Feeling Stuck On My Main Fic, So Decided To Jump In On Supercorptober Prompts (Day 15 — Coffee) Despite

Femslash February 2017

4. Korrasami

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Sewn Soul

Her body feels foreign. It takes days to adjust to the motions and weeks to grow comfortable in it.

It's like a second thought and each time she moves, she has to think about it. She bends forks and breaks dishes with inhumane strength. She reaches a staircase and doesn't remember how to lift her foot to take the first step.

The woman is always there with her, patient and ever so gentle. She eases her grip on the cutlery and hooks their elbows together before nudging her towards the stairs.

With each passing day, she acquires an inch more of her body.

A rattle of bones, a clack of fangs and teeth. Soft skin that bleeds under halfmoons of nails.

Or my interpretation of this spooky art

read it on ao3

Here’s an old story, while my brain fights with itself and refuses to put together more words. Happy Halloween! 

"Do you think I could use horseradish as fuel?"

Kara paused in her hammering to cast the alien an apprehensive look, "It depends on how advanced your technology is."

"We don't usually rely on vegetables for powering up our spaceships, but this one- this one glows..." the alien trailed off, frowning at the luminous tuber clutched in her hands.

"Your vegetables aren't of the glowing kind?"

The alien offered an overwhelmed shrug.

"Will you show me another cool transmutation trick? From vegetable to fuel?"

Something creased the thin line of the alien's mouth, "That was just dried grape fruit. Astronaut foods. It wasn't a real sugar cube, it just looked like one."

Kara didn't frown back. She offered an helpless shrug instead, one that made the hammer slip out of her clammy grip. The tool plummeted to the ground, awkward and way too loud for what was going on. The alien chuckled at her clumsiness, sniffling and Kara ignored the wet note stuck in her voice.

The air grew quiet as Kara turned to stand shoulder to shoulder with the lost castaway. Together, they stared at the crumpled skeleton of the spaceship as smoke slowly rose from its corpse.

The alien crouched to toss back the horseradish in its crate, where other vegetables were mutely glowing in a rainbow of neon colours. The movement shifted the tattered bandage fastened around her head.

"It's not like-" Kara extricated her sweaty fingers around the hammer's handle, hoping that freedom of movement would improve her eloquence, "I mean, even if you had fuel, it's not like you could fly with a gaping hole in your flank, right?" she muttered, awkwardly pinching the side of her wrist.

The alien's shoulders just deflated, the slope of her spine tilting. Fingertips nervously drumming the side of the hammer, Kara felt she had never known such helplessness before.

(Maybe once.)

"Look, Lena-" the name rumbled like a sticky vibration on Kara's tongue, unfamiliar with the strangeness of such a foreign tonality. By the passing expression on the alien's face, the same weird feeling must have resounded in her ears.

Feeling a bubble of unease burst in her chest, Kara gnawed on her bottom lip. "It's going to be okay," she pressed, "Next time the cargo ship comes, you can come with me to the market. I'm sure you'll find something for repairs and-and..."

Lingering words got lost in the stark profile that Lena cast over rows of drooping gladiolus, under the twinkling light of the pair of suns. Kara swallowed, fighting the distinct urge to hug the lost alien, who was merely a stranger with a crashed spaceship and frowning lines.

"I promise."

But the frown didn't lift from Lena's forehead, settling deeper in the circles in her eyes. Kara had never encountered such a frowny alien before.

She fell silent, dreading whatever clunky attempt at comfort her mouth would sprout next.

(She used to be better at this.)

She aligned her knuckles back in her grip around the hammer and turned back to work. She let herself get lost in the rhythm of mindless hammering, palming dark veins in wooden planks. There was always something to mend or repair around the farm, dull tasks that became plain boring during the sourer days. But Kara didn't mind the dust and the boredom, she liked the hard work. Making something with her hands.

It took Lena three boards and seventeen nails to turn away from the broken remains of the spaceship.

"What are you doing?" she asked quietly, tugging at the loose end of one of her sleeves.

Kneeling in the dirt, Kara tossed an easy smile over her shoulder, grateful for the lighter tone of Lena's question. "Oh! Just trying to fix this pond. It’s been leaking something awful and I could hardly keep it full.”

Lena still looked caught up in her head, but Kara couldn't help a relieved breath when Lena sat down with her on the naked ground, legs folding over each other. The slope of her shoulders curled inwards.

"I was worried the ducks wouldn't have liked it anymore with such little water," Kara continued, conversational, eyes flicking to a grease stain on Lena's forearm.

Lena didn't reply to that. She just changed her position, the white of her pants brushing against the ground. It painted a smudge of dirt on the cloth, the only dainty pair of trousers Kara had been able to salvage from the crash and the blood. It was a pity to stain such a rich fabric, but living on a farm did tend to have that effect on things. And on people, too.

She looked like a lost person, with her crossed legs and closed eyes. Like a fragment of a star in a galaxy of asteroids.

Turning on the water to refill the pond, Kara straightened with a jolt, head snapping up. A couple of bones cracked in her back and elbow as she released a satisfying sigh. Cheek cradled in one hand, Lena peeked at her from the corner of one eye, "Ouch," she winced, offering a tight grin.

Kara shrugged cheekily. She rummaged for a moment through the pebbles at her feet, before choosing a single rock and weighed it in her hand. It was flat and small and she could hold it in one palm.

Lena's gaze got lost in the repetitive movement of the water, until Kara tossed the pebble across the surface of her newly repaired pond, watching it glumly sink in the middle of lazy ripples.

Lena turned to face her, both eyes open. Kara felt herself blushing under her stare, "I was trying to skip a rock."

"It didn't skip."

The blush reached the tips of Kara's ears.

"Why would you do that?"

Shuffling closer to the pond, Kara knelt to inspect the mended planks, if only to hide the redness dusted on her cheeks, "I thought it would skip."

A huff of laughter reached her ears and Kara watched the shards of a smile paint itself across Lena's frown. It was the first time she could see a trace of pure joy in the alien's smile. She should have tried to skip rocks earlier.

When Lena's laughter grew into a comfortable silence, Kara turned back towards the setting suns. She had just enough time before darkness to check on the grapevines, to check the soil for-

"Oh."

Kara watched as Lena's lips morphed into a mou of surprise.

A chaotic procession of ducks suddenly unfolded in front of them, a fluttery of green feathers. Two, three, six animals wandered past the pair, wobbling unsteadily on webbed feet. Only the bravest of the flock hobbled close to Lena to inspect the frayed hem of her nice pants.

"Uuuh," Lena's hand hovered.

"Ssh," Kara shushed gently, "I think he likes you."

The curious duck hesitated maybe three more seconds before he blinked his purple irises at Lena, batting one eyelid at a time. He lifted one wing and started preening. The other ducks were swimming lazy circles in the pond.

Kara leaned back on her feet to stare, flashing a proud smile.

Lena didn't meet her eye, busy doing some simple math under her breath. "He has... four wings."

Hammer tucked back in her belt, Kara sat again in the dirt, sending a fleeting apology to the grapevines, "Yes," the duck fluttered his wings, "You've never seen a duck before?"

"Of course I have- of course," said Lena, and then hesitated for a handful of choppy seconds, "We have ducks on... back on my home planet, but these... I've never seen alien ducks before."

Kara wrinkled her nose, "These aren't alien ducks," she pointed out.

"Of course they are, Kara. They have four wings, four-"

"That doesn't make them aliens."

"Ducks have two wings, Kara, two! Not four. Back on my...," she stumbled, "Back on..."

The first of the two suns the planet orbited around disappeared under the horizon, a trail of magenta embers left behind.

The breath that pushed out of Lena was long, sharp and Kara noticed the way it took another chip of tension out of her body. It dissolved into a hiccuping laughter, like syrupy bubbles clawing their way out of her throat. Lena kept chuckling even when her eyes filled with tears.

Done with his preening, the duck ambled towards the pond, tail wagging, his animal heart too young to comprehend the entirety of Lena's splintered feelings. Kara felt more in tune with him for a cursory instant.

Lena leaned back on her elbows, "I'm an alien."

Kara wondered if there was mercy in discovering another part of your soul, lost in such a minuscule place.

When Lena's tears dried, they revealed an hesitant grin buried underneath.

This xkcd comic from 2009 changed my life. It feels timeless.

Last full moon of the year, in Þingvellir by Ann Silvestre.

I’m curious about something, if you write, reblog this post and put in the tags what you write with (MS Word, Google Docs, etc)

insp.

Korrasami Week Day Four

I wanted to try something a little different with this one. Hopefully it’s okay. Also, I fell behind with the schedule, busy day. Don’t know if I’ll get next up in time, but I’ll do my best. As usual, enjoy :)

---------------

Prompt: longing

"Hello?"

"You have reached Air Temple Island, this is Master Meelo speaking. How shall I assist you today?"

"... that sounded vaguely threatening."

"I'm merely being professional, ma'am."

"Yeah. I bet you could land any job at a front desk. I could put a good word for you if you want. Uh, is Korra there?"

"Please, state your business with the Avatar."

"Business? Meelo, it's me, Asami."

"Pretty lady!"

"Uh, that's me. Could I speak with my girlfriend, please? Is she busy?"

"I dunno. Why would you want to speak to her when there's a real bender right here? Don't you prefer the company of a powerful airbender?"

"You know she's the Avatar, right? She's as powerful as-"

"Pf, I fought and won against a giant mecha of metal once. I saved Republic City from an invasion."

"... that you did. But I'm sure of my decision Meelo. Thank you for the offer, though."

"Your wish shall be my command, then, wonderful lady... Korraaaaa! Your pretty lady is on the phoooooone... We shall meet again soon, beautiful woman, and in the meanwhile do think of me fondly if you can..."

"I'll... I'll do my best, I guess."

"Give me that phone, Meelo, thank you... Hello? Asami?"

"I'll let you know Meelo has more game than you, oh mighty Avatar."

"Ugh, he's just a nuisance."

"A nuisance way smoother than you. I remember our first dates when you struggled with forming barely coherent sentences. Nevermind a whole conversation."

"I was nervous because I wanted to impress a beautiful girl."

"Your nervous rambling was so cute."

"And you're an absolutely awful person."

"Aw, I love you too, Korra."

"You say you love me, but next thing I know you're running after a dashing airbender, much younger than both of us. Mh, I didn't peg you to be like one of those ladies, who only have eyes for younger flesh."

"Ah Korra, you know me so well."

"He's definitely a keeper, though. But wait until you hear about his most famous airbending technique. A brave and challenging pose, one that requires an impressive display of skill and a, let's say, a complete bodily effort. He puts every inch of himself behind this technique."

"Mmm."

"Really impressive."

"..."

"..."

"You should stop making fun of poor Meelo, Korra."

"As soon as he stops making advances at you..."

"Don't worry, dear. He knows I'm happily taken. And I have no intentions of letting go."

"Sounds right. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, 'Sami."

"I think I might have a slight idea."

"Is everything okay?"

"Surprisingly enough, we only had just minor problems. Guess I got used to the urgency of your Avatar related problems. But even if they're small, when you pile them all together-"

"Even the smallest inevitably becomes an annoying inconvenience. Yeah, I get that feeling. Tell me more, if you want?"

"Ranting isn't sexy, Korra."

"Everything about you is sexy, Asami. Even when you complain about misogynistic ancient business men. I love watching them flail as you tear them apart with your words and your looks."

"Looks like somebody took a page from Meelo's guide for flirting."

"Please, I'm not that desperate. And it's not my fault my girlfriend is so hot I can't help my mouth. Oh, don't get me started on that adorable snort of yours-"

"Korra!"

"But I digress. Tell me more about your day?"

"Nothing unusual. Roadblocks between construction projects, whiny workers, complaints... I didn't imagine Zaofu to be so conservative, being a place born from refugees. Oh, we discovered some kind of building? Buried underground? They're not exactly sure what it could be, but it's slowing things down at the construction site. We can't risk damaging what could be an artistic treasure."

"Could it be spiritual-related?"

"Unlikely. It looked like a storage building more than anything else. Maybe a library of some kind... But you're just trying to make it spiritual-related, right?"

"The Avatar is the bridge between spirits and humans, after all. And I'm always happy to give a hand."

"Mh, and since you'd be here we could make that trip to Omashu?"

"You know I've always wanted to go with you there."

"I'm sorry, dear. No matter how much I wish you could come here, I'm afraid it will end up being a boring warehouse, instead of a mysterious temple. But I'm flattered you would make that up for me."

"Hey, if I can't even take advantage of the Avatar status every once in a while to see my girlfriend, what kind of girlfriend would I be?"

"The best kind."

"Mmm. And who's taking a page from Meelo's book, now?"

"Oh, shut up. How are things otherwise in Republic City?"

"Thankfully busy."

"Thankfully?"

"This way I don't have the time to miss you any more than I already do. It would drive me crazy."

"I thought I was supposed to be the workaholic one in this relationship. Promise me you won't pick up my bad habits, dear."

"I promise only if you promise to actually work on those bad habits. You're cute when you're sleeping, but hunched on your desk? Not so much."

"I promise I'll do my best, dear. Now, what about Republic City?"

"Oh, yes. Everything has been quiet lately. I'm mostly running errands with Tenzin, helping here and there. I even went to a couple of press conferences with Zhu Li, too. She definitely has a better handshake than Raiko. Less sweaty, for starters."

"Did you end up going to that gala held in your honor?"

"Yeah. Bolin and Opal came with me, so we ended up having fun. And the food was nice, too. Even if everyone wanted to meet me only to tell me what an honor it is to be meeting me."

"They only want to thank the greatest Avatar ever. You can't complain if people love you and keep throwing parties for you."

"Says the lady who built a giant version of me in the middle of the city."

"You deserved it, Korra! A statue is the less we could do. Especially after everything you had done for the city. First Amon, then Unalaq and Zaheer. And Kuvira... You are amazing, Korra, both as a person and as the Avatar, so it's only fair people recognize it."

"Should I expect to see a new statue next time I visit the Beifong's?"

"... it depends if the people prefer Huan's art to my project, I guess."

"You're incorrigible."

"Yeah, well. And I miss you."

"I miss you too, Asami."

"It's only a few days. As soon as things start to run smoothly I'll take the first airship back to Republic City. I'll even pilot one myself, if I need to."

"I have no doubt. But take as much time as you need, Asami. I'll be here, waiting for you and being proud."

"Isn't it a little weird, uh?"

"Being proud of you?"

"No, I mean. Me being the one who's away and you staying at home in Republic City. It's usually the opposite with us."

"I can't fault people for wanting to exploit my girlfriend's genius. You're the best at what you do."

"Still, I can't help but miss you."

"Hey, how about when you come back we have dinner together? Down by the bay? At that water tribe restaurant you like?"

"Only if you promise we can go for a ride on a turtle-duck boat after."

"Then it's a date."

part one

Despite being very red, Lena's cadence stayed mellow and sober as she trudged through rows of flowers.

Kara studied her from the shade of the orchard, half hidden between wavy fronds of fig saplings. Leaning back against the coarse bark of an old tree, Kara sat cross legged, lap overflowing with wicker. She dragged her thumbs along the chipped edge of a half assembled basket, as her nimble hands entwined sinewy twigs with mindless sinuous movements.

She could see Lena's lips mouthing something, but she couldn't make out the words so far.

After a tentative week of forced bedrest, Lena's bandages had finally peeled away in clean folds of stale white. Her limp had healed and the bruises over her ribcage had disappeared, nursed back to health by stubbornness and frowns. As soon as she could last an entire day without collapsing in exhausted naps, Lena had rolled the cuffs of long sleeves over her wrists and offered to help with odd jobs around the farm.

"Have you ever uprooted weeds?" Kara mused, elbows half buried in a bag of fertilizer.

Lena cast the bag an indifferent glance, "Can't be more difficult than polyatomic anions."

Armed with a crooked rake, Lena braved the grassy plains with the hesitance of a newborn duckling. And the same quiet determination to spread wings for the first time.

The fields were cast in the rusty glow of sunset as light seeped into the wrinkles of Lena's starched shirt. It was an old garment, one that Kara had fished from a forgotten corner of her wardrobe, tucked under the tailored tunic her mo-

A twig snapped under her fingertips, startling Kara out of her thoughts. She brushed them away like cobwebs, struggling to untangle the broken wicker stuck in the weaved pattern of the basket. All her efforts proved to be fruitless and Kara stood with a sigh, mentally giving up on the task.

She looked over Lena's hunched form, still engrossed in her job and figured they could call it a day. She dusted herself off and strolled past the trees' edge, wandering towards the open field. The basket was soon forgotten in the fallen foliage.

As she neared, Lena interrupted her string of murmurs. Her rucked shirt was stained with dirt and grass smudges, much like Kara's beige overalls. Kara's eyes scanned the field, looking for the way glass bent around the memory of Lena's steps, who was bent over a flowerbed of tulips, a vibrant cloud of red flowers that dissolved into smoke every sunset.

Lena's eyes shone with wonder when she had seen her the first vanishing blossom turning into smoke.

The air smelled of flowers and early chance of rain.

Another petal dissolved under their eyes and Lena offered a halcyon smile.

"These flowers are beautiful."

Glowing with a burgeoning sunburn, Lena painted an almost endearing picture, dirt stains in the shape of her knees and small blisters huddled on her palms from the rake's handle.

"When I said you could help around the farm I didn't mean you had to get sunburn on the first day on the job."

Lena flicked a lock of hair behind her ear with a flippant smile, "I might have underestimated this planet's two suns."

Kara chuckled briefly, catching easily on the playful tone, "I can tell. You are also quite..." Kara hesitated, chanced a quick look at the sliver of Lena's exposed collarbone, "You do have a fair complexion."

"My Irish genes shining through."

Kara blew her lips, "Yeah, I have no idea what that means."

"You really don't, do you?" Lena looked pensive and Kara tilted her body forward, swaying on the balls of her feet.

"The place I come from, Ireland," continued Lena, "My mother's side of the family."

The tendrils of dimming sunlight felt warm on their skin.

"She is-" Kara waved a hand, "Is she Irish?"

Cracking a slanted grin, Lena turned subtly away from her as if to inspect another dissolving tulip, and made no reply. At the prolonged silence, Kara forced herself not to reach over, lest she ended up doing something ludicrous.

(Like tuck the sad alien under her chin, chase a grip on her body, fold those hunched shoulders in a hug.)

After a moment, Lena sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm not really good for conversation."

Kara's thoughts clammed in one direction No, you are fine. For an alien who crashed on my tiny farm, you are doing really well, even if I think you frown too much.

"Me either. I'm not really good at talking, most of the time I end up rambling," was what she said, instead.

"You do seem the type to ramble," Lena commented, handing the rake back to Kara to dust herself off.

Kara surveyed the flowers with a critic's eye, impressed with Lena's work: she may have lacked speed, as only half the field had been tilled at the end of the afternoon, but Lena definitely made up with her immaculate meticulousness.

"Wow," she deadpanned, "The first alien ever to crash into my silo and - of course - it's a rude alien."

That was enough to make Lena smirk and to lodge a proud grain of warmth in Kara's chest. She could do banter with Lena. It was safer than personal issues.

Kara had a fleeting thought to grab Lena by the wrist, then thought better of it before starting the walk back towards the house. She felt Lena fall into step behind her.

"So, how was your first experience with farming?" Kara asked, pausing on the toll of lightness in her timbre. She heaved the rake over her shoulders with a twirl, a move she hoped looked as cool as she intended. But at the apex of the motion, the handle hit the back of her head with a thud.

Lena's chuckle flew past her ears like wind chimes and in horrifying slow motion, Kara turned her head back to look for the crumbles of her own dignity. There was mirth in Lena's eyes, a dance of laughing stardust as her grin teased Kara's clumsiness.

Blowing at her mussed hair, Kara felt her cheeks match Lena's in redness as one of the alien's dark eyebrow rose. Embarrassed, she ducked her head to look at her feet and kept walking.

"The first encounter of my intergalactic travels and - of course - it's a dork farmer."

Kara chuffed good-naturedly at the impish tone, "Rude," she tossed back over her shoulder.

She met Lena's amused stare with her own teasing eyes, as the alien plodded through the lush plains.

An easy silence fell between them, encompassed by the background noises of a languid sunset. A fatigued yawn overruled Lena's lingering grin.

"I'm definitely gonna be sore tomorrow," she stretched, rolling her stiff shoulders in circular motions. She halted mid stretch to wince at the feeling of tender skin, "Oh, I'm definitely gonna feel that tomorrow."

Kara couldn't help but sneak another glance at Lena's shoulders, red skin peeking from the loose collar of her shirt.

"I'm sure I have some silver cream somewhere in some cabinet. For burns," she reassured with a sympathetic hum.

"You're a lifesaver," Lena sighed gratefully, missing the quip of her own words.

Without missing a beat, Kara added a teasing note, "Alas, I don't entrust my secret remedies to rude aliens, so you'll have to-"

Lena swatted at Kara's arm, wrinkling her sunburnt nose.

"You should have thought twice about laughing at my coolest moves."

Kara relished in the serene warmth diffusing in her body from head to toes as Lena laughed again.

(It had been a while.)

+++++

(She almost forgot to retrieve the half finished basket.)

+++++

The ancient spaceship had been caught in the planet's orbit and had crashed in a manner of seconds.

Kara had been kneeling next to the leaky pond when the spaceship had slashed her sky in two, catching her silo in its blazing trail.

All the ducklings had scattered immediately at the blare of the crash, the herd of rams barreling down their grassy pasture in fright. It had taken her three full hours, later in the dim lights of the evening, to gather them again, coaxing the most stubborn with her treasured stash of gummy bears - hay flavoured.

The rising smoke had been thick, burning black from oil and machinery. The same dark smoke Kara had seen once, several moons ago, after the battle against Daxam, where her father's battleship had been swallowed in the same black clouds.

She had stumbled to the side of the burned out shell, squinting. With shaking hands and tattered rags she had snuffed the fire quickly, before pulling herself level with a gaping hole in the spaceship flank to peer inside its belly.

The sunlight had danced on the alien's dark visor as its head had lolled against her shoulder.