Chapter Text
“This is stupid ,” Lin can hear Kya’s echo voice from across the sanctuary, and she finds herself silently thanking whatever spirits are listening that she isn’t the first one from her friend group here. “No, don’t touch me. This story is stupid and I am not putting that dumb headband on!”
Lin resists the urge to smile as she gets closer to the back room wondering which patriarchal norm Kya is looking to smash today. She doesn’t understand the girl sometimes, doesn’t understand how a fifteen year old can be so passionate about things that don’t even matter yet, but she’ll support her best friend nonetheless.
Lin can hear the teacher responding even though she can’t understand the words. It was clearly the wrong thing, Kya’s voice is even louder now.
“If it’s not a big deal then stop trying to make me put it on ,” she’s almost yelling now and Lin breaks into a run to cover the last few feet between her and the door. The last thing she needs is for Kya to get suspended again. “If you don’t care about my beliefs, why should I give a damn about yours?”
She pushes through the door though neither person seems to notice. Kya is facing away from her, glaring up at their drama teacher, Mr. Lewdig, who looks exasperated. Lin’s never saw the point in the whole nativity Christmas thing, but it was pretty important to their school. She lucked out by being selected for the stage crew, she only had to flip a light switch a few times when her cue board lit up.
Kya, the beautiful exuberant waterbender, however, got selected to play an angel. Lin isn’t overly familiar with the Christian lore, but she’s pretty sure the mischievous deviant she knows is about as far from an angel as anyone can get. She had mocked the girl endlessly, only calling her angel for almost two weeks after the cast lists came out. Kya’s face always grew red with frustration and Lin was thrilled she had a one up on the older girl for the first time in their life. It was always Kya making her blush and, at thirteen, it was one of the most embarrassing things in the world for no reason.
“Miss. Beifong!” Mt. Lewdig announces her arrival loudly, his shoulders sinking in relief. “Miss. Beifong, perhaps you can talk to your friend here? Tell her the halo will only have to be on for an hour?”
Lin opens her mouth to respond, leaning confidently against the door with a small smile. She won’t be able to talk the girl into doing a damn thing that Kya doesn’t want to, of that she's certain, but she’s been looking forward to making fun of the girl’s costume all week. Kya had stubbornly refused to try it on for her or even let Lin catch a glimpse when she had slept over.
Kya whips around with a glare, clearly daring her to try. She had nothing to worry about.
Lin’s grown used to the fact that her friend is pretty. Everyone reminded Kya all the time, and they had every reason to. The girl is tall with perfectly tanned skin, a smile that can quite literally outshine the sun with eyes so bright and deep Lin’s convinced they hold the secrets of the universe if anyone would let themselves get close enough to decipher them. The girl’s hair is dark and thick, with just enough of a wave to it to make Kya frustrated when the weather gets a bit too humid. All of the boys in class are in love with her and all of the girls are green with envy.
Up until now, Lin just assumed she was in the latter and lucky enough to be able to call the girl her friend.
The girl is nothing short of beautiful in the floor length white gown, offering a stark contrast to her dark skin. The dress is sleeveless, a band of gold wrapped around the girl’s arm in what Lin knows is an attempt to honor the tribal bands she would normally be wearing for a tribal celebration. Sometimes Lin forgets how strong Kya is, the girl has a more traditionally feminine figure than Lin does but she trains with Katara and Aang regularly enough to be in perfect shape with the sculpted arms to prove it. Arms that look unfairly good against the white of the beautiful gown.
There’s a golden sash crossing over the girl’s middle from her left shoulder to her right hip and it somehow manages to make her eyes even more piercing. She’s smiling and Lin can see her mouth moving but she doesn’t hear a thing, only notices the way her lips curve against her perfectly straight teeth. Kya didn’t straighten her hair like she normally does, the dark waves falling over her shoulders in a way that seems to mock Lin because she isn’t allowed to touch them. Best friends don’t do that.
Lin is too cynical to believe too much about the afterlife. She enjoys hearing the stories of spirits her Uncle Sokka would tell her and Kya when they would lay outside at midnight, staring up at the moon. Yue was her favorite, she decided early on, because the way Sokka spoke of Yue reminded her of Kya. The comparison leaves her breathless now, Lin is almost certain if she stepped forward a few steps to close the space between them Kya would disappear. She’s ethereal, too good for anyone on this plane to ever hold.
Especially a girl like her.
“Miss. Beifong. Miss. Beifong ,” Lewdig’s voice is concerned and Lin only registers it as he steps forward, waving a hand in front of her face. “Lin? Lin, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale.”
“Y-yeah. Er, I mean yes sir,” Lin whispers, tearing her eyes away from Kya before the girl gets too painful to look at. “She’s from the southern tribe. You got her to wear the gown, do you really think a halo would be more angelic? You’re just going to make her look dumb.”
“It’s not even worth an argument. Check the lights one more time before stage call,” Lewdig sighs in exasperation, tossing the offending headband aside as he walks towards the stairs. “Kya, I’ll need you out on the stage in a few minutes to help with the younger kids, please.”
“Yes sir.”
Lin gives Kya a small smile before darting towards the stairs of the stage crew room, completely unsurprised by the hand that grabs her collar.
Definitely real.
“You have plenty of time before places, Linny. Are you still coming over after? Mom wants to give you your presents before you leave if you need to go home,” Kya’s hand releases her collar, trailing down to rest on Lin’s lower back. She thought she had gotten used to the older girl’s constant need to be touching her, but for some reason Kya’s hand is burning through her shirt. “No need to get all blushy, I told you she’s not going to let you try to duck away and avoid the Christmas party again.”
“N-no. I’ll.. I’ll be there. You look good, angel. It suits you,” Lin turns to face the older girl, pleased to see her face is as red as Lin feels hers is. “Kind of ironic, as far as christian mythology goes I’d say you’d be more of a devil or something. Demon at the very least.”
“ Hey !” Kya shouts indignantly, elbowing Lin in the gut with a bright grin. “You really like it?”
“Yes, Ky. You look really pretty,” Lin whispers, a bit more serious than she intended to. “I-I… I only mean- Er, all you need is white hair and you could be Yue. You just gotta wait a few years, it didn’t take Katara’s hair too long to change colors. I think you stress yourself out enough to change twice as fast, you should-”
“I am so telling momma you said that,” Kya interrupts with a laugh of delight, reaching out to pull Lin into a bone crushing hug. “You always say the sweetest things, Linny dear. I’m starting to think you’re just nice to everyone secretly and no one acknowledges it.”
“It’s just you and your family. Mostly you,” Lin confesses, returning the hug with a shake of her head. “I kind of love you sometimes, idiot.”
Even when you confuse the hell out of me .
“I kind of love you too sometimes, jerk.”
Kya doesn’t seem to think as she presses a light kiss to Lin’s cheek though it’s something she’s never done before. She darts away to go help with whatever Mr. Lewdig needed, leaving Lin to fall hard against the ground as her legs give out. She doesn’t know how long she stays like that, it’s not until Tenzin comes to take his place in the tech box that she realizes she still needs to do a light test.
Tenzin spends the whole performance trying to talk about classes and finals and homework, things that Lin normally takes seriously. Lin, however, spends the entire performance watching Kya. Kya who glances up every once in a while and sends a bright smile her way. Lin knows it’s impossible for the girl to see her at all, but Lin still finds herself thanking every spirit she can think of for sending a real life angel her way.