"Are you ready?"
"Born ready…"
Bolin smiled as stood in his fighting stance, looking down at the younger figure before him. The girl smiled as she took her own fighting stance, one which almost mirrored his own. She looked like she was around fourteen, with black hair tied into a bun, and wore a purple martial arts uniform with a black dragon like pattern on it.
They moved around one another carefully, looking for any openings in the other defense. As usual, the girl could spot none in Bolin's. So she would simply have to make one. She rushed forward, swinging at him with a flurry of strikes. Bolin stepped back, knocking away and blocking each strike. "Always so aggressive," he said amused.
"Learned it from you," the girl said, leaping up and kicking at him. He caught her foot, and then pushed her back. She landed rather gracefully and gor right back into her fighting stance.
Bolin raised an eyebrow. "Me? Are you sure you didn't mean your mother?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm gonna tell her you said that."
"If you're trying to throw me off, threatening me with your mother isn't a bad strategy. Not going to work, but good effort."
The girl laughed and ran back at him, once again going on the attack. Bolin stood his ground this time, blocking her attacks and then suddenly kicking out and knocking her feet from under her. She reached out, balancing herself on one hand and then kicking both feet out. Bolin reacted quickly, catching both of her feet before flipping her up into the air. She spun around a few times, landing on her feet just as Bolin moved in. She braced herself, but before they could trade blows once more a voice called out.
"Bolin, Ting! It's time for dinner!" They both slid to a stop, turning their heads towards the kitchen where Biyu's voice came from. They shared a glance, and Ting was about to ask her father if they could get one more quick match in before going, but then Biyu called out again. "And I don't want to have to call twice!"
Ting pouted and Bolin chuckled. "Well, you heard your mother. Better get in there. We can pick back up after dinner," he said, nudging her.
"Alright, fine…" she whined as she walked off. Bolin followed after her, and when they reached the kitchen they saw Biyu pouring a bowl of stew. "What's for dinner mama?"
Biyu clicked her tongue. "Well, we're having beef stew, which you would know if you were here to help set the table with Shu like you were supposed to."
Setting the table was another girl, who looked like she was around nineteen. She had long jagged black hair that went down to her waist, tan skin, and a pair of sharp red eyes. She wore a red Qipao shirt with flame like patterns on it, and a pair of pitch black pants.
Ting pouted towards her. "You knew we were sparring. Couldn't have set the table a little slower so we could finish?" she asked.
"You lost. There, saved you the time and buttkicking."
Ting blew a raspberry at her, and then Bolin cut in. "Okay, c'mon. Let's settle down. No arguing over dinner. Let's enjoy the wonderful meal your mother-"
"You're not getting off the hook for not helping me like you were supposed to," Biyu said pointing at him with the ladle. Bolin flinched, and then rubbed the back of his head. "I still can't believe how wrapped up you two get in sparring. One of these days I'm just going to leave you in there and see how long it takes you on your own."
Shu scoffed. "That'll only work on your week to cook. When it switches to one of theirs we'll end up starving to death," she mocked. "Then again, I guess it would be better than dying of food poisoning."
Ting pointed at her. "Hey! I've been getting better! My steamed buns were… edible. Right dad?" she asked, looking towards Bolin.
He hummed before reaching down and grabbing his bowl. "I'm sorry dear, I shouldn't speak with my mouth full," he said before stuffing a piece of potato in his mouth.
Ting scowled and kicked at him, while Shu smirked in amusement. "Still using that tired old excuse huh? Papa never should have shown it to you," Biyu said, shaking her head.
Bolin shrugged. That had been one of many things Biyu's father had shared with him, and it was still paying off to this day. "Speaking of time, can I go over to auntie Dai Tai's tomorrow? Dylan has a new game I want to try. And I want to show him this new move I learned," she said, twirling her chopsticks in her hand.
Biyu sat down on the other side of the table. "As long as you've finished your homework, sure. And don't play with your chopsticks," she said. "Oh, and before you go your father and I are going to make some fao gao for you to take them. Make sure you get them to Dai Tai before Dylan eats them all. That boy is like a bottomless pit."
Ting nodded before getting back to her meal, and for a moment things were silent. But then Shu looked up towards Bolin. "Have… have they said anything about Bruce?" she asked. Everyone suddenly seemed to stop.
Bolin paused halfway into another bite of his food, and then shared a look with Biyu. He sighed and set his food back down. "Uh… no, they haven't been able to find him yet. But I'm sure we'll hear something soon. Bruce cares about his family too much to stay away for long. He'll be back before you know it," he said.
Biyu nodded, trying to stay as optimistic as her husband. When Bruce had up and left, she had been more than a little worried. He was her favorite student, and like a second son to her. So it was a little distressing for him to go missing. Had she known how much worry it would cause she would have tracked down that damned school he went to and dragged him back by ear if she had to.
Ting huffed and leaned forward on the table. "I'm gonna kick his butt when he gets back…" she muttered. Shu on the other hand looked irritated. She knew all of this had to have something to do with Vlad. If she could track him down and do something about him then… no, she couldn't risk that. Bolin and Biyu would never allow it. They wanted her to lay low.
Biyu cleared her throat. "Okay everyone, no moping. It's family time. No point in being all depressed right now. Why don't we-" They all suddenly heard a noise, and their heads turned towards where the entrance of the dojo was. "Huh? Who might that be this late in the evening?"
"Hey everybody! I'm home!"
The sound of the voice made all of them go wide eyed, and before anybody else could react Ting shot up from her seat and rushed out of the room.
"Luo Ni!"
Everyone else soon followed suit, making their way towards the main entrance of the dojo. When they got there, they were greeted with the side of a young man who looked like he was in his mid twenties. He had rather messy short black and brown hair, green eyes, and a bit of stubble on his chin.
He wore a rather worn out looking t-shirt, and an equally worn out green vest. The black pants he wore were covered in patches and small tears, and he carried a green duffle back over his shoulder. He smiled and waved towards them. "Hey everyone, long time no see," he said casually.
"Luo Ni!" Ting shouted again as she charged at him. She tackled her big brother, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him.
He chuckled, hugging her back. "Good to see you too."
"Did you conquer all the dojos you came across?! I bet you're like a super grandmaster now or something right?!" she asked excitedly.
"Well, I wasn't exactly conquering anything, but I did get to fight a lot of interesting people," he said, hugging her back. He looked over towards the others. "Hey Ma. Pa. Shu. How has everything-?"
Biyu nearly knocked the boy over with how fast she made her way to him. "Do you have any idea how long it's been?! I've been worried sick! Have you been eating properly?! Why didn't you write?!"
Luo Ni held his hands up. "Sorry, things sort of got really hectic. I didn't exactly have time to write. But I have been eating well… I smell stew," he said, peeking around her.
"Still a bottomless pit," Shu said, rolling her eyes.
"Missed you too," Luo Ni said as he walked over and hugged her. She groaned and weakly tried to shove him away, but he just chuckled and hugged her closer. "Can't escape brotherly love."
"Hey son. You look healthy. How's the trip been?" Bolin said, moving over towards his firstborn. Luo Ni turned around and hugged his father. "It's been a long time. You practically look like a new man."
"You say that every time I come back."
"Well, it's true. You really should write more. You know how much we all like hearing from you," Bolin said, patting his shoulders. "But enough nagging. Was the trip eventful? I bet you had came across quite a few strong fighters along the way. We just got dinner started, so why don't you sit down and fill us in on everything going on?"
Luo Ni nodded. "That sounds nice. But before I do, I wanted to introduce you all to someone," he said walking back towards the door. They all looked at him confused as he slid the entrance back. Another figure nervously made her way inside. "Everyone, this is Fujiko. She's my wife."
The woman waved towards them, a nervous smile on her face. "Uh, hello…" Everyone simply stared back, a mixture of shock and confusion on their faces.
"Oh, this was so worth the wait," Shu said, a smug smile coming across her face.
"Mama… could I have a bit more stew?"
"You may not. Stew is for kids who don't run off and get married without telling anyone about it," Biyu said casually as she ate another bite of her beef. Unlike everyone else's bowls, Luo Ni's just had one measly little piece of rice in it.
Bolin gave his son a sympathetic look, while Shu snickered at him. Ting seemed more interested in their guests however. "So like… are you my big sister now?" she asked.
Fujiko smiled warmly at her. "I suppose. Though I've never had a little sister before, so go easy one me," she said politely. She then turned towards Biyu. "I'm also sorry for the inconvenience. I know this isn't exactly an ideal way to break the news, but-"
"Oh, you don't have to apologize for a thing," Biyu said, her attitude doing a complete one-eighty. "I'm just lucky my boy seemed to find a nice sensible girl to settle down with. I only wish he'd invited us so I could have come to the wedding."
"We didn't have a wedding," Luo Ni stated.
Biyu turned towards him with a glare. "You didn't even have a wedding?! Gaisi de! That's supposed to be one of the most important days in a woman's life! How could you not plan one! I should smack you!" she shouted.
Luo Ni held his hands up. "I-I'm confused. Are you mad at me about not having a wedding, or mad about not being invited?" he asked.
"Both! I'm mad about both!" she yelled angrily. "You barely come home these days and now you just pop up with a wife! Do you not understand just why this is strange! I expect this type of density out of your father! I thought you were just a tad bit better than that!" She had clearly underestimated just how much of his father was in him.
Bolin held his arms up. "Hey, this isn't my fault!"
"Mama, please calm down."
"Don't you tell me to calm down!" Biyu said, shaking her fist at him. "I wanted a wedding damn it! I wanted a big family bash for everyone to see!"
"Don't you think you're overreacting just a bit dear?" Bolin asked.
Biyu narrowed her eyes towards him, and the whole atmosphere just seemed to grow much more tense. Ting "Oh… dad… Nooooo," Ting said, shaking her head.
Bolin stared off with his wife. He had faced down gang members, superhumans, monsters, and on very rare occasions gods and titans. But he never felt like he was in more danger than when Biyu was glaring at him like that. "Luo Ni… I need you to go to the kitchen and get the stash of mooncakes I have hidden in the pantry…"
"I'm not moving until I'm sure she's not gonna attack," Luo Ni muttered.
"I actually wouldn't mind a wedding." Everyone looked towards Fujiko. "I mean, I know it would only be for show, but it would be nice. My parents were also a bit disappointed too since I'm an only child. I'm sure they would love to have something."
Luo Ni looked at her surprised. "A wedding? But we don't need-" Bolin covered his son's mouth, silencing him.
Fujiko went on. "Not that I know anything about planning a wedding. I could use your help with that Biyu," she said looking towards the older woman.
Biyu stared back at her, and then let out a sigh. "You know, I'm not an idiot. I know you probably could care less about a wedding. And I know you probably only offered this to try and get me off Luo Ni's back… but I don't care! I want to plan a wedding and I'll take any excuse to do it!" she cheered.
She leaned down and grabbed her hands. "We're going to make this amazing! I'm going to start working on the guess list, and… oh! I have to call Dai Tai! I'm sure she'll want to help!" she said excitedly.
"I'm not going to get much say in this am I?" Luo Ni asked his father.
"I didn't," Bolin admitted.
Not that he really wanted one. He hadn't had much interest in planning it anyway. It was Biyu's day so he just sat back and let her plan it. For the most part anyway. When she asked him about something he did his best to answer, but pretty much just tried to go with what she would like.
Shu raised her hand. "Hey, I know we're all stirred up about the wedding and everything, but mind if I ask something. How did you two meet?" she asked. Things had gotten so hectic no one had even bothered to ask.
Luo Ni looked towards her. "Oh that? I went to her dojo to challenge the strongest fighter, and it turned out to be her. I ended up sticking around for a while since I couldn't quite beat her and-"
Ting spit out her stew, and the other all looked surprised. "Wait, she beat you?!" his younger sister asked in disbelief. "Like, in a fight?!"
Luo Ni nodded, a proud smile on his face. "Yup! She's a judo master! She's like, super strong! You should see her in a fight! It's amazing!" he bragged. "Even I can barely keep up with her when she gets going! It's like a switch flips in her!"
Fujiko blushed and waved the compliment off. "Oh, he's just being modest. I'm not all that much stronger than him. It was a close fight," she said.
"No way! You're the one being modest! You should see her dad! If she gets a hand on you it's practically over!" Luo Ni said excitedly.
Bolin looked impressed. "Really? It's rare somebody can give you such a fight. I'd like to get in a spar with you myself if you don't mind."
Ting groaned and shook her fist. "No! No! No! That's not fair! You weren't supposed to lose to anybody until I beat you!" she said before pointing at her brother. "How else am I supposed to prove I'm the one who is worthy to run the dojo!"
"I mean… you can still run the dojo. It's not like I wanted to anyway. And what about Shu?" Luo Ni asked, looking towards his other sister.
"Hard pass," Shu said, waving him off.
Biyu sighed before looking back at Fujiko. "I get the feeling my husband and daughter want to fight you. I'll have to keep them in check," she said.
Fujiko laughed. "It's alright. I don't mind," she said before raising her arm. She flexed her muscle, and Biyu noticed that despite her seemingly slim figure she had quite a bit of muscle. "Besides, I could use the practice."
"Oh, I like you…"
A/N: Fic for Laylaylamode! One of the slots she got told me to do whatever I wanted, but I wanted to do something I thought she would like. So here's the future kids of Bolin and Biyu! This was just to introduce them and have a bit of comedy along with it lol. There's gonna be some more fics to flesh them (and Fujiko) out and give them some background later. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed!
Eventually I will get around Luo Ni being born and Bolin and Biyu spending some time with him when he was a little guy lol. It's gonna be fun watching Bolin and Biyu struggle to be parents! Also, Luo Ni's name is sort of special. Just a funny little fact you might get a kick out of if you look it up lol.