Chapter 2
Kya groaned with every step as she trudged up the stairs to Lin's apartment. Every muscle and every bone seemed to emulate exhaustion through her tired limbs. She knew it was late, probably well into the morning hours, even though she hadn't actually checked the time when she left the hospital. Her job at the hospital usually never resulted in late hours, but today had been something else entirely.
Her day had started out normal; some baby deliveries, a couple people came in with broken bones, some occasional stitches even. Then, a huge Sato-mobile accident had sent dozens of people directly to her, all in need of major healing. Internal bleeding, broken bones, even torn ligaments had whirled around Kya, and to make matters even worse, the hospital was severely understaffed, and the few healers they had were alright, but not as experienced as she was. After all, she was her mother's daughter. So Kya had taken the lead, flitting in and out of examination rooms, healing each person with just as much attention as she payed the previous. Kya loved to heal, she had a natural want to help others, but as she got older, healing was taking more and more out of her, as much as she didn't want to admit it.
As she neared the apartment door, she wondered if Lin was already home. At least she hoped she was. Kya always hated when Lin worked nights; she couldn't help but worry about her, and the apartment felt incredibly empty without her.
Kya slid her key into the lock slowly, opening it and closing it behind her. The lights in the living room were off, but Kya could see a soft light emitting from the bedroom through the slightly ajar door. She sighed with a mix of relief and contentment. Lin was home. Dropping her keys on the table by the door, Kya took off her coat and dragged herself as quietly as she could towards the bedroom. She wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed with Lin and sleep.
However, as she opened the door to the bedroom, the sight she was confronted with made her heart swirl. The lamp resting on the nightstand softly illuminated the expanse of the room, reflecting lightly off the figure curled up on the bed. Lin rest in a half-sitting, half-laying position against the headboard, her reading glasses still perched on the bridge of her nose, and a book still folded across her lap.
Lin's chest rose and fell steadily as she slept, and the sight brought a small smile to Kya's face. She supposed tiredness was a common theme tonight.
Kya quietly moved over to Lin's side of the bed, silently reaching out to remove Lin's glasses from their position on her nose, lightly placing them on the nightstand. She did the same with the book. She gently pulled the covers up to Lin's shoulders; careful not to wake her.
She stood there for a minute, looking at her peacefully slumbering girlfriend. Kya actually liked to watch Lin sleep, not in a creepy way, but Lin always looked so peaceful when she slept, so very different from her uber-serious chief persona. When she slept, she wasn't worried about her job, Republic City, or protecting others, she was just Lin.
Kya stripped out of her healer's uniform, throwing it in the general vicinity of the laundry hamper. She could pick it up in the morning when she wasn't so tired. She didn't bother pulling on any sleep-clothes, as Kya crawled into bed in nothing but her undergarments.
Kya sighed softly as she wrapped the soft sheets around her tired body. Rolling over on her side, she smiled softly at a still sleeping Lin. She reached out to trace an aimless finger across the little pink scars on her face.
"Night hon." Kya all but sighed as her eyelids began to droop, and she let the overbearing exhaustion take over her senses as she fell asleep to the steady sound of Lin's breathing.
--
Lin blinked her eyes open as the bright morning sun shone through the bedroom window. She cracked her neck tentatively; it felt a little tight. She'd fallen asleep in sort of a half-sitting, half-laying position, waiting up for Kya. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but here she was nonetheless.
With a quiet groan, she slid down a little on the bed into a more comfortable laying position. She glanced over at the body next to her, curled up tightly on her side. Lin reached out to lightly brush a strand of hair away from her face. The morning sun reflected beautifully off her bronze skin, giving her an ethereal glow.
Suddenly, Kya stirred, scrunching up her nose and wrapping an arm around Lin's toned midsection, pulling her in close. Lin brought a hand to her hair and kissed the tip of her forehead lightly.
"I didn't even hear you come in last night." Lin commented; aware of Kya's soft breath tickling her neck. Kya chuckled against her skin, a sensation that never failed to send shivers down Lin's spine.
"Yeah, you were conked out pretty good." Kya whispered, pressing a soft kiss to Lin's collarbone.
"I was not." Lin rolled her eyes in childlike insistence, earning another chuckle from Kya.
"As much as I don't wanna admit it, we are getting old, honey." Kya murmured. Lin snorted in amusement.
"Speak for yourself grandma." Lin smirked. "I happen to be in fantastic shape." Kya giggled and poked a layer of thick muscle on Lin's abdomen.
"Oh I know." Kya's voice dropped an octave as she drug out the last word and Lin chuckled a little at the insinuation. Kya lifted her head a little to press a chaste kiss to Lin's cheek. "Maybe a little later you can prove to me how great of shape you happen to be in." She whispered. "But for now, we're going back to sleep."
"Yes ma'am." Lin smirked as Kya buried her face into her neck once again. She didn't even bother hiding her smile as Kya intertwined their legs together under the sheet. Lin tightened her grip around Kya as her breathing evened out once again, and let herself fall back asleep curled up against the woman she loved.