Chapter Text
"Where are they?" Kazu tugs at his mother's tunic while they wait in the courtyard with their family and Asami who arrived early.
"They'll be here soon, the ferry is due in a few minutes," Lin tries to ease his concern.
"They're here," Jinora informs the group.
"I can see them," Kazu cheers as they watch the two families approach.
Lily and Khan were friends with Kazu before they even started school. Lily is former Chief Kazu's granddaughter and Lin has known Rey, Kazu's daughter, for years so their lives just continued overlapping. Rey was ten years younger than Lin but their shared history with parents in the RCPD gave them something to bond over initially and blossomed into a lifelong friendship.
Khan's family was no strangers to Air Temple Island either. Their twins were Jinora's friends from school which was their first connection but Lin and Tenzin also took to Yifei and Zuwei over the years. It started with sitting together at school meetings and eventually blossomed into the occasional double date. The children enjoyed that their parents were friends since that meant they could hang out more frequently. With Khan and Kazu being born two months apart it was no surprise that they became friends too.
"Welcome back," Tenzin smiles.
"Thank you for having us. Yifei had a last minute business trip and sends her apologies," Zuwei, Khan's father, explains, "she sent something for you Lin but that's for later."
"Great," Lin nods.
"We are going to the decks ," Jinora walks away with her friends.
"I'm heading to the island's edge,'' Hakoda informs his parents.
"Zu you said gates?" Aditi confirms their earlier plan.
"Yeah, Khan, Lily let me show you what I learned this week," Kazu gestures to his friends.
"We'll be by the gates," Aditi turns to the group of parents before following the four-year olds to the airbending gates.
"Who's up for a game of Pai Sho?" Tenzin asks the group when their children go their separate ways.
"I guess I could play," Kylo shrugs.
"Who's up for some ?" Lin holds up the bottle of wine Yifei sent.
"I need two glasses" " Lead the way" the other parents respond. They head to one of the pavilions which also has a good view of the section of the island their children went to play.
"Thanks for coming at short notice," Lin passes the bottle around.
"Of course, Lily was excited by the invitation and I haven't seen you much recently," Rey smiles.
"Agreed," Kylo briefly looks up from his game with Tenzin.
"I was surprised to not see Kazu yesterday at the party," Zuwei considers. His curiosity turns into concern when he notices Lin tense.
"Wasn't invited anymore," Lin shares.
"Who uninvites a four-year old?" Rey frowns.
"Li," Lin scoffs, "you know she lives for good optics."
"She should worry about her businesses and less about optics," Kylo grumbles
"How did he take it?" Rey checks.
"He was a little disappointed," Tenzin sighs.
"Li is something else," Zuwei grumbles.
"Definitely," Kylo nods.
"Our kids always have to deal with the court of public opinion and I wish they didn't," Lin sighs.
"Zu doesn't seem to let it bother him for long," Rey points to the courtyard where the younger children are playing.
"Mostly," Lin agrees.
"Check," Kylo grins.
"I set myself up for that one. I never beat you," Tenzin concedes.
"Next time honey," Lin squeezes his shoulder.
"What are they doing?" Zuwei points to the gates.
"Well it's an ancient airbending teaching..." Tenzin begins explaining the history behind the artifact. The rest of the afternoon is spent playing for the children and chatting for the adults before they eat dinner. All in all it's a good day for everyone involved , the only thing Tenzin and Lin wanted for their children after the few weeks they've had.
"Did you have fun today?" Tenzin asks Kazu after they leave the docks.
"Yeah, Lily and Khan are the best," Kazu grins.
"Great," Lin smiles.
…
"It's about time you showed up," Lin glares at her mother despite knowing she wouldn't know.
"I'm surprised you came to meet me instead of sending your airhead husband or one of the kids. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Toph wonders.
"Kazu recently started firebending," Lin informs her mother.
"That's good for him, that reminds me. He still owes me a bottle of Cactus Juice," Toph considers.
"Kazu as in your grandson," Lin huffs.
"Aw shit," Toph realises where the conversation is going.
"Yeah, we are going to talk about this once and for all," Lin leaves no room for argument. As much as their relationship improved over the years the topic of her father was still a no go.
"Where are we heading?" Toph sighs.
"Island's edge," Lin continues walking past the main house and to the cliff overlooking the Bay.
"I met him when I was visiting Zuko in the Fire Nation with Aang," Toph starts , "he was one of the persons being considered to become the first Fire Nation Councilman. To this day I still don't know why because Kanto was the kind of guy who liked to travel and teach people how to defend themselves, not set up camp in the city and spend all day in stupid meetings. He would never stay in the same place for long."
"What drew you to him?" Lin wonders. Her mother dated a couple of people before leaving the city but there was no pattern.
"He was funny, could take a punch and overall a good guy," Toph supplies, "I haven't thought much about the why in years ."
"Why didn't it work?" Lin asks.
"He wanted to live in the Fire Nation and I made a commitment to the city. We agreed that if it was meant to happen later it would happen," Toph shrugs, " I found out about you after we accepted things wouldn't work at that point in our lives and he was back in the Fire Nation. Knowing him he would've dropped everything if he read my letter and wanted to try again but life happened."
"So why did you never introduce me to him if he was a nice guy?" Lin frowns.
"Initially I thought it was best for both of you," Toph shrugs.
"Because?" Lin presses.
"Sugar Queen wouldn't stop pestering me so I let her write him a letter for me and a few months later I got a response from his mother telling me that he was sick and didn't have time for a child that in her opinion may or may not be his," Toph frowns as she recounts the memory.
"Ouch," Lin cringes , "but if you thought that highly of him wouldn't you at least want to hear it from him?"
"Linny by then I had a three month old who cried all day and the city was a mess. I had bigger worries than getting into a fight with his mother. If he was even half as sick as his mother made it sound like it was he probably wouldn't have been able to respond anyways," Toph points out.
"Toph Beifong turning down a fight?" Lin considers.
"When the person who stands to get hurt the most is my kid things are different. Even if he wanted to he wouldn't be able to be around," Toph sighs, "a few weeks before your first birthday he reached out to me. He did the math , wanted to meet you and for some reason I gave in. He was so excited at the prospect of meeting you and told me his healer gave him some herbs that were helping to keep his illness under control so he was healthy enough to travel to us. He made plans to visit us in the city with his brother but it never happened. At first I thought he changed his mind then his brother, Eiji, wrote me a letter. Kanto's illness finally caught up to him and by then the funeral had passed but there was something else. He changed his will when he found out about you. Most of the family was against it when they found out but he knew Eiji would make sure it happened if it came to it. That sword collection you prize so much was his. If anything were to happen to him before you turned sixteen he wanted you to have something he really loved but giving it to you as a one year old wasn't practical which is also why you ended up with that stuffed dragon you wouldn't let go of until you turned five."
"When you said they were from someone who loved me but wasn't around anymore that's what you meant," Lin realises, "and that's why Uncle Sokka would look at me sadly when I asked him to teach me."
"Snoozles was always very emotional but yeah," Toph considers.
"And that's also why you wouldn't let me give away that dragon when I got older," Lin considers.
"Yes," Toph sighs
"Telling me all this could have prevented so many arguments mom," Lin sighs.
"You would have wanted to know more about him and it was hard to talk about. Plus his family didn't exactly approve of us so there was no point getting your hopes up about relatives that didn't want anything to do with you. What child needs to know about a family that didn't want them?" Toph frowns, "I wasn't exactly lying when I said he died."
"You weren't but you deflected anything about him. I grew up thinking that he didn't want anything to do with me," Lin stares at the city.
"You know what else you have from him?" Toph asks quietly.
"No," Lin is not sure where her mother is going with this.
"Your name. The last time we got drunk together he went down a long tangent about kids and he wanted his daughter to be named Lin. It was the least I could do," Toph shares.
"Grandma!" Kazu shouts from a couple of yards away before Lin can fully react.
"Hey Kaz," Toph turns to the direction of the sound, "I was actually talking to your mom about something important. How about I catch you later?
"It's fine, you'll be here for a few weeks," Lin decides knowing she has enough to consider as is.
"Ok," Toph nods and the two of them walk towards Kazu, "when you're ready I promise I won't deflect this time."
It was a start and hopefully by the end of Toph's visit Lin could finally make her peace with that part of her identity.
…
Despite everything that was happening Tenzin insisted they have their monthly date night. Lin tried to suggest a quiet night on the island but they both knew it wouldn't be possible. It was Tenzin's month to plan and he had worked on this one before the drama started and he intended to see it through. Lin needs a break, he needs a break and the kids were already in the process of taking their breaks.
"Here I was thinking you didn't want to go," Tenzin watches his wife as she enters the courtyard in her favourite black dress.
"Of course I want to go T, it's the cameras I'm not looking forward to. They are going to spend the next week analysing our body language for an angle that fits their narrative," Lin rolls her eyes, "I just want to have a great night with you, no drama."
"And you will. You look stunning," Tenzin offers her his arm to walk her to the ferry.
"Thank you. You're looking handsome," Lin kisses his cheek.
"Thank you dear," Tenzin lowers his arm to her waist as they board the ferry. The ferry is fairly empty which means they can relax without prying eyes before reaching the city. Tenzin drapes his arm across her shoulder and Lin leans into him.
"Things will die down soon," Tenzin whispers as if he could hear her thoughts.
"I know but look at everything that's happened so far," Lin sighs.
"The kids will be alright with our support," Tenzin kisses her forehead, "they are taking it in stride for the most part. Take a page out of their books and relax this evening."
"You still haven't told me where we're going," Lin reminds him.
"There's a new Earth Kingdom restaurant Downtown. Yuri raves about the roasted duck," Tenzin shares.
"It must be good then," Lin decides, "how far is it?"
"Not very," Tenzin offers her his arms as they step off the ferry.
"We have company," Lin gestures to the members of the press trailing them when they reach into the busier part of Downtown.
"I hope they know I'm only paying for dinner for two," Tenzin glances over his shoulder.
They enter the restaurant well aware of the looks they are receiving but Tenzin just wraps his arm around Lin's waist and they follow the waiter to their seat. At Tenzin's request their booth is one hidden from most so they can have some privacy while they enjoy their meal.
"Yuri is always spot on with these recommendations," Lin takes the last bite of her roasted duck, "you should give her a day off or something."
"If she would actually take one," Tenzin considers.
"Pot meet kettle," Lin rolls her eyes.
"I'm saving my time for when you and the kids are free," Tenzin reminds her.
"Summer break is coming up and there will be three weeks for just you and the kids. I already scheduled the time," Lin leans into his side as they await the bill.
"Good," Tenzin kisses her temple.
"Alrighty, here's your bill," the waitress leaves the paper on the table.
They leave enough yuans on the table to cover the bill and a tip then exit the restaurant to go for a walk before heading home. Tenzin places his cloak across her shoulders when he notices her shivering as they walk down the street hand in hand. They know the press is still trailing them but neither can find the energy to care. Lin realises they aren't walking towards the ferry but the smile Tenzin shoots her stops her from asking any questions. She always had a weak spot for that smile.
"We're here," Tenzin stops in front of the Four Elements.
"Huh?" Lin wonders why they stopped at the hotel.
"I thought we could end the night here instead," Tenzin explains ,"something a little different."
"T this is too much," Lin tries to stop him.
"Last date night you set up a picnic on Harmony Tower," Tenzin reminds her while opening the door for her.
"That's different. It was the night after your birthday so I wanted to do something special for you. Plus Zhong owed me a favour and kept pestering me to take it up," Lin points out.
"When last have we had a date night that didn't end with Kazu in our bed or getting caught up with something for the older kids as soon as we got home?" Tenzin asks.
"It has been a while. Maybe our anniversary," Lin considers.
"Aditi and Kazu had the flu," Tenzin reminds her.
"My birthday," Lin points out.
"Almost, that was the night Jinora tied Hakoda to the bench," Tenzin reminds her before adding, "I think we are long overdue a proper night for just us, if you are up for it."
"Sounds good," Lin smirks at him. Recently their alone time was mostly limited to nights when they were both working in the study or exhausted from work and barely up for anything other than sleep but they did manage a few late night quickies. Lin was not opposed to their new routine completely but it was always nice to spend a night with her husband uninterrupted.
"Hakoda has a date, your mom is watching Kazu who is definitely tired from their training earlier, Jinora is at a sleepover with the Songs , Aditi is out with friends and offered to lead my morning class and I know you have the weekend off. The kids are occupied and safe. Let's spend the night not worrying about the press or our duties," Tenzin looks at her and whispers , "I just want to kiss you senseless right now."
"Then kiss me, might as well give the press a nice picture for tomorrow's story," Lin jokes but still steps towards him.
"I want to think you're being serious but I know you aren't," Tenzin admits. Lin has always been particular about their PDA. When they were teenagers and young adults she wasn't opposed to kisses in public and semi public places but not too often. Then there was the rule added after the bending incident, never in her uniform when they were in public with few exceptions. There were many times he wanted to sweep her into his arms but held himself back out of respect for her rules. Date nights were always different though, Lin was more open to holding hands and the occasional kiss when they took the night off.
"Let's go," Lin squeezes his hand then pulls him towards the check in desk.
"Good evening, we have a reservation," Tenzin greets the receptionist.
"Good evening Councilman Tenzin and Chief Beifong," the receptionist smiles before handing them a key ,"your room is on the eighth floor, E876."
"Thank you," Lin offers a small smile before pulling Tenzin towards the elevator.
"Someone's in a rush," Tenzin rests his hands on her hips as they wait.
"I just want you all to myself," Lin wraps her arm around his waist, "no cameras, no prying eyes."
"Just the two of us," Tenzin assures her as the elevator door opens.
"Mhm," Lin waits for the doors to close before pressing him against the elevator wall to kiss him. He threads his fingers through her hair while deepening their kiss. It's only when the elevator stops that they break the kiss. They notice the hallway is empty and this gives Tenzin the chance to scoop Lin into his arms to carry her to their room.
"T!" Lin laughs.
"No one and no cameras my love," Tenzin kisses her again as he carries her down the hall.
"You enjoy doing this too much," Lin mumbles against his lips.
"Maybe," Tenzin stops in front of a door and Lin takes the key from his shirt pocket to let them in.
…
"Thank you for an amazing night," Tenzin whispers to her the next morning.
"All I did was show up," Lin shrugs, "I should be thanking you for this nice break from everything that has happened."
"Anything for you my love," Tenzin kisses the crown of her head.
"I was thinking about-," whatever Lin wanted to say is cut off by a knock at the door. She rolls out of the bed and looks around for something to pull on since answering the door in a sheet was out of the question.
"I was getting used to the view," Tenzin whispers when she finally finds a robe to wear.
"Well it's not the person at the door to see," Lin reminds him while walking towards the door. When she opens the door she is greeted by a young man with what appears to be breakfast. He is gawking at her still somewhat dishevelled appearance and only stops when she glares at him.
"Compliments of our manager," he explains while handing her the tray.
"Thank you," Lin examines the meals as she accepts it.
"You're," his eyes widen as they drift over her shoulder, presumably noticing Tenzin who she knows hasn't moved to wear more than a sheet, "you're welcome Chief. Have a good day."
"You too," Lin closes the door and places the tray on the bedside table.
"What were you thinking about?" Tenzin smiles at her as she climbs back into the bed. He leans over to kiss her instead of reaching for his food.
"You're insatiable," Lin rolls her eyes.
"That's what you were thinking? Any solutions?" he smirks.
"No. I was thinking that the kids need a break from the city," Lin shares, "they have a school break coming up. How about we take them to Shuhon Island?"
"Sounds good," Tenzin moves her hair to kiss her neck.
"Kazu would be extra interested in visiting the Fire Nation now," Lin points out.
"Of course," Tenzin moves to her collarbone.
"And Jinora could get some of those books she likes," Lin continues.
"As many as she wants," Tenzin pulls her into his lap.
"I hear there's a theatre company there that's actually pretty good. Di would love the show," Lin adds.
"Show, theatre , sounds good," Tenzin kisses along her jaw.
"Koda will probably want to check out the rail system so it would be great if we could take him. Hopefully it fits his schedule," Lin continues to run through her ideas.
"Of course," Tenzin tightens his grip.
"Are you listening?" Lin frowns.
"Yes my dear, Kazu and Fire Nation, Jinora books, Aditi theatre and Hakoda rail," Tenzin repeats a summary.
"Good," Lin leans in to kiss him but her stomach grumbles.
"Breakfast?" Tenzin offers her a spoon and the fruit bowl.
"Yes please," Lin nods.
"You are going to need your energy," Tenzin leans forward to kiss her clavicle.
"Councilman," Lin smiles.
"Chief," Tenzin takes a bite of her apple.
"Have I told you lately that I love you?" she whispers.
"Not this morning," Tenzin rests his head against her chest.
"I love you Tenzin," Lin breathes.
"I love you too," Tenzin lifts his head to kiss her.
...
"Mommy, daddy, look what Di taught me during her school break," Kazu calls to his parents as they enter the training grounds.
"Coming Zu," Tenzin responds while they move closer.
Kazu faces a target and readies himself. He takes a deep breath, does a roundhouse kick and , to his parents' surprise , a flame comes from his foot that hits the target.
"Good one Zu," Tenzin lifts him into the air.
"So you're a firebending instructor now?" Lin smiles at her daughter. The last week or two Kazu was unwilling to let anyone teach him in Zuko's absence but she was happy that he allowed Aditi to help.
"Something like that," Aditi shrugs , "some of my airbending can be translated to firebending and I thought he would enjoy this."
"Who fireproofed the targets?" Lin wonders. It was on her long list of things to do this weekend and she was grateful someone else took the initiative.
"Koko," Aditi supplies.
"Sounds like Kazu's training will be a family affair," Lin notes with some relief. Kazu feeling out of place was one of her newest concerns. No one in the family understood what it meant to be a firebender but everyone was willing to learn what they could to help him.
"Of course, he's our firebender after all," Tenzin smiles as Jinora fixes Kazu's stance.