Work Text:
I.
Amy felt incredibly silly.
Poppy was being picked up by the Torrens any minute now, and she had an appointment with her therapist soon after. But she was standing in her bra and trousers, having a one-sided staring match with Cat. Cat laid unbothered, eyes closed with her paws all tucked underneath her furry body. On Amy’s nicely pressed navy blouse.
“Cat. You have to move”
Cat opened her eyes lazily and slowly blinked at Amy. Then she tilted her head slightly towards the ray of sunshine filtering through the curtains and slowly closed her eyes again.
That would have been cute, majestic even, on almost any other day. But Amy was not in the mood at all today.
“Come on, get” Amy gently pushed Cat at her fluffy bottom, but Cat remained unphased and continued to enjoy her sunbathing on top of her blouse.
And of course, the doorbell rang when she was still essentially topless. The Torrens’ opinion of her would probably drop to an all-time low if she greeted them in her current state.
“Mummy!”
“Coming!”
Amy grabbed the next available garment nearby—a dark green knitted sweater—and ran down the stairs.
“You have everything, Poppy?”
“Yes, Mum,” Poppy met Amy at the bottom of the stairs with her backpack and a tote bag filled with toys. She gave her mother a once over. “You look nice in that, Mummy”
“Thanks, darling. Now let’s not keep Gordon and Morag waiting”
Amy opened the front door, and immediately Morag gave her a look. She was not sure what she was expecting anyways from the Torrens matriarch. The exchange happened with a minimal amount of tears and tantrums. Once she could no longer see their car down the street, Amy retreated back to the safety of her flat. She leaned her forehead onto the front door. Even though they seemed to have struck a balance between the two houses, and the custody talk was progressing smoothly, seeing Poppy leave was never easy. She understood why these conversations needed to happen slowly, but she could not help but be anxious and helpless about the fact that she had yet to achieve anything since her return from HMS Vigil a month ago.
Maybe she could talk about that with her therapist this session.
Amy ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath. At that moment, she caught a whiff of a familiar mixture of scents. She knew the coconut was from shampoo and conditioner, ones she started stocking at her flat more recently. She could not quite work out what the rest of the scents was made of. Because all she could think of now was —Kirsten. Kirsten, with her soft auburn hair and beautiful green eyes. Her dimples, brought on by her radiant smile. Her way of loving fiercely. Her patience and understanding. Her body, so soft in her embrace and yet oh so strong when she was on top of Amy teasing one orgasm after another out of her.
Amy slapped a hand onto her flushed face.
She was wearing Kirsten’s sweater, the same one she wore on Thursday night. She must’ve left it when she left on Friday morning. It had only been two days, and Amy missed her immensely. Kirsten reasoned with her that she should leave because this was only the first weekend Poppy was staying with Amy since her return from her investigations, and that they were taking things slowly.
Amy understood all of that, and was grateful for how patient and considerate Kirsten was. But she still missed her very much.
She pulled out her phone from her trousers and navigated to their message thread.
I want to see you.
She deleted that, in fear of sounding too needy.
I’m wearing your sweater, it smelt like you and it made me think of you
She deleted that as soon as she finished typing because that was just creepy.
Hey, love.
She deleted the pet name. Even though they had confessed their love for each other, neither had said it again since that day outside of the Torrens. They were doing this again slowly.
Hey. Gordon and Morag picked up Poppy. I have an appointment soon, but can I see you afterwards?
Amy read the message over twice before pressing the send button. It should not make her this nervous just from texting. They had done more intimate stuff, for god’s sake, but something about Kirsten made her stomach flutter every time she thought of her. And after admitting her feelings out loud, all she wanted was to keep declaring it on every occasion, as if to make up for lost time. Amy had to remind herself they were taking things slowly.
It went okay?
Of course. Want to come to mine? I can get lunch for us.
It did. And with less tears too!
Sounds good.
Amy stared at her keyboard for a brief second and started typing out another message.
I miss you.
A bubble of three floating grey dots appeared at the bottom left corner for a brief moment and it disappeared. Amy held her breath until she saw new messages arrived.
See you soon. Drive safely.
I miss you too x
Amy let out a relieved laugh. She grabbed her coat and car keys, and left her flat with a smile on her face.
II.
Amy was furious.
First of all, Kirsten got called in at a godawful hour, disrupting her, their, perfectly comfortable sleep. It turned out it was Missing Persons needing Kirsten’s assistance on one of the old cases she worked on before her transfer to Specialist Crime Division three months ago, which now might be linked to a human trafficking ring. Amy did not understand why they needed Kirsten’s presence in the office at 02:37 AM on a Wednesday when they could’ve just read her case notes.
She vaguely remembered hearing Kirsten’s phone ring. She remembered turning around, chasing Kirsten’s warmth. She remembered Kirsten’s hand tracing soothing patterns on her back and weaving her fingers through her hair while being briefed over the phone. She remembered holding onto Kirsten’s sleep-warmed body and a “I have to go, love” accompanied by a gentle kiss to her forehead. She woke up with her head on Kirsten’s pillow and her arm stretched across cool sheets.
Second of all, her coffee machine picked today of all days to succumb to its demise. She let out a frustrated groan, which earned her a side eye from Cat. Rather than staying and trying to fix her machine, she put all her dishes in the sink, grabbed her keys and coat and rushed out of her flat. She stopped by the coffee shop that Kirsten liked and picked up a coffee for herself and her girlfriend.
Hey love. I got you a flat white x
You are a godsend!! How could I ever repay you
I have a few ideas
Do we now, DCI Silva
Behave. I’m heading to the office now. See you x
You started it. Drive safely. See you soon x
But you know what they say about bad things always happening in threes? Well, there it was. She was still enjoying the happiness from casually flirting with Kirsten and the teenage-like excitement of being able to see her girlfriend soon when it happened. She had her purse on her right elbow and the tray of coffee in her left hand. She was turning a corner in the lobby when a uniformed officer bumped into her, and the tray of coffees splattered all over the front of the coat. Some had seeped into her blouse and onto her boots. Luckily the coffees were not scalding hot, though her temper might be because she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath. The officer mumbled an apology and hurried away to his partner.
Amy let out a frustrated sigh, picked up the sad, empty coffee cups and informed the receptionist to call a cleaner. She pulled out her phone from her purse and quickly typed out Sorry love x before jumping into the elevator.
Kirsten visibly winced when she saw Amy walk into the office.
“So that’s what that text meant”
“It was not a good morning,” Amy put her purse on her chair. “I’m going to see if I can get any of it off”
Kirsten grabbed her phone and followed Amy to the washroom.
*
“I don’t think this is going to come off”
Amy looked at her now coffee-stained beige blouse dejectedly. Kirsten stood beside her, coat in hand, attempting to dab any of the excess coffee that had yet to seep into the fabric.
“I’m sorry. I know that is your favourite shirt”
“I’ll drop them off at the dry cleaner after work”
Amy started to unbutton her blouse but stopped when she noticed Kirsten was frowning at her chest. (Usually she would get a more enthusiastic response than a frown)
“Did you hurt yourself?” Kirsten’s voice dropped to a lower tone, and Amy would have to admit that it was doing things to her. Maybe it was the fact that Kirsten was staring at her chest intently, or the fact that she was half exposed, alone with Kirsten, at work. Amy looked down at her chest, and she saw an area of redness just above her undershirt.
“No, I’m okay” Amy watched Kirsten reach out towards her chest, but then she stopped abruptly, seemingly aware that they were at work. So she reached out to Kirsten’s retreating arm and held on to her wrist. “I’m okay, Kirsten”
“Okay” Kirsten murmured.
Amy continued to unbutton her shirt and slid it off her shoulders. Her undershirt was luckily spared from any coffee stains. Kirsten pulled her black sweater above her head and handed it to Amy.
“Here, you can have this. Do you have a spare jacket?”
“Thank you, love” Amy put on the sweater and immediately found herself engulfed in Kirsten’s comforting scent. “I have one for fieldwork in my locker”
“Good. Can’t have you frozen in the middle of winter now, can we”
Amy watched intently as Kirsten fixed her hair, undid another button of her blue flannel and rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. She followed every motion of her fingers, every ripple of her forearm muscles. Amy reached out and grabbed a fistful of Kirsten’s flannel and pulled her in impossibly closer. She could feel Kirsten’s breath on her lips. All she needed to do was to tilt her head down slightly and she could claim her lips.
“We’re at work, Amy” Kirsten whispered into their shared space. Contrary to her words, her hands held onto Amy’s hips, her thumbs rubbing soothing circles, and her fingers inching towards the back of her thighs. As if she was waiting for a clear signal from Amy, and she would hoist her up the counter effortlessly.
“I don’t really care about that right now” Amy answered in an equally hushed tone. A particularly loud slam broke the charged tension between them. Kirsten chuckled at Amy’s very obvious unimpressed frown. She brushed her nose against Amy’s and pressed a quick kiss at the corner of her lips.
“When we finish work”
“Yeah?” Amy smoothed out where she grabbed Kirsten’s shirt.
“Aye. I have to repay you for the coffee,” Kirsten winked at her. “And I could take payment for that sweater”
Amy shook her head at her silly comment. Kirsten gathered all the dirty paper towels and threw them in the bin. When she turned around, she saw Amy with an almost shy smile, her fingers carefully tracing the seams of her sweater.
III.
Kirsten gently closed the door behind her. She leaned against it and let out a tired sigh. It was just after midnight, and this was her third day (night?) in a row that she returned to her own flat after midnight. The old missing person case turned out to be a human trafficking ring case, and she had been pulled into investigating rather than assisting. It was not progressing as well as anybody would have hoped, and it was starting to frustrate her team. She hung up her coat and left her satchel nearby, knowing she would have to return to work again in a few hours.
Kirsten stopped dead in her tracks when she saw low light filtering out from the living room into the corridor. She was not expecting any company, and the company she wanted would long be in bed in her own flat. She rounded the corner cautiously and quietly. When she saw it was none other than Amy Silva, her girlfriend, sleeping soundly on her sofa, she let out a relieved huff. She had forgotten that she gave her a key to her flat months ago and never took it back.
Amy seemed content. There was no frown on her face. She knew Amy struggled with nightmares, especially after returning from Vigil about two months ago. Tonight seemed to be a good night for her.
Maybe it was fatigue or sleep deprivation. Maybe it was the low light and the stillness of the night. Kirsten’s longing for Amy intensified multifold. With her picking up the human trafficking case, she had not been able to spend much time with Amy after work. There had been brief lunch breaks and fleeting catch-ups over tea and coffee, but their last somewhat meaningful interaction was the moment they shared in the washroom a few days ago. All she wanted to do now was to fall asleep holding Amy’s sleep-warmed body.
Kirsten knelt down in front of her sofa. She leaned down and pressed her lips near Amy’s hairline.
“Amy” she murmured into her girlfriend’s ear. “Let’s get you to bed”
Amy stirred and tried to burrow her head further into the cushion. Kirsten found it oddly adorable.
“Come on, love” Kirsten reached out and gently tucked the loose strand of hair behind Amy’s ear. She then left her hand on her cheek, her thumb tracing random soothing patterns. “You’re going to hurt your ear in the morning if you don’t take those piercings out”
A hand came out from under the throw blanket and held onto Kirsten’s hand. Amy kissed the heel of her palm and then started nudging her hand with her face. Kirsten threaded her fingers through Amy’s hair and gently scratched the nape of her neck. That earned her a satisfied purr, and it reminded her of Cat.
“Hi,” Amy’s voice was low and hoarse with sleep.
“Hi”
“You’re back”
“Aye”
Amy sat up and let the blanket pool at her hips. Kirsten was amused at the sight of Amy with sleep-tousled hair, wearing Kirsten’s oversized cream sweater. She briefly wondered how Amy would look under her, wearing only the sweater. Realizing neither of them would have the energy to explore that idea, she stood up from where she was kneeling, and Amy immediately wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her abdomen. Kirsten combed her fingers through her hair, and she let out a satisfied sigh.
“That feels good,” Amy nuzzled into Kirsten’s dark grey sweater. “You’re going to make me fall asleep”
“Then why don’t we move to bed?”
“I missed you” Amy looked up at Kirsten and let her fingers slip underneath her sweater, gently scratching her lower back. That nearly got Kirsten’s eyes rolling back.
“I missed you too” Kirsten let her fingers drift to the nape of Amy’s neck, occasionally applying gentle pressure.
“You really are trying to put me back to sleep,” Amy let out a soft moan. “Here I thought you were trying to turn me on”
“Who said I wasn’t”
Kirsten held a firm grip on Amy’s hair, bent down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips. Amy fell backwards to the sofa, pulling Kirsten on top of her. Kirsten braced herself against the sofa with her left arm. Her left knee ended up pressing against Amy’s core. She felt more than heard Amy’s moan against her mouth. Her tongue darted out to trace Amy’s bottom lip at an agonizingly slow pace. Amy’s fingers dug harder into Kirsten’s lower back. Her right hand drifted towards Kirsten’s chest and grabbed a fistful of her dark grey sweater, pulling her girlfriend closer onto her lap.
They separated when breathing became impossible, leaving very little space between them.
“Well?” Kirsten nuzzled into Amy’s neck, pressing incredibly soft kisses and nibbling along her pulse point. “Is it working?”
Amy hummed and grinded against Kirsten’s knee. “What do you think?”
It took all of Kirsten’s self-control to bite back a growl. She pressed a firm kiss behind Amy’s ear instead. Amy tightened her arms around Kirsten’s waist.
“You smell really good”
“Now I know you’re lying,” Kirsten pulled back just enough to press her nose into her own shoulder. “I smell like stale coffee and pizza”
“A little bit”
“Rude”
“No, but you smell like…” Amy trailed off. Home was the word that came to mind, but that did not sound like taking things slowly. Instead, she focused on running her lips along Kirsten’s neck. Before she could do anything meaningful, she was pushed back into the sofa again, and Kirsten stood up from her lap.
Amy looked up towards Kirsten, and all thoughts of complaining stopped. Kirsten’s pupils were blown wide, her usual soft green eyes now a few shades darker, almost grey, with a dangerous glint in them.
“Bed, now”
*
Sorry, love. Got called in, there’s a new lead
Your coffee is in the usual cupboard
Hey love. I missed you this morning. Hope work is going well x
Also, don’t wear my sweater from yesterday to work. There are clean ones in the dresser. Second drawer from the top
And what if I do?
If pizza and stale coffee is your type.
And people will talk
The woman wearing the pizza and stale coffee is my type.
Then let them.
Amy Silva, the woman that you are
I’ve got to go. See you later x
Stay safe. I love you. See you soon x
Love you too. Wear the navy blue one ;)
IV.
Kirsten was riding the high of closing the human trafficking case and passing her Inspector interview all week. And she was determined to thank Amy thoroughly for helping her prep her interview. As soon as five o’clock hit, Kirsten nearly dragged Amy out of the office and back to Amy’s flat.
That was how Amy ended up being pressed against the door as soon as they crossed the threshold, and Kirsten was busy pawing at her sweater, all the while leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses along the way.
“You’re going to stretch the collar of the sweater” Amy threaded her fingers through Kirsten’s hair, keeping her head where it felt good.
“I’ll buy you a new one” Kirsten’s nimble fingers had unbuckled her belt and unclasped her trousers. The metal clinking sounds were oddly erotic to Amy’s ears at this moment.
“It’s yours”
Kirsten let out a satisfied growl and pressed her thigh closer to Amy’s core.
“I’ll buy me a new one”
With that, Amy closed her eyes and focused on the wave of pleasure brought on by Kirsten’s mouth and fingers.
Kirsten could confidently conclude that Amy looked exceptionally good with nothing but her sweater on, underneath her or otherwise.
V.
Kirsten was running late. All because she could not find her sweater. She was sure she put it in her drawer at Amy’s flat because it was her favourite. It was her first day officially as Detective Inspector Longacre, and she wanted to start the new stage of her career on the right note, but it seemed the universe had other plans.
Kirsten glanced at her watch and let out a low curse. She grabbed a maroon hoodie, quickly put it on and rushed out of the bedroom. Or at least attempted to. She somehow misjudged the distance between her position and the leg of the bed. As she pivoted from where she was standing, her toe rammed into the bedpost.
“Jesus fu–” Kirsten collapsed onto the bed face first, startling Cat from her comfort spot. Cat let out a dissatisfied meow and jumped off the bed.
“Oh, hush you” Kirsten attempted to put weight on her foot again and winced at the ache it caused. She quickly checked that nothing appeared to be broken or out of place before rushing out of Amy’s flat.
*
Kirsten walked into the office with two minutes to spare. And then there it was. Her favourite sweater. On Amy’s body.
Amy was sat at her desk, with a phone between her ear and shoulder while she typed on her keyboard. When she saw Kirsten walk in, her face broke out in a soft smile.
Kirsten walked towards Amy’s desk, and she took the opportunity to look at her. DCI Silva was an immaculately pressed shirt or blouse person with a pair of trousers on her unbelievably long legs. But today, she was wearing an olive-green sweater. She somehow looked softer but without losing the edge and the sense of authority of a great detective. And frankly, she looked great. It also was doing things to Kirsten, knowing that the DCI Silva was wearing her sweater at work.
“Good morning,” Amy put down the phone as Kirsten stopped at her desk. She reached out and held onto Kirsten’s hand.
Kisten looked down at their joint hands and then looked back up at Amy again. Amy gave her an earnest smile, and her brown eyes only focused on her. She did not care that they were in a bustling office and that there were colleagues walking past them. She was holding her hand at work, in public.
“I nearly broke my toe this morning because of you”
“Wait, what?”
+1
“Oh, wait here. I’ll be right back”
Amy frowned at Kirsten’s retreating form. Poppy was having a sleepover weekend at the Torrens’, so they had the house to themselves since forever. They had just finished dinner. She was looking forward to a good cuddle with a movie, maybe some making out, and definitely some alone time with Kirsten. Instead of settling on the couch beside her, her girlfriend decided to put down her whiskey and walk away to their bedroom. She returned to the living room with a paper bag from a well-known department store.
“Here you go”
“What is it?”
Kirsten sat down on the sofa and picked up her whiskey, her right hand gently rubbing circles on Amy’s back as she opened the bag.
“I saw you wearing my sweaters sometimes, and I thought you liked them. So I got you some”
Amy pulled out a black crew neck sweater. It was from the same brand as Kirsten’s sweaters. The material was soft, and it definitely looked comfortable. It would fit well with her style. But it felt different. She looked back at Kirsten, who was looking at her with an openly loving expression. It reminded her of that faithful night when they danced in her living room. She put the bag on the floor, and plucked Kirsten’s drink out of her hand. She then climbed onto Kirsten’s lap and pulled her in for a slow kiss.
“What was that for?” Kirsten murmured into their shared space.
Amy leaned her forehead against Kirsten’s. She ran her hands down Kirsten’s front, let them slip underneath her sweater and rested her hands on her abdomen. Her fingers gently traced the outlines of her muscles as Kirsten tensed against her touch.
“I like you”
“Oh, you like me?” Kirsten looked on with an amused expression, her tongue slowly poking out. Amy instinctually braced for what was to come. “I surely hope you do, because you literally have your hands under my shirt”
“Smart arse” Amy’s fingers dug a little harder, and that pulled a low hum out of Kirsten.
Kirsten rested her hands on Amy’s thighs, thumbs rubbing soothing patterns. She waited patiently for Amy to process her thoughts into words.
“I like your sweaters because of you,” Amy furrowed her brows. “It’s just, somewhere along the lines, I don’t know, you make me feel safe, and comfortable, and at home.”
Amy briefly brought her eyes up to meet with Kirsten’s gaze. The open adoration and love radiating from Kirsten was making her well up in her already vulnerable state.
“And your sweaters became sort of the extension of you when I go outside. It reminds me that I am safe here. With you”
Amy let out a long exhale. She watched her fingers play with the hem of Kirsten’s sweater with an odd sense of distance. When the silence stretched out between them reached beyond her comfort level, she gently tugged on her sweater.
“Say something, Kirsten”
Kirsten wrapped her arms around Amy’s waist and pulled her in flush against herself. She let out a shuddering breath against her collarbone.
“You are something else, Amy Silva” Kirsten tightened her arms around Amy before sitting back slightly. “Don’t let anybody tell you you don’t know how to be romantic”
Amy let out a relieved chuckle. Under the soft light of their living room, Amy’s facial features appeared softer. They still had lots to discuss and work through, individually and together. But maybe, just this time, it may work out. Kirsten stared at her favourite person and let out a quiet sigh.
“I love you”
“I love you, too”
A third voice chimed in as a meow. They both looked at Cat, who had hopped on the sofa and stared at them intently. Cat then climbed into the very small space between Amy and Kirsten, and settled herself comfortably on top of Kirsten’s chest.
“I think you might have some competition here, Amy” Kirsten snickered as she scratched behind Cat’s ears.
“Oh, don’t be silly. We both know she likes me and my cooking better”
Kirsten let out an indignant gasp, and Amy leaned forward to press a soft kiss against the corner of her lips.
Cat made her presence known again with a loud meow, making both adults giggle.