Work Text:
Okay it starts like original back on earth but at keith breaking out shiro. Reader is already there because she’s a medic/ scientist (astrological biology??Smthn) and faked clearance in. ( i forget if there were guards and I am not re watching this Im doing it now) if there were guards reader somehow taked them out or gets them out and once its clear is about to pretend shiros a dead body and wheel him out or smthn and keith bursts in.
Reader Go home keith you shouldnt be here
Keith neither should you
Reader hold his eye for a sec but she knew this would happen anyway so gestured toward shirtos bed like “cmon lets go”
As keith heads towards it is when Langce and gange come in and Lance and Kieth have their thing but then Pidge and Hunk are like “DR READER!” shocked pikachu face? And gets the focus back
Readers like we aint go the time lets go and errybody dips.
Turns out Reder and SHiro are good friends and only good friends like brother sister type beat so of course Reader knows Kieth and Kieth sees her ar like older sister type almost mother type and she looks out for him but knows she cant control a thing he does.
Fast forward to Lotor guess what they meet before canon but alone (ooh lala)
Idk how but reader gets separated (they acturlaly meet twice from her getting separtedts)
FIrst time reader gets separated maybe somehow at the end of season 1?
Okay guess what beginning section gets in somehow but the begging is starting a little before cannon lotor but we will continue with the two meet ups so allow time for that
Okay FIrst meet up Lotor saved readers life. Reader gets separated and lost and ship crashed in maybe like a desert place? Has no resources and so tries to survive. It doesnt go well. They think they see a civilization in the distance so they go bc at this poin that all they got. THey got close but collapse. Lotor sees them as they have to be discrete so parking far from the main populace. He finds her and (were gonna add a lil humans are space orcs in this one) sees shes human which is rare and not a lot is known about them. But he does know theyre close to galra and need water and cant stand desert heat too long so he gives her water and helps her to his ship. His generals are there and are like “oooh what that?” and see and comment on it like “Whats a human doing out here?” (Prob the red one )
Lotor “No idea but its vry peculiar. Either way I’m helping them/”
He gets a questionable look from them
LOtor “cant i enact a gesture of good will for no reason other than self fufilment”
Axca “you can” but you know she was gonna say more/.
So la di da Reder wakes up like wtf and sees Lototr doing someting medical for her.
Reader “where am I?”
Lotor noticise and comes and removed a now warm towl on her forehead and feels her head, then replaces it with a cool one.
Lotor “youre on my ship in ym medical bay. What were foing out in the dessert you would hav died had I not found you?
Actuallt scratch this whole first one the actually first one is like mundane like its a populated area maybe not too much but reader is still separated not like diff planets but like different stores at the mall (maybe even duing the mall ep maybe not or at the same mall ) So mundane but how they meet is they run into each other (ooooh meet cute much?) Lotor is like about to round on her and go all fangs and fear but before he can Reade is already on him all sweet and “Oh my gosh I’m so sorry are you alright?” and its like over him checking for blood and bruiesing (hes not in armor but in more bleding into the civilians garb) Maybe go full meet cute on his end and he sees like an angel for a moment or gets lost in her eyes or just thinks shes hot lol
Then he thinks shes cute so he switches up real quick all charming “My apologies. (add some dumb pick up or whatever)”
And gets reader blushing.
But then as quick as that one of them gets whisked away and its over.
Second meet is again in some like colony planet not war area and again reader is alone and sees him like a couple feet away doing someign cute and like oh the baddie does have a heart like playing with a kid or some shit and then they meet each otheres eye. But it gets blocked by othe rpeople pasing and they lose eachother in the crowd. Only to find each othe ragain at like (Ohh a bar space bar) and he walks up to her all “The stars have aligned we meet again”
Basically they end on talking and flirting and have drinks together (like one) and then have to go (sad)
Both times neither knew who the other was
Fast forward Voltron meets lotor and reader is like wait wtf that is not the same guy I met he got a twin? Lotor doesnt meet her tho until they have a face to face battle and sees her there helping someone and is like (seriously?!)
Skip to Lotor joining Voltron and hes in his cage and of course it was after a fight to where he needed the pod but like what if Allura was like no he can get healed the regular way let him suffer
(i also wanted to touch on this the fact that like allura has trauma about galra and the fact that like the raid had just happened when she woke up it hasnt been 1000 or whatever years for her and she and coran are litteryally the only ones with skin in the game, everyone else is a third party they were not there they adopted this second hand even Lotor. But I also dont wanna be like yes allura being a bitch to keith was okay and treating soemone who is trying to be better like shit cuz theyre glara isnt okay {you keep it in the back of your head but you dont say it to they face}
All this to say I want allure to go more angry or cold toward Lotor and Kieth well not more but let it sit for longer because like thats something you really gotta work through and like have her getting space therapy {they all need space therapy ngl} )
Okay so reader heals lotor and sees the person she met before and is like how could you be like this now but not then. Lotors all you couldnt possibly unerstant the plight of the galra ppl adn their reasonings! So readers like bet tell me. So the talk and reader get to know each other and reader is like wow hes fucking traumatized hes just my type (lol no but maybe??)
Reader like gives him hope I suppose that he can change and heal
(IN MIne Lotor is not acturallly evil and hes going the things he does becasue thayts what he was raised on, as galra was the most important and everything and everyone else is second including their lives, (him getting the colony that zarkon destroyed was lotor realising maybe the galra arent the most important? And he liked being among the people because it remind him of early days on his life a little.
ALSO IN MINe the galra race is a species on emotion and pride and passion originally but then Zarkon being corrupted had it associated with like battle and rage and conquering (also quinessense in its pure form is the curruptive one but if its filtered its non lethal kinda like electricity in a way so when they were fuckin around with the pure shit it ficked them up but becasue it was filted through Lotors mom he only got the benefits which included having an much longer life span so he had to watch all his friends and colleges grow old and die multiple times over and that isnt a commen galra trait. (yet he still falls for ya aww!) )
Anyway Reader give him that kinda realization and hope that his first colony gave him.
Tid bit Reader brings him books from the library because hes stuck donw there and shes like “I asked Coran to translate the names of some books so I could find something you like.” Holds up two alteans on a smutty romance cover “He told me this was about the politics of Altea…you can give that a shot if ya like” giggles
He thinks its cute!
So Lotor gets out of jail and we have lotor integration time! and they have a battle (with others not infighting )not that batte were switching the timing
(Lotor integration time includes. Pidge frustrated with hacking something galra in the commons hunk says something ans she says shes doing everyhgin right and explains it and lotor overhears and realizes somethings wrong. He asks to see and Pidge is like (Hes not gonna get it but whatever) and goes sure and turns the screen. Lotor sees like a mistranslation on one thing and shows her. He looks throug and realizes Pidge doesn’t knwo the galra language and is using outdated dictionary translations. Basically he ends up teaching pidge and hunk the galra langueage.
With keith they end up trainfing and keith ends up asking him something wich leads to them kinda bonding over being half galra and lotor telling keith the old galra ways and culture.
Shiro and Lance dont really have a bonding moment b ut they see how reader and lotor look and act around each other and are like as long as reader is okay. And they let him know that if reader gets hurt hes a dead man actually.)
idk the battle Lotor gets hurt and put in the pod and when he comes out reader is waiting for him but she stops him and is like “ep,ep,ep you need to rest, go lay down”
LOtor “ I just came out the heaping pod darling im fine”
Reader blocking Lotors exit “healing is more than just physical. Go lay down.”
And he does and reader doted on him and is all sweet and he likes it and he realizes he likes her a lot way more than hes liked anyone before. After spending all that time with Voltron he’s like their lives matter and reader matters and theyd never forgive him for what hes donw (colony) so hes like I have so tell them before I get in too deep otherwise itll hurt worse on both ends.
Lotor “Reder i have somethgn extremely important to tell you, it will change the way you see me unfortunately but you have to know. I cant keep acting like this wont have me kicked off the ship, or worse.”
Reader is all whoa whao wft and like tried to crack a jokel like “well we know youve done a lot of unfavorable acts but I mean it cant be worse than genocide.” or some shit liek that to where he can be like yes worse than (Insert bad thing)
The reader gets all serious as lotor starts to tells the story and he gets to the part where he found alteans and that they were alive and reader stops him
Reader puts her hand up to signal him to stop “im gonna stop you right here. You cant tell me this until you tell alurra first.”
He hesitates but sighs and leans back “Veryh well. Though I will need to do something before that. And I will need your help”
Basically Lotor says befor he can tell allura he has to tell the Alteans themselves. (And like yeah prob better cuz shed wanna go there the moment he says theyre still alive and after that itll get messy. But he needs a buffer cuz like when he tells them theyll prob want him dead and the rest of the universe needs him alive for the throne so no. So have reader there to prevent death and so they can take over after lotor says his thing and then never interact with them again unless the alteans request it.)
So they go to new altea an tell them and theyre pissed and like immedeatly trash his statue. Its kind of chaos for a bit but reader gets it chilled down and its not like lotor was running the planet they alteans were (In this fic) so its less they lost a leader and more a huge betrayal of someone they almost revered as a god (its been at least a generation since they were found just about and he hasnt aged and saved them and was getting them another colony that sounds worship worthy)
So they get it settle out and Lotor had 2 communicative devices made so the colony could contact help cuz they still have no protection or army except their location and one was to go to reader adn the other allura if she allowed it.
ALso while reader was hearing about lotor using their life essence for the power or whatever and reader is like what about like a blood bank it’d be a lot slower but it wouldnt kill anybody. Lotor is like it could be possible but it would take advancements in tech first before that could happen and then reader is like i guess thats your new project. So lotor is like yes lets do it lets atuallty figure out how to do this in a way that itsnt gnna kill everybody. The colony leaders do come to reader later about wanting to find a blood bank way to get the quintessentce so they could use it for themselves (cuz werent they usng what lotor made or nah either way if i found that like my people died to make like vibranium but we could make a blood bank way to get it Id be like uh give me the ability since we the onces that are hoarding it in our bodies or whatever) SO the new alteans are like make the thing and let us test it and get the first rewards and tech. And reader is like bet you get a cut of course.
Maybe while theyre flying back they talk about how like reader is proud or something that it was a big step, and lotor talks about how shitty his family was and how old galra had traditions and celebrations and that they were a people of parties and emotion and he learned these through his mothers journals of her celebrating and learning the traditions fo the first time (lol kinda like good luck charlie) and that they had large unions (weddings) and that like love was a very shown emotion in public and it was one of the revered emotions, and that they mated for life (not like mate like a/b/o but like when they fall they know and it only happens once and once theyre unioned thats it its nerf or nothin) ( and a threat to somones beloved was like punishable by death it was that deep) and that they showed their emotions loud and proud and were kinda type casted as brutes with no brain to others (which makes sense when they were kidnapping other speicies scientists even one of a race less advanced then yours, so they must not really have their own) its also why zarkon and alluras dad got along bc alteans were known as the stone faced intelligent ones and alluras dad was more loud and emotional that usual and zarkon was more inquisitive than most so they meshed well.
After hearing about how different they used to be reader is all “well I hope one day you can see it again” and gets lotor tearing up or smthn all vulnerable
All of this is before like any known full romance is shown or known like lotor knows that he is going to get there which is why he had to tell reader about the colony bc he knew it would for sure fall apart if he did it later and the only chance of a save was now, and reader feels very fond of lotor and they did have that flirt but the knowledge od who he was brought some conflicting feelings and now that she realizes that he is good but hes been like indoctrinated is that the word? Idk but he needed more help than he let on and shes a healer by heart.
So anyway they get back and i dont know the timeline but boom its working on the white lion thing that only allura nd lotor can get to (and lotor wants reader to help especially so he can be all close and show her stuff) Allura doesnt like the closeness and tries to be a cockblock of sorts but it kinda doest work because reader is in oblivious land and lotor while being sweet on reader is also trying to be genuinlty nice to allura and like ask her about old altea or tell her about the little bit of reading hes found. The rest of voltron also helpd but i remember lotor and allure were like alone togerh a lot for some reason working on it but idk why but they are helping too.
[which reminds me somewhere in here is the allure and galra keith hate moment but reader gets pissed about it and talks to allura about it and how she understand the trauma but she cant take it out keith he didnt choose it and he wasnt there and you knoe this and yada yada and is like when reader pushes getting allura something some kinda therapy or talking hell get them all ]
Lotor tells allura in the place and he tells her he did it like that so she can get the thing to save the day and leave and never speak to him again if she wants. And also so she could just beat his ass if she wanted cuz you know shiro and coran and reader woulda held her back and lotor is like if you wanna get me go ahead. He tells her before they get the thing cuz the place falls apart or whatever (and tells her he told reader up to the alteans alive and she wouldnt let him go on but she did find out when he told the colony and helped it go over smoother and to please dont hold any ill will toward her please) after its touched and like she actually tries to kill him almost and is about to but then sees her reflection and thinks its her dad watching her do this and then runs the fuck off (ik they had a time limit but its longer now) they spend like a day apart and the whole time allura is spent like going over her coping mechanisms and like questions everything and just thinks. In the end shes like objectively they need lotor to take the throne so they need him alive at least so he can’t die, she also realizes that they arent their people (thinks back to the alt universe where alteans were dictators and the feelings as well as keith and marmora) but are influenced good or bad by them and from what he’s told her it wasnt at all like her life, she also notes that reader still trusts and went alone in a ship with him after finding out he did something terrible to the alteans and she trusts reader. She decides they part here, she understands logically he was brainwashed and he’s trying but she still feels the way she does and she cant be around him more than necessary.
So they get the thing go back to the ship and find them waiting and reader informed everyone that while in there lotor is gonna tell allura something really bad and that theyd find out when she gets back but reader wants to know who allure wants to say it and how she wants it doen first. Allura is like I just want him gone.
Reader “Okay, then I guess i should say I wanted to go with lotor actually.”
Everyone is like half shocked more so as like “you go on one roadtrip and now youre moving in?” but not really more kinda blindsided by the thought of reader leaving and for who knows how long since allura doenst want to see lotor
So thers sad goodbyes for reader and just okay goodbyes for lotor
Allure tells the rest of the team and its where they go (maybe they make it whenkeith does and keith left like right when reader got back from there)
Lotor and reader go back to his generals (oh yea lotor doesnt kill narti actually just kinda dissapears) theyre like wtf and he give them the run down and all like hey were good now also he was gonna become emperor and bering back their traditions and heritage that he has told them of and they did try and celebrate (lowkey him and his generals are kinda cutre like bestie goals adn help keep him in line)
The generals also thing reader is so cute and tease lotor about his cute personal dr all the time.
Skip to the throne that lotor gets (the battle royale thing) but he gets really fucking injured like almost dying (i forget what happned after like if a bunch of opponents stayed after it was over but for this one there are others still there and lotor has to pretend to be fine until he can get alone and reder cant come heal him bc she gotta stay hidden.)
He gets away and is bleeding away in readers arms and is like spittin fluff and poetry about her beautiful eyes as hes on the brink of passing out and read over here sobbing and trying to cary him to the ship. Soon after voltron comes and saves them and get him in a healing pod and reader is like inconsolable and wont leave. During this the generals find out where lotor went and go knocking on the castel like open up where he at is he okay and when they find out they want to see him. They let them on but no weapons and the genrals are all yea whatever move the fuck out hte way our brother almost died and his mate is distraught. Voltrons kinda liek wtf yall give a fuck confusion?
Eventually reader is dragged away from the medic bay and like sleeps for a day and a hlf and wakes up to lotor like kneeling next to her bed with his head next to hers asleep and hes got dried tears. They wake up and love confessions and tears and its sweet and they kiss
Lotor is healed and reader isnt sad so lotor and generals are like thank you so much but we will get out of your hair but not before inviting them to a celebration of the new era of the galra but itd be a sec bc they had a lot to do.
(Side note was gonna have reader get preggo accidentally and is like how tf it broke once and I havent had a period bc of stress in like 3 months and the reasoning was [okay so i swear its not a/b/o but galra women run hotter when theyre ovulating and thats how they know like oh if i want a kid its now and it takes better at the higher temp and the temp is around 98 degrees {I have a bunch of little tidbits like this about this show like humans think theyre weak but lotor is like no nono youre on par if not stronger than alteans and the galra} ] human temp makes baby happen easy
At the empire its being cleaned and reworked to be brighter and get new flags and banners and starting prep for the festivities. Lotor has lots to do and reader is trying to help but there itsnt much she cna do. Lotor gets shown some regal robes and armor for the party and they show reader a flowy gown in purples golds and black and it looks mighty elegant and regal and reader is all ooOoo and Lotor is all pale bc they showed reader a gown that meant she was empress.
Lotor “Ah unfortunately we havent been united…he tells the seamstress and shes all scared and apologetic.
Reader is just like wheh?
Lotor assures the seamstress is fine and dismisses and then espains to reader and about unions and they talk about wedding and the similarities and earth customs. Lotor asks if he could be so forward, would reader think of marrying him one day? that he knows its sudden but that hes lived (10000?) years and he will only every feel the way he feels once and he knows its reader and he knws their time is short and he would regret wasting a moment.
Reader is all stunned like she knows he didnt ask for her hand but like the fact that he was already there but i guess if youve lived as ling as he has. Then she tells him she would adn had him putty in his hands.
The end cuz thats as far as i got
I really just like fluff and think lotor got done dirty and he needed a hug honestly (like no one belved in him its kinda sad)
