hfjkdsf i literally just... threw in so many tropes enjoy!!!
âAlex, sit downâ.
Alex does the exact opposite, staggering upright and leaning heavily against the cave wall. She squints towards the entrance, out into the howling gale, and turns to look at Astra. âYou can fly us out of this, right?â
Astra moves closer, taking Alex firmly by the shoulders and steering her towards the back of the cave. âSitâ, she repeats, âyou wonât do yourself any goodâ.
Alex grumbles, but does as sheâs told, wincing as she allows Astra to elevate her swollen ankle. âItâs just sprainedâ.
Astra purses her lips, and glances out into the gale. She sighs, and says slowly, âIâm afraid to say that I⊠canât do much about our situation. Flying in this weather would be disastrous to us bothâ.
She knows thatâs true, of course. Growing up with Kara, she learnt very quickly that there were certain things that could overwhelm a Kryptonianâs senses. Astra could probably manage to escape this storm, but whether sheâd be able to do that while concentrating on not crushing Alex in her arms is another matter. She sighs, her shoulders slumping a little, and groans, âso we really just have to wait it out?â
Astra kneels down beside her, and thereâs an apologetic note to her voice when she says, âIâm afraid soâ.
Alex reaches out without thinking to touch her knee, hoping to sound reassuring despite the throbbing pain in her ankle. âHey, itâs not your fault. You canât control the weatherâ.
Astraâs mouth quirks a little. âIâm sure if I put my mind to it, I could work out howâ. Alex feels her own mouth tug in an instinctive smile at her words, always a little taken aback by Astraâs wry humour. The woman looks down at her ankle, and says, ânow, shouldnât we do something about this?â
Alex sighs. âI suppose since we have to wait this out⊠you could help me fashion a splint?â
âOf courseâ. Astra looks about for a moment, and then moves out of Alexâs line of sight. She wants to turn to watch her, drawn as always to stare at her as she moves around with such natural grace, but she might be caught, in these close quarters. So instead she leans back against the wall, wrapping her arms around her and shivering. The only light they have is from their phones, and itâs cold in the cave. Once they run out of battery, itâll be cold and dark, and unfortunately Alex doesnât have Astraâs superior sight. She doesnât want to admit that sheâs worried, but this storm doesnât look like itâs going to die down any time soon.
Her increasingly morbid train of thought is mercifully interrupted when Astra returns. Sheâs holding the broken end of a ski pole in her hands, and she kneels down next to Alex again, her brow furrowed slightly. She lays the ski pole down beside Alexâs leg, and then, bizarrely, starts to unbutton her shirt. Alexâs eyes widen, and she sits up quickly. âWhat are you doing?â
Astra gives her a look that implies it should be obvious. âWell, you need something to bind the splint, donât you? You canât give up any of your clothing, or youâll freeze to death. I on the other hand canât feel the coldâ.
Alex glances down. Astraâs wearing a red flannel shirt, having not seen the need to wear anything warmer, despite what people might think. Alex swallows tightly, unable to tell if sheâs wearing anything underneath. Astra is staring at her with a slightly raised brow, clearly wondering why sheâs gone mute, and Alex clears her throat sharply. âFine then. Take off your shirt, and give it hereâ.
Astra removes her shirt quickly and efficiently, leaving Alex no time to wonder where she should look, and leans over Alexâs ankle with her makeshift tools in hand. Itâs a good thing she does, because Alex is too busy dealing with the reality of being confronted with Astraâs half naked body to instruct her in what to do. Astraâs wearing a very simple black bra, nothing fancy or expensive, but the sight of her bare from the waist up has heat rushing up to flame Alexâs cheeks. Sheâs always known that Astraâs incredibly strong due to her powers, but she hadnât quite expected her physique to be so toned. Thereâs strong, lean muscles in her back that shift as she moves, and she barely notices the way her ankle twinges as the woman sets up the makeshift splint, sheâs too busy staring at the way the muscles in her arms flex.
Itâs not like she hasnât been aware of just how attractive Astra is since the moment she met her, but seeing her like this, bent over her injured ankle half naked, her brow furrowed slightly in concentration, does something to her, and she has to force herself to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. Astra looks up at her suddenly, and says, âIâm sorry, that mustâve hurtâ.
It takes her a moment to realise that Astra has finished binding her ankle, and mustâve thought the sound she made was one of pain. She blinks, and shakes her head, leaning forward to inspect the splint. âCouldnât have done it better myselfâ.
Astra smiles slightly. âYou learn to work with what you have in the militaryâ.
Alex leans back against the wall again, staring determinedly at Astraâs face. âWhat happened to Kryptonâs superior technology? Didnât you have something miraculous to fix injuries out in the field?â
Astra chuckles, a low sound that settles like a weight in Alexâs stomach. She shakes her head, and leans back against the wall beside Alex, folding her arms over her chest, which really might be a good thing. âEven advanced technology breaks. Besides, when youâre facing people with technology as advanced as your own, or even more so, the injuries are always greaterâ.
âYou must have a lot of storiesâ.
âToo manyâ, Astra says lightly, the corner of her mouth quirking slightly, âthat Kara was always far too interested inâ.
Alex laughs, but the sound ends with a chatter of her teeth, and she shudders, gripping her own arms for warmth. Her breath fogs the air in front of her, and she realises that sheâd been so occupied with her ankle that she hadnât really noticed just how cold it was getting. She shivers again, and Astra says quietly, âitâs going to get worse, throughout the nightâ.
Alex rubs her hands up and down her arms, and mumbles, âif you have any suggestions, Iâm all earsâ.
Astra gazes at her steadily for a moment, and then says, âdo you trust me?â
She says it lightly, but thereâs something serious about the unblinking way she meets her eyes. Alex replies without hesitation. âOf courseâ.
She wonders if she imagines the way Astra seems to relax, but then the woman is kneeling up, bringing her toned abdomen level with Alexâs gaze, and for a moment she forgets that sheâs cold, the back of her neck burns so hot. Astra gestures at her ski jacket, and says, âtake that offâ.
Alex stares at her for a moment, and then unzips the jacket and hands it over, hunching in on herself with a faint scowl. âI donât see how removing my clothes is going to make me warmerâ.
Astra raises her eyebrows. âDidnât they teach you anything about basic survival skills when you joined your secret organisation? Itâs about body warmthâ.
Alex opens her mouth, and finds herself lifted easily from the ground. Before she has time to object, she finds herself sitting again, with a noticeable difference this time. Now sheâs sitting in Astraâs lap, her back pressed against the womanâs chest, and Astraâs arms are wrapped securely around her waist. âPut the jacket back on, but with the opening to the backâ.
Alex finds she canât do anything but follow her instructions, her heart pounding as she slips her arms back into the jacket. Astraâs arms tighten around her, pulling her back against her chest, and the sudden rush of warmth that seems to tingle throughout her body is more enjoyable than she wants to admit. She swallows tightly, and murmurs, âso how many times have you had to do this to survive?â
Thereâs a soft chuckle behind her, a puff of warm air against her cheek, and Astraâs lips brush her neck when she says, âonly onceâ.
Despite their situation, Alex is beginning to find that the combination of Astraâs warmth surrounding her and the beat of her heart thumping steadily against her back is oddly soothing, and she closes her eyes. She leans back, allowing herself to relax slowly into Astraâs arms, noting that the easy companionship between them seems to have easily extended to this. âTell me about it?â
Astra hums softly, and murmurs, âitâs not very exciting. You might fall asleepâ.
Alex sighs, and tilts her head slightly. Astraâs hair brushes her cheek, and she mumbles, âmaybe that wouldnât be so bad. What is it they say about making the best out of a bad situation?â
Astra releases her waist, and her fingers brush along her jaw. Theyâre warm and gentle, and Alex turns her head more so that she can look at her. Astraâs eyes are bright in the dim light, her mouth a soft, tempting curve, and she murmurs, âand how would you make the best of this?â
Itâs the easiest thing in the world, to lean in and accept that very open invitation. She brushes her lips against Astraâs almost hesitantly, and Astra kisses her back instantly, leaving no room for doubt. Her lips are warm and supple beneath her own, and she exhales a shaky sigh when they part, their breath fogging the air between them. Alex grins, and presses her cold nose against Astraâs cheek. âHowâs that?â
Astra laughs, warm and rich against her temple, and presses a kiss to her hair. âItâs a wonderful startâ.
âHow did you pull yourself out?â
âBecause it was too good to be true.â
Happy Birthday, @kendrickhierâ! Hereâs a fanart of Have a Little Mercy on Me, one of my favourite fics of yours, and one of my favourite Black Mercy AUs. Have a good one!
... I'd really love to see your home screen, I can't for the life of me remember what that shot of Alice looked like but holy shit I have a mighty need now
this one! pardon all the notifications I'm still checking them
' the things that used to make me cry just make my hands shake and my eyes blank ' (- volatile alura, which i should really not be sending at 5am when i have 0 impulse control)
@volatile-muses
She knew the feeling. Astra felt her heart ache, knowing that this was something that had only been borne of the tragedy that struck their people. Something she should have prevented. Astra shook her head. âIâve felt similarly.â To even admit that feels just a bit like a loss. As much as she loves Alura, she hates to even feel like there is a sign of weakness. Itâs her job to take care of her sister. Not the other way around.Â
kendrickhier replied to your post: Where in the Netherlands do you Life?
so far awaaaaayyyy (iâm not even the anon, as a northener i just feel regular despair at everyone being far away)
This is how I feel about where my mom lives, and itâs only 40 minutes away lol. Technically youâre only about 90 minutes away, probably, somewhere around that. By car, anyway.
This used to mean one of my posts got a bunch of notes but nowadays itâs just @kendrickhier watching another episode of the good wife lmao đđđ