Welcome, dear readers, to a collection of assorted wedding shenanigans!
I figured the show's final was too heartwarming to be left alone, and I was inspired. But more about this story at the end.
For the start a little Kainora fluff, because I'm just about unable to keep my mind off those two when writing for LoK.
"I'm not one to complain, but why have we been invited to this wedding again?" Kai asks, his tone very much a complaint indeed. He's fiddling with the tablecloth, his expression giving off an air of boredom.
Jinora however, seat neighbor and only person close enough to hear the words over the general clamor, picks up a different vibe. More attuned to her boyfriend's mood than anyone else, she can easily see through the facade he spent years carefully building and maintaining. She's very well aware that he's not toying with the tablecloth because he can't think of a better way to pass the time. Another dead giveaway is the plate in front of him, laden with fried vegetables, egg rice and potato gratin. If asked what about the plate is odd, anyone who isn't Jinora would probably remark on how the gratin doesn't quite fit with the rest. But Kai is decidedly far from being a picky eater. It's the fact that the food remains untouched which is concerning, as the ex-pickpocket is not the type to leave full plates unattended.
It worries her a bit, but for now, Jinora plays along. "Well, I'd say it has to do with the fight against Kuvira's giant mechasuit. You know, saving each other's lives and stuff?"
"Nah, that would be too obvious."
Jinora laughs quietly. Not because Kai's retort is tremendously funny, it's his inevitable smirk she wants to see. Nothing like some friendly banter to lift the mood, and with that out of the way, she's perfectly willing to take things a bit further.
"Come on, Mister Asparagus, your food is getting cold!" She brandishes her chopsticks and picks up a piece of fried zucchini from her boyfriend's plate. A winning smile graces her lips. "Say 'ah'!"
"Oh no, Jin, not gonna happen!" Kai has stopped messing up the tablecloth in favor of raising his hands in a defensive gesture. True, they've been waiting long enough to do actual couple things (being busy saving the world all the time really tends to screw up one's love life), but there are certain embarrassment limits the teen is not intending to cross. "Besides, I'm not an aspa..."
Too bad 'asparagus' has a couple ah-sounds, even discounting the 'I' and the 'an'.
Still smirking, Jinora pulls her chopsticks free of Kai's teeth, while her boyfriend gives in to his fate and swallows. He's one-hundred percent sure that the girl chose that word very deliberately.
"I hate you," he grumbles, picking up his own chopsticks.
Jinora remains unimpressed and gives a cheery "I know!" (cheery by Jinora's standards, that is) before her grin fades, making room for a more serious expression. "So, will you tell me now what's really bothering you?"
Kai's eyebrows, up to then furrowed in indignation, take a little detour upwards. Alarmed. Then he relaxes and places his chopsticks back on the table.
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?" he sighs. His gaze is trained at his plate, but Jinora would be a hog monkey's aunt if he actually saw it.
"We both know you're not really trying," she states calmly, causing Kai to run a hand through his hair before he starts fumbling around with one of the wings buttoned to his torso. A small smile tugs at Jinora's lips – no matter what Kai wears, he'd always find something to fiddle with, and it's adorable! But she suppresses the urge, she can admire her boyfriend later. Right now, she needs to be serious, and teenage girls on off-the-rails-crazy hormones generally aren't.
"It's just..." Kai begins slowly, and thank Raava for the instant focus. The boy has switched his fumbling back to his eating utensils, now holding a chopstick clamped between his fingers and applying just enough force to bend it without breaking. "I feel so out of place here, with all these high society people around, jammed into one spot. I'm not particularly close with Varrick or Zhu Li, either." He finally stops his chopstick-bending and adds with some more vigor, "Until today, I didn't even know Varrick is not his first name. Everyone calls him that, Bolin does, Korra does, Asami does... Spirits, even his wife does!"
At the last couple words, he turns to face Jinora, stretching out an arm to underline his statement. The girl ponders the points her boyfriend has made for a bit, sorting out words.
"Kai, you're not a conning street rat anymore," she makes clear. "You're a valuable member of the Air Nation, and the most talented airbender I've ever seen. If that's not enough for you, then consider this: You're friends with the Avatar, practically adopted by a mover star, and the boyfriend of the youngest airbending master in Air Nomad history. You're not a lesser being than any of these people. You got an invitation, and that means you have every right to be here. Besides..." And at that, Jinora allows herself to smile. "Bolin didn't know Varrick's name either, and he was the one who performed the wedding ceremony."
The laugh Kai emits sounds a bit forced, but it's a laugh nonetheless. "Too bad I missed that! I bet he was freaking."
"Believe me, he was," Jinora confirms, chuckling at the memory. The buoyant earthbender has been jumping around like a child on sugar and yelled Varrick's full name at everyone in the vicinity, regardless of whether they wanted to hear it or not.
There is short pause, and Jinora notices with relief that Kai has ceased his fidgeting altogether.
"Thanks, Jin," he says earnestly, and is rewarded with a beaming smile on Jinora's part.
"Always," she replies and leans in for quick peck on the cheek. "Can't have my wonderful boyfriend running himself down. At a wedding no less."
"Good to know you care about the wedding so much," Kai quips, his trademark smirk back on his face. Then he grabs his chopsticks and proceeds to invade Jinora's plate with them.
"Your turn now!"
Jinora chuckles, she has absolutely no problem with letting herself be fed by her boyfriend. And with the dire wrong committed against him successfully avenged, the two teens are very content indeed.
1k is... nothing. To me, it feels close to nothing. But I need to practice fluff. So on a scale from 1 to 10, how horrible was it? (Not too horrible, I hope.)
So, I have a couple scenarios playing in my head, and I'll type them out one by one. More characters will be added, genres will be jumped... Goal is to have an interesting snippet for everyone, so even if you're not into Kainora, there'll be other stuff. After all, that's what a collection is all about, right?
If you want, tell me which character you'd like to see next. I can't make any promises, though. If I don't have an idea for a certain character, then I'm not going to force it. I wouldn't like the result, so you probably wouldn't either.
Well then, that's it, folks! Zentauria over and out!