Chapter Text
“My mom is actually working on some sort of wire-” Kya started to zone out, one afternoon of near death bonding, and Lin was back to constantly talking, weirdly enough, it was mostly about her hero.
“It will be like that, but cooler, and probably much safer-“
“You know, I’ve never been to your place before, I don’t think.” Lin shrugged,
“It’s not much. Mom don’t see the need for decorations, or other frilly things that can get in the way.”
As they made it to the end of the hall way, Lin suddenly stopped; shock, fear, then horror washed over her face.
“Lin, are you-“
“shhhhhut the hell up” Lin started to shush Kya, but appeared to be having a seizure of some sort.
“Oh Spirits, we got to go” Lin planted her feet, looking around, before picking up Kya over her shoulder in panic, and stepping back away from the hallway.
“Will you please tell me what’s going on- What? Did your dirt senses tell you your mom was home? And will you put me down now?” Kya was no longer amused her crazy antics. She stopped and put her back on the ground.
“I think my mom just ruined sex for me”
“WHAT!?”
“you know Seismic sense? I can feel the earth, the echoes- “
“You know I will never get it, move on”
“SHE WAS THERE! NOT ALONE!” Lin was pacing back and forth, ranting.
“Spirits, I could feel the bed bang-“ Lin gagged.
“PLASTER!” she cried out.
“Alright, heard enough, Let’s go to my hooky joint.” Kya rushed her down an alley, Lin’s episode was gaining some attraction in the busy street, and frankly it was hard to watch Lin like this.
……………………………………
“Where the hell is this?”
“What, I thought you knew the whole city?” Kya smugly interjected.
“These houses look ancient”
“They are, in fact, older than the city itself. This was from the old fishing down that was here, and grew into something larger,” Kya motioned to the city backdrop.
“When the city was being built, some of the crew lived in these houses, but moved closer to the main part of the city over time, as their work also moved. Now they’re just left here. Only a couple of old people live in a few of the houses, the rest are relics from a time past.” Lin enjoyed watching her go on about the houses, eyes sparkly and excited. The dusk had fully settled in the sky, last hints of the setting sun streaked across the horizon in a brilliant orange array. The stars emerging dulled in comparison to the ones in Kya’s eyes.
“Why do you like them so much?” It became too much for Lin’s limited range of emotions.
“I dunno, they’re just neat, I guess.” Kya turned and stared at Lin, who was feeling a new respect for the older girl.
“Here’s my favorite!” Kya rushed up to this dilapidated house, one with larger front porch, and a particularly bright red door. Other than that, they’re were all the same.
“Why this one?”
“Look at the paint!”
Lin stared harder, the fading sun didn’t give the best light, but the once washed out, faded gray paint was actually blue, she noticed an intricate design. Grayish blue waved danced in a furious storm all around the perimeter of the house.
It was the grandest house she had ever seen.
“The waves…” Lin quietly gasped.
“I KNOW! I had to point this out to my other friends multiple times, they still couldn’t see it” Kya shook her head, smiling.
“That’s not fair, we all know I’m much smarter than your friends” Lin laughed teasingly.
“Oh yeah?” Kya raised her eyebrow.
“Come on” Kya tried to pry the door open, it didn’t budge.
“The door’s locked….?” Kya looked baffled, but Lin just gently moved Kya out of the way, and examined the key hole. Kya was fascinated, watching Lin pull out a tiny lump of dark metal, and flash, had bent a perfect, thin key. Lin got it unlocked in less than a minute.
“you know, they usually lock these, after teens break into abandoned houses.”
“Are you going to grow up to be an evil genius?”
“Doubt it” Lin scoffed, oblivious to the complement.
“I didn’t realize you were that… precise.” The carefully crept in the dark opening.
“I’m not a show off”
“You used to be, besides, you couldn’t just have bent the lock, you had to make a fancy key”
“How would you lock it back up?” Kya felt dumb, glad the bright red blush on her cheeks were hidden by darkness. She fumbled around, feeling for the table and the candles they left last time. Lin helped absolutely nothing, coming right behind her and grabbing her hand.
“Here,” Lin moved her hand to the left, showing her where she placed the candles.
“I was tired of watching you looking in the same spot of the table for the damn candles” Lin’s voice in her ear was very quiet, and didn’t sound mad at all.
“Fine, you do this, I’ll make a pallet and we can have a slumber party”
“We can’t stay for here all night,”
“Do you want to go home right now?”
“Fair point.”
In just a second, Lin had the candle lit, and Kya pulled some old fire-nation style bedding out of some cubby, and laid it out into a big pallet, before throwing herself down on it. Lin cautiously joined her.
Kya fluffed some blankets over both of them, a welcoming sensation in the damp, drafty house. Lin though they smelt of mildew, but didn’t mind so much. Kya scooted closer to the warm body next to her, and faced her gingerly. This has been an interesting day, but Kya had a question she needed answered, and she knew now was the time to do it. Before she could begin to speak, Lin had a question on her own.
“What did you do that got you in so much trouble last week?” Kya felt her stomach drop, Lin kept talking,
“Mom never filled out a report, and when I asked her, she just smiled at me and told me to ask you- so, I’m asking.” She was quiet, before thoughtfully adding,
“I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
Kya was so embarrassed, this was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but she found herself spitting out-
“Your mom caught me. Here, actually…. With a girl. I was kissing a girl.” Kya put her face in the bed, scared to look up, instantly regretting saying it out loud.
“Was it your first kiss?”
“Psh, no” Kya leaned back at the ceiling, resting her head on her arm.
“With a girl?” Kya laughed,
“Nope. Just first time I was caught.”
“What was it like?” Lin questioned unexpectedly. Kya looked back up at Lin’s face. Lin famously avoided eye contact, her whole body facing Kya, and her wild mane of curls framing her face, her angular face softened with a gentle blush. Kya answered her.
“It was nice. Soft. Sweet.” Kya sighed.
“She can’t talk to me anymore, got in trouble with her parents. It sucks, but she’s moving soon anyways. I don’t think I’m in trouble, I just don’t want to talk about it with them” Kya sounded desolate
“Oh.”
“Not, you, you’re… okay. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to feel, and I feel like they want me to put a name to it. They’re so permanent, so stable. They’ve been together forever. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be tied down like that. And I also don’t want to talk about that kind of stuff with my parents. Gross!” Kya playfully stuck her tongue out at Lin, whose face was furrowed in concentration.
“So, you like girls” Kya was silent for a long time before answering.
“Yes.”
“I… didn’t know it was a thing” Lin became slightly fidgety, and Kya annoyingly moved to place a foot on her leg, holding it down from kicking at the covers. Lin stopped immediately.
“What?” Kya answered absentmindedly
“I didn’t know you could kiss girls too”
“I don’t see why not?”
“I just kissed Meeko once, cause we were curious what it was like. It was wet and gross.” Kya laughed.
“Kiddo, it doesn’t have to be.”
“I AM not a ‘kiddo’” Lin fumed.
“You think kissing is oogie” She teased.
“Maybe, cause it was a boy….” Kya stopped teasing, and stared back at Lin. Took her second, but the realization for the questioning.
“Do you… want to kiss a girl?” Lin was wide eyed, cautiously terrified of her confession, as she nodded her head yes. Kya felt her stomach drop.
Kya let out one tiny shaky breath, and leaned in to Lin, whose eyes were almost closed, and her heart shaped lips innocently parted.
Kya was gentle, applying just a bit of pressure to her lips with her own, Lin immediately responded, deepening the kiss, moving a hand to gently rest in Kya’s face. Kya became emboldened, and used her lips to open Lin’s, then trace her tongue around her lips. Lin pressed herself against her body, and Kya felt the gentlest tremble from her finger tips as Lin tilted her head up.
Taking charge, Lin gently nibbled at her full lips, then traced small kisses along her jaw. Lin stopped suddenly, pulling Kya closer, nestling her face in the crook of her neck.
“I think I’m dying”
Lin grabbed her hand and placed it on her chest, to feel a rapid heartbeat. Kya just giggled,
“Come ‘ere”
Bringing Lin in her arms, kissing her forehead on occasion and stroking her hair, until her pulse could come down. Lin fell into the embrace, rubbing her thumb across the back of her arm.
“You’re cute” Kya mused, and Lin only buried her head deeper in her neck as a response.
“Let’s head back and face the music, I’d hate for you to be the next heathen caught with me here, seeing your mom would be the one to- “
“Shit, let’s go” Lin lunged up, grabbing her bag towards the door, blowing out candles on her way, Kya laughed as she sloppily rolled back up the bedding.
……………………
Night time was in full swing, and stars were dancing across the clear sky, perfect for how Lin was feeling, aside from the growing dread for how quickly they were approaching the island, Kya peacefully navigating them on one of the boats.
“you don’t have to come back with me, you know”
“I’ll tell them it was my fault, somehow”
“I don’t think they’ll buy it”
“I can try “, Lin shrugged.
“Hey, Lin?”
“Yeah?”
“Su told me you had a crush on someone at the temple, that’s what I was gonna ask you about.” Lin was silent, then started a string of curses under breath.
“I’m setting my journal on fire.”
“I KNEW you were a pyro!” The water bender teased, and continued on a more serious note.
“Right now, I don’t think I want to know, anyways.” It was the closest Kya came to bringing up what just happened not only an hour ago.
“Good, cause I’m taking that to my grave.” Lin bumped against Kya playfully as they walked up to the temple entrance, just as Toph was coming out.
“Well HELLO there, you delinquents!” The police chief was giddy, as if she was let on a secret.
“Thanks for saving me a search party trip, but you better get inside- I’m saving my child while I can! Sorry, Twinkle jr.” She gave Kya a small thumb up, As Kya raced inside, barely glancing at Lin.
“Mom! I was gonna tell them it was my fault!” Lin tried to follow, but Toph stopped her.
“Let’s GO YOUNG LADY- YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE” Toph bellowed out, and she dragged her to one of the boats.
“Am I really in trouble?”
“It was one day of hooky; you feel like it was worth it?” Lin quietly glowed,
“Yes.”
“Then we’re cool, as long as you aren’t going rouge on me soldier” Toph laughed, then stopped.
“Hey kiddo, what’s going on?” Lin stopped, her heart only beating faster as she tried to will her pulse to go down. She knew she couldn’t lie, so she went with the only truth she could divulge.
“Um, I tried to come home today…” Toph stopped in her tracks. Lin continued;
“Can we please not talk about it?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Kya finally was permitted back in her, after hours long talks about her choices. As soon as she made it behind the door, she let out a deep breath, and a surge of excitement flowed through her. quickly, she hurried though the ritual of changing to some pajamas, and pulling her long hair into a braid. In just a short moment, she was crawling into bed, pulling the covers to her chin, squirming with excitement. Oh, I am definitely Gay. Kya thought, fading off to sleep.