Me before you

chapter 26

So the movie finished, and the pale winter afternoon slowly darkened outside the windows, turning orange and pink as the stars began to appear. It was later, after dinner – Sana had insisted Y/n stay for some of her homemade soup – that Y/n remembered one of the reasons she was there in the first place.

The three of them had migrated back into the living room: Louis was sitting on the floor doing his homework, occasionally stopping to ask Sana a question. Y/n and Sana were piled back onto the couch, the topic of conversation lazily flowing anywhere and everywhere as the evening drew on. A sense of peace filled the Minatozaki house, soft and quiet.

Y/n cleared her throat. Both Sana and her son looked up, Louis climbing around from his position on the carpet to stare at her with wide brown eyes. "So, I have some pretty exciting news," Y/n announced. Her stomach twisted in anticipation.

"You got bit by a radioactive spider and now you're a superhero," Louis guessed, dead serious. He was fiddling with his pencil, spinning it over and over in his fingers.

"Not yet, kid." Y/n shook her head, barely containing her smile when his face fell. Heart thumping, she drew a deep breath and turned back to Sana. Lifting her eyes up to the brunette's, she finally said it. "I'm going back to work."

Sana's mouth fell open, eyes bright. Slowly, softly, an incredulous smile ghosted over her lips, brow creasing in shock. Sana stared at her. "Really?"

"I'm starting part time next month and we'll see how it goes," Y/n confirmed.

"Y/n!" Sana exclaimed, dazzling gummy grin breaking over her face at the other woman's sheepish smile. She couldn't help it – she leaned forward across the sofa cushions and wound her arms around Y/n's neck, squeezing her into a tight hug. It only lasted a moment – Sana could feel Y/n's heart beating fast through her shirt, chin tucked over her shoulder. She untangled herself after a few seconds, sitting back and taking one of Y/n's hands between her own.

"I am so of proud you." Sana told her, rich voice laced with sincerity, warm-light eyes shining at her. Y/n swallowed hard, staring back at Sana's face, skin glowing in the soft yellow light from the lamp. Her bright eyes were so full of pride, never leaving hers. She means it.

"What are you gonna do?" Louis piped suddenly. Both women turned to look at him, staring at Y/n with wide eyes. He was still sitting on the plush carpet, but he'd twisted around to face them, cross-legged and curious. His skinny shoulders shrugged. "For a job, I mean."

"You didn't know?" Y/n shot a grin over the cushions at Sana before turning and raising her eyebrows dramatically towards the kid. "I was the town's deputy sheriff for three years –"

"You're a cop?" Louis's mouth hung open. He turned to his mother, practically bouncing on the floor. "Mom! You didn't tell me Y/n's a cop!" He stared back to Y/n, small pale face suddenly turning serious and intense as he questioned her. "Do you fight bad guys?"

"Yeah," Y/n nodded, clearly fighting a laugh. Her eyes darted up to meet Sana's, sparkling – the brunette was looking at her with shining eyes and a barely bitten-back smile. She could feel it, but from the shape of the blankets she was sure their feet were touching under the coverlet. She glanced back down at Louis, eyebrows raised. "Except we live in Lincoln, so the bad guys are mostly just kids with spray cans."

Louis considered that for a minute, before fixing Y/n with a look so adult and serious and so quintessentially Sana that Y/n had to bite back a laugh. "You're definitely a superhero." He decided, and then turned to shoot his mom a reassuring, toothy grin. "Don't worry, Mom. You are too."

"Right," Sana agreed, tilting her head against her manicured hand and looking at him with so much love and happiness sparkling in her eyes, written clearly across her face that Y/n's chest flooded with a fresh wave of warmth. She still wasn't used to it, this warm quiet feeling of home and family. This comforting ache insider her, where once there was nothing.