Who do you work for baby?

[mortemscintilla]

WHO: Korra & Hei
WHAT: Wherein Hei has important news. As does Korra. 

 

[ In the days that follow, Hei's life seems locked in stasis -- he may as well be frozen in a cryo-chamber. In the gray dawn every morning, the brute vestige of habit wakes him up in time to go to the factory. Sprawled on the futon, he lies with his back to Korra. Eyes open to watch the sun spread across the bottom of the windowsill, immersed in that strange post-sleep clarity. Sometimes he takes a full five minutes to rise, lulled by Korra's breathing: long, slow inhales, smooth exhales. Just a sliver of space dividing their bodies -- but it might as well be a minefield. ]

[ In the late evenings, stiff and dull-eyed, as if he's been engaged in a low-wattage war someplace, he hits up the Triad hotspots, propped up on a stool with the opium-puffing, betel-chewing low-lives, listening to the scratchy music on the jukebox and inhaling the sour whiff of spilled sake as they talk shop. Almost every night he gets fresh info about the Red Lotus -- their agendas, their movements. It never quite makes the eleven o'clock local news, but from what he's gathered so far, this new threat plans to transform the world into a free-for-all disaster zone, with public figures and political leaders toppled down nightly. ]

[ To separate fact from fiction, he turns to the air-bender held captive in his safehouse. She is tight-lipped and defiant at first. But after he's spread and u-clamped her fingers to a table, and meticulously dismantled them one by one from cuticle to knuckle, she grows chattier. From her, he learns the names of the Red Lotus' leaders. Learns of their failed attempts to kidnap Korra once before, which ended in them being locked up. ]

[ Now they're out, and determined to pick up where they left off. ]

[ The details leave Hei quietly unnerved. He needs to warn Korra. It's true, things have been tense since she'd learnt about his affiliation with the Triads. At home, it is as if they are guests at the same small hotel, who have been introduced for politeness' sake at the table d'hote. Meals are spent in near-silence. Little or no physical warmth passes between them; lying back-to-back in the futon each night, there seems nothing to distinguish the bleak well of sleep from the bleak stretches of wakefulness. They don't talk about desire. It is there -- in him, if not in her -- but as if by silent consent, he acts on it separately, or else not at all. The air in the house seems laced with a dark spell; it burns dim and low between them like creeping resignation.]

[ Still, her safety is his first priority. As the smoky dusk encroaches, he cuts a brisk path through the noise and steam and clamor of the city. Hops on a ferry, and heads to Air Temple Island, where Korra is training with Tenzin. ]

Comments

[anatural]

[There's nothing easy about it. Korra's given up a lot to make this relationship with Hei work, compromised previously inviolable principles so that she could stay with him. She's forgiven his violence towards her, his murder of her uncle, and had been working towards forgiving & forgetting his torture of that kid.

And perhaps if she hadn't seen that kid's brutalized corpse in the warehouse, Korra wouldn't be quite so adamant about keeping the baby, or willing to sacrifice their relationship to save it. But with that memory still so fresh in her mind, even weeks later, she can't bring herself to make yet another concession. She has to draw the line somewhere. He refuses to stop killing for her sake; she refuses to kill for his.

She's barely cognizant as everybody panics and plans; she participates enough that Tenzin doesn't notice her distraction, but she doesn't remember what she said, or what anyone else did. She doesn't come back to the present until Kya speaks.]

So where will you two be staying tonight?

[Tenzin bristles.] Korra will stay here, of course! In the morning, Lin will take her somewhere safe.

What about Li?

[Tenzin blusters -- clearly unwilling to have the young man around, but without any good reason to forbid it. Korra watches Hei nervously. What will he choose to do?]

[mortemscintilla]

[ In the storm of panic and preparation that follows, Hei stays in the crux. He puts in a word or two where necessary. He asks the questions that need to be asked; he outlines his concerns and puts forth suggestions while quietly weighing those of Korra's friends and family. His personality feels unfixed -- one moment he segues into the Reaper's typical interrogative aggression, on playing the game with an impregnable offense and defense. The next, he exhibits Li's quiet, almost circumspect sort of watchfulness, easing into the sidelines. Either way, he is clearly wary of everything, including wherever Beifong plans to transport Korra, no matter how safe it is. A crease of suspicion sits omnipresent between his brows. He wonders if it'll be there for the next nine months. His protective instincts aren't going to stand down until Korra is out of the danger zone. ]

[ Through it all, he's aware of Korra's silence. Aware of the cloud she's drifting on. Floating in a waft of shock and disbelief, going through the motions without absorbing the gravity of the situation. He knows the feeling. But he tamps his own loosening worries down and lets them smoke. He has to concentrate, deal with one thing at a time. ]

[ I can't believe she wants to keep it. Can she not recognize the danger she -- and the baby -- could be in? Is this just more of the patented Korra method of dealing with non-Avatar issues by not-dealing? He doesn't know. More to the point, he can't comprehend why she'd have his baby. Equal to how he loves her, is all the pain he's ground into her, without thinking, over and over. The abuse, the beatings, the lies and threats. What woman in her right mind would carry the child of a bastard like him? Or maybe the fact that it's his baby is incidental. Maybe she just wants something solidly, inextricably hers? ]

[ And you don't? ]

[ He tries not to think about it. But it's true. Isn't he always looking, in Pai's absence, for something -- a cause, a person -- to be connected to? Something to pull him off the nihilistic path he keeps treading? Well, maybe this is it, despite all his reservations. ]

[ Godfuckingdamnit. He can't think about it. Not right now. Tenzin and Kya are staring at him, he with disapproval, she with curiosity. But their scrutiny doesn't affect him like Korra's. She's making such big sad eyes. The eyes of a lost kitten that doesn't expect to find her way home. It sends a tiny shock through him, even as he puzzles at her worry. ]

I'll stay with Korra.

[ Quiet and matter-of-fact. She's a hopeless little idiot to believe it'd be any other way. ]

[anatural]

[It's not like he's the easiest person in the world to predict. He could have decided to make his point about the baby by leaving. He could have decided that going undercover with the Red Lotus was the best way to protect her. But he's staying with her. Despite everything that's happened — despite her fear that he'll try something heavy handed to get rid of the baby since he can't talk her out of it — Korra relaxes when he says he'll stay. Love is kind of stupid that way.

Tenzin doesn't look nearly as pleased.]

I'll have one of the acolytes prepare a room for him.

Oh come on, Tenzin. They live together. They can share a room.

It's not proper!

What, because they're not married? That didn't stop Toph Bei Fong. Or do you think Lin should be ashamed of her mother?

That's not what I said! You always twist my meaning!

Because you're never willing to admit that you're a judgmental jerk!

[Sometimes, Korra is very, very glad she is an only child. She rubs her temples, trying to swallow her irritation that they're bickering over something so trivial when so much is at stake.]

ENOUGH! [Tenzin and Kya stop mid-finger pointing match and stare at Korra.] Tenzin, go call the chief. I'm going to talk to Jinora.

But what about tonight--

My sleeping arrangements are none of your business. [It comes out much harsher than Korra intended, but she has no patience right now. She just wants to be alone — or at least somewhere quiet, where she can process everything that's happened today.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei would agree. Love is stupid. A deeply stupid idea, an idea for morons. Or ... fine, maybe not morons, but for people who are very short-sighted, naive, people who are dopes. He should know better. Instead of sticking around with Korra, he should be out in Republic City. Extending his network's antennae. Making arrangements. Gathering leads. Hunting down the Red Lotus. But he can't -- and it is the rage of knowing better that stabs him in the throat. Because fine, Korra is pregnant. But that doesn't mean he should cling to her side like a barnacle stuck to the hull of a sinking ship. He needs to think operationally, rationally. He is still a Contractor, for better or worse, and he shouldn't mess around. ]

[ Except ... ]

[ I can't leave. Not now. ]

[ It is so strange, to be near someone who isn't Pai, and feel the mute impress on his consciousness -- and his conscience -- of a love that's almost like an innate duty. Maybe this is what they mean, when they say it's such an illogical thing -- being in love, having a child. It completely alters your most fundamental priorities. With Pai, he'd learnt, first in confusion and then in some emotion too complex for him to parse, to rely on it as an absolute. He'd used it as a shield, as a blade, to safeguard her. Time had tested it, over and over, and found it unflagging. ]

[ And it won't flag here. ]

[ Wearily, he watches Tenzin and Kya bicker. Korra's outburst is almost a relief; the bright lightning-jag of her anger seems to break the stifling atmosphere the way a thunderstorm dissipates a heatwave. ]

[ Almost to assuage Tenzin, who seems ready to spontaneously combust with indignation, he says, Li-soothing, ]

I think everyone could use a little rest right now.

[anatural]

[Tenzin looks in no mood to be pacified, and frankly, Korra doesn't care. Tenzin and Kya can bicker all they want, as long as she didn't have to listen. Meeting over. As she heads out the door, she hears Tenzin —]

Fine, I'll call Lin. You go rest. Alone. I'll be checking on you later!

[Sorry, Tenzin, your worst nightmare has already come true: I’m pregnant. Deal with it. She manages not to snap that at him, knowing it would bring only another endless round of questions, panicked planning, and arguments. She's not ready for that again.

She'd intended to go find Jinora, but the idea of resting sounded really good. She hesitates in the hall, debating which way to go. Possibly also waiting for Hei to follow her, but she's not admitting that.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Patiently -- on the surface, at least -- Hei waits for the noisy party to disperse. Kya heads off in one direction, trailing a cloud of catty disgruntlement. Tenzin heads off in the other, shaking his head as if being attacked by evil midges. Left alone in the room -- a perpetual loose end -- Hei feels, all of a sudden, like someone trying to sober up and failing at it. Unsure of himself, and jittery. He remembers why he rarely visits Air Temple Island: he doesn't feel like part of this crowd, and as clear as it is that they're willing to accept an extra pair of hands at this crucial time, he's always aware of being the odd one out. ]

[ Now, as the weight of Korra's pregnancy descends on him, he feels it more intensely than ever. They're going to find out about the baby, sooner or later. What then? What role will he play in that? The target for Tenzin's rage and animosity. The sperm donor. Responsible for what is going on inside the Avatar -- by accident, without design -- but with no say on whether she ought to keep the little pest, or shouldn't, or future arrangements with or without the baby. ]

[ Forcibly, he shakes himself out of his funk. The bottom line is keeping Korra safe. He's ready to sacrifice the baby to make that happen. Or if she won't allow that -- to include this unexpected third presence within his protective sphere, and to guard it with the same draconian ferocity. ]

[ Quietly, he walks out of the room. At the hallway, he's surprised to see Korra hovering uncertainly. He blinks slowly, his face otherwise devoid of expression, ]

I thought you were going to see Jinora.

[anatural]

[Korra is just about to kick herself in the ass and go find the younger girl when Hei finally emerges. She smiles awkwardly, a little nervously, at him.]

That was mostly an excuse to leave. I mean, I need to talk to her, but she's probably asleep by now.

[She falls silent for a moment, struggling with what to say, whether to say, what she's feeling. Eventually, she just blurts out —]

Are we okay?

[She doesn't want to get into their argument from before, and considering he's chosen to stay with her, it seems silly to ask. But the question won't stop niggling at her.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Are we okay? She asks the question like an eager, frightened child, seemingly embarrassed to be requesting reassurance, but unable to quell the urge. ]

[ Hei doesn't reply immediately. His disenthrallment with the situation is clear. He wishes he could say they're okay. That whatever comes their way, they'll be okay. But he can't. Because he's still convinced keeping the baby is a terrible idea. He's convinced one day she's going to wake up, sick, frightened, angry, see how she's all wrapped up in one shitstorm after another, plus all the additional shit they'll manage to create together in the aftermath of the previous shit, and she's going to think back to this moment, and remember that he'd warned her that the value on his life is upside down, and she's going to realize that she should have run like the fucking wind. ]

[ He's a killer. He's not parent material. It's not an option. However much he wants it, it's just impossible. Maybe, ten years from now, if he learns to be a halfway decent person, with his finances in order, with no enemies made every sunset and killed every sunrise, if he and Korra last so long, if he lives that long, maybe... God, what is he even thinking? ]

[ If I live that long. ]

[ Suddenly his head pounds, and his heart is an unruly thing pitching tantrums inside his chest. Fuck. Surviving a war, fighting Contractors, running from the Syndicate -- why does it feel like nothing to this? ]

[ When he meets Korra's eyes it's a little distanced, a return back to a slightly more subdued version of the thousand yard stare he gets when he's rolled into his head. But there's something rueful, something tender too, in the set of his eyes. ]

[ Eventually, quietly, ]

I'm not sure. But ... I want to do everything I can [ baby or no baby ] to make sure we are.

[anatural]

[Not exactly what she wants to hear, but at least it's honest? That's a good thing, right? Despite the distance, despite way it looks like he's gone into his head...it's a good thing. Yes.]

Okay. [Not like she has a choice. He feels what he feels. She hesitates, then reaches out for his hand. She's trying to figure out what is and isn't allowed when they're not okay.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ She reaches for his hand, and while it's not usual for Hei's pulse to pick up from such a simple contact, that wild gallop in his chest is a near thing. Everything is tentative, like a test, each seeing what the other will permit. Yet, as her warm little fingers curl around his, it occurs to Hei, staring at her wide blue eyes, that this moment, this beep and flicker of mutual transmission, is what he's chasing. The tactile promise of -- Yes. It is okay. It can be. ]

[ And it comes so quietly, for all of that. It comes so soft, so gentle. ]

[ Squeezing her hand, he edges closer. Trails the fingertips of his free hand along her jawline, then palms her face. He only means to be tender, but then he notices, as if for the first time, that they're alone again. Swallowing, he hesitates a beat -- then draws her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin, encompassing her in a tight embrace. ]

[ This close, she smells the same as ever. Her usual aroma of bracing greenery mixed with anxious low-level perspiration, a heady combination for him at any time. But in the center of her body he can almost imagine a small, concentrated weight, a hot tangle of cells, multiplying, dividing, burning, forming. ]

[ Reluctantly, he loosens his grip. Enough to gaze down at her, and say, ]

You should ... get some rest.

[ His body sings and vibrates in quiet protest, telling him to re-bridge the gap between them. Reminding him there are other ways to comfort her, be close to her. But somehow, suddenly, it seems selfish to let his desire show that bluntly. ]

[anatural]

Nn. [She agrees, but she doesn't let him go. They haven't held each other like this in awhile. She wants to savor it, to forget everything else that's between them. Why can't things be simple? Why does everything have to get in the way?

Footsteps come down the hallway. She should step back, put distance back between them. Instead, she tightens her grip.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Resentfully, Hei listens to the footsteps growing louder. He should detach from Korra, for politeness' sake if nothing else. Tenzin has made it clear often enough, everytime he's seen 'Li's gaze skitter toward the Avatar, that this isn't his house -- or a brothel. He's not free to do as he pleases. ]

[ But -- fuck that. Korra's body is hot and pulsing; he can feel the beating of her heart, and without meaning to, he clasps her in tighter, tucks her face in against his neck. Why does this feel, above any other possibility, like the most consoling, the most delicious place he knows? He'd ponder it, except he's content to idle like this, unpressing. To breathe her in, the familiar faint tang of clean flesh, notes of salt from the sea. And something else too, an aroma of bittersweet happiness. Like a secret confession, given only to him. ]

[ Eventually, though, he has to break the spell. Detaching slowly, he lets his hand skim across the small of her back. The footsteps are close. ]

[ Quietly, ]

Come on. I'm serious about you resting.

[anatural]

[He pulls away, and Korra grabs for his hand. Little touches aren't enough; she feels like if she lets him go too far, the divide between them will get even wider and they'll never be able to bridge it.]

You should rest too. [With me. It's not so much innuendo as an unspoken plea.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He's surprised by the way she clings to him like a limpet. But this is an uncertain time for her, isn't it? Astonishment upon astonishment piling up, leaving her wobbly and overwhelmed, teetering on the edge of collapse. Not that she will. At least, he hopes not. Whatever else, Korra is sturdy. ]

[ Still, it's natural for her to gravitate to the warm and familiar. Two words Hei would never dream of applying to himself, but her nearness, the bright glow in her eyes, creates this momentary braid of then and now, everything looping together like a big bow around the present. ]

....All right. [ He tries to ignore the plea in her voice, even as heat and want and all sorts of terrible things rush through his blood, a slow, aching tingle skittering over his skin. Butterscotch, he thinks dimly. She is how butterscotch would be, if it were alive. ]

[ Forcibly, he dials down the desire suffusing his body. Reminds himself that it wouldn't do any good to get grabby. Not until she's seen a proper doctor or a healer, anyway. Until they know just how tenuous or secure -- is there such a thing as secure in these circumstances? -- the pregnancy is. (Ironic, that he's wary of risks like preterm labor or bleeding or triggering abnormal contractions, but part of him is still halfway hopeful she'll terminate the pregnancy.) ]

[ Swallowing, he laces his fingers with hers. Gently tugs, guiding her out of the hallway, and toward her room. ]

[anatural]

[Funny, too, how he's more worried about triggering problems with the pregnancy than she is. Korra has no desire to... well, resist desire. It doesn't occur to her that sex might be dangerous, especially since it's been so long. He starts leading her, but she's the first one actually through the bedroom door. She pulls him in, closes the door, and wraps her arms around his neck.

This is okay, right? She should ask — except she's already kissing him.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Given everything that's led up to this point -- words, touches, glances -- her impulsive pouncing doesn't take Hei by surprise. What surprises him is the way the air hisses between his teeth in a tea-kettle whistle. The touch of her mouth on his -- small, searing, delicious -- is like a wonderful, red-hot wire slashing across his self-control. The slashing gives way to a steady pulse and grind: a clock's worth of rusted gears meshing in his stomach, his chest, his groin. ]

[ Fuck. It's been so long. Long enough that his desire has grown hard-edged and sharp like the blades hidden in his coat. ]

[ Against his better judgement, he drags her in closer. Kisses her hard, as if distracting himself from the rest of his own wakening body. In the dimness of the room, she is a darker shape against the gloom, shaped in soft crests and eddies, plays of moonlight and starlight. But beautiful despite all that -- or maybe more beautiful because of it. ]

[ He doesn't know. He can only eat her mouth with desperation, hips settled in close, a slow stirring against her heat, as if trying to align their parts just right, find the perfect fit. ]

[ Then he remembers -- the Red Lotus. The baby. The thundercloud of trouble brewing. And the reminder is like a splash of ice-cold water. ]

[ Forcibly, he wrenches back. Lip-swollen, hazy-eyed, his breathing a shade too quick. ]

Korra -- hold on --

[anatural]

[No! There will be no wrenching back! Korra growls and yanks him back in for another kiss. It's not just about the buildup of sexual energy, or the weird chemical magic that gives him the ability to turn her on just by being nearby. This is how they communicate. When words fail them, when their vastly different life experiences put up a seemingly impenetrable barrier, sex is how they break through. It's not that bodies can't lie — even Korra's not that naive — but neither of them have lied yet. Its beauty (and its fatal flaw) is how it strips away the complications and communicates only the barest of bones. I love you. I want you close.

She's tired of words and their complications. She wants — needs — simple, basic reassurance.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He's as tired of words as she is. Tired of the way you have to be careful of the loaded subtext as if with a gun, to learn how to dissemble and prevaricate to suit yourself, to elaborate only on details the other person wants to hear until you cannot entirely separate honesty from bullshit. Hates how once you try to put matters as tenuous and fragile as what spins between him Korra into words, the words fail, which is why it's better to leave them off altogether. ]

[ Except words are necessary here. They need to talk about the pregnancy. About the risks and repercussions, about the Dos and Donts. A million terrible scenarios wing through his head -- the threat of hypertension so common at her age, trebled by the pressures Korra is facing. Preeclampsia. Miscarriage. All pertinent concerns, and ones that ought to sober him up fast. ]

[ Except her mouth, claiming his, tastes of heat and sweetness; he hums as she drags him in, his own hands clutching feverishly at her hips, her shoulders, tunneling up into her hair. His other parts have decided to start working against him too, because the shifting and rubbing his hips contrive against hers is a kind of sharp, dissonant music that unfurls down his spine and makes him try harder. His mouth breaks from hers only to tongue along her jaw, lips and teeth playing with a tender little ear, sucking the lobe as if it's a nipple. ]

[ But despite her body's disorienting allure, its pulsing heat and the haze it brims in his brain, he has enough sanity left to breathe, ]

'M not sure ... this is a good idea.

[alittlebent]

Don't care. [She bites hard on his neck and grabs his ass, pulling him towards the bed. Details can be dealt with later; right now she needs this. Not like air, or water — nothing so desperate as that — but like sleep. Too long without and she's tense, stressed out, fuzzy-brained, and temperamental. She needs it to restore her sanity. Or maybe she needs it like solid ground, a steady surface on which to confront everything coming her way.

Tell me you love me. Tell me we're in this together.]

[mortemscintilla]

But --

[ He's forgotten how strong she can be when she wants to be. His body feels pitched off-kilter, caught in the current of her bites and kisses, the greedy way she grapples at him, drawing him closer to that hot dark gravity of her body. Logically, he knows it'd be easy to disentangle himself. But all that covert-ops training and the highly-honed senses, any assistance of that persona that so perfectly embodies the Nietzschean Ubermensch -- none of that seems available right now. His reserves of restraint are running dry; he's all out of fight. ]

[ He doesn't resist when they perform a stagger-waltz across the floor to splay atop her narrow bed. Her body seems to be thrumming beneath his, her small hot face like something both solid and fragile caught in his hands. Between gusts of air, Hei spins kisses rapidly into the space between their mouths -- slow probing kisses, wet quick skimming ones. His pulse is like a hive of red wasps filling his skull; he can feels himself, swollen and trapped, already leaking pre-cum into his boxers and dampening even the thick denim. ]

[ But he needs to be gentle, to keep a clear head, if he's going to do this right. ]

[ Breaking from her with a ragged inhale, he says, ]

Easy. I'm not going anywhere.

[ A reminder for himself as much as for her. ]

[alittlebent]

[Are you sure? She almost wants to ask, but doesn't. She's taking him at his word, regardless of how little reason to trust he's given her. Korra takes a deep breath and tries to slow her racing heart, get control over a body that wants to be all over him. She largely succeeds, but lets herself rock her hips against him, a concession to burning desire.]

I don't want to play games tonight. [By which she means the foreplay that's one of the many reasons he's better than Bolin in bed. For all of her seemingly reckless abandon, she is keenly aware of where they are, and how little Tenzin approves. She doesn't want Hei to test how far he can push her, or how loud he can make her scream. She just wants to feel him.]

[mortemscintilla]

Al-- all right.

[ He tries for a level tone. But then she rocks under him, and he gutters out an unsteady breath, the muscles in his body stringing taut in a ripple from shoulders to thighs. It's so hard to stay still, and he can feel his face filling with the same hot, wild rush of blood as his groin. With effort he tamps the need down, keeping his attention off her sweet restless hips, off the stiffening crux of their bodies, despite how unbelievably good it feels, leverage and violin bows and crickets and sex. ]

[ I don't want to play games tonight. He absorbs the words like water, drinking in that earnest neediness in her lovely little face. How long has it been, he thinks, since anyone has looked at him that way? That clear-eyed and raw. He feels as if he's just inhaled a mouthful of fresh mint. It is a sensation that clears the head and lungs, slaps him awake with bracing pleasure. ]

[ Swallowing dryly, he fans his fingers across Korra's skull. Smoothes a hedge of curls, touch sliding down to clasp the back of her neck. ]

All right.

[ Reassurance, assent, consolation. It could be any number of things. By degrees, he makes himself heavy on her. Lets his lips play with hers again, a humid butterfly tease, before he slips a free hand between them. Strips off his coat and shirt, then undoes the buttons of his trousers, shucking them off awkwardly along with his sandals before moving to peel off Korra's clothes. ]

[anatural]

[She can peel off her own clothes, thanks. She's not going to just lie there and wait for him to do everything — for one thing, that would take way too long. While he's stripping out of his clothing, Korra shucks off her own, sending her boots flying across the room with a loud clatter that makes her wince a little. Whatever. She's an adult and she's allowed to do this. Her hairties come loose as pulls her shirt over her head, and hair gets stuck in her mouth & nose.]

Bleh! [She fumbles to get it out of her mouth. Ooooo, sexy.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Worthy of a Playboy centerfold. ]

[ Hei represses a smile as she fusses with her wolf-tails. Tries to ignore those sinuous wriggling movements of her body, even as they send something like a whiskey-waft of heat spiking through his bloodstream. Trapped in the canopy of her hair, Korra has such a nice shape to her head. Her hair-ties tumble forward like animal-ears and her nose is squinched up, the muscles in her face mobile, alive. She's so funny looking sometimes, and he'd tell her so, but what he really thinks is that she's cute, brimming with the same disarming, charming eagerness as a kitten with a ball of yarn. ]

[ Working the last scraps of his clothes down with hers, he fixes on her hair-ties. Plucks them free one by one, before burying his face in the tossed mess of her hair. With the other hand, he works his erection -- painfully twisted -- at a more comfortable angle between them; it stripes a wet line along her belly and seems to jump head-first into the nest of his hand, slippery-smooth and hot. ]

[alittlebent]

[As soon as the hair is out of her mouth, Korra's back to kissing him wherever she can reach. Invisible brands to claim him as hers, greedy & possessive. If he pulled back right now and told her to choose between him and the baby... she'd still choose the baby's life. But there'd be no hiding how the decision would cut up her insides and leave her heart a bloody pulp on the floor.

Luckily he doesn't, and she wraps her hand around the one holding his erection.]

Let me. [She doesn't try to displace his hand, just moves it with hers as she starts a slow, steady stroke.]