Pemzin Week, Day 2: Home
Their relationship had not gotten off to the smoothest start. The only thing that he had known in the depths of his soul was that he needed to spend the rest of his life with this woman. Everything else was a nightmare. It had been a painful few weeks trying to sort through his commitments and emotions after he realized what he felt for Pema. The largest problem, of course, was that he was still in a relationship with Lin and living under one roof with her. Pema was the catalyst that made him realize that what he had with Lin didn't make him happy. Of course, Lin didn't feel that anything was wrong. Even as he tried to ease into the separation and give her hints of what had to come, she seemed certain that the two of them would share a future together.
When he finally came out and told her that he was leaving, it was... unpleasant. At the best of times she had a temper, and she didn't mince words when she found out he was ending their years-long relationship to run off with a woman barely out of girlhood. However, the fact that she never resorted to physical violence was what impressed him the most with the depth of her hurt. As much as she screamed at him, she just crumpled into herself in the middle of the floor as he quietly moved his belongings out of their house. He'd hoped that after the initial shock she might find it in her to understand, but from the moment she stopped yelling she refused to look him in the eyes and sobbed quietly like she hadn't done since childhood.
The following weeks were just as bad. Pema understood that the separation had been painful for him too, and she was the pillar of support that kept him standing. His family and Lin's never came out and told him off for what he'd done, but he could feel the quiet disapproval in their eyes when he spoke to them, and the judgment written across their faces when they looked at Pema made him cringe. Without ever being explicit, they made their support of Lin clear. He was so glad that Pema was stronger than she looked. She sometimes gripped his hand under the table when the stares became too much, but her calm words and the stubborn set of her face reassured him that she did not plan to buckle.
Things only gradually improved. Toph found places for her daughter to work with the police that took her nowhere near Tenzin, and Lin studiously avoided him when she was off-duty. It seemed that his family was coming to see what it was in Pema that had captivated him. Her sweet nature spoke for itself, and in time he was sure that they would understand that she wouldn't just destroy a relationship on a whim. His emotions toward her had only intensified with the time they spent together, and after what he thought was a shockingly short period he found himself pouring out his feelings and begging her to spend the rest of her life with him. Her radiant smile was all the answer he needed. The next few weeks were a blur of happiness as all the arrangements were made and formalities were taken care of, but one moment stood out to him. On the first day they'd taken up residence in their new house he walked inside in the early evening to find her kneeling at the table beaming up at him.
"Welcome home, Tenzin."