Deeper Than This (Linzin Fanfic)

Chapter 1

A/N: hello!!!! I'm back, ready to write some Linzin! Who's excited? Me!!

This chapter may be considered triggering, just a warning. I don't want to spoil why though. Make sure to leave comments, they help me want to continue writing! And if you're reading my Zutara fic, I'm sorry about how shitty it is atm, but I'm cleaning it up!! Thanks for your patience ❤❤

I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's kind of quick paced so... yh.

Also, I hate Kataang so..

Also, hit me up on fanfiction.net! My URL there is Kakarot-kun. Come say hi!

-Eli

15 Months Prior to Tenzin's Wedding

Pacing is something that Tenzin's mother used to discipline him for. Every time he begin walking back and forth in a line, she would pull him away and sit him down on the nearest chair or bed.

"Calm down," she would say. "Sit here until you're calm."

But in this moment, Katara watches Tenzin pace the tile floor without saying a word. The entire building is silent except for Tenzin's boots squeaking along the floor. Occasionally, a man or woman in scrubs will smile at them both as they walk down the hall.

One hour, forty-seven minutes. It has been one hour and forty-seven minutes since Aang stepped out of the room and told Tenzin that Lin was stable and doing fine. He told him that they were going to check her uterus and see if the baby was alright. One hour and forty-seven minutes ago.

Finally, moments later, the door cracks. Katara stands and Tenzin rushes to the door. It's Aang.

"Father, is she okay?"

"Yes."

Tenzin and Katara sigh collectively.

"When she started bleeding, I was sure something was wrong with her," he says, laughing in relief. Katara reaches up and hugs her son.

The silence radiating from Aang screams louder than anything else in the area. Tenzin pulls away slowly to face his father.

"Tenzin, let's take a walk," he says. The wise Avatar turns on his heel, his air bending clothing trailing behind him on the tile floor. Tenzin looks at his mother, panicked. Katara smiles sadly and pats his back.

"Go on," she says.

Tenzin nods and rushes to catch up with him.

More silence ensues as they walk down the hallway and turn a corner. Anxiously, Tenzin runs a hand over his head. His hair is starting to grow back and it pricks his palm. He needs a shave.

"Tenzin," Aang speaks up. His voice has a way of making listeners pay careful attention and expect wise words. The expectation is a smart one.

"Yes, father?"

"When your mother told me she was pregnant again after Bumi was born, I was not as excited as I lead on," he explains. Tenzin blinks.

"Oh?"

"Katara had a hard time giving birth to Bumi," he explains. "She nearly died from it."

Tenzin glances over at Aang. This is information he has never heard before. Cautiously, he speaks.

"I didn't know that."

"Of course not. I never told you." Aang smiles. "But when Kya was born, Katara had no trouble. I was worried for nothing." He turns another corner, and Tenzin follows close behind.

"What is the purpose of telling me this, father?"

"Patience, son." Aang folds his hands behind his back. "And then, you were born. And everything went smoothly, and I could just feel that you were an air bender." He smiles. "I was so happy."

Tenzin allows himself a smile, despite the dense atmosphere. "I wasn't aware of all of this."

"Tenzin, I learned from these experiences that children are blessings. Gifts to us from beyond," he explains. His tone grows a bit darker, and it causes a heavy feeling in Tenzin's chest.

"Wh-what?"

"Lin, she..."

Tenzin quits walking. "Father..."

"When you told me that you had impregnated Lin, I wasn't sure how to react. I was angry at first, but I immediately took your feelings into consideration and viewed the situation from a higher standpoint. While Katara was angry, I was not." He takes Tenzin's hands. "Children, babies... they're gifts. And sometimes..."

"She lost the baby," Tenzin says, asking Aang to confirm his fear.

"The doctor said her womb isn't stable enough to--"

"She lost the..." Tenzin feels his body turn to jelly and he drops to his knees.
Although they weren't married, Tenzin went outside the boundaries of his father's monk lifestyle and had sex with Lin, his girlfriend of 3 years. After once, it was like an addiction; Lin was something special for sure, and she seemed to know just how to make Tenzin feel good enough to beg for more. So of course they would eventually get pregnant.

Tenzin loves Lin. He promised her multiple times that he would marry her and that he would take care of her and the baby. No problem. No matter what his parents thought, he would handle it.

Around the same time Lin and Tenzin got together, Aang and Katara divorced. Nothing was wrong, it just wasn't love anymore, his mother had said. They still lived together and they still spoke like the best friends that they were. But it struck something inside of Tenzin, and he refused to let his child be raised with separated parents. So no matter what, he would marry Lin.

And now, things are falling apart. Everything is crumbling between his fingers. What can he do? It's disappearing, his whole vision of the future.

"I'm so sorry, son." Aang kneels down to embrace his son.

Dizzy, Tenzin hugs Aang back and lets himself sob into his father's shoulder.