Hot to the Touch
"That's right folks, this is the hottest day in nearly 150 years! The weather is only going to get hotter, so try and stay cool as best as possible! Yue Bay Beach is packed, and so is Air Temple Island. Water is being distributed by the Air Acolytes around the city, just look for the flashing signs. In other news: President Raiko announced today that-"
The knob turned off, cutting off the rest of the broadcast. Lin turned her head back from the radio, letting her hand fall back to the side of her chair after bending the radio off. It was already 106° Fahrenheit, and it was only 11 in the morning. By 3, the weather forecast had the heat pushing 115°F. Lin was in her tank-top and underwear, it was too hot for anything else, but was still sweating profusely.
"Did we get any ice the other day?" Bumi asked from the kitchen, in nothing but his underwear, his shirt had soaked through with perspiration not even an hour after he put it on that morning.
"Uh… I think they rationed it so we got less than normal. Thank your brother for that brilliant idea…" Lin replied, leaning back in her chair. She crossed her arms over her chest but after a moment that became too uncomfortable and she went back to having them hang over the armrests.
"I'll check…" he walked over to the ice box and popped it open slightly, peeking inside as to keep most of the cold in. The ice they had delivered was still in there, but it was miniscule. "Oh, screw it…" he said as he opened the box the rest of the way. "We should really think about getting one of those Varrickators. The ones that… what was the word on the ad?"
"Refrigerate." she finished his thought.
"Yeah, whatever. That." he picked up the ice and turned to set it on the table. It was already melting, beads of water rolling off it slowly. "How in the… How do I use this…?" he mused aloud, thinking of how to use the ice best. He took out a few glasses from the cabinet and set them there, debating what to do.
He finally bent down to look in the lower cabinet, taking out a bottle of whiskey from their liquor supply. Bumi cracked the seal and poured a generous amount in each glass. Placing the bottle back, he looked through the drawer for something to break up the ice. Grabbing a handful of odds and ends from it, he went to work with trying to get a few chunks to break off. The knife was a terrible idea, the blade skipping and nearly gashing his hand open. Same with the corkscrew.
A pan smashed down from over his shoulder, crashing onto the ice repeatedly. He looked up and smiled, Lin's hand slightly moving as she bent the metal of the pan. He held up his hand and grabbed the pan, "I think it's dead, Lin." He chuckled as he set the pan back, Lin smiling slightly as she laid her head back on the chair back once again.
The ice was smashed beyond repair, shards of all different shapes and sizes on the counter. He scooped up a few and plunked them into each glass. Bumi walked over and handed one to Lin after placing the extra ice back into the ice box. He sat down next to her on the couch instead of the other chair. "Cheers." Lin said softly, raising the glass and nodding her head before taking a sip.
Bumi nodded, raising his glass slightly as well. He sighed into it and then took a sip, the liquid having cooled from the ice. The heat was ridiculous, the ice shrinking in size quickly. "Today reminds me of this one time in the Fire Nation where I-"
Lin's lips pressed to his and his eyes widened. She kissed him for a few moments before breaking the kiss and looking into his eyes sweetly, "I don't care, honey… It's too hot for a story about being hot."
"Fair enough. Point taken." he smiled, taking another sip of his drink. She never called him by a nickname unless she really meant whatever she was saying – for good or bad. He learned that the hard way, so he just went with whatever it was that she'd say after a 'sweetie' or 'honey'. Bumi smiled, sitting back on the couch and readjusting himself so he was for the most part lying down. "Then… what do you want to talk about?" he smirked.
"I don't know… something cold. How's your mother and sister?" she asked, since Katara and Kya were luckily in the Southern Water Tribe instead of Republic City. "At least they don't have to endure this torture…"
"I haven't spoken to them in a few weeks. Mom said something about going on a vacation for awhile with Kya for some 'girl time'. Whatever that means…" he took another sip of his drink. He got an idea and airbent softly at Lin, a little wave of wind wisping across her face, slightly disturbing her hair. She looked at him for a moment and smiled.
"You take after Uncle Sokka… The meat and ideas guy…" she chuckled at the story he had told all of them when they were young and Bumi let out a laugh. He continued to push a small amount of air towards her for awhile, "Bumi, you don't have to keep doing that for me…" she said, still after their time together embarrassed that he did little things like that for her just because he could.
"I know I don't have to… I want to." he replied as a small blush crept up on Lin's cheeks. He pushed himself up on his forearm and lightly kissed her cheek. Lin rarely blushed, but when she did he found it to be one of the most perfect sights to see in the entire world. He kept the slight breeze blowing for quite some time, the small amount of air barely costing him any energy to maintain. He went to take another sip of his drink but found it to be empty. The ice had shrunk down to the size of a ping pong ball by now, and clanged the bottom of the glass when it slid as he set the glass on the coffee table.
Lin sighed quietly. She had taken the day off, as had much of the department, because of the heat and having to wear metal armor would have literally killed them. Luckily, the intense heat prevented most crime. Whenever there was a heat wave crime plummeted until it lifted. The most calls the station would receive would be calls for aid for someone who had passed out from heat stroke or dehydration. She saw no point in even having anyone on if they could instead be home and safe.
Bumi was tempted to get up to refill his glass but figured it wasn't worth the effort. He took the ice out of his glass and rested it on his forehead, "Ohhhh yeah…" he said to himself. Lin looked and saw what he was doing, the ice melting on his face as he rubbed it around. She went back to sipping at her drink she had nearly forgotten she was holding. When she wasn't looking, a cold patch suddenly appeared on her neck and she flinched from the contact. She looked to see Bumi had sacrificed his ice for her, instead of using it on himself he was slowly rubbing it across her neck – goosebumps following the small trail of water it left in its wake as it melted.
She shivered slightly from the feeling, not that it had cooled her so much as it had been such a tender and loving thing, even if it appeared like a small action to anyone else. He slid the ice up to just under her ear and then to the back of her neck along her hairline. She breathed slowly, the feeling making her breath somewhat shaky. The ice reached the other side of her neck, the side facing away from Bumi, his forearm behind her neck. Lin rested her head back on his arm, his hand and wrist turning slightly to continue moving.
Then she felt his lips on her neck, kissing that same spot under her ear that the ice had been not long before, and she melted like the frozen water in the heat. Lin let out a small sigh and her head turned so he could easily continue. He did exactly that, kissing her neck and jaw, water picking up from what was left behind from the ice onto his lips to be then again transferred to her jaw and cheek.
"Bumi… it's too hot for that today…" she smirked, finally turning her head slightly to look at him. All that did was make him kiss her on the lips, the last of the water on his adhering to hers. He maintained the kiss softly, his hand absentmindedly letting the ice slip from his fingers onto her shoulder. It was caught by her collarbone, slowly sliding down it and under her shirt. She pulled back from the kiss briefly, "You gonna get that?" she smiled with a gleam in her eye.