A/N: This idea came to me and I had it typed up in about an hour. It was a lot of fun. :D

Masquerade

"Hey, Mako," Korra said as she approached the airbending training area. Mako was already there, though for what, Korra didn't know. She was simply told to be present at sundown, according to the instructions she'd been sent anonymously by Bolin.

"You got any idea what my brother is up to?" he asked with irritation.

"Nope," she said. "I assumed you knew."

Mako let out a frustrated sigh. "He's always doing stupid things like this."

"Hey, c'mon," Korra said. "You don't even know what he's got planned. Maybe it's a surprise for you for being such an awesome big brother or something."

Mako looked doubtful as he crossed his arms over his chest, but Korra noticed he didn't seem to have any intention of leaving just yet.

"Well, he should be here. It's getting dark."

Just then a small breeze made the hair on Korra's arms stand up, and she whirled around as the spinning gates began to move. There was a rustle as something moved in the bamboo garden, and a familiar voice began to narrate an introduction.

"Introducing! The amazing! The incredible! The Fantastic Fire Ferret!"

Bolin burst out from the bamboo in a flurry of red and black and struck a fantastic pose as he waited for the approval of his audience.

Mako wordlessly stood up and turned to leave.

"Aww, c'mon Mako!" Bolin whined. Korra merely watched as Bolin tried to wrangle his brother into staying and failed. The earthbender gave a disappointed pout before he noticed Korra was watching, and then beamed handsomely at her.

"So… whaddya think, Korra?" he asked, implementing his flirty voice as he gestured to his costume. "I'm a superhero," he said, in case the mask and the red unitard weren't a big enough hint. The costume was even complete with a hood with attached fire ferret ears and a fluffy red and black tail.

Korra exploded into laughter, clutching her belly. Bolin pouted, and Korra wiped the tears in her eyes on her sweater.

"What's with the silly costume?" she asked when she was capable of breathing again.

Bolin's frown grew. "I'm the Fantastic Fire Ferret!" he exclaimed. "I'm a superhero! Duh!"

"You don't need to wear a silly costume to be a hero," Korra stated plainly.

"Well, I like it, so you gotta deal!"

Korra snorted and giggled. "You're not going to wear that when we go out and actually try to rescue people, are you?"

"Maybe I am," Bolin challenged, his bright green eyes sparkling, and somehow that dark mask made his eyes look ten times brighter.

Korra gasped.

"Something wrong?" Bolin asked.

"N-nothing," Korra stuttered. To save face, she added, "I was just thinking that it's sorta weird that a fire ferret–"

"Fantastic Fire Ferret," Bolin interrupted.

"Alright then. A Fantastic Fire Ferret," she corrected with a roll of her eyes, "can't firebend."

Bolin's pout returned. She was right.

"So, you can't be a Fantastic Fire Ferret. You'll have to be a Boisterous Badgermole or something."

"B-but! Nooooooo! I'm a fire ferret!" Bolin whined childishly.

"And why are you wearing a mask?" Korra demanded, reaching for his face.

"Hey! Don't touch the mask! The ladies love a superhero with a mask!"

"Well, it's freaking me out, so take it off!"

Bolin tried to move his face out of the way, but Korra latched onto his arm so there was no escape.

"K-Korra! No! You'll expose my identity!"

Korra giggled as she reached for the mask, flipping it up to reveal his entire face. The pair yelped as they stumbled and fell, Korra landing ungracefully on top of Bolin. She clutched the black eye mask in her hand and met Bolin's eyes, feeling redness creep into her cheeks as she glimpsed those bright green irises up close. She scrambled away, turning around so that he couldn't see her blush.

"Korra? Are you okay?" he asked, touching her shoulder. She hastily yanked the mask over her eyes to hide her red cheeks.

"F-fine!" she exclaimed, turning around to face him now that her face was concealed.

Bolin inhaled sharply when he saw her face. "Y-your eyes!" he squeaked.

"Huh? What about them?"

"Th-they… they look…"

Korra tilted her head, still puzzled as Bolin stammered. He looked away, clearing his throat and muttering under his breath. And then he looked back, and the expression on his face was hard for Korra to decipher.

Bolin clutched her arm and drew her closer, twirling his finger around a lock of her hair. "I guess some guys love a superheroine in a mask too," he murmured, as he tipped her face up to him and slanted his mouth over hers.