"What is dancing?"
The question caught Allura by surprise.
"You don't have dancing on Doom?"
"No. It's banned everywhere in the domain. I don't understand what is being described."
The princess sat up straight and tried to gather her thoughts to explain it. No dancing! In their worst days, Allura still knew what dancing in a ballroom was, even if she hadn't done much of it due to cowering in fear of the drules occupying her planet.
"It's… I've heard it described as much like a one-on-one fight. The dances in this book are ones where everyone knows the same steps, so they move in unison. I've not had the chance to do much of them because of…," she trailed off and gripped her dressing gown in her lap. There was just never any way to avoid talking about everything his father and he himself had done to her people… to her life.
Lotor's hand softly touching her wrist startled her, and she looked up.
"Perhaps, you can show me...?" he asked with a hopeful expression she had never seen on his face.
Allura looked down again and watched as he ever so slightly moved one of his fingers across the bare skin of her wrist. She wondered when he had removed his gloves.
He's testing me for boundaries….
The thought spurred her to look back up to meet his gaze. He smirked, confirming her thoughts. The princess looked away, everything about him just too intense. On her nightstand and next to the pile of unread books she spied her data pad. Leaning over to pick it up, she pulled her hand from his and picked up the tablet. Straightening and purposefully ignoring him, she started looking through her database on Terran culture. Finding a video clip showing from around the time period she was sure the book was written, she put it down on the bed and played it so they could both see.
An elegant couple, the woman in a long, multilayered gown that billowed around her, and a man in a black and white fancy suit, were spinning around in a large room. His hand was at the small of her back, she held her gown so she wouldn't trip on it, and their other hands were clasped together.
The prince and princess both watched the video, transfixed and trying to memorize the steps. They argued over what movements were happening, how fast it was, and how the figures were doing that graceful up and down motion to their whole bodies as they spun. Lotor stood and showed her what he thought they were doing, and she giggled as he nearly tripped on his own feet in the attempt.
–
"Give me your hand," he said, holding his palm out. She swallowed and acquiesced, sliding her fingers into his and standing.
"You're not going to trip over me, are you? I do remember you've even had issues over rocks." Allura tried not to laugh hard as he frowned.
"I believe the last fifteen minutes have proven I have a handle on this."
He continued to glower down at her, and before she could say anything else he had leaned over next to her, starting the video again. Straightening, he pulled her closer to himself than she was prepared for, and asked her if she was ready. Allura nodded shyly, suddenly unsure about what she was even doing. They both took a step but not in unison. Allura nearly tripped over his foot, but giving him a second to adjust, they managed to synchronize their movements.
He gracefully spun her around her bedroom. Allura was once again reminded of how romantic the candlelight was, and how charming her partner was being. It felt like a dream; the war was on hold, she could breath for once, and a prince was dancing with her in her bedroom… the only light from candles and the glow of her data pad as it played the music.
The music clip ended abruptly, and when the princess stopped moving, Lotor put a little force into his hand on her back, pushing her against him. She tried not to gasp at the intimate position he had instigated.
The top of Allura's head reached only to his shoulder. The movement had pressed her ear against his chest, and she could hear his heart beating rapidly. They weren't dancing long enough for it to be from the exercise. The princess tried to calm herself when she began to process how excited he would be from all of this. He'd declared his love for her so many times, and just the other day…
"I liked you the moment I saw you…."
Allura swallowed hard, and turned her head the other direction, leaning her other ear against him to try and clear her thoughts. She could not stop thinking about how pleasant and congenial the time they had been spending together had been. Lotor was very clearly making an effort, and that kind of effort out of him was usually directed at making conscious choices to arrive at a favorable end goal for his own gratification… or Zarkon's. She was terrified of trusting him and it all being an elaborate ruse. She wasn't sure which she wanted; him being genuine and she was warming up to him at an alarming rate, or that he was still up to bad things.
The princess was so distracted by her thoughts that she didn't notice Lotor moving them closer to her bed. It took him sliding his hand from her waist, putting both of his hands on her shoulders, and gently nudging her down to sit on the edge for her to realize what was happening. She grew concerned, but calmed when he ended up kneeling in front of her.
Even sitting up straight, Lotor wasn't as tall as her current position. He had to look up to meet her eyes. The position made it clear how much of her fear had always been him towering over her slight frame. He grinned up at her, and moved a hand across her skin to the back of her neck. The other slid down her back once more. Allura was vaguely aware of Lotor whispering her name, being otherwise too distracted by his closeness.
His lips were on hers before she realized what was happening. He felt warm, a sharp contrast to the cool evening air. Allura unconsciously responded to the touch in kind, and continued to do so as he pushed her lips open with his tongue.
Lotor was testing her reaction with each movement, and when she mimicked his actions, he deepened the kiss. His head tilting and his stomach pressing against her knees as he moved closer to her was a like a splash of cold water to the princess on what she was actually doing. She jerked herself away from him.
Another unconscious movement, and her hand was stinging as she slapped him hard across the face. She regretted it the second she made contact. Lotor's jaw visibly began to tighten in anger, and her stomach dropped in fear. The prince slowly turned his face back to look at her, eyes narrowed, and Allura knew she had made a terrible mistake.