[ Hei is teetering on the brink of sensory overload. There's something both obscene and painfully erotic about the noises tumbling from Korra, sweet plaintive mews that make his balls crawl, make him shudder. Her head is tipped back now, her dark throat taut, thrilling. That expression on her face would be perfect for illustrating to any beginner the truth about sex -- its cruelty and isolation. Beneath them, the mattress jolts to his thrusts, whining in protest at the rough treatment. But it can't fool anyone. It's taken a lot worse than this. ]
[ So has Korra, of course. But a dim buzz in Hei's head warns him to slow down. ]
[ Reluctantly, he lets both her legs fold around his arms again. His back pulls into a dip as he leans over her. Slows from hard thrusts into undulations that are minute and deep, barely moving at all now, tiny increments that make his spine simmer and quake with restraint. Taking Korra's right hand, their fingers interlaced, he guides it between her thighs. The lightest brush, once, again, then again, just the tips of her fingers in slick circles, and then he sucks them greedily into his mouth, before bringing them back to her clit. ]
[ His body is half in spasms now; he can feel his orgasm halfway there, a plane in the distance and his mind the control tower. The landing lights in his nerves are flaring up to guide it in. Come on, Korra. Let go. ]
[He takes her hand and her eyes snap open. He's close again; she likes it better with way. As hot as it was before, having him watch her -- and it was hotter than this -- she feels more secure with him close. She shivers as he sucks on her fingers before bringing them back down to her clit. Her eyes remain locked on his face, tracing each slight change in expression.
Not close enough. She leans up to grab his lips in a kiss, biting his mouth hard. She tenses -- shudders -- falls to pieces against him.]
[ Hei stutters gasps into her mouth, feeling the pulsations of her body around him turn to deep shudders. It's almost overwhelming, all flutters and slick and heat, feeding a jag of lightning low in his belly. Tipping him toward the edge for that final red ride. All at once, his control spools out and he drags her in tight, jerking into her, hips snapping as his teeth sink against her lips, a tang of blood mixing with the saliva. Distantly, a voice warns him to slow down. His rhythm is almost vicious, his hands on her thighs a crushing grip that'll leave fingerprints on the dark flesh. But the warnings -- Easy -- Go slow -- have no meaning. They become nonsense white-noise and the meter by which he fucks her, until everything goes blurry and he tenses on a helpless convulsion -- the climax searing red lines across his brain and leaving him boneless and emptied. ]
[ Long fall, like off a skyscraper without a wire. But the landing is smooth. Slumping next to Korra, he lets an arm sling heavy and languid around her, fingers cradling the shape of her skull. Presses through the soft disorder of her hair to nose the sweat-damp line of her neck. Listening, as the imperfect silence spins out, to the thud of her pulse. And, beneath that, from his own chest, the beginnings of a deep contented purr. ]
[Through the giddy fog of pleasure, there's a faint sense of Ow. She shifts, inching closer to him, and the sensation becomes more clear. Ow. She feels like she just learned to walk and then went straight to a marathon (which, in a way, she did...) It was worth it, though.
Smiling, she rolls just slightly so she can kiss his chin.]
AUGH! [Forget curling up on him; she's curled up, clutching her injured shoulder. Her doctor had warned her that because of the bullet wound, her shoulder would be prone to dislocating. Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap.]
[ Her cry pierces the room's lazy atmosphere with an impact like a bullet shattering glass. It cuts through the pleasant fog of Hei's exhaustion and has him awake and red-alert in split-seconds. He knows before he even sits up to look her over that it's her shoulder, something gone wrong with the joints, tension settling strangely in Korra's whole body down to one side. Against his will, he feels his brow twitch in a sympathetic wince. (Under that, there's a sharp pang very much like guilt. Told you to take it slow.) ]
Korra. Easy.
[ No anxiety, but there's a very audible click in his Adam's apple as he swallows. Scooting his weight forward, he don't touch her, but his eyes take stock of her body-language, the angles of her shoulderblade and arm, the way the bones jut out under the skin. Very lightly, his fingertips skim across her elbow. The glance he flicks at her contorted face is watchful. ]
Where does it hurt? [ What did I do to make things worse this time? ]
[It's not the first time she's been hurt; after that initial scream of pain, she's remarkably quiet. She forces herself to concentrate on her breathing, releasing pain with each exhalation.]
My shoulder popped out. [Ow ow ow ow ow don't think about the pain.] The doctor warned me that might happen because of the way the bullet hit it.
[She almost laughs -- everything they've done tonight, and she fucks up her shoulder by just rolling over in bed. But laughing hurts. Best to just focus on breathing.]
You know how to pop these things back in? [Probably a stupid question, knowing him, but she might as well ask before asking his help.]
[ Matter-of-fact, his face betraying none of his concern. But his fingers are very gentle as they trace the squared jut where the bone disfigures slightly and presses out. Shoulder dislocations are part and parcel of the more punishing physical aspects in his history. But in Heaven's War, there were no luxuries like MRIs, X-rays and good painkillers to handle the fallout. Often the soldiers had to develop a willingness to wing it in terms of proper medical procedure. ]
[ In Korra's case, at least there are no issues like rotor cuff trauma or bone fragments. This isn't the result of resultant fractures from an exploding grenade. She's just popped her shoulder out of socket. ]
[ He's grateful there's no fussing or squalling. While she concentrates on breathing, he nudges her lightly with a hand. ]
[ Silence and stillness. Two of Hei's best friends; ideal circumstances to focus in. His eyes are clear and attentive as they look her over once again -- dispassionate as a scientist studying a microbe. Then, ]
Relax. This will hurt a bit.
[ There's no preamble, no seguing into it. Closing one hand gently around her bicep, the other around her wrist, he guides her arm so it's perpendicular to the mattress, elbow poised at a 90 degree angle. Rotates both arm and shoulder, with the slow deliberation of pouring water from a jittery pitcher, until he's coaxed the bones to pop back in place. ]
[ Once he's sure the parts are aligned, his gaze lifts to hers, questioning. ]
[Tempting as it is to scream, the only sound that escapes as he works is a hiss of pain. When he's finished, she takes a moment to move her arm slowly and carefully, testing its range of motion. It still hurts a lot, but the dull, throbbing hurt that indicates the problem has been taken care of.]
Yeah, thanks. [She sags (still carefully) against the headboard and gives him a rueful smile.] Not exactly the exciting end to the evening I imagined.
[Her fingers inch forward to tangle with his. She'd like a hug, but considering she just dislocated her shoulder trying to get one, she's not going to push her luck.]
[ Hei places a light hand on her wrist -- cautionary, restraining. A silent Take it easy. An ordinary person would suggest she wear that arm in a sling for a few days, or at least slip a handful of painkillers into her palm. But in the end, neither he nor Korra are strangers to injuries, much less routine discomforts. ]
[ Her remark -- or maybe the way she threads their fingers together -- gets a smile, wry and small. Settled on his knees before her, he pitches forward slowly to brush his lips against hers. No, this isn't the anticipated conclusion to an otherwise enjoyable evening. But predictability has no juxtaposition in Hei's life. Especially not where Korra's concerned. He's learnt early on to stay on his toes. ]
Yay? [That is a weird way to phrase things, but Hei's a weird guy. She tugs gently on his fingers, mostly just as something to do. Physical contact with minimal effort.]
[ After a moment to draw back and plunk the condom in the wastebin, Hei closes the gap between them. Settling beside her, propped against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him. Drowsiness plucks at the edges of his consciousness with warm fingers. Beside him, Korra's skin is a strip of fevery heat against his own. Stretching lazily, he strokes her hand before insinuating his fingers gently through hers again. It's not cuddling -- even now, that's not something he does, nor something he has the patience for. But there's an almost-sweetness in the way he lifts her hand, pressing his lips to the palm. ]
Wake me in ten minutes. I'll fix you something to eat.
[ Sticky and slurred, the words are printed in a kiss across her skin. It seems like a dismissal. But it's actually an act of remarkable trust. Not that he thinks she'd garrote him in his sleep. Not in her condition. But there's something drugging and somnolent in the air right now. It seems safe -- at least for a few minutes -- to let his guard down. ]
[She blinks at him, surprised. She's never really known him to sleep around her, except for that one time he passed out on the park bench.]
Okay.
[Is he asking her to leave so he can nap for a bit? Probably not...her hand is still in his. She squirms a little, getting herself more comfortable, and bumps him gently in a silent offer of her good shoulder as a pillow. (What else is she supposed to do? She has no idea. She's always been the first one to pass out.)]
[ He'd been tired -- and contemplating sleep -- long before she'd contacted him. Now, all the hours -- days -- he's been awake seem to be crunching together, like pleats in an accordion, crunching him with them. When they expand again, he'll wonder at his own lapse of alertness. He'll hear, once more, that sneering inner-voice: Soft as pudding. Too soft to stay alive much longer. ]
[ But for now a lethargic wave goes through his whole body, and as the inside of his skull is flooded with a slow darkness, his heavy head settles against the round of Korra's shoulder. He isn't conscious of putting it there. He only feels the curve of skin and bone, and her warm hair prickling his face. ]
[ His fingers are still loosely twined with hers. There's a vague flicker of images behind his eyes -- all Pai-shaped, Pai-scented -- before he drops off to an uneasy sleep. ]
[.....okay, he's too tall for that to really work. As much as Korra enjoys having him lean against her, but he's going to get a crink in his neck if he stays that way for too long.]
You should lie down for real. [Said quietly, so as not to wake him, which kind of defeats the purpose of saying it in the first place but it's not like she's thinking very clearly herself. She slides down, trying to gently encourage him to slip into a more lying-down-like position himself.]
[ Hei stirs. For a moment it seems he might wake up again, sleep jostled just out of his reach, to speak to her. He has, after all, dozed in conditions much worse than this. A crick in the neck is nothing. But no; he murmurs something half-indecipherable, and descends with a soft thump against the pillows, back into motionless silence. The feel of Korra's body against his, not waiflike the way Pai's was, or cool and serenely still like Amber's, is nonetheless comforting. His hands nestle in the small space between them, Korra's fingers still wrapped in his. ]
[ Right now it's so easy to forget everything except his own exhaustion and the animal comfort of shared body-heat. ]
[Much better. Korra squeezes his hand and leans her head on top of his. She's not sleepy; her body hurts too much for that, but she closes her eyes anyway and just enjoys the moment.
Eventually, though, her bladder makes a fuss and she carefully slides out of bed, trying not to wake him.]
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[ So has Korra, of course. But a dim buzz in Hei's head warns him to slow down. ]
[ Reluctantly, he lets both her legs fold around his arms again. His back pulls into a dip as he leans over her. Slows from hard thrusts into undulations that are minute and deep, barely moving at all now, tiny increments that make his spine simmer and quake with restraint. Taking Korra's right hand, their fingers interlaced, he guides it between her thighs. The lightest brush, once, again, then again, just the tips of her fingers in slick circles, and then he sucks them greedily into his mouth, before bringing them back to her clit. ]
[ His body is half in spasms now; he can feel his orgasm halfway there, a plane in the distance and his mind the control tower. The landing lights in his nerves are flaring up to guide it in. Come on, Korra. Let go. ]
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Not close enough. She leans up to grab his lips in a kiss, biting his mouth hard. She tenses -- shudders -- falls to pieces against him.]
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[ Long fall, like off a skyscraper without a wire. But the landing is smooth. Slumping next to Korra, he lets an arm sling heavy and languid around her, fingers cradling the shape of her skull. Presses through the soft disorder of her hair to nose the sweat-damp line of her neck. Listening, as the imperfect silence spins out, to the thud of her pulse. And, beneath that, from his own chest, the beginnings of a deep contented purr. ]
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Smiling, she rolls just slightly so she can kiss his chin.]
AUGH! [Forget curling up on him; she's curled up, clutching her injured shoulder. Her doctor had warned her that because of the bullet wound, her shoulder would be prone to dislocating. Crap crap crap crap crap crap crap.]
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Korra. Easy.
[ No anxiety, but there's a very audible click in his Adam's apple as he swallows. Scooting his weight forward, he don't touch her, but his eyes take stock of her body-language, the angles of her shoulderblade and arm, the way the bones jut out under the skin. Very lightly, his fingertips skim across her elbow. The glance he flicks at her contorted face is watchful. ]
Where does it hurt? [ What did I do to make things worse this time? ]
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My shoulder popped out. [Ow ow ow ow ow don't think about the pain.] The doctor warned me that might happen because of the way the bullet hit it.
[She almost laughs -- everything they've done tonight, and she fucks up her shoulder by just rolling over in bed. But laughing hurts. Best to just focus on breathing.]
You know how to pop these things back in? [Probably a stupid question, knowing him, but she might as well ask before asking his help.]
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[ Matter-of-fact, his face betraying none of his concern. But his fingers are very gentle as they trace the squared jut where the bone disfigures slightly and presses out. Shoulder dislocations are part and parcel of the more punishing physical aspects in his history. But in Heaven's War, there were no luxuries like MRIs, X-rays and good painkillers to handle the fallout. Often the soldiers had to develop a willingness to wing it in terms of proper medical procedure. ]
[ In Korra's case, at least there are no issues like rotor cuff trauma or bone fragments. This isn't the result of resultant fractures from an exploding grenade. She's just popped her shoulder out of socket. ]
[ He's grateful there's no fussing or squalling. While she concentrates on breathing, he nudges her lightly with a hand. ]
Sit up. Back against the headboard.
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Relax. This will hurt a bit.
[ There's no preamble, no seguing into it. Closing one hand gently around her bicep, the other around her wrist, he guides her arm so it's perpendicular to the mattress, elbow poised at a 90 degree angle. Rotates both arm and shoulder, with the slow deliberation of pouring water from a jittery pitcher, until he's coaxed the bones to pop back in place. ]
[ Once he's sure the parts are aligned, his gaze lifts to hers, questioning. ]
Better?
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Yeah, thanks. [She sags (still carefully) against the headboard and gives him a rueful smile.] Not exactly the exciting end to the evening I imagined.
[Her fingers inch forward to tangle with his. She'd like a hug, but considering she just dislocated her shoulder trying to get one, she's not going to push her luck.]
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[ Her remark -- or maybe the way she threads their fingers together -- gets a smile, wry and small. Settled on his knees before her, he pitches forward slowly to brush his lips against hers. No, this isn't the anticipated conclusion to an otherwise enjoyable evening. But predictability has no juxtaposition in Hei's life. Especially not where Korra's concerned. He's learnt early on to stay on his toes. ]
At least you haven't bored me yet.
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[ After a moment to draw back and plunk the condom in the wastebin, Hei closes the gap between them. Settling beside her, propped against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him. Drowsiness plucks at the edges of his consciousness with warm fingers. Beside him, Korra's skin is a strip of fevery heat against his own. Stretching lazily, he strokes her hand before insinuating his fingers gently through hers again. It's not cuddling -- even now, that's not something he does, nor something he has the patience for. But there's an almost-sweetness in the way he lifts her hand, pressing his lips to the palm. ]
Wake me in ten minutes. I'll fix you something to eat.
[ Sticky and slurred, the words are printed in a kiss across her skin. It seems like a dismissal. But it's actually an act of remarkable trust. Not that he thinks she'd garrote him in his sleep. Not in her condition. But there's something drugging and somnolent in the air right now. It seems safe -- at least for a few minutes -- to let his guard down. ]
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Okay.
[Is he asking her to leave so he can nap for a bit? Probably not...her hand is still in his. She squirms a little, getting herself more comfortable, and bumps him gently in a silent offer of her good shoulder as a pillow. (What else is she supposed to do? She has no idea. She's always been the first one to pass out.)]
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[ But for now a lethargic wave goes through his whole body, and as the inside of his skull is flooded with a slow darkness, his heavy head settles against the round of Korra's shoulder. He isn't conscious of putting it there. He only feels the curve of skin and bone, and her warm hair prickling his face. ]
[ His fingers are still loosely twined with hers. There's a vague flicker of images behind his eyes -- all Pai-shaped, Pai-scented -- before he drops off to an uneasy sleep. ]
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You should lie down for real. [Said quietly, so as not to wake him, which kind of defeats the purpose of saying it in the first place but it's not like she's thinking very clearly herself. She slides down, trying to gently encourage him to slip into a more lying-down-like position himself.]
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[ Hei stirs. For a moment it seems he might wake up again, sleep jostled just out of his reach, to speak to her. He has, after all, dozed in conditions much worse than this. A crick in the neck is nothing. But no; he murmurs something half-indecipherable, and descends with a soft thump against the pillows, back into motionless silence. The feel of Korra's body against his, not waiflike the way Pai's was, or cool and serenely still like Amber's, is nonetheless comforting. His hands nestle in the small space between them, Korra's fingers still wrapped in his. ]
[ Right now it's so easy to forget everything except his own exhaustion and the animal comfort of shared body-heat. ]
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Eventually, though, her bladder makes a fuss and she carefully slides out of bed, trying not to wake him.]