#kendrickhier

Alex sighs. ‘I suppose since we have to wait this out… you could help me fashion a splint?’

‘Of course’. Astra looks about for a moment, and then moves out of Alex’s line of sight. She wants to turn to watch her, drawn as always to stare at her as she moves around with such natural grace, but she might be caught, in these close quarters. So instead she leans back against the wall, wrapping her arms around her and shivering. The only light they have is from their phones, and it’s cold in the cave. Once they run out of battery, it’ll be cold and dark, and unfortunately Alex doesn’t have Astra’s superior sight. She doesn’t want to admit that she’s worried, but this storm doesn’t look like it’s going to die down any time soon.

Her increasingly morbid train of thought is mercifully interrupted when Astra returns. She’s holding the broken end of a ski pole in her hands, and she kneels down next to Alex again, her brow furrowed slightly. She lays the ski pole down beside Alex’s leg, and then, bizarrely, starts to unbutton her shirt. Alex’s eyes widen, and she sits up quickly. ‘What are you doing?’

Astra gives her a look that implies it should be obvious. ‘Well, you need something to bind the splint, don’t you? You can’t give up any of your clothing, or you’ll freeze to death. I on the other hand can’t feel the cold’.

Alex glances down. Astra’s wearing a red flannel shirt, having not seen the need to wear anything warmer, despite what people might think. Alex swallows tightly, unable to tell if she’s wearing anything underneath. Astra is staring at her with a slightly raised brow, clearly wondering why she’s gone mute, and Alex clears her throat sharply. ‘Fine then. Take off your shirt, and give it here’.

Astra removes her shirt quickly and efficiently, leaving Alex no time to wonder where she should look, and leans over Alex’s ankle with her makeshift tools in hand. It’s a good thing she does, because Alex is too busy dealing with the reality of being confronted with Astra’s half naked body to instruct her in what to do. Astra’s wearing a very simple black bra, nothing fancy or expensive, but the sight of her bare from the waist up has heat rushing up to flame Alex’s cheeks. She’s always known that Astra’s incredibly strong due to her powers, but she hadn’t quite expected her physique to be so toned. There’s strong, lean muscles in her back that shift as she moves, and she barely notices the way her ankle twinges as the woman sets up the makeshift splint, she’s too busy staring at the way the muscles in her arms flex.

It’s not like she hasn’t been aware of just how attractive Astra is since the moment she met her, but seeing her like this, bent over her injured ankle half naked, her brow furrowed slightly in concentration, does something to her, and she has to force herself to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. Astra looks up at her suddenly, and says, ‘I’m sorry, that must’ve hurt’.

It takes her a moment to realise that Astra has finished binding her ankle, and must’ve thought the sound she made was one of pain. She blinks, and shakes her head, leaning forward to inspect the splint. ‘Couldn’t have done it better myself’.

Astra smiles slightly. ‘You learn to work with what you have in the military’.

Alex leans back against the wall again, staring determinedly at Astra’s face. ‘What happened to Krypton’s superior technology? Didn’t you have something miraculous to fix injuries out in the field?’

Astra chuckles, a low sound that settles like a weight in Alex’s stomach. She shakes her head, and leans back against the wall beside Alex, folding her arms over her chest, which really might be a good thing. ‘Even advanced technology breaks. Besides, when you’re facing people with technology as advanced as your own, or even more so, the injuries are always greater’.

‘You must have a lot of stories’.

‘Too many’, Astra says lightly, the corner of her mouth quirking slightly, ‘that Kara was always far too interested in’.

Alex laughs, but the sound ends with a chatter of her teeth, and she shudders, gripping her own arms for warmth. Her breath fogs the air in front of her, and she realises that she’d been so occupied with her ankle that she hadn’t really noticed just how cold it was getting. She shivers again, and Astra says quietly, ‘it’s going to get worse, throughout the night’.

Alex rubs her hands up and down her arms, and mumbles, ‘if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears’.

Astra gazes at her steadily for a moment, and then says, ‘do you trust me?’

She says it lightly, but there’s something serious about the unblinking way she meets her eyes. Alex replies without hesitation. ‘Of course’.

She wonders if she imagines the way Astra seems to relax, but then the woman is kneeling up, bringing her toned abdomen level with Alex’s gaze, and for a moment she forgets that she’s cold, the back of her neck burns so hot. Astra gestures at her ski jacket, and says, ‘take that off’.

Alex stares at her for a moment, and then unzips the jacket and hands it over, hunching in on herself with a faint scowl. ‘I don’t see how removing my clothes is going to make me warmer’.

Astra raises her eyebrows. ‘Didn’t they teach you anything about basic survival skills when you joined your secret organisation? It’s about body warmth’.

Alex opens her mouth, and finds herself lifted easily from the ground. Before she has time to object, she finds herself sitting again, with a noticeable difference this time. Now she’s sitting in Astra’s lap, her back pressed against the woman’s chest, and Astra’s arms are wrapped securely around her waist. ‘Put the jacket back on, but with the opening to the back’.

Alex finds she can’t do anything but follow her instructions, her heart pounding as she slips her arms back into the jacket. Astra’s arms tighten around her, pulling her back against her chest, and the sudden rush of warmth that seems to tingle throughout her body is more enjoyable than she wants to admit. She swallows tightly, and murmurs, ‘so how many times have you had to do this to survive?’

There’s a soft chuckle behind her, a puff of warm air against her cheek, and Astra’s lips brush her neck when she says, ‘only once’.

Despite their situation, Alex is beginning to find that the combination of Astra’s warmth surrounding her and the beat of her heart thumping steadily against her back is oddly soothing, and she closes her eyes. She leans back, allowing herself to relax slowly into Astra’s arms, noting that the easy companionship between them seems to have easily extended to this. ‘Tell me about it?’

Astra hums softly, and murmurs, ‘it’s not very exciting. You might fall asleep’.

Alex sighs, and tilts her head slightly. Astra’s hair brushes her cheek, and she mumbles, ‘maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. What is it they say about making the best out of a bad situation?’

Astra releases her waist, and her fingers brush along her jaw. They’re warm and gentle, and Alex turns her head more so that she can look at her. Astra’s eyes are bright in the dim light, her mouth a soft, tempting curve, and she murmurs, ‘and how would you make the best of this?’

It’s the easiest thing in the world, to lean in and accept that very open invitation. She brushes her lips against Astra’s almost hesitantly, and Astra kisses her back instantly, leaving no room for doubt. Her lips are warm and supple beneath her own, and she exhales a shaky sigh when they part, their breath fogging the air between them. Alex grins, and presses her cold nose against Astra’s cheek. ‘How’s that?’