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Her warm tears drip onto the cold bathroom floor. She hates who she's become. Too big for the public's liking but too small to fit into her old clothes? How pathetic.
A soft knock pulls Lin out of her thoughts. She quickly wipes her mouth before flushing her wasted dinner away.
She stands up unsteadily, holding onto the wall for support. Another knock echoes throughout the small room. "Lin?" the voice calls out gently, rattling the doorknob as a sign to let them in.
Lin stops to check herself in the mirror before opening the door to reveal her girlfriend, Izumi, on the other side with a concerned look taking over her usually calm features.
Izumi slowly makes her way over to the younger woman before wrapping her small, rigid frame in her warm arms.
"Izumi? What-?" Lin stutters, confused by the random affection she's not used to receiving.
The older lady sighs contently, breathing in the strong scent of jasmine from the earth bender. "I know." she says suddenly but softly.
She knows? How does she know? It's embarrassing, truly. Can fight the biggest, most dangerous criminals in the world but can't swallow a crumb without gagging.
"Let me help you, Lin." she continues, rubbing Lin's back affectionately. "Let me help you be the best you can be." Izumi finishes, letting the younger woman out of her embrace to make eye contact.
I give her a sad, watery smile. "I can't be helped, Izumi. This is who I am, can't you see?" Lin says to her, hoping Izumi gets the message to give up.
"Why waste time fixing something that isn't broken?"
The older woman now wears a saddened expression. "Don't say that, Lin." she replies, watching as Lin washed her hands in the sink.
"My time is never wasted if it's for the benefit of helping you." The woman concludes, rubbing Lin's back affectionately.
Lin looks up from the sink making eye contact with Izumi through the mirror. "Ok." Lin sighs, turning off the faucet and wiping her hands on a towel.
"Do what you can, but don't be surprised if your plan fails." Lin mumbles, making her way out the bathroom.
Izumi watches her walk away with a pained expression painted on her face. "Lin?" Izumi calls out to her.
The metal bender turns around to face her girlfriend before answering her with a small hum.
"It's not your fault." Izumi states, moving closer to Lin.
"What? I know it's not."
"It's not your fault." She repeats over and over again.
Lin feels wet tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. Izumi embraces her once again before she feels a wet spot growing on her shirt.
The younger woman's body shakes as she sobs into Izumi's shoulder. "It's alright, darling. I'm right here."
Izumi slowly inches the two of them on the bed, never breaking her embrace on the chief.
Muffled sobs turn into slow, gentle breaths and eventually soft snores. Izumi smiles down at her girl, brushing a stray gray lock off of her face.
"I can't just sit by and do nothing when you're suffering so much.", she whispers, careful not to wake up the sleeping woman. " I love you too much for that." Izumi concludes, turning off the lamp and falling into her own slumber.