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“I do not believe this was covered under the terms of my house arrest,” Astra says with no small amusement as she follows Alex down the narrow corridor. She doesn’t know where they are, her lack of powers keeping her from peering through the walls, but the shouts of joy from somewhere ahead make her think this isn’t likely to be a DEO sanctioned outing.
“Of course it was, you’re with a trained agent who has taken all sensible precautions. Besides, we need more milk because you drank the last of it, which means I’d have to escort you to the market anyway. Might as well have a fun pit stop before that.” Alex sounds so reasonable, but Astra can see the well hidden smirk. She’d been planning something all morning and at this point Astra is too intrigued to mind the detour from what she assumed was proper procedure.
Truth is, she likes these little outings with Alex to see human culture from their viewpoint. She’d studied from afar, of course, but the chance to truly mingle had never arisen. She’d seen no point of it once she realized what the humans were doing to their planet, writing everyone off as complicit in their own destruction.
Now, now she knows better. Astra knows the mother in the apartment next door, has often helped soothe the cries of her youngest when there were too many demands and not enough adult arms to go around. She’s discussed politics and global relations with the bagger at the market, the one taking political science at the nearby university. Talked crop yields with the stall owners in the farmer’s market, and traded recipes with everyone involved.
“And what precautions would those be, Agent?” Astra asks, feigning seriousness while inwardly grateful Kara had this woman in her life. Kara, and now herself.
“Sunblock, of course,” Alex answers with a wink just as they leave the corridor and enter the pool area.
“Ah yes, of course,” Astra says distractedly, eyeing the pool as her earlier humor dissipates. Damn Alex and her surprises, she hasn’t had time to either find an excuse or prepare herself for this.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
And of course Alex notices instantly, dropping her smirk in favor of standing comfortingly close. The one unfortunate side effect of their growing familiarity is how easily she sees what Astra would rather hide. And at moments like this, Astra would almost be willing to trade their friendship for her old walls and defenses.
But if Kara can be brave enough to face her fears and stand up for what she knows is right, then Astra can’t back down from this.
“We did not...swim, on Krypton,” she says after a moment for a deep breath. “My entire experience with bodies of water was how to revive a soldier who fell in.”
“We don’t have to do this,” Alex says instantly, putting her bag down and taking Astra’s hand. “I thought it’d be fun, but that requires us both to enjoy ourselves. I know you feel vulnerable enough with the bracelets, we don’t have to add to it.”
Astra considers the offer seriously for a moment before shaking her head. “No, if this activity is considered fun and enjoyable on Earth then I wish to learn for myself.”
“If you’re sure,” Alex says, searching her eyes carefully. “I brought a suit for you, we just have to change in the stalls over there then we can dive in.”
Astra accepts her bag with a nod, settling her breathing into an old meditative technique she still finds useful when facing something that pushes her comfort zone. Intensely useful for getting her heart to calm down enough to listen to her head.
The suit is little more than thin material that clings tightly, leaving Astra feeling exposed until she can get used to it. None of the other patrons were wearing more, she won’t stand out despite the almost comical lack of fabric compared to her usual dress. Not even the power masking bracelet on her wrist looks out of place, the sleek design chosen to be inconspicuous rather than draw attention.
“Got it figured out in there?” Alex calls from outside as Astra takes one more twist to adapt to the feel of the strange suit. “Water’s getting warm.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Astra asks as she joins the other woman, resolutely ignoring the flush of heat through her body as she takes in the similar lack of fabric to her outfit.
She’s seen the agent in casual clothing often since the beginning of their arrangement, but this…
“Nah, it’d probably be better for you the first time anyway. Just something my dad always used to say when he thought I was taking too long. Never made much sense to me, but he said it every time.”
Astra nods as she follows Alex to the pool, shielding her face from the splash as she jumps in. Alex is obviously enjoying herself, but Astra wasn’t a General for nothing and decided on a bit more caution. “I believe I’ll stick to the stairs and a more...measured approach.”
Things go well until Astra tries to move deeper, unwilling to let a little water get the better of her. But the ease with which the others skim through the water is nowhere to be found and after a few moments of struggling she retreats closer to the shallows. Eyeing the deeper waters with mild trepidation masked by a glare she considers her options.
“You know, Kara had the same troubles when she got here,” Alex says quietly from where she’s swum up next to her. “She couldn’t use her powers without giving herself away but swimming was hard. Something about Kryptonian physiology makes it harder for you to float. She always did well on the diving competitions though.”
“You taught her?” Astra asks, a little surprised. And also touched at yet another glimpse into the happy life Kara had led on this planet despite the pain of the past.
“Yeah, just had to get her used to compensating for the buoyancy differences. Didn’t take long, she’s pretty smart.”
Astra nods her agreement, thinking quickly as her drive to succeed wrestles with her pride. “Would you assist me as well?” She asks eventually, unwilling to let something so simple beat her.
“Sure thing, General.” Alex doesn’t hesitate, and Astra knows she recognizes the same struggles in herself. They’re both strong willed and determined, and accepting help is never easy. Nor is asking for it.
But as Alex steps even closer than before and helps guide Astra to a swimming position with a careful hand supporting her, Astra knows asking this woman for help will never be difficult. No, the difficulty she’s likely to face is coming up with an acceptable expression of gratitude.
Perhaps she would agree to a nice dinner?