The Cave Chapter 1: The Cave, a legend of korra fanfic

(A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDY!)

This was all her fault. It always was. As Tenzin stood, stark naked at the edge of the cave, facing the crashing waves he decided that the next time he used his prayer beads it would be to ask for some kind of power to resist Lin. Lin and her stupid collar bone.

"We're dead," he announced glumly.

TWO HOURS EARLIER:

The sky bison were practically steaming in the cool, damp cave. It was the hottest day on record for Republic City and every person and creature was feeling the strain. Katara had come down the the sky bison stables to water them, literally. She bent the ocean water up the side of the island and through the cave opening to douse the poor beasts who didn't have any sweat glands to speak of. Oogi grunted in appreciation. Luckily, it wasn't too cramped at the moment as Aang had taken Appa with him to resolve and urgent matter in Ba Sing Se. Oogi shed his wet fur in large clumps that dried almost instantly in the heat.

"I'm afraid that is the best I can do, little guy," Katara told him apologetically with a pat. Her youngest son, now eighteen years old, stood by with his long arms full of hay, waiting to perform his daily feeding. In tow, was his girlfriend Lin, looking none too pleased about the smell in the cave.

"Ok you two," she turned to address them, "dinner will be ready around five when your mother gets here, Lin- try to get your chores done before then," she reminded Tenzin with a significant look. He sighed.

"Yes, Mother. I just have this and then the lemurs to feed," Tenzin replied exasperated. Katara gave him a pat on the shoulder and then addressed Lin, "You keep him on task for me?"

Lin mimed cracking a whip on him, complete with sound effects. Tenzin's face flushed redder than before as Katara made her exit.

When he was sure she was out of earshot, Tenzin said, "Spirits, Lin. Don't make jokes like that in front of my Mom."

He placed another bushel of hay before Oogi and walked over to the cave wall, turning the knob that allowed rain water to flow from a sieve and into a Oogi's wooden trough.

"What jokes?" Lin asked annoyed. He turned to face her finally.

"Sex jokes," he explained. Lin burst out laughing. "I'm serious," Tenzin stressed as Lin wiped humorous tears from her eyes.

"I know you are, that's why I'm laughing," she replied. Tenzin scowled at her. "Oh relax, will you?" she teased him finally.

With one hand, Lin gathered her hair and lifted it off the back of her neck, with the other she fanned her face. "We should go swimming," she suggested. Her cheeks were rosy with warmth and a sheen of sweat glittered on her skin in her sleeveless tunic which exposed her collarbone. Tenzin would have made a move here and now if the idea of exchanging body heat in this thick air weren't so objectionable.

He turned back to Oogi with another chunk of hay, "Maybe after we feed the lemurs," he told her.

"We should go to dragon cave," she said excitedly from somewhere further away. When Tenzin turned to face her again she was at the mouth of the cave on the left side. To the right, was a narrow, winding path that lead to the courtyards. To the left, appeared to be a sheer drop. However, they both knew this wasn't the case. Thanks to Bumi, the kids had discovered that if you scale this wall a few feet over and several feet down there was a small, shallow cave that was low enough for ocean water to run into, creating a nice little tide pool about eight feet deep. It was dubbed dragon cave because as children he and Lin, along with his siblings would pretend they were dragons who lived in this secret place. When their parents eventually figured out where they had been disappearing to, they put a stop to the children's excursions. Katara feared a large wave could very well fill the cave all the way and drown them.

"I don't know," Tenzin began tentatively as Lin disappeared out the left side. "Lin?" He ventured over to the cave entrance and craned his neck to see that Lin was already halfway there.

"Come on," she instructed, waving her hand to him excitedly. He thought about arguing, he thought about telling her that he had to finish his chores, but mostly he thought about how she was leaving for the Metalbending Academy at the end of this week. He sighed and set one foot flush against the rock wall to begin his descent.

The cave was basically as he remembered it, dark and exceedingly cool which was quite a relief. Tenzin removed his slippers, letting the cold earth soothe his feet. There was a fantastic view of the city from this little spot and the tide pool was so full that it was lapping against the earthen shelf of the cave where Lin stood.

"It's nice in here," she said, echoing. Tenzin nodded. She tugged at the collar of her tunic, as if to cool herself and Tenzin gulped.

In his mind he knew his preoccupation with Lin's structure began at the age of fourteen in history lecture. There she sat parallel to him each day, stealing glances at him that gave him the most agreeable chills. Her pretty face was a work of art as far as he was concerned with two pale green eyes, a shapely nose framed on either side by high cheekbones and a small feminine mouth that was drawn into a pout unless she was scowling as she tended to do while concentrating.

In an effort to avoid coming under her enchanting gaze, he chose to focus his attention on the safest place his stare would allow; her nice, safe collar bone. This was a decidedly innocent area. Yet, being the age he was he couldn't help but notice the way her graceful neck gave way to this delicate bone that struck out, as uncompromising as the girl to which it belonged. He focused on it so much that it became inextricably linked with his sexual thoughts about her and watching her tug on her tunic at the moment he found himself trying to recall his meditative teachings. He needed discipline in this matter if his chores were to get done.

Discipline was one of the pillars of Tenzin's upbringing. Discipline of body and mind. He found that deeply instilled discipline constantly being challenged by Lin. When meditation would became too tedious for her, she had a way of stretching out on her stomach that caused his eyes to open of their own will to travel down the train track of her spine. After a final stretch, she would roll onto her back and rest her hand on the small curve of her abdomen, exposing her hip bones unapologetically. After a beat, she would allow her eyelids to flutter open to take in the upset she'd caused in her disciplined airbender with a look of gratification. She was always doing this as she knew there was something Tenzin found irresistible about her frame.

Now, she looked at him wickedly. "Let's go swimming." Before he could talk her out of it, her tunic was over her head and she was undoing her bindings.

"You are evil," he commented as she slipped out of her last bit of fabric and kicked it toward the far wall of the cave. She gave him a wink and a smile as she jumped backward into the pool of ocean water with a small splash.

Resurfacing she gulped air and pushed her long hair out of her face, blinking up at her boyfriend, "Tenzin, seriously. Get in here."

"This is a thinly veiled attempt at seducing me," he surmised aloud.

Lin shrugged, "Is it working?"

Tenzin made a production of his grumbling as he begrudgingly disrobed to Lin's amusement.

"Are you folding those?" she laughed at him from the water as he finished folding his own clothes and moved to pick up Lin's.

"Got a problem with being organized?" he retorted as he placed their clothes on top of a mossy rock out of the water's way. She rolled her eyes at him and disappeared beneath the water again. He joined her with a splash. Coming up for air he shook the water from his strip of unruly dark hair and looked around to find Lin was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his ankle and was pulled under coming face to face with Lin who kissed him quickly and returned to the open air. He followed her there, wrapping his arms around her to kiss her again. She was soft against him in the water, the lightest brushing of her breasts against his chest causing him to stiffen.

"Hey there," she smirked against his mouth as she felt his firmness at her hip. He almost apologized before he realized this was her goal in the first place. Lin pressed against him and twined her fingers in his hair.

"I can't believe the next time I come home I will have a bald boyfriend," she sighed, her fingers lightly tugging at the hair on the nape of his neck. Inches from her, Tenzin gave her a pout. He was excited about getting his airbending tattoos when his father returned, he was not- however, excited about Lin's upcoming departure.

"Then don't go away," he supplied, fingers pressing along her spine. He moved forward to kiss the hollow of her neck and she sighed. Not a sigh of pleasure, Tenzin could tell. He pulled back to meet her eyes. "Sorry," he offered. He knew it annoyed her when he complained about her decision to go away to the academy her mother founded. But it would be two years. Two years she was going to be away, leading a different life with people he didn't know. It drove him to distraction thinking of all the things that would change between them with that kind of distance.

"Let's just...not talk about that right now?" she said, attempting to keep her tone light. He gave her a weak smile in return. She pressed against him again and kissed him hard. She was trying to take his mind off the subject at hand and it was working. His hands wandered over her, as she straddled him, linking her ankles behind him.

"We're sinking," he laughed as they were overcome by the water, bubbles escaping their laughing mouths at the surface.

Lin detached herself from his body and swam to the wall, pulling herself up to the shelf and sitting on the edge. She pat the empty space beside her as an invitation. Tenzin swam to her, gripping her ankles below the water and planted a light kiss on her knee cap. Gently moving her legs apart he began trailing kisses along the inside of her pale thigh. Lin inhaled sharply as she angled her hips toward him. Finally reaching her, his tongue darted forward tracing soft circles against her. He could feel her pulse against his lips as she pushed her hands through his hair, a soft sound of satisfaction escaping her. Realizing this wasn't close enough contact for him, he stopped to pull himself out of the water at her side, kissing her shoulder. Reaching out with one hand she pulled him into a kiss, her weight pushing him back onto the ground which Tenzin noticed has been bent completely flat and even. Tenzin complied with her forceful shove and she climbed over him, reaching down between her own legs to grip him. His hands were at her sides, awaiting guidance. Lin was the steady, uncompromising earth- a force to be reckoned with, but she loved an airbender and could cater to his subtle preferences when it suited her. She lightly brushed him against herself teasingly, kissing and nipping down his neck, then his chest, finally closing her mouth over him- alternating soft pressure with firm, causing his toes to flex until he reached down to warn her that he might lose it if she were to continue this way. Gently pulling her back up to meet him, Tenzin kissed her ear whispering, "I love you." Without a word, Lin settled herself on top of him, taking him inside her, the tightening pressure of her causing him to emit something akin to a squeak. Giggling at the sound, Lin met his eyes which look away bashfully. Rocking at a steady pace, she leaned forward, kissing his neck, "I love you too," she confessed against his damp skin. Their lips met again and she rolled her hips against him faster. His hands traveled over her, leaving her chest finally to reach down and press against her wetness, earning him a gasp. At that, he flipped her over carefully. His fingers never stopped fluttering against her as his hips crashed against her own. His quickening pace coaxing moans from her that echoed off the walls, encouraging him to continue until he felt her tense up, her back arching off the ground toward him. When she cried out loudly and he felt her fingers unclench, releasing her grip on his arm and back, he knew it was his turn. Removing his hand from her, he braced himself with both hands along the ground on either side of her body, pushing into her. They met eyes again momentarily before he buried his face in her neck, kissing her collar bone as they moved against one another feverishly. Unable to distract his mind any longer, he pushed into her hard one last time, stifling a moan in her neck before he went slack against her, breathing heavily.

"Weren't you supposed to keep me on task?" he joked breathless, withdrawing from her and rolling onto his back. With one arm he pulled her to him, and she rested her head against his heaving chest.

"You started it," she argued, walking her fingers across his bare chest, pausing only to reach up and tap the end of his nose playfully.

"Yes," he began in a patronizing voice, "I was the one taking my clothes off and flashing my collar bone all over the place."

Lin snorted and lifted herself to rest her chin on his chest, "What is with you and my collar bone?" He looked down his nose at her, the angle blurring her face vaguely.

I was trying not to stare at your chest, he thought.

"I don't know," he lied.

"You are weird," she laughed back at him, "we should get going."

"Already?" he pouted gripping her tightly. He wanted to commit every inch of her to memory.

"Its almost time for dinner," she explained, pointing to the mouth of the cave, "look, the sun is going down and the tide is going out."

She had a point. The water level in the tide pool had been lapping at them when they first began and now it was quite shallow, the little rays of light coming into the cave were a soft orange and the buildings of Republic City reflected the setting sun back toward them. Reluctantly, Tenzin sat up, Lin being forced upright as well.

"I still have to feed the lemurs," Tenzin grunted, suddenly aware of how far behind he had really gotten. He stood and stretched, leaning down quickly to kiss Lin, whose face was angled up at him as she too extended her tightened limbs. He took a few steps forward on the shelf and spotted the mossy rock that he had left their folded clothes on, it now glistened at him mockingly, completely devoid of clothing.

"The tide went out," he muttered to himself staring at the rock.

"That's what I just said," Lin reminded him as she came to stand at his side.

"No, no, no, the tide went out and took our clothes with it," he stressed, moving forward to the mouth of the cave, the dread of their situation crashing over him.

Lin's hands went to her hips as she watched him move forward, stunned. "Why did you fold them and put them over there in the first place?"

Tenzin was now at the edge, whipping his head to and fro searching the expanse of the bay for some glimpse of his orange robes. He caught a flash of color between two rocks and felt the relief flood his body as he reached down to grip the fabric. Pulling it out from the running water he discovered it was his left slipper.

"One slipper? That's it?" He shouted in frustration.

"If we had just left the clothes over here like they were, this wouldn't have happened," Lin sighed, "but no, you had to tidy up the cave. The cave doesn't need to be tidy, Tenzin. Its a cave."

"This isn't my fault," he snapped, quickly turning his attention back to their escape route. Their only pathway was up and into the courtyard where the acolytes were sure finishing their meditation. He could only imagine the looks on their faces if he and Lin were to run past them wearing nothing but embarrassment.

"We're dead," he announced glumly.

"We're not dead," Lin sighed, rolling her eyes at his dramatic diagnosis.

"I am," he corrected, "I am so dead. Do you know I'm supposed to be abstaining? From basically everything! I get my tattoos next week- this is a week of reflection and meditation, of fasting and-"

"Fucking," Lin supplied.

He glared at her, she smirked at him. Tenzin threw his hands in the air and began to pace along the small shelf, ranting about how he deserved this punishment for going against the teachings of the air nomads, how he had shamed them, how she needed to start wearing high collared tunics, what his mother would say when they arrived at the house, what his father would say when he returned. He continued this way until he noticed that Lin was quietly laughing to herself.

"I'm glad you can find the humor in this," he griped at her. She approached him, grabbing his wrists as they waved about in the air and brought them to his sides.

"Do you know how silly you look right now?" she asked smiling lovingly up at him. He opened his mouth to give her a stern reply but she cut across him, "Calm down. I can make us a tunnel."

His face lit up, "Oh, right."

She placed her palms flat against the cave wall, closing her eyes. Her hands ran along the rock searching for the spot that would sing to her. Finding it, she opened her eyes again and turned to Tenzin, "For the record, if you had abstained during my last week here, you would be dead," she told him jovially before pushing against the rock. A hole formed in the wall with a deafening grinding sound.

They stepped into the cavern and Tenzin's breath caught in his throat. This was Lin's world, not his. He felt claustrophobic and strained in this small space with the roaring movements of rock bending around them as they walked forward. He gripped her waist for guidance as he was now blinded by the darkness closing in. It occurred to him that Lin's eyes were probably drawn, unnecessarily. The tunnel began to reform behind him and he stepped even closer to his girlfriend in a moment of panic.

"Don't worry," she told him over her shoulder, "I did that on purpose."

They continued for awhile in silence as Lin manipulated the earth. After what seemed an eternity to Tenzin he heard a triumphant Lin announce, "We're here" before punching her fist against the rock over their heads, letting meager strips of light in on them. He poked his head out to the empty space beside her. They were still under something, wooden slats several inches above their heads dangled cobwebs and dust before their faces.

"Where is here?" he whispered.

"Under your room. You're going to have to take care of these floor boards."

Tenzin nodded. Drawing his hands into his chest and pushing them forward with just the right amount of energy, he blasted three boards free and sent them clattering against the far wall.

"Ladies first."

Lin climbed out of the ground and onto the wooden flooring of Tenzin's bedroom with his assistance. He then followed her, bending the air beneath his body to give him the lift he needed to make it out.

They stood over the hole and smiled at one another.

"I love you," he beamed at her, happy in their success.

"We make a pretty good team," she agreed, "now we just have to come up with a story about why I'm wearing your clothes and we are as good as-"

The door creaked open. Their muscles tightened in anticipation, their blood ran cold. Busted after all that hard work.

"There you are. Dinner's ready," Toph announced from the doorway. Lin's heart resumed beating with relief. She and Tenzin made eyes at one another, barely containing the excitement they felt at their good fortune.

"She has no idea," Lin mouthed at him as her mother stared between them blankly. Tenzin smiled.

"We'll be right there," Lin provided for her mother, attempting to disguise her elation.

"Ok," Toph nodded turning to go. Tenzin moved for his wardrobe but froze when Toph spoke again.

"Oh, and don't think you've gotten away with anything, girlie. I may be blind, but I'm not an idiot. If you think you can bend a tunnel beneath my feet without me knowing, you've got another thing coming. Once you two love birds get dressed, we're all going to have a nice, long, painful, family talk about the birds and the bees. Tenzin- I'll be sure to let your Mom know too. I wouldn't want her to miss out on all the fun."

Lin and Tenzin withered at her statement. Toph closed the door with a wicked smile, cackling to herself all the way down the hall.