Hey everyone! So this took me a little while to update but I finally got to it. I hope the chapter was worth the wait and this one is based on the song 'Everybody's Fool' and was really fun to play around with.

3. Mask of Perfection

Lotor had always come across as proper – treating her in a way that many people didn't. Born and brought up as a half-breed, she had been scorned, rejected, and cast aside for what her blood type was. She had fought though, not letting this stop her or push her down even though the words hurt – being beaten and tossed aside constantly without giving time for the wounds to close hurt. Then she had met Lotor. Her whole world had changed.

"I can change how the world is towards you," Lotor had promised a young Acxa when she was a mere teenager. "I am also half-Galra but am the son of King Zarkon, ruler of the Galra empire. I can help you change things in the world. Bring in equal rights for those who are considered half-breeds, but I need your support. If you can stay by my side, I will give you what you desire."

Young as she was at the time, Lotor's words seemed genuine even now. Allura had been brought in quite a while back and he said she was the key to making it happen. Acxa had never quite known what the meaning of love was – but there were times when she looked at Allura, her downcast expression, the fact that she would never speak but just silently obey. Maybe this was normal for someone in love – for them to become so submissive that they lost their own voice. If that is how it is, I never want to be in love. Her identity was her own after all and that was something that she never wanted to lose for anyone else, even someone as perfect as Lotor.

"I've set Allura up in her new room," Lotor said simply. "Even assigned her a maid to take care of her."

Acxa nodded. "Has she been any more responsive?"

"Not yet as such," Lotor said shrugging. "But she will when she realises, I'm what she truly desires."

What she desires…she will… Acxa shook her head, did Allura not realise her feelings for Lotor? But why? The royal alliance was something necessary for all of them, for the whole universe really but especially for how people like them were treated. That was something only their union could bring about.

"Why is she behaving this way?" Acxa asked. "Doesn't she understand?" Her voice was calm and composed, despite the frustration bubbling under the surface which were seen with her raised eyebrow. He had moved her to a better room, she was no longer sleeping essentially on the floor or locked in this headquarters. What more did she desire?

"Patience, Acxa," Lotor said with a chuckle. "She has been with the Paladins of Voltron far longer than she has spent here with me. It's going to take some time for her to see what she really desires. I promise you though, our alliance will bring you, Narti, Ezor and Zethrid the kind of life you've always desired. You just have to be patient for a little bit longer." He smiled at her and Acxa nodded. His charming smile that radiated nothing but certainty set her heart at ease. Lotor had always been one to abide by his promises and she knew he would make sure it happened. Allura was being rather obstinate by constantly refusing. Didn't she realise that clinging to the past was only going to cause a worse outcome for everyone involved? Lotor was trying to help them – and perhaps his methods would also be helpful for Voltron if they didn't stick to the stubborn belief that the Galra were naturally evil.

"Do you think talking to her will work?" Acxa asked softly. "I trust you, Lotor. But keeping her here without any sort of security around her room…is that really safe?"

She knew if Allura actually succeeded in escaping this time – it would set them back highly even if they got to her before she reached the other Paladins. It would take time for them to hunt her down. The last time had been a close call.

Acxa did not see how the young princess would become accustomed to this place if she was held in key and lock, but she did not question Lotor's actions. He thought rather far ahead about everything, and it quickly became clear why she had been kept that way. The signs of struggle quickly caught her attention and she moved to join Lotor and Ezor who had managed to get in time before she could break the window. The window was sealed immediately causing Allura's grip to slip as she fell, Lotor catching her in his arms before she could hit the ground.

"Must you show these attempts at resistance?" Lotor said, sighing although his tone was soft, as if he were scolding a child. "I mean, granted I don't mind catching you in my arms, but we really don't want to make this a regular routine, do we?"

Allura struggled against his hold on her, a sharp glare etched firmly onto her face. "Release me now." Her fists clenched and Acxa frowned. The look on her face showed that she would rather be anywhere but with Lotor right now. Was Lotor struggling to express his feelings or was this just a struggle for Allura to accept her own feelings? It didn't make a lot of sense especially because Lotor did gently let Allura did, but her frown deepened when she realised that Allura shifted closer against the wall, almost as if wishing the wall would break so she could get away from Lotor.

"She won't try to escape now," Lotor said simply. "I have someone with her at all times. I'm helping her see my love for her. She needs to complete certain tasks before I show her the ultimate proof of my feelings."

"Ultimate proof?" Acxa questioned softly. "What does she need to do?"

Lotor smiled. "I'm already perfect for her but she needs to become perfect for me. After I show her the ultimate proof, she'll have no more reasons to say no. Our plan will be underway."

Acxa nodded before turning and heading to her room. She couldn't explain why but something felt wrong about all of this. She didn't know what the ultimate proof of Lotor's love meant but during all the time Allura had been here, she had never seen her look even once at Lotor with any kind of positive feeling. It felt as if she would rather choke the life out of him and that didn't seem to be changing. In fact, any time he touched her, she would cringe, move away, or become so still that it was like she wasn't even a living, breathing being capable of making her own decisions but a doll. Someone Lotor would play with for a little while then leave. You're looking at things too deeply, Acxa. Lotor loves Allura. She just hasn't realised it yet. That's all it is. Somehow, the small reassurance didn't shake off the feeling that something wasn't right.

Keith being able to fall asleep in his arms and look somewhat content doing it was only one thing that had become better. Everything else was still messed up, no matter how he looked at it. Their reality's Allura had sacrificed herself to reverse the damage Honerva did and the other Allura had been captured by Lotor a decaphoebe after things had been so peaceful. Shiro wasn't even sure where to begin with picking up the pieces of everything that had happened.

As he left Keith sleeping to bring him some food, he met Hunk in the kitchen.

"How is he doing?" Hunk asked, face morphed in concern.

"He'll be alright," Shiro assured him, keeping a smile on his face like he always did. The whole team needed him to stay strong even if he couldn't see anything at this moment to remain strong for. He had to pretend – he had to keep them thinking that he believed in their victory. Because if he was able to fool them, he would find a way to fool himself as well. He could tell Hunk didn't really believe him though because the look on his face did not disappear completely. That was understandable.

"He just needs a little more food and water," Shiro quickly added. "Keith hasn't eaten in a while, and he's sleeping right now, so he's definitely getting enough of rest."

Hunk nodded. "I'll get right on it. The Atlas crew were feeling a bit antsy, that's all. You know, on what to do next and all."

"We can't do anything right now without Voltron, other than fight back the best that we can with the MFE's and Atlas's own capabilities," Shiro said softly. The world – the universe was no longer theirs, after all. They had landed the Atlas on the Balmera, the power of the crystals providing a safety net from anyone being able to detect them here, but it was all they could do. He gritted his teeth – he had never thought Lotor would be the one out of all their enemies to be able to make their knees sink down in defeat. But he had dealt such a personal blow to them all that they were struggling to get back onto their own two feet.

"What about Allura?" Hunk asked, looking down. "There has to be something we can do for her. I mean, she's our friend, after all."

She was their friend and she meant even more than a simple friendship to Keith. He had never seen Keith look at anyone in the way he looked at Allura. It was like everything else disappeared. A part of him wanted to make Lotor pay the price for taking that away from Keith. The way he would turn red when Allura took his hand…Lotor had taken all of that away.

"We're going to get her back," He forced confidence into his tone, one that would hopefully be enough to convince Hunk because looking at things logically, it wasn't that simple. Lotor had control over multiple realities and multiple planets right now with the mech that he had built to keep Voltron out. They didn't know where he even was currently, but the members of team Voltron needed to believe they would find a way to beat the odds even the ones that seemed impossible right now. It seemed to do the trick as Hunk's eyes lit up slightly and he smiled.

"Yeah, you're right, Shiro," Hunk said. "I mean we've faced tough things before and as long as we all support each other, we can get Allura back." He frowned then and bit his lower lip. "There's still one problem though. We can't form Voltron without the Blue Paladin."

Shiro nodded. "Yeah, I know. We're going to need to find a new Blue Paladin." Not having people wasn't the issue here, there were a lot of people in the Atlas, after all. Any of them could be good as the Blue Paladin, but it wasn't about them. It was about Blue's choice and who she would want as her temporary Paladin to save Allura. They would need someone but who? It took the bonds between all the Paladins to form Voltron after all.

"How about you?" Hunk spoke the words casually and if it was Lance who had said it, Shiro may have thought he was making some sort of joke, but he knew Hunk wasn't like that. It still made him stare slightly at Hunk – had the whole stressful situation started to make Hunk crack? Blue was innocent, sweet, and probably the most light-hearted and easy going of all the lions while he…he might come across that way, he could admit but it was all just a mask to keep everyone else going. If they all broke, if they all fell, everything would shatter.

Well done, Champion, Haggar's voice taunted in his mind. You've made a fool of everyone so easily. They think you're innocent. You really are the icon of perfection to them.

"What do you mean, Hunk?" Shiro asked slowly, wanting to make sure had understood what Hunk was saying. Maybe he was reading too much into it. Hunk of all people knew he was a prisoner of Haggar. He had seen – and probably heard Haggar call him her greatest weapon, he of all people should know that he was anything but worthy of Blue.

"I mean, you would be the best option for the Blue Paladin," Hunk said simply as if it were obvious. "You're already a part of Voltron. You're nice and easy going too."

Okay, so he was serious. He wasn't sure what to feel. He knew the façade the others saw made them regard him rather highly, but he also knew it would break completely once Blue rejected him. Still, he didn't exactly have a good reason to say no either. Hunk had brought up a logical point too – he was already a part of the team, bringing in someone new would take longer. Then again, it wasn't like they didn't have the time. What are you thinking? We don't have time! Allura doesn't have the time. She's been with Lotor long enough. She deserves better. She deserves more.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," Shiro said with a small shrug, shaking his head. "I don't know if Blue will accept me. In the end, it's her choice."

Hunk nodded. "I think she will, Shiro. I mean, Blue lifts up Voltron and you do the same for all of us. You lift us up even when we're all faltering or not doing so good."

If Shiro were the Champion right now, he might have thought Hunk was being naïve, but he simply nodded. He would feel better if he could lift the others up even though it didn't feel like it could make things better. Keith needed him. Lance and Pidge needed him to hold on a little longer even though there was no reason to.

"I'll go visit Blue in the Hanger once Keith is okay," Shiro said softly. "Bonding with Blue won't make much of a difference if we don't have our leader okay. We all need each other to succeed."

Hunk nodded. "I'll get right to work on that food, ok?"

Shiro nodded, leaning against the wall, not even trying to protest in helping. There was no time for meaningless conversation.

"Why don't you go to Keith?" Hunk suggested. "He shouldn't be alone right now. He's dealing with a lot after all."

Shiro paused. "Okay, he is a bit better now so you can come in whenever you feel the need to, ok?" He waited for Hunk to nod before turning and heading in the direction of Keith's room, immediately moving to take a seat on his bed. Almost as if sensing his presence, Keith curled in closer, head resting in Shiro's lap causing him to blink before a warm smile crossed his lips. He didn't know what else he could do but for now, he could be there for Keith.