#astraheres

𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟 ; 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠,   right in front of him. a desperate act was needed, he couldn’t just let her slip away. a step forward, a hand reaching out for a steel grip of fingers to lock around her upper arm. he held onto her, desperately. his features burrowing, with that look of pleading coming to show itself.   ❛ whatever it is, whatever’s happened kory. you don’t need to handle it alone. you don’t need to face it alone! ❜   bold words, from the individual that is normally being told such a thing, instead of giving it out. speaking her own advice, right back at her.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝,   a constant in dick grayson’s life. it was a challenge in itself, to find a part of him that did not ache, did not bleed, nor was covered in bruises or scars. but with her, his fallen star hovering over him ; asking him in that soft voice of hers, where it did not hurt? well — dick was ready to take that challenge head on! and find spots upon his battered and bruised body, for her to lay a kiss made from cosmos upon. 

@astraheres​     sent     :      "you are awfully mouthy for someone who had almost died only moments ago." it's teasing in a gentle way, mouth slanted into half a smile, though the furrow of her grows hasn't dissipated quite yet. "are you injured?"

@astraheres​ : ❝ if he does it again, you tell me. ❞ uwu

he wants to look up, to say something — play it off as a joke, a laugh, an accident — but already he knows it’s too late to lie. to spin it as something it’s not. he’d said too much, and now she knows what happened, knows it was dad. his eyes are stuck to the floor and he can’t look up at her. can’t bring himself to see what changed now that she knows.

@astraheres​ : "hold on to me." needless reminder when her hold is already so secure - pressing livvy gently to her chest, her slight weight barely registering. the take off is always easy for nobody but herself (she distinctly remembers damian screaming the first time she picked him up), but she makes sure to keep the ascent smooth. "if at any moment you want to go down, you tell me, alright?"

              The motorcycle rolls as a tire pops beneath him. Balance wanes, friction grows -- long story short, it’s out of here. Bucky’s shoulder hits the pavement as he rolls along the street for a second, eventually digging metal fingers into the street to bring himself to a stop, leaving deep grooves in concrete  ( he should...probably help pay for that )  . The pistol on his leg is his first instinct, especially as he watches that black car skid around the corner, racing right for him. Bucky stands, stays in the street, and fires. Barrel pointed down, he’s shooting for the tires while the car continues to speed toward him. Bullets hit the pavement, bounce against the car -- he shakes his head  ( damn headache... )  and blinks hard, landing one tire. But the car doesn’t stop.

              He’s determined but not dumb. Bucky dives out of the way  ( the flip may have been a bit much )  just before the car has a chance to hit him. He scrambles behind a parked car on the street, listening to his pursuers stop their car. Boots hit the ground, his makeshift shield is quickly lit up  ( he should pay for that too )  . The shots fly over his head past his cheek as he holds his pistol tightly, waiting. When the time is right, he pops his head and shoulders above the car and fires back, making contact with a few of them. Their aim isn’t bad...but it’s not great either. Bucky doesn’t duck back down yet, firing off a few more shots until -- CLICK! Empty. He’s down on the ground, back pressed against the car.  

              “ Sam, I’m getting pinned down, ”  he says, letting his empty magazine fall to the ground while he takes another from his belt. When his partner comes over the comms, he doesn’t sound much better. Bucky can hear gunfire in his earpiece now too :  ‘ You and me, both! Can you buy yourself some time? ’  He clicks the magazine into place and takes a deep breath.  “ Couple minutes. ”  He hears a  ‘ that’ll work ’  before Sam cuts out and Bucky grumbles to himself softly.

              Maybe he was a little distracted or maybe it’s that slight pounding in his head from rolling off his bike, but he doesn’t notice the second car skid to a stop on his other side. More thugs climb out, ready to surround him. Bucky notices a little too late, his hair getting showered in glass shards as one of the car’s windows are shot out.  “ Fuck-- ”  He readies himself and he’s up on his knees, shooting over the car again, now at this second group. But the first group isn’t out of the fight. One gunman finds the right angle, the right sight on him, and lines up his shot and -- CRACK! There’s no time for Bucky to duck. It’s headed right for his skull -- but it stops, hits the ground.

              Bucky falls back down onto the sidewalk, startled by this new presence behind him. He turns around, eyes carrying up from boots to waist to the face of this stranger. Eyes are wide, brows are lifted. He doesn’t catch the question right away but then he shakes his head, gathers himself :  “ Blue bird? ”  He glances up at the sky, catching a brief glimpse of the red of Sam’s suit as he flies by.  “ Haven’t seen him... ”

✦･ﾟ:* — @astraheres​ ​said​ ​ ​ ​›​   "i love you," she whispers it into the hazy darkness, watches the way her hands --- dirtied, warrior-worn, butcher-hands --- glide across his torso, stop at his collarbone, a finger tracing the ridge and thumb hooked around his throat, so gentle, so keenly aware of his heartbeat under her palms. he's beautiful and fragile; a bird, and her heart aches with the brightness of him. "- i love you." pressed into his mouth, this holy confession. even with her eyes closed, all she sees is him.

𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝 ; 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤,   to look at her as those three words were spoken. small words, so easy to roll off the tongue, but the meaning behind them — no matter how many times he heard them, still had his heart racing and a smile, instinctively growing upon his features. oh, how the bird of the night, melted underneath her touch ... how he desired much more, than just the dancing of fingers across his bare skin. it was a challenge in itself, to remain laying back on the bed, with aching back, sinking deep into the soft mattress that dared to swallow him hole, as koriand’r — his piece of the sun, that fell to the earth and stole his heart, crawled further up his frame.   ❛ does it even need to be said? ❜   he teased, as he lifted his head off the pillow, to meet her lips and press everything he had into it.