Chapter Text
Lin: 13 years old
Suyin: 7 years old
Lin dragged her seven year old sister's wrist down the street towards City Hall, her jaw clenched. Suyin was whining at her, weakly trying to shake her fist free all the way from the elementary school, but Lin's grip was tight.
She stomped through the busy halls, making a direct line towards Sokka's office, her heart pounding in her cheeks. Suyin was protesting loudly now, really throwing her shoulder into making Lin release her. Lin tossed Suyin into the office, slamming the door behind her. Sokka looked up from his paperwork in shock, sitting up straighter.
"Hi girls—"
"Suyin got in trouble at school for fighting again," Lin said, crossing her arms in front of the door. Sokka pursed his lips and looked down at Suyin, her cheeks flushed red as she glared at the floor in anger.
"Suyin…"
"I can't believe you took me to Sokka—" Suyin grumbled, glaring back at her sister.
"She's going to be suspended if she fights again," Lin said.
"Where's your mother?"
"Where do you think?" Lin scoffed, lifting her hands. Sokka knelt down to Suyin who was staring angirly at the floor.
"Suyin, you can't put your education in jeopardy like this."
"I'm stronger than that kid, and he kept saying that I wasn't!" Suyin said.
"Is it Da Yin?"
"Yes," Suyin said quietly. Sokka rubbed her shoulders lightly.
"You know he's just baiting you, right? He wants you to hit him so you get in trouble. Being powerful means knowing restraint. You'll hurt yourself more than you could ever hurt him if you get kicked out of school."
Suyin kicked the ground, her head bowed. Sokka sighed and looked back up at Lin. Lin knew that the words were more powerful coming from Sokka than it could ever come from her. Lin crossed her arms tightly again, leaning against a leg.
"This is the fifth time she's been sent to the principal's office, and the second time that mom didn't show," Lin said, motioning to her sister. "I'm not going to be in the same school as her next year, I won't be able to keep bailing her out."
"Why didn't your mom show?" Sokka asked, standing up. Suyin balled her fists and Lin shook her head dismissively.
"I don't know," Lin said. "Your guess is probably better than mine."
"I'll talk to her."
"Don't bother," Lin grumbled. "You just need to explain to Suyin how serious this is."
"I don't care," Suyin muttered, looking away from Sokka.
Sokka rubbed her shoulder. "Suyin…"
"Don't talk to me like I'm a baby." Suyin said. Lin turned away, frustrated.
"Honey, you are very, very strong. You don't need to prove yourself to some snot nosed little brat like Da Yin." Suyin's face broke into a reluctant smile. Sokka knelt back down in front of her, shaking her shoulders.
"You are more talented than half of the earthbending adults I know, Suyin. Don't waste your energy on kids, when you should save it for sparring at your true level."
Suyin shrugged, still trying to repress her small smile.
"Promise me that you won't get in any more trouble, alright? No more getting sent to the principal's office." Suyin avoided Sokka's eyes. "Hey. Look at me, Suyin." Sokka ducked his head and caught Suyin's eyes. She sighed."Promise me."
"I promise."
Sokka held out his pinky, and Suyin hooked her pinky with his.
"Alright," Sokka said, bringing Suyin in to kiss her forehead. "How was school, Lin?"
"It was okay," Lin said, avoiding making eye contact with Suyin and Sokka. "Mya and I turned in our end of year project. It hasn't been graded yet."
"Oh yeah… Mya, your friend from the junior pro bending league, right? How's she doing?" Sokka asked, walking over to lean against the door next to Lin.
"She's okay. Her mom invited me to their house in Yu Dao for a month this summer, but I don't think I'm going to go."
"What? Why not?"
"No one would be around to watch Suyin," Lin said, gesturing to her sister.
"I can take care of myself," Suyin said, crossing her arms. "I don't want you around all the time anyway."
Sokka glanced at Lin, looking back to Suyin. He frowned, thoughts clearly swirling behind his eyes. Lin felt a sudden and deep pain of loss. She shoved her feelings down as she reached forward towards Suyin.
"I gotta get dinner started soon. Thanks, Uncle Sokka," Lin said. Sokka softened at this, smiling a little at her. He brought her in and kissed her forehead.
"Don't write off Yu Dao just yet, alright mudpie? I'll see what I can do."
Lin smiled a little, but privately didn't think that anything would change. She directed Suyin ahead of her, trying her hardest not to think about Sokka behind her. Suyin kicked at the ground.
"I can't believe you told on me to Sokka," Suyin grumbled.
"Because you actually listen to him," Lin said, heading out to the street. She hailed a passing carriage, leading Suyin inside ahead of her. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Do you think she bought some pork cutlets?" Suyin asked.
"You want fried pork cutlets with noodles?" Lin said, pulling out her own homework from her bag.
"Yeah, that sounds good," Suyin said. "Can you make the broth spicy?"
"I'll make it spicy if you sit down at the table and do your homework while I'm cooking."
"I don't even have homework—"
"You have math and calligraphy homework. No science or history." Lin said, scratching a few characters down on her literature homework.
"Whatever," Suyin huffed. "Mom didn't do any homework when she was a kid."
"You're not mom. And neither am I."
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Lin made sure that Suyin finished her homework while alternating between her own homework and cooking dinner. Toph at least made sure that their ice box was filled with food and that their clothes were sent away to be washed. She was sort of like an invisible maid who restocked their supplies and occasionally passed through with hollow words of advice.
By the end of the night, Suyin was finally laughing with Lin, kicking her legs off of the chair, grateful that Lin had helped Suyin with her homework tonight, a rare treat. Toph was probably working late at the Police Department again, so Lin got Suyin to bathe, brush her teeth, and even read to her that night. Lin had a deal with Suyin, she had to read the first chapter and Lin would read her the next chapter while she pointed to the characters for Suyin to follow along.
Once Suyin was asleep, Lin tucked back into her own bedroom to write in her journal for the night. Lin sat on her wooden bed, flipping through her journal to add to a sketch she'd done of Mya, adding a freckle on her left ear that Lin hadn't noticed before. The front door opened unceremoniously and Lin froze.
"Anything you needed to say to me, you could've said to me at the station—"
"I don't want to talk about your children in front of your officers—" Lin's stomach flipped with happiness against her will. Sokka.
Toph stomped past Lin and Suyin's room down the hall towards her own room. Sokka followed her, quietly talking to her.
Lin gently climbed up her wooden bookshelf and out her bedroom window, gingerly stepping on the oak tree that hung near her window. She quietly scaled the tree with expert silence as she made her way back towards Toph's room.
"… going to be expelled if she doesn't stop! They called you!"
"What makes you think I want to take the fight out of that girl?" Toph said. Lin settled into her hidden position on the tree branch, hoping that Sokka didn't stare too hard through the window.
"It's not about the fight, it's about the time and place! She's doing this to get your attention, you know!"
"Why do you think I didn't show up to her school? This isn't the way to get my attention—"
"She is seven years old!" Sokka said, trying to keep his voice down. "She doesn't know that! She's asleep already, how are you supposed to have a meaningful conversation with her about this when it's not fresh in her mind?"
"I told you to stop trying to parent my children, Sokka—"
"They are begging to be parented!" Sokka said, pacing around the room as Toph removed her armor and set it in the cabinet beside her bed. "You keep spouting some bullshit about smothering them, but a hug is not smothering!"
"I've tried hugging them, they don't like being hugged," Toph sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I don't know how to do this. I don't have any example on what a good parent is supposed to be. What, am I supposed to help her with homework I can't even see? Am I supposed to let the city fall to chaos while I listen to Lin tell me about her firebending friend?"
"Stop making excuses, Toph," Sokka said. "Biyu is an incredibly capable head officer, she would absolutely support you if you left work in time to be here to talk to your daughters about their day!"
Toph sat down on her bed. "I… I know, Sokka. I know. I just feel awkward even trying. I love them, but it feels forced to ask them about their day—"
"Do you fucking care?"
"I do care!" Toph bit, standing up from the bed. "I do! I know that when I spend more time with Suyin, her grades get worse and she starts fighting more! I know that Lin and her friend spent a long time making a paper project on the establishment of Republic City that I can't even see! I know that Lin loves ginger but Suyin can't stand it, that Suyin prefers noodles over rice, that Lin sings when she thinks people can't hear her, just like me. I know my daughters, I just don't know how to talk to them!"
"Then learn how! Before it's too late!" Sokka said, circling around to her. Toph's face was turned away from Lin, she couldn't see Toph's expression. Lin screwed up her face, pressing her cheek against her shoulder. "Lin is thirteen years old and feels like she can't go with her friend for the summer because she's worried that no one will watch your daughter."
"That's ridiculous…"
"It's not! It really isn't! Lin cooked Suyin's dinner and she'll probably cook her breakfast tomorrow morning—"
"Lin is a much better cook than me, they don't even like my cooking—"
"Lin helped Suyin with her homework, Lin tucked her to bed tonight, and Lin helps Suyin get to school every morning! Lin is raising your daughter, Toph, she has no time to be a kid herself! This isn't what he would've wanted—"
"Shut the fuck up." Toph's voice got dangerously low. "Watch your tongue." Lin's heart leapt to her throat. Did… did Sokka know who Lin's father was? He knew him enough to know what he would want or not? Lin felt lightheaded, listening as closesly as she could, praying that her mother would finally slip up and she would learn the name of her father.
"Your threats are weakening, you know. Those girls seek me out on their own now."
"Sokka—"
"Please," Sokka said quietly, his voice held a sweetness that made Lin feel uncomfortably sick. "Toph, I am just trying to help."
"I know," Toph said quietly, returning that sweetness. Lin felt anger burning in her heart. She remembered her early childhood, how Sokka and Toph had loved each other enough that Sokka had lived in their house with them. She remembered feeling like Sokka was the father Toph never allowed her to have before ripping Sokka away from Lin. It was like Toph didn't want Lin and Suyin to have a father figure in their lives, though they barely had a mother figure in their lives anyway.
Lin heard a gentle kiss and her head shot up to look through the window, her cheeks drained of blood, her heart racing in her chest. Sokka was holding Toph close, kissing her lightly. Lin felt her hands tremble with anger, she had seen enough. She quietly headed back towards her bedroom, slipping through her bedroom window, slowly climbing down her wooden bookshelf to sit back on her wooden bed. She had forgotten to turn off her bedroom light, Sokka might notice that Lin's light was still on.
Lin's mouth was dry, her tongue was numb. Sokka and her mother… still… after all this time they were still… Lin couldn't feel happy about it, they were like a united front against Lin and Suyin, they were still sneaking around like teenagers, they were still messing with Lin's head about who Sokka even was—
Lin stood up from her bed, unable to sit still. She didn't care if her mom felt her pacing. Lin struggled to regulate her anger, unable to focus on any one thought. Lin shouldn't have taken Suyin to Sokka, she shouldn't have involved anyone else. If Suyin was expelled, it was what she deserved, maybe then Toph would feel shame for how she abandoned them.
A couple gentle knocks on the door. Lin knew it was Sokka, and she threw the door open.
"Hey, I talked to your mom—"
Lin glared at him. "I told you not to do that. What are you doing here?"
Sokka frowned a little bit. "I want you to be able to go with Mya this summer—"
"Don't bother, Sokka," Lin said, her grip on the doorknob so tense that she was metalbending her fist into it. He knew who her father was. He wouldn't tell her. He was still too in love with Toph to betray her. Sokka was on Toph's side, not Lin and Suyin's. "I just needed you to talk to Suyin about her fight, I didn't ask you to come back into my life."
Sokka had the nerve to look hurt at Lin's words, and Lin felt a sick satisfaction at this.
"I was just trying to help," Sokka said, quietly.
"Well, you didn't. Go home."
Lin slammed the door in Sokka's face and gasped, her anger had burst in her heart and she felt tears prickle the edges of her eyes. Lin punched her pillow, trying to reframe her sadness back into anger, tears spilling down her cheeks. Lin felt like an island, trying to keep Suyin afloat as she struggled and fought to escape her. She wanted Suyin to get the attention that Lin didn't get. When she was seven, she had a Sifu, she had Sokka every day, her mother at least pretended to make an effort back then. Now, it was just her and Suyin.
Lin gasped and fell limp on her bed, grabbing her pillow close. She cried as quietly as she could into it, hoping that it exhausted her enough to put her to sleep.
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"Hey, Sifu. I wanted to visit again, I hope you don't mind. I couldn't stop thinking about your grave having my old rotten flowers, so… I'm back with fresh ones. I haven't told Uncle Sokka that I'm visiting you. I don't want him to think I'm being a baby. You're the first person I've known who died. I know you didn't do it on purpose, but... I'm still a little mad that you're dead. Mom and Uncle Sokka are being stupid again, and I remember how you used to yell at them. I kinda wish you would yell at them again. Or at least haunt them or something." Lin watched the dappled shadows obscure the gravestone, settling into grass.
"Well…" Lin mumbled. "I dunno what else to talk about, but I don't want to leave." Lin felt the silence cushion her gently, the stone stared back at her comfortingly. "I miss you, Sifu Kanto. Sometimes it's hard to admit that, especially because I didn't know you for that long. But for a short time, you were the most important person in my life. I want to thank you for that."
Rustling of leaves and a comforting warm breeze. Lin leaned forward and placed the bouquet in the metal vase attached to the gravestone. Suyin could walk herself home from school. Toph could make her daughter dinner for once. Lin sat at his grave in total silence until the sun dipped below the horizon.