Some of you know about Baavira Week. Here's my first contribution!
Day 1: Touch
The domes closed with the creak of tired hinges and the grating of metal. Kuvira stood on the platform, a veritable beacon in the new darkness that cloaked the city. The radio at her waist crackled with static as it received an incoming message, and she frowned, anticipating Su's words for the umpteenth time. The avatar must be protected at all costs.
"Come in? This is the captain speaking."
"Kuvira? It's Baatar."
An exasperated smile broke over her face and she waved away one of her subordinates. "It's nothing…. What are you doing? You know I'm working."
"I just thought I'd check in." His voice was sweet even over the crackling static of the radio, and she felt the ever-familiar giddiness that threatened to pull her into the territory of cliché girlish emotion that accompanied a word from the oldest of the Beifong siblings.
"When I'm working? On one of the most important patrols I'll ever encounter in my career?" she asked. "Your mother said that if anyone gets in, there'll be hell to pay. The avatar is one of your guests, Baatar. Didn't she eat dinner with all of you on the first night?"
"Dinner with most of the family, not all," he corrected her. "Dad and I were... we took our meal in the lab, he was on a roll and thought he'd lose the idea if he took a break."
"Oh." Kuvira winced. "Well... what is she like?"
"I told you, I didn't really get to know her," he said. "She seems nice, though. Apparently she's being pursued by members of a terrorist organization?"
She smiled, knowing his reason for calling the moment the words came in her ear, prickling with more concern than static. His worry for her was touching, and she allowed the butterflies to take over for a moment. "Yes, they're called the Red Lotus. Calm down though, I'm the captain for a reason. Everything's locked up, and I'm about to check the grounds again."
There was a beat of silence before he spoke. "What's your route?"
She rolled her eyes, knowing what she could expect. "The usual."
Of late, Baatar had made a habit of tagging along on her solo patrol routes when one of his father's projects didn't demand his attention late into the night. With Avatar Korra and her entourage as houseguests, slipping out to see her had proved difficult, and Kuvira found herself missing their little late night encounters more than than she had expected. More than once, the coldly logical side of her mind reflected on how it was fortunate that there had been no real emergencies for her to attend to; though she enjoyed his presence, Baatar was more dependable in a lab or with a straightedge than he would be in a combat setting geared towards metalbenders. Still, she enjoyed the company.
She had circled around the courtyard and was finishing the first loop of the grounds when she felt the light touch on her shoulder. Her hand swung out reflexively, her metal cuff extending past her fingers and hitting her new companion across the cheek. She realized in an instant who it was, albeit a second too late, but Baatar laughed it off. His glasses had been knocked askew but he had ducked the blow, and he reddened as she apologized for striking him. "Did I surprise you?" he asked. "Sorry, I should've known better... you seemed tense over the radio."
"Only a little," she agreed, walking with him. He offered his arm as he was wont to do, and she took it, happy for an excuse to touch him. Kuvira tended to be mildly claustrophobic, but Baatar was apparently the exception to her rule. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"So brew some tea and lie down," she said, rounding the corner.
"I hardly got to see you all week too," he confessed. "You said the usual route, so I determined the amount of time it would take you to reach the courtyard-"
"You know my average patrol velocity?" she teased. "That's creepy, Baatar. Should I tell Su?"
"It's speed, not velocity," he corrected her. "Distance covered as a measure of time is different from change in position as a function of time. Your velocity on a patrol is zero, since you end up at the base again when you're through. That tells me nothing-"
Kuvira suppressed a giggle. "I get it, I get it. I don't recall asking for a physics lesson."
He reddened. "Sorry.. it slips out."
"No, don't apologize; I like it." By the time they passed the back entrance to the Beifong family compound, Kuvira had given up on walking arm in arm. They had crossed paths with too many guards and there were too many sites among the hermitage and sculpted landscaping to check, and holding hands was impractical. Baatar seemed content to follow along anyway, and Kuvira felt yet another giddy rush when he collided with her, his hand brushing her waist when she came to a sudden stop to answer the radio.
The little thrill dissipated instantaneously. "They've what? I'm on my way." She turned, sprinting off towards the main courtyard again.
"Kuvira, what's wrong?" he called, running after her as she barked into the radio, requesting backup.
"There's been a security breach," she snapped. "Get back to the house and wake up Su, the avatar's friend says they've got Korra-"
His touch, usually light and uncertain, came down on her shoulder guard heavy and insistent as he turned her around. "Kuvira-"
"What?" she demanded. "I have a job to do-"
"Please, be careful."
The warmth from his hand seemed to seep through the cool metal of her armor, and she silently thanked the dim lighting for concealing her flush. "I'll be fine," she said gently, covering his hand with her own for a brief moment. Even as she tore off towards the courtyard, excitement and apprehension clamoring for dominance in her mind as she hurried to save the avatar, she remembered the feel of his touch on her shoulder. And as always, it proved enough to ease her sense of disquiet, at least for a little while.
A/N: Check out the Baavira Week tumblr if you want to get involved or just want to see some great fanart!