A/N: Disclaimer: I still own nothing.

Hello, angels!
First of all, thank you all for reading this silly little story. Your feedback means a lot to me, and I'm glad you seemed to have enjoyed it so far.

So, this chapter was inspired by the two following prompts:
easybakemeth: 'Can you write a Linzin fic' based off Teenager in Love by Neon Trees? If not then one where Tenzin tries sneaking Lin into the house but Bumi and Kya catch them. '
historysquib: 'Something with young Lin and Tenzin! Like, when they realized that they liked each other.'

Leave a review and get your own Sky Bison! I mean- a virtual cookie.
Have a nice read,
-Wil.

Part II – Summer

How could he possibly wait until the next morning?

Tenzin kept on shifting and fidgeting under the thin bedspread, incapable of letting sleep overcome him. For what seemed to be the millionth time, he checked the content of his nightstand, as if he feared the sudden and unexplained disappearance of his belongings. He barely felt reassured at the sight of two packages tucked safely inside.

Propping himself up against the pillow, he gazed at the ceiling, pensive. His newly acquired tattoos still shot disagreeable waves of heat throughout his limbs, and he feared his heart may never slow down again.

Unsure of what to do, he distracted himself by making diverse trinkets fly around the room. Before her, he would never have been one to even consider sneaking out in the middle of the night. But she'd come into his life, and turned everything on its head. And now, there he was, utterly awake and still indecisive.

All of a sudden, Tenzin couldn't take it anymore. In a flash, he wrapped himself in his robes, tucking away the two small packages beneath the thick fabric. Taking a deep breath, he grabbed his glider, opened the window with much care, and disappeared into the night.

…

'Is that…?'

Snorting at the sight in front of her, Kya hurriedly shut her own window, before tiptoeing up to Bumi's bedroom, on the other side of the corridor. Sneaking inside without a sound, she found her brother deeply asleep already, snoring happily.

'Bu, wake up,' she teased, nicely at first. When he still wouldn't budge, barely even acknowledging his sister's presence with a grunt, she opened the small flask she carried on herself at all times, before unceremoniously splashing the sleeper in the face.

'Hey, what was that for!' Bumi whined, startled, as Kya pocketed the flask again. 'It's the middle of the night, Kikki. I hope you have a good excu-'

'I think Guru-Goody-Goody may just have sneaked out on us,' she interrupted, a smile on her face. Bumi didn't look quite so convinced.

'Tenzin? No, he'd never do such a thing. He's much too serious to ever consider trivial matters such a 'fun',' Bumi replied in a sleepy voice, doing quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

'You don't believe me, do you?' Kya asked, her hands on her hips. 'Alright then. Give me a second, I'll be right back. And don't fall back to sleep!' she warned, before hurrying back outside the room.

'Sure, sure,' Bumi answered, already falling back against his pillows with a grunt of delight. Unfortunately for him, he was startled awake again only moments later, when Kya chose to simply sit on his leg.

'Kya, for goodness' sake, drop it already! Just go back to sleep...'

Kya shot him a smug smile before explaining.

'I was right! His bed's empty, and the glider's gone, too! I told you, Bumi, he's sneaked out!'

Bumi finally looked a little more awake, but he still eyed Kya rather suspiciously.

'I can't believe it. He's lecturing us about spending nights out every time he gets a chance, and now he's going over the wall without even letting us know? What's gotten into him?'

'Bumi dear, I think the real question is who.'

The young man stood utterly silent for a moment, before turning to his sister with a crooked smile. Kya, delighted to realise she'd finally manage to catch her brother's attention, propped herself against his shoulder, giggling.

'Kya, you can't possibly be insinuating what I think you are- it's Tenzin we're talking about!'

'I'm just saying,' Kya defended herself with a smile, 'that he has been spending an awful lot of time with Lin lately.'

'My, my,' Bumi replied in faux shock, 'someone's gotten naughty, it seems!'

Kya remained silent for a moment, before pounding her fists against Bumi's arm, a dangerous glint in her eyes.

'Shall we go spy on him, Bumi? What do you say?'

'If he's off to Republic City, that's quite a journey we're talking about, I'm afraid.'

'He's taken his glider, Bu. That means we can borrow Oogi.'

'I thought you didn't like flying?'

'I'll make an exception this time, just for Tenzin.'

Bumi laughed.

'Sounds good, then! Let me just grab a robe, and then off we go!'

A couple minutes later, the young sky bison was disappearing into the night, headed to the Beifong residence in the midst of Republic City, two exhilarated teenagers clinging to his back with fervor.

…

Tenzin had arrived in front of the Beifong residence, glider still in hand, and now that his impulse was over, he realised he had no idea how to get to Lin without waking the whole household. Chief Beifong was especially dangerous, since she could sense a fly land a mile away from her. Hopefully though, she would be been sleeping by now.

Tenzin walked around the corner of the house, trying to locate Lin's window. When he did, he picked up a few rocks from the floor. He felt overly ridiculous and cliché, hearing the small rocks bounce against the glass of Lin's window; but he'd come a long way to see her tonight, he couldn't just leave without having at least talked to her.

As he bent down to pick up more gravel, Tenzin suddenly the quiet creak of a hinge, before feeling a metal wire wrap tightly around his wrist, almost cutting through the skin. He winced.

'What do even think you're doing?' Lin's voice came from inside the bedroom. Suddenly her face appeared, and Tenzin couldn't help but notice how very lovely she looked, illuminated by the moonlight's glow. He swallowed.

'Lin, it's me!'

'I can see that, idiot,' she answered, albeit a little bit softer. 'I'm just wondering why you're throwing rocks at my window in the very middle of the night.'

'I need to give you something,' he replied, suddenly very much unsure he should have gone through with this plan at all.

Lin sighed deeply, lifting a large block of earth up to her window stand, allowing Tenzin to enter. He couldn't quite make out the inside of her room, but Tenzin did notice she'd kept a painting of Su Yin on her nightstand, right next to the one that showed a much younger Lin lovingly clutching to her mother. He smiled gently before looking up at his friend, his cheeks tingling with heat.

'And this couldn't wait until morning because…?' Lin asked, her arms crossed over her chest, raising one eyebrow at the airbender. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she took a step closer to Tenzin, until her figure came to rest dangerously close to his, allowing him to bask in her proximity.

'Tenzin, when did you get your tattoos?' Lin suddenly whispered excitingly, ghosting over the large, bluish arrow upon the airbender's forehead. 'It was about time you did, too; you're the best airbender I've ever been given to meet,' she added cheekily, punching his shoulder as she did.

Tenzin laughed softly.

'I don't have much competition in that area, I'm afraid,' he replied with his trademark seriousness, while Lin kept on running the tip of her warm fingers over Tenzin's still tender tattoos.

Attempting to ignore the shiver slowly running down his spine as well as the knot within his stomach, Tenzin watched as Lin spoke low, apparently unable to take her eyes off the newly appeared markings.

'Did it hurt, when you got them?'

He considered lying for a moment, then decided for the truth.

'Quite a bit. It's still sensitive now, actually.'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Lin replied, quickly retracting her touch, much to Tenzin's displeasure. 'You should have said.'

'It- It's alright, Lin.'

The two teenagers faced one another in silence, shuffling awkwardly from one foot to the other, until Lin got bored of waiting, and decided to confront Tenzin.

'So, what was so urgent you had to barge in so late at night, airhead? It's not like you.'

'I, um-'

'Just spit it out already!'

'I- Forget it, it's silly.'

'Tenzin, now that I'm up and awake, don't you dare even think I'm going to let you leave without a decent explanation.'

'Fine! I wanted to be the first one to wish you happy birthday, are you happy now?'

Lin's mouth fell agape, and she gazed at Tenzin insistently, hands on her hips, before speaking.

'You remembered?'

'Of course I did! You're my best friend, how could I not?'

'That's… very sweet of you, Tenzin. Really.'

She went to punch his arm again, then remembered his earlier comment about his recent tattoos, and decided for an awkward squeeze of his hand instead. Tenzin cleared his throat, giggling nervously, before continuing.

'I got you something, too.'

'You really didn't have to-'

'Hush! It makes me happy, so will you stop complaining already?,' Tenzin replied, invigorated by the rare look of sheer pleasure displayed on his friend's face. Lin, surprised to hear Tenzin tease back for once, looked up at him for a second –it was incredible, she thought, how tall he'd gotten in just a couple years- before grinning at him.

'Fine,' she said, 'you win. For once.'

At this very moment, Tenzin proceeded to produce a bottle of sparkly wine out of the many layers of his robe, looking extremely pleased with himself.

'Ta-Dah!'

'Now where did you get that?' Lin squealed, delighted.

'Father's special reserve. I'm sure he won't mind,' he quickly added after a glimpse of Lin's disapproving look, 'he said we were saving those for a special occasion.'

'It's just my birthday, idiot,'

'Still, seems pretty special to me,' he replied sweetly, causing Lin to blush, which in itself, was a sight to behold.

'I didn't bring glasses, so if you could-'

'I'm always one step ahead of you, airhead,' said Lin, pointing two small earth glasses than had somehow materialized on a shelf while Tenzin was looking away.

As Lin grabbed them, Tenzin reached out for her hand, pulling her towards the window.

'I thought it could be nice to sneak outside for a little while. The night's quite lovely and I figured-'

'Sure, that sounds… nice.'

…

The bottle of sparkly wine was already half empty by the time Tenzin gathered the courage to pull out the second gift from under the lapels of his robe.

'I got you something else, too', he murmured barely audibly, pushing the small wrapped gift towards her without daring to look his friend in the eye.

Lin, who was beginning to feel ever so slightly invigorated by the alcohol running through her veins, cupped Tenzin's cheek for a long moment before talking.

'You shouldn't have, really. Thank you so much.'

'What- what are you waiting for,' stammered the airbender in return, 'open it!'

As Lin complied, Tenzin suddenly felt the need to explain his gesture.

'Father told me Uncle Sokka once got your mother one just like it,' he explained, fervently gesturing towards the metal bracelet on display in Lin's open palm. 'I'm afraid this one's not made of a comet, though. It's just metal, but I figured, since you're so talented a bender, it'd probably come in handy and-'

'Tenzin, shut up,' Lin replied, beaming in the moonlight. 'I love it. It's gorgeous.'

Upon these words, she pressed a lingering kiss to the airbender's cheekbone, flushing as she did. It felt as if Tenzin's heart had decided to stop beating altogether, and he had to take a deep breathe to regain his focus.

Whilst Lin fastened the bracelet around her wrist, the young man closed his eyes for a couple seconds, trying to calm his racing heart. In the gleam of the moonlit sky, Lin seemed even more stunning than usual, her hair still slightly tousled by the wind, dressed only with a tank top and black trousers. He swallowed; it was now or never: he would not get another chance anytime soon.

'Lin, I- The bracelet's not the only thing I planned on giving you. See, Lin, I- We've been friends for a while now, and I was thinking- I- I find myself having very strong feelings for you-'

The last thing he heard was a sigh, before his ramblings were cut short by the delightful feeling of Lin's lips pressing insistently against his own, just as demanding and passionate as Tenzin had hoped they would be. He returned the kiss with just as much urgency, his hands reaching for her hair on their own accord, his long fingers tangling themselves in the soft, dark locks.

Lin clutched the lapels of his robe, pulling him closer into her embrace, gasping quietly when Tenzin's tongue stroked her bottom lip daringly. Her lips parted to invite him in, deepening the kiss. Her fingertips were running over his muscular arms and shoulders, and Tenzin's flesh tingled at the contact of Lin's seemingly molten flesh.

When they finally broke apart, they were both just as flushed and flustered as the other. However, Lin was the first to recover.

'I was tired of watching you struggle,' she joked, running her own fingers through her hair. 'So I took the lead.'

Tenzin didn't reply, choosing instead to silence her with a peck on the lips.

'I've wanted to do that for so long,' he murmured.

'As have I,' Lin added, in a rare moment of vulnerability. Clasping his hand in hers, she looked deep within his pale blue eyes. 'Thank you for tonight, Tenzin,' she added. 'No one had put that much effort into making me happy in a long while.'

'Well, you better get used to it, since I'm not planning on stopping anytime soon,' Tenzin answered, nudging Lin's shoulder with his, their fingers still intertwined.

'You're awfully cute for a bald guy, did you know that?' Lin purred in the crook of his shoulder.

She leaned down in the grass, silently gazing at the moon crescent, and he joined her moments after, basking in the warmth that seemed to irradiate from the girl's body.

…

'Shouldn't we head back? It's getting quite late.'

'I don't want to,' Tenzin whined, clutching Lin's arm with a faux desperate look on his face, causing the teenager to laugh.

'Neither do I, but if mother happened to notice my missing, she'd probably set an entire squad at you. Perks of having the chief of the police for sole parent, I'm afraid.'

'I'm sure we could even things out. After all, your mother is an old friend from my parents.'

'And as sure as I am they would be thrilled to discover that their children are in love, I'm not sure I could deal with your siblings' constant teasing.'

Tenzin remained silent for a moment, before asking shyly.

'Is that what we are?'

'What do you mean?'

'In love? I mean, I know I've been in love with you for years now, but you've never said-'

'Oh, shut up, you moron,' Lin interrupted, looking away from Tenzin as she spoke. 'Do I really have to spell it all out for you? Okay then. I'm in love with you, you stupid airhead, are we clea-'

She was cut off by Tenzin's lips on hers once again; he was slow, purposeful, and yet driven by such urgency, Lin could feel the tension coiling and uncoiling within her bosom.

'We should really head back now, shouldn't we?'

'I guess it would be for the best. We'll see each other tomorrow anyway, won't we?'

'I wouldn't miss it for the world,' Tenzin replied, kissing the earthbender's forehead longingly.

A few minutes later, Lin was safely back inside her bedroom, while Tenzin was tiptoeing away from the Beifongs' residence as quietly as he could. Yet, he'd barely reached the corner of the house, when he froze at the sight of Kya and Bumi, dark circles under their eyes, standing on either side of his glider.

'Funny how the tables have turned, Zin. Weren't you the one always telling us off about sneaking out at night? Well, isn't this a surprise,' Kya said slowly, enjoying every word.

'Can you please keep this a secret, guys? Bumi, I covered for you so many times, you won't tell father I spent the night out, will you?'

'Fine,' Bumi said –upon these words, Kya violently elbowed him in the stomach- 'but there's a condition.'

Tenzin furrowed his brow.

'What is it?'

'Tell us exactly how the evening with officer Beifong went. Don't spare us a detail,' Bumi added, emphasizing Lin's family name with his honeyed tone.

'That's none of your business!'

'Oh, but he bites!' Kya laughed. 'Well, I'm afraid our duty would be to tell father what you did, Tenzin. I mean-'

'Okay, fine! What do you want to know?'

Bumi's smile widened, but Kya spoke first.

'Do you like, like her?'

Tenzin nodded, desiring nothing more than for the floor to finally swallow him up. If only he'd been an earthbender…

'Sounds like Zin's finally in love , Kikki! Look how fast he's grown!' Bumi mocked, wiping inexistent tears from his tired eyes.

'Ignore him, Tenzin. More importantly, now, does she like you back?'

'I- I think so?'

Kya squealed, pulling her little brother into a hug, whilst Bumi attempted to pinch his cheek.

'Oh, that's wonderful news! Please, tell me you had the presence of mind to give her a kiss!' Bumi roared, forcing Tenzin to pull him away further away from the residence. The last thing he needed was to wake everyone up in the middle of the night.

'Shut up! And actually, she kissed me first.'

'Why am I not surprised?' Kya added with a sigh, beaming at Tenzin. 'This girl has more guts than you'll ever have, Zin, I'm afraid.'

All of a sudden, two small rocks appeared out of thin air, knocking both Bumi and Kya in the forehead, whilst Lin's sleep-deprived face appeared outside the window.

'Would you please be nice enough to set up your gossip session anywhere else than just outside my window?'

'Lin, always a pleasure,' Bumi chanted, whilst Kya turned to Tenzin and winked at him.

'Tenzin, it sounds like your girl's angry at us.'

'She's not my girl-' Tenzin attempted to defend himself, but Lin was, once again, quicker. Using her metal wires, she flicked both teenagers on the forehead.

'Oi! I don't care whether you're my boyfriend's siblings; I can take both of you with one hand tied behind my back.'

'Oh, she has claws,' Kya teased.

'You'd never do that to us, we're practically going to be family!' Bumi declared dramatically, one hand upon his chest.

'Try me, anytime. Remember my sister Su? Has anyone seen her around recently?' Lin replied instantly. After a moment of silent, Lin gave Kya an emphatic wink, and the four teenagers laughed despite themselves.

'Now off with all of you,' Lin ordered, 'or mother is going to come at you like a badger mole, and then you'll be sorry.'

'She's right, you know,' Bumi said, 'I've been told to fear the wrath of Chief Beifong many an occasion.'

'Alright, alright', we're off! Loverboy here needs his beauty sleep anyway,' Kya declared, pulling Bumi away by the sleeve of his jacket.

Tenzin didn't even notice the joke, for he was far too occupied with blowing one last kiss towards Lin's window.

A/N: I hope you still enjoyed this chapter! The next one should come around in two days' time.

Thanks a lot for reading, kisses from France,
-Wil

(Next chapter gets really angsty and sad, I'm sorry in advance.)