don’t read the last page (but i stay) by AVeryBlueRedhead

After years of running the RCPD’s tech department, Jia is more than familiar with their complicated Chief of Police.
Their weekly meetings are usually punctuated by her rants about the idiocy of their officers and certain politicians, as well as Jia’s wry commentary and quiet commiseration in return…even if they couldn’t quite be called friends, to Jia’s silent disappointment.
When the young Avatar shows up in Republic City, change comes to the city and to both women’s lives, but working together during the Equalist crisis is only the beginning as a new bond is forged and, through it, a path towards healing and love.

Or: The beginning of a seriously slow burn romance about recognizing kindred souls, learning to trust, healing old wounds, and realizing that sometimes people do indeed stay.
Featuring Lin Beifong getting the recognition, apologies, and healing she deserves.