Nightmares tended to be pretty recurrent for Lance every time he went to bed; really the only thing that differed between nights was the context of what he'd see in his nightmares. Sometimes they were about real life events, things to do with his family or Lotor, and other times, it was just him alone. Just...alone. Either way, he was used to the whole routine of waking up in a cold sweat by now, and it was no different this morning as he blinked awake, chest heavy and mind fresh with torment from his dream of wandering aimlessly amongst a black space.

There were many times where he cried himself to sleep and equally as many times where he would cry himself awake, and right now, that was all he wanted to do as he gripped his bare chest beneath the blanket.

An arm suddenly snaked around his waist, offering him instant physical comfort as he gasped and instinctively leaned backwards into Lotor's body warmth. His heart leapt a bit as Lotor hugged him closer, and a smile spread across his face as he eased himself back against his daddy's chest. That's right, he had to calm down. It was okay. Lotor was here for him now. Lotor had come back for him.

He focused on the sound of Lotor's breaths and the rhythmic beat of his heart, doing his best to match it until he found himself in a much more tranquil stasis. Everything would be okay from now on. He was safe.

He had no interest in getting up without Lotor, so he just propped his head up more on the soft pillow and glanced around the room.

It was familiar. It was all familiar, everything about this, from spooning with Lotor and seeking comfort in his body warmth to waking up to the sight of a pleasantly white, large room lined with picture frames on the walls...it brought back memories, and evoked a slight pang in Lance's chest.

A sigh escape him as he observed the pictures, smile stretching far across his face at all the memories. There was a picture of him and Lotor leaning against each other, sitting beneath a tree; he remembered that date from the first summer they met. Another picture showed them laughing in front of a blue cake, enjoying celebrating Lance's birthday together. Then, there were dozens more of them just hugging and kissing and Lance sitting on Lotor's lap while making funny faces.

Lance could feel a lump forming in his throat as he took in all the memories, heart throbbing and pounding against his chest as if it was reaching out to the pictures. His eyes grew wetter with each one he looked at, but he welcomed the emotion gladly. It was so overwhelming to him to be here again, to get to see all of this again. He'd gone through so much to convince himself he could never have this again, but here he was.

He was back.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

He jumped a bit at the sound of Lotor's voice and immediately turned around so they were facing each other. His heart did another leap as Lotor grinned at him, and he was very quickly remembering how charming Lotor's morning face was.

"They've been up all this time. Even when neither of us occupied this room, the photos never left. They've been waiting for us to come back to them." He gently let his hand fall flat against Lance's cheek, thumb rubbing down against his chin and making Lance squirm.

"Daddy..." He whispered, eyes shutting in bliss as he leaned into the touch and scooted forward into Lotor's body even more. "...me too. I waited, too."

Lotor smiled as his hand moved down to hold Lance's chin in between his fingers. "And here we are, now."

They moved together, lips meeting halfway in a chaste morning kiss and offering all the sunlight Lance could possibly need. His nightmare was long forgotten by now.

Lotor sat up after the kiss, turning to the door. "Narti!"

The door opened to reveal a darker-skinned woman in a fancy suit, sunglasses blocking her eyes as she walked over with a rather large plate. One of Lotor's maids.

Lance followed Lotor's example and sat up as she came to the bedside and set the plate down on the table next to the bed, taking a bow before showing herself out.

One look at the plate made his stomach twist; there were danishes and muffins, both almond and blueberry, dispersed on the platter in a very aesthetically pleasing manner. Unfortunately, the visual was the only thing he could enjoy as Lotor rose a muffin to his mouth appreciatively, taking the first bite for himself. Then, he offered it to Lance, who curled back a bit.

"Oh...uh...what?" He muttered uncertainly, hoping Lotor wasn't suggesting what he thought he was suggesting.

Lotor glanced from the muffin to Lance, nodding a bit. "It's breakfast. Eat."

Lance instinctively hugged his stomach in a subconscious effort to protect himself. "I...can't...you know I can't..." Aside from being anxious, he was straight up confused. Lotor always used to be the one to tell him not to eat, otherwise he'd risk getting fat and ruining his body.

"Sweetie, you have to eat." Lotor handed him the pastry, forcing him to take it. "It isn't healthy to never eat. Don't make your daddy worry about you."

That line made Lance wince, because he didn't want to worry Lotor, but...he didn't want to eat, either. He just stared at Lotor, hoping he would change his mind, but he was unrelenting and waited for Lance to do as he said. "...okay."

Lance pursed his lips together and slowly rose the muffin to his mouth, taking a small bite. Despite the situation, he was pretty happy that Lotor cared enough to think about his health realistically. It was surprising, since he was the one who taught Lance his eating habits, but it made him happy nonetheless.

With each bite Lance took, he could feel his stomach churning more and more in rejection and discomfort, and he constantly watched Lotor's face to look for any sign that he could stop. Eating a muffin in the morning made him feel so disgusting; eating in general made him feel so disgusting, and he just wanted to stop, but he wanted to please Lotor more. So, even if it would kill him, he chose to bite down into the muffin, cringing and tearing up over how sweet it was. He would never understand how something like a muffin could be considered breakfast food.

He made it about one-third of the way through the muffin before he suddenly felt sick, and he desperately held it back out towards Lotor, shrinking beneath his gaze. "Daddy...no more...? Can I stop now, daddy? Is that good enough?" He gulped, cringing some more at the blueberry taste in his mouth.

Lotor looked up thoughtfully, keeping Lance's anxiety nice and fresh. Then, he held out his hand and accepted the muffin. "Very well. You did good, baby. Daddy's so proud of you."

Lance beamed at that, feeling better already now that the muffin wasn't in his hands, and he scooted closer to Lotor while burying his face into his arm. "Thank you, daddy!"

He snuggled into Lotor and purred as fingers ran through his hair, just petting and stroking as opposed to the harsh grabbing from last night when they had sex on stage. He knew Lotor just liked being rough, and Lance liked it, too; he just had to get used to it again. He just had to readjust to his life with Lotor.

"The photos really do bring back fond memories, don't they?" Lotor mused, sitting up in the bed more, but not pausing his petting for a second.

"They do..." Lance sighed, eyes falling shut as he let himself get absorbed in this moment, just him and Lotor and cuddling and petting...it was familiar, and he had sorely missed it.

Lotor pulled him back a bit and turned him so they could gaze upon the photos together. "...would you like to make more good memories?"

Lance's eyes lit up as he turned to Lotor, hands tugging at the blanket excitedly. "Yes! Yes, yes I do! I want to make more memories together, daddy!" The thought of having fun and spending time together like they used to, like they were in all the photos, made Lance want to jump out of his skin. This was something he for sure thought was lost forever...but Lotor was back for him, and they could do everything together again.

"Okay." Lotor kissed his forehead, sending rainbows and butterflies bursting through Lance's stomach. "How about we go have some fun today and take pictures? Does that sound fun? Daddy will take you shopping, baby, and I'll buy you anything and everything. You can get all the pretty clothes you want."

Lance was already imagining how fun that would be, how amazing it sounded to just run around clothing stores, picking out pieces of sexy wear and letting Lotor fantasize about what he'd look like in them. Dressing himself up for Lotor had always been one of his favorite things to do; he still remembered that very clearly.

"That sounds fun, daddy!" He agreed, jumping forward into Lotor's chest and wrapping his arms around his neck with a giggle.

"Doesn't it? Now come on! Let's get dressed!" Lotor got out of bed with Lance still clinging onto him, spinning a bit and making Lance giggle in glee some more. This was nice. It felt so pleasing to be able to be like this with his daddy again, it was almost euphoric even, simply because he'd never imagined this would ever be an opportunity he'd get again.

They dressed quickly, and although Lance's ass was still pretty sore, he fought through it. He didn't want Lotor suggesting they stay back just because of his soreness; he wanted to go out and have fun.

He was bubbling over with excitement as they left the bedroom, leaning and clinging onto Lotor's arm with a bounce in each step. They descended a flight of stairs that lead to the first floor, and Lance couldn't help but hum a happy tune, resting his head against Lotor's shoulder. As they completed the final step, however, Lance turned to his right, and the first thing he saw was a familiar, scratched door, literally oozing despair and horror.

All at once, Lance let go of Lotor's arm and even took a few shaky steps away from him as the world suddenly drained of all color. The warmth flushed out of his skin, replaced with the cold, unforgiving darkness of the void closing in around him. His knees gave out beneath him, and he might've let out a few shaky gasps and screams, but he could barely focus on the real world right now because the only thing in front of his eyes, in his mind, was that door, that awful door, the cellar door.

No, no, no, please, no, stop, no more, please...

Sweat dripped down his forehead and his eyes were bulging wide as he shivered on the floor, flinching every time Lotor reached out to him. He could hear a constant stream of shrieks and cries, each one louder than the last, each one belonging to him, prompting him to repeat even more pleading phrases in his head in an attempt to drown them out until finally-

"Baby, come here!" Lotor wrapped his arms around Lance's coiled body forcefully, refusing to let him push him away. "Hey, come on sweetie, I'm right here, and you're right here, and we're okay." His fingers stroked the back of Lance's head slowly but aggressively, to make sure he could actually feel Lotor's hands on him, and it was helping a little bit. "Listen, baby. The cellar stays closed as long as you behave. You never have to see it. We won't have any issues; because you will behave." All at once, Lotor's voice turned from warm and comforting to icy and threatening. "Won't you?"

Lance whimpered, coming back to his senses a bit out of fear. If he kept sitting here, crying, would it displease Lotor? He couldn't displease Lotor; couldn't afford to. One wrong move, and he'd end up down there. One wrong move, and the cellar doors would open.

"I..." He choked back on his shaky voice, trying to clear his throat to speak more coherently. Lotor's eyes weren't wavering for a second, watching him as if daring him to mess up. "I will behave myself..." He squeaked out, tears budding in the corners of his eyes as he leaned into Lotor and prayed that he wouldn't have to see the cellar door anymore.

There was a bit of a pause between them, keeping Lance's fear and suspense high, before Lotor helped him back up and kissed away his tears, thumb stroking his bottom lip lightly. When he pulled back, the look in his eyes was one of satisfaction; triumph, even.

"That's my boy." He whispered, placing one final kiss on Lance's quivering lips before leading the way towards the door.

Lance was still shaken from the entire incident. He'd never really forgotten the cellar, and he'd had plenty of nightmares about it, but he hadn't had to confront it in person like that in a very long time...

Just being left where he was, with Lotor a few feet in front of him, made him suddenly feel far too exposed and alone, and he ran to catch up with his daddy so he could cling to his arm again; but this time, it wasn't out of excitement. It was out of fear. Fear of being left behind.

He would behave himself. If that was what it took to keep the cellar door closed, he would do everything Lotor said, even more so than usual. He couldn't go back there...he couldn't...

He wouldn't. He would be a good boy. He would obey Lotor.

***

"Here we are," Lotor announced, leading Lance out of the limo and towards the mall.

Lance gasped with wide eyes as he shuffled close to Lotor, still clinging to his arm and leaning towards him as they walked in. Shopping had always been one of Lance's favorite things to do, because it was one of the only times he could indulge in things that he liked and get stuff for himself, and, obviously, for Lotor. Buying things Lotor would like was definitely a big focus for him...even though it'd been a while since he'd gone shopping with Lotor...

...that's right. Last time he'd gone shopping had been with someone else...it'd been with Keith...and this was even the exact same mall...

"Come on, baby, don't hold daddy up. Don't you want to go shopping? Daddy wants to see you doing something you love."

He hadn't even realized he'd stopped walking, thus stopping Lotor too, and he immediately squealed and let Lotor string him along again. "S-sorry! I'm sorry, daddy!" He buried his face into Lotor's arm, silently pleading him not to open the cellar for holding him back.

Right. What was Lance doing? He couldn't go thinking about someone else, about Keith, when he was with Lotor. That was the entire reason he'd been such a lazy dancer as of lately; because he spent so much time thinking about things he shouldn't be thinking about. There should only be Lotor in his head and his heart, nothing else. This was exactly the bad behavior Lotor had been talking about. He had to be better if he wanted to make sure Lotor didn't have to punish him the way he had last night.

They walked into the mall, and Lance just leaned his head on Lotor and let his daddy lead him wherever he wanted. Lotor probably knew all of Lance's favorite stores, so he would just let him decide where he would let Lance shop. It was easier that way. If Lotor was making the decisions, Lance would have less chances to mess up like he always did.

"Here, babe. I know you love the clothes and the jewelry here." Lotor stopped to let Lance look up at the store, and his eyes widened when he did.

Balmera. Almost immediately, there were more flashbacks playing out before his eyes, memories of his time in here with Keith and just the memory of their entire time in the mall; like the first time Keith opened up to him.

Stop it, he scolded himself, clinging to Lotor harder. This was bad. He was being bad. Keith didn't know him. If he did, he would've dropped Lance there at the store like garbage at a landfill. He was with Lotor, and Lotor was what he needed. Lotor was all he needed.

He forced himself to perk up with excitement. "Can I?" He looked up at Lotor, who returned his look with a smile.

"Go for it, sweetie. Buy all the pretty things you want." He leaned down to capture Lance's lips before gently pushing him along and letting him rush ahead into the store.

Lance's head was still in a slight state of disarray, but maybe he was still just getting used to Lotor being here again. It was hard to adjust after he'd had to convince himself that he could never have this again, after all. For now, occupying himself by shopping and picking out clothes sounded pretty nice, so that was what he did, rushing off to find the lingerie section since he knew where that was.

They were here to make new memories, things they could hang up in picture frames in their room to go along with all their other memories, so Lance was going to enjoy this as much as he could. He started off with a stringy blue thong and quickly rushed back to find Lotor, smiling widely and enthusiastically.

"Daddy! Look!" He held the revealing piece of clothing down in front of his hips to give Lotor a visual, wiggling his thighs back and forth a bit to show his excitement. He didn't care that they were in public, since, no one was paying attention to them anyways. "What do you think? Does it look okay? Should I get it?"

Lotor grinned and stepped forward to kiss the top of his head. "It looks great, sweetie."

Those simple words had Lance beaming, and he could've jumped with joy at that as he threw his arms around Lotor. "I'm gonna find more. Be right back!"

He rushed off to grab more clothes, whether it be of the revealing type or just comfort clothing, and made sure to have quite a few stacked in his arms before hurrying back to Lotor.

"Look, look! Does this one look good? How about this one?" He held different shirts and shorts to his body, sometimes in combinations, trying to get Lotor's advice on what he should and shouldn't buy. He wanted to buy stuff that he liked, but he also wanted to make sure he only got things if it'd please Lotor. That was all Lotor would want to see, after all. If he bought anything ugly, he wouldn't be allowed to wear it, and it'd be a waste of money.

He went through clothes hanger after clothes hanger, holding them all off to the side until he got to his last one; a pink lace bralette. "How...how about this one? I know it isn't my usual color but I...I thought it was pretty and...do you think I look good?" He shuffled his knees nervously. He thought it looked nice, but if Lotor decided he looked gross in the color, then so be it.

Instead of straight up answering him, though, Lotor stepped forward and pulled Lance into a hug, pressing his lips to his forehead with a small chuckle that made Lance's cheeks flush. "Baby, you look good in everything. That's why I told you to buy whatever you want. It doesn't matter what you buy, because you're the cutest thing in the world no matter what."

He began placing more fast kisses in Lance's hair, making him giggle and nuzzle his way into Lotor's chest, both embarrassed and flattered.

"That's not true, daddy! Stop that, it tickles!" His smile was spreading across his face faster and faster as his cheeks heated up from all the affection he was getting, and even though he said to stop, his heart sank a little when Lotor really did pull back.

"I love you so much, sweetie." He returned Lance's smile, and they stared into each other's eyes silently for a good minute before Lotor cupped his cheek lightly. "Alright. Now finish up your shopping here so we can move on to the next store."

Lance beamed and nodded, hugging his daddy one last time before rushing off to the jewelry section, because he couldn't possibly leave Balmera without looking through their crystals, first!

The sapphire necklaces were always so beautiful to Lance, cut into a plethora of different shapes and glistening at every angle even without much lighting. It was breathtaking, and it reminded him of the ocean and just made him so happy! One in particular caught his eye; a deep blue, almost indigo looking sapphire cut in the shape of a shark attached to the ends of a golden lace. It looked like something straight out of a treasure chest, and he couldn't help but to grab it and hold it up to his neck in the mirror, marveling at how beautiful it was. His mouth was literally gaping open at how it sparkled despite its darker shade, and the gold of the lacing was just the cherry on top. He needed this, he needed to show this off to Lotor and to wear this as much as he could to give the beautiful jewel the appreciation it deserved and-

"Hello!"

Lance jumped at the sound of a voice that wasn't Lotor's, turning to see a familiarly larger-built girl in a workers uniform with the name tag 'Shay'. His heart immediately doubled its pace as he curled into himself awkwardly, trying to avoid eye contact.

"It's 'Lance', right? I remember your other friend calling you that last time...I tend to remember customers with pretty names." She laughed to herself, voice sweetly high, but stopped when Lance gave no reaction. "So...is that for you?" She gestured towards the necklace, and Lance just looked around uncertainly.

This was bad. He shouldn't be in this situation...he shouldn't be having a conversation with someone else...not without Lotor's permission, at least. But, she was a girl and a worker, so maybe it was okay?

"Um...yes..." He muttered slowly, gasping when she took a step forward.

"It's a real beauty, isn't it? Mind if I see? I have an affinity for crystals." She held her hand out, and Lance was getting more anxious by the second, silently wishing she would just go away and leave him alone, but he didn't have it in him to tell her that...so, he gave in and handed the necklace over.

Shay held the jewel up in front of her eyes, observing it with an interested hum. "Hmm...you have fantastic taste! This is actually a star sapphire, which is different from a normal sapphire in that it contains inclusions of the mineral rutile. Do you see the natural glow it gives off? That's caused by the rutile additions in the crystal, making it extra pretty!" She sighed, smiling fondly. "I don't think it would work for me, but you'll look amazing wearing it. It matches your eyes so well it's almost like it was made for you."

Lance didn't understand much of what she was saying, and even though he still found it interesting, he couldn't shake off the anxiety gnawing at his bones, making him tremble and shiver ever so slightly. Hearing her say it was made for him did make him happy, though, and he managed to give her a small smile before reaching forward, wanting to just end this conversation and pretend it never happened so he wouldn't get in trouble. It appeared it was too late for that, though, and his stomach twisted sickly as a shadow suddenly fell over him.

"Hand it over. It's for him."

Shay blinked in surprise as Lotor appeared out of nowhere, quickly handing the necklace back to Lance. "No, of course! I just thought I'd inspect it for him is all. It...it's very pretty." She seemed confused to see Lotor with Lance, but didn't question it as Lotor rested a hand on Lance's ass.

"Indeed it is. You like looking pretty in that, don't you baby? You like looking pretty for all the men in your life?" Lotor squeezed his ass harder, and Lance could feel embarrassment and humiliation creeping up his body to his face as he cast his eyes to the ground, tears dotting his vision as he hesitated to answer. When Lotor's nails dug into his ass, however, he knew he didn't have a choice.

"...yes..." He whispered, biting his trembling lower lip.

Lotor leaned down, breathing into his ear with no concern for the woman still watching them. "...yes what?"

Lance choked back a sob, squeezing his eyes shut from how embarrassing this was. "...yes daddy..." He hesitantly looked up to observe Shay's face.

Her eyes were wide with shock as Lotor stared her down with a smile, and she slowly began backing away. "I..." Her gaze drifted to Lance, and the uncertainty and disbelief in her expression made him look away again, chest suddenly incredibly tight with shame. "I'm sorry..." She bowed her head slightly to Lotor before turning tail and fleeing the scene, leaving just the two of them.

Lance kept quiet for a few seconds, not knowing what to say or if he should even say anything, but when Lotor didn't make an effort to move or speak, he figured he should do something and turned to look up at Lotor. "I'm sor-!"

SMACK.

Red danced across Lance's vision as a sharp pain shot through his face, knocking him off of his feet until he was groveling in Lotor's shadow, hugging himself and crying in pain. His hand slowly reached up to caress the side of his face that Lotor had struck while looking up with large, leaking eyes. When he saw the fury on Lotor's face, his body only trembled harder than it already had been.

"You're a stupid piece of shit, you know that?!" Lotor growled, hateful glare focused only on Lance with no concern for the pairs of eyes that had turned their way. "You're a stupid shit for trying to talk to somebody else, stupider than I ever thought you'd be. You know people just want to use you, you know people will just treat you like fucking garbage, and yet you still do it! Fuck! You're so useless without me you can't even go off on your own for a minute before getting into some shit like this!"

Tears were raining down Lance's cheek and onto the floor now as he got up onto all fours and bowed his head at Lotor's feet, fighting the trembling that threatened to collapse his knees and elbows. "I-I'm sorry! Please, I'm so sorry, please daddy..." He slowly reached up to hold onto Lotor's pants, desperation and terror controlling his muscles. "Please, please don't put me back in the cellar...please, I don't want to go down there again, I can be good, I promise...! Please..."

His face fell towards the floor again as he sobbed and repeated 'please' over and over again. His head was feeling light, not just because of the slap, but because he was overcome with fear and anxiety over what Lotor was going to do to him for being so stupid. He shut his eyes, squeezing tears out as he waited for the punishment.

Instead of another hit, however, Lotor crouched down until he was eye level with Lance and cupped each side of his face in his hands, thumb caressing the spot where he'd been slapped. "Shhh...look at me, baby. Look at daddy."

Lance's cheek was still stinging, but he leaned into Lotor's touch anyways and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was still blurry with tears, but he could see Lotor looking at him with sincerity.

"I do this for you, baby. I only hit you for your own good. I'm only trying to protect you, and teach you. Other people; they don't give a shit about you. Nobody gives a shit about you. Didn't you see the way that girl looked at you when you said 'daddy'? She was so disgusted by you. She hated you. Nobody could love you, especially not when they know the real you."

Lance did his best to press his lips together, but he failed to contain his sobs as his arms wrapped around himself, and he rocked back and forth, squeezing the sapphire necklace in his hands. His heart pricked with each word, because Lotor was right. Nobody gave a shit about him, and nobody wanted to give a shit about him.

"Except for me, of course," Lotor continued, wiping at Lance's tears, though it was impossible to get rid of them all. "I love you, baby, and I want the best for you, but not everyone is like me. Only I put up with you even though I know how fucked up you can be. Only I truly love you and everything about you. Only I want you in my life."

Lotor's hands were rubbing the side of his face now, and even though hearing Lotor say he loved him should've instantly made Lance feel better, his heart was still throbbing with hurt, and tears were only pouring down his face faster. Despite all this, he nodded, because he understood that Lotor was right.

Dozens of people were watching them, whispering to each other as Lance crept forward into Lotor's chest, and while it was humiliating to be punished in public, Lance couldn't complain about it, because he knew he deserved it. Nobody did anything to try and step in when Lotor hit him, so that was proof that he deserved it.

He cried in Lotor's arms for a while, ignoring the prolonged stares of many customers before Lotor helped him up to his feet, glancing around at all the people.

"Come on, baby. It's time for us to leave."

Lance swallowed down another sob and nodded, quickly clinging back onto Lotor's arm for comfort. "Y-yeah..."

They turned towards the exit, but they didn't even make it two steps before Lotor stopped and turned to Lance with dark, disapproving eyes. "Oh, but first...toss that disgusting trash away. You let somebody else touch it before me." His eyes traveled down to the pretty necklace in Lance's hands. "It'll look hideous on you now." He ripped his arm out of Lance's hold and walked away without him, leaving Lance looking after him in bewilderment and hesitation.

He held the necklace up in front of his eyes, poking at the elegant blue shark-shaped jewel longingly. No matter how pretty it was, though, he knew he couldn't, and he sadly hung it back on its rack before hurrying after Lotor, not daring to try clinging onto his arm again since he'd already been denied that luxury once. He didn't deserve it after the stunt he'd pulled back there, talking to someone without permission.

As they made for the exit, several pairs of judgemental eyes continued to watch them, following them the entire way out as Lance hugged himself and quickly scurried over to their limo, desperate to just get out of there.

"Since you messed up so badly, you don't get to shop anymore for today. Come on, get in." Lotor ordered, sliding into the back seat.

Lance felt another pang in his chest, but it was completely reasonable that he would lose shopping privileges, so he didn't cry and just did as he was told, crawling in after Lotor and letting him pull Lance onto his lap, which was where he always sat.

He watched the mall disappear behind them as they drove off, with Lotor pulling his head close into his chest. His forehead rubbed against his daddy as he curled into a ball on his lap, gulping and wiping at his face as the tears finally stopped. He didn't know where they were going now, and he didn't know what to say, so he just sat in silence and prayed that he wouldn't be taken to the cellar. Anything but the cellar...

Lotor's hands rested in his hair, fingers lightly stroking each strand as he sighed. "Your behavior has become so bad in just one year. I'm so disappointed in you. You'd better learn to be a good boy again."

Lance squeezed his eyes shut and desperately cuddled closer to Lotor, giving him a small nod. "I'm sorry, daddy..." He whispered, ashamed of himself for disappointing Lotor. "I'll be a good boy...I promise." He would have to be if he wanted to avoid deserving more punishments like the one from earlier.

***~Keith~***

Final exams were coming up in just a few weeks, but Keith couldn't focus on anything other than what happened last night, and it felt like a godsend when he finally got a break between classes.

He rushed towards Shiro's classroom as quickly as he could and practically kicked the door down, pausing his quick breaths in relief when he saw Matt and Shiro sitting and talking.

"Keith! Careful with the doors," Shiro warned, acknowledging him with a nod as Matt waved energetically. Keith wasn't in the mood for such casual talk, though, and he stomped over to Matt, gripping his shoulders tightly and shaking him.

"Matt, please. Tell me everything you know about Lance and Lotor's relationship." He stared Matt straight in the eyes to intimidate him just in case he disagreed for some reason, making the man wiggle against his hands uncomfortably.

"Um..."

"Please! Come on, tell me everything you know!" He shook his shoulders some more, prompting Matt to grumble and scoot away.

"Okay, okay, geez! I swear, you're always coming to me about this stuff...I don't know much about it, anyways. All I know is that it used to creep me out and stuff."

Keith's eyes widened at that, and he immediately leaned towards Matt again. "'Creep you out'? What do you mean by that? Explain!"

"Space! Please!" Matt groaned, leaning back and pushing Keith away. "Why do you even wanna know? Isn't this something you should be asking Lance about since you're dating? Or is he keeping secrets from you-"

"Matt." Shiro warned, tossing him a sharp glare that shut him up immediately.

Keith was thankful for that as he sighed and sat in a chair nearby, folding his hands in his lap and gluing his eyes to the ground solemnly.

"I...I don't know if we're dating anymore." He admitted, tapping his foot against the tiled floor. "Last night, while Lance was performing, Lotor showed up and...he had sex with Lance before carrying him away. I tried calling and texting Lance, but everything just went to voicemail, and I didn't get any replies..." He sighed, covering his face with his hands in exasperation. "I just...don't know what to do!"

Matt and Shiro exchanged a look before Matt approached him, setting his hand on Keith's shoulder this time. "Hey...I'm uh...I'm sorry. I'll tell you what I know, but...it's honestly sorta uncomfortable just thinking about it."

Keith looked up at Matt thankfully, but he was sort of anxious, as well. He could just see how visibly uncomfortable Matt seemed as he cleared his throat.

"I didn't personally know Lotor, never talked to the dude, and I never really talked to Lance either until Lotor was already gone. Although, Lance really didn't associated with anybody until Lotor quit, I guess."

Keith rose an eyebrow at that. "What? Why? Why did he quit?"

"Look, can I just talk?" Matt suggested, glaring at Keith pointedly. "Most of what I know about Lotor can basically be summed up in one sentence; he's rich. Like, filthy stinking rich. He's the son of Zarkon Daibazaal, you know, that shady head of the Galra Pharmacies, heads a bunch of medical businesses and stuff? Yeah, that guy. Anyways, one day, Lance debuted as a partner for Lotor. They would perform together and have sex on stage for men's entertainment, because, you know, the Web is crazy and shit...it's so crazy, that their public sex routines quickly made them the most popular dancers in the entire Web; mostly Lance. Lotor never really showed himself off for the taking, but Lance was performing for guys all the time. It was definitely uncomfortable to watch how not-mutual their relationship was. Like...Lance is putting himself on display for guys but Lotor doesn't have to? Pretty suspicious if you ask me. Although, I was always under the impression that Lotor was just Lance's sugar daddy since..." He paused, face reddening a bit. "He uh...he called Lotor...'daddy'. Like...all the time. Even off-stage. God, it's weird just saying it..."

Keith's ears perked as he frowned. "Wait, so...their relationship is that Lotor is a sugar daddy, giving him money?"

"Well, I don't know that for sure. A lot of my knowledge on them is limited, remember, so don't take my word as law or anything. Like I said, it was uncomfortable and awkward just to look at for me, so I preferred not to pay attention to it. Plus, you know, they were racking in a ton of money..." Matt cleared his throat, stopping himself before he went off on a jealous rant about how much more money they made than him. "Anyways, another thing that always put me off about their relationship was, just, Lance was so clingy to the dude...like, Lotor was a tree and Lance was a koala. I'm willing to bet he literally slept on him like a tree. That amount of clinginess is not okay. It's just annoying-"

"Lance isn't annoying," Keith growled, narrowing his eyes at Matt as the boy backed away.

"Oh, uh, right, haha...oh! Right! Another thing!" He raised a finger, clearly trying to direct attention away from his earlier insult. "I remember one time I was backstage, and I saw them talking, and Lotor just straight up slapped Lance. That shit was super distasteful, and I hated their relationship ever...since..."

Keith's eyes widened in rage, and he didn't even realize he'd slammed his fist down against his chair, interrupting Matt.

"Keith..." Shiro muttered, standing up cautiously, but Keith wasn't in the mood to be patient.

"He...he fucking hit Lance?!" Flashbacks to last night ran through Keith's head as he pictured all the times Lotor had spanked Lance, and then the way he'd dragged him by his hair...

Keith was out of his seat in an instant, gritting his teeth together like he was trying to bite through his own enamel and digging his nails into his heated, sweaty palms. "I need to get to the bottom of this..."

"Keith! Let's go about this rationally." Shiro recommended, stepping out from behind his desk.

Keith's heart was pounding with adrenaline, not just out of fury, but out of fear. If Lotor was hitting Lance regularly, and Lance continued to stay in a relationship with him, whatever that relationship was, he didn't even want to think about what they could be doing at this very moment. Lotor had carried Lance away with him, and none of his texts or calls had been answered.

"Shiro, you don't understand," he snarled. He wasn't trying to sound aggressive against Shiro, but he couldn't help it. "This is dangerous, Lance, he...he already has these self-depreciating ideas in his head...I'll bet it's connected to Lotor." Keith's teeth grinded down harder, hard enough to chip his tooth as he made the connection. It made a lot of sense. It took a pretty long time for Lance to learn that Keith truly didn't just want him around for sex; nobody was like that just because.

Keith used to think Lance's job dancing and having sex with men was the cause for his mindset, which was a part of why he had been so happy when Lance announced he wouldn't be having sex anymore, but now that he thought about it, that wouldn't make sense. Lance took quite some pride in being a stripper, so his job probably wouldn't mess with him like that. It must've had something to do with his job as a stripper with Lotor.

"I need to get to the bottom of this." Keith concluded, turning for the door.

"Keith, wait!" Matt shouted, succeeding in stopping Keith in his tracks.

He turned to glare at Matt impatiently, but for once, Matt looked like he wanted to genuinely help Keith instead of just giving him shit like usual.

"After Lotor left, Lance and my sister Katie became pretty good friends, as I've told you before. It's possible he's told her more about it, or that she just knows more, because, Katie just knows things sometimes. If you want to know more, it might be worth a shot asking her about it. Or I can if you want?"

Keith blinked in surprise at Matt actually being helpful, and the suggestion was definitely a good one that he'd have to keep in mind. "Thanks, Matt, but it's like you said. I should try and ask Lance about this first. I'm gonna try and talk to him at the club tonight." He turned to walk out the door again, eyes narrowed in determination. "Then I'll see what to do from there."

He was still seething with rage, using it as an outlet for his anxiousness, but he still had it in him to let his heart warm a bit as Shiro whispered a 'good luck' from behind him.

Good luck. He was sure he was going to need it.

***~Lance~***

After the entire incident at Balmera, Lance killed all hopes he had of being able to enjoy the rest of the day. He was certain Lotor would just punish him more, because maybe he deserved it. It was hard to tell exactly when he deserved punishment and just how much he deserved sometimes, so he'd learned to just assume the worst. Or, rather, one year ago, he'd learned to assume the worst. Now, he was just picking up where they'd left off.

When the limo came to a stop, he lifted his head from Lotor's chest to see a beach through the window, warm tan sand adjacent to the cerulean lake, quiet and still. There were no waves or ripples, no gulls, not even any other people in sight. It painted the perfect scene of a daunting, lonesome beach, noiseless and humid during weekdays and buzzing with heads and the smell of pizza shacks on weekend afternoons. Lance could just imagine it; clusters of little kids dunking each other a little too deep into the water, that one group of supposed cool kids who always brought a beach ball and a net, that one pale girl who would tag along with her friends every now and then to try and tan herself out...and then, on those slower, quieter, lonelier days, he could just imagine the form of a shirtless, long-legged shadow, diving through the water and swimming desperately towards the sun at the water's edge; desperately towards salvation.

A tear slowly ran down Lance's cheek as the nostalgia flashed before his eyes all within the span of a few seconds, just from one look at the beach. Sure, he'd never been to this exact beach before, but it was still a beach, and that was enough to trigger memories in him.

"...daddy...?" He turned his head away from the lake lapping lazily at the sandy shore, blinking his tears away as he observed Lotor's smile. "Daddy...why are we here?"

A part of him figured he'd been brought here to be forced to remember things, for punishment, but Lotor cupped his cheek and kissed at his tear, trailing the wetness all the way back up to the corner of his eye and pulling back with one final, light smooch.

"I know, baby. It's scary, I know. But you can't run away forever." His hands wrapped around Lance's head and stroked his hair, giving light scratches every now and then as Lance bowed his head down dejectedly.

"Shhh...come on, baby. Come on. We haven't taken any new pictures for the wall." His fingers trailed down to Lance's chin, forcing him to look back up at Lotor again. "Don't you want more pictures? More memories? We can replace the bad memories with newer, better ones. Does that sound fun?"

Lance's face slowly lit up at that, and he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Lotor and rubbing his face back and forth into his chest affectionately. "Yes! Yes, that sounds fun, daddy. I want to do that, I want to make more memories. Can we?"

His eyes were glistening with excitement as Lotor snickered and kissed him on the forehead long and tenderly.

"We can."

Lance was practically bouncing out of his shoes as they got out of the limo, and as soon as they shut the door behind them, he grabbed Lotor's wrist and tugged him in the direction of the lakeshore.

"Come on, come on!" He took in the sight of the lake as he ran towards it. It was so despondent and lifeless...just like that memory of a small boy standing in the shallow edges, rough, stony sand between his toes.

Well, no more. Today, he and Lotor would wipe the slate clean. Today, he would wash away his nostalgia associated with the beach and create something new; something better.

He kicked his shoes off and ran towards the water with Lotor watching a few feet away on the sand, nodding encouragingly for Lance to just have fun. "Go on, baby."

Lance beamed at him and ran into the water, laughing as it splashed up onto him and all over his clothes. He could care less, though. He bounded farther and farther in, ignoring the surprisingly cold bite of the water; welcoming it, even. His jeans were darkening as the fabric absorbed more and more water, weighing him down a bit, but that was just part of the fun. He spun around and kicked water up everywhere, marveling when the droplets came scattering down all around him. He didn't have any clue what he was actually doing, and he loved that. He was just running around in the lake, in the beach, being as random and free as he could possibly be. It felt so different; it felt so new. But he didn't just want this memory to be his own.

He chased the current, however faint it was, back to the lakeshore where Lotor was waiting for him.

"Daddy! Come on!" He tugged on his arm again, giggling and prompting him just like a little kid; because that's what he was. He was just like a little kid when he was with Lotor. "Come on! Come play with me!"

His tugging was successful, much to his delight, and Lotor relented with a laugh as he followed Lance into the water.

"Isn't it cold?" Lance exclaimed, squealing a bit and pressing close to Lotor as they walked in ankle-deep. He'd dealt with the cold up until now, but he didn't mind using it as an excuse to get closer to Lotor.

"It is pretty cold," Lotor mused, holding Lance by both of his shoulders. "Baby, you're wet, you're getting water on daddy's clothes."

Lance flinched back a bit, hugging himself and looking down at his reflection in the water. "O-oh. I'm sorry, daddy..." He bit his lower lip, wondering if he'd gotten too ahead of himself and if he should be ashamed for bringing Lotor into the water. He was about to suggest they head back to shore when suddenly, a large splash of water crashed against his chest and face, making him jump and leaving him a shrieking, soaking mess. Icy droplets clung to his clothes as he wiped at his face and stared at Lotor in shock, heart picking up pace at the grin he saw on his daddy's face.

It took a second or two for him to recognize what was happening, so Lotor took that time to crouch down and scoop more water into his palms before launching it at him.

Lance screamed in delight and quickly began running around Lotor, kicking up water and just making it splash everywhere without directly attacking him with it. He was just getting himself more wet, but again, he didn't mind.

Lotor chased him farther into the water, and seeing him smile while bombarding Lance with splashes was the cherry on top for him. He kicked his feet up behind himself elegantly as he splashed and ran from Lotor, letting the dancer in him come out as water soaked his clothes and dripped from his hair.

Eventually, Lotor quit splashing at him and just ran straight at him, wrapping his arms around Lance and collapsing both of them into the lake until they were crouching with their arms beneath the knee-deep water.

Lance couldn't contain his laughter, heart thumping loudly in his chest like it was a harp sending melodies of adrenaline and elation throughout his entire body. Every string of his heart was being played, strummed along by Lotor's fingers, which were suddenly caressing Lance's face and smoothing back his wet, brown hair. He held his breath, laughter ceasing all at once as they stared into each other's eyes.

Then, caught up in the moment, or maybe just because he wanted to, Lotor caught his arm around Lance's neck and pulled him in for a kiss; and not just any kiss, either. Their mouths clashed in a spirited display of passion, with both of them constantly moaning and gasping and pulling back for just split seconds before attacking each other's lips again. Lance leaned his chest forward, hands scrabbling to get ahold of Lotor's shoulders until body was rocking against body, sending ripples out through the lake from where they sat in the water, making out.

Water continued dripping down Lance's hair, and his clothes were just getting more soaked by the second, but none of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was Lotor's hands clawing at the back of his scalp, pulling him closer and closer as they mashed their mouths together repeatedly, going in for kiss after kiss. Lance felt like he was on cloud nine, sitting shoulder-deep beneath the water and making out with his daddy, his love...it was making him all light-headed and fluffy inside.

Lance was left panting once they finally disconnected their lips for longer than two seconds, and even though his lungs were screaming for air as though he'd just been drowning, it was definitely worth it to kiss Lotor like that. His eyes fluttered open and stared straight into Lotor's eyes, and the both of them sat in the suddenly-slightly-warmer water for a minute longer, looking at each other.

Lotor's thumb stroked Lance's cheek as they gazed into each other's eyes intently, adoringly, and he was sure he would absolutely treasure this memory for as long as he lived.

"...come on, baby." Lotor was the first one to stand, of course, and he helped Lance wobble up after him before leading him back to the shore.

Lance was a little disappointed that their playtime in the lake was already ending, but it had been amazing while it lasted, so he couldn't whine much. His spirits quickly rekindled upon realizing that they weren't quite done making memories at the beach, though, and he bounced a bit as Lotor sat in the sand and gestured for Lance to come to him.

He immediately dropped down and scooted in between Lotor's legs, only satisfied once his back was snug against his wet stomach. He looked back up at Lotor with a delighted smile, heart skipping and toes tapping against the sand repeatedly when Lotor returned the look.

"Come here, sweetie." He wrapped an arm around Lance while his other hand pulled his phone out from his pocket, quickly drying it off with whatever part of his shirt was most dry before holding it out in front of them. "Waterproof technology is pretty useful when you have a bunny who likes to play." He pressed his nose to the top of Lance's head, eliciting playful giggles from Lance.

"Alright sweetie, give me that big smile of yours, come on." He held the phone out so they could take pictures together, and Lance immediately snuggled closer to Lotor, curling up a bit before smiling and winking and throwing in peace signs, whatever he could to spruce up the pictures and make them into cuter, goofier, and fonder memories. They even took several pictures of them kissing before Lotor decided they had enough, and he gave his phone to Lance so he could look through each picture, squealing and pointing out every little thing he loved to Lotor.

When they were done and Lotor put his phone away, they just sat and stared out upon the skyline. Lance kept trying to cuddle closer for warmth, wet clothes sticking to him and making him a little cold, but overall it just felt nice to be sitting on the beach like they were. It was early May, after all, so the temperature wasn't freezing by any means.

He sighed and rested his head back against Lotor's shoulder, letting his eyes fall shut. He didn't even care about the sand all over his butt; he just wanted to relax here with Lotor.

The beach was suddenly a very warm, relaxing, and fun memory to look back upon.

"...I love you." Lance declared, turning to bury his face into Lotor's neck, and Lotor brought his hand up to stroke his cheek, tilting his head to the side to offer Lance more room to fit his face against his neck.

"I love you, too, baby."

Lance immediately beamed at that, happiness striking him like lightning conducting against water every time he heard Lotor say those words, especially during times like this, when they were just enjoying their time together.

He was so busy swooning that he barely noticed Lotor unraveling their bodies until he was already standing and helping Lance up.

"Come on, sweetie. I know this beach looks pretty empty, but there's a rest area just a little ways away, past that hill." He nodded in the direction he was talking about as Lance took his hand and stood, curious. "We can go there and have a tropical drink, yeah? Come on, sweetie."

Lance's face lit up all over again at that as he quickly attached himself to Lotor's arm, rubbing his face against him as they started in the direction of the rest area.

"Okay, daddy!" He exclaimed, humming to himself with an everlasting smile on his face. Lotor made him excited. Lotor made him happy. Lotor knew how messed up he was, yet he still took the time to take Lance places to make sure he was happy, and he even wanted to help Lance stop viewing beaches as a bad memory. And now, he was bringing Lance to a rest stop with drinks, to wrap up an already incredible evening. Lotor was always doing what was best for Lance.

He could remember it clearly now. This was why Lance loved Lotor with all his heart. Lotor was the only one for Lance.

***

He clung to Lotor's arm the entire walk up the hill, looking up at him from time to time to catch his attention. Each time Lotor returned his smile, Lance could feel his heart skip a beat. Just knowing Lotor was happy to have him here was all he needed.

As they approached the rest stop building, Lance loosened his grip on Lotor to run ahead and pull him along...until he saw who was standing off to the side of the front door.

Lance's knees gave out beneath him, and the only reason he managed to catch himself was because he was still holding onto Lotor, but that didn't get rid of the feeling of waves sweeping him off his feet, like his entire world was crashing down upon him. He didn't even get many shivers when he was at the beach despite the cold water, but now, goosebumps were quickly beginning to dot his arms and legs, and his vision grew blurry with tears as he immediately hid behind Lotor, who had stopped walking.

Soft whimpers escaped him as he clung to Lotor's back, only keeping his eyes barely open so he could watch as that man who had the title of his father slowly made his way over to them. He tried looking up at Lotor's face, but he couldn't read him. All he knew was that Lotor looked completely calm and prepared for this scenario, and the thought that Lotor planned this made Lance want to recoil in repulsion. It made no sense...Lotor knew about Lance's family...he knew how sensitive of a topic this was for him...

Why was his father here?

Lance's nausea was getting worse with each step his father took, and he wanted nothing more than to run away, to get as far away as possible from this man, but he couldn't. He knew he couldn't. If he even tried to run away, his legs would probably fail him because he felt so weak, so helpless, and so he could only cling to the back of Lotor's shirt desperately as his father stopped in front of them.

He waited for his father to berate him, to express his disgust, to cast him in that hateful glare of antipathy. He waited to be crushed even further by the weight of his hatred, clenching his jaw and shivering against Lotor, praying that he would protect him...but it never came.

Instead of maliciously lashing out, Lance's father simply reached into a bag from over his shoulder, pulling out several sheets of paper and holding them out for Lotor to inspect. Those scornful eyes never traveled to Lance even once; they just stayed fixated on Lotor and watched him as he observed the papers being presented to him.

Lance kept waiting, kept expecting things to be turned on him, expecting the world to bury him further into himself like always; but nothing happened.

Lotor accepted the papers from his father with a smile, looking over them once more before they made eye contact. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. McClain."

His father dipped his head down slightly in a nod of acknowledgement before turning away, not saying a word, not casting any side-glares and not making a single comment on how much of a disappointment Lance was.

And then, he began to walk away, leaving behind his suffocating atmosphere of desolation and rejection. Lance could feel it hanging in the air, sinking into his lungs and cutting off his airflow until his head was light and dizzy. It was like he didn't even exist; like his father couldn't even see him or hadn't even noticed him. And then, there was Lotor...

As soon as his father was far enough away to be out of earshot, Lance pushed off of Lotor's back and stumbled away. Unsurprisingly, his legs collapsed beneath him the moment he was on his own, and he knew he couldn't stand or do anything on his own, but he just couldn't be with Lotor right now as he hugged himself and let his head hang low, tears staining the ground beneath him.

"Why..." He whispered, voice as cracked as his shattered heart. He rocked himself back and forth on the floor, squeezing his eyes shut and refusing to look up even when he felt Lotor's eyes on him. "Why...why daddy...why did you bring me here..."

"Shhh..." Lotor crouched down to embrace him, but Lance flinched back, whimpering and trying to push against the ground to back away. He was in full panic mode already, and it was only spiralling even further out of control with Lotor's attempts to touch him.

"No...I can't...! Why...!" He flailed his arms a bit as Lotor got closer, ignoring his struggling and forcing his arms around him. Lance wasn't nearly strong enough to push Lotor away again, so his arms died at his side as he wept uselessly.

"Shhh...baby, I did this for you, just like I always do. It's always for you. Baby, listen to me," Lotor grabbed Lance's chin forcefully, turning him until he was looking him in the eye. "Baby, listen. Listen. That's the last time you'll ever have to see that man again. The last time. I thought you might want to just see him one last time, while you still have the chance. You won't be seeing him anymore. You won't be having to worry about him anymore. That man isn't your dad anymore."

Lance sniffled loudly, resting his chin in Lotor's hand in confusion. Even if his struggling stopped, though, his tears continued to fall down his cheek. "Wh-what do you mean...?" He stuttered, barely able to recognize his own voice.

Lotor's arm snaked around his back more, pulling him closer. "You see these papers I got from that man? Your family has officially handed custody over your well being over to me."

Lance's eyes shot wide open, and his blood froze over with shock. He couldn't even feel himself in Lotor's arms anymore from how cold he'd suddenly gone. They handed him over...they officially disowned him...

...why was he even surprised...?

"Isn't this great, baby?" Lotor exclaimed, moving his hand up from his chin to stroke his tear-stained cheek. "You're mine now, baby. I'm your official caretaker, the only person you have. Everything in your life can be taken care of by me now." He kissed Lance's forehead, and even though Lance could barely feel any of it through his numbness, the loving gesture along with Lotor's final words broke through to him a little bit. "It's just you and me now, baby. You and me together."

The image of his father casually standing right before him, staring anywhere but at him and refusing to acknowledge his existence flashed before his eyes again and again, replaying like a broken video player.

He really doesn't care...

Lance was trembling harder and harder by the second.

None of them care...

He swore he was about to chew all the way through his lower lip at this point as he bit down hard, letting the hurt and betrayal fume through him.

Why am I surprised...

That question again. Right. It was Lance's fault. It was his fault for being so stupid, for having never seen this coming even though it made complete sense for his family to take him off their hands officially.

Why do I care?

He shouldn't care. He shouldn't give a damn about what his family thought of him anymore, not after everything that had happened. They had already practically disowned him years ago; it was just official now.

They'd already hurt him enough; a little more should be nothing. But for some reason, it was everything. He genuinely felt like his heart had physically shattered, and he could barely feel his own body, could barely make sense of what reality was anymore. There was only one thing in this moment keeping him grounded; Lotor.

"Daddy..." The tears were hot against his cheek as he let Lotor's arms come around him, and he sunk into the other's body, desperate for comfort. It was so much. It was a thousand knives in his chest, a million shards in his heart, and he just desperately needed soothing. So, he clung to Lotor, snuggled himself into his chest, and cried.

"You and me...that makes me happy, daddy..." He spoke through sobs as Lotor pet the back of his head, hugging him tighter and tighter. "Take care of me, daddy...please..."

"Shhh...shhh...quiet baby...quiet, it's okay...I will, baby, I'll take care of you." Lotor bent his head down to plant kisses all over the top of Lance's head, chorusing his soft shushing noises in time with the strokes of his hand in Lance's hair. "I'll take care of you, baby. I promise."

Lance squeezed the tears from his eyes as he rested in Lotor's chest, feeling the emotion drain out of him along with his strength. He was done. He accepted defeat from the world, if he hadn't already before. All he could do was cry with each of Lotor's shushes, listening and taking in each word he said.

"I promise, baby. I'll take care of you. It'll be just you and me..."

Lance gave one last, violent quiver before, like a fly in a web, he became motionless in Lotor's arms, resigned to his fate, letting his future turn into one shaped by Lotor.

"...forever."

***

Tada! There it is! Something I really wanted out of this chapter was for it to make sense as to why Lance could be in love with Lotor. Obviously we see some pretty fucked up stuff going on...but there is also a lot of sweet talk from Lotor, and he does do some cute things like their lake scene, and when put in context with them having some sort of history, I hope it doesn't seem unrealistic that Lance is so taken by him despite us being able to see that this is some unhealthy shit. It's not the same when you're in Lance's shoes. You can't always see that when you're the one in the relationship, because it's easier to see when you're looking in from the outside. That's the idea here, anyways.

DID YOU KNOW THE WEB OF SINS ACTUALLY EXISTS?

That's right! Go to my profile, and there, you'll find the url link! You can ask me questions regarding this fanfic or about anything in general, and I would love to interact with all of you! Furthermore, if you follow me, you'll get regular teasers for the next chapter of this fic! Be like Keith and check it out!