In honor of Varrick and Zhu Li returning I felt like writing a little something. It will likely turn into more, as I slowly but surely brush off the cobwebs of my absence in order to get back into writing. Bare with me because these are likely going to be garbo. And likely smutty. Because if you know me and you know the shit I wrote a couple years ago(lots of lin and bumi) then you know. YOU KNOW. Let's do this.

Sitting quietly at the dimly lit desk, Zhu Li leaned in to scribble another note into the last page of her notes. It was well passed midnight, but she had decided to stay up a big longer to go over the ideas Varrick had been throwing around that day. It needed to be neat and tidy if the research team was going to make any sense of the jumbled mess that was Varrick's creative mind. A proud smirk curled at the corner of her mouth. It took a while to get the ideas out, but once they had them written down…

Zhu Li lifted her head to pass her gaze over the wall of bars that kept them locked up. The bars themselves looked rather ominous, but the rest of their jail cell was quite homely. Furnished with tables and chairs, a couch, decent lighting, and the most comfortable of beds that Republic City had to offer. If one was going to spend their days in jail, this was definitely the way to do it. All thanks to that brilliant madman, currently curled up in that big four-poster. Thrashing from one side to the other with a soft groan that sparked Zhu Li's worry immediately.

Lifting up from the chair, she quietly made her way across the cell and to Varrick's side, where he once again rolled and fisted a hand into his pillow. The bed was large enough to fit two people and at the moment, Zhu Li's side was tidy and untouched. She didn't have a problem sleeping with her boss, in a manner of speaking, he was nothing if not polite. Besides…

"No…" Varrick whispered helplessly, the sweat on his brow causing his hair to stick to him. Zhu Li's eyebrows drew together as she watched him struggle through an apparent nightmare, the pain on his face tugging at something within her. She knew this dream. Knew what her boss struggled with when the darkness coated him like a second skin. With a softened expression, she reached out to brush Varrick's forehead, shifting his sweat-dampened hair to the side. At the touch of her fingers, his body jolted as if she had struck him. Prompting her to rest that hand firmly on his shoulder as he began to writhe. "Stop… stop!" he whispered, brow tightening.

Zhu Li's heart felt sad as she watched him struggle through his nightmares. Of the times before his flashy, wealthy life. When he didn't even have two coins to rub together. Though she hadn't been with him at the time, she knew all too well how Varrick had struggled. Sleeping on the streets, fighting for the smallest scraps of food. And ultimately losing those fights against the benders he ran into. With no money and no bending, he was utterly helpless, the lowest wrung of society. It was a miracle he even survived. But the hardships he had endured gave him all the motivation he needed to make something of himself. All he needed was a little boost, and a chance meeting with Zhu Li herself. She could still recall the first time she ran into that charming conman, hope in his eyes and a smile that could melt the most frozen of hearts. He had been nothing, but with his will and Zhu Li's belief in him, he had become something.

"Rgh.." Varrick's groan snapped Zhu Li out of her thoughts, the poor bastard struggling against her hold and the demons in his mind. She'd never let him relive those days. A silent determination to remain at his side so that he could never feel hopeless again. As one hand continue to press Varrick into the rumpled sheets of their bed, her free hand rose to the side of his face. Placing her palm against cheek as she whispered softly to him. Unintelligible words to calm and ease that fragile mind. He fought against her touch for a moment, turning his head into her in efforts to nudge that hand away. But she remained, stroking over the heated flesh and leaning forward until her lips could brush his forehead. That seemed to do the trick.

As his body stopped thrashing, his brow began to soften. Zhu Li's ran her fingers over his forehead one more time before reaching up to remove her glasses, placing them on the bedside table. She eased into bed beside him, and sensing her body near, Varrick turned towards her. Zhu Li's arms eased forward to envelope him and he instinctively curled into her. Head tucking down into her neck and arms possessively wrapping around her middle. One of her hands dug into the back of his head, fingertips rubbing into his scalp until they both settled into each other, muscles relaxed. Feeling that he was at ease again, she smiled and closed her eyes. Lifting her free hand from around him to bend the tiniest tendril of water to snuff out the light.

~end~

Thanks for reading, bros. Until next time.~