Ling's gaze lingered on the tattoo still etched on Rhea's hip her name in that permanent script, a secret mark that made Ling's chest tighten with possession.
"You're beautiful, even yucky," Ling murmured, tracing the tattoo lightly with her fingertip, drawing a shiver from Rhea.
"You know," Ling said, tone teasing but gentle, "most people don't try to destroy their entire life and dignity in one night."
Rhea pouted instantly. "I said I wanted to ruin myself properly."
Ling clicked her tongue. "You skipped the 'survive it' part."
That earned a soft laugh from Rhea, followed by another wave of tears that came without warning.
Ling didn't tease then.
"You're not embarrassed of me," Rhea murmured, more statement than question.
Ling's answer came without hesitation.
"Never."
She guided her under the warm cascade of the shower first, letting the water rinse away the evidence, her hands soaping up Rhea's shoulders, down her back, careful and tender.
Rhea leaned into the touch, eyes half-closed, a contented hum escaping her.
Warm water filled the space with a quiet hush, steam curling around them like a cocoon that shut the world out.
Ling kept one arm steady around Rhea's waist, grounding her, the other adjusting the water carefully. Every movement was deliberate practiced control hiding worry beneath it.
Rhea squinted up at her, hair damp, lashes clumped together.
"You're staring," she accused sleepily.
Ling arched a brow. "I'm supervising."
Rhea scoffed. "Bossy."
"Correct."
Rhea laughed a small, hiccuped sound and tried to splash water at Ling with uncoordinated fingers. Most of it missed.
Ling smirked. "Is that an attack?"
"Yes," Rhea said proudly. "A dangerous one."
Ling leaned in slightly, lowering her voice. "Terrifying."
Rhea narrowed her eyes, offended again. "Don't mock me."
Ling tilted her head, letting their noses brush softly, just once.
"My angry woman," she murmured, teasing threaded with something tender.
Rhea froze.
Then her face scrunched up. "I'm not angry."
Ling hummed. "You're always angry."
"I'm passionate," Rhea corrected, poking Ling's shoulder weakly. "There's a difference."
Ling laughed under her breath, the sound vibrating close. "Sure there is."
Rhea leaned forward suddenly, resting her forehead against Ling's collarbone, the fight draining out of her all at once.
"I hate nights like this," she whispered. "When everything spills."
Ling didn't tease then.
She adjusted her hold, thumb drawing slow, grounding circles at Rhea's side. "I know."
Rhea sniffed. "You're not leaving after this, right?"
Ling brushed damp hair back from Rhea's face, careful, reverent.
"No," she said simply. "I'm right here."
Rhea sighed, eyes fluttering shut, then peeked up again with a crooked smile.
"…You smell like body wash now."
Ling deadpanned, "High praise."
Rhea giggled, the sound soft and loose, finally lighter than it had been all night.
She was still very much drunk.
It showed in the way her head lolled slightly against the tiled wall, in how her fingers kept slipping from Ling's wrist only to grab it again like she was afraid it might disappear.
She squinted at Ling through the steam.
"You're… you're too tall," she complained, words soft, blurred at the edges.
Ling smiled faintly. "I've always been."
Rhea shook her head slowly, as if that was deeply unfair. "No. You grew. On purpose."
She poked Ling's chest with weak accusation. "Just to… intimidate me."
Ling leaned in, letting their noses brush again, brief and gentle.
"My angry woman see I told you," she murmured, amused.
Rhea gasped dramatically. "Don't— don't call me that."
Then, immediately contradicting herself, she added, quieter, "Call me that again."
Ling chuckled under her breath.
Rhea's eyes half-closed as warm water slid over her shoulders. "You know…" she said slowly, syllables stretching, "…I hate everyone here."
Ling raised an eyebrow. "Everyone?"
Rhea nodded with great seriousness. "Everyone except you."
She paused, thinking hard. "And Dadi. Dadi's… chaotic but cute."
Ling laughed softly.
Rhea lifted a finger again, wobbly. "And Mira."
Her face scrunched. "No. I hate her. Forget that part."
"Noted," Ling said dryly.
Rhea leaned forward suddenly, forehead bumping lightly into Ling's shoulder. "You didn't leave," she mumbled. "I thought you would. Everyone leaves when I'm… messy."
Ling's teasing faded.
She slid a hand more securely around Rhea's waist, anchoring her. "I'm here."
Rhea sniffed, then laughed weakly. "You're stuck now. I peed on your bed."
Ling huffed a laugh despite herself. "You really know how to ruin my reputation."
Rhea tilted her head back to look at her, eyes glossy, unfocused but honest.
"You still like me," she said, not asking.
Ling didn't answer right away.
She just leaned in again, brushed their noses once more, slower this time, grounding rather than playful.
Rhea smiled lazily. "There. That thing."
She waved her hand between their faces. "That's mine."
Ling shook her head fondly. "You're impossible when you're drunk."
Rhea yawned mid-sentence. "Mm. But honest."
Her words slurred together. "Don't let me go back to hating you when I'm sober."
Ling's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"We'll deal with sober you later," she said quietly. "Right now, you just need to stand."
Rhea nodded like that was a monumental task. "Standing is… very hard."
Ling adjusted the water, guided her gently, never rushing, never letting go listening to every broken, childish sentence like it mattered.
Because it did.
Once Rhea was clean, Ling eased her into the tub, the water steaming and fragrant with bubbles.
She stepped behind the glass partition quickly, washing herself with efficient strokes soap lathering over her breasts, down her stomach, between her thighs before slipping back into her briefs and sports bra, the wet fabric translucent against her skin.
Sliding into the tub behind Rhea, she pulled her close, Rhea's back against her chest, legs splayed around her.
Rhea melted into the embrace immediately, her hands roaming lazily fingers brushing over Ling's abs, then higher, grazing the undersides of her breasts through the bra.
"Mmm... you feel so strong," she slurred, twisting to nuzzle Ling's neck. Their lips met in a slow, sloppy kiss, tongues tangling messily, Rhea's breath hitching as Ling's arms wrapped around her waist.
Pulling back just enough, Rhea's eyes sparkled with curiosity, her voice small and whiny. "Why do you always wear briefs and bra in front of me? Even when we're like this... all naked and stuff?"
Ling smiled, pressing a kiss to Rhea's shoulder. "Some secrets are for later."
But at Rhea's insistent pout, she relented partially, unhooking the bra and letting it float away in the water. Her perky breasts rose free, nipples hardening in the humid air, and over her left one, Rhea's name tattooed in delicate lines a mirror to Rhea's hand writing.
The same one Rhea once made on Ling's heart.
Rhea's eyes lit up, a drunken squeal escaping as she turned in the tub, water sloshing. "Oh! My name... it's real?" She leaned in without hesitation, lips brushing the tattoo softly, then kissing it fully open-mouthed, tongue flicking over the ink and the sensitive skin around her nipple.
Ling gasped, her hand threading into Rhea's wet hair, holding her there as the sensation shot straight to her core.
"Ah... yeah, baby, it's yours." Ling breathed, her voice rough. Rhea's kisses grew bolder, sucking lightly on the peak, drawing a low moan from Ling's throat.
"What about the briefs?" Rhea mumbled against her skin, one hand dipping lower, fingers toying with the waistband under the water.
Ling caught her wrist gently, chuckling through the haze of pleasure. "I'll tell you about that too... but not now. Later, when you're sober and begging for the story."
Rhea huffed childishly, pouting again, but nodded. "Ok... fine. But kiss me more."
She turned fully, straddling Ling's lap in the tub, their bodies slick and pressing close.
Their mouths crashed together, kisses deep and hungry, Rhea's hands roaming freely now over Ling's shoulders, down her sides, nails scraping lightly.
Ling's palms slid up Rhea's back, then lower, cupping her ass under the water, squeezing just enough to elicit a whimper.
"Mmm, Ling... ," Rhea whined, her voice high and needy, grinding down instinctively.
She grabbed Ling's hand from her waist, guiding it forward between her thighs. "Here... "
Ling hesitated, her fingers brushing Rhea's clit under the warm water. "You're drunk, Rhea. We shouldn't—"
But Rhea pushed harder, arching her back with a desperate moan, her free hand clutching Ling's shoulder. "I want it! Don't stop... ah!" Her body trembled, eyes glassy with intoxication and desire.
Ling's resolve cracked at the plea, her finger circling the swollen nub slowly at first, then pressing firmer.
Rhea's head fell back, a string of moans spilling out soft and breathy, turning into childish gasps. "Yes... like that, oh god, Ling... more..."
Ling leaned in, capturing Rhea's nipple between her teeth, nipping gently before soothing with her tongue.
Her other hand pinched the opposite breast, rolling the peak until Rhea squirmed, water splashing around them. "You feel so good... so wet for me, even in the tub."
Rhea's hips bucked, her moans growing louder, uninhibited in her drunken state.
"Bite harder... ah! Yes, pinch it—ow, but good ow!" She laughed through a sob, the sensations overwhelming her like a game, tears mixing with the bathwater on her cheeks.
Ling obliged, her mouth alternating between sucking and biting, teeth grazing just enough to sting sweetly.
Her finger curled inside Rhea now one only, thrusting shallowly while her thumb rubbed circles on the clit. Rhea's walls clenched around her, tight and fluttering, her body arching like a bowstring.
"Ling! I'm... gonna... ahh!" Rhea cried out, her voice breaking into a high-pitched whine, childish and raw.
She came with a shudder, nails digging into Ling's back, moans echoing off the tiles "Mmmph! Yes, yes, don't stop... love you..."
Ling held her through it, kissing away the tears, her own body thrumming with unspent need.
"That's it, let go... I've got you." As Rhea's tremors faded, she slumped forward, exhausted, mumbling incoherently.
"I'm tired... so tired," Rhea slurred, eyelids drooping, her head lolling against Ling's shoulder.
Ling smiled softly, pride and tenderness swelling in her chest. "Okay, sleepyhead. Time for bed."
She lifted Rhea out of the tub carefully, water dripping everywhere, and wrapped her in a plush robe, cinching it tight.
Grabbing towels, she dried them both quickly.
She eased her down onto the cushioned bathroom couch, wrapping a thick towel around her shoulders and another over her lap like she was fragile glass.
Rhea sank into it immediately, limbs heavy, eyes half-lidded.
Ling leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead lingering just a second longer than necessary.
"Stay here," Ling said quietly. "Don't move. I'll get the mattress and sheets changed."
Rhea nodded at once, obedient in that hazy way only drunkenness allowed.
"M'kay," she murmured. Then, worried, "You'll come back?"
Ling's hand paused at the door. She looked back.
"I'm not disappearing in the next five minutes," she said teasingly.
Rhea relaxed, eyes fluttering shut, lips curving faintly. "Good… because I'd sue."
Ling snorted under her breath and left.
Left alone, Rhea slumped sideways on the couch, hugging the towel to herself. Her thoughts floated in and out, messy and unfiltered.
She whispered to the empty room, words slurring softly,
"She still smells like… like home."
Her head tipped back against the cushion, eyes closing again.
"What's happening in that head?" Ling asked softly on door.