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Nat stops to count the stars only twice during her patrol. They twinkle in the clear night sky, barely a cloud to cover them and the sharp glow of the half-moon. Between their subtle light and the cool, fresh scent of late-summer flowers, she’d caught herself wandering. First in the forest that surrounded Wayhaven before the reflected light upon the nearby lake snapped her out of it. A shiver had chased her from between the trees, but she managed to force the old thoughts from her mind by taking to Wayhaven’s deserted streets. At far past midnight, even the most rambunctious of residents were home and asleep and she had the town to herself. But the quiet lured her attention once more and she found herself drifting to a stop out front of Haley’s bakery.
A passing thought of all the excellent food, and company, she had shared there turned into more navel-gazing, only with her eyes turned upwards towards the sky instead of down to the ground.
And, honestly, she might’ve spent a little too long considering whether to wait there for dawn so she could get some of Haley’s freshest treats. Kinsley liked the bagels best hot out of the oven, and if she timed it right she could catch her just as she was entering the station…
A snapping twig makes her whip around so fast she nearly trips. Fortunately for her, it’s only a rummaging raccoon, and the creature pays her barely any notice as it goes digging through what’s left of the bakery’s trash. A laugh huffs from her lips, and without further ado Nat takes off, nerves alight enough that she skips past her normal route and skids to a stop outside of Kinsley’s apartment complex.
A quick look won’t hurt.
Heartbeat a little too loud in her ears, she silently berates her racing thoughts and the rising anxiety they feed. There’s no reason to be worried - the trappers and rogues had practically abandoned the state after they’d busted the auction - Farah had checked on Kinsley only a few hours ago - not to mention the new panic alarm they’d installed in her apartment in case(“Just in case,” she says, eyes pleading against Kinsley’s growing frown as Ava starts installing it. Kinsley relents, she always does, but there’s a tense line in her shoulders for the next week.)
Hands digging deep into her pockets, Nat shakes the memories away and makes her way to Kinsley’s window. It’s as close as she needs to be, the steady thump of Kinsley’s heart and her warm, spiced, scent reaching her senses even from the ground. She’s sleeping, the creak of her bed audible as she shifts, and Nat can’t stop her growing smile.
She must look at sight, standing outside a seemingly random apartment with goofy grin in place, but the soft comfort radiating from Kinsley’s room immediately calms her and her fingers uncurl from their tight fists in her pockets.
Cool metal bumps against her fingertips, rougher than the smooth silver of her rings. Brow furrowing, she pulls a brass key from her pocket, a recent memory following shortly after.
“Oh, hey, Nat, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Of course, ya rouhi.”
It’s a few days after Tina’s welcome-back party for Kinsley as well as her official resignation from the police department. Unit Bravo had joined her at the station to help wrap up some loose ends.
Nothing out of the ordinary that Nat noticed, but Kinsley’s smile is shy as she leads Nat into her now-former office.
“Shut the door, will you? Since SOME people can’t keep their ears to themselves.”
Nat chuckles at Farah’s distant, affronted, ‘hey!’ just before the door clicks shut. It really won’t do them any good if the youngest UB member puts her mind to spying, but Kinsley eases back against the desk with a thankful sigh. She’s still fidgeting, though, unable to meet Nat’s curious gaze, and playing with something in the pocket of her hoodie.
Silence stretches between them, enough to cause a seed of worry to sprout in Nat’s chest, and she crosses the distance to brush her palm over Kinsley’s cheek. “Is something wrong?”
She tries to keep her tone even, gentle smile in place, but Kinsley sees right through it, attention snapping to Nat as she immediately clasps a hand over Nat’s.
(Really, she had gotten a tad too good at reading Nat.)
“No! Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s good, perfect even. I just-” Kinsley stalls, a flush taking her cheeks and heart racing even faster. “Here!”
She pulls her hand from her pocket and shoves it towards Nat, pressing something cool and firm into her sternum. Curious, Nat withdraws enough to see what it is, and a small key drops from Kinsley’s grip into her own.
“It’s a key to my apartment. I figured, well, since we got to see more of each other while I was staying at the Warehouse and it was really nice that maybe you would like to come over when you want without having to find me first or deal with your phone…” She trails off, hand rubbing the back of her neck and blush spreading to the tips of her ears. “I know I’d like to keep seeing you more often.”
Shock loosens Nat’s jaw as she stares between the key and Kinsley and for far too long of a moment she can’t think of what to say. Emotion swells in her chest, and while it doesn’t untie her tongue it does compel her to act, arms wrapping around Kinsley’s neck and lips brushing against hers in a gentle kiss.
“Are you sure?” She murmurs into Kinsley’s ear, the key trapped in her hand and pressed into Kinsley’s pulse.
“Y-yeah. Come over whenever you want.”
Key pinched between her fingers, Nat stares at her blurred reflection in the brass, the memory adding a growing warmth to her chest. Needless to say she had accepted, though their celebration had been cut short by a squealing Farah breaking into the office to congratulate-and tease- the both of them.
Though, they’d more than made up for it later that evening.
A deep sigh breaks Nat from her reminiscing and for the second time that evening she curses as she snaps her gaze around, searching for the source of the sound. It echoes again, sourced from the slightly cracked window of Kinsley’s bedroom, and Nat relaxes as it’s followed by Kinsley’s soft murmur and the shift of sheets as she shifts in bed.
Clicking her tongue at her own foolishness, Nat listens for another moment to ensure Kinsley’s heartbeat stays slow then tucks her hands, and the key, back in her pockets. Her steps take her away at a slow stroll, her focus entirely on what she can still sense from the bedroom.
At the threshold of her hearing, she pauses. The key burns in her palm, long since warmed from her body heat. She should get back to the warehouse. Report to Ava, and get ready for the upcoming day. But…
“-whenever you want.”
“I know I’d like to keep seeing you more often.”
She’s back at the building before she realizes, stairs taken two at a time. It takes no time at all to reach Kinsley’s door, and with held breath she slots the key into the lock.
It clicks open without issue(of course it would-she’d already tested it with Kinsley). Still, Nat doesn’t exhale until the door cracks open with a gentle push. Her sigh covers the soft thump and latch as she closes and locks it behind her.
Immediately her senses are flooded with all that is Kinsley. Cinnamon and vanilla scents cling in the air, mixed with the residue of soap from a steaming shower. Even in the dim light of the stars she can make out the various knick knacks that fill her apartment, each one filled with meaning and so, so, important to Kinsley despite the clash of decor they create. Nat had slowly begun to pull their stories from her, and she smiles as she passes a particular piece of ceramic, reaching out to carefully push it back from the edge of the sofa table. A new picture resides beside it, Kinsley and Farah both grinning broadly into the camera with the others in the background behind them.
Nat grins equally wide, heart bursting with yet more proof of Unit Bravo’s growing importance to Kinsley, and with a final few strides makes it to the bedroom.
Starlight pours in from the window, the breeze rustling the curtains and keeping them in a languid dance. Their movements cast shadows over the bed, and Nat’s heart catches in her throat at the woman lying there.
Comforter thrown to one side, Kinsley rests half-under the flat sheet, one leg and most of her torso left exposed to the cool night air. She’s set on one side, arms crossed across her chest and face smushed into the pillow. Her camisole has ridden up nearly to her chest and her shorts hang low around her hips, exposing a brazen amount of skin that has Nat’s mouth going dry.
And then, she doesn’t know what to do.
She should wake Kinsley, let her know that she came. But she’s sleeping so soundly and her expression is so relaxed, Nat is loath to interrupt it.
She should go and leave her lover to her rest. But that would be a breach of etiquette. Kinsley said she could come whenever, but to visit without her knowing, while she slept no less, just shouldn’t be done. And she refused to even consider not telling Kinsley at all.
She should wait in the other room. She could be here when Kinsley woke, and would be able to make her breakfast and spend time with her before work. Yes, that would do. She would just need to be alert to when Kinsley was waking as to not-
“What the fuck-”
A rasped, sleepy curse sounds from the bed and Kinsley bolts upright, staring across the bedroom at her. Nat immediately raises her hands in an appeasing gesture, apology on her tongue, when Kinsley lets out a long sigh and flops back on the bed.
“Fuck Nat, you scared the hell out of me.”
“I am so, so sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” The words tumble out of Nat, her hands wringing in front of her.
Kinsley’s lips twitch upwards. “Oh? So you were just going to peep on me?”
“No! Of course not. I mean - I wasn’t - I intended to.” Not one for the back foot, especially when it came to Kinsley, Nat stuttered around her explanation, trying to explain all of it and none of it at once, and was nearly about to leave the room when a muffled chuckle echoed from the bed.
Kinsley, hand over her mouth, watches her with shining eyes, and despite the obscuring hand Nat can tell she’s grinning. “Oh-you,” Nat huffs, running a hand through her hair.
A moment of silence between them, and soon they’re both wearing smiles.
Laying back against her pillow, Kinsley pats the bed next to her. Nat crosses the distance eagerly, sinking into the mattress and dropping a kiss onto her forehead as Kinsley’s hand finds her own. Her fingers work between Nat’s own, only to pause and rub over the key still pressed into her palm. When she grips it, Nat lets her take it, turning to face her with one hand braced on the headboard and the other spread over Kinsley’s hip.
“You used the key.” She states.
“I did,” Nat answers.
“Good.”
Warm palms cup her cheeks and Nat follows their pull, lips brushing against Kinsley’s. It’s soft, slow, but still she can’t tell if it’s her racing heartbeat or Kinsley’s that she hears. It doesn’t help when Kinsley breaks to pepper kisses across her jaw, teeth scraping briefly over Nat’s pulse before she nips at her chin, pulling Nat back in for a proper kiss.
The headboard creaks under Nat’s grip, and they both break away in breathless laughs. Nat straightens, releasing the wood and flexing her fingers before tucking a lock of hair back behind Kinsley’s ear.
“You’re not upset I used the key?” She murmurs, thumb swiping over her cheekbone.
Kinsley shakes her head, tilting to press a kiss into her palm. “I said whenever you want, yeah? I’m always happy to see you. No matter the time.” Reaching up, she tugs Nat’s leather jacket out of the way and smooths her hand down the collar of her open shirt until she reaches its chest pocket. Plucking it open, she deposits the key into it, then presses it back against Nat’s heart.
Sleepy, happy, eyes meet Nat’s as Kinsley withdraws.
And she has no words for it, the bursting warmth in her chest that seeps all the way to the tips of her fingers. A breath helps, deep and slow, as does the yawn that Kinsley tries to stop. Nat chuckles as she murmurs, “Sorry,” and presses another kiss to her forehead.
“Go back to sleep, ya rouhi. The night is still young.”
“What about you?” Kinsley asks, a hopeful glint in her eyes.
“I need to finish my patrol. I may have taken a few…shortcuts to reach you sooner.”
“Naughty. What would Ava say?” Despite her teasing, Kinsley settles back into the bed. Nat plucks at the sheets around her, ensuring she’s good and well tucked in before she stands.
Her fingers brush over Kinsley’s and trace up her arm. “Nothing good, I’m sure. But it’s not something you need to worry about.” She smiles as another yawn breaks free from Kinsley. “Sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Promise?” Sleep already tugging at her eyelids, Kinsley reached out to catch Nat’s hand one more time. She presses a kiss to her knuckles before letting her slip free.
“Promise,” Nat repeats, retreating to the doorway. She hovers there, in the shadows, until Kinsley’s breathing evens out and her heartbeat steadies.
And if she happens to get lost staring at her star once more before patrolling, well, who would know?