Work Text:
patter. patter. patter.
Lin wakes up to the clacking of thick raindrops against the windowpane above her head. Kya’s hair is in her mouth, and a limp arm is strewn across her bare chest. She carefully picks the hair off of her face and turns her head to face her sleeping wife. She smiles at the soft snores coming from her open, drooling mouth - one of the many things she loves about Kya.
She watches for a moment, wondering how she got so lucky, being married to her best friend for so long. It's something that would've been inconceivable to her teenage self. Her life felt like a dream - so much so that she wasn't sure that she had truly awoken. She didn’t think it was physically possible to be this happy - that is, until she started experiencing it herself, twenty three years ago.
After carefully moving Kya's arm off of her and getting out of bed, she plants a soft kiss on her wife's forehead and sneaks off. Not usually one for cooking, there's something about the rainy grey morning that motivates Lin to step into the kitchen to make them both some breakfast. With the lamp above the stove already turned on, she puts on her wife’s frilly apron and pours herself a glass of orange juice, the sugar pushing her through the tasks at hand. Bacon. Potatoes. Eggs. Toast.
The grease in the cast iron crackles and pops as she lays down a second round of bacon, a small drop jumping out of the pan and searing into the skin of her arm. She cusses under her breath before wiping it off with the handtowel that hangs on the stove, then turns the heat down to low; she probably should have put some more clothes on before cooking with hot grease and butter. The kettle whistles and she takes it off of the back burner, pouring it over the loose leaves and dried fruit-filled strainer in their homemade ceramic teapot. After covering the opening with the matching lid, she hurries back to the stove to flip the bacon and check on the potatoes. A soft whine emerges from the back of her throat as she mixes the potatoes in the pan. The scent of onion, garlic, rosemary, and paprika waft about her face and make her stomach growl. She checks behind her and looks through the door of the bedroom, uncertain as to why she does, before popping a piece into her mouth. It continues to steam, and she instinctively pushes it from cheek to cheek until it cools down enough to chew. Her mouth waters and she smiles- this is some of her best work yet.
Lin uses a pair of tongs to carefully remove the strips of bacon out of the pan, layering them between old paper bags atop a plate. With one hand, she cracks an egg against the counter top and empties its contents into the now empty cast iron. She places the empty shell back into the carton, and repeats it with a second, then a third egg. When they're cooked on the bottom, she shakes salt, pepper, and a pinch of paprika onto each
A quiet creak of the floorboards from behind alerts Lin to Kya's presence moments before a pair of arms are wrapped around her waist and her wife's head is rested gently on her shoulder. "Good morning, Sleepyhead," Lin coos.
"Good morning," She murmurs in reply, placing a kiss on the crown of Lin's head. "Why are you up so early?"
"Early? It's nearly ten," Lin laughs, reaching with her empty hand to caress her wife’s cheek. "The rain woke me up," she adds, flipping the eggs as best she can with her restricted movement. One of the yolks break and Lin sighs.
"It's okay," Kya says, her voice airy and smooth. "I don't like the yolks much anyway."
"I know," Lin replies, "I just wanted them to look perfect. I always end up breaking at least one." She flips the remaining two eggs and they stay intact.
"They look perfect to me," Kya says, lightly squeezing Lin’s waist before walking over to their couch and sprawling out comfortably.
When the potatoes and eggs are done, Lin plates them, along with a few pieces of bacon each. Two eggs for her, one for Kya- with the broken yolk of course. She brings both plates over to the couch and places them on the coffee table, then brings over the teapot and two mugs, before removing her apron.
"What flavour today?" Kya asks.
"Cranberry Blackberry," Lin replies, pouring them both a cup.
"Ooh, tart."
Lin smiles and takes a sip of her tea, its warmth and flavour adds something vibrant to the perfect, grey day.
"Any plans for today?" Kya asks.
"I was supposed to lead tai chi at the park this morning, but obviously we can't due to the weather. I was hoping we could spend the day together, just like we did when we were in college and we didn't want to walk through the rain to main campus."
Kya laughs. "You're already off to a good start," She gestures to Lin's nudity.
"Eh, what can I say. We're on the fifteenth floor and our window overlooks a lake. It's not like anyone's gonna see me."
Lin leans back, watching her wife in admiration as she smiles and lets her silk bathrobe fall off her shoulder. "I like the way you think."
Lin bites her lip with a grin, then shovels a forkful of eggs into her mouth.
Kya looks up with doe eyes, "What?" She asks, teasingly.
"Eat your food," Lin says, mouth full. "It'll go cold."
"I don't mind," She gives Lin a tired smile and puts her plate down on the coffee table. She stands up, slowly walking to their bedroom.
Lin swallows. "What are you doing?" She asks, resting her fork on her plate.
"You remember the very first thing we would do after skipping class, don't you?"
Yes, she does.
Lin puts her plate down.
Lin and Kya are laying on the loveseat on their balcony as thunder booms in the distance, thick raindrops bouncing off of the forcefield that Kya had waterbent for them. Lin's arm is around Kya's shoulders, who has her feet dangling over the end of the couch and is atop Lin, head resting on her chest, arms wrapped around her waist. She hums a melody- their melody, from the song of the first dance at their wedding, as she runs the collar of Lin’s t-shirt between her fingers.
Thunder claps and lightning strikes, illuminating the world around them as they hold each other, watching the lake beyond the apartment complex.
"That was a big one," Kya says, interrupting her tune following a booming thunderstroke.
Lin hums in response. "It was."
The waves, large and loud, crash against the shore, rising and falling with such force that Lin is sure that the buoys in the distance will float away.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Kya asks, gazing into the dark grey horizon.
Lin tilts her head slightly, watching her wife's awestruck expression. "It is," she replies, a small smile tugging at her lips."It really is."
To many, thunderstorms were an excuse to stay home and laze about, but to Lin and Kya, they meant much more. Kya sighs and Lin brushes her hair with her fingers, taking in the sweet smell of lavender shampoo and honey conditioner, a constant over the past vicennium.
“Do you remember the first time we were rained-in?” Lin asks. Kya shifts, looking up at her wife’s face.
“We were at that crappy apartment I was renting on campus, right?”
“Yeah,” Lin replies, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “It was during finals, mid-April. We had just started dating. It had been raining all week, and you were upset because it had finally cleared up for a few hours, but your advisor had called for an insanely long meeting just to end up not helping you at all. I brought some pork dumplings and we sat by the open window as it stormed, and I listened to you complain about him for hours, but I didn’t care, because we were together.”
Kya smiles and props herself up on her elbows, looking into Lin’s eyes. “I remember. You threatened to have your mom throw him in jail for me,” she says with a chuckle.
“I had never seen you so angry before, not even when Bumi stole your favourite skirt and stretched it-”
“He ruined it, I couldn’t wear it anymore!”
“-the way that professor pissed you off, I swear your eyes turned red whenever he was mentioned- it was beautiful. I knew right then that I never wanted to be without you- even if in the moment I thought you might rip off my head for asking you what was wrong.”
Kya laughs, brushing a piece of Lin’s bangs from her eyes. “I could never rip your head off, I love you too much.”
“I love you, too.”
Lin wakes up to the sound of Kya sliding open the balcony door. Her eyes flutter, trying to adjust to the darkness of midnight. There’s a blanket over her body, and a glass of water is being gently placed on the table beside the love seat. She sits up, adjusting the blanket to sit over her crossed legs. Rubbing her eyes, she looks over at Kya, who has sat back down next to her.
“What time ‘sit?” She asks groggily.
“It’s two in the morning. Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” Kya replies, voice gentle and smooth compared to Lin’s croak.
“No, s’fine,” she replies, nuzzling her head into the crook of Kya’s neck, before resting on her shoulder and looking up at the twinkling night sky.
“Do you ever wish we didn’t live in the city?” Lin asks, watching the limited stars fade in and out of view as they’re obscured by the few remaining clouds of the storm.
Kya ponders for a moment. “Sometimes,” she says. “Sometimes I think about my hometown, how bright the stars are and how beautiful the ice and snow are. But I love the city, and you love the city- and I love you.”
“The city is all I’ve ever known,” Lin says with a twinge of sadness. “I wish I had explored the world, like you had. I mean- my mom didn’t even let us visit you guys because she wouldn't be able to see what was around her. I’ve never gotten to experience a sky full of stars. I think, If i had one do-over in my life, I would’ve come with you when we were kids- seen the world. Maybe we would’ve been together for longer.”
Kya chuckles, rubbing circles on the small of Lin’s back. “Everything happens for a reason, love. Besides, you were too young, your mother wouldn’t let you. I was only eighteen, I’m surprised that my parents even let me go.”
“Yeah, well, still. I’d like to see where you grew up. I’d like to see all your favourite places and be introduced to all your childhood friends and eat the foods you grew up with. I want to see you in your big coat surrounded by snow and ice under the starlight. I want it all.”
“Okay,” Kya says, grinning. “I’ll take you. I’ll take you, and I’ll show you all those things. We can spend all day counting the stars, and we can dance in the moonlight and drink cocoa by the fire.”
They’re both glowing now, watching the stars in each other’s eyes twinkle and shine like diamonds.
“I love you, so much,” Kya says. “I’m so excited to share this part of my life with you.”
“I love you too.” Lin grabs her cheeks with her hands and kisses her abruptly on the lips. “More than the whole world.”