Where are you now? (Keith x Reader) [discontinued]

11||The Deal

I woke up the next morning with a headache. This new voice in the back of my head constantly pestered me, which I hated. I had to push it down, but it was like I had a constant background noise in my head, making me restless.

I went into the kitchen, expecting to see Hunk cooking, but it was just Allura, staring at a plate of goo, staring off into space. She looked up as she saw me sit down.

"Good morning, Jade," Allura said warmly. I think she trusted me, but I couldn't be sure. Should I tell her of my encounter of Lotor? I decided to.

"Um... Allura?"

"Yes?"

"I-I need to tell you something, but you need to keep it a secret."

"My lips are sealed. So, what's the news?" Allura leaned in, clearly expecting to hear gossip.

"Well, I met with my cousin last night...."

I told her about the conversation with Lotor, and she grimaced when I finished.

"Please, don't tell anyone, especially Keith. He'll kill Lotor the moment he gets the chance."

Allura nodded. "I see. Anyway, do you two have.... feelings for each other?"

I groaned. Allura chuckled. "So you do!"

"No, it's not like that, we were never officially dating–"

"Oh, so you're in denial! You know, I had several crushes back when Altea was still around..."

She kept rambling on, and I zoned out, figuring it would be useless to try and shut her up. 

***

After about an hour, we had all had breakfast and went to the bridge to find mission we could each do individually. I, however, was looking for Lotor's ship. As if on cue, alarms started blaring and Lotor's face popped up on the giant screen.

"Paladins, do not attack, we are here for a peace negotiation. Let down the castle's defenders, and we will let down ours, we only want to talk," Lotor spoke calmly, as if he were asking how the weather was on Earth.

"Hell no! Everyone, to your lions!" Keith yelled. I stopped him.

"No. He was in my dream last night. We arranged this, Keith. Better to talk it out than fight."

He glared at me. "You should've warned me first, you know I don't trust him. EVERYONE, TO YOUR LIONS!"

"NO! Allura, tell them!"

"Keith, we discussed it this morning, if Lotor tries to attack, Jade will have him and his generals dead in less than ten ticks. If we can work out a deal, think of the lives that would be saved," Allura said firmly, and Keith shut up.

"Fine. But Jade, if he betrays us, you are going into a cell for the rest of this war, understood?"

"Fine," I said, glaring just as menacingly back at him. He didn't break eye contact, and neither did I. Eventually, he looked away and I knew I had won.

"Okay, Keith and Lance come with me. The rest of you stay here in case we need defense. Allura, Pidge And Hunk, I would be at your lions ready to go if worst comes worse. Let's go," I commanded, and everyone left.

I stood behind Red's seat as Lance piloted, watching for anything suspicious. We reached Lotor's small ship, where we stopped Red and Black. We left the lions, entering the open hatch in the ship. Lotor waited there to welcome us.

"So, you took my offer this time, Jade," He said, and I realized how tall he had gotten. In my dream, he was about the same height as me, but now that I was seeing him in real life, he towered over my average-sized figure. He reached out to take my hand, but Keith stepped in front of me defensively.

"Don't touch her," he snarled. "We came to talk, not for some family reunion."

"Are you envious?" Lotor asked.

"Shut up Lotor," I said defensively. "Let's stay on track."

"Yes, right to business then," Lotor said, leading us to what looked like a lounge area, beckoning us to sit down. Lance and I sat down, but Keith remained standing.

"Sit with us, Keith," Lotor said. He shook his head.

"I like standing."

"Suit yourself. Now, the alliance. My offer is you give Voltron to me, in return for your safety and a few planets free of the Galra's reign. More specifically, Nā Mea Nani and Earth," Lotor said smoothly. Lance intervened.

"What about the rest of the innocent people out there?" he protested. Lotor smiled.

"Ah, well you see, my father ruled over them by intimidation, and he limited their resources, which left them starved. My plan is to first bring peace to Earth and the Galra, and then supply the necessary elements they need. This will all take place over a few months, a year at most."

Lance looked unsure. "I'm not buying this. I have a bad feeling. You guys?"

I shrugged. "I'm all for it. Keith?"

"No, I don't trust Lotor, neither does Lance, so we better get going so we can beat their sorry asses," Keith said.

"Keith, this may be our best shot at finding your mother," I said, hoping to bribe him into it. Keith shot me a glare.

"My mother is dead. Even if she's not, she's working with them," Keith spat, pointing at Lotor and his generals, who seemed to have appeared behind him.

"Keith, why do you think I'm not killing you right now, when I could have already had you dead?" Lotor asked. "I want an alliance, Kogane, I don't want lives lost if it's not necessary. This decision is in your hands. Also, may I ask why your LEADER is not here? What's his name- Shirogane?"

He didn't know. Lance and I exchanged glances. "Um, no, he decided to stay and protect the princess," Lance said quickly. Ugh, I forgot he was a terrible liar. Lotor seemed to think so too.

"I see," he said, stroking his chin. "Very well, I will leave this up to you. Make it quick, if that witch finds out I'm here I will be as good as dead."

"Could we have a moment to ourselves then?" I asked. Lotor nodded and left the room with his generals. We huddled together and Keith immediately spoke.

"I think we should take them out here and now," Keith said stubbornly. "It's our most trustworthy opti—"

"No, that would be stupid," I said. "If Lotor dies, Haggar will be furious. You know she could destroy us if she really tried. Especially since he's her son."

"So let's keep them hostage," Lance suggested. Keith and I shook our heads.

"Kill them."

"Spare them."

Keith looked at me like I was insane. "Listen, Kogane, Lotor may be smart, but Haggar is ten times as intelligent and gets the job done a million times faster. Did I mention Voltron hasn't landed a single blow on her besides me?"

Keith thought about that. "Fine, we won't kill Lotor, but I still don't trust him."

"I don't either, but this may be our best option," Lance said. "Lotor is very smart, and even if Haggar were to try and kill us, we'd stand a better chance with him."

"No," Keith said stubbornly. "Let's capture them now."

"No!" I yelled at him. He glared at me. 

"You are not the leader."

"Okay, so first you don't want the role, and now your abusing it? Damn idiot," I spat. "We are going to go with his deal."

"And who says we are?"

"Me," I said, "you don't want to fight me Keith, we saw how that went last time."

Keith paled. "You wouldn't dare."

"Maybe not, but if you don't agree, I'm leaving with Lotor, and Lance and Kekini are coming with me."