20 Months

If asked why she was smiling contently at her husband Kai Fong, Jinora would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her intoxicated with newlywed bliss, but she didn't care, for you see, there were many reasons:

#1) They were in Omashu, one of the largest cities of the Earth Kingdom, and a place she had always wanted to visit ever since she was a little girl. It was beautiful, with a rich history, and she couldn't have imagined their honeymoon at a better place.

#2) Well, because it was their honeymoon. They had just gotten married two weeks ago (August 2nd, 2021 – just thinking about the day made her heart swell). He was her husband. She was his wife. It felt like a dream come true.

#3) For once, there was nothing to worry about. No bills or paperwork or anything. Lefty was being looked after by Ikki, their cozy little flat was waiting for them and they still had another whole two weeks more to enjoy just being in each other's company.

"My darling wife," Kai said, breaking her out of her stupor and causing an involuntary smile to spread across her face. "Is everything alright?"

They were sitting at a restaurant, part of the chain of the one they had gone to for their three-year anniversary of dating. Anniversaries from now on would be wedding anniversaries. The beautiful ring on her finger glistened in the candlelight and reflected in her brown eyes, even though the image she was drinking in was Kai sitting across from her, grinning, but now looking slightly concerned.

Jinora reached across the table and laced her fingers through his hand, their wedding rings clinking as they made contact. "I'm just thinking about us," she replied and Kai's concern vanished. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"To us," he proposed, raising his glass of wine. Half-laughing, Jinora raised her own. "Mr. and Mrs. Fong." She touched the rim of her glass to his own before taking a sip, still smiling.

"My husband," she said, enjoying the sound of the word in her mouth, enjoying how Kai looked at her with so much adoration and love. "Would you like to play a game?"

She watched comprehension dawn on his face, and he smirked at her. "What sort of game, my lovely wife?"

Jinora pretended to think, and then raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps 20 Questions?"

"Remind me again how you play?" Kai teased, playing along.

"It's quite simple really," Jinora tried to keep a straight face. "You pick a person, a place or a thing and the other person has to guess by asking questions. For example, I picked a person. He's smart, and brave and handsome and funny. The love of my life. I don't suppose you have any idea who that is, do you?" She leaned in across the table and Kai did the same.

"You're horrible at this game," Kai murmured, pulling a giggle out of her before closing the distance and kissing his wife.

Part of Kai had never wanted the honeymoon to end, he was surprised by how happy he was to see the door of their apartment as he and Jinora lugged their bags to their flat. Kai dug in his pockets for the key, found it, and opened the door. He was extra surprised when a furry monster knocked him over, missing Jinora's attempts to catch him.

"I missed you too Lefty!" Kai cried as the dog licked his face furiously. Kai thought that the dog's tongue had maybe even licked his mouth: completely gross. He was grateful when Lefty got off of him and bounded over to Jinora - who he didn't knock over, which Kai thought was a little unfair. Jinora laughed as she gathered the big furball up in her arms.

"Easy boy, calm down," Jinora ran her hands over the dog's fluffy ears, "we missed you too, shh..." She smoothed down his fur and offered a hand to her husband, helping Kai pull himself up. "I think he likes you more than me," Jinora teased.

"Looks like you have some competition then," Kai shot back, grinning. "Now, would please put the dog down?" Jinora did as he asked, giving him a questioning look, and yelped when he picked her up, bridal style, Lefty barking at their heels.

"Kai," she said, laughing, "you already did this the first time we came home." She swatted him on the chest lightly with the back of her hand as they stepped over the threshold. Kai kissed her cheek.

"I know, but I wanted to do it again," Kai answered. "Like I how fall in love with you every day all over again." He lowered her onto the couch, looking at her fondly. Jinora latched her fingers around his wrists, refusing to let go. "Of course I wouldn't mind making love with you either."

Jinora tugged him down. "That's what I was hoping to hear." He started to get on the couch when she looked over his shoulder. "We should probably bring our luggage in first."

"Well that just killed the mood," Kai mumbled, but he followed her out the door.

They ended up back on the couch later that night, asleep, Jinora snuggling into his chest with his arms wrapped around her, both of them exhausted from unpacking, and Lefty cocooned somewhere in their tangled legs.

It was good to be home.

"So how's work?" Jinora asked, settling down beside him on the couch and handing him a cup of coffee. She was in a dark red sweater, the fierce wind of Autumn rattling their windows. It was unusually cold for September and Jinora found herself wearing sweaters every day to the middle school she taught at; her first year. Besides, she didn't mind the cold too much, as it gave her more of an excuse to cuddle with Kai.

"It's good," Kai said brightly. "Korra's put in a good word for me at her social service centre, so I'll be getting my first case soon hopefully. I'll get to do what Korra did for me." Kai kissed her forehead. "What about you? Are the kids being good?"

"Pretty good," Jinora said lightly. "Although I think every kid would be good compared to you."

"Hey!" But Kai was grinning widely.

"I'm getting used to having so much to mark though, and learning their names. I have over 25 kids in one class and another 25 in the other! It's a lot of reading."

"Make sure you leave some time open for your 25th birthday," Kai requested. "A quarter of your life," he added.

"Look who's talking, Mr. 25 in April," Jinora replied, chuckling. "Just don't do something too extravagant."

"I will make no such promises."

They continued to talk about their day, the little ins and outs, and Jinora found herself content. Even the worst days wouldn't be so bad if this was how they ended.

Kai watched his wife wring her hands together, her brow furrowing as she glanced at the clock. In only a few hours she would head to the school and have parent-teacher interviews: her first. Kai walked over to her and took her agitated hands in his own, giving them a squeeze.

"You're going to do fine," Kai told her, her eyes flicking up to his face. She gave him a small smile. "The parents are going to love you, the kids already do, and you've marked all of them fairly. There's nothing more you can do, so don't worry."

"What if I'm not fine?" she whispered.

It made Kai think back to a conversation, years ago, the answer to number 13 of a list of 20 Questions. (What is your worst fear?) I'm scared of not being good enough. "Then you'll pick yourself up and move on, and I'll be by your side. But no matter what, even if this goes horribly wrong, you are good enough. You are always more than enough." He pulled her into a tight hug, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Feel better?" he asked after a few minutes.

Jinora laughed shakily, and nodded against him, pulling away slightly. He brushed a tear away from her beautiful brown eyes. "Yeah," she said, a confident smile spreading across her face. She kissed him briefly. "Thank you Kai."

"For better or for worse," he reminded her.

"For better or for worse," she echoed, smiling.

And she did just fine with the parent-teacher interviews.

Even inside the flat, Jinora could see the snow whirling furiously past their windows, piling up on their tiny balcony. She was glad she was curled up under the couch with a roaring fire in their fireplace, toasty and warm, unlike Kai, who was out walking Lefty. She eased her book open, setting her bookmark to the side. Finally, it was Christmas break, and she could get some reading done.

Her head snapped towards the door when it banged open. Kai was bundled up in a scarf, coat and hat, snow everywhere. Lefty was an even bigger mess, snow clinging fiercely to his fur. "It is insane out there," Kai ripped off his coat, shaking it. Snow floated down onto their mat as he stomped his boots and pulled those off too.

Jinora put her book down, her eyes gleaming with amusement as she walked over to him. "It'll be hard to get the snow off of Lefty's fur. I'll give him a bath." She scooped the fluffy dog into her arms, ignored how the snow was soaking her sweater.

Kai gave her a grateful look. "Thanks babe."

She smiled and kissed his cheek, startled at how cold his skin was. "After Lefty's bath, wanna join me in one?"

"Is that a trick question?" Kai chuckled softly. Jinora giggled and carried Lefty over to the bathroom and turned on the tap, keeping one hand on Lefty's collar so he couldn't run rampant all over the apartment. Once the water had been filled, she dumped Lefty into the tub. Thankfully, Lefty was dog who loved water, and he didn't mind it.

"We're going to your parents' for Christmas dinner, right?" Kai asked, entering the bathroom and leaning in the doorway.

"Mm hmm," Jinora confirmed. "And visiting Korra, Mako, Bolin and your foster parents in the afternoon." She looked up at him. "I wouldn't mind some help with cleaning Lefty off, you know."

Kai flashed her an apologetic grin, kneeling down beside her next to the tub. "'Course Jin. And I'm getting you all to myself on Christmas Eve." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "How are you so warm?"

"How are so you cold?" she countered, smiling widely. "Speaking of Christmas, what do you want this year?"

"Well I have a dog, and you, so I'm pretty content," Kai teased. "But seriously? Maybe a new motorcycle helmet, because my old one's getting a little worn down." The Christmas of the year they had been engaged for, Jinora had gotten Kai a new motorcycle, as his old one had broken down. "Or maybe tickets to a play. I hear the Ember Island Players are bringing back The Boy In The Iceberg."

"And of course you already know what you're getting me because I'm so easy to buy for?" Jinora guessed.

"Bingo, my darling wife," Kai answered. They both yelped when Lefty shook furiously and sprayed them with water and little bits of snow. "You know," Kai said laughing, picking a piece of snow out of her hair, "maybe I don't need the dog."

Lefty barked joyfully.

"January's a hard month," Jinora said dully, rubbing her throbbing temple. Kai nodded. The two were lying on the couch, feeling horrible. Korra's New Year's Eve party had gotten a bit too wild last night, although thankfully, mostly due to the fact Jinora could barely hold her liquor and had kept Kai at only two beers, they weren't really hungover. The headache was mostly from the loud, ear-drum destroying music that had been blasted for hours on end. Kai was surprised Korra hadn't gotten a noise complaint.

It was true though, that January was a hard month. The holidays were drawing to a close, Christmas was over, and just when you didn't want any snow there was more snow than ever.

"It doesn't have to be though," Kai pointed out.

"Because life's what you make it, so let's make it rock?" Jinora said, a laugh spilling out of him. Jinora laughed so hard she snorted.

"Did you just quote Hannah Montana?" he cried, wiping her eyes, and Jinora smiled guiltily. Maybe she was a little more hungover than he thought. Honestly, it made him fall in love with her a little bit more. "No, but seriously, January can be a fun month. Let's do something fun, right now. Any ideas?"

Kai racked his own brain for ones. Not the movies, they did that often enough, going out for dinner could be pretty expensive and they ordered takeout a decent amount anyway, god when had their lives gotten so boring? They were only 25.

"Bowling?" Jinora suggested.

Kai beamed at her. "Bowling it is," he grabbed her hand. "C'mon."

Bowling, it turned out, was an absolute blast. After driving down to the nearest bowling place and pulling on shoes, they started a riveting competition. Kai didn't usually knock down all of the pins with even two balls, but sometimes got a strike. Jinora, on the other hand, got spares, successfully knocking down all of the pins with two balls every time.

"I am the champion," Jinora bragged, laughing, when she won. Kai laughed along with her.

"I didn't know you were a sore winner," Kai teased. "Looks like I'll have to fix that." He wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, turning around slightly.

"Kai! Put me down!" Jinora managed in between laughs.

"Not until you admit I'm the greatest bowler in the world," he bargained.

"You're the worst husband in the world," she choked out, more laughter bubbling out of her.

"I'm not hearing that I'm the best."

"Alright, alright," Jinora surrendered. "You're the best bowler and husband in the world, happy?" Kai finally set her down, identical grins on their flushed faces.

"Glad you recognize my talent," Kai said, pecking her on the lips.

"Oh I'm recognizing it alright," Jinora said dryly, still smiling.

Maybe January didn't have to be a dull, boring month after all.

After a day of pink and Valentine's Day cards at school, Jinora wondered what she would come home to, but she certainly hadn't been expecting this. Opening the door to the apartment, she saw pink petals decorating the floor. The lights were dimmed, and candles were set on their table with some red roses laid out. Jinora covered her mouth with her hands, her wide grin still peeking out as Kai strode over to her, looking immensely proud of himself.

"Oh Kai," she said breathlessly. "I - thank you."

Kai gave her that lopsided grin she loved so much. "I figured our first Valentine's Day as a couple should be special." He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"Let me get your surprise first," Jinora requested. She bolted to their bedroom and came back with some papers in her hand, old and worn. Then, she looped her arm through his. "Lead the way."

Kai led her over to the beautifully decorated table, pulling her chair out of her. Jinora made a big show of sitting down, then picked up her roses and took a whiff. "Thank you," she repeated, looking at him in adoration. Kai poured them both glasses of wine.

"The hardest part was getting Lefty a big enough treat so he wouldn't eat the petals," Kai admitted fondly, electing laugh. "So, what's this 'surprise'?"

"I had to look through a lot of boxes for it, Korra helped, but I finally found it," Jinora flourished the piece of paper and began to read aloud. "20 Questions Assignment." She turned the paper over to him. "I found our assignments."

Kai's face broke into a wide grin. "Oh my God. Okay, okay, question number one, what is your full name?"

"Jinora Agatha Fong," Jinora said, loving her new surname. His surname. Theirs, now.

"And if I ever told anyone that you would've killed me," Kai reminded her. They both laughed. "Okay, question two, birthday? You're September 16th."

"And you're April 6th," Jinora answered. They went down the lists, seeing how some of their answers had stayed the same, and how some had changed. Their favourite movie was still Aladdin, their favourite colours were still green and brown, but now their favourite memory was now their wedding day. Their fears had changed to losing each other.

It made Jinora think on much she had changed from when she was seventeen - sure of who she was, oblivious to what lay ahead of her - and how much happier she was now. Kai, above everyone else, had helped her grow. The words thank you didn't seem big enough.

But she knew, as their gazes locked and a gentle smile spread across his face, that he understood her perfectly.

"Happy seven year anniversary," Kai hummed in her ear. Jinora rolled over in bed to face him, smiling. The sunlight hitting her eyes was painfully bright, shining around Kai's head as if he were an angel. Jinora wouldn't be surprised if he was one.

"Happy seven year anniversary," Jinora mumbled back. Seven years today they had kissed in his parents' garage for the first time. The memory made her smile grow. She reached over and combed his hand through his hair; Kai closed his eyes in pleasure.

She could barely believe it had been seven years. It felt much too short a time, and even though she had spent many years barely knowing Kai, it was hard to imagine her life without him in it.

"I love you," she murmured. She had said it hundreds of times, sometimes meaningfully, sometimes absentmindedly, but always, always, knowing it to be completely true with every fibre of her being.

"I love you too," Kai replied. He had said it hundreds of times too, but she knew she would never, ever get tired of hearing it. 'I love you' were the sweetest words on the planet, her favourite words.

She snuggled closer to him and he held her tighter. For better or for worse, if she could wake up every day like this, life could never be that bad.

Kai knew Jinora had gotten out of bed, had felt the bed creak and move as her weight shifted and left, and then had fallen back asleep. He figured she was getting up early, maybe to do some grading. It was the weekend, at least, but he knew a teacher's work was never truly done. God knew his work was never done. Kai had recently gotten signed onto the same place Korra worked at, and he was really enjoying it, but he was worried. He had been given a kid to look after - Johnathan DeBree, and the kid wasn't making it easy. Before coming into Kai's care he had been in three Foster homes in as many months.

But those unpleasant thoughts vanished when Jinora came into the bedroom, carrying a tray with a good-smelling breakfast on it: a stack of pancakes over spilling with butter and maple syrup, some strips of bacon and a glass of orange juice. "Happy 26th birthday, my wonderful husband," she said merrily.

Kai sat up in bed and she carefully handed the tray over to him. "Thank you," he pecked her on the cheek, "my wonderful wife." It still managed to a blush rise to her cheeks, even after all these years. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Every day," she said, leaning in and smiling into the kiss.

"Still not enough."

Pursing her lips, Jinora watched her husband run his hand through his hair, an exasperated sigh escaping from his lips as he poured over paperwork. She took the hang out of his hair and laced her fingers through it, pressing the back of his hand gently to her lips. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just..." Kai sighed again. "My charge, Johnathan, he's not making it easy. I have no idea how Korra managed with me, as I was ten times worse." He laughed slightly.

"Ask Korra for some advice then," Jinora suggested, giving his hand a squeeze. Kai nodded, taking her suggestion into account. "Although, if there's anything I can do to help?"

Kai offered a small smile. "You already have."

Jinora kissed the top of his hair. "I'll call you when it's time for dinner, your favourite tonight." Jinora went to leave, her fingers sliding out of his when he tightened his grip, not letting go. Not for the first time, Jinora marveled at how perfectly their fingers fit together, like a puzzle that had found its missing pieces. She wondered if Kai was thinking along the same lines.

"Thanks Jinora," he said gently.

She smiled, startled by the tears forming in her eyes. "Anytime."

Kai could barely believe that June had already arrived. He had parked his car in the parking lot of Jinora's school, leaning against the metal as kids ran out, glad to finally be on summer vacation. Kai could easily say the same. It would be nice to know that he and Jinora would have more time for each other, assuming that they didn't get pulled into too many wedding planning duties for Bolin and Opal. The two were getting married next month, and he knew that Jinora felt some pride at that fact, as she and Kai had been the ones to introduce Bolin and Opal to each other.

"There you are!" Kai grinned was Jinora walked towards him with an expression of mild surprise.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, leaning up to give him a quick kiss. Kai was sure she was keeping it brief so as not to scar the children for life.

"Got off work early, figured I'd come to celebrate with you," Kai wrapped an arm around her waist. "You know, because I'm the best husband in the world, guilty as charged."

Jinora rolled her eyes, smiling. "Shush you."

"And since this is the beginning of your vacation, milkshakes from Dairy Queen, no ifs, ands or buts," he said sternly.

Jinora smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Guess I can't argue with that logic, not that I want to."

Kai leaned down and nuzzled his face in her neck, only to feel her pushing him away. "Not in front of the kids Kai," she said quietly, blushing furiously.

Kai pulled away, pouting. "We're just showing them what true love looks like," he said, but settled with just holding her hand.

Until that night of course, but then Jinora had no issues with it.

The wedding was beautiful - not as beautiful as theirs, Jinora knew no wedding would ever be as beautiful as theirs - but still beautiful. Opal was stunning, Bolin was sobbing and Jinora even shed a tear or two. Mako had been the Best Man, Korra the Maid of Honour with Jinora's old teacher Asami Sato as a bride's maid (small world). Opal's family, the BeiFongs, had come too. Jinora hadn't realized just how many of them there were, and still couldn't tell the twins Wing and Wei apart.

After a few glasses of champagne, and Kai pulling her onto the dance floor, Jinora forgot all about those things. Kai's hand was warm on her waist, the hall was warm, the music soft and the lights glimmered in Kai's eyes. Bolin and Opal were waltzing nearby, as were Korra and Asami. "I wouldn't be surprised if they got married soon too," Kai said, his voice smooth and low.

It made Jinora think back to their middle school days, when Kai's voice had been all over the place, cracking and spiking. Back to before their legendary fistfight, before she had decided she had hated him, before his initial crush on her had faded. And then had come back, stronger than ever, only this time it had been mutual.

Jinora smiled. "You think so?"

Kai nodded, their feet stepping in time with the music. "They're both getting up there, and I've never seen Korra look so happy. They've been dating for a year, maybe, but they've been friends for a long time."

"A little like us," Jinora noted.

"Well soulmates come in different ways," Kai said, and she blushed despite herself. Her belief in soulmates had never died, only intensified after being with Kai for so long, but they had never directly addressed it.

"I suppose they do," Jinora leaned in for a kiss.

Kai knew Jinora loved romantic gestures, and although he wasn't the most romantic person naturally, he had come a long way. But he was sure that this would be perfect. He glanced down at the paper clutched tightly in his hands just to make sure all the dates and notes he had written down were correct. (Jinora was always better with numbers than he was.)

Quietly, he crept into the bedroom, shooting a meaningful look over his shoulder at Lefty to make sure the dog stayed, and then closed the door behind him. "Hello beautiful," he said softly, taking a seat on his side of the bed. Jinora rolled over with a content smile on her happy.

"One year anniversary of being married," she sighed happily. Kai brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"It is," he said, "but," he flourished the paper, putting on a mock-stern look, "you've forgotten some pretty important anniversaries too." A look of confusion came across her face. "Let's start at the very beginning, shall we? September 4th, 2005, was the day we first met. December 19th, 2006, you were the angel in the Christmas play and I thought you looked pretty."

Jinora started to smile, but Kai was far from done.

"February 14th, 2007, you gave Valentine's Day cards to every kid in the class but I thought mine was special because you made the smiley face inside extra big." Tears were starting to fill her eyes. "May 3rd, 2008, you helped me make a goal in a game of soccer on the playground and it made my day. November 2nd, 2009, I realized I had a humongous crush on you. November 22nd, 2009, you smiled at me and I smiled back like a complete idiot."

"I thought it was endearing," Jinora laughed, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"March 8th, 2009 our dreaded fistfight happened," Kai's voice grew ridiculously ominous, pulling another laugh out of her. "And we decided we hated each other. October 20th, 2012, Lydia Burnsby said I was pretty cute for a criminal, and you made her look like an idiot with a classic witty comment of yours, Oh yeah, look at that evil gleam, he's a diabolical mastermind."

Jinora murmured, "I can't believe you remembered that."

"October 5th, 2013," Kai pressed on, "I technically punched Aaron Frank in the face for you when he kept harassing you. I convinced myself it was because even if I didn't like you, I didn't like him a lot more."

"There's only one more I'm afraid," Kai continued, "I'm sure you know the rest of our anniversaries, you might know this one. September 6th, 2014, Ms. Sato assigned us as partners."

Jinora sat up in bed, tears streaming down her cheeks with a huge grin on her face, and she cupped Kai's face in her hands, pressing her forehead against his, their noses lining up. Kai threaded his fingers through her hair, the stubble on his chin tickling her brow when he moved to kiss her forehead, brushing tears away with his thumb.

"I - I don't have the words," Jinora managed out, her voice breaking with a quiet laugh of disbelief.

"We've never needed words," he chuckled. "I'm just glad these are happy tears."

They flopped back side by side in bed, laying on the sheets, Jinora still smiling tearfully at him, and he grinned back at his beautiful wife. Kai watched in mild confusion when Jinora took the piece of paper from his hand, grabbed a pen from the bedside table where her journal lay, and left the room, coming back a few moments later with the calendar from the kitchen in her hand.

She uncapped the pen. "Let's start writing down these anniversaries so I don't forget, hmm?"

Kai's smile softened. "Good idea."

"Wait, so you're seriously telling me that you've never read Harry Potter?" Jinora stared at her husband in shock. She had been rereading the first Harry Potter book, a side effect of September, and Kai had offhandedly said he'd never read the books. How had she not realized Kai had never read the books?

"Um, no?" Kai said.

"Oh my God, we have to fix that," Jinora said. She shoved the first book at him. "You're reading the first one at least, giving it a shot. If you don't like it, I won't push it."

Kai raised an eyebrow, giving her a skeptical look. "Jinora-"

"I'll consider it a birthday present," she cut him off. "Please? For me?"

Kai sighed. "Fine. But only the first book, okay?" She nodded, looking far too pleased with herself.

It was fun knowing exactly what Kai was getting himself into - witches and wizards and lovable characters and amazing plot twists and heartbreaking deaths. She let Kai gripe and groan (he even cried in the fifth book when a character died) and couldn't help but grin. And she knew by hearing the dull thud when he closed the final book that he was breaking inside - she had gone through it too.

"That's it?" Kai said blankly in disbelief.

"That's it," Jinora confirmed. "Tomorrow, we start the movies..." She glanced over at him. "Kai, are you crying?"

Kai was hastily wiping his eyes. "No," he denied. "Well, yes, but... I'm just so happy that Harry got a happy ending." Jinora wasn't surprised Kai had seen a lot of himself in Harry; both orphans, both with green eyes even, had a troubled childhood, they were both impulsive. Jinora had long ago decided that Kai would be in Gryffindor, Harry's House at Hogwarts, the House of the brave. "I wish I had the books growing up, I think it," he sniffled, "I think they really would've helped me turn things around when life was getting rough."

He smiled tearfully at her. "You saved me, you know."

"Kai," Jinora began.

"You did," Kai said, his voice full of conviction. "I had some idea of where I wanted to go, but... You gave me direction, you gave me someone I could tell absolutely anything to. There are so many things I never would have done if I didn't have you. You make me so happy."

"I'm just glad these are happy tears," Jinora said, stealing his line, and it brought a soft chuckle out of him. "You've done as much for me as I have for you, maybe more."

"Not possible."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Maybe."

Jinora laughed. "Are you okay though?"

Kai's nose bumped into her own, another bubbly laugh spilling out of her. "Better than okay. Thank you." He glanced down at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. "Thank you, Harry. So, movies tomorrow?"

"Movies tomorrow," she agreed.

"Kai, we're going to be late!"

"I'm coming, I just can't get these ears to stay-"

Jinora rolled her eyes and reentered their bedroom, fighting back a smile at the sight of her husband struggling to keep his Mickey Mouse ears on top of his head. She had gotten her Minnie Mouse ears on with relative ease. "Here," she took the costume piece out of his hands, "let me try." She did a little rearranging and then put the ears on his head.

"Of course you would get it on the first try," Kai grumbled as she stepped back to admire her work.

"Of course," she agreed, pecking his cheek. "Now, we better get on the road or we're going to be late for the party."

Kai grabbed his coat and tossed her her coat before he pulled on his own. "Korra gets way too into Halloween," but he was smiling. "So, Minnie Mouse, care to make a wager?"

A mischevious glint came into Jinora's eyes. "What sort of wager Mr. Mouse?"

"Ten bucks says Korra proposes to Asami tonight," he said cheerfully.

"Ten bucks says Korra announces that they're already engaged tonight," Jinora bargained. "Shake on it?" She stuck out her hand and Kai shook it, and then they set off for the party.

(Jinora won the bet.)

"Is that the class photo?" Kai asked, peering over at her shoulder. Kai could spy his charge, Johnathan, among the other kids, smiling. By some stroke of luck, Johnathan had ended up in Jinora's seventh grade English class this year. Kai had already seen the improvement in Johnathan's behavior.

"Got a copy early," Jinora said, following his line of vision, her lips tugging upwards. "Johnathan's doing really well, one of my best students. Funnily enough, him and a girl named Kate Gya reminds me a lot of us at that age."

Kai looked at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Oh yeah, it's clear John has a huge crush on her," Jinora said, grinning. "I wonder if they'll turn out like us?"

Kai rested his head on her shoulder. "If they're lucky." Jinora made a soft noise of agreement. "But what do you think, does little ol' Johnny have a shot with Kate?"

Jinora shrugged. "I don't know, maybe. They're young, they still have a lot of growing up to do."

"We still have a lot of growing up to do," Kai added.

"You do," Jinora corrected. Kai pretended to look hurt, but Jinora had already looked back down at the photo, finding Johnathan and Kate. "As for those two kids, I hope they make it."

He nuzzled his face into her neck. "I do too."

Jinora sighed as she looked at the dirty clothes Kai had strewn on the floor of their bedroom. Most of the time, she'd pick them up, grumble, make a small mention to Kai, and watch him never change, but her frustration had reached its peak. She stomped over to the living room where Kai was watching TV on the couch.

"Kai," she snapped, "you need to do something about these clothes, I'm not going to keep cleaning up after you!"

Kai stared at her, narrowing his eyes. "I... never ask you to clean up after me...?"

"That's not the point," she tossed the clothes at him. Kai took a sock off his face, frowning. "The point is I've told you over and over to clean up your clothes and you never listen!"

"I'd get to it if you didn't do it first," Kai retorted. "You don't need to nag me, I hate it when you nag me."

"I wouldn't have to nag you if you just did what you needed to do!" Jinora felt angry tears spark in her eyes. She hated fighting with Kai, it didn't happen often, it had increased once they had started living with each other. Most of their living-with-each-other-issues had been dealt with, there were still bad habits that got under each other's skin, like when Jinora had a dozen books stacked on their shared bedside table.

Kai's features softened. "Hey Jin, don't cry, let's..." He thought for a moment, and Jinora already felt her anger fading. "Let's try an experiment, okay? It takes three weeks to form a habit right? So I'll start trying to not leave my clothes leaving around, and if I do, you just leave them for me, okay? I'll start trying harder, I'm sorry."

Jinora sniffled. "Okay," she took a deep breath. "I'm sorry I lost my temper with you. Your experiment is a good idea, let's try it."

"Okay. I'll start with these clothes right now," Kai scooped up his dirty socks and shirts into his arms. "Let's try not to have another dirty clothes snowball-esque fight."

Jinora half-smiled. "Agreed."

"Let's get matching tattoos."

Kai looked over at Jinora, who had her computer on her lap, shocked. He knew she had always wanted a tattoo, still wanted one, but this announcement was pretty unexpected, a side effect of January. He had been thinking about getting another tattoo. He had a tattoo of three small white birds, silhouettes, flying across his shoulder blades. "Where's this coming from?"

"Honestly, I have no idea, but I do have a good idea for what we would get," Jinora said. Kai perked up. "This is what I was thinking." She moved the laptop closer to him, showing a picture of a separated yin and yang symbol. "I'd get yin, the black one, and you'd get yang."

"Where would we get them?" Kai was all for it, but he also wanted to see how far Jinora had thought this through. She was always thoughtful, always sweet.

"On our backs, over our hearts, since I can't get it on my chest, obviously," Jinora winced, "way too painful."

"Yeah," Kai wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the side of her head. "Let's do it. This weekend?" Jinora nodded. "This weekend it is then."

And the night after they got their tattoos, carefully lifting each other's shirts and seeing the pink, tender skin, Jinora's fingers gently brushing over his, his fingers brushing over hers, they knew they were two halves of a whole: this had just made it official.

Jinora liked watching Kai sleep, especially when she couldn't manage to doze off herself; this was one of those times. It was only ever for a few minutes, and it was rare to see him look so peaceful. His windswept hair was ever curlier, a few strands falling over his face. Jinora gently brushed the hair out of his hair, a loving smile spreading across her face.

His lips were parted, and every so often a little snuffle would escape in the most adorable way possible. His breathing was slow, a steady, deep sound, constant, comforting, like a heartbeat.

Jinora settled down to sleep herself, moving carefully so as to not disturb him, even as she snuggled closer to him so she could hear his actual heartbeat. The low beating was like a lullaby, and she fell asleep in no time.

Kai had been excited to come to Jinora's workplace as classes were winding to a close with the impending March Break looming ahead. Or, at the very least, he wanted to come pick her up from school. He was waiting for her, leaning against his car again when he spotted Johnathan, who hadn't seen him yet, talking to a girl. Kate Gya, he thought.

Kate did remind him a little of Jinora, they both had brown hair, and Kate had a thick book in her hands, clearly oblivious to Johnathan's crush on her (the boy was blushing and stammering up a storm). Then the two kids saw Jinora walking towards him and ran up to their teacher. "Mrs. Fong, is he your husband?" Kate asked, looking at Kai.

Jinora smiled at Kate before looking at Kai. "Yes he is Kate. Kai, this is Kate, and you already know Johnathan." Johnathan offered Kai a grin, which he returned.

"Jinora's told me you've both been very good," Kai praised, exchanging a happy, knowing look with his wife. "You two have fun on your vacation."

"You too Mr. Fong," Kate said. She grabbed Johnathan's hand, the boy blushing furiously. "Come on Johnny, we have to go find our parents. Bye Mr. Fong, bye Mrs. Fong." The two kids ran off.

Kai watched them go, a longing building up inside of him, barely hearing Jinora chuckling beside him. "They're off to a better start than us," Jinora remarked. Kai remained silent. "Kai?"

He gazed at her the same way he had on their wedding day, eyes full of adoration and affection. "Jinora... what do you think about kids?"

Jinora's face was blank, but then she smiled widely at him. "I think it's a great idea. Do you want...?"

Kai's smile grew. They had talked about kids before they got married, decided that they both wanted them, one day. "Let's make a baby," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her.

"Let's make a baby," she repeated.

So they did.

If asked why she was smiling contently at her husband Kai Fong, Jinora would've given a list of reasons. Some may call her emotional with what had just happened, but she didn't care, for you see, there were many reasons:

#1) They were in a hospital, and while that usually wasn't a cause for celebration, this time it was. After months of morning sickness and nerves and a day of pushing and screaming, it was over. Or was it just beginning?

#2) Well, because one of the most beautiful things in their lives had happened. Today was December 19th, 2022 - just thinking about the day made her heart swell. It was the day she had played an angel, and he had thought she was pretty. Now it was the day their true angel was born. He was a father. She was a mother. It felt like a dream come true.

#3) For once, there was no worries coming to mind. No nerves or irrational fears. The baby - their baby was healthy, beautiful, a gift.

"She's perfect," Kai said, breaking her out of her stupor, and causing Jinora to turn her gaze to their daughter. "She's..." Words failed him.

"Ours," Jinora finished.

She could see the pieces of her and Kai in their child. Their daughter had Kai's skin, his ears, a puff of his curly hair, but it was her colour. She had her mother's snub nose, and her mother's brown eyes. Her face was round and fresh, her tiny chest rising and falling, skin smooth the touch. She was perfect; she was theirs. Jinora wanted to capture this image forever.

Jinora made a quiet hum of agreement. "The name. We settled on the name, right?" she asked, not tearing her eyes away from her daughter.

"Kotta," Kai said, "for Korra, godmother, and your grandmother, of course. Middle name is for Asami, godmother. Kotta Asami Fong." Kai reached for her hand and laced his fingers through his hand, their wedding rings clinking as they made contact, rubbing soothing circles on her back with the other hand, gently rubbing one half of a matching tattoo. She gave his hand a squeeze.

"To us," she murmured. "A new family."

Kai kissed her forehead. "My wife, would you like to play a game?"

"What sort of game?"

"20 Questions?" Jinora nodded, a knowing look coming into her eyes. "I picked a person, two actually, but you know I've always had a certain disregard for the rules. One's the love of my life and the other already has me wrapped around her tiny finger, both girls, and they both have the most beautiful eyes in the world. Any ideas on who it is?"

Jinora's eyes filled with happy tears. "You're horrible at this game."

Kai kissed her briefly. "But I'm wonderful at loving you." That, Jinora could agree on.

Is everything alright?

She thought that everyone knew her answer as they entered the room, led by Korra and Asami Sato: everything had never been more perfect.

I cried during the last part and this was 7,500 words of fluff and I regret absolutely nothing. Enjoy.