Lotor POV

Lotor grabbed Allura's hand back when she stiffened. He didn't want her to worry. It was stupid to think that, of course. She would be afraid, her of all people, to have a Galra as a soulmate. But those weren't real. He and Allura were just . . . potential matches. Or they were platonic soulmates. Those were possible. Lotor would never satisfy her, never be good enough for her heart. It was bad enough that Pidge had scraped the surface; Allura was never just his friend. She was like the sun to his moon—you couldn't imagine one without the other. She brightened his day.

There had to be someone else that she relied on, someone else that she needed to make it through the day. Someone who made her smile, who she worried about. Someone that wasn't him. She deserved better.

When they left the room, Lotor was quiet not because he wanted to ignore her, but because he was in deep thought on the whole subject. He was responding to every single squeeze Allura gave, brushing his thumb over hers. Just so she stopped worrying.

"Lotor?"

He snapped his head up, eyes wide and trained on the princess. "Hm?"

"Are you alright?" she asked, squeezing his hand again. She seemed to like doing that. He gave her an involuntary smile, small though it was. He squeezed back, making her grin. He looked back to the floor.

"Of course. Just a little lost in thought, I suppose," he told her. He looks around the red and pink hallways. "Where are we?"

Allura shrugged. "We've been wandering around for about an hour, now. I've been listening to you hum something that sounded like a lullaby." Now that confused Lotor. What?

"Lullaby? I was humming a lullaby?" he asked her. She nods. He clears his throat. "I'm sorry. I tend to do that when thinking about someone I lo—" He stops his sentence and clears his throat. "Things I care about," he said instead. He looks back up at her, hoping that she would take the hint.

She nods, seeming a little unsure. "Your voice is beautiful. When you sing," she added quickly, her cheeks a little brighter. He chuckled at that.

"I'm glad you like it, then," he said. "Maybe I'll sing you to sleep from the floor." He gives a playful but serious smile.

"Lotor!" she whined. "You're not sleeping on the floor!" She smiled brightly, like what he said was a joke. She lightly hit his arm, making him laugh. "We discussed this."

"Technically, we fought about this. I never agreed that I wasn't," he reminded her. She rolled her eyes.

"If you're so insistent, why don't you sleep in the bed with me?" she half-shouted, appearing to be joking. Lotor had an idea.

"Alright. I will," he said, giving her a smirk. "If that's what you really want." He didn't plan for a yes, and was even more relieved when she blushed and shook her head.

"No, please," she mumbled. "That's a little too intimate for me." He nods, smiling in agreement.

"I know," he said. "You can't fight me on this. I'm sleeping on the floor whether you like it or not." He brought their hands up, kissing the back of hers. "That's for good luck."

"Luck? Why would I need l-luck?" she asked, her skin turning a different color, a deep shade of red. "There's nothing that you would need to wish me luck for."

"Yes, there is," he says, swinging their entwined hands. "I'm wishing you luck on finding your perfect match." He says it a little sadly, giving her a fake smile. It hurt to tell her that. For all he knew, he had fallen hard. "You might need it."

She turned purple. "Lotor . . . ," she began. "I don't need luck. I'm not even worried about that, right now. All I need is already with me. You are part of that, okay?" She blew invisible air out of her face and clung to him a little more. "Don't sleep on the floor."

Lotor wanted to stare at her. She just—? "D-Did you mean to say that you needed me, Princess?" he asked. "Or was that by accident?"

She shrugged. "I need all my friends," she said. Lotor felt something drop in his stomach. He nodded, smiling at her, hoping that he really meant it. At least she considered him a friend. That was better than the beginning.

"As do I," he said quietly. She smiles back.

"We should probably get ready for the ball," she said, clearing her throat and taking her hand from his. His arm felt naked without her. He swallowed and nodded.

"Yes."