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thejusticelounge2014-03-27 02:17 pm
bossymarmalade) wrote in thejusticelounge2014-03-27 02:17 pm
Entry tags:
a sort of homecoming
Steph comes bounding up the stairs and knocks loudly on Bai’s apartment door. “Bai? BAI?!” she calls out anxiously.
Bai is in the tub sculpting a city out of the water, stop-motion powered by the speed force, when she hears the rapping on her door and Steph’s panicked voice. Startled, she drops back into objective time and the grand city of sweeping spires and asymmetrical buildings collapses back into the tub with a huge splash, sloshing out over the side and even more as the speedster climbs out and wraps herself in a kimono robe, already speed-dried by the time the silken fabric slides against her skin.
She goes to the door and opens it, three seconds after hearing Steph’s entreaty, reaching out to press her thin fingers against the other girl’s shoulders. “Stephie? What’s wrong, did something happen?”
Steph reached out, took hold of Bai around the waist, picking her up and pressing her close, cheek to cheek. Steph could smell the vanilla of her shampoo. Eyes screwed shut, she didn’t answer Bai, just breathed in deeply, feeling her thrumming pulse.
Bai didn’t mind the closeness, not one teensy tinesy weensy bit, so she lifted one leg slightly to wrap around Steph as she was picked up. The other girl, normally so grounded and sturdy, felt indescribably … more fragile somehow. Not in terms of her corporeal body, that was as lush and strong as ever, but maybe in spirit? In confidence and demeanor. It was clear that whatever thing had driven Stephanie to come banging at Bai’s door, breathing in her scent as if it were oxygen, it had taken its toll on Steph.
"You can tell me," Bai said, quietly, rubbing her fingertips out in rays from Steph’s spine, along her back. "Whatever it is, you can tell me and we’ll get through it."
Steph kissed the space behind Bai’s ear softly, sighing at the soothing motions of Bai’s hands on her back. She walked them further into the apartment and kicked the door shut carefully behind her. “You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she admitted, not letting go of Bai. She had the irrational fear that Bai would dissolve like smoke if she stopped touching her, like this would turn out to be some beautiful dream she would unfortunately wake up from.
Walking them down the hall and into Bai’s bedroom, she laid them down atop the mess of soft sheets that smelled like her. She pressed their foreheads together and closed her eyes, holding Bai’s thigh to hitch it higher up her waist. She just wanted to hold her and enjoy the unbelievable relief of having her back. “It sounds crazy,” she tried again. “Most of the League was sucked into a pocket dimension for weeks and nobody had any powers and we were attacked by demons and each other and lots of drama happened. And apparently we were only gone for like, three hours real time.”
She peaked through her lashes at Bai and smiles sheepishly. She felt so warm and safe looking into those pretty brown eyes of hers. “I missed you, honey.” Tentatively, Steph kissed Bai’s forehead and lingered. Then she kissed her nose. The apples of her cheeks. Her lips.
Bai kissed back, turned her face up to receive Steph’s kisses, her leg wrapping more securely around Steph’s waist as they settled down into the bed (piled high with sheets and comforters and cushions; the speedster needed heat and a sense of confinement when she slept). “It would sound crazy to other people maybe,” she said after considering what Steph had related. “But you’re talking to somebody who feels like she’s been away from people for a week when it’s been an hour to the other person.”
She stroked and tickled her swift fingers down Steph’s temples, along her collarbones, over the sweet swell of Steph’s bottom, back up again. “At least you’re safe now,” Bai murmured, leg tucking Steph closer to her. “Safe and home and whatever happened to you there, with the, the demons, spleez, that sounds serious! — you can talk to me about it and I’ll be here and I’ll be here always.”
That was a big promise. It was a big promise for anybody, but for Bai, somebody accustomed to shifting scales of time and the prospect of always meaning fractured shares of never-ending non-speedster time alongside the rapid stream of the Speed Force, it was bigger than that. With Steph’s lips on her face, though, the throaty sound of her voice, it was a promise that Bai felt only the strangest contentment in making.
Steph’s face felt warm and she broke the kiss, bumping noses. She didn’t know what to say to that, understanding a certain gravity behind Bai’s words. It knocked the wind out of her to say the least and, for once, left her dumbstruck and speechless. She smiled, feeling herself start to cry gloppy tears that left hot streaks down her cheeks. But it wasn’t a sad crying. “Thank you,” she laughed, skimming her fingers over the sweet curve of Bai’s waist and settling on the small of her back through the silky robe.
"You’re a miracle, you know?" she said. "I’ll be here always, too." Closing the inch of dead air between them, Steph kissed her again, this time slowly, more reverently. It was a promise, a thank you, an I missed you, and I love you between tingling lips. Her other hand curved to rest in Bai’s soft, pixie-ish hair, running her nails along her scalp. Steph opened her eyes and laughed again joyfully.
"It was crazy. But I think it did us all some good. Put things in perspective," she admitted. "I’m just glad you weren’t there." Because as awful and alone she’d felt at times in Cachement, as much as she had missed Bai, there was no way she could have wished any of that on her. She couldn’t imagine the toll it would have taken on Bai to lose her powers, no matter how short the time. So when she said she was glad she wasn’t there, she meant it. She just wanted Bai safe and sound.
Bai is in the tub sculpting a city out of the water, stop-motion powered by the speed force, when she hears the rapping on her door and Steph’s panicked voice. Startled, she drops back into objective time and the grand city of sweeping spires and asymmetrical buildings collapses back into the tub with a huge splash, sloshing out over the side and even more as the speedster climbs out and wraps herself in a kimono robe, already speed-dried by the time the silken fabric slides against her skin.
She goes to the door and opens it, three seconds after hearing Steph’s entreaty, reaching out to press her thin fingers against the other girl’s shoulders. “Stephie? What’s wrong, did something happen?”
Steph reached out, took hold of Bai around the waist, picking her up and pressing her close, cheek to cheek. Steph could smell the vanilla of her shampoo. Eyes screwed shut, she didn’t answer Bai, just breathed in deeply, feeling her thrumming pulse.
Bai didn’t mind the closeness, not one teensy tinesy weensy bit, so she lifted one leg slightly to wrap around Steph as she was picked up. The other girl, normally so grounded and sturdy, felt indescribably … more fragile somehow. Not in terms of her corporeal body, that was as lush and strong as ever, but maybe in spirit? In confidence and demeanor. It was clear that whatever thing had driven Stephanie to come banging at Bai’s door, breathing in her scent as if it were oxygen, it had taken its toll on Steph.
"You can tell me," Bai said, quietly, rubbing her fingertips out in rays from Steph’s spine, along her back. "Whatever it is, you can tell me and we’ll get through it."
Steph kissed the space behind Bai’s ear softly, sighing at the soothing motions of Bai’s hands on her back. She walked them further into the apartment and kicked the door shut carefully behind her. “You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she admitted, not letting go of Bai. She had the irrational fear that Bai would dissolve like smoke if she stopped touching her, like this would turn out to be some beautiful dream she would unfortunately wake up from.
Walking them down the hall and into Bai’s bedroom, she laid them down atop the mess of soft sheets that smelled like her. She pressed their foreheads together and closed her eyes, holding Bai’s thigh to hitch it higher up her waist. She just wanted to hold her and enjoy the unbelievable relief of having her back. “It sounds crazy,” she tried again. “Most of the League was sucked into a pocket dimension for weeks and nobody had any powers and we were attacked by demons and each other and lots of drama happened. And apparently we were only gone for like, three hours real time.”
She peaked through her lashes at Bai and smiles sheepishly. She felt so warm and safe looking into those pretty brown eyes of hers. “I missed you, honey.” Tentatively, Steph kissed Bai’s forehead and lingered. Then she kissed her nose. The apples of her cheeks. Her lips.
Bai kissed back, turned her face up to receive Steph’s kisses, her leg wrapping more securely around Steph’s waist as they settled down into the bed (piled high with sheets and comforters and cushions; the speedster needed heat and a sense of confinement when she slept). “It would sound crazy to other people maybe,” she said after considering what Steph had related. “But you’re talking to somebody who feels like she’s been away from people for a week when it’s been an hour to the other person.”
She stroked and tickled her swift fingers down Steph’s temples, along her collarbones, over the sweet swell of Steph’s bottom, back up again. “At least you’re safe now,” Bai murmured, leg tucking Steph closer to her. “Safe and home and whatever happened to you there, with the, the demons, spleez, that sounds serious! — you can talk to me about it and I’ll be here and I’ll be here always.”
That was a big promise. It was a big promise for anybody, but for Bai, somebody accustomed to shifting scales of time and the prospect of always meaning fractured shares of never-ending non-speedster time alongside the rapid stream of the Speed Force, it was bigger than that. With Steph’s lips on her face, though, the throaty sound of her voice, it was a promise that Bai felt only the strangest contentment in making.
Steph’s face felt warm and she broke the kiss, bumping noses. She didn’t know what to say to that, understanding a certain gravity behind Bai’s words. It knocked the wind out of her to say the least and, for once, left her dumbstruck and speechless. She smiled, feeling herself start to cry gloppy tears that left hot streaks down her cheeks. But it wasn’t a sad crying. “Thank you,” she laughed, skimming her fingers over the sweet curve of Bai’s waist and settling on the small of her back through the silky robe.
"You’re a miracle, you know?" she said. "I’ll be here always, too." Closing the inch of dead air between them, Steph kissed her again, this time slowly, more reverently. It was a promise, a thank you, an I missed you, and I love you between tingling lips. Her other hand curved to rest in Bai’s soft, pixie-ish hair, running her nails along her scalp. Steph opened her eyes and laughed again joyfully.
"It was crazy. But I think it did us all some good. Put things in perspective," she admitted. "I’m just glad you weren’t there." Because as awful and alone she’d felt at times in Cachement, as much as she had missed Bai, there was no way she could have wished any of that on her. She couldn’t imagine the toll it would have taken on Bai to lose her powers, no matter how short the time. So when she said she was glad she wasn’t there, she meant it. She just wanted Bai safe and sound.