~Attention Readers~
Badgermole Days will be going on a short two week hiatus as of this chapter's post. Don't worry it's just so I can work out this coming story arc in one go. And the next post will be promptly on Friday June 20th. Please look forward to the coming arc because the family is going on vacation.
Sleeping trouble squirt?
The first night had been...messy, long, and nearly smothered the two of them as their mouths buried themselves into either a pillow, covers, or flesh; which meant they would have to wear long sleeved shirts and high collars for a week.
It was like the honeymoon they never had. Finally alone; in their own bedroom. With no feet or fingers prodding them while they tried to sleep. Well, they didn't sleep at all, the need to rest only came the second night in their new home at one of the women's insistence. The younger of the two had pleaded that she needed to get some sleep so that she wouldn't fall asleep through her next meeting with the president of republic cities staff. Being shaken awake; with papers sticking to her face had been humiliating as the avatar.
Now nothing out of the ordinary happened that first night. And Lin had been extremely disappointed with herself for how long it took her to notice that something was wrong. But the two women were just so happy and sated the next morning that there head's were kept in the clouds.
Sitting down to some breakfast. Lin and Korra kept their shoulders attached and made friction between them the entire meal. Glancing at the others flushing faces, as last night flashed before them, while exchanging food off each other's plate. They sat on one side of that old wooden table which doubled as a pai sho board. While there daughter sat on the other side.
"You ok, Squirt." Lin asked. Pushing her daughters sinking head up before it could fall further into her bowl of porridge.
"I'm fine, momma." Yee-Li told them as her head started to fall down again. Her eye's with it; but neither one of the parents noticed this little detail.
Lin was deeply confused. Because even when she tousled the girls red hair in the way she knew her daughter hated and undoing the hard work her wife had put into making it presentable for school. Yee-Li hadn't tried to swat her away like she usually did. Just picked herself up, slowly, and trudged out to the front foyer. Where she waited calmly and quietly. With no jumping around nor shouting for her momma to hurry up so she could see her friends at school.
The two women just exchanged worrying looks. Korra's more visible than Lin's.
"She's probably adjusting to the new place." Lin offered to try to soothe her wife's nervousness. There had been a light breeze inside the kitchen where no windows were open.
. . .
Now that second night Korra hadn't got as much sleep as she had wanted. Saying no was easier in her head than when a hand was touching some very nice places. But she had managed to keep it together through the entire meeting. And soon after found herself on the couch at home. How she had gotten there she couldn't remember. What she did remember was who woke her up. Which made her believe she was still dreaming.
Finding Yee-Li had climbed up and snuggled into her stomach as Korra laid sideways on the overlarge couch.
Lin had been speechless upon seeing this. Standing by the kitchen table. As she held her child's things.
Usually just as animated with her tongue as Korra. Yee-Li hadn't said anything about her day, nor what she did with her friends during school. As soon as the pair met up. Yee-Li had slipped her weak hand into Lin's. And during the walk home Lin had felt like she had been pulling a dog on a leash than walking her daughter home.
Yee-Li rolled towards Lin as she sat on the edge of the couch. Already in a light sleep the child curled into herself. Even more worrisome was the fact that their daughter never liked naps. A never ending ball of perpetual energy. That couldn't stop to catch its breath. Especially when she got home from school. Usually going straight for her toys to play until dinner.
"Do you think we should take her to Kai?" Lin asked her wife.
Korra shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know." Laying her dark brown hand on the back of the child's neck. "She doesn't feel warm." Rubbing the flesh in soothing gentle circles.
"Do you think her arm still hurts?" Lin poked Yee-Li's arm with vigor to try to get some sort of reaction from their zombie-like daughter. Having had the cast removed since the week before the move.
"Kai said it was fine to take the cast off. I had her double check to make sure everything was fine."
"Then what the hell's wrong with her?" Lin's fist clenched.
Korra's head was downcast. Feeling the same myriad of emotions as her wife. Worry. Fear. Hate. The last one aimed at her because she too couldn't figure out what was wrong.
"I-I should get dinner started." The instant Korra had moved Yee-Li woke. She looked better some. But her eye's still drooped.
"Hey, Squirt. Don't get up." Lin laid a hand and tried to push Yee-Li back to sleep. Finding some comfort when she made an effort to try to push it away.
Posture slumped over herself. Yee-Li followed her mother's into the kitchen where she sat at the table. A piece of paper and crayons remained untouched. While the two women tried to keep their minds busy with making their meal. They both took glances at their daughter. Then to each other. Lin was more visibly frowning than she had ever done in front of Korra.
. . .
The last night before they finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The two made love, again. Not because they really wanted to. It was just neither of them could sleep. And better than lying awake running every awful scenario possible in their head than to do something that could be very distracting. So they shamelessly tried to keep themselves from worrying. Rougher than most other times. Harder bites and caresses. Bruises that would be apologized for in the morning.
Korra lay naked and spooned Lin's backside. Arms tucked into herself like a frightened child.
Lin was awake. Thinking about what manner of illness could of befallen her daughter. What horrible dark spirit could of possessed her and made her so ill. Her arms were hanging out of the warmth of the blanket. One hand flat against the floor. Letting her sense peek around the house. The windows were closed. Doors locked. The mess in the living room was still the same as it had been yesterday. Not a thing out of place or moved by her daughters inactivity.
When she began to retract her view back into her own room she felt something move. The arm attached to the ground tensed and twisted laying flat; to get a better look. The light foot falls echoed as they came towards them. Then they stopped and paced back and forth in front of their closed door for a couple of minutes. Anxious hands that Lin could picture tangling themselves in pajama's decorated in little badgermole babies.
Lin tuned out of her sense as the door swing open. Keeping her eyes wide knowing the person couldn't tell she was awake anyway. As they came to stand by the bed.
Lin could feel the nervous flutter of a little heart. The black outline of a small human shifted between looking at the both of them. Not making a move. Simply content to just watch while kneeling down.
A whimper escaped those small precious lips. Lin never liked to see them like this. Frowning. Twisted from some sort of emotion that was eating away at her daughter.
Then it just clicked. A simple connection in the back of her head. Lin exhibited years of trained restraint to not thump her head against the floor at her own stupidity.
The covers opened up. "Sleeping trouble squirt?" Lin said with a smile. The answer to that gnawing question had finally been answered. As she wrapped her hands round Yee-Li's tiny frame. It sagged as the little girl let out a happy sigh at the comforting warmth.
Lin let out her own matching sigh as well.
"I thought mommy was having trouble sleeping without me."
Lin was glad the dark room hid her blush. Annoyed that all their efforts at trying to keep quiet were for naught.
Korra let rip a mighty snore. One that made the two of them jump. They shared a giggle.
Lin curled herself into a ball around her daughter. "Maybe not her." Lin said. "But I sure did." As she squeezed Yee-Li with all the love that she could.
Mother and child cuddled all night long. Yee-Li finally able to get to sleep. And Lin's fears now gone allowed her to catch some too.
And as dawn had broken a few hours before. Lin was finally pushed awake by a teasing finger poking her cheek. She rolled to look over her shoulder. A visage of angelic beauty greeted her. However, those eye's gleamed like the devil. Peeking around at the lump that was their daughter underneath the covers cradled against Lin.
"Your such a softy." Korra giggled. Cupping her mouth to hold in the noise. But a few snorts escaped that bubble nose.
Which Lin would of loved to of pinched had her hands not been full. The tuft of red hair poking out of the blankets fluttered as she exhaled; Lin carefully pulled them back to reveal more. The second angel in the bed had an open mouth that gobbled the air. Nose pressed against a rounded forearm. Making a whistling noise as Yee-Li exhaled. The other hand was fisted between Lin's...Oh, my. Not that they hadn't ever had bath's together. But then again, they both had been fully submerged in a tub full of bubbles; given as a gift to Korra from one of the four nations during one of her Avatar things. It might of been someone in the fire nation from the cinnamon smell it left on their skin.
"She feeling alright." Korra draped herself onto Lin's side. Dangling her hand over her body like a fishing rod as Korra hooked a thread of hair between her fingers.
Lin shivered as the bare skin tickled her. Tucking the feeling away for later. Hopefully not too long. As she had a feeling their bed was about to have a roommate move back in for a little while longer. "Yeah-she'll be alright now." Her fingers rubbed Korra's hand. Joining her in further adding to the little girls bed head.
Korra laid her head down against Lin's shoulder. She sighed and repeated the words again; just to rattle her wife's opinion of herself again. "Your such a softy, badgermole."
Korra felt without warning something hard poke into her bosom.
"I'm not the only soft thing in bed right now." Her finger pushed a little harder. Hoping that it wasn't the only thing sinking into something.
Panic. Embarrassment. Not good enough to describe what the other was going through. When the covers where ripped from the two of them to create a cocoon around a cocoa arm that searched the floor.
Lin hissed as the cold hit her unprepared skin. Huddling her naked self around the only source of warmth she could find. That of her daughter.
Who eyes so happened to of begun to crack open. A tiny hand rubbed the much appreciated sleep from it. "waz?...Momma?" The child spoke oblivious to the women's state of undress not meant for company.
Lin hummed. As the two watched the ball wiggle and jiggle as inside it Korra tried to dress herself; her night shirt all that she could find. Her panties nowhere to be found. Until later when she looked behind the dresser.
"Did mommy have a nightmare?"
"I don't know if I would call it that squirt." Lin poked her nose. Thanking the spirits when it received a healthy swat away.
"Momma." Yee-Li had shouted at the women. Attempting to stop the onslaught of wet kisses that followed. Which aimed to pepper ever inch they could find.