Stealth

Disclaimer: WEP owns Voltron.

Stealth

Arus hung before him, a jewel, barely glowing against the velvet black backdrop of stars. It was precious. It was beautiful.

It was a point of pride, now, Lotor decided, studying it closely. Having failed so often, and so spectacularly, to conquer it, Zarkon only longed for it more, though it really had little going for it. It was not an extremely metal rich world, no more so than average. It had no strategic value; no grand invasions could be mounted from there. It had no resources that could not be gained- and more cost-effectively!- elsewhere.

Really, the only good thing about Arus was that his lover lived there.

He smiled faintly. Zarkon had no idea what his son's true motives were. The old man was glad enough of his help, and glad to lay blame on him when each plan failed.

He would never guess that Lotor carefully sabotaged each plan, tinkered just so with the programming of each ro-beast, or, the few times it had actually been possible, tried to alert his lover to the upcoming invasion.

Not that it always worked. And now, the planet was poorer than it already had been before, from constant rebuilding.

A soft beeping from his console drew Lotor's attention back from his consideration of Arus. He took his fighter off autopilot and rested his hands lightly on the controls. The craft responded immediately to his touch and dipped down into the atmosphere, rocking from the natural turbulence. The air in the cockpit grew nearly uncomfortably warm from the friction of his re-entry.

He checked his console again, once he had leveled off. It would be the middle of the local night when he reached the Castle of Lions. Perfect. He flicked the cut-off switch for his running lights. The only evidence of his passage now would be the simple blocking out of the stars. No one would be awake to see that, anyway.

He followed the flight plan his lover had given him scrupulously. There were three or four different ones, and he used them in turn, to keep that overzealous Voltron captain from tracking him.

Lotor's lips twisted again. Not that the boy was very bright, for all his dedication. The flight plans he used always led to the same place, within a mile or two. Or perhaps it was misdirection from his lover. Either way, the little man never figured it out.

A stray thought struck him. Maybe the boy was distracted by his *own* lover? Was he, maybe, having a bit of a fling with the Princess? Not that *he* cared, of course. In fact, it was his lover who had suggested that he feign interest in Arus' princess, to further throw his father off the scent.

Or did the captain swing the other way, toward one of his teammates? Lotor grinned widely. Now, *there* was something to ask later.

But first . . . he needed- *needed* - to see his lover, to hold him, to kiss him. He needed to assure himself that his life wasn't a dream.

Or a nightmare.

After about an hour's flight, he reached his destination: a small clearing in the forest behind the castle. Hesitating briefly, Lotor checked his instruments again, just to be certain that no one was tracking him, or waiting for him down below. His heart sank a bit when his scanner told him no one was there. Well, he thought, trying to lighten his mood, I knew I might have to wait.

Carefully, he lowered his craft to the ground, trying not to burn the grass in the clearing or the trees nearby. It would not do to give away the fact that someone was using the clearing for clandestine meetings. But his lover had told him that quite often, the Lions would use the clearing for landing and taking off during practice. Any scorch marks would be assumed to be their own.

Still, it never hurt to be cautious. One of the many lessons he'd learned, both from his father and his lover.

Another routine precaution was pausing before leaping down from the cockpit, letting his senses adjust to the night and newly familiar surroundings. He could see quite well in the darkness, and could hear only the small movements of night birds and the chirping of insects. No one was about. He landed on the grass in near silence, just a quiet 'thump'. Then he moved away from his fighter, into the forest, to wait out of sight.

Knowing it might be a while before his lover arrived, Lotor sat down beneath a tree, trusting his sharp hearing to warn him of any approach. He was tired; this was his second trip to Arus today.

Slowly, his eyes drifted closed, as his mouth curved in an unaccustomed smile. This visit, however, promised much, much more than the first.

He needed to run his hands through his lover's brown hair, thick and soft. He needed to wrap his arms tightly around him, so much so that he was afraid of breaking that frail body, though his lover always insisted he was not so delicate.

It hadn't even been that long since they'd met. For whatever reason, Allura had insisted on a meeting to sue for peace. Zarkon had scoffed, but sent Lotor nonetheless. The Princess had been accompanied by the man who shortly thereafter had become his lover, and that annoying Voltron Force captain . . .

A faint rustling on the other side of the clearing broke Lotor from his memory. He straightened beneath the tree, but did not stand. He scanned the darkness, listening for his lover's step . . .

His senses strained to the utmost, Lotor heard a soft exclamation. "I made it . . ." After a moment, the voice called softly, worriedly, "My prince?"

Immediately, he was bounding out of the trees, ducking beneath his fighter. Within seconds of the other's arrival, Lotor had caught him up in an embrace, as hard as he dared.

"Are you all right?" he asked, setting the other man away from him, peering down into the other's face despite the lack of light. "I'm always so frightened for you . . ." Then his anger got the better of him, and Lotor shook him gently, mindful as always of his own brute strength and his lover's fragile body. "And damn it, you took a horrible risk today! What if that insufferable little man had discovered your signal in the midst of the battle? Imagine the trouble you could be in if accused as a traitor!"

"By insufferable, I assume you mean Keith?" Laughter was evident in the other's tone as he broke Lotor's hold and bent to pick up something that had fallen to the dew damp grass. "Rest assured, my prince, the frequency on which I contacted you today could not be intercepted by the Lions. I know the specs for the Lions better than any of them." He was a slightly darker shadow in the night, until he moved back into Lotor's arms. "You and I are in no danger." He wrapped his arms around the prince's waist, and reached up to lightly kiss his neck. "And could not the same be said for you? What if your father were to find out about this?" The rebuke was just barely there in his voice as he continued, "I worry about you, too, Lotor."

The sound of his name falling from his lover's lips, combined with that nibbling little kiss, made him forget everything else. Finally, finally, Lotor gave in to the needs that had been rising in him since the last time they had met like this. He thrust his hands into the other's thick hair, holding his head in place as he bent to devour his lips.

And his lover was as eager as he, stretching up to meet him.

It was a long moment before Lotor finally lifted his head, the need for breath causing his vision to waver at the edges. Vaguely, he was aware of the other's fingers brushing his chest above the pounding of his heart.

"Selfish of me, I know," the other murmured, "to call you here time after time. But I can so rarely get away . . . Allura demands so much of me . . ."

"I know. I don't mind. And don't worry about Father finding out." Lotor grinned, his teeth startlingly white in the darkness. "He doesn't care where I go after days like today, just as long as I'm not in his sight."

"But I do worry, my prince." The fingers stilled. "I shudder to think what would happen to you . . ."

"Stop." His humor vanished in an instant. He pulled away to look down into the other's face, barely visible, even to his keen eyes. "I know what you're going to say. And if I thought that it would halt the attacks against you, I would defect in an instant, betray my father, everything. But if I were to come to you, leave him for Arus, he would not stop. The attacks would become even more relentless, and I wouldn't be able to know or sabotage his plans. I can't put you in that danger. Please, don't ask me to again."

A sigh. "I know. But I had to try."

Nodding, Lotor trailed his fingers down the other's face, feeling the skin creased in wrinkles, rough with age. "How much time do we have tonight, Coran?" he asked softly, still caught up in his need to hold the older man.

Coran smiled and tucked his cane, still slick with dew, beneath his arm. "We have all night. I'm the one who is supposed to be watching the scanners in the control room tonight."

Lotor laughed softly, the sound becoming a groan as Coran caressed him, his hand boldly stroking his crotch. Locking his other arm around Lotor's waist again, the smirk was almost palpable in Coran's tone as he purred, "And I do plan to take all night, my prince . . ."

***

August 11, 2002