(Wondering what this is? This is the 800 Followers Special! Find out more here. These requests are now closed. Don’t wanna see these because there’s a lot of them coming over the next couple of weeks? Blacklist ‘800 Followers Special’. Hate reading on Tumblr? These will be going on AO3 as ‘This Paradox Place’ a couple of days after posting. Thanks to Xagrok for betaing!)
If they invented a way to actually have sex over the internet you and I could use that glorious technology for internet hugs. (You know, when I wasn’t using it for sex.)
“It’ll just be a couple more days,” Hunk told him quietly. “We’re about finished with their shielding, and after that Keith and I will head back. When are you getting back to the castle, do you know yet?”
Propped against the headboard of his (admittedly very nice) guest bed, Lance sighed to the pad in his lap. “I don’t know. If all goes well, maybe a day after you? Allura gave me a ton of notes on them, so no one should get unduly offended. But you know how it is.”
Hunk made a sympathetic face, but Lance only knew that because he knew Hunk so well. On the little pad and the tiny camera, it mostly looked like he smushed up his expression. It was still a cute look, and Lance wished he could lean in and kiss his crinkled nose.
Lance wished a lot of things about Hunk right now. First and foremost that they were on the same planet. But duty called, and sometimes those duties were different. While Pidge worked her latest stealth adaptations to the castle, Hunk and Keith helped a group of allies fend of a small fleet of scavengers and keep them away. Lance, on the other hand, was working on increasing their Alliance, with Shiro acting as a bodyguard.
The first couple of times it had been fun to have Shiro hovering darkly over his shoulder while he talked to diplomats. And Lance enjoyed spending time with Shiro, who’s dark sense of humor tended to rear up on quieter missions.
It wasn’t the same. Not even close.
Lance was far too used to sharing a bed. It was too cold when he was alone, no matter how many blankets he used.
“You’ll do great,” Hunk replied. “You always do. Watch you beat us back.”
Cracking a grin, Lance nodded. “Damn right. And the outfits here? They’re really see through on the top part. Maybe I’ll bring you something.”
Hunk waggled his brows, a tiny movement on the screen. “For me to wear or for you to wear?”
“Both.”
“Perfect.” Hunk grinned, but it melted into something sadder, something softer. “That’ll be after I get to hug you again.”
Lance’s heart swelled and cracked at the same time, and he resisted the urge to rub his chest to soothe it. It wouldn’t do any good. “Speaking of, Mr. Mechanical Genius, how is it that we can video chat over millions of light years but we can’t hug? I’m waiting for my upgrade.”
“Oh, shoot,” Hunk replied fondly. “Slipped my mind. I’ll get right on that.”
“And then we’ll use it to have sex.”
Hunk choked, and Lance beamed. It was gratifying as hell, that even after years of this he could still surprise Hunk with a well placed comment.
Once he had his coughing under control, Hunk shot him a sly look. “Not first?”
Lance shook his head. “Nah, hugs first. I want them more. Also, politeness.”
Resting his hand on his cheek, Hunk watched him fondly. “I want them more too. Especially right about now. I’m used to hearing your breathing, it keeps throwing me off.”
Lance nodded and sighed, leaning back heavily against the wall. “Same here.”
There was a long silence, comfortable but melancholic.
“Just another couple of days,” Hunk repeated. “And then hopefully we’ll have a day to relax.”
“Tell that to the galaxy,” Lance shot back. “Can we not plan? When we plan it goes wrong. I’ll mention a day off after to Shiro and see what he says, but otherwise...”
Hunk’s brows rose, but he didn’t comment on the probability changes between planning a day and not planning a day. Yes, Lance knew it was superstitious, and he didn’t give a damn. It worked, and he wasn’t going to screw over a day to get to hold his boyfriend.
Instead, Hunk nodded agreeably. “Think Shiro will go for it?”
“If we can get Pidge to have him do the test piloting for her new additions, yes. Otherwise, maybe not. He’s going a little stir crazy. Very scowley. Makes for a good bodyguard but I think he’s kind of hoping for an attack now.”
Hunk laughed. “I’m lucky, Keith gets to get out all his energy fighting pirates. Which is good. He doesn’t feel like he should help and I don’t have to supervise him.”
“Hmm, I still pick Shiro,” Lance decided. Even if he and Keith got along better these days, spending too much time alone in a room with him was still a recipe to make Lance want to punch something. Someone. Someone wearing red. “Hey, one more thing. Guess what?”
“Chicken butt?”
Lance paused, then huffed. “Okay, fine. Now guess something else.”
Considering, Hunk finally shook his head. “I give up. What?”
“Love you.”
Hunk visibly melted. “Love you too.”
Nodding, Lance scooted down until he could pull the blankets over himself. “Good. Now tell me about your project. I need to get to sleep soon if I’m going to finish this up in record time.”
“Oh, and I’m your sleep aide? I see how it is.” But Hunk cleared his throat and pulled over a notepad. “Okay, so, when we got here the thing was just in pieces. I know they’ve been cut off from resources but someone was not taking care of their radiation system, I swear...”
Lips curled up, eyes closed, Lance could nearly feel Hunk’s arms around him as he ranted.
It wasn’t quite the same, but it was close enough.
If you're still taking 0k Ancestor prompts, what's the Disciple up to?
==> BE A SOMEWHAT NEWER YET BUT STILL NOTABLY OLD GHOST (IN THE FUTURE)
You don’t tend to hang around the Challenge arena much, or the Conscription platform in general. They’re just… awful.
But you can’t help but notice that there are a LOT more adult ghosts around than usual. Strong, focused adult ghosts. And they do seem to be focused on the arena. And, well, you don’t usually shy away from satisfying your curiosity. So you hang around, and circle a bit closer, and you can’t help but notice a lot of the CONVERSATIONS the ghosts are having are about grievances against the Empire or against the Condesce specifically? Which is… interesting.
Just before the Challenge is about to start, you notice ghosts… directing traffic? Not just pointing people, you realize as you get closer, but repeating directions.
“First signal is the psionics, when that stops take it away, second signal is the psionics again, repeat as necessary, when the sign for Phase Two goes out CLEAR OUT,” the direction-giver repeats, over and over.
This is… this can’t possibly be what it sounds like.
Next to the direction-giver is a ghost in necropath-green, who seems to be concentrating on every ghost who passes by. You’re familiar with the feel of necropath power from various way-too-close encounters with the Demoness – you aren’t familiar with it STRENGTHENING you.
The crowd is moving INTO the arena. There are ghosts overhead crackling with psionics.
This can’t possibly be what it seems.
But the ghosts around you are manifesting weapons of all kinds, and you’re HERE, so… You imagine your claws back on your hands, and there they are.
And when the Condesce enters the arena, she’s hit with psionic blasts, EFFECTIVE psionic blasts FROM THE GHOSTS, and this is EXACTLY what it sounded like.
When the blasts stop, the crowd of ghosts surge forward, and you leap with it.
1. If you’re an author, how many WIPs do you currently have? (Be honest!)
Let’s see, I have about 50 things planned to write. 41 are fics. Of that 41, approximately 11 or so are fics I’ve started but haven’t yet completed and like, I think, maybe 8 are fics I’ve started but haven’t looked at or worked on in weeks.
6. What’s the last thing you read that made you laugh?
This Is Not Fiction by @nicoima/@tinfcomic. I started rereading it over for the billionth time last week and honestly, every chapter up until the most recent one (which is just pure fluff and angst of JUST-SMOOCH-ALREADY) has me in stitches. It’s the cutest webcomic ever and fucking hilarious.
10. Mutual pining or enemies to friends to lovers?
Mutual pining~
15. Post the last line you wrote without context.
Damian cocked his head. “Well, you can but I believe Todd lives severalblocks away from here.”
@brightisthedawn sigh, yeah that does fit with Tumblr. I don’t even care if they make threads a thing, I just want to be able to respond to a reply without having a million screenshots on my phone
So I’ve no idea how this reply on a post thing works now, and apparently it isn’t paying my replies as blog posts so I assume from the no response you guys didn’t see these. :/ I guess Tumblr still hasn’t fixed this. Or they’ve done some weird fix that I haven’t figured out what it is yet
