Home

 

The front door softly clicked shut, her hand still on the handle as she took a deep breath and looked around. The light to the living room was on while the rest of the apartment was bathed in darkness. With a goofy smile she shouted "I'm home!!~"

 

You nearly jumped off the couch when you heard the booming voice, an embarrassing squeak slipping past your lips. You shot up off the couch and ran towards the front door, hoping that none of this was a dream. You skidded to a stop just before running into the wall. And there she was, standing there with her arms wide open for you. You nearly launched yourself into her embrace, your arms wrapped tightly around her middle. "You're home early," you whispered, nuzzling your nose against her neck.

 

She hummed contently, giving your shoulders a little squeeze. Her weight felt heavier on you, as if she wasn't carrying her own weight. "Amber?" You called out softly, lifting your head to look at her. "Are you okay?" She hummed once more and flashed her signature smile. But this did nothing to tame your worries as she began to feel heavier.

 

Biting your lip you carried her the short distance to the couch and let her lie down. "You're burning up," you whispered as you leaned your forehead against hers. “You overworked yourself again… and just after recovering.” You smiled sadly, swiping your thumb slowly across the skin just below her eye. “When was the last time you had a decent nights sleep?” With a soft sigh you stood and walked over to the kitchen to get a bowl of cool water and a clean hand towel. Returning to Amber’s side you kneeled down on the floor and placed the bowl on the coffee table after wringing out the towel, letting the excess water fall back into the bowl. You placed the towel other forehead after clipping her bangs away from her face and kissed her cheek. You ran your fingers delicately through Amber’s hair, replacing the towel when it became warm. 

 

After some time Amber was still asleep so you decided to go make some soup for her for when she wakes up. You periodically went back to the living room to check on Amber as you cooked. You left the soup on the stove and covered the pot once it was done, thinking it’d be best to wake Amber and get her to take a warm bath since it was already late. Surprisingly she was sitting up and holding the towel to her forehead by the time you entered the living room. “Hey,” she said smiling, holding her arms open for you, much like she had done when she first walked in.

 

“Hey yourself,” you replied, sitting on the edge of the couch beside her with your arms wrapped around her shoulders. “Your fever is starting to come down," you whispered as you checked the thermometer you gave her.

 

“Sorry for worrying you,” Amber said softly, burying her nose into your neck. You sighed contently as she peppered small kisses along the side of your neck.

 

Pulling away gently you patted her back and took her hand in yours before standing. “Lets go take a bath.” With a nod she stood as well, letting the towel that was in her hand fall to the coffee table, and followed you down the hall. Amber slowly stripped out of her clothes while you filled the tub with water that was a little hotter than what was considered warm, adding in a couple drops of her favorite bubble bath. 

 

“Ready,” you said cheerfully as you stood up and took a step back. Turning around you find Amber wrapped up in her fluffy robe, her knees pulled close to her chest and a peaceful smile gracing her lips as she watched you. “What? Do I have something on my face?” You ducked your head, hoping she hadn’t seen the blush spending across your cheeks.

 

“Join me,” Amber whispered, her arms wrapped around your waist, her lips pressed against the junction between your neck and shoulder, the robe loosely hanging on her shoulders. She left no room for discussion; her hands already busy tugging down your sweatpants and to pool around your ankles. With a soft chuckle you stepped out of them and pulled your t-shirt over your head, glad that you had taken off your bra when you got home from work.

 

You both slipped into the tub, lowering yourselves into the steamy water. Amber sighed blissfully, leaning her head back against your shoulder as you wrapped your arms around her middle. “This feels nice,” she hummed. She scooped up a handful of bubbles and blew on them, watching as they danced in the air momentarily before descending once more.

 

“You’re cute,” you chuckled, giving her a playful squeeze.

 

“I’m glad I’m home.”

 

“I’m glad you’re home too.”

 

“I missed you, you know.”

 

“I missed you more.”

 

Amber nodded thoughtfully, turning her body slightly to see you better. “It must get lonely around here when I’m away for long periods of time.” Now it was your turn to nod. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She maneuvered her arm in your hold to pull you in by the shoulder. She kissed the top of your head and continued, “I wish I wasn’t away so much. I wish I didn’t have to leave you here by yourself so often. Sometimes, I wish I wasn’t an idol."

 

You both sat there in comfortable silence for a few moments before you shook your head, her words finally beginning to sink in. “It’s not your fault. You love what you do and I admire that about you. I’ve gotten greedy with all the attention you gave me when you weren’t promoting.” You chuckled softly, shaking your head again. “Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Now that I don’t see you as often, it just makes times like these even more special… And even though there are times where you hate the idol life, doesn’t the sea of smiles you bring to your fans, the confidence, the happiness you give them make up for it?”

 

With a smile Amber leaned in, pressing her lips softly against your own. Your eyes flutter shut as you tilt your head upwards, letting the kiss deepen. Her lips moved languidly against yours, as if you both had all the time in the world. When you both pulled away to breathe you looked into each other’s eyes with cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. You pecked Amber's lips once more, gaining a light giggle from the female. 

 

You smiled and reached for the shampoo, squirting some of the product into the palm of your hand and motioning for Amber to turn around. She shook her head and took the bottle from you, squeezing out some shampoo as well. She rubbed the product into your scalp, her fingers moving in small circles. Amber nudged you with her knee, raising an eyebrow as you sat there nearly motionless. A new blush spreads over your cheeks as you cough under your breath and move to start washing Amber’s hair.

 

“Short hair seems way easier to manage,” you mumbled. Amber nods and things fall into a comfortable silence again. Words weren’t always need to convey feelings or tell stories. You both had grown to understand each other in ways you hadn’t expected. You could read each other like an open book.

 

Once the water began to cool you both stepped out, wrapped in towels and headed back to your bedroom. Amber lay curled at your side, her head resting against your chest and your arm around her shoulder. You faintly felt the patterns she drew across your towel covered stomach. With a chuckle you take her wrist and bring it up to your lips and nip at the skin there. She chuckles and tugs away both of your towels, letting them drop to the floor after she is successful of freeing them. “You’ll get sick with that wet towel around you, you know.” You hummed in agreement, your eyes slipping shut as you mumbled for her to rest after such a long day. She shook her head freed herself from your grasp, leaving you feeling cold. You pouted your lips and grunted softly, goose bumps beginning to rise on your skin. “Dry your hair first missy,” Amber teased playfully as she crawled away from you to go find the hair dryer.

 

Finding the blasted machinery, Amber plugged it into the wall socket and flipped the switch on. The warm air that washed over her face felt nice in comparison to the slightly chilly bedroom. Her hair was done rather quickly, left it to be styled at some other time during her stay. She turned around to face the bed, expecting to see you still lying on your side, but you weren’t there. 

 

“Boo,” you whispered softly beside her ear. She quickly spun around with a squeak to see you biting your lip in an attempt to silence the giggles bubbling in your throat. You wrapped your arms around her shoulders, pulling her into yet another hug. You can feel her lips turned down in that adorable pout Amber just doesn’t use often enough. She lightly hit your back, mumbling something along the lines of “you’re mean” and “that wasn’t nice”. You chuckled softly, combing through her blonde hair to get out the knots left behind.

 

Pushing you away once more, Amber shoved the hair dryer in your hands before shuffling back to the bed to hide herself under the covers. Not wanting to keep her waiting too long you quickly dried your hair, not caring if there were patches that weren’t fully dry yet. You hopped under the covers after turning off the lights, letting your body drape across her curled form to press a kiss to her nose before settling behind her, your body fitting snuggly against her own. Her hand covered your own, pulling it away from her waist to kiss your fingertips before letting them return to their original position. 

 

“Goodnight, love.” you both whispered in unison before silence blanketed the cozy room.