#toccatina wip

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Trying to write again to loosen up writer's block - check it out here:

Let me know what you think.

Am currently starting to revisit my drafts for my other WIPs. Here's hoping I get some time, strength, inspiration and the motivation to get back to the writing groove.

#tina writes #linzin #linzin fanfic #we are back

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Linzin Week 2021: Day 3 - Stargazing (part 2)

WIP Pre-Canon AU Lin x Tenzin Rating: Eventual M To the Linzin week 2021 organizers: Is it fine to post a WIP - a serialized contribution? Will post it in AO3 as well once completed ✌🏽 Read part 1 here.

Republic City, a couple of months ago

 After another one of their shouting matches, Tenzin gripped the edges of the dining table tightly. Lin, at the other side, stood up as well, breathing heavily.

Their arguments were becoming more frequent in the past few weeks. It started with small things in the household and soon escalated to the more Serious Stuff.

To be honest, Tenzin was no longer quite sure what their argument tonight started with. He watched warily the earthbending drinking water in front of him. Whatever they started with, tonight’s fight ended with both accusing the other of not being as committed to their relationship as the other.

Lin put down her glass of water. “We can’t resolve this in one night, can we?” There was resignation on her expression.

Tenzin ran a hand on his face. “No, we can’t.”

“What do we do now?” Lin toyed with the fringes of the tablecloth that his mother had gifted them with as a housewarming present. When they had informed their parents that they will move in together at this quaint apartment at the edge of Republic City, Katara was excited to hear that they were taking their relationship seriously and had immediately turned to sewing them something for the house. “We can’t continue like this.”

He let go of the table, moving backwards to lean on the counter behind him. Tenzin felt tired suddenly. It was as if all the stress from the past weeks dropped on his shoulders.

His father has started to unload more responsibility of the Air Nation to him. Lin, meanwhile, had been promoted recently. Not to mention, the city council had been hounding him to convince his mother to allow a statue to be erected in her honor. Katara hated that.

“Maybe we should -.”

“You’re right.” He interrupted, causing Lin to look up at him. “We can’t go on like this. I agree - we should break up.”

“Break up?” Lin was taken aback. “What are you – that wasn’t what I -.”

Tenzin backpedaled. “That wasn’t what you were going to suggest?”

“No!” Lin worked her mouth, opening and closing. She was at a loss for words. She decided to sit down. “I was going to say take a break, get back to it later, just not…” She gestured her hands to the food on the table. “Now. Let’s have dinner first.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “But, Tenzin, really, be honest – is that what you think? How long have you been thinking… Do you think we should break up?”

 ---

Lin worried her lip between her teeth, forcing herself to control her feelings as Tenzin, after saying a few choice words, left the house to cool off.

She wanted to swipe her arm on the different dishes on the table. The night started so innocuous; she had gotten home early to prepare a special dinner for them.

Somehow, it had gone sideways quickly. All their previous arguments were unearthed and until they ended up with a mutual agreement. One that, she hoped, would not bite them in the ass.

It was a shame to let the food go to waste.

Even if her appetite had all but vanished, Lin was not one to throw food away. She piled a little bit of everything on her plate and poured herself a glass of wine. She carried the plate and glass outside to their small balcony. She started eating, balancing the plate and glass on the railing, and was drawn to the stars that were visible from their balcony.

Admittedly, it was one of the things that attracted Tenzin and her to renting out this apartment. It was far enough for their privacy, near enough to be accessible to their workplaces and high enough that the city’s artificial light does not obscure the view of the nighttime sky.

The earthbender chewed her food contemplatively. It would be shame to move out, wouldn’t it?

 ---

City hall

“Good afternoon, Captain! Councilman Tenzin is in his office right now.” Tenzin heard his assistant from the other side before his office doors burst open.

Enter Captain Beifong of RCPD, who strode purposefully in, stopping only when she was right in front of his desk. The doors swung shut behind her.

“Tenzin!” She leaned on the desk and Tenzin could see the vein on her forehead.

“Good afternoon to you too, Captain Beifong.” He played dumb to prolong the inevitable.

“You know why I’m here.” Lin rolled her eyes. “Would you care to tell me why did I just have lunch with your parents and that they, oh, that they were booking a room for the two for us in the next family getaway?”

“Listen Lin – .”

“No, you listen. Why didn’t you tell them we’re done? That we’ve broken up?”

“I can’t, okay? They’re both so pleased for us. I’m looking for a good timing.”

Lin scoffed. “Is there ever a good timing to break up?”

“Well.” Tenzin scratched his beard.

“Don’t – answer that!”

“And I can’t disappoint Dad right now.”

“Of course, that’s the reason. After all that’s exactly why we -.” Lin cleared her throat and Tenzin could see how she visibly tried to control herself. “Well, alright then. As long as we’re on the same page.”

 ---

 Neither one had gone public about it, but it was fairly obvious at their respective workplaces.

Interestingly, no one dared ask about it. It was probably because there were more infinitely important issues that took residence on the news headlines. The Triads were acting up and the construction of the Southern Water Tribe cultural center had finally started. There was also something about Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom that newly crowned Queen Houting was declaring Earth Kingdom subjects.

The city was preoccupied with other things, his parents were away, and her mother has relinquished her position in both the metalbending academy and the police department.

She had to hand it to Tenzin, now that Lin thought about it – it was a good time to break up.

 ---

They were practical.

They were responsible.

They were the smart ones.

And yet, Tenzin questioned if they were really intelligent – given their decisions as of late.

He lightly fingered the small bright yellow piece of paper that Lin left on their corkboard. It had been their practice to leave notes as needed; sometimes to leave sweet messages or to let the other know where they would be during the day.

The airbender crumpled the paper in his palm.

Now that they have broken up, the corkboard mainly contained reminders for their bills, a grocery list or a chore schedule.

Tenzin snorted.

Yes, they were real smart, deciding to continue sharing a living space with their ex.

Close quarters, close contact – heck, even one bed (“Not gonna matter, airhead, we’re barely home at the same time anyway.”).

He had been revisiting their decision in the past months.

He started to see the little things that he had taken for granted.

And, what he initially thought was a sense of relief was starting to taste like regret.

Meanwhile, Lin, as he saw it was quite able to adjust to their living arrangements.

She was more subdued at home the earlier part of their break-up. But, resilient as she is, she started to go back to normal.

He kicked off his sandals and padded towards the balcony.

Which building, he wondered at the blinking lights, was she in now?

What was she doing right now?

Or who – his mind added nastily.

The crumpled note in his hand said: “Roommate – I’ll be out late. Don’t wait up.”

Roommate. He almost sneered. That’s what they’ve been reduced to.

TBC

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina wip #linzin2021r18 #lin beifong x tenzin

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Untitled Linzin fanfic

(Yet again?)

This came to me while staying at home one day (one day of many, mind you). Am I okay with starting another multi-chapter Linzin story? Maybe. Will I push through with it? Absolutely. Should this be taken seriously? No, please don’t. Am I abandoning my other work? Of course not.

Don’t take this plot seriously since it’s just something that I felt like I want to write down and share. But… let’s see. Consider this a crackfic /trope centric fic eh haha. Consider this my contribution to this teeny tiny space in the fandom.

Please leave a comment or a reply as to what you think about this. I’m gauging this to be like 3 to 4 chapters long only though.

I think this will keep as untitled for now – until I figure out the right title. And summary / overview.

---

Untitled

Overview

Legend of Korra fanfic – Linzin endgame AU

1 of 3 (or 4?) chapters (or more, if I decide to post them in chunks) – I really haven’t thought this out (shrugs and looks around shiftily)

Pre-canon AU (prior to Book 1)

--

The airbender gently slid the door closed, careful not to disturb any of its sleeping occupants. He knew he was late but as with everything – his children always came first.

He looked up at the moon, peeking from behind gray clouds. The rain did not let up at all during the day.

It was a pity. It was, after all, the first time that his children found themselves on an Ember Island vacation. It was to celebrate Jinora’s birthday – at least that was what the press release was.

He hurried across the courtyard, ignoring the squelching sounds that his sandals made on the mud and puddles.  Passing no one on his way, Tenzin finally reached the right hall.

He quickly dried himself before entering what everyone knew as the Fire Lord’s family hall, which was precisely why they selected it. He crept into the dimly lit hall, shadows were wavering across the pillars and the walls. Nonetheless, the pretense of a nightcap among the grownups was well executed with the spread on the long table.

He sat down immediately beside his mother, who inclined her head in acknowledgment.

Fire Lord Izumi cleared her throat and the soft buzzing of conversation silenced.

“Now that we’re complete – let’s get right to it.”

The airbender’s eyes wandered across the room, to everyone sitting at the long table of the Fire Lord.

Everyone who was anyone to his late father was present. Everyone alive, that is. The lack of guards or security personnel was nothing new in this situation though – in a room of bending masters, it was almost foolish to expect guards to be standing in attention, alert for any disturbance.

“As we know the Red Lotus is back at its game.” Lord Zuko now presided the meeting and went straight to the heart of the clandestine gathering. “There has been reliable intelligence that they are gaining traction on the ground and there are rumors of freeing their known members.”

To their credit, no one in the room gasped or expressed their incredulity of such a claim.

Bumi began to share all the pertinent information from the report (Tenzin idly thought that being a commander suited his brother’s temperament). It was alarming to hear of pockets of violent incidents across the nations and the United Republic that can be traced back to the Red Lotus.

Chief Tonraq took the action to inform his brother Unalaq to strengthen the guards at the North as one of the prisoners were being held there.

Katara said that the White Lotus has already been informed of the case and she had personally requested to have the number of Zaheer’s guards increased. Bumi spoke of fortifying the defenses in all the other security prisons.

“Well, if everything is secured, why even call for us?” The gruff voice of Toph Beifong finally joined the foray.

Suyin fidgeted from Toph’s side, clearly uncomfortable with the discourse.

Truth be told, he did wonder at Suyin’s presence.

When Lord Zuko issued the invitation to Ember Island, he was surprised at the arrival of the Zaofu Beifong family, knowing that they have been estranged from some time. He thought that maybe it was just in keeping up with the ruse of a family reunion. Nonetheless, here they are now and Su was found to be in their midst. She was the youngest child of their generation and had been, more often than not, shielded by her mother when it came to serious and bordering dangerous matters. It had always been the eldest Beifong daughter who shouldered the brunt of the situation.

But then again, no one called attention to the empty seat at the other side of Toph Beifong tonight. Tenzin was sure it was not allotted for Baatar (who had stayed behind to see to the bedtime of the children).

Despite her stature, Toph still managed to command the room. “The Avatar is currently far from Republic City and I don’t think her parents will be taking her on a trip to Zaofu anytime soon. I don’t see the need for us,” Her emphasis heavily implying her family. “To even be here.”

All of a sudden, Tenzin realized the former Fire Lord looked all of his age as he drew in a breath. “While that may be true, Toph, the Red Lotus is looking for a gateway to the spirit world. They think true power and equality will only be brought about by uniting our world with the spirit world. Or barring that, a way to force the Avatar’s hand.”

“But she’s a child!” The Avatar’s father choked out.

“We are well aware that never stopped them.” There was a slight pause in remembrance on what had happened the first time the Red Lotus attacked the Avatar’s family. There had been losses.

Kya spoke up, trying to figure out what that could mean. “If the prisons are heavily guarded and all the leaders of the nations have their own security detail, what else are they looking to? What is in Republic City? What are they targeting?”

“The airbenders.”

All heads turned to a figure who had been leaning in the shadows of one of the pillars. Tenzin wondered how he could have missed her.

Lin Beifong pushed herself off the pillar and grudgingly took a seat beside her mother. “Is it the airbenders then, Lord Zuko?”

All of a sudden, Tenzin realized Lord Zuko looked all of his age as he nodded solemnly. “They knew they need to lure the Avatar or in its place, use a master airbender to their bidding.”

Said master airbender’s eyes flashed. “I would never -!”

“They could use Jinora as leverage.” Understanding was visible on Bumi’s face. “Everyone knows Jinora can already airbend.”

“That’s sick.” Su managed to murmur, sinking further into her seat. “Using kids in their nefarious plans…”

“They’re not known for their mercy, sweetheart.” Bumi shrugged, years of being in the military hardening him some.

“We can add more protection for the children.” Katara threw a concerned glance at her youngest child.

Toph scowled. “So, what are you suggesting? Aside from the White Lotus, Republic City police would need to pull funds to provide bodyguards at Air Temple Island? Mind you – it would be hard to get this funding for a civilian.”

“I’m sure the White Lotus would be enough.” Fire Lord Izumi attempted to mediate what was rapidly about to become a heated discussion.

“Maybe not,” Tonraq disagreed, already shaking his head.  “If we pull in resources across the nations for the high security prisons and the sentries for Korra, I don’t think we would have any to spare for Air Temple Island at this period. Recruiting and training more could jeopardize the quality of the White Lotus.”

As the people around him continued to toss around arguments and recommendations, Tenzin could feel everything closing in.

When his wife passed a little over a year ago due to a stomach bug that had gone untreated for so long, Tenzin had stepped down from his role as part of the city council and instead turned to raising his two daughters and rebuilding the Air Nation (or what was left of it). The transition of public figure to private citizen was a welcome balm to him and his young family. His mother and sister had stayed on the island for a couple of weeks during Pema’s illness and subsequent passing, but they did have lives to go back to in the South Pole.

Tenzin thought he managed okay – training acolytes, tending to his daughters’ needs, documenting what was available of the Air Nomad culture… His visits to Republic City were now less frequent compared to his council days. He had developed a routine and he thought they were coping well.

But now, with the tenuous peace that he finally thought he attained was now at the risk of crumbling, he was at a loss on what to do. It had been a while since he felt like this – back when his father passed, and even then there was someone he had with him to support him.

“We need to send them away then.” Iroh’s voice drew Tenzin’s attention back to the discussion. “They’ll be sitting ducks at the island.”

Toph snorted and Izumi glared at the blind woman’s reaction to her son. “Yeah? Then what – they join the Fire Lady’s entourage? Or maybe head on to the tundra with the Avatar? The Red Lotus would probably be grateful that you placed all their targets in one area.”

Izumi countered. “That would solve the issue of spread out resources – if we concentrate them in a location, that may work.”

“On the other hand, what sort of excuse would you give for Master Airbender here to be away from his temples that long?” Lin asked with a tone so casual, you would have thought they were discussing the weather. “It would not do for the Red Lotus to know that we are unto them so soon when we have yet to strategize how to take them down.”

Tenzin found himself silently agreeing. Lin always was the pragmatic one.

Zuko stroked his beard in thought. “We could have them over – extended vacation maybe? Or we go around on vacation to the temples? That way we can use the Fire Nation’s security detail.”

“That would be a negative.” Iroh reddened as he realized he just spoke against his grandfather. At his encouraging nod, the younger firebender continued. “That would be a logistical nightmare. Too many variables to consider.”

Bumi suddenly perked up. “That’s it!” The shaggy-haired man stood up with a snap. “Variables – and what you all said.” He waved a hand across the table. “They can join the Fire Lady’s entourage -.”

“What!” The collective disbelief echoed in the hall.

He raised his hand in supplication. “Hear me out -what if he joins the Fire Nation Royal family as actual family? Surely questions won’t be raised.” Seeing that no one was getting his point, he decided to say it plainly. “I’m saying what if Tenzin marries Izumi?” There was a lot of disagreements to his pronouncement and so he raised his voice. “That way, it won’t be odd if he stayed there or if they become under protection of the Kyoshi Warriors.”

If Lin was the pragmatic one, Bumi always was the wild one.

And practically everyone had a say on that.

“That would never pass, Bumi.” Lin.

“You can’t pull the wool over the eyes of the public with that. What more the Red Lotus?” Kya.

“Sorry but I don’t think Master Tenzin here is my daughter’s type.” Zuko.

“Dad. Well, aside from that, the optics for that kind of union would not bode well for international peace.” Izumi.

“I don’t need a stepdad.” A beat. “Siblings would be welcome though.” Iroh.

“I agree with Izumi -this may come across as the Air Nation siding with the Fire Nation.” Tonraq.

“I doubt the Earth Queen will remain quiet too.” Su.

“Meh. I say just toss Junior here and his spawn to some remote resort (or here even) and just say he went on a vacation.” Toph.

A snort. “Now that won’t fly – Tenzin never goes on vacation.” Bumi.

“Bumi, it’s not nice to make fun of your brother’s troubles.” Katara.

Tenzin simply shook his head at his brother, who still did not look deterred at all even as the conversation around continued to dissect and put down his ludicrous suggestion.

The older man was frowning, walking around the table while partaking on the board of dried meat, fruits and cheese laid out for them.

From the other end of the table, Lin tossed grape into her mouth while Su said something that sounded like “manners!”.

At that moment, Tenzin made the mistake of catching his brother’s eye. He did not trust the gleam in Bumi's eyes.

“I got it!” Bumi once more got hold of everyone’s attention. “True, Izumi as a bride  might be to farfetched, but there are merits to the Tenzin gets married deal. No questions will be asked if he spends time with family, out of the public eye, you know – a regular honeymoon. As to the lovely bride, why not someone he has had history with – that would make the whirlwind romance and wedding more plausible, won’t it?”

Tenzin’s heart sank at who his brother was implying. 

Oh no. Surely he didn’t mean…

“Why not marry Lin Beifong?”

---

Note: Why not indeed? 🤔 where am I going with this? You shall find out real soon. Lemme know whatchuthink.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #the legend of korra #lin beifong #tenzin #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina untitled

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Blended - 3

Note: Why hello - thanks for staying tuned and being here to check this out. Leave a note what you think. :)

Title: Blended

Previous installment here and chapter one here. 

Legend of Korra, Lin/Tenzin, Modern AU, no bending

Blurb: A modern AU with no bending where Lin finds herself with three kids, where Tenzin is Mr Big Shot CEO, where Mako is an overprotective son, where Ikki endears herself to Lin, where Bumi is the cool meddling godfather/uncle and where Pema is out of the picture.

Multi-part, WIP

---

Another teenaged boy joined the first boy and Lin.

Lin ruffled the other boy’s hair in greeting.

Probably noticing Tenzin’s thunderous expression, Jinora turned around.

The first boy gave a half-smile then saluted her. The young girl rolled her eyes as she smiled back and saluted.

Ikki, to his surprise, gave an enthusiastic wave that the boy returned. “Is Mako joining us?”

Mako. Tenzin filed the name away for future review.

Ikki knew him? Just how close are they…

Jinora shrugged. “Mom won’t let him.”

“Oh?” Tenzin’s tone of practiced disinterest came into play.

Jinora rolled her eyes. “He could be quite overprotective.”

Tenzin frowned as both girls turned their attention back to their meal.

How dare that slip of a boy even presume that he was going to do something unsavory.

Lin slipped back into the booth, carrying a root beer float with two straws. “Mako sends his regards.” She nudged the drink towards the two girls. “Anyway, so thought of any questions, sir?”

Sir?

Tenzin cleared his throat as Lin waited with an amused smirk. “You can call me Tenzin, not… sir.”

Not awkward, not awkward at all.

“Okay then, Tenzin.” The emphasis on his name was somewhat derisive.

“Hmmm, yes – I think Ikki would be in good hands.” He paused, thinking of questions to ask.

How is Mr Lin taking this? Where is he? Is he in the picture? Why isn’t he mentioned? Is he okay with having a sleepover at their house? Did he mind that there was a young pup hovering around his woman and child? Or, heaven forbid, is Mr Lin that boy?

He heard that plastic surgery does wonders, and some ethnicities do tend to age better than others.

“I take it you don’t have any questions?” Lin finished her drink by now. “Well, then. For tomorrow, we will be heading out anyway so I can bring Ikki to your house, or we can meet at the mall.”

There was a challenge there. After all, it was a conglomerate in the mall industry that was the root of the demise of their long-term relationship.

“Sure, let’s go to the mall.” And they agreed on a time and place to meet the next day.

Lin waved the waiter over and requested to have the leftover food of the girls to be packed home (“You’ll both remember your unfinished waffles later tonight when you’re finishing your project so best to take it home.”).

Tenzin motioned for the check.

“Already taken care of.” Lin nodded.

“You didn’t have to.” Tenzin mumbled weakly, putting his wallet back in his pocket.

He was met with a shrug. “Consider it as a belated welcome gift to this city.” Lin stood up once the leftover food was brought over by the waiter, and they all prepared to head out.

Tenzin was well-aware of the two boys from the other table following them.

“Mako, Bolin – please help Jinora and Ikki with their things while I get the car ready.” Lin walked over to where she was parked to turn on the air conditioning.

For his part, Tenzin led the children to his car, surreptitiously watching their interaction.

Ikki gave one of them (Bolin, was it?) a high five while Jinora was quickly exchanging words with Mako.

As he was pulling out the key from his pocket, a hand shot in front of him.

“I’m Mako.”

He shook the hand without hesitation. “Tenzin.” He clicked his key to unlock the car and opened the trunk, where the overnight bag of Ikki is as well as the other art supplies of both girls.

The other boy came forward now, extending his own hand. “Bolin here.” He grinned widely, a touch friendlier than Mako.

Tenzin grasped it and introduced himself as well. He handed Bolin one of the heavier bags while Ikki and Jinora went forward to get their lighter ones. Mako, meanwhile, hung back and was sizing him up from the looks of it.

Only, he wasn’t sizing him up apparently.

Mako moved silently to pick up the bulkiest of the materials so that Jinora did not have to carry it.

The young girl beamed up at him, saying. “That’s why you’re my favorite brother.”

Brother?

“Hey!” Bolin grumbled from the other side as he swung on his back two duffel bags. “What about me?”

Correction: brothers?

“You’re my favorite brother-friend.” Ikki punched his arm.

Bolin laughed boisterously while they went off to Lin’s car.

Ikki turned to face her father quickly who was bringing up the rear. “Don’t tell Meelo.”

Tenzin raised his hands in surrender. “Of course not.”

“Well, technically, I’m not your brother so…” Bolin wringed his hands worriedly. Thinking that maybe Tenzin would say something about it.

So… brothers.

Tenzin had a lot of questions while Lin and her children loaded the things of Jinora and Ikki into their trunk. The boys were a lot older than Jinora. Much, much older… Something that did not quite sit well with him.

Before he knew it, Tenzin was left at the parking lot as they waved good-bye at him as the car sped off.

 ---

Pema settled herself at a quiet corner in the coffee shop. She placed down her bag beside her and let the waiter place the tea tray on the table.

She checked the time on her tablet.

It was time for her weekly call with her daughter.

Ever since the divorce, she and Tenzin tried to figure out a way to co-parent despite being a couple of countries apart. One of the things they agreed on is that they were not going to let their children bounce from one household to another a lot during the school year. Another is that Pema would continue to consistently remain in contact with the kids through a weekly video call. This also linked to their eventual agreement that Ikki was to have her own (child-locked and parental monitored) phone.

It was something that Pema looked forward to every week.

For all the differences that she and her ex-husband had and the reasons that they went into the marriage, Pema does not regret her children with him.

“Hi Mommy!”

“Hi Sweetie!” Pema found herself smiling at Ikki’s toothy grin. “How are you doing?”

Ikki, as she expected, launched into this enthusiastic story about what she had been up to since the last time they chatted. When she was in the middle of gesturing and talking about her big sister-little sister project, other voices wafted into the call - voices that Pema was unfamiliar with.

Pema leaned closer to peer into the screen, brows furrowing, only noticing that the background of Ikki’s call was different.

In the background, someone (a male someone) let out a loud whoop.

Ikki paused to take a deep breath and Pema interjected. “Dear, where are you right now?”

“Oh-oh-oh! That’s what I was going to tell you next, Mommy!” Ikki waved her hands excitedly in front of her. “I’m on a sleepover with Jinora! At Jinora’s house!”

Pema was surprised but did not let it show. She did not want to dampen Ikki’s delight. She would not be that mother (she would not be her mother). And, well, at the end of the day, she did trust Tenzin’s parenting decisions. “That’s great. How is it so far?”

“It’s fun! She has two brothers. Two brothers, Mommy! And not two Meelo’s too. They’re very nice. Her mommy is really nice also – not like Korra’s uncle. Korra’s uncle is grumpy at home but nice outside. Jinora’s mommy is nice both outside and at home.”

Pema had to bite back a smile at Ikki’s commentary. Having crossed paths with Unalaq during her marriage with Tenzin, she did not particularly enjoy spending time with the politician. Everything was mostly for show and behind closed doors, to family, the man could be quite cold and standoffish.

There was raucous laughter from Ikki’s side and Ikki looked to the side, to someone or something off-camera.

“That’s Bolin, Mommy. Jinora’s older brother.” The view shook a bit as Ikki was likely moving her phone around to show her mother the view of the room. “And that’s her brother, Mako.”

Pema could see that they were probably in some sort of study room. Behind Ikki, there were two computers set-up, each with a teenaged boy sitting in front of it wearing a headset.

“And here’s Jinora.”

The view moved again and a familiar girl who she has talked to in previous calls waved at her. Jinora was beside Ikki and was in the process of gluing something to a small card.

Ikki placed her phone steady again and went into detail about the project they were working on, and Pema could see the door at her side opening.

“Bolin, Mako – no yelling, you know Ikki will be on a call right now.” The woman who entered the room hissed audibly at the teenagers.

“Sorry, Mom -.” The stocky boy started to apologize then trailed off, inaudible to Pema’s ears.

What struck Pema most, however, was not the amount of glitter that Ikki and Jinora were putting on their projects, or the two boys punching each other’s arm when they probably get a point in their computer game. No, it was the woman who stood watching their game, hands at her waist.

It was a woman that she has never met but was quite familiar with.

Pema was left pondering how her daughter landed at a sleepover at Lin Beifong’s house.

 ---

“OMG – is that – is that a background image of the Fire Ferrets’ place?  Where did you download that?! Can you send it to me? Pleaaaase! Didn’t know you’re a fan of the Fire Ferrets!!”

Ikki read and reread the message of her cousin Korra at their chat.

It did not make sense to her.

What background was she talking about?

She scrolled up to the last picture she sent which was of her and Jinora holding up their project with their final touches completed.

Jinora nudged her, noticing her preoccupation. “You, okay?”

Ikki wrinkled her nose, showing her phone screen to Jinora. “What’s a Fire Ferret?”

“My ears are tingliiiing - did someone say Fire Ferret?” Bolin jumped in between them, his hand cupping his ear. “You don’t know who the Fire Ferrets are?” At Ikki’s slow head shake, he clicked his tongue and placed his arms around the shoulders of the girls. “I can’t believe Jinora didn’t tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Jinora rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I don’t think Ikki would have been interested.”

“Don’t you put down her possible interest in esports!” Bolin flicked his sister’s nose with affection. “The Fire Ferrets is today’s up-and-rising, the ones-to-watch-out, most promising esports team!” He followed up with a faux-whisper, “At least that’s what eSports Unlimited.com says in their latest ranking article. Impressive huh?”

Ikki just blinked up at him.

Bolin did not let that deter him. “And, what’s more – you’re looking at one of them now!”

“Cut it out, Bo.” Mako sighed from his position at his desk, having taken off his headset. “I hardly think Tenzin would like Ikki to be exposed to the wonderful world of esports at her age.”

“And, you’ll be right at that point, kid.” All four of them faced the door, where Lin had peeked her head. “Tenzin would not be keen on prolonged screen time and neither would he appreciate if we bring his daughter back with darkened eyebags. Bedtime now, kids!”

The pronouncement brought a cacophony of complains.

“But, Mooom -.”

“Please Ms Lin – I-.”

“Mom, we’re too old to have a bedtime.”

“Kids – please, we’re going to need to wake up early.”

“We can still wake up early – our body clock’s fantastic.”

“No.”

“Yeah, we’ll even prepare breakfast for everyone.” A punch. “Ow! What was that for?”

A snort. “Speak for yourself.”

“I’m holding you all to that then. I’ll head on – good night, kids!”

A door closes and another punch. “What was that for, now?”

 ---

Little did they know, while Lin was having a smidge of trouble getting the kids to get to bed, across town, a certain businessman was having trouble sleeping.

After dinner and after tucking Meelo to bed (with two bedtime stories read), Tenzin found himself exhausted from the week (and day) he has had. And so, he had gone off to prepare for bed but was unable to find a comfortable position to sleep.

Who was he kidding – he had a lot of thoughts running through his mind.

Feeling restless still, Tenzin got back up from bed and went to pull out his laptop.

He scrolled through various folders until he found what he was looking for. His fingers tapped swiftly on the keyboard, the password a muscle memory. However, his cursor hovered over the ok button, unable to belie his hesitation and uncertainty.

Tenzin paused and asked himself if he really wanted to do this.

Eventually, he pushed through and out popped the window showing files upon files. Scanned documents, audio files, slide shows, videos, saved emails and photos.

One of the reasons why he managed to bring back the White Lotus Corporation to life is his tenacity, his dogged determination to see things through. Tonight, it is this same tenacity that brought him to go through his past as he started to go through old photos with one Lin Beifong. He went through the photos and emails – trying to see, trying to look for a clue at what point did Lin start showing or possibly start getting involved with the boys’ father, at what point in their relationship did he not become enough.

Tenzin would later come to wonder if he should have just let sleeping dogs lie.

---

Note: Dundundun. Misunderstandings upon misunderstandings – my favorite genre. Haha! Hope all is good with you reading from the other side of the screen. Just a note here – Pema won’t be a nasty bitch here, and no hating gonna happen. Trying to make this as light as possible, so no overly angsty~ plot lines. Crossing my fingers this experimental story works out fine haha.

Share your thoughts, theories, feelings, anything about this story with me. 😊 I am trying to get back to writing so this might not be up to my usual length or content. Happy to hear from you though.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina blended #lin beifong #tenzin

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Untitled - 4

(Continuation of Untitled Linzin fanfic, pre-canon AU, wip)

The thing about going on trips with kids that his parents did not prepare him for is the occasional stops to go to the bathroom and the incessant questions.

“Are we there yet?”

“What is that flower?”

“Why is that man smoking that stick?”

“Why is that lady’s clothes so short?”

“Are we there yet?”

“How long is it before we get there?”

Oh, the questions indeed.

---

After the overnight stay, they were back on the road. This time in an automobile that went through several towns that Tenzin could not be bothered with. Until finally, it stopped at this unassuming dirt road where, to his astonishment, Lin proclaimed that they need to walk to get to their destination.

She made it sound fun for the kids – an adventure, a vacation.

He gave a small snort at that and she glared at him, asking if he had any problem.

He wanted to have a witty retort but the way she was bending their luggage across indicated she was not in the mood for some repartee.

 The dirt road was quite narrow and he noticed that Lin made sure to use earth bending to cover their tracks. No one would know which way they went.

Tenzin lost track of time that they were walking.

And before long, Lin slowed down.

 “Are we near?”

Tenzin frowned. There were still in the middle of nowhere - surrounded by vines shrub and various greenery.

Using earthbending, Lin moved what appeared to be tall tree trunks.

“Wow.” Ikki’s wonderment was very much obvious.

Even Jinora who is usually unimpressed was wide-eyed.

Behind the gargantuan trunks was a sprawling estate.

Granted, the surrounding area and its lawn was overrun with wild plants. But it was a sight to behold.

Once they all got in, Lin once more slid back the tree trunks which was, actually, connected to a surrounding wall that ran along the perimeter of the estate.

He did not notice the wall earlier as it was covered by vines and other plants.

The path to the house was uneven and while the greens had gone wild, it was charming in its own sense.

“Daddy, are we staying here?” Jinora tugged at his sleeve.

“It would seem so.” He softly replied, still taking in their surroundings.

Lin unlocked the door, and they carried their baggage inside.

For what wild charm the garden had, the interior of the house was quite clean and, as Lin led them on a tour of the house, well stocked. He recalled that she had left Republic City for a couple of days before the wedding. It was probably to get the house tidied and fit for living for an undetermined time period.

As Lin went about it in a brisk manner, Tenzin supposed there was enough time to explore later anyway. They did not know how long they will have to stay here anyway.

The girls were quite excited to pick their own rooms. Lin directed him to the master bedroom, and she commandeered one which was probably in the most strategic location in case of emergency.

---

“Where are the acolytes?”

“It’s just the four of us, dear.”

“Who will cook our food? Or wash our clothes?”

He could feel Lin's glare at the back of his neck.

“The four of us would need to share chores, Jinora.”

His daughter’s face scrunched up. “No. Way.”

He heard Lin’s disbelieving sigh from her corner.

“Ah, but we do. We have to.”

---

They had decided to restrict the people who will join the trip to themselves. Lord Zuko and the rest said it was not safe and to add an external person could put them into jeopardy. Toph remarked if they will have someone else join them then why shouldn’t they get someone else to be their bodyguard instead of Lin.

It was a fair point he admitted.

---

Lin kept to herself. The place was secure enough and she had gone out earlier to do a perimeter check and was apparently satisfied with her findings. Not that Tenzin had any doubts if the metalbender herself had arranged for the safe house.

Both of them told the kids of some ground rules however- if they were to go out, they need to let an adult know; fix your own bed (or not, it’s really up to them); help set the table or wash the dishes, etc.

Tenzin realized that as much time he spent with his daughters after his wife passed away, the acolytes did contribute a lot in other aspects of household management. This was good practice in helping the children grow up removed from their privileges which, if left unchecked, would have ended up with making them quite spoiled. Tenzin knew that he was well on the way to spoiling them, in an effort to compensate for whatever perceived inadequacies he may have in raising them.

Watching Lin now teach Jinora how to wash dishes (he vaguely tried to remember if someone did teach him the proper way to do it as a child), he wondered what else has he been missing in raising his children.

---

They eventually settled into a routine, not unlike the last few weeks they spent engaged in Republic City.

She would sit in her own favorite spot to read and he would keep to his own space, reading or writing.

It was a comfortable silence that they shared every night after the children’s bedtime.

---

But sometimes, Tenzin would confess, he missed the easy way they used to banter long ago.

---

In time, Jinora found the library too and declared it to be her favorite room.

She would, more often than not, be found ensconced there, curled up with a book.

---

He wondered about the house.

It was furnished tastefully. And yet… there was an air of neglect. Of something forgotten

The house seemed like it was built years ago but remained unlived.

He tried to ask Lin about it but one way or another was usually brushed off.

It was a mystery.

---

Lin was away for market day.

It was on every nth day when she would go out to buy supplies. She had a contact who was discreet who could help them in acquiring their supplies. Lin had also explained to Tenzin how no one would tell on them if there were inquisitive strangers. They will be warned as well.

He knew better than to ask and get details on how she had established herself in this rural town in the Earth Kingdom. It was probably because of the nature of her job anyway.

That particular market day, his daughters cajoled him to accompany them in exploring the grounds behind the house. It was a pleasant day after all, and he figured a little sunlight would not hurt.

Bright smiles answered him at his acquiescence and the two girls ran off to the explore.

He was basking in the warmth and being circled by nature. Republic City and the island were both quite artificial in a sense. It was nice to see the girls get to experience the untamed nature.

“Daddy, what are those?”

Tenzin squinted at what Jinora was pointing at.

Is that…?

He blinked then clutched the hands of his daughters as they went nearer.

“They’re airbending gates.”

Why were there airbending gates in this secluded Earth Kingdom estate?

Like the other furniture in the house, it was unused. He gently pushed his hands forward and a burst of air rotated the gates.

They may be unused, but they were in good working condition.

Jinora excitedly asked him to teach her and he was more than willing to do so.

And yet, as Jinora and Ikki giggled their way, Tenzin could not help but wonder…

===

Note: Where are they? How long will it be before they get to leave their domestic bubble? Why did they break up anyway? Any thoughts or guess? Feel free to share them :) Let me know what you think.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina untitled #lin beifong #tenzin #the legend of korra

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Linzin Week 2021: Day 3 - Stargazing (part 1)

WIP Pre-Canon AU Lin x Tenzin Rating: Eventual M To the Linzin week 2021 organizers: Is it fine to post a WIP - a serialized contribution? Will post it in AO3 as well once completed ✌🏽

 I told myself I’ll only post completed one-shots during Linzin Week. That was the plan. However, like some plans, it goes awry. So here I am, posting an incomplete story for Linzin week – which hasn’t even touched upon the prompt yet. Don’t you worry though – this will be a Linzin happy ending. But without further ado – here’s my contribution (so far!) for Day 3: Stargazing. 

------------------------------------

Tenzin did not realize that you could be so close and yet so distant to a person.

With Lin Beifong seated beside him, laughing at the antics of his brother, and his arm draped at the back her chair, Tenzin felt as detached as he could be from the earthbender.

It was time, yet again, for the annual vacation that their extended family took.

His father always emphasized the importance of balance. It simply would not do to be all about work, the government, politics, academics, and various responsibilities. They should always make time for their family and relaxation. Thus, their yearly tradition was born.

This year the group elected to spend time in one of the lesser-known Earth Kingdom villages. Sokka had stumbled upon it during one of his trips and had raved about how it was the perfect tourist trap. There were springs, there was a resort, there were bars, there was a shopping center, there were inns and more – there was something for everybody and during the off-season, they were practically guaranteed privacy. The schedule was noted, and arrangements were made.

This year, Tenzin wanted to desperately say pass to the vacation. He tried to get out of it. As expected, he did not have a choice or was at least guilted into attending. He never could say no to his mother after all, who had pointed out the if the Fire Lord or his father (the Avatar) could take a time off, so could he. Additionally, it was rare that all three of her children were at the same place at the same time.

That brings him to that night, where the family sat around for after dinner drinks where they all caught up with what was happening in their respective lives. Contrary to popular belief, Team Avatar did not get to spend as much time as they did when they were younger. The same held true for their children, who each had pursued different paths in their adult life.

The airbender barely participated, opting to listen and offer the occasional reaction. No one thought anything was amiss. Tenzin, of his generation, always was the quiet one. He would occasionally and casually reach out, topping and refilling his glass and Lin’s. He would smile weakly at Bumi’s jokes on his expense. All in all, it was business as usual for Vacation Tenzin.

When Fire Lady Mai announced that she was tired, the group slowly disbanded. Each of them went their own way to do whatever they wanted to for the rest of the night. Bumi invited whoever was interested to try out the brewery he saw earlier while others turned in for the night or towards the spa.

Tenzin headed towards the direction of their accommodations when he felt Lin pull at his sleeve.

“Hey, I’d like to join Bumi and the rest – sounds promising.” The earthbender tilted her head at the group who was preparing to leave. “How about you?”

Tenzin noted that she did not explicitly ask him to join them.

He shook his head no. “I thought I’ll get back to our room.”

Lin shrugged as if saying ‘suit yourself’. “Alright then, as always, don’t wait up!” She went to join the other group.

Bumi caught Tenzin’s eye as Lin explained that the airbender will be heading to bed.

Tenzin looked away, not wanting to dwell on the question in his brother’s expression.

After all, aside from Lin, no one else was privy to their break-up.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina wip #linzin2021r18

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Blended - 2

As you can see - so I decided to pursue Blended. Originally, there was no serious plot to this, I swear. I was just winging it but before I knew it - I was exploring this interesting new AU that I’ve unearthed and I thought, eh why not? Now, I have quite a backstory for our main characters here. Which, unfortunately, will not yet be revealed below but just the same, hope you like this!

---

Title: Blended

Previous installment here.

Legend of Korra, Lin/Tenzin, Modern AU, no bending

Multi-part, WIP

—

Narook’s

Lin sucked in a deep breath. She released it slowly, counting up to five.

Her eyes blinked, wishing for all the strength in the universe not to forsake her.

She had taught her sons never to play the break-up one-up game but good Agni, she wanted to say that she is winning this particular break-up even a decade or so after.

Yes Lin, you can do this. You have won this break-up.

She tried to give herself an imaginary fist pump.

Yes, sure. Real mature of you.

Feeling that she had done enough pep talk, Lin plastered a smile on her face. She had gotten good at this in the past years after all.

Now or never. For Jinora.

She crossed the room quickly. “Hey kid, sorry I’m late.” Lin pressed a kiss on Jinora’s hair, not meeting the eyes of the other occupants of the booth. The young girl faced her to give a kiss and a hug in return. “Of all the days, I know.” Lin focused on tucking some stray hair strands behind Jinora’s ear. “I don’t even know why Mr Sato has an assistant if the man barely follows his own schedule.”

She finally took a seat and faced the now gaping man across her.

“Ah – this is my mom –,” Jinora started to introduce her at the same time that Lin extended her hand.

“I’m Lin, Jinora’s mom. Nice to meet you.”

The bald man automatically reached to grasp her hand to shake it He was a beat too slow to release her hand and Lin involuntarily frowned at that.

Ikki elbowed her father. “His name is Tenzin.” She added helpfully. “He’s my dad.”

No kidding.

She put up the menu as a shield between them to prolong the inevitable conversation; a ruse of reviewing the food and beverage lists even if the diner has yet to update it in the past five years.

Belatedly, all her uncharitable thoughts about the faceless man that was Ikki’s father came to the forefront of her mind.  

Figures he would be that stuffy businessman who did not have his kids play with the neighborhood kids.

Speaking of kids…

The two girls were sharing a plate of waffles beside them. The waffles were slathered with butter, whipped cream, maple syrup and sprinkled on with chopped peanut butter cups. She frowned and glared at the man across her from behind the menu. That was a sugar overload and sugar crash waiting to happen. And happen it will when the two girls would be in her care later today. He would not have to deal with that.

Tenzin only had a cup of coffee in front of him. She eyed the porcelain canisters at the side containing cream and sugar. The sugar bowl was only a third full and she would bet that it was full earlier before he had his hands on it.

She put down the menu and decided they have had enough time.

Lin waved a waiter over and requested for a tall glass of lemonade.

Tenzin was still looking at her apprehensively.

As he should.

If he thinks I will cash in on this 'renewed' connection, he is very much mistaken.

“So, I believe you have some concerns about Ikki staying over?” Lin was pleased to note that her voice did not even waver at any point.

She felt the curious eyes of the kids turn to them; their own conversation turning into whispers.

That seemed to snap Tenzin out of his thoughts.

“That is - that- no I don’t -.” He stammered unbecomingly.

Lin briefly wondered how this man managed to lead a conglomerate with this level of eloquence.

Ikki pounced on this. “Does it mean I can stay over at Jinora’s and Ms Lin’s? I promise I will behave, Daddy. And I swear we will produce the best project ever – with glitters, and sparkles and all the colors.” She beamed from the side, clutching at her father’s arm in excitement.

“It’s not our first sleepover at the house,” Lin interjected gently. “But I understand it’s Ikki’s first time to sleep over that is not with family. So you might have some questions for me – about the overnight stay.” She amended quickly, if the look in his eyes meant that he did have questions - just not related to the sleepover.

He motioned to speak but was interrupted by the serving placing a glass of lemonade between them.

“Well,” Lin calmly took a sip. “I could probably start with my questions and just chime in if there’s anything that comes to your mind.” She pulled out a pen and a small notepad from her bag. “Does she have allergic reactions to food -?”

“Shrimp and crab.” Tenzin responded in a subdued manner, absentmindedly stirring his coffee. A habit that Lin knew to indicate his nervousness.

“That won’t be a problem because,” Lin began but was interrupted by her daughter.

“Me too!” Jinora pointed to herself with a grin. “I’m allergic to crab and shrimp as well!”

There was a small shriek as the two girls began chattering about being besties and twinsies.

Tenzin’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the display.

If that was how they would react over a common allergy (of all things that they could get from their father, it would be his ironic allergy to shellfish, which was to his mother’s consternation – but that’s a different story), wait until they realize they were sisters, Lin idly pondered.

She froze.

Sisters.

It did not dawn on her until then, put in simplistic terms, the two girls are related. She looked at them thoughtfully now, trying to see similarities in their features.

Half-sisters.

Lin corrected herself. Everyone knew how much she had clung to that particular distinction in her own family.

She clicked her pen and noted down in neat precise letters about Ikki’s allergy. “How about emergency numbers or any medicines that she needs to take regularly?”

Tenzin lifted Ikki’s bag, he showed her the bag tag which has all the emergency numbers. He also stated that there were no other allergies or any meds that the kid needs to take.

The pen continued to scratch on the pad.

Pen scratched on the pad.

“Bed time?”

“I'll leave it to your judgment to what's reasonable.” The fingers continued to hold the spoon that stirred the coffee. “They are bound to stay up later because of the project, I suppose.”

A back and forth of more questions and answers continued in the same vein.

When Lin (and Tenzin) was satisfied with the childcare information, flipped back the note pad and kept it and the pen back in her bag. “Alright then, are you really okay with Ikki staying over? If not,” She peered at him, gauging his reaction. “I can easily bring her back to your house later tonight.”

Tenzin shook his head with conviction. “No need, I mean, yes, it’s okay for her to spend time with you.” His face looked stricken at what he said. “No that’s not why I’m implying – I mean.”

Lin resisted rolling her eyes. “I get it.”

 ---

“I get it.”

Did she really, though?

Tenzin tilted his head down, stirring his coffee again, which has gone cold really. He did not dare ask for another refill as he had lost count of how many he had drank in his nervousness.

He inattentively watched the interaction of his daughter with Lin and her daughter.

Lin laughed at something Ikki was talking about.

If nothing else, Lin looked –

Happy.

Contented.

Tenzin was happy, truly, that his childhood friend (among other epithets he had for her, he thought heavily) is in a good place. He would be lying to claim that she did not cross his mind once in a while. He did wonder what had become of her. Their parting was not…ideal. And that was putting it very very lightly.

Now, here he was years later, sitting across her, having finished a conversation about their respective daughters. Lin was warm to Ikki, and he was thankful that she did not seem to bear a grudge against his daughter because of their past.

It was a surreal scenario, to say the least.

If Bumi had told him that was what he would be doing that Friday afternoon, he would have probably slapped his brother upside the head. Or checked his breath for the stench of alcohol.

This was not a normal Friday afternoon for him.

When Lin sat in their booth, he felt a chill run up his spine. The air left his lungs, as though someone had punched him suddenly.

No, it can’t be. Was his first thought.

And yet – he knew it was her.

He would recognize her anywhere. There was no mistaking the way she carried herself, the smirk, the flashing of her grey eyes – only a moment of emotion before it was hidden by the veneer of politeness.

It was cold but his palms turned sweaty. It was an odd feeling really, like a memory that was at the fringes of his mind suddenly before him. He did not know what to make of it.

As much as he was sure he has not forgotten her – when she started introducing herself, he wondered if the same can be said for the other way around.

He had moved far to start a new life with his children. Figures, that, with his luck, he lands at the very town that Lin lived at.

But if Lin wanted to keep it like they did not know each other, fine then. He could handle that. It would be simpler that way, he supposed, especially if Jinora and Ikki would remain friends (bffs, Ikki had said).

It was a cliché but he really did think the years were kind to Lin Beifong.

Is it still Beifong?

He surreptitiously peeked at her hands on the table. One of her fingers was sporting a ring.

So maybe not a Beifong…

He took a sip of his coffee and made a face, forgetting momentarily that it was little more than sludge.

 Before long, the bell at the diner’s door tinkled, announcing that more customers had entered.

Lin turned to face the door at the sound. Her face brightened up and Tenzin craned his neck to see who had arrived.

There was a young man with yellow-orange eyes, a messenger bag slung across his body. His eyes alighted at their corner booth and he smiled, more of lifting the corner of his mouth really than an actual smile.

Tenzin barely heard Lin excuse herself from the table; the two girls, still eating their pile of waffles and chatting about some singer or actor (he wasn’t exactly paying attention), took no notice of her.

Lin went to the newcomer, who raised his hand slightly as greeting.

He watched them with curious fascination – or horrible fascination, he wasn’t sure.

There was that odd tug at his stomach (that he would rather not explore, no, thank you) when the young man (boy, really now Lin? He grumbled internally, never mind his own ex-wife was years younger than him) moved to hug her and give her a kiss on the cheek.

Yes, it was definitely not Tenzin’s usual Friday afternoon.

---

Note: I enjoyed writing this. Pretty cathartic - did you like reading it too? Let me know! 

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina blended #lin beifong #tenzin

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Adversity - 14

I’ve recently updated the fanfic in Ao3. But will continue to post some partial bits of the chapters here as I go along.

Adversity details

Multi-chapter, work in progress, AU, pre-LoK,

Latest status: up to Chapter 13 uploaded in A03

Blurb: Lin and Tenzin are both at the height of their respective careers – she with the Metalbending Police and he with the Air Nation. Questions about their future begin to arise and things come to a head when Lin responded to an emergency call. Would her job take them from each     other forever? Eventual happy ending

Alternatively: The one where Lin and Tenzin had to go through adversity like Lin’s dangerous job, a near-death experience, temporary separation and memory loss, unplanned pregnancy and Tenzin’s responsibilities before they end up with a family.

====

Adversity (partial chapter) 14

The wind was howling, loud enough to wake him though not worrisome enough to think of the typhoon or tsunami protocol.

Without even opening his eyes, Tenzin reached out beside him in impulse, seeking Lin’s warmth – but was met with cool silk. He bolted upright, sleep quickly forgotten in a fog of unease.

His heart thumped wildly with anxiety and fear.

It would not be the first time that he awoke to an empty bedroom in Republic City after thinking of falling asleep with Lin beside him. More often than not, during those dreams, he would frequently cling to it – always telling the Lin in his dream not to let him sleep, knowing that the moment he succumbs to sleep, he will wake up miserable and alone.

He twisted from his position in bed, moving to turn on his bedside lamp. Only, the lamp was not where it should be. In fact, their bedside dresser was not where it should be.

He struggled to sit up, tangled in the silk blanket that must have cost a fortune; the blanket sliding and locking his legs.

Hold on – silk blankets?

Neither Lin nor he would have bought anything that luxurious and impractical.

The wind continued to howl outside and the sound of rain pattering on the roof began. Tenzin took a grip of his disorientation as he looked around the room.

Ember Island…

His foot hit something at the foot of the bed.

It was Lin’s RCPD scrapbook – right where they left it before they slept.

The entire episode was not an episode, not a figment of his imagination.

Nonetheless – where had Lin gone? Had they suitably spooked her off?

The airbender attempted to rein his emotions in and he kicked off the blanket to head on out.

He had a hunch where she would be.

---

Her ebony hair was blowing in the wind. The thin robe Lin wore did little to guard her from the cool pre-dawn air as she stood at the edge of the cliff, arms wrapped around herself.

Tenzin stood back, watching the earthbender who faced the already lightening horizon, a sign of the dawn to come. It had been a while since he last saw her this calm and serene. He let this comforting picture stay – despite the strong seaside breeze and the crashing of the waves below them, Lin looked at peace.

He was about to offer her the umbrella he had brought when, without any warning, the ground underneath Lin began to crumble and give way.

“Lin!”

Heart in his throat, Tenzin propelled himself forward, aided by his element, pulling Lin almost roughly from the edge. His actions dragged to himself, her back hitting his chest. His arms landed on her hips; the airbender quickly bent his head, hugging her from behind.

Both of them were breathing heavily, hearts racing at that near miss.

It all happened in mere seconds but to them, it felt much longer.

Tenzin closed his eyes, kissing her hair.

It did not matter that Lin could have probably saved herself; she is an earthbender after all. But, as he knew in dealing with Lin’s multiple near-misses, it only takes a second of being taken by surprise for a life-and-death situation to occur. What’s more – Lin was pregnant and there might be some hindrances to her bending.

It took them a few more moments in this position, to regain some form of stability and reassurance until Lin gave an involuntary shiver.

The rain was pouring steadily now and they were both wet, Lin’s robe doing nothing in keeping her dry or decent and Tenzin’s weighing him down.

“You better be careful out here.” He murmured, reluctantly loosening his hold on Lin.

He moved back enough to create a sphere of air around them, keeping the rain out. After a few more maneuvers, he managed to dry the two of them.

“How did you find me?” Lin asked quietly as she tightened her robe around herself.

Tenzin stepped away to give her space, respecting her boundaries to make her feel comfortable.

Lin nodded.

“Do you want an honest answer or a watered down one?” They both knew that she had been touchy about being told about memories she cannot recall.

She nodded again, this time she wrapped her arms around herself as though bracing herself.

“This is where you usually go to whenever you wanted time for yourself.” Tenzin explained, looking across the sea. “The place could be quite crowded. The family means well but it’s sometimes,” He looked up, trying to think of an appropriate description.

“Overwhelming?”

He smiled wanly. “Exactly.”

When Lin did not offer a response, Tenzin was content to let the sound of the crashing of the waves to the shore fill the silence. He made sure to keep an eye on the ground though.

“Did I like it here very much?” The earthbender was fingering a smooth stone by her side.

“I suppose you did.” Tenzin knew how Lin actually enjoyed going to Ember Island. It was a pity she had not been able to go as often as she would have liked, more frequently detained at work or at the academy.

“Would I mind – would you – would we mind if I give birth here?”

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina adversity #lin beifong #tenzin #legend of korra fanfic

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Untitled - 3

(Continuation of Untitled Linzin fanfic, pre-canon AU, wip)

It was past sundown when they finally managed to get in front of the reception area of the hotel they were staying at in the Earth Kingdom. It was not one of the five-star Ba Sing Se hotels but it would suit their purpose.

Ikki refused to detach herself from Lin, so the earthbender had to carry the child all the way from the ride from the train station to the hotel. This left Tenzin to commandeer most of their luggage. Jinora dutifully held his hand while dragging her own stroller bag.

As the bellboy unlocked the suite and began to rattle on about the amenities it included, Lin’s sharp eyes took in the rooms.

Tenzin nodded as the man pointed out the living area – a living room, small kitchen, two bedrooms and one bathroom.

The bellboy handed him their keys. “Enjoy your stay, sir.”

The airbender distractedly thanked the man and locked the door behind him.

Lin shifted the weight of Ikki on her arms.

Tenzin winced slightly; his daughter was getting too old and too big soon to be carried.

He cleared his throat. “So, who’s hungry?”

Jinora quietly raised her hand.

Ikki buried her face into Lin's shoulder further, mumbling.

Lin frowned. He did not catch what his daughter was saying, but Lin apparently did. "Kid, the last time you ate was at noon. You might need more food now."

Ikki shook her head. "Bed."

Lin looked like she wanted to disagree and to push the child to eating dinner, but Tenzin beat her to it. "Ok Ikki, bedtime for you it is." He moved forward to take the kid off the earthbender, avoiding Lin’s disapproving expression.

He carried Ikki to one of the bedrooms while Lin went back to the living room, probably to check on their luggage.

 When he came back out after settling Ikki (who, for all her claims of being tired, took quite a while to settle down), Jinora was freshly showered and reading on the couch. Lin was nowhere in sight.

Before Tenzin could even ask about his wife’s whereabouts, the door opened.

Lin had opened the door from the outside and a waiter pushed a food cart in.

Once the waiter has left them, Lin once more locked the door and gestured to the trays on the cart. “Here's the food.” She announced unnecessarily.

He eyed her curiously. “You could have called for room service.” It would have been more convenient, he thought as he and Jinora sat down in the makeshift dining area that straddled the kitchenette and the living room.

Lin simply shrugged, removing the food covers off the plates. “Had to make sure our travel arrangements for tomorrow are in place anyway. Figured why not check the food out.”

Tenzin knew better than to take her explanation at face level. The nonchalant tone she used was a guise. It meant she had probably gone to the kitchens to see for herself that their food was not tampered with (Bumi’s warning about poisons and other ingested medicine rang clearly in his head after being briefed about their vacation.) Nonetheless, he was tired and it had been a long few days so he let it rest.

He and Jinora each took a plated dish while Lin reached over to pluck out the wrapped sandwich from the side of the tray. Just as he was about to offer his seat to her, Lin had walked towards the living room and got on the couch.

“Lin, are you alright there? You can always join us for dinner.” Propriety dictated that he invite her over, faux wife or not (a niggling voice at the back of his head that sounded like his mother whispered that it was not faux since they were wed well within he confines of the state’s laws).

“I’m good here, thank you.” Lin did not even face him and he was treated to her back. She unwrapped her sandwich, took a bite and was engrossed on something on her lap.

He managed to peer over her shoulder to see what got her attention. It was the Earth Kingdom’s evening paper.

He cringed slightly as the front page had a short article about his nuptials from the previous day. The sidebar also ran an accompanying story of their history years ago and subsequent reunion.  The page flipped before he could even see what salacious rumors were written up.

Jinora asked something about a word she had trouble understanding (sagacious) from the book she was reading; and so Tenzin forced himself to focus on their dinner.

He needed to talk to Lin without the children. He supposed, as he took a bite of his meal, he would have time later before bed.

 Tenzin had just finished readying his toiletries and pajamas when Lin poked her head through their bedroom door, hair wrapped up in a towel. “Shower’s all yours. I’ll check on the girls, make sure they’re all good for the night then I’ll go to bed.”

That had to be three-fourths of an hour ago since he got back from his night shower.

Tenzin wondered what could be taking Lin so long, he frowned at the empty space beside him. He hoped Ikki and Jinora were fine, then concluded that Lin would have called for him if there were any problems.

Idly, his thoughts wandered as he cleaned his glasses while in bed.

It was great that that girls now had some female influence around them. Not that he thought the acolytes at Air Temple Island were in any way deficient in educating the girls. It was just that the acolytes were a tad too…

He ran his fingers through his beard, thinking of the appropriate word.

Submissive? Tame?

Meek.

They were also a little bit to eager to please.

He made a face. These were not traits he wanted his daughters to necessarily imbibe.

At least with Lin, a fond smile crept unbidden, she was none of those things. He figured she would be a good strong female role model for the girls.

He placed the glasses back on and tried to concentrate on the book he had had brought on this trip. It is nice to have some quiet time for himself.

 He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, he heard his daughter crying from the other room. He heard the rush of footsteps as he got up quickly to head to the other bedroom.

Lin was already there, seated at the edge of the bed at Ikki’s side. Jinora was still lying down but rubbing her eyes, blinking at being awoken by her sister beside her.

From what he gathered, between Ikki’s hiccups and words, the child woke up in the unfamiliar room and had cried in panic and fear.

Tenzin observed the earthbender from his perch beside Jinora, who had promptly gone back to sleep upon seeing her father and Lin at their room. She correctly surmised that they will take care of Ikki anyway.

Lin managed to calm the girl down, whispering and combing through her hair until the cries dwindled to whimpers and sniffles.

There was a pang in his chest at the scene before him. He would be lying to himself if he claimed that he had not imagined Lin comforting his (their?) child when they were younger.

Feeling his gaze at them, Lin raised her eyes to meet his. She tilted her head to the side in question. He answered merely with a shake of his head, his throat feeling a little bit thick.

After a few more minutes, Ikki's breathing changed; she fell back to sleep. Lin gently laid Ikki’s head back on her pillow.

Tenzin leaned to place a kiss on the forehead of his daughters. For a moment, Lin looked like she was about to do the same but she straightened up, and moved to leave the room. He caught her by the elbow and together they left.

Once outside the bedroom, Lin pulled away; eyes darting towards the living room. “I’m sorry, I just – I heard Ikki cry and I thought – well, better make sure that she’s alright. I’m sorry for intruding.”

Belatedly, Tenzin realized she was wearing shorts and a tank top, apparently she has been ready for bed. “No, it’s not that – thank you actually, for caring.” He trailed off. “Why don’t you go to bed now?”

Lin nodded curtly and Tenzin felt her distancing herself from him. “Good night.”

“Wait, where are you -?” Tenzin found himself asking when Lin went passed their bedroom door and into the living room. He then saw the rumpled blanket and pillow on the couch.

He paused there, stunned as Lin bent to fluff the pillow. That she had been sleeping earlier on the couch even did not cross his mind as he waited for her in their his bed.

“Need something?” Lin raised an eyebrow wryly at him. “I can assure you that everything in this suite is secure and safe.” She patted the couch. “I can guard you all best from here.”

 Of course.

Tenzin swallowed drily. Well, that felt foolish. He felt foolish for assuming – no, even thinking – that Lin would share the bed with him.

For all intents and purposes, that was all that she is now – his family's bodyguard.

 ---

 Note: Let’s toss in the tropes~ forced marriage? Maybe a bodyguard AU? There-was-one-bed? I pretty much have an outline of this short story but if you have thoughts or suggested scenarios/trope, go ahead. Happy to hear them!

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina untitled #the legend of korra #Lin Beifong #tenzin

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Blended - 4

Title: Blended

Previous installment here and chapter one here.

Legend of Korra, Lin/Tenzin, Modern AU, no bending

Blurb: A modern AU with no bending where Lin finds herself with three kids, where Tenzin is Mr Big Shot CEO, where Mako is an overprotective son, where Ikki endears herself to Lin, where Bumi is the cool meddling godfather/uncle and where Pema is out of the picture.

Multi-part, WIP

-----

First part of the chapter here, an excerpt: 

Tenzin finished sharing his updates on his findings on the shopping mall context of Republic City. He motioned to end the video conference and one by one, the rest of his board members and leadership team dropped from the call.

Except his brother.

“Enough business, how are you? You seem preoccupied.”

Tenzin rubbed his face tiredly.

Of all the days for his brother to be perceptive.

You can read the entire chapter on Ao3 here.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina blended #lin beifong #tenzin

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Adversity - 13-A

Fanfic update

I’ve decided to utilize this tumblr space to put in WIPs/partial chapters/unedited stories from my end. Then I’ll post it somewhere in Ao3 or FF.net. Maybe.

 In the meantime, here’s an installment of Adversity (the chapters here in tumblr aren’t updated – it would make much more sense if you check it out on Ao3 first before coming back here). In essence this is part of Chapter 13.

Keen to hear what you think about this portion :)

-

Adversity details

Multi-chapter, work in progress, AU, pre-LoK,

Latest status: up to Chapter 12 uploaded in A03

Blurb: Lin and Tenzin are both at the height of their respective     careers – she with the Metalbending Police and he with the Air Nation.     Questions about their future begin to arise and things come to a head when     Lin responded to an emergency call. Would her job take them from each     other forever? Eventual happy ending. Alternatively: The one where Lin and     Tenzin had to go through adversity like Lin’s dangerous job, a near-death     experience, temporary separation and memory loss, unplanned pregnancy and     Tenzin’s responsibilities before they end up with a family.

Tumblr chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Ao3 link |   Ff.net link

---

Adversity – 13-A

 Tenzin clutches a warm towel and wipes it across her forehead. He did not know why and if it would help but he thought it might make her feel better.

Her chest rose and fell with each breath, no longer laborious or irregular. Nonetheless, he kept vigil and held one of her hands. It reminded him of incidents in the past years where he kept watch over her – that night in the Fire Nation Royal Compound when they first found her alive, those nights after missions that might have gone fatally wrong…

The day had started promising. But as always with the two of them, it never was easy…

Once he had the cabana in his view, he should have known that Izumi would have pulled something like this.

---

Tenzin received a message from one of the staff that the princess requested for lunch to be served at one of the beach cabanas. He did not think much about it; it has happened before and figured that maybe Izumi was being a good host.

There was only one person else in the cabana – Lin, who was looking puzzled and was frowning at something on the table.

His feet hit the sand and the earthbender turned to him. “Oh, it’s you.” She looked at him incredulously.

“Sorry to disappoint.” He deadpanned, seating across her. He did not ask questions, assuming that she was led to the cabana using the same ruse.

"I had no idea that you were the man that Izumi said that I'll be meeting for lunch." Lin flicked a note towards him. “Why is she doing this? I found that upon arriving here.”

He caught the paper that slid on the table.

It was in Izumi’s handwriting – informing Lin to please consider (consider – the word was underlined heavily, the insinuation not lost to the reader) this man that she has invited for her. And that they would be left to their own devices as the princess has taken the entire family off for a scenic tour of the island on Druk, Appa and Oogi.

Trust that Izumi would have connived with the rest of the family to pull something like this off.

Tenzin felt the need to apologize for their meddling family and did just that.

Lin shrugged, seemingly uninterested. “Is this supposed to be a test?”

“A test?” What does she mean?

“For me – or for you?” Lin asked back.

“Like for your memory?” To the airbender, it seemed like they were having a different conversation.

The earthbender looked vaguely uncomfortable now, hand lightly patting her belly. “Um no – I mean, for you – is Izumi…?” She trailed off.

For the life of him, Tenzin could not think of what the continuation was.

“Your partner?” Lin finally asked.

What.

“No!” Tenzin’s voice rose, surprised by the question that he did not even consider that the response might have sounded rude. “Of course not!”

“Don’t you protest too much?” Lin was amused. “It’s fine really – or is it a matter of security?” She was being nonchalant about it though Tenzin could have sworn there was a tiny bit of relief in her voice.

“What. No – it’s not like that.” Tenzin had to disabuse her of this ludicrous idea she had. “They’re all just meddling – they mean well – look, Izumi – she’s not my type -!”

Now you just sounded like a whiny teenager.

He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. “Well, seems like they’re setting us up.”

“Whatever for,” She rolled her eyes then grinned. “Let’s not waste the food then.”

He found himself chuckling at that as Lin proceeded to scoop some food on her plate. “Joke’s on them though.”

Lin’s only response was a raised eyebrow.

“I actually intend to ask you out for dinner today.”

She paused and left her chopstick hanging in the air. “Dinner.”

He wet his dry lips. “Yes.”

“I take it you haven’t told them yet?” Lin examined the other dishes available to them. “What time do we need to get ready or we don’t know yet, depending on how soon they get back?”

Tenzin held the back of his neck as the heat crept up. “I mean, dinner – just us, you and me?”

As much as he did not want to admit, maybe Bumi was right – he did not have game.

Lin’s face was unreadable.

He was able to back-pedal when he heard it.

“Okay.”

 ---

The rest of their lunch went a smoother.

They talked about the mundane things – he talked about Republic City, she talked about the Fire Nation. She asked about what he does in the council and how the RCPD was when they left. He was more than happy to oblige and took the time to answer her questions in great detail.

Before long, when she declared that she felt too full for dessert, he invited her to walk along the shore. He pointed out a cluster of rock formations at the edge of the island.

Lin looked intrigued and they set forth.

He explained that Lord Zuko had told them when they were children that the rocks were formed when the volcano used to be active. It made for an impressive sight, tall and a bit forbidding.

That did not stop them though, Tenzin shared, as they would keep going back there to play when they were younger.

They stood beside the rocks, sandals soaked by the sea, small waves lapping at their legs.

He was in the middle of a retelling of the time Bumi had dared Su to race him to the top (not knowing that the kid can earthbend really well by then) when rather large wave crashed against the rock formation, spraying and drenching them with salt water.

He was laughing, saying he probably should have warned that that usually happens. His eyes alighted on her and was caught mid-laugh.

Lin stood stiffly, her eyes wild. One hand on her cheek (her scars), another on her chest - breathing erratically gulping air.

“Lin!” He immediately held her by the shoulders; she was shaking. “Lin!”

A panic attack.

Each breath rattled against chest as she started blankly, unseeing. Lin was insensible to her surroundings.

Tenzin scooped her up and ran as it all clicked.

Captain Tomasu did say that they had found Lin in the water.

Damn.

The minutes it took him to the rest house felt like hours. With the family away on whatever excursion Izumi and Iroh planned, he had to rely on the staff to come to their aid. Fortunately, the in-house healer was at hand.

The rest was a blur.

 He felt the moment she regained consciousness. Her breathing shifted yet her eyes remained close.

Tenzin continued to run his fingers on her knuckles, whether to comfort her or himself was unclear.

Lin blinked slowly, her breathing sped up. Her hand quickly slapped to her cheek, tracing the scar with shaking fingers.

The airbender could hear her murmuring softly.

“My name is Lin. I’m in Ember Island. I’m okay. I’m safe. We’re -.” Her eyes focused and saw Tenzin at the periphery. “The baby?”

Tenzin leaned forward, grasping both of her hands and placing them on her stomach. “Is okay. You’re both okay – I had you both checked. You just had a little panic attack.”

There was no use alarming her.

“Panic attack…” She whispered to herself. “I used to black out before…”

“I’m sorry,” Tenzin said quietly. “I should have paid more attention to you.”

“You couldn’t have known.” Lin said in an equally soft tone. To his astonishment, she pulled his hand up to her cheek and leaned on it. “You couldn’t have done anything.”

He extended his fingers, gingerly touching her cheek. There were still times in the past weeks when he could not believe that she was here and she was alive. Little touches like these were rare and he savored the moments to remind himself that she was truly there.

“The rice granary,” Lin began, staring at the ceiling, actively avoiding Tenzin’s gaze. “It exploded, you know, the man – the firebender –.”

The airbender waited, this was in the papers and the reports that he was very familiar with.

“He knew what he was doing,” Lin held on his fingers tightly. “He saw me and he set fire – I fell to the water. I felt like drowning – maybe I did.” Tenzin gripped her hand back. “It was really hot and there was a lot of metal scraps. I remember sinking and maybe removing my armor…” Her face scrunched, obviously thinking. “The current was fast, rapidly swept me away – it was so cold. I thought I was going to die.” She resolutely focused on the ceiling when she heard Tenzin’s gasp. “I don’t know how long it was – it was dark, then there was light. My lungs – they burned so bad. Next thing I knew – I was aboard Captain Tomasu’s ship.”

Tenzin’s own breath caught.

Could it be… her memories have returned?

“Don’t force it.” He rubbed her wrist back and forth, hoping to sooth her.

“It’s still blank.” Her face was troubled and eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “I don’t remember what happened before the explosion.”

Feeling her get distressed, Tenzin moved closer to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m Lin Beifong, my mother is Toph – we grew up together in Republic City.” She now turned to him. “I live in Republic City now…”

His stomach churned. “What’s the last thing you remember from before?” He asked cautiously, afraid of triggering something.

“I’m deputy chief, I think.” She racked her brains. “There’s this small apartment. I think I live there.”

Tenzin swallowed. This was from a time before they lived together, when they were still exploring their relationship.

“I’m not losing it, am I? That really happened?” Her green eyes wide, seeing reassurance.

He nodded, still silently contemplating what this meant.

“After that – it’s blank.” She released a breath. “Did something significant happen during that missing period?”

“You got promoted to Chief of Police.”

“Maybe that’s it…something to do with work.” Lin guessed absentmindedly, biting her lip.

He added tentatively. “We’ve also decided to move in together.”

The way she looked at him now – it was as if she was seeing him for the first time.

“You’re the father.” She stated it so plaintively with a hint of caution.

“That’s the first time you’ve told me that.” Tenzin attempted to downplay the significance of the revelation. “Don’t worry about it – you probably didn’t know you were pregnant back then before –.” He waved a hand around, at a loss for words on how to explain the situation.

“You’re not even questioning it?” Her voice was tight and her posture tense.

“Not at all.”

She finally let tears flow.

 ---

He embraced her, murmuring reassurances that he will be there for her and the child. He will be involved.

But somehow – there was still that gap in her memory. She was missing something crucial, she can feel it - it was about the Air Nation. The gut feel was of hesitation and wariness. What was it about?

She had talked to Aang the previous days and there were no mentions of issues with the Air Nation.

Maybe it had something to do with crime? With her promotion as Chief of Police?

If only her mother were around… Maybe she could help her piece her memory together.

Lin pulled back from the airbender, who suddenly looked at her with apprehension.

“What happens now – what if I don’t remember?” Now that she had part of her memories back – she hated the feeling of uncertainty.

“We’ll take it one day at a time.” Tenzin inched closer to her, gently cupping her face in his hands, wiping her tears. “Just know that you’re never alone.”

The sincerity in his eyes was enough for her. She did not even need to employ her seismic sense to know he was telling the truth.

She closed her eyes as he moved. She felt his lips on her forehead.

The airbender sat back down, a soft smile on his face.

She looked at their entwined fingers.

She will take this chance.

This was for her child. All for their child. And it will be enough.

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina adversity #lin beifong #tenzin #legend of korra fanfic

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Adversity - 13-B

Labelling this as ‘chapter 13-B’ in tumblr .

Edit: Ended up as part of chapter 13 in A03.

---

Adversity details

Multi-chapter, work in progress, AU, pre-LoK,

Latest status: up to Chapter 12 uploaded in A03

Blurb: Lin and Tenzin are both at the height of their respective     careers – she with the Metalbending Police and he with the Air Nation.     Questions about their future begin to arise and things come to a head when     Lin responded to an emergency call. Would her job take them from each     other forever? Eventual happy ending. Alternatively: The one where Lin and     Tenzin had to go through adversity like Lin’s dangerous job, a near-death     experience, temporary separation and memory loss, unplanned pregnancy and     Tenzin’s responsibilities before they end up with a family.

Tumblr chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | go to AO3 for chapters in between | 13

Ao3 link |   Ff.net link

---

Adversity – 13-B

There were muffled voices outside of the room and before they could even react, the door was shoved open.

"Chief!"

"Aunt!"

Tenzin usually felt that Toph Beifong was larger than life; never mind her blindness or stature. Today was no exception.

“I received this note at the Jasmine Dragon and I thought - this I have to ‘see’ for myself.”  The earthbender entered the room unceremoniously, fingers forming air-quotations to explain her presence. "And lo and behold, you're in bed with Airhead Junior already, so I guess you're doing just fine."

“I’m not in bed – she’s – we’re not -!” Tenzin sputtered, leaning back hurriedly to disguise the fact that half of his body was actually on the bed.

Lin rolled her eyes. “I don’t care that you’re the chief but don’t you ever knock?”

“Were the chief. That’s the past.” Toph perched herself at the end of Lin��s bed. “I’m here as your mother.” She tilted her head. “Surely that’s gotta hold some weight to you?”

“Not a lot, but sure.” Lin tossed, unaffected.

Well-versed in how Beifongs conduct themselves, the airbender knew that both were affected by this meeting under the veneer of snark and nonchalance.

Tenzin sought to make himself scarce. “I -uh – I can leave the two of you alone for now. I think I’ll check if the others have returned from their tour.” He gently extricated his hand from Lin’s grip, squeezing it once and receiving a squeeze back.

He pretended not to see the tears fall from their eyes as the two Beifong women hugged each other when he closed the door behind him.

“Hey Badge.”

“Mom.”

This was private for them.

He breathed.

She’ll be okay.

 ---

It was a trigger, they confirmed.

Katara explained from Lin’s medical files that Lin was likely submerged in water for quite some time before she was rescued. The sudden sea spray and saltwater must have triggered the memory.

While Lin’s blood pressure was recommended to be monitored closely, the vitals of both mother and child are strong, to everyone’s relief (especially Tenzin’s).

Upon arriving from their tour, Katara immediately went straight to Lin’s room upon hearing of the panic attack. After the routine check-up, the waterbender left the Beifongs alone. There remained to be a strain between Toph and the rest. The last time they had all been together was during Lin’s memorial months back – after she had accused everyone of not trying their best in locating Lin.

***

Toph has been with her daughter for hours now. Su had joined them at some point as well (even if it was with a lot of hesitation).

Everyone was pleased with this development. It was evident in the lightness that was not there before; a lightness that will be there at least until the three Beifongs would rejoin them.

Lin, Su and Toph talking for hours hints of a reconciliation among them. Su had confided in Kya a few nights ago that she had been worrying about her tentative reconnection with her sister. It may seem well and good now but what if Lin regains her memories and decides to retain to original stance regarding Su?

If Tenzin were to be honest with himself, he had been toying with the same fear as well. The spirits know that they definitely had not parted well before The Accident. He had been about to try to salvage their relationship but as far as Lin knew, he was a selfish jerk who was about to discard her for an air acolyte.

“You besotted sap, what are you frowning about now?”

Tenzin turned to his side, where Bumi seated himself on the steps, a teasing smile on his face. He had been absent-mindedly playing with Junior and Huan as they build things in the sand. He was instructed by the boys to throw around the occasional airball to test the strength of their structures or to flatten the sand so they can play more.

At the moment, the boys were attempting to replicate what Zaofu looked like on the sand and so were ignoring him until he needed to do some clean up.

Tenzin’s own brother then nudged his shoulder. “Anything I can do for ya?”

He shook his head no, still lost in thought.

The airbender is happy for Lin, truly. He could not imagine how she might have been feeling the past months – alone, injured, pregnant and with lost memories to boot. He should not and cannot even find it in himself to even be remotely selfish.

And yet…

He wanted Lin.

The laughter of the two Beifong boys drew his attention.

Rather, a family with Lin, he amended to himself. Tenzin sighed.

---

“That was one deep breath.” Bumi continued to observe, patient and knowing his brother well enough that he will speak when ready.

After a few more minutes, Huan managed to use earthbending to create a crevice in the middle of sand Zaofu. Both of them cheered the kids on.

“Uncle, where is Mommy?” Junior spoke up, green eyes darting around. “Can you call her? I think she would like to see what Huan was able to do.” The boy was proud of his brother despite not being able to bend himself.

Bumi grinned, the kid kind of reminded himself of well…himself. Back when Tenzin managed to make his first air wheel.

“Well, kid, I’m sure your mommy would be proud of both of you.” He pointed to the fairly complicated and detailed sand city on the ground. “But I think Su is busy right now.”

“She’s with your Aunt Lin and Grandma.” Tenzin added.

“Grandma’s here?!”

Both kids quickly rushed towards Tenzin and Bumi, grasping Tenzin’s robes in their hands, asking to be led inside to greet their grandmother.

“Is this a good idea?” Bumi whispered to Tenzin, leaning to his side so as to not to be overheard by the excited children, who were running ahead to the rest house.

The airbender simply shrugged. There was obviously something bothering him.

“They’ve been in the room for how long now?” Bumi tried to make light of the situation. “Are you sure they aren’t throwing hands or something?”

“We’ll probably feel the earth rumble if that were the case.”

That was true. Their childhood has been literally punctuated by mini earthquakes whenever the Beifong sisters squabbled.

Bumi played with his beard. “What if the new baby Beifong turns out to be another earthbender? Imagine the chaos.”

Huan and Baatar Junior were shifting their weight from one leg to the other, practically bouncing with excitement as they arrived at Lin’s door ahead of the adults.

Bumi snorted. Figures that Suyin’s spawn were behaved enough to not burst into rooms but could be quite tactless with their words.

Tenzin stiffened as they reach the door to Lin’s room.

Bumi nodded. “Arn’t you going to go in?” At the airbender’s head shake, he took the initiative to open the door. “Knock-knock! Good afternoon, Beifongs!” He was surprised to see Su and Toph flanking Lin from both sides of the bed.

Before he could even remark or tease Lin about it, twin squeals shattered his eardrums and in went Junior and Huan.

“Boys! Don’t jump on your aunt!”

Cute. With the surfeit of Beifongs in the room, Bumi waved at them and exited quietly. He will catch up with Toph later instead.

Still grinning, Bumi turned to Tenzin and noticed he was still awkwardly standing at the corridor. His smile softened, placing an arm around Tenzin’s shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it now?”

---

Before long Tenzin’s worries, fears, and insecurities tumbled out and into his older brother’s ear.

It was quite cathartic, to be truthful.

It was different opening up to his father (the Avatar) or even his mother (who was bound to be as protective as she was judgmental – less so compared to her younger years but still).

Bumi heard him and was not bound to judge him.

Neither did he invalidate his feelings nor did he downplay the airbender’s perceived consequences of the situation.

It certainly also helped that Bumi had been away from Republic City and was able to listen with fresh perspective.

---

“Don’t cancel your dinner. You’ve prepared a lot for it.”

“No…” His voice trailed off. “I’d rather not intrude in their family time.”

“Aren’t you her family, Ten?”

---

“Ah there you are Junior!”

…

“What on earth are you doing in the kitchen? Last I heard this was Lin’s domain.”

“Uh – tonight’s dinner for Lin – I  was -.”

“Don’t you dare say you’re postponing it?” It really was discomfiting when Toph Beifong is able to stare at you in the eye. “She had been talking about it, and was particularly excited too.”

“Oh.”

“Oh – indeed.” A beat. “Don’t disappoint her, Junior.” She passed by him to exit the room. And in a lowered voice muttered. “I’m still rooting for you, despite everything.”

----

---

Note: We are getting there~ thanks for the patience and for still reading this. 

Been through some tough times the past few days (ironically, after I had thought I could probably write a little bit more). Not quite good yet but better than the past days. Hopefully. Anyhow - let me know what you think :)

#linzin #linzin fanfic #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina adversity #lin beifong #tenzin #legend of korra fanfic

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Blended

I was (thankfully) given some time off during this holiday season; which I promptly used to spend time with the family and recharge at home. Also spent time watching various movies during this time and a little LoK story idea came from it.

In my usual writing preference – it’s still a Lin/Tenzin endgame story but – in sort of a modern setting AU, blended family/semi-highschool themed with ages differed a bit (Lin and Tenzin was aged down by around 5 years). Expect it to be tropey and may be a bit of a cliché. This is written on a whim so if it doesn’t make sense…ah well. Haha! May edit this piece later on…

I’m considering this to be a short story, just a little self-indulgent-written-for-fun type of thing. But if other people enjoy it too then that’s such an added bonus so I’m sharing it with you as well. 😊 Let me know what you think since this is somewhat different from my usual style, I guess.

Also – I have misgivings regarding creating OCs so I’m likely to lean on canon characters and take a lot of creative license in developing them for the story.

 ---

Title (tentative):  Blended

Legend of Korra, Lin/Tenzin, Modern AU, no bending

(Not sure if one-shot or will be multi-part yet)

 ---

Tenzin, Republic City Primary School

“Thank you for making time to meet today,” The silver-haired lady clasped her hands together on her desk. “I know you must have a packed schedule, but I think it would be good to have the check-in session for your daughter today.”

“Yes, of course – anything for my daughter.” The bald and bearded man threw a look at the door’s window, where he could see his daughter swinging her legs while seated at the corridor.

“Ikki is a bright child and she’s been doing her best to catch up with the class requirements. She excels the most at individual tasks.” The teacher continued to talk a little bit more about the projects that the students have been working on.

Teacher Yue handed the father a folder marked “Ikki”. Tenzin carefully picked it up and looked into the contents, smiling as he saw Ikki’s artworks and class outputs.

“However, I see that she seems to have challenges in adjusting in a large class set-up.” Yue shared. “It’s nothing to worry about though. We’ve had several transferees in the past as well and this is usual; I expect that might take a little bit longer since it’s a transition from homeschooling to a big school.”

Tenzin frowned and he hurt for his daughter. His two children had both been homeschooled until recently.

They also had to experience a lot of upheaval in the past year or so – from the divorce, to being uprooted from their childhood home, moving to a new city, and then going to a new school.

He did notice that while his son was as precocious as ever (maybe owing to his young age?), his daughter had become more subdued since their move.

“What can we do for her?”

“Well, we have a big sister-little sister type of mentorship program.” The teacher pushed forward a brochure and several index cards. “It’s mostly an afterschool interaction activity, we have here several students who have been volunteering. Maybe you’d like to ask Ikki to join?” She pointed at the index cards. “Feel free to select which mentor you think would help her best. We usually ask the parent or the student to select their preferred mentor profile from the roster. We would not want Ikki to feel uncomfortable; you’d know her best than any teacher.”

He nodded. After a few moments perusing the index cards and the brochure and pulled out one from the pile. “Let’s go with this girl.”

Tenzin pointed out to a profile labelled Jinora.

 ---

Jinora, Home

The ten-year old girl has just finished putting hair in a bun when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

“Jinora!” It was her oldest brother. “Mom says I can use the car today – want to leave with us instead of riding the bus?”

“Sure!” She called back, quickly grabbing her backpack. “I’ll be down in a bit.”

“Alright!”

Smack!

“Hey! Why did you do that for?”

“Good morning bro!”

Jinora rolled her eyes good-naturedly. That was probably her other brother slapping the arm of the other one.

Even at eighteen and sixteen years old respectively, they tend to act like children occasionally to the consternation of their mother.

She hurried down, knowing that if she did not do so, there would be no pancakes left for her.

Jinora heard her mother’s gruff voice in the dining room. “Bolin! Leave some eggs for your sister!”

“But, Mom,” Bolin spoke through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “I’m a growing boy. I need this stuff.”

“And Jinora is a growing girl,” Their mother drolly responded, taking a sip of her coffee after putting down the last batch of pancakes on the platter. “There should be enough from everyone.”

“It’s fine, Mom,” Jinora immediately sat down and her brother forked two pancakes to her plate. “Thanks, Mako.” She slathered butter all over the cakes then squeezed a load of maple syrup.

She ignored Bolin gagging at her left at the amount of sweetness. She also ignored her mother who was hiding a smile and shaking her head at seeing the display.

In their family, it was only Jinora had a penchant for sweets. Her mother said she likely took after her father in that regard.

Her father…her absentee father…

Jinora shook off her maudlin thoughts when she saw Pabu, Bolin’s pet guinea pig, land on her mother’s shoulder, probably hopping from her brother’s backpack which was hung behind his chair.

Pabu began chewing their mother’s greying hair without warning.

Wheek-wheek-wheek.

“BOLIN!”

“I’m so sorry, Mom! Pabu get down from there – leave mom’s hair alone!”

All in all, it was another morning in their household.

It was noisy and sometimes chaotic, but Jinora would not exchange it for the world.

 ---

Ikki, library

Truth be told, Ikki liked going to school. She even liked her teacher and classmates.

She liked to be busy and the activities were very interesting. Getting homeschooled and only seeing their tutor, nanny and Meelo had become very tedious anyway.

Staying at their old home also reminded her acutely that their mother was not there anymore. She did not understand what happened, but she tried to.

It has been more than a year since their parents sat her and her brother down to explain that they were separating but it did not mean they did not love her and Meelo any less.

At first, she thought it might have been her fault (or maybe Meelo’s fault for that matter, he did fart a lot and that annoyed her terribly). Her dad and mom were quick to quash those theories, however. They spoke of drifting apart, change in priorities and other grown-up things that she supposed she will understand when she gets older.

But for now, she supposed as she opened her notebook on one of the long tables in the library, they would need to get used to their new living arrangement.

It was difficult last year as they were shuttled to and from two households. It also did not help that their mother was starting out with her new venture had been spending less time at her home. On the other hand, Ikki noticed their father spending more time with them, cutting down his work hours. It all came to a head when Pema had said she will be moving to another country to establish her new business. And so, they ended up -.

“Hey, are you Ikki?”

Ikki looked up to see an older girl with dark brown hair in a bun.

She nodded her head yes.

The girl gave her a bright smile and extended her hand.

“I’m Jinora and welcome to Republic City!”

 ---

Lin, Future Industries Head Office

Lin tiredly wiped her glasses clean before putting them on again, rereading her email response for one last time before hitting send.

It had been a long yet productive day. Her team had managed to fulfill all the visual design requirements that were due that day. She reviewed the different files sent to the printers, making sure that the final and correct collaterals were attached.

Her last task was to ensure that the last set of proposals were on-brand and aligned with Future Industries’ visual identity. Once she had provided her comments and revisions needed on the file, she sat back as she waited for the files to be uploaded to their server.

She reached for her cellphone, wanting to check on her kids while waiting. She looked at their family group chat and read messages from the last time she sent one.

 Ohana (Lin repressed the urge to cringe. That was the final time that she would ask Bolin to create their group chat)

Lin: Kids – as mentioned earlier, I’ll be home a bit late. No need to drop by to fetch me; have dinner already and don’t wait up.

Jinora: Mom, I’ll be staying behind after class – I got a mentee! ☺ Mako Bolin can you wait up?

Mako: Jinora Bo has training today; I think we can wait for you.

Bolin: Jinora 👍🏼

Jinora: Mako Bolin thanks! 🙌

Jinora: Mako what will you be doing while waiting? You sure you’ll be okay?

Mako: Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage.

Lin scrolled through some more messages. Knowing her eldest, Mako would like skulk off to the library.

Jinora: I met my mentee this afternoon. She’s such a lovely girl.

Lin smiled at this. Her daughter had always been the polite one.

Jinora: Her name’s Ikki and she’s two years younger than me. She said she and her father had first checked out Patola Mountain Primary.

Lin frowned. Patola Primary was far; she went there as a child.

Mako: Kid didn’t like it there?

Jinora: They didn’t have the chance to know. They had to move besause of her father’s job.

Bolin: heeey sorry guys- just about to be done with training. Just gonna shower …unless I just shower at home?

Jinora: Ew, no Bo. Shower first please

Mako: Agree. You’ll stink up the car, bro.

Ding!

Lin drew her attention from her phone as her laptop screen indicated that the files have been uploaded. She hit the send button and packed up for the day.

She was looking forward to spending some quiet time with her kids tonight.

 ---

Bumi, White Lotus Headquarters

Bumi leaned back in his fully ergonomic chair, thinking about how times had changed.

Being in an office was something he balked at when he was younger. But now, after serving a long career in defense and military, he submitted his retirement and come to the aid of his younger brother.

Ah, his only brother – back in the day, he would be hard-pressed to keep contact with his brother.

His brother who took on the role of spearheading their family’s company back when their father died.

His brother who had the task of continuing to revive the company and making sure it keeps up with the times.

His brother, who, despite being the youngest, was tagged by the board of directors as the heir apparent owing to his excellent academic records.

His brother who Bumi had felt envious of at some point. He later on realized that his brother actually missed out on a lot of freedom in his life.

His brother who managed to keep their company part of the Top 100 and make malls relevant again.

His brother who probably made some life decisions for the benefit of their company rather than his own.

His brother who had been through hell and back the past year when he and his much younger wife called it quits. His brother whose ex-wife is now galivanting somewhere in the Fire Nation, expanding a business built on horticulture and floristry.

His brother who, despite making some decisions that Bumi might not agree with, is still family.

And if there was anything that their parents taught them – family is permanent.

The ex-military man took a deep breath, looking at their last family photo. For what it’s worth, he liked to think that their fragmented family had found its way back into each other in their adulthood.

Bumi had to admit that Tenzin did have remarkable business acumen that benefited their company, a conglomerate built on the mall industry. With the fourth industrial revolution at hand and the shift towards virtual and digital, the White Lotus Corporation had been challenged during the last years of their father’s life. Tenzin had worked hard to change the ways of working and the culture in the company.

To do it, he had to make sure that there is a buy-in from the board. Ironically, to bring the company to the current century, he had to abide with one of the most archaic practices – an arranged marriage, a marriage that would serve as a press release to the business world in general, that their company was stable and there to stay.

Bumi had been surprised to get a call from Tenzin back then. He had called to let him know of his impending engagement, seeking support. Bumi had cheered, given his congratulations – but named the wrong bride. He had launched into a long tirade, berating his brother for his choices. Tenzin had shouted back his defense.

He still did not understand why Tenzin acted the way he did. However, he could never regret his niece and nephew which came from this questionable business-like union.

Bloop-bloop-bloop.

Speaking of which…

“Hey Uncle Bumi!”

“Hello there, cloudchild!” Bumi greeted his niece with a nickname his sister Kya came up with, given that the kids were actually born somewhere near the mountains. “How’s the new school?”

“It’s great!” Ikki beamed at him and gushed into a long narrative of what she had been up to in the past days.

Bumi enjoyed video conferencing with his niece and nephew. Granted, Meelo had a short attention span but Ikki had always had the flair for storytelling.

It pleased him to see her spark back. He had heard from his brother and their trusted bodyguard/chauffeur Shung that Ikki had been withdrawn during the first weeks in Republic City. It saddened him to learn that the otherwise bubbly child had been affected in that way.

“…And then, I invited her over! Daddy said it was okay – and she’s sooooo nice. Didjaknow she also knows how to play the piano! We practiced a bit. She’s good even if her family didn’t have a piano, they only had this electronic keyboard but it’s so short. But she did well. She said she had a stepdad and it was totally okay. They’re a happy family. D’you think I’ll have a stepmom too? I think it would be okay if Daddy thinks so and maybe we’ll be a happy family here too and you know I joined this contest in school and I-.”

“Whoa, slow down, kiddo.” Bumi let out his booming laughter. “I didn’t quite catch it – what’s the name of your new friend?” He was heartened that Ikki seemed to have adjusted better now.

“Jinora!” His seven-year-old niece practically chirped the name. “She’s actually here!” Ikki turned to someone from beyond the view of the webcam. “Jin, it’s my Uncle Bumi – I want you to meet him!”

“Um, it’s fine, Ikki.” A calm voice of an older child can be heard. “I can wait here.”

“Nooonseeense.” Bumi could see Ikki pull something, rather someone to the camera. “Uncle Bumi, this is my friend Jinora. Jinora, my Uncle Bumi.” She said by way of introducing them.

Jinora gives a small wave and a soft hello.

Bumi gives them a short bow. “Nice to meet you, Jinora. It’s great to meet the friend of my favorite niece (Ikki ­please don’t tell Korra).”

Ikki gives a delighted clap and proceeds into another lengthy tale on what she and Jinora were working on that day at home.

Bumi smiles back at them, observing the children’s banter as they demonstrate the monologue that Ikki was preparing for. It was amusing.

Heh, they could be cousins.

He recalled when he was young, he, his siblings and even the sisters-who-must-not-be-named would stay over in one house after school to work on school projects. It had been one of the highlights of his childhood. He was glad that his niece would be somewhat experience it; he had been worried a few years back when Tenzin and Pema (primarily Pema) were very protective of their kids. It was to the point that they were both homeschooled and basically kept out of the public eye and the public itself.

It can’t be good for socialization. But what can he say? He didn’t have kids so he probably wouldn’t know what he was talking about, right?

He’s just fun ole Uncle Bumi.

Nonetheless, as he turned his attention back to the two girls, Bumi promised himself that he will always be there for his brother’s kids. It’s the least he could do as their godfather.

 ---

Mako, Republic City High

“I worry about Mom.” Mako picked at his dumplings during lunch time, a stark contrast to his brother who was eating a lot (“Coach said I needed to bulk up!”).

“Why? Has my dad been overworking her?” Asami slipped beside him at their usual lunch table. She brought out her packed lunch of pasta and a bottle of coconut water. “Just let me know and I can try to look into it.” She was, after all, interning at Future Industries in her spare time.

“Now that’s just powerplay.” The exchange student from Ba Sing Se High chortled, taking a sip of his sparkling water. “And that’s a no-no and Auntie will definitely get mad if she hears about that.”

“You would know about powerplay,” Bolin swallowed a mouthful of chicken, pointing his fork at the other boy. “Wasn’t that why you got the last slot in the elective you wanted to take this year?”

“Who? Me?” The other boy dramatically placed a hand on his chest, eyes widening. “You think, I Wu would stoop so low as to manipulate the results of the audition for the voice elective? Don’t you think I have enough talent to get into that class?”

Bolin just snorted into his food and Asami choked on her drink. Wu cracked a smile at their reactions.

“Again, Wu – don’t let Mom hear you call her Auntie.” Mako reiterated for the nth time in their friendship. “She hates it.”

“That’s why I do it.” Wu winked at them.

“Wait, Mako, what were you saying about Mom?” Bolin managed to ask in between bites of food. “Is something wrong? I mean, she’s a little bit run-down but she said it’s just because of the time of the year.” The last quarter of the year, after all, is usually the busiest.

“No, it’s just – well,” Mako sought words to explain it. “I’ll be leaving for college, you’ll be away for training, and okay, Jinora would be there but she’s in middle school now…” He trailed off. With Jinora’s aptitude and interests, Mako would not be surprised if she took on a lot of electives and extra-curricular activities. “Mom works too hard, you know?” He ended lamely.

“She has always looked out for us, but yeah,” A shadow passed over his brother’s face. “Ever since Pa passed away a few years back, she poured much of her energy to ensuring our welfare. She’s barely spent time for herself.”

Mako met Bolin’s now worried eyes.

The brothers knew that their mom had sacrificed a lot for them and Jinora.

When they first met Lin and one-year-old Jinora, she had already been under a lot of duress – taking care of a baby, leaving behind Jinora’s deadbeat dad, settling down in a new neighborhood and restarting a career. It had been two years later when she married their father San, who had been a sergeant at the city’s police station at the time.

And, Mako thought wearily, history has not been kind to Lin Beifong at all. While they did have four years (four wonderful years that Mako will treasure for the rest of his life), their fairytale-like family life came to an abrupt end.

San was involved in an armed bank robbery four years later and had not survived the gunshot wounds – leaving Lin behind with two boys at the brink of puberty and a young daughter.

Bolin and Jinora had been very confused at the time. Mako, already fifteen, had been expecting that he and Bolin would be forced into the system or sent off to their relatives in Ba Sing Se. He felt that Lin would not be in any way obligated to take him and his brother in; they were not blood relatives anyway. They were just stepchildren.

To his stunned astonishment, Lin did neither.  He recalled crying in Lin’s arms that night after his father’s funeral.

She had asked him, with a confused expression, why he was packing. Lin wept alongside him as she explained that Mako and Bolin are her sons and there was no way that she was sending them away.

Since then, Mako made sure to look after his mom the way she looked after them. The brothers’ protectiveness was soon well-known in their neighborhood.

Probably also why no one had expressed any type of interest towards Lin even years after…

Mako reflected that it might have been a good move on their part but now it might have been a little bit selfish.

He and Bolin would now need to rethink their strategy…

After all, their mom Lin deserves all the happiness in the world.

 ---

Tenzin, Republic City Primary School – Parking Lot

“Are you sure you’re not just using this as an excuse to have a sleepover?” Tenzin looked over at his daughter, a teasing grin out of place on his face.

“Of course not, Daddy.” Ikki replied indignantly, kicking pebbles as they waited at the parking lot.

“Why can’t you do the project at our house?” He was actually leaning towards allowing Ikki on her first ever sleepover/overnight but he wanted to hear from his daughter.

“We’ll need a big big printer, Daddy.” Ikki raised her arms to show him just how big. “We’ll need to print out my project and Jinora’s mommy has a big printer and lamin-lami-lamintor (“Laminating machine, dear?” Tenzin clarified.) because she frilancets (“Freelances?”).”

“Mmhhmm.” Tenzin looked across the school building, shifting Ikki’s overnight bag on his shoulder.

Ikki timidly approached him the other night, asking if she could spend Friday night and Saturday at her friend Jinora’s house. They had an output required of them of the big sister-little sister program. Tenzin was actually unclear as to what is the specific output that the girls had decided on but it did require a large-scale printer and a laminating machine.

Jinora attempted to explain to him what they were going to do during the last week that they were in his house but he felt out of his depth so he had nodded and let them work on what they needed to.

The father had met Jinora several times already in the past months so he knew the child was in earnest that their intent for the overnight activity would be mainly to finish a project. He also realized (well, Bumi made him realize) that Ikki was old enough for a sleepover (and Pema’s overprotectiveness would be to the detriment of their kids’ development). Additionally, he thought grimly, it would also keep Meelo from wreaking havoc on the work area of the girls.

Nonetheless, he took up Jinora’s mom’s offer to meet up for snacks before she takes the kids home. This would give him a chance to meet the mom, discuss some ground rules and as well thank the mom privately for letting Jinora help Ikki come out of her shell during her first months in Republic City Primary. Jinora did say that her pa and mom used to do the same before she spends the night over at her other friends – the parents meet up, share a small meal, get to know each other. Tenzin thought this was a good parenting tactic; it would definitely assuage his fears as well.

But now, said mom was late.

Jinora had hurried to them, dragging with her a large cartolina and illustration board. She explained that her mom’s work meeting overran and if it would be okay if she rode with them? Her mom will be meeting them at the local diner instead, so they don’t get caught up in traffic.

Tenzin could feel his impatience growing.

So far, this woman was not making a good impression on him.

How on earth she produced a lovely daughter like Jinora was beyond him.

 ---

Lin, Narook’s

Damn Sato, Lin ground her teeth as she finally parked her car into the last parking space in front of Narook’s. Of all the days for a meeting to go over time, it has to be today when she had explicitly asked to leave early to fetch her daughter.

Jinora had provided her enough context to know that making a good impression with Ikki’s dad was important to her daughter.

Lin heard that the dad was some big shot divorced corporate guy, who, she thought, was a bit paranoid about his kids’ safety.

Lin acted as an arts club moderator so she was regularly present at the Republic City High, which gave her chances to meet Ikki whenever she drops by the primary school to fetch Jinora.

The girl was a sweet child – energetic and delightful once she felt comfortable enough with you. It had come to her attention, in the short conversations with the kid, that she was not allowed to go out and play with other kids in their old neighborhood so she was very much excited to have a new friend outside of her class and her family.

When Jinora mentioned their culminating project and their dilemma on the timeline and materials, Lin suggested that they take the project home to work on.

The crestfallen expression of Ikki as she stated that her dad would not allow her pushed Lin to share that she’s willing to talk to the dad to help convince him to give his permission.

The infectious smile that burst on Ikki’s face was enough to convince Lin that she made the right decision.

Now, however, as she entered the diner, spotting her daughter at the corner booth, she froze and started to doubt all her life decisions that led to this moment.

Wondering and questioning the universe what had she done in her past life for her to deserve this.

Across Jinora, beside the talkative Ikki, sat Tenzin – her former boyfriend and Jinora’s father.

 ---

Note: Soooo hmmmmmm. What do you think?

#linzin #linzin fanfic #legend of korra #lin beifong #tenzin #jinora #ikki #mako #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip

[guiltysecretpasttime]

The Airbender’s Wife

Note: A sort-of follow-up to Contentment; because this idea was sticking in my head and wouldn’t leave me alone. Again, this might have already been done before because I’m pretty sure it’s not that new but here’s my spin on it. Please let me know what you think. Let me know as well if have another idea for the title, I’m half and half about it.

===

Korra was bouncing with excitement as she leaned at the railing of the ship. Only a few hours were left until she would see the large statue of the previous Avatar, signaling the edge of Republic City.

After being holed up in the compound at the Pole for most of her life, Korra was keen to see the rest of the world. But first, Airbending training at Republic City would take precedence.

Sure, the White Lotus said they would need to protect her and to train her before bringing her out to the world. But really, what more can she learn when she was isolated from the rest of humanity?

Thank the Spirits that her Airbending master had other obligations in Republic City.

Thank the Spirits for his wife for suggesting moving the training to the city in the first place.

Patting her polar bear dog Naga who had joined her on deck, Korra realized that she knew precious little about Tenzin’s wife. And from what little she did know; the young Avatar was unsure how to feel about the woman. If anything, aside from being the instigator of the transfer of the Avatar, the facts Korra gathered about said woman did not bode well in creating the best of impressions.

--

Fact 1: She’s married to Tenzin, the last Airbender.

The first time Korra learned that Tenzin was married caught her by surprise.

From her recollection, it was around Tenzin’s third or fourth visit to the compound, back when she was completing her Waterbending training. Her parents had invited the family of Master Katara over for dinner when they learned her sons were visiting, offering to host the family for a couple of meals so that the waterbender would not needlessly worry about spending time with and entertaining her children. Never mind that these adult children just wanted to check in with how their mother was doing and would not really need any host to help them out.

Korra, her parents, Master Katara and her two oldest children were already settled in the dining area and were each clutching a bowl of soup when the airbender arrived.

“So, no wife today, Tenny?” Bumi asked, by way of greeting. The United Forces Commander proceeded to toss an empty bowl to his brother, who easily caught it midflight.

“No,” Tenzin sat down beside his sister, who pushed some noodles towards him.

Korra quickly swallowed her food and asked. “You’re married?” She had assumed he was a monk and therefore abstained from all, well, worldly things and relationships.  She said as much.

Loud guffaws erupted from the siblings of said monk, whose head turned an interesting shade of scarlet.

“What – where – how did you – why did you think -?”

This brought about more laughter which confused Korra further.

Tenzin’s sister, Kya, a talented waterbending healer in her own right, was the first one to recover. “Oh Korra, don’t let Mr. Serious fool you.” She patted her brother’s arm in emphasis.

“Yeaaah,” Bumi slurped his noodles noisily, ignoring Tenzin’s frown. “He be foolin’ around way before marriage.”

“BUMI!” Tenzin shouted, throwing a mortified glance at Korra and her parents, who were slack jawed at being caught unawares with these revelations. “They need not know that!” Water Tribe culture, after all, values privacy. Family life was deemed a private matter and some things are just taboo to discuss in public. Though, being raised in the previous Avatar’s household did not appear to hold them in the same restraint.

“Ahaaa!” Kya responded triumphantly, pointing her chopsticks at him. “So, you do admit that you were doing the deed with -!”

“Mother,” The usually unflappable airbender all but pleaded, hands shaking as though he can erase the previous minutes by airbending. “Don’t listen to them!”

Korra peered at the quiet master waterbender, who was calmly sipping her soup with a small smile on her face. “Oh, calm down, children.” Katara put down her bowl and tilted her head in apology to Tonraq and Senna. “Bumi, Kya – that’s enough. Your brother just arrived from Republic City; let him breathe. And Tenzin,” Korra noticed a twinkle in the old woman’s eyes, as through reminiscing a pleasant memory. “Don’t try pulling the wool over my eyes – I might not have your mother-in-law’s abilities, but I knew what you and Lin were up to. Those were not sparring bruises on your neck and chest that your father and I saw when we removed your robes for the airbending tattoos ceremony.”

At the time, Korra did not fully understand what was so funny about it but now she had a name for the airbender’s wife.

Fact 2: Her name is Lin.

----

Fact 3: Apparently, she bakes well.

The Water Tribe-born Avatar was practicing her bending one day when Tenzin arrived for a meeting with the White Lotus. She bowed as Master Katara signaled to take a break while her son bent down to give her a hug.

“Lin sends her love.” Tenzin murmurs to his mother. “And a ton of fruit buns.” He used airbending to lift a large canvass bag from the sky bison’s saddle, grinning as he presented the bag.

“That’s very thoughtful of her.” Korra sees a smile on the wizened woman’s face. “Has she been eating well?” Katara inquired, peering into the bag of buns.

“Oh, she tries,” Tenzin had a soft expression on his face as he responded. “I make sure to remind her when I can.”

Katara selected a bun, then noticing Korra moving at the periphery, tossed one at her. “Korra, Lin baked some fruit buns - you should try it.”

Korra nodded her thanks, never having tried fruit buns before. She bit a portion of it and chewed. The bread was fluffy and fragrant. It was pleasant, and so she took another bite. The filling burst into her mouth, sweet and flavorful. The fruit bun was good, Korra decided. She sat down at the steps of the training ring, enjoying the treat, mindful of having full view of Katara in case she decides to resume training.

“Ah there you are, welcome Master Tenzin.” One of the older White Lotus members strolled over, bowing slightly, having seen the sky bison descend a few minutes earlier.

Korra did not like this guy very much; he was always frowning as if it was such a chore to handle matters relating to the Avatar. She wondered why on earth he took on the oath of being part of the Order of the White Lotus when he found everything disagreeable. She irately took another bite of the fruit bun.

Tenzin stiffly bowed back to the man.

“Are you – alone?” Frowny asked, raising an eyebrow in obvious judgment. “I had thought Lady Lin would have joined you with regards to the Avatar’s training.”

Korra’s ears perked upon hearing about the Lady Lin.

“Lin has a full-time job back in the city,” Tenzin ground out tersely, stressing his wife’s name. “As you may know, she cannot easily leave her responsibilities behind for long periods.”

Korra stuffed the rest of the bun in her mouth; eager to listen without distractions. This was beginning to sound interesting.

“And yet you are here, Councilman.” Frowny Old Man smiled condescendingly, expression laden with insinuations. “I would have thought that training the Avatar would account as a matter of high importance.”

“With all due respect,” The airbender rebutted placidly. “I am to be the Avatar’s teacher, not Lin. I don’t see why she would need to travel to this side of the world for nothing.”

Frowny just shrugged with a smirk on his face, bowed to Katara and left the group, indicating for Tenzin to follow him for the meeting. Korra thought if airbenders were not averse to violence, Tenzin would have punched the man.

Katara placed a hand on her son’s arm, getting his attention.

“She is needed in Republic City,” Tenzin took a few deep breathes. “And this is precisely why she would rather not deal with the White Lotus.”

Tenzin followed inside soon after and Katara resumed Korra’s training.

As she went through the motions of the waterbending forms, Korra thought she might like Lady Lin (she decided to call her that in her mind) with her sweet pastries and her dislike for Frowny.

Fact 4: She has a full-time job in Republic City.

----

Fact 5: She’s an earthbender.

“Korra, can you help please?” Senna’s calm voice echoed in the empty hall where her daughter was (supposed to be) reviewing Fire Nation history. “I’m sorry to bother you but -.”

The Avatar got up immediately, interrupting her mother, tossing aside the text. “Say no more, say no more. What do you need me to do?” Korra was not one to sit still. She understood the importance of the literature, arts, culture, and history but she just found it arduous.

The relief on Senna’s face was evident. “Oh, thank you, sweetheart. You see, I need these blankets to be brought to the healing hut.” She transferred the pile of textile on her arms to her daughter’s waiting ones and indicated another set of blankets by her foot. “Master Katara wanted the healers to prepare for the coming snowstorm and I’ll need to hurry back to her and Kya at the apothecary.”

“No problem, Mom.” Korra responded, voice muffled and fully hidden by the pile of blankets.

Kicking the snow, she raised the bag of blankets by her feet to her arms. She grunted in the effort but well, don’t work hard - work smart, she always thought.

Turning to face the direction of what she thought to be the healing hut, Korra’s progress was slow with the balancing act of the towering blankets on her arms. Several people asked to help her but were responded with a strained “no, thank you, I handle it” from the teenage Avatar.

Unfortunately, a particularly slippery spot on the floor resulted in Korra toppling the blankets over and having them land on the snow into a soppy pile.

Korra groaned in frustration. No way she was going to bring this to the healers. The gossipy women always tsk’d whenever Korra would land in the hut with another scrape. She did not want to face their disapproval.

She leaned beside the hut, scrunched her face in concentration as she cleared portion of the ground and placed the bag, bending it dry. She was thankful that the blankets landed on clean snow rather than muddy sleet.

Korra crouched under the window of the hut, hoping that no healer would go out or peek to see the mess she made. She started to painstakingly pull the water out of each of the other blankets and put them on the dry bag to make sure it does not land on the snow again.

“I hear that the Avatar would be leaving the compound soon.”

“Really? I thought she would have a couple more of elements to master. Isn’t Airbending the last one?”

The Avatar in question grimaced. She knew nothing good comes out of eavesdropping, but she did not have a choice now, did she?

“Yes, but, don’t say you heard it from me,” One of the healers whispered excitedly. “But supposedly, Master Tenzin, the Airbending master,” Korra thought they said the name breathlessly and reverently. For what reason, she was not sure – I mean, everyone knew who Avatar Aang’s son was. “Was not allowed by his earthbending wife to leave the city.”

A gasp was heard. “No!”

“Yes,” The first healer continued while Korra leaned cautiously while soundlessly drying each blanket. “It’s all hush hush but the decision came from her – the Avatar will be travelling out for training. Never mind that all other masters had stayed in this compound to supervise Korra’s training. She decided that her husband is above it all,” The tone was full of disapproval. “She forced the decision – it’s not like there was another Airbending master, after all.”

Korra was dismayed; she was sure that Tenzin was unable to stay in the South Pole Compound because he had city council duties.

“How selfish!” The second healer exclaimed, no longer keeping her outrage quiet. “Well, what did we expect from her after what she did or didn’t do, for that matter.”

“What? What didn’t she do?” Korra pondered to herself as she wished silently for the two women to continue their chatter, becoming invested in the discussion now.

Thankfully, the two gossipy healers had much to say.

“True, this further cements her reputation of being a power-hungry bender who probably doesn’t care for her husband or even the future of the four nations itself. She is from a wealthy family and her lineage is well-known – what more can she ask for?”

“Well, that’s just stupid,” Korra thought as she squeezed out the water of the last two blankets. “How could the actions of one woman regarding her husband impact the future of the four nations?”

“I know right, I mean, why didn’t she consider it an honor? Can you believe she didn’t want to have kids! She must detest her husband or kids if she didn’t want them at all. If it were me,” The second healer empathically stated. “I would have no problem repopulating the entire Air Nation with him. I mean have you seen -!”

Korra burst into the healing hut dropping the blankets quickly on the nearest cot. “Hello-MomandMasterKatara-wanted-these-blankets-ready-for-the-snowstorm-thanks.” Ignoring the startled healers, she had to get out of here.

Nothing good ever came out of eavesdropping. The Avatar felt sick.

For all the limited interaction she had with Tenzin, he genuinely appeared to be in love with his wife. His wife who never came to the South Pole. His wife who did not bother to join him in his meetings with the Avatar. His wife who never visited her mother-in-law. His wife who put her career high on her priorities.

Tenzin’s faceless earthbending wife, the mysterious Lady Lin, was going down a couple of notches in Korra’s esteem.

With a slight feeling of dread – she realized she was going to live with her for an unforeseen period in the future.

Fact 6: She didn’t want children with the last airbender.

---

Korra realized she had been daydreaming as the captain of the ship announced their imminent arrival as Air Temple Island and Aang’s Memorial came into view. Her eyes squint while she tried to see the details of the temples from afar.

Air Temple Island - where the mysterious Lady Lin (as Korra had dubbed her in her mind) and the Airbending Master lived apart from the citizenry of Republic City. She stopped herself from shuddering at the thought of living with who she thought was a calculating heiress of sorts. As much as she wanted to ask about Tenzin and his wife, Korra felt intimidated by Kya and Master Katara and after all, her mother ingrained with her – family is private. All she gathered was it was true that Tenzin was childless.

“Well, I’m the Avatar,” Korra consoled herself as she grabbed her bag and tossed it on Naga. “What could go wrong?” She assured herself and her best friend, the polar bear dog, as she saw the White Lotus sentries awaiting her arrival at the docks. And, what is life without uncertainty, eh?

---

So apparently, a lot could go wrong – Avatar or not.

“Tenzin and the mysterious Lady Lin are gonna be so pissed,” Korra muttered as she bent her head on the metal table in front of her. Never in her life did she imagine that her first day in Republic City would be spent in an interrogation room.

Well, it certainly was not her fault that on their way to City Hall to meet Tenzin, Naga got sidetracked by the smell of food. Definitely not her fault that the White Lotus sentries were just walking and could not catch up with them.

Not her fault that for some reason she got involved in a clash with some triad members. As far as she knew, she was just doing the Avatar thing and helping keep peace in the neighborhood.

But apparently, it was not viewed that way by the Republic City Police Department.

The Avatar hit her forehead on the table again. “Stupid, stupid.” She sighed, wondering whether someone has called Tenzin or the mysterious Lady Lin. “So much for first impressions.” Korra obviously did not want her first encounter with the earthbending partner of Tenzin to be in a metal cube. She also did not want them to bail her out, wondering for the nth time what would the Lady Lin do if she found out she would have to spend money to get the Avatar out of jail.

One of the metal panels slid open and Korra sat up straight in attention.

An irate metalbender entered the room, holding a file and was reading off it “Let’s see – multiple counts of destruction of private and city property…”

Korra grimaced at each mention as she watched the female cop pace. She tried to defend herself.

“You should have called the police instead!” The woman slapped the clipboard on the table. “You have no business involving yourself with the triads!”

The teenager stared back at the grey-haired metalbender. “But you see – I had to do something, I’m the Avatar.” The Water Tribe girl smiled and opened her hands in innocence.

“I know who you are,” The metalbender was unimpressed. “And that doesn’t mean much around here. If anything, I should probably add something to your file,” She took the clipboard and started to write. “You also evaded your security detail, which is a breach of protocol; detoured from your journey management plan – also a breach of protocol, run about the city with your unregistered polar bear dog -.”

“Wait what?” Korra sputtered, interrupting the litany. “Unregistered – what are you – Naga is my friend.”

“And I’m a sky bison.” The stern woman deadpanned, tapping the clipboard on the table.

“I want to speak to whoever’s in-charge here.” Korra wiggled her wrists. “Please.”

Green eyes blinked at her. “You’re talking to her.” As she sat in the light, Korra noted the RCPD badge on the woman’s uniform. “I’m Chief Beifong.”

Just then a small metal panel opened and another cop spoke. “Chief, Councilman Tenzin is on his way.”

An irritated expression fell on the older woman’s face. “What time is it, Saikhan?”

“Uh – fifteen minutes past –.”

“Get in here!” Chief Beifong called authoritatively, getting up from the seat.

Deputy Chief Saikhan enters the interrogation room, awaiting orders.

“I don’t have time to babysit the Avatar,” Beifong ignored Korra’s “hey!” and just rattled off instructions. “And wait for the councilman. I have a previous appointment that I’ll need to keep. I want you, specifically you, to take care of this.” She thrust the clipboard into other metalbender’s hands. “Make sure to read each of these one by one,” She indicated each item in Korra’s file. “I don’t want the Avatar leaving headquarters with just a slap on the wrist, without a clear resolution, got it?”

“Yes, Chief.”

Without further ado, Chief Beifong exited the room with a clang of metal.

“Make sure Councilman Tenzin gets it.”

“I’m screwed, aren’t I?” Korra asked, unhelpfully from her seat.

Saikhan just shrugged, reviewing the clipboard, feeling no pity for the young woman who he had to chase across Republic City earlier.

---

Korra sat sullenly at the side table in Tenzin’s office in city hall, listlessly reading through Airbender culture literature.

After Deputy Saikhan had read the cases against Korra and after a back and forth regarding the details on covering the damages (“Yes, I will personally take it out of the Air Temple Island budget – yes Saikhan, you may get that in writing.”), Tenzin and Korra had walked silently to the Republic City Hall, Naga in tow. For some reason, Korra felt worse with the airbender’s silence than when she was at the receiving end of the chief of police’s acerbic tongue.

The walk to city hall was uneventful, save for Tenzin using airbending to keep the press waiting at city hall steps at bay. He had ushered her in the office and sent his secretary to take care of the polar bear dog in the meantime.

“Stay here.” He then left with a billow of yellow and red robes.

Tenzin was back within fifteen minutes and had, in no uncertain terms, expressed his disappointment in what had occurred upon her arrival.

Korra just bit her tongue. This day was just not going the way she wanted it to be. And she just knew it was about to get worse when she finally (finally) meets the mysterious Lady Lin.

The airbending master just shook his head at the end of his sermon, giving her a couple of Airbender literature, asking her to read up on the culture and just stay in his office while he finished work for the day.

Just as Korra was reading about the chi sensing abilities of a Guru Pathik, a two short raps on the door interrupted the monotony of the afternoon.

“Come in,” Tenzin looked up from the documents he was going over and his secretary entered.

“Councilman, Chief Beifong is here to see you.” The secretary formally announced.

Korra tensed. Not again.

Tenzin sighed, beckoning the secretary to let the Chief of Police in.

With the force of energy that seemed to always radiate around her (or at least always in the short time that Korra was exposed to the abrasive woman), Chief Beifong strode in the Air Nation Council Office. “You’re paying for this, Councilman?” She slammed a file on Tenzin’s desk. The secretary left the room quietly, closing the doors behind her. “You’re not saving me paperwork here.”

From her position, Korra recognized it as the affidavit Tenzin signed at the police headquarters earlier.

“I –.” Tenzin put up a hand to explain.

“I’ll handle it.” She waved him off. “When we had the meeting about training the Avatar,” Beifong shot a quick glance at the teenager at the side table. “The agreement was in Air Temple Island not Republic City. I thought that was clear?”

“Yes, I’m sorry but,” He floundered for words, gesturing at Korra and the room.

“Oh shoot,” Korra thought to herself. “Tenzin’s gonna land both of us in jail.”

“And another thing – a polar bear dog, Tenzin?” The Chief straightened up. “Did you know she was bringing her polar bear dog? You didn’t register that.”

The Avatar was sure that she informed her Airbending Master that she was bringing Naga but she wisely kept quiet.

At the councilman’s nod, Beifong pinched her nose bridge in exasperation. “With the exception of Lord Zuko’s dragon and the Air Nation’s sky bison, all large animals would need to be registered. We can’t have an entire menagerie loose in the city.”

“I’ll handle that, make sure it’s filed within today.” Tenzin took the form from the packet the Chief placed on the table.

“Is there anything else, I’ll need to know?” Beifong took the rest of the packet as she moved to exit the room, standing by the door now.

But before airbender could respond, the door opened and a man in Water Tribe attire burst in, Tenzin’s secretary trailed behind with annoyance. “Councilman, I’m sorry – I told Councilman Tarrlok you were in a meeting but…”

Korra thought she detected a hint of empathy in the chief’s expression as she considered the secretary.

“Councilman Tenzin,” The Water Tribe Councilman (Tarrlok, did they say?) inclined his head in greeting. “Chief Beifong.” Korra was not sure but she felt the Water Tribe man was being leery at the stern police chief, though it was probably her imagination. Nonetheless, she sought to keep still and not draw attention to herself at Tenzin’s side tables.

A glance at Tenzin showed him reddening while Beifong just continued to frown.

“This was a private meeting, Tarrlok,” Tenzin began.

“Oh, all business?” Tarrlok acted like he did not feel the tense atmosphere in the room. “Or something else altogether?” Korra did not comprehend what the other councilmember was hinting at. “You know I wouldn’t mind if -.”

Beifong cut in. “Is there anything you need, Councilman?”

The man just looked at his nails calmly. “I was just going to check in with Tenzin if he had already arranged security with our esteemed,” He let his gaze linger on the metalbender. “Chief of Police for tomorrow’s press conference.”

The chief of police in question shot a look at the other councilman, who quickly spoke up. “That was what you interrupted, I was about to discuss with her that the press conference of the Avatar was moved to tomorrow.”

Korra almost blurted out, “What press conference?” but the words caught in her throat as she saw the metalbender pin her with a look.

“Ahh, good good.” Tarrlok darted an uninterested look at Korra’s direction, probably dismissing her as one of Tenzin’s scholars. “Looking forward to attending it tomorrow then. Councilman, Chief.”

With the same bluster he had as he entered, the Northern Water Tribe Councilman exited the room, doors slamming behind him.

“Press conference?” Korra and Beifong both exclaimed when Tarrlok was out of earshot.

“I was going to tell you later,” Tenzin pointed at Korra. “And I was about to tell you.” He shot at the police chief who was glowering. “We had to move it up given that Korra here basically announced her arrival to the city earlier. The press wouldn’t stop until she releases a statement; the council thought the sooner the better.”

“Did you even prepare her? And wait a minute, you said the press conference was moved up – when was it supposed to be?” The metalbender crossed her arms. “A heads up would have been appreciated, Tenzin. Even just a heads up, Spirits know how easy you could have given me a heads up.” Chief Beifong rolled her eyes before leaving. “I’ll have to get back to headquarters; arrange for a security detail tomorrow and a perimeter check.”

Tenzin rubbed a hand over his face tiredly then gestured towards a form on his table. “Korra, can you fill up this animal registration form, please?”

---

Korra did not know what to expect of Air Temple Island.

Tenzin gave her a quick tour of the place (“That’s where the girls dormitories are, there’s the boys dormitories – you’re not allowed there by the way, the general training area, the earthbending wing is right behind that building there, the sky bison stables are behind the dormitories, the meditation areas, you’ll be staying in the main family residence with Lin and myself, we’re the only ones there, the air acolytes have their respective dormitories...”), showed her to her room, and handed her a schedule of chores and training sessions (“The air acolytes occasionally help in the main house but Lin insisted that this is still our household so we take on our usual chores as we used to in our Republic City house. I was thinking to eventually integrate you into our schedule.”).

After she had settled in her room and checked that Naga was taken care of and fed, Korra came across Tenzin who was at the living room of the house, speaking to someone on the portable radio.

“Yes dear,” He was rubbing the back of his neck as he paced. “Lin, I know – I’m sorry, I’ll make sure to help you with the paperwork. I’ll take it out of the budget of the household,” He paused to listen to the other line, wincing at what appeared to be sharp words. “No, there’s no other option right now.”

Korra felt guilty, if she had not lost control of Naga, Tenzin would not be having this conversation now with his wife, the mysterious Lady Lin.

“Mhhmm, okay. Love you too, Lin. Be safe.” Tenzin replaced the radio on its repository beside the couch when he spotted Korra, shifting apprehensively by the doorway. “Ah, Korra, just in time for dinner.” He beckoned her to follow him into the dining room.

The teenage Avatar meekly followed, the excitement of the day wearing down and embarrassment was starting to catch up.

“Hey Tenzin,” She began, unsure how to broach the subject as she sat down. Tenzin lifted his eyes from his rice bowl, waiting. “I’m sorry about how today turned out and for causing a lot of problems.” Korra fiddled with her fingers nervously. “I really didn’t mean to, you know? And I hope I didn’t cause too much, um, problem with your wife…”  She trailed off.

Tenzin’s lips twitched to a smile as he watched the young Avatar earnestly apologize. “Well, maybe you should just apologize to her yourself. But unfortunately, that wouldn’t be until tomorrow, I suppose.” At the young woman’s questioning gaze, he continued. “That was Lin earlier, she radioed that she’s caught up at work and would miss dinner today.”

Looks like I wouldn’t be meeting the mysterious Lady Lin today, Korra thought to herself as she poked the chopsticks into her rice bowl.

---

Korra twisted and turned in bed before deciding to sit up for a while, finding difficulty in sleeping.

She supposed she should be kind to herself. For the first time in forever, she was away from the South Pole, from home, from her family. She held her knees to herself as she looked out at the window, towards the lights of Republic City.

She had hoped to make a better first impression but instead was able to make an enemy out of the entire law enforcement agency by butting heads with the chief of police. She also got her airbending master into trouble with his wife. And she still has not met said mysterious wife; her first conversation would have to be an apology, which did not present well for future interactions.

Korra sighed as she thought of earlier that evening.

Tenzin was kind and paternal; asking about Korra and the Southern Water Tribe as they ate. He also asked about her parents and his mother and sister. They talked about her trip and about their schedule for the next day. He also tried to give her a crash course on press relations and public speaking.

There was something about the house though. The Avatar could not put her finger on it but there was something odd.

As she helped Tenzin clear out the table, she realized what it was. There were no photos around the house; a bit odd considering that the main residential building in Air Temple Island was like an ancestral home.

She brought the photos up with Tenzin, who was scooping some noodles into a bowl.

He had a ready explanation for it: Lin did not feel comfortable keeping up the old photos and had stashed them away.

Korra hoped her thoughts on the matter were not evident on her face. To her, it felt like the mysterious Lady Lin was tamping down the memories of the previous Avatar, of the Air Nation.

She was then surprised when Tenzin added slices of meat on the bowl he was preparing. “But you don’t eat meat.” She commented as she continued to dry the other dishes they had used that night.

“I don’t, but Lin does.” He had that odd smile on his face, the same one she used to see when they were in the South Pole and his wife is brought up.  He got a small piece of paper and wrote a note for this wife, sticking it under the bowl. He shared with Korra that with Lin’s odd hours, the least he could do was to have some semblance of a meal waiting for her at home. The Avartar idly marveled at the devotion that the airbender had for his wife.

    Lost in thought, she thought heard someone padding down the corridors. Wary but sure that no intruder could have gotten in without causing alarm from the sentries outside, she slowly opened her bedroom door to peer in the dark hallway, all she saw of the figure was a bare foot entering the master bedroom.

So the Lady Lin was home.

---

The next day utterly sucked for the Avatar-in-training.

First off, she had to wake up at ungodly hour before the sun has risen because of morning meditation. Everything continued downhill from there.

She had blearily trudged up the steps to the meditation area. At her core, she was a waterbender. I rise with moon indeed. She basically failed meditation because she could not keep still, nodding off from time to time.

Later on, she ended up bruised and battered from the airbending gates, almost destroying the relic in frustration.

Nearing the main house, Tenzin and Korra were greeted by the appetizing aroma of baked bread. A passing air acolyte cheerfully greeted them and let the master of the house know that his wife has already left for work that day.

Seeing a note beside the tray of bread from the mysterious Lady Lin (Korra felt she ought to keep calling her that in her head because Mrs Tenzin doesn’t quite cut it). She thought Tenzin would have been delighted but he just paled.

“Oh no,” Tenzin fingered the note. “Lin’s still in a bad mood.”

Plain buns; heat in the oven before eating. Will try to get home in time for dinner later. xLin

“What,” Korra was skeptical. “How can she be – didn’t she bake this for you?”

“She did – but it’s a weekday, on a day she had duty, after a long night –.” Tenzin cleared his throat. “She’s got some pent-up stress,” He pushed the tray of perfectly shaped round pieces of bread. “Probably why she thought to punch it all out in the dough this morning.”

Korra decided then that maybe she’ll not get married if it meant dealing with these kinds of situations. Too taxing. Or maybe to find a nice non-bender husband who would hopefully not want to punch things to make himself feel better. Meh. It’s probably the lack of sleep, Korra inwardly scolded her thoughts.

The press conference did not go well either. Or well, it was as well as Tenzin thought it could be. Korra doubted it though. The airbender was ever the optimist after all.

The entire time, she could feel Chief Beifong scowling from behind her and Tenzin grunting in irritation at her left.

She could tell neither were pleased with the press conference.

---

The rest of the day was spent in City Hall as Tenzin completed some work as he will be off the next day.

Korra found out it was his turn to prepare dinner but with his current preoccupation, he opted to go around Republic City to take out food. She helped select some of the dishes, Tenzin nodding in approval (“Lin would like that too. She’ll be pleased to finally have another meat-eater with us.” Korra doubted but did not voice out her opinion.).

Reaching home (the new resident thought she needed to start thinking of Air Temple Island as such to acclimatize), Korra volunteered to set up the table.

Both the Avatar and the airbender had been half-way through the meal when soft clicks of metal could be heard approaching them.

Korra was surprised to see the Chief of Republic City’s Metalbending Police enter the dining room.

She barely had time to kneel from her seat to acknowledge her. “Chief.”

Beifong looked at her, appearing to be amused. “Avatar.” She drawled before she settled herself beside Tenzin.

“Aren’t you going to remove your armor?” Tenzin dropped his chopsticks and Korra noticed the subtle movement of the airbender’s fingers at the side of the metalbender.

Chief Beifong swatted at his hands. “I’m tired and hungry, Tenzin. Can we do away with etiquette, for now, please?” She reached for a bowl of rice and topped it with some thinly sliced barbecued meat while Tenzin poured her some tea. “I’ll clean up later.”

The Avatar felt like she was in a surreal reality. An alternate universe.

What was going on, she paused mid-bite as the two middle-aged benders just continued to eat.

“Did you even eat lunch today?” Tenzin was eying the woman beside him, who had not paused in alternately getting food to her bowl, plate and mouth.

“Eh, no – had to prepare my men for the press conference,” Beifong rolled her eyes. “Whose fault was that?” She wiped her lips.

“Before you even point fingers at me,” Tenzin pinched open a pau, letting the steam out. “That was Tarrlok, he wanted the conference to happen at that time.”

“Couldn’t you have influenced the other members to push back? We weren’t prepared – you weren’t prepared,” She turned her thumb in Korra’s direction. “She wasn’t prepared.”

This brought Korra back to her wits and continued to eat. She looked at their plates. If they did not slow down soon, there would not be any food left for the mysterious Lady Lin. She frowned as she faced her dinner mates who carried on with work discussions. She pushed herself to be more attentive – both to the door and to the conversation around her.

“By the way, I have the files ready for council approval regarding the budget.” The discussion turned to the damages that Korra inflicted downtown; she flinched but neither adult paid her mind.

“No need, Tenzin – I’ve talked to Suyin.”

“What does your sister have to do with this?”

“We’ll supply the raw materials and Su will reallocate some of her workforce from Zaofu to finish the renovation quickly.”

Tenzin’s eyebrows raised at this. “Why? There’s no need for that. Republic City can manage.”

“No, we don’t.” Beifong was calmly responding in between bites. “Think about it. If you go to the council asking for the publicly funded Air Temple cultural restoration budget to be reallocated to construction,” She waved a chopstick in to stress her points. “Specifically to the Earthen Fire Refinery for raw materials,” She saw the comprehension dawn on the airbender’s face. “Whether or not it was well-intended, that request will not look good to the council.”

“You’re right,” Tenzin exhaled deeply.

Korra slowed down to chew her food, wondering why it would not look good. Is it because they were friends? Their parents were friends?

“Korra,” The airbender called her attention. “You’re a bit subdued tonight. Is everything okay?”

The two adults before her looked at her in mild concern. She swallowed and just gestured to the food.

“Go ahead,” The metalbender handed her a plate of steamed pau. “Eat some more. It’s been a long day and you’ll need your strength.” The sharp eyes of the police chief caught her wince as she extended her arm to get the plate. “Tenzin,” She poked at the Avatar’s side none too gently, the soreness making her grimace. Beifong swiftly faced the airbending teacher. “Did you bring her to the airbending gates on day one?”

“Yes…” Tenzin ran a hand on his head slowly.

“Did you check on her after?” At Tenzin’s confirmation of not doing so, the gray-haired woman now turned her attention to the perplexed Avatar. “How many times did he make you go through the gates? Were you – tossed outside of the gates?” At the girl’s awkward shrug and affirmative response, she motioned her hand to the direction of the hallway. “Tenzin, get the salve from my dresser – you know that one, I’m sure.”

Korra blinked. The Chief of Police lived at Air Temple Island? Where? How come Tenzin never mentioned it?

Her quarters must not have been far as Tenzin was back in the dining room in no time at all. “But that’s how my father trained me…”

The Avatar’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What’s up with these two – what about Lin?

“Your mother was there during your training and she was also there when my mother trained your father for earthbending.” Beifong accepted the pot of salve that Tenzin handed her. “Point being – there was always a healer at hand so training could proceed quicker without a lot of recovery time needed.” She offered the salve to the Avatar, instructing her on how to use it later that night. “Barring that, in the academy we used this balm that your mother created.”

“I’m sorry, Avatar.” Tenzin settled himself back beside Beifong, his contrite face visible. “I suppose I never considered that aspect.”

The Chief of Police’s words had an unusually protective tone. “Chin up, Airhead, it’s your first time to teach airbending and you couldn’t have known – you were obviously a natural at the skill.” She bumped his shoulder gently.

“It’s okay, Master Tenzin.” The Avatar gingerly opened the pot, sniffing the salve which had a comforting scent of eucalyptus and mint.

“What would I do without you, dear.” To Korra’s surprise, Tenzin kissed the metalbender’s cheek as she leaned on him. “And just call me Tenzin.” He directed the last part to the Water Tribe teen, who was hiding her dismay at the perceived disloyalty happening in front of her.

Beifong just patted his cheek then tugged his beard. “We all know where you’d be without me now – all of Air Nation would probably be bowing down to you as their patriarch.” She laughed at his horrified face. “What? Don’t tell me that wasn’t what you envisioned.”

“Of course not!” The man just scoffed. “You make the Air Nation sound like an underground cult…”

“Isn’t it just?” Good mood revived by food, Beifong used her bending to summon the metal tray containing the rest of the bread from earlier that morning. “Avatar, Mother mentioned in one of her letters that you enjoyed the fruit buns I sent last time. I tried something new this morning – just incorporated some of the island’s melons into the dough. Not sure if it turned out well.” She broke a piece off and placed it on the young girl’s saucer.

Fruit buns, fruit buns… Korra had a vague recollection about it, but what? “Just call me Korra, I’m just in training after all.” Was what she responded with though.

At Tenzin’s pointed stare, Chief Beifong raised an eyebrow. “What? I rather like it that she calls me Chief.” She gave a bark of a laugh at his frown. “Fine, fine, I was just kidding. Just call me Lin when we’re not in a professional set-up. We can’t have the rest of the public think I’m being undermined.”

Lin.

Hold up. Korra froze.

Beifong. Toph Beifong.

Korra wanted to slap herself, recalling the biographical pamphlets that one of the White Lotus members insisted she study back in the day.

Toph Beifong of the Gaoling Beifong family. The inventor of Metalbending had two daughters – one was the matriarch of the metal clan in Zaofu, Suyin Beifong and the other one was… Lin Beifong, current Chief of Police of the Republic City Police Department, head of the Metalbending Police, one of the partners of Earthen Fire refinery.

Lin Beifong who was currently tearing pieces of melon bread for her husband, the last Airbender, who was chatting casually about the types of food that the air acolytes purchased that morning for Korra’s polar bear dog.

Korra just blinked her blue eyes. So this was the mysterious Lady Lin, the last Airbender’s wife.

Lin Beifong, who despite being in her Metalbending police uniform, seemed to be quite comfortable at being a wife at home during dinner time, attentively listening with her husband about day-to-day household concerns.

Lin Beifong who offered to make Korra medicinal muscle-relaxing tea before bed to help her sleep.

It was a close call of looking almost like an idiot, Korra supposed, as she would have almost accused her airbending master of infidelity. This was why, the young Avatar figured as she took in the tea-drinking couple at the other side of the table, she needed to pay better attention to her history text.

----

Note: Sooo the plot ran away from me. So I’ll probably chop this into two posts; cutting it here for now. I hope this turned out okay; let me know if this is any good.

===

My related posts:

Prologue (Contentment) 

The Airbender’s Wife  2

#linzin #lin beifong #linzin fanfic #tenzin #legend of korra #lok #korra #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina airbender

[guiltysecretpasttime]

Airbender’s Wife (part 2)

Hmm, posting this fanfic before the weekend is over *twiddles thumbs*. Still incomplete though; will add the continuation within the week.

The Airbender’s Wife (part 2)

Note: This is literally a continuation of The Airbender’s Wife, which is an off-shoot of Contentment – which follows the “what if” Lin Beifong and Tenzin had a happy ending/beginning (all posted under the linzin fanfic tag in my tumblr).

Pairing: Legend of Korra: Lin / Tenzin; not canon compliant

------------

Tenzin’s body clock has always been programmed to be on time for morning meditations. No matter how tired he was, he will feel restless and wake up at the same time (getting up is a different thing altogether though).

That day was not an exception.

He stretched his arm to his right, intent on drawing his wife closer for a few more minutes before rising, but instead his hand landed on cool bedsheets. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he got up nimbly and wandered around the house, hoping to catch his wife before she left.

The airbender found Lin standing in the dining room, garbed in a long Earth Kingdom-styled dress, a small face mirror propped in front of her at the sideboard as she attempted to clip a rather stubborn curl of her hair.

“Up early?” He approached her, landing a kiss on her cheek.

“Ba Sing Se day, Tenzin.” She responded, not looking away from the mirror.

“Ah, here, let me.” Taking the clip from her, he easily pinned her hair, tucking it behind her ear. “How about I join you today? I don’t have any council business.” He gave her a hug from behind, squeezing her hips lightly, hinting of a promise that would likely end up with a less than productive day for them both.

“Right,” She brushed him off. “But you’re off to train the Avatar -.”

“Korra, dear.”

Lin rolled her eyes affectionately. “You don’t have council meetings today because you have to train Korra.”

“Then how about I bring Korra to Ba Sing Se?” Tenzin persisted, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

“You also have scheduled meditation with the air acolytes today. And Tenzin, do be serious,” She finally faced her husband. “The girl has barely gotten used to Republic City – you wouldn’t want her presence to cause intrigue in Ba Sing Se. Next, you’ll hear Izumi would be requesting for the Avatar to drop by the Fire Nation.”

“Fine,” The airbending master glumly conceded as Lin pushed him slightly to get around the table to prepare for her trip. “Can’t say I didn’t try though.” 

In general, the airbender disliked being apart from his wife for long periods of time – what more today when she was looking particularly radiant. As much as she did not prefer what she called as business outfits, they suit her well. He also knew that Lin dresses up accordingly as what is expected of a Beifong lady.

Tenzin observed Lin who was in a layered dress of forest and emerald green, with a low v-collar, lined with golden accents. The dress also had slits, which he (as a husband) appreciated on her but (also as a husband) especially minded that other people would likely appreciate it on her as well. His wife insisted on them though (“That is too high, Lin.” “No, it’s not – it’s functional, enough for bending”), explaining that a tight dress would only hinder her bending, and in turn be an obstacle in protecting herself.

Not like there was anything he could do to sway her when she has set her mind to something.

“What,” He pulled her closer to him as she paused as she caught him staring, raising an eyebrow in return. “I can’t help it, are you sure you don’t need a bodyguard to join you?”

“Bodyguard – you? Mr-Violence-is-not-the-answer?” She felt his lips creep from her cheek to the side of her lips. 

“You know what I mean.” Tenzin said seriously as they stood close to each other.

“I’ll be fine,” Lin responded and adjusted her bangles and bracelets. “I’m prepared as always.” The metal bangles and bracelets would function as more than fashion accessories should need arise. She swept the folders and other envelopes into the beaded bag she had on the dining table. “I’ll be back before you know it, I just need to reach the train station in time for the first train to Ba Sing Se.”

“No, you’re not riding the train to Ba Sing Se in that!” Tenzin sputtered, gesturing to her clothes.

“Why? As far as I know, the train stations are pretty safe,” Lin was offended. “I made sure that there were roving guards and security checks. People travel via train daily.”

“Well,” Tenzin conceded. “But not you!” He tugged at his beard in slight agitation, as Lin placed her hands on her hips. “Take Oogi with you.”

“Travel via sky bison -no thanks!”

“For my peace of mind, take him please.” He softly requested and he saw his wife ready to give in with a slight incline of her head. “And, wait a second.” Tenzin hurried to their bedroom as Lin finished packing her bag.

Lin felt the familiar weight of a pendant and the silky ribbon on neck when she straightened up. Her husband gave her neck a small kiss after he fastened the necklace.

“There, everyone will know that Lady Lin Beifong has yet to leave her airhead husband.”

“Tenzin.” Lin said with warning.

“Oh come on, you know what they think of me in the upper ring. I bet some of them have been hoping that you leave me or have had me offed for whatever nefarious reason.”

He was well aware of how, despite being middle-aged, desirable his wife was in all aspects. He might be the prized airbender but in the modern world (or even in the not-so-modern Earth Kingdom), she was definitely worth more with the literal Beifong legacy of wealth, power and social clout, not to mention her own bending skills were far more superior than most, and of course her position in Republic City was nothing to scoff at.  And of course, barring knowledge of any of those, he recognized that his wife posed an attractive (albeit mysterious) figure.

“I think I can handle myself,” She said ironically, as the safety of Republic City’s entire population did rest somewhat on her hands. “Okay fine,” She gave in, seeing her husband not budging, arms crossed. “I’ll take Oogi but only to make it easy for me to travel back and forth.”

“You’re the best,” He gave her a light kiss and strode off to the stables.

-----

“Good morning, Korra.” Lin watched in amusement as the Avatar slowly inched her way to the dining room, rubbing her eyes and rolling up her air acolyte clothing sleeves, mumbling a response.

“Tenzin’s not going to like your outfit, kid.” She raised an eyebrow at the teenager.

“What?”

“Your sleeves.” 

Korra unfolded her sleeves and plopped on the nearest chair as Lin poured her tea.

After taking a sip, Korra became aware of a far-away noise and that it was the Chief of Police sitting in front of her.

“Wow Lin, going somewhere?” 

“Hmm?” Lin absentminded fiddled with her betrothal necklace; she appeared to be waiting for something as she had already finished preparing for the trip. “Ah yes, Ba Sing Se for estate and business matters.”

“Not in your police uniform?”

“No, I don’t think the business people will take me seriously. They’ll probably think I’m my sister’s bodyguard.” She snorted, an action seemingly out of character with the fine clothes she wore. “I have to know how to play the role of Lady Lin.”

Now, it was Korra who snorted and coughed, realizing that this was Lady Lin. The Avatar took the opportunity to inquire, to learn more about her airbending master’s wife.

“What does being Lady Lin Beifong entail?”

“Ah well, I just don’t think I should be called Lady anything. Sounds a bit archaic, if you ask me.” 

“But why are you Lady Lin?”

“My mother is currently Lady Beifong. So I guess my sister and I just follow? And they just haven’t been sure what to call the wife of Master Tenzin I suppose.” The earthbender shrugged gracefully, exhibiting the result of years of being trained in etiquette befitting the Ladies Beifong.

“But still…” Korra’s eyebrows furrowed as she sipped her tea. “What’s in Ba Sing Se?”

“Well,” Lin continued. “It’s the mid-point across Gaoling, Republic City and Zaofu so that’s where my sister and I conduct regular meetings with the board and the executive committees of the Beifong companies and properties.”

The Avatar was about to probe further when there was a commotion outdoors and the Avatar vaguely heard Tenzin talking to an air acolyte about saddling Oogi.

“He’s a bit overprotective, sometimes.” The metalbender stood up, ready to leave.

The presence of the airbender halted their conversation. “You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes, dear. I’ll be safe.” 

“See you later.” Tenzin gave her a quick kiss as she passed by him.

Lin slung her bag and nodded to Korra. “Avatar.”

“Chief.” The Avatar gave a small wave.

“Well, let’s get to business.” Tenzin beckoned for his pupil to follow him outdoors.

Korra quickly finished her tea, scalding her tongue. But at least she would be awake.

-----

Unfortunately, there was not much difference from the previous day. Korra was still unable to release a puff of air from her hands and had difficulty getting through the airbending gates. Tenzin was similarly frustrated with himself.

It was at this sad state of things that Lin arrived at early evening.

Korra was lying on the ground trying to airbend when Oogi made a landing and sent dust skittering off.

“You okay there, kid?” Lin checked in on her as she slid off Oogi’s back, several packages in hand.

Korra just made an X with her arms, while having her eyes closed.

The earthbender smiled sympathetically. “It’ll get better.” She stepped over the defeated Avatar-in-training and gave her thanks to the air acolyte who had taken Oogi’s reins to lead him to the stables. “Clean up and dinner will be ready soon. I brough home food from Ba Sing Se, including Water Tribe dishes.” She entered the house, coming across her husband in the living room.

Tenzin eyed the packages that Lin brought home. “Had fun shopping, dear?” 

“Just a bit,” She shrugged as she carefully placed them on the dining table. “Here’s the contract for the renovation; the Zaofu workers will be in Republic City early tomorrow morning.” She tossed him the folder. “I’m assuming you can file this in city hall?”

“Thanks.” He absentminded took the folder. “How is Suyin?”

“Su is Su. She lives in her own world – literally. I had to make her promise to avoid visits to Republic City for the time-being given the increasing clashes between benders and non-benders.” She looked up and knew from his expressions that he was worried. “How was training Korra today?”

“I can’t get through her,” Tenzin disclosed, frustration coloring his tone. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Be kind to yourself,” She began unpacking the food she brought home. “Republic City wasn’t built in a week. You’re both adjusting. These takes time, and you’re a pretty patient man and I know that from experience.”

“I don’t feel patient today,” Tenzin allowed himself to be embraced by his wife, murmuring in a downcast tone. “How about let’s eat quickly and retire early tonight?”

“Unfortunately for you,” She pulled up the newspaper from the sideboard and pointed to an article. “Tonight’s the Pro-bending semi-final qualifiers and you know I can’t miss it.” 

Tenzin groaned in disappointment. “Liiiiin.”

“Tenzin,” She laughed. “Don’t worry, we’ll have dinner before I join the boys.”

-----

“Where are you going?” Korra asked.

“It’s Pro-bending night.” Both adults responded to her, one excited and one sullen.

“You don’t like Pro-bending?” The teenager asked her airbending teacher. “It’s been my dream to watch one of the matches live. Never thought I would be a ferry ride away from the arena!”

“It’s a mockery of the traditions of bending!” He threw up his hands.

“Oh come now, Tenzin,” Lin inclined her head to the grumbling airbender. “It’s no Agni Kai but it’s adequate entertainment.” 

“That’s just it – entertainment.”

Korra looked back and forth at the volley of responses from her hosts.

“Spirits forbid anyone have fun in your vicinity, Airhead.” Lin took it in stride. “Mother did say you were always the serious one.” She tugged lightly at his beard before standing up to take the trays of food and drink outside.

“Can I listen too?” The Water Tribe born Avatar tentatively asked.

Tenzin frowned deeply as he met Lin’s amused face, eyebrow raised in challenge. “Fine, but meditation for you starts 15 minutes earlier tomorrow.”

Letting out a whoop, Korra stood up and took the other tray of drinks and followed Lin outside, where the White Lotus sentries were gathered around the radio.

“Hello, men.” Lin made their presence known as she placed the tray on the wooden table at the station.

“Good evening, Lady Lin, Avatar.” The sentries chorused as they scattered to make space in the half-circle to provide seats and to take the trays from Lin and Korra’s hands (“Call me Korra!”).

The Avatar-in-training watched in amazement as Chief Beifong sat among the White Lotus sentries, comfortable in her Earth Kingdom dress. The lady was laughing in camaraderie and was even exhibiting that she knew them all by name. She chatted with them as they shared the finger food she brought home from Ba Sing Se while waiting for the commentator to finish with all the introductions and recaps. Korra figured it was not their first time to do this.

“How is your daughter, Hung? Did she like the mini pots and pans?”

“Oh yes, Chief, she enjoyed having a mini kitchen set to play with.”

“Lady Lin, my mother sends her regards.”

“Ah yes, Minha, I hope she’s getting used to the South Pole well.”

“Yes and she appreciates the coat you sent her through Lady Kya.”

Korra enjoyed herself immensely, freely laughing and feeling the start of an affinity with the White Lotus sentries. It was a far cry from the feeling of isolation she experienced back in the South Pole. They booed and cheered accordingly as the matches went by. They did not seem to particularly take her Avatar status with a lot of fanfare, which she liked.

She watched the metalbender at the corner of her eye – for all her misgivings, it would seem that the airbender’s wife was not all that bad as literature and media made it seem. The woman was laughing, no condescension in sitting and eating at the same space as the sentries. If it were not for the golden filigree and her attire, Korra would have thought her a part of the team. She was pleased to see that Lady Lin had no airs, which was more than could be said of her own Northern Water Tribe cousins.

“Excuse me, good evening everyone.” Tenzin’s voice cut-through the din. “Just checking if I may now take my wife home?”

The sentries stood up to give a bow, which the airbender returned and waved off.

“But we’re just getting to the good part,” Korra almost whined. She anticipated that she would be told off to go to bed too.

“No, no, it’s fine.” Lin accepted her husband’s hand as he helped her up from her stool. “I’ll go ahead, you all have stay and finish the match.” She motioned to the group. “I trust you’ll be able pack up later and finish your shifts?” At everyone's affirmative, she placed a hand on Korra’s shoulder. “Alright, see you all tomorrow – well, maybe not all: Aki and Sansan, I think you're both off duty tomorrow.”

With that, the group bid the pair good night. 

“Say what you will about those two,” Head sentry Yao, one of the more senior ones in the group, jerked his head towards the couple going back into the house, with the airbender still tightly holding his wife by the waist, tripping with faint laughter trailing behind them. “But they’re definitely a love match.”

“Never seen a more dedicated wife like the Lady Lin,” A dimpled sentry (Aki was his name, if Korra was not mistaken) commented wistfully (“And vice versa on the airbending master as a husband!” Another piped up). “I don’t get it why they get so much flak from the Order and the press.”

“Tradition,” Yao scoffed. The rest of the sentries turning to face him, relying on his experience as fact, being that he had been on Air Temple Island as a junior sentry during the previous avatar’s term. “If anything, they know the Lady would not be held down but they expected Master Tenzin to at least be a bit more pliable. A little bit more steeped into tradition, you know?”

Korra accepted a mini fruit tart that was being passed around the group, as they wait for the advertisements from the radio to finish. There was a lot, given that it was probably the third to the last ad slot. 

“It’s not like Chief Beifong was wasting her time in Republic City,” Han revealed that he used to be part of the Metalbending police department until five years ago when he decided to heed an offer from the Order of the White Lotus. “She had always been fair – very strict – but fair. Highly competent and much more capable than the entire City Council put together in protecting the city (“Shhh, don’t let Councilman Tenzin hear you!” “He meant keeping the city crime stats lower – that can’t be achieved by peacekeeping alone.” “Ah, right right. True.”).”

Into the third round of the last match (the Fire Ferrets were proving to be a well-trained underdog) , they felt the ground trembling.

Korra immediately stood up, tensing. “What on earth is that?” Earth tremors were uncommon in the South Pole, and if any, it did not seem to forecast good fortune. She distinctly noticed the unease among the sentries as they communicated non-verbally with each other. “Should we prepare for something? I can go inside and warn Tenzin!” 

“No!”  The vehement chorus of No’s surprised her.

“Well, okay – no.” She was confused now. “Is there an evacuation plan or is this normal?”

The sentries looked at each other, appearing unsure to Korra.

“Well?” The Avatar-in-training was poised to run into action at the first sign of danger, putting down her cup of water on a nearby tray.

Finally, head sentry Yao cleared his throat. “Don’t worry Avatar, this is very normal.”

Eventually, the floor ceased its apparent movement and there was a collective sigh of relief.

The rest of the sentries cast furtive glances at Korra as she sat back down, unable to fully focus on the game. The sentries, though, were easily engrossed in the match.

The match soon ended (“And the Fire Ferrets wiiiiiin!”) and everyone pitched in to clear the area. Korra hovered awkwardly, still on alert and very wary of the earth tremors.

As the last of the cups and trays were brought away, Yao took pity on the Avatar and wanted to give her peace of mind.

“You sure that was normal?” Korra twisted her hands in slight agitation. “That won’t cause the island to split and sink or something?”

“Yes, Avatar, there is no need to worry about it.” The head sentry accompanied her to the door of the Air Temple residential building.

“I don’t remember the island sitting on any fissure that would cause it,” The young woman wracked her memory for any geological feature near Republic City that could result in an earthquake. Man, she really needed to brush up on her studies. “I don’t think I’ve read about a phenomenon in the text way back.”

“Uh, it wasn’t a fissure,” Yao looked downright uncomfortable now. “And it’s a fairly new, uh, phenomenon; just a couple of years old.”

They have reached the entrance to the house; Korra paused and tilted her head in question. Just then, the ground shook a bit more for a few seconds long then every thing was still. “Tell me I didn’t just imagine that.” 

Two sentries (Ming and Jian?) passed by as part of their rounds. The head sentry nodded at them, “Will the two of you check The Area tomorrow?”

Ming and Jian saluted and Korra was left pondering why “The Area” sounded like it was said with capital letters, as though the White Lotus were talking about a very specific location.

“Better get some rest, Avatar. Good mood or not, Master Tenzin and Lady Lin wouldn’t appreciate it if we,” Yao rubbed the back of his neck as he turned back to the Avatar who was waiting for answers. “Continue to discuss the, eh, aftershocks of their evening exercises.”

Oh Agni, please swallow me into the ground now.

----

Welp. Playing with the idea on what the pair looked like to others they interact with on a day-to-day basis for more...~domesticity? Eh 😏 lemme know what you think.

===

My related posts:

Prologue (Contentment) 

Airbender’s Wife 1 | 3 | 4

#linzin #lin beifong #lok #linzin fanfic #korra #tenzin #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina airbender

[guiltysecretpasttime]

The Airbender’s Wife (Chapter 3)

Note: Here’s the next chapter 😊 I have a rough outline of the rest of the story; all is left to actually put it all into writing. As you may have noticed, the plot more or less happens on the outskirts of what we see on season 1 of LoK with a Linzin AU focus.  Let me know what you think 😊

----

The next few training days were not any better.

In between training one-on-one with Tenzin and having sessions with the air acolytes, Korra felt she had not progressed as much as she should have. She was disappointed at herself – she had been able to grasp most of the other bending forms quite easily. Aligned with the worry of her other bending masters, she was adept in comprehending the physical aspect of her training but lacked connection with the spiritual side. Everyone knew that Air was the most spiritual among all the elements. This was also why she was training with Mr. Spiritual himself. There was no hint of disapproval from Tenzin, which made it worse.

The Avatar quickly fell into the routine.

Each morning would begin with meditation with Tenzin. The rest of the day would depend on the Airbending master’s schedule.

Korra would either have a training session or asked to join the Air Acolytes’ classes to learn more about the Air Nomad culture. On days that Tenzin was needed at city hall, Korra would be left to her own devices. On other days, Tenzin was able to work remotely from his home office and so is able to supervise training at the island.

One of the first things that she did back in Republic City was to request to go to the library, which pleased Tenzin a lot.

The teenager decided to brush up on the recent history, taking time to take seriously the reading lists that the White Lotus gave her years ago. She had also gone to the archives to just catch on what the press had been saying about the previous Avatar and his family, and by extension the currently last Airbender and his wife.

Aside from satisfying her curiosity, she felt she owed it as much to learn about her hosts to ensure she does not say anything offensive or taboo. Not that the airbender or the metalbender seemed to care a lot anyway.

Chief Beifong, meanwhile, as her husband mentioned previously, did not have regular hours. Korra cannot recall the last time she had seen the woman at the island aside from night of the Pro-bending match. At most, she would see Tenzin having short calls at night (“Yes dear, I understand.” A pause. “Mhmm, take care, okay? Yes, Korra’s here safe. What? Why would she need to blend in the crowd?” Another pause. “That makes sense, yes, the public knows that Avatar is from the Water Tribe.” A sigh. “Yes, dear. Stay safe.”).

-----

Korra had reached the top step of Republic City Hall, having come from exploring the city after spending an hour at the library. It was almost time for Tenzin’s office hours to be over. She was surprised to see the airbender standing in the foyer already.

“Ah, there you are, Korra.” Tenzin strode towards her. “Let’s go.”

“You’re done for today?” The councilman usually waited until the last minute before packing up. Then again, Korra did observe that Tenzin seemed to be disquieted by something in the past days.

“Yes.” He replied brusquely as he quickly exited the building, robes billowing in his wake.

“Uh – the ferry is that way?” Korra stopped and pointed to the opposite direction which Tenzin was heading towards.

“We’re dropping by somewhere first.”

Korra jogged beside him to keep up until they found themselves entering the police headquarters.

“Ah, Councilman Tenzin, Avatar.” The Deputy Chief greeted them as they entered arrived at the floor of the Chief of Police’s office, hands behind his back. “I wasn’t aware that you had an appointment today.”

“We don’t,” Tenzin responded still in that somber tone. “I’m here as Lin’s husband. Would you know where she is?”

Saikhan cracked a smile, barely perceptible but it was there. “I was wondering when you’d show up.”

Korra fidgeted by the balls of her feet. The last time she was in the presence of the deputy chief was when she was in the interrogation room more than a week ago. She figured that it might be a regular occurrence for Tenzin to drop by, judging by his reaction.

Tenzin released a heavy sigh. “How long has she been in?”

“She’s been here for close to four days,” The metalbender consulted his watch. “Four days entering the fifth day in a few minutes actually.”

“Four days?!” The teenager blurted out in shock. “That’s how many working hours?” She knew she had not seen the police chief recently, but she thought she just did not see the woman’s comings and goings from the island.

“Too many.” The grim airbender crossed his arms. “Didn’t she leave headquarters at all?” Korra remembered that the couple also owned property in the city; she supposed that Lin could have gone home there instead of Air Temple Island.

“She’s been out from time to time on case-related activities,” Saikhan responded with a frown. “But no, Chief spent the rest of the time here.” Chief’s husband tsked quietly at hearing this. “Right now, she’s finishing the last training class of officers and detectives.”

“I didn’t know it was time for the refresher exercises?” Tenzin looked towards the end of one of the corridors, which was connected to the stairwell of the training rooms.

“It’s not. The Chief decided to have mixed group sessions specifically for non-bending forms and techniques.”

“Oh?”

Both Tenzin and Korra were curious; after all, the police department was initially established with the elite metalbenders as the main members.

“With the rising anti-bending sentiment on the streets, the force needs to further assure the public that we are a non-biased organization who is out to serve both benders and non-benders alike.” Saikhan said tightly. “The chief saw it fit to equip all divisions with working knowledge of non-bending: both defensive and offensive. Generally, she instructed benders to use bending as a last resort when encountering non-benders in skirmishes. Maximum tolerance and all that – there’s no point in escalating the tension.”

That makes sense, Korra thought.

“I take it there has been some resistance?” Tenzin tugged at his beard, a mannerism that the Avatar was starting to recognize. He was either agitated or pensive. Korra voted for agitation this time.

“Of course,” Saikhan exhaled. “Good thing this happened now though; if it were a couple of years back, when there were just benders on the force or further back when it was all metalbenders, it would have been chaotic.”

Korra recalled reading that the current Chief Beifong had opened the police academy to non-benders early in her term as chief of police.

The airbender agreed. “It would have been more challenging to placate the public if that were the case.”

“If I may speak candidly, Councilman?” The deputy chief asked. Upon Tenzin’s nod, he continued. “Here’s hoping that the city council pass more…progressive laws for Republic City. There’s only so much that we can do to keep peace and order when enforcing some of your more pedantic laws.”

Any reply Councilman Tenzin might have given was cut-off as footsteps were heard coming from the stairwell. A group of sweaty, disgruntled yet subdued looking officers and detectives came rushing towards the showers, murmurs and shouts littering the air.

At the tail of the group was the Chief of Police in her non-metalbender uniform, wet hair stuck to her forehead and nape, towel on her arm, and a water bottle in hand. Both Tenzin and Saikhan noticed her at the same time and set about to approach her when she was intercepted by another uniformed officer.

“Chief, they’re ready for you in the briefing room.”

Lin nodded and strode purposely the room; Saikhan hurrying after her.

Tenzin was used to this occurrence, Korra figured, as he went inside what she supposed to be the Chief’s office.

The Avatar was surprised at the state of the room.

While the paperwork was arranged neatly on the desk (complete with folders, binders, and impressively cascading tabs), other areas of the room was in disarray – obviously, the owner of the office practically lived there.

The side table had several pots of beverages, (Korra sniffed at it – one was tea, two were coffee, and three were probably coffee at some point. She lifted a pot and tried to swirl it – it looked like toxic sludge, then again she would not put it past Lin to be capable to subsisting on bitter sludge just because she can), one empty cup, multiple bowls of partially eaten food (normal pantry food consisting of bread, noodles, some stir-fry and rice), and a metal tray (“Lin being Lin,” Tenzin dipped his head, smiling at his wife’s stubbornness. “She prefers to clean up herself, didn’t want the staff waiting on her.”).

The couch in the room was a little bit better; a folded blanket was placed on top of two pillows at the end (“She didn’t even bother to rest at the sleeping quarters.”).

Tenzin snuck a couple of packets of biscuits (which the teenager puzzled where he got them from) into the Chief’s desk drawers then he began clearing the side table.

As Korra helped him out, she realized that the airbending master has been worried about his wife not being home all this time.

She stopped to peek through the blinds that faced the rest of the floor.

She saw the police chief patiently listening to one of the officers gesturing towards a diagram on the board where several photos and a map were posted. Lin wiped the sweat off her face and took a long drink of water, eyes not wavering from the officer speaking in front. If that look of determination was anything to come by, the Avatar did not think that whatever the Chief was working on that week was not easily solved.

---

“Go home, Chief.” Saikhan attempted to get the folder from Lin’s hands after the briefing for the stake-out ended.

“No, the stake-out –.”

“Can be handled by myself and the rest of the team.” At the Chief of Police’s skeptical face, the Deputy Chief opened his hands imploringly. “Chief, we’ve worked together for a lot of years now. I know our protocols by heart.” He eyed her massaging a part of her left shoulder. “And, how many has it been? Eight?”

Anyone who has worked with Lin Beifong knew her philosophy of leaving all the confrontation on the mats. Having personal issues and altercations with fellow policemen on field or while on the beat may pose security concerns. It could also be a matter of the operation’s success or failure. She had then allowed sparring (regulated sparring, that is) at headquarters to get them to let off their steam.

With her recent focus on the integration of non-bending techniques, there have been a couple of people on the force (both detectives and uniformed officers) who were a tad too miffed (and that’s putting it lightly) at this development. At the start of each training session, she opened the floor to anyone who wanted to challenge her. To prove her point, she did not use earth or metalbending while her opponent can use either.

The last time Saikhan checked, there had been less than ten challengers so far.

“Fifteen is the final count.”

“Fifteen!” He was stunned. “So, seven more in the last session?”

Lin shrugged, testing her sore shoulder. “I saved the most difficult group for last.” She has managed to win each of the fifteen matches (Lin idly wondered if that was how her mother felt when she won her Earth Rumble championships back in the day).

“Well, either way, you need to rest up, Chief – you’ll be no good to us if you’re not in tiptop shape.” He half-jested, knowing fully well that his boss can still take anyone down even at her current state. The man received a punch to his forearm in retaliation. “Don’t worry about it, all that is left is the waiting game and paperwork. We can manage.” He waved towards the office, grinning. “And, if anything, I also do not want to be at the receiving end of the last airbender’s tirade should I not be able to convince you to get some rest. Your husband and the Avatar are waiting in your office.”

Saikhan did have a point and she did trust that the man was highly capable in her absence. He also knew very well that when Tenzin drops by as Lin’s husband, Chief Beifong has overstayed at work.

Lin thrusted two files under her arm to him. “Fine but call me as soon as you hear anything.” The man had the audacity to salute her as he shooed her away (“Get some rest, Chief!”).

The past days have been hectic.

The triads were taking advantage of the pockets of gatherings supporting the non-bending movement. Legally, there was not anything the police can do about it. The citizens do have the right of freedom of assembly. There has been no incident that would equate to any law-breaking; all the force can do is wait and observe.

Patrolling schedules were revamped to ensure mix of benders and non-benders per location. Both sensitivity training and non-bending techniques training were quickly delivered to the force. It was short-notice and the timing was tight but Lin believed that it would be better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.

The triads were not making it any better as they were, more often than not, composed of benders preying on establishments owned by non-benders. She had allotted more metalbenders as plainclothesmen in the vicinity to allay their fears. It did stave off crime.

For now, she thought pessimistically. The city never did seem to rest; by extension, neither did she.

Just today, she had given a go signal for stakeout made up of the mostly junior detectives and officers. There was a severe lack of progress in the intelligence reports provided by the seasoned officers. She figured that if this junior team produces more results, the other team would be challenged to step up and shape up.

Tenure was not enough to secure promotions in the force, after all. Spirits know she knew that very well.

She tilted her water bottle back, finishing the rest of her drink. An empty stomach and a sore body never did not make for a happy chief of police.

Another day at headquarters, another day to remind herself why she had to keep going.

As Lin approached her office, she could sense Tenzin pacing inside.

Well, there’s my number one reason.

The metalbender shook her head to clear maudlin thoughts (wouldn’t want to get distracted while on the job, wouldn’t we?) before turning the doorknob.

“Tenzin, Korra – to what do I owe this pleasure of a visit?” She entered the room, shutting the door behind her, correctly assuming that her husband was about to berate her.

“Visit?” Lin could hear the strain in Tenzin’s voice. “This isn’t a visit, Lin. It’s almost a week since you last went home. You’ve practically camped in your office.” The airbender’s robes flowed as he waved indicating the room. “This can’t be healthy, Lin.”

A blast of air escaped as he huffed, causing several paperwork to flutter from her desk.

“Don’t worry, I was just riling you.” Lin could vaguely see the Avatar cautiously watching the exchange from the couch, inching towards the desk to pick up the fallen sheets of paper. “I’m leaving headquarters with you.” She placed a hand on his arm, gripping it and trying to reassure him. “I’ve arranged it all with Saikhan. I’ll just have a quick shower.”

---

The next hour found the three of them in an alcove of a popular (albeit expensive) restaurant in the city. Tenzin selected this one as he was sure that they would be granted privacy (that and he knew that the service was quick). Soon their table was silent except for the clatter of utensils and bowls as they dug into their ordered food.

“Are you part Fire Nation?” Korra tilted her head, her face scrunching in disbelief at the amount of spicy on Lin’s plate. She had been unable to resist asking as she watched the metalbender scoop more chili garlic.

“Wouldn’t we all like to know,” Lin mumbled through a mouthful of said spicy noodles, not looking up from her plate.

Tenzin shot a warning look at the Avatar, silently communicating that she does not push the woman. Her heritage was a prohibited topic.

Lin’s nickname before she made chief was Captain Crankypants (though if he were a betting man - which he isn’t, mind you– he would bet that her detectives and officers still called her that away from her earshot). He knew her long enough to know the trick to this was to let her eat first. She was the very embodiment of hangry. It was for this particular reason that he always made sure to have some biscuits on his person. His robes, after all, were voluminous enough to hide a pack or two.

Korra had her mouth form an “O” in curiosity. Lin glared at her to stop her from probing further.

Tenzin thanked the spirits that the usually impulsive Avatar held her tongue.

He could see that other patrons of the restaurant were starting to notice their presence as dinner time approached. It was not like they were particularly inconspicuous – he with his Air Nomad robes, Lin in her particularly striking green attire and of course, Korra’s Water Tribe outfit. He realized that this was what Lin had called about a few days ago – for Korra’s protection, for her to ideally wear something less distinguishable that would mark her as the Avatar.

He tossed a side glance at his wife, knowing that she would probably have noticed the same attention that they were drawing but at the same time wishing that she would not chew him out just yet.

Instead, he discreetly pushed the fried salt and pepper squid to her.

Airbender through and through… redirect, diffuse the situation…

Lin stabbed two pieces of squid and that was that.

Tenzin knew Lin’s moods. He could feel the tension on her shoulders, coiled and ready to pounce at a single trigger. She was too amped-up to be coped in Air Temple Island. He would probably lose her to the earthbending training grounds if he insisted that they go home.

“Where do you want to go after dinner, Lin?”

The woman just continued to chew her food for a couple of moments; Tenzin started to doubt if she heard him.

“What day is it today?” Lin finally asked, chin resting on her hand.

Korra answered for him.

The earthbender turned to him. “There’s a pro-bending match today at the arena.”

Tenzin could feel the heat behind his ears as the Avatar also turned her attention to him. “You want to go to the arena?”

“Yes, why not?” Lin leaned to the back of her seat, where Tenzin’s arm waited, and crossed her arms. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen a live match.”

On any other day, he would have tried to dissuade his wife from supporting a spectacle.

However, it wasn’t any other day. He has not seen his wife out of work for almost a week and he was not about start an argument during her first night out in a while.

“Pro-bending match it is.” He said resignedly as he tightened his grip on her shoulder, feeling at least a small amount of tension leave her posture.

I’d count that as a win, he thought, kissing the top of Lin’s head.

---

“Where is Korra? I would think she would be back by now.”

“She’ll be fine. There’s probably a long line at the loo.”

“But still – ouch - did you just punch me?”

“Tenzin, she’s the Avatar. She knows three elements; she can defend herself.”

Grumbling. Grumbling.

“Fine. Move – remove your arm around me, I need to stand up and concentrate– yes. That’s it.” Stomp. “She’s at the players’ platform.”

“She’s WHERE?”

Her hand clung to his robes, keeping Tenzin at his seat. It was all she can do to prevent him from storming down to where she detected Korra was through seismic sense.

“Tenzin,” She hissed as they both sat back down. “People are starting to look at us. Keep it down.”

Lin had selected these particular set of seats so as to not draw any attention to them (well, as minimal attention they could get with a tall bald tattooed airbender clothed in the colors of the sun as they could get).  She truly did enjoy pro-bending and she knew her husband was just humoring her tonight. Nonetheless, she was quite contented to sit through his griping throughout the match (“What kind of move was that? That waterbender had the worst form I’ve ever seen.”).

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as the bell rang, proclaiming the Golden Temple Tigerdillos as the winner of the first round.

As the match went on, the earthbender felt her husband become more receptive to the sport as he started to lean forward in his seat (“That waterbender of the red team is an idiot. Why are they keeping him?”).  She laughed at his indignant face (“Where did they even find him; why don’t they kick him out??” “Tenzin, it doesn’t work that way.”); she found his reddening head endearing as he worked himself up on a sport he said was a mockery.

She gave his hand a squeeze.

The airbender looked down at her, seeing a smile on her tired face, the smile reflected by the crinkling at the corners of her eyes.

He returned her smile and he tugged her closer to him.

Maybe, just for now at least, Lin can pretend that they were just an ordinary couple on an evening out rather than the chief of police and the last airbender.

----

“Here they are – the Fire Ferrets.”

“Thanks, Toza.”

“Any time, Chief Beifong. Councilman Tenzin.” The burly man lumbered off, muttering a congratulations to the bending brothers.

“Chief, Tenzin!” Korra burst forth, placing herself ahead of the two Fire Ferrets in attendance. “I’m so sorry, I got distracted and I -.”

Tenzin turned to his wife, who had her hands on her hips defensively. “I told you this was a distraction, Lin!”

“What are you talking about? We’re all off duty tonight, aren’t we?” The Chief of Police responded sardonically, gesturing to her overcoat, reminding the airbender that her armor was on the sky bison’s saddle (“I’m calling Oogi tonight – leave your armor there Lin, I’m sure you’ve seen enough of your armor this week.”).

She tuned out the teenaged Avatar’s exuberant storytelling and continued to scan the room with interest.

Even as a follower of pro-bending who occasionally watched matches in the arena, Lin has never been to the player holding room. She noted the brothers – the earthbender, with wide eyes, was pulling at his brother’s sleeve, clearly trying to draw his attention to Lin. She caught the eye of the firebender, recognition dawning on both of them at the same time.

She felt the agitation come in waves from the firebender as indicated by his increased heartbeat. The Chief of Police glanced at Tenzin and Korra, both engrossed in their discussion, then approached the pro-benders.

“So, this is where you both ended up.”

“Yes, Chief Beifong.” The earthbender squeaked out, shifting his eyes between his brother and the policewoman.

The firebender, the older brother, if Lin’s memory served her correctly, inclined his head in as he added. “We’ve been trying to make ends meet – within the law, this time.”

“Good to hear, kid.” She could not resist the slight upturn of her lip. Juvenile delinquents who manage to turn around their lives were quite close to her heart (not that she’d admit it though it was fairly obvious to Suyin for obvious reasons). “You’ve been making quite a stir this season, good job.” It was the most that she could give as a compliment.

“You-you-you’re following pro-bending?” The green-eyed earthbender stammered. “You’ve followed the Fire Ferrets?” He was practically bouncing with excitement. “Mako, Mako! Chief Beifong knows who the Fire Ferrets are!” He stage-whispered to the firebender, Mako.

Mako rolled his eyes while he took off the arm guards. “Well technically, she did know us even before we became the Fire Ferrets.” He moved to clean his helmet.

Isn’t he just a ray of sunshine, Lin thought. He just might grow on me.

“Okay, fine!” A gust of wind got their attention as the airbending master had apparently bowed out to the Avatar and allowed her to spend some time training with the pro-benders in her spare time.

Lin decided that she did not give the kid enough credit. There might be the makings of the diplomat (or politician?) within her just yet if she was able to wrangle this agreement with the airbending master.

“Oof!” A blue blur hit her at the chest.

“Thank you- thank you -thank you -thank you!” Korra held the metalbender in a tight embrace.

Over the Avatar’s head, Lin threw a Tenzin a look, asking for help. The man had the gall to grin widely at her, signaling her to return the hug.

“I didn’t do anything, kid.” Lin gasped out as she awkwardly patted the teenager’s shoulder.

“Is she allowed to do that?” The younger Fire Ferret brother whispered loudly, hand partially covering his mouth, other hand pointing at the waterbender.

Mako looked disinterested while Tenzin shrugged, grin still plastered on his face.

The metalbender narrowed her eyes at him, thinking of ways to retaliate later at home.

------------------

Note: Hmm. So there.  Tossed in some thoughts based on headcanons for me like Lin actually liking pro-bending, because, well, she was raised (or minimally raised) by an Earth Rumble champion. And of course, I did not take Tarrlok’s comment about the Chief of Police’s track record sarcastically so I wanted to include bits on how she would have worked on the Equalist issue in the background (because she probably wasn't just a glorified body guard? 🤷🏽 Idk haha). Lemme know as well if you have specific HCs that you have in mind; quite curious too. :) 

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#linzin #linzin fanfic #lin beifong #tenzin #legend of korra #cross-posted on ao3 #toccatina's fanfics #toccatina wip #toccatina airbender