Hope Within

Hope and fear. Blue and yellow. Complementary colors and aspects of emotion that rarely interact. But, well, strange situations call for strange partnerships. With the unexpected disappearance of the entire Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro rushed to fill the void. Fear proved a powerful defensive force against a number of threats in the absence of willpower. Some spectrums of light would even learn to work alongside them one way or another. Hope and fear, blue and yellow. The first Blue Lantern, Saint Walker, and Sinestro's right-hand man, Arkillo.

They were left in charge of Earth, or more broadly, Sector 2814. They were quite an odd sight to see together, even without considering the colors of their uniforms or what they represented. Arkillo is massive, wide and rather monstrous looking compared to the Blue Lantern's slim, slender, and smooth frame. Yet, they got along as well as anybody could expect. In the presence of Saint Walker, Arkillo was calm, affectionate even. He doted on the smaller Astonian in private, but was often fiercely defensive in public.

Of course, it wasn't constant downtime on Earth (much to Arkillo's preference). Even less when they had to leave the planet to handle whatever cosmic threat. Today's threat wasn't anything to fight though, really. A shower of debris charged by leftover energy from The Paling was simply hurtling towards Earth and it was their job to stop it. Seemed simple enough.

"Arkillo, I realize that this isn't quite a fight with a supervillain, but we should still be cautious. The energy of The Paling-- Anti-Emotion-- is still dangerous even without someone wielding it," Saint Walker attempted to advise his partner as they flew across the solar system.

But he just scoffed. "I'm not afraid of some rocks, moon-face."

"They're not just any 'rocks', they're--"

"I know what they are. But all we have to do is smash 'em." His voice was rough as ever, brimming with confidence. The blue lantern less so, but he wasn't personally expecting too much of a problem either. Their rings were fully charged and they always had each other to rely on. And with Sinestro's 'help', he could even recharge Arkillo's ring if needed.

When they arrived at the scene, it was easily visible what the problem was. Debris with faintly blue or green trails flew across space at high speeds. Even over the slight distance, they could feel its pale energy, tugging at the emotion within them. Though he seemed unfazed, Walker placed a hand on Arkillo's shoulder. "All will be well."

He bristled slightly and roared ahead, "Burn like my power!" He flew forward and began to blast through chunks of debris while Saint Walker followed close behind, carefully eradicating a few at a time. It seemed so little that they were making good progress through it, even if it did seem to be draining their rings a bit more than this normally would. 73%. 79%.

"Arkillo, we may want to see a more conserv--" A burst of light caught his eye. Not yellow or any other color of the spectrum, but a pale burst of energy. "Arkillo…!"

He snapped around, his tongue flying about and ring glowing hot. Just in time to see a very energetic ball of scrap flying towards the blue lantern. He growled anxiously and thrusted his arm forward. A thin beam of yellow light flew out from his ring and expanded into a broad shield to defend his partner. It deflected some of the energy, back towards him, but even more pressing into the shield and then shattering it. Arkillo winced as the paleness blew across him, but immediately recovered to see his companion limply floating back from the explosion. "Saint Walker!"

In a hurry he flew over, fortunately finding Walker alive if very roughed up. He smiled and said, "Well done Arkillo… If that had been a direct blow I might not be here right now." His forcefield seemed to be intermittently flickering, dangerously close to leaving him exposed to vacuum. 4% power remaining, his ring warned. Arkillo tried to extend his own field around him but found a similar difficulty. His own was stable but if he extended it much further, it lost that integrity. His own ring reported 11% power remaining.

Arkillo grumbled a bit. There weren't really any planets nearby they could limp to. "Ring, contact Sines-- Soranik." The ring attempted for a second before reporting, Unable to establish link. He growled at his ring. "Cursed piece of trash…" Looking back at Saint Walker, he lifted him up with a single arm and pulled him close. Walker snuggled a bit tighter as Arkillo tried to generate a field around the both of them, but it just… wasn't enough. They wouldn't be able to survive lightspeed like this and they wouldn't be able to fly back to Earth otherwise.

He had one more idea. There was only one way for them to get closer. It could be safe, with their powers. At least for a little while. Long enough to get back. Lowering his voice to a much softer, but still gravelly tone he asked, "Bro'dee… I think I know a way to get us back. But you need to trust me."

Looking up with his face as gentle as ever, Saint Walker simply replied, "Arkillo, I already do." Despite his yellow partner's frightening demeanor, he could tell he was happy to hear that and simultaneously genuinely worried. The blue lantern caressed his face with his hand, blue ring glowing. Then a kiss on the end of his snout and he whispered gently, "All will be well." Arkillo nodded, nuzzled him back, and opened his maw as wide as he could.

Despite his external and rather sharp teeth, he was remarkably tender with Saint Walker. The blue lantern, somehow already knowing what to do, placed his hands inside of Arkillo's mouth. Arkillo nodded slightly and pulled them in further with his tongue, and then gripped them with his throat. He started swallowing right away, carefully, but he wished he could have taken his time. Bro'dee tasted so nice. He could feel the warm glow of his ring in his gullet, inspiring hope through his own fear.

Gingerly, he continued to swallow down his partner. His suit dragged across his teeth as he did so, but not enough to begin tearing through it. Walker didn't even tense up as it happened, fully entrusting himself to Arkillo. Having entered head-first, he was already, partially, experiencing his gut. It was dank and dark, not to mention caustic, but his ring's forcefield was enough to protect him in here. Blue light glowed enough to show glistening pink walls, which convulsed slightly with each swallow above.

Soon enough he found himself pressed up against them, though he didn't mind. With the protection of his ring, a normally hostile stomach was a rather comfortable place. It was much warmer than the vacuum of space and the way it pressed into him and gurgled quietly around him felt reassuring somehow. He curled up as his legs came in, nestling against Arkillo's insides. They and Arkillo himself breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Despite their size difference, Saint Walker still was visible on the outside. Arkillo's uniform construct somewhat flexibly fit the ovaloid bulge coming from his belly, but it was tight. As he rubbed his gut, he realized he never felt so satisfied in his life. He could feel Walker's movements and felt content beyond what any food or battle could provide. He felt… whole, not just emotionally, but physically now too. Asking with a still soft version of his gruff voice, he clutched his belly and said, "Saint Walker… Bro'dee. Are you okay in there?"

The yellow lantern's voice came through clear as ever, transmitted through their rings just as it was in the void of space. Though now a muffled echo of Arkillo's voice vibrated around him. "I am safe, Arkillo." Not having to deal with such a threat as the vacuum of space, Saint Walker's forcefield was able to easily remain sealed against the fluids that now dripped around him. It was a tight fit, with him only able to shift slightly against the fleshy walls. Though… it was comfortable. The heat of Arkillo permeated through his forcefield in a way that felt ever so cozy after the vacuum he was in moments ago.

Relaxing into the squishy surroundings, the blue lantern found himself feeling similar contentment. The beat of Arkillo's heart pulsed around him, making him feel very safe indeed. The stomach glowed with a brightening blue light that shined off the slick walls. "More than safe, Arkillo," he continued with something approaching a purr. Bro'dee closed his eyes and entered a meditative pose.

Power rising. Arkillo could feel it. His ring glowed bright yellow as his partner in his paunch settled. He couldn't see the glow through his uniform but the warmth was there. Inside his body, inside his soul. Looking off towards what he knew to be the general direction of Earth, he charged his power. Instead of the usual insignia of fear, his ring briefly sparked the insignia of hope in yellow. Smiling his toothy grin, he extended his fist out and said, "All will be well." Then they vanished into warp.