it's about damn time i posted something other than makorra like i promised - not much, but it's a cute lil somethin somethin, based partly on the fact that tenzin clearly cares for pema a lot and i imagine, like aang, he'd still be kind of shocked and awed at his luck in the early stages of their marriage (and then having to work around the prompt), so uh. yeah!


"What's got you so frustrated?" His wife's voice, slightly teasing, takes a moment to reach him over the paper. Tenzin straightens, lifting his head from his hand.

"Oh, it's nothing, Pema," he says, still frowning at the grid and the ink scribbled all over it, letters crossed out. "Just having a little trouble with the crossword."

She sends him that skeptical look of hers, the one where her mouth twitches into a half-smirk and her nose scrunches up – the one he's spent lazy mornings and a few seconds spared on packed afternoons and quiet evenings alone trying to memorize, but the image in his head can never compare to the real thing.

"Want some help?" she asks.

After a long moment, eyes scanning the list of hints, he huffs a somewhat grudging sigh, looking up at her. "I'd love some."

Pema even manages to fall down next to him with grace, arm pressing against his as she leans over to pluck the pen from his hand, twirling it in her fingers and biting on her thumbnail. He admires the smooth curve of her cheek for another beat before turning back to the puzzle, shifting closer to her.

"See, I just can't figure this one out…"