Chapter 2
A person's teenage years are always some of the most awkward and confusing years of a person's life, no matter who they are. The children of Avatar Aang and the daughters of Toph Beifong were no exception to this fact, which was precisely why Tenzin was currently more confused than he could ever remembering being in the last seventeen years of his life.
Lin stood before him, an equally confused expression on her face as she stared up at him, one eyebrow raised and her hands on her hips. "What is it Tenzin?" she asked him, sounding a bit impatient.
"Well – uh – it's just that I – I mean I thought – and you." Tenzin sighed, his stammering coming to an abrupt halt as he shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Breathe, he told himself, just think back to where this all began…
Tenzin thought about it for a moment, easily pinpointing what had him suddenly becoming incoherent. It had all begun about a week earlier, when Aang, Katara, and Toph had broken the news to Lin and Tenzin that the two of them would have to attend the thirty-fifth annual celebration of the end of the Hundred Year War. Lin and Tenzin had instantly begun griping and complaining.
"But we haven't gone to those since we were little," Lin whined. "I hate dressing up."
"Believe me, kid," Toph said. "I'm right there with you. But if all of us have to go then you two have to go too."
"But why does everyone have to go?" Tenzin asked.
"Because everyone who's considered important to this City is expected to be there," Katara explained. "Kya and Bumi and Su have already agreed to come with us, and Zuko and his daughter will be there too."
Lin frowned. "Izumi will be there?"
"Yes," Aang answered. "She and her parents will be arriving on the Island tomorrow to stay with us until this event is over."
Lin, who was not particularly happy about this news, folded her arms across her chest and turned to stare at the floor. It wasn't that Lin disliked Izumi. It was simply that, every time Izumi was around, Bumi and Tenzin seemed to spend all their time trying to please her. Izumi was nineteen, just two years younger than Bumi and two years older than Tenzin, and so she was "fair game" to the both of them, and Lin hated the way the two of them pined after the spoiled princess. However, even though Lin would never admit it, she was, perhaps, a bit jealous of Izumi. After all, Izumi was beautiful, feisty, intelligent, and graceful – she was always the model of perfection. It was annoying and intimidating all at once.
"It's only a few hours," Katara said.
"It won't kill you," Toph pointed out.
"And we'd really appreciate it," Aang added.
Tenzin sighed, and Lin knew he had given up arguing.
Sure enough, he soon said, "I suppose if we have to go."
Tenzin seemed resigned to his fate, but Lin was not so easily swayed, and being the stubborn teenager that she was, she turned to glare at him. "You're only agreeing now because you know Izumi will be there," Lin snapped.
Tenzin frowned, his brow furrowing as he turned to face Lin. "Do you really think I'm that shallow, Lin?"
Lin rolled her eyes in response. "Don't try to act all innocent, Tenzin. Maybe if you kept your tongue in your mouth and stopped drooling every time she came around I might be inclined to believe you."
Tenzin looked offended. "I do no such thing!"
"All right, you two lovebirds," Toph interrupted, "enough bickering. You're going, and that's that. Come on, Lin, we're going home now."
Lin and Tenzin merely scoffed at Toph's "lovebird" comment. She was always teasing them about their close friendship, and she wasn't the only one.
With a sigh, Lin rose to her feet and followed her mother out the door and to the docks, where they boarded a waiting boat and headed back to their home in Republic City.
That night wasn't the most confusing part of the situation – though Tenzin had been a bit surprised by Lin's claim that he drooled over Izumi. The real confusion truly began when Tenzin happened on a conversation Lin and Bumi were having.
"Wanna go to the celebration with me, Lin?" Bumi slyly asked Lin, wiggling his eyebrows at her and smirking as if she simply wouldn't be able to resist him.
Lin looked up at Bumi with a raised brow and a lethal scowl. "What's the matter, Bumi? Did Izumi turn you down?" Lin said with a fake sympathetic gaze.
Bumi folded his arms across his chest, clearly not amused, but grinning nonetheless. "I was just trying to help you out, Lin. All the girls would be jealous that you managed to get yourself an older, handsome man such as myself – it'd be good for your reputation."
Lin narrowed her eyes at Bumi and replied, "For your information, Bumi, it just so happens that I already have a date to the celebration, thank you very much. And another thing, I'm not at all concerned about any sort of reputation, nor do I need your pity. So next time you decide to "help someone out," offer your so-called "handsome self" to somebody else."
And with that Lin stormed off, with Bumi calling after her, "Oh come on, Lin! I was just playing around! Don't get all sensitive!"
Normally, at this point, Tenzin would follow Lin, knowing that Bumi had said something that had upset her and she wasn't going to admit to it, or even accept it in her own mind. But this time he was frozen in place, thinking on what she had told Bumi, about how she apparently had a date to the celebration. He didn't even know she was going to go with anyone. Who was this guy that had had the nerve to ask Lin Beifong to a celebration that included dancing? And why hadn't she told her best friend about it? And why was Tenzin so upset about it? She could go with whoever she wanted, and it's not as if it was required by law that she tell him about it. Still, he couldn't deny that he was slightly offended.
Then again, if Lin could have a date to the celebration, then surely Tenzin could go with someone. Otherwise he'd feel horribly left out. He'd be the only one without a date! Kya always had men asking her to these sorts of things, and Tenzin didn't doubt that Bumi would be able find a willing female friend of his own. Of course, as far as Tenzin knew, Izumi hadn't been asked by anyone yet, but that wouldn't last long. What if I asked her? Tenzin thought, only to shake that idea from his mind as quickly as it came. She would never accept, and besides, Lin would be furious…but if Lin already had a date, then Tenzin had just as much right to have his own, and she couldn't be angry at him for it because she had gotten a date first. And why would Izumi have any reason to say no to Tenzin? They were friends, and their parents were even better friends. Tenzin was younger than her of course, but he acted much older than he was, and Izumi had told him that on quite a few occasions.
Eventually Tenzin came to a decision and went to find Izumi, who was exploring the Island despite having visited with her family multiple times before and doing the same thing every time. Tenzin had been a bit nervous, but had somehow managed to ask Izumi to go to the celebration with him as his date, and he was surprised and elated when she agreed.
So with the comforting fact that Tenzin would not be a third wheel at the celebration, he made his way back across the Island to the spot where he knew Lin would be. She always went to the same place when someone upset or annoyed her, and only Tenzin and Toph knew where. That was when the real confusion tripped him up and jumbled his words.
After sitting down on the cliff edge beside Lin, Tenzin told her, "I overheard you talking to Bumi just a little bit ago."
"Oh," she said, looking a bit sheepish as she glanced up at Tenzin from the corner of her eye. "I guess you heard what I said about having a date then, huh?"
"Yes, I did, and I have to say I'm a bit offended you didn't tell me," Tenzin admitted.
Lin turned to look fully at Tenzin now, her brows furrowing in bewilderment. "What?" she said. "You thought I meant I was going with someone else?"
Tenzin was thoroughly perplexed at this point, and he tilted his head to the side and asked, "You mean you aren't?"
Lin shook her head. "No, I just told Bumi that because I figured you and I were going together, you know, as friends, that way neither of us had to go through the mess of finding a date. I didn't want to tell him that though, so I just told him I had a date…I hope you don't mind."
Tenzin's stomach plummeted at this explanation and he began to feel really, really foolish.
"What is it, Tenzin?" Lin asked him, and he began to stammer stupidly, until he sighed and thought back to how it all began. That was when he realized how stupid he had been, and how he should have just waited and talked to Lin before he ran off to Izumi.
"What on earth is wrong with you, Tenzin?" Lin asked him then. "If you don't want to go with me just say so."
She was irritated, and maybe a little offended, and Tenzin felt terrible. "It's not that," he insisted, looking at her imploringly, hoping she would understand. "It's just that…I thought you were going with someone else so…I asked someone else…and they said yes…"
Lin stared at him for a few moments. And then, "Oh," was all she said.
"I can just tell her I changed my mind or something," Tenzin amended, rising to his feet quickly with the intention of canceling his date with Izumi.
"Wait," Lin interrupted, jumping to her feet and grabbing his wrist as he turned to leave. "You don't have to do that. It's my fault, I shouldn't have assumed –"
"No, I shouldn't have assumed –"
"It's fine, Tenzin, really," she insisted, and he couldn't tell if she was lying or not. "I can find someone else to go with." Now she sounded irritated. "I'm not some helpless little girl, you know. There are people who are attracted to me, despite how much this might surprise your family."
Lin turned to leave, and this time Tenzin was sure she was angry. "Lin!" he called after her, trying to follow. "I'm sorry! That's not what I meant and you know it!"
But she did not stop or turn around to respond to him, and even went so far as to erect a rock wall into his path to distract him long enough for her to slip out of sight. Sighing, Tenzin decided to go spend some time at the meditation pavilion, where maybe he could make some sense of this.
Tenzin didn't see Lin for the rest of the week, and by the time he arrived at the celebration that night – all dressed up and with Izumi on his arm – he still did not see Lin anywhere, and he was sure she had somehow convinced her mother not to make her go so that she wouldn't have to find a date. It wasn't that Tenzin thought she couldn't find one – he saw the way some of the boys at the Metalbending Academy looked at her – but he still felt guilty that she would have to accept one of their offers – if any of them were even brave enough to ask her.
Any guilt he felt though, soon began to vanish when Tenzin finally spotted Lin. There she was, in the middle of the room, allowing some guy to lead her around the dance floor in a sort of waltz. Tenzin wasn't sure why he frowned, but he certainly wasn't happy to see the boy's arm wrapped so low around Lin's waist and clutching her hand as if he had no intentions of ever letting her go. Tenzin narrowed his eyes to get a better look at Lin's supposed date, and he was dismayed to see that it was someone he knew had a very big crush on Lin. The boy's name was Deak, an earthbender who was two years older than Lin and a fellow student at the Metalbending Academy. Deak was a tall, very handsome man, with what seemed to be permanently windswept, dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. He was of muscular build, and he was a rather strong earthbender for his age. Despite visiting the Metalbending Academy rather often to meet Lin, Tenzin had not gotten to know Deak very well, but he had noticed the way Deak's gaze lingered on Lin every time he was around her. Also, according to Lin, Deak never passed up an opportunity to ask Lin out.
"Tenzin, what are you staring at?" a voice from beside him asked, and he looked down, remembering then that he was still with Izumi.
The Fire Nation Princess was currently craning her neck in an effort to find what Tenzin had been so intent on staring at, but Tenzin quickly pulled her attention back to him as he said, "Oh, nothing, I guess I was just reminiscing. I haven't been to one of these functions in so long…"
"Really?" Izumi replied. "I would have thought with your father being the Avatar you'd have to come to these things all the time."
"Yeah, well…" Tenzin trailed off, averting his gaze in an attempt to find something with which to change the subject. He hated when people brought up his father's Avatar status. It wasn't that he was embarrassed or angry or anything. He was very proud of his father and considered himself lucky to be his son, but he didn't like that that was all people thought of when they saw him. He wanted to be known as Tenzin, not "The Avatar's Son." But he knew that would likely never happen.
"Are you going to ask me to dance then?" Izumi said, and Tenzin looked back at her once more to see her raising a brow at him as if he was rather foolish for not having thought of this already.
"Oh! Yes, of course." Tenzin was sure he felt his cheeks warming in embarrassment. Sucking in a calming breath, he led Izumi out to the dance floor.
Tenzin and Izumi danced for quite a while, with Tenzin often glancing in Lin and Deak's direction. The young airbender was rather irritated when he noticed how close Deak stayed to Lin the entire time, and even though Tenzin did not like Deak, he was still a bit saddened that Lin seemed to be rather miserable. If only he hadn't been so stupid, he and Lin could have been sitting at a secluded table in a corner of the room making fun of some of the people's ridiculous outfits.
About halfway through the night, sometime after Tenzin and Izumi had returned to the dance floor after taking a break to get some refreshments, Izumi sighed exasperatedly and rolled her eyes.
"Is something wrong?" Tenzin asked.
"Are you going to go ask her to dance or what?" Izumi demanded.
"Huh? Ask who to dance?"
"The person you've been staring at all night!" Izumi exclaimed, and Tenzin's eyes widened – had he really been that obvious? "Honestly, you've got absolutely no tact, Tenzin. I'll take care of her date, if you promise to ask the girl to dance!"
Tenzin was suddenly very nervous and he looked at Izumi with confusion plain on his face. "I don't understand what you're implying –"
Izumi threw her hands up in exasperation, thereby effectively putting a stop to their dance as she stepped back from him. "Go ask Lin to dance or I'll ask her for you, and believe me, you don't want that."
Tenzin looked over at Lin, who was sitting at a table across the room, looking bored out of her mind while Deak prattled on to her about something he seemed to find amusing. Looking back at Izumi, Tenzin finally replied, "I'm sorry. I've been a terrible date. It's just that Lin's my friend –"
Izumi waved a dismissive hand. "You weren't the worst, and I'm not offended…well, maybe a little, but not much, I pretty much expected this to happen. Anyway, I'll go start a conversation with Lin's date and you can ask her to dance with you, all right?"
Tenzin wasn't sure exactly what he was agreeing to, but he did nonetheless. It's not as if he wanted to dance with Lin because he wanted her to be his date, he just wanted his best friend to enjoy herself…right? He wasn't even sure at this point, so he didn't dwell on it. Instead he followed Izumi across the room, the two of them coming to a halt at the table Lin and Deak were seated at.
Lin had been hunched over in her seat, her elbow propped up on the table and her chin resting on her hand. She stared at Deak with almost no expression on her face, while he regaled her with stories of his life in which he came out a champion or a hero. She seemed to be in a trance like state, and therefore did not immediately notice Tenzin and Izumi's arrival, until she heard Izumi say, "Excuse me…sorry to interrupt, but I noticed you from across the room and I simply had to come meet you."
Startled, Lin jumped slightly and looked over at Izumi and Tenzin with surprise. Deak looked up at Izumi with raised eyebrows, giving her a quick once over before rising quickly and gracefully to his feet.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess," Deak said, taking Izumi's hand and placing a kiss on the back of it.
Lin stayed seated, observing the exchange with a wary expression on her face. Tenzin stood beside her chair, nervously awaiting his moment.
"I noticed your outfit," Izumi said to Deak, who glanced down at his clothes. He was wearing the usual formal uniform a graduate of the Metalbending Academy would wear. It was similar to the Metalbending Police Force's uniforms, but made of cloth rather than metal. "So you're a metalbender?"
"Yes I am," Deak said rather proudly, standing up straighter and smiling broadly. "I just graduated about two weeks ago. I hope to join the police force soon."
"That's very noble of you," Izumi commented. "I'd love to hear more about your metalbending career." By Izumi's tone, it was clear to Tenzin and Lin that she certainly did not care about Deak's metalbending career, but Deak himself did not notice. Lin glanced up at Tenzin with a raised brow, but he simply shrugged and looked back at Izumi.
"Well I'd love to tell you," Deak replied, his voice almost flirtatious, which made Tenzin frown and glance down at Lin, who merely rolled her eyes. Shouldn't Lin's date be flirting with her, not Izumi? "Would you like to dance, Princess?"
"Please, call me Izumi. And yes, I'd love to dance. But I'd hate to take you away from your date."
Deak seemed to suddenly remember that he was supposed to be spending the celebration with Lin, and he jumped slightly as he looked down at her still seated form.
Lin waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about me," she said. "Go on and enjoy yourself, Deak."
Deak almost sighed in relief, and without another word, took Izumi's hand and led her to the dance floor. As she retreated, Izumi shot Tenzin a pointed glance, and he nodded his thanks to her.
"All right, Tenzin," Lin's voice broke into his thoughts and he turned to look at her, "what's this all about?"
"Well, I couldn't let my best friend be bored to death now could I?" Tenzin answered, smiling kindly in an attempt to soften her annoyed gaze.
"So more pity?" she asked, sitting back in her seat and folding her arms across her chest. "I wasn't bored," she lied. "Deak's stories are very…interesting."
Tenzin couldn't help but snort in disbelief. "Come on, Lin, I only stood here for five minutes at the most and I was already bored of hearing his voice."
"Don't insult my date," Lin seethed, sitting up in her seat again. "I'm sure Izumi's stories of living in a palace and never having to work for anything were simply fabulous." The sarcasm in her tone was obvious.
Tenzin frowned. "What is it with you and Izumi, Lin? You used to get along fine when we were kids –"
"Nothing, forget it, I don't have a problem with her," Lin muttered, rising to her feet and turning away as if to leave.
Tenzin grabbed her wrist and turned her around. "Wait," he said, looking at her imploringly. "I'm sorry, all right? I came over here t – to – to ask you to dance…so…will you dance with me, Lin?"
Lin eyed Tenzin suspiciously for a moment, and he worried that she would say no. What would he do then?
But after what seemed an eternity, Lin finally said, "Okay…"
Though a bit surprised that she had agreed, Tenzin smiled and slid his hand down Lin's wrist to grip her hand. And then he turned and led her out onto the dance floor. The song was slow – as most of the music at this kind of event was, because it was not considered appropriate to gyrate at functions such as these – and when Tenzin turned to face Lin again, he slid his arm around her waist and she placed her other hand on his shoulder. They stood a respectable distance apart, and for a moment things were a bit awkward. Other than when they were little and were simply pretending to act like adults, they hadn't ever danced together before. And now that they were so close, and Tenzin was given time to think about the past week, he noticed what Lin was wearing. It was a simple, black, long-sleeved dress with green embellishments along the sleeves and the hem of the dress. It was modest, of course, but form-fitting, hugging her curves and accentuating her waist in a way that Tenzin was surprised he hadn't noticed earlier in the evening. More importantly, he was surprised he hadn't really noticed…ever. He saw Lin almost every day, had seen her in a swimsuit, and yet he had never really noticed that she was almost a woman now, and a beautiful one at that. She was growing her ebony hair out a bit longer than usual, so that it fell in waves just below her shoulders, and it framed her face in a rather attractive way. It was no wonder all the boys at the Academy were always sneaking glances at her.
These new thoughts were making Tenzin's face heat up, and he quickly averted his gaze from her in an attempt to stop the blush that was spreading on his cheeks.
"Are you all right, Tenzin?" Lin asked him, noticing the way his heartbeat had sped up and the pink tint to his cheeks.
"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine," Tenzin mumbled quickly and unconvincingly.
"Maybe it's too hot in here," Lin said, sounding a bit concerned. "Why don't we step outside?"
That sounded like a great idea, so Tenzin nodded mutely and allowed Lin to lead him to a nearby balcony. No one else was on the balcony, and so Tenzin and Lin easily moved across it to the railing, which they both leaned against to look out at the city their parents had built. For a while neither of them spoke, though Tenzin noticed Lin glancing at him form the corner of her eye quite a few times, probably wondering why he had acted so strange so suddenly. He still wasn't quite sure what had come over him, but the cool night air had helped him calm down.
Lin was the one to break the silence as she turned to him and asked, "So what was all that in there?" She gestured in the direction of the celebration room they had just exited.
"What do you mean?" Tenzin asked, turning to face her.
"Well I doubt Izumi actually has any interest in Deak, and then you ask me to dance with you, and then you look like you're about to pass out. Now we're out here and you're fine again."
Tenzin shrugged. "It's like I said before, I wanted to ask you to dance, and Izumi offered to get Deak's attention. And I guess I just got a little hot, it's pretty stuffy in there and I'm wearing a lot of clothes right now." He tugged at his voluminous robes and grimaced – he was wearing quite a lot of clothes.
Lin smirked while glancing down at his excessive amount of clothes. Then she looked at him seriously once more. "Why did you want to ask me to dance? I mean, you're here with Izumi. Nobody in their right mind would give up a girl like that to dance with…well, me."
Lin looked away for a moment, wincing at her own words. It wasn't often that she sounded so…unsure of herself, and Tenzin didn't like it at all.
"Enough of this," Tenzin said, turning Lin to face him and looking her straight in the eye. "Tell me what it is about Izumi that has you acting this way."
Lin's cheeks turned pink and she looked away from him. She sighed and mumbled something incoherent.
"What?"
Lin mumbled again, and though it made a bit more sense than her first mutterings, he still had no idea what she was saying.
"Lin," he sighed.
"I said I'm jealous, all right?" she finally answered, looking up at him with a scowl. She stepped away from him, pulling herself from his grip. "And I know it's stupid and self-centered to care so much about looks, but I also know I'm not even close to being one of the prettiest girls here. Normally it doesn't bother me, but…my mother's beautiful and she's blind – she doesn't even have to try, and neither does Izumi, or your mom, or your sister…and then there's me." She sighed and looked back out at the city. "I see the way you and Bumi look at Izumi, and Deak was only too happy to leave me for her."
Tenzin was stunned into silence. How could she think she wasn't beautiful? Especially now, all of a sudden. She hadn't put so much thought into her appearance before, and this sudden lack of confidence was unsettling. Maybe it was simply something that happened when girls got a bit older. Tenzin wouldn't realize until years later that Lin had been acting strangely that night because she had a rather big crush on him.
At the moment though, Tenzin was unsure of what was going on in Lin's head, but knew he had to at least try to alleviate her self-doubt. Turning her to face him once more, he told her sincerely, "Lin, you're just as beautiful as every single one of them, if not more so. And I'm not just saying that because you're my best friend, because believe me, all the other boys have noticed too. You've told me before about how Deak follows you around at the Academy, and I've seen how the rest of them there look at you. As for Bumi, he looks at every girl like that, even you. And as for Deak going off to dance with Izumi, he's stupid for doing it, but I'm glad he did, because then I wouldn't be able to spend the rest of the evening with you like this."
Lin's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red and she bit her lip a bit self-consciously. But she smiled nonetheless. "Thanks, Tenzin," she said quietly. "I'm sorry I've been acting so stupid lately."
"Not at all," he assured her. And then grinning widely, he said, "So tell me, Lin, how's your evening with Deak been? Since his stories are so interesting."
Lin groaned overdramatically and covered her face with one hand in pure embarrassment. Then she punched Tenzin in the shoulder. "Shut up," she told him. "It's your fault I had to agree to come to this thing with that hog monkey in the first place! Ugh, he's so full of himself, and I swear he thinks the whole world revolves around him. And he actually thinks he's going to be Chief of Police one day." Lin scoffed. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
Tenzin chuckled. He knew that if Lin had anything to say about it she'd be the next Chief of Police once she was old enough and her mother had retired from the force.
"But let's not talk about him," Lin insisted, obviously very uninterested in Deak. "Now let me ask you something. Why'd you ask Izumi to this thing?"
Tenzin shrugged. "I thought you had a date, and I didn't want to be the only one without one. I knew Izumi didn't have a date yet, and she's my friend so I knew I wouldn't have to go through the stress of trying to ask another girl in the city that I hardly knew." He paused, and then smirked as he added, "And it was good for my reputation."
Lin scowled as she remembered Bumi's words from a few days ago. She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe he actually said that."
Tenzin shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can."
Lin opened her mouth to respond, but then she froze suddenly, a panicked expression taking over her features for a moment.
Instantly worried, Tenzin asked, "What is it, Lin? What's wrong?"
"Izumi's dancing with Bumi," she said quickly, casting her gaze around the balcony as if looking for a way out, even going so far as to glance over the edge of the railing.
"So?" Tenzin said, confused.
"So, that means Deak will be looking for me," she explained. "And I cannot sit through another of his stories…oh no, he's coming this way – if he asks, you never saw me!"
And then, quite suddenly, before Tenzin could say another word, Lin had sunk into the stone beneath her feet. Tenzin was a bit worried at first, wondering if she could breathe under there, but he figured she knew what she was doing. And before he could think on it further, Deak entered the balcony, with a satisfied air about him that made Tenzin frown.
Deak noticed Tenzin and, in a pompous sort of voice, said, "Ah, hello there, I've come to retrieve Lin…where is she?"
Tenzin shrugged, leaning back against the railing and folding his arms across his chest. "How should I know?"
Deak narrowed his eyes at Tenzin a bit suspiciously. "Well she was with you."
"Yes, and then she went back out to the dance floor without me," Tenzin lied.
Deak stared at Tenzin for another moment. "All right, well if you see her, tell her I'm looking for her and I don't want to wait the rest of the evening without my date."
"If you insist," Tenzin replied with a sigh and a bored look at his nails.
"I do," was all Deak said, and then he left, shaking his head irritably.
When Deak had gone, Lin suddenly appeared beside Tenzin again, shaking her head at him as she said, "You're a terrible liar."
"It wasn't so much that I'm terrible at it and more because I didn't want to lie to him," Tenzin admitted. "I wish I could have told him you were with me because it obviously annoys him."
Lin smirked up at him. "Whatever you say, Junior."
Tenzin rolled his eyes at the nickname, which was actually short for "Twinkletoes Junior," something Toph had started back when he was younger.
The two friends spent the rest of the evening together on that balcony, talking and laughing and completely disregarding the fact that there was a celebration going on. Deak did not return to the balcony looking for Lin, and Izumi seemed to be content to stay with Bumi the rest of the night. Eventually though – when the festivities were winding to an end and Toph came to find Lin to tell her they'd be leaving in ten minutes – Lin and Tenzin decided to split ways.
"I suppose I should go find Deak before I leave," Lin sighed, pushing herself away from the railing.
"I should probably go thank Izumi too," Tenzin said. "And then find my parents."
Lin nodded. "You'll have to thank Izumi for me too – I don't know what I would have done if I had had to spend the entire evening with Deak."
"Well, next time let's not make this mistake," Tenzin suggested. "I'd much rather come to these things with you than anyone else."
Lin smiled and, rather than simply speak her agreement, she leaned up onto her tiptoes and pulled Tenzin into a tight hug. "Me too," she told him, her voice quiet and her breath on his neck sending a strange tingling down his spine. When she went to lean back, he was surprised when he felt something soft and warm quickly press against his cheek, and then she stepped away from him, gave him one last smile, and then hurried off of the balcony. Tenzin stood for a moment, shocked beyond words as he placed a hand to the spot on his cheek where her lips had been.
Many things happened once Lin turned eighteen. Tenzin, who had been named an airbending master almost two years earlier, was told that he would finally be receiving the same blue arrow tattoos as his father. Lin, who had fully mastered earthbending almost as long ago, graduated from the Metalbending Academy at the top of her class. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Kya, Suyin, and Tenzin attended Lin's graduation, while Toph was the one to hand her daughter her certificate. Bumi had not been able to attend, as he was on a yearlong tour with the United Forces as he finished out his training, however, he had sent Lin a letter of congratulations, and also gave Kya explicit orders to punch Lin in the shoulder for him. After Lin's graduation, the group journeyed to Air Temple Island together to have a feast celebrating Lin and Tenzin's achievements.
After eating much more food than usual, Lin and Tenzin stumbled outside, seeking some fresh air and a moment away from everyone else. The sun had set, and the cool night air was more than refreshing. Together they walked in silence across the island, to the edge of a cliff, where they sat down beside one another, their legs dangling off the edge and the wind whipping their hair and clothes about them.
Lin sighed contentedly and lay on her back, staring up at the starry sky and completely unaware of Tenzin's gaze on her. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts, thoughts on how wonderful the day had turned out. Not only had she graduated from the Academy and made her mother proud, but she had also received a congratulatory kiss on the cheek from Tenzin. She knew she was probably looking too far into it, and that she shouldn't get so excited over something that had probably not meant nearly as much to him, but she couldn't help herself.
She wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere along her early teen years she had noticed things about Tenzin that attracted her to him. She couldn't pinpoint the exact day or even year when it happened, but by the time she was sixteen she had so hopelessly fallen for him that there was no turning back. She had shaken it off as a simple crush at first, but now, two years later, she wasn't quite sure what it was. She did, however, notice that he seemed to at least return some interest in her. She had felt his heartbeat speeding up that night two years ago when she'd kissed him on the cheek, and she noticed it again when he kissed her on the cheek just a few hours earlier. They both seemed to look at each other differently now, and it excited and terrified Lin all at once. She hadn't done much dating in her life so far, nor had Tenzin. A few people had come and gone rather quickly, so even at eighteen and nineteen years old they were both rather inexperienced with the whole "dating" fiasco. So it was no surprise neither had brought the subject up over the years, especially considering the fact that they had been best friends practically since birth, and a romantic relationship could tear that apart.
But Lin shook those thoughts aside for the time being and returned her attention to Tenzin, who smiled down at her.
"I wanted to ask you something," he said.
"You did?" Lin replied, leaning up slightly and propping herself up on her elbows so that she could see him better.
"Yeah, it's about me getting my tattoos," Tenzin explained, looking a bit sheepish as he continued. "It's just that…well, they're kind of painful apparently, and I asked my dad, and he said it was all right if you stayed with me…you know, while I was getting them done, that way I have a friend there. You don't have to if you don't want to, I'd understand, but I thought I'd ask, because I'd like for you to be there…"
He trailed off, and Lin smiled, sitting up fully before answering him, "Of course I'll stay with you, Tenzin."
Tenzin was visibly relieved, and leaned forward to hug Lin in thanks, using a gust of air to propel the two of them upward. Soon they were way too high up in the air for Lin's liking, and her heart raced nervously as she clung to Tenzin with a slight bit of fear. She was used to flying, having grown up with Aang and Tenzin who liked to fly everywhere, but the suddenness of it had surprised her. They were only in the air for a few seconds though, and then they landed gently back on their feet.
"Sorry," Tenzin said with a grin as he released Lin.
She scowled up at him, knowing he most certainly was not sorry.
Lin and Su left Air Temple Island with their mother soon after that, and a few days later Lin returned to the island to be with Tenzin when he received his tattoos.
That whole experience turned out to be rather strange for Lin. She was proud of Tenzin for mastering airbending and for remaining so composed throughout most of the process. Yet another part of her hated knowing he was in pain, which was made obvious to her in the way that he would wince or clench her hand rather tightly. She tried to take his mind off of it by talking to him about pretty much anything she could think of, and she kept his hand clasped in both of hers the entire time, only letting up long enough to switch to his other hand when it was necessary. Even though Lin ended up feeling rather useless by the end, Tenzin assured her that he couldn't have done it without her. She was a bit afraid to hug him, for fear of hurting his now sensitive skin, so she leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek, and congratulated him once again. He surprised her then, by leaning back in to press a quick kiss to her lips, but it was so brief Lin almost couldn't believe it had happened. She went home that night feeling both elated and very much confused.
