A/N: I don't own The Legend of Korra or any of it's characters. I only own my characters and plot for this story. Hope you guys enjoy!(:

"For a split second they stared at each other. A fleeting, lasting moment. One person noticing another person out of a whole crowd of strangers." – Alexandra Potter

When Strangers Meet


Bolin sighed as he sat on a snowy street corner in Republic City, he had been thinking about Korra again and it was really starting to put him down. He hadn't seen her in almost four years and he still couldn't get the young avatar out of his mind.

So much had changed during those four years but Bolin felt almost the same, like he'd hardly changed at all. After a serious relationship with Korra, which ended in heartbreak for both, Mako had come across Asami and managed to patch things up with her. The two were now married and expecting their first child this spring.

Not much was known about Korra after her relationship with Mako ended. The heart ache had finally begun to lessen for Bolin and he had started to get close to Korra again when she just disappeared one night. Tenzin told them that Korra had left Republic City saying she needed to travel around and discover her true purpose as the Avatar.

Shortly after she left Bolin stopped pro-bending and joined the police force and learned how to metalbend, but other than that nothing had really changed for Bo other than the fact he was growing into an extremely handsome and some-what more mature young man.

Since being a police officer hardly paid for his expenses Bo had been living with his brother and Asami in their large apartment until he made enough to live on his own. Life went on and for a while he didn't really think about Korra as much anymore.

Then, a few weeks ago he and a few of his buddies on the force were listening to the radio while on a break and there was a segment where Korra talked about how since she was a fully realized avatar she could help more than just Republic City and all the work she had done with one of the founders of Republic City, Fire Lord Zuko, and his daughter, the current Fire Lord, to help restore what was still destroyed in the Eath Kingdom and increase Fire Nation trading with other nations.

Since that moment Avatar Korra was constantly on the young Earthbender's mind. So, here he sat in the dead of winter among the icy streets of Republic City and cursed himself for thinking about Korra once again. He had hurt over her for far too long and he was really getting sick of it. He needed to get over her, but how? How could he get over the only girl he thought would ever matter to him?

As if to answer his internal inquiring he felt someone tap him on the shoulder and heard the sweetest voice he had ever come across, "Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you but it seems like something is really troubling you."

Suddenly taken from his thoughts it took Bolin a moment to gather himself before he turned to face the source of the voice and was met with the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

Bo stammered incoherently for a moment before finally managing to form a complete yet rushed sentence, "Uhm, yeah thanks but I uhm it's nothing… Are you new to Republic City? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."

He found it hard to speak; he thought Korra's eyes were beautiful, but they were nothing compared to the pure sapphire orbs he found before him. The girl smirked and Bolin finally found he was able to take in her full appearance.

The strange girl was obviously from one of the Water Tribes, with her flawless caramel skin, pure blue eyes, and mocha tresses pinned in an intricate pile atop her head that he could only assume was Water Tribe. She was even dressed in the thick blue furry coat he had seen members of the Southern Water Tribe wearing when he, Mako, and Asami went with Tenzin, his family and Chief Beifong to see Korra after Amon took her bending over four years ago.

"Yes," she replied shyly, "I just arrived here from the Southern Water Tribe this morning to stay with my aunt and uncle."

"Oh, uh well welcome to Republic City! I'm Bolin but you can just call me Bo, or Bolin or Bo-miester or whatever you want." Bolin said nervously rubbing the back of his head and internally cursing his stupidity and rambling.

The girl giggled, "Kyra,"

"What?" Bo asked her confused.

She laughed again and shook her head, "My name is Kyra."

"Oh," he replied embarrassed, "well it's nice to meet you, Kyra."

She stuck her hand out which Bolin quickly shook, "It's nice to meet you too, Bolin." She said to him with a soft smile, "So, what do you do here in Republic City?"

"Well, uhm I'm a member of the police force here." He stated proudly trying to ignore the funny feeling in his stomach and the tingling in his hand from where Kyra had touched him.

Kyra gasped and her face lit up in excitement, "So you're an Earthbender?" she asked him eagerly, he nodded.

She squealed and jumped up and down, "I've always wanted to meet an Earthbender!"

Bolin grinned, "Yeah, Earthbending's pretty awesome. Would you like me to bend something for you?"

Kyra looked up at him, "I would love that!"

Bo smiled and took out a piece of metal he always kept in his pocket that he bent whenever he needed something to occupy his mind and held it in the palm of his hand. He watched Kyra's face as she sat there in awe of him while she watched him bend the metal into a bracelet.

"Here," he said holding it out for her to take.

She beamed up at him, "It's wonderful, thank you so much Bolin!" she said taking the bracelet from him and placing it around her small wrist.

"It was nothing, really-" he was cut off by Kyra throwing herself into his arms and hugging him.

Bolin smiled, enjoying the feeling of her warm body against his in the cold and hugged her close. As they pulled apart Kyra found herself getting lost in Bo's beautiful green eyes as they met. He was by far the nicest guy she'd met in Republic City since she arrived and for some inexplicable reason it pained her to know she would have to say goodbye to him soon. Bolin sighed, he really didn't want to leave Kyra but it was almost time for him to go to work and he still had to swing by the apartment.

"I really hate to leave you here to navigate the city all by yourself but unfortunately I have to get to work. Someone's gotta be there to catch all the bad guys in Republic City." He said the last part playfully, earning a small smile from Kyra.

"Work hard. I guess I'll see you around, Bolin." She said with a smile and a wave before walking around the nearest corner with a final glance his way.

"Yeah, see you around." He mumbled as he watched her disappear.

Boling shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. What had just happened? Had he actually found someone who was more beautiful than Korra? He shook his head again. It wasn't that either of them was more beautiful than the other, but that they were beautiful in completely different ways.

Korra was strong, independent, stubborn, and athletically built with features that were a bit angular and gave her a unique and beautiful way about her that still showed she was a tomboy. Kyra on the other hand was sweet, and gentle, and had an air of innocence, and kindness that surrounded her. Her beauty was softer and more elegant, she was feminine and Bolin could tell she was a strong, determined young woman underneath her innocent exterior.

Bolin then walked the snowy street of Republic City in a daze, making his way back to the apartment before he was brought back to reality by the sound of his brother's voice on the other side of the door. He shook his head again to clear it and made his way into the apartment.

"Hey Bo, anything interesting happen while you were out, you seem kind of out of it." Asami asked as she took in Bolin's still flustered face as he made his way into the living room where Asami and Mako were seated on the couch listening to the radio.

"Yeah bro, you seem kind of spaced-out." Mako said looking hard at his brother.

"Pfft me, flustered? No way," Bo said in an attempt to blow it off but thought otherwise as he looked at the glare he receive from his brother and sister-in-law.

"Okay, okay so maybe I met this really amazing girl today who's new to Republic City." He tried to say nonchalantly but failed as excitement rose slightly in his voice.

"Bolin that's great!" Asami said enthusiastically.

"So, who is this new mystery girl?" Mako asked him curiously, his brother hadn't been interested in a girl since they first met Korra.

"Her name's Kyra, she just arrived here from the Southern Water Tribe this morning." Bolin said as he made his way from the living room to his small bedroom just down the hall.

He threw off his heavy coat and quickly changed into his officer's uniform.

"Oh, so you found yourself a waterbender huh?" Mako teased as he leaned against the doorframe of Bo's room.

"Actually, I don't even know if she's a bender, but she was pretty amazing! Her eyes were so blue, like the bluest I've ever seen! She was so beautiful Mako-"

He was interrupted by his brother's chuckling, "You have a good day at work Bo." Mako decided it was better to leave Bo to his thoughts rather than listen to him babble about his new crush.

Bo shrugged and bid Mako and Asami a final goodbye before heading from the apartment and making the icy trek across town to the Republic City police headquarters. He groaned as he looked at the schedule, he was on night patrol again. He hated night patrol; it was so dark and sometimes eerily quiet. The chills he always got sent nervous shivers up his spine.

He quickly left with the rest of the group on night patrol and began to wander the streets of Republic City. It was an unusually quiet and significantly colder night as Bolin wandered down yet another empty street. It was getting late and he'd been on patrol for hours, the bitter late night air had chilled Bolin to the bone. He was struggling to keep his teeth from chattering and his body from shaking due to the heavy cold.

He was just about to round the corner and head over to the next street when he heard a strange noise coming from a nearby alley. Bolin cautiously spun around and slowly made his way in the direction it had come from. As he got closer he could make out the sounds of heavy coughing and sneezing as well as the sounds of someone shaking as they struggled to fend off the cold. He was just about to turn and leave convinced it was someone living on the street when he recognized the shivering person.

"Kyra?" he asked as he rushed towards the figure in the alley.

"Bolin? What are you doing here?" Kyra responded through chattering teeth as she looked up at him confused and tightened her hold on her body in futile attempt to capture even the smallest bit of warmth.

He took in her now disheveled appearance, her eyes were still the same mesmerizing blue he had seen before but the happiness they held earlier was now replaced with sadness and fear. Her once elegant bun was now a knotted mess and her brows were lined with ice. Her thick blue coat was missing and the blue dress she must have worn underneath it was stiff due to melted snow freezing as the night progressed.

"You know, I should be asking you the same question. What are you doing out here in the freezing cold this time of night, especially without a coat and shivering in an alleyway?" Bo asked her confused and very concerned.

"They don't take water tribe money so I gave them my coat in exchange for a hot meal. After I left I wandered around in the cold for a bit until every place had closed down, this was the only empty place I could find away from the wind." Her voice was quiet and filled with shame.

Bolin continued to look at her rather puzzled, "What are you doing wandering around the city like this? I thought you were staying with your aunt and uncle here in the city!"

Kyra looked away from him down towards the snow as she bit her lip dangerously, "I lied okay? I don't have any money, I never did. I don't have any family or friends here in Republic City! I'm just a poor pathetic girl from the Southern Water Tribe!" she yelled slightly still refusing to meet his gaze.

"Kyra, why would you lie about that?" asked slightly taken aback.

She sighed frustrated, "Maybe it's because I wanted the only great guy I've met in Republic City to think I was actually something! Maybe I didn't want him to know I was poor and worthless and think badly of me! Maybe I wanted to feel like someone I wasn't for just a few moments and enjoy what it would be like to have those things!" she yelled as she snapped her head up to look at him with tears pooling in her eyes, "You probably don't understand any of it though, do you? You probably think I'm a sad failure like most of the other people I've met."

Bolin sat there appalled at the words that had just Kyra's mouth, "That's where you're wrong. You didn't have to lie to me. You're pretty amazing despite what you think. I know exactly what it feels like to have nothing, I lived on the streets for years with my brother and I know what it's like to want to impress someone you think is so much better than you!" he told her gently as he held her gaze.

"You do?" she questioned astounded.

He nodded, "Now let's get you some place safe and warm and I'll tell you my story." He said as he scooped her small frame up in his strong arms, and he did.

He told her his entire story, starting with the loss of his parents and ending with Korra's departure as he carried her in the safety of his arms all the way across Republic City to the apartment. Bolin calmed a little bit as he felt Kyra begin to relax in his arms as she warmed ever so slightly while curled against his muscular chest. He was glad that he was not ranked highly enough that his police uniform was made almost entirely of metal. His was mostly gray cloth with metal from his waist down and metal beginning at his shoulder blades and continuing along the outside of his arms and wrapping thinly around his wrists.

Kyra stared up at Bolin in amazement as he told his story, he had been through so much and was so happy and content and goofy. She couldn't believe that Avatar Korra had not seen how truly wonderful this man was. How could she not return his feelings as he fawned after her and made her feel special only to leave not only her but the four of them heartbroken?

Part of her was quite ecstatic Korra didn't return his feelings; it gave her an opportunity to get to know Bolin in a way that may not be possible otherwise. Hell, if Korra had realized how amazing Bo was she may not have even met him in the first place! Kyra had no idea how she could feeling this strongly about a guy she'd just met this morning, but she did.

Maybe it was his sense of character or the fact he had probably saved her life and had her in his arms, or maybe it was the sickness she could already feel setting if on cue she felt a sickening twist in her stomach. She freed herself from Bolin's arms and quickly became violently sick on the icy pavement. She felt someone rub her back softly and hold her hair away from her clammy face as she lost the bowl of noodles she'd given her coat for, how ironic.

After she had finished heaving she looked up to meet Bolin's gentle gaze, "I knew you'd get sick from being out here in the cold for so long without a coat." He said placing his right palm against her forehead, "You have a fever; I need to get you inside, fast."

He then proceeded to pick Kyra up bridal style as he'd done before and held her even closer. Thank god they were almost there, he wasn't sure how much more exposure Kyra could take before she suffered some permanent damage. He sighed in relief as they finally reached the outside of the apartment building, they were here.

He carried her swiftly up four flights of stairs and immediately burst through the door, "Can I get some help here please?" he hollered as he kicked the door shut roughly behind him and came down the hall.

"Bolin what's going on?" Asami asked drowsily as she and Mako rushed from their room upstairs.

Asami gasped as she took in the deteriorating appearance of the girl in Bolin's arms "Oh my god is she okay? Lay her on the couch, Mako go get me some blankets quick!" she directed as her mind raced while she thought of what to do next.

Bo laid her smoothly on the couch and Mako took off in search of blankets, "She's got a fever and she threw up on the way here. I found her curled up freezing to death in an alley." Bo told Asami anxiously.

Thank god she had become a registered nurse after her first break up with Mako, "Bo, who is she? And why was she curled up in an alley without a coat?" Asami asked him curiously, Bolin helped almost everyone he came in contact with but she was no stranger for him to bring the girl here instead of anywhere else.

Bolin chuckled nervously, "Well, you know that amazing girl I told you I met today?" Asami nodded, "This is her. She kind of waited until she was almost freezing to death to tell me she had no money and no place to stay. She had a coat but she traded it for a bowl of hot noodles."

Asami looked up at him surprised, "Wow, you have quite the taste in women Bolin." She told him right as Mako came rushing back with multiple blankets.

"We need to move her somewhere she'll stay really warm and comfortable." Asami told the boys as she looked at the girl.

Despite being ill she could tell the girl was quite beautiful, leave it to Bolin to find a beautiful girl unwilling to accept most people's help.

"She can sleep in my bed." Bo offered almost immediately, the young couple looked at him, "What? My room is one of the warmest in the house and my bed is way more comfortable than the couch. Plus it'll give her a private space to sleep. I can sleep on the couch for a few nights."

Asami nodded, "Okay, move her to the other room Bo. I'm going to make her something to help her feel better and hopefully keep some food down in the morning. You and Mako bundle her nice and tight in those blankets so she'll sweat out her fever."

Bolin picked Kyra up again and made his way towards his bedroom with Mako following close behind while Asami rushed off to the kitchen. He laid her slowly on his bed and grabbed a blanket from the mound Mako had in his arms and one by one covered her with blankets until he was sure she would no longer be able to feel the cold even if she was back outside.

Just as he tucked the last blanket around her Kyra grabbed his hand, "Your hand is freezing." He told her taking it between both of his massive hands and warming it with the friction by rubbing his hands together around hers.

He looked up to her face and was met by her azure gaze and she gave him a small and grateful smile, "Thank you, Bolin." She whispered sincerely.

He smiled to himself and placed her small hand beneath the many layers of blankets before heading out to the living room and closing the door quietly behind him. He called the station and notified them about what had happened and he was given the remainder of the night. Bo sighed exhaustedly, taking a blanket that was laid across the back of the couch, placed a decorative pillow so he could lay his head on it, and collapsed down on the couch and drifted into a much needed sleep.