Kya had been picking up long shifts at the hospital recently. She had heard that they were short staffed, but when she first went in she realized what a massive understatement that really was.
One night Kya had been too tired to go all the way back to the island so she called Lin and asked if she could crash at her apartment. Ever since then the waterbender had been staying at Lin's.
Lin didn't mind, in fact she enjoyed having someone to come home with. Kya would always walk to the station to meet up with Lin before they went to the apartment. Lin hadn't had any extra keys made yet, because she had only moved a couple months ago. But Kya didn't mind waiting for her to pack up. The waterbender enjoyed the walk as it cleared her head, and any time spent with her girlfriend she appreciated. An added bonus was that it made Lin leave the precinct so Kya knew the woman was getting at least a little sleep. The situation was actually working out quite well.
Tonight, Lin had met her girlfriend outside of the station already prepared to leave. As they drove home, entered the lobby and rode the elevator, Lin noticed her girlfriend was unusually quiet.
As soon as Lin had shut the apartment door behind them the older woman broke out into tears. The earthbender immediately rushed to bend off her armour and embraced her.
"What's wrong, Kya? You're not hurt are you? Did something happen at the hospital?" Lin asked softly as she held Kya. When the waterbender didn't respond, Lin walked them toward the couch and pulled her girlfriend into her lap. The younger woman knew that the long days were rough. She hoped that's all this was, the exhaustion, rather than some sort of incident at the woman's work.
When Kya had quieted and was able to respond she pulled back so she could look at Lin. The earthbender reached up and wiped away the majority of Kya's tears.
"I'm sorry, Linny." The waterbender said after taking a deep calming breath. "I just had a hard day..."
Lin could tell there was more to it than what the older woman said but she wasn't going to push if Kya didn't want to talk about it.
"Don't apologize, babe. It's okay, I understand. I'm used to the long days and sometimes I can't handle it all either. I've noticed though that I feel better when I know I'm coming home with you." The earthbender admitted.
"Really?" Kya asked as more tears spilled over her cheeks. The younger woman gave a nod in earnest. "I was worried you felt that maybe I was taking advantage of you and your apartment. You've been so sweet about me being here all the time but I was afraid you were just being hospitable. And I don't want you to feel forced into having me here just because we're together. Because this is your space-"
Lin stopped Kya's rambling with a soft quick kiss.
"Give me just a moment." The earthbender said as she slid Kya over and stood. She checked a few pockets of her small gym bag she had brought home, then felt her pants pockets with a few quiet curses.
"What-" Kya began.
"Here it is, fucks sake." Lin had dug around in her jacket pockets and pulled out what she had been searching for. She walked back over to her girlfriend and stood in front of her. The earthbender hesitantly put out her hand and then opened her fist. In her palm was a platinum key with a teal stone keychain attached.
"It's um, a key for the apartment. I was going to ask you, probably in a more romantic way this weekend, if you wanted to move in," Lin brought a hand to the back of her neck and rubbed it. "I mean you've been practically living here for like a week now anyways. I like having you here, but if you don't want to move in I still want you to have the key. Come and go as you wish. Then you also don't have to wait at the station for me to get done if you don't want to."
Tears began to fall down Kya's face again and Lin knelt in front of her, her brow creased in confusion. The older woman lunged forward to hug her girlfriend. The earthbender grunted in surprise but corrected just soon enough so they wouldn't go plowing into the coffee table.
"Are you sure? Do you really want me to stay?"
"Of course, Kya." Lin said with a soft smile as she again brushed tears from her girlfriend's face. "I love you."
What she had just said had barely begun to register in the younger woman's mind when she felt Kya's lips on hers. She blushed with wide eyes when the waterbender pulled away to look at her again.
"I love you too, Lin." Kya grinned. Lin held out the key to her and the older woman accepted it, giving her girlfriend another kiss. "Thank you."
YOU ARE READING
Would You Rather...
Fanfiction"Okay, so we're playing would you rather and whatever you pick you have to actually do." Kya said excitedly.
