A/N: Me and these plot bunnies need to have a long talk. They are running amuck of the place and now I give you my second cutest work ever. Little Meelo! The definition of both cute and annoying unlike the last season where he was just annoying. But we are putting this maybe a few weeks after book one ended. My Linumi love child needs to be finished and then given a few read through for editing. On that note, italics aren't coming in when I post these for some reason so I am working on that. Read, play a cute song in the background, and enjoy.
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There was no leaving the island that night. She had gotten suckered into coming over for dinner with the family and judging by Tenzin's tired look, he had been heavily influenced into inviting her. She had missed the memo that Bumi had arrived or she would have fled to Ba Sing Se, the only notice she had gotten was to have strong arms wrap tightly around her from behind and lift her in the air. She let out a shocked yelp before recognizing the bellowing laugh that followed as belonging to the mad man. Of course he carried her to the dinner table that way with her arms pinned at her sides despite her snarls and threats. It had taken an elbow to the gut to avoid him trying to make her sit in his lap when they arrived. "Since my airhead brother put you on the market, I'm buying! Knew you'd wait for me to get back Linny. See Tenzin? She likes me best." He gloated much to the teenagers' amusement and Tenzin's dismay if the bright red blush was anything to go by.
They had been in the middle of their meal when the storm started. It had only taken one look out the window after dinner at the thunder and lightning for Tenzin declare that no one was leaving. Against her reasoning that she could tunnel her way underground until she made it across the water and complaints that she didn't have time to be stuck here, the airbender hadn't moved an inch. The chief ended up being stuck listening to all the kids eagerly tell Bumi about what they had been doing as well as everything she did to 'beat up' the Equalists. Bumi ate it all up adding plenty of embarrassing stories about her and the rest of them from when they were kids. It had taken work, but finally all the kids were in bed which let the adults (and Bumi) stay up and talk. Later that night the chief cursed the weather again before crawling into the stiff bed in the guest room and turning off the light.
It might have been forty years since it had happened, but Lin despite her sleeping state recognized the sound of small feet coming into her room. The woman cracked open an eye to see a tiny shadow approach her bed most likely not noticing that she was awake. The kid was trying to crawl up the side of the bed using the blankets to pull himself up, but was having difficulty with it. She finally opened her eyes completely and turned on the side lamp to see that it was Meelo. "What are you doing kid?" She asked, her voice still slightly slurred from being half awake.
"Going to bed." He replied trying to continue climbing until she rolled her eyes and sat up.
"What? Did your dad not put a bed in your room?"
"He did, but it's scary in there!" Meelo whined.
"Do you need a night light?" Lin yawned deciding to chew out Tenzin in the morning about not giving the boy one. If he was scared of the dark, it would make sense to go to her room since it was closer than his parents and he wouldn't have wanted to be in the dark any longer than he had to.
"It's not that. It's because you can protect me." He now stood looking up at her as he twiddled his thumbs and made small nervous circles on the ground with one of his toes. "You're the best earthbender ever and you'll teach him a lesson." He growled with determination knowing that one look at his 'Hero' would make that monster run and hide.
"Protect you from what? Look kid, you're on a secluded island that is being patrolled by a bunch of white lotus sentries, this is probably the safest place in the city." Lin reasoned rubbing her eyes and looking down at the little airbender who actually looked more uneasy by her reassurance.
"They aren't strong enough! They got hurt when they tried."
This got the chief's attention and she almost shot out of her bed ready to fight whatever it was before remembering the boy was trying to sleep with her and wasn't running in to wake her up. He was trying to climb in without her noticing and wouldn't be doing that if there was any real danger. "How about I bring you to your dad so you can sleep with him?" -And I'll make sure I'm loud enough to wake him when I do.
"NOO!" Meelo said stomping his little foot and shaking his head. "Daddy can't help because he is scared of the monster too." He choked out, his shoulder shaking as tears gathered in his eyes and ran down his cheeks.
Lin looked around desperately hoping maybe one of the acolytes or Pema and Tenzin had heard the boy shout. She wasn't good with kids especially crying kids. The older woman reached over and awkwardly picked him up, surprised when he dove forward, his tiny arms wrapping around her neck as he cried into her shoulder. "Alright, I'll go into your room and find the monster." She sighed hoping the wet stuff that she was feeling on her neck was tears and not snot. "What does he look like?"
"No no no no! You can't go looking for him! He'll get you. You can beat him up though if he tries to come here. You can't see him in the dark." The kid urged, his hold tightening as well as his legs which were now wrapped around her. "The floor here is stone so you can see him and beat him up. You can't see him on the wood floor."
The kid actually has logic. I probably wouldn't be able to see someone in a dark wooden room. It was most likely just a shadow through his window or a robe on his chair that scared him. "Meelo, are you sure you weren't just seeing things?"
"No! It was the bad man in the mask! He is going to get me and daddy is scared of him." The boy whispered barely audible, but he was close enough to her ear that she was able to hear him.
Oh Raava. Lin thought as her heart skipped a beat. Amon. The boy was having nightmares about that beast. No wonder he didn't feel safe with the sentries. The Equalists wiped half of the white lotus guards out trying to get to Tenzin's kids. The white lotus now weren't as well trained as the old order and hadn't seen much action, so getting attacked by agile electric powered Equalists had been a rude awakening. -and Tenzin, the poor man hadn't stood a chance.
She didn't really have any family in the city or for leagues. The only ones she could call her own were her men, and because she hadn't been strong enough to beat Hiroshi and his machines they had lost their bending. Lin could tell they were broken, and their eyes gave her a deep thirst for Amon's blood. Tenzin wasn't like that. Airbender goodie goodies were opposed to violence and resistant to feelings of malice or revenge. He would keep on taking down mecas and Equalists while trying to give them the least amount of injury. It didn't work that way. It was war, people who wanted to hurt you would never stop, and with Tenzin being the last child bearing airbender since his kids were too young, the race couldn't afford for anything to happen to him. That aside, she could not imagine if it was her children that were in danger of being equalized and plagued without their bending, trapped with the empty hollow void that they had thought would be permanent at the time. It was horrific enough for her as an adult to have it taken, but his children and the last of his race being wiped out? Tenzin had every right to still be afraid.
"Meelo, I want you to listen to me. Amon, the monster, isn't going to be around to get you or anyone else. He tried to escape, but he wasn't able to because justice caught up with him."
"You caught him already?" Meelo sniffed still crying but clearly impressed.
"No, none of us caught him, justice did."
Justice or Karma did get him in the end that much was true. A few days after Amon was discovered as being a waterbender and Korra beat him, there had been a mass cleanup of the city as well as dealing with restoring order to the panicked citizens. The waterbending force had gone to the source of an explosion a distance from the shore and found the wreckage of a ship. Further investigation from the ones that dove underwater found and pulled up the confirmed remains of Amon/Noatak and Tarlok-they weren't going to be doing any harm ever again. The boy didn't need to know that though. Personally she used the word justice as a nice way to say that the terrorist got what was coming to him. The very thought of him fleeing her city after all the lives he ruined and innocents he hurt made her want to break out of her hospital bed and track him to the ends of the earth. 'Justice' did that for her though.
"So he's not in there?" Meelo jerked his head towards the door meaning his room.
"Nope, no evil masked criminals in your bedroom."
"Can...I still stay here?" He asked softly pulling back from the hug and wiping his nose on the sleeve of his footie pajamas making the metalbender cringe. She didn't envy anyone with kids that was for sure.
Lin looked down at the boy in her arms sorely tempted to say no and drop him off in his bed or give him to Tenzin, but that look in his eyes got her. It was as if he thought she was the greatest thing ever. She had her fans-odd people with strange tastes in idols- but his eyes were different, not obsession but genuine awe and admiration. His clearly unstable bowels and following her everywhere any time she came near the island was irritating at times. She forgave him following her however when he had once tried imitating her long striding walk to make sure he was quick enough to walk beside her and almost fell on his face. She had plucked him up by the back of his shirt and carried him back to the temple that way much to his delight. He had finally settled down and had let out a yawn looking as if he would have been out by the time she got him to the door. "Fine, but I don't want you climbing all over me in the middle of the night." She growled plopping him on the bed beside her an arm's length away and turned off the light.
This was clearly one of her more uncomfortable experiences on the island, the other ones all seemed to involve Bumi mercilessly flirting with her, Pema asking her awkward questions about Tenzin, and finding the kid in question watching her from across the room. In the darkness she grunted as she felt Meelo stand up and walk over so he was closer then crawled under her arm. "I said you can sleep with me not on m-" Lin stopped when she heard the airbender snoring from where he laid pressed against her. Tenzin's beard is going to get scorched tomorrow. Still...it had been a long time since she had held anyone so close, and even longer since they had held her back. She liked it.
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Tenzin, regardless of what people thought did not in fact wake up his kids that early. Seven thirty in the morning was an hour later than he had woken up with his father. The children went to bed at a decent hour as well so they got plenty of sleep. He was drinking a cup of tea at seven when he saw Jinora amble out with a yawn practically sleep walking until her father pushed a second cup of tea across the table waking her up as soon as she had several sips. Ikki joined them fifteen minutes later practically skipping to the table. His middle daughter had inherited his ability to wake up early as well as wake up quickly. That combined with her normally energetic personality earned her several envious looks from Korra and Jinora who had trouble waking up. The two girls headed outside five minutes before it was time to begin, but there was no sign of Meelo.
That boy always woke up later, but got out in time. Meelo was late now and Tenzin sighed heading for his son's room to wake him up. Meelo had stayed up an hour past his bedtime because he was so excited about his 'Hero' being there to fall asleep. Well, of all the people that his kids could idolize, Lin was a very good choice. His son's room was empty and Tenzin looked around the kitchen, then peeked outside to see if the little bender had maybe snuck out when he wasn't looking but his son wasn't there. Tenzin began to worry asking Pema if she saw him which when the normally observant woman had denied seeing him, the airbending master almost panicked until he remembered Lin was staying with them. Oh monkey feathers! He gasped in his head. The boy had a death wish! Even he hadn't woken up Lin unless she was working that day or the house was on fire. It just wasn't safe. Unlike him and Pema, he didn't think Lin would take waking up nose to nose with an eager five year old very well.
Using every bit of his airbending ability to sneak down the hall, Tenzin rested a hand on the ajar door happy to know this one didn't creak when opened or they would be bringing him to a healer in a basket. What he saw when he looked in made his jaw drop almost comically. Lin was fast asleep on her side with Meelo, both snuggled up together and facing each other with the boy's head beneath her chin. Meelo's face was buried in the hollow between her neck and shoulder and had completely wrapped himself around her. Rather than tossing the boy out as she had when Kya once tried to crawl into bed with her, his old friend had both arms protectively wrapped around him and she a small smile on her face.
Tenzin left silently, leaving the two alone to rest some more. It wasn't the first time that Lin's strength had amazed him. For all her stomping around and threatening insults, she had a kind heart and a selfless drive to protect and help others. Lin Beifong was a force to be reckoned with and was so strong that she could be a Hero in her sleep.
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A/N: Okay guys, here is where you leave comments. Not for the sake of making me so giggly by letting me know you liked it because I love your happiness, but for prompts. I haven't offered this before but I'd like some ideas for one shots. I write Linumi, Linzin, Lin/Su sister stuff, and cute Lin and Meelo...I should write some Lin and Su stuff! I digress; I'd like you to give me some ideas of things you'd like me to write with these whether it is via inbox or in the comments. And thank you so much for reading my stuff!
Your fanatic with an unnatural love for Lin,
-Priestess