Chapter Text
Today was not a good day for Lin. Since moving out, seeing her mom at her job was awkward, to say the least. And, it’s not like you can exactly hide from the police chief at her police station. It’s been eight months, but to say that the Bei Fong’s are forgiving, would be an outright lie. What her sister did, and her mother covered up, destroyed their tiny, fragmented family. Hours passed since the sharp words were exchanged, but Lin goes over them in her head repeatedly, in the bar after work, all the way up to the door of her dilapidated house.
A much older, traditional house, a small clump of ruins in the gleaming city. Lin rather thought it was outdated, and made with far too much wood, but it was Kya’s house technically, and she’s always been sentimental.
Kya was breaking up a bowl when she heard the door slam. It was late, well, late enough to assume Lin wasn’t going to come home tonight- So she took the opportunity to enjoy some R&R the the fairly spacious front room.
“Better have brought beer home, we’re almost out.” Best to play it cool, since she’s caught, green handed.
A pointed sound of beer bottles clinking was her response. No growling, she must be in a good mood. She didn't turn around, but heard her throw her mom’s old work jacket on the counter, and stepped to open the fridge.
She heard the fridge open, the tumbling of some.. produce..?
Followed quickly by the sound of growls and quiet cursing, followed by stomping of said produce.
Never mind.
Lin finally made her appearance a moment later, beers in hand, throwing herself in the chair, and quietly glaring at her roommate. Her normally pristine done hair was tousled, perfect waves cascaded over her rumpled and bloody uniform, so very un- Lin like. Kya was engrossed by this, not realizing what she was glaring at, caught just in time to watch her packing the pipe.
"That is NOT what I think it is, is it?" one perfect eyebrow raises, very aware of the answer.
"Oh, it is." she smiled at her devilishly
"Kya!" Lin barked, which turned into a defeat groan, head back, in mock despair. She lit it any ways, cause fuck it. She pretty much told her it was okay.
Kya wasn't looking, but the various sounds of disgust and disbelief that Lin was making, gave her a general idea of what she looked like. She leaned forward to offer the pipe to the officer, who finally stopped groaning, to take off her stuffy uniform top, revealing a black tank top. Kya quickly placed it back when she saw the look Lin was giving her.
"Ay, where's my beer?" changing the subject, she leaned back, hand extended making a grabbing motion, while arching her back in an amazingly long stretch. Lin rolled her eyes and stood to hand hers over, using her beaten metal thumb ring to pop the lid first, a favorite trick of Kya's, and plopped back on the chair, staring at Kya intensely when she isn’t looking.
“Bad day?” Kya dared to inquire. She never really sees much of Lin anymore, she is, by every standard, a great roommate; always pays on time, keeps her stuff fairly neat, and is never around, this being the longest Kya has seen her this week. She really only hovers near the shared areas when she’s drunk, or just really lonely. Lonely being the main reason, when she goes to the bar, she doesn’t normally come home. She still hasn’t said one word about the fallout with her only family, so soon after the devastating breakup of her air bending brother.
She was 20 when she finally left home. The loyal daughter assumed she would stay to ‘take care of’ her mother, for the spirits know how long. Two weeks later a nervously unsettled metal bender mentioned to Katara, if she knew if Lin was staying at the air temple, which she wasn’t. Her parents in turn asked Kya, and she found her two days later staying with an old school friend. Kya though Toph could’ve found her, but was too scared to confront Lin at that point. Kya just kicked out her last roommate, so it just worked out.
Well, except one night Lin got too trashed, soon after moving in. she didn’t say a thing, not even cry, just curled up in Kya’s bed and fell asleep against Kya in a weird moment of vulnerability. Lin was too embarrassed to comment, but Kya became her fierce, silent, protector from that point on.
It was nice not being the hot mess all the time.
Besides her one friend from school, Ming something, and her buddies on the force, whose boss is the great Toph Bei Fong, Kya was her only friend.
“Closed a pretty big case today, some of the guys invited me out for a bit, never hurts to start early,” Lin motioned towards the bottle, with a straight face.
Not really an answer. Kya was debating a response when Lin surprised her.
“Also, saw your brother. And his very pregnant wife.”
FUCK.
“Agreed.” Kya didn’t notice herself saying that out loud.
“Toph is also retiring, she announced that to the whole force today.” Lin paused, Kya felt her hurting.
“After the case officially closed.” Kya took a moment to soak all this in.
“How you holding up? Wait, was this all today?”
“It sure the fuck was.” Kya looked at Lin with big eyes, trying to gage her reaction. Lin in turn, was staring at her beer bottle with fierce intensity, both hands gripping the bottle, muscles taunt and rippling. This devastating sight was one Kya was itching to draw.
“I’m just so fucking tired of being the bleeding heart,” Lin confessed, still staring at the bottle. Kya was not prepared for the honesty, quite frankly.
“ …Gonna get my shit together, starting tonight. After I get rightfully trashed cause today was fucking terrible, just not in public anymore.” Lin finally looked up, and looked clear headed, and optimistic. Kya stared back impressed.
“Someone will need to be the new police chief.” Lin twitched with hurt, Kya noticed a slight physical change in how Lin held herself.
“You know, I caught that scumbag today, just Ping and I, and no one can say that my mother helped me, it was solid police work. And I took over training metal benders this year.” Kya was in shock, which how she was talking so honestly.
“What made you decide this, today?” Kya dared to ask.
“This, is my life.” Lin leaned back in her chair.
“I made my own decisions on how I wanted to live my life, and I’m going to just that. No more pitying myself for not having it all.”
She paused, looking at Kya with a poignant smile, really looking at her this time.
“We can’t really have it all, can we?” Kya smiled back, quite proud.
“No sir” Kya dodged a bottle cap, which lodged in the wall behind her, and even Lin chuckled, the tense atmosphere dissipated.
“…Is that your blood?” Kya point at the rumpled shirt. Lin shrugged.
“Come ‘ere” The grumpy metal bender swigged the rest of her beer, and placed it on the coffee table before throwing herself on the couch to be tended too. Kya grabbed the healing water, and lifted her shirt, finding some minor abrasions on a well-defined stomach. Easy peasy. Kya started to work, and they fell in a dreamy silence. Lin could never get fully comfortable during these sessions, so she started her abysmal version of small talk.
“So, how’s uh… your…” Kya let Lin struggle for a second, she does this when vulnerable, before responding,
“Long gone, we both knew that was all temporary. Left back to the north tribe actually.” Kya latest ‘friend’, as Lin called them, was just one of many girls in and out of Kya’s life. She never planned staying this long in one place, any ways.
She left the nest at 17 and haven’t been back until now, after that whole incident that left her a wanted woman in 14 earth provinces. Many reasons had her settled down for the time being, but in her head, she was hoping to save up some money, and go back to travel some of the lesser known corners of the world.
In the meantime, she’s enjoying her time here, there are a lot of very ‘open’ women here in the city. Lin knows, of course, but gets red in the ears any time they come around, or if she witnesses any evidence of their doing.
Kya sits back, admiring her work, and Lin scoots into a seated position, still red in the neckand hastily pulls down her dirty shirt. Kya slides back on the couch.
"Hey, when does Bumi get back?" Lin asks. A muffled huff, and them some silence.
"Um, the last letter he sent, he should be heading home by tomorrow, but you never know- you remember basic?"
"Mhmm, still need to patch up that hole."
"Well, it could always be worse- and hope whatever mission they stuck him on, made him too exhausted to start any more shit." Kya grabbed the pipe for another hit.
"Wait,” she paused. “If he told your family tomorrow, then knowing him, he'll be knocking-" Lin's interrupted by two loud bangs, and a deep voice boomed,
"THIS IS THE POLICE, OPEN UP!" Kya gaped at Lin, not moving.
"I AM a detective, after all." Lin looked offended.
……………………………………………………………………………