The Boy Next Door

All We Do Is Drive

Lotor was never one to back down from something, regardless of how difficult the task was.

It was the blissful feeling of victory when he succeeded against all odds that led him to do what seemed to be impossible to others, the satisfaction leaving him with a sense of accomplishment. He loved the feeling of proving everyone wrong, the feeling of proving to everyone that he could do the impossible and that nothing would stop him from achieving what it was that he wanted. Everyone around him was impressed, and it left him feeling victorious. Everyone, that is, except his parents.

His parents weren't the most supportive people in the world. They had been once, but all that he was left with now was empty memories about the first five years of his life where everything had been normal. All he received now whenever he visited his parents was judgement and hatred. He was a man, and knew what he was capable of doing. He knew his limits. That's how he found himself doubting himself and his choice of earning Pidge's pity, deciding wether or not it was too late to turn back.

He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, eyebrows twitching as he kept his eyes glued to the road. He felt a hand on his arm, and looked briefly to the side. Lotor was faced with Pidge looking up at him, her face laced with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've had a frown on your face ever since we got into the car, and then you ignored me when I asked you how much longer it was going to take," she pointed out.

"Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Was it something I did?" Pidge inquired, looking down at her feet. "I'm sorry if I did something wrong."

"It wasn't anything you did, Pidge," Lotor reassured her. "I simply have a lot of my mind, but that does not mean that you did something wrong."

Pidge sighed in relief, drumming her hands on her lap. "I thought I had done something wrong."

"You haven't."

His eyes remained glued to the road, Pidge shifting around uncomfortably before resting the side of her face on her knuckles. "Can I change the music?"

"Go ahead," he replied, not once peeling his eyes from the road.

"Do you care what I put on?"

"No."

Pidge grinned, taking the aux cord and connecting it with her phone. Within seconds, Hamilton started blasting through the speakers and she sat back in her seat, letting the familiar melody of the music soothe her.

"Hamilton?" Lotor asked, raising a brow and risking a glance at her. "I didn't know you were into musicals."

"I wasn't," she admitted. "I thought they were boring until uh, Keith showed me Hamilton and here I am, obsessed with it." She chuckled, missing the way Lotor's small smile changed into a frown upon the mentioning of Keith's name.

"Speaking of Keith, how is he? I haven't seen you speaking to him yet. Are you two not over your quarrel?"

Pidge frowned. "No, not yet," she replied curtly. "Why do you ask? I thought you didn't like Keith."

"I don't," Lotor replied quickly. "I just wanted to see if you would make the foolish mistake of running back to someone who hurt you."

"Can we not talk about this? It's getting a little old, don't you think?"

"My apologies if I offended you, Pidge."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, the only noise being the other passing cars on the highway. Pidge sighed.