Lin groaned and sat on the couch after bending her armor off, she didn't have the strength to go to the bathroom and clean the blood coming from the huge wound on her stomach. She took a deep breath, desperately trying to stay conscious, but she'd lost too much blood. She barely had enough strength left to keep pressuring the wound, and almost regretted not going to the hospital. At least there, Kya would've been able to help her.
"Lin? I'm home, honey," the Waterbender said as she unlocked her door. Her girlfriend groaned and tried to straighten up, but gave up when the pain tore her stomach. "Here," she whispered weakly. Kya ran to her, and kneeled next to the couch, taking water from the bottle laying on the table. She immediately bent it, making it glow as she applied it on the wound.
Lin fought to stay awake, but the pain was too much. She groaned and her eyes closed, the last thing she saw was Kya's concerned face, and she lost consciousness.
*****
Kya didn't let go of her girlfriend's hand after she'd finished healing her, waiting for Lin to wake up. She had never been more scared in her entire life than when she had seen the woman she loved, covered in blood and pale as a ghost. She hated Lin's job, she hated coming home from the hospital to find her collapsed on her couch, bleeding. Or all of those nights she spent staring at the ceiling, hugging one of Lin's sweatshirts to smell her girlfriend next to her. Those sleepless nights, spent worrying about the Earthbender, wondering in what state she was going to find her girlfriend, or when she was going to see her again. She was wondering if she was going to see her again.
But she knew how much the police meant to her girlfriend, though, and so never said anything. All she wanted was for Lin to be happy.
Kya wiped her tears away, squeezing her girlfriend's hand in hers. She was so tired of constantly worrying. She had just spent three hours to heal the multiple wounds on Lin's body, and needed rest, but she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. She knew her nightmares would come back if she slept, especially after being so scared for her girlfriend's life.
"Kya?" Lin's weak voice called as her eyes fluttered open. Kya straightened up and and stroked her girlfriend's hair softly, as a small smile appeared on her lips. "Hey, be careful, love, don't move," she whispered softly, stroking her hair. Lin groaned and tried to sit up, even though her girlfriend just told her not to. "Lin!" Kya protested. She pressed her hand on her girlfriend's shoulder and pushed her back in the couch, but Lin groaned and fought back. "I'm fine!"
Kya stood up abruptly and kicked the chair she was sitting on. "No, Lin! You're not fine! And I'm tired of worrying about you all the time!" The Earthbender stood up and her girlfriend didn't even stop her, too busy trying to contain her tears. "Kya..." Lin started. The healer took a step back. "No! I love you, Lin! Why can't you understand that? I can't lose you, and yet you seem to be always doing your best to get yourself hurt! I love you more than I love life itself!" Lin froze, and took a step closer, reaching for her girlfriend's hand. Kya wanted to pull away, but she didn't. She couldn't.
"I do understand. Kya. This love you're talking about... I feel it too. And you know how bad I am with feelings, and that's probably why—" She took a break, trying to find a way to formulate what she meant. She failed to do that. The healer scoffed and took her coat, before walking towards the door. "Think about that before you throw yourself in the most dangerous situations again. I can't take it anymore. I'm done with your bullshit."
Tears filled Lin's eyes as she watched the love of her life leaving her apartment, in what seemed to be a definitive way. Did Kya just break up? They had been together for two years now, and she'd just broken up? Like that, without even a look? Even if she tried to contain herself, she broke into violent sobs, she had never been so hurt in her entire life. She couldn't lose Kya, or she knew she'd lose herself. She'd be back to being this bitter lonely woman she had fought so hard against, she'd be broken.
*****
Two weeks later
Lin got up from another sleepless night, hiding her head in her hands. She didn't see Kya since that night, though everyday she wanted to take a ferry to Air Temple Island, she never dared. What if Kya rejected her? What if she hurt the Metalbender even more than she already had?
Someone knocked on the door and she groaned, bending her armor to her, suspicious. Who would be at her door so soon in the morning? It made no sense. She opened the door, and froze when she saw Suyin standing there. "Hey," her little sister said softly. Lin groaned and stepped aside, letting her come in. "What do you want?" she asked harshly.
Su sighed and didn't walk into the apartment, taking her sister's hand instead and dragging her outside instead. "Kya came to me crying one week ago, she was worried about you, and she said she'd made a mistake and you'd never speak to her again. I'm taking you to Air Temple Island and you two are going to talk to each other and get back together," the younger Beifong said. Lin's eyes widened, did it mean that Kya wasn't mad at her?
She didn't even fight her sister, too both worried and relieved to do so. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought that, maybe, everything wasn't completely lost. She still had a chance.
*****
"Jinora, the door!" Kya shouted when she heard it creaking. She had allowed her niece and her boyfriend to be alone in her room, if they left the door open. They should've been happy about it already, instead of trying to cheat on those conditions. At least, watching her nieces and nephews took her mind off of Lin, even if it was only for an hour or two.
She looked at Meelo and Ikki, fighting over which one had just won their race. They had been outside with Opal and Bolin for a moment now, and Kya had to admit that she didn't mind it. She loved her nieces and nephews, but they could be exhausting.
"Hey," Opal said as she sat next to the healer. Kya gave her a small smile, and looked at her sadly. "Is everything all right?" she asked gently. The Airbender shrugged and returned the smile. "I don't know, you tell me. You seem... sad." Kya chuckled, and looked at the door. She had been hoping for Lin to come through everyday since they fought, but she was almost sure the Earthbender hated her now. A tear rolled down her cheek when she realized she would probably never get the chance to kiss Lin, hug her, hold her hand, wake up next to her in a sunny morning, cuddling as laziness stopped them from going up. She had ruined everything, just like she always did. She ruined everyone she loved because she was scared.
"Have you seen Lin lately? I haven't seen her in two weeks and I noticed you two were close, so maybe you know something," Opal asked with an inquisitive look. Kya wiped her tears away quickly and shook her head, knowing that her voice would betray her if she tried to talk.
There was a moment of silent, and the healer even wondered if Lin's niece was still next to her. She turned her head to see Opal, smiling. "Oh spirits! You and Lin! You guys are together!" Kya choked, and looked away. "What?! What are you talking about?!" she protested weakly. She knew Lin refused to let anyone know about her private life, not even her niece.
They heard people shouting outside, and Kya straightened up and froze when she recognized Lin, and Su, fighting. "I'm not going in here!" Lin protested. Su laughed. "Yes you are! Look, you love her, she loves you, you're being stupid! Just go talk to her already!" Opal smirked at Kya, who blushed and looked away. "So I was right. Go talk to her!" Opal said. The healer shook her head, but the Airbender pushed her out of the couch. "Come on!"
Kya took a deep breath, and stood up, pushing the door open. Her heart missed a beat when she saw Lin, and it broke when the emerald eyes looked back at her, filled with tears. "I'll let you guys talk," Su said with a smile. She stepped inside, and the two older women looked at each other awkwardly.
"Hey," Kya whispered. Lin took a step closer, shyly, and reached for the Waterbender's hand. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I know how hard it is for you to see me running into the most dangerous situations, and I shouldn't have." Kya laid her hands on her girlfriend's waist, pulling her closer. "Lin," she whispered. The Earthbender held both of their hands in front of her, interrupting her. "No, please, listen to what I have to say. I... you know how bad I'm with feelings, how much they scare me. And sometimes I just think that maybe, if I get hurt in some way, maybe it will prevent me from getting hurt... because of my feelings. But it's stupid. I shouldn't be scared, and I'm sorry. I promise you I won't put myself in danger like I used to anymore. I love you," she said softly.
The Waterbender stared at her with widened eyes, and slowly, a smile appeared on her face. She pulled Lin closer, kissing her softly. The Earthbender immediately answered the kiss, and chuckled softly under her lips. She had missed this so much, just like everything else about her girlfriend. She pulled away, resting her forehead against Kya's. "I'm sorry," she repeated. Lin closed her eyes and rested her head against the older woman's chest, pulling her as close as possible. "I missed you so much," Kya whispered, burying her face in the Metalbender's soft hair.
They stayed in each other's arms for quite a long time, until they noticed how Opal and Suyin were watching them and both immediately pulled away, embarrassed. "Hum... I should check on that wound you got," Kya said, rubbing the back of her head. Lin nodded, and took a step away from the place where her sister and niece were standing. "Sure. We could... I mean you could come to my apartment. Like, you know, to be somewhere private," the Earthbender stammered, embarrassed by Su and Opal's presence. "Sure. Uh— I need to watch the kids, but I can come over once Tenzin and Pema are back," Kya answered with a small smile.
Su and her daughter smiled at each other, those two were cute, and perfect for each other. "You know what, just go, both of you. I'll watch them," she said, shaking her head in disbelief of how much her sister looked like a teenager again. Kya giggled and took Lin's hand in hers, dragging her away. "Thanks!" she said as they left happily.
Those two really made the most perfect couple.
That was so soooooofffftttt please why do I write soft things 😭
Ugh I'm tired of myself.