Just…Training

Disclaimer: Don't own, never owned.

"So what did you and Mako do last night after I left?" Bolin asked me.

I shifted uncomfortably, working to sound nonchalant. "Nothing. Just...training"

"Again!" Mako barked, taking in my apparently "sloppy" stance. Since when did he become an expert on fire bending? I've been training for this my whole life I thought huffily, but shifted into position again, sending a wave of flame at the target with a little more force than necessary. Training with him one on one was supposed to help me relax, re-learning some old fire bending moves in favor of Mako's pro-bending style. It was not going well. My whole day hadn't gone well- Period.

Tenzin had been particularly harsh today, scolding me for yelling at Ikki during the meditation. She deserved it, asking me all about Bolin, and if he was as cute as everyone said he was. She kept jabbing me with her sharp little elbows, practically vibrating through the worn wooden floor. Her big gray eyes may have seemed wide and innocent to the common bystander, but she was a demon sent to me from the Spirits themselves. The last straw was when she asked about Mako...

"Why aren't you speaking to Mako? And why is he so grumpy all the time? Did you two fight? Are you going to break up? Huh? Are you? Kor-ra!" She whispered fiercely, making the most of the opportunity as Tenzin rushed Pema off to the mid-wife, despite her quite loud protests that it was just a cramp.

I sighed deeply through my nose, like Tenzin would have and tried not to bat her hand away as she poked mercilessly at my ribs. She upped the ante, deciding that pulling on my wolf tail would do the trick. And by the Spirits was she right.

"Ikki! There is nothing going on between me and Mako! Now stop trying to stick your nose into matters where it doesn't concern you!" I let out a big gust of air. Well, more like steam, a habit I had picked up when I started fire bending.

"Korra," Tenzin's very tight voice ruined my breathing exercise, a feeble attempt to calm myself down. "May I have a word with you?"

When I got up to follow him, I glanced back as we started down the cobble stone path to the stables. Ikki had turned around, waving. Before I could pull a face or do something I might regret Jinora was already putting her hands on her sister's shoulders and turning her gently but firmly around. After peaking at Ikki to make sure she was settled, she looked over her shoulder and gave a little wink before turning back into the prim and proper, book loving air bender we all knew and I most definitely loved.

Unfortunately I couldn't say the same for her father at the moment. He marched through the open doorway to the stables, waking Naga from her afternoon nap. Her ears perked up, and she bounded over to where we stood next to her pen. I smiled softly and rubbed behind her ears, earning a little lick and a growl like purr. I chuckled, brushing hay out of her soft short fur.

Tenzin's sigh brought us out of our little moment, and I prepared to face his expression. Somehow it was worse than him yelling at me. He just looked so- let down. "Korra, I'm very disappointed in you. You've come a long way, but this is the third time this week that you've interrupted the meditation session. I know that the spiritual side of being the Avatar has never come easy for you, but you've got to make an effort." He placed his hand on my shoulder for a moment before swishing out to finish the meditation.

Forget about being an air bending master. This guy was a prodigy in the art of guilt tripping. I groaned, burying my face into Naga's strong shoulder. She smelled of sweet hay and just a hint of brine from the sea. There was a little incident earlier when Naga wanted to go fishing.

"I'm trying Naga. Can't he see that? I wasn't my fault." I pouted, not caring if I looked like a sulky child. She panted in my ear, nuzzling my cheek once as if in sympathy. "Ikki's got to learn when to stop talking, not me. I swear that girl is more obsessed with the Fire Ferrets than I was."

"Well, you can certainly have my autograph anytime as long as I get yours." A wonderfully familiar voice drawled from the doorway. I whipped my head around, shaking hair out of my eyes to see a muscled outline in the low hanging sun.

"Hey Bolin," I said, trying to shake off the residue anger from Ikki.

He raised his eyebrows, swaggering forward until he was leaning against Naga's pen. She nuzzled him briefly before pacing the length of the small enclosure before flopping down in a great white heap. "So what's got your bending in a bunch?" He joked, and I rolled my eyes, blowing hair out of my eyes.

"Ikki's moved on from crazy fan girl to zealous overload fan girl." I reported, and he nodded his head gravely. "She wouldn't stop talking about you and Mako during meditation today and I got yelled at for trying to make her be quiet. I just feel so- smothered here. At home I would spar with just about anyone who was brave enough, but here, Tenzin would probably blow his top. Correction, Tenzin would blow his top." I sighed, massaging my temples.

"Why don't you come by the arena later? Mako and I will spar with you." He offered, face brightening.

"Really?" I asked tentatively. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I had joined the Fire Ferrets. I didn't get to go to the arena as much as I would have liked with Tenzin, air bending, and the White Lotus and all, but I had picked up a few pointers from the bending brothers in the few times that I had.

"Yeah, sure! We could always use the practice, and this way, you can bend with all the other elements so we don't need volunteers from other teams. It's perfect!" He crowed. I laughed at his enthusiasm, lunging forward to warp my arms around his neck tightly. He picked me up by the waist, spinning me in a circle.

I pulled back to look at him, smiling so wide my cheeks ached, replying dazedly, "Thank you so much Bolin! I'll be there after sunset. That okay?"

"Sure, just let me tell-"He started but was cut off by a startled yell and an excited squeal.

Mako dashed into the stables, not noticing I was still in Bolin's arms. "Hey Bo, there's this crazy little girl out there, we have to find Korra and get out of here before she finds-" His gaze finally locked on the pair of us, and shock registered on his face and a flash of something else before he looked away, replying almost bitterly. "Am I interrupting something?"

The closest I came to air bending for the first time in my life was when I jumped out of Bolin's arms, face flushed. "Uh, no, I was just uh- thanking Bolin for, um-"

"-inviting her to come to train with us later. She sounds like she needs a break from air bending. She's going to be at the arena after sunset, is that cool with you?" Bolin inserted smoothly, and I took the moment to compose myself. When I looked up he was nodding to Bolin before turning his amber chip gaze on me.

The minute to compose myself was wasted as I flushed and played with my fingers behind my back nervously as he stared at me for a moment before finally replying. "All right, we'll see you after sunset in the arena. See ya, Korra." And with that, he walked out, Bolin saying a quick goodbye before jogging to catch up with him.

They rounded the corner just as Ikki came skidding into the stables, red faced and panting. "Have you seen- Mako and Bo-Bolin?" She gasped out, leaning against the wall as she caught her breath. I was mildly impressed with Mako. I knew from personal experience that it wasn't easy to outrun an air bender, or at the very least wind them.

"Nope," I lied smoothly, "Not since we walked along the pier last week. Sorry Ikki." She slumped, pouting so perfectly that I almost gave in to the urge to tell her. Almost. But I wasn't about to spoil the only chance I had to relax. Sunset couldn't come soon enough.

Bolin came to meet me by the docks, assuring the White Lotus that I was perfectly safe and that I would be back in a few hours. After waving as they set sail for Air Temple Island, we started for the Arena.

"Where's Mako?" I asked, biting my lip a second too late. I hadn't meant to let it slip out. The last thing I needed was to start following Mako around like one of his and Bolin's love crazed fan girls. I was better than that.

Bolin kept walking, even whistling with a jump in his step. "Oh he's already at the Arena. He said that he trusted you enough to get to the Arena yourself." I felt a little glow of pride at the sound: He trusted me. Bolin kept talking, about what I wasn't sure. I felt like I was walking on air. Any more of this and I would be air bending in no time.

When we got to the Arena, it's usually shining walls, lit up with the spotlights reflecting its glaring light were dim, glinting dully in the shadows much like a certain pro- fire bender's. There was only a buzzing light over the side entrance, where teams could trek through with their gear without being swarmed by fans.

I skipped along the halls happily, remembering when I had seen my first pro-bending match, and how Mako had won the match single handedly yet brushing off his screaming fans in favor of his brother. I blushed at the memory. The anxiety wasn't just for match- rather, who was participating in it a little voice whispered in the back of my mind.

"You okay Korra?" Bolin asked, putting his hand onto my shoulder. "You look a little flushed."

"Yeah, of course," I said nervously, rocking back and forth on my feet. "Just excited that's all."

He shrugged, continuing to lead me down to the gym. "Eh, you get used to it after a while. Soon it becomes more boring until you figure out some new moves. Or get a new player." He sent me a grin that would no doubt melt Ikki like ice under the noon day sun- Or any other girl for that matter.

I rolled my eyes just as playfully, relishing in the novelty of practicing with pro-benders while I could. When we entered the gym, Mako was already there, stacking some of the earthen discs Bolin and I would practice with. Targets were hung on the far wall, already scorched from the multiple beatings they had taken.

He glanced up at us, eyes flashing at our still goofy expressions. "So," he said stiffly. "You finally decided to show up. Where have you two been?"

Bolin brushed him off, sliding past him to inspect the discs as I bristled with annoyance. I was early, not late. The sun hadn't even fully set yet. I stripped off my fur pelt that was hanging loose around my waist, setting it down near the stairs.

"All right Korra," Bolin clapped his hands once, "Let's see what you remember from last time."

I stood between Mako and him, the discs on either side of me. I shifted my weight near the balls of my feet, as if I was getting ready to run. I shuffled there for a moment, as if dodging attacks, and struck with clenched fists in quick succession, sending the discs hurtling into the net.

I breathed out, taking a step forward. I launched myself into the air, the disc hovering with me as I twisted neatly, and with a flick of my foot, sent it to rest with the others in the net. I threw both arms out, pulling two more discs up with the motion and sailing past each other in an X before they hit the net with muted thuds. I looked up at him for approval, panting ever so slightly from the minor exertion.

Bolin's jaw was slack, his eyes bugging out of his head. He seemed at a loss for words for once. Mako on the other hand, was pretending nothing had ever happened, readjusting his gloves, and picking invisible lint off of his clothes. He finally looked up, seeing me watching him in expectation. He shrugged, his mouth twitching in mirth.

"Not bad." He reiterated, his eyes were thin slits, searching for any sign of defiance.

I raised a dubious eyebrow, casting a telling glance at Bolin before turning back to his older, jerk bender brother. He hesitated for a moment before following my gaze. His eyes widened as he saw his brother's reaction. Mako quickly brought his hand up and shut Bolin's mouth with a snap, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand as he scoffed. It seemed to jar the green eyed earth bender out of his stupor.

"That was amazing Korra!" He shouted, jumping up and down in excitement. I was worried for a second that he would start running around the room like Meelo did when he had too lychee juice before bed time. "I've never been able to do it that cleanly."

I felt a flash of heat surface on my cheeks before it faded. I gave him a small, bashful smile. "Well, you just need to tuck yourself in tighter when you jump." I offered. I had noticed before that he seemed to go spread eagle, making himself an easier target.

He ran a hand through his unruly waves and nodded to himself, as if picturing it in his mind. Suddenly, he jerked, standing up ram rod straight before whipping his arm back in front of him, looking at his watch with wide eyes. Then he really did start running around like Meelo.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He shrieked magnificently high for a guy, clutching his head before dashing up the stairs. He paused on the first landing, seeing our bewildered looks. "I have a fan club thing that I need to get to, and I'm going to be late. If I'm not there on time- It's going to be another Spring Break." He gulped ominously, and shuddered before zooming upstairs to his apartment.

I raised an eyebrow at Mako. "Do I want to know what he means by Spring Break?" I asked cautiously, placing my hands on my hips.

Surprisingly he chuckled, eyes flashing a warm gold in mirth. His lips twitched into a small, crooked grin and I suddenly realized that Bolin had picked his up from Mako, on one of the rare occasion it made an appearance. My chest ached at the thought suddenly, so much that I almost doubled over. I wanted to make him smile like that, to smile at me.

"All the schools in Republic City are allowed to give the students one week off when the weather is finally nice enough to enjoy in the spring. To raise some money for the debts we had from pro-bending gear and rent for the apartment, we visited fan clubs to answer questions and sign autographs. Bo was late, as usual. The girls were getting- restless. Apparently I'm not very interesting." He faked a scowl at the thought, making me smother a giggle as he continued.

"I tried to tell them that he usually sleeps in on our days off because we had training late last night, and he probably forgot. That didn't sit well with the girls. They ran to the Arena and stormed right in, all the way up the stairs to drag him back themselves." He threw back his head and laughed, the sound of it bouncing off the high ceilinged gym. "Poor Bo- He looked like he went into a match without any padding."

I grinned at the image, and sighed. I glanced at Mako again, and his smile faded, an odd look replacing it. He shook his head, and cleared his throat. The space between us grew thick with an awkward silence before he finally broke it. "Why don't we work on your fire bending skills?" He suggested, turning away to pull more invisible lint off of his clothing.

I nodded, and slowly got into my stance, shifting my weight onto the balls of my feet. As Mako began to not so patiently reteach me the basics, dread was making itself right at home. As my shoulders began to slump and my moves began to lack their normal fluidity, Mako's patience grew thinner and his mood darker.

And now we were both tired and sweaty, and all I wanted was to go back to the island. I shot one last blast before I collapsed onto the mats, completely limp. "How...was that?" I panted out, chest heaving. I didn't think it was a good sign that I could feel my heart beat in my tingling finger tips.

He squinted at me critically; much like he had the first night I had entered the gym. "Not bad."

Those two words instantly ignited a fire no bender would be able to match, not even Fire Lord Zuko. I leapt to my feet and pounded my fists into his muscled chest, not caring if I looked like a child throwing a tantrum. "What is wrong with you?" I shrieked, pushing him back hard enough to make him to stumble, and anger flashed in his eyes like lightning about to strike.

"I'm not as easily swayed as others by your bending, Ava-"he began snidely, but yelped as a wall of flame raced toward him. He leapt aside, automatically getting into trade mark "cool under fire" position, eyes wide and bewildered. He wouldn't be Mr. Untouchable Hat Trick for long, if I had anything to do about it.

He opened his mouth to speak, but a snarl and another burst of white hot heat kept it firmly shut. His eyes hardened, and we circled each other cautiously, darting back and forth, almost as if we were dancing. I shot three quick blasts at his feet, and he stumbled backwards, his back now flat against the wall. I swiped through the fire, feeling the warmth slide over my fingers as easily as water. I gripped his angular face hard in my hands, narrowing my eyes.

"Well let's see if you're swayed by this," I muttered before standing on my tip-toes to crush my mouth to his. He stood there, frozen a moment before grabbing my shoulders and reversing our positions. I gasped into his mouth as he responded hungrily, his lips, tongue, and skin feverishly warm. My hands trembled as I threaded them through his short hair, and he growled, sending shockwaves through me. My entire being seemed to crackle, nerve endings frayed and ridiculously over sensitive to his every movement.

We jerked away from each other as the floor began to rumble, dust shaking down from the rafters. There was a faint chanting, that slowly grew louder and louder. We both looked to the door of the gym, just as it burst open. Bolin ran in shrieking unintelligibly as a stampede of girls chased after him. We had time to snigger before they caught site of our uh... situation. They screamed so loudly I thought they would blow the roof off the Arena.

"Run," he rasped out, and we made a dash for the hallway, half of the fan girls' militia storming after us. We turned a corner and Mako pulled me sharply into a supply closet. It smelled of sweat and chalk dust;in order to fit in the tiny and cramped space, we had to wrap our arms around each other. Not that we minded of course.

I hummed breathily as his lips skimmed my neck. "Mmm, cozy. I think I like your new idea of training."

He chuckled, and I shivered when I felt the warm air whisper against my ear. "For once, I couldn't agree with you more."

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SNO.