Chapter Five

He smiled at her softly, letting her touch pull him back to the bed. He sat next to her and she leaned against him, hugging onto his arm with hers. She rested her head on his shoulder softly, a small and hardly noticeable smile on her face. "Bumi, stay here. Please?" she asked, glancing up at him.

Bumi looked back at her, "There's nowhere I'd rather be…" He took his hand and cupped her cheek, lightly running his thumb across her scars. She had originally been a little self-conscious of them, but Bumi had always loved them. They weren't a flaw, like she had thought; they were one of the things that made her even more unique. He leaned his head down slightly, his beard grazing her opposite cheek, and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.

He held onto her cheek for a moment longer before he took his hand away and grabbing the blankets, pulling them over himself as well. He slowly breathed and she gently rubbed her face onto his shoulder, squeezing his arm. It was a childish feeling to her, but he made her feel safe. She could handle anything – and had – but even with that, she felt secure when she was with him. Holding him or being held by him, it didn't matter.

Her finger traced along his bicep, and she quietly sighed. She nuzzled him, breathing in his scent. He had put on cologne earlier, she could tell. He didn't really care too much for it, but did it as part of a routine. After retirement, his routine had fallen to shambles. The structure was what he needed, and without it he grew fat and lazy. But once he became a bender, structure started to come back. And when he and Lin got together? It made the structure even stronger. With him not caring for cologne, it was just another thing he could have in that morning routine that made him feel normal – not to mention it was a gift from Lin, and that she enjoyed the way it smelled.

Lin kissed his shoulder lightly, slowly breathing. He craned his head to the side, his cheek resting on the top of hers. "I love you…" he whispered.

She kissed his shoulder again, "I love you too." She released his arm, but only to slip under it and put her arms around his waist. He leaned back against the headboard and pillows, which in turn caused her to lay her head on his chest, looking up at him. Bumi's hand moved up to her head and brushed a misplaced hair out of her face, tucked behind her ear. He stroked her hair slowly, feeling the smooth texture of every strand that touched his fingertips.

He stopped with her hair, moving his hand down to her shoulder then back, he felt his wrist graze the edge of the tape which kept her bandage in place. Bumi slowly rubbed her back, his hand rising and falling with her steadily slowing breath. He looked into her vibrant green eyes, seeing so much in them. Pain, loss, sadness – yes, all there – but also a kindness. A kindness which most people overlooked when they think of Lin. A determination and loyalty that nearly cost her her life on more than one occasion.

Even with some different personality traits, those same qualities were in Bumi's eyes as well. Their personalities both covered up the hurt, but it was there. But with them together, they didn't see that in each other's eyes anymore. They were there for each other no matter what. They had both been wounded, and the love they had for each other was what healed those wounds.

He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her he loved her again for no reason besides that drive he had to tell her always, but nothing came from his lips. He smiled, seeing that she had closed her eyes long ago and drifted to sleep. With care, he took hold of the blanket and gently pulled it up to cover her back and shoulders. His head tilted back, resting against the headboard. He thought of her; her spirit, her beauty, her perfectness. With those final thoughts, a smile on his face, his eyes closed and he slipped into a slumber.