Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar:TLA. So much would have happened if I did.
ON WITH THE STORY
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"Ow! Stop! Ow! Lin! Hey! Yeow!"
Lin watched dispassionately as she continued to pelt Tenzin's shiny bald head with pebbles and rocks. She even snuck in a boulder of two making the young boy dance around the training field at a faster pace to avoid getting flattened.
Finally Tenzin tried to retaliate but Lin simply angled a wall so the air blasted right past her seat on the small rocky outcropping of the island's natural formation. She watched without care as he got red in the face from a combination of frustration and exhaustion. "Thought you were supposed to be training, so I'm helping you out."
Dodging another boulder, Tenzin yelled back, "Training with DAD!"
A volley of small sized rocks lifted into the air and swirled ominously around the nervous airbender. "He's busy with Kya. So lucky you," she smirked. "You get me." And the barrage continued.
For the next 20 minutes the two 12 year olds sparred; one severely winded and sweating into a puddle while the other had barely moved, completely calm and focused on staying that way. Then Aang arrived.
"Hey you two. Having fun?" A big grin was stretched from ear to ear on Aang's face. He was pleased that the kids were getting along and that they had occupied themselves while he was busy elsewhere.
Tenzin wheezed as he tried to reply with an emphatic negative but Lin just calmly jumped from her seat to the training ground floor and sauntered off. "I always have fun sparring with Baldy Jr." she threw over her shoulder before entering the house.
Air acolytes danced out of Lin's way as she strode through the halls, intent on her goal. At the end of the family quarter corridor there is a room decorated with Southern and Northern Water Tribe words and images. The sliding door was wide open and inviting, and inside, sitting in a meditative curl, was Kya, the owner of the room.
Lin dropped to the floor like the teenager she is, all elbows and knees, and leaned her back against Kya's. "So, how did it go?"
The sixteen year old waterbender didn't respond. She just sighed and melted against Lin, tipping her head back against the broadening shoulders of her friend and resting there. Silky black hair tickled Lin's cheek as it cascaded over her shoulder. Ignoring the ever present itch to card her fingers through Kya's hair, so different from her own coarse mess of a mane, Lin crossed her arms and stayed immobile knowing the other girl would talk when she was ready.
The sun made its way along the sky and began dipping toward the horizon. Ocean blue turned a darker purple under the setting sun when Kya softly began speaking. "It was good. I think talking to dad was a good idea. I mean, mom already kinda knew but dad is always gone or with Tenzin so…" she trailed off as she turned around to look at Lin. Or Lin's back as the case was. "Thank you, Lin."
Lin didn't say anything. Kya's brow furrowed in confusion, then her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Bumi jumped into serpent infested waters with a tutu on singing about how much he loves a vegetarian diet," Kya intoned.
No reaction, not even a snort of disbelief.
"Tenzin is planning on flying you home tonight and along the way is going to confess his undying love to you." Kya watched closely and saw nothing.
Lin was definitely asleep.
Shuffling closer on her knees, Kya reached out and brushed Lin's unruly hair away from her neck to expose the soft skin beneath. The movement made the young earthbender twitch but nothing else and Kya very gently leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss to Lin's nape.
She did not linger long, just enough to breathe in the sharp tang of metal embedded in loamy soil and whisper a secret into a sleeping ear. "Kya told her parents she likes girls, but she did not tell them she was in love with one girl - a beautiful earthbender with an affinity for throwing rocks at little airbending boys so the older sister can spend time with her dad."
Face burning from the extra rush of blood her heart was pumping, Kya backed away and turned around so that the breeze from the window might help cool her down. It felt good to confess, Kya learned, even if the one being confessed to was fast asleep and wasn't listening. Sufficiently cooled down and lulled into a happy daze, feeling lighter than air, Kya returned to her position leaning back-to-back with Lin and let her eyes fall closed in slumber.
Katara found them a little while later before the evening meal still slumbering against one another. "Oh my little girl," Katara wistfully sighed. She knew Kya was growing up and would fly off into the world like her older brother but seeing her sleeping against her crush with that smitten smile on her face made the older woman's heart pang a bit with nostalgia.
"She's not so little anymore, Sugar Queen," a familiar voice ghosted from behind her.
Smiling, Katara acknowledged Toph's words. "Neither is Lin."
Toph snorted. "Which we are both happy about. My Lin is much too serious to be a child."
The smile tugging on Katara's lips turned into a full-blown grin. "While you never grew up!"
A small shove on her back was the only response. Both mothers surveyed the scene before them and internally debated waking the girls for supper or letting them have this sweet fleeting moment tonight. Toph was the first to sigh and make her decision.
Twisting her right foot and using her left to give the ground a light stomp, Toph gave the girls a bumpy awakening. "Lin! Sugar Princess! Supper is ready!"
"Whoa!""Arrgh!"
The girls fell over in the wake of the minor earthquake, coming to consciousness in a fit of confusion and piquedness. "Geez, Mother! How many times do I have to tell you!? Wake me up by calling my name!"
Toph laughed out loud in the face of her daughter's outrage. "Make me," she taunted then sauntered out the door towards the dining room chuckling all the way.
Lin's face stayed completely red as she stomped after her mother, intent on making as much noise as possible to convey her displeasure. "Just you wait! Next time we spar I'm going to beat you!" Lin proclaimed as the two earthbenders disappeared around the corner.
Katara, fighting her amusement, looked back to her child sprawled on the floor. "Supper will be getting cold if you don't hurry, Kya."
"Gee, and here I thought dad knew how to firebend," Kya snarked back, a little disgruntled about the unexpected wake-up call. "Ugg," she moaned as she sat up, rubbing her shoulder. "Now I know why Lin is so grumpy all the time."
"Hm," Katara agreed. "Y'know, I could always wake you with a bath. You might be able to appreciate how kind I am when I only yell for you in the mornings."
Kya gave Katara the stink-eye. "Don't you dare."
Holding out her hand, Katara hauled the girl up to her feet, smiling unapologetically. "I dare a lot, young lady. Now, let's go before there is nothing left for us. You know how Toph can get." Katara let out a weary sigh. "And you father when she's around."
Kya laughed. "Don't worry, Lin is here. She always saves me some." She pulled ahead of her mother, dashing down to the dining room.
Katara watched her go with an eye roll and small smile. "That girl would fight off dragons for you, my waterbender," she quietly said to the evening air. "I only hope you both find the courage to be with each other sooner rather than later."
Supper ended with yawns and goodbyes since Toph needed to work early the next morning and Lin had training at the same time. Kya sidled up to Lin as the families walked down the pier together, brushing her shoulder against the shorter girl's.
"Thanks, Lin," Kya whispered.
A blush crawled up Lin's cheeks even as she scowled and shrugged the thanks away. "No big deal."
Kya could not stop herself from reacting to Lin's embarrassment. Softly, swiftly, she leaned over and planted a kiss on the satiny skin of Lin's cheek. "It is to me." Grinning, Kya called out to her favorite aunt and said goodbye before pivoting on her heel and skipping away from the pier to head to bed, again feeling lighter than air.
Lin, on the other hand, felt like a statue of magma threatening to melt into a hot mess of a puddle right there in front of the adults. Kya had kissed her. On the cheek but still it counts as a kiss! A mental replay stayed on a looping track in Lin's eyes and it took a shove into the cold water of the bay to snap her out of it. "Pbbfffttt! Hey!"
"Stop daydreaming, Linny. It's time to get home." Toph smirked as she finished boarding the boat.
Coughing up the last of the water in her mouth and glaring at her mother all while hauling herself back up to the dock. "I wasn't daydreaming!" Wringing out the excess water from her shirt, Lin belatedly added, "And don't call me 'Linny'!"
Smirking Toph held on to the edge of the ferry boat as it rocked, waiting for her girl to board so they could leave. Lin grunted a farewell to her aunt and uncle then stomped on to the boat and took the motorized helm.
Just as they were pulling away, Toph made one last comment on Lin's current absentmindedness. "It was really nice of you to help out your girlfriend today." Her grip on the edge of the boat tightened as the vessel jerked from Lin's temper, but Toph cackled loud and proud. Her little girl is in love and it was wonderful to 'see'.
The End
