shouldn't put your gun away. We're still in the open and a walker could show up."
"I thought I made it clear you weren't welcome here," she replied, when she heard his voice right behind her.
"Yeah, but you didn't mean it."
She turned to give the Galra a particularly scathing look, only to earn a smirk in return.
"You and your group aren't the types to turn away someone in need," he explained. "I believe I match that description at the moment."
"Whatever," she muttered, not caring enough to inquire further. They arrived at the camp; it was still early, and no one else was up and about. "HUNK," she yelled, rolling her eyes at the resultant crash coming from inside a tent. At least their camp was secluded enough that they didn't have to worry about being quiet.
Her friend tumbled out, eyes bleary from sleep but gun at the ready to face any threat. His shoulders slumped back down when he saw it wasn't a horde of zombies. "Lotor," he greeted the newcomer. "Haven't seen you in a while, man." Hunk's words were amiable but the malice in his tone was lost on no one.
Lotor answered in kind. "Nice to see you guys carrying on so well." Without me was left unsaid.
Pidge decided to answer him anyway. "You were insufferable, and that's why we dropped you. If you're here to complain about that—"
"My dear, I've been doing just fine. Until now, that is." Lotor pulled up his shirt to reveal a gash in his side.
"Ohh no," Hunk exclaimed, the same time as Pidge drew her blaster again.
"Did a rotter do that?" she demanded.
"Are they following you?" Panic crept into Hunk's voice. "Have you led them to us?"
"Relax," Lotor drawled. "I haven't compromised your quaint little campsite. I had to fight some bandits, and one of them managed to nick me before I chopped his head off."
"That's more than a nick," Hunk pointed out.
"I need meds before this little cut gets infected and kills me," Lotor continued. "I don't have any, but I know you do. So here I am."
"Why should we help you?" Pidge asked, patience wearing thin. "You're more trouble than you're worth."
Lotor sighed dramatically, dropping down to sit on a nearby rock. "Let me put it this way, sweetpea. I need meds or I die. You help me so I don't. Die, that is."
Pidge looked down at him. "You overestimate how much I care about your sorry ass." The look in her eyes was cold. Absolute zero.
Lotor backtracked. "Fine. Let's do an exchange, then. I'll join your group. Yes, I know you hate me," he added when Pidge started to protest. "But my survival skills are undeniable. I'm offering them to you. Wherever you want to go, I'll come with and fight off biters."
"We're doing fine on our own," Pidge grumbled, crossing her arms. Hunk was looking at her, but she ignored him.
Lotor caught Hunk's look, and decided to press the point. "C'mon it's a win-win. You get basically safe passage while you...search for your family, was it? And I get to survive." He raised an elegant eyebrow in a 'so what do you say' expression.
"Excuse us," Hunk announced loudly, reaching to grab Pidge's arm and pull her toward the tent. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to her, tone urgent. "I see what you're doing and I'm obliged to urge you to reconsider."
"I'm looking out for us!"
"You're being stubborn."
Pidge and Hunk looked at each other for a moment, a lot passing unsaid between them. Lotor isn't trustworthy. No, but we could use someone who's good at close range combat. We've been doing fine without him. Yes but that's our main weakness keeping us from moving on through more heavily infested areas.
"...Okay," she finally replied. "But we'll need to watch our backs."
"Oh I'm totally with you on that. I don't trust that guy as far as I can throw him. But I do think we can work together, at least for a while. For your family."
"For Matt and Dad," she nodded.
Hunk threw Lotor a thumbs up, while Pidge ducked into the tent to get the antibiotics. "Guess this is happening," she sighed, anticipation and dread warring within her.