A/N: THIS IS ACTUALLY BECOMING A PROBLEM. OKAY. *drags hands down face* adorable little demon children have STOLEN MY SOUL. (also I hear there's a Kainora Week coming up, so guess who's probably gonna get sucked into that too.) Based on a head canon by airbenders on tumblr.
i.
It starts on a Sunday.
Jinora finishes reading aloud, the book making a satisfying noise as she shuts it. The air hangs heavy, for a moment, as they breathe, digesting the story. Kai likes these pauses the best. They always remind him of the eye of a storm or the calm after it rains.
"Well?" Jinora finally asks, expectant.
"I liked it." Kai tosses his coin into the air, catching it and letting it roll between his fingers. The grass is soft on his back. Jinora is a dim figure at the corner of his vision, cross-legged while she regards him patiently. "But it could have used a bit more action." He shifts slightly, adjusting the way his hand pillows the back of his head. "Like the hero? He could've done so many more cool moves when he faced down the bad guy! Their final battle was too short."
He cranes his neck to find Jinora mulling over his answer, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. "I guess," she concedes. "But what about the writing?"
Oh, that.
Kai doesn't consider himself a connoisseur when it comes to the written word. Hand him a few gems and he'll identify which one will sell for the highest in the market, but literature? He knows about as much as the fruit vendor he used to nick apples from back home—which is to say, not much.
However, Jinora leans slightly forward, genuinely interested in what he has to say. He doesn't want to disappoint, so he settles for, "It was nice." And then, because three words seem inadequate when compared to the hundred-thousand or so Jinora must have covered this past week, he adds, "You have a really good voice."
And mentally kicks himself.
"Thanks, Kai," Jinora says, averting her eyes and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
They slip into silence, teetering at the borderline between uneasiness and comfort.
"Hey, Jin—" Kai starts, before a tiny figure pops out from the leaves above them.
"Whatcha doing?"
Kai yelps. He isn't proud of his reaction, but he has a strange fear of Ikki. Mainly because she is mercenary—her silence is easily bought with a few sweets, but also easily sold when a better offer comes along. She has a big mouth and a tattletale streak, and if Kai were to find himself back on the streets, Ikki would be one of the last people he trusts. Throw in her uncanny ability to appear at the most inopportune moments, and Ikki quickly becomes one of the most problematic in Jinora's clan. (Tenzin, of course, remains the biggest.)
"How long have you been up there?" Jinora inquires suspiciously.
"Long enough," Ikki grins devilishly, hands cupping her chin.
"We were just reading, Ikki," glares Jinora.
"Sure, that's what you say. But I have a second witness." Ikki snaps her fingers, and soon Meelo's head emerges.
Kai groans. He should have known.
"Kai's on my side, so that's two against two," points out Jinora.
"But Daddy doesn't like Kai, so anything he says counts as a negative!"
"Yeah Jinora, we have more points than you!" crows Meelo.
"All right, all right." Kai gets to his feet, aiming his attention at Ikki. "What do you want this time?"
"Three ginger candies," Ikki says, holding up her fingers. "I know you took some from the jar the other day."
"Kai!" Jinora gasps. "Did you really?"
"No…" Kai looks away guiltily. "And even if I did, I wouldn't have taken that much. Your asking price is too high, Ikki," he calls out to the younger sister.
"Suit yourself," Ikki sings, prepared to glide away.
Jinora and Kai exchange hurried looks.
"Ikki, I swear—"
"Wait!" Kai bursts.
And stops. Because his voice—
Jinora looks at him worriedly. "Kai, what just happened?"
"I don't…" he touches his throat, swallowing. "I don't know," he tries again, and this time his voice emerges sounding the way it always does—a bit breathy, but consistent. None of that weird cracking it did a few seconds ago.
Ikki lands on the ground, invading his space. "It's 'cause you were scared, isn't it? I scared you bad, huh? Don't worry, my dad isn't as bad as you think he is, and I'm sure he wouldn't actually hurt you if he found out about you and Jinora, and—"
"I wasn't scared," says Kai.
He can feel Jinora's eyes on his face. "Does your throat hurt, Kai?"
He shakes his head, clearing the back of his throat for good measure. "No."
And Kai thinks that's the end of it.
He is so, so wrong.
ii.
The next encounter occurs on a Tuesday.
The day starts as usual, with Kai practicing his form in the courtyard. Jinora moves fluidly beside him, and he shrugs his shoulders and rolls his neck in an effort to soothe his aching muscles and emulate her movements.
Eventually, Jinora notices. Her eyebrows pull together as she tilts her head. "Are you okay, Kai?"
He waves her off. "I'm fine, my muscles are just really tense, I guess. Probably from all the exercise we did the other day."
"That's no good. This move requires you to be loose." Jinora taps her chin. "I know, maybe we can take you to Aunt Kya! She can probably work out the knots."
"Yeah, sure, if that's what you think is best."
"What part hurts the most?" Jinora scrutinizes him. "Is it your neck?" She reaches up to find the knot; Kai tries hard not to wince or blush and winds up looking on the verge of a sneeze.
"Y-yeah."
"To Aunt Kya it is, then," Jinora decides.
"Sure," Kai follows. "And afterwards, do you think that maybe we could—"
Oh, no. Not again. It happens as a slight hiccup, somewhere between a screech and a squeak.
Jinora raises an eyebrow. "Maybe we could get your other problem checked out, too."
Kai doesn't trust himself to speak, so he just nods.
iii.
Jinora knows exactly what's wrong with him.
She has to, what with how many books she's read. And it's killing him because he wants to know, too, but he doesn't want to suffer the humiliation of asking.
Besides, as the days drag on, Kai starts to realize that Jinora is enjoying this. What started as concern has melted into amusement; a faint smile always plays on Jinora's lips when she talks to him. It's as if she's waiting for something.
The sick thing is that sooner or later, it always happens. Kai wonders if this is payback for all the bad things he's done in the past, because it seems the spirits have conspired to embarrass him on a daily basis. Maybe he could accept it if only happened at random intervals throughout the day, but he has started to detect a pattern.
His voice takes on the highest frequency most frequently with Jinora.
iv.
Kai starts avoiding Jinora. Well, not avoiding her, exactly, but conversation with her. When they pass each other in the halls, he nods in acknowledgement. When they sit next to each other at dinner, he motions for the salt. Things actually seem to work out.
Until one afternoon, as he turns a corner.
"Hey Kai."
"Jinora!" He leaps a foot into the air. Not only is his heart jumping in his ribcage, but his voice is, too, swinging from one cadence to the next. It's weird because he doesn't feel different; there's no rhyme or reason to it, no warning signs. One minute he thinks he has it under control, and the next—
The next minute, he wants to hide under a rock.
"Wh-what are you…" He takes a moment to compose himself. "Were you just standing there?" Good, at least that sentence sounded normal. Stop betraying me, body, he begs.
"Nope. On my way to the library," Jinora says cheerfully, holding up a book.
Kai narrows his eyes. He knows a lie when he hears one. But prodding Jinora means using more words, and the more words he uses, the more chances there are for humiliation.
Or entertainment, in Jinora's case. Kai never thought she could be so sneaky.
Kai opts for a nod and a salute and continues on his way.
v.
Jinora, it turns out, can be pretty merciless.
Years of airbending training have taught her to be light on her feet, and she utilizes that. She sneaks up on him in the middle of practices, of naps, of trips to the kitchen. Nowhere is safe.
Kai starts to feel like a scratchy record.
vi.
"Psst!" Bolin sits on the floor, playing with a scrap of metal, as Kai tries to get his attention. When he sees Kai, he smiles, but doesn't respond to the furtive beckoning of Kai's hand.
On the couch, Mako flips a page of the newspaper, eyes flitting toward the doorway. "I know you're out there, Kai."
Reluctantly, Kai steps into the light. He wanted to get Bolin alone, but two brothers are better than none at all.
"Kai!" Bolin says cheerily. "Finally, some brotherly bonding time, am I right?" He pats the ground in front of him.
Kai starts to put his hands behind his back before reconsidering and leaving them in the open. "I wanted to ask you a question," he starts hesitantly.
"Ask away!" Bolin motions for him to continue. "I'm great at advice."
"Well, it isn't advice exactly. I was just wondering, have you ever…" Kai's gaze slides toward the ground, "…had problems with, um, your voice?"
Bolin and Mako exchange looks.
Bolin lowers his voice knowingly. "Voice cracks?"
"Yeah." Kai huffs. "It's really frustrating, and I don't know what to do. Is something wrong with me?"
"No no, not at all!" Bolin reassures. "It's just a sign that you're growing up." He brings a hand to his chest, inhaling deeply before turning to Mako and saying, tearfully, "They grow up so fast."
"When will it stop?" wonders Kai.
Bolin shrugs. "Can't say for sure. It's different for everybody. My voice changed pretty quickly, but Mako's was wonky for like a year."
Kai stares. "Really?"
Mako shrugs. "Happens to everyone, kid."
"Right." Kai continues to stand awkwardly, scratching at his neck.
Eventually, Mako sets his newspaper down. "There's something else, isn't there."
"Well, it's just…I get why my voice is changing, now, but not why it cracks so much around Jinora," he ends up mumbling.
"Oh ho ho!" crows Bolin. "The agonies of young love." He flutters his eyelashes.
Mako rolls his eyes. "It's probably because you're so nervous around her. The stress might make it worse. Don't think about it so much."
"Yeah, it'll pass," says Bolin, this time with more seriousness. "And look at the bright side—once your voice drops, she won't know what hit her. You'll sweep her off her feet!" Bolin's arm cuts through the air for emphasis.
"You think? I-I mean…" Kai coughs, remembering himself.
"Don't you have airbending practice?" Mako asks, one eyebrow raised.
"Right." Kai scurries away, but as he clears the doorframe, he feels jerked back by an invisible string. He swivels, facing the two brothers once more: Bolin smiles widely at him, while Mako is as composed as ever. Something about the two of them speaks to him, an unspoken understanding.
"Thanks," he remembers to say.
vii.
True to Bolin's word, Kai's voice levels out and lowers with the seasons. He wakes up one morning feeling a certain gravitas, and when he greets, "Hey, Jinora," while swiping an extra piece of toast, his voice comes out smooth as butter, all the breathy boyishness gone.
For the first time in months, it's Jinora's turn to be flustered.