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crowentity233 · 2 years ago

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Don't Tell Part 1

Mako x Reader (touchstarved and secret relationship)

Part 2 Masterlist

Summary:Mako x Earthbender reader

You being touch starved for years suddenly have an intense crush on mako after he put himself in danger for you and the safety he provides following the attack. You both keep your relationship under wrap from the krew. You both don't want to deal with everything that follows them finding out.

You sat at the table with Opal, Bolin, Korra, Asami, and Mako. You had been friends with the group since the downfall of Kuvira.

You had been an escaped supporter like Bolin. You had escaped shortly after Bolin.

The table was full of chatter from the group and what they had been up to. Korra and asami had been dating for a while. They were perfectly matched. Opal and Bolin were happily dating. You and Mako both just endured the public display of affection from the couples.

"I actually have a date tonight." You spoke happily to the group.

Asami immediately smiled brightly. "Is it the guy from the Pro-Bender tournament?"

You nodded. "It is. His name is Nabi and we are going to the café on airbend Lane. The one with the good pastries."

Bolin gasped excitedly. "We love that café. They have the cutest little paw pastries with a fireferret charm."

Opal pulled out the charm that Bolin had given her. "They do! It's a very nice place for a first date."

You stood leaning against the brick wall. Your nerves were pressing. This date was something you kinda forced yourself into to try. You hadn't been on a date since leaving Kuvira's army. That was well over a year ago.

You stood in your own world, trying to press down the fear. Your heart fluttered at the thought of seeing Nabi again. You lifted your eyes seeing Nabi walking up.

"Hey!" You hugged him casually. You both stood outside the café. "How was the match?" You asked, knowing he had gone to watch the probending match today.

"It was good the team I bet for won." He smirked happily.

You smiled politely when the corner of your eye caught movement. A group of men were lerking closer. "Aww, isn't this sweet. Sorry to break up your date. I'm gonna need your cash."

Nabi immediately started digging through his pockets.

You stomped your foot into the ground, bending the earth as a warning shot. "I suggest you get out of here."

"You and what army?" The gang members chuckled as Nabi was nowhere to be found he had deserted you seeing his chance when you distracted them by bending

You rolled your eyes, taking a fighting stance. "I don't need one." The double meaning in your own mind, boyfriend nor an army. You bended quickly, creating distance between you and the group. You weren't dumb three on one wasn't a risk you wanted to take. You were a great bender, but no toph. You ran off jumping on your motorcycle. You sped off, but the men quickly caught up to you. Sirens blared behind the men as the cops caught up, too. The waterbender shot water your way. You blocked a little late. You got a scratch on your arm. You bended earth trying to get them off your trail. The waterbender then froze over your back tire, causing you to come to a screeching halt. You tried to keep as balanced as you could. The balance finally toppled over, but you were at a safe speed. Your bike turned over, and you hopped onto a rock that you had bending into something to slide into safety with. You watched as a bike caught up to the men. Fire caught on the bike, causing them to all jump off the bike before it exploded in the middle of the bare street. The men were surrounded by the cops and sirens immediately. You leaned against the wall of a closed store. Mako had been the one to apprehend the men and packed them into the cars of his coworkers. Your hand fell to your arm that was sore from the cut.

Mako walked from the car to you. You lifted your eyes to his. He stood much taller tonight. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" He lifted your hand from your arm seeing the cut underneath.

"Come on." He placed his arm over your shoulder. You hesitated from walking with him. Your knees were weak from the adrenaline. You took a step with him. Your legs were learning trust in the ground beneath you as you slowly walked with Mako. He held you stable. "Can you ride with me?" He asked as you both approached his motorcycle.

You nodded hesitantly. "Can I ride in the front? I'll feel safer. "

He hopped on the bike and opened his arm for you to get on the front. You sat down in front of him. You placed your hands on the handlebars, and he placed his hands over yours.

"We're going to my apartment." His voice sounded through the helmets.

"You don't have to do that. I'm sure I'll be safe." The bike took off you held onto the bars as mako took control.

"No chance. I know how these guys operate. I'm not risking it. You can stay over. Bolin and Opal will be there in the morning. You can just stay tonight, and we will hang out tomorrow like we planned."

"Okay. Thank you, Mako." Your back relaxed into his chest. He made a few turns and passed some buildings. Each turn calmed you further. Safety was right where you were. The feeling overwhelmed your senses.

The cool air blowing past you. The warmth of makos chest against your back. Your legs pressed against his. The vibrations of the road. You rested in his arms. He parked his bike and, for a moment, time stood still. You remembered this feeling of having a man so close to you was mako. The touch that you had starved for, just the comfort of a man. It was Mako.

The Mako that you know from Bolin. The same Mako that was with you this afternoon. The one that you always sat next to with the group. They had alway sat next to their significant others. you always sat next to mako laughing as you both poked fun at the lovers swooning over each other. This safety was him. It was always there. Tonight was just amplified by the situation.

Mako broke the comfortable silence. "I'm glad you're safe."

His hands fell from yours, and he stood up dismounting the bike. The unwelcome cool air hitting your skin. Even through the layers of clothes, you could feel the cold air of being painfully single and without the warmth of another. "Yeah, I am too." You stood up still a little shook up from the fight, or maybe it was the butterflies. Mako wrapped his arm around you to help stabilize you to the ground.

"Come on. Let's go inside. I'll get a bath for you. You can borrow some of my clothes to sleep in." He helped you step into the building and walked up to his door. He released you again to unlock the door. You could feel the cold again.

You made your way to the couch. As many times as you've been around mako, you've never seen his apartment. He no longer shared a place with Bolin. After Kuvira Bolin followed opal with her airbending, he left mako to figure out his own life path.

Mako was a fish out of water caring for himself, but with you here. He was in his element. Taking care of someone else was comfortable to him. It was second nature.

He walked to the bath and filled it with water, warming it with his bending. He grabbed a towel and picked out clothes for you. Leaving them on the countertop.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" He called out as he entered the room again.

"No, just sore and a little shaken." You answered.

"The bath will help then. It's ready for you."

"You're the best, mako." You stood up and walked towards the bathroom. You stopped next to him. Your intrusive thoughts win. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a hug. At first, he was taken back, but then he held you, remedying his own touch starvation.

"If you need anything, let me know. I'll be in the living room."

You let go and walked into the room shutting the door. You shed the clothes and a horrible day away. You stepped into the warm water, and it engulfed you in relaxation. Your mind stood still. The warmth of the bath was soothing. His bending was laced with the water it felt as if you were with him. This crush hit you like a ton of bricks.

All at once, the craving sat beside you, taking over every thought. The way his hands held yours on the bike. The way he was so gentle with you. The way he stepped into danger protecting you from the gang. The way he threw the men against the car in an effort for them to feel pain they wanted to cause to you. He was everything you had been wanting. He was right in front of you the entire time. He would fight with you and for you. You had known him for over a year, and every caring thing he did for you that seemed like a kind gesture suddenly made you question if he could feel this shift too. If he maybe felt more for you.

The water was cooling down. You stood up, drying yourself off. You wrapped the towel over your hair. The clothes were baggy but were comfortable. The shirt smelled faintly like spices, cinnamon, and distinct firebender smoke like a relaxing incense. It was both sweet and spicy.

The tub drained, and you walked out. Mako looked up from his book. "Feel better?"

"I do. What are you reading?" You sit on the couch next to him. His arm was thrown over the couch and almost over your shoulder.

"Just some fire nation history." He put down the book on the coffee table.

"I never knew you were a history guy."

"Not normally. I just want to learn more about my culture." He spoke honestly.

"Anything interesting? I don't know much about the firenation." You both sat comfortably on the couch. Your mind wondered back to his touch and how you felt with him. You could feel the electricity in the space between you.

"Just rulers with anger issues and a lot of festivals. There are a few good leaders, though. I just got to where Lord Zuko took leadership. He was so young."

"Maybe he can teach you some about the culture one day. I do know the firelily festival is coming up. You deserve some time off. Chief would probably let you off to go." Your heart was leaping. Your thoughts turned to what it would be like to travel with Mako with this newfound crush. He looked so different in this light. The way his jawline stood out. His bone structure screaming firenation with the hard edges. His slim figure left you wondering what was under the clothes that shielded your view.

"I don't think that's a great idea. I don't think I should go alone to the firenation. I would look the part, but there are so many traditions I would look like a fool for not following them." He was aware of his resemblance to the firenation. Enough to leave you an opening. It was more than enough of an opening for you to take. You battled the thought in your head.

"I could go with you." Your mouth moved too quick for your head to stop it. "I know a little from my parents. They had some friends from the firenation. We celebrated the firelily festival with them a few times."

"If you want to go. I'll ask the chief next time I see her. When is it?" He seemed to want it more for you than himself. Maybe just an excuse to get away with you, just you.

"It's in a few weeks. It will be fun. My parent's friends told us stories about the firelilies and how they were decorated for the festival, and we can try some authentic firenation food." You were excited reading between the lines, hoping you were reading correctly.

"Bolin is going to be jealous." Mako chuckled.

"Let's tell him after we go. This can be a trip for you." You baited.

"For us. You deserve a break, too. Especially after today. What happened? You were supposed to be on that date, right?" He bit down on the hook that you laid out. Us was a simple word, but the heavy meaning was feeding you, leaving you a pure glutton for more.

"Yeah, he had just shown up, and then the gang showed up telling us to give up our money, and he ran."

"He left you alone with them?" He tensed unknowingly, setting it up so perfectly for you.

"I'm not going back out with a man like that. I prefer a man who will fight by my side." You grabbed his hand from behind you and pulled his arm down across your shoulder. You let go of his hand and shifted closer to mako. His fingertips traced your arm where you had just placed his hand. His body released the tension from his anger of you being left in danger. The new sensation of you showing interest was taking over. Your arm tingled from his touch again.

"I wish I would've been there." He spoke softly he sat up from his relaxed position.

"I wish you were there, and the gang didn't show up." You admitted feeling him pull you closer. You wanted desperately to be on a date with him instead of the coward. The way he made you laugh when you were with the krew. The way he was so kind-hearted with that hard external shell. You had cracked his shell before tonight but really tasting his gentle side now. You wanted more. It was intoxicating.

"A trip to the firenation is big first date. Are you sure you want to go with me?" He was leaning in so slowly.

"We have time to plan one before. Then we can take our secret trip together." He smirked, placing a hand on your waist, pulling you all the way into his grasp. Our was another word that wasn't just tossed around. It was something that linked you both as one. His lips met yours. You were free to explore this new beginning alone with him. That's how you wanted to keep it. His soft lips were electric to yours. It was as if lightning was striking the earth. Your lips were tingling with each move. His hand gripped at your waist.

You ran your fingers through his hair. Ethereal feelings rushed around you. Your hands searched for something stable, finding his chest to be suited. Your world was crashing into his. It left you in a daze.

Mako pulled away slowly. His hand released your hip, sliding down your leg comfortably, and his gaze met yours before running down the length of your hair that was unbundled from the towel.

"I don't want to tell the others anything yet. I don't want to deal with the questions and them poking fun at our expense. I want us to figure everything out first." You spoke through the euphoria glazed on your lips.

He nodded in agreement, trailing his fingers on your back. "When they find out we are in for it."

"If they find out..." You trailed leaning back in to kiss him, needing that euphoria back.

#avatar the last airbender #fire nation #mako lok #lok mako #mako legend of korra #mako x reader #mako lok xreader #avatar mako #krew #lok bolin #avatar the legend of korra #legend of korra #mako lok fanfic #mako x korra #anime fanfic #secret relationship #touchstarved oc

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beifongnation · 10 days ago

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The Spirit of Change: Chapter Eight- Thawing Out

Description: "The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also." —Harriet Ann Jacobs

Rating: T

Read it on AO3

Story:

The frigid morning air turned the apples of her cheeks red, stinging her throat with every inhale of breath. Each exhale was visible; the last vestiges of winter barely tangible before her face, disappearing in an instant. The ground beneath her bare feet was beginning to thaw- evidenced by how much easier it was to bend today than it had been the day before. Lin continued up the mountain trail at a steady clip as she did nearly every day at this time, watching as the dawn light spilled slowly over the peaks, spreading its warmth downhill into the city.

At the crest of the trail she paused, taking in the view of the Republic City skyline off in the distance. It was beautiful at this hour, as the bay began to sparkle in the morning light. She oriented herself by picking out Aang’s statue on Avatar Memorial Island, a speck on the horizon. Inland and to the right she spotted the Hangshan Hotel and smiled at the sight of it. Due to an unfortunate misalignment of their schedules it had been three consecutive nights since she visited Kazuo’s suite, but tonight they were set to be back on track- the thought of it did more to warm her than the sun ever could. A tiny voice in the back of her mind admonished her for her lapse in sensibility and she quickly straightened her back as she recalled the list of rules she had set. Admittedly, she’d been doing a terrible job keeping them up- when she did visit him, she slept over every time. Beyond that, their conversations went well into the wee hours most nights.

Lin sighed, one month out of six had already passed and nobody had caught onto them yet, perhaps bending some of her rules wouldn’t lead to the catastrophe she originally imagined. For over a decade, the moments in which she experienced anticipation were almost always of the ‘dread’ variety. Now, as she looked at the sun glinting off the high-rise hotel building her anticipation was a thrill, all excitement for what the day had in store.

Having satisfactorily rationalized her feelings on the matter, Lin turned back to the trail, catching sight of a bundle of small lavender crocus blooms poking out of a melting patch of snow- a sure sign that spring was on its way.

*****

Since Amon’s attempted coup, overnight bags had become a common sight at Police Headquarters. Cops of every rank could be seen toting their essentials into the locker rooms at the start of each shift, the mark of an overworked force. Luckily for Lin, it also meant that the small bag she carried was of no particular note to her officers. That wouldn’t be the case much longer she realized, as the unrest in the city was beginning to subside and the gaps in her staffing were finally being filled.

It was nice to feel as if she were getting the force back in order after all that had transpired. Song had taken to his new post of Captain like a turtleduck to water and while Lin had expected as much, she was relieved to see her faith in him borne out into reality. His precinct was no longer a secondary juggling act between Captain Hong and herself. Beyond that, she was in the final week of re-training all the ‘warm bodies’ Saikhan had brought on in his desperate bid to keep the city from crumbling. In a few days time these latest recruits would finally be ready for patrol.

“Good morning, Chief,” Khen greeted her, popping up from his desk as she passed it.

“Good morning.”

He followed her into her office, notepad in hand. He closed the door carefully, shutting them inside her office, “Board of Fire phoned and asked to move your meeting out to next week.”

“That’s fine,” Lin replied, rounding her desk and dropping her overnight bag into her chair. She lifted a stack of documents that lay waiting before her.

“Those were brought by courrier late last night from Council Chambers,” Khen informed, “amendments to the City charter.”

“Ah,” Lin nodded, scanning the papers in her hand. They looked like drafts, she took notice of Tenzin’s handwritten notes to her in the margins.

“The City Attorney’s Office said they also want to reschedule, they said they found “adequate predication”, but they don’t have anything more to report at this time…”

That caught Lin’s attention and she looked up at Khen finally. He shifted awkwardly, unwilling to acknowledge he understood the message to be directly related to investigating Saikhan. She could wring Raiko’s neck for being so careless to leave such a comment in a message. “Thank you, Khen,” Lin said after a prolonged moment, “anything else?”

Before he could answer there was a quick knock at her door. Hong poked his head into her office without waiting to be invited, “Got a minute?”

“Can it wait until hand-off?” Lin asked.

But Khen looked visibly relieved by the interruption and took a step back, “I don’t have anything more.”

Lin nodded, waving Hong into her office wordlessly. Hong moved forward dragging a chair before Lin’s desk out to take a seat, he sighed heavily. “I need a favor. I’ve got a time-on request for you.” “Time on?” Lin returned, eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” he laughed, “Blue Dragon Festival is coming up and Binh is already talking about getting the kids to participate this year.” Lin rolled her eyes. The Blue Dragon Festival was not a holiday marked by big celebrations as far as Lin was aware, but instead by the cleaning out of one's house. It was a marker of spring; a new start. Hong continued, “if you could schedule me for some back-to-backs I would appreciate it. I don’t mind cleaning out the house if I can do it on my own, but if I have to manage the kids the whole time it’s a different story.”

Lin scoffed, removing her overnight bag from her chair to take a seat, “Why don’t you just tell your wife that instead of asking me to manufacture an excuse for you?”

“Come on, Lin,” Hong pleaded, “you could use the time off, right?” He motioned at the overnight bag as she placed it onto her desk, “sleep at home for once.” She bristled at his comment, snatching the bag and placing it on the floor behind her desk out of sight. He didn’t miss the change in her demeanor, but he didn’t comment on it either. “This is a win-win for you.”

She sighed. Blue Dragon was an official holiday, which meant the Council and Transitional Committees would surely have a three-day recess. It was the closest thing to a guarantee that her schedule would line up with Kazuo’s for once. “Fine,” she relented.

“Thank you,” he exhaled, sitting back in his chair finally, “you have no idea how much this means to me. Nothing has been done since New Year, Binh thinks it’s bad luck.”

Lin chuckled, “My grandmother had that superstition. Didn’t want to risk sweeping away the good luck of the new year too early… of course, that shouldn’t have been a problem, I don’t think she ever picked up a broom in her life.”

“She must have been really lucky in that case,” Hong joked.

Lin nodded, gathering a few more documents from her desk in preparation for their morning hand-off meeting. She straightened the stack of papers with one curt tap against her desktop, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” he agreed, standing to follow her back out of her office door.

******

Street lamps reflected little pools of light in the snow melt along the street before Hangshan Hotel, its stately visage distorting as satomobile tires rippled through, winding their way through Republic City. Lin hopped over one such puddle at the last minute, remembering suddenly that she wasn’t in her usual metal boots. Her uniform had been like a second skin for as long as she could remember, a physical barrier between her and the outside world, protecting her from harm. Her armor was left behind tonight as it also proved quite effective at staving off sexual advances; something she was not keen on at the moment. A brief twinkle of self-reflection about that was batted away, moved to the back of her mind to be pondered at a later date.

For now, she was focused on the elevator doors that carried her up toward Kazuo’s suite. The doors parted and Lin stepped off into the hallway, suppressing the twinge of anxiety that always preceded their meetings long enough to knock at his door. The door swung inward in short order, “Well, hello stranger.”

Lin’s attempt to stifle her smile was in vain, her grin so fulsome that the only hope of reigning it in was to bite her lip, “Hello.”

He stepped aside, holding his arm out to welcome her into his suite, “Feels like I haven’t seen you in a whole election cycle.”

Lin rolled her eyes, walking past him to deposit her overnight bag along the low wall that sectioned off his kitchenette. She didn’t dare admit that to her, the past three days had indeed dragged in the most tedious way. “Really? Seemed like three days to me,” she told him sarcastically as she undid the tie at the waist of her coat. She felt his lips plant a kiss along her neck, just below her ear and she leaned back into him, tilting her neck to offer as much of it as he liked.

The low timbre of voice against her skin created the loveliest sensation,“Oh, so you were counting the days then?”

Lin scoffed, turning her head finally to meet his eye in feigned annoyance. His response was another chuckle and a kiss to her cheek before he stepped back, helping her out of her coat finally. She gave him an approving look as he hung her coat on the rack. He turned his attention back to her, slipping his arms around her waist. Lin returned his gesture by settling her hands on his shoulders. “Now, where were we?” he asked, leaning in before stopping short of a kiss, “Ah- that’s right- you were counting the days…” Just inches away Lin gave him a withering look, “I can count higher if you’d prefer.” He laughed, shaking his head, “No, no. You’ve been through enough.” When their lips finally met they were both smiling, making the act of kissing a difficult task. That didn’t last long, however, as they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

*knock knock knock*

They broke apart, both sighing.

“Okay, three days and one more minute,” Kazuo quipped in a low voice, curling his fist in a show of solidarity, “Stay strong.”

He let go of Lin’s waist, stepping back just in time to catch another roll of her eyes before peeking through the peephole of the suite door. His expression turned to one of confusion and he motioned Lin forward to look for herself. She hesitated only a moment before squinting through the looking glass to see Governor Jie of the Earth Kingdom Province of Leong standing on the other side of the door.

Jie was a force to be reckoned with both inside and outside of the Earth Kingdom. She had been appointed to the Earth Kingdom’s transitional committee as a political act of self-preservation by Queen Hou-Ting. Jie was a vocal opponent of the monarchy, but her substantial support in the southern provinces had grown powerful enough that the Queen understood leaving them without representation as the United Republic severed its ties would have been an act of suicide, quite possibly in the literal sense.

Lin had only met Jie briefly at the welcoming party the previous month, where she made the grave mistake of leading with, “Chief Beifong, your sister is an invaluable friend and ally of mine.” Outside of that, they had no interaction. Lin only interfaced directly with the Council and the Transitional Committee Leaders in her work.

Kazuo, however, had reason to meet with her several times a week- though late in the evening at his hotel suite wasn’t exactly the usual setting.

*knock knock knock*

Lin and Kazuo exchanged a look and he shrugged, his face the picture of confusion. Lin shrugged back, motioning to the doorknob before stepping to the side into the kitchenette where she wouldn’t be visible once the door was opened. Lin folded her arms, leaning back against the counter as she watched Kazuo open the door to greet Jie.

“Governor, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?”

From the gap at the hinges Lin could barely make out her elbow, bouncing as she gestured, “Kaz, hi…I, uh, I was just going to head down to the lobby for a drink and I was thinking about what you said about import tax in our meeting with the Council this morning… I was hoping you might be free to join me. You know, give me some further insights.”

Lin was sure Kazuo could see the disgusted face she pulled out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t react. Instead he continued to look forward. “Unfortunately, I’m expecting the Palace to telephone me any minute,” he lied,“but I’d be happy to go over all of that sometime tomorrow.”

“Sure,” Jie agreed, “that would be great. If your phone call finishes early, I’ll probably be down there awhile.”

Kazuo nodded, giving her an earnest smile, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight Kaz.”

As soon as the door closed, Lin lifted an eyebrow, “Did you double book yourself?”

Kazuo shook his head with an amused laugh, “I knew you were going to say that!” He pointed at the closed door, “I have no idea where that came from.”

“I’m sure she could give you some further insights.”

He shrugged, “Too bad because I already had plans to give you some further insights.”

“In regards to…?”

His expression shifted suddenly, dropping any hint of flirtation as if he’d remembered something. “Actually, I did have something I wanted to talk to you about.”

Lin felt her chest tighten, bracing herself for— well, she wasn’t sure. That was the problem. In the thirty seconds it took Kazuo to collect a brochure from the counter and hand it to her, Lin had spiraled into a thousand emotionally devastating scenarios. She looked down at the glossy card stock in her hands depicting two dragon boats side by side on a river.

“What’s this?”

“The Blue Dragon Regatta,” Kazuo returned plainly, as if that cleared up any confusion.

“What is that?” Lin asked again, glancing back at the brochure in her hands. She looked up to find Kazuo aghast.

“Are you joking?”

“No?”

“The Blue Dragon Regatta,” he repeated with an incredulous laugh, “it’s the most important boat race of the year and it happens to be just outside of Chenbao this year. On the Su Oku River.”

Some of the words he was saying made sense; she knew where Chenbao was- about a three hour train ride northeast of Republic City just over the mountains. She was aware of the Su Oku River- the surrounding villages were popular weekend retreats for the overworked citizens of Republic City. She knew what a boat race was, of course, but what she didn’t know was what any of this had to do with her.

“So?”

“So,” Kazuo led, “I was thinking you might be able to pull some strings with the boss at work and get some time off to join me.”

Of all the catastrophic scenarios Lin had imagined in her brief spiral, this was not one of them. Her chest tightened again, but in a different way. He wanted to go away with her, on a trip, just the two of them– on purpose. Had such an instance ever crossed her mind as a possibility she would have certainly added it to her list of rules: no romantic getaways. Then again, her list of rules had been wholly ignored by them both since the day they were instituted.

Her first instinct was to decline his offer, but she hesitated, opting instead to say simply, “Oh.”

His eyes scanned her face, searching her expression, “Not a fan of boat racing?”

Lin shook her head, “Are you?”

It was a silly thing to ask at the moment, he was clearly a fan, and come to think of it– the oar situated over the mantle in his apartment finally made sense, but she was buying herself time to weigh the pros and cons of spending an uninterrupted weekend together. What if they didn’t travel well together? What if they got sick of each other before they even arrived in Chenbao? What if he actually expected her to be excited about boats floating on a river? What if someone saw them together? What if she hated being stuck with him? Or worse– what if she loved it?

“I used to row in college and still follow it closely,” he explained, “I’ve never managed to get to the Blue Dragon regatta in person, I usually have to listen to it on the wireless.”

Lin looked up, “On the wireless?” He nodded. “How does one announce a boat race?”

“What do you mean?”

“Does the announcer break into a regular program with a bulletin update to report the boats are indeed on the water and roughly beside one another?”

Kazuo sighed heavily, “Oh, Lin. It’s an event. Especially the Blue Dragon- there are heats with every class of vessel you can imagine! Catamarans- all kinds of sails- skiffs and dinghies, yachts, rowing- single sculls, coxed eights, coxed fours- the whole nine yards. And the traditional dragon boat race, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Lin returned dryly.

“I can explain it all when we’re there,” he assured, leaning in to take her hands. He slid his thumb along the inside of the brochure she was holding, pushing two train tickets out the top. “And I hope you will come because otherwise I’ll have to sit next to a stranger on the train.”

Lin smiled, heart warmed by the realization that he had been so eager to take her along that he had gone out of his way to purchase a ticket on her behalf. She wasn’t an afterthought.

“You already bought me a ticket?”

He nodded.

“And you’re sure this wasn’t meant for Governor Jie?” she teased, reflexively compelled to temper her actual emotion with a little sarcasm. He laughed, thankfully.

“I’m sure.”

“Well, if you already went through all the trouble of getting a ticket for me I suppose I have to go.”

He leaned forward still, catching her lips for a kiss, “Great. I can pick you up after your shift on-”

“I’ll meet you at the train station,” Lin asserted firmly. The shift in her tone acted as a pin, deflating their flirtatious banter just as it was taking off. It was somewhat involuntary, this verbal wall she erected between them– a survival tactic she had honed over the years whenever someone got a little too familiar. Still, she regretted the way it came out. She was grateful when Kazuo didn’t seem to make any particular note of all this.

“Alright,” he agreed without missing a beat, “now that it’s decided I’ll give you a crash course in the basics of rowing.” The ease with which he breezed past some of her more prickly personality traits never failed to amuse her and she couldn’t help but chuckle, “that’s not what I came over here for.”

He shrugged, “I’m a great multitasker.”

************

The hollow sound of her drumming fingernails along the bank of filing cabinets snapped Lin out of her reverie and she clicked her tongue in disapproval. Despite her feelings to the contrary, there was no actual rule in the city charter that Lin must be working at all times. With a sigh, Lin pushed the drawer containing her personnel files closed. She would only be in Chenbao a few days after all, and it was meant to be a social getaway. Still, her eyes next landed on a drawer containing files her precinct detectives had finally determined to be “cold” and guilt gnawed at her.

Mercifully, a quick rapping of knuckles at her office door interrupted, “you ready for hand-off?” Hong asked, poking his head in.

Lin turned her head, hands still resting along the cabinet before her, “In a moment.”

Rather than departing, Hong pushed the door open further, stepping inside, “you looking for something?”

“Take home work,” she replied, turning to face him finally.

Her answer was met with a chuckle from her old friend, “You’re allowed to take time off.”

“Says the Captain who just requested three days worth of back-to-backs,” Lin retorted.

“Fair,” he conceded, “but I don’t take my work home with me…especially when I’m going out of town.”

Lin gave him a critical look, but was betrayed by the flush rising in her cheeks, “who said anything about going out of town?”

“The overnight bag you brought in,” Hong replied, looking satisfied with himself.

Lin turned back to her filing cabinet with a roll of her eyes, opening another drawer as casually as she could to begin thumbing through her files again, “every officer in this precinct has been bringing their overnight bags to work.”

“True,” Hong conceded, “but you brought a different one today.” When Lin didn’t reply he continued, “you want my advice? Don’t bring your work, it’d be rude.” Lin closed the drawer without retrieving a file and turned back to him with a defeated sigh; he had her dead to rights. “I was a detective before this, you know,” he chided.

“Alright, Detective,” she gestured toward the door, “shall we?”

“Yep,” Hong agreed with a clap of his hands and they exited her office for their shift change meeting.

*************************************** It had been years since Lin had cause to find herself on the platforms at Central Station. As an adult her vacations - especially inside the Earth Kingdom- were a rarity. As a child, however, Central Station was the jumping off point for her many visits to Gaoling. In some ways the ornate old train shed hadn’t changed much; the same brass railings she and Suyin used to stage their games of ‘slap-hands’ along were still there, covered in decades of smudged fingerprints that made Lin cringe at the memory of willingly placing her palms upon it. She recalled the mix of excitement and anxiety that preceded those trips; anticipating the adventure that went along with traversing the Earth Kingdom overland while simultaneously dreading the exhausting act of predicting which words and behaviors were appropriate in the presence of her grandparents.

Truth be told, she had the similar feeling now as she made her way toward the boarding platforms. Though she was sure that attending a boat race in Chenbao with Kazuo was likely to be less restrictive than an opera performance of The Heavenly Maids Scatter Blossoms with her grandfather, she was still fretting about how to conduct herself in this unfamiliar setting. She was also reasonably certain that weekend getaways were not a standard earmark of individuals engaging in casual sex, but anything remotely resembling a relationship was strictly out of the question, so where did that leave them? This nebulous space the two of them seemed to occupy as of late did vex her somewhat, but in her lighter moments she almost managed to convince herself that she might enjoy allowing life to happen to her if she simply let it. Unlike her files, her cabinets, her closets- not everything needed a label and a designated space- some things might even be better just existing without too much examination.

Lin sighed, checking her ticket against the platform sign; she didn’t believe that for a second. She was in the correct place at least, platform number six, and she managed to arrive a little early even. As she approached the steward she took a last look around the bustling crowd for any sign of Kazuo, though she didn’t know why- the whole point of arriving separately was so as not to be seen together. Either way, she didn’t find him and passed her luggage and a couple of yuans off to the rail porter. He had only made it a few steps toward the baggage car when Lin stopped him, beckoning him over so that she could retrieve a book out of her bag. She offered a few extra yuans for the trouble and the porter didn’t seem to mind the delay in the slightest.

Strictly speaking, she had no intention of reading The Gold Murders on the train, but concluded that in her nervous state her hands needed something to do, even if it was only holding a book. Her cold case files would have been good for this too, she thought regretfully as she boarded railcar number two. Another steward stood just inside, offering to help her find the proper compartment, but Lin assured him that she was perfectly capable of following descending numbers down a singular pathway to compartment number eight. She was surprised to find Kazuo already seated at the table within, obscured behind a broadsheet copy of the Fountain Daily News touting the headline TENSIONS FLARE OVER EARTHBENDING INFLUX and a photograph of two groups of people shouting at one other across a deep fissure in the ground between them.

“You beat me here,” she observed and he folded the paper in his hands so that he could give her an enthusiastic smile.

“And you made it,” he returned, moving to stand, but Lin waved his gesture off and took a seat across the table from him.

“I thought for sure you’d be hung up with work,” she explained, settling in. He folded the paper in his hands again, setting it aside to reveal several stacks of files and a heap of unopened correspondence covered in Fire Nation postage on the table between them. “No, I brought it along instead,” he chuckled.

“Oh,” Lin replied, doing a poor job of disguising her disappointment in having left her own work back at Headquarters.

He must have misinterpreted her tone because he quickly began to clear the table, “I don’t have to do it now,” he explained, looking almost bashful. Lin didn’t previously think Kazuo was capable of looking bashful.

“No, no,” she interjected, “it’s alright. I brought a book.”

Kazuo shook his head, continuing to stack his files along the seat beside him before remarking, “I’m surprised you haven’t finished it yet.”

“Me too, actually,” she agreed, following his lead and putting her book aside. When the table was cleared they met eyes again, silence stretching.

“Hi,” Kazuo offered, laughing lightly.

“Hello,” Lin returned with a small laugh of her own.

In the years since they had met they shared plenty of awkward moments, but to Lin’s knowledge this may have been their first awkward silence, made even more awkward by the fact that Kazuo, who normally cannot stop talking to save his life, didn’t seem to be capable of breaking it. “How was work,” Lin blurted finally.

“It was productive,” Kazuo reported, “we finally agreed on an election date so that’s done.”

“Really?”

He nodded, “It’ll be in the papers tomorrow, but I’ll give you the scoop- it's scheduled for Harmony Week. Now, it’ll be down to the Council to codify the election laws, but at least the rest of us can start planning our return trips.”

“Oh. That’s great,” Lin replied, but her conviction was lacking.

Harmony Week was a yearly celebration at the close of each summer to celebrate the founding of the United Republic. It was a logical choice given the historically symbolic nature of the week itself and it aligned with the committee’s rough timeline of six months. Even so, having a tangible timeline for his exit from her life- quite possibly forever- left her with a hollow feeling. “It looks like you’ll have your hands full when you get back,” she continued, referencing the newspaper at his side.

“Oh this?” Kazuo asked, lifting the paper slightly. Lin nodded. “It’s been an ongoing issue. Fire Fountain is built on top of natural gas deposits and a lot of engineering has gone into directing that gas throughout the city safely. We have this sect,” he explained with noted disapproval, “that call themselves the ‘Spirit Warriors.’ They believe the gas should be allowed to seep out wherever they decide so they can have ‘visions’ of spirits or something so they’re always making attempts to sabotage the underground pipelines.”

“Lovely.”

He nodded, “we’ve had some luck curtailing their efforts in the last few years and there were even a few months it looked like they’d left Fire Fountain for good.”

“And?”

“No such luck- they were just on a mission in the southern Earth Kingdom proselytizing to benders so they could recruit them back to do this. Up to now they’ve been protected under religious exceptions, but now that they’re doing some real damage I’m having to draft legislation redefining what it means to be a domestic terrorist.”

Lin gave him a light shrug,“sounds pretty straightforward at least.”

He chuckled, “Ah, spoken like someone who enforces the law instead of legislates it. No,” he pat the stack of files on the seat beside him proudly, “this is going to be the most excessively pedantic set of addendums Fire Nation law has ever seen. I’m talking zero wiggle room.”

“Where in the southern Earth Kingdom?”

“Hm?”

“Do you know where in the southern Earth Kingdom they were picking up benders?”

Kazuo laughed knowingly, “Not Zaofu if that’s what you’re asking.” Lin felt a hint of relief at his answer. It was indeed what she had been asking. “Apparently they were in Yi and Leong.”

“Governor Jie’s province?”

“Leong? Yes,” Kazuo nodded, “I actually have to add her to my calendar next week come to think of it.”

Though Lin did not intend to react, her eyebrows were quicker than her intention and they lifted with significance. Kazuo noted her expression and laughed, “I do need some further insights into this situation, but not the kind she was talking about- don’t worry.”

“I wasn’t worried,” Lin shot back compulsively, though something in her stomach did twist at the idea of Kazuo and Governor Jie meeting.

Kazuo reached into the breast pocket of his jacket then, where he normally kept his cigarettes and pulled out a deck of playing cards instead, “Up for a game?”

“Alright.”

Kaz opened the case, shuffling a crisp deck decorated with scenes of Republic City on the back, “Do you know Big Two?”

“Know it? I played it so much during triad stakeouts I would dream about it later.”

Kazuo cut the deck, dealing out the cards one by one, “Koji and I play this a lot when we’re on the campaign trail.”

Lin gathered up the cards she’d been dealt, shifting them into descending order in her hands, “Hm. I don’t think he likes me.”

Kazuo paused, “Who? Koji?”

She nodded, selecting out the three of diamonds and placing it between them, “Yes.”

“No,” he insisted, finally covering her card with a four of spades, “no, that’s not it at all. If anything he was just nervous about how much I like you.” It was Lin’s turn to pause then, cheeks coloring. In spite of the fact that they were headed for a weekend away together, statements like this still caught her off guard. In her moment of silence the train engine sighed, signaling their departure, almost as if it was her own response- the train was leaving the station. Lin selected the two of hearts, laying it on top of his card.

Kazuo’s eyes bugged at the site of it, “Spirits. Looks like you have control again.”

Lin swept their pile to the side, starting over with a seven-high straight, “I suppose so.”

Notes:

If you're still invested in this story I am so so grateful to you. An enormous thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story and pinged me on tumblr to ask for an update. I'm sorry this took so long! Believe it or not this was just the first half of the chapter 8 I have planned and the second half is nearly complete, so I hope the next update is a lot sooner than YEARS away. It was running long so I decided to just post this half to get it moving!

#lin beifong #lok #linzuo #kazuo #lin x oc

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