alwaysroomforhope | (no subject)

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shatterverse

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The farm gets very quiet late at night. It's nothing like Gotham, but it's not much like Eden, either - it's a farm and it's alive, and there's wind through the fields of crops and insects buzzing around and people talking quietly back inside the farmhouse, and there's electric light spilling out from the windows but it doesn't reach very far. And there's the stars. There were stars in Eden, too, but Steph didn't recognise the constellations or know what to expect. The stars here are basically the same as the ones she knew from before, from Gotham - except there's so many of them. Millions. On a clear night on the Gotham rooftops there might be fifty stars. Here they just never stop.

And Steph never gets tired of watching them, lying stretched out on the roof of the bunker with a pillow, listening to toddler snores from within and the soft hum of the generators. There's a few lights on in the cruise ship and a few more in the castle, warmer and yellower and closer than the stars, but the farmhouse is dark and quiet and the bunker, too. It's nearly summer again and the air is warm enough that she only needs a light jacket.

If only everything else could be as comforting.

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With the twins thoroughly tucked in and the damn cat'per story read, Sokka leaves his nieces with their thoroughly relaxed mother and does not (by any means) question her relaxation.

He'd rather walk outside, stretch, and drop his head back to stare at the stars, too.

He gets the light jacket in question landing on his head from the low roof of the bunker. It's harder to look at the stars with soft fluffy girly-smelling jacket blocking out his sight.

"Hey, you."

He likes soft fluffy girly-smelling jackets, though. And as such, he continues to stand there for a minute or so with the jacket over his face.

Then he pulls it of and smirks at her over his shoulder.

"Hey," is said, as he walks over to try and climb up with her.

Steph leans down to offer him a hand up, grinning. It's obvious her night is incredibly improved by this development.

(How unusual!)

"All finished cat'per-ing?"

Sokka appreciates the hand. Climbing is for losers, obviously.

(and people better at it than he is.)

Sighing deeply at the mention of the book, Sokka rolls his eyes and plops down beside her. "Someone explain to me how they can burn up half the toys I've given them, but that stupid fucking story is still alive."

Steph laughs, flopping back on the roof beside him, keeping his hand because it's just the right size to keep hers warm. "I think half the reason they like it is the faces you make when they ask for it," she informs him. "They'll get sick of it when they're fifty."

"In that case, it's Mel's fault, too. She bitches about it way more than I do."

His fingers curl with hers because her hand is too tiny to keep itself warm. Silly Steph! Also, if she's going to flop down like that, Sokka's just going to have to force himself to cuddle her. Terrible.

Stars to watch, and summer nights, and Sokka to curl up with and insult lazily. Sure, there's bad stuff, shadows of pain and grief - there's bad stuff everywhere - but it can just stay away from right now, Steph thinks. Right now is doing fine all on its own, thanks.

"Me, too," she admits, grinning. "If I never see that book again it won't be too soon. I'm just glad they like you reading it more than they like me doing it."

"Yeah, it's a good thing you suck or I'd be in real trouble."

Smirk smirk.

Also, kisses because she's curling up. They're necessary.

Kiss kiss - bite. "Hey." Steph glares at him, nose-to-nose.

It's a FEROCIOUS glare (that's mostly just happy because he's smirking and teasing and it feels just a little bit more real than he's been all week, and any tiny improvement is worthy of happiness. She misses him.)

"I'm adding that one to the list of things to punch you for at some later time."

"Hey, no, don't do that!"

The list, not the bites. Sokka's okay with bites, as he demonstrates by catching her bottom lip between his teeth.

"I'm about to give you a really big reason to punch me, you can't have any extras."

"I need all the reasons I can get," Steph protests, grinning, and kisses the corner of his mouth. "What did you do? Are we gonna get in trouble?"

She doesn't mind the getting in trouble. (Please let it be something tiny and lame that he's overreacting about? she demands of the universe silently.)

Sokka laughs and leans in to kiss her, too - small and quick, but there all the same. Partly by rote, by script, and partly because he still loves her, still wants her.

Not everything has changed.

"No, you're not getting in trouble," he answers, rolling his eyes and still grinning. "Not for this, anyway. I'm just going away for a little while. Mel's going to watch the girls and I'll be back in a few weeks."

"Oh."

:(!

Steph thinks about it, hugging him tighter while she does. A few weeks? A few weeks without Sokka? But she needs him!

But ... sometimes it's okay to be the weak one, but sometimes you have to be strong. And she knows him enough to know that leaving his family for a few weeks is something he'd never do unless he really needed the time and space.

Oh God she'll miss him so much :(

"Okay. But you'll come back safe, promise? Where will you go?"

"I can't promise to come back safe," Sokka informs her sadly, shaking his head - and pouting. "I have to come back with at least three broken bones for it to be done right. It's important, Steph."

Then he's knocking her shoulder and smiling again, teasing gently. "Of course I'll come back. I'm going to go north. Lucy says there's a country there that's... kind of like the one I was born in."

Steph knocks his shoulder back, making herself smile for him. "That sounds kinda cool. The bit about broken bones, I mean."

NO IT DOESN'T. In case he wondered.

"All snow and ice and stuff? You better make sure you take warm socks." She kisses his shoulder, because it's there. "When are you gonna go?"

He smiles a little for her because her smile isn't fooling anybody, really. "I'll break them special, just for you."

As for when, Sokka shrugs, glancing down at the entrance to the bunker. "Whenever Mel gets me a radio, I guess."

He doesn't want one. He doesn't want to call in every day either. It kind of defeats the purpose of leaving.

"You could take one of my earrings," Steph suggests, reaching up to fiddle with one before remembering she doesn't wear them any more. She turns the gesture into tugging on his ear instead.

"I think you'd look hot with a little silver bird in your ear. Can I pierce it for you? With a blunt needle?"

Sokka sticks his tongue out at her in the same motion that he leans away suspiciously. "No, you can't. I don't want any blood-injuries before I go to a place where sneezes freeze.

"Besides, the radio will go to you and Mel, not Babs."

"Oh, good." Steph likes this plan a whole lot better. She grins at him, flopping back on the roof. "And promise you'll actually use it, right? If you get hurt and you need to call, you have to actually call. And --"

She stops, and laughs.

"And I sound like a mom, not a girlfriend. I'll stop now."

"I think girlfriends nag, too," Sokka points out, laughing with her. He still has ahold of her hand and laces their fingers together when she flops, still grinning. "If I need to call, I'll call, promise."

"'Kay." She pulls his hand up so she can kiss it. "And don't call if you don't need to."

That last sentence was ridiculously hard to say. Being understanding, Steph thinks, sucks.

"'Cause I'd never let you end the call, and that wouldn't help you with the being-alone part of it. So don't."

And that... is exactly what he needed to hear. Especially with Mel's earlier insistence that he call every single day.

Sokka kisses her hand right back, and then tugs her over for a kiss to her lips, too.

Grateful.

"I'll call when I need to."

"I know you will," she tells him, once kisses are finished, "'cause you know I'll break both your legs if you don't."

"I'll miss you. But ... but take as long as you needa."

"And I can only break bones while I'm on the trip," Sokka reminds her teasingly, and leans his forehead against hers.

"It won't be for long. I'll be back soon."

"Don't break bones," Steph insists firmly. "Not without me there to laugh at you. That's in the job description, you know. Cuddles and chicken soup and mocking when you're injured."

Talking a lot helps fill all sorts of silences, and silences would say far too much right now. They'd probably say Don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go don't go!

Which ... wouldn't help.

"How will you get there? Are you driving? Can I come, just as far as the edge of the States or something? There's monsters!"

"I was thinking about asking someone to give me a ride in the plane."

Once he gets there, there will be plenty to think about, worry about, do. Sokka doesn't want to spend weeks traveling when the last time he did that was...

This trip is for several reasons. Masochism isn't one of them.

"Ooh, good idea."

And that way Zinda, at least, will know where he is, and Steph really likes that idea, too.

"Can you get maps? Ooh, and a really thick sleeping bag, you'll be cold. And firelighters or something, and gas, and you could get one of those little wood stove heaters, or ..."

Sokka kisses her to shut her up. It only works partly, though, because he's also laughing at her protectiveness at the same time.

"I'll be okay," he assures her when he's leaned back, still smiling at her. "I grew up in a place like that. I know what I need to bring with me."

"Shh, let me worry," Steph insists, poking him in the ribs - and grinning, too, because he is. "I can if I wanna."

Continued grinning and a nod, fingers still laced with hers. "You can do whatever you want."

There's something reassuring in the way he says that. That he knows, if there was something Steph wanted she'd find a way to get it.

She grins, comfortably flopped against his side. "Damn right I can."

Except, apparently, get people to stay.

No, that's not fair, she reminds herself. He'd stay if he could. And he's coming back.

He better be coming back.

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