A/N: Written for the Avatar Secret Santa Gift exchange on tumblr for SAIKHANTHELOYAL! I hope you like it! Also this is a slight AU as I didn't know the exact age difference between Saikhan and Lin until after this was mostly done.
Disclaimer: I don't own.
The first time he sees her is his first day of Academy training. Chief Beifong is marching in front of all the metalbending hopefuls, glaring sightlessly at a few as she passes. He, however, is fascinated with his fellow cadet at the end. Her head is high and her pale green eyes are focused.
"Now which one of you lily livers thinks they can metalbend already?" The Chief asks sarcastically. The girl he's trying not to stare at steps forward and says confidently "I can."
He watches his new teacher smirk. "All right, go ahead and show everyone what you can do."
The girl steps in front of everyone and takes a deep breath. She plants her feet firmly on the ground and squares her shoulders. A quick jerk of her arms backwards and the metal coils on the Chief's back fly to the waiting girl. They smoothly wrap themselves around her wrists and with another quick movement of her arms she sends them back. He's mesmerized and never wants to take his eyes off her.
"Now I want you all to take note of Cadet Beifong's moves," he gulps at her name. "While all your earthbending moves are meant to be solid, metalbending requires strength, agility, and the ability to keep your body firm even if you're in the air."
The cadet next to him fidgets and instantly a metal coil wraps around his arm and pulls him forward. "You have something you want to share with the class?"
He watches the sweat drip down the cadet's forehead. "It's just, well, Chief, it seems unfair that we're all competing for a few spots and that your daughter is in our class."
The elder Beifong smirks and he's slightly terrified of it. "Class I'd like you to take a good look at this idiot. See he thinks that I'll show favoritism. That's not true. Just because Cadet Beifong has already learned metalbending and is my daughter doesn't mean she's automatically part of the force. She has just as likely as any of you to get in just like you all could have learned metalbending before this if you'd put your sorry minds to it! Now go run laps and if any of you wise guys ask why you're doing that you'll all get fifty pounds of metal to carry while running twice as much! Move!"
He jumps and follows the girl with the pale eyes and mentally kicks himself for being momentarily infatuated with his best competition.
It's three days later and he's trying desperately to get her out of his mind. It's hard when he has to see her everyday and when Beifong the Blind pairs them together.
Maybe they'll be friends, he hopes.
He pushes that out of his mind as he readies his stance. He's one of the handful of cadets that can metalbend already and he's progressing faster than anyone. Today he gets to use metal ropes and try to land a hit on the younger Beifong (at some point he will learn her name).
He takes the metal in his hands (he's not ready to give up the feel of them yet) and begins his moves. He's quick but she's just as fast. Every whip met with one of equal force. He watches her, waits for a weakness. Then he sees his chance; she's hesitant when throws are directed at her left side. He fakes right and before she can change her plan he lands a hit on her left hand. Her whips drop to the ground and everyone turns to look at him.
Slowly his teacher claps. "Didn't think you had it in you Cadet Saikhan," she congratulates as the younger Beifong stalks off. He watches her go before Chief Beifong dismisses them all for the day.
After changing he vows to go find her and talk to her.
He sees her leave the station and follows her out. He prepares to yell for her as he pushes the doors open.
The words die on his lips as he sees her jump into the arms of first airbender in over a hundred years to earn his tattoos.
He vows not to give up but carefully pushes feelings for her aside.
Its years later and they've developed an easy if slightly competitive friendship. She helped him with metalbending and they studies for their exams together. She pushed him so hard sometimes he'd scream at her but she took it all with a blank face. When he was done yelling she'd smirk and tell him that he wasted valuable energy on a silly tantrum.
He calls her Lin now.
They've both achieved the rank of captain and they're both being considered for Toph's replacement. He wants it, desperately, but internally admits Lin has a cooler head sometimes.
That's before her arrest.
He's sitting at his desk when a newbie screams across the police office "there's someone destroying Air Temple Island" and everyone bolts up. He, as the most senior officer there (both Beifongs have the day off and the other Captain has the graveyard shift), rounds up a team and herds them into an airship.
As the airship nears he sees the cloud of dust and tries to survey the damage from above. He tries to form a plan of attack when he sees Lin one the stairs that lead up from the docks, her foot raised before she slams it down and takes out the staircase.
He sends down the one cop they have that can chi-block. She takes her superior down without much effort.
Later he goes to visit her in the only wooden cell the station has. "I brought you some tea," he tells her.
"I don't need tea," she scoffs.
"That's why I also brought sake."
"You're a good friend." He hands her a cup of sake and watches her throw it back. She coughs a little and he hands her the tea. She glares at it but sips anyway. "Are you going to leave?"
"When you tell me what happened. Beifong is trying her best to spin this in a way that won't hurt your chances at becoming Chief Beifong the second."
She snorts. "She managed to spin her time in prison to her benefit I'm sure she can do it for mine." He watches her for more. Soon her shoulders slump. "He broke up with me," she says softly.
"He's an idiot."
"Maybe I am. I knew we were drifting apart and I knew what he wanted. I just...it's not me. It's never been what I wanted and he knew that. I should have done it awhile ago but we've just been together for so long that it almost didn't seem worth it," she admits.
He doesn't ask what Tenzin wants and doesn't ask why she didn't leave him sooner. Instead he pours her another cup of sake.
Six months later she's made Chief as Toph retires. There's a celebration party and they both drink too much.
He suggests they share a cab. He's not sure who moves first in the dim backseat but he's kissing her and threading his fingers through her hair. She tastes like the moonpeaches they shared.
Her apartment is closer and she grabs him as she exits the cab. He throws money at the driver as he's pulled away.
It's everything he's wanted and silently wished for.
In the morning he makes her tea. "Last night," she begins and he braces himself for her rejection. "Last night was fun. We should do it again."
He smirks. "I'd like that."
They keep things discrete and simple. She'd come over to his place or he'd go to hers. It works well.
He listens to her rant and rave when the new Avatar comes to town. They were just friends when her favorite uncle passed and she'd sought comfort in his son. Now she complains about how this annoyance of a girl is nothing like Aang and how she's going to destroy her city.
"She won't," he assures her.
"How do you even know?" She says in her usual gruff tone.
He shrugs. "I know you and you won't let her do that."
She smiles. "You have a lot of faith in me."
He takes her hand and rubs his thumb and rubs it over her knuckles. "I always have and always will."
She kisses his cheek for the first time and he's going to treasure the moment forever.