First of all, I have to admit that I am not a native speaker, so there might be a few mistakes, but if you were so kind as to write me a message to tell me of them, I would immediately correct them.

Disclaimer: All figures belong to Nickelodeon and I don't earn my money with these stories.

Not Cold

When Varrick woke up he thought it was because of the cold wind that rushed through the bars of his luxurious prison this night. It had been already awfully cold the whole day but Zhu Li's tea had helped tremendously. Now in the dark, not even his thick blankets were enough to make him comfortable.

But then he suddenly heard something. A strange sound that he couldn't place at first. When it happened again he frowned. It sounded just like… a sob? But there was no one in the cell that could sob, except for Zhu Li maybe but she hadn't cried in all these years that she's worked for him.

When the sobbing sound happened for the third time Varrick sat up on his bed and whispered: "Zhu Li?"

His assistant was sleeping in the small bed in the corner, near the door to the bathroom. In the fade moonlight that illuminated his prison cell he saw that she was facing the wall, away from him, and if it weren't for the sob, he would have assumed that she was sleeping.

"Yes, sir?" Zhu Li answered in the softest voice he had ever heard her speak in.

"Are you alright?"

It took her a second longer to reply and even then her voice broke a little: "Yes."

So she was crying! For a moment Varrick had no idea what to do. In these four years that she had been his assistant, she had never shown him her emotions, neither positive nor negative. No anger, no fear, no happiness, no sadness. Nothing. He had just called her a 'cold, heartless war machine' this day when Korra and her friends had come for help. And now she was crying?

Slowly he got up and went to her. He could only see her nose; the rest of her face was hidden by her long brown hair. "What's wrong?" he wanted to know in what he hoped was a caring voice. He did care for her, he always had although he never showed her how much. But it wasn't until a few weeks ago when he had realised just how much he cared for her…

It was at the South Pole, after the Glacier Spirits Festival and his poor attempt to kidnap Unalaq. Varrick had to hide in order to not get caught, so he used his old friend Ping Ping, the platypus bear, to escape. And as always, Zhu Li followed him wherever he went (even later to prison…). The only problem was that Ping Ping was created as an escape for only one person, not two. So naturally, it had been very crowded in there (and Zhu Li had no honey for his tea!). They had arranged that Varrick would be at the front of Ping Ping so that he could communicate through the animal's mouth, while his assistant would stand behind him. Occasionally, they bumped together, and it was the first time that they were this close. It became difficult to concentrate when Zhu Li was mere inches apart from him. One time she even fell asleep leaning her head against his back – how the woman could sleep standing and with her glasses still on, he would never understand – but to his surprise, he let her and started to fill his time with thinking of her. How they first met, what they had already achieved together, how she understood his "Do the thing!"-commands perfectly and never let him down. He soon realised that he was happy to have her by his side and that he wanted to never part with her.

Before they left Ping Ping, being safe on his ship on the ocean, heading towards Republic City, he used this opportunity to have her near, to show her his affection. He turned around (with much effort and many more knocks) and looked at her sincerely.

She stared back at him, slightly frowning. "Sir?" she asked questioningly.

Before he lost his courage Varrick hugged her and whispered: "Thank you for being at my side."

He had hoped that Zhu Li would react positively but she did nothing at all. She merely stood there, letting herself being hugged, and when he finally loosened their embrace she stepped out of Ping Ping without saying a word.

Varrick had been very disappointed, of course, but he could understand her (he was her boss, and a very eccentric boss above all), so he ignored his upcoming feelings for the time being and they had returned to their normal professional relationship.

He, however, hadn't been able to stop thinking about her…

"Zhu Li, tell me what's wrong?" he repeated now because she had simply shaken her head.

"It's nothing," she then persisted. "I just feel cold."

"Cold?" he repeated astonished. Of course, that was why she was crying. She felt uncomfortable because of the cold. Sometimes a solution to a problem could be so easy. "Well, that's something we can change," he announced relieved and without any further ado he climbed into the bed next to her, put the blankets over them and took Zhu Li in his arms.

"Sir!" she shrieked surprised and stiffened. "What are you doing there?!"

"Helping you get warm?" He suddenly felt unsure. "Or do you want me to leave again?"

"No," she replied breathlessly.

What followed was an uncomfortable silence: Varrick's heartbeat increased with every second that he spooned his assistant, and Zhu Li apparently didn't feel so relaxed either; he could hear her unnatural breathing. The only good point was that he could feel that it got warmer in the cell, and well, that she hadn't slapped him, yet, so there were two good points actually.

All the more he was stunned when she started to cry again, this time loudly and heartbreakingly.

"Zhu Li!" he called in despair. "Zhu Li, please tell me what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it! I can't bear to see you like this! Shall I get you another blanket?"

His words seemed to change something in her because in one swift motion she turned around and faced him. "It's not the cold that's bothering me," she told him fiercely.

"Then what-?" He looked at her dumbfounded. It was probably the first time he saw her without her glasses – and with such an emotional look in her eyes. It was amazing and a bit scaring at the same time.

"You, sir!" she shouted at him angrily.

Now he was speechless for a moment. Why would she be angry at him? Was it still because of his hug inside Ping Ping?

When she saw his puzzled face she continued in rage: "You called me a 'cold, heartless war machine' today! Do you have any idea how much you hurt me with this statement?" Apparently, it was a rhetorical question because she gave him no chance to answer. "Well, of course, I hide my emotions. A good assistant has to hide their emotions, especially when around other people. But that doesn't mean that I'm cold or heartless! I just suppress all my feelings inside my heart and try to never let them out!" Another sob escaped her throat. "You have no idea how much I care for you! Have cared for you for the last year! But clearly I couldn't tell you because a good assistant would never do such a thing. And-"

"Wait a second," Varrick interrupted, realising something. "Is that why you ignored my hug inside Ping Ping?!"

She nodded shyly. "It's not good for your reputation to date your assistant, so I couldn't lead you on, but now you're here, comforting me, and I'm crying and – this all such a mess!" Her loud sobs continued suddenly. She was nearly hysteric by now. Definitely terrifying – she had never had an emotional breakdown before!

Out of instinct, he put his arms around her and pulled her head to his chest while stroking over her hair. She cried into his nightshirt and embraced him as well.

It took him a while to calm her down but after a long time of calming words and stroking through her smooth hair, the sobs finally ebbed away, the tears dried and her breathing relaxed into a natural rhythmic one.

"Zhu Li," Varrick told her sincerely, when he thought that she was calm enough to hear him out. "First, I don't care about my reputation. I mean, look at me, I'm in prison for kidnapping the president to start a war to make money. You can't get a worse reputation than that. And second, for me a good assistant doesn't need to be a 'cold, heartless war machine' although I meant it as a compliment."

Here Zhu Li looked up at him to see his face, disbelief written all over her features.

"For me," he continued sincerely, "a good assistant has to know what I need and when I need it, and you have perfected this skill in your first few months you worked for me. You always know when I would like a cup of tea, and you never ask what I mean when I command: 'Do the thing!'. You are always there for me, even here in prison! A good assistant has to be devoted to her boss and the things he achieves, and you have dedicated your life to me. I know that I seldom thank you but you have to know that I am grateful for everything you do for me and I want you to know that I don't take you for granted, although it sometimes seems to be the case, and-"

Here he was suddenly interrupted by Zhu Li pressing her lips affectionately against his.

For a moment, Varrick was stunned, then he hungrily answered the kiss, deepening it, while stroking through her soft, wonderful hair.

It took them quite a while to break the kiss but eventually, the need for air overpowered their need for each other. At first, they only stared at each other in some sort of shock – both of them had thought that this would never, could never happen! – until a huge smile spread on both their faces.

"Oh, Zhu Li," Varrick sighed and touched her cheek gently. "You have just made me the happiest person in the world."

His assistant laughed joyfully before cuddling next to him, her head on his chest.

Varrick again stroked through her hair and back, and asked after a while in a whisper: "Are you still feeling cold?"

"No," Zhu Li smiled. "Not anymore."

THE END.