The Mimicking Game
For
Bumi came home after grabbing some groceries for the week to hear Lin in the other room, talking on the phone it seemed. He walked in, finding her to be nowhere near the phone, but actually for once doing chores. She had a duster in one hand and – was that an apron? He couldn't believe his eyes as she went about and, admittedly poorly, dusted. But then he heard what she was saying to herself.
"Hey Linny-poo did I ever tell you about the time I wrestled fifteen platypus bears with nothing on me but two gallons of liniment oil? Or the time I sailed my ship straight up at a 90̊ angle until I ran into my uncle's old girlfriend? Life is wonderful!" she kept going on about him until he coughed and made her jump slightly.
"Hey Lin. The world's awful, I hate my job. I wish I could just have everyone figure it out so I wouldn't have to but if you want something done right you have to do it yourself, am I right or am I right? I'm right and if you don't think so then you're wrong." He walked quickly over to the counter and set down the groceries before walking out to her.
"Bumi I was just-"
"Can it."
"Oh Bumi-bear why don't you come here and give me a big kiss?" she puckered her lips emphatically while still trying to hide a smile at how he didn't get upset, but just went with her little shenanigan. Lin walked over to him and threw her arms around his torso, pulling him tight and pressing kisses all over his face while he stood there without any expression.
"I am hard, like the metal I bend. Emotion is weakness. And since I'm the chief I cannot be weak in any way." Lin started laughing that hearty laugh that Bumi normally did, mouth wide as she literally slapped her knee. Bumi just looked at her, having just the corner of his mouth tighten to show a small amount of a smile.
"I love you so much." she kissed him with fervor and received slight reciprocation from him, but it was nowhere near what their norm was.
"I love you too." he said when the kiss broke, his hands going into her hair like hers normally did to his. Lin poorly hid a frown at her hair being made a mess, but she didn't want to be the one to end this little game that they were playing.
Her hair now thoroughly messed up, he pulled her back into a more passionate kiss for a few moments. Soon enough one of their stomachs decided it was time for lunch – or perhaps it was both. "I'll make something, my famous sushi a la me, which I perfected when I was stationed in this one water tribe village and there was this one guy who was sweet on me and taught me all this stuff and…" she continued to talk as she walked over to the groceries and grabbed some of the things he had purchased.
Without missing a beat, she opened them up and began to prepare a meal, something she had not once done in all the months they had been together. Bumi was skeptical about it at first, but he wasn't going to be the first one to break character for this. With a determined look he went over and watched, secretly surprised at how well she was doing as she took what he had bought and made something that not only was edible, but looked appetizing as well.
"Voila, sushi a la Lin" she boasted as she brought a piece up to his lips to try – as he often did to her whenever he made something. He mimicked the look she always gave in return before slowly opening his mouth to taste it. And lo and behold, it wasn't bad at all.
"Lin, where've you been hiding this away at? Something from me rub off on you?" he mentally chastised himself as he was the first to break, her surprising him enough to make him temporarily forget what they were doing. "…monkey feathers…" he uttered under his breath as she smiled widely.
"I win." she poked his chest.
"It wasn't even a game!" he countered, putting his hands into the air and rolling his eyes.
She shrugged, "It was to me. And I won." Lin picked up a piece of her creation and popped it into her mouth, "And wouldn't you like to know? You don't know all there is to know about me, Bumi." She grinned, grabbing a couple small plates to share the meal with him.
"Oh? Well at least there's one thing I know…" he said quietly as he came up behind her just after she grabbed the plates and set them down.
"Yeah? And what's tha-?" she was cut off with a burst of laughter when his hands went directly to where she was ticklish, he had known about it since they were kids, and was fully willing to exploit it if he wanted to get some information. "Ok! OK! I've known how to cook all along!" she breathily said as the tickling wound down.
"Really?" he raised a brow, genuinely curious about that little morsel of knowledge.
"Really. I've known for years, since before I even joined the force…" Lin admitted, not one to boast about anything she knew or accomplished.
Bumi kissed her cheek, "Well there's something you don't know about me."
It was Lin's turn for a brow to raise. "And what's that, pray tell?"
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world."
