Lin moved her arms under her head as she started to wake. She felt a sharp pain when she took in a deep breath, like when she'd wake up on her desk in the morning. She opened her eyes and lifted her head, remembering why she was hurting; she slept on the couch.
With Kya...
She shot up, the blanket falling off of her shoulders as she did so. She wondered where Kya was, then she heard the shower running. She leaned into the cushion. Her ribs ached, her belt dug into her hips the whole night, her neck hurt, and the thought of laying down and sleeping in her work pants gave her chills down her spine.
But all Lin remembered feeling last night was completely relaxed laying on Kya.
She stood up and folded the blanket. She went to the kitchen and started getting the coffee grounds and filters when she realized coffee was already made. Lin felt her face heat up at the kind gesture as she got a mug. She poured the coffee then added a small amount of sugar.
As Lin turned around Kya came around the corner, "Morning." She smiled at Lin. Lin's hair was slightly messy from just waking up, and her tank top was only half tucked into her pants. She looked good in the mornings, Kya thought.
Lin stirred her coffee with a spoon, "Good morning." She said.
Kya got a mug and her tea and started making a cup, "No work today?" She asked.
Lin shook her head, "No, I'm supposed to have lunch with my mom today." She couldn't help but still feel self-conscious for falling asleep on top of Kya.
"That should be interesting." Kya said lightly.
"Yeah," Lin let out a small chuckle and sat her mug down in front of her. "I figured I'd leave some cash and let you go to the store. To be honest, I usually eat frozen meals after coming home from work, that's if I have the time and energy to eat at all. So, grocery shopping has never really been my forte." She said nervously.
Kya almost scolded Lin for not taking better care of herself. "Hey, uh," Lin faced her, but when Kya made eye contact, her eyes darted to the floor.
"I want to apologize for last night," Lin could feel her face heating up. As nice as it felt, she knew she should've gone to her bedroom when she felt herself getting tired. "I had a long day at work, and I was super tired. I didn't mean to fall asleep like that."
Kya stared at her in astonishment. She didn't mind at all that Lin had fallen asleep on top of her. In fact, she found it comforting. Lin's weight on top of her body, how soft her hair was in between her fingers, feeling Lin's breath against her skin, Kya enjoyed it far more than she'd admit.
"It's just- it's been a while since someone's..." Lin trailed off but Kya knew what she meant, "Lin," she put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. I would've told you if it had bothered me." She said.
Lin seemed to be embarrassed enough, so Kya wasn't going to tell her how she touched Kya's bare sides when she moved around. She wouldn't tease Lin about how she nuzzled her face into Kya's neck. She wouldn't admit that she almost couldn't get off of the couch this morning, because Lin's arms were so tightly wrapped around her waist. And Kya definitely wasn't going to tell that she thought she felt Lin give her a small kiss on her collar bone as she dozed off.
"It's alright, I promise." Kya absent mindedly rubbed her hand down Lin's arm. When she realized she was gently squeezing Lin's bicep, her face flushed and she turned away, "Uh, I'll see if Izumi wants to make an errand run with me." She said as she continued to make her tea.
"Right, yeah. Izumi loves running errands." Lin said sheepishly. Last night was the best sleep she had gotten in a long time. Even if her body ached now, and she knew she shouldn't have, Lin would do it again if she were given the chance.
"So, anything specific you want me to get at the store?" Kya said, turning around and sipping her tea.
Lin looked at her then thought for a moment, "Just coffee grounds, I think." She said.
Kya raised an eyebrow before setting her cup down. She walked over to the fridge, opened it, and inspected its contents. Lin furrowed her brows as she watched Kya look in the fridge, then check the cabinets.
"Lin Beifong," The stern tone in Kya's voice made her tense up, "There is not a single thing in your kitchen I could use to make a proper meal," she slowly stepped closer to Lin until she was towering over the shorter woman, "what the hell do you eat? Are you taking care of yourself?"
The sudden third-degree left Lin speechless. She tried taking a step back, but ran into the kitchen island, "I- uh- well usually I just eat-"
"What? Those frozen meals in your freezer? Oh," Kya let out a chuckle of disapproval while putting a hand on her hip, and the other on the counter behind Lin, "don't sell me that bullshit. We both know damn well that's not healthy." Kya looked Lin up and down. She clicked her tongue a few times and shook her head, "Tell me what you'd like to eat, and I'll make a list." She said before turning back around, "Where's a pen and paper?"
Lin's face was beat red. She could feel her heart pounding through her chest. And her hands were sweating from how suddenly flustered she became. She blinked rapidly, trying to find her words, but instead nonsense just came out, "It- I uh- there's some um- yeah." she stuttered as she pointed at a drawer.
Holy shit.
Lin faced away from Kya. She held her hand up to her face, holy shit.
Lin sat at the table outside, checking her watch every few minutes. Of course, her mother would be late after she was the one who wanted to do this. Lin sighed and rested her elbows on the table. She figured her mother would put a little more effort into getting here on time, but at the same time, she half-expected her to not show at all.
Yeah, she was in the city, but that didn't mean she was gonna stick to the plans she made before coming.
After what felt like a lifetime, Toph finally arrived, taking a seat across from Lin. "It's about time you got here." Lin said.
"Oh, give me a break. The drivers in this city are dumber than the rocks you kicked around as a kid." Toph said.
"Hi, how are you two today, I'm going to give you a couple of menus and-"
"Do I look like I could use a menu?" Lin reached across the table and lightly hit her mother's shoulder for the comment, "Don't be so damn rude," she turned towards the waitress, "I'm sorry for my mother, I'll take a menu."
They got drinks and ordered their food, "So," Lin looked up at her mother as she handed her menu back, "Were you going to tell me you're in town for the former councilman's funeral?" She asked.
Toph let out a huff, "I didn't realize you cared. It's your ex's family after all." She said.
"Just because he's my ex's father doesn't mean I don't care. He was a councilman." Lin stirred the ice around in her drink with her straw, "Besides, would've given me some time to prepare for Kya coming back." She said under her breath.
"Kya... Kya... Why do I recognize that name?" Toph furrowed her brows.
Lin looked at her mom, a confused and bewildered expression on her face, "Kya... Katara's daughter?"
"Oh! Kya, yes, I remember Kya." Toph snickered, "Why do you care that she's coming back?" She sipped her drink. Lin became silent and shrunk back in her seat, "It's a... long story." She said.
Toph slammed her hand down on the table with a smile, "Great! Now you have something to catch me up on! Go on, tell me all about it." She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. Lin let out a sigh and rested her hand on her forehead, "It's not that big of a deal." She said.
"Nonsense. What's going on between you and Kya?"
Lin's eye's tightened, "Nothing is going on- don't put it like that." She pointed her hand towards her mother. She wanted nothing more than the change the topic of conversation, but she had no idea what else to talk about.
Toph sat in her seat, staring in Lin's direction. "What?" Lin asked. Toph shook her head, "Nothin'," she raised her eyebrows. She folded one leg over the other and tilted her head slightly, still looking at Lin. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Lin asked. Toph smirked and chuckled, "I don't know what you're talking about. I can't see a thing."
Lin rolled her eyes. She knew what her mother was doing. The staring, the arms crossed, one leg over the other, with an impatient look on her face that matched the energy of her bouncing her foot. It was the same look she used to give Suyin when she'd ask about her failing grades. It was the same look she used on her rookies when they'd come in late to the station. She was waiting for an answer.
Lin let out a large sigh of defeat, "Fine!" She leaned into the back of her chair, "I'll tell you about it just- stop making that damn face." She said. She let out another sigh, and after a couple second of silence, Lin finally spoke again, "Do you remember that one time when I spent weeks trying to catch a woman for smoking in public-"
"And you brought that unimpressive dime-bag in? Yes, I remember quite well. I remember thinking, man, my daughter sure is a buzz kill." Toph joked.
"Haha. How funny." Lin said sarcastically, "What I was getting at," she continued, "is that- well- the woman I was trying to catch-" "Was Kya? -" "Can I tell my own damn story?" Lin narrowed her eyes and Toph to snickered.
"Anyways... Uh, a few days after that, I met Tenzin. And you know how the story goes with him. But I didn't know Kya was his sister. And she definitely didn't know I was Tenzin's girlfriend because when we formally met, she uh- she hated me." Lin scratched her neck, "So, things were really weird for a while. I didn't want to tell Tenzin how rude Kya was to me all the time because I didn't want to fuck anything up," she almost laughed at the irony, "but eventually, I did tell him. And uh, one night I saw Kya getting roughed up and I stopped it. I took her back to my apartment and gave her some first aid, and then she apologized for the way she'd been acting." Lin said.
"So that's what happened with you and Kya? Why is that a problem now?"
"I wasn't finished." Lin looked down at her cup, it was almost gone from how much she'd been nervously taking drinks from it. "After that, we started becoming friends. Hanging out, having actual conversations, I mean- she was the one who stitched up my face when all that shit happened with Suyin." She said.
Toph furrowed her eyebrows, "You didn't go to a hospital?" she asked.
Lin's eyebrows raised as her eyes jumped to look at her mother, "Uh- well... I had a feeling that Suyin was going to get away with it. You know how hospitals ask questions." she said sheepishly.
Toph's eye's widened slightly, "No wonder it left scars..." she said gently.
Not having heard her mother, Lin continued, "So, things with Kya were fine. And Tenzin and I were... okay," she rested her cheek on her hand, "Then, I don't even know how it happened, but I started feeling things for Kya. And Kya felt the same way. Neither of us did anything about it for Tenzin's sake, but the night before Kya left the city, I kissed her." She sounded disappointed in herself.
"So that's what's going on between you and Kya." Toph came to the realization.
"What? No! It's not like I cheated on Tenzin with Kya while she was away! I-" Lin trailed off, "I didn't even talk to her until a couple nights ago."
Toph raised an eyebrow, "She's back in the city already? How'd that go?" she sipped her drink. Lin clamped up and her face started to heat up, "Uh- Well-" She wasn't sure how to explain to her mother that Kya had been staying with her, "You see- well- you don't see- but-"
"Spit it out kid, you know how to use your words." Toph teased.
Lin let out a sigh before sinking slightly further into her seat, "Kya and Tenzin aren't getting along right now, so... Kya is staying with me for a bit." she admitted. She expected a sharp laugh, or a judgmental comment, but instead, Lin received a small hum and a nod of her mother's head.
Lin took in a deep breath and straightened out her posture a bit. She was relieved to have not gotten negative feedback. "How's that going?" Toph asked. "What do you mean?" Lin arched her brow. "Kya staying with you. How has that been?" Toph said.
Lin rested her hands on the table in front of her. She stared down at them as she fidgeted with her fingers.
It'd only been two days, barely. But Lin had to be honest with herself... It made her feel less lonely. The extra dishes she washed almost brought a smile to her face. Remembering how someone was there last night to greet her after she came home from work made her feel warm. Kya being there...
Lin and Toph's plates of food were sat in front of them.
"It's been nice..." Lin said.
Lin and Toph sat at the table after finishing their meals. Toph wiped her mouth with a napkin then threw it on her plate. She took the last sip of her drink then sat the empty cup on the plate as well, "Well, that was nice. We haven't done anything together besides work for over a decade." She said.
"Yeah, not since we went out for dinner after I graduated." Lin finished her drink. "I don't remember going for dinner after you finished the academy?" Toph cocked her head.
Lin looked at her for a moment and bit the inside of her cheek, "I was talking about high school." She sat her cup down. Thinking about it made Lin wonder, "Why did you ask me to lunch anyways?" She put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm, "You haven't really made much of an effort with me since you retired. Figured you still blamed me for the whole situation." She looked off to the side.
Toph took in a deep breath. As she exhaled, she rested her arms in front of her. "Lin,"
Lin was surprised at the sorrowful tone in her voice.
"I'm back in town for Aang's funeral." She paused for a moment, like it was the first time she'd said it out loud. "Aang and I are the same age ya know," she let out a small chuckle, "But he was always good at keeping up with his kids. Made sure to spend time with them, be there for them. I used to make fun of him for taking days off of the council for family vacations." Toph had a defeated expression on her face.
"I'm realizing now I should've been doing the same." She said.
Lin sat in stunned silence.
"I love you kids. So don't forget that, okay?" Toph said.
Lin stared down at her hands. She searched her brain for something to say but was left speechless. For a moment she felt tears welt in her eyes. She swallowed hard and blinked them away. "Mom," she said. Toph raised her eyebrows signaling Lin had her attention. Lin cleared her throat,
"...How's Su?"
It was dreadfully quiet.
Toph said nothing for a moment. She thought, then leaned back in her chair, "She's good, Lin." she said.
Lin nodded her head. She mindlessly bit a flake of skin from her lip. "So, uh, that city she's building... Her and her husband," She nervously scratched the side of her finger, "she called it Zaofu?"
Toph gave a hum of confirmation. After a couple of seconds, "His name is Bataar." She said. Lin nodded her head again. She appreciated her mother for not answering her questions passive aggressively. But part of her wished she were asking Suyin about these things instead. She wished she could see past her own blind rage and just speak to her sister. But she couldn't.
"They have a couple kids." Toph said, "Would you like to know their names?" She asked. Lin thought for a moment, "Yeah," she said. Toph put one leg over the other, "Their oldest son is Bataar Jr. And their youngest is Huan." Lin wondered what they looked like, I bet they have Su's eyes...
"Here's the check." The waitress sat the check in the middle of the table. Lin reached for it, but Toph stopped her, "I got it." Lin gave her a small smile and nodded her head. She gave her goodbyes to her mother and started her drive home.
She put her elbow in the windowsill and rested her hand on her head with a sigh as she drove. It was unexpectedly pleasant having lunch with her mother. She refrained from bringing up Suyin until Lin did, whereas that had been a problem Lin would face every time she spoke to her mother. She didn't make Lin feel guilty for bringing it up, either.
But Lin still was hesitant to jump back into a relationship with her mother. She knew this caring side of her was only temporary, and she didn't to keep any specks of false hope in her heart that it wasn't.
Lin reached to turn the radio on. She didn't want to sit alone with her thoughts anymore. She wondered if Kya was back at her apartment yet, and she decided to take a detour on her way home.
Lin put the key into the doorknob and unlocked it. She sat the keys down and paused. She thought for a couple of seconds before taking in a small breath, "I'm back!" She yelled out. And she felt a warmth in her chest when, after seven years of silence, a voice from the kitchen yelled back.
"In here!" Kya said.
Lin let a smile rest on to her face as she made her way into the kitchen. There were a few empty bags on the counters, and Kya held a bag in her hand as she moved the items in it to the refrigerator, "Hey." She turned around and flashed a smile at Lin before turning her attention back to the groceries.
"Hey." Lin said as she watched.
"I got the stuff we talked about this morning. And your coffee grounds, of course." Kya shook the can before sitting it on the counter, "But I also got stuff so you can make actual food." She shut the fridge door and turned around, "You're going to start eating real meals, Beifong." She said with a raised eyebrow.
Lin just let out a small chuckle.
"You seem happy," Kya leaned her elbows on the kitchen island, "I take it lunch went well?" she asked. "Yeah. It was good." Lin nodded her head. Kya looked down at Lin's hand and nodded her head towards the item she held,
"Panda Lilies?" She asked.
Lin looked down at the small bundle of flowers she held, "Oh- uh- yeah... They're my favorite." She said shyly. Kya smiled in remembrance of when she first gave Lin the flower.
"Well then," Kya walked over to her, "you better get them into some water." She lightly cupped Lin's chin. She stared down at her lips for a moment. She lightly brushed her thumb over the bottom one before looking her in the eyes. She let out a light huff as a look of awe washed over her face.
Then, without another word, Kya left the kitchen.