Midnight Call
This was written as a birthday present for @miss-macabre-grey whose favorite fanfic trope is “strangers getting close through technogical misunderstandings”.
Happy birthday, dear! ^^ And I hope you’ll enjoy this!
A buzz filled the room as his phone shifted across the table, making small way among scattered papers, books and one too many mugs.
Lotor refused to look up from his computer and with eyes glued to the screen and a displeased frown continued to type.
His paper on the traditional romantic customs and relationships of humanity wasn't bad per se, no... At this point, it just felt...hollow.
The buzzing started once again, this time sounding even more insistent and annoying.
Lotor huffed.
He didn't need this! But apparently someone was dead or dying and actually had the nerve to call him...
Without looking he reached across the table and tapped to accept the call. On a second note he tapped once more to channel the call to the speakers.
Almost immediately a clash of noises spilled from the line, the distinct combination of murmur, obnoxious music and clinck of bottles filling the silent space Lotor had created in his living room.
"-can't stop me! I'm gonna- wait, where is the dial tone-what is-"
The voice on the other end was unrecognizable, possibly belonging to a young male who was quite intoxicated. That was when Lotor realized how he had accepted the call without checking the caller id. Frown only growing darker he reached to end the call.
"Oh it is open! Heyyyy gorgeous" the man slurred, his voice turning sultry and entirely shameless with the compliment. "Have you missed me?"
Lotor's finger hovered over the end button, his eyes leaving the screen and focusing on the phone.
Huh? For a second a shiver ran through his sleep deprived body, breath getting short. How long has it been since someone actually gave him a compliment?...
...It was something he didn't like to dwell deeply in...
"I don't know what you have expected from this call but I can quite firmly say that you'll be disappointed"
There was a deep breath on the other end then - "so cold!" The man whined.
Lotor imagined he had a cute pout.
"You always push me away, you always break my heart. But babe please, I'll be good. I'll do whatever you want... please, please can I come over?"
Lotor opened his mouth to end the call but the other was babbling continously now. "I know you said- you said we were over but I need- I..I need-"
Suddenly there was another sound coming from the call.
"Lance! Buddy! What are you doing?"
So Lance was apparently the intoxicated heartbroken mess and this other guy-
"Hunk!" Lance exclaimed. "No...no,no! I need to talk to him! I need-"
"Lance c'mon give me the phone! Lance!"
For a few brief seconds, the sounds of struggle filled the line, Hunk and Lance clearly fighting over the phone. The line muffled, indistinct noises spilling. A set of heavy breathing and the final impact of a door shutting later-
"Hey baby~"
Apparently a heartbroken guy was stronger than a sober one.
Ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat at the compliment, Lotor sighed. Why wasn't he just hanging up?
"Congratulations, you deserve a medal in phone wrestling"
The other man...Lance chuckled. "Yeah?" Would you like to come home with me? I'll show you all of my trophies. Maybe even give you a demonstration"
A horrible and clumsy attempt at flirting... Lotor leaned his cheek against his fist, contemplating the stranger. But...strangely it was tolerable.
With a sigh and shake of his head, Lotor leaned back on his chair. Nonetheless, it was time to conclude this misunderstanding before it wasted more of his time. "Look...Lance-"
"Yes, gorgeous?"
Lotor's lashes fluttered. "I'm not the person you are looking for."
"Babe, please. Not this again. You are exactly the person I am looking for! You are smart, handsome, great in the sack and you have the best damn ass I have ever-"
"No," Lotor cut off, a strange feeling squeezing around his chest and a sudden flush burning his ears.
Was this jealousy?...certainly not...
"I meant I am not the person you think I am. I am not your lover."
There was a hitch on the other line then Lance was crying, actually crying!
"Babe please," he breathed in wetly. "Don't do this, don't give up on me."
Quiznak! This wasn't going as he had planned. Lance was too drunk to think straight.
Looking at his open article and the annoying line that kept flickering, Lotor reached across the table to get his phone. Was he really concerned about this idiot? For all he knew, this guy had been the stupidiest jerk to ever got into a relationship.
Across the line Lance sniffed wetly, his begging turning ten fold as he continued to cry.
Shutting off the speaker, Lotor got the phone close to his ear. Apparently he was a weak idiot as well...
"Lance," he called. "It is going to be okay, just calm yourself. Take deep breaths...yes, slowly...That's right...yes..."
As the line slowly went quiet, Lotor got up from his chair to settle across the couch.
"Babe?..."
The vulnerability of the tone tugged at his heart unexpectedly.
"It is alright." Lotor murmured, trying the soothe the idiot. "Where are you?"
"Shiro..."
Shiro?...Was that a place?
"He and his flatmates were throwing a party and Hunk said we should go! And when we got here they had this huge-"
At least, the idiot was at someone's house.
"- it was amazing! He just drank the whole thing! Can you believe it?"
Lotor had no idea what Lance was talking about but still he hummed appreciatively. "That's nice, Lance"
"No..." the other slurred. "You are nice...you are perfect..."
Lotor highly doubted that, especially since how Lance sounded so hurt by his previous lover. Then again maybe it was how Lance's fault...
"I wish you were here..." the other continued, a muffled but wishful sigh slipping. "I know you don't want me back-"
"Lance-" Lotor warned."let's not talk about that"
He didn't need to listen to the other crying again. Lotor couldn't really understand what came over him but he wanted this guy to be okay.
Across the line Lance sniffed once more. "Okay...."
Lotor needed a neutral topic to calm him.
“Tell me about your day.”
*-*-*
"-and that's when I said to her 'my dear Pidge, you can't use a book to - to charm someone! You need words!"
Lotor had no idea how Lance had stirred the conversation towards flirting techniques but apparently this guy had actually a nickname as obnoxious and funny as 'loverboy'. So maybe it wasn't really a surprise.
At Lance's over excited monologue, Lotor only chose to hum. He didn't really need to elaborate on the issue, since Lance's alcohol induced brain wasn't really big on staying on one topic for more than two minutes.
Predictably the other was now talking about something else, voice only a hoarse murmur. "Remember our third date?"
Lotor stopped his sigh from spilling across the line. He had hoped they could stay away from these issues but apparently no such luck..
Making a noncommittal noise Lotor chose to let Lance fill in the blanks.
"I remember the warmth of the sand...and I had thought- I had-... I wasn't really sure if you could love me..."
Suddenly Lotor's heart squeezed painfully. He didn't want to hear about this, about the other's pain, his insecurities... He just wanted this stranger to be happy.
"Lance..." he murmured.
"No...no...I know it has been my fault. It is! I asked for too much. I was needy and clingy and-"
"Lance, it is okay-"
A deep sleepy sigh flittered from the line. "But we had fun, right?... it was good?...the beach, the sand..."
Lotor smiled a little. "Yes," he assured the other, pleased to hear another sigh, this time even more relaxed. "It was fun..."
".. yeah...it was..."
"Lance? Hey buddy"
Suddenly a soft voice came through the line. If Lotor had to guess he would say it was Hunk.
And certainly it was a relief...right?
Over the line Lance shuffled and murmured unintelligently, clearly on the verge of falling asleep. With a soft smile Lotor reached to hang up.
"Good night, loverboy"
Pushing the end button, Lotor let his phone slide down to the couch. A heavy silence engulfed his flat, a weird sense of loneliness spreading over his body.
But it was fine... a relief even! And it wasn't as if Lance would remember anything in the morning...
For a brief second Lotor gazed upon his article on romance in human culture before rising up to push down the screen with a satisfying thump.
Besides.. he didn't need the mess.
