Chapter: The Trouble with Armor

Two more weeks had passed since Lin and Tenzin returned from their honeymoon. At four months along, Lin's stomach was now much more noticeable.

"It looks like I swallowed a mango whole." Lin laughed as she observed her form in the mirror.

"A cute mango, though." Tenzin added as he sat in a chair, watching her.

"Is there such thing as a cute mango?" Lin questioned, moving to slide on her black uniform pants and white tank top.

"There is now I guess." Tenzin pondered.

Lin rolled her eyes playfully at his comment, moving to open her closet doors where her metal bending armor was stored.

She turned her back to the closet and bent on her suit, however she had a problem latching the front and back together.

"Tez?" Lin sighed. "I think I may have a problem."

Tenzin stood, observing her dilema. "What, did the latch break again?"

"No. I'm afraid the mango won't allow me to latch it." Lin explained.

"Oh." Tenzin tried to hide his smile.

"Hey, Don't laugh! You know what this means?" Lin admonished.

"You can't go out on dangerous missions because it is required to wear your armor?" Tenzin hoped.

"Don't look so happy, airhead." Lin scolded. "This also means that everyone is going to know I'm pregnant." Lin bent her armor back into its place in the closet.

"What's wrong with that?" Tenzin wrapped his arms around her waist.

"People are going to do the math. They are going to know I am more pregnant than I should be a month after our wedding." Lin explained.

"Eh, let them gossip. When have we ever cared what others thought." Tenzin brushed off her worries.

"Tez, they are going to have a blast with this in the papers."

"Let them. These are our lives, this is our baby. I don't care what others have to say." Tenzin assured her. "Besides, maybe it will get the White Lotus off our backs for a while."

"The White Lotus?" Lin scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Have they continued pestering you since our engagement party?"

Tenzin immediately closed his mouth. "Uh, uh no, nope why would you ask that?"

"Tez, you are absolutely the worst liar of all time." Lin pushed him so he sat on their bed. "What have they been pestering you about?"

Tenzin sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since the engagement party, I guess more and more White Lotus members have gained the impression that they are responsible for assuring the future of the air benders. They have been calling and sending letters and making visits to my dad and I pretty consistently the last few months."

"What do they say?" Lin sat beside Tenzin on their bed.

"The usual." Tenzin sighed. "You need to take responsibility, repopulate, preserve the culture and genes, et cetera et cetera."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lin asked.

"Because, I find it tedious and annoying and they are overstepping their boundaries. I didn't want you to be caught up in it as well."

Lin sighed, massaging Tenzin's arm. "Tez, the minute I decided to marry you I forfeited all rights to not get caught up in it."

Tenzin leaned over to capture her lips in a kiss. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to spare you."

"I know. But we are in this together, right?" Lin looked deep into his eyes.

"Always." Tenzin smiled warmly back at her.

"Alright then. I say we get ahead of the papers. We leak our own story. We take charge of how it is told." Lin stood, placing her hands on her hips.

Tenzin smirked. "I like the way you think."

"So do I." Lin smiled mischievously.

"Alright then." Tenzin declared, standing to join her. "Let's expose ourselves."

Lin snorted. "I love the enthusiasm, airhead, but let's not phrase it like that."

"You know, I heard it coming out of my mouth and I sensed it was wrong." Tenzin chuckled.

"How about I call the Republic City Times?" Lin patted his chest lightly.

"Yeah that's probably for the best." Tenzin laughed.