Okay, so normally Keith would start a big brawl with Lotor on sight, but the thing is… Keith has never seen Lotor before and has no idea what the prince looks like. Keith’s seen Zarkon before, and he knows that Prince Lotor is Zarkon’s son, so he kind of assumes he looks just like Zarkon Jr.
Lotor, on the other hand, knows exactly what Keith looks like thanks to the security footage the Empire has collected of the paladins over time. So when they first cross paths at the Space Mall, Lotor recognized him on sight, but of course he doesn’t want to tip his hand too soon.
Espionage, anyone?
While Keith is window-shopping at a clothing store (he could use some training clothes that aren’t tight jeans), Lotor comes up and starts chatting with him about the garments he’s eyeing. He’s pretty knowledgeable about common space fabrics, which Keith appreciates since he has no idea what would be comfortable and breathable other than cotton (which, as far as he knows, only grows on Earth).
At this point, Keith is long past the point of assuming that all galra are evil, even if he still gets a bit tense around unfamiliar galra. So he’s not put off by being approached by one. He’s a bit surprised, however, by how handsome this galra is. And not in the rugged, chiseled way that some of the Blades are, but in a more aristocratic way.
Keith’s a bit suspicious about being approached out of the blue like this, but he’s also a bit curious to meet galra outside the Blades. He hasn’t spent much time with galra who live under the Empire’s rule who aren’t enemy soldiers. So when Lotor offers to help him pick out a comfortable training outfit - helping him navigate the confusing mix of sizes, materials, and fasteners - Keith accepts.
Lotor tells himself he’s only pleased because this will give him a chance to wheedle information out of the Red Paladin. He also tells himself it has absolutely nothing to do with how cute the hybrid boy is up close when he’s not trying to kill someone. (Though his mind is already turning over the possibilities. What chinks might exist in the Red Paladins armor? What thread could he pull to draw him away from his fellow paladins and into Lotor’s sphere of influence?)
They end up having a genuinely pleasant conversation. Keith asks Lotor what it’s like living under the Empire, and Lotor answers honestly (while omitting his rank): the Empire serves some well, but not all, and Lotor believes there’s room for improvement. This provides an easy opening for Lotor to ask Keith about where he’s from that the Empire doesn’t reach. Keith keeps his answer vague, but explains that he’s from a pre-FTL world and only recently made it out into the wider universe.
They talk a bit about training attire as Lotor helps Keith pick a few things out to try on and shows him how the fasteners work. (Lotor intentionally picks a few items he knows won’t quite fit the bill, but do wonderful things for the Red Paladin’s… posterior.) Keith finds a few things he likes, but he quickly realizes that money will be an issue. Good clothing is more expensive than he anticipated.
Lotor insists on covering the cost.
“Consider it payment for a most pleasant conversation.”
Keith’s a bit hesitant to accept gifts from someone he just met, but Lotor forges ahead and makes the purchase.
“The expense is a minor one, besides…” And here, he leans in close, letting his hand linger against Keith’s as he hands him the bag. “Perhaps this way, you’ll think of me when you wear them.”
The hybrid paladin’s hitched breath and the little shiver he gives from Lotor’s breath ghosting against his ear is deeply satisfying. Has he ever been with one of his own kind before? Lotor could almost certainly teach him a few things.
He presses a slip of paper into Keith’s hand with a fake name and a real number.
“Call me.”
And with that, Lotor walks away, because he knows how to leave an impression.
(And he spends the next few days pretending the only reason he’s eager for Keith to contact him is for the information-gathering opportunity it represents.)
(Keith tells himself that they’re in the middle of a war, and he doesn’t have time to even consider dating someone, and it’s not like he’s any good at that sort of thing anyway.
But he can’t quite bring himself to throw away the other galra’s contact information or the possibilities it represents.)