Chapter Text
Lin had always hated the beach. The sand beneath her feet made her feel unstable and off kilter, the sun was always too bright, and the crashing waves held little to no appeal. But their parents were all out discussing matters which they said the kids were all much too young to be a part of and apparently it was a wasted opportunity not to go to the beach when you were on Ember Island. That’s what Kya had said anyway, as she linked their arms together and half-dragged a grumbling Lin along with the rest of the group. Someone had to look out for Suyin, she supposed begrudgingly as she watched her sister skip ahead, listening avidly as Izumi told her everything she knew about the island.
This level of freedom was not unheard of for the group; their parents were always off dealing with politics and leaving them all to their own devices. It was often a source of relief, that their parents’ shadows were only metaphorical, but it happened far too often for Lin’s liking. For all of her merits both as a hero and in her profession, Toph turned out to be quite a lousy mother. She’d told her daughters stories of her parents’ oppressive attention and how she strove to give them the freedoms that she never had, but all too often Lin couldn’t help but wonder whether this was just her excuse for not knowing how to care for them. She didn’t care, she told herself. She could look after Su and herself just fine.
Kya bounced excitedly on her feet when they neared the shore, breaking Lin from her thoughts. The waterbender seemed to be immediately flooded with infectious energy as they neared her element and a fond smile slipped past Lin’s her defences. Kya noticed – she always did – but said nothing of it as they happily trailed at the back of her group, satisfied that they didn’t really need to talk to each other. She’d always enjoyed Lin’s quiet company, knowing that they could easily talk for hours if they wanted to, but it wasn’t expected of her. She didn’t have any other friends like that; she was the entertainer, the ringleader, the one burdened with keeping spirits high. Even with her own brothers, everyone expected her to perform a certain role. But Lin never asked anything of her, except for her quiet company. It was a welcome dynamic in Kya’s chaotic life.
Still, as much as she loved Lin’s comforting stoicism, she couldn’t help trying to draw some excitement out of her, “Come oooon, aren’t you at least a tiny bit excited? Hey, maybe you could teach yourself to sandbend!”
Lin huffed out a short breath that almost resembled a laugh, “I think I already have my hands full with my mother’s metalbending lessons.”
Kya nodded and leaned over to gently bump her shoulder against Lin’s, “Damn and I was just thinking about how I can convince you to let me teach you to surf. Guess I’ll have to let you off this time.”
Their friendship was an odd one, to say the least, but it worked. The age difference between them meant that that were always at completely different stages of their lives, but they shared a bond that only came from growing up in such close proximity to each other. Kya had never looked down on her; never treated her like a baby as Bumi often did or made her feel like her often harsh nature was something to be feared, which Tenzin had a habit of doing. No, Kya was much more perceptive than her siblings and her company was never unwelcome, even to someone like Lin who so often craved to be alone. She always seemed to know what to say or when it was better to say nothing at all. Lin often found silence comforting, but far too often found herself surrounded by people who felt the need to fill it. Kya seemed to understand this and silences between the two were never awkward.
“I think your girlfriend’s looking for you.” Lin nodded her head towards Izumi, who was peering over at them with a curious expression on her face. What had become a regular comment Lin used to tease Kya usually earned her an elbow in the ribs and an indignant protest. She watched, however, as Kya’s gaze moved to meet Izumi’s and the two shared a soft smile. Well that was an interesting development. Lin felt Kya bump her shoulder against hers again and begin moving away before the younger girl had a chance to process the loss of her friend by her side.
Izumi had laid her blanket down much closer to the shore than Lin dared to go, which she supposed now was because she knew that her girlfriend would want to be in the water for the majority of the day. Girlfriend. Lin ruminated on the word in her mind, letting it sit for a moment as she tried to process it. It was hard to think of Kya as someone’s girlfriend, she had always been so free and independent, making it clear from a young age that she never intended to be tied down, be it to a person or a place. It had always been easier, she supposed, to remind herself that Kya wasn’t attached to anything. It made watching her leave a tiny bit more bearable, for she wasn’t leaving because she liked somewhere else more, liked someone else more, but because she was simply a free spirit. The waterbender in question laughed loudly, effectively drawing Lin’s attention back to the present. Izumi was sputtering, her hair soaking wet and plastered to the sides of her face and Lin deduced that Kya had just splashed her when she wasn’t expecting it. It caused an ache in the earthbender’s chest that she couldn’t (wouldn’t) name as she watched the pair laughing and play fighting in the shallow waters.
It wasn’t as if she was jealous, not in the traditional sense anyway. Their friendship wasn’t one of sleepovers and endless time spent together that she was worried would be infringed upon by Kya’s new relationship status. If she really thought about it, she had to admit to herself that she couldn’t say for sure where she fitted into her friend’s life now. Was that who they were to each other—childhood friends? She’d always felt a deeper connection to the waterbender than she had with anyone else she grew up with, even Suyin at times, but perhaps it had just been her misunderstanding her own feelings; she’d never really had friends outside of their group, so she had admittedly very little to compare it to.
Maybe there were, in fact, too different to be compatible. After all, while Lin was as stubborn and unmoving as the element she wielded, Kya was as free flowing and fluid as the water that easily weaved through her slender fingers as Lin watched from her vantage point up on the rocks. Their differences had always made their dynamic interesting and special, but maybe now they were growing older they were also growing apart. The ache in her chest at that thought weighed heavier than any rock she’d ever bent, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and told herself it was probably for the best. Even at sixteen, she knew that she was probably destined for a life settled in Republic City. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, this was her home, the only place she knew. Kya, however, yearned to see the world; she’d left home three years ago, and her visits were starting to feel shorter and less frequent every time. To her, the city was boring and predictable, traits that Lin knew were also staples of her own personality. Yes, they were in fact, just too different.
A hand was waved in her face and Lin refocused her eyes to see Tenzin leaning over her, eyes sparkling with amusement.
“Where did you disappear to, the Spirit world?” His tone of voice was light, teasing, the opposite of the dark spiral that Lin’s thoughts had started to follow. She smiled up at him and shook her head, glad that he took the hint and continued talking without asking any further questions. “You gotta help me Lin, Su and Bumi are trying to bury me under a sandcastle and I don’t think I can take them both.”
Lin snorted, “Can’t you just bend your way out, Airhead?” She looked up and noticed Tenzin’s smile falter slightly. She realised, perhaps a bit too late, that this had just been his excuse for taking to her and trying to include her. She jumped up to her feet with a sigh, pulling a small chunk of rock with her and sending it with deadly precision to hit Bumi in the back of the head. He turned and scowled over at them and Tenzin let out a breathy laugh that sounded more like relief than humour. Suyin tried to send the same piece of rock back towards her sister, but Lin dodged out of the way and it bounced off of Tenzin’s shoulder instead. Grumpiness gave way to Lin’s competitive nature and she spent the remainder of the afternoon in a friendly battle with the three others, almost forgetting about the two older girls at the edge of their group.
The sun was almost setting when Katara’s voice rang out from the horizon, calling them for dinner. Lin once again found herself at the rear of the group, falling into step next to Kya who was practically glowing from a day spent in the water.
“When are you heading out next?” Lin heard herself asking, curiosity getting the better of her.
“Actually, I was thinking of going back to the Fire Nation with Izumi. I’ve mostly been in the Earth Kingdom for the past year and I could really do with a change.”
Lin swallowed down the disappointment she didn’t deserve to feel, “Oh, that sounds nice.” She knew that she should probably say more, that a real friend would ask more questions and take more of an interest, but she was at a loss.
Luckily Kya didn’t seem to mind, and they walked a few metres in silence before the waterbender spoke again, “You should come and visit, if you’d like. The heat might do you good!”
“I–“ Lin paused, taking a second to process Kya’s words. Was she just being friendly and making conversation, or did she truly mean it? It was hard to tell with someone as easy going and charismatic as Kya, who easily charmed everyone she met. “Thank you, but I doubt I’ll be able to get away, mom keeps me pretty busy with training.”
Kya nodded and said something about Lin always being able to change her mind before she disappeared into the house, likely headed towards the kitchen to help her mother bring dinner to the table. Lin let out the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding and wondered if, this time, Kya’s departure might stifle her confusing feelings.