cuddle meme .

[memed]

The Body Heat 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.

Comments

Re: icon keywords being apt again

[vrepit_no]

Shiro huffs, a bitter twist to his lips. "Be careful what you hope for. The only other galra I'd consider is dead because of me. He sacraficed himself for me. Twice. Defied orders. I brought hate and danger and death to his doorstep. He's dead, and there isn't even a body to bury. It's not a smart idea, Lotor. You have way too much on your plate already, not to mention everything that's been done to you in the past. You're the one who can show the universe that not every galra thinks like Zarkon. That there's hope for peace and prosperity among all people. Allura's the much better choice."

But he doesn't let go of Lotor's arm.

i finally get to use this icon (keywords yo)

[waitatick]

"Sacrifices are choices. They are not easy ones; if they were they would not be defined as they are. Ulaz was a great man and he shall not be forgotten, but you cannot allow his death and his choice to make it so cause enough guilt that you find yourself unworthy of love. I choose to continue this because I wish to and because I understand what it is to feel yourself unworthy. I am making it my mission to show you that you are worthy despite your beliefs to the contrary."

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."

[vrepit_no]

Shiro focuses on his breathing as he listens. It's tough to keep it even and steady right now, the vulnerability in opening up this far threatening the facade of strength and dignity he's been preserving all this time. He shuts his eyes against the sting of errant tears. He is not going to cry. Not here, not now, not in front of this man that expects so much from him and sees him as so vastly different than how Shiro feels. There will be time enough for breaking down later, when he can get back to the Castle, receive his tongue-lashing from all the paladins, and retreat to the bare, sparse little cabin he haunts.

"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."

[waitatick]

Lotor tightened his hold as much as he felt he could without making the man in his arms uncomfortable, murmuring comforting Galran gibberish under his breath without truly being conscious of it. Comforting another was not something he had much experience in, but Shiro desperately needed it, and Lotor knew intimately well how heartreaking these things were to discuss. He truly expected nothing from Shiro aside from simply being himself, whoever and whatever that might mean as he attempted to reclaim his identity from his captivity, the war he'd had no real choice in joining as a commander, the horrors he'd faced, and the expectations placed on him by so very many.

"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."

[vrepit_no]

It was surprisingly difficult to maintain eye contact - Shiro's eyes kept flickering sideways with shame - but he always tried to pull back to look Lotor in the face. But the other surprise was how his heart swelled and turned over with the gentle touch on his face and along his back and sides. His chest ached, his throat swelled, and he found himself wishing he could just wrap his arms around Lotor's neck and bury his face in the man's shoulder. What the hell. How long had it been since he had felt anything like the kind of trust that would require? ......How long had it been since he felt he could do that. With anyone.

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

[waitatick]

"It is indeed. There is nothing to fear from our captors if they are unwise enough to leave us in the same cell without restraining us."

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. ♥

[vrepit_no]

Shiro huffs a sort of laugh. "All right, all right. Can't let that get out. The Coalition will have a meltdown." He's joking, really, but he does back up a little more and lean back against Lotor's chest. And he has to admit, there's something really, really nice about that. The warmth is finally soaking down into his chest and easing the strain cold's been causing since his latest escape. The rasp is starting to leave his breathing, that goodness. At least he sounds less weak now.

another year later, feel free to ignore if you like

[waitatick]

He had never sounded weak to Lotor. As it was, he simply held him, murmuring soothing things into his ear, old Galran fairy tales and stories that no one knew anymore.

"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!

[vrepit_no]

Shiro lets his eyes drift closed as he listens to the stories, hoping that he can remember them later. This is something that should be recorded. They're fascinating.

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."

[waitatick]

"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.

[vrepit_no]

"I'm not worried about that," Shiro says, and he tries hard to keep from being short with Lotor. "I don't want to hurt anyone else."

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.

[waitatick]

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."

[vrepit_no]

Shiro closes his eyes and forces himself to relax into the touch, taking a deep, steadying breath. "It's all right. It's not like I talk about it. It's easier... not to think about it. Besides, there's not a lot to remember. Just fragments, mostly. It's a human defense mechanism, to block out things to make it easier to keep moving and not just shut down, but heh. I really wish it wouldn't be quite so thorough. Others had it worse than I did, I'm sure. You had to live through a lot more, a lot longer, and a lot more subtly destructive."