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It was the night before Shiro's wedding, and Lotor had decided to get very drunk so that he could forget all about it. But his plans were dashed when Matt discovered him drinking in the study and confiscated the bottle.
"Matt!" he snapped, trying to snatch the whiskey back.
"Do you really want to be hungover through the wedding tomorrow?" Matt asked.
Lotor raised an eyebrow haughtily. "That was the plan."
Matt sighed. "So you want to be sitting in church, in those pants that are very flattering but threaten to cut off your circulation, with a pounding head AND a roiling stomach to see Shiro get married?"
Lotor bit his lip, giving Matt the chance to set the bottle on the shelf.
"So you want me to sit there sober and in misery?" Lotor whined, and Matt shook his head.
"I'll give you a shot of brandy just before we leave for the church, and then after the wedding breakfast you can get as drunk as you like."
Lotor perked up at the prospect. "You swear?"
Matt held up his right hand. "I swear." He leaned against the desk, close enough that Lotor could catch his scent - peppercorn and cedar and smoky black tea.
Matt bumped his knee against Lotor's, pulling him out of his reverie. "I'll be your chaperone," he said. "I want to make sure there's someone to look after you."
Lotor smirked up at him. "How noble of you," he said and Matt chuckled.
"At university usually I was the one drunkenly causing a scene, so I suppose I'm due to pay penance now."
Lotor laughed. "I don't think chaperoning for one afternoon will absolve you of stealing that lieutenant's uniform before the ball…"
"Probably not, but we must all start somewhere," Matt said brightly. "And anyway, he thought it was quite funny, so I'm sure I have worse sins than that to atone for."
"I dare say you're right," Lotor said, leaning back in the chair, deflated now that his best chance at a distraction was removed.
But Matt said, "Do you fancy a game at billiards?"
Lotor squinted up at him. "You hate billiards."
Matt shrugged. "Well, I've been trying to improve, and I think I might be able to beat you now."
It was an obvious excuse, but Lotor smiled wickedly. "Are you sure you don't want to play whist?" and Matt groaned.
"I'm quite sure I can't afford to play whist with you," he said, shooing Lotor to the billiards room, and Lotor laughed despite himself.
***
Matt kept his promise to smuggle Lotor a shot of brandy the next morning, but he was still appallingly sober as the wedding march started and everyone turned to see Keith at the end of the aisle. Shiro’s face broke into a beatific smile as soon as he laid eyes on Keith, and Keith smiled back – Lotor didn’t even know he could smile – looking radiant as he floated down the aisle and reached out to take Shiro’s hand.
It was a lovely wedding, and Lotor hated every minute of it, but finally, finally, Shiro whisked Keith off to the carriage to leave for their honeymoon, and Matt caught his elbow.
“Ready to go drown your sorrows?” he murmured and Lotor nodded.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said, following Matt out of the dining room. His mother would have been horrified that he left so early, but thankfully she was far away in London, undoubtedly hectoring some other poor soul.
After a brief wardrobe change (his inexpressibles were impossible to ride in), they rode to the river, where Matt plied him with wine and brandy and meat pasties. “To the old guard,” he said, clinking his glass against Lotor’s. “The last of our set to be unclaimed.”
“Hear hear,” Lotor said. “And if I never go to another wedding, it’ll be too soon.”
“Now you’ve gone and done it,” Matt said lazily. “Mark my words, you’ll be marching down the aisle yourself before the year is out.”
Lotor snorted - another ungentlemanly behavior that would make his mother howl. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, reaching for the brandy bottle. “Since I’m doomed to be alone forever, maybe I can settle down in the house in Derbyshire and become the local recluse.”
“Your mother would love that,” Matt said dryly, and Lotor laughed.
“Exactly! She’d love to see her only son give up all hope of a second attachment and enter a life of celibacy. It’d give her something to complain about for years, she’ll be delighted.”
Matt laughed, shaking his head as he took another sip of brandy. “I know it doesn’t help much,” he said. “But I really don’t think you’ll have to resign yourself to being the neighborhood hermit.”
Lotor raised his eyebrows. “Well I wasn’t as lucky as Keith - there was no one to propose to me when I presented, so I’ve had to go about things the old fashioned way.”
Matt gave him a look. “Ironically enough, you do sound like Keith.”
Lotor rolled his eyes. “Yes, poor Keith, doomed to be an omega like the rest of us, what a tragedy.”
“It almost was,” Matt said, an edge to his voice. “His family’s estate is entailed to the male line, did you know that? So his alpha cousin tried to claim the estate as his.”
Lotor blinked. His father’s disappointment that his son presented as an omega had been palpable – but at least there had never been a question of who would stand to inherit. “He did?”
“Yes,” Matt said. “Keith was raised as an alpha, so when his first heat came…” he sighed. “He was beside himself that his sisters were ruined, and that it was all his fault.”
“Oh,” Lotor said, very softly. Matt gave him a small smile, leaning in to bump his shoulder against Lotor’s.
“I think you and Keith would be friends, actually – you’re both stubborn enough. I think you have more in common than you might think.”
Lotor sighed, laying back to put his head in Matt’s lap. “This is entirely too serious a conversation to be having when I’ve had this much brandy.”
“Fair enough,” Matt said with a grin, and Lotor hummed, pleased with himself.
He nestled his cheek against Matt’s thigh and Matt smiled down at him, running his fingers through his hair. “You look like the cat who got the cream,” he murmured.
Lotor smiled, letting his eyes drift shut. “I am,” he said. “You’ve spoiled me today.”
“I spoil you every day,” Matt said with a chuckle, and Lotor blinked one eye open.
“Matt?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you ever been in love?”
Matt went still, his fingers tangled in Lotor’s hair. Lotor held his breath. He didn’t know why he had asked – apparently he had drunk more than he thought.
But it felt important, somehow, to know if Matt had ever had his own heart broken.
“I have,” Matt said softly. “But they didn’t love me back.”
“They’re an idiot, then,” Lotor said. Matt smiled at him sadly, shaking his head, and Lotor scrambled up with a frown. “No, they are! You proposed to Keith when his inheritance was in question, you take care of a ridiculous dandy like me… Anyone with any sense would snap you up in a heartbeat.”
Matt laughed. “Thank you, Lotor,” he said. Lotor frowned at him, but Matt just laughed.
“Maybe I should come up to London with you this winter,” he said. “You can introduce me to all the eligible young bachelors.”
Lotor felt his cheeks burn for some reason he couldn’t name. “Volunteering to stay with my parents in London is brave, “ he said, and Matt laughed.
“The things we do for love, hmm?” he asked, and Lotor rolled his eyes, stuffing a meat pasty in Matt’s face so he would stop talking.
***
Fortunately for everyone, but especially for Lotor, Shiro and Keith invited all their friends and family to a ball for Christmas, so Lotor was able to escape his mother’s clutches after only a few dreary months in London with nothing but Shiro and Matt’s letters to look forward to. While he had always thought of Shiro as his favorite correspondent, Matt was quickly usurping his place. Whenever Ezor came in with the day’s letters, he would abscond with Matt’s letter, hiding in his room to hoard Matt’s words all to himself.
Lotor had been full of jittery nerves the entire ride to the country – he didn’t know what to expect when he stepped down from the carriage, but Shiro was there to greet him as usual, with Keith at his side.
Lotor took a deep breath – this was probably the only quiet moment he could expect once the others arrived, so he held out his hand to Keith. “I know we’ve had our disagreements,” he said. “And I’m afraid I’ve made an unmitigated ass of myself, which I hope to make up for in the future.”
Keith’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he shook Lotor’s hand. “Thank you, Lotor,” he said, a soft smile on his face. He looked so shy and surprised that Lotor’s heart twisted when he remembered how cold he had been before.
Shiro was positively beaming as he offered his arm to them both, and they all trooped up the drive together. Shiro excitedly showed him all the changes they’d made since the wedding – Keith’s favorite books had been added to the shelves, and he had a desk set by the window, looking out at the gardens.
Matt and Pidge arrived just in time for dinner, and after the last course they all gathered in the drawing room. Keith reached out to close the drapes as the sunset faded, which gave Lotor an idea. He cleared his throat. “Keith, I would like to propose an alliance.”
Shiro groaned and Keith raised an eyebrow. “An alliance?”
“Yes. I’ve been telling Shiro for years that he must get rid of these hideous drapes. They’re an abomination, but he simply refuses to see reason!”
“There’s nothing wrong with the drapes, Lotor,” Shiro insisted, but Keith bit his lip.
“Well…” he said, and Shiro turned to him with a betrayed Keith! “I’m sorry, Shiro, but the wallpaper in the music room is rather ugly, so perhaps we could replace them both…”
“Allura picked out that wallpaper!” Shiro protested, but Allura laughed.
“I was seven at the time, Shiro,” she said with an arch smile. “And if you decide to replace it with a less garish pattern you’ll hear no complaints from me.”
Shiro held up his hands in defeat. “I know when I’m beaten,” he said good-naturedly. “You can choose whatever color you think is best, darling.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Keith’s temple, and he flushed an adorable pink.
“I’ll send over some samples,” Lotor said. “I’ve been doing up the country house, so I have more than I know what to do with.”
“Thank you, Lotor,” Keith said shyly, and Shiro smirked at Lotor.
“Don’t let him bully you too much, sweetheart,” he said, teasing. “If left to his own devices, Lotor would live in the palace of Versailles.”
Lotor laughed. “I’ve always told you, Shiro – more is more.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Matt said, refilling his punch cup with a flourish. He turned, the punch sloshing dangerously in his cup, and Lotor gracefully rescued the cup from him.
“I think you’ve been testing my theory a little too much tonight, Matt.”
Matt pouted up at him adorably, but Lotor knew him well enough not to be swayed. “Perhaps it’s time we retire for the evening?” he said. “Otherwise Matt will be useless all day tomorrow.”
“As opposed to every other day?” Pidge asked, and Matt huffed.
“Well if everyone’s going to be rude, I suppose I will go off to bed,” he said, stalking off with high dudgeon, which only made Pidge and Keith giggle more.
“He’ll thank you in the morning,” Shiro said, and Lotor laughed.
“I know. He would be miserable if he missed out on the ball tomorrow,” he said, and Shiro laughed.
“We’ll all be miserable if we don’t get some sleep,” Allura said, hiding a yawn behind her hand.
The others obediently trooped up to bed, with the giddy excitement of children going to bed before Christmas morning.
***
The day of the ball dawned bright and clear, and the whole house was full of hustle and bustle. The last of the Holts and Koganes arrived, and Pidge immediately grabbed Romelle’s hand and disappeared into the garden, leaving Mrs. Kogane shaking her head at them fondly while Acxa introduced Veronica as her new fiancee.
Soon the ball was in full swing, and Lotor danced every dance, despite his inexpressibles and too-beautiful-to-be-comfortable shoes. He had just left the dance floor for a glass of wine when he saw Veronica’s loud younger brother – Lucius perhaps? – leaning in close to whisper something into Matt’s ear. Lotor was already on his way to rescue Matt when he saw Matt blush.
Lotor felt a sudden wave of irritation that surprised him – talking at a ball was hardly a crime – but somehow his feet carried him the rest of the way, until he was close enough to loop his arm through Matt’s.
“Hello Lucius,” he said breezily, ignoring the muttered Lance as he turned to Matt. “Matt,” he said, “these beastly shoes are giving me the most horrid blister, I won’t be able to walk tomorrow!”
“I told you they would,” Matt said, holding back a laugh. Lotor pouted at him, and Matt said, “Do you need me to bring you to your carriage, Cinderella?”
“Perhaps a drink?” Lotor asked, and Matt rolled his eyes fondly before he set off to fetch a glass of punch for Lotor.
Lance scowled at Lotor. “I didn’t realize he needed a chaperone,” he said waspishly, and Lotor raised an eyebrow.
“I didn’t see anything interesting enough to require a chaperone," he said archly, and Lance huffed, his scent spiking with an overwhelming whiff of bitter grapefruit as he stalked away. Lotor leaned against the wall – as much as his inexpressibles would allow at least. His feet really were aching.
But soon Matt returned, with a cup of punch in each hand. He wrinkled his nose at the lingering hint of grapefruit as he held out the punch to Lotor. “Did Lance give you any trouble?”
Lotor shook his head. “None at all.” He took a sip of his punch. “He seemed to be giving you some trouble.”
Matt blushed again and Lotor felt another rumble of irritation. “He’s just an incorrigible flirt,” Matt mumbled into his punch.
Lotor smirked. “Says the most incorrigible flirt I know,” he said, and Matt bowed.
“I aim to impress,” he said with a grin and Lotor laughed.
“You’re a regular Casanova,” he said, and almost dropped his glass when Matt winked.
“Some of us don’t have wealth and beauty to recommend us. We have to rely on charm,” Matt teased, and Lotor felt a guilty pang when he remembered Lance’s smile and Matt’s pink cheeks.
“Well, I’ve been entirely selfish this evening, keeping your charm all to myself,” he said, keeping his voice light. “I don’t know who will look after me when you’re married.”
“I’ll always look after you,” Matt said softly, his peppery-tea scent blooming around them, and Lotor stared up at him for far too long, his cheeks burning.
Finally he wrenched his gaze away, staring out at the dancers without noticing any of them. “You can say that now,” he said. “But once you’re a married man with little ones on the way, you’ll forget all about me.”
“I could never forget you, Lotor,” Matt said, reaching out to run his thumb along Lotor’s inner wrist. It was so intimate that Lotor blushed up to his ears, and his jasmine scent swirled around them, pulling Matt impossibly closer.
“You asked me if I’d ever been in love before,” Matt murmured. “And I said yes. But I didn’t tell you – my heart’s been yours since our schoolboy days.”
Lotor breathed out a sigh. “Oh.”
“I never thought – I didn’t want to impose –” Matt said, but then Lotor was grabbing his hand and dragging him into the empty music room.
“Impose all you like,” Lotor said. “I was slower to realize, but I think I’m accustomed to your attentions now.”
Matt smirked down at him, leaning close. “Is that so?”
“It is,” Lotor said, biting back a smile. “I’ve been quite forlorn with only your letters to keep me company.”
“We can’t have that,” Matt said, “I’ll have to make it up to you.”
Lotor raised an eyebrow. “How do you plan to do that?”
“Like this,” Matt whispered, reaching out to cup Lotor’s jaw and pressing their lips together in a soft, sweet kiss. Lotor sighed against his lips and Matt licked into his mouth, sending a shiver down Lotor’s spine.
He threw his arms around Matt’s neck and squeaked when Matt scooped him up, carrying him over to the settee to continue their tete-a-tete. The music from the party drifted faintly from the hall, but Lotor was more than happy to hide away in the music room – and not just because he could finally kick off his horrible shoes.
***
When it came time for Matt and Lotor’s wedding, Shiro and Keith arrived with a tiny bundle in Keith’s arms. They hardly seemed to notice the hustle and bustle all around them in their own little world – Shiro beaming with pride, and Keith smiling down at the little mop of curls in his arms.
“Maybe that’ll be us someday,” Matt whispered in Lotor’s ear, and Lotor could feel his cheeks burn.
“Maybe,” Lotor said. “Although it will be trying to give up my inexpressibles.” He looked up at Matt, expecting a laugh, but then he saw Matt’s eyes had gone dark and hungry. “Oh,” he whispered, and Matt gave him a wolfish grin.
“You have no idea how long those damned pants have haunted my dreams,” he murmured, his scent going dark and peppery and Lotor sighed, leaning in to him.
“You’ll have to tell me later,” he said, and Matt smiled, pressing a kiss to his knuckles.
“I plan on telling you every day.”
“Oh.” Lotor whispered, and Matt gave him another heated look that sent a flush across Lotor’s cheeks.
“Matt!” Pidge called out and Matt turned to her, an innocent smile tugging at his lips. Lotor smirked to himself and leaned in, pretending to whisper in Matt’s ear but biting his earlobe gently instead. Matt squeaked and Lotor gave him a smug smile before he turned back to the others.
If Matt wanted to fluster Lotor, he’d find out very quickly that two can play at that game.