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[mortemscintilla]

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[anatural]

[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.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ 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? ]

[anatural]

[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.]

[mortemscintilla]

I do.

[ 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.

[anatural]

Hn. [She does as he says without comment or complaint. She's been injured enough to know the quieter the patient, the faster the procedure.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ 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. ]

Better?

[anatural]

[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.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ 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. ]

At least you haven't bored me yet.

[anatural]

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.]

[mortemscintilla]

Better than nothing.

[ 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. ]

[anatural]

[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.)]

[mortemscintilla]

[ 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. ]

[anatural]

[.....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.]

[mortemscintilla]

Hmm.

[ 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. ]

[anatural]

[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.]