video -> voice | un: sharpshooter (april 2nd)

[azurestar]

( cw: alcohol/substance abuse and visible corruption symptoms. )

[At first, the post opens with video. Lance is using his omen for this because he's probably too intoxicated to operate the omni. Corruption has started to increase again and rapidly given what he's trying to announce. The scar over his left eye looks a bit bigger and his iris of that eye is a glowing, crackling electric blue. He's not looking at the 'camera', his expression trained hard on the table in front of him as he grapples with the pain of loss.]

So… Hunk's gone… [In real time, the scar over his eye grows length-wise and cracks open horizontally and the darkness of space seems to be underneath: black void with stars and a nebula. The glowing light of his eye flashes brighter and seems to overtake the rest of his eye.] …baaaack to th' sea.

[His speech is a bit slurred and his hand comes up to his forehead as he leans to brace his elbow on the table. He looks at his omen and his brow furrows.] Valor, this's audio, right?

[What sounds like an 'oops' comes from his omen and then the video cuts out. There's the sound of a heavy, rattled breath being let out from Lance before he continues.] Whatever, not like it matters, [snort] as if I'm even gonna remember, right?

…Oh yeah… anyone in town got some memory findin' powers? I'm missin' some, so I need you to like… reach into my head hole or whatever.

[A breath is heaved, but it sounds shallow and wet, like there's something wrong with his lungs. Then the sound of a glass clinking on something.] Anyway, here's to th' ocean! I'm gon' go yell at her to give me my bro back. Later.

[There's the sound of a scraping chair as he gets up, and then the loud thump and crash of someone immediately fumbling their footing because they're too messed up and falling to the floor.] Oww…

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[azurestar]

[He knows in his heart that is the best answer Keith can give him and he both hates and appreciates that he doesn't make promises he might not be able to keep. It's something Lance himself has had to do as well, when someone was in pain and afraid of loss… he's never promised he won't go. Because he could go at any time too. It's happened briefly before. God, he wishes sometimes that it hadn't been so brief, but then he'd leave everyone behind without help to get through all… this.

Not that he's been much help to anyone. But that's a problem to dwell on in another time and place. Right now, he's just trying to hold himself together enough not to hurt himself or anyone else. Not including Keith, it seems. He just focuses on his breath, and on Keith, pointedly not thinking about the can of worms that is their relationship. It's taken some time, but he's figured out how to carry that pain and focus on just trying to protect him and… have him in his life, whatever that looks like. Even if it hurts, it's worth it.

He lets out a shuddered breath and nods slightly against Keith's chest in response. It's not long after that the chaos of a solar storm that is his powers starts to calm and get smaller, dissipate. Eventually, it reduces to a bright glow under his skin.

There's a shifting of water next to them from Mariana lifting up to observe them. She seems to tilt her "head" a bit and then lowers back down with a slight nod when she sees Lance is looking at at her from his spot in Keith's hold. He's talked to her enough times to gather that she's not about to drown them, at least. She probably would have already if she was going to. Perhaps he'll come back later to try talking to her properly instead of literally blowing up on her.]

[tempredmental]

[It was a little tiring, but Keith held up fairly well as Lance's powers started to die down. Thankfully, even if coldblood powers used more energy, Keith already had the endurance of a Mack truck, so it hadn't really affected him too badly. But, he was definitely going to feel this later. He slowly released his own push to counter Lance's temperature as he felt the heat begin to dissipate.

The change in the sound of the water next to them caught his attention, and he shifted his eyes over the top of Lance's head to watch the ocean shift and "watch" them again. He wondered what she was going to do this time, but then she seemed almost... satisfied... lowering herself back into normal water again like she'd never been there. Keith wasn't sure what to make of it, and he found himself subconsciously tightening his hold on Lance in a protective way.]

[azurestar]

[When he loses it so thoroughly, his focus included, and his corruption not helping, his powers tear him up cellularly. It happened with his fight with Maul, and he still hasn't fully recovered from that. It feels as though everything inside and all his old wounds have torn open and he's exhausted. Somehow, despite his body being a generator.

His vision goes hazy around the edges and his weight sinks heavier against Keith. The corruption that was on his face and everywhere else has also diminished and now it's just the aftermath. He feels something thick and hot come up his throat and he coughs up what looks like black corruption onto Keith's shirt (or what's left of it). Then he sucks in a rattled, wet and wheezing breath and follows that up with red blood. In a couple hours it'll turn pale in the moonlight after the sun sets.

And with that, he just lets himself give in to sleep.]

[tempredmental]

[Okay, that was gross. Keith was getting used to the whole blood thing, but whatever else that had been first? Nope. Gross. He grimaced, but gingerly lifted Lance off the ground. He wasn't even sure what to do at this point. Coughing up blood was definitely a bad thing, even without the... whatever that black stuff had been. But would they even be able to do anything for him at the Lumenarium? Or should he just... bring Lance home and patch him up as best he could? He wasn't sure.

So, for now, he'd bring Lance home. Sure, Bolin and Hunk were gone, but Keith would stay for a bit, if only to make sure Lance actually let himself heal a bit. Not that it seemed to be happening anyway, but... he didn't even know anymore. He was drained... and kind of operating on autopilot at this point. He just... needed to go... somewhere else. And he needed to make sure his teammate and friend was okay. Like... deeply needed. His emotions had been messed with so much, he wasn't even sure what was up anymore, but he just... needed this.

So, that was what he did. He'd do what he could. He didn't even know who's room was who's in the house, so he ended up putting Lance on the couch, doing what he could for any injuries he could treat, and then attempted to sit and watch for signs of... who knew... worsening? Something...

Except... he fell asleep, too, when his own exhaustion finally took him.]

[azurestar]

[The blood is not a lot and it's bright red, not dark, so it's not an immediate sign of internal breathing. It looks like a raw throat or like his lungs were a little roughed up. Nothing he can't sleep off or recover from with some rest, not that he's going to get it. His corruption was making it worse, but now that it's lowered that will help. Overall, he looks much better than he did, even if he still looks like shit to a degree.

Laying on the couch is something he's done a lot, and it's not hard for him to sleep there. He doesn't sleep much overall or for that long even when he's messed up like this. So not long after Keith falls asleep, he's groggily coming to and isn't entirely cognizant of, well, anything. Bolin is out maybe? Wait, there's a person here. Keith…

Without thought, he shifts closer to Keith and cuddles into him, his arms finding their way around what parts of him are easiest to embrace given their respective positions.]

[tempredmental]

[The couch hadn't been big enough for them to both lie down next to each other, but he was sitting on the floor, his head resting on his arms. This left him in prime position for Lance to wrap his arms around Keith's shoulders and snuggle next to him.

He was exhausted, though, and didn't immediately react. Instead, he automatically shifted to accommodate, settling into the hold. He sighed softly, and then slowly... very slowly... became aware that something had changed.

Keith hummed slightly in his sleep.]