Work Text:
Katherine looked up from her laptop as a slow piano line started blasting from the other side of the wall of her office, accompanied by a bass voice.
“Live in my house… I’ll be your shelter…”
This was quickly followed by the sound of her girlfriend, Sarah, whining . Katherine sighed, and shut her laptop, pushing her chair back from her desk and poking her head into the hall. “Babe? You okay?”
Sarah’s voice was muffled, but Katherine could make out her words as she cried, “I’m FINE! It’s FINE!” and punctuated her sentence with a sob.
“Okay.” Katherine mumbled to herself, walking over and opening the door to their bedroom. “Sarah, babe, come on, how bad can it- oh my God.”
Sarah was facedown in the pile of pillows they kept on the floor at the foot of the bed (their “reading pile”), clutching her phone in her hand (which Katherine supposed was connected to the Bluetooth speaker) and sobbing. Full-blown, “my dog just died” sobbing. Katherine sat cross-legged next to her, gently taking the phone from Sarah’s hand to turn her music down. “Baby, nooo… babe, if it upsets you this much, why do you listen to it? Aww, c’mere…” She cooed, gently running her fingers through Sarah’s hair.
Sarah sniffled, rolling onto her back so she could lay her head in Katherine’s lap and pout up at her. “Kath, they were in love. What they had was so good. And AIDS just-” she sniffled again, “just took that away from them!”
“I’m pretty sure Jonathan Larson took it away from them, babe.” Katherine pointed out, smoothing Sarah’s hair back from her face.
“Don’t patronize me.” Sarah was trying to keep pouting, but a tiny smile was starting to show through. “It’s still sad.”
“I know, so why do you make yourself go through this?” Katherine leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Sarah’s forehead. “All you’re doing is upsetting yourself.”
“It’s a good song!” Sarah insisted, reaching up to rest her hand on Katherine’s cheek. “I have a soft heart, sue me.”
“I like your soft heart.” Katherine smiled, kissing Sarah’s forehead again. “Buuut I also like it when that soft heart doesn’t keep me from working.” She continued, slowly brushing her fingers through Sarah’s hair.
“You didn’t have to come check on me.” Sarah protested. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; Katherine had managed to calm her down again.
“I know, but I wanted to.” Katherine shrugged, smiling down at Sarah. She went silent for a while, letting herself get lost in thought. Katherine absolutely adored moments like this, when she got to just sit and admire how beautiful her girlfriend was, without said girlfriend teasing her for staring.
Sarah had long, soft, dark brown hair that tumbled down her back in thick waves that Katherine had a habit of running her fingers through every time she got the chance. Her lips, currently painted a soft peach, were almost never not upturned in a smile, and there was no better feeling than the way Sarah kept smiling when they kissed. And her eyes- they were the first thing Katherine had fallen in love with. They had a way of piercing through you when she looked at you, like you’d just been struck like a bolt of lightning. They twinkled when she laughed, and in the sun they were the color of melted chocolate. And up close, in the dark, they looked so endless that Katherine almost believed she could fall into them and never find her way out, and she really didn’t even think she’d mind.
After a few more minutes, Sarah rolled over and sat up, immediately wriggling her way into Katherine’s lap. “Okay, I’ve decided I’m still sad. Kiss it better, please.” She said cheerfully, cupping Katherine’s face in her hands.
Katherine laughed, wrapping her arms around Sarah’s waist and pulling her close. “Yes, ma’am.” She replied, and brought their lips together in a soft, loving kiss.