Night Peril

The Ash of the Home that I Started the Fire In

The sun shined through Kya's eyes as she blinked them open. She felt the sheet under her fingertips and the blanket still pulled up to her shoulders. She looked at the nightstand and saw the glass of water she had gotten in the middle of the night.

She rolled over to her back and turned her head to the side to look at the woman lying next to her, who her been holding her by the stomach the whole night. Even after Kya had gotten up, Lin's arm was around her the second she got back in to bed. Kya thought she looked beautiful. The way her hair fell over her face, how the sunlight hit her skin, the small snoring sounds she made every once in a while, she thought all of her was just breath taking.

Then Kya remembered how she acted the previous night. It wasn't like she could blame it on the alcohol, she only had a few sips from the glass. She acted stupid and embarrassed herself for no other reason than self-pity. Self-pity and the fact that she's wanted to kiss Lin again for so long now.

Kya slowly removed Lin's arm from her waist and sat up. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and picked her phone up. As she checked for new messages, the rhythmic sound of her ring tone started going off, surprising her. 

Kya quickly answered it and looked behind her, hoping the noise didn't wake Lin any. "Hello?" She held the phone to her ear as she stood up. She checked behind her one more time as she left the room, taking a mental picture of Lin Beifong peacefully sleeping in her bed.

"Hey, are you busy today?" It was Bumi. Kya shook her head, even though she knew her brother couldn't see it, "No, I'm free. Lin offered me to put my clothes away in her room so I wouldn't have to keep digging through my suitcases, but I can always do that tomorrow." She answered.

She heard Bumi let out a little chuckle, "Movin' in, are you?" he joked.

Kya rolled her eyes as she walked into the kitchen, "Oh shut up. I'm only staying here temporarily. Mom said something about Tenzin and Pema looking for their own place, so I'll probably stay with her eventually until I decide to travel again." She said, opening the top of the coffee machine.

"You're gonna travel again?" Bumi said, slightly surprised. Kya furrowed her brows, putting in a filter and filling it with coffee grounds, "Yeah, why wouldn't I?" She asked.

"Just thought you and Lin were getting comfy together." Bumi said.

"What do you mean by that? Together? We're not together." Kya filled the coffee pot with water. 

"Well, you're not not together, right?" Bumi said in a teasing voice.

Kya let out a small sigh. He had a point, but Kya wasn't going to tell him that, "It's nothing like that, Bumi," she said, not believing in her own statement.

Bumi let out a small hum, "Right... So then what're you doing right now?"

Kya stopped pouring the water into the back of the coffee machine. She looked at the coffee grounds in the filter, and bit the inside of her cheek, "Making Lin's coffee..." she said quietly. "What was that?" Kya could hear the smile on his face.

"I'm making Lin's coffee like I've done every morning since being here because she's letting me stay here for free, asshole." Kya said. "You know how to make her coffee?" Bumi kept pestering.

"Yeah, she made it one morning like forever ago and-" Kya stopped.

After a long pause, Bumi spoke up again, "You remembered how to make her coffee?"

"Is there a reason you called, or did you just want to be annoying?" Kya changed the subject. Bumi made a snorting laugh at Kya's deflection. After he stopped laughing, he stayed quiet for a moment. "Yeah, there is a reason. Mom wanted you to come to the island for breakfast." He said.