a meme journal (
memed) wrote in
bakerstreet2018-06-09 05:47 pm
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cuddle meme .

Post with your character! They're now stuck in a very cold place of your choice. It can be anything, such as a freezing chamber, a cavern or a small cabin in the midst of a blizzard. The choice is up to you.
Comment around! Now your character has some company in this bone-chilling environment. The two of them share two things in common: clothes completely unfitting for this weather (be they summer clothes or even lingerie) and a blanket.
A blanket? Yes, just one warm blanket and no other ways to escape the cold. The two of them will have to share it in order to stay alive in this weather. Don't worry, you're sure to find a common language in this terrible situation!
So, uh, have fun, I suppose. Try to not freeze to death!
Protip: friction and body heat are both excellent ways to fend off cold.
no subject
His expression softens into one of gentle consideration overlaid with a little confusion. ".... All right. You sure you don't want me to hold you instead?" The brusque firmness has faded out of his voice, leaving it quite and personal.
no subject
"Forgive me. I did not mean to presume, but in my research about you I discovered that your people hail from Japan and that to use given names in that culture is a sign of intimacy. I shall refrain from doing so if it discomforts you."
And then he smiled, because no, of course Lotor cared nothing for titles. They could be bestown on anyone for any reason; he was living proof. Shiro's had been earned, but even so and while they were valuable in themselves, it was the man under them that held his interest.
"I am certain. I believe you will find that we of Glara blood tend to emanate a great deal of natural warmth."
no subject
After a few moments, he says quietly, "It's all right. To call me that, I mean. I just haven't heard it in a long time. No one but Commander Holt uses it, and that's only in private when he really wants to get through to me. ...Matt hasn't since Pidge brought him back." That hurts, in a way, to feel that distinct distance between them, but he can hardly blame Matt for that. "So yeah... I don't mind if you use my first name in private. It's nice to feel like someone's taking notice." He shouldn't have said that, and he flushes up the back of his neck. His shoulders tense in self-reproach. "But it's not necessary if you'd rather stick to Shiro. That's fine too."
Gah I typo'd Galra
Lotor didn't move a great deal, doing his best to let Shiro find the most comfortable position for himself. When he seemed settled, though, Lotor was quick to wrap both the blanket and his arms around him.
"I would like to call you by your name, if you truly do not object. I find your nickname to be rather fitting as well, but as everyone refers to you in such a way I would enjoy being able to verbally signify our connection to one another."
After a moment, he sighed.
"The man underneath is who I wish to know. I am used to wearing masks as armor and it would be a privilege if neither of us felt the need to do so with one another."
I honestly didn't notice
He's quiet a moment, chewing his tongue and trying to decide how open he should be. Finally he says, so quietly that he knows Lotor can probably only hear it because of his Altean hearing: "I don't know if I can take off the mask anymore. I don't know if there's anything under it. But that's all right... I know what they need me to be, and that's enough."
no subject
"A very long time indeed. I too am unsure that I know who I truly am without the survival tactics that have become so ingrained. Voltron, and you in particular, are beginning to let me see that I can be more than my father's darkest shame."
The words were quiet, not as soft as Shiro's had been, but the man in his arms did have human ears, after all. He found himself fighting off the powerful urge to kiss him after such a confession.
"That is all right. It takes a great deal of time to chip the masks away enough to let the light underneath be visible once more. But it is never extinguished. Suns rise and set and hide behind clouds and in eclipses, and yet they do not cease to exist.
The kindness and the strength you show are not something put in place by the witch. They remain despite her interference. You are what your teammates need because you are a good man who will not allow any of them to doubt themselves. But you are important as well, and someday you will see that again."
no subject
In a way, it hurts worse, to know that here is yet another person who thinks, beyond all reason, that he is a 'good man'. When all the evidence Shiro can see right now points the exact opposite direction. He's slipping, especially recently. Badly enough that he's actually snapped at the other paladins, gone behind their backs, stormed off the bridge, executed plans without their knowledge. What kind of leader is that? It's hard to feel like he isn't completely losing his grip and sliding into the monster that lurks under the scars and nightmares.
But on the other hand, Lotor's right. He loves and supports his team the best that he can, even if that best isn't good enough. That's why it hurts so much when they don't trust him. That's why he starts doubting himself when they all fight him on something he believes is right. That's why he goes around them rather than picking fights and hurting them anymore. He wants them to be whole and safe and happy. And that's not something Haggar could ever understand. It's not something she could have put into place. It's something that he had to have had beforehand. Which means that there is someone underneath there, even if he doesn't know who it is or how to reach him right now.
He raises a hand under the blanket to curve his fingers gently over Lotor's forearm. "...Thank you. I don't feel like I'm as good a person as everyone seems to think I am, but you're right about H-- about the witch. She may have shaped me, but I'm not her creature, and that has to count for something."
icon keywords being apt again
He shifted a bit so he could press his lips against Shiro's temple. There was no force at all behind the movement and he doubted it was enough to feel beyond a slight brush of a touch, but he hoped it was not unwelcome.
"She did not shape you. You were already formed, she simply used her claws to cut your edges away and hone them into blades. For that, I am forever sorry. She did the same to me, but over a much more prolonged period so it was not nearly as shocking to me as it must have been to you. But regardless, what she did and what she forced you to do - these things do not define you. They are scars much like the physical ones you carry, but they too shall fade with time.
If you were not a good man, you would not be worried about not being one, Takashi. That is all the proof I shall ever need to say emphatically that you are."
He had to laugh softly at the switching of Haggar's name to the descriptor Lotor had given her so long ago. She was called so many things; High Priestess, Druid, her name, the Enperor's Right Hand...but she had never been those things to him. She had been a witch from his earliest of memories.
"It is all right for you to call her by her name. I do not as she has only been a witch in my presence, but the name does not bother me or cause me pain. You needn't feel obligated to censor it in my presence. And I should hope that if you allow any Galra to hold you, you will let it be me."
Re: icon keywords being apt again
But he doesn't let go of Lotor's arm.
i finally get to use this icon (keywords yo)
He tried to soften his tone a little, the emotional shaking to it having taken on a bit of a growl in his throat.
"I care for Allura a great deal. I had never expected to find another living Altean, and growing close to her is a privilege. I could grow to love her. I do already, in a way. But I shall not choose between two people that I care for. No love is exactly the same and I shall not allow you to foist me off onto her, do you understand? You do not have permission to make that choice for me, Shirogane Takashi. I choose to stay by your side and that is final, unless you veto this decision for legitimate reasons that are not the trauma you carry."
He paused, a hand going to the one Shiro still had around his arm, placing his own over it and squeezing gently, being careful of his claws.
"Hate and danger and death were on his doorstep all his life. I realize the distinction does not change your guilt, but it is Zarkon who put it there, not yourself. Ulaz knew this when he became a warrior of the Blade. He knew his life was forfeit when he freed you. And he chose to do it anyway because he believed in something greater than the way this universe has operated for millennia. He believed in you. I refuse to dishonor him by not doing the same. If I am to bring peace I need you with me; you have already brought more of it than you can possibly understand. There are worlds you have no knowledge of that speak your name reverently and with stars in their eyes for the goodness you have given. This is simple fact and I shall hear nothing different."
no subject
"They don't really know me," he says quietly, the last half-hearted attempt to express himself. "They see the Black Paladin - even more, they see Voltron. Those same people would see you and run screaming. Sorry if I don't put a lot of faith in their views." He sighs, running his hand through his short-cropped hair. "I guess I'm just tired. I don't... I don't want you to go, really. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I can trust you. And that I can trust you to at least listen and try to see where I'm coming from before making a decision. I just don't want you hurt because of me. But you're right - it's your decision who you decide to give your heart to, and if you decide that some portion of it should be given into my keeping, I'll do my best. I really admire you."
no subject
"No, they may not. But they see the goodness in what it is you represent. I realize it is not nearly so comforting as it would be of those who know you, but they see goodness and they would not see it if it did not truly exist."
He sighed, placing a hand under Shiro's chin and gently moving it so that he could meet his eyes.
"It is completely logical to be tired. War and the horrors of imprisonment are difficult to mae peace with in one's mind. I do not know exactly what it is you experienced and I shall not ask, but I know what it is to be forced to take innocent lives. It has never been something I have enjoyed, though I am sure my father would have been more pleased with me if I had. But I have had thousands of years to obtain distance and if not closure, at the least a sense of quietude in knowing it is the past and does not define me."
He stopped for a moment and pulled Shiro back against him under the blanket, running his palms up and down his back, trying his best to soothe.
"You will not hurt me. And if you do, it is a risk I am willing to take, as I do not believe you would do so with malice. I could easily say that you admiring me is ridiculous and dangerous for you, because as you say, much of the universe would see me and run. With good reason. I was no prisoner, in the sense most understand that term, and I have hurt many. But I wish for peace and to care for others. Such has been long denied me and if I am able to do so then I shall."
no subject
Before Kerberos.
Before the Garrison, even.
...Since his mother passed.
He took a deep breath and deliberately took Lotor's hand, lifting it to his mouth, and laid a soft kiss on the knuckles. "I know you want peace. That's what you've been working for this whole time. I trust you, Lotor. We'll make it out of here, and we'll find a way. It's only a question of time."
I'm sorry this took some time <3
It would be easy to fight back. Even without weapons, he and the Black Paladin were both well aware of how to fight effectively.
What he was more concerned with was the way Shiro was obviously uncomfortable. He understood why, but it still bothered him as he was unable to make it better, even knowing that it could take years or decades to begin to truly heal.
"Come here. You're rather bad at being held. Do not make me command you."
But he smiled, a genuine one that crinkled the corners of his eyes.
I don't mind! They're psls - take as long as you need. ♥
another year later, feel free to ignore if you like
"I would venture to guess that the witch may have set some of these breathing issues into motion. When we return, it may be a good plan to go into a cryopod for a bit. I will stay with you the entire time and you shall not be alone."
Nope! I'm enjoying it if you are!
But when Lotor suggests the pods, Shiro stiffens slightly. "No. I'm not going into a pod. It's just the cold - I'll be fine once I'm back somewhere warm. When I got out last time I spent a while on an ice planet. That's probably the source."
no subject
"I would not allow anything to harm you. I promise it with my life."
He could understand the hesitancy, but the idea of Shiro simply dealing with such things due to a fear did not sit well with him.
no subject
There's a wealth of information in that. That he'll panic. That it will be so bad he doesn't think he'll be able to tell friend from foe. That he will use force to keep from being shut into a pod. That he won't hold back.
A swell of disgust turns Shiro's stomach and he swallows it down.
no subject
Lotor felt that undercurrent of fear and felt rather terrible. He hadn't exactly forgotten, but the knowledge of this man's incarceration - which would obviously have included being forced into pods - was no true secret, especially among those of his rank.
He ran his hands soothingly over whatever skin he was able to reach, murmuring as he went.
"Forgive me. It is not often that someone such as yourself is able to function after such blatant mistreatment. I tend to forget the hells you were subjected to. I would never wish you to face such things again. I merely wished for an alleviation of your current issues, nothing more. I shall not insist you go back, fear not."
no subject