Work Text:
Lin looked in the mirror as she was getting herself ready for work. She made sure to look good but effortless since it wasn't a usual day at work, she was supposed to coordinate the security for a very significant event - Tenzin's wedding.
Katara told her that she could leave the security for someone else but she wasn't going to show any weakness. Although she had her place as the Chief of Police for over five years and gained the respect of her officers, she still felt like she needed to prove to the public that she didn't gain her place only because of her mother. What would be better than being in charge of security at your ex's wedding and taking it professionally, without a sign of emotion? Nothing. She just had to turn it all off and push it to the back of her head, it was the only way to get through all of this.
After leaving her apartment Lin made her way to the Air Temple Island, a few hours before the ceremony so she could go over the security check with Katara. When it was off of her checklist she had a talk with her officers and soon, the ceremony was starting.
Lin happened to be standing far away, trying to not make her presence known although she noticed the sympathetic looks she had gotten from everyone that was coming in.
When the ceremony started and she first saw Tenzin walk in she thought the room started spinning and that she might have a tough meeting with the floor. It wasn't that she still had feelings for him, she tried to erase his existence from her memory, and seeing him, wearing traditional Air Nation robes when he was about to get married gave her quite of a reality check.
Soon, the bride showed up and started walking down the aisle. She was walking alone what kind of made Lin calmer. She used to think Aang would walk her and after he died it was going to be Bumi who promised it to her, it was nice to know that the commander didn't just jump into the role when it came to somebody else.
Lin looked at the bride, all she knew about her was that she was way younger than Tenzin and they met two years before he broke up with Lin. Did he cheat on his used-to-be girlfriend with this child before? She'd never know.
Lin wasn't jealous, she liked to think she didn't care anymore but the second the bride exchanged looks and smiles with Tenzin it made her blood boil. Maybe that was jealousy? But why would she get jealous of someone who she hadn't talked to in four years?
The metalbender took a deep breath and shook her head. There was nothing she could change about her current situation, all she had to do was keep a straight face.
——————————
Once the ceremony was over, the reception took place at a different part of the island. Lin wished to stay away from the people that knew her so they wouldn't try talking to her, she was at work after all.
Unfortunately, she and Kya who seemed to finish eating quicker than everyone else caught eye contact and the waterbender decided to approach her old friend.
„Hello, Beifong” Kya greeted.
„Kya” Lin nodded putting on a fake smirk.
„How are you? You should eat something”
„I'm at work, I can't eat here” Lin explained.
„And who's hiring you? My mom? She'll probably come around to shove food into your face” Kya rolled her eyes.
„I'm ok, really. I don't feel like eating anyway because I might puke if I look at them one more time” Beifong scoffed.
„Want me to tell you about her?” Kya nodded in the direction of the newlyweds.
„Whatever” Lin shrugged.
„Her name is Pema, she's twenty-four. She comes from the Earth Kingdom and decided to join the acolytes because the culture fascinated her and she wanted to know more” Kya said.
„So she's like created for him”
„From my own experience with her, she's really hard to dislike but whenever you'd be mentioned between me and Bumi she'd exchange looks with Tenzin in a way that showed very clearly that she said some shit about you and that won't get past me because your relationship with Tenzin is one thing but Bumi and I still consider you our friend and she should really shut the fuck up sometimes” Kya scoffed.
„As much as I like what I'm hearing, I don't think it's a place for this conversation” Lin said with a straight face. Not letting any type of emotion take over, even the positive one.
„Why do you even care?” Kya furrowed her eyebrows.
„Too many ears to hear us and it's their wedding, I have some dignity”
„Well, I don't. What time do you get off?” Kya asked.
Lin chuckled before she spoke. A mistake, but Kya was having too much effect on her. „At ten” she answered simply.
„Alright then, I'm disappearing from the party around ten” Kya smiled. „Now get back to work, Chief” she elbowed the metalbender and walked away before Lin had a chance to protest.
Lin sighed at the waterbender's actions. Kya wasn't going to make it easier, wasn't she?
———————————
After dinner was done, everyone gathered around the dancefloor to watch the first dance of the newlyweds. Since all of the guests moved, so had Lin and she took a place where she could watch everything happening without being too far in case she needed to take action.
Of course, Kya had to somehow end up close to her. Lin didn't understand what the waterbender was trying to accomplish but she preferred to just accept Kya's presence instead of trying to make her go away.
„If you want to get lost, let me know. Bumi will cover for us” Kya whispered into the metalbender's ear.
„I'm starting to wish you'd get lost” Lin half-joked.
„I know but I'm not easy to get rid of so we're watching together” Kya crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the dancefloor where Pema and Tenzin were ready to start their first dance.
Lin wanted to answer Kya with again, some bitter half-joke but was cut off by the music that started playing.
Pema and Tenzin started their peaceful and quite slow sway through the dancefloor in the rhythm. They were spinning, traveling through the dancefloor, swaying from foot to foot, together, harmoniously, like one organism made out of two people. They were sharing looks and smiles, Lin could even make out that some quiet conversation was happening between the two.
Even if Lin never stopped caring for Tenzin, Pema was better than she was and she couldn't change it. Pema would give Tenzin kids when Lin wouldn't. That was what Tenzin wanted and what would make him happy, being with Lin wasn't his destiny even though she wished it was.
Pema was there with him, where Lin imagined herself not more than five years ago. It wasn't Lin there being this part harmonized duet with Tenzin, it was Pema and the earthbender had to accept it, no matter how much she hated it.
At some point when Tenzin's eyes started wandering through the crowd around him and his new wife, he made eye contact with Lin what made his smile slightly weaken. Lin closed her eyes and bowed her head as a sign of acceptance of her situation. Once she looked up she didn't try meeting Tenzin's eyes. Instead, she just looked to the side and didn't look back at Tenzin throughout the rest of the dance.
It was hard to keep a straight face when Lin felt her insides burn. It wasn't anger, she wasn't angry anymore. It could be jealousy but why would she be jealous of him? They weren't a couple anymore. They weren't even friends.
It was all just ridiculous. Emotions were ridiculous. Lin planned on turning them off, not feeling any type of regret, jealousy, anger but instead, she had to cover those feelings up, and oh boy it was hard when a person you'd die for only a few years back found someone to make them even happier than you did.
Once the dance ended Lin closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ground herself but instead she caught Kya's attention.
„You ok?” the waterbender asked.
„Mhm,” Lin hummed approvingly.
„Liar” Kya scoffed.
„Stop” Lin commanded.
„Ok, ok... Sorry” Kya apologized.
Lin looked at the newlyweds again and unfortunately for her, she caught eye contact with Tenzin again but this time she just looked away quickly to avoid this awkward tension between them. If they kept meeting each others' gazes through the next few hours Lin was meant to be there, she was definitely not going to sleep without a good cry. Damn, she missed him.
——————————
A few hours later, when Lin could finally leave the party she wished to just disappear. The concerned looks mixed with occasional eye contact with Tenzin were making her a mess. She was meant to be strong, not a crybaby. All she wanted was to just come back home and get to sleep so this awful day could be over and she could stop feeling so miserable but Kya caught her before she had a chance to walk out.
„Don't you think I forgot about me disappearing with you” Kya said, hooking her arm over Lin's as they walked toward the docks.
Lin sighed, slightly annoyed by the waterbender's presence.
„Where do you want to go? We can get drunk and you can cry about my dumb little brother all you want” Kya offered.
„Home” Lin answered simply.
„Ok. Bumi told mom I didn't feel well and went to sleep just so you know” Kya informed.
Lin shrugged at the information and just kept walking with Kya holding to her arm. She couldn't get rid of that waterbender, could she?
——————————
Once they made it to Lin's apartment, the metalbender accepted Kya's presence and didn't even mind it anymore. They drank a fair amount of wine, making it easier for Lin to talk about her feelings and cry as they sat on the floor between her couch and a coffee table.
„I'm telling you, they're worthy of each other but he was never worthy of you, you were too good for him” Kya praised.
„I don't care if I was too good. I liked it, it was nice to have... Someone” Lin slurred.
„I'm someone and you have me” Kya opened her arms.
„But you're not that someone... I just- I miss it. I thought I was over it but I don't think I am. Seeing him today just made me feel so hopeless. He found someone better and I'm just stuck here with you, getting drunk”
„Hey! I'm cool!” Kya protested.
„You are but... Kya? Am I a bitch for blaming your parents that Tenzin and I ended up like we ended up?” Lin asked.
„What do you mean?”
„They made him think that he was the one to carry on your father's legacy like you and Bumi didn't have any Air Nation blood in your veins. They kept on asking us about kids and when your father died he got so fixated over it I just- It was all too much...”
„No, I get it. It's ok” Kya put a comforting hand on Lin's knee. „Blaming the dead... A good way to cope” she chuckled, attempting to make Lin loosen up.
„Says the one that was just talking shit about your brother's wife on the day of their wedding” the earthbender elbowed her friend. Both of them chuckling.
„We're both kinda fucked up, huh?” Kya asked, leaning against the couch and looking up at the ceiling.
„I guess we are” Lin chuckled.
„Well... At least we're fucked up together” Kya laughed and rested her head on Lin's shoulder. „What was the worst for you tonight?” she asked after they calmed down.
„The dance...” Lin answered without the need to think. „I don't even like dancing but I just felt like I was supposed to be the one there... They seemed to be so in sync...”
Kya didn't answer, instead, she just got up and walked up to the radio before turning it on. „Come here” she ordered.
Lin furrowed her eyebrows in confusion but got up and walked up to the waterbender. „What are you doing?” she asked when Kya grabbed her by her waist and took one of her hands.
„Dancing with you” Kya informed as she pulled Lin closer. „I feel like you need it”
Lin didn't resist. She put her free hand on Kya's shoulder and rested her head on the other, standing flush against the waterbender, allowing herself to sway from one let to another, the same way as Kya did.
„My brother is an idiot for letting you go. You're amazing” Kya whispered in Lin's ear.
„Thank you... I- You're the best person I could have around” Lin sniffed. What did she do to have someone like this around?
„Anytime” Kya answered simply and tightened her grip on the earthbender's waist.
They swayed like this for the rest of the song, not talking, just enjoying each other's presence.
Once the song was over, they parted and Lin smiled weakly at Kya. „Are you staying the night?” she asked.
„I think so...” Kya shrugged.
„Come to bed with me, that couch is awful” Lin offered.
„Damn... It's not even a first date” Kya joked.
„Sleep on the floor, then,” Lin said before leaving the room and heading towards her bedroom.
Lin was already half-asleep when she felt Kya's weight hit the bed next to her.
„That couch is really uncomfortable” Kya mumbled.
„Told you” Lin lazily draped her arm over Kya's waist what the waterbender took as a sign that Lin was open to cuddling throughout the night.
Kya scooted closer to Lin and snuggled into her. „G'night” she mumbled against the crook of Lin's neck
„Night” the earthbender muttered back before she and her friend allowed their drunken minds to drift off.