He was ethereal.
Zhu found her gaze glued on the man in the detective uniform standing on top of the stairs, near the entrance of the precinct. He was talking to an officer and all she could do was stare at the way his mouth moved. As she moved closer, the seventeen year old realized with a skip of her heartbeat that he had freckles across his cheekbones and nose. Beautiful.
How long am I allowed to stare at him until it becomes creepy?
As if he noticed her staring, the man finished his conversation with the officer, and turned to her, "Can I help you?"
Zhu's breath hitched. She had not expected his voice to sound like this. With her mouth half hanging open, she gaped at him. His (captivating) brown eyes, a few shades lighter than his skin, blinked at her in confusion.
"Ma'am? Are you alright?"
The firebender snapped of her trance, "Ye-yes. Um, hello. Yes, I mean - I just…" Zhu held up the forms in her hand, "This - I'm here for Lin Mom-fong. I mean Beifong. Chief. Lin Chief. Chief...Beifong." Kill me. She was way too embarrassed to look away from the detective's bewildered expression.
"May I know why you want to see the Chief?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
She cleared her throat and handed him the documents, "I'm-I'm here to apply for the internship. Chief told me to meet her in her office."
"I see."
They stood quietly, expecting the other to say something until the detective offered to show her till the office. Zhu followed after him, her heart hammering in her chest the way it never did before. Not even when she made Mako take off his tank top because she wanted to stitch the tears on it.
She was so lost in thought, zoning out on his broad back that she missed out on everything he was saying to her. The (handsome) officer led her up till the second floor and to the end of the bullpen. Not that Zhu didn't know where her mother's office was. But if it meant she would be around the (attractive) man a little longer, then the lying would be worth it. Well, not much to lie when he assumed I didn't know where mother's office is.
The officer gestured at his Chief's office, "That's where she'll be. Do you have an appointment though? She's usually very busy."
"That's fine. I'll just wait in her office if she's busy. She won't mind." Zhu caught the eye of a familiar cop and grinned.
"Oh, hey, Zhu! What brings you here?" Saikhan approached the two, nodding at the girl.
"Hi, Saikhan. I wanted to turn in my application today." She held up her form, "Mother said she won't have time later. Something about the Equalists' rallies?" Zhu frowned. She had been seeing flyers and heard debates about the Equalists on the radio.
"Oh, yeah." The man scowled, "Someone called in and told us about this nutjob on the rise who's trying to spread anti-bending propaganda." He turned to the (handsome) detective next to her, "And you, detective Liang, I thought you were on patrol."
"Yes, sir." Liang said. It was nice to put a name to the beautiful face, "I got done with my rounds a little early." He furrowed his eyes in confusion, "Sorry, did you just say 'mother'?"
"Boy, this is Zhu Beifong. Chief's daughter."
"What?" Zhu worried that the young officer might have snapped his neck, had he turned it towards her any faster.
She stumbled over words, finding the right way to explain herself, "Well..I - I actually…"
"I thought you were a civilian."
"She is a civilian." The senior officer rolled his eyes.
"I wouldn't...call myself a civilian actually." Zhu awkwardly chuckled at both the men, "Anyway, I will see you later, Saikhan. Thank you, Detective Liang." She met his gaze and felt her face grow warm, "I uh...hope we get to work together soon." As soon as she uttered the sentence, Zhu whirled around and threw herself at the door to her mother's office. The firebender's eyes were wide and panicked as steam rose out from her ears.
Zhu knocked on the wood, trying her best to not turn around and look at detective.
"Come in." Seeing her daughter hurry into the room, Lin's posture relaxed a little, "Oh, it's you." At Zhu's horrified expression, the woman raised her brows, "What's with that face?"
"I...might've sounded overenthusiastic and arrogant to this one unfortunately good-looking officer." Zhu dropped on one of the chairs like a sack of cabbages, "You might know him as Detective Liang? Tall, wide shoulders, long hair..."
Lin clicked her tongue at Zhu's blushing face, "Tch, boy problems. Talk to your father about it."
"You know I can't. He'll hunt him down." Her mother motioned Zhu to hand over the papers. "So does this mean I get the job?" The firebender leaned forward, grinning ear to ear as her mother skimmed over the application.
"No. You will wait along with the other applicants. I'm not going to do you special favours just because we're related."
"Related?" Zhu sputtered, "You're my mother! You say it as if you're like my distant aunt or something."
Lin asked Zhu a series of questions which mostly consisted of 'what would you do when…' and some generic ones. When they were done with the interview, Lin informed her that she'll have to go through a strength, stamina and physical exam as well since she was a bender.
"And let me be very clear about this. Being a police officer does -"
" - does not give me the right to use my bending whenever and however I want." The girl slagged her shoulders, "I know, mother. You've told me so many times." She stood up from her seat, "If that is all, Chief, then I shall take my leave. But before that, about the dete -"
"I'm not telling you anything about Detective Liang." Lin narrowed her eyes.
Zhu let out a noise of disappointment and mumbled, "Fine...I'll find out myself."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. See you at dinner."
Zhu left the office, nervousness bubbling in her stomach. She hoped that she ran into Liang. But at the same time, she didn't want to. What if he found her weird because she couldn't stop counting his freckles or his eyelashes? She had spent barely ten minutes around him and she was already in love.
I mean, who wouldn't. I hope he likes women…
But she couldn't find him anywhere. Disheartened, Zhu made her way back home, cursing her luck.
"Okay, so Toza gave me five minutes before I need to go back to my seat. Yes, Bo, I bought a ticket. Do you guys have everything you need? Are your uniforms intact? You too, Asha." Zhu included the waterbender of the team, "Tell me if anything needs to be stitched up. Don't be nervous. You guys will win this! The Rhino Lions suck."
It was the Fire-ferrets' first match ever. Zhu had hurried over with Chen to get front row tickets, even though Bolin said that she could watch it for free from their locker room. The firebender had left Chen on the bleachers and snuck into the back rooms to see Bolin and Mako, who she had grown closer to over the past year. Well, more Bolin than Mako because the latter was usually in a crabby mood.
"Zhu, I think I'm going to barf out my heart." Bolin clutched his helmet, sitting on a bench and hiding his head in his knees. Pabu looked worriedly at him, leaning against the earthbender.
"No, no. Nobody's barfing anything." She massaged the younger boy's shoulders, "I'll make you all White Dragon tea when you win."
"I hate tea." Mako clicked his tongue while strapping his gloves.
Zhu brushed him off, "Don't be a grouch, Mako."
"Can we go to Narook's, instead?" Bolin looked green and she patted his back.
"Sure. I don't like Water Tribe food but why not." The waterbender of the team sent her a frown, "Sorry, Asha."
"Match starts in two -" Toza burst in and his eyes fell on Zhu, "You're still here, brat?"
"Sorry, I was just leaving. Good luck, you guys! Yay, Fire-ferrets." Zhu pulled Bolin up and thumped his shoulders while hugging him. She then shook hands with Asha, who thanked her, "That reminds me, Pabu can stay with me and Chen on the bleachers." Pabu run up Zhu's arm and curled himself around her neck.
Mako turned away when Zhu raised her arms, "I'm not hugging you, Zhu."
"Okay, fine." She stood on her tiptoes and ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance, "Come on, Pabu. Let's get away from this moody teenager."
Zhu hastened out of the locker room and made it to her seat in a minute, when Chen was waiting. His coat was draped over his legs and he was busy munching on popcorn.
"Oh, hey. You're here. I thought -" Chen let out a huge shriek, almost dropping his snacks and pointed at the fire-ferret on her shoulders. "What the heck is that!?" People around them had turned their gazes towards them, staring and whispering. "Get it away from me!"
"Keep your voice down!" Zhu shushed, sitting next to her brother, "You'll scare Pabu and the other spectators." She twisted her head to look at Pabu, who was hiding in her collar, "Pabu, say hi to my brother, Chen." He burrowed himself in Zhu's kimono top, "Say 'hiii Chen!'" Nothing. "At least wag your tail at him? No? Great going, Chen. You scared him." She scowled at her brother who didn't look apologetic at all.
"That...was totally not my intention." He didn't even try to sound convincing, "Look, it's starting!"
The commentator, Shiro Shinobi, announced the commencement of the second match of the season as both the teams entered the playing field.
"Mako looks so emotionless. You really can't tell what he's thinking. But I'm pretty sure he wants to throw up too. That girl, Asha, seems unaffected." Zhu nodded approvingly, "Aand Bolin tripped over his feet. I hope he's okay."
Chen and Zhu were both rooting for the FIre-ferrets and every mistake that the team made had them losing their minds. Zhu was on the edge of her seat when Bolin and Asha got knocked into the second zone. Mako, however, was able to retaliate and pushed the members of the opposing team on the last zone. The first round ended with Mako being thrown off the arena. He dangled over the water, one hand gripping the ledge of the playing field. Asha rushed to help the boy up.
The Fire-ferrets gained confidence once they won the second round by gaining more area. They continued with the same intensity of attacks and won their debut match when Asha waterbended their opponents out of the arena.
Pabu was thrown into the air and caught again as both the Beifong siblings celebrated. Shiro Shinobi's voice rang through the arena as he expressed his surprise at the newbies' win. Everyone who watched the match was blown away as they had clearly expected the Rhino Lions to wipe the floor with the Fire Ferrets.
After announcing that if they won two more matches, the Fire-ferrets would advance to the semi-finals, Shiro wished the listeners goodnight. The crowd started filing out of the building.
"I know you wanted me to meet your friends," Chen picked up his coat and turned to Zhu, "but I really need to head home and finish my designs."
Zhu pouted but nodded, "That's alright. I understand. See you at home, lil bro."
They parted ways and Zhu sneaked in to the back of the building. Lifting up her collar, she made sure that Pabu was secured between the back of her neck and the cloth. Then, she ran a little forward, leapt in the air, and used fire to propel herself to the attic's windows. Pabu let out a muffled screech.
Grabbing the jamb, Zhu balanced herself before jumping into the empty room. The moment her feet landed on the floor, Pabu hopped off and curled up on the beaten couch.
"Sorry about that, buddy." The girl apologized as she sat next to the ferret, pulling up her legs. She patted his head and fell sideways on the sofa, resting her head on the armrest.
The boys were probably still celebrating. Or maybe Mako was lecturing them in the locker room. Either way, Zhu had almost dozed off when they had returned. She jerked awake when Bolin threw himself at her in excitement.
"We won, Zhu! We won! Our first match ever. Woohooo!" The earthbender shook her shoulders, "Did you see the match? Boy, I thought that was it for us when Mako was almost thrown off the field. Pabu! We won, pal! We were so cool!" He picked up Pabu and spun him around.
Zhu excitedly patted Bolin's shoulder, feeling happy for the team. "Congratulations, guys! You were great."
"Are you kidding me?" Mako dropped their kit in a corner, "We were terrible! We could've lost. It was pure luck that we won." Zhu and Bolin groaned at him. "I'm serious! We could've lost the only chance we had. Do you know how much money it took to sign up?"
Zhu put her thumb and forefinger on the firebender's forehead, easing his furrowed brows. "Ease up, Mako. I understand your frustration. However, you should focus on your next match. Take this one as a lesson and learn from it."
He swatted her hand away but didn't deny what she said, "Alright, fine."
"Thank you for stopping my brother's potential temper tantrum, Wise Woman Zhu." Bolin bowed, teasingly.
"I don't throw tantrums."
"But can we go eat now?" The youngest patted his stomach, "Tummy's a-rumblin'."
The three of them headed downtown to Narook's and chose a booth in a quiet corner. It was a well to do noodles shop that Zhu rarely visited as she could not stomach Water Tribe cuisine. Besides, there were posters of Tahno and his probending team on almost every wall. They were the defending champions for the past two years. Zhu had run into them once or twice while visiting the Fire-ferrets during their training sessions. She had never wanted to melt someone's face off immediately after seeing them.
Bolin rambled on and on about how nerve-wracking and terrifying but thrilling their match was, sitting across Mako and Zhu. Both the firebenders looked at him with a fond smile as he stuffed his face with food. Zhu reached into the folds of her collar and pulled out a salt shaker. Only, it was filled with chilly powder.
"Really?" Mako raised his eyebrows as she emptied a quarter of the contents on her bowl of noodles. She shrugged in response, shoving the container back into the folds. Mako leaned to look at her collar, "You have this and a sewing kit? What else do you have? And how are you carrying all that."
Honestly, it seemed as if Mako was staring at Zhu's breasts.
The girl looked at him, than down at her chest and then back at him. Zhu suddenly grinned widely, "Wouldn't you like to see."
Mako's face flared red. He shifted as far away as he could from her and busied himself with his food. "Shut up, you pervert." He grumbled.
"You're the pervert."
For one moment, Zhu wondered how it would feel, pressing herself against him and kissing him. How his hands around her body would feel. She blinked that thought away immediately. Sure, Mako was attractive. But her heart belonged it Detective Liang who might've forgotten about her existence already ugh…
"You guys aren't listening!" Bolin's whining snapped her out of her thoughts.
"We're listening, Bo. Go on."
Zhu helped Mako carry a fast asleep Bolin back to the brothers' home. The boy had eaten heartily and dozed off while in the middle of talking, much to their dismay. Mako had shot down Zhu's offer to carry his brother on her back and fly up to the arena's attic. So she held the trap door open after climbing in first, and pulled up Bolin. His brother followed, picking up Bolin and settling him on the sofa.
"Wouldn't have had to go through all this," Zhu stretched her arms, standing on her toes, "if you had let me do it my way."
Mako covered a snoring Bolin with a blanket, "Yes, and risk my baby brother getting smashed against the pavement like a tomato. No thanks."
"He's not a baby, Mako. He's fifteen."
"He is to me! I raised him."
Zhu almost laughed at the face he made. She shuffled towards the window.
"Thanks for tonight." She turned around and immediately stepped back, surprised by Mako's proximity. "Bolin really needed it," He rubbed the back of his neck, looking sideways, "And I guess, I did too. I mean...I was frustrated...because...you know…"
If they lost, then they'd lose their chances of having a better life.
Throwing her arms around his neck, Zhu hugged him close, "I know. You worked hard, Mako. Both of you. And Asha. I'm proud of you for how far you've come."
For once, he didn't push her away. His arms around her tightened.
SIDE STORY
The Fire-ferrets couldn't qualify for the semi-finals. They had lost to Tahno's team, who cheated so much that even a blind person could see their dirty tricks. Thankfully, the loss didn't bring the team down. They promised to win next year and decided to train harder. The Fire-ferrets had made it further than any rookie team had, and that had gained the public's praise.
Bolin made a huge fuss about going to Ran's Ramen shop to celebrate.
"Again?" Mako groaned, "Bo, we can't keep eating at noodle shops. We don't have that much money on us." He furrowed his brows, thinking about how he'll have to look for odd jobs since they won't be earning anything from the matches. Maybe he could work at one of the factories…
"That's okay. Today's on me." He almost missed Asha's comment. The dark-skinned woman swung her equipment bag over her shoulder, "I need to talk to you guys anyway."
Mako could only stare after her as Asha walked out of the arena with his over-excited brother. 'I need to talk to you' more like 'I'm quitting'. He let out a curse under his breath. It would be difficult to find a waterbender for their underdog team.
The firebender shoved his hands into his pocket, glaring at everyone who passed him by on the street. He followed his team members into the little restaurant and froze.
Zhu sat at the farthest table, across a man. A very good-looking man, Mako hesitantly admitted. The freckled man had thrown his head back, laughing at something Zhu said and Mako found himself thinking that she wasn't even that funny. Zhu looked extremely proud of herself, leaning a little closer to the man. She was blushing.
"Hey!" Bolin interrupted, clearly unaware of his best friend sitting a few feet away on a date, "Mako, are you gonna sit or not?"
The firebender sat next to Asha, gaze stuck on his friend, who was now explaining something with enthusiastic gestures. Mako narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending to look at his brother but actually fixating over his shoulder. The man was now leaning his chin on his knuckles, elbow on the table, listening with great interest.
The team hadn't seen much of Zhu ever since she had started working at the police station. It had been a few months now, and though she stopped by for a few of their matches, they hadn't sat down and talked properly. Bolin had complained about missing his best friend and Mako almost agreed to it. Well, it was a little dull without her…
He blinked as Bolin thumped his fist on the table, making the dishes quaver a little.
"But-but...Asha, you can't leave!" He wailed. The corner of the earthbender's mouth was stained with sauce.
Asha sighed, running a hand through her brown hair, "Look, Bo...I'd love to stay. You know I would. But I'm getting married. My fiance wants to move back to the South."
The boy sniffed, "We were supposed to win the tournament together…"
"I'm sorry, kid." She smiled apologetically, "But things are complicated. Mako," she turned to him, "You hardly said anything."
Mako exhaled and mustered a smile, "I understand, Asha. Thanks for being a part of the team. We couldn't have made it this far without you. And...uh...congratulations." He awkwardly patted her shoulder as she said 'thank you'.
Back at their table, Zhu and her date were bantering over who would pay the bill. The girl dropped her shoulders, pouted (Mako didn't remember seeing her pout. Ever.) and said something, making the guy give in. He said something back to her and Zhu's cheeks were pink again.
They stood up and made their way to the exit. Before he knew it, Mako made an excuse for going to the restroom, and followed them out. He hid from them, asking himself why he was doing this in the first place. The teenager stood by the door, peeping to look at the couple outside the building.
"I'm paying next time, Zhu." The man grinned as she nodded. Spirits, he sounded as attractive as he looked, "Are you sure you don't want me to walk you home?"
"Yeah, it's alright, Liang." Zhu nodded, waving it off, "You have the evening shift at the station, anyway."
"Okay then," Liang's back was to Mako, but it was easy to make out that the former had bent a little, pressing his lips to Zhu's. "I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart."
Mako choked on his spit. Zhu had a boyfriend? He stared wide-eyed, watching the taller man's back growing smaller and smaller as he walked away.
Zhu's gaze followed him as well. Once Liang had disappeared from sight, she covered her mouth with both her hands and squealed. She jumped up and down, startling the passersby. Something made her freeze and she slowly looked back at the noodle-shop.
Half of Mako's face was sticking out of the front door. Customers who walked past him stared at him strangely. The boy jolted out of his hiding spot upon being discovered. Zhu looked at him without any expression and he finally stepped towards her. Mako's smile had never looked more forced.
"Hey there...fancy running -"
"You pervert." Zhu interrupted him, ears steaming from embarrassment, "You peeping tom."
"Wha - no! I was not peeping."
"You were!"
"No," Mako scowled, "I was going to the restroom and you just happened to be here."
"Out on the street?"
He let out a growl, "Fine! Asha said she was gonna pay for dinner today since she's leaving and we came here. You were already here with your boyfriend."
Zhu frowned, her annoyance melting away, "Asha's leaving?"
"Yeah," He shrugged, "She's getting married or something. Today's was her last match with us."
"But...what about the rest of the matches?"
It was Mako's turn to frown, "Zhu...We lost today's match. We didn't make it to the semi-finals."
Her eyes widened and she looked extremely guilty, "Oh shit...Mako, I didn't know you had a match today."
He grit his teeth but didn't let on the annoyance he felt, "That's okay." No, it's not. "We made it this far. Maybe we'll win next year." At the awkward silence, Mako cleared his throat and asked, "So...uh...you're dating that guy?"
Zhu nodded, "Yeah...Liang. He's a detective. Non-bender. We...worked a case together. And he asked me out."
"That's nice. Seems like a great guy."
"He is, yeah. Great guy. Wonderful."
Another pregnant pause.
"I should…" Zhu pointed over her back, "I should go home."
Mako nodded, "Yeah, okay."
"I'll see you soon."
"Bolin misses you." He blurted, "Keeps complaining about how you don't come over anymore. He's - he's inside...if you want to see him"
Zhu chuckled, "I miss him too. And you." Mako averted his eyes when she said this. "I really need to go back because my mother's going to be home soon. I'll visit this weekend?"
The boy shrugged, "It's not like we have anywhere else to be."
"I'm...sorry about the match, Mako." Zhu looked apologetic.
Well, you wouldn't be if you had been there at the arena in the first place. Mako pushed the bitter thoughts far, far away. "Go home, Zhu." He lightly tapped her shoulder and smiled, "See you around."
The moment she turned to leave, Mako felt the smile morphing into a frown.
Hello, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! Please forgive the typos T^T I'm posting from my phone today.
I hope y'all have a good weekend.
Please leave a review. I love reading your comments. Makes me look forward to posting again.