Work Text:
It isn’t right to think about your boss in this way. You’re just a paper pusher a nobody in the eyes of the dreamy, tall, buff chief of police. But its not like she will ever know that you’re thinking of her in many ways and cherishing every small smile and warm greeting sent your way. You’re not sure if the greetings and smiles at you are warmer and softer or if you’re just projecting on the dumb moments she gives you.
Chief Beifong never really turns up to work gatherings yet when she does she’s always in her uniform apart from that one time where she wore a dark green jumpsuit. You’d be wrong if you said you didn’t go, internally, feral over the outfit. You thanked every celestial being for granting you with the sight forever cemented in your dumb, very dumb, lesbian brain.
“And thats why my husband thinks that movers are just rich people propaganda” your coworker, Caroline, finishes her sentence. You nod making a hum of agreement pretending that you were listening to your coworker ramble about movers. “What did you get up to over the weekend?” she asks, you shrug.
“Your weekend was much more exiting then mine i’m sure” you tell her with your limited context clues “I finally got round to that book Officer Lee recommended me” you add with a smile “It was a good read, you might enjoy it”
Caroline nods, “I might pick it up” she responds. The conversation on the book continues, and you even offer to lend her your book to save Caroline from spending too many yuans on a book you don’t really need, especially so soon after the first read. So many emotions to process.
Before long you notice Chief Beifong into the station from a morning on the beat. You greet her with a small wave and a smile. Her expression softens for a half second before she ascends the stairs towards, presumably, her office. You give the Chief about a half hour before making the dreaded walk up the stairs with arms full of paperwork to give to the Chief. The others in admin like to think the Chief goes easy on you compared to them, to which you very hope is true but you doubt it, so they send you up to give the Chief all the paperwork. You’re adamant that admin just secretly hates you.
You notice Officer Lee and you go to him and thank you for the book recommendation and have a little conversation on the book to him before walking off to face the Chief with her daily paperwork. You knock on the door and let yourself in after getting permission to enter
“Unfortunately, I come baring gifts” you tell her placing the paperwork to where the Chief gestures to. The Chief sighs looking at the paperwork, but thanks you nonetheless.
“Thank you” she says half heartedly. You look down to the paperwork. “Can you take this pile down for filing” she tells you. You nod and take the pile she gestures to. You go to the door and look back at her
“Chief” said woman looks up to you “How about some food tonight after work?” you ask, she smiles softly and hums in a sound of agreement. You’ve asked to eat with the Chief before. Through the three years working in admin for about a year and a half you asked to eat with her. And in the last six months its basically become an occurrence to eat together about once a fortnight. It’s nice to get to know the woman behind the Chief title. It’s a shame that the two of you only eat after work, so only your imagination can see what kind of other fancy clothes the Chief wears. You’ve caught her in her tank top once or twice and truly, a sight to behold. Big buff lady.
“I’m working late so come get me once you’ve finished” you tell her with a smile before making your way back downstairs with the new pile of signed paperwork to file.
The afternoon escapes you and before you know it its just before midnight when Lin comes to get you. Really, the Chief is sweet. She doesn’t think you know it but you see all the little things she does for the city. She also lets you call her Lin over dinner. Not like thats a big deal. Okay, okay. It is a big deal. It’s like a slight air of vulnerability just for you. Or thats how you like to project the situation, calling the Chief by her first name is most likely the smallest thing to her.
As you two walk to the fire-nation cuisine restaurant that the both of you often frequent on your bi-weekly eat outs, you both pick up a light conversation on, surprisingly, the Avatar. You notice how Lin has warmed up to Korra over the course of the Equalist situation. It warms your heart a little to notice how she’s been warming up to more people. Nobody has seen the avatar in a small handful of months, by the sounds of things she’s off training with spirits or something or other. You don’t really get all the spirit stuff and you’re not really sure if Lin understands much of it either.
You both make it to the restaurant and to your usual table. Your conversation is light and mostly jovial. You mention about how Lin should take a few days off before she inevitably burns out.
Your half seriously lectured on how Lin has never burnt out in her Chief life.
You cant help but be amused by her passion and want to work. Conversation moves onto a new topic over food. Lins talking about the walk she took a few days ago but you’re too distracted by her. It’s a little stupid but you can’t help but watch her as she talks about her walk with a level of passion you don’t normally see. Despite all the dinners you’ve spent with her its not often she speaks with such a lightness to her voice. It’s charming and you cant help but smile at her a little.
“The walk was nice though” she finishes her explanation with a soft smile at you. You nod caught off guard a little by the ending of her words.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the walk” you smile generally taking a bite of your food. Lin nods. It’s your turn to have your little rant, you speak about the book you recently read. It’s been hot on your brain all day so its hard not to talk about it, and accidentally dropping spoilers about the plot and underlying romances of the story. Lin doesn’t say anything and watches you contently. She seems to have drifted off into thought, but you only half notice that and continue speaking.
After dinner Lin is kind enough to walk you back to your apartment like she does whenever you guys eat. After bidding goodnight the Chief stops you before you manage to close the door. A moment passes.
Then two.
Lin steps towards you breaking into your personal space. A hand touches Lins non-scarred cheek and she leans into it. There’s another few beats of no movement and Lin seems to be trying to be convincing her out of something. You notice the woman looking from your eyes to your lips. Your brain seems to light up and notice what the Chief seems to be thinking. You go to speak but your voice fails you for a moment before coming back again.
“Can” you pause wondering what’ll happen if you ask the question “Can I kiss you?” you ask quietly but loud enough for the other woman to hear. She seems shocked by the question and even freezes a little. You worry for a moment thinking that you’ve overstepped your boundaries. Hundreds of thoughts in a short few seconds flash behind your brain. You just wholly hope that you haven’t ruined the friendship you have worked for over the last two years.
“Please” you almost miss what the Chief replies with because she says it so quietly and breathlessly. But after a second of you processing the words your hand moves from the woman’s cheek and onto her chin. You lean Lins chin down towards you and kiss her.
The kiss is soft but filled with anticipation. Lin seems to have been wanting a kiss like this for at least a little while, you feel a wave of relief wash over her. Like the she’s done the scariest think in your life.
Lin eventually moves away from of you with a smile “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time” she tells you. You grin like a dumb lunatic. You feel like your brain has exploded a fuse. You try and form any thought that isn’t a reply of what just happened.
“Wow” you manage to finally say something that isn’t the pretty buff woman before you. Lin chuckles a little and cups your cheek and leads the second kiss between the two of you.
This moment only just ranks above seeing Lin in that jumpsuit.
Okay that’s a lie. The two (2!!) kisses make the jumpsuit look like the most insignificant thing.
Lins lips aren’t what you expected to be. Not like you have ever thought about her lips (thats another lie). Her lips are soft like she takes great care of them. You probably should have guessed that though, considering the fact you’ve never seen her not perfect.
This time its your turn to break the kiss finally with a coherent thought at the front of your head. “You’re amazing” you compliment. You watch Lins cheeks redden a little and you smile. Sure what you said really wasn’t what was in your brain but seeing Lins face light up like that warms your heart so you don’t throw hands with your brain too much.
Lin studies your face almost committing it to memory. You watch her eyes as she studies you. You smile at the woman, who once finished studying you, speaks up almost reluctantly “I should go home” you nod a little
“Nothings stopping you from giving me another kiss before you go though” you jest and Lin takes you up on the offer another kiss gracing your lips before she waves goodnight to you.
Your brain swirls with the recent events replaying in your brain over and over again. You don’t notice yourself leaning on your doorframe for no less then 10 minutes before you realise and get ready to turn in for the night with gay thoughts circling around your brain.