Reading the botched proposal in the book to Lotor was the most awkward moment of Allura's life. It was even worse than the time she walked into the locker room when her pilots were all showering. To the prince's credit, he didn't say anything the entire time, choosing to merely sit and listen intently.

He had been quiet when he showed up, far less boisterous than she was used to, and seemed rather subdued. When Allura counted the chapters left, she assumed what might be the reason; he was hyper aware of how much was left and that when it was over, she might not be receptive of his company.

"Lotor, we should stop for the night. It's a good end point and it's getting late." She realized she was slightly lying, it wasn't much past midnight. She idly wondered if he had slept much after leaving the previous evening.

"As you wish."

The words startled Allura, she'd never heard anything like it from him. When he followed it with a yawn, she wondered how much of his guard was down from being tired.

"What… what did you do after you left this morning?" she asked, surprising herself with her curiosity.

Lotor blinked at her, looking incredibly confused as to why she was asking him this. After a moment the corners of his mouth moved up into a small smirk.

"I slept. Though," he paused, looking pensive. "I did have some complications. I'm sure you don't want to hear about that. It's nothing."

Allura was instantly curious about his deflection.

"No, please tell me."

Lotor sighed loudly. "There's a new robeast that Haggar is adamant be used. I'm having trouble deferring it's use." She could actually hear how deflated he was.

He wouldn't look her in the eye, and she felt like her world was both falling apart and colliding with another. He really was keeping his word and maintaining a ceasefire for the time being, but it would clearly not last. After that, he would be forced to lead an attack against her again. She briefly toyed with the idea of forcing him to stay.

"What would King Zarkon do if you just… didn't come home?"

The prince blinked at her before understanding dawned on him.

"You mean to keep me prisoner? I don't think that would defer the robeast, Allura."

"I don't mean as a prisoner. I just…," she said trailing off, not even sure where she had been going with it. He was right, anything would only be temporary. "Would he spend time looking for you? Would that… defer anything?"

He laughed.

"For a bit, perhaps. But I think you don't realize how much he would rather just be rid of me."

Her blood turned cold. Surely Zarkon wasn't keen to be rid of his own son. That was unfathomable.

When she didn't speak, Lotor continued, softly.

"Are you asking me to stay here, Allura?"

The princess bit her lip.

"I just… maybe if we considered one anothers' positions, as Elizabeth and Darcy do, we could come to some better… well, a more reasonable, uh, understanding. You've shown yourself to be capable of…," she trailed off, unsure how to say what she meant without being insulting.

Lotor made a humming noise and had a grin on his face.

"I will do anything you ask if you let me continue to kiss you."

Allura was convinced her heart stopped. This was the crux, the deciding point.

"Can… can you give me a few days? I… don't know what I'm doing anymore," she whispered as she looked away from him. Being so painfully honest seemed important and she really wasn't sure what else to say.

"Of course," he said as he touched her cheek in a very gentle manner. She couldn't help but look up at him. He had a soft smile on his face, and she swore if he had looked at her like that when they originally met, she might have melted from the first… even if he was a drule.

"Are you going to continue to read to me, tonight?"

Allura smiled at him, and picked up the book from her bedside.

–

"His being so sure of succeeding was wrong," said she, "and certainly ought not to have appeared; but consider how much it must increase his disappointment!"

"Indeed," replied Elizabeth, "I am heartily sorry for him; but he has other feelings, which will probably soon drive away his regard for me. You do not blame me, however, for refusing him?"

The princess felt the blood drain from her face. This was truly the worst possibly story to read to Lotor. She felt herself lightly shaking and was determined to not look up at him.

"Allura,"he said with a softness she had never heard in his voice. She could not help but glance at him.

Lotor was looking at her with concern. She unconsciously bit her lip, unsure what to say or do.

"Allura… I admit the parallels are not lost to me, but I do not view them the same as with us."

Us...

He grinned. "I already told you, I liked you from the moment I first saw you. I was never shy about my feelings."

When he didn't continue the obvious train of thought, she frowned, still biting her lip. There was a moment of silence that felt like it lasted for an eon, before he broke it by speaking.

"Will you let me kiss you again?"

She nearly laughed. He was making it clear that the differences in the story lay with her and how she reciprocated him. The desire to smack the insinuation out of him was very strong. Lotor didn't give her time to reply before he moved near her, his hand pushing the book down and out of her hands.

Allura let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding when he was so close to her that she could feel his warmth in the very air. The prince moved even farther forward, and she could feel his breath against her lips when he spoke again.

"I won't do anything you don't want, remember?"

An overwhelming feeling shot up her spine and she answered him by closing the space between them, kissing him and wrapping her arms around his neck. He leaned into her, pushing her back into the pillows.

Gasping for breath after kissing her senseless, he propped himself up on his elbows and smiled down at her. His hair was spilling over his shoulders, framing him completely. Allura's emotions were all over the place, and that soft look in his eye and him filling her vision was overwhelming.

Lotor moved one of his hands, and the book reappeared.

"We're so close to finishing, aren't we?"

"Twenty chapters left," she replied as she took the book from his grasp. The second she had it, he leaned down and nuzzled into her neck.

"Lotor? What are you doing?"

"I'll listen from here." His voice was muffled against her skin, and she inhaled sharply.

"If… if you wish…."

–

The book was nearly done. Yawning, she paused, and looked down. Lotor's head was laying right above her breast, and he was breathing evenly, calmly. Reaching a hand down to touch him, she let her fingers glide along the smooth skin of his cheek, and watched to see if he woke. He didn't stir.

With her hand on him, the contrast on their coloring was stark. His blueish purple tone was softer in the candle light, and she seemed far paler in contrast. His elongated ear was also strange, now that she thought about it. No other race she had seen had ears like that, only the Drules. She moved her hand to touch it. Running a finger down the side, she glanced back to look at his face. She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw his eyes were open and he was watching her.

"Don't let me stop you," he murmured and he let his eyes droop to half closed. He let out a soft breath from his mouth, and she became aware of how intimate this had become. He was absolutely laying on her. One of his legs had even pushed between hers...

Allura swallowed. Under the cover of night, alone with him... she felt like all her sense had flown out the window. She had no idea what she was doing anymore. Letting let him in at all, inviting him in more than once now, continuing to kissing him, and now he was curled up on her, all but asking her to continue softly touching him. He was like some stray cat she had brought inside that was now begging to be paid attention to and lay in her lap. All sense of propriety or danger was lost to her as she brushed her finger along his ear again.

Lotor let out a sigh of contentment. She expected him to be watching her, but his eyes were now closed. She touched her palm to his cheek again, and he cracked one eye to look up. She smiled a little, and moved her hand down to his jawline.

The prince moved his head back so she could touch him easier, and she was struck by the thought that the fierce drule prince was purposefully making himself vulnerable. Feelings in her she did not understand bubbled up as her hand slid down from his neck and across his shoulder. The fabric was rough and thick, but she could feel his defined muscles underneath.

She tried to keep her breathing even as she considered the fact she had never touched a man like this in her entire life. And here she was, touching the son of her enemy while he lay in her arms. So many fantasy stories and plays were based on that theme. It was a little unnerving. Allura tried to ignore the fact he was as much her enemy as his father was.

Her hand was practically cupping his shoulder, and she swallowed hard. Moving it down, she could feel the muscles of his upper arm. He flexed his arm, and she could feel his bicep harden under her fingers. She was exceedingly glad the only light was the candle, because she could feel her entire body flame up and she wasn't ready to admit to her intense blushing.

Allura felt him staring at her, and she glanced at him again. His eyelids were drooped, but his smirk was full of energy. She looked back to his arm, and a surge of adrenaline fueled her on. She squeezed his arm for a few seconds before moving her hand back upwards.

The air was thick with tension as her hand made its way back to his shoulder. She didn't stop, instead she continued back to where she started up to his face to cup his cheek again.

"Allura…," he whispered her name up at her, and she was unsure what to do. The air felt electric.

She realized she was staring at his lips when he brought his tongue out and licked them. He left his mouth slightly open, and she swallowed at the obvious suggestive action.

Looking back up to his eyes, his gaze was laced with more obvious desire for her than he had previously shown. How much had he been holding back? She suddenly felt very terrified and overwhelmed. It must have been obvious on her face, because he put one of his hands overtop of hers.

"Allura… may I kiss you, again?" his voice was tender and kind, like a lover in a dream.

She didn't know what to do. The way he asked made the princess feel like she would be making a choice that could never be undone. A step in a direction she wasn't sure she wanted anything to do with.

When she didn't answer, she heard Lotor make a defeated sigh. His brows were pinched, but had an uptick of upset. She wasn't aware of what expression she gave him, but he gave her a small smile as he relaxed his eyebrows, and rubbed his thumb across her hand.

"You did ask for time. I'll give you that," he said as he snuggled into her neck again. She was half sure he had moved to hide his eyes from her. The disappointment was still so evident.

–

The morning brought with it a sense of isolation. Allura awoke alone, again. Lotor must have left in the middle of the night like he did before. She tried to remember if he had said anything, but nothing came to mind. The fact he didn't spirit her away while asleep and groggy was endearing him to her even more. He could have just done it. She brought her legs up to hug her knees.

What am I going to do?