Work Text:
Kat climbed the stairs to the attic of the cabin, hoping to get some inspiration to finish the poem she was working on.
Speaking of inspiration, she thought as she saw Autumn sitting on the ledge, looking down at the lake. She turned her head at the creak of the top step and smiled at Kat, short circuiting a quantifiable portion of the poet’s brain.
“Hey. Come to see the shenanigans?”
“The what?”
Autumn patted the wood next to her and gestured towards the lake.
“Swann and Nor are playing ‘Marco, Polo’ and it's going exactly like you think it is.”
Kat sat and watched as Swann, a bandana tied around her eyes, reached out in vain to find Nora, who had slipped behind her. Nora moved silently until she was right on top of Swann, then whispered something in her ear before dropping into the water. Swann, blushing enough that the onlookers at the cabin could tell, spun around too late to catch her.
Autumn lowered her hand to the wood floor and leaned back, her fingers gently resting against the side of Kat’s hand. Kat, for her part, tried desperately to think of a way to keep their hands touching while also being able to write in her notebook, but was forced to give up the idea and reluctantly moved her hand.
After several more minutes, Swann finally managed to grab ahold of Nora’s sleeve, although to a casual observer it was clear that Nora had decided to surrender. Swann tore the bandana off, laughing in victory as Nora took both her hands and raised them in celebration, stepping close enough that she could give Swann a peck on the nose.
Swann, in a split second moment of courage, leaned in and kissed Nora, pulling back almost instantly as she blushed as red as a sunset. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Nora grabbed her face in both hands and returned the kiss with gusto.
“Woah, I never thought Swann would be the one to take the initiative,” Kat said, watching as the two fell backwards into the water, still kissing.
“I’ve been wondering when she would, honestly,” Autumn said. “Nora’s a flirty horndog, but she told me a couple of days ago that she didn't want to make Swann feel pressured into anything. Her plan was to make sure Swann knew that she was ok with whatever, and wait for her to take the chance.”
The newly minted couple emerged from the water and, hand in hand, started walking up the path to Fawn's Rest.
“Take the chance, huh?” Kat said softly.
Surprised to hear an unfamiliar tone of shyness in the usually brash poet’s voice, Autumn turned her head in time to see blonde bangs flying at her face right before a pair of lips crashed into hers.
Her first thought was that Kat’s lips were softer than she would have thought. She could taste cherry chapstick, and could feel a tremble running through her small friend’s body.
After a few seconds, Kat pulled away. To all the world, she would have looked slightly off balance, but Autumn could tell she was panicking on the inside and trying to keep it together.
“I…I’m sorry. I shouldn't have done that,” Kat whispered, standing to go back downstairs, but Autumn gently took her hand.
“Hey, it’s ok,” Autumn said, pulling her back down to sit with her. She gently kissed Kat’s hand and smiled at her.
“I’m sorry, I was just overcome by something and I”
“You took a chance,” Autumn said, squeezing her hand and leaning close. “And I’m glad you did.” She gave Kat a kiss that was the polar opposite of their first. That had been impulsive, fueled by the heat of the moment and the desire to give in to a long denied urge. This was gentle, coaxing, one hand softly cupping Kat’s face, the other holding her hand, intertwining their fingers.
When Autumn finally pulled away, Kat remained frozen, lips puckered, eyes closed, as if her brain hadn't quite caught up to recent events. The small part of her higher brain function that was still actively engaged decided that this must be what getting struck by lightning must feel like.
Her eyes still closed, Kat tried in vain to form a sentence.
“I…I…”
“That’s my beautiful poet,” Autumn said with a smile, taking pity on her and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“I…I…”
“Hey, what’s going on up there?” Nora called from the main floor.
“More or less the same thing that happened on the beach,” Autumn said as Kat suddenly blinked rapidly, shaking her head as if clearing cotton fuzz from her brain.
“There she is,” she said, holding Kat’s hand firmly yet gently. “Welcome back,” she said, kissing Kat’s knuckles and pulling her to her feet so they could go downstairs.
“You knew.” It wasn't a question. Now sitting at the table in Autumn’s corner of the cabin, Kat decided to engage Autumn in conversation to avoid having her brain rebooted with each kiss they shared. This task was made harder by the knowledge that Nora and Swann were making out only a few feet away.
“For a couple of weeks now. You’re a bit less subtle than I expected you to be, honestly. Truth be told, I thought you were crushing on Swann, until I realized how often you asked me to walk out here with you.”
“Yeah…I admit, I kinda had a thing for her for a little while there.” Swann's head turned so fast she almost cracked her neck, but Nora landed a well placed kiss on her throat, pulling her attention away from their conversation. “Once I knew she was head over heels for Nora, I backed off. I started hanging with you more to give those two some space, and along the way…I guess at some point I realized what was happening.”
Autumn smiled, nearly causing Kat’s knees to buckle. “Tell me?”
“You're so kind, and caring. I feel…safe with you, safer than I’ve ever felt before. I know you would never do anything to hurt me.” She took a deep breath. “Beyond that, you’re just so cool. Effortlessly awesome. You keep a level head no matter what’s going on, but I can see how passionate you are, too. You care about everything and everyone.”
Kat tentatively reached for Autumn’s hand, who took hers without hesitation.
“I…I can’t bring myself to say that I…love you. Not that I don’t feel something for you, obviously, but, I just don't know what love feels like, so before I say anything, I want to be sure.”
“I understand. That’s a big feeling, and I totally get that you would need some time before you can vocalize it, especially if that’s how you feel about me.”
Swann disentangled herself from Nora long enough to shout, “Tell her a poem!” before returning her attention to the feisty rebel sitting in her lap.
Kat smiled, realizing that Swann was, as always, perfectly right. She closed her eyes and let Emily Dickinson speak for her.
“My River runs to thee—
Blue Sea! Wilt welcome me?
My River wait reply—
Oh Sea—look graciously—
I’ll fetch thee Brooks
From spotted nooks—
Say—Sea—Take Me!”
Autumn had never read Emily Dickinson before she met Kat, but had checked out a book of her poetry earlier that summer to check it out. She recognized the poem, which had been one that she’d particularly liked when she had been reading the book. She returned Kat’s shy smile and the two stood in peaceful silence for a moment before Kat sighed, a soft sound that was heavy with emotion.
Kat tightened her grip on Autumn’s hand. “There's…there's something I should tell you. Something important.”
Autumn sat silently, giving her space.
“I don't want to tell you, though. I’m…I’m scared it may change things.”
Autumn gently kissed her hand. “You can tell me when you are comfortable. I would never ask you to do something that makes you unhappy, and nothing you tell me will affect our friendship, or anything else that’s between us.”
“If this is as real as it feels, you deserve to know. So do they,” she gestures vaguely towards the couple who was very energetically sucking face in front of the fire. “I was going to tell you all eventually, but tonight changed things.”
Autumn saw that she was starting to stress out and held her hands tight.
“I can tell this is something big, and I hate that it's eating at you like this. I trust that you’ll tell me when you're ready. Until then, if it's easier to wait, then you can wait.”
“How about I see how I’m feeling in the morning and go from there?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said, staring into Kat’s sapphire eyes like she had a hundred times before, and seeing the girl of her dreams just like she had every time. “What do you want to do until then?”
“Can I kiss you again?” Kat asked, barely above a whisper.
“If I ever say no to that question, I’ve been replaced by a body snatcher,” Autumn said as she closed the distance between them.