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Sunday morning finds Kate waking up alone in bed, the sheets next to her empty and cool. Panic that Jo is gone, that she’s left her, flashes briefly through her mind as she leaps out of bed. She doesn’t bother to get dressed as she skids out of the bedroom and down the hall into the living room.
And there, of course, is Jo.
In her dressing gown and fuzzy tartan slippers, she's crouched in front of the french windows that open onto their tiny excuse for a balcony. There’s not much space for anything but a couple of pot plants really, but Kate had wedged herself out there to tan in the summer and had promptly fallen asleep, only kept from burning to a crisp by Jo sprinkling cold water on her face to wake her up.
Now though, when it’s the middle of winter and one of the doors is wide open and Kate is very much naked, it’s less warm.
“Jo!”
Jo jumps practically out of her skin.
Kate walks towards her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Sorry, I was concentrating.” Jo shifts so that Kate can see what she’s doing.
“Bird feed?”
“It’s so cold, and everything’s covered in snow. I bought all this on my way home the other day, which is why I was a bit late.”
“It’s quite the feast.” Kate kisses Jo’s cheek.
Laid out on the balcony in front of them is scattered bird feed, various suet balls and pellets, a few millet stalks, bits of peanut butter with what looks like bugs in it, whole peanuts, and a dish of mealworms.
Jo looks out at the city, not quite catching Kate’s eye. “When I was a kid, in Glasgow, we always used to do this. Not quite like this, but every winter mum would buy a big bag of birdseed, and we’d sprinkle it on the windowsill as soon as the first snow had laid. Mum didn’t… She couldn’t bear to see small creatures go hungry. I don’t know where she got the money for it from - she probably went without something for herself. But it was… She loved doing it. Loved it when I distracted her from whatever she was doing and pointed out the first robin or sparrow partaking in the feast.” Jo lets her head rest against Kate’s shoulder. “So now I do this, every year. For her.”
Jo curls into Kate’s arms then, and Kate holds her until her shoulders stop shaking, placing kisses on the top of her head and rubbing her back gently over her fluffy dressing gown. After a long moment Jo raises her head, wipes her eyes, and sniffs in surprise.
She looks Kate up and down. “Why are you naked?”
It’s Kate’s turn to focus on a random building in the distance, rather than Jo’s confused face.
“I woke up without you. I thought… I didn’t know where you were.”
“You wake up without me all the time, you silly thing.”
“I know.” Kate bites her lip and looks down at herself. “I just didn’t expect it today. Apparently my go to response is to dash out and find you no matter what.”
Jo places a finger under her chin and lifts her face up before laughing and kissing her. “And I love you very much for it, but Christ, you must be freezing.”
“I’m absolutely fine.” Kate’s chattering teeth do not back her story up.
Jo raises a suggestive eyebrow, and leans forward to whisper in her ear. “Want me to warm you up?”
Kate says nothing - simply gets to her feet, pulling Jo up with her, and closes the french doors with a mild crash before leading Jo back into the warmth of their bedroom.
______________
A couple of hours later Jo is cooking bacon on the hob for brunch when Kate appears behind her again.
Her voice is hushed. “Jo! Jo! You’ve gotta be quiet, but come and look.”
She takes Jo by the hand and pulls her into the living room, before pointing at the little balcony.
There, hopping around and enjoying the feast, is quite the collection of sparrows and one beautiful Robin, who sits on the edge of the bowl of mealworms like a little king upon his throne.
“I think they like it.” Kate whispers in Jo’s ear.
Jo squeezes her hand. “Yeah. Yeah, I think they do.”