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Chapter Text

As Bolin rode the lift back to the ring, he joined the crowd in cheering on his brother. Mako’s hat trick had kept their tournament chances alive, and made everyone forget about the blunder with Hasook earlier. He had no hard feelings for his teammate's mistake, but he knew Mako would be mad enough for both of them. 

He put thoughts of that aside, his attention turning back to the girl waiting in the locker room. It hadn't been his best performance, but she had a grin on her face, so it didn’t seem to matter to her.

"Well Korra, what did you think? Bolin’s got some moves, huh?"

He hadn't expected Korra’s reaction. It was so exciting to her that she lifted him up by his collar. He was so shocked that he wasn't able to listen to anything she was saying. Korra was still smiling though, so she didn't appear to be mad at him.

"She just picked me up like I was nothing", Bolin thought to himself. " Wow, she's pretty ." He probably would've kept staring at her face, but Korra put him down with a half-shove that gave him his hearing back, just in time for Mako to show up in the middle of giving Hasook a lecture. 

"You did more harm than good out there. You almost cost us the match!"

"We won, didn’t we?, Hasook shot back, clearly not in the mood.

"Barely, no thanks to you!"

"Get off my case, pal." Their waterbender stormed out, but not without slamming his helmet on the floor. Bolin winced, figuring he'd have to smooth things over before their next match. 

"Useless", Mako muttered under his breath, but Korra didn’t seem to notice his sour mood.

"You guys were incredible out there! Especially you, Mr. Hat trick!"

Mako didn't even look in her direction. "Oh, you're still here?"

Korra didn’t seem fazed at all by his attitude. "Oh, you're still a jerk?" That got an "Ooh!" from Bolin, but fortunately after that she got back to the conversation they were having before.

"I've been immersed in bending my entire life, but I never learned how to move like that! It's like there's a whole new style here! Think you could show me a few tricks?"

"Absolutely!", he immediately agreed, something Mako found the need to comment on, for whatever reason. 

"Right now? Come on, Bolin."

Don't ruin this for me. "Just ignore him", Bolin told Korra. "I'd be happy to teach you, but I'm not sure how my earthbending would translate to your waterbending, but we'll figure it out."

"Won't be a problem", Korra explained. "I'm actually an earthbender."

Uh oh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed your bending. I just figured with the water tribe clothes and everything, that you were...you know."

"Oh, I am a waterbender. And a firebender. And an earthbender, too."

Was she messing with him? "Okay. I'm very confused right now."

Mako figured it out before he could. "You're the avatar, and I'm an idiot."

"Both, are true", Korra admitted. Bolin wanted to freak out, but by some miracle he was able to play it cool and take her to the gym where Toza had caught her earlier. 

Fortunately the old man had gone to bed so he wouldn't give them any trouble, but finding out the "fangirl" Bolin covered for was actually the avatar had Mako interested, so he decided to tag along. Bolin wasn’t particularly happy about that, but at least his brother helped set them up quickly with the training equipment so they could get started faster.

Korra seemed like a natural, which wasn’t a surprise, but there were definitely some things to work on. 

“Great power!”, Bolin exclaimed. “But try not to be so upright and flat-footed. You gotta be light on your toes, right up until you strike, otherwise you're a sitting turtleduck." Then he gave a demonstration of what he meant. It was a simple maneuver, but Korra seemed transfixed. 

"Let me try it." Then she repeated the move almost to perfection, impressive enough for even Mako to give praise. "Not bad."

She didn’t seem to realize how rare it was for him to say something like that, though. "What’s it take to get a compliment from this guy?"

"Oh no no, trust me. That's one of the nicest things I've ever heard him tell someone." That explanation from Bolin got her to smile, and even his brother seemed to find the comment funny.

“Alright, It’s getting late. I think I’m gonna turn in, you kids have fun.”

Finally. “G’night, bro.”

“See you upstairs.”

“Wait, you guys live here?”, Korra asked him as Mako walked away.

“In the attic. Nothing fancy, but we’ve got some great views. Perfect for him to look out the window and brood."

He'd gotten her to laugh, but Bolin didn’t want the avatar to have a bad impression of his brother either. 

"Yeah, he tries to be all moody, but he’s all mushy on the inside."

"I'll take your word for it." They got back to training after that, but it wasn’t long before a question popped into his head. 

"Hey Korra, why did you have to sneak into the area? They probably would've let you in no problem if you had told them you're the avatar."

She got sheepish. "Well, I'm not actually supposed to be here , let alone leave the island. My sifu would probably flip if he knew I snuck out."

"Oh. Is that part of your probation, or plea bargain, or something?"

"No. Why would I have any of those things?"

Now it was Bolin’s turn to be awkward. "I just remembered listening on the radio a few days ago about how the avatar had been taken into custody when she arrived for tearing up a whole city block?”

“Hey, I was trying to stop some guys shaking down a store! And I didn’t destroy an entire city block, like thirty percent damaged, tops."

Korra was smiling as she defended herself, but he still held up his hands to show he had no plan to argue. "So what did make you wanna come to Republic City? A chance to see the famous bending brothers in person?"

"Not quite", she said with another laugh. "I came here to master airbending. Actually, I had to stow away in a ship just to get here, but the city's been so crazy with so much going on, I can't even focus on anything!"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out", Bolin reassured, But Korra didn’t look convinced. 

"I dunno. Feels like i should be able to fix all this stuff no problem, but my airbending training isn't going anywhere, and I'm not even allowed to leave the island to help with the other stuff!"

The conversation seemed to affect her concentration though, as one of the earth discs she'd been training with went wide of the net set up, hitting the wall behind it instead, leaving a sizable crack. 

Korra looked mortified. "Oh no, I'm so sorry! You're not gonna get in trouble for that, are you?"

"No worries", Bolin spoke calmly, running his hand over the damage, fixing the wall so it looked just like it did before. 

"You should've seen the first time I used these discs", he added. "They actually had to replace that window over there."

She was smiling again, but he could still see guilt on her face. "Thanks. For the training and everything. I should probably head back before anyone finds out I'm gone through."

"No problem. Tell you what. If you can sneak out again tomorrow, you can come watch our match. You won't have any trouble with security or Toza this time, and I can even introduce you to Pabu!”

“Pabu...?”

“Oh, he’s our mascot and the best fire ferret a boy could ask for!”

“Deal”, she agreed. “Nice to meet you, Bolin.”

“You too, Korra!”, he told her as she was leaving. Once she was out of sight though, Bolin couldn’t resist doing a little happy dance.

(-)

Korra was glad that Bolin had offered her a chance to come watch their bending match. At least that way she had something that could go right today, she thought to herself while stewing in her room.

Her morning training...had not gone well. It had felt like a repeat of the previous session with the hits she was taking, until she lost her temper and used firebending to leave the training mechanism in ruins. That unsurprisingly started an argument with Tenzin, which ended with Korra calling him a "terrible teacher" before storming off.

She knew that she owed him an apology, but she also needed to clear her head and take her mind off things. Fortunately, her new friend Bolin had been able to provide an opportunity to do just that.

Sneaking off Air temple Island was once again easy for her, and security at the area was no trouble, like Bolin said. But when she got to the locker room, Korra was surprised by the sullen demeanor of the two brothers. 

"What’s going on?", she asked. "You look like you guys already lost."

"We might as well have", Bolin glumly admitted. 

"Hasook's a no-good no-show!", Mako angrily added. 

"We don't know that. Maybe something happened and he's running late."

"He was supposed to be here an hour ago. Face it, Bo, he bailed on us."

"More like he bailed on you", his brother mumbled at a volume that she and Mako could hear. 

"So this is my fault?"

"Well, I wasn’t the one who started calling him 'Ha-suck', Bolin answered. 

"Was I wrong?", Mako asked.

"That doesn't mean you should've said that to his face. How would you feel if he made fun of how stupid your eyebrows look?"

"My eyebrows don't look-"

"Can't one of the other waterbenders here fill in for you?", Korra suggested, hoping to prevent a fight.

"No, rules say you can only bend for one team at a time?", Bolin told her.

Then she thought of a solution. "What if I was your replacement?"

"You're the avatar though. Isn't that kind of cheating?"

"It shouldn't be as long as I only use waterbending", she figured. It seemed like the problem was solved, until Mako tried to quash the idea.

"No way. I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there."

"Wow. Thanks for the vote of confidence", Korra responded sarcastically. Before she could make a case for herself though, a official poked his head into the locker room. 

"Times up, I need an answer. Are you in or out?"

She spoke up before either brother would say anything. "We're in!"

Mako seemed dumbfounded. "We are?"

"You can thank me later", Korra told him as she walked to Bolin, who helped her find equipment she could wear for the match.

It wasn’t until they were in the middle of the match that Korra realized that she probably should've read the rulebook before volunteering. At least this way she'd probably always remember. You can only knock people out through the back of the ring, and you can only bend water from your own zone.

Bending more than one element though, may be a different matter entirely. It was a reflexive instinct. She was being singled out as the weak link by the other team, and she never made a habit of limiting herself to one element, so it felt natural to use earth to defend herself, despite the rules.

That was only part of the problem she created for herself, though. Korra knew that the white lotus guards had a habit of listening to probending matches, so she figured they had informed Tenzin of her whereabouts, and he was probably on his way to the area to drag her home in front of everyone.

But Korra was so busy with her sulking that she didn't see Bolin approaching, and when she noticed and looked up, she was confused by the smile he had on his face.

"I don't know why you're looking so down, we're not done yet."

"It might be better if we were, though." The comment wasn't meant to insult him, rather show dissatisfaction with her own performance, but she could tell that he had interpreted it differently, the way his expression changed.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just thought I would show up and win this match with you guys no problem, instead of turning into a joke." She didn’t say it directly, but Mako’s words before the match were starting to creep back into her head, but Bolin seemed to pick up on it anyway. 

He put a hand on her shoulder pad, which shifted her gaze back to his face. "Hey, forget about what he said, I'm glad we took a chance, we still have a shot to win this."

"You still think we have one?"

"Of course!" Korra had to admire his positive attitude, not to mention that it seemed infectious as well.

"Alright then", she said hopefully. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. I wanted to let you know that the other team's probably gonna go after you when the match starts back up. We'll try to help you out as much as we can, but just wanted to give you a heads-up."

"Thanks. Any other rules I should know about?"

"Good thinking. If we get another penalty Mako’s head might explode."

"Don't tempt me", Korra told him half-jokingly.

"Ok, so a water blast can't be longer than a second, or it's a hosing foul, you can only use water in liquid state, so no steam, ice or fog, and water can't be filled with anything, either. Water is the most restricted element, so they let waterbenders be the only ones allowed to do headshots."

"Got it", she confirmed. 

After that, the referee spoke up and told them that the avatar was allowed to compete as long as she just stuck to waterbending, to the disappointment of the other team. When the match resumed though, Bolin’s assessment had been proven right, as they targeted her enough that she was sent falling into the pool below the ring.

When Korra emerged, the first thing she saw was Tenzin, with a particularly deep scowl. He seemed intent on dragging her home while giving a lecture, but she brushed him off. Whatever punishment or consequences awaited her afterwards, she would deal with it then. She wasn’t going to bail on Bolin and Mako right now.

But when she returned to the match for the third round, it was more of the same. The two brothers got pinned in a corner, so they weren't able to offer much help. It looked like she was going to end up in the pool again, when all of a sudden it started to click.

She was able to dodge the other team's attacks easily, just like if she were trying to get through the airbending training device. They tried to keep up, but it was clear the opposition was worn out by their strategy. 

However, Bolin and Mako still had plenty of energy left. They seized the opportunity quickly, and with the help of their other teammate, the fire ferrets were able to send all three of the other benders off the other end of the ring, a knockout and an automatic victory. 

Korra was left slightly stunned, taking in the cheering crowd. She was amazed at how well everything came together. She honestly wasn't sure what to do next, until she saw her teammates coming over to offer congratulations. 

"Way to go Korra!", Bolin exclaimed, giving her a high-five. "That was totally awesome!"

"That was amazing, Korra", Mako added. "The way you were dodging attacks out there...you looked like a natural out there."

"Thanks, both of you", she told them, surprised by the older brother's sincerity. "But I can't take all the credit. Someone else taught me those moves." She looked back to where Tenzin had been standing, but he was gone, likely returning home.

"Well, whoever taught you did a great job. Think you could teach me a few moves in practice tomorrow?"

Korra was about to agree to Bolin’s offer, then she noticed Mako giving him a look, probably bugged that he hadn’t cleared the idea with him first. “What?”, Bolin asked. “Did you have someone else in mind?” But all Mako could offer in response was a defeated sigh, before telling her “We’ll meet tomorrow morning in the gym at 8. Don't be late, ok?”

Once Korra returned to the island, she found Tenzin overseeing the airbending training device being rebuilt. She tried to think of any apologies or explanations she could offer, but to her surprise, he offered one as well, saying he was trying to teach her about patience, but he lost his own.

They agreed to no hard feelings, and he actually praised the way she played out there. Tenzin told her she moved just like an airbender and that probending would be great for teaching her, but he still didn't seem particularly pleased that she had permanently joined the fire ferrets. 

When she finally went to bed, Korra took the time to look out the window and gaze at Republic city. It was so different from how the South pole looked at night. There, the only things you would normally see were the moon, the stars and snow. 

Here? The light came from lit rooms and street lights, and there were so many of them. And they had people there trying to live their lives, just like she was. It wasn’t going to be easy, but after tonight, it was easier for Korra to feel like she belonged here.

Chapter Text

Bolin knew taking a job with the triads was a bad idea, but he knew they needed the money. He didn't trust Shady Shin to be honest any more any more than he trusted Pabu not to be squirmy during bath time, but the money Shin threw at him to join was at least three times as much as Mako made in a week with his job at the power plant. 

Once the Satomobile he'd gotten into had come to a stop, Bolin recognized the warehouse from other odd jobs he'd done with the triads, also without Mako knowing. It was a small comfort to know if things went bad inside, with a rival gang or the cops, he knew the surrounding streets well enough to make a quick getaway.

It was weird for him to see a bunch of familiar faces once he got inside. Aside from Shady Shin, there was also Lightning Bolt Zolt, Two-Toed Ping (he'd never found out how he got that name), and a few other people he remembered. It was like a really messed up version of a family reunion. 

At least until some guys in masks came crashing through the ceiling. Nobody even had time to react. One of them jammed a rod into Bolin’s chest to shock him, and the next thing he knew his hands and feet were tied up, his mouth was gagged, and he was in the back of a truck with Zolt, Shin, and Ping.

All that Bolin could do at that point was speculate on who had captured them. It probably wasn't the police if the triads leaders had been caught, too. He knew from experience that there were enough dirty cops on their payroll that they would’ve been tipped off about a raid like this. A rival gang attack didn’t make sense either. The equipment they’d used was more advanced than anything he'd ever seen, how would a street gang get their hands on that kind of stuff? 

His mind wandering was starting to make him panic. Bolin had no idea where he was, who had taken him, or where he was headed. Even Pabu's whereabouts were a mystery right now.

"Wait, Pabu!", Bolin thought to himself. "If he's not with me, then maybe he escaped! He could find Mako and Korra and help track me down!" 

He didn't want to dwell on his pet fire ferret being his only chance of getting rescued, but the truck he was in didn't offer the opportunity as it screeched to a halt. Bolin hoped for a moment that his brother and the avatar had been able to find him, but when the back opened up, the only people there were the guys that kidnapped him.

A blindfold was put over Bolin’s eyes by some dude with a weird mustache, and at that point he could only guess where he was based on the sounds he was able to hear.

Ok, so I think I’m inside now. And I can hear a lot of people....maybe I'm at some sort of gathering?

Then the person carrying him stopped and set him down on his knees. It felt like he was on wood, but he couldn't be sure. The blindfold was then removed, but Bolin still wasn’t able to see anything with the spotlight shining in his eyes. 

It confirmed his earlier suspicions though. He was definitely inside, and there was definitely a crowd in front of him. Mako and Korra might have been able to sneak in, but he had  no way of knowing for sure. All he could make out were the people near him on what he thought was a stage. There was still Zolt, Shin, and Ping, but there was someone else up there he couldn't make out, and...was he wearing a mask?

"Greetings, my fellow Equalists", the figure spoke with a chilling voice. "My name is Amon."

Equalists? Amon? Those guys in the park that complain about bending all the time? That's who broke into the warehouse armed to the teeth and took them all out in five seconds? 

"I learned the cruelty of bending at a young age", Amon continued. "When I was a boy, a firebender attacked my family, killing my parents and leaving me scarred. I now wear this mask, to hide my identity from those who want to stop our great revolution."

Bolin was stunned. The story of Amon was disturbingly similar to his own, just without the scar. He could understand how that incident made him hate bending, even if it was just one bender that did that to him. But how'd he get all these other people to support him?

“But I know I am not alone in my suffering. For far too long, the world has left us behind in favor of those with...unnatural abilities. Look no further than our 'great' Republic city. Built by benders, for benders. Led by a council full of benders that do nothing to help their citizens. Poverty, homelessness, corruption, people trying to survive-none of it matters to them! No even stopping bending criminals like these from hurting innocent people."

"Wait, he thinks I'm a criminal like these guys?" , Bolin thought. "Hoo boy."

"Well, if Mako can get me out of this, he's definitely gonna kill me right after he saves me."

Amon then continued his rant. "But we are defenseless no longer! For I have been to the spirit world and have been given a new power. The ability to take away people's bending away. Permanently!"

Bolin couldn’t believe it. Taking away bending? The only person he'd ever heard of doing that was the avatar. This guy had to be crazy!

And what the masked man did next wasn’t proving otherwise. He gave one of his henchman an order to untie Lightning Bolt Zolt, and give him an opportunity to fight for his bending. 

Bolin had heard what Zolt's lightning had done to people, so setting him free seemed like a terrible idea for Amon. But he was able to dodge with ease. As if he knew what attacks were coming. 

Then he knocked Zolt to his knees, put a thumb over his forehead. And when the Triad leader got back to his feet, unable to produce any lightning, Bolin realized Amon wasn't bluffing. 

He looked to Shin and Ping, who seemed to be panicking just like he was. Bolin struggled, trying to break free of the ropes binding him, but it was no use. " Hurry Mako, please."

Shady Shin didn't last much longer than Zolt against Amon, and he ended up losing his bending just like his boss. Ping didn't even try to fight, instead trying to run to an exit. It didn't work, as he was caught by some equalist henchman, and stripped of his power too.

The next thing he knew, Bolin was lifted off his feet, gag and bindings gone, and Amon staring him down. It didn't feel like he was on a stage anymore. It felt like he was back in that cold, dark alley, with mom and d-

"No" , Bolin thought, trying to will that away. "I've got to explain to him. Maybe he'll understand." He felt himself come back to the stage, but his legs had turned to jelly, and any attempt to speak came out as pathetic stammering.

“Uh, h-hi mister Amon, sir”, Bolin feebly spoke while twiddling his thumbs. “Listen, I-I think this has all been a b-big misunderstanding."

If his words had any effect, Amon didn't show it. He just kept standing there, with that menacing look in his eyes.

Bolin kept trying to talk though. "I'm not a-actually with the triads, I just needed s-some extra money."

Amon still didn't say anything, but he started walking towards Bolin, a hand already outstretched. Before he could say anything else in the hopes of being spared, a fog came out of nowhere, covering the entire stage.

"Is that....Korra?" Bolin didn’t have to dwell. It could have been anybody for all it mattered, it was an opportunity to escape! But when he turned to run, he wasn't able to. It was as if he was being held in place, but he could tell there was nobody touching him.

He could feel someone approaching him though, and the grip on his body disappeared, but before he finally tried to defend himself, he was able to recognize the face of his older brother. 

"You alright?", Mako asked. Bolin gave him a quick nod, and they headed towards an opened door that looked like it led outside. While they were running, a thought popped into Bolin’s head to quickly check one of his pockets, and he realized taking the job offer from the Triads wasn’t all for nothing. The equalists had never patted him down or searched him, so they never took the money he’d gotten from Shady Shin. “Maybe Mako won’t kill me after all”, Bolin hoped.

(-)

Mako was definitely going to kill Bolin.

He hadn’t come to that conclusion right away. Once they had all escaped from Amon’s rally and the pursuing equalists, Mako still kept his guard up the entire time he was walking back with Bolin to the area. 

Once they got inside their apartment though, Mako finally felt himself relax a little, but that disappeared when he saw Bolin heading towards his room.

"Where do you think you're going?" The question made his little brother stop in his tracks. Did he think they weren't going to talk about what happened? That he would get away with it without a lecture? Pabu seemed to sense what was coming, so he hopped off from his perch on Bolin’s shoulder and scurried out of the room.

He hadn't heard a response from his brother, who was just standing in the same spot, but that just made all the emotion he'd been feeling that day boil over for Mako.

"Do you know how lucky you were? That Skoochy saw you with Shady Shin? That Korra was with me at the rally with me? I told you to stay away from the Triads! Do you have any idea what could have happened?"

Bolin still hadn't moved or said anything, and that only made Mako angrier, who was now straight up yelling at him. "Well, let me break it down for you! You could've lost your bending! You could've been arrested! Spirits, Bo, you could've been killed ! Why? Why would you do something like that?"

Bolin finally did something, but it was only to reach into his pocket and pull out a large wad of bills. Mako walked up to him, ready to smack the money out of his hand and tell him it didn’t matter how much he made, but when he saw his face, any anger disappeared, leaving only guilt.

He hadn’t seen earlier because the room was dark and he wasn’t close enough to see, but it was clear to Mako now what state his little brother was in. His eyes were screwed shut, with tears running down his cheeks. 

Mako now realized that apart from a quiet thank you to Korra, Bolin hadn’t said anything the entire night, which was so unlike him. Whatever kind mood he was in, he always seemed to be a talkative one, and getting him to shut up felt like a miracle. The only other time he would think of Bolin being so quiet was when...

“Aw, crap”. Mako pulled his brother close and hugged him tight, and Bolin did the same, with a grip tight enough to make Mako wince. If he had any hard feelings towards his older brother, Bolin didn’t show it, instead just burying his face in Mako's jacket, letting the fabric soak up his tears and muffle his sobs.

Mako couldn’t do much in that moment, just do his best to comfort his brother, and try to move on from all the awful things that happened tonight, and all those years ago.

Chapter Text

It had taken about half an hour, but Bolin had finally gotten his hair the way they wanted to look. With that finally fixed, the two showers he had taken, and the three times he brushed his teeth that morning, he finally felt ready to go over to air temple island to see Korra.

Before he could leave to pick up her gift though, Mako came in the front door looking completely beat up, but for some reason he had a big smile on his face.

“You okay?”, Bolin asked as he walked up to his brother. “What happened?”

"I uh, I got run over", Mako explained, still wearing a goofy grin that made no sense to Bolin. 

"Aaaand...you're happy about it?"

"Well, kinda. I got asked out on a date."

"Alright. So I'm guessing there's some sort of cause and effect thing happening here?", Bolin said.

Mako told him what happened, but that only created additional confusion.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that someone ran you over with a scooter, but it turned out to be some beautiful girl around our age that just so happened to be a fan of ours that wants to take you out to the fanciest restaurant in the city to make up for it?”

“Yep.”

“Ok. And you’re sure this whole thing wasn't some dream you had while you were actually knocked unconscious?”

“Wha-Yes!”, Mako exclaimed, and Bolin did his best to hide any amusement that came from being able to push his buttons so easily.

"Just checking. So what are you gonna wear to a place like that? Because I'm pretty sure we don't have anything to meet the dress code of a place that expensive."

"She told me she'd take care of it", Mako said.

"Uh-huh. How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Knock it off", Mako muttered while swatting Bolin’s hand away. Then he seemed to lose focus and sniffed a few times.

"Is that...is that my cologne?"

"Maybe", Bolin answered nonchalantly.

Mako put the rest together quickly. "Going to see Korra then?"

"Also maybe."

Then his brother got a smug smile. "Now who's the one dreaming?"

"Oh shut up", Bolin grumbled. 

"Whatever. Just make sure to tell her that she still needs to show up for practice whether we're in the tournament or not."

"You got it, captain ". Mako took notice of the sarcastic flourish, and gave Bolin a look that made him realize it was probably a good time to quit teasing his brother and head out to the bakery and the flower stand he had seen near the port.

(-)

When the crowd of reporters finally cleared and Tarrlok had slithered off somewhere else, Korra had hoped that any of the pressure and frustration she'd been feeling would go away. Instead it remained, just for different reasons. 

She had wanted to take down Amon, but she wanted her own way. Korra didn’t trust Tarrlok’s intentions at all, regardless of Tenzin's advice, but with this big gala, all the talk of expecting great things, she couldn't help feeling like she caved when she decided to join Tarrlok’s task force. 

Korra was planning on sulking outside by herself until Tenzin decided it was time to go home, but a different friendly face gave her other options. 

"Hey Bolin. What are you doing out here?"

"I got tired of being a third wheel. Plus, I wanted to congratulate you on your new job?"

"Thanks", she told him. At least he seemed to realize she wasn't actually happy about joining Tarrlok’s task force, probably remembering their earlier conversation. "I doubt Mako will be happy about it though, with me missing practices already."

Eh, don't worry about it. He seems more occupied with Asami now anyway. Still can't believe that's a thing."

"What do you mean?", Korra inquired.

"Hm? Oh, nothing."

"No, what did you mean by that? Do you think she's pretty or something?"

"Oh, well I mean- You know, it's not what you think- er, you see, what actually happened was-"

Bolin was reduced to a blabbering fool, but when he saw Korra’s scowl and raised eyebrow start to waver, he stopped talking immediately. 

"Hang on, are you messing with me? Cause if you are, you gotta tell me."

That broke her resolve completely, as she collapsed in a fit of laughter, which caused Bolin to put on an exaggerated grumpy face, although it was hard to take it seriously when his cheeks were still pink.

"Sorry, it was too tempting."

He brightened up right after she said that, and Korra was glad there were no hard feelings over her teasing. However, she still had to mentally reprimand herself, since there were hard feelings towards his brother. 

Well, maybe not hard feelings exactly. More like feelings in general. Or something like that. Ugh.

It didn't make any sense to her. When they first met, Korra probably wouldn't have wanted anything to do with Mako if he weren't Bolin’s brother, but lately, she felt this...fluttering in her chest whenever she was around him. She became nervous for reasons she'd never had been before and the whole situation was difficult to put into words, and it didn’t even take into how she felt about Bolin.

Korra had absolutely zero experience with romance, growing up in the south pole compound, but the flower and cupcake he'd given her a few days ago as thanks for the rescue pretty much cleared up any confusion she had over whether or not he had feelings for her.

It wasn’t...unwelcome by any means. It was just another thing Korra wasn’t sure how to handle. There were still some moments, sure. Occasions where she felt a flutter in her chest like when it happened with Mako. It just didn't happen as often. And things just felt simpler when she was with Bolin instead of his brother. What if becoming more than friends messed everything up between them? Then again, he was cute, funny, sweet, and he did look good in that new outfit he had on for this whole fancy thing.

Tired of mulling over her two friends, Korra decided to push those thoughts away for now, figuring she didn't really need to make any kind of decision right now anyway. 

(-)

Bolin couldn’t help staring at Korra, as they sat on some steps outside her big gala. Good thing she didn't seem to notice, since she was looking off into the distance, probably focusing on stopping Amon and the equalists. 

Korra had to be under so much pressure, and Bolin was searching for a way to take her mind off it. Fortunately, he was able to come up with an idea.

"Do you wanna get something to eat? They have these buffet tables in there that are crazy fancy."

She looked at him with a smile, looking to be in good spirits. "Sounds great!"

Bolin couldn’t really think of any good topics for conversation as they went back inside. But he didn't mind the quiet at all. It was nice to enjoy her company without having to force conversation, like about Mako’s new girlfriend.

He had no anger towards her at all, in fact  he was pretty glad she showed up. Since Asami had met and started dating Mako, his brother had been in a much better mood, their team was able to get sponsored by her dad, and she was even able to get him a couple of outfits for fancy gatherings like this, not to mention her being pretty understanding about that whole "I didn't think you were real" story that felt the need to tell for whatever reason. 

Still, he could tell that Korra was jealous. And while he was glad he didn't have to worry about competing with Mako for her affection since he was with Asami, he didn't want Korra to think there was something wrong with herself, or that she had to change just to impress his brother. Because it was hard enough already for him to come up with words to describe how amazing she was. 

He wouldn't get the opportunity now though, as he and Korra both stopped to stare at a rather suspicious looking bowl of punch. 

"That's not....It can't be the same one, can it?", Bolin questioned. 

"It can't be...they had to have replaced it."

"Or at least washed it."

"Ugh."

"I think I'd rather have leechee juice anyway."

"Good call.", Korra agreed as he passed her a plate to gather food on.

Bolin didn't mind the looks he was getting from people nearby while he piled food on his plate, he'd gotten used to that kind of judgment from Mako at home for his various cooking creations and portion control, but a quick glance at Korra showed she wasn't.

Being an earthbender, and a probender along with that required a...large appetite in order to stay in shape, so it felt like a given that the avatar would need a similar food intake as well. But it didn't seem to matter to the rich folks around them. 

Good thing Bolin was able to think quickly for once as he was able to lean in and whisper in Korra’s ear. "I saw an empty balcony on the second floor when we were outside. I can get us food and meet you up there if you want."

She mouthed a relieved "thank you" to him before making a quiet exit while he returned his focus to the buffet. Once he'd gotten enough to eat for the two of them (and a couple of other people, if he was being honest), Bolin exited the main hallway up a stairway he'd shown Korra, who let him out onto the balcony she was waiting on when he arrived.

After they sat down and the only sounds they made for a while were of chewing their food, Bolin decided to start conversating. 

"So, whaddya think?", he asked, his speech a little hard to understand with his mouth full of fried cow-hippo.

"Pretty good", she answered, while stuffing her face as well. "But the water tribe food isn't authentic. You'd think that Tarrlok would've gotten the legit stuff."

"Well, maybe he had to skimp on stuff after getting you that Satomobile”, Bolin joked.

That got a laugh out of Korra, which he enjoyed, but it still bugged him that it’d been a significant investment for him to buy a flower and cupcake as a thank you gift, but for Tarrlok offering a car, throwing a party in her honor, and all the expensive things he gave were no big deal at all for the councilman. 

"Maybe he should've just offered to sponsor our team and we could’ve skipped this whole mess”, Korra said.

“Is that allowed?” 

“All the other stuff he did was apparently ok, so I don't think that'd be any different."

"I guess. I’m not a bribery expert or anything.”

“Me either. But he probably wouldn’t go for it, conflicting schedules and all.”

She told the first sentence with a smile, but then Bolin saw it disappear at the idea of working with Tarrlok. “You doing ok, Korra?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You know, it’s alright if you’re not.” It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, but he saw the conversations she’d had about great expectations, plus the unnecessary comment Chief Beifong made about Korra not deserving praise, and he knew firsthand how terrifying Amon was, so he knew it couldn’t be easy to be the person expected to stop them.

“I said I’m fine.” Her answer seemed a little harsher than she intended, because she apologized right after.

“Sorry. It’s just....”

“It’s ok, I get it. Hey, do you wanna dance?”

“Dance?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I don’t know how.”

“Me neither.”

Now Korra seemed amused. “Then why did you suggest it?"

"I dunno. Feels like what you're supposed to do at these things."

He could tell from the look in her eyes she was still unsure, so Bolin stood up and offered a hand to Korra. "Don't worry about it. Just do what feels natural and we won't laugh at each other if we look silly."

She snorted. 'Do what feels natural?'

"I said no laughing!", Bolin playfully teased, before becoming sincere. "Come on, forget about everything else. It's just you and me right now."

She shook her head with a smile, but Korra still took his hand to help stand up. And it might have been hard to tell with the full moon providing the only light outside, but Bolin couldn’t help but think that she was blushing a bit.

So they danced, to the upbeat tune that could be heard through the crack in the door between the balcony and the stairwell. The song went on for a few minutes, and it would have been pretty easy for Bolin to slip into old memories of his childhood, when his parents had the house full of music. But Korra was moving so elegantly, it was hard to believe she didn’t know how to dance. Maybe it was some sort of past lives kind of thing?

But eventually the song ended, and it was replaced with a slow tune, like something out of one those romantic comedy movers he'd heard about. 

Wiping his hands on his new suit he got thanks to Asami, he spoke again with none of the confidence he'd had before. 

"So um, I think this one of those songs where you're supposed to hold on to your dance partner? If you want to try it, I mean."

"Uh, ok, sure!" Korra walked towards him and was about to put her hands on his shoulders when the door near them swung completely open.

"There you are!"

They turned to look and Bolin recognized the tall bald man in airbending robes to be Tenzin from stories Korra had told him, and he recognized the sleeping bald child tucked under his arm as Meelo from his antics earlier that night.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. Come on, it’s late, Pema and the children are waiting where we came in.”

“Oh, sorry! See you at practice, Bolin.”

“See you then, Korra”, he responded while trying to hide his disappointment as she left. The older man gave him a glare of suspicion before he closed the door behind them, leaving Bolin alone outside.

After a few moments, Bolin let out a groan, banged his head against the nearby railing a few times, and went to grab a now cold cow hippo leg to finish while he looked for Mako.

(-)

"Ugh."

Now that he'd finished speaking with Tarrlok, Tenzin could finally start nursing the headache he'd been dealing with for the past hour. He was fully prepared to make himself some tea and perhaps start a meditation session when he entered the kitchen and saw that his wife had already beaten him to the former.

"What are you doing up?", he asked Pema, in a doting manner that he'd learned to use over the years since using a scolding manner previously had....not gone over well.

"You can thank this one for that", she answered, pointing to her very round stomach, and Tenzin couldn’t help but crack a smile as he walked over to his wife. "I swear, he must be practicing airbending moves with how much he's kicking in there."

"He?", Tenzin noticed, raising an eyebrow. 

Pema broke out in a grin as she started to whisper. "Katara thinks it's going to be a boy." Tenzin took his mother's prediction as a fact, considering she'd been right about the gender of all his other kids. 

Pema's smile faded as she changed the subject. "How's Korra doing?"

Tenzin sighed, leaning against the wall as his wife poured him a cup of jasmine. "About as well as you'd expect, given what happened."

"So not great."

"No", he admitted. But at least she was finally asleep now. After he'd found Korra and she'd told him what happened, the teenager was a complete wreck, which was totally understandable based off what she said had happened. Tenzin decided to fly her directly back to the island on his glider, but it was only after they got inside and Korra was in her own bed that she told him everything. 

She told him about the nightmares she'd been having, what Amon had told her when she'd been chi blocked and unable to move, and how weak she felt then and how pitiful she felt now. He did his best comfort her, but it didn't seem to help much. But least she was eventually able to fall asleep, and Tenzin hoped that somehow his father could help her in a way that he couldn't. 

"Were you talking to someone else?", Pema wondered, breaking the short silence. "On the phone?"

"Yes, I was telling Tarrlok about what happened at the memorial island."

"Did it not go well?" She must have connected the conversation with the headache he'd been dealing with.

"It went fine, until I told him that Korra would be taking a leave of absence from his task force." Tenzin didn't get the opportunity to discuss this with her, but he felt it was for the best and hopefully she would agree with him.

"I'm guessing he had something to say about that."

"Not that he got the chance to", he told her, feeling satisfied for hanging up on the man before he could object to the decision. But that didn't last long as he heard a knock at the door. 

He and Pema were both shocked at getting a visitor at this hour. "You don't that could be Tarrlok, right?"

"Not if he has any good sense." Tenzin walked to the door, fully prepared to give his colleague a verbal assault. But when he opened it, he was unprepared for who was actually standing outside. 

It was the boy who was with Korra at the gala Tarrlok had thrown a few days ago, although he looked much different now than he did before. 

The clothes he was wearing now were completely soaked from the cold rain that was pouring down. He was visibly shaking, but Tenzin couldn’t tell if it was from the temperature or fear. He seemed almost as distraught as the girl he had just spent so much time trying to console.

"Is...Is Korra okay? I heard she challenged Amon to a duel and I..I"

He seemed to be struggling to talk, his breathing was shallow and visibly quick in more ways than one. Tenzin wasn't sure how to handle this, should he just tell him that Korra was fine and close the door? It probably wouldn't go over well with Pema, who had walked up next to the boy.

"Oh my, you must be freezing!", she exclaimed, trying to usher him inside. Tenzin didn't expect her to do that, so the look of surprise he had must have caused some reluctance on the boy's part.

"I'm okay", he told them, clearly showing otherwise, but Pema wouldn't have any of that.

"Nonsense, you'll catch your death if you stay out there. Tenzin, can you get some tea?"

He figured it was best to comply with his wife's request, while she dealt with the other nerve-wracked teenager in the house tonight. 

"Sorry...for coming over here like this," the boy told them, still talking slowly and breathing rapidly. "I just heard on the radio that Korra challenged Amon...and I guess I just kinda panicked. They didn't say what happened, who won, if she was even alive, I-"

Pema, who was standing next to the chair the boy was sitting in, put her hands on his shoulders in an effort to try and calm him down. "Sweetheart, breathe. Korra’s safe, nobody hurt her, she’s just resting right now.”

It seemed to work, as he took a massive sigh of relief, although the boy still seemed tense. Tenzin was happy that he no longer appeared close to a panic attack or a nervous breakdown, but the whole situation still felt uncomfortable for him and Pema to handle.

"Erm, Bolin, right?", Tenzin awkwardly began. "Where is your brother?" He remembered Korra telling him about the unfortunate circumstances her friends grew up with, but in particular that the older of the two had taken on more of a parental role to his younger sibling.

He took a sip of tea before answering. "Mako wasn't home, he was staying over at his girlfriend's house- er, estate, whatever. I wrote him a note before I left in case he came back home, but I don't think he knows about what happened with Amon."

Tenzin mulled over what he'd heard, but then a thought popped into his head. "Wait a minute, how did you get past the white lotus guards?"

"I uh, kinda earthbended my way past them. They'll probably catch up soon."

There was a knock at the door before Tenzin could inquire further. And when he went to open it, there was a guard standing outside just as Bolin had predicted. 

"Sir, there's been an intru-"

The man stopped mid sentence when he was able to look inside to see the trespasser sitting at Tenzin's kitchen, with an embarrassed smile and a tiny wave of his hand. 

"Return to your post. We'll talk about this later", Tenzin told the embarrassed guard, planning to address the security failure at a better time. 

"Sorry", Bolin told the couple as Tenzin returned to Pema's side.

"It’s alright. This isn't the first time they've been outsmarted by a teenager."

That got a small chuckle out of the boy, who took another sip of tea before his face got serious again. "What happened exactly? With Korra and Amon?"

Tenzin didn't want to go into full detail, but it seemed like Bolin deserved to know the truth. "She was ambushed by chi blockers at the memorial island. Amon didn't harm her, but he told her that he would save her for last.”

He'd expected the news to startle the boy, but instead he got upset in a different way from what Tenzin had assumed. 

"I knew it!", he quietly exclaimed. "I knew he'd try to cheat and do something like-".

Bolin seemed to try and collect himself, taking a deep breath and unclenching his fists, before looking back at Pema. "Is Korra awake? Is there any way I can see her?"

She looked at Tenzin's face that conveyed a clear message: absolutely not. He knew the boy meant well, but it was difficult to imagine how it would be good for Korra to wake her up right now to talk to Bolin in his current state. 

Fortunately his wife seemed to agree. "I think it's best to let Korra rest right now. But we'll tell her you stopped by, alright?"

Bolin nodded his head for a moment, before shaking it and standing up. "You're right, I'm sorry. For asking, a-and wasting your time like this.” He walked towards the door as if to leave, but he suddenly stopped and looked back. 

“It’s just...I don’t know how much Korra told you, but she had a friend that got captured by Amon...that was me. And he was right in front me and was gonna take my bending away if Korra hadn't shown up. I know it's not the same, but if she needs anyone to talk to..."

Now the state of the boy made more sense, knowing that he'd had his own traumatic encounter with Amon. 

"Of course", Tenzin told him. “We’ll let her know.”

Bolin went to open the front door, but before he did the one behind Pema and Tenzin slid open instead.

"Bolin?"

She must have heard them talking. Everyone in the kitchen was now focused on Korra, standing in the doorway with a stunned expression. She had a blanket draped around her shoulders, with her hair out of her usual wolf tails, instead a tangled mess. Her eyes were noticeably red, and full of surprise that her friend was here so late.

Nobody spoke, but Bolin was the first to act. He walked right past Pema and Tenzin, then wrapped his arms around Korra, holding her tight as if she would disappear if he let go.

Tenzin was ready to pry him off in case the unexpected affection upset her, but that didn't happen. She seemed confused at first, but she closed her eyes and rested her head on the boy's shoulder. 

Korra broke the silence after a few moments. "Bo, what are you doing here?"

"The police blocked off everything near the memorial island. The ferries only started running a few minutes ago, otherwise I would’ve gotten to you sooner.”

“But why?”

“I heard about the challenge, and I wanted to find you to talk you out of it, or offer backup, or... something. ”

“I don’t think I would’ve listened”, Korra admitted. "I wasn’t exactly thinking straight."

Bolin gave a tiny breath that seemed to indicate amusement. “Yeah. I didn’t wanna pile on, but it didn’t seem like a very good idea.” That got him a playful whack on the arm that he pretended was actually painful.

“Korra?”

“Yeah Bo?”

“Promise me you won’t do something like this again. Don’t try to solve everything by yourself, ok? Let us help you.”

She paused for a moment before answering. “Ok, I promise.”

Then Tenzin decided to interrupt. “As touching as this has been Korra, you should still be resting.

Bolin seemed to get what else he might have been hinting at. “Yeah, I better head home too. Mako's gonna have my hide if he gets there and I’m not.”

“Where is he?”, Korra asked, now noticing the absence of her other friend.

"He had to cover someone's night shift at the power plant, so I don't think he knew about the Amon duel, but I know he'd be here too if he did."

That didn't make any sense to Tenzin though. If he was actually with his girlfriend, then why didn't Bolin tell Korra that- oh .

"Either way, I'm glad you showed up. Thanks Bolin."

"Of course.” The rain had luckily stopped, so he decided it was a good time to leave, but not without thanking Pema and Tenzin for their hospitality. Then Korra returned to her bedroom, and once that happened the airbending master finally felt exhaustion begin to overtake him as he slumped into a nearby chair.

"As if we didn't have enough to deal with", he grumbled. 

Pema tried to be more positive. "Oh, don't be such a grouch, he seems nice."

But Tenzin wasn't willing to budge right now. "Sure, they all seem nice, at first."

His wife apparently found his mood amusing though, since she was trying not to laugh. "Why am I getting the feeling that this isn't actually about Korra and that boy?"

"I- I don't know what you mean."

"Yes you do", she teased. "Perhaps it's about our own kids growing up and the trouble they'll get into?"

She knew him too well. "Do we have to talk about this now ? Jinora only just turned ten."

"Well, what do you wanna do when they are older? Chain them to the bed and post guards outside their rooms?"

"Maybe." Pema looked ready looked ready to tell him he was being ridiculous, but hearing a creak above him got Tenzin to look up and see his children sitting on the beams holding up the ceiling, clearly listening in on the conversation.

The eldest was the first to speak. “Uh, hi Dad.”

He wasn’t amused. “On the ground, now.”

Once they complied, Pema started the interrogation. “Care to tell us why you’re not in bed at this hour?”

“We heard daddy talking to the ponytail man”, Ikki answered.

“You too, Meelo?”, Tenzin asked his youngest, skeptical that he’d woken him up when usually a stampede outside his bedroom wouldn’t even cause him to stir.

“I dunno, I just followed them”, his son groggily told him as he pointed to his sisters.

“That still doesn’t explain why you were spying”, Pema reminded them.

“We were gonna go back to bed, but then the earthbending boy showed up and we wanted to see the romance!”

“There’s no romance”, Tenzin told Ikki almost reflexively, trying to stop them from getting any ideas, but it didn’t work.

“I told you”, Jinora taunted her younger sister. “Bolin and Korra are just friends. Mako’s the one she likes.”

“But Mako already has a girlfriend", Ikki argued. "And Bolin danced with her at that fancy party, and he gave her that gift before too."

"He gave her what now?", Tenzin interrupted, with none of the enthusiasm his daughter had. 

His daughter didn't seem to notice though. "Yeah, he got her a rose, and a little cupcake, it was so cute daddy!”

“Just because Bolin likes Korra doesn’t mean Korra likes him back”, Jinora pointed out.

"You're just jealous he's not giving you gifts."

"Shut up!", Jinora snapped at her little sister, while Tenzin was horrified to see that she was blushing while doing so.

Oh spirits no. Good thing Pema was there to prevent a fight. "That's enough, both of you!"

But then the moment he was dreading happened. "Daddy, when can I have a boyfriend?"

He wanted to tell Ikki ‘Never’, and to go to bed now, but he didn’t have the energy to deal with the reaction to that, so he settled for “We’ll talk about it when you get your tattoos.”

But it still wasn’t good enough. “That’s not fair!”, Ikki whined. “That’ll take forever!”

“Yeah, especially the way they airbend”, Meelo added, earning glares from both his sisters, before turning to their mom in the hopes of getting support.

“Don’t look at me, young ladies. You aren’t exactly showing you’re mature enough with all this sneaking around.”

“But we shouldn’t have to wait that long”, Jinora argued. “Grandpa Aang and Gran Gran were only-”

“Don’t...” , Tenzin interrupted, half seething and half pleading, “bring my mother into this”.

"You know what? We're not having this discussion right now. Go to bed, or we'll tell Korra you were listening earlier."

Pema's threat seemed to work, as the kids sped off to their beds. Tenzin decided to do the same, but at a much slower pace so his wife would listen to him gripe.

"You see? Now we're dealing with all these...oogies!"

He'd expected a friendly ear. That wasn't what he got.

" Why are you laughing?"

"Because it's adorable that you call it that", she told her befuddled husband, who just kissed her forehead as she climbed into bed before getting in next to her.

Chapter Text

Being aloof and oblivious was a critique Bolin had heard often in his life, but the tension between his two Fire Ferret teammates would have been clear and obvious to a hibernating platypus-bear. 

He knew that something had happened between the two, and although they hadn't told him what, it was bad enough that they had spent most of the match bickering instead of working together like they were usually able to.

When Mako had expressed caution towards asking out Korra, he had mentioned that it wasn't a good idea to date a teammate, saying that he needed to stay focused and keep his priorities in order. 

At this point though, Bolin couldn't help but suspect that his brother wasn't being honest with him about his apprehension about the idea of him and Korra dating, considering that Mako was pondering whether Korra would be a good girlfriend for himself when he brought up the topic. 

Either way, Bolin knew that the conflict between them couldn't continue for the sake of their chances in the tournament and friendship with the avatar, let alone his dream of being in a relationship with her. 

And since Korra had gotten changed and left in a rush, that left his grumpy older brother as the best option to get answers from, even though he knew that doing so would be as enjoyable as giving a hug to a boar-q-pine. 

"Look Mako, we need to talk", said Bolin as he calmly placed his hand on the shoulder of his teammate. "What happened with you and Korra earlier? The way you two were arguing, I wasn't sure if it was Hasook or Korra out there". Bolin winced internally, as he could tell by Mako's reaction that he shouldn't have been so accusatory (Or at least not directly).

"I'm not the one you should be talking to, Bo. She's the one being crazy", Mako said with a disinterested tone. Bolin had to roll his eyes at that, although he was only feeling brave enough to do so because he knew Mako wasn't looking at him. "And don't bring up Hasook. He bailed on us. And before you blame me for that, we weren't having problems with him until that incident with the fangirl you brought in. What was her name, Meng?"

"How was I supposed to know she would- Hey, don't change the subject!" Bolin could feel his own frustration about the situation increasing. "Is this because Korra and I went on a date last night? Because we had a great time, and I was hoping we could do it again".

"I know. You already told me that. Multiple times. Look, I know how you are with girls, and I don't want you to end up getting your heart broken, especially if it ends up happening with someone that we spend a lot of time with already.” 

Mako was talking in a calm tone, but Bolin could tell that he was still annoyed by the conversation they were having. The way his brother bristled at the mention of their date gave him a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Spirits, please don't be jealous. 

While Bolin often referred to himself as a ladies man, the title was more of a joke than he'd like to admit. Typically, girls tended to show more interest in Mako than himself, despite the attention he was more than willing to give them, an irony Bolin couldn't help feeling slightly bitter about, since Mako hadn't ever really had to try that hard in terms of getting girls to notice him. 

The times that a girl reciprocated interest had never led to much, and if he was being honest, it was hard to remember the faces and names of those girls since he met Korra.  

Regardless, Bolin could only imagine the mess that would ensue if Mako had feelings for both Korra and Asami, and was letting that affect how he was behaving, and that was without himself likely getting tossed aside. He had to try to put an end to whatever Mako was trying to do, even if it was for reasons more selfish than he'd like to admit. 

"Listen Mako, I'm not sure if you're being overprotective or jealous right now, but I'm gonna be honest with you even though I don't think you're being honest with me". Mako turned around to offer a rebuttal, but paused when he saw the expression on his brother's face that had never been directed toward him. 

"Look, I like Korra, ok? Like, really, really like her. And I know she might not feel the same way, that she probably just sees me as a friend right now, but I gotta know for sure because I've never felt this way about a girl before, and you've already got an amazing girlfriend of your own that wants to be with you for whatever reason, and I'm not a little kid anymore, and I can handle rejection, so do me a favor and stay out of this, please?"

While it hadn't been good for Bolin's pride to do what he felt like begging for scraps from Mako, but since he let out a long sigh and appeared to let go of whatever retort or argument he was about to say.

"Alright Bolin, good luck. Anyway, don't wait up for me, I'm probably gonna be out all night with Asami", he said with an encouraging tone but a weak smile.

Bolin's anxiety turned to relief and confidence at his brother's words. However, he couldn't help but let out a groan and a mocking "Ewwww" at his assumptions of what Mako's nighttime plans were, which forced him to duck and run to the safety of the locker room showers to avoid being hit by the discarded equipment Mako had decided to throw at him in response. 

"You can do this. You can do this. You can do this", Bolin murmured to himself as he continued walking away from the flower shop that was luckily nearby the arena, unsure of his chances for what he was about to do, and grumbling about how he was pretty sure that the person that sold him the bouquet had ripped him off. However, he had to end the latter train of thought upon realizing that he would have paid double if the flowers had the intended effect. 

At least I wasn't stupid enough to say that out loud, Bolin thought to himself, as he wasn't sure if the shopkeeper was the type to call his bluff.

While Bolin hadn't had much success with girls, it wasn't due to a lack of confidence. It took weeks for him to work up the courage to ask Korra out, and now about to ask the smartest, funniest, toughest, buff-est, talent-est, incredible-est girl in the world if she wanted to be more than friends made him wonder if this was how Avatar Aang felt when he had to face the Firelord. Probably not. The Firelord wasn't nearly as pretty as Korra. Not that guys can't be pretty. Or that there's anything wrong with finding guys pretty. 

Bolin again had to refocus his thoughts, trying to be optimistic and cheerful, telling himself that if things didn't work out, at least he could still afford a bottle of cactus juice from Narook. Or at least try to be more optimistic and cheerful.

He was about to internally recite a made up prayer to every spirit and past Avatar he could think of before a gust of wind allowed him to take in his surroundings, and notice the girl occupying his thoughts was within talking distance, looking over the city she was still so new to.

"I just don't feel the same way"

"I know you're just using him to get back at me".

"Get over yourself!"

"You're crazy!"

So much for magical romance, Korra thought to herself bitterly. She listened to Pema's story about Tenzin, and decided to act on her feelings, hoping for a similar result. However, the feelings weren't reciprocated, leaving her hurt and embarrassed. Meant for each other, really? 

Rethinking what she had blurted out in retrospect only added to the shame, but also helped her understand from his perspective what it must have looked like for her to immediately go on a date with his little brother after putting herself out there like that. 

But that wasn't the case when Mako confronted her outside the probending arena afterwards. His reaction to her accusation of just being jealous hadn't done much to convince Korra otherwise, but since their frustration with each other had nearly cost them their shot at winning the tournament, she was left feeling unsure about what to do next.

"Uh....Hi, Korra".

Bolin's voice had snapped her out of the funk she was in, and caused her to turn around and see her teammate with a nervous grin and a bouquet of pink roses.

"Oh..., hey, Bo".

Her response with his shortened name must have given him a small boost of confidence, as he started to slowly walk towards her, with his grip on the flowers visibly tightening. 

"I wanted to give you these.., as thanks for the date earlier..., and for everything else. We...I, owe you for a lot".

Accepting the flowers from him, she was able to momentarily forget the heaviness of the situation that she had put herself in. 

"Thank you Bolin", she said, taking a moment to breathe in the smell of the gift he had given her. "They're beautiful". Unfortunately, her relief didn't last long as she then heard the sound of Bolin taking a deep breath, probably to bring up the real reason he wanted to see her.

"Anyway, I was wonder-"

"Hang on, Bolin", Korra murmured, barely able to get the words out. Her nervousness had suddenly turned to panic as she realized that she had nothing to add to her interruption of his question. Mako's plea of "Just don't hurt him" resurfaced in her mind. She had no idea how to go about this. Korra hadn't really taken time to consider Bolin as more than a friend during their "date", and mentally reprimanded herself upon realizing that it was probably all he thought about the entire time. 

Her feelings then turned from fear to guilt, as her vision went from the flowers to his face, and it reminded her of Naga's reaction to her being unable to get a treat or belly rub from Korra. She looked away quickly, unable to come up with words that would ease the hurt and disappointment he had to be going through. "Bo, I- I-"

Korra was then taken by surprise, as Bolin decided to wrap his arms around her and pull her into a firm hug. It was a small miracle that the flowers he had gotten her weren't squished between them, but she was able to make a quick maneuver with her arms so that they were wrapped around his waist, bouquet safe in her hands.

"I'm sorry, Korra", he whispered. Wait, what? "I didn't mean to freak you out, make you uncomfortable, or put you in a bad position. If you don't feel that way about me, I completely understand. I won't ever bring this up again, and I hope you still want to be my friend".

Korra was stunned at his response to all this. She couldn't imagine trying to comfort Mako like this after he shot her down, and she hadn't put nearly as much effort into impressing her crush as Bolin had. The whole situation had brought her train of thought to a screeching halt. 

She could only focus on the feeling of being held by the person who clearly thought the world of her. The kindness he always showed her, the way he always tried to cheer her up or make her laugh, the.....body he had. Although the attempt of affection was likely meant as platonic on his part, Korra couldn't help but reconsider her initial reaction to his interest. The tightness of his grip allowed her to take in how firm all of his muscles were, likely the result of constant training for earthbending at a competitive level. 

It wasn’t something she’d noticed when Bolin came to see her after her encounter with Amon. She could feel her cheeks turning red in response to the contact, but Bolin apparently hadn't noticed, as he broke apart their embrace and turned to leave, probably to go wallow in self-pity.

A part of her wanted to act on her newfound feelings, wanting to turn him around, wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in for her first kiss. But considering how acting on her instincts had gotten Korra into this mess, she decided to finally use that patience stuff Tenzin was always lecturing her about. 

"Bolin, wait", she told him as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "That's not what I was trying to say at all. Listen, things have gotten so crazy, and I guess I'm just confused about everything right now, and I could really use a chance to figure this out, ok?

The change in his demeanor upon hearing her reassurances was honestly adorable to watch, as he went from a slouch and a frown to being upright with a wide grin. However, once he saw Korra's expression, he shook his head wildly, not unlike a soaked furry animal trying to dry itself off. 

He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay Korra, if you need time, I can handle that. Whatever you decide, I want you to be sure, ok? But could you do me a favor and hang on to the flowers? Just a little something for you to think about.”

"Oh...sure thing", Korra said as she could feel the heat on her cheeks from before returning. 

Bolin had apparently taken notice this time, and apparently felt awkward about it as he started to rub the back of his neck, although his face did seem to get a little red as well. 

"Anyway, I'm gonna head back to the apartment. Gonna need a good night's sleep for the match tomorrow".

"Hm? Right, the tournament! Yeah, sounds like a good idea. I'm going to head back to Air temple island soon. For sleep", Korra said, in a more flustered manner than she would have preferred. 

Bolin gave her a smile and a nod upon hearing that, turning around and walking away, and Korra couldn't help but giggle at the good mood her new crush was in, skipping along to where he lived, humming a cheery tune.

Chapter Text

Early practices for the fire ferrets and meditation with Tenzin and his family had led Korra to the conclusion that mornings are evil, but this particular one seemed to drive the point home. She did have some reprieve from the horrors, as her teacher ended their session early, but that was more of a result of his daughter's behavior than anything else. 

Apparently Korra's romantic life was the most exciting thing in the world to Jinora and Ikki, as they had changed their approach of  finding answers from questioning curiously to downright pestering upon seeing the flowers that Bolin gave her in a vase in her bedroom. 

Korra's refusal to say why she had them and who had given them to her wasn't enough to deter them unfortunately, but it did make her realize that she needed someone to talk to about all of this, and the chattering hog monkeys in air nomad robes would not suffice. 

She pondered her options, and became frustrated upon realizing her choices. She couldn't talk to Asami for reasons that were obvious even to her. Tenzin would probably chastise her for even considering a relationship, telling her she needed to focus on mastering airbending and her spirituality. Naga was a good confidant, but Korra had not yet been able to decipher her barks into applicable advice. Meelo would probably get bored during the conversation and fall asleep like in meditations. Chief Beifong was also a no go, as she might be tempted to try and arrest Korra for wasting her time on nonsense like that when she had a city to protect. 

Even though trying what Pema had done years ago hadn't gone the same way for her, her interaction with Tenzin at breakfast reminded her that she was the only woman she knew besides her mother that was in a happy, healthy relationship, so later that afternoon, Korra went up to the woman and asked if they could talk in private about what was going on.

After following Pema to the bedroom she shared with Tenzin, the woman encouraged her to sit down next to her and start from the beginning. 

"Well, I had thought a lot about what you said earlier, about not being afraid of rejection, and it being too painful to watch your soulmate be with the wrong person, so I decided that after our probending match that night I would tell Mako how I felt", Korra started.

"Ok".

"I tried to be casual about it at first, give him little hints, but he didn't seem to pick up on them, so I...blurted out that I thought we were meant for each other", Korra said while burying her face in her hands, embarrassment from her outburst returning. 

"Oh", remarked Pema with slight surprise.

"Anyway, he said he didn't feel the same way, so I told him to forget I said anything. Then his girlfriend, Asami showed up and they were being all lovey-dovey, so at that point I just wanted to get out of there and go home, before Bolin came up and stopped me".

"That's Mako's little brother, right"?

"Yeah, he's the earthbender on the fire ferrets too. Anyway, he wanted to ask me out to dinner as a date situation, but I wasn't feeling up for it with what just happened, so I told him I didn't feel date worthy".

"And what did he say to that"?

"He asked if I was kidding, because apparently I'm the smartest, funniest, toughest, buff-est, talent-est, incredible-est girl in the world", she said with the exact expression on her face as the first time she heard it.

" Awwwwwww ", came a high pitched voice from just outside the door. 

"IKKI!", was the immediate response of three different girls. Korra and Pema for finding out she was eavesdropping, and Jinora for blowing their cover.

Realizing her mistake, the girl quickly blurted out an apology and sped away on an air scooter, with her sister right behind her to avoid the wrath of their mother and the avatar.

Following a few seconds grumbling about what she had planned for them, Pema apologized again for their behavior and encouraged Korra to keep going. 

So Korra continued, going into detail about  going to Narook's and Bolin's reasoning behind taking her there, the trouble Tahno gave them and Bolin calling her "one of a kind" after she had used Naga to scare off the nuisance. 

She then talked about their visit to an ice cream parlor nearby, how Korra had never tasted it before, and the spontaneous belching contest they'd had. This got a laugh from Pema, along with admitting a bit of jealousy, as ice cream was a treat she hadn't had in a long time, since her three children would always scarf it down first on the rare occasions it was available.

Korra then finished the story by talking about them riding Naga to harmony tower, the long walk up the stairwell, and the view at the top that took her breath away, while Bolin happily pointed out places she recognized and places she did not, before deciding to call it a night and head home.

"Sounds like you had a really nice time", Pema said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, to be honest it was one of the best nights of my life", Korra admitted. 

"So what happened next?"

"Anyway, the next morning Mako wanted to have a talk with me. He said I had Bolin in a tizzy, that I was just using him, that he didn't want to see his little brother get his heart broken", Korra remarked, the frustration from his confrontation returning. 

Taking notice, Pema tried to soothe her, saying how common it was for older siblings to be overprotective.

Korra lightened up a little hearing that, going so far as letting a little laugh, remembering a story Katara had told when she was younger about how her older brother Sokka had chased Aang around the South pole with a war club upon discovering that his little sister was pregnant with the avatar's child. 

"So what did you end up saying to Mako?"

"At the time, I didn't believe he was only concerned about Bolin. I said Mako was just being jealous, that he actually did have feelings for me. Then I called him a liar, he said I was crazy, and we were in such a bad spot that we probably would have lost the match if Bolin hadn't carried us through it".

Then Korra talked about Bolin showing up after the match with flowers, and the whirlwind of emotions that came with it. The way he hugged her and tried to apologize for making her upset even though it wasn't his fault at all, and how feelings for him seemed to come out of nowhere and her reassurance to Bolin that she just needed time.

Pema then took a deep breath and placed her arm on the avatar's shoulder. "Korra, before I give you any advice, I think you should know the full story behind how Tenzin and I became a couple, because I don't think the situation I was in is the same as yours".

"Oh...alright ". Korra couldn't help feeling a little stung at Pema's words, but brushed it off since she knew the woman was just trying to help.

"I was a little older than you were when I met Tenzin. I had just moved to the island to become an acolyte. He was teaching new arrivals about the history of the air nomads, and after one of his lessons we decided to spend some time together. Our feelings toward each other were only platonic at the time, but we became friends quickly and got along really well. Eventually he introduced me to his girlfriend and his family, and we became fixtures in each other's lives".

"Really? The way you talked about it before made it seem like love at first sight".

"I know, and I'm sorry if I mislead you, it's just I didn't want to go into detail in front of the girls, because I don't think they'd understand or be interested in all the details about what happened". Pema had said this with a slight sadness in her eyes, but Korra couldn't tell if it was because of what she said yesterday or what had happened a long time ago.

"The truth is Korra, I don't know when exactly I fell in love with Tenzin, but I do know I struggled with the idea of admitting it for a long time. I struggled because I knew if I admitted them, people could end up getting hurt. I would have been hurt if Tenzin hadn't felt the same way, but also because it might have been uncomfortable for him to still be friends while knowing I wanted more than that. I also knew people would get hurt if he did feel the same way, because even though Tenzin and the women he was with fought a lot and they weren't happy in their relationship anymore, I know he cared and still cares a lot about her, and that the breakup was really painful for her".

"Really?"

"Actually, before they started dating, they had actually grown up together. But after they had been together for a few years, they had started to argue about where they wanted to go in their relationship. He wanted to get married and have kids, she wanted to stay focused on her job. That was actually what made me confess to Tenzin, not just because I loved him and knew him so well, but that I wanted to have a family with him more than anything in the world".

This put Korra at a loss for words. The story she heard yesterday made everything seem so simple. She hadn't even considered Asami that much in her pursuit of Mako. 

Now that she had a chance to think about it, the Avatar didn't really have any evidence to back up that Asami was the wrong woman, or even that Korra and Mako were "meant for each other".

Pema then leaned in towards Korra, and with a tone of slight sternness, said "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but even if Mako does have feelings for you, it's not your place to force him into a relationship, especially if he's already with someone else. But either way, I don't think you should be dating with the idea of finding your soulmate right now, at least not while you're so young".

What the woman had just told her had reminded Korra of her first airbending lessons with Tenzin, where her inability to "be the leaf" had led to several bruises and a concussion. 

"Alright, the first part of what you said makes sense, but what should I be dating for then, if not that?" The annoyance at her advice must have been clear, as Pema had raised her eyes ever so slightly. 

"I'm not saying that you won't meet your soulmate right now, I just think that it's a better mindset to just find someone that you enjoy spending time with. And if you end up developing a romantic relationship with them, then that's great, but don't get ahead of yourself, alright"?

Taking a moment to ponder what she had just heard, Korra had to admit that the older woman said did make a lot of sense.

"So you think I should go out with Bolin then?"

Pema let out a little chuckle at that, which caused Korra to turn red from sounding so overeager. "It's entirely up to you Korra, but based on what you've told me, I don't see the harm in it".

Hunching over a little, she then said "I guess I kinda just feel....guilty about the thing, because I'm not sure if I even would've gone out with him if Mako hadn't just shot me down, and I only really thought of him as a buddy until he hugged me and I noticed how.....muscle-ey he was!" Korra couldn't help but bury her head in her hands upon admitting how shallow she had been.

"I understand what you mean. It's alright for appearance to be a reason for why you want to date someone, it just shouldn't be the only reason. And.....Between you and me, I didn't really have a crush on Tenzin until he invited me on a vacation with his family to their beach house on ember island", a sly smile coming over Pema's face.

"What does that have to do with.. oh "

The look on Korra's face must have been fairly amusing, as Pema continued through a small laugh. "All I'm saying is that air nomad robes are good at hiding muscles too".

"Ok ok ok!" She hoped that her desire to change the subject was clear, as Korra didn't want to offend Pema, but she also wanted to move on as quickly as possible to avoid any unwanted mental pictures of her airbending master.

"Alright, Korra, I'm sorry. I just wanted you to know that what you're feeling is completely normal. But whatever you decide to do, I think it'd be best to smooth things over with Mako first, since it sounds like you'll be spending a lot of time with him in the future".

She couldn't argue that point. Korra also made a mental note she should probably also get to know Asami better, since being on good terms with the girl Mako was actually dating would probably help as well.

"Thanks, Pema. I really appreciate your help with all of this".

"Anytime, Korra".

(-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------)

While the fire ferrets had technically been victorious in their match against the Buzzard Wasps, it hadn't been the ideal scenario Bolin had been hoping for. At the very least, the tension between his crush and his brother had seemed to be resolved, as Korra pulled Mako aside for a private conversation, and he hadn't been able to hear any yelling or the sound of something being broken. Korra hadn't been able to clear things up with him as well before the match though, as they heard an announcement for the three of them to show up to the lockers right by the entrance to the ring. 

Unfortunately, not knowing where he stood with Korra had by his own admission been a distraction during the match, although at least Mako wouldn't be able to pull his I told you so routine on him again, as his performance hadn't been up to his usual standards either. 

However, it wasn't really up for debate who was having the worse night between the two of them. An earth disc to the stomach a few seconds into the opening round had Bolin leaning over the side of the ring and spewing his prematch meal into the pool below.

Injury was later added to insult in the third round when another disc to the shoulder had him fighting with one arm, if only for a few seconds before joining his brother in the pool. 

At that point he was thinking at least there's always next year when Korra had pulled off a waterbending miracle to keep them in the tournament with a spot in the finals. 

After that they both went to offer their praise and thanks for what she had done, but he and Mako were interrupted by Tahno and two of his sidekicks/teammates entering the locker room.

"You boys smell something in here? Wait, I know what that is. Yeah, that's the scent of losers". 

Bolin couldn't help but shoot back a remark hearing that. "We literally just won our match, Tahno. At least put some effort into making fun of us."

Korra nodded in agreement. "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll show you who the losers really are".

Tahno didn't seem intimidated by her threat at all. "Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here".

Bolin couldn't ignore the perfect setup he'd been given. "You mean like when Naga roared in your face at Narook's last night"?

He knew he'd probably end up regretting saying that later, yet he couldn't help but enjoy how much the comment had gotten under Tahno's skin.

"Oh I'm gonna enjoy embarrassing you", the Wolfbat captain said with the same expression from when his entourage had stopped him from falling over at the previously mentioned noodle joint.

It was clear even to him that replying now would be earthbending his own grave, but for some reason he couldn't explain, Bolin kept going. 

"That's probably what the person who does your hair thinks every time you have an appointment with him".

Too stunned and furious to offer a comeback or promise of suffering, Tahno quickly turned around to take his anger out on the unfortunate team that had no idea what was about to happen. Bolin did the same to see Korra covering her mouth to hide her laughter, Mako gaping at him like he had grown a second head, and Asami giggling with raised eyebrows.

"What do you think you're doing? They're tough enough already without you ticking him off", his brother whispered through gritted teeth".

Bolin didn't really have a good enough reason for what he had just done, so he just shrugged and said "Uhh...mind games? Who knows, maybe what I said will throw him off and we won't even have to play them in the finals!"

Mako groaned and was about to point out how terrible of an idea that was, but stopped when he noticed Asami walking toward him and focused his attention on her, and since Korra had done the same to offer her thanks, Bolin decided to tend to his hurt shoulder.

His injury hadn't gone unnoticed by the Avatar though. Korra offered to use a bucket of water nearby to help with his shoulder, explaining that she had learned to heal with waterbending from Katara. Apparently the lessons hadn't covered how to be gentle though. 

"Ow! Geez, are you sure we're thinking of the same Katara? Is it a common name in the South pole? Did the woman have hair loopies"?

That got him a chuckle and eye roll, but as the water in her hands began to glow, a feeling of relief and euphoria washed over him. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Korra however, as he turned his head to see a smug grin on her face. "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes ma'am", he murmured, staring at the ground.

She then sighed happily, but followed that with a serious look on her face. "Bolin, I just wanted to apologize again for last night. I didn't mean for things to get so out of hand".

"It's okay, Korra, really. And I'm sorry if I put you on the spot before".

"You don't have anything to apologize for Bolin, honestly!" The tinge of frustration and sincerity in her voice caused him to look back up at her, and he could see a bit of pleading in her eyes.

"Oh, sor-". He was fortunately able to stop himself, as he'd probably have to deal with two messed up shoulders if he had tried to apologize again. 

She rolled her eyes again, but this time she had a smile on her face.

"Sooo...., anyway. Listen, I know things are still kinda crazy right now, with the equalists, the tournament and all that stuff. But you....me....us, I want to give it a shot". Bolin straightened up immediately after that, with a giant grin on his face from hearing those words and noticing Korra's cheeks had a slight blush to them.

"Really?! That's grea- uh, I mean, I guess if you want to try, I uh..., suppose we can give it a shot, if you want". It was Bolin's turn to blush now, although he was doing so to at his inability to play it cool with the girl of his dreams.

Korra giggled a little, then opened her mouth to say something else when she got interrupted by the announcer on the pa.

"Your winners, the Wolfbats!"

"Wait, what?" They looked over to Mako and Asami who had been watching the match the entire time. "How is it over already?", Korra asked incredulously. 

Mako explained that the other team had opened poorly, and their opponent had capitalized with a round one knockout so vicious that the Mongoose Lizards needed to be placed on stretchers. 

Korra and Mako looked down at the carnage with stunned looks on their faces, but Bolin couldn't help but wince, knowing he should probably send flowers to their hospital rooms, as he couldn't help feel a little responsible for their condition. 

Mako then went to leave, but not without giving his brother a sarcastic remark. "Great mind games, Bolin. They look like they'll be real pushovers tomorrow". 

That took the earthbender from a guilty wince to a fearful cringe, now picturing what his own funeral would look like. Monkeyfeathers. 

Chapter Text

Bolin had actually been having a nice morning. The fire ferrets were in the finals, one win away from the prize money they needed to finally get a bigger place to live (hopefully one with two bathrooms), and Mako had made his favorite breakfast. After that he'd had a cheerful practice with his brother and new girlfriend, picturing destroying Tahno by....destroying pictures of Tahno. 

Then he heard his voice on the radio. The mood of the room changed immediately, enough for even little Pabu to scurry off the table and hide behind Bolin's leg, as if looking for protection. He couldn't help but think of his own fear of the equalist leader at that, the past few weeks starting to play back in his head.

While Bolin had been truthful when he'd told Korra that he'd been having trouble sleeping, he hadn't told her the full story either. The first few nights after his abduction, Mako would have to shake him awake, since the nightmares he’d have caused him to scream loud enough in his sleep to wake up his older brother.

Fortunately for his pride, the dreams faded in intensity over time, to where now he would simply jerk awake in bed at night from a nightmare, leaving Pabu to nuzzle his head against Bolin's and lick his face to clean away any tears or sweat that had gathered from the ordeal. Now, any bad dreams were relatively normal, such as last night where he had dreamt showing up for the final ready to take on the Wolfbats, only to discover he wasn't wearing pants. 

Once Amon's broadcast had finished, they all agreed to head to city hall, hoping that council wouldn't roll over for the equalists like Pabu wanting a belly rub. 

After a quick ride on Naga, Korra pushed through the doors with Bolin and Mako, only for her to be immediately reprimanded by her airbending sifu.

"Korra, This is a closed meeting. You and your friends shouldn't be here".

"I have a right to be heard, as the Avatar and a probending player. You can't be considering canceling the finals".

"I know how much winning the championship means to you. But we need to shut the arena down as far as I'm concerned". Bolin couldn't help but feel like a child who wanted to stay up past his bedtime with the way Tenzin was talking to them.

Korra then turned her attention to Tarrlok, probably hoping he would be on their side given their work on his task force, but he didn't seem willing to budge either, saying he wasn't willing to risk innocent lives so we would play " a game ". Bolin couldn't help but feel disrespected at the man's condescension, and apparently his brother felt the same way.

"Probending might only be a game to you, but think of what it means to the city!"

"Yeah!" Bolin added. "I remember when I was a little kid, me, Mako and our parents would always gather around the radio whenever a match was going on. It meant so much to us growing up, and if you'd talk to people in Republic city they'd say the exact same thing!"

Bolin could feel the mood shift at his outburst, although he wouldn't look around to confirm it. Korra was probably surprised to hear about his parents at all, given that he'd never mentioned them, and if Mako had brought them up at all, it was likely just to explain why they weren't around. Speaking of his older brother, Mako probably wasn't pleased that he brought up their mom and dad, given how touchy the subject had been. At the very least, the council seemed to understand what the sport meant to them.

After a long sigh, Tarrlok said "I appreciate your input, but you're ignoring the reality of the situation".

"The reality is, Amon wins if you close the arena", Korra retorted. Unfortunately, that didn't seem enough to make him think about his position. 

"Our decision has already been made, I'm sorry". Mako and Korra groaned in frustration at this, while Bolin let out an impromptu "Booooo!", if nothing else a preview of how he thought the people of Republic city would greet him.

Tarrlok looked like he was about to whack his gavel when it got smashed by a metal cable that came out of nowhere. Bolin and his teammates turned around to see that it had come from the chief of police. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually agree with the Avatar".

"You do?", Korra and Tarrlok questioned with the same surprised tone.

Bolin couldn't help but tune out Lin Beifong verbally abusing the council, instead dwelling on how cool she looked metalbending, and how much he wanted to do things like that himself. He quickly focused back on the meeting though, as what they were discussing was probably important. 

"If Chief Beifong can personally guarantee that the arena and it's audience can be kept safe, then I am changing my vote. Does anyone else agree"? Three of the people at the table seemed to change their mind along with Tarrlok, although Tenzin seemed unconvinced. "Then the arena will stay open. Good luck in the finals".

While Bolin and his teammates were celebrating the ruling, he couldn't help but notice Tenzin going towards Lin, probably to give her a warning about what she was up against. 

(-)

"See you at home, Mr. Heartbreaker!"

Once her laughter about making her normally stoic mentor so flustered subsided, Korra couldn't help but feel a little guilty about how the same thing could have been said about her if things had played out a little differently. 

While her talk with Mako before the match last night about how she had confused a crush as for something more and how she had no intention of hurting his brother seemed to smooth over any tension between them, she also realized that Bolin probably had questions about what happened between them, even though he hadn't asked about it. Korra figured that she should tell Bolin sooner rather than later, since this wasn't the first time she'd had this train of thought, thinking back to that very morning where she dwelled on it during practice. 

She was brainstorming how to talk to Bolin about what happened when she was startled by that very same boy.

"Hey Korra!"

"Oh, Hi Bolin."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you.” 

"Ah, don't worry about it, it's not your fault", she dismissed. I just uh, forgot you guys were still here!" Smooth, Korra. 

"Well, you're kind of our ride", he shrugged sheepishly. 

Korra privately wondered to herself the difference in travel time for walking on foot and polar bear dog before responding to what Bolin had said. 

"So you wanna head back to the arena then?"

"No rush or anything. Buuuut, I was thinking after we get back you and I could go get some lunch together?"

Korra felt herself relax a little at that. "Sort of a...date situation?", she asked with a playful smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Only if you feel date-worthy", Bolin responded, remembering their conversation from two nights ago.

She accepted, then as they walked towards Naga, Korra decided to take Bolin's large hand in hers, bringing a little color to both their cheeks.

They had dropped off Mako by the apartment, who told them to just be back in time for the match tonight. After that, Bolin gave Korra and Naga directions to a small building with a sign that read “Hue’s BBQ”. 

Although both passengers dismounted, the earthbender said to stay outside and wait for him to get their food, as there were no tables available to sit down and eat at, and left Pabu in charge of keeping them entertained. After a few minutes of tricks and petting, Bolin emerged with their meals and found a nearby rooftop for them to eat.

"How do you like your possum chicken?"

"It’s great! Kinda tastes like arctic hen, but the sauce really makes a difference", Korra answered, both her and Bolin's voices slightly changed by the food they had in their mouths.

She was impressed by the boy's taste in places to eat, between the noodles at Narook's and the barbecue she was now eating. 

“Yeah, they have a lot of great things to eat here, turkey duck, cow hippo, flying boar, land boar, puffin-seal and a whole bunch of other stuff I can’t even remember. They actually have this eating challenge: the ‘Fauna Feast’, where you have to eat every animal on the menu in an hour. They even give you a free shirt if you can pull it off.”

“Kinda surprised you didn’t order that, the way you’re talking about it”, Korra said with a smile before taking another bite”.

“Oh I was tempted, believe me. But we’d probably need a nap so bad after that we’d end up sleeping through the tournament”. ‘ Fair point’, Korra thought to herself. “Anyway”, Bolin continued “think of it as something to look forward to after our victory tonight”.

“Deal”

After peering down at the ground, Bolin noted that Naga was probably looking for taste, given that she was sitting on her hind legs and looking up at the couple with an expectant look on her face. Korra obliged, tossing down a bone with a little meat left on it that was happily devoured.

“So I was wondering, how did the two of you end up together? I’ve never heard of a trained polar bear dog before”.

“Yeah, we met when she was a pup and I was a little kid. She must have been separated from her pack when I snuck outside to go play. I gave her a bit of fish jerky and we played in the snow for a while before I got lost too. I had to waterbend us an igloo for shelter until the next morning when my dad found us, and we’ve been best friends ever since”.

“ Woah ”, Bolin remarked, clearly enchanted by the story.

“How about you and Pabu?” Korra asked with a giggle.

“I first saw him in a pet store, actually. Buuuut as food for a pythonaconda. Mako didn’t want to cough up the five yuans for him, so later that night I ‘snuck in’ to free him. I let him out of his cage and we were so excited that we didn’t notice the pythonaconda sneaking up on us. Luckily Mako was there to save the day, again”. He looked away at the last part of the story, probably feeling embarrassed that he had to be bailed out like that.

Korra couldn’t help cringing a little as well at the mention of his older brother. Well, since we're talking about him. "Bolin, I need to tell you something".

"What's up, you need more napkins or something?"

"No", she said while trying not to laugh. "About me and Mako". 

"Oh. Do you still have a crush on him or something?"

It was good she didn't have any food in her mouth, as what he just said probably would have made her choke. "Wait, you knew ?"

“Well I didn’t know , more like guessed . Usually with my brother girls either have a thing for him or can’t stand him. And I saw how you were acting when he and Asami were together soooo..”

“It’s kinda both...or was both...anyway, I’m glad you’re not being blindsided, but I wanted to let you know what happened because you’ve been so patient, and so understanding, and you deserve to know what’s been going on”.

“Uh, alright.”

So she told him everything. How she confessed her feelings to Mako, the rejection and how they’d fought about the date with Bolin after it happened. How her feelings for him ambushed her after the match, her talk with Pema and the realizations that came with it, and finally clearing the air with Mako to smooth things over.

“So you’re pretty much caught up now. What do you think?”

“It’s good to know the whole story”, Bolin responded. “But I gotta know, what made you want to bring this up now?”

“I didn’t want things getting awkward between us”, Korra answered. “And I also just found out the other woman Pema was talking about was actually Lin and I-”

“Hang on a second”, he interrupted with a raised finger, taking a moment to comprehend what he had just heard. “Lin Beifong ? The chief of police? The woman who seems annoyed with everything in existence?”

“Yes, yes, and probably yes”.

“Wow. Guess Tenzin and Pema must have really loved each other to be willing to break her heart”.

“Exactly!”, Korra exclaimed. “That’s why I feel kinda guilty. Because I could have messed up Mako and Asami for what I thought was ‘love’ but was just a crush. And I also feel bad because you’ve been so sweet, and funny, and charming, and I should have realized that right away”.

Bolin looked back into her eyes and said “You really feel that way about me?”, with a tone that seemed to be teasing her, although she noticed a little pink in his cheeks that probably matched her own.

“I do. You...are one of a kind, Bolin.”

His cheeks turned redder after hearing that. Then, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, the edges of their lips making slight contact.

“What was that for?”, Korra asked as she could feel her face getting hotter. 

“Because I like you. And you’re pretty. And you had a little sauce right there.”

(--)

While the Fire Ferrets had expected a difficult fight as the underdog, they hadn’t expected it to be four on three. The entire time, Tahno and his team were using tactics clearly against the rules, ranging from illegal headshots, hosing, out of zone earthbending, water blasts filled with rocks to even an icing move that caused him to belly flop into the pool, making him wonder if the ref had been promised a new satomobile. The only enjoyable part of the match for him had been watching Korra embarrass Tahno in a tiebreaker that ended up with his helmet being launched into the stands and a desire to “send them to a watery grave”.

Bolin was just emerging from the water with his teammates after their third round knockout ready to give the referee an earful when he saw flashes of electricity in the stands. He then looked around to see an equalist he recognized with a weird mustache from the rally ready to electrocute them again. Unfortunately Korra wasn’t able to waterbend him in time and they all passed out from the shock.

He, Korra and Mako woke up tied to one of the ring supports with Amon above them speaking about his plans for world domination or something when they noticed their opponents crawling out of the pool, probably stripped of their bending. Bolin couldn’t help feeling pity for their fate, thinking even if they were jerks, they didn’t deserve that . 

Mako began wondering how they would get out when Bolin noticed Pabu swimming toward them. Following a brief demonstration of what he wanted the fire ferret to do, Pabu chewed through their ropes with Bolin reminding himself that he owed his buddy treats and a belly rub later.

Korra told them she was going after Amon, but dove in the water to launch herself in the air before Bolin could tell her to be careful. Mako then said he was going to find Asami to make sure she was alright, while Bolin went to go help Tenzin. 

Fortunately the man appeared safe, and explained that he and Lin had been ambushed by equalists with gloves that could electrocute and stun their victims. Mako showed up a few moments later, saying that he wasn’t able to find Asami, and Tenzin reassured him that the spectators had been evacuated when the ring exploded. All three of them looked up to the roof after that, and could only watch the Avatar and the chief of police battle with the escaping equalists.

A chill ran down Bolin’s spine when he saw Korra fall through the glass, and he was about to impulsively launch himself into the air with an earthbending pillar to catch her when the chief pulled off metalbending acrobatics that felt like they would belong in a circus act. 

After sprinting over to where the two had safely landed, Bolin pulled Korra into a tight hug, expressing relief that she was okay.

“I can't believe that Amon did this on my watch”, Lin said with a look of shame. “I played right into his hand”.

“He played all of us”, Tenzin responded in the hope of reassuring her. “Republic City is at war”.

Tenzin’s words caused Bolin to reflect in disbelief at how much their home and lives had changed, seeming like their match with the Wolfbats had happened months ago instead of within the last half hour.

Bolin then realized he and Mako were probably gonna need a new place to live.

Chapter Text

It had taken a bit of convincing on Korra’s part, but eventually Tenzin caved and made arrangements for Mako and Bolin to live on Air temple island. Immediately after he had agreed, Korra rode over on Naga to the damaged arena, finding the brothers packing up the belongings in their apartment, reminiscing about the good times they had there. However, when she told them the news, they seemed more uncomfortable than relieved.

“Wow, Korra. That sounds really awesome and we’d love to come live you buuuut...”, Bolin said while he trailed off and started rubbing the back of his neck.

“Asami already offered to let us live with her and her dad at the Sato estate”, Mako finished, sparing his brother from breaking the news. Korra must have appeared disappointed upon hearing this, because Bolin appeared apologetic and about to offer an explanation or an apology, but she tried to play it off before he could.

“Eh, don’t worry about it. This way you get to live the life of luxury, right?”, Korra said with a tone that she hoped was reassuring. “Plus, now you won’t have to deal with the lecture Tenzin planned for you”. That got a small smile out of him, with hers becoming more genuine in response.

“Hey, Korra”. The realization that Asami was in the room with them had made things more awkward on the Avatar’s part. “I was hoping you’d stop by”.

“I was about to head back out, actually”. Korra didn’t have any jealousy towards Mako’s girlfriend anymore, but she couldn’t help feeling annoyed with her for ruining what she had planned. “I’ll see you guys some other time.”

“How about tomorrow?”, Asami offered. “I’d love for you to come by and visit the estate”.

“I don’t know...there’s a lot of stuff going on right now I need to deal with”. That wasn’t a lie on Korra’s part. Now that she wasn’t participating in the pro bending tournament anymore, Tenzin had made the suggestion that she resume trying to learn meditation and airbending. That was in addition to Tarrlok pestering her to rejoin his task force, if only to show off for the city that he was the one that should be leading the charge against Amon instead of Lin.

“ Aw, come on Korra! ” A high-pitched voice she didn’t recognize caused her to look and see that her boyfriend was holding Pabu up to his face in an effort to make her reconsider. “ You deserve a little rest and relaxation after all this craziness. We could take a swim in Asami's pool. It’ll be fun! " Even the fire ferret was encouraging her, making swimming motions with his paws.

“All right, Pabu ”. It wasn’t the way she had hoped, but at least she’d be able to spend some time with him.

“Great, we’ll see you tomorrow”, said Asami.

After leaving the apartment and arena, Korra went to the police station to meet with Tenzin and Lin, who were in the middle of interviewing Mr.Sato about his account of what happened during the finals the other night.

“Hey, Korra”.

It was good that he said something, because she probably wouldn’t have even recognized Tahno otherwise. His demeanor was completely different, slumping over on the bench while staring at the ground, bags under his eyes and his normally styled hair a complete mess. It made her wonder how the gang leaders at Amon’s rally were handling their fate, while pushing away any thoughts of what Bolin would be like if she and Mako hadn’t been quick enough before.

“Listen, I know we're not exactly pals, but I'm sorry about Amon taking your bending.”

“Thanks. I've been to the best healers in the city, but whatever Amon did to me, it's permanent. You gotta get him for me, please”. Korra gave him a nod, but couldn’t help feeling a small panic internally about Amon’s ability to take away bending being proven true.

A few seconds later Hiroshi Sato appeared with Tenzin and Lin, the businessman promising to do whatever he could to bring the Equalists to justice. Korra didn’t know much about the man apart from the sponsorship of their team or the few interactions with his daughter, but he seemed trustworthy at a glance.

(-)

The next morning after meditation, Korra decided to follow through on her agreement to visit the mansion. After climbing the gigantic estate stairs, she was greeted at the door by who she assumed was one the servants at the mansion. She then got escorted through multiple hallways that eventually led to a room with a large pool that contained Mako and Asami, with Bolin and Pabu jumping off the fountain statue to create a large splash that ended up soaking the other two occupants. Mako explained that they had settled in quickly, although Asami had forgotten to actually ask her dad if they could stay, to which she responded that she smoothed it over and said "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission".

Korra took note of the irony a little bitterly, since that was her usual way of handling things with Tenzin. And the one of the few times she had actually tried to be responsible had led to her being spurned for someone who had used her normal tactics. However, few chirps from Pabu caused her to look and see the fire ferret totally soaked while resting on the completely relaxed Bolin, floating along in the pool without a care in the world. At least he seems like he's enjoying himself. 

"So anyway, what do you have planned for us today", Korra asked Asami. "Shopping? Makeovers?"

"Ooh! I vote makeovers!", Bolin suggested as he used one arm to splash a little water in Mako's direction. 

"Actually, I had something a little more exciting in mind. Just gotta dry off first", Asami said as she used the ladder to climb.

With that, Bolin pushed himself out of the pool and called over to her. "Korra, this guy is the greatest, check it out!" He then cleared his throat and put on a serious face. "Please, good sir, fetch me my towel", he said with a formal tone.

"Yes, Master Bolin", the butler complied.

“Master Bolin! Ha, I love this guy”. As Pabu climbed on his head, Bolin asked to be patted dry, which the butler did with a technique that Korra wondered was more efficient than waterbending.

“Excellent job, but please, don’t forget master Pabu”.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sir”. The poofy mess the fire ferret became on top of Bolin’s grinning face was one of the cutest things Korra had ever seen.

“Like I said, he’s the greatest”, Bolin said as he gave the man a hug strong enough to lift him off of the ground. The butler looked shocked at first at receiving such strong affection, but then gave a small smile and pat on Bolin’s arm, probably a signal that he wanted to be put down.

(-)

Asami gave Korra a pleasant surprise when she led the four of them to a racetrack not far from the mansion itself. When they got there, the heiress explained that this was where Sato industries test-drives their new satomobiles. Sometime while watching though, Korra decided to lean her head against Bolin, her temple resting on his shoulder while he responded by taking her hand in his. Taking a look down at their fingers intertwined, she couldn't help but wonder if this had just turned into a double date.

"Pretty cool, huh?", Asami asked with a hint of self-satisfaction. 

Korra had to admit it was way better than shopping or a makeover.

"Have you ever been behind the wheel of a satomobile?"

“The only thing I know how to steer is a polar bear dog”. Even that gave her some difficulty, remembering all the things and people Naga had run into when they first arrived in Republic city. 

"You want me to take you for a spin?" Korra looked up at her with wide eyes and a big grin on her face. "Sure!"

The experience she'd had in the passenger seat was unlike anything she'd thought it would be, from the speed of the wind in her hair, the thrill of overtaking the other driver, and the slight fear when the two satomobiles touched. When they pulled over after winning the race, Korra had to admit that she didn't think they'd make it, with Asami joking that she enjoyed mixing it up.

Korra then decided to apologize to her, admitting that she misjudged her based on her father's wealth. Asami explained it was a common misconception for people to assume she was daddy's helpless little girl, and that she'd actually been taking self defense classes since she was a little girl.

Once the group returned to the mansion, Bolin sped off to the bathroom, claiming it was an emergency. Asami gave Korra directions to a powder room upstairs, first door on the right, as she needed to go as well, but not as much as Bolin apparently had to. While washing her hands, she noticed a powder sponge right next to the sink. As Korra picked it up she wondered if this was how Asami put on makeup. Apparently not, she realized as she emerged from the cloud of powder she had accidentally created in the middle of a coughing fit. Once that subsided, she heard a voice coming from behind a closed door.

"No, I assure you, everything is going exactly as we planned". The voice sounded somewhat familiar to Korra, so she snuck up to get a better idea of what they were saying. "Yes. Luckily, the Cabbage Corp investigation has bought us some more time". At that she peered through the keyhole to see a man on the phone, seated behind a desk. "Trust me, by the end of the week..." ( Mr. Sato? ) "we'll be ready to strike!"

Korra quickly hurried away from the door, trying to process what she just witnessed. She remembered Lin telling her about the raid on cabbage corp finding plenty of evidence based on an anonymous tip. Did Mr. Sato frame his business rival to throw off suspicion of his own actions? Was he the one actually working with the equalists?

She had to leave. She had to tell Tenzin and the chief. Asami and the others seemed disappointed that she had to go so soon, but Korra made an excuse about having to babysit Tenzin's children, while pretending not to hear Bolin's offer of assistance. 

Later that day outside the police station, Lin and Tenzin agreed that what Korra had heard was enough to look into Hiroshi Sato. They also explained that the man had a good motive as well. Apparently twelve years ago a firebender had broken into the Sato estate and killed his wife and the mother of his child.

Korra felt grief and pity for the family for hearing that, remembering how Mako had told her about how he and Bolin lost their parents, and the effect it had on both of them. Her thoughts refocused when Tenzin mentioned the event could have created a hatred for benders that he's secretly harbored all this time, and Korra reminded herself of her duty to protect Republic city from the equalists. 

(-)

As Mako and Asami walked away, Korra was stroking Naga’s fur, trying not to let her frustration with the situation boil over. It wasn’t a total surprise that the search of Future Industries hadn’t revealed any criminal activity, considering that Mr. Sato wouldn’t have agreed to a factory search if there was a risk of exposing criminal activity. However, his explanation of cabbage corp and being ready to strike hadn’t sat well with her, and the slight condescension she felt when the man blamed her “overactive imagination” reminded Korra of Tenzin’s theory of secret animosity towards benders.

However, the main source of her anger was her interaction with Mako. When Korra had told him and Asami about her suspicions of Hiroshi, he had seemed angrier about it than the daughter of the man Korra was accusing. After the search of Future Industries was completed by the police , 

Mako and her had a falling out. His decision to stand by Asami and her father wasn’t surprising, although it hurt when he told her that continuing the investigation would end their friendship. But when Mako accused her of only doing this out of jealousy of him and Asami, Korra had to resist the temptation to slap him. “ Does he really think that little of me?” she thought .  “That I’m only thinking about him when I’m with his brother? Even if I was jealous, does he think I’m petty enough to have his girlfriend’s dad arrested because he’s not dating me”? The frustration in her dwelled when she realized the impact their fight would have on her actual relationship.

"Korra, wait"!

Bolin had been unusually quiet the entire time while they had investigated Mr. Sato, probably to avoid saying something that might put him in a bad position with her or Mako. It would be like him to try and keep everyone happy. But he wasn't going to be able things as they were before. 

"Bolin, if you're going try to talk me out of looking into Mr. Sato, don't b-".

"No, I wanted to help you," he interrupted.

She turned around, unable to hide her surprise hearing that. "Wait, what?"

"Look, I saw you and Mako talking. You both looked mad, and I'm guessing since he left with Asami that he thinks Mr. Sato is innocent and you don't".

"Something like that".

"And you're only doing this because you're jealous of Asami, and if you keep this up he doesn't want to be friends anymore, right"? 

Impressive. She shouldn't have been that surprised that he knew him so well though. They were particularly close, even for siblings, but that was likely a result of growing up on the street together, which was a bond she didn't want to come between. 

"Yeah, pretty much. But Bolin, does Mako know you're doing this"?

"I guess", he shrugged. "I mean, he looked back at me when I wasn't leaving with him and Asami, and gave me that glare of his, so he probably has an idea of what I'm up to”.

"Glare"?

"Yeah, you know" he paused to change his appearance, messing up his hair to imitate Mako, squinting his eyes, sticking out his jaw. "The glare" .

Korra couldn't stop herself from laughing at his somehow both accurate and terrible impression. She really appreciated that he was always able to cheer her up like that. But she regained her composure once she remembered what the situation was.

"Look Bo, I appreciate you trying to help, but I don't want to get you in trouble with Mako too".

"I know, but we're brothers, and we're stuck with each other no matter what, so don't worry about that. Either way, this is bigger than me and him if Mister Sato is working with the equalists, and it’s his problem if he can’t see that. Those guys kidnapped me and nearly took my bending, and I owe you for stopping that".

"You don't have to help me because of that. I told you, it wasn't a big deal.", Korra said while looking at the ground.

“Yes it is a big deal!” The earnesty in his voice caused her to look back up at him to see an encouraging smile. “You tracked me down, snuck into a rally full of equalists, and created that fog to get me out before Amon could do anything to me”.

“Sorry”. She ironically felt a little guilt at the compliment, not really thinking how scary the experience must have been for him, considering how terrified she felt in her own face-to-mask encounter with Amon.

“What are you saying sorry for? I just wanted you to give yourself some credit”, he kept the smile on his face, while also wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She truly felt lucky in that moment, not just because of his support, but that she had told Bolin what had happened between her and Mako during the tournament earlier. It would have been much more awkward and uncomfortable to try to explain it now, and even worse if he’d found out about it from his brother.

Then Korra felt a small piece of paper being put in her hand. When she took a look at it, she realized that it was a note. After she read it to Bolin, Tenzin and Lin, they all went under the north end of the Silk Road Bridge at midnight, per the instructions that had been written. When they arrived, a warehouse worker told them that the gloves used by the equalists in the arena attack.had actually been manufactured by Hiroshi Sato. He also said there was a secret factory underneath the Sato mansion where there was a new weapon being made. Once they processed what the worker had told them they went to return home when Korra was stopped by Bolin.

"So, um, is that offer to live on air temple island still available? Because going back to the mansion now would be....awkward."

"It should be. Tenzin?" The man turned around when he heard his name. "Is it still okay for Bolin to stay with us on the island"?

"Of course, we still have rooms available in the boys dormitory". Then he had a stern look on his face. "But I'll warn you right now young man, any funny business with you and Korra and you'll be sleeping in the sky bison pen instead!"

The warning apparently went right over Bolin's head. “Ooh, you have a sky bison pen ? That’s so cool! I’ve never even seen a sky bison before!” He continued to ramble about how much he loved the animal, while Tenzin gave a sigh of exasperation and slight relief, any fears about Bolin’s intentions apparently gone. However, he couldn’t help giving Korra a flat stare with a raised eyebrow, and she gave the man an angry glare right back, as she felt he was questioning her taste in boys.

Tenzin gave an uncomfortable cough at that, and decided to move on. “Anyway, do you have anything else to bring with you right now?”

“Just Pabu”. The fire ferret climbed back onto Bolin’s shoulder as if on cue. “All my clothes are at the Sato mansion, but if you need me to I can make this outfit last a few d-”

“That won’t be necessary”, Tenzin interrupted. “We have air acolyte robes that should be your size to avoid any...hygiene issues.” Bolin gave him a sheepish grin at that.

“Anyway, we should get home, it seems like we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Bolin, you should fly back with me on Oogi, since Korra will have to ride Naga through Yue Bay”. The boy’s giddiness at hearing that caused her to chuckle, while Tenzin smiled with an eye roll and went over to prepare the animal for leaving.

“Well uh, see you in a few minutes, I guess”, Bolin said, moving closer with a slight uncertainty in his voice, and all Korra could say in that moment was “Yep”.

Then he closed his eyes and leaned in, probably to kiss her on the cheek again, when she acted on an idea that suddenly popped into her head. Putting her hand on his face, Korra changed his movement and her position just slightly enough so that their lips pressed against each other instead. Bolin apparently hadn’t noticed that his motion was changed until that moment, the way his eyes snapped open, but instead of backing away, he simply closed them with hers, allowing them to continue for just a few seconds.

When they pulled apart, Korra had a nervous smile on her face, Bolin was wide-eyed with a goofy grin, and they both had a deep red on their cheeks. Breaking eye contact for a brief moment, she noticed that Tenzin was still focused on Oogi, and decided to encourage Bolin to head over there before the man caught on.

Chapter Text

Bolin was stirred from his slumber by the feeling of something bouncing on his mattress. He let out something between a groan and a yawn, and groggily opened his eyes to see the cause of the disturbance was a small boy with a shaved head jumping up and down on his bed.

" Finally, you're awake", the little boy exclaimed.

"Thanks to you", Bolin responded with no bitterness while running a hand through his hair. 

"Mommy and Daddy told me to get you up for breakfast, but they said I couldn't use airbending. They also wanted to give you those”, the child said, pointing to the dresser that had a pair of folded air acolyte clothes next to a sleeping Pabu.

“Thanks”, Bolin said, for both the robes and the restraint shown by the kid. “Meelo, right?”

“How did you know that?”, he questioned with a face that showed confusion and amazement.

“I saw you at that big fancy party for Korra a while ago.”

“Oh yeah. Daddy said I don’t have to go to those anymore”. Meelo let out a giggle while saying that, while Bolin chuckled, both reliving the memory of the boy’s infamous mistake of thinking a punch bowl was actually a toilet. 

Bolin then pushed himself out of bed and walked over to the dresser. He picked up the outfit with one hand while giving Pabu a little head petting with the other to wake the fire ferret up. He glanced downward to notice the kid staring back up at him, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that was how he looked to Mako when they were younger. He appreciated the attention, but he still wanted to get dressed.

“Uh, just need to get changed, could you give me a minute?”

“Oh sure, sorry”, Meelo exclaimed, quickly heading towards the door.

“No problem. Pabu, please keep him company”. His buddy gave a chirp that seemed to be agreement, and he hopped off the dresser to follow the kid.

Once Meelo was behind the now closed door, he continued the conversation. “It’s good to finally have another boy here”.

“You have your dad, don’t you? Besides, what’s wrong with your sisters?”

“Daddy doesn’t count, he’s too old”, he responded with a bit of annoyance. “And Jinora and Ikki don’t ever wanna do anything I wanna do.”

“Well, what do you kids like to do for fun?”, Bolin asked, thinking it couldn’t hurt to get on the good side of the children.

“Jinora just wants to read books, all Ikki cares about is boys and kissing, and neither of them want to try new airbending stuff with me”, Meelo responded with clear disappointment.

“Well I may just be a humble earthbender, but I’d love to see your bending moves if I can show you mine”, Bolin offered while putting on the top part of the robe.

“Awesome!”

Bolin felt cheery at the boy’s excitement, and was about to leave the room when he noticed in a mirror that his hair was an absolute mess. Not wanting to delay meeting the family any further, he merely took the time to make himself presentable instead of giving himself his usual look. 

When he finally left the room, he saw Pabu curled up on top of Meelo’s, as if to imitate a hat or a full head of hair. The three then went down the hallway that led to a room that contained Korra, a large table filled with food, and four other people wearing the same outfits as the two boys.

Almost immediately after entering, Bolin was accosted by the younger of the two girls. “Hi. Nice to meet you. I’m Ikki. That’s Jinora, she has a crush on you”, she said while pointing at her sister who had her face buried in a book before immediately returning her attention to him. “You’re Bolin right? Korra’s boyfriend? Mako’s little brother? How old are you? You earthbend right? Can you metalbend?”

“Ikki...”, said Tenzin and another woman he assumed was the girl’s mother, preparing to chastise their daughter, but Bolin quickly reassured them. “It’s ok. Yes, yes, yes, sixteen, yes, and not yet.

The girl stared in wonder at his rapid answers before they were encouraged to sit down to eat.

“So, Bolin”, Tenzin started. “My wife and I would like to know what kind of boy we’re having live in our home”. He felt himself tense at the man’s tone, and it must have been noticeable since Korra looked like she was about to reprimand Tenzin until his wife stepped in.

“ Relax , sweetheart. We just want to get to know you a little. And my name is Pema”. She said that last part with a sly look toward her husband, who looked away in slight embarrassment.

"Oh. Alright ma'am."

"You can call me Pema, it's fine."

"I'll work on that, ma'am", and Bolin gave an awkward smile at that slipup, while Tenzin seemed a little less stern, and continued the conversation. "So Korra said she met you through pro bending. How long have you been doing that?"

"About three years. It started when I was thirteen and Mako was fifteen. We were doing a job taking bets for a match when we saw the guy we were working for paying off one of the team's earthbenders, Toza, to lose the fight on purpose. This guy's one of my favorites, so go up to him later and beg him not to throw the fight, but he said he was all kinds of broke. He ended up listening to me though, because he ended up winning by himself with a knockout! But the guys Mako and I were working for found out I told him not to throw the fight, so they got mad, but Toza protected us, gave them the money back, and said he'd show us how to be probenders and help us find a place to live”.

Bolin had to take a breath after letting all that out, noting that it was probably for the best that he hadn’t given the family all the details. He wasn’t sure if Korra had told Pema and Tenzin the full story of his childhood, but Bolin figured it was best not to mention the people he and Mako had been working for were actually Triple Triad members, at least not in front of the children without really being able to understand their situation. 

It wasn't something he was ashamed of, considering their lack of options, but explaining why they had ended up so desperate would probably mean talking about what happened to their parents, and that was a much tougher subject, certainly not appropriate for the current situation. Bolin then just realized he wasn't really prepared to handle follow up questions from the kids, but fortunately Korra spoke up before they were able to ask him anything. 

“Hang on....Toza....was that the guy that caught me sneaking into the arena?”

“Yeah, he’s actually the gym manager now”, he said with enthusiasm and a bit of relief he hoped wasn’t noticeable, before turning to face everyone else at the table. “That’s how we first met actually. I was getting ready for a match and walking towards the ring entrance when I noticed the two of them talking. She was saying she was ‘looking for the bathroom’, but Toza didn’t believe her and was about to call security when I stepped in and said she was with me, and then I showed her where she could watch us play from”.

“ But , I had to clarify we were just friends first.”

Korra said it with a smile, but for some reason he felt the need to defend himself again. "I honestly wasn't implying anything, I was just trying to annoy Toza enough to leave you alone. Which it did, so you're welcome”. He wasn’t looking towards her when he said that, but Bolin could tell she was rolling her eyes.

Then the older of the two girls, Jinora, asked a question. “So how did Korra end up on your pro bending team?”

“The waterbender that was on our team before didn’t show up for our match, so Korra filled in at the last minute. She helped us get in the tournament so we offered her a spot on the fire ferrets.”

The two girls must have been hoping for a longer story, because almost right after he finished Ikki had a follow up. “So when did you ask out Korra?”

That took Bolin by surprise. “Oh, um, well....I-”

Pema then fortunately came to his rescue. “It’s ok, you don’t have to share anything you don’t feel comfortable talking about”.

“It’s not like they haven’t heard about it anyway”, Korra muttered under her breath.

“Wait, what?”

“Never mind”, she quickly said to brush off his concern.

(-)

After Bolin had finished sharing stories, the group dug into the meal that had been prepared. He was full of praise for Pema’s cooking, even offering to help her out in the kitchen when she needed help, saying he was hoping to learn a few things himself. Even Pabu seemed to agree, enjoying the attention from the children as they snuck him food under the table. 

However, when the sounds in the room were only of people chewing, Korra noticed that Bolin’s face would get a bit sad, not really looking up from his food. But if she tried to reassure him in any way, he would put on a happy face and look at her as if nothing was wrong. So when he volunteered to do the dishes as thanks for letting him stay, Korra offered to help, saying it would go faster with her waterbending, while privately hoping it would be a chance to figure out what was wrong.

After the two of them got started and everyone else left the room, Korra began inquiring about what she thought might be bothering him. “By the way, sorry about Tenzin doing that whole interrogation stuff before. I think he’s just trying to make sure Jinora and Ikki don’t get any ideas about bringing boys over when they get older.”

“No big deal, thought it might be something like that”. That should have been encouraging to her, but Bolin said it with a tone that she wasn’t used to hearing from him. So Korra brought up another topic that it could be about. “Jinora and Ikki weren’t too annoying, right? Just a heads up, they’re probably gonna be asking you a lot about our dating life.”

“They were fine, nothing to worry about. Are you doing okay?”

Monkeyfeathers, he caught on . Since he knew something was up, Korra thought she might as well be direct now. “I’m fine, I was just worried about you, cause you seemed a little down during breakfast”.

“Oh. Well, I was having such a good time with you and everyone else, but I realized I hadn’t had a family meal like that since.....anyway, this whole morning kind of made me think about them.”

Bolin didn’t say it directly, but it was a safe assumption that the “them” he was referring to was his parents, now recognizing the way he was speaking was similar to when he told her that they passed away. “Do you want to talk about it? I mean, if you don’t, I completely understand, I just thought maybe....”.

“It’s okay, I know you’re trying to help. Anyway, it’s not like I can’t stand the idea of talking about them, that’s more Mako’s thing”. His expression showed frustration, and although he hadn’t shown it before when he offered to help yesterday, Korra was wondering if having time to think on what had happened left Bolin feeling anger toward his brother, but he quickly offered an explanation for his older sibling. “Maybe it’s because he’s older, has more memories or something like that”.

“What do you remember? Only if you’re okay with it.”

Bolin took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I think their names were San and Naoki. Feels weird to remember that for some reason. Mako got his looks from our mom, but I look more like our dad. Neither of them could bend, so it was a pretty big surprise when the two of us started doing it. I mentioned it before, but we all loved probending. Our Mom’s favorite team was the Dragons, but Dad loved the Badgermoles. The only time they would ever argue is when they played against each other”, he said with a sad laugh. “For one of our birthdays they had actually gotten tickets for all of us to go see a match. We didn’t have much growing up, so they weren't great seats, but we didn’t care. We usually listened on the radio, and that was probably the only time it wasn’t playing music”.

“Really”, asked Korra, trying to take in what he just said.

“Yeah, our mom loved music. I think she might have been a musician or something. It was playing all the time, she loved to dance and cook with my dad. She also had this pipa that she used to play for me and Mako before we went to sleep. I always wanted to get one and teach myself how to play so I could panhandle for money when I was old enough, but it wasn’t really something we could ever afford to get.”

“Do you remember anything else?”

“A few stories, I’ll tell you about them some other time. We should probably finish these dishes soon before we end up getting an earful from Tenzin".

Bolin did seem a little more cheerful, but she would still see a little pain in his eyes. "I'm sorry", Korra said with a dejected tone. "I didn't mean to push you or anything like that."

He looked back at her in surprise. "What? No no no!" He said this while putting her into a tight hug, with both of his arms wrapped around her, one hand on her waist and the other moving up and down her back. After a few moments, he explained. "It kind of sucks now, but it's better to think about the happy stuff with them".

Unlike the hug Bolin had given her after the semifinals, Korra reciprocated his act right away, putting her arms around him so her hands were connected behind his back, while resting her head on his shoulder. While she didn't have any romantic thoughts during their embrace, she did enjoy the comfort of the moment, except that they were both hugging each other with wet hands. 

"Thanks", he said a few seconds later. "For listening".

"Anytime."

"You know that goes for you too, right?", Bolin questioned.

"Appreciate it". Korra then took a glance over to the sink. "We should get back to working on that".

"Not quite yet."

"But you just said th-". She cut herself off, not really wanting the moment between them to end either.

(-)

"If we're wrong about this.....".

"I know, I'm fired. But the priority is protecting Republic city. We can't allow Amon to get his hands on another weapon".

Bolin decided it was best not to join in on the conversation with Tenzin and the chief, instead just silently agreeing about the risk. He'd accepted there'd be fallout between him and Mako when he'd decided to help Korra with her investigation, but he felt they'd be able to work that out, if for no other reason than they each were the only family they had left. 

But raiding the Sato mansion based on information they had no way of knowing was true was a bigger risk than he'd anticipated. Lin having to resign would be a problem, but he also wondered how it would look to people if they didn't find anything to incriminate Mr. Sato, and how the equalists would probably use it as evidence of the "persecution" of non benders.

When they entered the estate and explained their reasons for being there, Asami's skepticism wasn't a big surprise to him. Bolin did notice that Mako was unusually quiet, probably because he and Korra had shown up with the police instead of an apology.

Asami then led them to the workshop she said her dad was in, only to find it unoccupied. After one the officers explained they hadn't seen anyone leave while observing the building, the chief theorized that he didn't leave where they would see him leaving. She then metalbent her suit to expose her foot, which she used to discover a secret tunnel that headed into the mountainside. 

"I don't understand", Asami said, confusion clear in her voice. "There must be an explanation for all of this". Bolin wanted to comfort her somehow, but he couldn't find the words.

Korra spoke up."Maybe you don't know everything about your father. I'm sorry", she added with sympathy.

Lin then directed her officers into the tunnel, but stopped him, Mako, and Asami. "Uh-uh, you three stay up here".

"Wait, what ?", Bolin asked with frustration. She hadn't had a problem with him tagging along before, but all of a sudden it was too dangerous? 

Chief Beifong didn't even acknowledge him. "Officer Song, keep an eye on those three".

Korra looked up at them with sadness in her eyes, but Bolin couldn't tell who it was directed towards. Then he tensed up, feeling familiar eyes looking at him.

He turned away. "Don't, Mako", he said with a voice not much louder than a whisper. 

"Bo, I-"

"I said don't" , he snapped, and that seemed to get the message across. Bolin was angry with his brother, sure, but there was more to the outburst than just that. He hated the feeling he had right now. That he needed to be coddled and protected. That he wasn't good enough. That he needed to be kept out of things for his own safety. 

After hearing a loud noise, uncertainty and anxiety got the better of both him and Mako. They wanted to go down and find out, but the officer staying with them refused to budge. Bolin was able to tell Mako an idea he had to take care of the cop with a loud sniff and rubbing his nose while maintaining eye contact, and his brother fortunately caught on.

Following a flaming sneeze and a trip over a rock sticking out of the floor, the two were able to subdue the man with the trick that had worked well in several other tight spots. "Sorry sir", Mako offered. "We know you were just doing your job."

"Yeah, just stay put until the chief comes back. That sounds very familiar doesn't it, why? Because that's what you said", Bolin added while trying to rub in the irony. 

The two went down into the tunnel, but not before Mako stopped Asami, telling her that he would "go find the truth for her", which caused his younger brother to look back at the girl in understanding, now that she was in a position he was familiar with. 

When Bolin created an entrance through the floor of the closed off area, what he and Mako saw made them horrified. Korra, Tenzin, and Chief Beifong were all unconscious, while the police there to search the mansion were being loaded into trucks.

"You two were right", Mako murmured. "We gotta do something now".

"Well, duh", Bolin thought to himself as he untied Korra and hoisted her onto his back, while Mako did the same with Tenzin. They both had a hand on Lin to carry her out when they were stopped by Mr. Sato and that weird-mustached guy again. 

When Mako figured the man's true intentions out loud about how his generosity was actually a cover, the businessman made no denials, adding insult by saying the only difficult part was having his daughter spend time with bending street rats. Bolin saw a metal glove on the man's hand glow with electricity and braced himself for the pain when he heard Asami's voice cry out to stop.

As Hiroshi tried to explain his actions to his daughter and his motivations for doing them, Bolin felt Korra wake up on his back, which provided him some relief. But that went away when he saw Mr. Sato offer Asami a glove and an offer to work by his side. 

The look on her face portrayed her feelings. She was overwhelmed and terrified. Whatever decision she made next, Bolin couldn't really blame her for it. But as she took the glove while trembling, it was hard not to assume the worst was about to happen. 

"I love you, Dad"

Then she electrocuted him. Until he passed out. Then she took out the mustache guy really easily. He and everyone else were ironically stunned, but they snapped out of it when Lin woke up and told them all to get moving.

Back on the airship, Korra filled him in on what happened. How the informant had actually been a setup by Hiroshi, and how the "mecha tanks" he had created were able to defeat them rather easily. Then they heard Lin talking to Tenzin. How she had failed, that her men were being taken to Amon because she failed to realize a trap, and that she was going to resign so that she would be able to find her officers without the law's restrictions. Spirits help whoever got in her way. 

Then Mako walked toward them, and Bolin excused himself so they could talk in private. However, he was able to stay within earshot while staring out the window to give himself cover. He heard his brother apologize, saying it was difficult to believe that Asami's dad was an equalist. That seemed to be enough for Korra, as she said her offer to live on Air temple island was still available, but Bolin wasn't feeling as forgiving. To smooth things over between them, he felt that at the very least Mako should own up to what he had said to Korra after searching the Future industries factories. 

After Mako left to go comfort Asami, Bolin returned to Korra's side, both looking at the heiress with sympathy and gratitude. 

Chapter Text

“Welcome to your new home, Air temple island!”, Ikki said, full of enthusiasm, as the boat carrying Mako, Asami, and their luggage arrived at the dock.

“Yes, welcome to my domain”, Meelo added while pointing to himself.

“Why aren’t you sweet, little monk children”, Asami responded, walking off the ramp to join them and Korra, with Mako right behind them. The avatar was disappointed that Bolin wasn’t there to greet them, as he had offered to help Pema prepare lunch. She was worried about tension between him and his brother, but she was confident they would be able to sort it on their own, given that it hadn’t affected their rescue effort at the Sato mansion. At least he had Pabu come along with them to help supervise the moving of his stuff, with the added bonus of keeping the attention of the children.

“By the way, what is this fuzzy creature?”, Meelo asked, as the focus of his question scurried between his legs to go and sniff Naga’s snout.

“That is a fire ferret, an arboreal mammal common to the bamboo forest of the central Earth Kingdom”, Jinora answered. However, it wasn’t really heard by her siblings, as Ikki let out a squeal and chased Pabu around Naga, while Meelo clearly didn’t understand a word from the eldest sibling, choosing to go and hop on the polar bear dog, yanking her ears in an attempt to get her flying.

Asami and Mako then gave their thanks for sending air acolytes to help with the move, noting their tireless work ethic while carrying a mountain of luggage that nearly ended up falling on Korra. When she told them that she thought they were only bringing a few things, Mako reassured her that it would have been a lot worse.

A few moments later, Asami looked down at Meelo, who was staring at her with a gigantic grin on her face. "You're pretty, can I have some of your hair?" Mako made a remark about how he seemed to have some competition, while Korra reminded herself that she should have a talk with the boy. What he did may be cute now, but asking for hair from girls you like at an older age would lead to something.....unfortunate.

As the children led them to gates near the living quarters, Ikki pointed out the pens where the air bison slept, the temple built by Aang, and the greenhouses where they grew vegetables for food.

After that, Jinora directed Mako to the boy's dormitory with Meelo tagging along, but not before promising Asami that they would meet again soon. That was followed by a brief silence as Korra led her to the girl's dormitory, with Ikki alongside them.

"Asami, did you know that Korra likes Mako?"

No. She did not. She did not just do that. Korra knew that Ikki had no bad intentions in revealing those feelings, but the girl was apparently unaware that her feelings for the firebender had changed, let alone the implications of what she had just told his girlfriend. Acting on her second impulse, Korra took Asami by the arm and led her into one of the empty rooms, instead of her first impulse to fling Ikki into Yue Bay by her hair. However, the girl was upset after the door got slammed in her face, clearly not taking the hint.

"Hey!"

"Run along, Ikki!" For your own safety. 

After hearing a moan and cat noises for some reason, Korra turned her attention back to Asami.  "So, here's your room. I know this is a little more....rustic compared to what you're probably used to."

"I think it's really charming", she responded. "And the best part about it, nothing here reminds me of my dad". Korra relaxed, knowing there was actually a subject more uncomfortable for her to talk about than what Ikki had just blurted out. After taking a moment so the blabbermouth would hopefully be out of earshot, Korra began to explain. "Look, about what she just said, about Mako, I just wanted to tell you that I-”

“You don’t have to explain yourself about that”, Asami offered. “Mako told me about what happened with you two during the tournament when Bolin went with you to Air temple island the other night.”

“Oh”. Korra was left feeling a little lost for words hearing that, looking at the ground while twiddling her thumbs. While she did feel relieved that she didn’t have to talk someone through what had happened again, she didn’t want her friend to get the wrong impression of her either. “Aaand, you’re okay with it?”, Korra asked with a sheepish grin.

“Well, I’m not happy that it happened”, Asami answered with a small smile but with an annoyed tone that made Korra wince. “But when Mako told me, he seemed more worried about Bolin getting hurt than anything, but I remembered how you two were acting at the mansion, and I realized neither of us had anything to worry about with that.”

The last part of Asami’s story had been told with a slightly teasing nature that made Korra blush a little, but she also felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders now that all that stupid stuff from before was out in the open, and they could all move on without any awkwardness or tension.

That blissful feeling was interrupted though when she heard knocking on the door. She better have not been eavesdropping again.  “Ikki, I swear if you don't leave us alone, I'm gonna-”. Her threat to use the avatar state was cut off when the doors opened to reveal her airbending teacher, clearly unamused by the misunderstanding. “Uh, hey Tenzin! Come right in.”

(-)

While dinner with the airbender family had been a mostly joyful experience, Bolin couldn’t help but notice that Korra was silent nearly the entire meal. It hadn’t got noticed by anyone else though, as Mako was telling stories of their exploits in the pro bending leagues to Tenzin and Pema, and Asami kept the girls attention with tales of romance, either ignoring or oblivious to Meelo staring at her with a look that made him wonder if that’s how he looked when watching Korra.

Speaking of his girlfriend, she left immediately after everyone had finished eating, leaving him on dish cleanup duty with Ikki instead. That wasn’t a problem, since Bolin enjoyed conversation with someone who had as much to say as he did, but he really wanted a chance to check up on Korra like she had done for him after breakfast yesterday.

After they’d finished, Bolin decided to go looking for her, with Pabu leading the search party. After a few minutes, his buddy jumped through a bush, and he followed right behind him to see Korra sitting on the ground, staring at the statue of Avatar Aang with Pabu licking her cheek. 

"Hey", Bolin spoke softly. "You doing alright?"

“I’m fine”, she responded, but her body language tipped him off that she wasn’t being honest with him.

“You know, I’ve only seen Pabu act like that when I-er Mako is crying.”

“Mako?”, Korra questioned, disbelief clear in her voice, but enough of a smile that made him want to continue.

“Oh, totally. He does it all the time. I remember once where he stubbed his toe, he started bawling, for like, half an hour. Snot running down his nose and everything. Don’t tell him I told you that though, he’ll deny it...and get mad. At me.”

That got a small laugh out of her, so Bolin decided to inquire. “So do you want to tell me what’s bothering you, or would prefer to talk to Pabu?” He held the fire ferret up to his face again and cleared his throat in preparation of doing the voice.

“You’ll do, Bolin”, Korra responded while giving Pabu a belly rub. When he set his friend down, the fire ferret immediately hopped into her lap for additional affection. “I guess.....I just feel like the worst avatar ever right now”.

“What? Why?” Bolin was completely shocked by her negative feelings toward herself. He hadn’t known Korra all that long, but he never thought of her as a person who would lack confidence in herself. 

"It's just that at that jerk ceremony for that new jerk police chief that jerk Tarrlok called me a half baked avatar". Bolin felt his expression darken hearing that. Who the flameo does he think he is to talk to her like that? But it didn't feel like he was getting the full picture.

"Is there anything else bothering you? Because I find it hard to believe that you care that much about what that three-ponytailed jerk thinks.” He’d hoped that the jab at Tarrlok would cheer her up, but the look Korra gave him after saying that made him wonder if he’d made things worse. “What’s wrong with having three ponytails?”, she asked in a voice that sounded like she was about to cry again.

Oh no . He meant to respond with an explanation or an apology, but apparently part of his brain was malfunctioning as he could only stammer and utter complete gibberish. Fortunately, a smile grew on her face that he took as either mercy or revealing that he was just messing with him.

“I mean, he was kinda right though”, she eventually continued. “I still can’t airbend, or meditate, or talk to any of my past lives!”

“What do you mean still” , he asked. “Aren’t you like, seventeen?”

“Yeah, but Aang was able to master all four elements, and the avatar state, and end the hundred-year war when he was just twelve years old.”

“Wasn’t he one hundred and twelve, technically? Besides it’s not like you two are the only avatars to ever exist”.

“I know”, Korra answered with a sad tone. “But for as long as I’ve been training to be the avatar, it was always ‘Aang was able to do this’, or ‘Why can’t you be more like Aang?’. The only teachers I’ve had that didn’t treat me like that were Katara and Tenzin, and even then they were part of Aang’s family. I guess I’m just...reminded of him wherever I go.”

“So you decided to go out and stare at that big statue of him?”

The realization dawned on her. “Oh, shut up”, she said with a smile, fortunately able to see the humor in the situation.

“That statue has always seemed weird to me anyway. If that’s supposed to be part of a memorial, then why is it of Aang as a kid instead of what he looked like for most of his life?”. Kotta pondered this and seemed to show agreement, but he realized it was still probably best to change the subject.

“Ok, ok”, Bolin placated. “But look, airbending and spirituality are kinda intertwined, right?”

“Yeah. At least that’s what Tenzin’s been telling me when I get frustrated with meditating. But it’s so annoying! He, and all of his kids can do it so easily. Even Meelo, and he spends most of his time figuring out how to snotbend !”

Pushing away mental pictures of what that would result in, Bolin kept talking. “Well, weren’t they all raised with the air nomad lifestyle? They’ve probably had years of practice. I mean even Aang was raised by monks before that whole ‘freeze myself and disappear for a century’ whoopsie”.

“I guess. But what does that have to do with me not being able to airbend?”

“Well, isn’t it part of the air nomad way to detach yourself from the worldly concerns?”

Korra gave that some thought. “So you think this airbending and meditation block could be because I’ve had to focus on Republic city and the equalists or something?” 

“Just a theory. But it makes sense, right?”

“Yeah, it does”, she admitted. “But how do you know about that stuff?”

Bolin couldn’t really be bothered by the surprise in her voice. It was completely understandable from his perspective that he didn’t really seem like a person who would be knowledgeable on a subject like that. “Oh, Iroh wrote about the four nations and elements in his book”.

“Wait, Iroh wrote a book ?”

“Yeah, it’s in with my luggage if you ever want to read it yourself”, he offered, now recalling the last place he remembered having General Wisdom: A guide full of advice and tea from the Dragon of the West. 

"Thanks", she said, leaning in and kissing him on the cheek. "I'm glad you found me out here. I guess with everything going on lately, I've been feeling really alone."

"You're never alone, Korra."

"Aahh!" Bolin felt himself rise a foot in the air, not expecting to hear his brother's voice. "Clearly", he remarked with obvious annoyance while turning around. "Spirits, how long have you two been listening?"

"That last part was all we heard, honest", Asami explained, and Bolin figured it was probably best to take her word for it and move on. 

After that, Mako and Asami offered Korra their help along with Bolin to stop the equalists. Even Meelo wanted to join, while creating a smell that reminded him of rotting meat. 

The new team Avatar then decided to head into the city to patrol, although they had to use a satomobile since Naga put her paw down at the idea of carrying four people on her back. 

Once they had reached downtown, they heard over the radio that there was a jailbreak at police headquarters, with multiple officers chi blocked, and the escaping equalists were armed and dangerous. Asami explained that her father had police scanners put in all his cars, while sadly adding that now she finally understood why.

It was a stroke of luck that they saw the fleeing prisoners speed by, giving them a chance to pursue. After creating a ramp with Korra to get past a truck, Bolin was able to stop one of the equalists on a motorcycle by taking out one of the wheels with earthbending, while Mako used a lightning bolt to disable another. 

The two other cyclists tried to use a smokescreen to escape, but all it ended up doing was hiding that team avatar had been able to make a quick turn with another ramp. After Asami rammed the equalists off their bikes, she was able to dispose of them as well with the glove she got from her dad, since they gave Bolin and his brother more trouble than they would handle with their chi blocking and bolas. Mako was finally able to get the truck to stop when he used a lightning bolt to knock out the driver and cause a crash. 

Afterwards, reporters showed up, and they had fun with the photo op, at least until Tarrlok showed up with police officers, showing clear unhappiness. Bolin figured it was best to stay out that argument and let Korra rub Tarrlok’s nose in the fact that they had done his job for him, but he felt a little uneasy at the man’s warning to stay out of his way, thinking of the risks of making an enemy out of him.

(-)

Once Korra and everyone else had gotten enough to eat, team avatar left the restaurant that Asami had paid for, and listened for an update on the police scanner in the satomobile. While they were waiting, Korra thought about the new laws that had been passed by Tarrlok during the council meeting earlier that day.

She couldn’t argue that criminalizing being an equalist made sense, given what had been going on, but the other rules Tenzin told her about gave her pause. Association with being an equalist felt like a slippery slope, and made her worried about Asami’s safety being at risk because of her father.

Korra’s biggest concern however was the curfew put in place specifically for nonbenders. “ How would that even work”, she thought to herself. “Would people out past curfew have to bend to avoid being arrested? Or would they need to show paperwork that certified them as benders?” This train of thought was interrupted though as over the radio they all heard a report of armed equalists taking to the streets. Deciding to investigate, Mako hopped in the front seat next to his girlfriend, while Bolin took the chance to be a chauffeur for Korra.

“After you, milady”, he said with a fake fancy accent, while holding her door open with a bow.

“Such a gentleman”, she complimented while entering the car.

When they arrived at the borough though, they saw hundreds of people protesting in the middle of a blackout in front of a police barricade, not matching the description they’d heard before at all. One of the children had recognized Korra, and the woman holding her begged for help, saying she was their avatar too.

“Tarrlok”, Korra said as she spotted him talking to a member of the task force.”Why is the power out in this borough?”

“Avatar Korra”, the councilman replied with clear disinterest. “You and your playmates have no business here. Go home.”

“We’re not going anywhere. These people haven’t done anything wrong and you don’t have the right to treat them like this.”

“This might as well be an equalist rally, and we can’t afford any leniency towards them”.

They’re not equalists, they’re just normal people who want their power back on”, Asami retorted.

“They are the enemy!” Tarrlok then turned to the metalbending officers. “Round these equalists up!”

They complied with his order, using the barricades to encase people in groups, then lifting the ground underneath them to be put into the back of police trucks. As bystanders fled to avoid the same fate, Korra knew this had gone far enough. She was fortunately able to act quickly, bringing the lifted streets back down so everyone could escape.

“Hey! Let me go!”

Korra heard Asami’s voice and turned back around to see that Tarrlok had ensnared the girl’s arm with a water whip and told her she was under arrest.

"What?", Mako shouted. "You can't do that!"

"Actually, I can", Tarrlok responded. "She's a nonbender out past curfew and her father is a known equalist conspirator".

"Let her go!"

The councilman apparently didn't take kindly to the tone of Mako's request. "Arrest him and his brother", he told his officers, who immediately coiled their cables around the two brothers. 

Korra reacted on instinct, earthbending two massive rocks on either side of her. "Tarrlok!"

"I suggest you put those down and go back to the Air Temple, unless you want to join your friends in jail."

"Korra, don't do it", Mako told her. "It's not worth it." She agreed without replying and reluctantly put the earth down. 

"Don't worry, we'll be alright", she heard Bolin tell her as he and his brother were being placed in the truck.

"I'll call Tenzin, he can get you guys out", Korra said. Bolin looked out and nodded in acknowledgment, while giving her a smile probably meant to be encouraging, but she still felt dismayed by the whole situation. Brushing off taunts from Tarrlok, she quickly headed to the police station to get her friends out of jail.

Unfortunately, Korra wasn't able to help them, since the people at the front desk wouldn't give her any information. Even Tenzin speaking to the new chief wasn't enough, as they were told that all equalist suspects were being detained indefinitely. The airbender promised he would take the matter up with Tarrlok first thing tomorrow, while agreeing with the avatar that Saikhan was the worst chief of police ever. 

Back at the island though, Korra was unable to sleep, instead dwelling on the trouble that Bolin, Mako, and Asami were in. Deciding it wasn't worth risking their safety by waiting until morning, Korra rode Naga into the city, but left the polar bear dog waiting outside as she went to confront Tarrlok on her own.

"You and I need to talk", she said while entering his office through a window.

After sending the council page home after confirmation that everyone else had done the same, Tarrlok addressed her intrusion. "You obviously have something on your mind? Spit it out."

"What exactly do you think you're doing, locking up all these people? You're doing everything Amon says is wrong with benders and it's gonna end up with more people supporting the equalists."

"I disagree", the man replied with a surprising calmness. "Leniency isn't a luxury we can afford right now. You've seen firsthand what Amon and his group of radicals are capable of."

"What does that have to do with locking up my friends and people protesting their power being cut off?"

"Consequences for dissent gives a reason to stay in line and not cause trouble until this matter is dealt with", Tarrlok explained with annoyance. "As for your friends, this vigilante justice you've been up to only puts innocent people at risk and undermines the authority of trained professionals."

"More like we're making you look bad", Korra muttered, just loud enough to be heard.

"Whether you like it or not, Republic city has been looking to me to stop the equalists from taking over. Do you think it should be someone else?" He added the question angrily after seeing her roll her eyes. " Former chief Beifong, who would admit failure herself for her role in this mess? As for Tenzin, I doubt the man has the stomach for making the hard decisions. And I'll do both of us a favor and skip the explanation on why it shouldn't be you."

"Enough", Korra barked. "This isn't about me, Lin, or Tenzin. This is about you using your power to oppress and intimidate people".

"And what exactly did you come here to do? Beg and plead for me to release your friends out of the kindness of my heart?"

"I-"

"You and I are more alike than you think, Korra. We're both willing to go to the extreme to get what we want." Tarrlok held up a hand before she could argue. "Look, I'll make you a deal, you fall in line and rejoin my task force, and I'll have your friends released."

She realized that he had probably planned all along to arrest them to get to her. She wanted them out, but not at the cost of being a puppet. They would understand.

"No. Whatever you did to get chief Saikhan in your pocket won't work on me."

"You will regret that decision", Tarrlok bitterly responded while turning his back to her.

"Why do you care so much about stopping Amon if you're gonna be just as bad?"

The question apparently touched a nerve, as the councilman turned back around and used the waterfall behind his desk to attack her. She was able to put up a wall to defend herself, but not before being grazed by a couple of ice darts.

Korra then used the wall in the office to send Tarrlok into the council chambers, one hand on a railing keeping him on the second floor. She asked if he still thought she was a half-baked avatar, but earthbended him down to the ground before he could answer. 

Korra was about to encase him in rock and call the police, but her body stopped before she could move any rock.

"You're in my way Avatar, and you need to be removed", Tarrlok said, as her limbs twisted against her will, causing her to fall to her knees in pain. 

She recognized what this was from the stories she had been told. "You.......you're a bloodbender?"

"Very observant."

"How are you doing this", she questioned while writhing on the ground. "It's.....it's not a full moon!"

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me", he told her before sending her flying into a pillar.

As Korra slipped out of consciousness, she saw a vision in her head of the same room she was now in, with people she somehow recognized having their bodies being manipulated the same way as her. Sokka.....Toph......Aang.... what's going on? She snapped back to reality as she felt the rope around her body".

"What are you doing?"

"Taking you somewhere no one will find you. Say goodbye to Republic City, Avatar Korra. You'll never see it again!"

Korra let out a scream of anger and fire, but Tarrlok managed to slam the door closed in time. She continued to struggle and shout, but it fell on deaf ears as she felt the truck speed off into the night. 

Chapter Text

The entire ride in the back of the truck, Korra was only able to think about how she had just been bloodbended, and the stories Katara had told her about the ability. The first time she had used it was as a young girl against an elderly woman named Hama. 

She was the person who had told Katara about bloodbending, as Hama learned how while being imprisoned in the fire nation, for the crime of being a waterbender from the southern tribe. Katara had been horrified by the idea of controlling people like that, only doing so to save Aang's life, and stopping Hama from kidnapping and imprisoning innocent people. 

The second and last time she bloodbended was on a man she thought had killed her mother. In her own words, Katara had been like Hama in that moment, blinded by grief and rage enough to use someone's own body against them. Afterwards, she promised herself that she would never bloodbend again, and used her influence to make sure the act became illegal. And as Korra was lifted out of the truck by her own blood, she fully understood why. 

Once Korra regained control of her body inside of a metal box in a basement in the middle of nowhere, she banged against the walls, telling Tarrlok he couldn't keep her locked up forever. Korra continued trying to yell for help and do everything she could to try and get the box open, but after a few minutes she realized it was futile. 

Wondering what she should do instead, she remembered Tenzin telling her to meditate on her visions of Aang. "Well, since I can't think of anything else to do" , Korra thought as she resumed the position taught to her and took a deep breath.

(-)

"We need to talk", Mako spoke, breaking the silence of their prison cell. The two brothers hadn't said a word to each other since being put in their cell in a very ungentle fashion, and afterwards Bolin's thoughts were focused on Korra, and it was an easy guess that Mako was doing the same in regards to his girlfriend. Bolin knew things between them couldn't continue like this, but he wasn't feeling like he should be the one making the effort. 

"Ok, so....talk."

"You haven't spoken to me since the whole mess with Asami's dad. Are seriously still mad that I believed him over Korra?"

Bolin turned to look at Mako, trying to contain his frustration. "Is that what you think I'm upset about?"

"Well, what else could it be?"

Spirits, is he actually that dense or does he hope I don't know about it? Bolin was partially tempted to end the conversation right there, but he remembered that this was something they needed to move past. "Oh, I don't know, maybe I'm mad because you told Korra that she was only looking into Mr. Sato because she was jealous of you and Asami? Or, maybe I'm mad because you told Korra that you'd stop being friends with her if she didn't drop the investigation!"

Mako seemed to be taken off guard by how direct Bolin had been, but returned to his normal demeanor. "Is that what Korra told you?"

"No, I asked her if you had told her that because I thought you would think something like that, and she said you did, so don't you dare act like she's lying!"

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry, alright?" Mako was clearly trying to calm him down, but Bolin wasn't in the mood.

"It's not alright! First of all, the fact that you think Korra's the kind of person that would accuse someone of working with terrorists just because their daughter is dating someone she likes. Second, that you think Korra's more focused on you even though she's dating me . Do you think she's only dating me because of you or something? Do you think I'm that unappealing to girls? Do you think she's that shallow? And as for ending your friendship, did you expect me to break up with her just because you were mad at her? Or was that another decision you thought you could make for both of us?"

"What? Bo, I....no...no...I...I'm sorry." He looked to Mako to see guilt and regret on his face, apparently not realizing until now how what he said before had affected him, and the thoughts that had been put in his head. Bolin felt slightly calmed by the sincerity in his brother's apology, but noticed that Mako had just taken a deep breath, which he usually did before trying to confess something. "Bolin, look, back during the tournament-"

He cut his brother off. "Before I asked Korra out, she told you that she thought you two were meant for each other, and you turned her down?"

Bolin had clearly surprised him, and the look on his face probably would have made him laugh if the situation were different. "She, uhhh, she told you?"

"Yeah, we talked about it when we had lunch before the final against the wolfbats. She thought I deserved to know the truth." Bolin was glad that he'd been told what happened by Korra instead of Mako, but his tendency to keep things from him had put a strain on their relationship previously, although the same could be said for Bolin's own inability to keep his mouth shut. 

"Are you mad that I didn't tell you about what happened?"

"Not about this, no."

Fortunately Mako seemed to catch on to what he had meant. "Bolin, you know I only do that to protect you, right?"

"That's another thing, Mako. I'm not six years old anymore. I can look after myself better than you think."

"I want to believe that bro, but what happened before, with the triads..."

"Well, if I had thought there was a chance of a bunch of equalists that knew chi blocking with crazy new tech no one knew about showing up, I would have asked Shady Shin for more money! Pabu's tricks weren't the draw I was hoping for, ok?"

What Bolin had just heard felt like a cheap shot. Mako wouldn't have done any better against that ambush than himself or anyone else in that warehouse. He hadn't talked about it much, but it felt it had been made clear how scary the experience had been for him, at least enough not to have it brought up like that.

"You didn't have to do that Bolin. I told you, I would've figured something out."

"I know, I know. You always do. But what exactly was your plan? Keep walking out into traffic until someone rich runs you over, and hope they'll give you money for the tournament?"

"I don't know! But you shouldn't have put yourself at risk like that."

"Just stop it! If you had done that it would have been selfless and brave, but since I did, it was stupid and reckless, right?"

"I don't think you're st-"

Bolin interrupted his brother again. "Maybe I just wanted to be able to take care of us for once, instead of you doing everything all the time with me being a burden.” His voice lowered in volume throughout the outburst, until he slumped down against the wall, finally getting everything off his chest.

"You're not.....is that what you feel like?"

"Sometimes, yeah", Bolin confessed. After a few moments of silence, he felt the need to clarify. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ungrateful. I know it was hard to look after both of us growing up. You were the one that had to take the most risks and make the hard choices, but I feel like we’re both old enough now that I can start doing more. I’m only two years younger than you, and if you can do all this hard and important stuff. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I don’t like how things are between us right now and I want them to be different.”

“Alright, Bolin”, Mako placated. “I can’t promise I’ll start treating you differently right away, but we’ll work through it.”

“Thanks, bro. I’d give you a hug right now, but I just realized I seriously need to use the bathroom.”

“You do realize there’s no toilet in here, right?”

“Well, I’ll just go in the corner then. And cover your ears, I can’t go with you listening.”

“I don’t want to listen”, Mako argued.

“Good. Then don’t.”

His brother gave an annoyed groan, but Bolin was then able to do his business in silence. He was just finishing up when he heard their cell door being opened.

“Asami!”

“Ahh!” Bolin could feel himself turning red realizing the identity of the intruder. “Could I get a little privacy, please?”

“Are you alright”, Mako asked. I guess I can’t.

“I’m fine, the chief busted me out.”

“Hate to interrupt the lover’s reunion and potty break”, Lin spoke up. “But Korra’s in trouble. Amon captured her.”

“What?” Bolin turned around, in shock at what he had just heard. He was about to inquire further when he let out a squeak, as his zipper had apparently taken on a life of its own.

“Your fly was down”, Lin explained indifferently, as if she was telling him what time it was. Fortunately, she then said they needed to go to Tenzin’s office at city hall to find out more, so that he could concentrate on that, instead of the horrific fate he had barely avoided.

When they arrived, Tenzin had given them all lectures on not being in bed or in prison, but once he had gotten past that, the man repeated Tarrlok’s account of how Korra had been taken, leaving them all to ponder what their next move should be.

Bolin asked Tenzin if he had any leads, but the man was despondent. Saying that calling all morning hadn't yielded anything yet. Bolin then suggested that they should use Naga to track Korra, but apparently she was missing as well. 

Lin then offered a theory that Korra was being held underground in equalists tunnels, which Bolin supported, saying when he had gotten kidnapped it had sounded like the truck entered a tunnel. Mako recalled chasing after him and led them all to an alley that had a familiar smell, according to Bolin.

The chief then did the same maneuver as she did in Hiroshi Sato's workshop, and told them there was a tunnel nearby.

“How did you do that”, Bolin asked. Find out there was a tunnel just by stomping with your foot.”

“Seismic sense”, the chief explained. “It’s how my mother sees with her feet. She taught me how to use it so I could learn how to metalbend".

"That's so cool! Think you would teach me how t-"

"No."

"Okay", Bolin responded, a little disrespected that she wasn't even willing to give some excuse or let him down easy, but arriving at the tunnel entrance and noticing motorcycle tracks, reminding him that they needed to find Korra as quickly as possible. 

After she metalbent the gate open, they walked to an intersection of tunnels. 

"Should we split up to cover more ground?"

"Nah", Bolin told Asami. "We don't know what we're walking into. There's a good chance they’ll try to ambush us”, going back to his own abduction again. “Better we stay together and go down one tunnel so they can’t pick us off”, he suggested while pointing towards the one furthest to the right.

“What if Korra’s not down there?”, Mako asked.

“Then we’ll go down the other tunnels until we find her!”

The look on Mako’s face made Bolin regret snapping at his brother. It wasn’t an unreasonable question. “Come on, you should be walking in front. You’re our only light source.” Mako then stepped forward with a flame in his hand, making eye contact with a nod to show that he recognized the unspoken apology.

After a few moments of walking, they had to hide to avoid equalists patrolling on motorcycles. However, they unknowingly revealed a secret entrance that Lin was able to open herself after watching the men enter.

Eavesdropping on two other equalists talk about prison deliveries. Tenzin figured that was where Korra was being held, and they then used a tram to surprise two guards, who ended up unconscious and tied up by Lin. She then told Bolin and Asami to keep an eye on them, but he decided to object.

“No. You’re not leaving me behind again.” He then looked over to Mako. “Can you make sure those guys don’t cause any trouble?”

“Uh, sure”, he quietly responded, noticing the former chief looked ready to break Bolin in two.

Before she could make him regret being born though, Tenzin placed a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to calm her down, as she gave an angry sigh before doing her seismic sense maneuver again. “My officers are inside, but I don’t see Korra.”

Bolin decided to follow them into the corridor full of cells anyway, and ran into two more equalists that Tenzin was able to defeat rather easily, blasting them into the wall with air. As he and Lin continued through the halls, Bolin noticed one of the henchmen was still conscious. 

Remembering that they still had no idea where Korra was, and that she was probably running out of time, he acted in desperation, picking the man up by his collar, tearing off his mask and slamming him into the wall.

“Avatar Korra! Where are you keeping her?”

The demand for answers didn’t get a response though,only a cold stare. An uncomfortable feeling settled over Bolin, dwelling on what he might need to do next. We don’t have any other leads. Korra would do this for me if I needed help. 

He used one hand to keep the equalist against the wall and off the floor, while pointing his free arm toward the ground, summoning rock to encase a closed fist. When it was completely covered, he raised it back up, making his intentions clear to the man.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, just tell me where Korra is!”

“We don’t have her”, the man weakly replied. “And Tarrlok’s lying, we didn’t attack city hall.”

Bolin was about to interrogate further, when Lin reappeared with her metalbending officers. “I scanned the entire prison. Korra's not here.”

He let the man and rock on his arm fall to the ground. “Why would Tarrlok lie about being attacked by equalists?” Then it dawned on him, and he felt like the biggest idiot in the world. “Because-”

“ He has Korra”, Tenzin finished angrily. “He fooled us all!”

Right after their realization, an alarm went off, and they all hurried back to Mako and Asami.

“Let’s go, people”, Mako challenged as everyone hopped on the tram.

Equalists were quick to chase them afterwards, but Bolin was able to earthbend the wall of the tunnel into their pursuers path, and he couldn’t help but enjoy the sound of them hitting his obstruction.

“Try to chi block that, fools!”

The satisfaction was short-lived though, as Lin noticed the weird-mustached equalist at the other end of the tunnel, along with several other unhappy looking fellows. Fortunately, she was able to avoid them by using the tram rail on the ceiling as a ramp out of the base. This did cause groaning from the other passengers though, from the rough landing and the sunlight pouring through the exit she created back to street level.

Once they were all back on street level, Lin sent her officers home, while Tenzin requested Tarrlok and the rest of the council to meet him and Lin at city hall, unaware of their true intentions, with the present members of team avatar tagging along.

After they all arrived, Lin and Saikan shared a cold acknowledgement before Tarrlok burst through the doors. “Do you have news of Avatar Korra?”

“Drop the act, Tarrlok. You took her, didn’t you”, Tenzin accused.

“I am shocked you would accuse me of such an act! I already explained: Equalists attacked us last night and took her!”

“There weren’t any chi blockers here last night, were there? You just planted weapons seized by the task force as evidence, didn’t you?”

“That is a ridiculous accusation!”

“It’s true!” A squeaky voice came out of nowhere, and they looked up on the second floor balcony and saw the council page. “He took her! I was here when Avatar Korra arrived last night, but Councilman Tarrlok ordered me to leave. I was on my way out when I saw Tarrlok bring her down to the garage.”

“That is nonsense”,Tarrlok yelled full of rage. “Everyone knows you're nothing but a squeaky-voiced liar!”

“Why’d you wait until now to 'fess up”, Lin asked while folding her arms and looking at the man skeptically.

“I was terrified to tell because...because Tarrlok is a bloodbender! He bloodbent Avatar Korra!

“Of course”, Bolin thought. “Korra would have fed him his own teeth if he couldn't use bloodbending on her”.

“Don't make this worse for yourself”, Tenzin threatened as he, Lin, Mako, and Bolin took fighting stances. “Tell us where you have Korra”.

Bolin was about to send a boulder right at Tarrlok’s smug face when he lost control of his own body. As he fell to his knees in pain, he looked around to Mako and everoneelse in the same state of agony before he blacked out”.

When he regained consciousness, Bolin felt like he’d been hit by a truck. Repeatedly. Lin explained they’d only been out for a few minutes, and that they could still pick up Tarrlok’s trail, which Tenzin said they could do on Oogi.

(-)

“It’s over”.

As Aang spoke, the vision Korra had been watching ended, and she opened her eyes to see she was still trapped in the metal box, and realized what her past life had been trying to warn her about.

Tarrlok was a bloodbender, and he’d gotten the power from his father, Yakone. The man was apparently a gang leader, using the ability to bloodbend at any time to control the underworld. He was apparently powerful enough to control an entire courtroom of people without even moving, including the avatar. 

Yakone had nearly killed Aang while trying to escape, and had only been able to defeat the mob boss with...the avatar state....and taking away his bending. Korra wanted to ponder if there was anything else her past life was trying to tell her when she heard Tarrlok return, muttering how everything was ruined now.

He confirmed the message of Aang's vision, but asserted that bloodbending was the only thing he had in common with his father. Tarrlok said he wanted to be the savior of the city rather than its ruler, but Korra had to mess it all up, and he had to go start a new life, with her as a hostage.

"This is crazy, you know you won't get away with this!"

Her warning was ignored as Tarrlok walked away, but when he eventually spoke, his voice was full of fear, and what he said gave Korra the same emotion.

"Amon."

She gasped. How did he find us here?

The equalist leader said it was time for Tarrlok to be equalized, and based on the scream she heard several moments later, it was a safe assumption that Amon followed through on his threat. But it didn't make sense. Tarrlok had to have used bloodbending against him, how was he still able to take away his bending? 

"I'll take care of the councilman. You four retrieve the Avatar. Do not underestimate her. Electrocute the box to knock her out before you open it."

Korra looked around, hoping for an idea when she noticed that the top of the box had bars, and she was able to use one of her armbands to insulate herself from any shock. 

Korra was able to take the equalists by surprise when they opened up the box, using a fire kick and a rock wave to stun them, using the chance to escape outside, where she saw Amon putting Tarrlok in the back of a truck.

She knew she wouldn't be able to defeat him in her current state, so she used nearby snow to waterbend ice spears to slow him down enough for her to escape down the side of the mountain. Her improvised snowboarding came to a stop though when she tripped on a tree root and slid into the base of a different tree unconscious.

She woke up to Naga licking her face, feeling relief that she'd been able to track her down. Korra then summoned just enough strength to climb onto Naga's back before passing out again. 

A howl stirred her from sleep this time, and she realized Naga had been able to get her back into Republic city. Korra then heard Tenzin and Lin call out to her, trying to figure out what happened. 

"Give her some space, guys."

She was surprised to hear Bolin be so assertive, and that only increased as she felt him take her off Naga and start carrying her towards Oogi. 

"You okay, Korra?" She could tell Bolin was staring at the cut on her cheek, and she enjoyed the clear relief he showed when she said she was alright. 

"Can't believe you actually had me worried, he responded, looking like his normal self again. Should have known you'd save us all the trouble and break yourself out. Really couldn't let me be the one to rescue you this time?"

"Be grateful", she joked back. "At least I'm letting you carry me all romantic and stuff."

"You're too kind."

Korra playfully stuck out her tongue hearing that, but right afterwards she closed her eyes, feeling Bolin set her down in the saddle, brush the hair out of her eyes, put his arm around her shoulders, and kiss her on the cheek.

"You're safe now", he whispered. "Just get some rest, okay?"

Chapter Text

Bolin was in the process of chasing down Meelo and the steam bun the child had stolen from his plate, when out of the corner of his eye he saw that Korra was finally starting to wake up.

"Hey there tough girl", he spoke softly while opening her door completely and entering her bedroom. "How are you holding up?"

"Better, now that I got some rest", she said with a yawn. "Nothing like being stuck in a metal box to appreciate your own bed".

"Is that what Tarrlok was keeping you in? Where was he hiding you anyway?"

"Some tiny house up in the mountains", Korra answered. "Probably was planning to keep me there until he could figure out what to do with me. Can’t believe it was actually a good thing that Amon showed up. Don’t know how I would’ve escaped otherwise. What happened with you guys?”

Her mention of Amon made Bolin want to ask for more information about her escape, but realized it probably wasn't a story she wanted to talk about more than what was necessary, so he decided to fill her in on what he and the rest of team avatar had been doing. 

“Lin was the one who got us all out of jail. After that we met up with Tenzin to track you down, since Tarrlok was telling everyone that you were taken by equalists after an ambush or something. Didn’t put it together that he was the one who had you until after we tore through an equalist base to search for you, but at least Lin was able to find her missing officers."

"Yeah. Tarrlok bloodbended me when I went to city hall to get him to let you guys out of jail. Then he put me in a truck and drove off." 

"That's what the little guy with the weird hat and voice said. Then he used bloodbending on all of us until we passed out. When we woke up he was gone." Bolin gave Korra a look after saying that, in the hopes it showed that he understood how awful the experience must have been for her, especially going through it alone. “Anyway, we all hopped on Oogi, then we heard Naga howling a little while later, looked down, and saw you”.

“Sounds like you didn’t have a fun day either”, she responded, giving him a sympathetic smile. “Are you doing okay?”

‘I feel like I should be the one asking you that, considering you had to escape from Tarrlok and Amon”

“I’m fine Bo, really”. It felt like she was trying to reassure him, but then Korra seemed to feel awkward. “I was also asking because I noticed things between you and Mako seemed....uncomfortable, and I wanted to know if you two had patched things up yet?”

“Yeah, we worked it out. Never really thought of prison as a therapeutic place to talk out your issues. Wish you could've seen the look on his face when I told him I already knew about everything that happened during the tournament.”

Watching a smile appear on Korra’s face was something Bolin didn’t think he would ever get tired of. She expressed her own relief that he was on good terms with Mako again, as well as that she was honest with him before, but the second part of what she said gave him a pang of guilt.

It wasn’t something he’d really thought too much about, since it had only got in his head while talking with Mako, and searching for Korra hadn't really given Bolin time to dwell until they got her back to air temple island. 

"Look, there's something that I wanted to tell you about." He wasn’t really sure how to go about this, but he looked away from her in the hopes that any expression from her wouldn’t be able to cause him to slip up. 

“Before I went to meet you after the quarterfinal match, I talked with Mako in the locker room. I wasn’t really sure how you felt about me, and Mako was worried about me getting my heart broken, but it felt like he was jealous too. I asked him to stay out of it, because I told him I hadn’t felt this way about a girl before, but also because I knew you had a thing for him, and I figured you’d choose him over me if he wasn’t already with Asami. Anyway, I wanted to tell you because I kinda felt guilty, since we're supposed to be honest and everything but I wasn’t, and also because some stupid part of me feels like a second choice, since I messed up things for you with Mako, and I know that sounds weird, but I feel confused and I-”

He was cut off by Korra, who decided to respond to his worries by wrapping her arms around his neck and yanked him towards her, meeting his lips with her own. 

For a few moments, Bolin was unresponsive. He just took her in, the way she smelled, the way she felt, it was all....perfect. But the somewhat smart part of himself felt the need to give advice. Kiss her back, you idiot. 

Bolin pulled Korra close, with one arm around her waist and the other just below her neck. He leaned into her embrace, and as he felt fingers run through his hair, Bolin swore he felt Korra’s tongue move across his teeth, which sent an energy throughout his body that he had never felt before. 

He had kissed girls before, but nowhere close to this. He felt unsure of what to do next, but considering he hadn't been pushed away or slapped yet, it was a safe bet that he should keep doing what he had been doing. Bolin never wanted this moment to end, because this was definitely the greatest day of his life. 

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Never mind. He and Korra instinctively pulled away from each other at the sound of Tenzin's shouting. He opened his eyes for a moment to look at her, and saw the expression on her face matched his own: an nervous grin, with cheeks blushing from the past few moments. But the redness on his face increased as he felt himself being lifted off the bed by a hand grabbing his shirt collar. 

"What the- Oh come on!"

Tenzin didn't seem to acknowledge his objection as he carried him out of the room and away from Korra. "Unbelievable! The city's under attack and you can't be left alone for five minutes without....oogies!"

Bolin figured it was best to stay quiet and not ask what "oogies" meant, but then he heard Pema's voice coming from the kitchen. 

"Tenzin? What's going on?"

The man simply responded by yelling "teenagers!", and the sounds he heard from the room they were heading toward gave Bolin an ironic sinking feeling as he realized he was about to be a spectacle. 

The quick look he had around the room before he closed his eyes confirmed this. Lin had an amused smile, and Mako had his face in his palm. Asami seemed to be stifling laughter, while Jinora and Ikki were squealing in delight at the romance occurring in their home. Meelo looked confused by what was happening, but Pema was the only one who seemed to take pity on Bolin, giving him a sympathetic smile at his humiliation. 

Tenzin then released his grip, allowing Bolin to fall on the floor unceremoniously. He felt no need to get up, instead enjoying the feeling of the cool floor against his face. Maybe if I don't move, they'll think I died of embarrassment and leave me alone. 

Then he heard Lin speak up. "Gotta say Tenzin, this reminds me a lot of when my mom caught you sneaking into our house as a kid."

Bolin felt a little bit of hope. Maybe the focus of the room wasn't on him anymore. Jinora and Ikki seemed eager for details, but Tenzin was probably not willing to do so. Pema however, seemed intrigued by hearing about her husband's childhood antics. "Oh, really?"

Lin ignored Tenzin's objections and continued talking. "Yeah, one time he tried to forge a note from his parents saying he could stay the night, but forgot my mom can't read. And  he also tried to use an air scooter so she couldn't 'see' him, but she was still able to hear him so that didn't work either. And once he actually-"

"Enough!" Tenzin was clearly tired of Lin's storytelling. "We need to focus, so would someone please go get Korra so can tell us what happened with Tarrlok? And not you!"

Bolin wasn’t looking at the man, but it was pretty obvious to him that he was the one who wasn't supposed to go fetch Korra. Asami volunteered instead, and the rest of them sat down at the table while the acolytes brought food for the avatar. Her and Asami entered a few moments later, Korra sharing his reluctance to make eye contact with anyone. 

(---)

After Korra sat down to eat, the atmosphere in the room seemed to calm down. She told everyone about her encounter and escape from both Tarrlok and Amon. Korra then revealed that Tarrlok was actually the son of Yakone. Lin then explained to everyone too young to know who she was talking about  that Yakone was a mob boss that controlled Republic city decades ago that could bloodbend without a full moon, just as Tarrlok had done to all of them. Tenzin seemed more troubled though by Amon, with his boldness in attacking a council member and taking them prisoner.

After breakfast was finished, Asami watched Bolin and Korra quickly leave the room in separate directions, probably to avoid any additional embarrassment. Pema was about to do the dishes, but a hard kick from the baby in her stomach had Tenzin fussing over her, saying she should go lie down, so Asami offered to help with cleaning up, and Mako volunteered as well. After a few minutes of cleaning though, Bolin walked back into the room holding a teapot.

“Hey Mako, could you heat this up? Korra’s almost out of tea.” His older brother obliged, placing his hand on the teapot until steam was rising from it and boiling water could be heard. Bolin seemed like he was about to leave, but noticed Asami was staring at him with a skeptical look that was meant to be teasing, but unsure if Mako was being serious or not with his demeanor.

“What?” Bolin then held the teapot higher to emphasise his point. “I’m just making her tea!”

“Okay”, Mako responded with a tone that sounded somewhat parental. “But if you’re gone too long we’ll send Tenzin after you.”

Bolin’s cheeks turned red once again at the warning, and he quickly exited to escape further scolding, leaving Asami laughing and Mako rolling his eyes.

“It’s not funny”, he told her with a lighthearted tone that contradicted what he was saying. “I can’t take him anywhere nice.”

“Technically, he was already staying here before we moved in”, Asami pointed out. “Oh, relax. It could’ve been a lot worse.”

Mako appeared ready to ask how, but stopped before saying anything, probably not wanting to hear about different scenarios of his little brother being caught with his girlfriend, deciding to grumble to himself instead.

“Looks like you’ll have to get used to him growing up”, Asami told him, to which Mako immediately responded “He didn’t look very grown up when Tenzin was dangling him off the ground by his shirt.”

“No”, Asami admitted, “but he did yesterday when we were tracking down Korra.”

Mako seemed to agree with that point. “I didn’t expect that from him.”

“Me neither. Guess he’s not your baby brother anymore, huh?”

She said that with a teasing nature returning, hoping she didn’t accidentally upset him. Fortunately she saw a smile creep onto his face. "Knock it off."

"Okay, don't get all momma turtleduck on me." 

Mako was focused on finishing the dishes, so he was not expecting Asami to put her arms around his neck and plant a kiss on his cheek. The affection was not unwelcomed though, as he seemed to relax, and the look he gave her made Asami’s heart flutter, and what she said next just felt natural.

“I love you.”

He seemed surprised by what she just told him, but that disappeared quickly. “I love you too.”

(---)

Bolin had been spending all of his time after breakfast trying to avoid Tenzin, so when he saw the man walking towards Lin out in the courtyard, he acted out of desperation and dove behind a nearby wall to stay unnoticed.

It seemed to work though as Tenzin seemed to focus on Lin, although he seemed to be a stuttering mess, feeling awkward about asking his ex-girlfriend to look after his family while he was going into the city to meet the council. It was unnecessary though, as she had no problem making sure they stayed safe. Pema seemed to take advantage of the situation, saying she needed an extra pair of hands, handing her Meelo and asking if she would give him a bath. Lin shouted that this wasn’t what she agreed to, but Tenzin was already flying off on Oogi.

“Maybe I should offer to help. I do kinda owe her for taking the attention away from me before.”

“I gotta poo! Really bad!”

“Nope. Not dealing with that”, Bolin thought to himself as he decided to stay hidden, while Lin walked away with Meelo dangling from a metal cable, too disgusted to even hold the child with her hands anymore.

(---)

Korra was in the middle of a pai sho game with Asami when they heard the sounds of explosions. The two girls ran outside to see Mako and Bolin standing alongside Lin, all of them looking at the equalist airships descending on Republic city.

“We need to go help Tenzin”, Korra spoke up.

“There should be a boat at the docks that can take you into the city”, Lin responded, showing no interest in trying to stop them.

Team avatar ran down to the dock and were about to cast off when they saw Meelo, Jinora, and Ikki run up to them, begging to come along.

“No way”, Korra told them.

“Why not?”, Ikki whined.

“Because do you have any idea what your dad would do to us if we took you into the city right now?”

This seemed to be a good enough reason for them to stay behind, but Korra couldn’t help feeling bad seeing how dejected they looked. Fortunately Bolin went to reassure them, stepping back onto the dock and dropping on one knee to get closer to their height.

“Look, the four of us can handle helping your dad on our own. What he needs for you is to stay here and protect your mom and the island, okay?”

“But chief Beifong is already here, and so are white lotus guards!”, Jinora argued.

“True, but I bet they could use the help of three of the best airbenders in the world.”

The children perked up at the praise, but then Jinora pointed out “We’re the only airbenders in the world besides our dad”.

“Doesn’t make what I said any less true. But speaking of your dad please don’t tell him I said any of this.” 

“Why not?”, Meelo asked.

“Because I’m kinda on thin ice with him already, and if you do have to do any protecting and he finds out I told you that you should help, he’ll probably throw me off the island. With a tornado.”

“Will you take us out for ice cream if we don’t say anything?”

“Ikki!”, Korra interjected, upset at the little girl’s attempt to extort Bolin, who didn’t seem bothered by it at all.

“Deal”, Bolin agreed as he got back on the boat so they could finally head to Republic city.

Once they arrived, Asami noticed nearby that her car was wrapped around a street pole, and Korra explained that after Tarrlok arrested them she tried to drive the car to the police station to get them out of jail, but it was her first time driving, so it didn’t go well.

Bolin told her she did well considering the circumstances, but was concerned about the parking tickets. Mako burned them, saying  the police had bigger problems to worry about. Or at least he hoped so.

When they drove toward the police station, Korra and the others saw officers being loaded into trucks, with mecha tanks they recognized from the Sato mansion. After Bolin followed Asami’s instructions to earthbend a ramp, they all jumped out of the Satomobile, and watched as it crashed into and disabled one of the tanks.

After that, they got to work. Mako took out one of the tanks by redirecting the electricity that was coming through a cable that was shocking him. Bolin and Korra worked together to disable another one, the avatar waterbending nearby snow into its exhaust pipes while he used earthbending to knock it over. Asami took out the equalist foot soldiers with her electric glove, then helped Tenzin to his feet. He thanked her, then used an airblast to send a mecha tank flying onto the roof of the police station.

Korra ran up to him. “Are you alright, Tenzin?”

“I’m fine. And thanks, all of you. Me and the rest of the police force would be heading to Amon if you kids hadn’t shown up.

“What’s been going on in the city?”, Asami asked.

“A coordinated attack. Who knows how long they’ve been planning this. They’ve taken out most of the police airships, and sabotaged rescue efforts. To make matters worse, they also abducted the other two council members from their homes, they ambushed me at city hall.”

Bolin quickly followed up. “What happened at the police station? Before all this outside, I mean.” He clarified his question while gesturing towards the nearby wreckage.

“I tried to send a wire to the united forces, but the lines were cut before the message could be put through. Then smoke started coming through the vents and we had to evacuate. Once we got outside though, there were these equalists waiting to capture us.”

“Uh, guys.” They turned to Mako, about to ask why he interrupted, but it became clear when they saw air temple island and the equalist airship heading towards it.

“No”, Tenzin gasped.

They flew back to his home on Oogi, and his children being there to greet him brought the man clear relief.

"Thank goodness you're alright", he said as his children ran up to hug him. Then he noticed guards picking up and carrying off captured equalists. "What happened here?"

"We beat up the bad guys", Meelo told him while sitting on his shoulders. 

"You let them fight , Lin? Do you realize what could have happened? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I was toast, until they showed up", Lin shot back. "Relax, they handled themselves well. You should be proud."

After a brief pause, she continued. “You should go see your wife.” Sensing his fear, she clarified that Pema was completely fine. Tenzin realized what she was implying, and ran into the house, Bolin and Korra following behind him at a slower pace.

Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo were walking down the hall, telling the couple how they were able to fight off equalists when they heard the sound of a baby crying. The children rushed into the room, and when Bolin and Korra entered behind them and saw a family welcoming it’s newest addition. Ikki was busy making introductions, Meelo was excited that he finally had a brother, and Jinora was asking to name the child. Tenzin told her that he and Pema had already decided to name him Rohan.

The blissful moment was interrupted though, as Asami and Mako came in with bad news.

“We’ve got a problem”, the firebender spoke. “We saw equalist airships heading towards the island.”

Tenzin calmed his frightened family, then stepped back outside with Lin and team avatar to create a plan.

"So what do we do now?", Korra asked. 

“I need to get my family out of the city. I can’t let Amon get his hands on my children.”

“I’m going with you”, Lin told him, not willing to argue. “You’re the last airbenders in the world, there’s no way I’m letting Amon take away any of your bending.”

Tenzin offered his thanks and gratitude, then gave his attention to Korra. “I need you and your friends to leave the island and find a place to hide.”

“We’re not giving up.”

“I’m not asking you to”, he replied. “I’ve sent word to the United Forces, and they’ll be here soon with reinforcements, and I’ll return once my family’s safe.

Korra let out a sigh. “Got it, we need to be patient.”

“You’re learning well.”

Korra lightened up at the praise, giving her mentor a hug goodbye.

Once Tenzin and his family were on Oogi’s back, they took off, but two of the equalist airships broke off from the others and started pursuit of the flying bison. The white lotus guards offered to hold off the equalists landing on the island while Korra and everyone else escaped, and Naga was more willing to handle four passengers than she was previously.

While riding down to the shore, Bolin noticed the mustache equalist sliding down the slope towards them, but Naga was able to defeat him by simply smacking him aside with her paw. The polar bear dog then jumped into Yue Bay, with Korra waterbending a bubble so they could breathe while staying hidden underwater.

“So, anyone have good ideas for hiding spots?”, Asami asked.

“I do”, Mako spoke up. “There are underground sewer tunnels all over Republic city that we can hide in. Hopefully there’s still a tent city near the harbor.”

“Tent city?”, Korra questioned.

“A place where a lot of homeless people live”, Bolin explained. “Mako and I used to spend a lot of time at those before we got into pro bending. I doubt there would be any equalists there, since they’re probably focused on taking over the surface, and they won’t be able to spot us from their airships.”

“I thought most of them lived in the park.”

“Some do”, Bolin told Korra. “But if you get spotted by the police they’ll chase you off. We found it easier to stay underground and avoid the hassle. They’re probably all down there now with everything going on in the streets.” 

“Good thinking, guys”, Asami told them as Naga resurfaced near a drainage pipe. They were all about to enter when Korra looked back and saw Air temple island being raided. She must have been staring, because she soon felt a familiar arm around her shoulders.

“Korra”, Bolin spoke softly with sympathy clear in his voice. “I’m sorry, but we need to keep moving.” She nodded silently in response, as they walked into the tunnel with Mako in front with fire in his hand to light the way.

(---)

“They’re gaining on us!”, Lin warned.

Tenzin told Oogi to go faster, but she didn’t think it would be enough to get away from the equalists, as she saw a net with a rope attached flying towards them. She was able to rip it apart with her metal cable, and grabbed on to the rope attached to it.

She looked back at the others on the bison, and saw terrified faces. Pema and her children had probably learned what Amon was capable of, and were envisioning it happening to them.

Lin pushed away any thought of regret, and of what would’ve happened if she’d done things differently. Those choices had been made a long time ago, and right now she had a job to do.

“Whatever happens to me”, she told them. “Don’t turn back and don’t slow down.” Then she used the rope to swing herself onto one of the airships, ignoring Tenzin’s demand to know what she was doing.

She was able to take down one of the airships with metalbending, but was stopped before she could disable the other one by bolas that tied her up, then she was electrocuted into unconsciousness.

When she woke back up, she was on her knees, the rain was pouring, and the first thing she saw was Amon’s mask.

“Tell me where the avatar is and I’ll let you keep your bending.”

“I’m not telling you anything, you monster”, Lin snarled.

“Very well”. Lin closed her eyes afterwards and prepared herself for what was about to happen.

(---)

After walking for a few minutes, Korra and everyone else had arrived at the tent city. Her and Asami were taking in the scenery when a homeless man she recognized from first arriving in Republic city.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite pro benders coming for a visit!”

The boys were apparently more familiar with the man she was, given how a smile broke out on Mako’s face, and Bolin ran toward him as he said “Bushi?”

“You guys know each other?”, Korra asked her boyfriend who was in the middle of a hug.

“Know him?”, Bolin said as he let the man go. “He taught me and Mako all we know about how to survive on the street! I swear you will never meet a hobo more wise and noble in your entire life!”

“I first met these two when they were about half as tall as they are now.” Bushi then gave his attention to the girls. “Now who are these young girls you’ve brought with you today?”

“Where are my manners?”, Bolin said while putting his hand on his forehead. “Bushi, this is Asami, and Avatar Korra.”

Asami offered her greetings, while looking relieved that Bolin hadnt used her surname, probably not wanting to associate with her father. Korra was confused though, since the man didn’t seem to recognize her.

“Wait, don’t you remember me? We shared fish together in the park.”

“Oh, that was probably my brother, Dock. So, how can this vagabond be of service to the Avatar?”

Remembering Tenzin’s plan, Korra told Bushi what they needed. “We need to contact the United Forces. Is there any way we can send a message here?”

“There sure is.” He then pointed to a nearby telegraph. “I can send a wire right over there.”

The man then sat down and set up the equipment. “What do you want the message to be?”

Korra paused for a moment. “Tell them equalists have taken over Republic city and we need them to get here as soon as they can.”

They soon got a response. “General Iroh says they’ll arrive in three days time and he looks forward to taking back the city together.”

Chapter Text

Once the speech was finished and they had gotten back underground, Korra tore off the mask of her equalist disguise in frustration.

“Can you believe Hiroshi? ‘The avatar’s on the run’. I’m not running from anything.” She included a mocking imitation that sounded nothing like the man to emphasize her annoyance.

“Yeah, well he is working with the equalists. It’s not like he’s gonna talk about how amazing and wonderful you are, but that’s my job anyway”, Bolin remarked as he took off his own mask.

“And you’re great at it”, she told him with a kiss on the cheek. “Just wish we could go out there and bash some heads, you know?”

“Yeah, but then all those united forces guys would be mad we didn’t save any for them, and they came all this way for nothing. Just think of showing up with an army as a fun surprise, like when those equalists we took these uniforms from wake up without having them on.”

“Good point”, Korra noted.

They walked for a few seconds in silence before Bolin spoke again. “You know, the equalists have awful plans, but they have really great clothes."

She gave him a confused look, and he must have felt the need to defend himself. “What? I’ve never had a jacket this nice before. It’s so comfy.” Korra merely rolled her eyes with a smile.

“Come on. We should get back to the others.”

They arrived soon after that, and they were welcomed  by Asami, Mako, and Bushi. 

“Welcome back!”, the homeless man greeted. “Hope you worked up an appetite, 'cause dinner is served.”

Once everyone had sat down, they all received a bowl of stew from Bushi, and Korra thanked him for the food and for letting them hide out in the tent city the last few days.

"Happy to oblige", Bushi told her.  "My associates and I heartily oppose Amon's so-called 'Equalist' policies. We got benders and non benders living together down here, but do you see us fighting? No siree, we've figured out how to harmoniously co-exist."

"So how long have you been living down here?", Asami asked.

"We got a whole lotta people down here after everything got all topsy-turvy up top. But me personally, I've been living like this with my brothers my whole life. Dock prefers the park, and Xu can't seem to make up his mind on where to stay."

"Your whole lives? What about your parents?"

"Well, we never met our momma, but we had our uncles helping out our daddy. We actually got named after ‘em. It was kind of weird, because they all looked the same and were never together, just like my brothers! Ya know, I still ain’t sure if they’re actually my cousins!”

Bushi let out an unusual laugh after saying that, while Korra and Asami looked at the boys hoping for an explanation, but they did not get one. Mako merely mouthed the words “Don’t ask”, while Bolin changed the subject altogether.

“Mmmmmm. I’ve missed your street gruel. Best I’ve ever had.”

“You know me kiddo, I only get ingredients from the finest dumpsters in the city.”

He probably should have kept that to himself, as Asami immediately lost her appetite, setting her bowl down on the ground for Pabu to finish.

A few hours later, Korra was sitting with Naga, watching Mako and Asami sleep, unable to do the same.

“Hey there. What are you still doing up?”

She scooted over a bit so Bolin could join her. “Can’t fall asleep. I’ve been dealing with this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.”

“Me too. And I don’t think it’s from dinner”.

“Be serious”, Korra told him with a smile and a tiny laugh.

“I am. I’ve helped Bushi make dinner. The dumpsters are from really fancy places.”

“Are you really making jokes while we’re in the middle of an all-out war?”, she asked.

“Sorry, it’s how I cope. Do you wanna talk about it though?” She really did enjoy his lighthearted demeanor, but she felt herself relax a little as he seemed to comply with her earlier request.

“It’s just so crazy. A few months ago the only thing I was concerned about was passing my firebending test. Now I have to deal with.....all of this.”

“And we hadn’t even met yet”, Bolin added. “Now, I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You're the most loyal, brave, and selfless person I've ever known. And a bunch of other stuff I’ve already told you.”

Korra could feel herself blushing again. “I think you’re pretty incredible too, just so you know.”

They leaned in towards each other, eyes closing, but a particularly loud snore from Mako broke their focus on each other before they could kiss.

“We should try and get some sleep”, Bolin said, acknowledging his brother's unconscious interruption. He stood up to go get in his sleeping bag, but Korra grabbed his wrist before he could walk away.

“Do you wanna stay here? Naga’s a really good pillow.”

He accepted her offer, deciding to rest himself against her as they were finally able to find sleep.

The next morning, they went to the surface through a drainage pipe, with a bit of luck on their side as there was a thick fog that made them harder to spot.

Korra broke the silence. “We gotta be ready to help the united forces however we can when they arrive.”

Mako was able to spot them arriving as if on cue, and Bolin was able to see them as well after fumbling with the telescope for a moment. However, Asami took notice that there were no equalist airships in the sky, making them all wonder what they had planned for the arrival of reinforcements.

When Korra realized, she let out a gasp. “The harbor.”

They saw an explosion rock one of the warships in the bay, and soon heard a buzzing sound above them. When they looked up, they saw equalists flying around attacking in machines that no one recognized.

“Man, where does Mr. Sato find the time to keep building this evil stuff?”, Bolin asked noone in particular.

Korra wasn’t able to give an answer, instead jumping into Yue Bay to use the water to fight, while Bolin ripped up chunks of street to throw at the flying equalists in the hopes of knocking them out of the sky.

However, Korra stopped her fighting when she saw a man fall into the water after a bomb went off near him. When she swam downward to save him, she recognized him from a visit with his family in her white lotus training compound.

“General Iroh. Good to see you again.”

“You as well, Avatar Korra. Thanks for saving my life.”

She was able to get him back to the others, and they returned to the tent city quickly so Korra could heal his arm and to come up with a plan.

“I was prepared for the equalists mecha tanks, but not those high speed aircraft”, Iroh spoke with his face having a blue glow from Korra’s healing.

“I know”, Korra responded. “Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon outsmarts us.”

“He always has a better plan, no matter how good ours is”, Mako added.

“Amon may be winning so far, but we’re not out of the fight quite yet”, Iroh encouraged.

“I like the man’s confidence, buuut how are we not out of the fight?”, Bolin asked.

“Iroh stood up, grabbing his injured shoulder. “There’s a second wave of reinforcements about to arrive, but I need to warn them so they don’t run into another ambush. Is there any way to get a message out?”

They all directed him to Bushi, who was able to pass on a warning to commander Bumi about how the first fleet was destroyed, and to wait for his signal at red sand island. Korra recognized the name from stories told by Tenzin and his children, although the former spoke in a more exasperated tone about the wild actions of his older brother. 

After that, Iroh pulled out a map of Republic city and told them that grounding the aircraft was their top priority, since Bumi couldn't retake the city otherwise. Asami theorized that there was an airfield in the mountains, since that was the direction they flew in from. Iroh agreed, and they made plans to leave in the morning.

However, Korra couldn’t go with them, as she said to them her gut was telling her it was time to confront Amon and put an end to this. Iroh was concerned, telling her that this wasn’t a mission she should go on alone.

“She won’t”, Bolin spoke. “I’ll go with her.

“You don’t have to do that”, Korra told him.

“I know.”

“Wait.” Iroh interrupted them with additional information. “When we get to the airfield, we’ll need a way to stop them from becoming airborne. The best way to prevent them from landing and taking off would be for an earthbender to tear up the runway.”

Bolin seemed to realize that he needed to stay with the others, judging by the look on his face. However, Korra still wasn’t going alone, as Mako volunteered to go with her instead.

“You guys should take Naga with you”, she told them. “She’ll get you through the mountains faster. Come on Bo, I’ll show you how to ride her.”

Her boyfriend did seem to cheer up a bit during the lesson, having a grin on his face unbothered by the slobber Naga had left on his cheeks. But she could still tell that not being able to go with her was bugging him.

“Look, I know you’re not happy that you have to go into the mountains with the others, but I’ll be okay.”

“I know, you can take care of yourself. I was actually gonna ask you to look out for Mako."

“Then what’s bothering you?”

“I keep thinking back to when I first saw Amon. In person I mean. I think about how terrified I was up on that stage, trying to say it was some sort of misunderstanding instead of putting up a fight. I guess I just....feel pretty cowardly about the whole thing, and I just wanted another chance."

"I get what you mean. Do you remember when I challenged Amon to a duel?"

"Yeah. Feels like it happened years ago though."

Korra chuckled in agreement, but she got serious when she told Bolin about what happened. How she was ambushed by chi blockers and what Amon had told her. All he said in response was "Wow".

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever felt more scared."

"Huh? No, that's not what I meant. Don’t get me wrong, that sounds horrible, but I was just thinking how stupid Amon was being.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean, he could’ve stopped the most powerful person in the world and the biggest threat to his plans but he’s like ‘Nah, I’m good, see ya’”, finishing his explanation with a gruff voice.

"He didn’t want to make me a martyr or something. Why are you thinking about that anyway?", she asked.

"Just something I thought you could rub in his face after you kick his butt, that he had an opportunity and blew it."

"Thanks."

(---)

When Mako woke up the next morning, he and the others ate breakfast quickly so they could say their goodbyes and start traveling.

His conversation with Bolin was quick, telling each other to be careful and that they loved them, leaving most of their feelings unsaid. However, it was still enough to make Bushi start crying.

Then as his little brother went to talk to his girlfriend, Mako figured he should do the same, and it was clear Asami was deep in thought as he approached her.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

He wasn’t good at being delicate, so he decided to be direct. “Are you thinking about your dad?”

“Yeah”, she said with a pained expression.

Mako apologized right away, but he wasn’t completely sure what for.

"I'm ok", Asami responded. "I just...I need to face him. See if he's still the same person that I remember.”

“You can do this”, he reassured while putting a hand on her cheek. “But whatever happens today, I want you to know that I love you.” That came out a little more dramatic than he intended, but she didn’t seem to mind as she gave him a smile and a kiss. “I love you too.”

Then she went over to Bolin, who was giving a goodbye hug to Korra, although he was clearly reluctant to let go. While he rode Naga out of the sewers and into the mountains with Iroh and Asami,  Mako led Korra through a drainage ditch as close as they could get to air temple island, which Korra felt was their best chance at finding Amon given how many equalists they saw heading there. She was able to waterbend another bubble so they would be able to walk over to the island without being seen. It wasn’t a short trip though, which gave them time for conversating. “You know, I’m glad my brother has you.”

“Huh?”

Smooth. “What I meant was, ever since the two of you started dating, he’s been...different. You remember how I said I had to look after him? Well, he’s been acting more mature. For him, anyway", he added, remembering it was Bolin he was talking about.

"Really?"

"When Tarrlok took you, he really stepped up. Getting through that equalist hideout was mostly because him. He was even willing to give Lin back talk. You've changed him for the better, and I'm sorry for how I acted before, I shouldn't have been jealous."

"Thanks for t- wait a minute, I knew it! I knew you were jealous!" Mako groaned, realizing what he just let slip. He quickly told her to be quiet, as they were about to reach the opposite shore.

In their equalist disguises, they were able to move around the island easily, the only time they risked getting caught was when they bumped into mustache guy, who told them that Amon would be having a rally in the probending arena.

Korra then led them to an attic to hide out in until the rally, but they saw an unexpected guest was already there?

“Tarrlok?”, she asked while taking off her mask, not believing the state of the man in front of her.

Mako couldn’t blame her. The councilman appeared to be a shell of his former self. His hair was undone, and he was sitting on the floor, looking at them with lifeless eyes. His appearance wasn’t that surprising to him though.

“Avatar Korra”, he spoke with an emotionless tone. “I don’t suppose you’re here to rescue me.”

“We had no idea you were here”, she responded. “We heard the equalists were abducting council members, have you seen anyone else?”

“I’m their only prisoner, as far as I know.”

“So what makes you so special?”, Mako asked.

“Amon is my brother.”

Tarrlok ignored their reactions of shock and decided to explain. “His real name is Noatak, and he’s from the northern water tribe. And he’s a waterbender and bloodbender, just like I was.”

“Wait”, Korra spoke, once he appeared to be finished. “Did you know this the whole time? When did you figure it out? And how did your brother end up becoming Amon?”

“I didn't realize it was him until he captured me and took my bending. And as for becoming Amon, it all began with my father.”

While listening to Tarrlok’s story, Korra had a horrified expression on her face, but all Mako could feel was anger. It was pretty hard for him to find a person with a worse childhood than what he and Bolin had, but what he was hearing seemed to qualify.

He didn’t expect a mob boss to be the best father in the world, but hearing what Yakone had put his sons through made Mako’s stomach churn. Using them as tools for revenge? Bloodbending each other? Not to mention the burden of keeping everything they went through a secret. 

He also couldn’t help but notice an uncomfortable similarity between Noatak, Tarrlok, Bolin, and himself. “A cold older brother looking after a kind and carefree little brother?”, He thought to himself. "Would we be like this if we stayed with the Triads? Would Bolin be like Tarrlok if something happened to me?” He pushed away those thoughts, something he did not want to dwell on, as the story Tarrlok was telling seemed to finish.

“That’s....one of the saddest stories I’ve ever heard”, said Korra.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”, Mako asked with a quiet voice.

“I doubt that I would have been able to get on the council if people knew I was the son of Yakone." Mako winced internally, wishing he had been clearer with his question. "But if you meant as a child,we were scared. Scared that no one would believe us, that we’d be punished for bloodbending, that our family would be torn apart. Not that it mattered, since both our parents passed away not long after Noatak disappeared that night.”

Tarrlok couldn’t hide his bitterness at what happened, but he continued the conversation. “I truly am sorry for everything I’ve done to you, Avatar Korra. I wanted to be better than my father, but I was still shaped by him, just like my brother.”

“How did you figure out he was Amon?”

“When I was captured and had my bending taken, I recognized the feeling as Noatok’s bloodbending, from when he used it on me psychically the night he left. I’m certain that my brother is Amon.”

“So he somehow uses bloodbending to take people's bending away?”, Korra mused.

“I don’t know how he does it, but then again, I've never encountered a bender as strong as Noatak.”

“But how do we beat him?”, Mako wondered. “We can’t attack Amon without him redirecting whatever we throw at him with his mind. Probably what he’s been doing all along to anyone that challenges him.”

“Maybe we don’t fight him”, Korra answered. “If we can expose him as a waterbender at the rally, his whole cause falls apart. All of those people will just see him as a liar and a fraud.”

“Don’t underestimate him”, Tarrlok warned. “He has to have a plan for someone figuring out his real identity. Probably put it together when he realized I was his brother.”

“Come with us”, she offered. “You can back up what we’re saying, you can help save the city.”

Tarrlok refused. “You can’t risk exposing your cover to get me out of here. And if Noatak finds out I’m gone or that I spoke to you, he’ll know something’s up. Go. Put an end to this sad story.”

Korra and Mako both nodded at him in understanding, then exited from the trapdoor they came in through.

Chapter Text

Bolin was full of questions for Iroh as he rode up the mountain on Naga with the general and Asami behind him.  What happened with your great-grandma? Who's your grandma? Who's your dad? What happened with your grandpa's sister? How old are you and why do you sound like a teenager? 

But he knew better to ask about those questions right now, since they had a job to do, and Iroh reminded him of that once the equalist airfield came into view. They all dismounted Naga to head toward the enemy base, although Bolin had to give additional instruction to her and Pabu to stay put.

As he walked down a small hill with Asami and Iroh, he heard her wondering why there were fence posts with no fences. Nobody could offer further speculation, because when they stepped in between the posts they were electrocuted until they collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

When he woke up, Bolin felt ropes binding him to someone else, and since he saw Asami glaring at her father who was standing in front of their prison cell, he guessed it was Iroh that he was tied up with. 

"Asami, I know I've hurt you with what I've been doing", Hiroshi spoke quietly to his daughter. "But I want you to know that I've been doing this for you. I hope you can someday forgive me, and we can be a family again."

"Are you crazy?", she yelled back. "I never wanted this! I never wanted you to terrorize innocent people! How are we supposed to be a family again after everything you've done?"

"You'll understand when you're older. All I am trying to do is rid the world of the scourge that took your mother away."

"She wouldn't want this either! Mom would hate what you've become, and she'd hate that you're using what happened to justify all of this!"

Hiroshi's face contorted in anger, so Bolin decided to speak up to spare his friend any verbal abuse from her dad. "Also, you know, we're sitting right here. With our bending. Being all scourge-y, apparently."

"Don't speak to me when I'm talking to my daughter, street rat."

“Well that’s a pretty hypocritical thing to say, Mister ‘I-was-dirt-poor-too’.”

“I don’t expect a fool like you to understand the difference between just having an idea with a work ethic to becoming a self made titan of industry, while you commit savagery, call it a sport, and barely be able to crawl out of the gutter!” “Gonna pretend your workers didn’t have anything to do with that, huh?"

“Don’t talk to him like that!”, Asami interrupted.

Hiroshi didn’t even respond to her, keeping his focus on Bolin. “How dare you poison my own child against me!”

“How could I ever be able to do that, with the wonderful job of parenting you did?”, Bolin responded with a sarcastic tone he hadn’t used often. “Tying her up and throwing her in a cell, screaming at her, working with terrorists trying to kill her friends-hey, what size do you wear? I was wondering so I could get you a ‘world’s greatest dad shirt’. Or would you prefer a coffee mug?”

“Quiet!”, Hiroshi bellowed. “This conversation is pointless, the planes are ready for takeoff, and we can annihilate the rest of the fleet. That’s right general”, he told Iroh. “We intercepted your message, and we know where your reinforcements are hiding.” He then walked away, leaving Iroh to struggle against the ropes binding him to Bolin.

“I don’t suppose you know how to metalbend?”

“That is a negative, sir.” He could feel the general sulk against him, but he got an idea, and decided to whistle in a manner that hopefully sounded enough like the way Korra had done it on their first date.

It seemed to work though, as Naga burst through the door of the warehouse and knocked down the cell door, while Pabu hopped into his lap to chew through the ropes. Once they were all free and outside, Iroh pursued the aircraft heading to destroy the fleet, while Asami hopped into a mecha-tank to destroy the planes that hadn’t taken off yet.

That left Bolin to tear up the runways with earthbending, so that no equalist planes still in the air would be able to land back at the airfield. It went smoothly for the most part, the only hiccup being when unfriendly mecha-tanks tried to stop him, but Naga was able to catch the cables that flew towards him in her teeth, sending them toppling over each other with a yank. She wasn’t done though, because right after that she ran up behind Bolin, put his collar in her mouth, and threw him onto her back as she darted toward the nearby hanger.

He was about to ask the polar bear dog what had gotten her so riled up when his question was answered by Hiroshi Sato’s yelling.

“What do you think you’re doing, Asami? You are aiding the very people that took your mother away!”

“Stop talking about her! All you’re doing is using her memory for hate! Do you even feel love for her anymore?”

That apparently touched a nerve. “ You insolent child!”

Bolin told Naga to speed up, since they were too far away to help Asami right then, but close enough to see that she needed assistance.

Hiroshi seemed to get the upper hand quickly though, knocking her mecha-tank off balance with his own.

“I see now there is no chance to save you!”

Bolin got in range just in time for him to start slinging rocks in Hiroshi’s direction, in the hopes of buying Asami some time.

“Mister Sato, you are a horrible father!”

The distraction appeared to work, as Asami used the opportunity to her advantage, knocking down her dad and ripping open a hole in his mecha-tank. She must have seen something that made her hesitate, because there was a pause in the fighting, long enough for her dad to try and make an escape. It was a wasted effort though, because she shot a bolo at him that was able to shock him unconscious.

“You really are a horrible father.” Bolin couldn’t see Asami’s face, but he could tell from her voice that what just happened had broken her heart. There was a brief moment of quiet, where the only noise came from Naga whining. After that, Bolin told the polar bear dog to keep an eye on Hiroshi, dismounted from her, then walked over to Asami to help her do the same from the mecha-tank.

She declined the offer of assistance though, saying she was “fine”, but Bolin knew she was lying, and he was pretty sure she knew that he knew she was lying, but he decided not to press her right now.

“Come on”, he told her, gesturing towards a small doorway. “If they were able to intercept Iroh’s message, then they should have the equipment we need here to send one of our own. We can let Commander Bumi know the airfield’s been disabled and they can send in the reinforcements.”

“You know how to work one of those things?”

“Yeah, I learned from Bushi. He would use it to send messages to other tent cities, keep everyone in the loop.”

“But what about the planes that already took off?”, Asami asked.

“Iroh went after them, right? I gotta good feeling about that.” Bolin hoped his optimism would rub off on her a little bit, but it wasn’t surprising to not see any visual signs.

Fortunately, he was able to find the equipment they needed quickly and send the message. After that, he noticed there was a plane that hadn't been destroyed yet. He suggested that Asami could use it to get back to the others while he would ride back to Republic city on Naga, with Mr. Sato as an unwilling passenger. She silently nodded, and Bolin was again reminded of what she had just gone through. 

Her own father tried to kill her. Spirits, it was messed up to even think about. He didn't know what to do. He had no idea how to comfort her, that had always been Mako’s thing. But the dumb part of his brain had an idea. 

"Asami, what was your mom like?"

"What?" There was no anger in her voice, just surprised he blurted out something like that.

“Oh never mind, it’s stupid. I just thought maybe.....you know when I was sad about my parents, Korra asked what they were like, and it helped me little, but...anyway like I said before, forget about it, I was being....sorry.”

“It’s ok, I think I get you mean. I don’t really remember much though.”

“Me neither”, Bolin responded sympathetically.

“She loved working on the Sato industries prototypes, I remember sitting in her workshop, just watching her taking things apart to make them better or fix a problem. I actually started taking self-defense classes because of her. I remember saying ‘I wanna be strong like Mom!’. And she loved taking me to the park to play with other kids."

"My mom liked to do that too. Maybe we met when we were kids, we just don't remember."

"Yeah, maybe." There was a crack in Asami’s voice as she spoke, and right after that Bolin saw tears in the corner of her eyes. He didn’t waste any time to go and comfort her, giving a hug that let her bury her face in his shoulder, letting her cry, soaking a small spot on his jacket.

He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but Asami eventually broke the long silence. "You know, I just realized something."

"What?"

"All of this, everything he's done, he said he was doing it because a bender killed his wife. But a bender just saved his daughter’s life.” She hadn’t moved off of his shoulder, but Bolin could somehow feel a ghost of a smile on her face.

“I uh....I don’t think he’ll see the irony.”

“I don’t really care if he does.”

“Asami I...I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry that you saved my life?”, Asami asked with a tiny laugh.

“No I-you know what I mean. Just.....you’ll always have a place with us, you know?"

"Thank you."

After that, Bolin cleaned up the runway a bit so that Asami could fly back to Air temple Island, while stowing Hiroshi on Naga for the ride back. The man unfortunately regained consciousness at some point and started spouting delusions, but the earthbender found a creative way to keep him quiet, while also asking Naga to go faster, just to make the trip as uncomfortable as possible for Mr. Sato.

Eventually they arrived at the dock across from the island, and luckily the boat team avatar had used to get into the city when the equalists started attacking was still there, so he was able to clumsily sail across Yue bay near the opposite dock. 

He was greeted by Tenzin and Mako, but he could see Korra standing not too far away with Asami, Lin, Pema, and the kids. Bolin was caught slightly off guard by his older brother, hugging him while expressing relief of his safety. Then Mako glared at Hiroshi, who remained tied up on Naga. “You brought him back with you?”

“I figured we should make sure he couldn’t escape, plus he built all that stuff, so he’s gotta have some useful info, right?” Bolin paused, noticing Mako’s expression hadn’t changed. “So I guess Asami told you what happened?”

“Yeah”, he replied solemnly. “Thanks, by the way.”

“Of course.”

Then Tenzin joined the conversation, squinting at Mr. Sato. “Is that...did you gag him?”

“Well, he woke up and started yelling some not nice things, so I decided to put a sock in it. Literally!”

Tenzin merely sighed, while Mako gave an amused snort, but Bolin realized something when they reacted.

“Hang on Tenzin, I thought you were getting your family out of the city, what happened?”

The man exchanged a nervous look with Mako before answering. “We tried, but the equalists were able to catch up with us, even with Lin trying to slow them down."

"So you guys got captured? Did Amon take your-"

"No", Tenzin interrupted. "Not ours.”

“Then who did he...”, Bolin realized what had happened when he saw guilt on Mako’s face.

"No.”

He was about to go over to Korra, but Mako stopped him. “Hang on, Bolin. I know, but you gotta hear about what happened.”

“Why?”, Bolin asked impatiently.

“Amon...he didn’t take all of her bending.

“Huh?” What his brother had just said made no sense to him, but it was enough to make him listen long enough for Mako to explain. When he finished, it left Bolin feeling stunned. 

"So Korra can airbend now, but after Amon took her bending? How did that happen?"

"We're...not sure", Tenzin answered. He didn't feel satisfied with that, but since he had no idea how that could be possible either, Bolin moved on.

"What ended up happening with Amon-er I mean Noatak?"

"There's been reports from witnesses of him escaping on a boat with Tarrlok, but the United Forces can have patrols looking for them. It won't be long before more everyone knows the truth about him."

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"Once the reinforcements get here, we'll take Korra to the south pole, to see if my mother can heal her."

"How...how is she doing with all of this?"

"She's keeping it together, but she really needs you right now." Mako’s response was all Bolin needed to hear. He stood up from his seat on the pier and got to see Korra. She was in a conversation with Lin, but she turned to face him as he walked towards her. Before they could say anything to each other, Ikki cried out in delight.

"Yay, Uncle Bumi's here!"

It wasn’t hard for him to figure out why she was so excited, since he saw the man she was probably referring to was yelling out a "wahoo!" on the deck of his ship while beating his chest. However, Tenzin didn't seem as pleased as his daughter. 

"Great, now I have to entertain my brother."

Right after that, the ship pulled up alongside the dock, and Bumi walked down a ramp towards the small group that was waiting for him.

"Ah, it's good to be back home! Good to see you and the family again, baby brother!"

"Hello, Bumi", Tenzin replied with exasperation, as his children ran to their uncle to greet him. 

After he put the kids down, the man gave Korra his full attention. “It’s really been a long time, huh Dad? You seem shorter than I remember. And you have hair now, that’s weird.”

“Dad?”, Bolin thought out loud.

“Do you mind, kid?", Bumi addressed him. "I'm trying to have a conversation with my father here. Who are you, anyway?"

"That's Bolin, he's my boyfriend?" Korra was totally confused with what  Bumi was doing, as the man then gave Bolin an investigative stare.

"Hmph. Gotta say Dad, your taste seems like it's really gone downhill."

That prompted an offended "Hey!" from both Bolin and Korra, but Bumi was quick to clarify.

"Nothing personal, kid. The last person my dad was with was my mom, so it’s pretty hard to live up to that comparison.”

Bolin saw his point, but Korra still seemed annoyed with the insult to her boyfriend. Fortunately, Tenzin finally stepped in to avoid things getting out of hand. “Are you done making everyone feel uncomfortable, Bumi?"

Things fortunately settled down after that. A few moments later Tenzin and family went back towards the house to prepare them for a trip to the south pole, while Lin and Bumi tagged along, and Bolin could hear the United Forces commander tell a childhood story involving fruit pies, much to the annoyance of his little brother.

Mako and Asami went off to be alone for a little while, which Bolin was secretly grateful for, since he figured both girls could use some privacy. When everyone else was gone though, she just stared out into the bay with a pained expression on her face, and he couldn’t imagine what must have been going through her head.

So he hugged her. He held her tight against him, and Korra buried her face against Bolin’s neck, squeezing him back. Neither of them had said anything yet, but eventually he figured out something to tell her.

“This might sound weird, but I’m really proud of you.”

“What?” Korra’s voice was muffled by his jacket, but he could tell how shocked she was by the praise.

“Yeah. You protected my brother, saved the city, saved airbending, and you blasted a psychic bloodbender out a window your first time doing it.”

“But he got away.” He hated how defeated she sounded, so he used a hand and rubbed it up and down her back to try and give her a little comfort.

“Everyone knows who he is now because of you. They’ll catch him, and we’ll get all of this fixed, okay?”

“Okay.”

Chapter Text

As Republic city became further and further away from the boat he was using to escape with his brother, Noatak could finally feel himself relax.

"The two of us finally back together again, there's nothing we can't do!"

"Yes, Noatak."

Any relief he felt disappeared when he heard his brother speak. He sounded broken. And it was his fault that his little brother was in that state. He knew what he had done to him, in that cabin that used to belong to their father, was unforgivable. 

"Noatak. Hmph. I had almost forgotten the sound of my own name."

He had gone by Amon for so long, it was difficult to remember what it was like before he started the equalists. To some he was he was a savior, to others he was a monster. But now, he knew everyone would only see him as a fraud. 

They didn't know the truth, though. That he truly wanted to rid the world of bending. That he actually thought it was unnatural power, and his own abilities were a necessary evil, the only way he would do what was needed to make the world a better place. People like his father shouldn't have that kind of power. 

But he failed. And now he'd only be thought of as a man who exploited suffering for his own gain. He knew nobody would believe otherwise. It was over. That's why he didn't stop Tarrlok from taking a chi blocking glove and holding it over the boat's opened fuel tank. 

"It will be just like the good old days."

He felt a tiny smile creep onto his face, thinking back to the happy memories of his childhood, before everything else happened, and he let himself escape to the times they spent playing outside in the snow, as a tear rolled down his cheek.

(-)

The longer Bolin waited outside of the room where Katara was trying to heal Korra, the harder it was for him to remain hopeful about the situation. 

Tenzin had decided to take Korra back to the south pole on Oogi, since it would be faster than traveling by ship. He initially planned to take Korra by himself, but he had no objection to Bolin coming along, thinking she probably needed the support. 

None of them said anything the entire trip. Tenzin just focused on flying, while he stayed in Oogi's saddle, with Korra resting her head on his shoulder. She fell asleep at some point, which Bolin was grateful for, just to give her a little time to escape everything that happened. 

When they landed in the south pole, Tenzin told him to wait with Korra until he returned with her parents and Katara. Eventually he reappeared with the people he had mentioned, and when Bolin woke up Korra, she immediately dismounted from Oogi and went to her parents, and he felt a little relieved that Tenzin had already told them what had happened, sparing both of them from retelling the day's awful events.

After that they entered a compound, which Tenzin explained was where Korra had been trained as a child. Then Katara went into a private room with Korra, to attempt to get her bending back.

That left Bolin waiting with Tenzin and Korra’s parents. He quietly introduced himself to them, and while they weren't apprehensive to his presence, he could tell they were focused on Korra, just as he was, so they all sat and waited. 

Eventually, Mako and Asami arrived with Lin and the rest of Tenzin's family, as Commander Bumi had been able to spare a ship for them to travel to the south pole as well. None of them seemed to be in good spirits either, Asami in particular, as he noticed her eyes were red, probably from crying, but he figured it was best not to call attention to it. Bolin was glad to see Pabu around her neck though, as he’d decided to let his buddy travel with everyone else for emotional support.

At some point, they received a message from Bumi, that a United Forces patrol had found a destroyed boat with two bodies, matching the description of how Tarrlok and Noatak escaped, but knowing that Amon was dead didn't do much to brighten the mood.

The eerie silence of the room was starting to get on Bolin’s nerves. Even Meelo and the new baby Rohan were quiet, deciding it was a good time for a nap. He wanted to suggest that some people should clear out to give Korra some space, but the freezing weather outside with howling winds didn't really offer many options in terms of places to stay. 

When Katara finally emerged from where she was healing Korra, the look on her face had already told him everything, but she still spoke with a grave tone.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot restore Korra’s bending."

"But you're the best healer in the world”, Lin pleaded. “You have to keep trying.”

“There’s nothing more I can do”, Katara explained. “Korra can still airbend, but fixing her connection to the other elements is beyond my ability.”

Korra then came out behind her, taking a quick glance of everyone in the room, before looking away with a pained expression. Bolin stood up to go to her, but Tenzin spoke first.

“It’s going to be okay, Korra.”

“No, it’s not.” She didn’t even look at them when she said it. Then she ran outside, leaving the door open and everyone else in the room stunned. Bolin was the first one to collect himself, following her and hoping the others would give them space.

Fortunately Korra was still close by, but she wouldn't be for long as she was about to climb on Naga.

"Korra, wait."

"Go, Bolin."

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper, and it stung to hear, but he understood why she wanted to be alone. 

"Okay...just, I'm here for you, alright?"

"No, I mean go ", Korra responded with her normal volume. "Go back to Republic City. Get on with your life."

Now she wasn’t making any sense. "What are you talking about?", he asked. "I'm not going anywhere."

She turned to face him, but she still wasn’t making eye contact. "You don't have to do me any favors. I'm not the avatar anymore. That something special is gone ."

"No it's not!" He spoke louder than usual, unable to hide his confusion and frustration. Then he stepped towards her, closing the distance between them.

"You're still the girl who sees a polar bear dog, and wants to make it her best friend and ride it around everywhere. You’re still the girl who...hears a guy burp on a date and turns it into a contest. You always smell amazing, like snow, which is great, but I know it sounds weird to say. You could beat up anyone I've ever met with your bare hands, and you always try to do what you think is right, no matter what, and you’re still the most amazing person I’ve ever met."

Korra still wasn’t looking at him, but when he put a hand on her cheek, their eyes finally met, and words he'd been holding back tumbled out.

"Korra, I love you. "

For a brief moment she covered his hand, and she wore a tiny smile. But it disappeared just as quickly as she tore herself away. 

"I-I can't."

"Korra!"

But she didn't acknowledge him, climbing Naga and riding her off into the distance. 

A few moments later he heard someone walk up next to him. "We need to be patient with her. It will take time for her to accept what has happened."

"Would you be able to accept it? If it happened to you?"

Tenzin didn't really seem to have an answer for that. There wasn't any anger to his question, but he couldn't help but be more concerned than her mentor was. 

To Bolin, bending meant survival. He knew without it, there wasn't going to be many happy scenarios for his and Mako’s lives. For Tenzin, bending probably meant an entire culture, memories of his father. It was hard for him to imagine what bending meant to the avatar. So he started walking, following the footprints Naga left behind.

(-)

When Korra finally had Naga stop running, she wasn't sure where she ended up. She just had to get away. 

Hearing what Bolin told her felt wonderful. It was amazing. But she couldn't lie to herself. He'd get bored. He'd change his mind and move on. Then she recognized where she was.

She'd had one of her first waterbending lessons with Katara here. It had been at night during a full moon. She had pushed and pulled the ocean water against the ice she was standing on. She remembered how powerful she felt in that moment. Now? She couldn't feel anything. The connection was gone.

At that point, everything Korra had been holding in finally came out. She fell to her knees and cried. For what she had lost and what she thought she'd never have. She didn't want anyone to see her like this, but her solitude was eventually interrupted by a man wearing familiar air nomad robes.

Korra didn’t look up at him. "Tenzin, I just want to be alone right now."

"But you called me here."

She was surprised by the unexpected voice, and when she saw his face, she knew who it was immediately. 

"Aang?"

"Hello, Korra."

She was at a loss for words, something her past life apparently found amusing since he chuckled while taking a seat next to her before speaking again. "You're finally at one with your spiritual self."

"But how? I'm not the avatar anymore. Noatak, he..."

"The avatar is more than their bending, Korra", Aang responded in a manner not unlike his son. 

"I'm just so confused right now."

"That's understandable", he comforted.

Then he started to explain. "When I took Fire Lord Ozai's firebending to end the hundred year war, I did it because I was so afraid of the idea of killing him. I was the last of the air nomads. I was taught that all life is sacred, and I felt that...to kill someone, even a person as horrible as Ozai, was something I could not do as the only person that could carry on our culture."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I want you to know that taking a person's bending away is something that was a last resort for me. It was never supposed to be a power or threat I would use against someone like Noatak did. His father was the only other person who I took bending away from.”

"When did you realize he and Tarrlok were Yakone's sons?"

"Tarrlok’s face was familiar to me somehow, but I didn't make the connection until he used bloodbending. As for Noatak, I had no idea until Tarrlok revealed it. How I'm able to watch over your life Korra, it's...so hard to explain. I had always wanted Roku to tell me what it was like, but, now I understand why he wasn't able to."

"Why did you show me those visions of what happened with you and Yakone, instead of just telling me Tarrlok was his son?"

"I tried, Korra", Aang answered. "But trying to connect with you spiritually was more difficult than I anticipated."

She knew he meant no disrespect or offense with his response, but hearing again about her struggles with spirituality, especially now, stung, which hadn't gone unnoticed. 

"I'm sorry. You know, when I used to talk to Roku or other past lives, I had such a hard time trying to understand them and their viewpoints, but now that I'm in their shoes..."

"What do you mean?"

"Trying to give advice to your successor. It's harder than you think, trying to tell someone how to fix your mistakes, thinking about your own failures."

"What happened to me wasn't your fault", Korra said, surprised by his admission.

But Aang just shook his head. "I saw the conflict between benders and nonbenders getting worse with the advances we had with technology. It's beyond clear I didn't do enough about that. And Yakone escaping to pass on his awful ability, that falls on my shoulders as well."

"You ended a war that lasted a century. You seem pretty hard on yourself for someone who saved the world when they were twelve."

He took the reassurance with a good sense of humor. "You've accomplished a great deal as well, Korra. Very few avatars have been able to master even a single element at your age, let alone more than one."

"No offense, but I'd rather have the other elements back instead of just air right now. I still don’t get it. How am I only able to airbend now?”

“Korra, why did you want to learn airbending?"

"Because the avatar is supposed to be able to master all four elements."

Aang didn't respond the way she expected, as he simply asked another question instead of commenting on her answer. "And why did you want to airbend when you were facing Noatak?"

"I wasn’t even trying to airbend, really. I just wanted to do something... anything to stop Noatak. Stopping him from hurting my friend, that's all that mattered to me right then."

Korra thought back to one of her conversations with Bolin. How he told her about the air nomads and how they'd detach themselves from worldly concerns and focus on spirituality. It wasn’t clear or made complete sense, but it was possible that when she was in that moment...? 

She looked back at Aang, and he seemed to know what was going through her mind. "Things aren't always straightforward and simple, Korra."

"Ok, but I'd still like to know how I'm able to talk to you now."

The look on his face made it seem like he was slightly amused. "When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

"Enough to get my bending back?", Korra asked hopefully.

"What do you know about chakras, Korra?"

She paused for a moment, trying to recollect. "They're...pools of energy in our bodies that let chi flow through us, and they can get blocked by spiritual gunk?"

"Good answer, but they can be blocked physically as well. That happened to me when I was struck by lightning in my back."

Korra pondered, thinking about what she had been told, then she realized. "So you think Noatak used bloodbending to block my chakras, and that's how he takes away bending?"

Aang nodded. "When one of my chakras was blocked, I was unable to enter the avatar state at all.”

“But I saw you use it to defeat Yakone, so how did you unlock it?”

He stood up before he spoke, and Korra did so as well. “Let me show you”, Aang spoke, as he put his hands on Korra’s shoulder and forehead.

(-)

Bolin wasn’t quite sure how long he had been following Naga’s footprints, but he had no intention of stopping anytime soon, especially if he still had a trail to follow, but he wished he had been able to put on a heavier coat before heading off into the tundra.

He hoped that admitting his feelings to Korra hadn’t overwhelmed or freaked her out, but he wanted her to know. He probably would have if he had done it when thoughts of being in love with her first appeared in his head, but he wanted to be sure. Love at first sight never meant sense to him. You only knew what the person looked like. But as he spent more time with her, got to know who she was, he was sure. There was no one else like her and he didn’t want to bother trying to look.

The wind blasting in his face got Bolin’s attention, and when it continued to gust, he wondered if he had finally tracked Korra down. He raced up the small hill in front of him, and when he reached the top, seeing her somehow still took him by surprise.

She'd risen high in the air, lifted by airbending. Blasts of air, fire, and earth shot along the ground from where she was suspended, but none of them came close to him or Naga. He could feel the ocean crashing against the ice he was standing on before she finally descended back down.

Then she turned around, and all Bolin could feel was relief. She ran towards him with a grin matching his own, and in that moment he didn't care how cold it was anymore.

He probably should've noticed how much speed she was picking up, though. Korra probably had the idea of jumping into his arms and being spun around, but what ended up happening was she basically ended up tackling Bolin, leaving him flat on his back in the snow with Korra on top of him.

She immediately blurted out "Sorry!", but Bolin didn’t really need an apology, he just let out something between a laugh and a groan in response. He was as happy as he had ever been. There was nothing she could do that would ruin this. She shifted herself so that she was still on top of him, and her face was inches from his. Then Korra spoke.

“I love you too.”

Then she kissed him. And Bolin lost himself in her. Nothing else mattered to him right then. He was hers. Korra was okay. And she loved him.

Chapter Text

Bolin was transfixed by Korra’s story as they rode back to the compound on Naga. "So you got to meet Aang?"

"Yeah."

"What was he like?"

"Um...tall?", Korra answered, sounding unsure. 

"Tall?"

"And...bald, I guess?"

"I kinda meant what was he like as a person?", Bolin clarified. 

"Oh, well he seemed nice, but we only talked for a few minutes."

"But he gave you your bending back? How'd he pull that off?"

"Energybending. I'll explain when we get back to the compound, that way I don't have to tell the story five hundred times."

So from then on the ride back was quiet between them, but it was a peaceful one. The only sounds made were Naga’s paws hitting the ice while Bolin looked at the surroundings, his arms wrapped around the girl he loved.

Eventually they reached the compound Korra had fled from, and she was immediately ambushed by everyone they left behind, but Korra made a small flame in her palm to show she was all right.

She didn’t explain what happened right away, the first thing she did was restore Lin's bending. Korra put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her forehead, then her eyes started glowing, and just like that, the chief of police was throwing boulders like it was nothing. 

Her methods and how she learned still didn't make sense to Bolin, but he supposed as long as Korra had her bending back and she could do the same for others, it didn't really matter. 

He could tell that Korra wanted to spend more time at home, to catch up with her parents and Katara about everything that happened in Republic city, and have a proper visit with her boyfriend, but that wasn't a luxury they could afford right now. The world needed the avatar. 

They hadn’t heard from Bumi or General Iroh since the lone message regarding Tarrlok and Noatak, so none of them were sure what Republic city would be like when they returned. Would it be completely abandoned? In the middle of an all-out war? Or nothing but ash and rubble?

When they could finally see the city from the back of Oogi, Tenzin, Lin, and Team Avatar saw that Yue bay was full of United Forces vessels, but looked otherwise abandoned apart from the occupying military force. They landed on the pier close to the makeshift headquarters that had been set up, and Bumi came over to give them an update on the situation.

Apparently the news of Amon actually being a waterbender had spread like wildfire, since the proof had dozens of witnesses, and it became a fatal blow in terms of equalist morale.

Many of the footsoldiers for "Amon's" army had given up and fled when they heard the news, going into some form of hiding, and those that stayed weren't able to put up much of a fight.

The United Forces and the remaining police were able to restore order not long after that. Civilians had been ordered to remain in their homes, and now everyone was wondering what would happen next.

Korra knew exactly what she wanted to do first, though. She put a message out on the radio that she could restore the bending of anyone who'd lost theirs to Amon, and that they should come to city hall.

Apart from Tahno and the rest of the Wolfbats, everyone who showed up seemed to be cops. Lightning Bolt Zolt, Shady Shin, and Two-Toed Ping were notable absences, probably not worth it for them to get their bending back only to be immediately thrown in jail. The people who did show up wasn't a large amount, luckily Amon hadn't been in control long enough to take bending away from more people, and Korra was able to restore it for all of them. 

Bolin could tell it was tiring for her to do so, despite her efforts to hide it. But everyone knew the hard work to fix everything was only beginning. 

It started with trying to get information out of the equalists that had been captured and arrested, but it wasn’t surprising to find them being unwilling to talk, and the uniform they wore made it impossible for those uninvolved with the group to identify, so those that had been able to desert were almost impossible to track down if they had covered their tracks properly. Even the weird mustached guy was uncooperative, the deception by Amon not shaking any of their loyalty towards each other, still believing in the goals they had, just not the man who led them.

That wasn't the case for Hiroshi Sato, however. According to General Iroh, the man had fallen apart when he found out the truth about Amon, inconsolable at the realization of what he'd done, although nobody really felt that sorry for him.

Despite this, he still tried to make amends While everyone else was unwilling to talk, he sang. It wasn’t a surprise that he was the main funder for the equalists, apart from a few people who Sato named, but was unnerving to see how the money had been spent. 

Apart from the expected costs of creating and building all the machines the equalist army used, a significant amount was also used to make sure people behaved a certain way. Cops and other government officials were bribed to make sure that the true power of their operation remained a secret, through looking the other way, tip offs about any sort of trouble or investigation, and some unexpected things as well, like harassment of nonbenders to fan the flames of the equalist narrative, and the referees for the probending championship letting the Wolfbats blatantly cheat, for no other reason than it would supposedly prove Amon's point during the speech he had.

The uprising they had planned also went further than anyone had anticipated. Mr. Sato was able to use his business to secretly ship equalist equipment all over the world, to other groups waiting on the word from Republic city that it was time to strike, waiting in the fire nation, Ba sing se and the rest of the earth kingdom, even the northern and southern water tribes.

Those groups were unaware that their existence had been revealed, so it wasn't too difficult for local authorities to take them by surprise and dismantle their operations. Once that was handled, Tenzin felt comfortable to send for his family, who were waiting in the south pole until he could ensure it was safe for them to enter the city.

There were more arrivals then he was expecting, though. Katara explained to her youngest son that everything that had happened recently put things in perspective for her, and she wanted to come to Republic City to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. Bolin privately wondered how much Korra’s story about talking with Aang affected her decision. He also didn't recognize the other woman in blue clothes with grey hair, but Ikki said that was their aunt Kya, though Tenzin didn't seem particularly overjoyed to see his big sister. 

It was a sentiment that apparently applied to his brother as well. Commander Bumi had decided to retire and live on air temple island now that the equalists were dealt with. His ceremony was mixed in with Lin Beifong being restored to her previous title as chief of police, along with Korra, Bolin, Mako and Asami being presented medals for civilian bravery during the equalist takeover, which was pretty cool. Things almost seemed like they were gonna start to calm down, but of course that didn’t happen.

While investigating the late ex-councilman Tarrlok, Lin came across records that documented information that he had been using to blackmail his former colleagues into following along with whatever he had planned. Two of the council members resigned when the information was uncovered. One was even arrested. And although he wasn't named, the former chief Saikhan decided to retire, embarrassed that Tarrlok had been able to use and manipulate him so easily. 

With Tenzin being the only one remaining, he conversed with other world leaders and they came to the conclusion to disband the council and hold elections to appoint a president. It didn't make much sense to Bolin to improve representation by replacing five people with one person, but he never really did understand politics much.

One pleasant surprise is that relations between benders and nonbenders seemed to be calm. It was definitely an uneasy peace, but there was no violence, retribution, or retaliation from either side. Everyone just seemed like they wanted to move on, whether they were under occupation and terrified of losing their bending, followed the words and actions of a fraud, or bystanders watching in horror. 

That thinking led to the probending championship rematch being turned into a grand affair in the rebuilt and renovated arena, the building being the only major property damage that had occurred the past few weeks. It was a long battle, the Wolfbats a massive challenge with or without following the rules, but the fire ferrets were able to pull it out, with Korra knocking out Tahno in a third round tiebreaker. 

In the thrill of victory, she jumped from the raised platform into Bolin’s arms (he managed to catch her this time), tore off both their helmets, and planted a big kiss on his lips. 

So anyway, that's how the whole city found out they were a couple. 

It actually didn't cause as much change as Bolin thought it would. In fact, the spectacle actually disproved some weird, and in some cases, unseemly rumors about the romantic lives of team avatar. The press kept their distance for the most part, or at least after a particularly nosy reporter and photographer ended up in a nearby fountain.

With that happening, it was almost easy to forget that the championship win came with the prize money: four hundred and eighty thousand yuans. It was an amazing feeling when they found out. The days of living on the streets felt so far behind Bolin and Mako. Even splitting the pot three ways they wouldn't have to worry about money for a long time.

And the prize money also came with opportunities for better places to live. Bolin wasn’t really interested in going back to an arena apartment that felt kinda cramped compared to where he was staying now on air temple island, and he really didn't feel any need to move somewhere else. But Mako was able to find himself a nice place that was close to where he now worked at the police station. 

Lin offered a position to him after the corruption revealed by Hiroshi Sato led to her ranks being severely depleted due to arrests. It still wasn’t enough for her to offer Bolin a job though, which had him a little miffed. He probably wouldn’t have accepted, the whole thing felt weird to him with their past experiences with cops, but it was more the principal of the whole thing. Either way, it didn't leave Mako with much free time, which pretty much put an end to the Fire Ferrets. 

Bolin figured it was for the best though. When they first started probending, it was more for the need to stay off the streets and away from the gangs. But being homeless again wasn't a worry for them now, and to be honest the sport now didn't bring him the same excitement it did when he listened as a little kid, or bring the same satisfaction as working with Korra and the rest of team avatar. It was just another way Bolin and Mako weren't attached at the hip anymore. They were growing up, each of them having their own lives, centered around different things and different people. 

But they still were able to spend plenty of time together, usually helping out Asami with Sato industries. Despite public statements from chief Beifong and the avatar that she'd had no knowledge or involvement of her father’s actions, the company took a massive hit with its public image and credibility. Much of the public was skeptical of her taking over, either due to her being a teenager with no previous experience running a company, or the turmoil the company was dealing with related to lawsuits and the resignations of the entire executive board, leaving Asami with her friends as the only advisors she had. 

They tried to help out as much as they could, whether it was to test new inventions, file paperwork with her, or prepare for business meetings. But Sato Industries still remained in danger of collapsing, with many consumers and investors either scaredeither scared off by her father’s actions or disappointed she didn’t seem to share his views. Speaking of, they’d heard through Lin that Hiroshi tried to reach out to his daughter, in some feeble hope of making amends, but Asami wanted nothing to do with him, and none of them could really blame her.

Still, Bolin knew that Mako’s new job and trying to help Asami out had his brother under a lot of pressure, as well as putting a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend, but Bolin also knew his brother well enough that no good would come from him prying or trying to get involved. He was just grateful that nothing like that was happening with him and Korra. 

He’d decided to accept her offer to stay on air temple island, figuring it didn’t make much sense to spend money to be further away from his girlfriend and everyone else. The kids were thrilled when they’d found out he’d still be living with them, but Tenzin didn’t seem to be as thrilled as his children were.

The man appeared to warm up to the idea eventually though, probably grateful for all of the time Bolin was spending with his children, keeping them out of his metaphorical hair.

It wasn’t a chore for him by any means. In fact, Bolin was kinda proud of how well he fit in with the family. He'd enjoyed being Pema's assistant in the kitchen, learning enough to cook a meal for himself and Korra on a few occasions. Meelo still regarded him as the older brother he always wanted, and they'd had fun swapping bending techniques. 

Ikki and Jinora were great company as well. The younger of the sisters was the first person Bolin had met that could keep up with his ability to converse, and the older girl was always good for a lesson or two, whether it was something new about air nomad culture, or finding a good way to impress Korra. He’d noticed that Jinora had a habit of staring at him when he wasn’t looking at her, but he figured it was best not to mention it, and hope it would sort itself out. Eventually Bolin was able to make good on his promise to the kids to take them out for ice cream. 

It actually ended up being a pleasant experience. The place wasn't too crowded, they had his favorite flavor in stock (Sabre-tooth Moose Lion Tracks), the kids were relatively well-behaved, and they even bumped into Tahno while they were there.  He seemed very different from that night he gave Bolin and Korra a hard time at Narook's, and after they talked for a little bit Bolin was wondering if he'd made a new friend. Or at least someone he could tolerate being around.

He also enjoyed spending time with the older members of Tenzin's family. Katara, Kya, and Bumi had plenty of stories, either about the hundred year war, people and places seen while traveling around the road, or tales of heroics from the retired commander that nobody took seriously, but they were still a joy to be around. For the most part...

(-)

Bolin had been a part of Tenzin’s morning meditations with Korra and the kids for only a few days, so he was still worried about screwing something up and getting kicked out. That's why he didn't say anything when he noticed a rather putrid stench one morning, letting someone else point it out instead. 

"Agh, it smells like burning sewage out here!", Tenzin sputtered. "Bolin, was that you?"

"Hey, don't blame me! It was probably the same person who invented fartbending!"

But Meelo seemed offended by the accusation. "How dare you! I would never fart quietly! It was probably one of the girls!"

That caused things to devolve into a bickering match that Tenzin once again had to referee.

"Enough! Look, I can't reach a state of spiritual enlightenment with the smell of rotten meat in the air, so someone had better take responsibility!"

"Uhh...Tenzin?"

He looked at Bolin, expecting a confession, but his eyes eventually followed to what he'd spotted. 

"Bumi!"

But the older man didn't seem to mind being discovered. "Gotta say little brother, I've missed making you the 'butt' of the joke!"

The morning meditation ended after that, as Tenzin stormed off, leaving everyone else to try to get Bumi out of the tree he'd been blasted into.

(-)

Bolin was starting to get an idea of why Tenzin wasn't thrilled to have his brother living with them on the island. But that wasn't to say he didn't enjoy the man's company. Bumi was funny, entertaining, and he was always able to come up with something fun to do...

(-)

Bolin, Bumi and the kids were outside on a balcony, staring at something Korra couldn’t see when she approached them from behind.

"Hey, you", she spoke, greeting her boyfriend first with a kiss. "What are you all up to?"

"Fruit pies”, he answered.

“You, uh, mind elaborating on that?”

“Sure!”, Bumi interrupted. “I’m teaching the kids about the ancient air nomad practice of airbending fruit pies.”

“Is it really an air nomad tradition if only grandpa aang and dad were doing it?”, Jinora asked.

“Well, they’re both air nomads, aren’t they? And they started doing it over one hundred and fifty years ago, so I don’t see why not.”

“Sounds fun”, Korra said. “So did you have a target in mind?”

“Right over there,” Bolin pointed, and when she looked over the balcony, she saw Tenzin and Mako off in the distance having a conversation.

“Oh, that’ll be good . But are you gonna be able to help out, Bo?”

“Nah. I don’t have the arm strength to throw it that far, and earthbending isn’t precise enough. But they taste really good, though.”

Korra giggled as her boyfriend digged into one of the pies with a spoon, then she noticed there were four other pies on a nearby table. “Did you make extra?”

“Bolin thought you might wanna join in if you showed up”, Ikki explained.

“Well aren’t you the sweetest?”

“Obviously, Bolin answered while continuing his bad habit of talking with his mouth full, getting him another eye roll with a smile from Korra as she took an airbending stance in front of the pies alongside Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, while they waited for the order from Bumi.

“Alright, soldiers! One, two, three, fire !”

Everyone had hopeful grins as the pies sailed towards their targets, but they changed to looks of horror as they saw two other people walking up to Tenzin and Mako.

“Oh no.”

“Abort, abort !”

“It’s too late!”

“Then bail! We can’t let them catch us!”

All six of them scrambled and tripped over each other trying to get off the balcony and out of sight, so that when Mako, Tenzin, Lin, and Katara got the pie off their faces and looked where they came from, there would be no evidence anyone was there.

(-)

With everything going on in their lives, it tended to be difficult for Bolin and Korra to spend time together with just each other as company, but they figured out a few tricks to make it work.

Korra was able to get Katara to teach them about flying bison, and her waterbending master seemed to catch on to what they had planned, taking into account how quickly the lessons went along, and the knowing smiles she gave both of them the entire time.

They were able to get the teaching over with quickly though, and once that was done, taking a trip on Oogi or one of the other bison was a great way for them to get a few hours just by themselves.

Both of their birthdays came and went over the next few months, and they made time to celebrate each of them. Korra’s came first, so Bolin took her out to Narook’s, and he was able to pull a few strings for the entire restaurant to be closed down, except for one booth candlelit for a traditional water tribe feast, where he also gave her some jewelry he earthbended himself along with a poem he etched into a stone tile.

For Bolin’s birthday, she took him to Hue’s barbeque, where they managed to pull off the Fauna Feast challenge he talked about. They both got their own shirts, and a photo of them in front of a plate full of clean bones, and faces smeared with sauce. And back at the island, Korra found a private place to give him his birthday present from her.

It was a pipa, somehow exactly like the one his mom had even though he never described it to Korra. Same size, same wood pattern, everything. He admittedly got a little misty eyed the first time he ran his hand over the strings, and the smallest sound of music came from it. Korra was his only audience for a while, as he taught himself how to play, and also find out that his singing voice was actually pretty good. Eventually, he opened up enough to play for the rest of the family, with songs he remembered as a kid and new ones he’d heard over the radio. 

Part of Bolin was worried that with his relationship with Korra becoming more serious, they’d lose part of the casual closeness that made things so great at the start, but somehow that never happened. Sparring matches were still friendly for the most part, both of them took part in food fights at the table started by the kids (or Bumi), and Pema never let them hear the end of the time when one morning she found the couple sprawled over each other on the couch, snoring, surrounded by bowls and plates cleaned of food, and the radio still playing quietly in the background, never switched off after the probending match they were listening to the night before ended.

Bolin still wasn’t sure how things were gonna turn out with all the big changes that happened, but with Korra by his side he felt ready for anything.

Chapter Text

Bolin and Bumi were standing next to one of the gates near the entrance of the island, the makeshift finish line for the air scooter race Korra and the airkids were having. It was close down the stretch, but the avatar was able to pull away while her eyes glowed white. 

"The avatar is the winner!" Bumi proclaimed, and Bolin was getting ready to congratulate her before Ikki interrupted. "No fair! You can't use the avatar state to win!"

But Korra was unsympathetic, sticking her tongue out. "Oh, why don't you go-"

"You did what?" Tenzin must have heard his daughter’s complaints, and that was all it took to put him in a bad mood.

"The avatar state is not meant to be used as a... booster rocket! You clearly have no appreciation for the gift you've been given."

"It's the avatar state, and I'm the avatar", Korra argued. "Who's gonna appreciate it more than me?"

Tenzin wasn't impressed. "Clearly you need more training to grasp the depths of your spiritual connections, not to mention that you're still a long way from mastering airbending."

Korra responded with some airbending moves that seemed to show Bolin and Bumi that she'd mastered the element. It wasn't enough to convince her teacher, though.

“You may have mastered ‘Korra-style’ airbending, but you still need to learn ‘real’ airbending. Hopefully our family vacation to the air temples will help inspire you.”

Korra was clearly unenthusiastic about the idea of an educational vacation, but the airkids were the exact opposite. 

"Are we gonna see where grandpa Aang was born?" Jinora asked. 

"How many lemurs can I have?" Meelo wondered.

"I wanna get airbending tattoos, but instead of arrows, I want lightning bolts!” Ikki demanded.

That prompted a question from Bolin. “Hang on, why do air nomads get arrow tattoos?”

“They now show mastery of airbending, but the tattoos were originally given at birth,  meant to show the flow of chi through the body. They eventually became arrows as a tribute to the sky bison, the original airbenders." Jinora answered him sweetly, before taking a bossy tone with her little sister. "That's why having lightning bolt tattoos doesn't make any sense!"

"You don't make any sense!"

That got Meelo excited for a fight, which Tenzin quickly put a stop to, and everyone's thoughts shifted to the glacier spirits festival they'd be visiting the South Pole for. Bolin was looking forward to it especially, since he’d made sure to put some extra money aside to be able to enjoy everything they had to offer, as well as a more proper meeting with Korra’s parents.

Asami had offered to let them all travel with her on one of the Sato industries ships, since she had some meeting for a hopeful business deal with some guy named Varrick, and Mako got lucky enough for Lin to give him some days off to help travel with them.

A couple days after the scooter race, everyone had their stuff packed and they were enjoying the trip down south. The night before they were supposed to arrive, Bolin and Korra had tried to find a little privacy, and they were going over all the things they'd be able to do, at least until Mako interrupted. 

"Hey, you two. Been wondering where you were."

"Oh, we were just trying to talk...alone...by ourselves.”

Korra bumped Bolin’s arm, a quiet way of telling him to play nice, but any hint that he was trying to give his brother apparently went unnoticed.

“Anyway, I wanted to tell you about this crazy chase I got into with a couple of bank robbers a few days ago."

"Sounds like a story Asami would love." Korra gave Bolin another bump, but Mako still didn't catch on.

"Nah, she told me she needed time to prepare for her business meeting tomorrow, and she said she didn’t want any distractions.”

“Neither did we.” Bolin thought to himself.

But Mako told a story of a high speed pursuit of a van he was following with a motorcycle, while dodging lightning and fire blasts from the escaping criminals. Bolin wasn’t sure how much of the tale was actually true, but he did believe Mako had actually said the terrible pun his older brother finished the story with about "having car trouble".

The joke made Bolin groan, but it actually got Korra to laugh. "Did you have that written down or something?"

"Actually, yeah. I had a whole notebook of stuff I came up with, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere."

"You haven't found it because I burned it, Mako", Bolin confessed. 

"Why would you do that?"

"Because it was terrible! Felt like I needed a shower after reading it. Seriously, it would ruin the family name if you said half the stuff that was in there.”

“We don’t have a family name, Bolin."

“Come on, Bo, please?”, Korra interrupted. “I gotta hear them, they can’t be that bad.”

“Oh yes they can. You’d probably dump me on the spot if you heard that stuff come out of my mouth.”

“Ah, she puts up with everything else, what’s one more thing?”

Bolin knew Mako was kidding, but it was enough for him to be about to tell his brother to get lost in a much less delicate way, at least if Korra hadn’t changed the subject.

“I wish I could be out there with you chasing down those guys, though. Tenzin's starting to drive me crazy with all his nagging."

"I'm sure he's just trying to make you the best avatar he can.”

Bolin froze. Lately Korra had been getting more frustrated with her avatar responsibilities, and although he wasn’t entirely sure why, he’d learned that his girlfriend didn’t really want to hear an apologist when she talked about it, and it was better to be an ear for her and just let her vent, since Bolin hated the idea of arguing or fighting with her. 

Unfortunately, he'd forgotten to warn Mako that she tended to take any differing opinion personally, and sure enough...

"Why are you taking his side?"

Mako was caught completely off guard. "Wha? I..."

Korra didn’t even feel like giving him a chance before standing up and storming off. “I’m gonna go for a walk.”

That left Bolin sitting by himself, giving his older brother an annoyed glare. “Really, Mako?”

“What did I do? ”

“I’ll let you figure it out on your own, third wheel.” Bolin told him as he got up to go find his girlfriend.

Though after a few minutes of searching, he realized he might have to do more than what he usually did to cheer up Korra. 

The whole festival sounded amazing the first time she'd told him about it, and they'd both been looking forward to it so much in the weeks since. So he didn’t wanna risk anything putting a damper on their trip.

So he stopped by his room and got his pipa and winter coat, the former to cheer up his girlfriend and the latter because it was getting chilly, which was only going to get worse the further south they traveled.

He also found Naga to help track the avatar, figuring her animal guide would be useful for tracking. Pabu tagged along, riding on Naga’s forehead, and Bolin was pretty impressed with the bond his furry childhood friend had developed with Korra’s.

Bringing the polar bear dog along was a good idea, since she was able to find Korra much quicker than he would have on his own, and when he saw her, she was leaning on a railing, staring out at the vast ocean that was reflecting the moonlight. 

Bolin made sure to clear his throat first, so Korra wouldn't be startled, but she still looked pretty surprised when she turned around.

"What are you-"

He was able to hold up a finger to get her to pause, and Bolin used the moment to start the song he'd been trying so hard to prepare in secret. It wasn’t the perfect moment like he'd wanted, but it was hard to think of a better one. 

My head is stuck in the clouds, she begs me to come down, said ‘boy, quit foolin' around’.

I told her, ‘I love the view from up here, warm sun, and wind in my ear.’ We'll watch the world from above, as it turns to the rhythm of love.

Korra looked stunned, but Bolin didn’t see any signs that she wanted him to stop.

We may only have tonight, but til the morning sun you're mine, allll mine. I'll play the music low, and just sway to the rhythm of love. 

The chorus had her smiling with red cheeks, so Bolin sat down and leaned back against Naga like he'd done with her moments ago, and started the second verse.

Well, my heart beats like a drum, or a pipa string to a strum, for a beautiful song to be sung.

She's got blue eyes, deep like the sea, that roll back when she's laughing at me. She rises up, like the tide, the moment her lips meet mine.

Korra was able to steal a kiss before he started the chorus again, and then after a little solo Bolin sang the last lyrics he could come up with for the final verse.

And long after I'm gone, I hope you'll be humming along, cause I will keep you in my mind, the way you make love so fine. 

(-)

Getting woken up by the boat’s foghorn wasn’t a pleasant experience for Korra, but it was nice to be cuddled up with Bolin and Naga outside. 

“Hey you.” She told her boyfriend, who was also stirring from the unusual wakeup call.

“Mornin’ beautiful.”

“You doing okay? Are you warm enough?" Korra couldn’t help worrying, since she knew firsthand how much harsher South Pole winters were in comparison to the ones in Republic city. They hadn’t meant to fall asleep outside, but Korra had learned the breath of fire technique at a young age to stay warm, though that couldn't do much to help Bolin. 

But Bolin was fine, he'd had help from Naga, Pabu, and Korra’s tight grip to stay warm overnight. They could see the city in the distance getting closer, so they got up and prepared for arrival.

Once they docked, the children were the first down the ramp, taking in the new sights.

“Wow, I forgot how cold it is down here!” Ikki exclaimed. “It’s way colder than back home. Is that why we didn’t visit more often, daddy?”

“Nah, he was just worried I’d beat him up again like when we were kids” Kya answered, to Tenzin’s annoyance.

“I’m not scared of you...anymore.” He didn’t sound very convincing

Korra spotted her parents after that, and they were overjoyed to see her again, but her dad wasn't as welcoming to Bolin.

"I hope you haven't been getting my daughter in any trouble in Republic city", he told her boyfriend in a stern voice while looming over him.

"What? No, sir! I've been- er, I, um..."

Good thing Korra was there to get her father to relent. "Knock it off, dad." She playfully told him.

The man showed mercy at the request of his daughter, chuckling while shaking Bolin’s hand, who still seemed a little rattled by the joke, but didn't say anything as he accepted the hug from Korra’s mom.

"Oh, it's so good to see you again! I can't wait to hear about everything you've been up to."

Before Korra would start telling them anything though, attention on the pier turned to a boat much more elegant than the one she'd traveled on pulling in next to them.

"Who's ship is that?" Bolin asked.

"My brother's. Every year he comes from the northern water tribe with his family to celebrate the festival."

Her dad's tone may have been neutral, but Korra knew he wasn't very pleased that her uncle was here. He'd never talked about him much, and even less about his life before he left for the south pole. She'd never figured out why, but Korra had been able to get along with her uncle perfectly well, even her cousins that hadn’t mastered human emotions yet. 

"Is that him? With the two girls?"

"Yeah, that's Desna and Eska. Desna's a guy, though.”

It was cute to watch Bolin try and play it off. "Oh, yeah, no, I knew that. Which one is Desna, by the way?”

Her father was the first one to offer greetings. “Hello, Chief Unalaq.”

“Hello, Chief Tonraq.”

Her dad then greeted his niece and nephew. “Eska, Desna. Good to see you two.”

“Likewise, Uncle Tonraq”, her female cousin told him with a monotone voice that Korra forgot how creeped out it made her feel.

Her dad then glanced around before speaking to her relatives again. “Is your mother alright? I'd thought she'd be here with you."

"Malina came down with a fever before we left." Her uncle explained. "She should be fine by the time we return, but she wasn't well enough to travel when we departed."

It felt like there was something unsaid when he told her dad that, but Korra couldn’t put her finger on it. The formal exchange between brothers was enough to get others to clear off, leaving Korra with her parents and uncle to walk through the festival, with Bolin close by, listening to their conversation and trying food from nearby booths. It was fun to tell her mom and dad what they’d been up to, but talking about the festival made her uncle seem agitated.

“ It's a shame the southerners have abandoned all connections to the spirits, even during the most hallowed times.”

“I’ve always enjoyed the festival, they were always so much fun growing up” She told him.

“It used to be a time of fasting and meditation, now it’s a chance to see someone try and stuff a whole arctic hen in their mouth.” 

They all turned to Bolin, who was in the midst of what Unalaq was talking about. “What? Oh, it’s so good.”

Korra was so busy giggling at her boyfriend trying to talk that her dad defended Bolin for her. “Traditions change. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Tell that to the people on ships that are getting attacked by angry spirits. Some traditions have purpose.”

That got Korra’s attention. “Wait, spirits have been attacking ships? How long has this been going on?”

“They’ve been happening the past few weeks as the festival draws near. I’m surprised that the avatar didn’t know about the spiritual unrest that’s been happening. I’d be honored to teach you the spiritual ways of the water tribe.”

“Maybe I should, if spirits are attacking people now.”

Her dad then spoke up. “Korra is already receiving spiritual instruction from Tenzin. Training from anyone else is unnecessary.”

“A spiritual advisor that doesn’t inform her of spirit attacks?” Unalaq retorted.

“Either way, it’s my decision who I train with, Dad”, Korra added.

“Yes...of course.”

(-)

Bolin really wanted an explanation for whoever organized the seating for this royal feast.

Katara, Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi were all great company, but he definitely would have preferred to sit with Korra and her family. After all, Mako got to sit with his girlfriend as she was working out details of whatever agreement she’d made with some really weird billionaire she’d met with earlier. Not to mention that Pema couldn’t be pleased trying to keep four kids in line by herself with no help from Tenzin.

Still, at least there was some good entertainment to watch, with Wacky Wushu's Dancing Otter penguins. But Bolin noticed from his table that Korra seemed annoyed with her dad, based on how she looked while talking with him and her uncle, something others noticed too.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone's trying to take your place as the Avatar's stick-in-the-mud mentor, Tenzin", Bumi warned. 

Then Kya started piling on. "Bumi, don't pick on Tenzin. You know he's always been sensitive."

"I'm not sensitive!"

Bolin decided not to get involved, instead trying some of the food that had been placed in front of him earlier by a waiter, hoping it had cooled off by now. It got the attention of everyone else at the table, and he wasn’t sure if he’d done something wrong, but Katara explained.

“It’s not common at all for people that aren’t from the southern water tribe to enjoy sea prunes.”

“Oh, well I kind of had them pretty often growing up. When we were on the street, there was this restaurant, Narook’s, that used to give out leftovers when they closed up for the night, and they always had sea prunes. Guess I just got used to the taste.”

“Well, looks like dad was right”, Kya told him. “There were starving children that would’ve loved to have sea prunes for dinner.”

“Kya...” Her mother warned.

“Well, he didn’t like them either!”

“That’s not the point, and you know it. Southern water tribe food is an important part of your heritage, and you should have more respect for it. All of you.”

“I wasn’t really starving, anyway.” Bolin clarified. “We also knew this guy who would make street gruel out of dumpsters, so that was what we usually had.”

“Which tasted better?”

“Bumi!”

Dinner ended soon after that, and Korra seemed happy to get away from her family to go and out to the festival again. Bolin couldn’t do the same, though, since Mako decided to go with them, but he was much quieter now, and that let the two of them pretend they were alone, taking in the scenery.

“It looks so different out here now that it’s nighttime. All these lights and colored lanterns, it’s beautiful.”

“I remember when I was little I’d ride around on my dad’s shoulders looking at them while we walked around”, she told him. “Do they have anything like this in Republic city?”

“There were some festivals and celebrations, but nothing really traditional except for the anniversary of the war ending, and when the Republic of Nations got founded. When those were going on, we’d try to steal as much food as we could or look for people to pickpocket. Speaking of which, if you’re carrying any money, don’t put it in your back pocket.”

“Oh, great.” They saw Mako patting down his clothes, probably assuming he had his wallet taken before walking off, saying he'd be back later. 

"Should we...help him with that?", Korra wondered. 

"Nah, it's fine."

"How do you know?"

"Because I have his wallet right here", Bolin admitted with a sly grin. 

Korra looked shocked, but she still had a little smile. "Why?"

"Well, if Mako’s somewhere else looking for his wallet..."

Korra connected the dots. "Then that gives us some time alone. You know he's gonna kick your butt when he finds out."

Bolin handed the wallet to his furry buddy, who scurried back to where they were staying. "Relax. Pabu can take Mako’s wallet back, and if he sees it there he’ll probably just think he forgot to take it with him. Besides, even if he does figure it out, I’ve got the avatar to protect me.”

He was hoping to get another laugh from Korra, but instead her smile was now looking more like a grimace. “You okay?”

“Yes...no.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

They walked over to one of the games that had been set up, shooting water into a chibi figure of Aang the fastest to win, then Korra started to explain. "Unalaq told me during the feast that Tenzin and my dad had decided to keep me hidden in the compound when I was growing up."

"I thought Aang had ordered the White lotus to do that", Bolin said, remembering what Korra had once told him.

"Me too, but my dad said they were trying to do what was best for me. Another time he didn't think I could make my own decisions."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean?" She told him that with clear annoyance. “Unalaq’s been offering to help teach me about spirits so I can help deal with these spirit attacks, but my dad’s been acting like it’s his choice. As if I’m a prisoner, or still a little kid.”  It looked like her frustration was affecting her bending, because she was able to get way more water than she should have been able to into the Aang in front of her, beating everyone else. The ringer of the game declared Korra the winner and gave her a stuffed sky bison to go with it, even though Bolin wasn’t sure if she broke the rules doing that. But either way, he knew better than to say anything out loud. 

"Sorry." It was a pretty stupid thing to ask, and should've been clear from earlier. She had enough to deal with without him missing obvious things like that. 

"No, don't be. You didn't deserve that. This whole thing...I think working with my uncle would be really helpful, but, I don’t know. What do you think?"

"Me?"

"Yeah. Don't you have an opinion on this?"

"I mean, sure, but I don't know how helpful it'll be. Wouldn't it be better to talk to Aang or one of your other lives about avatar stuff?"

Korra looked away. "I can't."

"What do you mean?"

“I mean I can’t ask Aang. Or any of my past lives. I haven't talked to him or anyone else since I got my bending back."

Bolin tried to think of possible causes for this, but something else came to mind. "Hang on, does Tenzin know about this? Because he might be able to hel-"

"No, and don't say anything to him. If he finds out, he'll just lock me away to train again and I won't be able to see you, or do anything else."

He wasn’t sure what to say now. This was a problem he had no idea how to solve, completely different from what they’d been talking about just moments before. Bolin had no intention of betraying Korra’s trust and telling Tenzin about her inability to talk with Aang, but he still felt that he’d be helpful in order to fix this, rather than treat her like a prisoner, as if that'd work. 

He wanted to take his time, make sure he said the right thing, but he'd been quiet for so long Korra must have mistaken it for doubt or disagreement, because she tossed the stuffed animal in his hands and walked off. “Just...just forget it."

She was going at a brisk pace, so it wasn't hard for Bolin to catch up with her and gently grasp her hand. 

"Wait. Look, I promise I wont say anything to Tenzin, but you wanted to know what I think, right?” It came out as more of a plea than he intended, and Korra didn’t answer him, but she slowed down a little, and hadn’t told him to shove anything anywhere, so it felt okay to continue.

“I think if you really feel that working with your uncle can help, you should go for it, but I’ll support you no matter what. But you don’t need to make a choice right now. Let’s just enjoy the festival, because I know how much you’ve been looking forward to it. I’ll win you as many prizes as you want, okay?”

“Okay.” Korra had stopped walking and he noticed her voice had cracked a little, but Korra hugged him before Bolin could even offer, with a grip nearly strong enough to hurt.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

It sounded a little muffled with her face buried in his jacket, but it still meant everything to Bolin when she said that. So he made it his sole desire to spend the rest of the night trying to cheer her up.

He did his best to follow up on his promise to win Korra as many stuffed animals as he could, even though she never actually asked for any, but it seemed to do the trick as her forced smiles eventually became genuine as the night went on. They found a photo booth, and they each got a strip for themselves of them together. Korra even found something he’d never heard of called cotton candy. It looked like something you’d use for insulation, but it tasted delicious as they shared it. They even had to get Naga to carry all the stuff Bolin had won, as there became too much for them to carry on their own. He didn't really care how much money he’d spent on food and games, it was worth it to him if she was feeling better.

Unfortunately, their good mood didn’t last the whole night, as some angry spirits decided to attack them while they were all sleeping. Naga was the first to notice the presence, with her howls waking up him and Mako, and bringing them and everyone else outside.

Bolin wasn’t sure why the spirits were mad, but whatever it was, it translated well into their fighting. He and Mako both got their butts kicked, Korra and her dad didn’t fare much better, and even Tenzin’s plea for an explanation was rejected. The only person who seemed to have any success was Korra’s uncle Unalaq.

That and the argument she had with Tenzin and her dad must have been enough for her.  to make up her mind right then. He wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying, but based on how Tenzin looked once the conversation ended, it was a safe bet to assume what had happened. At least everything seemed to end on relatively good terms. 

Korra walked up to him not long after. "Hey."

"Hey. So I'll be working with Unalaq now."

"I figured. You doing okay?"

"I guess so. Do you think I did the right thing?"

"I'm not sure. Guess I need to work on the whole avatar advisor thing. But you don’t need to explain yourself. Like I said before, I got your back."

"Thank you."

They were quiet for a while after that, just watching the sunrise until Unalaq approached them.

"I know that was a difficult decision you just had to make, Korra, but I'm proud of you for making it. I promise, everything I have planned for you will be to help make the world a better place."

Chapter Text

Unalaq hadn’t even been Korra’s new spiritual guide for more than an hour before he recommended that they make a trip he referred to as a spiritual journey, in order to reach the south pole and help repair the abandoned spiritual center of the tribe.

She wasn’t complaining by any means. It wasn’t learning how to fight spirits, like she thought she'd be doing, but if they were able to make peace and stop the attacks, that'd be even better. 

Unalaq estimated the trip would be more than a day's travel, so Korra had planned on setting time aside to pack, at least before Bolin took care of that for her, with surprising effectiveness. It was something that she would have expected more from Mako, but it was still nice to see the nurturing side of her boyfriend. 

Speaking of the two brothers, they'd accepted her offer to come along with her, figuring it wouldn't hurt to have them come along in case they ran into any trouble. Korra wanted Asami to join them as well, but her friend felt she wouldn't be very useful, and there was more work that she wanted to do with Varrick to iron out their deal.

The businessman was willing to help them out though. He allowed them to use some snowmobiles that were Varrick industry prototypes, as well as some winter gear that only Bolin was really interested in, which was apparently enough to bug him as they waited on the outskirts of the tribe.

"Okay, so I get you not wanting to be a passenger on this, since you have Naga, but why won't you at least wear one of the snowsuits he got for us?”

“Because I don’t need it”, she told him lightheartedly. "Seriously, I never thought overkill could be stuffed into a coat like that."

"Well maybe the inflator thing is a bit much, but come on, you're telling me an internal heater, emergency beacon, and food ration pouch won't be useful? I would survive a month in this thing."

"Like I said, overkill."

"Did you at least make sure that you got the stuff I packed for you?"

"Right here", she said while patting a bag strapped to Naga’s saddle. "Got the extra bag of seal jerkey you snuck in there too."

"Aw, that was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Well, I was very surprised to find it."

"You better hope she's willing to share, bro", Mako added as he prepared the arctic camel he had been lent for the trip. 

It took a moment for Bolin to figure out what he meant before he saw Pabu poking out to rummage through one of the many pockets the snowsuit had.

"Buddy, no!", Bolin exclaimed as he tried to catch the fire ferret that was squirming around in an effort to not get caught. "Don't eat all the freeze-dried cucumber-quats!"

After a few moments he gave up trying to apprehend Pabu and just waited with everyone else for Unalaq to get there.

When he did show up, Korra wasn’t expecting the company her uncle had with him. It made sense that Eska and Desna were coming along, since they were really good waterbenders, but why was her dad here? 

Unalaq seemed to notice her apprehension. "I tried to tell him to stay in the city Korra, but your father insisted on speaking with you."

"What are you doing here, Dad?"

"I heard about the expedition Unalaq has planned, and you'll need someone looking out for you."

Bolin picked a bad time to cough, and when her dad looked at him he immediately realized he'd been misinterpreted. 

"I just had something in my throat, I swear", he said with a panicked voice.

"But Korra addressed her dad, taking his attention. "If I’d wanted you to come along, I would’ve asked you. Why do you always assume you know what's best for me?"

"Because he's misguided", her uncle answered. "The sad truth is, it's it's men like your father who have put the Spirit World out of balance. He's ignored my warnings in the past and apparently hasn't learned since."

"What happened in the past?", Mako asked.

"It doesn't matter”, he dismissed quickly, which did nothing to prove it wasn’t actually important. “What matters is the everstorm that’s been battering the south pole for decades. “You’ll need someone who knows the terrain well enough to help you navigate. Korra, I know you’re not happy with me right now, but I’m your father and it’s my job to protect you.” Then her dad turned to face his brother. “I’m coming, unless you think you can stop me.”

Korra didn’t have time for this. It was infuriating that her dad thought he still needed to protect her, but it would be useful to have him along, since he knew the area so well from hunting all these years, not that she wanted to admit that.

“Fine. Come if you want Dad, but don’t interfere with my training.” 

He didn’t waste time trying to thank her, just realizing that it was lucky she agreed. Korra wasn’t happy that he was tagging along, but at least Tenzin wasn’t coming too.

She held no grudge against her old teacher. He was a good man that helped her come far, and she still wanted to remain close with him and the rest of his family. But even without past actions being revealed, she needed a change in spiritual advising and her uncle was a better fit.

They departed soon after. Somehow Bolin ended up with her cousins in the passenger sidecar of the snowmobile, something his older brother found amusing. 

"Well, well, look-"

"Go away, Mako."

They were mostly quiet after that, saving their energy for traveling, until Korra brought up something she'd been mulling over. 

“So Uncle Unalaq, why are evil spirits attacking people?”

“There are no ‘evil’ spirits, Korra. There is light and dark in them all, just like people.”

“But what about Koh the face stealer? He seems pretty evil.”

“According to legend, Koh originally just took the faces of wrongdoers, and eventually the people who asked him for information that weren't able to hide their emotions. I wouldn’t call that ‘evil’, but if you want think of him as the exception that proves the rule.”

Korra wasn’t sure she’d ever seen her uncle smile like that as he talked to Bolin, but she still didn’t have her question answered. “But why are they attacking?”

“They’re likely out of balance. When that happens, the darkness in them takes over. When we reach the south pole and you open the spirit portal there, balance can be restored.”

“Spirit portal?”

“Yes”, Unalaq told her. “There are ancient spirit portals in the north and south pole that connect our world to the spirit world. If you can open this one in time, balance can be restored.”

“What do you mean, in time?”, Korra wondered.

“There's a reason the Glacier Spirits Festival ends on the winter solstice. That's when the Spirit World and the physical world are closest together. Only then can the Avatar open the portal.”

“But the solstice is tomorrow”, she realized.

“Exactly. And we can’t afford to wait another year.”

“But we can’t travel in a fog either”, her dad interrupted. “It’s too dangerous to navigate with spirits lurking”, he said while gesturing to two of them in the distance, putting Naga on her guard. “They’d be on us in seconds, we’ll need to find somewhere to camp until it clears.” 

They found a small gathering of rocks nearby that was perfect for them to gather in a circle around a roaring fire that Korra and Mako put together. Once it got going, she was ready to ask more questions.

“Uncle, why are the spirits following us?”

“Can we not talk about dark spirits right now, please?”, Bolin asked while scooting closer to Korra.

“My brother doesn’t like ghost stories”, Mako explained to her cousins.

“It’s not a ghost story if it’s about very real, very angry spirits that could sneak up on us in the dark right now!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you”, Korra told her boyfriend as he grabbed her arm for comfort.

“Thank you.”

“The spirits are following us because he’s here, Korra”, Unalaq told her while looking at her dad. “Haven’t you wondered how your father ended up in the South? Why he’s never taken you to visit his homeland in the north?”

“Yes.” He’d never brought it up when she was little, and when she’d asked he would always change the subject.

“Unalaq, this isn’t the right time.”

“The right time to tell her was long ago.”

“Tell me what?”, Korra demanded.

“I left the Northern water tribe...because I was banished.”

(-)

When Korra’s dad finally finished telling the story of his banishment, his eyes were staring at the fire, where they had been the entire time he was talking. And Bolin had just managed to make sense of it all.

“So, it sounds like you were supposed to be chief, but you screwed up and got kicked out, so he became chief? Is that why you two don’t like each other?”

Mako gave him a whack on the arm that somehow stung even with all the layers he had on. “Ow, what? It’s true, isn’t it?”

“More or less”, Tonraq quietly admitted.

Korra stood up, looking more upset about what her dad had done in the past rather than his own question. “I can’t believe you hid this from me.”

“I was trying to protect you from the shame I brought on the family”, her dad explained, which made Bolin wince again. Bad move.

“Well, stop it! Quit hiding things from me, or lying to me, and telling me it’s for my own protection! I’m sick of you protecting me!"

Then she stormed off, ignoring her dad’s request to wait. He seemed worried about it not being safe, but honestly the spirits that could be lurking in the dark were at a bigger risk if they came across her right now. Normally Bolin would follow her, but it felt better to give her space for the moment. He was now realizing he’d seen Korra annoyed, frustrated, grumpy, but never furious, until now.

She soon returned though, saying the fog had cleared enough for them to start moving again. They packed up quietly, but her dad tried to speak with her once they were going, while Bolin watched silently.

“Korra, you have every right to be mad at me, but I don't want you to make the same mistake I made. I should never have gone into that forest, and we shouldn't be going to the South Pole now. Spirits and the physical world should remain separate.”

She moved forward and in front of him, cutting her father off. “Dad, it's my job to be the bridge between the spirits and the physical world, and I finally have the  chance to live up to my potential.”

“You don’t even know if what your uncle is telling you is true.”

“You want proof?”, Unalaq asked. “Look to the skies. As opposed to here, the spirits are at peace and they light up the dark.”

“The northern lights”, Korra realized.

“Yes. There used to be lights in the South as well, but during the Hundred Year War, the South was thrown out of balance and the lights disappeared. When the war ended, the North helped to rebuild you physically , as a nation, but we have not yet rebuilt you spiritually. Now the spirits no longer dance in your skies. Instead, they rampage in the everstorm.” 

Mako spoke next. “Uh, I think we're here."

The snowfall and icy wind they'd just traveled through was starting to pick up, but it was nothing compared to what was in front of them, fully fitting Tonraq's description of a never-ending blizzard. It was difficult to see anything, but it wasn’t hard to hear the roars from the dark spirits.

“Oh man, I don’t like this”, Bolin fretted.

“Just stay calm, there’s no reason to- panic!” Mako couldn’t even finish his sentence before they got ambushed.

It didn't go any better than the night of the glacier spirits festival. Out in the tundra, Bolin wasn’t able to summon any earth to defend himself with in time.

“Oh, it’s in the engine!” He wasn’t sure how, but it didn’t really matter since now the snowmobile was speeding toward a mountain. Good thing Korra’s cousins were there to pull him off before it hit, and the inflator actually turned out to be useful, preventing a rough tumble down the mountainside. Once Eska deflated him, he stood up with everyone else to survey the damage the dark spirits caused.

It was significant. A lot of their equipment had been destroyed, and the arctic camels they were using had been spooked, one even throwing off it’s saddle. “Aw man, it’s like this story I heard about where a bunch of people got trapped in a blizzard and they had to-”

“No it’s not.” Mako had been there when Bolin heard the story. “So what do we do now?”

“We have to turn back”, Tonraq told them.

“We can’t”, Unalaq argued. “The solstice will end tonight, and we’re too close to the portal to give up now.”

“What if you’re wrong and there’s no portal? Or it can’t be opened? Without those supplies, we’ll all freeze to death if we don’t get out of the everstorm in time. It’s too dangerous. We need to leave, now.”

Then Korra stepped in. “No dad, you do.”

“Korra, please I-”

Unalaq wasn’t willing to hear any argument. “No. You’re a distraction to Korra and a hindrance to what needs to be done. You’re going.”

Tonraq looked back to his daughter, but there was no sign she disagreed at all with what her uncle was saying. "Alright. Move quickly, please."

Bolin went to retrieve the saddle, and also get a tiny bit of distance from any additional argument, but Tonraq still approached him. “Please, look out for Korra. My brother can be...driven when it comes to matters dealing with the spirits, and I need someone to look out for her best interests.”

“...Of course.” Bolin accepted his grateful handshake, but he could feel Korra’s eyes burning a hole in the back of his head while doing so. 

With the snowmobile destroyed, Bolin hitched a ride on Naga while Eska and Desna rode the arctic camel that had been carrying the supplies that were now destroyed, with Mako being dragged behind them in a makeshift sled. Korra didn’t immediately ask him about the talk he’d had with her dad, but he knew the question was coming, and sure enough...

“So what exactly were you and my dad talking about back there?”

“Nothing. He just wanted me to look out for you.”

“I can take care of myself”, she dismissed.

“I know that, it just felt like a good idea to agree with him. And for what it’s worth, I don’t think it’s you he’s worried about.”

“Don’t defend him, please. I need you on my side right now.”

“I’m not defending him. And why do there have to be sides?”, he pleaded. We’re all here for you, to help you. You gotta trust that, okay?”

Korra didn’t say anything else, and Bolin hoped he hadn’t made things worse.

When they got to the south pole, there was no mistaking what they saw for anything other than a forest like what Tonraq and Unalaq described. The snowfall and icy wind around them

“That’s incredible”, Mako observed. “Trees frozen in ice like that. But why does it look like it’s glowing?

“It’s like the forest in the north Tonraq nearly destroyed, a sign of spiritual energy. And just like in the north, it’s hope that the damage can be repaired.”

“So, where do we start looking for the spirit portal?”, Bolin asked.

“It should be in the heart of the forest, but Korra must go alone,” Unalaq told him.

“What?  We’ve been outmatched against those dark spirits when there were seven of us against an ambush, now you want Korra to go in there where they live by herself?”

“If she goes, we go too”, Mako added.

“In a spiritual place as sacred as this, the avatar must go alone.” Great explanation . Bolin was starting to get a better idea of what Korra’s dad meant in terms of her uncle.

“But I’ve never had a great connection with the spirits”, Korra told Unalaq. “In fact, it seems like they all hate me.”

“Korra, all of the past Avatars live on inside of you. Let them guide you. Let them help you find the light in the dark." Bolin didn’t know if she'd said anything to Unalaq yet about her difficulty connecting with Aang and her other past lives, he just had to hope she wasn't letting it influence her decisions.

But Korra seemed convinced now. "Wait here, I'll be back soon", she told him and Mako.

"Good luck."

Once Korra was in the frozen forest and her family was out of earshot, Bolin whispered to Mako. "I don't care what Unalaq says, any sign of trouble and I'm going in after her."

"I know, I will too."

It felt like an eternity while they waited, but it was clear Korra succeeded when the everstorm hiding the sky faded away, and spirits that danced in the sky in the north as Unalaq described now did the same here. She brought back the southern lights

“I don’t believe it”, Mako murmured.

“It’s beautiful”, Bolin added.

He was the first to notice Korra coming out of the forest, and let everyone know while he gave her a big hug. When Bolin let go she started to talk to her uncle.

“Everything you said was true.”

“Avatar Korra, you have taken the first step in bringing balance back to the South, and soon the whole world.”

“You never cease to amaze me”, Bolin told her as they made their way back to the water tribe.

“Thanks. By the way, I'm really sorry for being a total pain. Things were really stressful and pretty confusing. All this avatar stuff...it’s just so hard.”

“It’s harder being the avatar’s boyfriend”, he joked.

The tone was mostly celebratory on the way back, but it was gone when they arrived to see military ships entering the harbor of the south pole.

“Uncle, why did you bring northern troops here?”

“ Opening the spirit portal was only the first step in getting the Southern Water Tribe back on its righteous path. There's more difficult work to be done before our two tribes are truly united.”

Chapter Text

Korra was hoping for a hero’s welcome when she came back to the southern water tribe, with the ancient spirit portal opened to return the southern lights to the sky, but the military presence that her uncle brought ended any idea of that happening. Unalaq told her that it was to ensure the spirit portal was protected, but that explanation didn’t sit well with civilians.

Things were tense the moment soldiers arrived, and so many incidents occurred in the following days that her dad felt the need to call an impromptu meeting with concerned citizens to address these issues. Korra still didn’t feel like being on speaking terms with her dad, so instead of sitting next to her parents, she sat between Bolin and Katara instead, relieved that her old teacher didn’t seem to have any hard feelings over her change in spiritual guide.

“Thank you all for coming”, Tonraq began. “ I know these last few days have been very troubling.”

“Troubling?” Everyone looked to Varrick, who was busy helping himself to a plate of kale cookies that Katara brought. “Troubling is when I get that itchy rash that won't go away, and Zhu Li's not around to scratch it. This is shocking. Nay, sickening! But these kale cookies? Opposite. Remind me to get the recipe.” He looked to a woman Korra assumed was Zhu Li, since she seemed to nod in confirmation.

But the man had already annoyed her dad even though he’d only been speaking for about ten seconds. “What’s your point, Varrick?”

"My point is, Unalaq's already booted our chieftains out of their palace. And I heard he wants to require meditation in schools and pass laws on what we can eat and drink. And when we can do it. Not to mention all the new tariffs he’s passed!  How long before he starts telling us what kind of cookies we can eat?"

“Probably a few days.”

“Rhetorical question, Zhu Li, you gotta keep up. Not to mention, I've got a cargo ship full of halibut that's rotting thanks to this harbor lockdown? Who wants to buy a ship full of stinking fish?” Then Varrick threw a plate on the floor. “Seriously, it's not rhetorical. I need to sell these fish.”

Korra hadn’t been aware of her uncle’s other plans, but he had to have a good reason. “Chief Unalaq is here to help the South. He wants to show us how to restore balance with the spirits so they'll stop attacking.

Varrick was unconvinced. “The only spirit I'm interested in restoring is our spirit of independence . Am I right, people?” That got an angry cheer from many people at the meeting.

“All Unalaq is trying to do is make sure our tribes are united again."

"No, he's not!" A man Korra didn’t recognize had cut into the conversation. "He just wants to take us over and try to make us just like the North!"

That got another angry cheer. “Exactly!”, Varrick told him, before turning his attention back to Korra. “Listen, I don’t know what your uncle’s been telling ya, but you better start remembering whose side you should be helping out.”

“Hey, wait a minute. She already stopped the equalists in republic city, and she just brought back the southern lights. Korra’s already done plenty, and all you’re worried about is money!”

She appreciated Bolin’s support, but Korra wasn’t sure if it would actually be helpful. But Varrick actually seemed impressed.

“I like you, kid. You’re a straight shooter. Good for you, sticking up for your gal like that. But a word of advice, this might not be the best time for shooting your mouth off.”

Then a different man Korra didn’t recognize stood up. Yeah, it's bad enough dealing with northies telling us how to act. We don't need to hear it from an ashmaker."

The commotion this time was at least anger directed at the cruel outburst towards Bolin. Even Varrick seemed disturbed. "Well, that was uncalled for."

"I'm an earthbender, you idiot.", Bolin looked like he'd been smacked with a fish for no reason. Confused, hurt, and angry.

But the man didn't seem to care. "Whatever. Still an ashmaker, halfbreed or not."

Bolin walked toward the man, looking fully ready to punch him even though he was almost the same size as her dad. 

"Enough." Korra’s dad had stepped in between them before things escalated any further. "There's no need for language like that...but perhaps this discussion should remain a tribal matter." Bolin realized what he meant immediately and left without saying anything else. 

Korra wanted to follow him, or lay into her dad for treating her boyfriend like that, but Katara stopped her from doing either. "I know, but your people need you." Korra knew she was right, so she stayed where she was.

Varrick kept talking. "Anyway, If Unalaq doesn't pull his forces out, then we have no choice but to stand up for our freedom!"

"What are you talking about? Do you want to start a war?"

"Unalaq started this, not us," Korra’s dad told her. "I'm sorry, maybe you could speak with your uncle. Tell him how frustrated we all are. He'll listen to what the Avatar has to say. Do it for me?"

Korra stood up. "I'll do it. For the tribe ." Then she left the house without talking to anyone else.

Bolin wasn’t too far away, leaning against a wall, looking at the ground with hands in his pockets. “Hey.”

She went up to him and hugged him right away. “I’m so sorry you had to hear that.”

“Not your fault. Kinda caught me off guard, usually when people insulted me they'd just call me street rat.”

“I’m gonna find that guy and-”

“He’s not worth it”, Bolin dismissed. “I’m actually glad I left. Gave me a chance to calm down a little.”

“Do you need me to do anything?”

“I heard this is the last day of the festival. You wanna walk on the fairgrounds for a while?”

Korra’s stomach tightened. I can’t. I have to talk to my uncle about all these things people are mad about. Sorry.”

“Don’t be, that’s more important. We’ll meet up later, ok?”

“Promise.” Korra was about to give him a quick goodbye kiss, but on a whim, just to forget about what happened, she decided to add a little more passion to it, coiling herself around him, fingers tangled in his hair, leaving her and Bolin blushing when they finally broke apart.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

When she talked to Unalaq though, he didn’t seem particularly concerned about the anger the southerners had towards him, or make any sort of changes that would appease them, and that everything he'd done was to improve the spirituality of the south. In fact, he seemed confident that she would handle it fine on her own, if she was able to remain neutral.

It was easier to hear it than actually being impartial. On her way back from the palace she saw some northern soldiers overreacting to a thrown snowball of all things, and some passersby sticking up for them. She tried to keep the peace, but the southerners took that as being against them. Her father showed up to help prevent things from getting out of hand, but Korra didn’t feel like sticking around to thank him.

When she told Bolin about all of this, it came out as more of a rant than she intended, and he acted like he was a little caught off guard. "I uh, got you this." He held up an adorable stuffed otter seal that he must have won for her. "Look, it squeaks."

But the demonstration got Naga interested instead. She snatched the toy out of his hands and tore into it as if it was a real creature she'd managed to make a meal of. "Never mind."

It cheered her up though, as she apologized through her laughter. "I'm sorry. All this stuff has me so worked up right now."

"It's alright. How about you take a break from all this Avatar stuff, and we go out for a quiet dinner. Just the two of us."

(-)

Desna had no idea what his sister was up to. 

They'd been traveling the "city" by rickshaw, just waiting for the moment father told them it was time to return home. He was fully content with the idea of returning to the palace, but Eska had spotted cousin Korra in a nearby restaurant, eating with her boyfriend whose name he couldn’t remember, and she insisted on joining them.

The food paled in comparison to northern cuisine, conversation felt forced, and he wondered if they were even wanted there. Cousin Korra and her boyfriend had both excused themselves to go to the bathroom a while ago, but at least there was the chance to confront his sister.

“Do you mind explaining to me the point of this whole endeavor?”

“I wished to see our cousin with the boy she seems to be in a relationship with." Eska's explanation felt unsatisfying.

“I don’t believe she really needed our company.”

“It’s not her that I was concerned with.”

It took a few moments for Desna to comprehend what he’d heard. “You can’t be serious.”

There was no response. “You are serious, aren’t you? Him?”

“He amuses me. I will make him mine.”

"Putting your taste aside for the moment, you do notice he seems happy with our cousin?”

“He does not realize the better options available.” Then she pulled out a betrothal necklace that looked more like a necklace you would put on an angry pet. "We will wed at sunset. He will express his joy through tears."

"It is more traditional that the male offers the betrothal necklace to the female. And that weddings are consensual. "

"Those are irrelevant details." Desna was dumbfounded. What had gotten into his sister? He was starting to wish he was with his cousin and her romantic companion right now, who still hadn't returned to the table. 

(-)

"Huh. Never thought I'd have to sneak out of a date with my date."

"Yeah", Korra responded glumly. She knew Bolin was trying to cheer her up, but she just wasn't in the mood right now. She'd been having a good time until her cousins decided to sit with them, and she also knew they didn't mean any harm when they did, but...

"You don't think Eska and Desna will be mad that we left them with the bill, do you?", Bolin wondered. 

"They're basically royalty at this point, they can afford it". Needing Bolin’s help to climb out a bathroom window wasn’t her proudest moment, but she couldn't imagine her cousins being all that upset about it. But she'd still take responsibility if they were. 

"Sorry things got screwed up. Do you want me to make you some tea back at the motel?"

"That's sweet, but I think I'm gonna call it a night. Thank you though."

When they got to their rooms, they kissed each other goodnight and went to their own rooms, but Korra’s wasn't unoccupied, with her mother sitting on the couch and Katara across from her.

"Did Dad send you to talk to me?"

"Your father doesn't know I'm here." Korra looked at her former teacher to ask her the same thing, but she answered before Korra could speak. 

"I've seen what's been going on since northern troops arrived, and you deserve a proper explanation for why it's happening. Your father has no idea I'm here either."

"What's been going on between you two?" Her mother prodded.

"Ask Dad." Korra felt no obligation to be the peacemaker right now.

"I've tried, but he won't tell me anything either. Honey, please. It breaks my heart to watch our family getting torn apart like this."

"You want to know what's been going on?", Korra snapped. "I found out Dad's been lying to me my whole life . Unalaq told me everything, how Dad and Tenzin kept me trapped down here while I trained, how Dad got banished from the North."

"So the truth is out.” Sensing Korra’s shock and anger, her Mom clarified. “Your father told me what happened before we were married.”

And Korra realized she must have been aware of keeping her in the south pole compound. “So you knew the whole time and didn’t say anything?”

“We wanted you to have a normal life, and wait until you were old enough to understand.”

Not this again. “But I’m not ‘normal’, mom. And I haven’t been a little kid for a long time. Why did I hear about what Dad did from my uncle instead of him?”

“Because it’s really painful for him to talk about”, her Mom explained. “After he was banished, he had to leave right away. He couldn’t see or talk to any of his friends or family. He wasn’t even allowed to return to see his father before he passed, or go to his funeral. And your uncle...Korra, they used to be so close, but you’ve seen what they’re like now. The first time he told me, he was sure I wouldn’t want anything to do with him now that I knew.”

Korra let that sink in. She was still mad, sure. About what Dad did and how he hid it. But hearing what’d he’d gone through sounded just about as harsh a punishment as she could think of. “He still should’ve told me”, she grumbled soon after.

“I’m not saying it was right to keep this from you, but I promise we had no bad intentions.”

“So is what Dad did why things are so bad between the north and south?”

“No, that started a long time before you were even born.”

“Your Mother’s right”, Katara finally spoke again. “After the hundred year war ended, many folk came here from the North to help rebuild, but there was already resentment since the north only had one siege for a few days, while the south was nearly wiped out."

"What happened when they got here?", Korra asked. 

“There was so much talk of bringing ‘civilization’, as if our culture and traditions didn’t matter to them.” Korra wasn’t used to hearing bitterness from Katara. “Things only got worse when we found there was a plan to take the resources we had and turn the south into a glorified colony. Some were so angry they tried to kill those responsible, and my father nearly lost his own life trying to stop them.”

“Things have been tense between our tribes ever since”, her mom added. “You can’t expect to undo all of this in a day.”

“So should I just sit back and let the North and South go to war?”

“No, but this situation might be out of your control. Honey, this is all so complicated. When your father and I met, all we wanted was a simple, quiet life to raise a family. But then we discovered you were the avatar, and-”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”, Korra interrupted.

Her mom’s eyes went wide as she realized how her words had been interpreted. “No, Korra, that’s not what I meant.”

She stood up. “No, it’s fine. Good to know that everyone would be better off with him instead.”

“Korra...”

She’d been looking at Katara when she spoke, and Korra immediately regretted it when she saw her face. It was unfair to be angry with her teacher. She'd always treated her more like one of her grandchildren than just a student, and she'd never given inclination that she'd prefer her late husband instead of his successor. But it would have been a lie if she'd said she wouldn't rather be with him, right? And there was no doubt for her that Tenzin would be the same way. Korra couldn’t even blame them for that, but both of them were just another reminder. 

It was getting harder to keep her composure, she needed to get out. Korra left the room, ignoring the pleas to stay, and once she was outside, threw up a wall of ice against the door. She knew Katara would take it down easily, but hopefully it got the message across to leave her alone while she ran a few doors down and frantically knocked.

Bolin opened the door soon after, now wearing pajamas with a bathrobe and slippers. He had a tendency to ask a lot of questions, but he must have seen something in her expression, since he let her in without saying anything.

He motioned an invitation for her to sit on the couch, and when she did, Pabu hopped into her lap, giving Korra a little smile as she scratched behind his ears while Bolin joined her. He still didn’t say or ask anything, just draped an arm around her again while she rested her head on her shoulder, just letting time pass for a little bit.

But there was another knock at the door. “Korra? Korra, I’m sorry!”

She remained silent, still not feeling ready to talk to her mom yet, but she was undeterred by the quiet.

“Bolin, is Korra in there? Please, I need to talk with her, it’s important!”

Korra felt her boyfriend tense hearing his name. She knew it meant a lot to him to be on good terms with her parents, so wasn’t gonna let him get dragged into this. “It’s okay”, she whispered. “You can let her in.”

“She might think we’re not here if we’re quiet.”

“Nah, she probably saw Naga outside.” Bolin got up and opened the door when she told him that, but when he let her mom in, he still wore a look of concern on his face, almost protective of Korra.

“What do you want, Mom?”

Her mom almost looked panicked. “Sweetie, I’m so sorry. That wasn’t what I was trying to say at all.”

“You said it was important?”, she responded almost dismissively.

“Varrick’s plotting a rebellion, he asked your father to join, and-”

“Dad’s part of a rebellion?”

“I don’t know, but he didn’t want you to get caught in the middle of it.”

“It’s too late, Mom”, she said as she stood up. “I’m already in the middle of it.”

Bolin followed Korra as she went to Naga. “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Yeah.” He certainly wasn’t dressed for it and hopefully it wouldn’t be needed, but she could use the help, as she rode off with Bolin right behind her.

“So what’s the plan, then?”

“Hopefully we can get there in time to warn my uncle. Or talk my dad out of whatever they’re doing.” There was an unsaid ‘what if we can’t?’ lingering in the air, but neither of them said anything else.

“Oh no.” They saw two guards slumped against the wall, near the palace entrance. They were just unconscious, but it made the search for Unalaq more frantic. “Uncle? Uncle?” 

Then they spotted four men with their faces covered, but she was still able to recognize her father, with her unconscious uncle on his shoulder. “Dad, stop!"

"Turn around, both of you, and pretend you didn't see anything."

"No. Just put Unalaq down and go. We'll tell him that we tried to stop you but you escaped. We can still prevent a war."

"No, we can't."

The rebels caught Bolin and Korra by surprise when they created an ice wall to trap them in. Korra was able to punch a hole to get out, but the rebels had gotten a head start. They tried to pursue, but they created another ice wall when they were about to catch up.

“We’re part of the same tribe”, Korra pleaded. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

The rebels were too busy strategizing to respond. “Get him out of here!”

Korra realized their plan. "They're trying to slow us down so they can get away with Unalaq!"

"Then let's split up. I'll deal with these guys, you go after your uncle."

"But-"

"We don't have time to argue, go!" Korra rushed off at the behest of Bolin, and chased after her dad through a maze of hallways that eventually led outside. But he was already on a snowmobile, ready to escape. Acting in desperation, she created a ramp of ice that made them crash. It worked, but the snowmobile they were on nearly fell on top of them. She ran over to them to make sure no one could get away. Korra heard footsteps behind her, but she recognized them to be Bolin’s. 

"Dad? Dad, why did you do this?" She tore off his mask to confront him, but it was the man who insulted Bolin at the tribe meeting earlier. "Who are you? Where's my father?"

"He wouldn't help us. He's a traitor, just like you with that dirt boy." Bolin didn’t respond to him, even though he clearly wanted to. Instead, he helped her now conscious uncle stand up. 

"Chief Unalaq, are you alright?"

"Yes, I think so." After that, royal guards finally arrived to take away the rebels, including the ones Bolin had taken on by himself. He told Korra there was a lot of dodging involved, and some stuff with banners and pillars, it was kinda hard to explain. And once Unalaq was done talking to the guards, he addressed the two of them again.

“Thank you both. You may have saved my life tonight.”

“Was that their plan, to kill you?”

“I wouldn’t put it past Varrick. We need to find him so he can freeze with the rest of these traitors.”

“You can’t lock them away like that", Korra warned. "If you don't let them stand trial, it's only going to make the south angrier."

"Very well, I will respect the avatar's wishes in this matter." Korra thanked him, and he returned to the palace, leaving her and Bolin by themselves.

"What do you want to do now?"

"I need to talk to my parents.” All of the relief she felt from saving her uncle was gone, and now she just felt uneasy and guilty. Bolin steered Naga for her on the way to their house, and offered to go inside with her, but she needed to do this on her own. So she timidly knocked and slightly opened the door.

"Can I come in?"

Her mom and dad were sitting at the table, and Korra felt another pang of guilt for how worried they clearly looked, despite their smiles. But they showed no anger towards her. “Of course. We heard about what happened, are you alright?”

For all her talk about being older and more grown up, Korra still found herself tearing up in front of her parents, and hiding herself in her father’s arms, as if he would protect her from everything. “I’m so glad you weren’t there! I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

“I had no idea Varrick was willing to go that far. My brother and I have our differences, but I would never attack him.”

“I’m so sorry for ever thinking you were part of that. I know I’ve hurt you both a lot.”

“No, you haven’t. Korra, all I meant to say before was that when we found out you were the Avatar, we knew there’d be a day you wouldn’t need us anymore. You’d be so strong, smart, and brave. We are so proud of you, and we wouldn’t change anything about you. I'm so sorry if we ever made you think otherwise."

“Of course I still need you.” There was more she wanted to say, but Bolin stuck his head in to talk to her.

“Uh, Korra? I’m sorry, I know this is a private family matter and everything, but your uncle is here with a bunch of soldiers and he does not look happy.”

And sure enough, Unalaq barged past him and into her parents home. “Tonraq, Senna, you are under arrest for treason.”

“For what crime?”, Korra demanded.

“Conspiring to assassinate me.”

Chapter Text

Bolin was doing his best to try and comfort Korra, but it was difficult to figure out what to say to someone whose parents had just been arrested for trying to kill their uncle. Allegedly.

She didn’t believe a word of the charges, though, and she wasn’t afraid to let Unalaq know that. “You’re making a mistake. My parents had nothing to do with the people who attacked you.”

And for what it was worth, the man did seem remorseful about the situation. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, Korra, but they held meetings with the rebels, right in their own home.”

“That doesn’t mean they tried to assassinate you. Why are you doing this to your own family?”

“I’ve appointed Judge Hotah to oversee the trial, and he is the most honorable man I know. If your parents really are innocent, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I hope so.” They decided to depart to the courthouse soon after her uncle left with her parents, and when they got there Mako and Asami were there to greet them on the steps.

His brother spoke first, already aware of the situation, and asked if Korra was okay. “Not really”, she admitted.

“Have either of you heard anything from Varrick?”

“No. We were supposed to meet this morning to finalize the deal we had in place, but guards busted in and ransacked his office, and there was no sign of him then either.”

Bolin could tell Asami was upset for her own reasons, with how much she'd talked about what an agreement with Varrick Industries would've meant for her own company, but she didn't say anything about it as they went inside for the proceedings. 

Things went calmly for the most part, but Bolin was kinda confused about what was happening, so he leaned over and whispered questions to his brother. "Shouldn't the rebels have lawyers or something?"

"What are you asking me for?", Mako murmured back. "I don't know anything more about this stuff than you do."

"I was just curious. Asami, aren’t there supposed to be people yelling 'objection' and stuff?"

That got him a nudge in the ribs. "Now you're bugging her, too?"

“Well you just said you didn’t know about this. And she runs a company, so she’s gotta know more about lawyer stuff than anyone else here, right?”

“You’re supposed to have an attorney in republic city, but it must be different here”, Asami explained. “Either way, corporate law is different from criminal law.”

“How?”

“Can we have this conversation when my parents aren’t in the middle of a sham trial for treason?”, Korra interrupted.

“Sorry.”

Once Unalaq finished giving his testimony about how he was attacked last night, Korra went up to the stand, where the judge questioned her about what she knew. “According to Unalaq's testimony, you attended a meeting where Varrick tried to incite a civil war. Is that true?”

“He said he wanted to fight back, but I didn’t hear anything about starting a war. Those don’t mean the same thing.”

“Were the men you stopped at the palace at this meeting?”

“One of them was, but I didn’t see all of their faces.”

“And where was this meeting held?” Korra wasn’t saying anything else, she just had her eyes focused on the floor in front of her.

“This court requires you to answer the question, so I’ll ask again. Where did this meeting take place?”

“...My parent’s house.” It was honestly hard for Bolin to watch Korra up there, clearly upset by the questions, but the judge didn’t seem too bothered by it.

“Who led the meeting?”

“...”

“It was your father, wasn’t it?”

“But he’s innocent!”, she pleaded.

“Thank you, Avatar Korra, for your cooperation. That’s all the testimony I need, I'll return shortly with my decision."

Already? Aren't these kinds of trials supposed to take a lot longer than one morning? But Bolin’s opinion didn't really matter though, since after the short recess the judge seemed to have made up his mind. 

“I have reached a verdict. Will the accused please step forward?” He wasn’t really sure what to do, but he hoped that slipping his hand into Korra’s would help, even if it was just a little.

“Senna, this court has found you innocent. You are free to go.” As soon as the shackles were released, Korra’s mom ran over to hug her daughter. It was a relief, but a short lived one.

"As for the rest of you, on the charges of treason and attempted murder, this court has found you guilty. The punishment for these crimes...is death."

Gasps echoed throughout the courtroom, and Korra was the first to react.

"You can’t do this! If you kill him, I'll-"

Bolin stepped in to make sure she didn't finish that sentence. "Korra, don't." Whatever she was planning to say, he doubted it would make the situation any better. Unalaq agreed with him, as he urged her to calm down, before he spoke to the judge. 

"I know I promised to respect whatever decision you made, but please, show my brother and these men mercy.”

This seemed to sway the man, as he paused to think. “Very well. Based on the recommendation of the Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, your lives will be spared. However, you will spend the remainder of them in prison.

It was a much better outcome than what it looked like it was going to be, but Korra was understandably unhappy with it, and she wasn’t afraid to let her uncle know that. But he almost seemed dismissive of the situation, telling her they needed to accept the verdict and move on, before leaving to go and have a conversation with Judge Hotah. It looked fishy to Bolin, and he was sure Korra felt the same way.

At least they were able to arrange a visit with Korra’s dad pretty quickly. Bolin wasn’t entirely sure if he was allowed to be tagging along, but either way no one seemed interested in stopping him, while Korra and her mother rushed over to their imprisoned family member right as the cell door opened. “Oh, spirits, Tonraq. Are you alright?”

He reassured his wife that he was fine, and that was all Korra needed. “Then get ready, we’re gonna bust you out of here.”

“Korra, if you break me out, that’ll start a war. We won’t be able to put up a fight with the North with their military already entrenched like this. I know this is difficult, but I need you to promise me you won’t do anything rash."

"Ok." Bolin wasn’t entirely sure that she was being sincere, but it seemed to be enough for her dad.

"I love you both so much. Be strong, and look out for each other." They agreed, and then he addressed the non-family member in the room. 

"Bolin, can I talk to you alone for a moment?"

Korra got suspicious right away. "What for?"

"I won't be long, I promise." She didn’t get an answer, but she obliged her dad’s request. It was only when Korra and her mom left that Bolin truly realized the size difference between himself and her father. Oh, man, he’s looming. Is he gonna threaten to wring my neck if I don't treat Korra right? Well, if he was, it'd be hard to follow through on that with him being in jail. 

"Bolin, I...owe an apology."

Huh? "What for, sir?"

"You shouldn't have been the one that needed to leave at that tribal meeting yesterday. I was just trying to keep the peace, and I'm sorry."

Oh yeah, that. "It's alright, I understand what you were trying to do." Bolin had learned to tolerate insults against himself, since 'Street rat' had pretty much become a nickname growing up, but the words that man had used yesterday had disrespected his parents in a way he couldn't let go.

"The situation between my two homes is precarious right now, and I'm afraid Korra may be too personally invested in this conflict to listen to what I have to say."

Now he understood why he wanted to talk privately. "So you think she'll listen to me?" Bolin also figured that Korra was listening in on their conversation, so he kept his voice a little quieter than usual, and her dad did the same when he spoke again. 

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you were capable. I love my family, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect them, and that's what I need from you right now."

"...I'll do what I can, but I can't convince her to give up on you, so what do we do to get you out of here without a prison break?"

"Judge Hotah was part of my father's inner circle in the North, before he passed and my brother became chief. As far as I know he's still a close advisor. Perhaps he can be persuaded to have another look at the case. And I believe Varrick is still in hiding, if he can be found, maybe he can help prove what actually happened."

Those were good places to start. "Alright sir, I won't let you down. And I'll make sure to look after Korra and her mom, too." Not that they needed him to do that.

"Thank you, son."

Korra and her mom went back to the cell as soon as Bolin left to say their own private goodbyes. She didn’t question him about what he'd discussed with her Dad, but it must have been obvious enough to her. But the situation at her parents house was predictably bleak. He could tell how helpless Korra and her mom felt about the whole situation, so it wasn't a huge surprise to see his girlfriend go outside towards Naga with visible anger and determination. 

He made sure to follow her quickly when she left, thankfully she got delayed by needing to adjust Naga’s saddle. "Korra, I know what you're thinking, but-"

"If you really do, then you shouldn't be trying to stop me. Despite what my dad says, I don't need a babysitter."

“Korra, I know this sucks, but we gotta be smart about what we do next."

"You don't get it, Bolin. My home's been taken over, my family got torn apart, and my Dad’s gonna be in jail for the rest of his life. I have to do something ."

"But there might be some things you can't do. You aren’t gonna be able to fix anything if you start a war or get arrested yourself."

It looked like he'd been able to get through to her, since she finally stopped fiddling with the saddle straps. "So what do you want to do, then?"

He explained her dad’s idea of catching Varrick to prove his innocence, but Korra wasn’t convinced it would work. “It won’t matter if that judge doesn’t agree to let my dad out. I swear, he must have out for him or something.”

Do whatever it takes. “Alright.”

“Alright what?”

“I’ll go talk to that judge.”

“I can handle this, you don’t need to get involved.”

“He knows who you are though. What’s gonna happen when people find out the avatar threatened a judge?”

“That isn’t what I was gonna do.” Sure. “And you really think you can get through to him?”

“I can be charming, don’t you think?"

"I don't know if your 'charm' is gonna work here, Bo."

"Well then..." he paused to lift Pabu off his shoulder and into Korra’s arms. “...I guess I’ll just have to borrow Naga, with your permission of course, to help convince him.”

He could tell Korra had questions, but he spoke before she would say anything else. “Just trust me, okay?” The less she knew, and the less she was involved, the better.

“Alright. Just be careful, okay?”

Before they left, Korra sent a message to Mako and Asami to meet her at Varrick’s office where Bolin dropped her off. After that, he went looking for the judge, who wasn’t too hard to find, and following him was pretty easy.

Tailing people was one of the easier jobs Bolin had done when he was growing up on the street. He never knew why, since he’d made the mistake of asking that the first time and was convinced very thoroughly to never do that again. It almost never was the same person more than once. Could be a journalist, a cop, a judge, even someone from a rival gang. But all he had to do was follow from a safe distance, keep an eye on what they were doing, and report back later about what he saw. He didn't really need to worry about being recognized back then, since a little kid didn't stick out, and he’d eloquently been told "nobody cares about a street rat", but he didn't have that luxury now, riding a polar bear dog. Naga behaved well though, and they were able to avoid attracting too much attention. 

Bolin had to wait to confront the judge until he got in his Satomobile and drove outside the city. There were too many witnesses there, and someone could get the idea of calling guards. He made sure his face was covered to avoid being recognized, and went over the plan with his partner. 

"Alright, Naga, we have to make sure that this guy let's Korra’s dad out of jail, so we gotta act real mean and scary, okay?"

She was wagging her tail pretty hard, which seemed to indicate understanding. Or it could've just been because he was scratching behind her ear, but he had to move forward. 

The Satomobile noticeably accelerated as he got closer, no doubt the result of seeing an angry polar bear dog coming up behind him. Bolin thought about raising a rock wall far ahead to basically trap him without causing a crash, but he didn’t want to give any clues about his identity. Either way, Naga was able to catch up pretty easily, and made the judge stop without an accident. 

Once she'd also done him the favor of opening the door by ripping it off the hinge with the swipe of a paw, Bolin yanked the man out and held him against the car, using more force than he probably should for someone his age.

“Take whatever you want, just don’t hurt me!”

“What I want? Oh, no no no no, it’s about what she wants.” He made a quick gesture in Naga’s direction, who looked perfectly intimidating. “And she wants you to let Chief Tonraq out of prison.”

“There’s...nothing more I can do. The evidence against your friends and the chief is-”

“Are you kidding me?” He made sure to shake the judge in order to get the message across. “You can’t even prove he was involved, and you give him a life sentence?” At least he thought Bolin was with the rebels, and he hadn’t made the connection to Korra.

“Look, it’s out of my hands!”, he pleaded. “I was just following Unalaq’s orders!”

Unalaq’s orders? “What are you talking about?”

The judge realized he’d said something he wasn’t supposed to. "N-nothing!”

He wasn’t going to budge unless Bolin escalated, so that’s exactly what he did, moving the man’s head into Naga’s open mouth, while making the situation very clear. “Unless you want to spend the rest of the day being digested, you’d better explain.”

But the judge got brave for some reason. “Y-you wouldn’t! You’re just bluffing!”

“Do you really want to find out for sure?” Naga added to the threat by just slightly closing her mouth, and letting out a growl that sounded very hungry. Good girl.

That got him to cooperate, along with producing a smell Bolin honestly couldn’t blame him for. “Alright! Unalaq told me he needed everyone charged to be found guilty! He didn’t care about the evidence, just that the trial had to seem fair.”

“Why would he want his brother in jail if he knows he’s innocent?”

“Because he wants to make sure he’s the only influence the Avatar has! That’s why he drove off her airbending teacher, and came up with that plan for her boyfriend.”

“What plan?” Bolin had to keep his composure, he couldn’t afford to tip him off now.

“I don’t know, something involving his daughter, he just told me to make sure I was ordained!”

"And you've been helping him with all of this?"

"He told me it was all for the greater good, to unite our two tribes and to bring peace to the spirits!"

There was one thing that still didn't make sense. "If he wants everyone else out of the way, then why did he free the Avatar's mother and change her dad’s sentence?"

"He's trying to keep her on his side, and he doesn't want to look like he's involved, like when he got her father banished from the North!"

"What do you mean, he got her father banished?"

The man's eyes widened in panic. "I've said too much already."

"You'd better say more."

Once the judge explained, Bolin released him from his own grip and Naga’s mouth, leaving him on the ground, practically whimpering from the whole ordeal. Bolin knew needed to leave quickly to let the others know, and avoid anyone passing by, but he still wanted to warn him, regardless of whether it was necessary. "You don't tell anyone about this, unless you want to see us again."

Chapter Text

Korra had been pacing around Varrick’s office for the past few minutes, and it was definitely starting to get on Mako’s nerves.

"I still don’t get why Bolin isn't here", he grumbled.

"He said he had errands to run", she told him half-heartedly. She knew Mako would flip if he knew what his little brother might actually be doing, so Korra made something up that he unfortunately didn't believe.

"Running errands, really? Instead of helping us find Varrick- come on, where is he?"

"I don't know, he didn't tell me!" The two of them would've been seconds away from an argument if Asami wasn't there to play peacemaker. 

"Wherever he is, I'm sure he's fine." Korra wasn’t convinced, though. 

It wasn’t that she didn't trust Bolin’s ability to handle things, there was just so much that  could go wrong. And it was her home, and her family in trouble, she just felt responsible to take care of it all.

"I hope he shows up soon, though", Asami admitted. "We could use his help."

"I still don’t get why they're thinking of giving up looking."

"Would make sense if he just got out of the south before everything went down,'' Mako explained. "Apparently they've been searching all day with no sign of him"

"That's because they haven't been looking too hard!"

The voice was muffled, but it was definitely coming from inside the room, and it sounded like..."Varrick?"

He poked his head out of the stuffed animal sitting in his office for a dramatic reveal fitting his personality. "Ta-daaa!"

Asami followed up her first question with another. "Have you been hiding in there this whole time?"

"Yep! Hollowed out Ping-ping just for this scenario. He was already dead, just to be clear, I'm not a sicko. Figured I better make myself scarce after that whole Unalaq thing went belly up."

"They're saying you wanted the rebels to assassinate him", Mako accused.

"What? No! I just wanted to get him to agree to stop interfering with my businesses. Aaaand maybe sign a defense contract or two."

"What about troops occupying the south, the chieftains kicked out of the palace, and all those laws Unalaq passed?", Korra reminded him.

"Can't get everything you want in a negotiation, dear. Gotta make sure to leave a little wiggle room."

Unbelievable. "What about my dad, was he involved?"

"No. Warned me as I said the word 'revolution' that he'd tell his brother if he thought there was any chance we'd get violent. Had to put together the palace attack scheme somewhere else."

That was a weight off Korra’s shoulders. She'd fully trusted her instincts that her father was innocent, but it felt so good to know for sure, and they didn't have to force it out of Varrick either. Although, the information itself didn't change the situation, as Asami reminded them.

"But he just got sentenced to life in prison for something he had nothing to do with."

"It hasn't been a picnic for me either, sweetheart. It's so cramped in here, and I haven't even been able to get honey for my tea. In a bear, Zhu Li!"

"Sorry, sir." He had his assistant in there?

"Then let's make a deal", Korra offered. "I drag you in front of my uncle to tell him my father's innocent, and you can be in the roomy jail cell he was in instead."

Varrick was trapped, and he knew it. Before he could offer some sort of bargain or plea for mercy, Bolin burst through the door.

"We've...got...a...problem."

Korra went up to him right away, asking if he was alright, but that got Mako suspicious. "Why wouldn't he be?"

“M’fine”, Bolin interrupted. “Just need...to catch...breath.”

Once he collected himself, he explained. “The judge was just doing what your uncle wanted the whole time. All of it was his ideas, even freeing your mom and sparing everyone else.”

“What?”

“He wants to make sure he’s the only person you trust, so he’s trying to get rid of everyone else. That’s why he told you about Tenzin and your Dad keeping you down in the training compound, and brought up that he got banished.”

“And I did exactly what he wanted me to.”

“You had no way of knowing”, Bolin consoled. “There’s more, though. After the spirits attacked the North when your dad destroyed that sacred forest, your grandfather was only planning on making him stay from the tribe for a few years as punishment.”

“But Dad said he got banished, so what happened?”

“Your uncle warned your grandfather that the spirits wouldn’t forget what your dad had done. That the attacks on the city would continue and get worse if he stayed in the North. He didn’t want to do it, but since he thought it had to be done, your grandfather stripped him of his birthright and banished him for life.”

“He wanted your Dad out of the way so he could be in control”, Mako concluded. “Just like the trial.”

“Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring, kid.” Varrick’s voice was dripping with sarcasm. “But he might actually believe all that stuff he said, too. Who knows with that nutcase.”

Korra, however, was too angry to think straight. “That sneaky, no good weasel! He’s nothing but a liar and a traitor!”

“I’ve been trying to tell you that from the get-go!”, Varrick reminded her.

“I’m gonna go down to that prison, get my dad out, find Unalaq, and put my foot up his-”

“Korra, you can’t do that.”

She wasn’t willing to hear this right now. “Bo, I-”

“No, I mean you actually can’t do that. Unalaq was worried about a breakout attempt, so he’s moving your dad and the rest of the rebels to a prison in the North where you can't get to him."

"When?"

"They're already being held in one of the ships in the bay, and they're planning on leaving for the North soon."

"And you didn't lead with that information?", Varrick chastised. 

"I was getting to it. There's a lot of stuff to go over."

"How'd you find out about all this?"

"The judge told me", Bolin explained. 

But that answer didn't satisfy Mako. "And he gave you this information willingly?"

"Does that really matter?"

"I think it does, yeah." He definitely wasn't willing to let this go.

"Ahem." Everyone's attention went back to Varrick. "As interesting as that conversation would be, it seems we're on a more tight schedule now."

"He's right. I don't care if Unalaq puts my Dad on the moon, I'm getting him out."

"There's no going back if you do this", Asami warned.

"I know. Will you help me?"

"Of course."

"We all will", Bolin added.

So they came to an agreement with Varrick. If they helped him get to his yacht waiting in the harbor, he'd use it to help them free her father and the rest of the rebels that were being sent to the North. He also had the idea of getting him there by staying inside "Ping-ping", while one of them was a "handler", as part of a traveling circus. Bolin volunteered to do that by himself, which allowed the rest of team avatar to travel much easier, but it gave Mako more time to question Korra once they were waiting for him to get there.

"You mind telling me what you've got my brother wrapped up in?"

"I don't have him 'wrapped up' in anything."

Mako didn't even try to hide his disbelief. "Hmph."

"If you have something else to add, just say it", she snapped. "I'm not in the mood."

"I know you had him with you at that rebel meeting your parents held, and he went with you to stop them from kidnapping your uncle, and visiting the prison to see your dad."

"He offered to come along." And she'd needed him there, too, so Korra didn’t appreciate Mako treating Bolin’s support like some kind of manipulation on her part.

"So telling him no and making sure he's safe was out of the question?"

"I'm his girlfriend, not his babysitter. If you have a problem with all this, take it up with him. But you might wanna stop treating him like a little kid with no mind of his own."

"Can we take it down a notch, please? We all want what's best for Bolin."

Asami was right. And they needed to stay on task at hand either way. But they had to wait for Bolin to get there in order to move along with their plan. 

More like a desperate attempt. They were all aware of how much they were winging it, but they didn't have much choice. It would be much harder to break her Dad and the rebels out in the North if they didn't act now. 

At least they could get started now that Bolin had arrived, but he was visibly nervous as he got on the boat. 

"What happened? Did the guards give you any trouble?"

"No, Varrick pulled some weird trick with a bunch of money that kept everyone distracted. I just ended up running into Eska."

"My cousin? What did she say to you?"

"Oh, nothing, just that she wants to get married. To me ." 

"Married ?"

"Guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree with that one, huh?", Varrick added. "Am I right or am I right?"

Nobody responded, they were all busy listening to Bolin explain. "I guess that's Unalaq's plan to get rid of me. No wonder he wanted that judge ordained. She started talking about a chasm between us and wanting to bridge it, something about Dolphin-pirahnas if I said no, and can someone please help me get this thing off?”

Asami was the first to recognize what it was. “Is that a betrothal necklace?”

“Or her version of one, I guess.” No wonder Bolin looked so upset.

Korra was able to get it off by unclasping it from the back of his neck, and the mark it had left behind showed it had clearly been put on way too tight. She wanted to burn up the necklace in her hand, but there were too many metal spikes to do that, so she settled for throwing it in the water.

"Where is she?"

"At some church nearby, I think. Waiting for me. I'm sorry, but I didn’t know how else to get away other than playing along."

"You did the right thing, kid. Best way to deal with a crazy woman is to lie big and leave fast."

Varrick’s advice made sense. Kinda. Either way, Bolin had been smart to not do anything to upset Eska, and now they needed to get him out of here, which he seemed eager to do. He insisted he was fine though, just that he "wanted to put an ocean between himself and Eska as soon as possible."

Once they got inside the hull, Varrick showed them a small plane they could use to get close enough to get on the ship to search for her dad, but Asami noticed a problem immediately. 

“There’s no runway. How are we supposed to take off?"

Varrick apparently hadn't noticed until she mentioned it. "Zhu Li! Take a note: ‘Build runway’."

"Yes sir." Did she really need to stay in there?

"I've got an idea for how we can get around that", Korra told them. "Will it be able to handle all four of us?"

"I don't know. It was only tested with three passengers."

“Then I'll stay behind", Bolin offered. "Won't be much use on a metal ship in the middle of the ocean anyway. 

"And you can make sure he doesn't try and pull a fast one when we leave", Mako added. 

"What kind of person do you think I am?", Varrick demanded. 

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"No I do not."

So while Asami sat in the pilot's seat, Korra and Mako stood on the wings, using firebending to give the plane the extra boost needed to take off.

Once they were in the air, Korra was able to summon the Avatar state to push two ships apart, creating a hole big enough for Varrick’s yacht to slip through. Soon after, she saw the outline of a battleship off in the distance. 

"Look!", she pointed. "They have to have my dad there!"

Landing wasn’t an option, so they had to bail out before it crashed. Luckily Asami had aimed the plane in a way that created a distraction for those up top when it made impact. It allowed them to slip below deck without being spotted, but Mako made sure to steal a set of keys from an oblivious guard.

They didn't have long to look, so Korra wasn't concerned with being sneaky anymore. "Dad? Dad?"

"Korra?" She recognized his voice immediately, and she found her father in a cell much larger than the one he'd had in prison, but he was with all the other rebels now, and not particularly happy to see her taking part in a prison break.

“Korra, what are you doing here?”

“Getting you out. I’ll explain later.”

But while Mako fumbled with the keys trying to open the cell, Korra sensed people heading towards them, probably unhappy with what they were doing. 

"I'm gonna go buy you some time", she told her friends. "Make sure my dad leaves with everyone else."

"You sure?", Asami asked. 

"I'll be fine, Unalaq can't afford to let anything to me."

Her dad took notice of his brother's name. "Unalaq? Korra, this is crazy, what's going on?"

"Dad, I promise I'll explain everything, but right now I need you to listen to me." She took off, not waiting for a response as she tried to head off anyone coming to stop them, and sure enough her Uncle was there, accompanied by multiple soldiers. 

"What exactly do you think you're doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Locking up my dad? Getting him banished from the North? How could you do that to your own brother?"

"I see you got Judge Hotah to loosen his tongue. Do you think there won't be any consequences for something like that?"

"I didn't do anything to him", she dismissed. 

"Then it was that boyfriend of yours, or one of your other companions, wasn't it?"

"You can’t prove anything."

"I don't need it. For him, or any one of your friends."

"You're not laying a finger on Bolin", Korra warned. "Or anyone else."

"And you're not in a position to be making demands or threats. Do you have any idea what kind of path you've set our tribes on? A civil war that will cause the dark spirits to annihilate the South, and even I won't be able to stop them."

"Why should I believe anything you have to say?", She challenged. “All you've done is try to turn me into a puppet for whatever you're trying to do.”

"I'm trying to help you realize your own destiny. Your father failed to heed my warnings about attacking in the sacred forest and it nearly got our home destroyed. What happened was his own fault, regardless of my involvement, and unless you and your friends give yourselves up now, you will cause even more devastation than he did.”

“...No. I’m done being manipulated by you. I’m doing things my way from now on. In fact, you’re gonna let us leave with my father, and take your troops back to the north. Today.”

“And why would I want to do that?”

“Because you still need me to open the northern portal”, Korra reminded him.

“Actually, I don’t. You’ve served your purpose.” Then Unalaq finally addressed his soldiers. “Take the Avatar and her friends into custody, and retrieve the escaping prisoners.”

They didn’t finish their first step towards her before Korra blasted them down the hallway with a gust of air. Then she set the floor between them on fire so they couldn’t follow her as she went up the stairs to the top deck.

She didn’t see her father and her friends, but there was plenty of evidence that they’d been there. There was water all over the place, no doubt the result of waterbending used to fight off the guards, several of which were strewn around, unconscious. “Guys?”

“Korra, down here!” She’d heard Mako’s voice and ran to the edge. “We’re all set to go, so hurry up and jump!”

She followed his instructions, and used her own waterbending to catch herself, and gently be placed on Varrick’s yacht. “Is everyone here?”

“Everyone's fine”, her dad told her. “Varrick, let’s go!” That was all the direction he needed, and they sped off away from the ship they’d escaped from, eventually arriving at a secluded spot that Korra realised wasn’t too far from the southern water tribe.

Then came the conversation she was dreading. “Korra, Bolin, this is the exact opposite of what I told you to do. What reason could you possibly have for pulling a stunt like this?”

“Unalaq was behind everything, sir. He told Judge Hotah to convict you no matter what, and he made sure you were banished after the spirits attacked the North."

Her dad looked devastated at Bolin’s explanation. For whatever problems he’d had with his brother, he still hadn’t expected something like that. “I know you didn’t want me involved, but I couldn’t let Unalaq take you away when we realized what he was doing. I’m so sorry, Dad.”

“I understand”, he told Korra as he accepted her hug. “Thank you for getting me out, sweetheart.”

“We owe you thanks as well, Avatar Korra”. She knew his face from when he tried to kidnap Unalaq, and the ugly insults he said to her boyfriend. “And an apology. We never would’ve seen our homes or families again if it wasn’t for you.”

“Bolin’s the one you should be thanking”, she pointed out. “We never would’ve found out about any of this if it wasn’t for him.”

But Bolin understandably didn’t seem to be in the mood for gratitude or apologies. “Just remember this next time.”

“So what do we do now?”

“My brother betrayed me, our family, and both of our tribes. It’s time to stop running from my past and put him in his place.”

The rebels stepped forward. “You have our support, Chief Tonraq.”

“Mine too”, Korra added.

Her father disagreed. “Korra, the best way for you to help is away from the fight.”

“But you said the South would get crushed by the North if there was a war,” she argued.

“That’s why I need to go to Republic City and get support from President Raiko and the United Forces. We can keep Unalaq and his army busy long enough until they get here.”

“I’ll get you all the help you need. I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too. Good luck.”

With that, he departed with the rest of the rebels, on a raft made of ice heading towards the mainland, while Korra got ready to head to Republic City with her friends to get her Dad help.

"I really owe you big time, Korra”, Varrick told her while surveying the area with a telescope.

“For what? I just started a civil war.”

“Oh, don’t get worked up about that, it’s no big deal. I meant getting me out of that mess with your uncle. If it wasn’t for you I’d still be hiding back in my office.”

“Plus, we’ll be putting a whole ocean between me and Eska”, Bolin added.

But Varrick spotted something that caused concern. "Uh, looks like we have some company! And not the fun kind!"

He passed the telescope to Bolin, while the rest of them stared at the large wave approaching them. "What is that?", Asami wondered.

"That would be my darling Eska", Bolin told her, face completely drained of color. Then he turned to Varrick. "Quick question: Is this thing fast enough to get away from a crazy waterbender that you just left at the altar?"

"Why do you think I built this boat?"

Chapter Text

Desna was not looking forward to returning to father after they had failed to retrieve cousin Korra. He’d let his sister take the lead in tracking her down, once Eska put it together that she'd been tricked by Korra’s imbecile boyfriend. She was unable to catch them, and her appearance was the complete opposite of her demeanor as they went to speak to their father. But before they entered the war room of the occupied palace, they overheard a conversation he was having with one of his generals.

“Leave my brother and the rebels alone in the mountains, and increase security around the Southern portal. Keeping that safe is your number one priority.”

“Yes sir.”

Desna opened the door and entered with sister, who the general took extra caution in walking around as he left, but father didn’t even bother greeting them.

“As for you two, I need you to go after the Avatar. She's the only one who can open the Northern spirit portal.”

“But Father, didn’t you tell her that-”

He didn’t let him finish Desna’s sentence either. “I told Korra what she needed to hear. Just get her and bring her to me.”

“I’ll find her. She stole my husband.”

“I need her alive , Eska.”

“Fine”, she agreed, clearly unhappy with the added condition.

But Desna had to speak up. “Father, I believe Eska should be placed in a psychiatric facility based on her recent behavior.” He didn’t bother looking in her direction, but he knew she was giving him a look that would cause many to burst into flames.

“Do not concern yourself with the mental state of your sister, concern yourself with not failing me again.”

“...Understood.”

(-)

Varrick’s yacht finally arriving at Republic City was a sweet relief for Bolin. Once they’d gotten away from Eska and any Northern ships that might have pursued them, Mako had pressed him on how he'd gotten Judge Hotah to talk, and Bolin admitted he'd threatened the man with becoming Naga food. He wasn't proud of it, but it definitely wasn't something he regretted either. 

It was weird though how Mako seemed more upset with Korra than Bolin, even though she'd had nothing to do with it, but either way it changed the whole mood on the way back, leaving everyone with a tense feeling. 

At least the press wasn't there to hound them with questions about what happened in the South, just some cops with...Chief Beifong. Hoo boy.

"Avatar Korra, thanks for starting a war."

"I didn't start a war. Okay, maybe I did, but it’s more complicated than you’re making it sound.”

“Whatever. Mako, I want you back on the beat tonight. There's going to be a Southern Water Tribe peace march, and I need you there to make sure nothing gets out of hand.”

“Whatever you need, Chief.”

“I’ll go too”, Korra added. “The South needs to know the Avatar’s on their side.”

Lin wasn’t pleased with that. “Great, that’ll calm things down.”

"Uh, maybe you should sit this one out." 

Mako.... couldn't he just shut up for five seconds?

"What do you mean?"

"I just think having you there blatantly supporting one side will only make things worse. I know it's your home and all, but you could at least try to seem neutral."

"But I'm not neutral. The North invaded without provocation and tried to put my Dad in jail with a sham trial. The only reason I'm here at all is to get troops to help the South."

"Zhu Li already got us a meeting scheduled with President Raiko tomorrow", Varrick told her. We'll get him on board.”

"So you can save the political arguments for someone who cares", Lin added. "Come on, Mako, I want you to look over the security detail for tonight."

As Mako walked off, Korra announced her own plans. "I'm going to find the Southern Water Tribe embassy and see what I can find out about the peace march."

"Good luck", Bolin told her. "Hey Asami, are you able to hang out at all?"

"Sorry, I'd like to, but I really need to check in with my factories."

"Okay, sure. But what should I be doing then?" He started talking to Asami, but he'd ended up yelling his question to no one in particular.

"I don't know, Bo, figure something out."

"Well, can I at least crash with you while we're here?"

He didn't get an answer from his brother, but Bolin figured it was okay since he'd gotten a spare key back from when Mako moved into the apartment. He was glad he remembered to ask, since going back to Air Temple Island right now might be pretty awkward. He still needed to figure out some way to spend his time, but Varrick put an arm around before he could. 

"Let me ask you something, kid. How much of this city have you seen?"

"Pretty much all of it. I've lived my whole life here."

"But have you seen it at night? ”

“Sure.”

“Have you?”

“... No?”

“That’s what I thought”, Varrick chuckled. And so began Bolin’s night with the other titan of industry in his life. He’d expected their time together to include getting into clubs he’d have no chance of getting into on his own, gaudy displays of wealth with more money than he’d ever seen, let alone make, and plenty of gorgeous women he’d have to politely turn down because he was already with the most perfect person to ever exist.

Instead, they ended up watching a pro bending tournament being put on for charity. Not that it was a bad experience or anything, the matches were great, the suite was nice, the food was great, and he’d even gotten the chance to catch up with Tahno. But it was just different than what he’d thought it would be. Every time he talked with Varrick, it felt like an interview for a job that didn't exist, and it was kinda weird how Zhu Li was just sitting there silently, only doing whatever "thing" her boss wanted on command, without explanation. Bolin couldn’t figure out if it was something they’d rehearsed, or it was telepathic as he walked back to Mako’s apartment and fell asleep on his couch.

“Wake up, Bo.”

The curtains hadn’t been fully closed, so sunlight was pouring in the room as his brother nudged him awake. “Urgh. W’time is it?”

“Almost noon. Come on, scoot over.”

“Are you just getting home now?” It looked like Mako hadn’t slept since they’d left the South.

“Yeah, didn’t you hear what happened? Someone bombed the Southern cultural center during the peace march last night."

“Spirits, is everyone alright?”

“Nobody got hurt, but we had people going over the place saying the damage was pretty significant.”

Bolin thought back to the time Korra had taken him there a few weeks after they’d defeated the Equalists, and all the artifacts she’d shown him and the stories she told, how proud she’d sounded. He couldn’t imagine her taking this well. “Any leads on who did this?”

“Nothing solid. I saw a firebender running away from the blast, but Korra and everyone else thinks the North is behind this. The Southern Embassy is furious, so President Raiko has been riding Chief Beifong to make sure we find out.”

Great, another thing for him and Korra to argue about. “Well, hopefully he might be more willing to help out the South then.”

But there was a knock at the door and Korra walked in before either brother could answer. “He’s nothing but a coward! He won’t even lift a finger!”

Bolin stood up and walked over . “Korra, slow down. What happened?”

“Raiko’s not sending troops to help the South. He talked about not wanting the city involved, and hoping for diplomacy, but that just means he’s gonna twiddle his thumbs while the North wipes out my home! It’s like he doesn’t even care!”

“I’m sure he cares, but I don’t think he can send his people to fight in the South Pole for a war that has nothing to do with them.”

Korra and Bolin both turned around at Mako’s completely unneeded interruption, and since he wasn’t in his girlfriend’s field of vision, he could mouth his thoughts to his brother without her seeing. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

“How can you take his side?”, she demanded.

“Why do you always bring up sides?, Mako argued. “Why do you think I’m always working against you?”

“Well, you haven’t exactly been helping me!"

"I just helped you get your Dad out of jail! And I've been trying to find out who bombed the Cultural Center!”

“Can we just calm down for a second, please?" Bolin might as well have been silent, because his brother and girlfriend were acting as if they'd hadn't heard him at all.

"Here's a hint, genius: The North! Stop acting like a detective when you're better off writing parking tickets!"

Now they were resorting to cheap shots. "Korra, come on...” 

Again, no luck. "Well, stop acting like you're saving the world when lately all you've been doing lately is screwing it up!"

"Mako!"

That insult was apparently the breaking point for Korra too. "You know what, I can't be around you when you're being like this."

"You're the one being like this!", Mako retorted, but she was already out the door, so he flopped back onto his couch with his arms crossed and a deep scowl that was momentarily broken when he noticed that his brother was staring at him with a dumbfounded expression. "What?"

But Bolin just shook his head and left. He didn't have time to explain things to Mako right now.

(-)

Korra was already out of the apartment building and halfway down the street when she heard Bolin calling after her. "Korra! Korra, c'mon, wait up!"

She didn’t stop moving, instead slowed down just enough for him to catch up, but she made things clear. "I'm not apologizing."

"I know", he said with a tiny laugh. "I wasn’t expecting you to."

That got her suspicious right away. "Are you on his side?"

"No! I just...look, can we not do this? Both of you? You're the most important people in my life, and I don't want you fighting."

Korra relented a little bit, but she was definitely still annoyed. "I don't want to either, but why can't he just..."

"I know, it's just how he is." There was a little pause before Bolin spoke again. "I'm sorry about the Cultural Center."

"The embassy said they were able to recover a few things, but they're not too hopeful about finding much else."

She noticed Bolin had put arm around her, since he'd just given her shoulder a little squeeze. "Do you want to talk about it? Or do something to take your mind off it?"”

“No, I gotta go and talk to Varrick. We need to come up with something to get help for the South."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"Yeah, that's actually why I came over. I wanted to ask if you would come along."

"Luckily for you I can", he told her with a reassuring grin. 

When they got back to Varrick’s yacht, Asami was already waiting there, with her own reasons for speaking with him. As soon as they entered, both girls got right to the point. 

"We're running out of time. If we wait for Raiko to act, there won’t be a South left to send help.”

“And Sato Industries is about to go under if we don’t make any sales”, Asami added.

“Then you’ve come to the right place, cause you're about to get a front row seat to the Imagivation that's made Varrick Industries the global titan it is today!"

'Imagivation?'

"Watch the trademark, buddy", he warned Bolin. "And yes, the combination of imagination and innovation given by my world famous idea storms!"

"Is that why you're hanging upside down?"

"Yep! Zhu Li, do the thing."

Varrick’s "idea storms" apparently include eating spicy peppers, since he started spouting off ideas right after Zhu Li put one in his mouth. 

"Okay, here come the ideas. Fast and furious. Pink mint lemon tea. Radio for pets. Uh, hand shoes. Hold on a tic. We don't need the President to go to the South. We just need the troops! Let's go straight to them! If there's one thing I know about troops, it's that they love fighting."

That reminded Korra of a past connection. "I'm on pretty good terms with General Iroh, so he might be able to help us."

"Great!" Then Varrick spoke to Asami. "And you need to sell some mecha tanks. I know some people in the South they'd be perfect for.

"That's perfect!", Korra realized. "You'll be making money for your company and you'll be helping to defeat Unalaq."

"It's true. If you can't make money during a war, you just flat-out cannot make money."

"It's dangerous on the seas right now", Asami fretted. "But I'm willing to try it if you are."

"It'll be crazy risky, but I love crazy risky! End storm!" With that, Varrick spun himself upright and instructed Zhu Li again. "Get those ideas over to research and development, I want prototypes by next week."

“We still need more people supporting us”, Korra reminded him. “I don’t get why that’s such a problem for Republic City.”

“Don't worry, I'm already working on that. As soon as people see this , they'll be lining up to fight Unalaq. Zhu Li, do the, uh-- the thing.”

His assistant brought out some equipment that Korra didn’t recognize, but Varrick quickly explained. “It’s all a part of my new business venture: Moving pictures. Mostly garbage, but I’ve had an idea cooking since I had a film crew documenting the whole Northern invasion.”

“Gah!” Bolin didn’t realize that what was on the screen wasn’t actually in front of them, because he immediately panicked when he saw Eska. “Sorry, keep doing that.” He was trying to hide it, but Korra could tell he was still fearful of her cousin after the run-in he’d had, and Korra wished for an opportunity to see her again.

“Anyway”, Varrick continued. “We’re gonna cut that footage together to make ‘The Adventures of Nuktuk: The Hero of the South! Nobody’s gonna be cheering for the North when they see our superstar Bolin here fighting Unalaq!”

“Me?”

“Him?”

Varrick was confused by the surprised reaction he’d got. “Well, why not?”

“I’m not an actor”, Bolin explained. “The closest thing I ever did was pretend to fight off a mugger to get some old lady to give me some groceries.”

“Oh, please, acting’s the easiest thing in the world. You act all the time and don’t even realize it. For example, I’m ‘acting’ like I actually care about this conversation we’re having right now!”

“Ok, but how am I supposed to be this action hero from the South when I’m from Republic City? I can’t even waterbend."

"Oh, for the love of- it's all pretend! We'll have state of the art effects working on this, nobody's gonna be able to tell. And don't worry about where you're from, that's not a big deal. Geez, your Southern water tribe princess girlfriend for this is actually from the North!”

“I’m sorry, ‘Southern water tribe princess girlfriend’?”

“Again, it’s all pretend”, Varrick reminded Korra.

“I just think that people are gonna get mad if they find out the Water tribe hero is actually...well, me,” Bolin worried.

“Ughhhhh. If it’s that important to you, fine. We’ll have the makeup department take care of it so no one's gonna be able to tell.”

Everyone else cringed at the suggestion, even Zhu Li. “That...would make things so much worse.”

“Well, I don’t know what you want me to do here! It’s hard enough coming up with ideas without dealing with your negative...negativity! So unless you have a better idea, this is how it’s going to be!”

They all sat in silence, until Bolin’s face lit up. “I got it!" He whispered his idea to Varrick, who broke out with a devious smile.

“Oh ho ho, that’s brilliant! Zhu Li, do the thing.”

She ran off, and everyone waited patiently for her return, as she brought back...him? That couldn’t be right.

But Bolin gave no indication that Zhu Li had made a mistake, and Varrick repeated the pitch he’d given only a few minutes earlier.

Tahno took a moment to consider what he’d just heard. “This will be paid, right?”

“Of course. Can’t have the scandal of the heroic Nuktuk fighting for the South without proper compensation.”

“Then alright, I guess.”

It was celebratory news for Varrick, and a relief for everyone else to hear. They finally had their plan in place. Almost.

“However! It’s very important that this remains hushy hush-hush, so nobody say nothing to anybody, got it?"

"Sure."

"Of course."

"Whatever."

They were all on the same page. Almost. "Bolin?"

"I mean...we can't tell anybody?"

Varrick looked ready to explode, but Korra motioned her boyfriend away to talk privately before he got throttled.

He started speaking nervously, his voice not much louder than a whisper. "I know you and Mako aren't getting along, but we can still trust him with this."

"It's not that simple, Bo. He's a cop now too, and I just don't think we can risk it."

"I don't like hiding things from him though.”

“I know, but this is so important. Do it for me, please?”

“All right”, he relented. “I promise.”

“Thank you.”

(-)

Bolin wasn’t really eager to clear things up with his brother, but with Korra and Asami going back to their busy schedules, he figured it was best to get it over with sooner rather than later as he trudged back into Mako’s apartment.

“Hey.”

He didn’t even look up from all the papers he had, but he still responded. "I'm not apologizing."

Bolin had to laugh at how ridiculous this was getting, and that got Mako’s attention. "Something funny?"

"Yeah. That's exactly what she said about you."

"Hmph." Bolin wasn’t expecting Mako to agree, but for some reason that reaction got him to voice his exasperation.

"I just don't get it. I mean, I love you both, but why are you fighting all the time? Aren't you two supposed to be friends?"

"Sure, but it's like I don't even know how to talk to her sometimes without her getting upset."

"Well, maybe that's part of the problem. Try not talking and see how that goes."

"So you're on her side, then?"

"I thought there weren't any sides", Bolin reminded him. "But seriously, did it seem like she was looking for a debate?"

"Guess I got thrown off when she barged in here yelling."

"Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, it's not she needed to vent about a really stressful situation or anything like that."

"Then maybe she should find a better way to handle it."

"Take your own advice, man. You're not exactly fun to be around yourself when you're in a bad mood. Remember all the times I stayed on the opposite side of the apartment?"

Mako didn't really have a good defense for himself, but he still tried anyway. "That's different."

"You're right. Not really fair to compare an overtime shift or a bad practice with being the Avatar." 

"So is that why you're threatening judges for her?”

"What happened with that was my idea, not hers. Korra had nothing to do with it. And I don't know why you're so worked up about someone that threw Korra’s dad in jail and was gonna help her crazy cousin with some sort of half marriage half enslavement thing for me."

"Don't act like you knew about that stuff beforehand."

"So what if I didn't? Even if he was totally clean, I still would've done it. Whether it was to help you, Korra, or Asami. Just like you would do for us. So why are you trying to act like you're morally superior to me now all of a sudden, especially after all the stuff we had to do growing up?"

"I'm not trying to act morally superior, Bo. I just want... we?"  

Whoops. "I meant 'we' as in us being a team? It was always us against the world, you know?"

Mako didn't buy it for a second. "You took jobs with the Triads as a kid too, didn't you?"

Bolin didn’t give a response, and his brother took that as confirmation. "I told you that you didn't need to do that!"

"Yeah, and you told me we were fine with money." Bolin didn’t feel particularly apologetic about the whole thing.

"I never did anything they didn't have you doing, Mako”, he continued. "So why is it okay for you and not for me?"

"Because I didn't need you to. I had it under control."

"We were homeless, and you're gonna act like we didn't need extra money?"

"Well, what did you even spend it on anyway?"

"Extra food, usually. Sometimes I helped out other kids. And those winter coats a few years ago."

Mako was trying to hide it, but Bolin could tell he was finally connecting the dots. "Should've known that they weren't from a charity drive. Why didn't you get a real job to get that stuff?"

"Same reason you didn't", Bolin answered with a smirk. "The Triads paid more. And they treated me better than any place that would hire a kid."

"That doesn't mean they're good people."

"I wasn’t expecting them to be the kind of guys that help little old ladies cross the street."

"I mean they're bad guys, Bo. Really, really bad guys."

"Why are you telling me this as if I'm not already aware of it?"

"Because it doesn't seem like you do. I mean, first those guys, and now Varrick..."

"How are you gonna compare Varrick to a bunch of gang leaders?"

"Besides that they'd all probably sell their mothers for five yuans? You shouldn't trust them, Bolin."

Bolin couldn’t really argue the truth of that, but still. "I never said I trusted him, but we don't have a lot of options. The South needs help fast."

"And what kind of plan has he come up with that makes you think he's worth hanging out with?"

"Don't worry about it", Bolin dismissed. 

Unfortunately, Mako didn't take his advice. "Yeah, I'm not gonna do that. What are you up to?"

"I'm not supposed to say anything."

"Not even to me?"

"Especially not to you."

"Did Korra tell you that?"

"No!", Bolin lied.

"Then just tell me!"

"Alright! But you have to promise not to tell anyone."

Mako tried to reassure him, saying "Bo, come on, it’s me." But that wouldn't be good enough. 

"I'm waiting."

"Fine, I promise."

"Good. Now do you have any paper and something to write with?"

"Why do you need-"

"I promised I wouldn't say anything, so..."

Bolin made a few gestures to illustrate what he meant, and Mako obliged when he understood, not without rolling his eyes, though. But at least he didn't peer over Bolin’s shoulder while he wrote, and let him finish writing to see Varrick’s plan.

Korra’s gonna talk to General Iroh to get the United Forces help without the President. Asami’s got a deal to supply them with mecha tanks and Tahno's starring in some movers to get Republic city on our side.

"Seriously?", Mako asked when he finished reading. "That's a terrible idea."

"I don't know, I think Tahno would be a decent actor."

"You know what I'm talking about. Bo, I don't want you involved with this."

"I'm sorry, I think I missed the part where I need your permission to do anything. "

"I know you don't like it, but it's still my job to look out for you."

"Are you really still trying to do this?"

"It's just-"

"It's nothing!", Bolin snapped. I don't know what else to say to get through to you, but you're. Not. Dad!" 

He'd held back on that for so long, but it had finally come out, almost involuntarily. He was so sick of being coddled and protected when he didn't need to be, and it felt past time that they had a relationship on equal footing. He'd never brought up their parents like this before, because he knew how much it would hurt, and his brother’s face showed why his worry had been justified.

“Mako, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Forget about it, it’s fine.” 

His refusal to talk about anything related to their parents wasn’t a surprise either. He understood why, but it still stung. They both loved them and they both missed them, but they couldn't have a conversation about them. There wasn't anything Bolin could really do about it though, just try and move on from the awkward silence.

“What...what are you working on?”, he asked, finally noticing all the paper Mako had strewn all over the table in between them.

“I'm still trying to figure out the Cultural Center bombing", he explained while picking up a book that looked like it was full of mugshots. "It just doesn't make sense that the North is behind it when...that's it."

"What's it?"

"I've got it!"

"Got what?"

But Mako didn’t answer, he just ran off somewhere, leaving Bolin by himself. “Uh, glad I could help?” He pondered what to do next, and settled on going to the studio where Varrick was making his Nuktuk movers with Tahno. If nothing else, there had to be something entertaining going on there.

Chapter Text

It was a good thing that Mako had been able to find a place close to the police department, because he'd kept running from the moment he'd left his apartment. 

He'd stumbled a few times and nearly ran over a couple people before he got there, but he wanted to get there as soon as possible now that he'd finally figured out what tied everything together with the Cultural Center bombing. 

"Hey May-ko, where you been?"

Everyone else was busy, so the only people who noticed him were Lu and Gang, characteristically not hard at work. That and their intentional mispronunciation of his name that he'd corrected multiple times annoyed him to no end, but he wasn't in a place to be able to say anything about it.

He knew the police didn't usually hire people his age, and even though he'd impressed Chief Beifong enough during the Equalist takeover to get an offer in the first place, he still felt that he had to prove himself. Hopefully what he'd just found would show everyone he belonged.

"I finally made a break in the bombing case", he explained. “I was able to I.D. the guy I saw at the scene.”

“That’s great, buddy!"

"Yeah, you should go show that to the chief right now."

He'd expected to be mocked and dismissed by the senior detectives, so their approval was surprising. If he was able to impress them, then Chief Beifong would have to be-

"What makes a rookie beat cop think he can interrupt my meeting with the president?"

But any hope of that was gone when he opened the door and saw who she was speaking to, and the hushed giggling behind him immediately confirmed his suspicion that he'd been set up.

"Sorry, I um...found something out about the bombing."

"Then give it to Lu and Gang, you moron! Now get out!"

Mako didn't need to be told twice. He closed the door, and walked over to the detectives, who weren't bothering to hide their amusement anymore.

"Sorry, was she busy?", Lu asked while he wiped a tear from his eye.

"Very funny. Here, this is the guy I saw sneaking out of the building right before the explosions. He's a member of the Agni Kais. Someone must have hired him to make it look like Northerners attacked the Cultural Center."

"Hmm." Gang didn't even bother looking at the mugshot before putting it in his desk.

"And did you learn anything about that remote control I found at the scene? That's gotta be the key to finding out who's really responsible."

"Listen, kid, it was the Northern tribe, okay?"

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I've been in this job long enough to know that the simplest theory is usually what actually happened", Lu told him without any of his normal bravado. "And nothing you've found has proven that the North isn't behind the bombing."

"Yeah, if anything they're probably the ones that hired that guy to blow up the Cultural Center", Gang added. So do yourself and the rest of us a favor and drop the super cop act."

There was a lot Mako wanted to say, about why they seemed so disinterested in investigating, but he knew there'd be consequences for it, so he went back to his desk to stew.

He came up with a few leads that would be worth tracking down, but they were away from his usual patrol route, so he'd have to look into them while he was off duty without backup, not to mention the trouble he would get in for investigating a case he wasn't assigned to, but with all that was at stake, it felt like a risk worth taking. 

Mako was so busy trying to figure out a plan that he didn’t even notice there was someone approaching his desk until there was a shadow cast over the paperwork he was catching up on. 

When he realized that the President of the United Nations was standing in front of him, Mako gave him a salute, but it was dismissed with an offer of a handshake that he quickly took.

"I've heard a long about you from Chief Beifong. You've made some big arrests for someone so new to the force.

The chief having good things to say about him felt more surprising than the President wanting to speak with him. "Thank you, sir."

"And you're friends with the Avatar, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's actually why I wanted to talk to you. I'm concerned that she might be getting some bad advice from Varrick. You wouldn't happen to know if they're plotting anything that might compromise the security of Republic City, would you, officer?"

Mako was hesitant to answer, and Raiko noticed immediately. "Let me remind you that you've sworn an oath. You're a man of the law before anything else."

He stayed silent, though, and that seemed to be enough to convince him. "Very well, keep up the good work.

But unease ate away at Mako quickly while the president walked away. Varrick’s plan already seemed dubious at best, just based on the idea of bringing in another army, escalating the situation to a full scale war, and was without considering the effect it would have on Republic City. If there was another threat like the Equalist takeover, the police force wouldn’t be enough to stop them without the help of the United Forces.

Not only that. but they could be in a lot of trouble if anyone found out about their plan to go behind Raiko’s back. General Iroh's career would be in jeopardy, as well as Mako's if they found out he knew what was going on and didn't say anything. 

And he really didn't care if anything happened to Varrick, but what about Bolin and Korra? Would they be considered co-conspirators? Traitors even? He just couldn’t risk it. Sorry, Bo.

“Wait. There’s...something you should know.”

(-)

There wasn't any flashy excitement or wacky hijinks like he was hoping for, but Bolin was still enjoying himself at Varrick’s mover studio. 

He was with Varrick, Zhu Li, and Tahno, and they were taking photos for posters that would promote the "Adventures of Nuktuk". Bolin didn't know anything about photography, so he helped himself to the craft services table nearby, helping himself to a Varrick cake, while Pabu sat on his shoulder, munching on a stick of celery before Korra entered the room.

“Bolin, I need you to- uh, what’s going on?”

Varrick answered for him. "Trying to make art despite constant interruptions!"

"Art?"

Bolin explained what they were doing, but Korra was more focused on the getup Tahno had on, nothing but a fur-lined vest and shorts that didn't even cover his thighs. 

"How's he supposed to be the hero of the South when he'd freeze to death in five minutes wearing that?"

"His sense of adventure keeps him warm!", Varrick told her. "Besides, gotta have some eye candy for the grown-ups watching, too."

Korra seemed to agree with Varrick’s reasoning, but now she was looking back and forth between Bolin and the Nuktuk costume, with an expression he couldn't quite figure out. 

"Maybe you should've been Nuktuk."

"What?"

"Forget it. Can you watch Naga for a few days while I go to the Fire Nation?"

"Sure", he told her as he took Naga’s reins. "But what do you need to go there for?"

"General Iroh’s a no-go. He told me I should talk to his family in the capital if I want help for the South."

"A no-go?", Varrick interrupted. "What happened? I thought he was a sure thing."

"So did I. We had a plan, but then Raiko showed up out of nowhere and shut the whole thing down." 

"Raiko?" Bolin felt himself freeze, as his heart sank into his stomach. Mako... there's no way he would tell...right?

"Yeah, I don't get it. It's like someone tipped him off, but nobody else knew about it except for us and Asami." 

But then Korra looked at him, and she realized immediately what had happened. "Bolin, you...you told Mako, didn't you?"

"I..." There was no point in pretending he didn't, and the disappointment in her face quickly shifted to anger. 

"How could you...after I... ugh!"

She emphasized her fury by sending a fireball at the set that had been made for the photoshoot, setting it ablaze.

Nobody was anywhere close to it, and Tahno was able to douse the fire without any problem. But then he, Varrick, and Zhu Li left the room, leaving Bolin to deal with Korra’s fury alone.

"Why!?"

"H-he promised he wouldn't say anything, I-"

"You promised me you wouldn't say anything! How could you expect him to stay quiet when you couldn't keep your own mouth shut?"

"I don't know, but he's my brother , Korra!", Bolin pleaded.

"Don't act like I was being unreasonable! I didn't want you to tell him because I didn't want something just like this to happen!"

"I know, I'm sorry!"

"Being sorry doesn't change anything! I'm not gonna be able to get Unalaq's army out of the South just because you're sorry!"

"I'll figure something out, just trust me!"

"How?! How are you going to come up with a plan, and how am I supposed to trust you after you did the one thing you promised you wouldn't do?!"

Bolin almost jumped back in surprise. Her eyes...and voice...was this the Avatar state? 

"Korra, I swear, I'll-ah!"

He'd grabbed her hand, in some desperate, stupid attempt to calm her down. And with immediate hindsight, holding the hand that had just produced a fireball was a really, really bad idea.

He'd only grasped her for a moment, but his palm already bore a bright pink mark. He doubled over in pain as he rushed to a miraculous jug of ice water that was on the craft services table. It dulled the feeling momentarily, although Bolin still found himself hissing as he stuck his hand in.

"Korra?" He was completely ready to apologize and beg for another chance, but when he turned around, she was gone. The room was abandoned, and the only thing he could hear were Naga and Pabu whimpering in a corner. 

Bolin tried to collect himself, ignoring the pain in his hand and the lump in his throat. He had to find Mako. If Korra wasn’t already on her way to kill him, which he was honestly pretty tempted to let happen at that point. 

(-)

For the past hour, Mako had stayed at his desk, trying and failing to focus on the pile of paperwork he had to sift through, a weak attempt at ignoring the guilt he'd been dealing with.

There was no way around it. He'd ratted out his brother and his friends. Mako knew there was a short list of suspects, and he'd be confronted about it soon.

"You sold me out to the president?!"

But it was still a surprise to see Bolin kicking in the door of the department office.

"Bo, let me explain." 

Mako had hoped that if he could calm him down, he might get Bolin to understand, but he didn’t appear to be in any kind of state to do that.

"Explain how you stabbed me in the back?”

So they were just gonna yell at each other apparently. “Look, the President of the United Nations gave me a direct order. What was I supposed to do?"

"Not betray me, Korra, and her whole family!"

"Enough!" If there had been anyone in the room polite enough to pretend they weren't listening, that wasn't what they were doing now. "I have a job to do, okay? And I can't do it if I have to worry about you making some huge mistake!"

"Your job?!" Bolin was incredulous now. "You ruined the best thing that ever happened to me just for your job?"

"What are you talking about?", Mako asked, more out of annoyance than the anger he'd had before. 

"I promised Korra that I wouldn't say anything, but I actually thought I could trust my own brother. Now I don't know what's gonna happen with us, so thanks a lot!”, he yelled before storming off.

No wonder he was so upset. Mako knew Korra would be furious with his decision to tell the president, but he’d hoped her anger would be directed just at him and not his brother.

"Bolin, wait." He didn’t want to leave things like this. Mako didn't expect forgiveness from his brother, but hopefully he could at least apologize, or have a calm conversation to make sure Bolin didn't hate him.

At least that was the plan before he turned around and punched him in the face, leaving Mako on the ground, flat on his back, taking him completely by surprise. He didn’t even connect the dots and figure out what happened until a few seconds later when he put a hand to his face and felt blood coming from his nose.

And Bolin wasn’t faring much better. Apparently the punch had caused a great deal of pain for him as well, and despite his attempts to hide it Mako was able to see red knuckles and...a pink mark on his palm.  Had that been from Korra?

But he didn't get the chance to ask. When Mako made eye contact with Bolin, his little brother ran, out of panic, or perhaps something else, and left him with his gawking coworkers, all dead silent until Lin came out of her office.

“What the flamey-o happened to you?”

“I had a fight with my brother”, Mako told her as he stood up, voice altered from clutching his mangled nose.

“He did that?”

“Yeah.”

"Hmph." Then she became almost...amused? "Siblings. Come on, let's get you patched up."

(-)

Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

Korra was in a speedboat, racing through the Mo Ce Sea to get to the Fire Nation, but it was hard for her to even remember why she was there when her mind was focused on what happened at the mover studio.

What had she done? It was worse than losing her temper, she’d straight up lost control, and ended up hurting someone she loved.

Getting help from the Fire Nation didn't even feel like it mattered anymore, all she wanted was to go back to Republic City to apologize, and hope Bolin could somehow forgive her. But how could she even face him? After that, she wouldn’t blame him if he was too scared to be in the same room with her.

And after everything he’d done for her. Bolin had screwed up, sure, but hadn't deserved anything close to that. She'd doubted herself, her teachers, even her own parents, and Bolin stood by her.

So of course she blew up at him, and took out all of her frustration for other things that had nothing to do with him. Even worse, then she'd gone into the avatar state, and Bolin had got his hand burned trying to get her out. 

Of course, it was an accident, but did it matter? Would anyone even believe her?

It was a good thing she couldn't talk to Aang right now. He'd be ashamed of her. He'd have to be. 

"You ruined my wedding!"

Eska?

"No one steals my Bolin!"

Then her speedboat was destroyed before she could turn around, sending her underwater. When Korra emerged in a waterspout, she confirmed it was her cousin, with Desna there to assist her. And honestly? Korra was glad, because it was past time she taught Eska a lesson for how she’d treated her boyfriend.

You really think you’re in a position to criticize people for how they treat Bolin?

Korra pushed the thought away. She had to focus on the fight in front of her. She’d gotten the upper hand, and she was ready to trap her cousins in a dome of water when they suddenly retreated, and Korra realized why too late. 

A dark spirit, much bigger than any she'd seen at the South Pole, had grabbed Korra before she could defend herself. She'd tried to purity it, but she wasn't fast enough, and it dragged her below the surface. 

The first sensation she felt when she awoke was sand against her face, but where was she?

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was two older men running toward her, in red robes befitting a monk or a sage, but who were they? And how did she get here? 

"Avatar Korra, are you alright?"

"...Who's Avatar Korra?"

Chapter Text

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

For the past five blocks, Bolin had kept his head down and his hands in his pockets, trying to avoid being recognized while reflecting on how he'd somehow made a terrible situation even worse. 

It wasn’t enough that he'd ruined Korra’s plan to help her family. No, he had to go run down to the police station, get in a screaming match with his brother, and punch him in the face. With a bunch of witnesses. Witnesses that were all cops.

He really should get a trophy for being that much of an idiot. A trophy that should be used for whacking him upside the head. A fine addition to his broken and burned hand which was feeling worse by the minute.

Bolin knew he'd have to get it looked at and treated, but where could he go? He didn’t have any money on him to pay for a doctor or hospital, the police would probably be looking for him, and his list of friends felt shorter than ever.

He couldn't go to anybody that knew about the blown deal with Iroh, so it was obvious to avoid anything related to Varrick Industries or the mover studio. Asami was out of the question too, not only had she been relying on the agreement to help her company, it was also her boyfriend he'd just punched.

And he was on much better terms with Tahno now than he was before, but Bolin didn’t think they were friendly enough for him to ask to crash at his place while the cops looked for him.

Should he try to find Bushi in a tent city? Nah, those people had been through enough, he couldn’t risk bringing police sniffing around there. Besides, he wasn’t particular to the idea of sleeping outside in the middle of a Republic City winter again. 

All in all, Air Temple Island felt like the least bad option. Tenzin and his family would be out on their vacation, they usually had healers there for lessons, and there were plenty of places he could hide. 

Yeah, he could get his hand fixed, lay low for a day or two, then get a ride to the Fire Nation to fix things with Korra. Good plan. 

Ugh. Bolin knew it probably wouldn't work, but what kind of options did he have? 

Pretty much none. But at least he was avoiding trouble right now. Pabu had caught up with him and nestled around his neck, and he hadn’t been recognized on the ferry ride over, or get hassled by the White Lotus guards when he arrived. 

Good so far. Just keep a low profile until you get to your room. But he’d forgotten where it was, and all these buildings were starting to blur together.

“Bolin!”

Either way, he’d lost focus, with three high-pitched voices calling his name, and the children they belonged to nearly bowling him over in an attempt to hug him. But it was such a relief to have Jinora, Ikki and Meelo be happy to see him, with a small miracle of his hand not being jostled enough to cause noticeable pain.

"Hey, you guys", Bolin greeted as he carefully got back on his feet. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be on your big family vacation right now?"

“We had to postpone”, Tenzin explained, next to his wife, siblings, and mother. “The children got sick while we were traveling back from the festival.”

"Food poisoning", Bumi elaborated. "Because someone thought it was a good idea to have a fried sea prune eating contest!"

"That was your idea!", Kya reminded him. 

"Never said it wasn't. So what brings you back to our humble abode, buddy?"

"I forgot something back in my room, but I can't find where I was staying."

"It's right behind you." 

“Of course it is.” Bolin turned around, and sure enough, Tenzin's instructions were correct.

“Bolin, wait.” Katara’s voice stopped him from going in the family living quarters to his belongings in the guest room. “What’s been going on in the South?”

“...What have you heard?” Bolin was torn. He didn’t want to divulge any more information that Korra might want to keep private, but it felt like if anyone deserved to know the truth, it was probably Katara. 

"Nothing from home since the meeting Korra’s Father organized. After her Mother and I talked with her, Tenzin came for me so I could help look after the children with Kya. Then we heard about the Southern Cultural Center being bombed."

"It's too bad you had to leave", Bolin joked. "Your waterbending might’ve been useful down there.”

“My Mother’s days of fighting are over, Bolin”, Tenzin reminded him.

“I didn’t realize that was up to you, dear.” Katara might have said it with a sweet voice and a gentle smile, but something about it unnerved Bolin and scared Tenzin back into silence. “Anyway, what happened?”

“Some rebels tried to attack Korra’s Uncle at the palace, but she was able to stop them before they kidnapped him. Then Korra's Dad got arrested with them since they all went to the meeting he organized."

"Oh no."

"And we had to get him out of prison when we found out her Uncle orchestrated the whole trial. Now we’re trying to get help for the South before the fighting starts.”

“I knew it.” Bolin didn’t believe Tenzin, but he didn’t really care either. "Where's Korra now?"

"She's on her way to the Fire Nation. Gonna try and get support from them."

"I see. Well, when you see her, let her know she can always come talk to me if she wants to."

"I'll let her know, sir."

"Thank you. Hopefully she won't be stubborn and ask my father for advice too."

"I'm sure she will." You liar. "So what are you going to do now? Still going on your big trip?"

"I suppose so. There isn't much we can do about the situation based on what you've told us, and the kids have been looking forward to this for months.”

“But Daddy, you promised we would play airball before we left!”, Ikki reminded him.

“Airball?”

“It’s a traditional game that was played by the Air Nomads in the old temples”, Jinora explained to Bolin. “Dad had the acolytes build a court for us a few years ago.”

“And it’s so much fun!”, Meelo added, while showing him a hollowed out wooden sphere that looked like it could be used for airbending. “Wanna play with us, Bolin?”

“Oh no, I’m fine. You have fun, though. It was kind of a bummer, since Bolin probably would've joined if he didn't have a mangled hand. 

His answer didn't deter Meelo at all, though. "Aw, come on! You can still play even if you can't airbend. Here, catch!"

"No wai-"

But the warning came too late, and the ball was headed straight for his chest. On instinct Bolin used both hands to catch it, immediately regretting his choice when he felt the searing pain.

“Come on, I didn’t even throw it hard.”

Bolin didn’t respond to Meelo’s accusation of faking. He was on his knees, trying his best not to yell out a curse word in front of the kids, but focusing on that and the blinding pain left his injury exposed, and sure enough, Pema noticed.

"Oh no, what happened to your hand?"

"It's...it's nothing", he lied with gritted teeth. "I just...had a little juggling accident."

Seriously? That's what you come up with?

"Come on, drop the tough guy act and let me look." At that point it hurt too much to even move his hand at all, so Bolin relented and let Kya perform her inspection. 

"Red skin...blisters...a good bit of swelling. Definitely looks like a second degree burn...and maybe a fractured knuckle. I'm impressed. Tenzin would be crying like a baby if his hand looked like that."

"Very amusing, Kya."

“Mom, think you can take care of this?", Katara’s daughter asked her.

"Of course. Come with me, Bolin." 

Bolin followed Katara’s instructions, went inside Tenzin's home and walked with her into the kitchen. She told him to sit at the table while she prepared a large bowl of water in the sink, so he decided to start conversing.

"How long do you think you'll need? “I'm not rushing you, I just don’t wanna hold you and your family up from taking your big trip."

"I'm sure they'll find something to do that'll pass the time", Katara reassured, as she sat down on the other side of the table with the bowl in between them. "Besides, I don't think we've actually had the chance to talk by ourselves."

"...Yeah, you're right." Bolin had to think back for a moment to be sure. Any of the other times they’d been together, Korra or different parts of Tenzin’s family were around.

“I’d hoped we’d get the chance. Very few people have experienced what you and I have.”

“What do you mean?”

“We both know what it’s like to love the Avatar.”

“I guess we do”, Bolin realized. "I wonder how many people that even knew different avatars talked to each other. "

"Not many, I imagine. Now, shall we begin?"

It was uncomfortable sticking his hand in the water, despite its lukewarm temperature, but when it began to glow from Katara’s healing touch, Bolin forgot to filter himself and moaned in relief a little louder than he should’ve. “Sorry. And thank you.”

"It’s no trouble. But...”

“...Yeah?”

“Do you want to tell me what really happened?”

“W-what do you mean?”, he stammered. “I was trying to juggle, and-”

“You burned your hand juggling?”, she asked skeptically.

“The juggling pins I was using were on fire. You see, I remembered a um, a street performer doing it once and I wanted to try it myself."

"Ah. But what about your knuckles?"

“Oh, uh, well I was actually juggling on a unicycle, but when I burned myself I fell and I tried to use my hand to catch myself and...you don't believe a word of this, do you?"

"Nope", Katara said with amusement, as Bolin’s head fell on the table with a thunk.

"I knew I should've gone with a cooking accident."

"You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to", she soothed. "But it can't be more embarrassing than my brother getting two fish hooks stuck in his thumb."

"Tw-"

"He tried getting the first fish hook out with another fish hook", she explained with the same disbelief she must have had when it actually happened. 

Bolin wanted to laugh, but then he remembered what he'd just done. At least her brother had only hurt himself. “It’s not about it being embarrassing as much as...”

“I promise, whatever you tell me won’t leave this room unless you want it to."

"Is healer-patient confidentiality a thing?"

"It is with me", she reassured. 

The promise of silence didn't really solve the conflict Bolin was having about talking to her, though. Katara was the first person he used to think of when it came to the Southern Water Tribe before he met Korra. How could he expect her to be sympathetic to him after finding out he betrayed her home? But like he’d realized before, she deserved to know what happened.

Might as well tell her. Whatever she'd do, he probably deserved it.

"When we got back to Republic City, Korra and Varrick tried to get President Raiko to send the United Forces to help the South, but he didn’t want to get involved. So they cooked up a plan with Asami that would get General Iroh to help us behind Raiko’s back."

"I'm guessing it didn't work."

"No", Bolin admitted. "But that's pretty much my fault. Korra was worried my brother would blab, so she made me promise not to say anything to him. But I told Mako anyway, he had to tell the President, and the whole thing fell apart."

"Then what happened?"

"What do you mean, 'Then what happened'?"

"I don't understand."

"Me neither. I thought you'd throw me out and tell me to never come near Korra or your family again when I told you."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because of what I did!" This didn’t make any sense to Bolin. How could she be so accepting of this?

"You made a mistake, yes, but not an unforgivable one. Besides, I don't think Korra and my grandchildren would be very happy if I treated you like that."

Korra...  

"That's the thing, though. Korra was really mad when she found out I told. She was yelling at me, then her eyes got glowy, her voice changed, and-"

"She went into the Avatar state?" Katara had kept a mostly neutral demeanor during their conversation, but her student's actions surprised and worried her.

"I guess so. I wanted to hold her hand and calm her down, but when I grabbed it was hot, and..." He made a gesture with his free hand towards the one submerged in the water. "That happened."

Katara let out a sigh befitting a disappointed parent. "Korra’s always had difficulty controlling her emotions.”

“It wasn’t like that”, Bolin explained. “She wasn’t trying to hurt me, it was an accident, and it’s my fault she was so mad in the first place.”

“Please listen to me, Bolin. I’ve known Korra since she was a little girl, so I know her well enough to say she wouldn’t want you to defend her acting like that, and she definitely wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

“Okay.” Bolin didn’t really agree that he wasn’t responsible for what happened back at the mover studio, but he also didn't want to do anything that might upset Korra even more.

“So that explains this injury”, Katara said while shifting the water with her hands to focus on his knuckles instead of his palm. "How about the other one?"

"I went to talk-er, yell at, my brother for telling Raiko since he promised to keep his mouth shut. The whole thing turned into a screaming match, and I...punched him in the face.”

“You punched him with a burned hand?”

“I wasn’t really thinking clearly." No kidding. "It was pretty much instinct, or impulse. One of the two."

"Must have hit him pretty hard if you fractured a knuckle."

"Preeeety sure I broke his nose", Bolin told her, the tiny bit of pride he had for pulling a punch like that off outweighed by the shame  of doing it to his own brother in such a public spectacle. "But it really hurt."

"I can imagine."

"So that's the story",  Bolin concluded, slumping back into his chair, not meeting Katara’s gaze while she continued to work on his hand. "But full disclosure: my brother's a cop now so there’s probably gonna be a bunch coming soon to arrest me.”

“Do you think that’s something your brother would do?” Bolin could feel Katara’s doubt of his fears, even if her voice didn’t show it.

“I don’t know...probably not...I just...”

“You should speak with him and sort things out”, Katara encouraged. “Perhaps not right now, but soon.”

Definitely not right now. “I will, eventually. I mean, I know why he told, and I know I shouldn’t have punched him, but I’m still mad at him!”

“Is there something else that happened between you?”, she asked.

“Kinda. He’s been picking fights with Korra for a while, so I’m always caught between them when that happens. And it seems like he blames her whenever I do something he doesn’t like, which really ticks me off. He keeps acting like he has to protect me and that he knows what's best for me and it's driving me crazy!"

"Sounds like an older sibling."

"Honestly though? It did have to be like that when we were younger. When we were kids, and..." Bolin’s voice trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. 

"Korra told me before about what happened to your parents", Katara explained with a tone meant to be comforting. "I completely understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

Not many of any of Bolin and Mako’s acquaintances knew why their Mom and Dad weren’t around. They always showed empathy towards their reluctance to talk about it whenever the subject came up, but it was always so rare when it felt like they actually understood. Maybe it felt different with Katara because she’d experienced the pain herself, but Bolin wasn’t sure. Either way, he was just as tight-lipped about how they'd lost their parents as his brother. 

"I'd never admit this to him, but he kind of was a parent for me after it first happened. He really looked after both of us. He'd always try to prioritize me and give extra food, warmer clothes, whatever. And he'd help when...I was going through stuff. It'd bug me so much though because I wasn't that much younger than him and it felt like I should be contributing more. But he never wanted me to take the kinds of jobs or risks he did, so I had to do it behind his back."

"Did you do this often?"

"No, only when we were in a tight spot with money or Mako couldn’t work. I'd have done it more, but I was worried he'd flip if he ever found out. I just...was so sick of being a burden."

"Do you think that’s how Mako sees you?", Katara asked. Bolin could see where she was going with this.

"No", he answered with a dejected tone.

"I don't think caring for someone you love is ever a burden. Either way, it doesn't sound like you forced it on him."

"He had to shoulder so much more than me, though."

"That was his choice . And the circumstances it happened under weren't your fault."

Bolin didn’t respond. Instead he just silently stared at the table, his expression unchanged. He'd moved on from the guilt that had tormented him as a young boy a long time, but it was hard to ignore during the rare times it crept into his head now that he was older.

Katara must have sensed something because she didn't press him on the subject anymore. "So what do you plan to do then?"

"I wanted to go to the Fire Nation and try to salvage things with Korra."

"You don't sound very confident", Katara noticed.

Bolin leaned forward, running his free hand through his hair. "I have no idea what I would say to her. Or if she'll even want to talk to me ever again."

"Do you love her?"

"Of course I do." He appreciated the advice and  healing he'd received, but a question with such an obvious answer had gotten on his nerves. 

"Has she said that to you?"

"Yeah, but-" The weight of their conversation was starting to get to Bolin, and the hard lump he’d felt in his throat from before had returned. 

"Don't you believe her? Do you think she's fickle enough to give up a relationship that means so much to her?”

“You don’t understand!” His voice cracked as the tears brimming in his eyes spilled onto his cheeks. "She's so amazing and perfect and wonderful and all these other things, and I'm just...me. Her dumb friend that got lucky. "

Bolin wasn’t that dumb, he knew that Korra seeing him as anything more than a friend was nothing short of a miracle. And he'd been so caught up in his happiness that he’d forgotten how easily it could all fall apart. He'd forgotten how the only thing he'd ever been good at was screwing things up. And now he'd ruined a once in a lifetime chance with one mistake. 

He put his head on the table again, but this time he was shrinking away from Katara. She was a hero, a living legend in every sense of the word, and he was crying in front of her like a little boy that had just received a scolding, almost too wrapped up in self-pity to hear her response.

"I think Korra sees more in you than that."

“How would you know?” It was a response appropriate for the petulant child Bolin felt like, although Katara didn’t seem fazed by it.

“Because she thinks you're a kind, charming, sweet, and handsome boy.”

He glanced up, confused. “Wha...?”

“That’s how she described you when I tried to heal her in the South Pole a few months ago."

Bolin realized that was after her fight with Noatak, when she'd lost her bending. "Hard to imagine her being very talkative after that."

"She wasn’t at first", Katara admitted. "But after a while Korra told me about her adventures. The people she met...and how she fell in love."

"Korra really said that?" He felt a tiny ping of hope for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

"She didn’t need to. I've been around long to figure out how to see love from more than just people’s words.”

“What do you mean?”

“I noticed something while Korra spoke. The only times she ever spoke or sounded happy was when she talked about you. Bolin, you were her one comfort when she needed it most."

He couldn't resist a tiny smile after hearing what Katara said. He'd always assumed Korra’s feelings were a result of a snap realization from his confession at the South Pole, but had it been different? Had they loved each other the whole time, and been too afraid to admit it to each other and themselves? 

Alright, so maybe their relationship wasn't completely doomed. Bolin knew that whining wasn't going to fix it, but other ideas weren’t coming to him right now.

“So, what do you think I should do?”

“I think the answer to your problems should come from yourself in a situation like this, but I would advise that you trust in your feelings, and trust in what you and Korra share together.”

Bolin grumbled a bit, since her solution was basically a nice way of saying “Figure it out yourself”, but he knew she had a point, and he couldn’t complain too much when Katara had just done so much for him already. 

Speaking of which, the waterbending master relaxed her arms, and the glow faded from the bowl of water. "Try moving your hand, see how it feels."

He did as instructed, and wiggled his fingers, opened and closed a fist, then brushed his knuckle with his other hand. Some of the motions felt weird, like trying to stretch a tight muscle, but otherwise it felt like nothing had ever happened. 

"You'll feel some discomfort for a few days, and it'll be sensitive to hot temperatures for a while", Katara warned.

"Thank you", Bolin told her as he stood up while drying his hand on his shirt. "Really, thank you."

"It's my pleasure." She walked around the table and outstretched her arms, and he accepted the hug she offered, not realizing until now how much he needed it.

The feeling was like he'd been draped with a blanket that'd been near the fireplace after a long night in a blizzard. He dwelled in the moment for a while, and noticed it felt a little similar to hugging Korra, except Katara smelled more like ocean spray from waves crashing against walls of ice than the smell of fresh snowfall that reminded him of the girl he loved.

After they let go, the two left the kitchen together, going outside to Katara’s awaiting family, in front of an Oogi loaded up with luggage, ready to depart.

“Good, you’re here”, Tenzin said with an air of impatience. “If we leave now, we’ll be able to avoid rain on the way to the Southern Air Temple.”

But Katara stayed where she was instead of getting on the bison with her children and grandchildren. “I can’t come with you.”

“Why not, Gran-Gran?”, Jinora asked.

“Yes Mother, why not?”, Tenzin added. “I’ve been planning this trip for over a month!”

“Based on what Bolin said, things in the South are going to get much worse soon. I need to be there when it does."

"I'll come with you", Kya volunteered, but Katara raised her hand to signal her daughter to stay put.”

“It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own. Besides, you’ll be more needed here with your family.”

"But Mom-"

"It's past time you started acting like siblings. Trust me, when you get to be my age, you'll be thankful for the time you shared together. Besides, I think it's important that you all visit your father's home together."

"All right", Kya relented, respecting the wishes of her mother. "How are you going to get there?"

"I think your brother has a spare flying bison or two I can borrow."

"Are you sure?", Bolin questioned. "The North had their Navy set up in the harbor when we left."

"I've gotten a sky bison past blockades when I wasn’t much older than Jinora", Katara said with a sly smile.

"Alright Mother", Tenzin told her as she headed toward the bison pen while exchanging goodbyes to the rest of the family. "But be careful! And stay in touch!"

After she walked out of sight, the attention came back to Bolin. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure", he told Bumi. "If it was alright with you guys, I was going to hang around on the Island until Korra gets back."

The plan seemed acceptable to Tenzin, but his children had other plans.

"Bolin, why don't you come with us?"

Ikki and Meelo’s faces lit up at the suggestion of their older sister, although their father wasn't as enthusiastic. 

"Jinora, this is supposed to be a family vacation."

"Tenzin!" His wife was quick to admonish the insensitivity, but it didn't really bother Bolin. He knew the only reason that he'd been allowed to come before was that Korra had insisted.

Things were different now, though, with her choosing Unalaq to be her new spiritual instructor. Not to mention his own problems with Korra that he had no intention of telling them about.

"Well, you're welcome along if you want”, Pema told him, countering her husband.

“I dunno, how long would we be gone?” He needed distance from Mako for a while, and time to figure out what to say to Korra, but he didn’t want to completely disappear on them either.

"A week at most." Tenzin didn't have any more objections, now that he knew his opinion on the matter was outnumbered.

"Aw come on, Bolin!", Meelo begged. "Pleaaaassee?"

"The kids would definitely love to have you." Pema was pleading more than they were. That woman needed a break badly.

"Yeah, and you'll get to see the laid-back vacation Tenzin I've heard so much about", Kya added.

“...You know what, sure!” But he remembered something in his enthusiasm. “I gotta go pack, though!”

“Just be quick!”, Tenzin yelled as he went back inside. It also dawned on Bolin when he got to his room that his luggage and a lot of his clothes had been left behind in the South. 

It wasn’t a major problem fortunately, since he’d gotten some new stuff to wear with the prize money from the championship pot, but he had to use his duffle bag from his probending days to hold his clothes.

He only needed a minute to gather what he needed, but a photo on the dresser jogged a memory from a few months ago.

Bolin picked it up and thought back to the Fauna Feast Korra had shared with him on his birthday at Hue's. The conversations they'd had with full mouths, when she'd laughed at his coughing fit and burning mouth trying the Sky bison wings, and how he’d done the same when she’d taken a big bite, not believing how spicy they were. And then they spent the whole ride back trying not to throw up their massive meal.

Bolin smiled, tucked the photo and the shirt he'd won that day into his bag, and went to rejoin the family. 

Chapter Text

“Ngh.”

“Quit squirming.”

Mako usually had no trouble following Lin's instructions, but this was a difficult one. The tissues being shoved up his nostrils to stop the bleeding definitely wasn't fun, but it seemed far preferable to the feeling of her actually setting the broken bones in his nose. Not that he wanted his boss to know that. "I'm fine."

"Please. Either take something for the pain so I can do this right, or we'll leave it like this, but stop with this fake tough guy act that you can't even back up."

Mako, with wounded pride and wounded face, accepted Lin's demands and drank the small amount of amber liquid from the glass that she'd offered. 

He hadn't seen her pour, but the burning confirmed his suspicion of what it was, since it felt like he'd just produced fire from his mouth like the Dragon of the West.

Mako had always made an effort to avoid consuming drinks like that. When Bolin was eight, Shady Shin had offered him ten thousand yuans if he could drink an entire bottle by himself, without telling his little brother that it'd been mixed with cactus juice. H e was sure whatever antics his little brother had gotten up to had been funny for the triads, but it was a different story for him. He'd found out about the whole thing the next morning, watching Bolin throw up and crying, not just from the pain of puking over and over, but because he’d thought he’d let Mako down since he’d almost finished it off before passing out, thinking Shin would actually make good on his word.

“This is the last time I’m doing this”, Lin warned, ending his reminiscing of the painful memory. “Move again, and you can do this in a bathroom mirror for all I care."

Mako nodded, then relaxed himself, allowing her to place her hands again, the sensation a little less painful this time.

"Ready?"

"Y-"

*Crack*

"Agh." Mako leaned back in his chair and rubbed his nose, which was still sore, but symmetrical again.

"It'll hurt for a few weeks, but it looks the same as it did before."

A stroke of luck, finally. Maybe he hadn't been cursed by the spirits.

"What do you want to do, then?"

Mako knew what Lin meant with the broad question, even if she didn't directly address the Elephant Mandrill in the room. "I don't want to press charges."

"Didn't think you would, but we can have some officers to search for him and bring him in so you two can hash things out."

"I don't want to do that either." That scenario would just make Bolin panic, and escalate an already fragile situation. "Can I just have a few days off to look for him and sort this out?"

Lin paused for a while, considering. "...Alright. But they'll come out of your sick days."

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to a captain about his ship being destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Mako stood up. "What do we know?"

"It was a Varrick Industries freighter bringing Sato Industries mecha-tanks to help Southern forces." He froze at the mention of his girlfriend's company, the realization hitting him like a probending earth disc, but Lin didn't seem to notice. "Happened thirty clicks outside the harbor, so it lands in our jurisdiction. Lu and Gang think the North is responsible, which adds up."

The deductions of those two weren't convincing at all. "We sure? Could be someone trying to set them up."

"If I want hare-brained theories from a beat cop on an investigation, I'll ask for one", Lin snapped, dropping the kind (for her) demeanor she'd had before. "Either go look for your brother, or return to your patrol, but leave the detective work to the detectives, got it?"

"Sorry, Chief."

Mako thanked his boss again for the first aid, then left, grateful she didn't see through his lie. He did want to find Bolin, but it couldn't be his priority right now. Not while the Cultural Center bombing remained unsolved along with this new attack on the ship in the harbor. 

He knew he'd need help to look into this, but who could he ask? If he found Bolin, his brother laughing in his face was realistically the best he could hope for. He had no idea where Korra was either, but she'd probably be angrier with him than Bolin was, if that were even possible. And Asami...

He'd been so focused on his brother's reaction that Mako forgot about how important the secret deal was for his girlfriend. She'd told him privately how worried she was about Sato Industries, how the company was hanging by a thread after everything her father had done. It was a precarious, delicate situation, and he had been the equivalent of a Komodo Rhino stampede. 

Mako couldn’t face her right now, and see the look of betrayal on her face. He’d have to go outside his usual circle of associates. And ask someone he really didn’t want help from.

They lived in a neighborhood that wasn't very familiar to Mako, he only knew they lived there because Bolin had visited a few times, not that he understood why his little brother wanted to spend time with them after everything that happened with them.

When he'd found where they were specifically it didn't take long for him to arrive, but he was thinking about what to say right up until the moment he knocked on their front door.

"It's open."

Mako entered as instructed, to a smaller apartment than he'd expected. Or maybe it just looked that way because of the hot tub taking up half the room, with Tahno as its lone occupant. "Well, you're probably one of the last people I expected to come through that door."

"Who'd you think it would be?", Mako asked. "Part of your entourage?"

"My friends are taking part in a probending charity match to help people affected by the Northern invasion."

Mako privately wondered if Varrick’s wallet would be considered a person for the event, but something in the room interrupted the thought. “Is that a marble statue of yourself?”

“It’s also a hat rack.” He’d never seen Tahno wear a hat before. “I assume you're here for reasons besides questioning my decorations?"

"I...need your help with something." The words left a bad taste in his mouth, like a meal of dumpster gruel Bushi had gotten from one of the more run down restaurants Republic city had to offer. 

The smug smirk that had infuriated Mako for years returned to Tahno's face. "Well, this is just an amazing turn of events. First, you show up unannounced looking like that, and now you're cracking jokes."

"I'm being serious."

"That's what makes it so funny", Tahno chuckled. "But speaking of seriousness, why, in the name of Aang, do you think I would help you?"

The entire time he’d known Tahno, the waterbender had an ego bigger than Republic City, Mako just had to find a way to stroke it to get what he wanted. He had been practicing his good cop routine, no better time than now to try it out. "I've always admired how good at probending, I...thought this would be a good chance for us to become friends."

Tahno stared at his fingernails while he spoke, not giving his full attention. "I don't think so. I'm friends with your brother, I'm friends with Korra, I'm even friends with your girlfriend. But you've never been interested in that before."

Maybe bad cop would work better. "Because I didn't forget those times you tormented me and Bolin."

There were plenty instances of his cruel pranks and bullying, but the two memories that stuck with him the most were when Tahno froze them against a training room wall overnight for Toza to find the next morning, and the time he'd stolen their change of clothes while they were in the locker room showers, leaving them to try to get back to their apartment with just the towels they had around their waists. In the middle of winter.

"I admit I was...unkind...to you two in the past. But, when I lost my waterbending...and other with it, my perspective on things changed. Something your brother seems to understand."

Maybe he had a point. Maybe losing his bending had helped him become a better person. But he didn't really care, either.

'I'm not Bolin."

"Obviously", Tahno said. "But speaking of him, I just thought of something. Why haven't you asked him for help instead? Why have you come here to ask me when you don't even like me?”

“I-”

He didn’t get a chance to lie or come up with an excuse. "Maybe because you blew the secret deal we had with General Iroh that he wasn’t supposed to talk to you about?"

Mako didn't bother with a lie. Tahno had him red-handed, and he knew it. "I guess if he was half as mad as Korra was, it would help explain what happened to your face."

"Where is he?"

"I honestly don't know." Seeing genuine concern from Tahno, for his brother of all people, was weird for Mako. "Is that what you need my help for? Tracking him down?"

"No, I need-"

"To make sure I stay quiet?” Now a different expression was on Tahno’s face: One of judgment, almost as infuriating as the smug smirk. "Makes sense, I don't think Asami could take another betrayal."

"Not that either, but you better keep your mouth shut", Mako snarled.

Tahno just laughed at the sudden aggression. "Do you make a habit of threatening people you want help from? I don't plan on telling her anything regardless, but do us both a favor and find someone else to get you out of whatever mess you got yourself into."

Finally something Mako agreed with Tahno on: coming here had been pointless. He didn’t want this visit to be a complete waste of time though, so as he left, he sent a fireball into the furnace that was heating the hot tub Tahno was sitting in, enjoying his yelps of pain while he walked out.

(-)

"There it is, the Southern Air Temple! Isn't it Magnificent?"

"It is", Bolin told Tenzin, breaking the silence that they'd had on the Sky Bison. 

After the game of "I Spy" Ikki decided to start while they were over the ocean, Meelo’s attempt at "Burp Bending", and Bumi's rendition of "Ninety-nine bottles of Sake on the wall", Tenzin had demanded they play the quiet game the rest of the trip. But that was over now as they saw the Air Temple from a distance.

It was like they'd stepped back in time to hundreds of years in the past. The towers of the temple had a crisp white color, adorned with a blue that reminded Bolin of the sea. He'd never really considered that there'd be Air Acolytes somewhere other than Republic City, but they must have worked tirelessly to restore this place to its former glory, since he could see red, orange, and yellow dots that he recognized to be the telltale robes as they got closer.

When Oogi landed, Tenzin helped Pema and Rohan dismount safely while his other children used airbending to get off, while three acolytes approached them, two carrying a large box.

The monk with free hands spoke. "Master Tenzin, good to see you!"

"You as well, Abbott Shung", Tenzin told him as he and his wife gave a small bow.

"Is there anything you need? Water? Dandelion greens? Perhaps you'd like to re-center yourself by meditating in the gardens?"

Tenzin politely declined the offers, but he was still presented with gifts: an refurbished head shaver that Bolin had no clue of how it would work, and a bouquet of flowers for Pema that were bigger than her, apparently fresh picked from the mountainside. 

The Abbott dismissed their "gratitude", saying "Anything for the people who brought us the next generation of airbenders."

Speaking of the next generation, Jinora and Ikki were already back to bickering, this time over a book that had been gifted, while Meelo had found a lemur he wanted to keep, naming him "Poki".

Bumi and Kya got off Oogi next, frustrated that nobody helped him with their luggage. A nearby acolyte apologized, telling them she thought they were servant’s, but they piqued her interest when they said they were Tenzin's brother and sister.

“Avatar Aang had other children? The world is filled with more airbenders?"

"We're not airbenders", Kya clarified with annoyance.

The acolyte didn’t bother to hide her disappointment, which made the siblings exchange a look that Bolin couldn’t quite decipher. 

But he was so focused on them that he lost his grip on Oogi. He would've face planted on the ground if he hadn't been saved by a cushion of air from one of the kids. Either way, it got the attention of the acolyte nearby.

"And who are you?" She asked, grabbing his luggage as he got to his feet, before suddenly gasping. "Are you another airbender? The offspring of a secret affair with Avatar Aang or Master Tenzin?"

"No! I'm just...a friend of the family."

"Oh." Then she tossed his bag back to him, followed by Kya and Bumi doing the same with their luggage, unofficially designating him as their porter for their family vacation. 

Once everyone's belongings had been put in their respective rooms, the tour began. Tenzin and Jinora took turns explaining areas and landmarks of significance, including statues of important airbenders, such as Monk Gyatso and Monk Kelsang, the caretakers of Avatar Aang and Avatar Kyoshi during their respective youths. 

The attendance dwindled over time though, with Pema going to put Rohan down for a nap, then Bumi and Kya went...Bolin wasn’t actually sure where they went. They just weren't there anymore as they went into a room filled with statues.

"What is this place?"

"The statue room", Jinora said in amazement. Not the most original name he'd ever heard.

"That's right", Tenzin told his daughter. "Here you will find statues of every Avatar who ever lived. Legend says that all the eyes in the room glow every time the Avatar enters the Avatar state. It's the most sacred place in the entire Southern Air Temple." 

Then he noticed people were missing. "Where are your brother and sister?"

A gust of wind from an air scooter gave him his answer. "You can’t catch me!" Meelo yelled to Ikki. "I'm the greatest air skater of all time!"

The boast was punctuated with a crash. "Meelo!" Tenzin ran after his son, hoping the statue wasn't of an important Avatar. Jinora didn't pay them any mind, and approached the stone recreation of her grandfather, while Bolin stayed back, wondering how the room got rearranged when there was a new avatar.

Jinora stared at the statue for a while, then wandered off some of the older statues of Avatars he didn’t recognize, giving Bolin a moment alone he'd been hoping for.

"Um, hi, your Avatar-ness." His nerves were already starting to get the better of him. "My name's Bolin. I don't know if Korra’s mentioned me, or if you already knew about me, I'm not sure how the whole past lives thing works. Anyway, I kinda screwed the polar bear dog, and now she's really mad at me. I know she's had trouble talking with you and all, but if you could figure out a way to help me out, I'd really appreciate it. I'll try to cut back on meat, and act more spiritual-like, too."

Bolin couldn’t think of anything else to add, so he did an awkward bow and left. There were air acolytes waiting outside that directed him to where they were staying and he fell asleep for the night.

The next morning, he went outside to be with the family, but only the adults were there, aside from the infant Rohan. Kya was feeding the lemurs, while Tenzin sat with his wife, watching the Sky Bison chew on some bushes that were growing on a nearby mountain.

"Ahhh", the airbender sighed in relaxation. "I haven't felt this at peace since-"

"Good morning, universe!"

"Aaaand it's over."

"Bumi please!", Kya yelled, covering her eyes. "The whole point of bathrobes is that we don't have to see that!"

But he took no action to appease his younger sister. "Good to see 'Vacation Tenzin' has finally decided to join us!"

"Yes, he has." Tenzin held Rohan for a while and cooed in his face for a moment. "I'm glad you two came along. Brings back memories of those great vacations we went on with dad?”

“I think your memory might be a little fuzzy there, Tenzin”, Kya told him.

“What do you mean? Don’t you remember that time we went to Kyoshi Island to ride Koi fish?”

"Wasn't fun for me", Bumi grumbled. "That Unagi almost ended up having me for dinner."

"To be fair, I do remember Dad telling you not to try and ride it", Kya pointed out, before frowning herself. "Not that I got to go, since I had healing lessons with Mom."

"That can't be right. What about when we went to Ember Island and built all those amazing things out of sand?"

"I never saw the place", Bumi reminded him. "I was in United Forces boot camp when you took that trip."

"And the only reason we went was to celebrate you being able to air scooter", Kya added. "Seriously, he spent the whole time fawning over you."

"I could've sworn..." Tenzin's voice trailed off, but he didn’t get more time to think back, with Jinora and Meelo approaching on air scooters of their own.

"There you are!", Pema said with relief and exasperation. But she noticed someone was missing. "Where's your sister?"

"Who?"

"Ikki", she told Jinora, putting a hand at waist level. "About this tall, talks super fast. I'm sure you remember her."

"Uhhh..."

"There was a big lemur fight!", Meelo interrupted. "But the bison told us not to worry because a giant was coming. Then we almost got eaten by a shark-squid!"

"The shark-squid? He's here? It appears my old nemesis has found me."

Pema didn't give Bumi's fear any acknowledgement. "Jinora, were you and Meelo teasing your sister again?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Yes."

"She ran away", Meelo clarified. 

Pema got red in the face. "We haven't even been here twenty-four hours! I don't understand why you kids can't just get along!"

Spoken like an only child.

"I'll find her", Tenzin told his wife while passing her Rohan. "Ikki can't have gotten far."

"All right", then Pema turned back to her present children. "No airbending until they come back. And you better be ready to apologize when she does!" Jinora and Meelo weren't happy with the punishment, but they knew better than to complain.

"Why don't we look for Ikki together?”, Kya suggested. 

"Commander Bumi reporting for duty!" The retired military man emphasized his dedication with a salute. "Search-and-rescue missions are my specialty."

"Why not?", Tenzin agreed. I'll take all the help I can get."

"Do you want me to come help you?"

"Why would I want that?", Tenzin replied.

"You just said you'll take any help. Never know when an earthbender might come in handy."

"Great, more bending”, Bumi griped.

“Fine, come if you want”, Tenzin told Bolin while he walked down the path his children arrived on. "Just...don't make too much noise."

(-)

Asami was running out of time. She had to find help, and fast, but she had no idea where Varrick, Mako, Bolin, or Korra were. She was heading to Tahno's apartment to see if he knew how to track any of them down, but when she got close, she saw...her boyfriend? 

"Mako?"

He looked at her, just as surprised as she was, but her face shifted to concern when she saw his.

"What happened to you?", she asked, running up to her boyfriend and cupping his face, careful to not irritate any of his injuries. His nose looked red and swollen, with tissues stuffed with tissue paper,  and bruising starting to form under his eyes.

"I'm fine, it looks worse than it feels." Then he gently moved her hands away. "A guy I was chasing caught me by surprise with a dirty elbow. Lin gave me a few days off in case I had a concussion. What're you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Tahno. I’ve been looking for anyone.”

“I just saw him, he’s...busy right now. What do you need?"

"Someone to help me with the shipment of my mecha-tanks that just got attacked." Asami’s frustration with the issue boiled over for a moment, but she calmed herself before talking again. "I was at the police station a little while ago, but the detectives there only talked to me for a minute, and it sounds like they made up their minds already without investigating."

"Yeah, that sounds like them", Mako agreed. "I heard about that attack before I left, how bad was it?"

"The whole shipment was stolen. If I don't get a sale or recover what they took soon, Future Industries is finished."

"Why do you need to find the tanks? Wouldn't insurance cover the losses?"

"No. Or at least not as much as they're worth." Asami could've had gone for a plan that would have fully covered any damage or stolen goods, but she'd have needed to cut worker wages or benefits to do it, and she wasn’t going to screw over the one part of her company that hadn’t abandoned her when everyone found out the truth about her father.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure." Asami was starting to panic. "This whole thing was part of a secret plan we had, but I don't know what's going with it, so I've been trying to find Varrick to figure out what to do, and-"

"Forget about Varrick." Mako’s voice was...unusually soothing. "What can I do to help?"

Asami realized she'd broken the agreement she’d made with the others to stay silent about their idea to help the South, but she needed to trust Mako right now. "I want to set up a trap to catch whoever stole my shipment. I can get Varrick to lend us a ship to do it, but we'll need people. Have you seen Bolin and Korra?

"They're...out of town."

"Then do you think you could convince Chief Beifong to have the police help us?"

Mako shook his head. "Even if she didn't tell me to go home and rest, I'm not supposed to be anywhere near this case. I could get kicked off the force if she finds out I went behind her back."

"We need more than the two of us to make it work, though. Mako, please. My mom's gone and my dad..." It felt wrong for Asami to still call him that out loud. "Future Industries is all I have left of my family."

He paused for a while to think. "Alright. I have an idea, but I need to go over some things first."

"Okay."

"On our way and when we get there, don't make eye contact or stare at anyone, don't pull out anything expensive, and let me do all the talking."

"Where are we going?"

"Some people I know from when I ran with the Triads", Mako confessed. 

"Are you sure?"

"No. But I can't think of another option."

Asami offered to drive them there by Satomobile, but Mako told her it'd get stolen or scrapped for parts if they left it unattended for more than a few minutes, so the couple traveled by foot instead. And although it took a lot longer, walking down the streets on Mako’s arm reminded her of one of the dates they'd gone one a few months ago. 

At least until they got to the slums. Asami had never been in this kind of neighborhood in person before, but it fit the descriptions of stories her father had told her of when he'd been young and poor. Many buildings were in disrepair, and the clothes of people they passed by were usually faded and ragged. Eventually they got to a street that was less run down than the others, and was absent of people, except for a young boy wearing a hat that gave a whistle when he saw her and Mako approaching.

"Skoochy. Been a while."

"Good to see ya, Mako", the boy told him. "What brings you back to this part of town?"

"Business." He pointed a thumb in the direction of the warehouse. "The guys all in there?"

"Maybe." Mako seemed to expect that kind of noncommittal answer and placed yuans in his hand as soon as it was outstretched. "Viper and Shin are in there, but the big guy is at his place on the other side of town."

Asami realized that area was where her estate was, with other mansions nearby. 

"Thanks."

"Thank me by not causing any problems. If you do, I’ll be the one in trouble.”

Mako went to the door of the warehouse, and knocked five times, in a manner different from the common rhythm. A slot on the door slid open, and a pair of eyes glared at them.

"Mako. You got a warrant?"

"Not here for anything like that. Got a proposition for you guys."

"Let him in." It was a different voice from the one guarding the door. The slot closed shut again and Asami could hear the sound of locks turning and objects being hidden before the door opened completely. They were led inside to a room where she and Mako sat in fancy chairs in between a small table, and facing a man in a seat more elegant than theirs.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Mr. Law and order himself. And he even brought his girl with him to meet the family."

"I think we're both a little busy for small talk, Shin", Mako told the man in a blunt manner. "I'm running an off-the-books operation, and I thought the Triple Threats might be interested in helping out."

"What kind of operation?"

Mako looked over to Asami, and she recognized the signal to start explaining the plan. "It'll be a sting. We're going to use a bait ship in the open ocean loaded with dummy equipment, then capture whoever attacks it and get back what was stolen before."

Shin pondered the idea. "Sounds solid, but we'll need something in return to go along with this. Perhaps some things in the police station evidence locker could go missing."

"I'm not doing that", Mako dismissed. "Besides, don't you already have dirty cops on the force to do that for you?"

"We did, until 'Little Miss Ceo's' dad here started blabbing about the bribes he'd made. Apparently all our contacts were looking for handouts from the billionaire too."

Asami’s discomfort at hearing her father’s name didn't go unnoticed by Mako. "I've got a better offer anyway. Since I'm personal friends with the Avatar, I could probably convince her to give you, Zolt, and Ping your bending back."

That part of the plan hadn't been discussed. Asami had no doubt that when these men had been able to bend, they'd used it to do horrible things. Would Korra be willing to give it back just for them to return to their old ways"

Shin appeared to be concerned about that too. "Bolin’s girl? Why should we believe a goody two shoes like the Avatar would be so eager to help some misunderstood folk like us?"

Asami smiled a little at the idea of Korra being anything remotely resembling a "goody two shoes", but Mako just leaned forward with a glare. "I can't think of another way you'd be able to waterbend again, Shin. And based on how no police informants have said anything about what happened to you and Zolt, I'm guessing you're trying to keep what happened with Amon a secret, and pretty desperate to get your bending back before a rival gang finds out and makes a move on your territory."

All the eyes that had been watching them when they came in bored into Mako.

"You overgrown street rat, do y-"

Shin held up a hand to silence his associate. "When did you get so cocky, kid?"

"I didn't get cocky. I'm just not eight years old anymore."

The gang member was silent for a while, then he cackled. "You really are something else."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Sure. We'll pull this off tomorrow night."

"Are you kidding me?" The man in a bluish gray suit and hat had an issue with the plan. "You gonna figure out what's in it for us before you agree for everyone?”

“The boss’ll get his bending back, what more reason do you need, Viper? Think about what’s good for the Triads.”

“Good for the Triads, or good for you?”, Viper challenged. “Everyone knows you’ve been eyeing the top spot, and now it looks like you’ll let this pig chicken play us to do it!” 

The two gave each other withering stares, so Mako took this as their cue to exit. "We'll...meet up with you tomorrow night at the docks. Looks like you two have some things you need to talk about."

Shady Shin agreed. "Good idea. This ain't something a lady like her should witness."

Asami almost felt obligated to object to the comment, but she remembered what Mako said and stayed silent while they left. They had their help they needed, but now they had to be careful to stay out of some much bigger.

Chapter Text

“Ikki? Ikiiiiiii?” 

Bolin had been listening to Tenzin yell his daughter's name for a few minutes now. It was starting to get on his nerves, but he knew better than to say that.

"Over here, dad!"

That high-pitched voice came from the bushes. "I think I found her, Tenzin!"

Bolin hadn't. "Just kidding, it's me!"

Tenzin groaned at his older brother's antics, while his sister approached from behind. "There's no sign of her anywhere near the temple."

"Why would Ikki run off like this?", Tenzin wondered. "It's not like her."

"Maybe she just needed some space. I know when me and my brother get on each other's nerves we just like to avoid each other for a while." Bolin winced internally, since that described exactly what he was doing right now without realizing until he’d actually said the words.

"I know what you mean”, Tenzin agreed. “But it's probably my fault."

"Probably."

"Excuse me?" He’d probably been looking for sympathy, but Kya didn’t offer any.

“I’m guessing you’ve been so focused on your ‘duty’ to Republic City, that you neglected your duty to your children.”

Bolin and Bumi giggled. “Duty.”

“What are you, five years old?”

“Seventeen.”

“I was talking to the man old enough to be your grandfather” , she clarified, looking at her brother with annoyance.

“You’re right, Kya”, Tenzin spoke, preventing a lecture. “I haven’t been spending enough time with them. I just wish I could be as dedicated a father as dad was to us."

His older sister groaned. "That's the problem, you're exactly as dedicated as he was. Dad was so concentrated on saving the world and doing his duty -don’t laugh- that he forgot to make time for us.”

“Dad didn’t forget about us. Every time he had to travel, he sent letters and pictures, and he always had gifts for us when he came back.”

“Yeah, usually because he missed something important”, Bumi pointed out to Tenzin. "Like a birthday, or a ceremony."

"And he didn’t always come home the same as when he left."

"What do you mean?" Tenzin glared at Bolin for speaking up, but Kya answered anyway. 

"There were times he'd been injured and he'd need a healing session from Mom when he got home." Then her expression sank a little before she spoke again. "A couple of times it was really bad."

"That’s ridiculous, I don't remember anything of the sort!"

"Because Mom and Dad didn't want you to see him hurt like that. You were really little. I only knew because I helped her when it wasn't too serious."

"While I babysat you and kept you away from where they were healing", Bumi revealed. Remember those rides on Appa I took with you over the city?"

Tenzin looked like he'd lost some of his innocence. "That's why we used to do Appa airtime?"

"Anything for Dad's favorite little airbender", Bumi teased, pinching his cheeks before he got pushed away. 

"He loved us all equally! All this talk of favorites, I could say you were Uncle Sokka's favorite, Bumi." Then Tenzin turned to his sister. "And the same of you and mother, Kya."

"We-"

But he didn’t let them interrupt. "And Dad was under a lot of pressure! What would you have him do, Turn his back on the world and abandon everything the Avatar stands for just so he could be at all your recitals?"

"I-"

Tenzin was basically ranting to himself now. "Why are we even talking about all this now, anyway? It all happened a long time ago."

"Because you seem to think we all had a perfect, happy-go-lucky childhood where nothing ever went wrong", Kya explained. "Well guess what? We didn't, and sometimes things weren't fun!"

"Enough. We need to focus if we're going to find Ikki before dark."

"You see that, Bolin?", Kya teased. "Classic airbender technique. Cutting and running when things get uncomfortable!"

"Yeah, did Dad teach you that one?", Bumi added.

Bolin decided it was better to keep his mouth shut rather than pile on, and followed Tenzin in searching for his daughter. 

(-)

“And that’s why they call me Two-Toed Ping."

"Because you have two extra toes", Asami realized, staring at the gangster's feet with a mix of being amazed and being a little creeped out. “But why don’t you go by Twelve-toed Ping then?”

“There was already one on the South side of the city”, Shady Shin told her. “And that guy won on the Lei Tai, so he got to keep the name.”

“Lei Tai?”

“It’s how groups like ours...settle differences. Only rule is that use of weapons or bending is agreed to beforehand. Other than that, anything goes.”

“I like to think I put up a pretty good fight, at least until I got this beauty mark right here", Ping told her while pointing to the scar on his face."

"You got that from an argument about a nickname?"

"He's lucky that's all that happened'', Mako explained. Nobody argued his point. "Daofei matches on the Lei Tai aren't over until the winner says it's over."

Asami felt uneasy at the implication of that rule, and she hoped Mako hadn’t been a firsthand witness to that sort of thing. Something else piqued her interest, though. "What’s a Daofei?"

Shin and Ping sputtered. “Mako never told you about the Daofei? Groups of outlaws that have existed for centuries? Sacred oaths that require being hacked to death with knives if broken? None of this rings a bell?"

Mako had told her that he'd been involved with gangs as a child, but none of what they were saying now made any sense. But from what he'd described, he'd only worked for them to survive on the streets, since he and Bolin had no better options.

The gangsters took her silence as a yes to their questions. “Figures. Now that Mister High and Mighty has a badge, he doesn't even wanna act like we exist. That's some gratitude, and after all we did for you and Bolin."

"You want to bring him up?", Mako challenged. "Fine. Let's talk about how you gave him jobs behind my back when you promised me you'd protect him."

The triads were caught off guard, and Asami hadn't expected him to say that either. From the little Mako told her about their Triad jobs, he'd never done more than running numbers with Bolin.

"Mako, come on. We didn't have him doing anymore than what you were doing."

"And I remember what you guys put me up to, so that's not really comforting, Ping."

"He wanted to do it", Shin argued. "And we had to do it too when we were your age, so what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that he's my little brother. I didn't want that life for him. For either of us."

"And that’s the problem with you, Mako. You wanna act like you're better than us. Ya think we didn't have dreams of a better life? I wanted to be a pastry chef!"

"And I wanted to get into probending too, but we already had criminal records, so that plan went kaput before it ever had a chance to go anywhere."

"I don't care about your crushed dreams any more than you care about Bolin", Mako snapped. "Just do the job you came here to do and keep an eye out for any ships approaching ours!"

Shin had been keeping a relatively friendly demeanor, but it was gone now. "Mako, buddy, I get that you're mad, but come on. Remember who you're talking to."

If her boyfriend was intimated, Asami didn’t see any signs of it.

"Alright, Shin, calm down", Ping intervened. "Mako didn't mean nothing by it. I mean look at him. He's obviously grumpy because it looks like he took a rock to the face."

A smile crept back onto Shin's face, though it looked more menacing now. "Yeah, it does. How'd that happen, anyway?"

Mako looked out into the bay. "Don't worry about it."

"Nah, come on, let us help you out for old times sake. Tell us who needs a new set of kneecaps."

"Nobody!"

It was hard for Asami to watch them treat Mako like that and not do anything, but he'd warned her beforehand that getting involved in a situation like this would only make it worse. 

"He probably doesn't wanna tell us because it's embarrassing", Shin figured. "What happened, did you try brown nosing Chief Beifong?"

Ping chuckled before piling on. No no, he must've been sticking his nose where it didn't belong!"

"Knock it off", Mako told them as they cackled.

"Then just tell us!", Shin told him through laughter. 

"It was Bolin, alright?"

"What?" Asami had blurted that out of shock, but if the gangsters thought Mako’s injury was funny before, it was hilarious now.

"N-No way!", Shin guffawed. "Your baby brother beat you up?"

Ping opened one of the doors and yelled inside. "Hey guys, it was Bolin!" More laughter. 

"Why didn't you tell me?", Asami cut in. "Wait, why did you lie in the first place?"

"Not here, Mako told her as he guided her to a different spot on the ship, away from the men too busy laughing to notice them walking away. 

This didn’t make sense to Asami at all. She couldn't even remember a time she saw Bolin even get angry, let alone do something like this, to his brother of all people. 

"So what did Bolin do?", she asked, now that they were in private.

"He punched me. Caught me off guard."

"Why? And how come you didn't just tell me that before?"

"I don't know. I just...didn't want you to worry. You're dealing with enough important stuff already."

"I can handle helping you with something like this too. You two patched things up yet?"

"No."

"Have you even talked to him?", Asami asked.

"I've got it under control."

She scoffed. "Obviously."

"I'll take care of this, you don't need to...hold on."

"Don't brush me off, Mako, let me-"

"Be quiet for a second", he whispered. 

Asami followed his instruction, but only because she was surprised that he'd cut her off in such a manner. So it was lucky she heard the same conversation he did coming out of a nearby door. 

"How much longer do we have to stay out here? She recognized the voice. It was Viper, but who was he talking to?

"For a few more hours", a different voice said. "Why, you got a hot date or something?"

"No, just bored."

"Well, too bad. We were paid to keep Mako and his lady friend busy, so that's what we're gonna do."

Asami and Mako backed away. "We gotta get out of here."

But they bumped into Ping and Shin before they could come up with an escape plan. "Where do you think you're going?"

Mako chose to dispatch Ping by tossing him overboard instead of answering his question. He managed to defeat Shin with firebending too, but not before he warned his friends. "They know!"

Then Mako used his firebending to release a speedboat attached to the ship, while Asami drove them back into the city, avoiding their pursuit as best she could.

Viper was hot on their heels, though. He'd managed to get a speedboat of his own to chase them, and to make matters worse, he was a waterbender in his natural element. He took full advantage of this, sending ice spikes that Asami had to dodge, and a geyser that sent her and Mako flying into the air. 

"He's getting closer", Mako noticed when they landed. 

"Not for long", Asami told him. She noticed two ships crossing paths, then steered between them before Mako could object. And when they looked back, Vipers boat was in pieces.

"We lost him."

"Yeah, but what were they distracting us-" Asami realized mid sentence. "Oh no."

(-)

Bolin was wondering how it had gotten dark out so fast. It felt like they had only started their search for Ikki a few hours ago.

"You know, this reminds me of a search-and-rescue mission I commanded years ago in the mountains outside of Ba Sing Se."

"Here we go", Tenzin groaned, not enthusiastic at all about hearing his brother's story. 

"For five days we scoured the beast of a mountain, fighting our ways through blizzards, sandstorms, and... three typhoons."

Even Bolin could see it was obviously a load of dung, but he was entranced.

"Finally, we found the men huddled in a cave, seconds from death. With no time to lose, I piled all twelve of those poor souls on my back and single-handedly carried them down the mountain to safety."

"And how exactly is that supposed to help us find Ikki?", Tenzin snapped, the instant after Bumi finished talking. 

"It was supposed to inspire you."

"Inspire me to what, fling myself off this cliff so I don't have to hear your drivel anymore?"

Bumi huffed. "Clearly you know nothing about being a leader of men. That's probably why the Avatar fired you."

"I'm sick of your far-fetched tales. Three typhoons?"

"Well, I might’ve thrown in an extra typhoon or two for dramatic effect, but-"

"Quit arguing and bring those lanterns over here", Kya interrupted. "I found footprints."

They all walked over, and sure enough there were child sized footprints that made a trail down the path. 

"Let's go."

"No, follow me!", Bumi yelled. "This'll get us down fifty times faster." He'd found some rocks that stuck out from the nearby waterfall, and he thought to use them to climb down.

Kya didn’t think it was a good idea. "Bumi, it's pitch black, and the rocks are slippery. Walk down with us or you'll hurt yourself."

"Oh, come on! If I can handle it, then it shouldn't be a problem for a few benders!"

"Fine." Kya descended the waterfall using her waterbending to guide her, while Tenzin jumped off, using airbending to cushion his landing. Bolin thought for a moment, then created a large rock that jutted out from the cliff to ride down safely.

Bumi growled, but his siblings seemed unbothered. "You were right, Bumi, that was way faster!"

"At least fifty times faster, by my calculations!"

"Oh, so Tenzin's the funny guy now."

"If you want an airlift down, just say the word!"

"I don't need your help. I've got everything under contraaaagh!" Bumi picked a bad time to lose his grip.

"I've got him!" Bolin tried to pull out a rock that would stop his fall, but he didn’t pull it out far enough, so Bumi's upper body ended up bouncing off it while he pinwheeled into the pool of water below. 

"Bumi!"

Kya didn’t voice her worry like Tenzin had, but she fished him out right away and started her healing. 

"You idiot", she fretted. "You're lucky you didn't get your head split open."

Bumi rolled his eyes. "You done with the lecture, Mom ? I'm fine, despite the help from 'Mister Rescue' over there."

"Sorry."

"Don't blame him", Kya intervened. "I told you those rocks were slippery. Over sixty years old, and you still can't let it go? You haven't changed one bit since we were kids. You're still trying to prove you can do everything a bender can. Well, you can't, so deal with it before you try something that'll get yourself killed."

"And you're not our mother. You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do. Deal with that. 

Kya released the water, letting it soak her older brother. "All right, fine. Good luck healing yourself with your special nonbending powers."

"Hey, hey, back me up here, Tenzin."

He didn’t give Bumi the support he was hoping for. "Kya's right. You're the oldest of us, but you always acted like the youngest. Instead I had to become the responsible one."

"You think you're the responsible one?" Kya asked as she walked over to Tenzin. "Where were you after Dad died and Mom was all alone? Because I was the only one who packed up and moved my whole life to be with her." 

"Sure, after years of flitting around the world, trying to 'find yourself'", Tenzin reminded her. "It was time for you to settle down somewhere. Even Suyin got her life together before you did."

Compelled by some force to say something even though every other part of Bolin told him to keep his mouth shut, he asked a question. "Who's Suyin?"

The response was simultaneous, from all three siblings. "Not now!"

Tenzin continued, now that the interruption had been dealt with. "I don't even want to discuss this with you two. Neither of you know what it's like to have the future of an entire culture on your shoulders!"

"Here he goes again with the savior complex."

Bumi agreed with his sister. "Yeah, poor you, flying around the world with Dad, riding on Elephant koi all day."

"Oh, so that's what this is all about."

"That's what it's always been about!", Kya yelled at Tenzin. "You keep acting like you're the only person who can carry on Dad's legacy.

"Well who else is going to do it?"

"How about all of us?"

"Yeah! We're Aang's kids too!", Bumi reminded him.

"That's a surprising change, considering you were acting like he didn't give a flying lemur fart about you two a few hours ago."

"Quit twisting what we've been telling you!", Kya told Tenzin. "You know, it wasn't even that Dad treated you like his favorite, it was that you kept trying to rub in our faces when we were kids."

"Well...that's only because you two would always tease me when I spent time with him!"

"Because we hardly ever got time alone like you did!", Bumi retorted.

"We all could've spent more time with Dad if you joined his lessons like he wanted!"

"We're not airbenders, remember?"

"He taught me more than that!" There were meditations, and spirituality, and the history of his people that were nearly wiped out! Dad wanted all of us to learn about it, but sure, keep acting like he's a bad father because he wasn’t able to be there for a birthday or two!"

"That's not what we..." Kya paused to collect herself. "I should've known you'd react like this, it was a bad idea to come on this vacation."

"I couldn't agree more", Bumi added. 

"Well I never wanted you to come along in the first place!", Tenzin told them. "All of you go back to the temple, I'll find Ikki on my own!"

"What did I do?" Bolin had no clue of how he'd ticked him off enough for him to tell him to leave.

"Just go!"

"Come on, kid", Bumi offered while draping his arm over Kya. "Baby brother isn't any fun to be around when he's in the middle of one of his 'Tenzin tantrums'." The youngest of the siblings didn't acknowledge the parting insult. 

Bolin followed the other two at a few paces behind, the walk quiet for a while, apart from everyone's footsteps and Pabu sniffing at his ear.

"Thanks, by the way", Bumi said out of nowhere. "For looking after Mom like that."

"Of course."

"I understand if you don’t want to tell me, but what happened to your Dad?" For all the stories and legends Bolin heard about Avatar Aang, he still had no clue how the man had died.

"We're still not entirely sure," Kya answered quietly. "We think it had something to do with him being in that iceberg for so long."

"Dad saw it coming, though", Bumi explained. "A few months before it happened, he started getting things set up. Having training compounds built in the North and South, making sure the White Lotus was prepped to find the next Avatar...while he kept getting weaker."

"Then, one morning, Dad couldn’t get out of bed", Kya said, choking up. "We took him outside so he could be next to Appa, got everyone together to say goodbyes, and..."

"I'm sorry", Bolin told them. "That must've sucked to watch."

"Mom was a wreck afterwards. She tried every healing technique she could think of to fix him, but none of them worked. Tenzin offered to have her stay on the Island, but I think it reminded her too much of Dad."

"You said she was alone, though. Didn't she have her brother Sokka?"

"Yeah, but he had responsibilities as Chief, and she needed someone that would be around all the time, so that's why I moved in with her."

All of this stunk. Aang must've loved all of his kids, right? So why were they fighting about it so much? And maybe he wasn't around all the time, but at least they'd had a Dad and Mom in their life. It was more than he and Mako had gotten.

Bolin didn’t want to see the family tear themselves apart, but he knew that he couldn't be the one to fix the issues they had.

Chapter Text

"It's over. Whoever paid the Triple Threats stole everything.”

When Asami pieced together why they were being distracted, they raced back to the mainland together to her warehouse. But when Mako opened it, they were too late, and all they saw inside were lights illuminating the floor where there'd been rows of Mecha-tanks.

“We should check out your other warehouses", Mako suggested. "Maybe they didn't have time to hit them all.”

“You don’t understand. Everything I had left was in here. Without it, I..."

"We have to search the place for evidence. If we can find a lead-"

"Mako...it doesn't matter anymore..." He'd never heard her sound so hopeless. 

"I can figure this out."

"Just stop. It's over. I give up."

"No, you won't." Asami looked back up at him, confused. "You've put in too much work to quit now." He'd been there for it all. The failed pitch meetings with potential investors, the prototypes that blew up in her face (sometimes literally), and the arguments she'd had with her accountant that they needed to cut costs in areas she refused to do so. But she always picked herself up and dusted herself off. "You're not giving up, and I'm not giving up on you."

Asami kissed him, then rested her head on his shoulders. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

But while he traveled back to the Sato Mansion and spent the night at his girlfriend's place, Mako didn't think she should be feeling grateful. It was his idea to go to the Triads for help, and on top of that, the lies were starting to pile up. How much longer before it all fell apart? He needed to fix this, fast.

So the next morning while Asami was still sleeping, he left and got started. 

Mako cursed himself again for trusting the gang he used to run with. Money had to be the top priority, and they'd always been like this, even before he and Bolin were out on the streets. 

When their parents were still around, they all lived together in a tiny apartment in a building owned by the Triads. It might’ve been one of their "legit" businesses, but as landlords they had no problem squeezing their tenants for everything they had, and he overheard a conversation between his Mom and Dad about tough choices they might have to make in relation to money. 

He'd never told his brother. Bolin wouldn't be able to let something like that go, and the only thing that was treated worse than a street rat was a street rat with a big mouth or a bad attitude. But they were older now, and strong enough to not put up with their bullying anymore.

He knew who to look for and where to look for them. When Zolt had concerns about the man's loyalty, he'd told Mako to trail him for a few days, and report back if he saw anything fishy. He hadn't noticed any weird behavior, but Mako remembered that he liked to spend a lot of time in a certain alley betting on dice, and that's exactly where he was now.

Mako decided to lay his hand on Ping's shoulder with a firm grip before introducing himself. "Got a lot of money there. Want to tell me who gave it to you?"

The other dice players stood up to intervene, but scattered when Mako flashed his badge. 

"Hey, Mako. Uh, you're not mad about last night, are you?"

"That depends on what you have to say now." Then Mako slammed Ping into the wall. "Who hired you to double-cross us?"

"I don't know. We never met the gal before."

"You expect me to believe that?" Then he produced a flame dagger in his hand, and ignored the feeling of hypocrisy. "Because I think you do know, and you're gonna tell me, or we're gonna have to change your name to 'No Toed Ping'."

"She showed up a while after you left, and said her boss would pay us to keep you distracted. We'd never seen her before, and we ain't seen her since. Come on, Mako, you know how these deals work. Please, I would never lie to you with my lucky toes on the line."

"What did she look like?"

"Short thing, brown hair, gray hair, tiny glasses, come on Mako, I'm telling ya all I know!"

"...Get out of here", he told Ping as he walked off. 

It can't be...gotta be a coincidence. 

Still, it's the closest thing he had to a lead, so he had to investigate. 

At the mover studio, Mako didn't really pay attention to Tahno's explanations of Nuktuk's "plot" or his preparations to get into character, but something about the "pyrotechnics" they were using.

He walked up to someone who was working on the set. "How did you rig those explosions to go off like that?"

"Neat, huh? It's a Varrick Industries exclusive." Then he passed Mako the detonator, and everything fell into place.

He rushed over to Future Industries, desperate to find his girlfriend. “Asami, I think-”

"Hello, Mako." He heard Varrick’s voice before he saw his face, but when he turned around in chair and saw the businessman's expression, Mako realized he got there too late.

"Mako, I'm so glad you're here! Varrick just saved my company."

"Really?"

"Yeah, he bought a controlling interest in Future Industries. Isn't that great?"

"Yep, I like to think I'm always there to stand up for the little guy", Varrick bragged. "Especially if that little guy can help this guy become a bigger guy."

"Wow, that's...great."

"I know, it's a huge weight off my shoulders." Mako could tell, he hadn't seen Asami this relaxed in a long time. "So what did you want to talk about?”

“Yeah, Mako”, Varrick added. “Got something to share with her?”

“I...think I have a lead on who set us up.”

“Oh. By the way you barged in I thought it’d be bigger news.

“I still have to do some more investigation to be sure. I'll let you know when I figure it out."

Mako couldn’t tell Asami...at least not yet. He didn’t have any hard evidence, just theories and unreliable testimony. If he was going to take this to Beifong, it had to be airtight. 

But that was complicated by Varrick’s new business venture. Was investing in Future Industries part of his plan, or to complicate things for Mako? He was probably crazy, but definitely not stupid, and the look he gave basically confirmed the man was onto him. He had to tread carefully now, for Asami’s sake as well as his own.

(-)

"Uh...Hey there, Dad. You're looking well."

Bumi had made sure to avoid the statue room during their original tour, but it made sense to stop by now.

He could probably convince the air acolytes to give him a ride back to Air Temple Island, and then he could pack up the rest of his things and try to get back into the United Forces. 

It would probably be something behind a desk or a token posting in the middle of nowhere, not a warship like before, but his name carries weight there. His own , not his parents. 

"Look, uh, I'm sorry I didn't turn out to be an airbender like you hoped." Tenzin didn't get it. Even Kya didn’t get it. While he'd read scroll after scroll, trying to learn bending forms in the hope of conjuring something, anything, they hadn’t even been born. Mom and Dad had always said they didn't care that he couldn't bend, they loved him just the same, but it mattered to him. He wasn't able to pass on Southern style waterbending like his little sister, or be the savior of airbending like his little brother. And as a result, they'd gotten special bonds with his parents he didn't have. Uncle Sokka helped, but still...

"I've tried my best to keep the world safe, though. Hope I made you proud."

"Of course he'd be proud of you, Bumi."

"Kya!", Tenzin yelped. "I-I was just, uh...cleaning off Dad's statue. "It's so dusty in here."

"Come here."

He accepted the offer from his sister. "Thanks, Kya. You always know when I need a hug."

"Now come with me, there's something I wanna show you."

He followed her, but she'd just led him to a room with two chairs next to a radio.

"Wow, a radio. Never seen one of those before."

Kya rolled her eyes. "Try talking into it, dummy."

He wanted to skip this whole charade and go to bed, but he humored her instead. "Hellooooo? This is Commander Bumi, talking into a radio for no real reason."

"Hello, Bumi."

"Mom!?" He needed a moment to collect himself after the shock of her voice. "What's going on? Is everything alright down there?"

"We're fine, for now. We've been busy trying to train as many healers as we can, but I'm worried about when the fighting starts. Anyway, that's not why I called." 

"Then why did you? Don't get me wrong, but it is kinda late."

"Bolin told me about what happened."

"Oh", Bumi grumbled. "Tattletale."

"He was trying to help, you dink", Kya chastised. 

"And I'm glad he called me. I had a feeling something like this would happen.”

“Then why’d you want us to come on this trip together if you thought we’d fight?”

“I didn’t want you to fight”, Mom explained. “But I did want you to talk about these things. You’ve kept them bottled up for too long.”

Bumi still felt reluctant to talk about Dad with her. All his life, she'd been the strongest person he'd ever known,the one person everyone could rely on, but she'd fallen apart when Dad died. 

She must have picked up on the concern. "I had issues with your father too, you know. His absences were difficult for me as well, and I think that and Tenzin’s training affected things more than he wanted to admit.”

“No kidding.”

“That’s not what I mean. Do either of you remember him being strict with you, or giving you a lecture when you got punished?”

Now that Bumi thought back on it, he couldn’t really recall a time. When he did get in trouble, which was often, Dad usually just stood there with a stern face while Mom was the actually angry one. He always knew who would be good cop and who would be bad cop. His friends never understood why he found his mother more intimidating than the actual Avatar.

"He knew the time he spent with Tenzin wasn't fair to you two", Mom continued. "So he was more...lenient at times than what I thought he should be. We argued about it, but he was worried that if he was harder on you, he'd end up pushing you away."

"Gee...well now I feel like a jerk."

"I didn't tell you that so you'd feel bad. It was completely fair that you wanted more from him, and he agreed with that. I just wanted you to know that me, you...all of us. We meant everything to your father."

"We know, Mom", Kya added. "And we love Dad too, it's just..."

"We wish things had been different", Bumi finished. 

"So do I", Mom agreed. "But I wouldn't trade the time we all shared for anything, and neither would he. You know, he told me when he was off saving the world, your Dad thought about all the memories we had together, and he couldn’t wait to come back and make more."

Bumi thought back on his own time with his father, even though it wasn't as much as he wanted. "I remember back when I joined the United Forces, I expected him to suggest joining the Air Acolytes again, or try considering something more Zen-y or whatever. But he just told me he was glad I found my own path, and that I’d be keeping the world safe when he wasn’t around anymore.”

“When I was finally ready to tell Dad...the truth...”, Kya added. “...I was so scared of how he’d react. But he just hugged me, said he was so glad he finally told me, and that he couldn't wait to meet the lucky lady."

"He was probably more surprised that it was Tenzin that started dating Lin instead of you", Bumi teased.

"Oh, shut up."

"Speaking of baby brother, though..."

"He'll come around", Mom encouraged. "It was good that you told him about these things, even though he didn't want to hear it."

"Told you he was sensitive", Bumi reminded her. 

"And even if he is, you shouldn't let what happened before affect your relationship now."

"...We won't, Mom."

The next morning, Bumi just stood by Kya, watching Meelo try to train his new lemur. 

"Aw, come on Poki! Just roll over once! Pleaaaase?"

That would never work. If he'd learned anything from his time in the military, it was that you had to establish dominance, command respect. But Meelo didn't go to good ol' Uncle Bumi for help, he went to Bolin instead. 

"How'd you get Pabu to behave so well?"

"Oh, he ain't that well behaved." The fire ferret seemed to agree, since he was on top of Bolin’s hair, pawing at the curl that came down on his forehead. "But I suppose we've been best buds ever since I saved him from being pythonaconda food."

Then the boy turned to his mother. "Mom, can-"

"We're not feeding your pet lemur to a pythonaconda", Pema told him, before turning to Bumi. "Or a shark-squid."

"You never let me do anything!"

"There you are!" Pema wasn't talking to Meelo anymore, but Ikki and her husband. And when she was done hugging her, she turned to her other children. "Do you have something you want to say to your sister?"

"I'm glad you're back, Ikki", Meelo told her.

"Me too", Jinora added. "Sorry we teased you."

"It's okay. Wanna play airball?"

"Yeah!"

"That'll have to wait", Tenzin interrupted. "We're expected at the Eastern air temple by tomorrow afternoon, and we need to get prepared to leave by morning, so go ahead and pack."

The children (and Bolin) grumbled, but they did as they were told. Bumi and Kya were about to do the same, but their brother told them to hang on.

"I want to apologize for how I acted yesterday. I suppose that in my desire to celebrate Dad I may have overlooked parts of him and our childhood that were...less than ideal."

"And we're sorry for dumping our frustrations with it out on you", Kya told him.

"There's more. You were right that we should all be carrying on Dad's legacy together. You're his children just as much as I am. And we should be spending more time together doing it than we have been."

"Awwwwwww."

"Be quiet and come here." They accepted Kya's offer of a hug, then she pulled out an old photograph. "I've been meaning to show you guys this. Mom gave it to me before we left."

They all looked so young. Tenzin couldn’t have been more than one, so Bumi must've been about thirteen, and Kya four. "That's one good looking family."

"That's one happy family."

(-)

Korra finally awoke with a gasp. She glanced around seeing she was in some sort of net, surrounded by water. "Where am I?"

"You don't remember?" She looked up, and saw an old woman and fire sages looking down at her through a person sized hole.

"I'm Avatar Korra.”

The woman looked to the sages. "Bring her up." 

While Korra was lifted out of the pool, the woman explained. "You're on Bhanti Island. Do you know where that is?"

She'd heard of it before, but Korra wasn’t able to recall much information. "I think...the Fire Nation?"

"Close", the woman chuckled. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, but I'm guessing you're in charge." She felt guilty for not knowing the name of who saved her.

"No apologies necessary, our last meeting wasn't in your lifetime. Did you get what you needed from Raava?"

"You...know about Raava?"

"I am the shaman of this island, and my ancestors settled here during her time with Wan", the woman explained as they walked the halls of the temple together. "Ever since, we've kept ourselves dedicated to serving her and the Avatar across all four nations ever since."

"Really?"

"Well, you also talked in your sleep down there."

Korra didn’t have time to dwell on that embarrassing revelation, the fate of the world was at stake. "So if you know about Wan and Raava, then you must know about Vaatu and Harmonic Convergence. How long have I been away?"

"That I cannot say, but you do not have much time left. The Harmonic Convergence is only weeks away." 

"Then I need to get to the Spirit world as soon as I can to close the portal."

"We will continue to assist you if you choose to stay here", the shaman offered. "But we can still help if you want to go elsewhere."

Then they came out of the temple to a grass clearing filled with grazing sky bison. "We've been raising this herd of air bison since before the Hundred Year War. I never thought I'd be able to present one to another Avatar."

Now Korra remembered where she'd heard of Bhanti Island. This had been where Aang discovered that the Sky Bison hadn't been wiped out with the Air Nomads. The sages here had chosen isolation long before the war started, so the Fire Lords hadn't noticed the original airbenders being hidden right under their collective noses. 

Though they'd taken a massive risk doing that. Not fully embracing the propaganda of spreading their empire to the other nations had been...tolerated due to their remote location, but harboring these animals would've been considered a treasonous act that incurred the full wrath of the Fire Nation. 

But they'd been careful and they waited, until after the war when the sages sent out a message to Avatar Aang, so that sky bison could return to the Air temples with the newly formed acolytes, and Tenzin would have one of his own when he came of age. 

Tenzin. She'd probably (definitely) need to apologize, but Korra couldn't think of a better person to help her into the Spirit World.

"I can't begin to thank you enough for what you've done", Korra told the shaman as she mounted one of the bison.

"You do not need to. Our tribe has not flinched in our duty for the past ten thousand years, and we will not flinch now.” And Korra knew she could not waver from her duty either.

Chapter Text

“Gotcha!”

“There you are, Jinora.” Tenzin had finally found his daughter...talking to herself? 

"Were you playing with someone out here?"

"Oh, just some...imaginary friends."

She was a little bit old for that, wasn't she? Jinora was still giggling for some reason, but he decided not to press her on it. "Well, come on then, everyone's waiting."

"Stop telling lies, Bumi!"

Spirits, were they still arguing about this?

"It's true!", his older brother told Kya. "I really did beat an earthbender in a rock throwing contest.”

“Like the time you beat Uncle Iroh at Pai Sho?”

“I didn’t say I beat him, just that I put up a good fight! Besides, I got a trophy to prove it this time.”

Tenzin decided to nip that conversation in the bud. “All right, who's ready for an exciting tour of the Eastern Air Temple? We've got a lot to see today, including ancient statues, ancient gardens, and the meditation hall used by ancient airbenders.”

His children weren’t as enthusiastic. “How come we have to walk around looking at old things all day while Bolin gets to stay in his room?”, Ikki whined.

“Bolin?” Now that he’d thought about it, he hadn’t seen the boy all morning.

“Thought he deserved to sleep in”, Pema explained. “Kinda owed him after he changed Rohan last night."

"Uh, hi."

Tenzin looked at where the voice came from, and he couldn’t believe who it was. "Korra?"

While he was in disbelief, everyone else was excited. "Korra!"

"What are you doing here?", Pema asked.

"And how did you find us?", Kya added.

"Tenzin's itinerary", she explained, while hugging the kids. We went over it like a hundred times before we left Republic City."

"See, this is why schedules are important", he reminded his siblings. 

"It's so good to see all of you."

"It's great to see you too, Korra, but why aren't you in the Fire Nation getting help to fight Unalaq?"

"...How'd you know about that?"

"Bolin filled us in on what happened before we left for the Southern Air Temple. Ever since then we've been out of touch with the outside world."

"Tenzin's idea", Bumi clarified.

Now it was Korra’s turn to be surprised. "Bolin? Is he here?"

"Still sleeping, probably", Tenzin grumbled.

"Meelo?", Pema asked. "Can you get Bolin and tell him to come outside?"

"Use airbending if you have to!", he told his son as he scurried off to complete the task he'd been given. 

"Yay!"

"So what happened?", Kya asked Korra.

"So much. I-I don't know where to even start."

"Just go from the beginning", Tenzin encouraged.

"Everything? Alright." Then she took a deep breath. "I opened a spirit portal at the South Pole, but then Unalaq turned out to be a bad guy and wanted to take control of the South, so I sort of started a Civil War, but when I went to find some help, I was attacked by my cousins, and then by a giant dark spirit, and then I forgot who I was, and then I met the first Avatar, the light spirit Raava, the dark spirit Vaatu, and then I realized I shouldn't have opened the portal in the first place, and now I need to close it again!"

Tenzin paused for a moment to take in what she'd just said. "I knew this would happen."

(-)

"Up and at em, maggot!"

"W-" Bolin didn’t get a chance to get a word out before he got blasted off his bed and onto the floor, terrifying Pabu enough to scamper out of his bedroom. 

"What are you-" he was interrupted again, but this time by the tiny whistle Meelo kept around his neck.

"I'm not interested in your excuses! Mommy and Daddy want you outside so get out there on the double, mister!"

"But-" More whistling. Apparently he'd picked up a few things from Bumi's lemur training lessons. He'd have to figure out how to thank him for that, but revenge would have to wait.

He had to skip his hair routine if they wanted him out there as quickly as Meelo implied. He thankfully still had fresh clothes left, but they were wrinkled thanks to a rushed packing job.

"Tenzin, I'm sorry I overslept, but did you really need to send Meelo in there to...Korra?"

Korra was here . Right now, in front of him, and he hadn’t prepared for this at all. He'd been so focused on the old Avatar drama that he'd forgotten his own with the new one.

And now she was running up to him. Oh man oh man oh man. What was she going to do? Yell at him, slap him, bend him, hug him and plant a big kiss on his lips, whaaaaaa?

“Bolin, I missed you so much!"

Well, this was going much better than he could've ever hoped. "H-Hey Korra, I missed you too. So, you're not still mad at me?"

"Why would I be mad?"

Huh? "We...had that fight before you left? Don't you remember?"

"No, not really. I got attacked by a dark spirit while I was gone, and I lost my memory for a little while. Maybe it hasn't all come back yet. Was it a bad fight?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."

This was it. His get out of jail free card. They could move past this whole thing, stay together, get married, have a bunch of babies and...

No he couldn’t. It wouldn’t be the same. This wasn’t like he’d left the toilet seat up, he’d screwed up big time. And hiding it from her...

It wasn’t as if he was the only person who knew about it either. There was Mako, Tahno, Varrick, and probably Asami too. He couldn't expect them to go along with that.

And relying on her not remembering felt like begging for trouble. If Korra had been that mad for breaking his promise in the first place, how bad would it be if- no, when she found out he tricked her into thinking it never happened? 

Trust in what you and Korra share together.

“Can we...talk in private for a minute?”

“Um, sure.” She definitely looked nervous now, almost as much as Bolin was.

He was able to fix his hair a bit and get some of the wrinkles out of his clothes, but his room was still a mess when his girlfriend walked in. “What happened here?”

“Sergeant Meelo”, Bolin explained, while motioning to Korra to sit on his unmade bed. “So, what do you remember from when we got back to Republic City after the civil war started?”

“Varrick had a meeting with President Raiko set up, but before it happened the Southern cultural center got blown up”, She told him while he sat next to her. “But after that, everything’s fuzzy until my cousins and the dark spirit attacked me in the middle of the ocean.”

At least he didn’t have to break the news of the bombing to her. “Wait, you got attacked by your cousins and a dark spirit?”

“Yeah, and the only thing I really remember from that is that I wanted to strangle Eska with my bare hands.”

Bolin hoped she still wasn’t in a strangling mood now. “Well, Raiko didn’t want to send the United Forces, so Varrick cooked up a plan to get General Iroh to help us without the president's help. But you and Mako had been arguing a lot, so I promised I wouldn't tell him about it."

"Okay."

"But Mako got suspicious when I talked to him later, and he promised he wouldn't say anything either, so...I told him, and he had to tell Raiko."

"...Oh." Korra's eyes weren't glowing and there weren't a bunch of other voices, but this almost felt worse. She just looked...so disappointed. 

"So yeah, I'd guess it was a pretty bad fight."

"Yeah...", she said quietly. Her hand was on the bed, about a foot away, and Bolin wanted to grab it and beg for forgiveness, but he took a deep breath instead.

"Look, I know that just saying 'sorry' doesn't make up for breaking my promise, or what happened because of it. But whatever you need me to do to stop your uncle and his dark spirit army, I'll do it, no matter what it is. And afterwards, if you want to just be friends, or...go our separate ways, I get it. I just want you to know I love you, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right."

Korra didn’t say anything. She kept her eyes on the ground, looking at...Bolin wasn’t sure.

He sighed, then stood up. "We should probably get back out there before Tenzin sends Meelo in here again."

"Wait." Her hand had grasped his wrist, and though it wasn't a tight grip, Bolin didn’t feel capable of moving.

"It was hard to hear, but I'm really glad you told me. And whatever happens, with Unalaq, or whoever else, I want to do it together."

Bolin felt a tiny spark of hope. "Like, 'Team Avatar' together, orrrrrr?"

Korra's kiss answered the question, but she spoke again. "Together together."

Yes. "Yes. Yes! Ohhhh, thank you Aang."

"Aang?"

"I might’ve prayed to a statue of him that you wouldn't dump me." Korra just giggled at his explanation. "Can I just stop embarrassing myself and kiss you again?"

"Yes, you may", she told him as their lips connected again.

But the door slid open in the middle of their moment. "Korra, we need to- oh, for goodness sake."

It wasn’t as embarrassing as last time, but still awkward. "Uh, pretty sure the door was closed, Tenzin?", Korra pointed out. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Yes, well, you also said you were just in here to talk. " Bolin felt his cheeks redden a little more at the reminder. "Are you ready to focus on the task at hand, or do I need to drag one of you out by the shirt collar again?” He did not.

When they were back outside, Tenzin continued. “So, you said you learned about Raava and Vaatu through the first Avatar? Did you see my father as well?”

“Yes. Well, kinda. Him, Roku, Kyoshi, and Kuruk. They told me to regain my connection with the Avatar spirit. I didn’t know who they were, though, my memory was still scrambled.”

“Oh.” That must’ve felt anticlimactic compared to what he must have been hoping for

“Tenzin, I...have a confession to make. Before this, I hadn’t been able to talk to Aang, or any of the other avatars for a while.”

“What? For how long?”

“Since he showed me how to energybend at the South Pole.”

“That was months ago, Korra!” Then her airbending instructor turned to Bolin. “Did you know about this?”

“Um...”

“You didn’t think that was worth mentioning when I said Korra should consult with my father?”

“Well, what would you have been able to do about it?”, he argued. “It’s not like you were still her spiritual advisor!”

“Oooohhhh!” Bumi looked like a little kid that’d just seen a sibling backtalk his parents.

“It’s not his fault, Tenzin”, Korra interjected. “He didn’t know until the Glacier Spirits festival, and I didn’t want him to say anything because I was angry about you keeping me locked up in the South to train. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

"I...suppose I've made mistakes as well." He was calm, but definitely still unhappy. "But we need to fully cooperate now to stop Unalaq.  Now, please come with me, so we can fully discuss what happened with Wan."

(-)

"Father, what are we doing here?" Eska had despised the first journey to the spirit forests, and she'd had no desire to ever return. 

"You're here to straighten out the mess you caused when you failed to capture the Avatar", he told them.

"I told you, that wasn't our fault", Desna argued.

"You're right. My mistake was trusting you in the first place to capture someone as powerful as her."

"We would've accomplished this if one of your dark spirits hadn't gotten involved."

"I don't control all the dark spirits", he angrily explained. "I am merely cooperating with some of them to ensure the release of Vaatu. You would know that if you had been paying attention!"

Their spiritual knowledge had never really sat well with father. It had been tolerated when they were children, but when Grandfather passed and father became chief, he'd become more demanding of them. She and Desna didn't fully understand their father's goals, but they trusted his judgment. 

"We won't let you down again, father."

"Good, because I'll need your help to open the northern portal."

"You said only the Avatar could do that", Desna reminded him.

"I suspect there is another way. And if the Avatar is truly dead like you believe, then we have no other option.”

As they crossed through the portal, Eska looked around at the battlefield of the fight ten thousand years ago. Apart from the two portals and the tree of time, it looked desolate, lifeless. Perfect.

“So how do you plan to open the portal when the spirits haven’t been able to for ten-thousand years?”

“We have an advantage they do not have with our physical bodies. Our bending." Father summoned a stream of water and tried to pierce the portal, while Eska and Desna did the same. 

But it showed resistance. In fact, it actually fought back, sending an energy wave that disrupted their streams and knocked her brother backwards.

"Desna!"

"He'll be alright, stay focused!"

Eska wondered how father would tell, since he'd barely given him a backwards glance. He was still conscious, and in considerable pain.

"Father, he needs a healer at once!"

"Just hang on, I'm so close!"

What had gotten into him? They had no idea what kind of damage spirit energy could do, so why was Father dismissing this? Desna’s life could be in danger, would he really risk letting his son die just to open the portal? She wasn’t going to wait to find out. "I'm taking him back!"

Father finally looked back, groaned in frustration, and dropped the stream. "Put him down and let me look."

(-)

Now that Korra had finished explaining the origins of the Avatar to Tenzin, he began his questions. “So Avatar Wan imprisoned this dark spirit Vaatu in the Spirit World? And you think what your uncle is doing with the spirit portals is related?”

“It has to be. The whole thing felt like when Aang showed me Yakone’s trial. I’m worried that if the portals are open, Vaatu will escape again when Harmonic Convergence comes.”

“Korra, do you think it’s possible that Unalaq knows this and is trying to intentionally release Vaatu?”

“I don’t think so. He knows more about the spirits than anyone I’ve met, he has to know what kind of damage Vaatu would do if that happened.”

Tenzin wasn’t as convinced. “I’m not so sure. He's always seemed hungry for power."

"How did you know my Uncle?", Korra wondered. 

"I knew of him before since he was Chief, but we never met in person until you were discovered as the new Avatar. He was...insistent that he become your spiritual advisor?”

“Why were you chosen instead of him? No offense.”

“None taken. There was no debate that my mother would be your waterbending sifu when your teachers were chosen, and she recommended that I be your spiritual guide, since I was the only choice for airbending master and the two were so intertwined. There was some debate, but your father and the rest of the White lotus agreed to choose me instead of your uncle.”

“My Dad?”

“His voice carried weight as the Avatar’s father, and he was next in line to become chief after my Uncle, though there still hasn’t been an official ceremony since he passed. We all expected him to support his brother’s case, but I think they had a...complicated relationship.”

No kidding. “My mom said they used to be close, but they had a falling out after Dad destroyed the spirit forest in the North and got banished.”

Tenzin raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I never knew that.”

“He didn’t even tell me until we went on the trip to restore the southern portal. I was so angry that he’d done that and hid it for so long, and I...did exactly what my uncle wanted me to do. This is all my fault.”

“This is Unalaq’s doing, not yours. Now, we must focus on setting things right before he can do any more damage. 

“Thank you.”

“So, how do you plan on getting to the portal in the south with Unalaq’s army there?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. My best chance is to go to the spirit world and close the portal from the inside.”

“I’ll help you. All my years of spiritual training have prepared me for this moment.”

Then they explained their plan to the rest of the family. “I guess vacation time’s over”, Kya glumly responded.

“What kind of attitude is that?”, Bumi wondered. “Saving the world sounds like the perfect way for Aang’s family to have a vacation! We’ve even got Dad here to help out!”

“Can you please stop calling her that?”, Bolin begged, cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

Their first attempt to enter the spirit world was in a forest, close to the garden where Aang had learned from Guru Pathik. Ikki and Meelo played instruments to encourage a relaxed state, while everyone else sat in meditation positions. 

Tenzin gave up on the location though, since Meelo was apparently clanging his bell at inappropriate intervals. 

The next spot was on top of a statue that overlooked the entire forest while the sun set, with Kya burning incense. But again, it wasn't good enough. 

"Kya, this is too much smoke!", Tenzin coughed. It feels like the forest is on fire, you set it up wrong!"

"I did what you told me to do", his sister argued.

"Well, now the moment's ruined."

"We could've tried a little longer", Korra pointed out.

"It's getting late anyway. We'll try again tomorrow in the Yangchen hall with a full night's rest. There's a spot close by where we can set up camp."

By the time they got a few tents and other supplies from Oogi's saddle and finished putting things together, the setting sun had been replaced with a clear night sky. There were plenty of stars to stare at, which was just what Korra was doing as Bolin climbed up to join her on the bison's back.

"Hey you."

"Hey." At least they were getting to spend a little time close together now, since Tenzin had made sure that their tents were as far apart as possible in their makeshift camp.

"Watcha thinking about?"

"This whole thing with Raava and Wan."

Bolin chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"The first Avatar was named 'Wan'? What was the second Avatar called, 'Tu'?"

It was kinda ironic, now that Korra thought about it. "I don't know, I only saw what happened with Wan. It just...puts it all in perspective."

"Puts what in perspective?"

"Being the Avatar. I always heard so much about Aang, and the couple that were before us, but there's been Avatars for ten-thousand years. And there's gonna be Avatars for the next ten-thousand. As long as we figure out this whole Vaatu thing."

"You mean a Avatar for the next ten-thousand years."

"I can't be immortal, Bolin."

"But you can try to be. Please?"

"I'll do my best. Anyway, I've been trying to fill the shoes of the Avatar before me, but... it's so much bigger than that, than any one of us. Kinda feel...insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

"Hang on." He'd been laying next to her while they talked, staring at the night sky together, but now his face hovered over hers. "First off, nobody who ever met you would call you insignificant, okay? Plus, you're like, Korra, and that's way more important than just being the Avatar."

"That's sweet", she told her boyfriend, pulling him down for a kiss. "But I'm fine, really."