"Well this is just great," Bolin fumed, struggling in the soaking rain with the slippery tent rods. He should've set up the tent before eating like Korra had suggested, but he'd just been so hungry. The sizzling embers of what had once been their crackling fire seemed to mock him as the half-constructed tent toppled over for the third time. He'd tried to earth bend a temporary shelter, but the ground was already getting too soggy.
"Well, you had no idea it would start to rain," Korra comforted, rivulets running down her cheeks. Bolin felt terrible that things had turned out this way. The sun had been shining brightly when they set out on their hike a few hours earlier. There hadn't been a cloud in sight. Even when they had begun to gather as Korra constructed a fire and Bolin unpacked their foodstuffs, he'd had no idea that it would result in a torrential downpour. It was getting even darker as the sun set behind the clouds, and there was no sign of the rain stopping.
"Ha!" Bolin crowed, finally getting one side of the tent to stay up. Korra worked to pound in the stakes as he set to work on the other end of the tent. Maybe it would have been a good idea to practice setting up the tent ahead of time so they'd know how to do it, but how was he supposed to know the instructions would be reduced to a wet pulp before he could set up the tent? He breathed a heavy sigh, and Korra moved to put her arms around him, pressing her lips to his damp cheek.
"I still had fun," She assured him as brightly as she could manage. "The hike was really neat. The little rabbit-squirrels were so cute. And the weather was really nice…" she trailed off. "I don't mind a little rain anyway. I'm a water bender. At least it's not too cold." Bolin managed a small smile for her. At least Korra was still optimistic. His struggles with the tent had quickly turned his mood sour. He continued to fumble with the tent rods, sticking out the tip of his tongue in concentration. He was determined to get this tent set up. Then at least he and Korra could crawl into their hopefully-dry sleeping bags and try to get some rest. This wasn't how he'd planned the night at all.
When he'd conceived the idea of a camping trip, he'd pictured a clear day much like the afternoon had started out, and he'd imagined a quiet evening by the fire beneath the twinkling stars with Korra curled up against him. Instead here he was, soaked to the bone, wrestling with this infernal tent while his girlfriend feigned enjoyment.
At last, the tent was set up. The ground inside was still pretty soaked, but that was nothing a little water bending couldn't fix. Bolin quickly dragged the packs into the tenth, though a few more moments in the rain were unlikely to do much more damage. The packs were designed to be water resistant, but it had taken nearly an hour to get the tent set up, and Bolin feared that was a bit longer than they were designed to withstand. Luckily the sleeping bags were in their own waterproof bags, so they had stayed dry. Their food for the next day hadn't fared as well. "The great outdoors," Bolin announced wryly, tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Hey, don't worry about it," Korra bent the water from their clothes, careful not to drop any as she guided it out the opening of the tent. "See? Warm and cozy." She snuggled up to Bolin. "Don't be such a grouchy otter-bear," She pleaded, pressing a kiss to the tip of his nose. He couldn't help but smile.
"I just feel bad that today didn't work out the way we planned, that's all." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Besides, this is kind of cozy." Korra reached for her sleeping bag. "We might as well make the best of it." Bolin grinned. He couldn't argue with that. They decided to open up both sleeping bags, laying on one and covering with the other. The pattering of the rain on the top of the tent made an almost cheerful cadence. At least they were dry now. It had gotten so dark that Bolin could barely make out Korra's features. They crawled under the sleeping bag and lay nose to nose.
"You know, I don't even care that it rained." Korra said softly. "As long as I'm with you, I don't really care what happens. Sure there were a few setbacks, but right now I couldn't be happier." She gave a contented sigh as Bolin pulled her to him, kissing her cheeks, her nose, and finally her lips.
"I love you, Korra," He murmured against her hair as he snuggled down to rest, eyes drooping.
"I love you too, Bo," She whispered back, ready to close her eyes herself. Their newly dry clothes and the other's warmth were enough to lull them to sleep.
Bolin woke sometime during the night, surprised at first by how silent everything was. He strained his ears, but it seemed the rain had really stopped falling. He must have shifted without realizing it, because Korra began to stir.
"Bo?" She asked groggily. "Wha's wrong?" He couldn't help but smile at her sleepy drawl and the way her clear eyes blinked open.
"I think the rain stopped," he whispered, unable to resist pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.
"You're right." She sat up, awake now. "You know… I bet the stars are out now."
"Only one way to find out." Suddenly Bolin didn't feel very tired either. "What do you say?"
Korra grinned. "Come on." She reached for his hand, peering out the opening of the tent and turning back to him with an eager nod. "It's clear now!" They stepped out of the tent, gazing up at the sky in awed silence for a few moments. The stars were twinkling out one by one as the clouds drifted away, and the sight between the branches was enough to take their breath away.
"Bo, it's so beautiful," Korra finally breathed, resting her head on his shoulder. Bolin looked at her with a small smile on his face. In that moment, he thought her eyes rivaled even the stars.
"Yeah," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Beautiful." When she caught his gaze on her, a slight blush rose in her cheeks. "Let's sit for a while," he suggested, and Korra did her best to dry the log they'd sat on earlier that evening to eat their supper. Once they got situated, Korra rested her head on his shoulder once more. Bolin let his cheek rest on the top of her head, taking in the glistening stars, the cool night air, and the way she felt snuggled up in his arms. This was just how he'd planned the evening to go, only better. He hummed contentedly to himself, letting his eyes drift closed for just a few moments of bliss.
Bolin woke with a start, eyes flying open as the sunlight filtered through the cracks in his eyelids. Korra lifted her head from his shoulder, momentarily dazed. "We fell asleep out here," she realized hoarsely.
"Yeah, I – I guess so. Huh." He frowned, scratching ruefully at a mosquito-fly bite on his arm. "At least it didn't start raining again," he shrugged. Korra scratched at the red welt that was rising on her calf, and when her gaze met his she couldn't help but chuckle. At the sound of her laughter Bolin was quick to join in, and soon they were both guffawing loudly, tears building in their eyes.
"That would happen to us!" Korra gasped out, leaning against Bolin for support.
"Never a boring moment," he agreed, able to find the humor in the fumbling of the previous night now that his clothes were dry and the sun shone so cheerfully.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Korra promised with a kiss. Maybe their camping adventure hadn't been such a disaster after all.
AN: This was my avatar secret santa gift for tumblr user ocuddlepuddles