#lin x reader

Being in a relationship with Republic City’s most famous social media influencer meant Lin often found herself in front of a camera she had absolutely no desire to be near.

The department heads claimed it was excellent publicity for the police force, and annoyingly enough, they weren't entirely wrong. After a few viral videos, the Chief of Police had reluctantly developed a massive following across the United Republic and beyond.

Lin had just finished metalbending her uniform into place when you appeared beside her. You were far too dressed up for this early in the morning. Your makeup was flawless, your hair was styled in a way that told her you had plans of going out. You were wearing a cute crop top paired with high-waisted jeans. The glimpse of exposed skin at your waist was distracting enough on its own, but the mischievous sparkle in your eyes told her this wasn't just a casual send off like you usually did when she was leaving for work. You wanted something.

You stood on your tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to Lin's lips. Before you could fully pull away, one of her arms slid around your waist and drew you back in. The kiss she gave you this time was more passionate, a proper goodbye which made your heart flutter. When she finally pulled back, a soft giggle escaped you as you noticed the faint smear of lipstick at the corner of her mouth. Licking your thumb, you reached up and carefully wiped it away.

When you tried to pull away Lin drew you flush against her. The polished metal of her uniform pressed against your soft skin. It was cool and solid beneath your hands as she held you close.

“What time do you have work?” You asked sweetly, your voice dripping with the kind of innocence that usually meant trouble.

Lin looked down at you, her eyes narrowing with quiet suspicion as she tried to figure you out. “Soon. Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”

“I can't ask my beautiful, incredibly smart girlfriend what time she works now?” You pouted cutely, your hands trailing up her breastplate to wrap securely around her neck. “I didn't know that was a crime, Chief.”

Lin rolled her eyes, though her arms tightened around your waist, holding you close. “Just spit it out already before you make me late.”

Your eyes sparked with pure excitement, and Lin couldn't stop the wave of warmth that flooded her chest when you got like this. You slipped out of her embrace and pulled out your phone, searching for the video you wanted to recreate.

Lin watched the trending video three times, her brow furrowing lower with each loop. She still didn't understand why her presence was required. “So, you want me to just stand there while you shake your ass?”

“Yes!” You said quickly, cutting in before she could overthink it. The longer Lin analyzed something, the less likely she was to agree. “The good thing is, I don't even have to ask you to look intimidating babe, that part is basically effortless for you.”

Lin scoffed, but the corner of her mouth betrayed her with the slightest upward curve. “Is that an insult?”

“Nope,” You quipped, already stepping away from her to set up your phone on the ring light stand. “It’s a compliment. I find your brooding very sexy. And so do my three million followers.”

Lin’s cheeks tinted a dusty pink. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, clearing her throat to steady her voice. “Where do you want me?”

You beamed, dragging her into the perfect frame before rushing back to hit the countdown timer. The viral sound started blasting through the bedroom. You instantly slid into character, flashing a dazzling smile at the lens.

You bent your knees and begin to twerk- well, started to, just long enough to get a few seconds of footage before stepping out of frame and pausing to switch the camera to Lin.

She stood exactly where you'd left her, arms folded firmly across her chest, broad shoulders squared beneath her uniform. For a brief moment, she looked directly into the camera. Her expression was perfectly flat, but there was something unmistakably protective in the way she stared down the camera. It was the same look she gave people who got a little too comfortable around you in public.

You bit your lip to stifle a laugh. There it was, the exact shot you wanted. Before Lin could even open her mouth to question what you were doing, you ended the recording. The music cut off sharply, leaving you both in sudden silence.

You rewatched the finished product and squealed, bouncing on your toes. “Oh, this is perfect baby!”

“We're done?” She asked, her voice was skeptical. This might be the easiest video you ever asked her to do.

You practically launched yourself at her, wrapping your arms tightly around her neck and burying your face against her shoulder. “Yup! I got it. The internet is going to love it.”

“Good,” Lin grunted, her muscular arms automatically came around your waist to steady you before you could knock her off balance.

You smiled against her uniform, still buzzing with excitement. “You’re acting like you don't secretly love that there's a certain part of the internet thats making thirst trap videos of you right now.”

Lin stiffened, her arms tightened around your waist as she slowly looked down at you. “They're making what?”

You buried your face against her shoulder to hide your grin. “Thirst trap videos, fan edits, whatever you want to call it baby.”

Her expression somehow grew even more horrified. “Explain.”

You pulled back just enough to look up at her, fighting a losing battle against your laughter. “You know. Dramatic edits with slow-motion clips. People putting music over videos of you looking sexy as hell.”

“Some of them have millions of views.”

She squinted her eyes at you like this was somehow your doing which was partially true.

“I've reposted a few.” You continued, your voice teasing, “For science.”

Lin shook her head in disbelief. She would never understand the internet. “Of course you have.”

“I'm supporting local artists.” You tell her seriously, giggling at the end as you looked at the unimpressed look she gave you.

Lin groaned, releasing you so she could go to work. “That's not what that means.”

Your sleeping habits are a constant source of confusion for Lin. For someone who owns a perfectly good bed, you seem determined to sleep literally anywhere else. Closets, crawlspaces, under furniture, or wedged into corners so tight that most people would assume you'd gotten stuck. Lin has long since stopped asking why. Her only rule is that you tell her where you're going before you disappear into one of your strange vampire nests.

Unfortunately, that rule failed one morning. Lin had already left for the station when she realized she'd forgotten an important budget folder. Irritated with herself, she doubled back to the apartment, expecting to be inside for less than a minute.

The moment she stepped into the bedroom, something felt terribly wrong. From out the corner of her eye she could see a narrow, blinding beam of sunlight cut right across the mattress. One of the blackout blinds hadn't been shut all the way and the bed was entirely empty.

A sharp panic tightened inside her chest as her stomach dropped.

“Baby?”

The word left her lips as a quiet question, but it was answered only by a terrifying silence that seemed to swallow every sound in the room.

She crossed the room in seconds, checking the bathroom, under the bed, the kitchen cabinets because she knew sometimes you liked to squeeze yourself in them but found nothing. The silence in the apartment was not helping at all and the longer you didn't answer, the larger the pit in her stomach grew. In one last ditch effort to find you Lin metalbent her boot off, pressing her bare foot flat against the floorboards, her seismic sense caught the faintest, structural vibration.

The slight tremor in the wood was completely static, lacking any of the pulsing warmth of a human pulse, but it was unmistakably you. Her breath hitched as she traced the cold line of energy straight to the master closet. She sprinted across the floorboards, her bare foot hitting the wood with a hard, uneven slap, and yanked the closet door open so violently the brass hinges groaned under the strain.

You were curled tightly beneath a pile of her old uniforms on the floor, having buried yourself deep in the dark fabric with one arm tucked beneath your head. You were completely motionless, your chest perfectly still, entirely locked in the defensive grip of the daylight coma.

The sight made her heart stop. The stray sunlight had already reached you– not enough to severely injure you, but just enough to trigger a deep, defensive survival instinct. Your body had shut itself down completely. Lin dropped to her knees, a wave of terror sitting heavily on her chest, her hands were shaking as they hovered over you.

“Hey. Wake up. Come on, look at me.”

You didnt answer her. Your body remained entirely inert beneath the pile of fabric like some hollow, unmoving shell.

Lin's eyes glazed over as tears blurred her vision. “Baby, open your eyes. This isn't funny. Wake up.”

Lin touched your cheek and found it ice-cold, lacking even the faint trace of warmth you usually maintained. Real panic hit her then. She pulled you into her arms, her chest heaving as she shook you gently, then harder, her voice cracking as she called your name over and over to no avail.

You remained entirely limp against her chest, silent and unmoving, asleep in a way that felt far too close to dead for her liking. Ten minutes later, Lin was still sitting on the closet floor, gripping you fiercely against her chest as if she could force her own life force into your still body.

The harsh static of the radio tore through the silence of the dark closet, the noise feeling like a physical blow against Lin's frayed nerves. She squeezed you closer, her arms tightening like steel bands around your limp, unmoving frame as Mako's voice cut through the speaker.

“Chief, are you coming in? We've got the briefing ready for you.”

Lin swallowed thickly against the bitter, metallic taste of rising distress in her throat, forcing her racing mind to ground itself as she willed her voice not to crack. Her breathing was shallow, her ribs pressing hard against your cold shoulder as she tried to master the trembling in her jaw.

“No.”

The line went quiet for a beat, the long pause over the airwaves making the ambient darkness feel even more oppressive. “No? Is everything alright?”

She really wanted to yell at him and tell him to mind his own business but with the worry gripping her chest and you laying in her arms she couldn't find the energy.

“Family emergency. Clear my schedule for the day.” Lin's voice cracked at the end, unable to hold the sob that tore from her throat.

Before he could ask another question she clicked the radio off. The sharp snap of the plastic switch echoed loudly in the dark as she threw the device across the floorboards. She buried her face back into your neck, her hot tears finally spilling over in a quiet, heavy rush that wet your icy skin.

The rest of the day passed in agonizing silence.

Lin eventually pulled herself together and dragged a spare mattress from one of the many guest rooms into the closet and sealed the door completely shut to plunge the space into an absolute sanctuary. She wrapped her own heavy uniform coat around both of you and sat with her back against the wall, refusing to leave your side for a single second.

Hours passed and you didnt make a sound. No matter how many times Lin desperately reminded herself that this was normal for your species, the sight of you lying there cold and lifeless filled her with a grief that she never wanted experience.

She wouldn't survive it.

When you finally woke, the apartment was completely dark and your senses returned slowly, taking in the scent of Lin that was wrapped around you like a cloud. Your head was resting against something warm. You blinked once, twice, trying to clear the fog from your mind.

“Lin?” Your voice came out rough, still laced with remnants of the slumber you had just awoken from.

You tilted your head so you could see her, watching as a visible wave of relief washed across her face so powerful it almost looked painful. For a split second, her eyes squeezed shut as if she was gathering herself before she completely fell apart.

“What are you doing?” You asked, blinking slowly as you took in the cramped darkness around you. “Why are we on a mattress in the closet?”

Lin let out a long, uneven breath. Her arm that was wrapped around your waist tightened, her hardened frame was shaking faintly as the adrenaline she'd been running on for hours finally began to wear off.

“The blinds were open,” She said, her voice hollow in a way that nade you stiffen. “The bedroom was flooded with sunlight.”

You frowned, the pieces starting to come together. “Oh. I must have missed one of the latches when I closed them before dawn.”

“I came back for a folder,” She continued, her voice tight. “I walked into an empty room and found you unconscious under my uniforms. You were buried like you were trying to dig into the floor.”

You winced, a dull ache settled behind your eyes as the lingering effects of the trance began to fade. “Oh my God Lin! I swear to you it's not that serious, I'm fine. It's an involuntary reflex.”

“It looked serious,” She whispered, her breath hitching in her throat. It was like she was mourning the loss of you even though you were sitting right in front of her. “It looked like you were dead.”

“It was just a daylight trance,” You said gently, your fangs retracting as you melted into her. “I told you about this.”

You reached for her hands, finding them where they rested around your middle, your cool palms contrasting sharply with her heat.

“You wouldn't wake up.” Lin says as she blinked back tears. It was like she was reliving it all over again. “I shook you, I called your name and you didn't even twitch.”

“Lin-”

“You were ice cold,” The words rushed out of her, interrupting whatever it was you were going to say. “You didn't have a pulse and you weren't breathing. You were just lying there. What am I supposed to do with that?”

“My body shuts down when too much ultraviolet light gets through,” You explained gently, trying to soothe her with the simple facts of your biology. “It's a defense mechanism. The trance lowers my energy consumption until I'm somewhere dark and safe.”

“I know that.” Tears burned just behind her eyelids. “I know exactly what it is. I've listened to every single explanation you've ever given me.”

Her forehead pressed briefly against the back of your shoulder, her frame still trembling. “But knowing the science doesn't make it any easier when I find my wife lifeless on the floor.”

You turned carefully in her arms until you could finally look at her face in the dark, noting the deep, dark circles under her eyes. She looked completely exhausted, like she hadn't moved an inch from this spot since she found you in the closet. Your hand rose, your palm cupping her warm cheek.

“Hey.” Your fingers gently trace her scars. Lin leaned into the touch, her watery eyes melting with a quiet, vulnerable relief. “I'm okay.”

A soft, breathy huff escaped her, her shoulders finally dropping. “You are now.”

You brushed your thumb across her skin, tracking the smooth curve of her jaw. “I'm sorry I scared you, sweetheart.”

“Good,” She grumbled, her usual gruffness returning just enough to hide her embarrassment. Now that you were awake, she felt a little silly for reacting the way that she did. Though, she'd never admit that aloud. “You should be, you'll have to figure out how you're going to make it up to me.”

“Maybe I should get a coffin,” You suggested, its been on your mind for awhile now and this incident just solidified that you needed one. “A real one.”

For the first time in hours, a startled sound escaped Lin, somewhat between a snort and a laugh.

“A coffin?” She repeated, lifting her head from your shoulder as if she hadn't heard you correctly.

You nodded almost excitedly. “It would solve the problem.”

Lin stared at you in exasperation. “You are not serious.”

“I am completely serious.” You replied, already thinking about which one you would get.

Lin shook her head as she fought back a sudden smirk. “You want to sleep in a coffin.”

“Yes.”

Lin blinked, this was definitely up there on the craziest conversations she's ever had while in a dark closet list thanks to you. “Baby we own a bed. Why would you need a coffin?”

“The bed tried to kill me.” You reminded her, as if it were the most obvious thing and you weren't sure why she wasnt getting it.

Lin sighed, at least this ridiculous conversation proved you were feeling better. “The bed did not try to kill you.”

“The coffin wouldn't have left the blinds open.” You pointed out, making a very valid argument.

Lin groaned, her chest rumbling against yours as her rigid posture finally began to soften a little now that she was distracted by your nonsense. “You are impossible.”

You pressed on anyway, your vampric eyes shifting into a teasing crimson. “Think about it. Solid wood, metal seals, completely enclosed. We wouldn't have to worry about accidental sunlight ever again.”

“You sound like you've already thought a lot about this,” Lin muttered, her eyes narrowing as she studied your face. She could only really see your glowing eyes with the closet door closed. Which would probably scare the hell out of anyone else. But to lin, it was proof that you were alive and after the day shes had she'll take any reassurance she can. “How much research have you done?”

You shrugged, looking anywhere but her. “You know, a normal amount.”

Lin dropped her head back against the closet wall, letting out a massive, exhausted sigh. “Spirits help me.”

“It makes sense.” You smiled, you'd never get tired of messing with her like this.

“It absolutely does not.” Lin snorted.

“It does,” You insisted, shifting so you could look up at her. “Baby, I was unconscious for six hours because a blind wasn't closed all the way.”

“Don't remind me,” She whispered, her fingers tightening around your waist as the leftover panic flared in her chest. “Matter of fact, let's never bring that up again.”

“Okay, baby. But I'm not hearing a no…”

Lin let out a breathless laugh. “You can't seriously expect me to come home every day and find my wife sleeping in a casket.”

“Why not?” You asked, your lower lip puffing out into a cute, deliberate pout as you tilted your chin up at her.

“Because that's horrifying.”

You crossed your arms firmly over your chest. “It's practical.”

Lin met your stubborn gaze head-on. Her deep green eyes locked onto yours. “It's creepy.”

“It's traditional.” You argue.

“Okay, dracula.”

Lin regretted the nickname the second she saw your glowing eyes light up. “You called me Dracula.”

Lin rolled her eyes as your arms snaked around her neck. “One time.”

“It still counts,” You laughed, your lips brushing over hers.

Lin's warm breath ghosted your cool lips as she exhaled sharply at your proximity. “Don't let it go to your head.”

“Too late.” You closed the remaining distance between your lips and captured Lin's in a kiss. Her calloused hands rested firmly on your hips to steady your weight on her lap, as the kiss deepened. Her thumbs slid inward, gently tracing the bare skin where your shirt had ridden up.

Your skin was still slowly heating up, and the feel of the coolness sent a shiver down her spine as her hands slipped under your shirt and roamed your stomach and lower back, grasping at the skin there as if she were trying to reassure herself you were real.

Lin parted her lips for you with a soft, breathy sigh, granting you complete access so you could slip your tongue into her mouth as you greedily took the control she was so willingly giving you. She tasted faintly of her morning coffee. You drank in the taste of her, your tongue tangling with hers in a possessive caress as you claimed her mouth.

Lin met the intensity of the kiss with a quiet, desperate need of her own as she poured into it the countless hours she's spent crying over your form.

“By the way,” You whispered against her lips as you finally pulled back just an inch, a playful spark still dancing in your eyes as you gazed into her lidded ones. “I'm way cuter than Dracula.”

‿̩͙⊱༒︎༻♱༺༒︎⊰‿̩͙

A week later, Lin had completely forgotten about the conversation. It was nearly midnight on a Thursday, and the apartment was exceptionally quiet except for the scratching of Lin's pen and the occasional irritated huff as she worked her way through a mountain of reports spread across the dining table. She was halfway through correcting a particularly awful witness statement when she heard the front door unlock.

Lin glanced up absently, a greeting on her lips before she froze. The report slipped from her fingers, fluttering onto the wood. You stood in the doorway looking impossibly pleased with yourself, your eyes shifting into a smug, beady glow. Balanced flawlessly across your shoulders was a full-sized wooden coffin. A very ancient and dirty casket. Fresh graveyard dirt showered onto her clean rug with every step you took, the unmistakable smell of damp earth filling the room.

At first, neither of you spoke. Lin stared, the coffin stared, and you smiled like you had just won the lottery. Lin slowly lowered the pen still clutched in her hand. “Please tell me you didn't steal that from the cemetery.”

You walked further into the room like you were carrying a simple grocery bag from the market and not something you dug up out of the ground. “It's an heirloom. I excavated it from an abandoned plot outside the city borders.”

Lin closed her eyes, pure bewilderment taking over her features. “You excavated it. With a shovel?”

You grinned, shrugging your shoulders and causing more dirt to fall out of it. “Mostly.”

“Dirt is falling out of it.” She said flatly. “It's literally tracking all over my clean floor.”

“It's antique dirt, Lin. It adds to the historic charm.” You quipped, giving her one of those famous smiles that always had her forgiving you for your nonsense on the spot.

“More like an expensive cleaning bill and a trip to the clinic for tetanus.” She grumbles.

You gasped, balancing the coffin on one shoulder with your supernatural strength while your free hand clutched your chest dramatically. “That's incredibly insulting to my ancestors.”

Lin dropped her head into her hands. For several seconds she simply sat there, questioning every decision that had led her to this moment, her shoulders were shaking with silent amusement that she was desperately trying to smother.

When she finally looked up again, the coffin was somehow even closer. “Stop moving that thing. What exactly was your plan here with the giant box full of grave dirt?”

You brightened and lin couldn't help the way her heart leaped in her chest at the sight of it. “It solves the sunlight problem. You were very upset, so now I have a coffin. It has reinforced hinges and a silver-lined interior.”

Lin blinked, an amused laugh finally breaking past her lips as her eyes crinkled with warmth. “You got upgrades on your way over here?”

“I have standards.” You tell her, your voice light and airy.

She crossed her arms, her gaze shifting from the casket back up to your smug, glowing crimson eyes.

“You are a menace.” She said, her voice dropping into that dry, questioning tone she used whenever her patience was hanging by a thread. “How exactly did you get a two-hundred-pound piece of antique funeral home property into the middle of the city? Did anyone see you?”

You tilted your head, your smile widening to the point your fangs were on full display. “Nope, I used the rooftops.”

“You carried a casket across residential buildings,” Saying it aloud only made it sound more bizarre.

Lin could already picture the anonymous reports her detectives would bring her tomorrow.

Suspicious woman observed sprinting across rooftops carrying a coffin.

Possible ghost sighting.

Possible kidnapping.

Suspected cult activity.

The headlines would be endless. She was already getting a migraine just by thinking about it. “If I have to explain this at work, I'm resigning on the spot.”

You laughed, and Lin watched in horror as your shoulders shook and more dirt trampled onto her floor. “You say that every time I do something that embarrasses you. Im starting to think this may be a new kink of yours.”

“Shut up. You're literally committing crimes and you think this is funny.” She says, her blood pressure rising the longer this conversation went on.

“It wasn't a crime.” You think. To be honest you weren't so sure, vampires didn't really go by the same laws humans did.

“You are unbelievable. And you are not putting that monstrous thing in our bedroom.” Lin leveled you with a stern look that revealed just how serious she was.

You frowned, a soft, pathetic whine already sounding in your throat as your shoulders slumped in disappointment. “The corner?”

“No.” Lin stood, walking across the room to the cleaning closet to grab a broom and a dustpan to deal with the minor disaster you had just imported. Her boots clicked heavily against the floorboards, each step a testament to her exasperation.

“The hallway maybe?” You called out after her, your eyes narrowing so you can track her through the walls with your supernatural sight.

“So I can trip over you while I'm getting ready for work?” Lin shot back without missing a beat. She returned with the supplies, her gaze dropping to the trail of dirt that was permanently threatening the integrity of a rug that had been a housewarming gift from her Aunt Katara.

You shifted your weight around, now that the initial excitement was gone you were worried you really messed up. Your shoulders slumped a bit under the weight of the casket, and the crimson glow in your eyes flickered with sudden vulnerability. “The guest bedroom?”

Lin paused, her grip tightening around the broom as she looked at your expression. She could see the real concern there, as you started to second guess and doubt yourself. Your eyes dimmed, and she was sure if you could cry, your eyes would be watering right now. Her heart constricted in her chest, watching you actively lose your joy cracked whatever resistance she had left.

“Fine.” Lin sighed, her voice incredibly soft. Honestly, she didn't know why she'd bothered arguing in the first place. After all these years, she knew exactly how this was going to end. You'd give her that look, she'd pretend to resist, and somehow you'd get your way anyway. “The spare bedroom.”

You took the small victory, kissing her on the cheek as you thanked her repeatedly and promised to make it up to her.

By the end of the night, you were standing on the back terrace scrubbing centuries of graveyard dirt off your new bed while Lin supervised with her arms crossed, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

She leaned against the doorway leading back into the apartment, the warm light from inside spilling across the terrace and outlining her silhouette. Every so often her eyes drifted from you to the coffin, there was a fondness there that made you feel so loved.

Now that most of the dirt had been washed away, she was beginning to understand why you'd been so determined to bring it home. The casket was beautiful and not in the creepy, morbid way she'd expected.

The wood was a deep, rich mahogany so darkened by age it looked almost black in places. Intricate silver inlays curled across the surface in winding patterns of roses, ivy vines, and thorned branches that wrapped around the lid like living things. Time had softened some of the details, but the craftsmanship was still breathtaking.

“Okay,” She admitted reluctantly. “It's actually kind of pretty.”

Your head snapped up. “I know.”

“Exactly how old is that thing?” Lin asked, her voice echoing softly against the concrete walls of the terrace as she watched you work.

You paused, the coarse bristles of the scrubbing brush still held tightly in your hand. “Several centuries.”

“Of course it is.”

A faint smile tugged at your lips as your hand brushed over the damp, newly polished wood, your eyes shifting into a soft, almost human shade. “It belonged to someone I knew.”

Lin's spine straightened slightly, her green eyes locking onto you. You rarely talked about the people who had come and gone throughout your long life. Most of those stories stayed buried somewhere deep inside you, tucked away beneath centuries of memories you almost never shared.

The sadness in your voice caught her attention before anything else. “You knew them?”

You nodded once. For a long moment, your gaze remained fixed on the coffin rather than on her. Your hand rested against the polished wood, fingertips tracing one of the silver vines carved into the lid. The sight of it seemed to pull you somewhere far away. Lin had seen you quiet before, but this was different. It was the look you got when centuries suddenly stopped being an abstract number and became something tangible– measured in faces, names, and people who no longer existed.

The silence stretched between you, broken only by the distant hum of Republic City's nightlife and the soft scrape of your thumb against the silver inlay.

When you finally spoke, your voice had lost all of its usual warmth and humor. It dropped into a low, distant register that sounded as though it had traveled a very long way to reach her. A faint smile touched your lips, fragile around the edges, carrying more grief than joy.

“Her name was Elena.”

The name lingered in the cool night air between you. There was no distance in it, no fading of memory despite the centuries that had passed. It carried the quiet weight of grief that had long since settled into something permanent. The kind born from loving someone for so long that even after they were gone, they remained woven into the fabric of who you were. Elena wasn't just a memory. She was a piece of your life that time had never managed to take from you.

Lin watched the quiet stillness settle over you, her sharp green eyes softening as she recognized the familiar ache beneath it. This wasn't the grief of a fresh wound. It was older than that. Deeper. The kind that came from living long enough to watch entire lifetimes pass and carrying the memory of people who had long since become names and stories to everyone else.

“Do you want to talk about her?” Lin asked quietly, walking over to where you were kneeled over the coffin.

Her calloused palm reached out to grip the back of your neck, her strong thumb gently brushing the nape of your neck in a slow, soothing gesture to pull you out of the shadows.

“If not, that's okay too.”

You leaned your head back against the solid, comforting pressure of her hand, closing your eyes as the warmth of her skin quieted the pain. “You two would have never gotten along.”

Lin's thumb, which had been drawing slow, rhythmic circles against your skin, paused just below your hairline. Her touch hovered there, solid and heavy. “I don't get along with most people.”

“Which is why I know you would've hated her,” You murmured, turning your head slightly to look up at her through the dark. “She was almost as uncompromising as you are. A total force of nature.”

Lin's mouth twitched, her deep green eyes locking onto yours. “This is starting to feel a little insulting.”

You smiled, your fangs completely peeking out as you reached up to gently fold your cool fingers over her wrist. “It’s the highest compliment I can give, beloved. She was the fiercest creature I ever had the pleasure of knowing, until I met you.”

A warm flush crept across the tops of Lin's cheeks. She rolled her eyes on instinct, but there wasn't much conviction behind it. “Now you're just trying to butter me up.”

“Why would I need to do that? I already got the coffin,” You tell her, your tone dropping into a smooth, effortless purr.

“Don't remind me.” She groaned.

“Elena was one of the strongest people I've ever known,” Your gaze drifted over the silverwork etched into the coffin's lid, following patterns your hands had traced countless times before. “She was stubborn to the point of arguing with kings, proud to where she suffered in silence rather than admit she was afraid, and protective to the degree that she threw herself into danger for the people she loved without stopping to think about what it might cost her.”

Your chest tightened as a memory of her flashed in your mind. “She drove me absolutely insane.”

Lin sucked in a breath beside you. “I can see the resemblance already.”

That earned a laugh from you, but it faded quickly, leaving behind something warmer as your eyes locked entirely onto her.

“She had this way of making every room feel smaller,” You continued, your voice dropping lower, as you remembered a time where she made you feel like you belonged. “Not because she demanded attention. People just...noticed when she walked in. She carried herself like the world had never successfully told her no.”

The smile lingered for another moment before your expression gentled.

“And if someone she cared about was hurting...” You shook your head, your fingers tracing a dark grain in the wood. “Spirits help whoever caused it.”

Lin's eyebrow arched, “Okay, you may be on to something.”

This time your laughter lasted a little longer, the playful sound cutting clean through the cool night air. “That's exactly my point.”

Your fingers tightened slightly around her hand, your cool palm anchoring itself securely against her calloused skin. “You remind me of her because of all the things that mattered. Not the way she looked. Not the way she talked. But the way she loved people.”

The words settled heavily between you. Lin's breath caught for just a moment, her chest tightening as the full weight of your confession finally sank in. Something warm and unexpectedly tender unfurled beneath her ribs as her green eyes searched yours, reflecting the silver glow of the moonlight spilling across the terrace.

She understood what you were really saying. You weren't comparing her to someone you'd lost. You were trusting her with the memory of someone who had mattered. Someone you had loved enough to carry with you through lifetimes.

Lin's hand cradled your cheek, her fingers settling against your cool skin. You could tell she was struggling to find the right words by the way her jaw flexing as she let out a quiet breath.

“I wish I could've met her.” The admission surprised even her. “And...” She hesitated, the vulnerability still tasting weird on her tongue. “I'm glad you told me.”

“I know you don't talk about this stuff often.” Lin rested her forehead against yours, as her own eyes fluttered closed. “And I just want you to know that it means alot to me.”

“I don't care that she came before me.” Her voice dropped lower, vibrating directly against your chest. “She's part of your life. Part of who you are.”

“And I love all of you, baby. Even the parts that existed long before I did.”

Lin smiled softly, her fingers gently sliding into your hair, she closed the remaining distance and placed a feather like kiss to the corner of your mouth. Her eyes were glassed over as she looked at you with a love she couldnt amount to words. “And I would like to think she'd be happy you aren't alone anymore.”

Nobody in Republic City actually believes Lin Beifong is married, and it is entirely your fault. Lin doesn’t hide her marriage; she wears her wedding ring everywhere, talks about you constantly, and has zero interest in anyone else.

The problem is that you're a vampire, you don't show up in photographs. Every picture in Lin's office looks like she's standing alone. Family photos have an empty space beside her. Vacation pictures make it seem like she took the trip by herself. To anyone who doesn't know the truth, there is absolutely no visual evidence that you exist.

So people flirt with her, constantly. Lin finds it irritating and you find it deeply offensive. Not because you're worried about Lin. You trust her completely. What bothers you is the principle of it. In your mind, she practically walks around covered in your scent. Her clothes, apartment and her office smells like you. To your instincts, it's obvious she's taken.

But humans were hopeless.

Lin was already annoyed when she walked through the apartment door. You could smell the sharp spike of adrenaline on her, hear it in the unusually heavy clatter of her keys hitting the counter, and see it in the rigid line of her jaw as she shrugged off her coat.

Without looking up from your spot on the couch, you spoke. “Who irritated you?”

Lin snorted, unlatching her armor with practiced irritation. “Take a wild guess.”

You tilted your head thoughtfully. “The city council?”

“No.”

“Tenzin?”

“No.”

“Me?”

Lin's eyes shined in amusement. “You’re always a possibility.”

You smiled, entirely unbothered. She rolled her eyes and disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a steaming mug of tea before dropping onto the cushions beside you. The second she settled, you leaned into her side.

Lin took a slow sip before speaking. “That guy from the coffee shop was there again.”

Your attention sharpened instantly, your body stiffening. “What guy?”

“Some random that doesn't understand boundaries.” Lin tells you.

Your eyes darkened, the irises bleeding into a volatile, pitch black as your fangs clicked sharply against your lower lip. “The one who keeps flirting with you?”

Lin looked like she didn't even want to tell you. Her voice lowered as she placed her tea down and pulled you more into her, her grip tight and unyielding as if to prevent you from going after him right this second. “Yes.”

Your vampric overprotective instinct flared to life as you growled, “I'll kill him.”

Lin tightened her arm around your waist and pulled you a little closer against her. “See, this is exactly why I didn't want to tell you.”

“What did he do?” You asked.

Lin's brow furrowed into a sharp line. The skin around her silver scars tightened as irritation settled across her features. She looked like someone who'd already had this conversation too many times.

“He asked me out again,” She said, the words coming out clipped. “I told him I'm married, like I do every single time, and he told me he wasn't giving up until I gave him a chance.”

“He said that?” You asked, your voice dangerously calm.

“Don't even think about it.” Lin warned, as she registered the subtle change in your demeanor. “Baby, he'll get the hint sooner or later.”

“I haven't said anything yet.”

Lin's calloused hand lifted to your chin as her warm fingers curled firmly around your jaw so you had no choice but to look directly into her eyes. “You didn't have to. You have that exact murderous look in your eyes you get seconds before you decide to bite someone.”

You adjusted so you were laying across her chest, as she pulled you in for a kiss. The moment her lips brushed against yours all of the previous tension melted away. Your fangs retracted as the soft press of her lips calmed the racing thoughts.

“I do not have a look, by the way,” You informed her. “This is simply my normal face when you tell me some human has been flirting with my beloved.”

A shiver tan through lin at the mention of your internal devotion to her. You could hear the rush of blood coursing through her veins as her pulse picked up. Your eyes darkened with lust as you hovered over her.

“You like it when I claim you, don't you?” You murmured, your lips grazing the high curve of her cheek. She took in a sharp, ragged breath. Your nostrils flared at the scent of her arousal as you breathed it in greedily.

You watched the smooth skin of her throat bob as she visibly swallowed, her fingers fisting into the fabric of your shirt with an iron clad grip that revealed hust how turned on she was. “I never said that.”

“You didn't have to.” Your voice dropped to a low resonance that seemed to cause her slick heat to drip from her cunt, ruining her underwear. “Your body is speaking for you baby and right now? I'm exactly what it needs.”

Lin let out a low, shuddered breath, her carefully constructed restraint beginning to fray. Your hand slowly slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, the cool contrast of your palm against her warm skin sending a sudden jolt through her. Her pupils were blown wide, her deep green irises nearly swallowed by darkness as she stared up at you with a desire that nearly had her arching into you.

Lin's fingers tangled firmly into your hair, she pulled you down, crashing her lips onto yours in a passionate kiss. The world outside the room faded as you focused entirely on the sensation of her under your touch and the quiet, breathless sounds she made as you spent hours reminding her that she belonged to no one else but you.

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

Lin detests how quietly you move. She would be buried in paperwork late at night in her office, completely convinced she was alone, only to hear your voice right against her ear asking if she’s eaten. You never hear her scream, her pride won't allow it. But you have definitely heard some of the most creative swearing in the history of your entire existence.

It gets to the point that she's tired of the mini heart attacks you keep giving her. So one night she crafts a sleek leather choker with a tiny, highly resonant brass bell and physically fastens the collar around your neck, tight.

“If you take it off, you're sleeping on the couch,” She barks, hands resting on your shoulders.

You just smirk, tilting your chin up to let the bell chime softly, and gave her a lazy, feline look. “A leather collar? I didn't know you were into that, Chief. If you wanted me on a leash, you could have just asked. I'm more than happy to be anything you want me to be.”

Lin’s face immediately turns as bright as the fire nation flag. She clears her throat, shoves a stack of police files into your chest, and snaps. “Take these home and get out before I lock you in a holding cell.”

You just bat your eyelashes at her, your eyes shifting into a teasing, warm crimson as your voice lowers into that smoky tone that gets her every single time.

“You promise?”

Lin fails to hide the sudden flutter in her pulse at your words. She grumbles something under her breath, pointedly pulling her eyes away from you so she can get back to work.

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

Because your schedules are mismatched, your relationship thrives in the dead of night, but your protective nature means you never truly stop watching over her. Whenever Lin is out on late-night triad raids or stakeouts, you sit back at home and use your second sight to track her across the city, extending your mind out into the shadows just to make sure she is safe. Lin always knows exactly when you’re doing it. She was a Beifong after all, which means she can physically feel her skin prickling with the distinct, heavy buzz of your supernatural energy that was cutting through the air around her.

It was distracting, hell, you knew your presence would distract her that was the point. You had been watching her for atleast an hour before Lin stumbled into the apartment at 3:00 AM, her armor clicking heavily against the floor as she walked straight up to where you are lounging, a scowl on her face.

“You were doing it again,” She accuses, crossing her arms and glaring down at you. “My neck was tingling throughout the entire stakeout, stop spying on me.”

You merely tilt your head, crimson eyes widening into a flawless picture of innocence that neither of you believed for a second.

“I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, sweetheart,” You reply smoothly. “Ive been sitting here reading this entire time.”

Lin narrows her eyes at you, the problem isn't that you're lying. It's that you're good at it. Or at least you think you are. A sharp grunt escapes her as she unclips her metal breastplate and sets it aside with more force than necessary. Years together has made her painfully familiar with all your tells. And right now, she could see the barely concealed satisfaction of someone who has been listening in on conversations that weren't meant for them.

“Uh-huh.”

“What?”

“You're full of it.”

You finally glance up from your book, expression wounded. Lin isn't fooled for a second. She settles down onto the couch beside you and you shift closer, your knee brushing hers.

For all her complaints about your inability to mind your own business, Lin has long since grown accustomed to your constant presence. There was something reassuring about it, even if she'd never admit it out loud. No matter where she was in the city, she knew some part of you was always aware of her.

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

You have a tendency to stare. It's one of those vampire habits that never really went away, no matter how long you've lived among people. Sometimes you'll settle into complete stillness and simply watch. Not because you're planning anything or because you've drifted away into thought. You just like looking at Lin.

When you're focused on something, you become unnervingly motionless. You can spend hours in the same spot, unblinking, your crimson eyes fixed entirely on your wife as she moves around the apartment.

The first time Lin caught you doing it, she genuinely thought something was wrong. Now, she mostly finds it ridiculous. She'll be making tea or getting ready for bed and eventually feel that familiar sensation of being watched. The moment she turns her head, she finds you exactly where she expected, sitting on the couch, curled in a chair, leaning against a doorway.

Always watching.

“Why are you staring at me?”

You blink, your ancient eyes widening slightly as the question genuinely surprises you.

“I'm looking at my wife.”

“That's not an answer,” She grumbles, though you can see the amusement in her eyes.

You shrug, “It is from where I'm sitting.”

Instead of breaking your gaze, you lean your chin on your hand and continue to track her with that same intense, focus, refusing to look away even as she snaps her casefile shut that she was reading like it was a bedtime story. Lin glares back at you, her jaw tightening as she tries to out-stare a vampire that has spent centuries mastering the art of absolute stillness.

“You're doing it on purpose now,” She complains, her voice dropping into a rough, dangerous tone that completely fails to intimidate you.

“Always,” You purr softly.

Lin lets out a sharp, frustrated grunt and grabs a spare pillow, hurling it straight at your face with perfect precision just to break your line of sight.

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

When it comes to your feeding habits, you usually spare Lin of the gory details. She acts like she doesnt care, but deep down you know whether or not you're getting enough blood is a constant source of worry for her. She's seen first hand what happens when you neglect yourself.

Most of the time, Lin notices the signs before you do. She catches the way your movements lose their usual fluid energy, the slight edge that creeps into your voice whenever someone asks too many questions.

The one thing that really disturbs her is the way your crimson eyes slowly darken until your irises are nearly swallowed by pitch black. While most mates of vampires might not think much of the subtle shift, Lin catches onto it the second she suspects something is off.

“Have you fed?”

You groaned. “That's a strange way to phrase it.”

Lin raises a brow, “Answer the question.”

You sighed already knowing where this was going to go. “Not yet.”

The moment the words leave your mouth, Lin's posture goes rigid as her jaw tightens and her shoulders square. Before you can say another word, she steps directly into your space, her calloused hand coming up to cup your face while her thumb drags across your cheek before settling firmly beneath your eye.

“You look terrible.” She says bluntly,

You gasp dramatically, clutching a hand to your chest. With what little energy you have left, you muster up your usual playfulness, hoping you can charm your way out of whatever lecture is coming. Unfortunately, you're married to Lin Beifong, and she remains completely unmoved.

“Your eyes are almost black.” She states, her eyes narrowing as she studies you.

You wiggle them suggestively. “Baby, they tend to do that when I'm in a mood.”

“That's not-” Lin actually splutters before stopping herself. She pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a slow, grounding breath. “You know what I mean.”

“Do I really though?”

“So now we're playing dumb?”

You grin, it probably would have been more convincing if your fangs weren't completely showing, nipping your bottom lip which was also a sign of hunger. Before you can come up with another excuse, Lin's hand latches onto your wrist and tugs you forward.

You nearly lose your footing. “Hey, wait!”

“No.”

“Lin…” You whine pathetically.

She ignores you and continues to drag you out of the living room and toward your study. You are significantly stronger than she is, but that doesn't matter, because neither of you are under the illusion that this is a fight you're actually going to win. Once you're inside, the mini-fridge is ripped open and a moment later, she places a chilled glass of blood directly into your palms.

“There.”

You stare at it, then at her, then back down at the glass. Lin folds her arms tightly across her chest, her bare feet lightly tapping against the floor. The look on her face leaves absolutely no room for negotiation.

You weren't sure why you were suddenly becoming a little shy under her piercing gaze. “You are literally watching me.”

“Correct.” She deadpans, like she had been expecting you to try and talk your way out of this.

You clicked your tongue. “That's weird.”

She gave you a look. “Says the vampire.”

You let out a breath, sinking further into the chair. “You're violating my privacy.”

Lin scoffs in disbelief, her hands flexing at her sides. “That's rich coming from you”

You grumble a curse under your breath but finally give in. Lin doesn't move nor does she stop staring. She watches you the entire time with a deep furrow between her brows, her concern evident on her face despite how hard she tries to mask it. Every now and then her eyes would flicker over your features, making sure you're actually swallowing instead of finding some creative way to avoid it.

“You know,” You say after a taking a long sip, your lips and teeth stained with blood. “Most wives don't supervise their spouses like this.”

“Most wives don't have spouses who forget to feed themselves.” Lin fires back, reaching for a tissue so she could wipe your lips.

“I didn't forget.” Your shoulders slacken as you attempt to plead your case. “I was busy.”

Lin lets out a long-suffering, heavy sigh. “You've been alive for centuries and somehow I still have to remind you to take care of yourself.”

You take another greedy sip, mostly because arguing is becoming significantly harder now that her lecture is actually making sense. Slowly, the healthy color starts returning to your face, and the dark shadows beneath your eyes begin to ease.

Some of the rigid tension finally leaves her shoulders, her foot stops its impatient tapping, and the hard line of her mouth softens ever so slightly. It is the exact reaction she'd been waiting for, proof that you were actually well, you.

You catch the way her eyes linger on your face and smile at her. “Aw, I love you too baby.”

Lin rolls her eyes hard. “Don't start with me.”

“You were worried.”

“I wasn't, you're immortal.” Lin lies.

“You dragged me across the apartment.” You pointed out, your eyes shining with mischief.

“You were being stubborn.” She counters, her eyes looking anywhere but you.

“You stayed and watched me drink the entire thing.” You added.

“You needed supervision.” Lin supplies.

Your grin widens, and Lin lets out a soft groan. Then, after a brief pause, she reaches over and gently cups your cheek. The gesture is quick, almost reluctant, but her thumb brushes across your skin anyway. You feel much healthier now.

“Don't do that again,” She commands, the irritation is still there, but underneath it sits something much softer, a quiet vulnerability that makes your chest ache a little.

You lean into her hand, your eyes locking onto hers. “I'll try.”

Lin's nose wrinkles. “That's not reassuring.”

You kiss the palm of her hand, letting your lips linger there to soothe her worries. “It's the best you're getting.”

Lin sighs heavily, her eyes melting with relief, and she steps in to press a kiss to your forehead before you can make another smart comment.

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

When you do go out to dinner and you have to keep up appearances, You prefer your food rare, and by rare, you mean blue. Lin judges your plate every single time you order a raw steak at a restaurant and hides her face in embarrassment when you have to explain to the chef and the manager that you'll be okay and it wont kill you.

Thia particular evening, your usual spot was closed for renovations, so after nearly an hour of searching up places you finally found a table at this restaurant that was a further drive but still had the intimate atmosphere you were going for. Lin looked beautiful in her dress that hugged her in all the right places.

The night had been going smoothly right up until the waiter came to take your order. “And how would you like your steak cooked?”

You smiled pleasantly at the young man. “As rare as possible.”

The waiter nodded, scribbling on his pad. “Rare. Got it.”

“No, I don't think you do.” Lin snorts, she could practically feel a disaster approaching.

You tilted your head, you were wearing colored contacts because when you didn't, it drew too much attention and tonight was supposed to be about you and Lin.

“What she means,” You continued cheerfully, ignoring her unnecessary commentary. “Is that I want my steak blue if possible.”

The waiter blinked. “Blue rare?”

“Yes.” You nod.

He looked skeptical. His eyes traveled to Lin for help, and when he realized he wasn't getting it his gaze lowered to the penpad and pencil that was trembling in his hand. “Like... seared?”

“Barely.”

The poor man looked entirely confused, deeply concerned, then confused all over again. Lin dragged a heavy hand down her face. Her posture practically deflated under the weight of the waiter’s bewildered stare. She pressed two fingers to her temples, her cheeks flushing a furious pink that she desperately tried to mask by squinting hard at the bread basket.

“Just write it down,” Lin advises, reaching for her wine.

The waiter hurried away before either of you could elaborate. The moment he was gone, Lin pointed her fork aggressively at you before stabbing her salad. “You enjoy making people uncomfortable.”

You leaned back in your chair, sitting on an angle as your eyes raked her body. “I ordered food baby just like you did.”

Lin pretended she didnt feel the way your eyes kept trailing down her body. “You ordered a health code violation and spooked a teenager.”

“Eat your salad.” You chuckled, your fangs catching the dim light. “The sooner I can get that dress off of you the better.”

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

Because your body is naturally dead, you have to actively concentrate to circulate what little warmth you have to match human body heat. Sometimes, when you are exhausted or deeply distracted, you completely forget to regulate your temperature. You’ll casually slide your hand into Lin's or drape your arm over her shoulder while she's working from home and the freezing chill of your skin always makes her instantly lock up. She always compares it to touching solid ice.

A sharp spike of panic hits Lin every single time it happens. She will drop whatever she is doing, wrap both of her calloused hands around yours, and glare at you with wide, intense eyes.

“You're freezing. What's wrong?” She demands, her voice laced with worry.

“Nothing is wrong, baby. I just forgot to keep my temperature up, it's fine.” You try to explain, offering a reassuring smile.

Lin dismisses your explanation outright, Her hands move briskly over your skin, rubbing your arms in an attempt to force some life back into limbs.

A deep crease forms between her brows, intense anxiety settling across her features as she studies you. “You are freezing.”

You open your mouth to reassure her, but she shakes her head sharply before you can even get a syllable out. “Absolutely not.”

Her palms slide upward, framing your jaw as she cups your face, her hot skin contrasting sharply against your icy flesh. “You feel like a corpse.”

You raise an eyebrow, a teasing smirk pulling at your lips. “I am technically a corpse.”

“That's not the point,” She says, a sharp huff of exasperation hitting your face like a warm breath. Her green eyes flash with a naked vulnerability that makes you soften. “You don't usually feel like this.”

A small laugh slips from you, but Lin remains entirely unconvinced, her grip tightening to anchor you. “Sit down.”

“Baby-”

“Sit.” She orders.

You allow her to steer you toward the couch, knowing from experience that arguing against her protective instincts is a lost cause. The second you're seated, she crowds into your space, one hand resting firmly against the side of your neck while the other wraps securely around your wrist as she climbs into your lap.

“Did something happen?” She asks, her voice gentle. “Did you overdo it? Lose too much energy?”

“Baby,” You trailed off, not sure what has gotten into her. “I swear I'm fine.”

Her eyes sharpens. “That wasn't the question.”

“What, you think I can't handle you?” You were a little offended that she thought hours of love making during the day would tire you out. It was true, you were rarely up at this hour but with her changing to overnight shifts the next three days you made some adjustments.

Lin shuffles in your lap, heat creeping up her neck as her arms circle around you. “Why must you be like this.”

You responded by sinking effortlessly into her hold, resting your head into the crook of her neck. Your cold cheek pressing against her hot skin. Lin hums softly, the low vibration rumbling deep in her chest as her fingers slide into your hair. It didn't take long for your body to warm up again, and lin held you until you eventually drifted off to sleep.