Title: Confessions of a Drunk Earthbender
Number of words: 1950
Summary: As always, bad ideas always look the best in the dead of the night. Of course, when a bad idea's fuelled with copious amounts of alcohol and self-pity, it looks even better.
Author's comments: Written after watching episode 5 of Korra. Great episode for shipping. I'm not sure whether the fic is quite relevant after episode 6 - haven't watched that yet.
Enjoy.
Bolin wasn't drunk.
He wasn't. Oh no, he wasn't, and he'd punc… Tell off anyone who told him otherwise. He'd had some seaweed noodles, with a side of sake. Well, actually more like some sake with a side of seaweed noodles. And another side of sake. And more sake.
Okay, maaaaybehe had a little more alcohol than he should have, but he most definitely wasn't drunk. No one told Bolin to his face that he couldn't hold his liquor. And not because they were afraid he was going to be puke in their face, nope. Because. Bolin. Could. Hold his liquor. Because. Bolin was. The man.
And because Bolin was the man, he also wasn't afraid of anything. Especially not girls. Especially not a girl, even if she was the Avatar. Evenif she the most amazing person he'd ever met.
Yep. Not afraid. Not afraid at all. So he was going to her now.
Air Temple Island, Bolin decided, had some problems that needed fixing. For instance, the fact that ferries stopped well… Ferrying after midnight.
If he was a waterbender, he figured he'd be able to surf his way to the island. But all hecoulddo was bend a few clods of earth; it wasn't like he could bend his way to the island so –
Oh. Now that was an idea.
Korra was dreaming of warmth. There was a strong arm slung around her shoulders, fingers wrapped tightly around her own. She was happy.
"Kooooor…ra," someone slurred. She blinked. Somehow, she'd expected her dream boy's voice to sound more… charming.
She mumbled something incoherent, even to herself, and shifted in her bed. Her blankets were warm. Cozy. As was her dream.
"Koooorra. Waaaaake up."
This time, the whispering as in her ear. It wasn't soft and intimate and seductive, as she'd always thought it would be when someone whispered her name in her ear. Instead, it was wet and fairly gross. Also, it smelled very strongly of alcohol.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.
" Wha?"
"Ohhhhh. Good. You're awake."
"What?" Korra rubbed her eyes, crusty with sleep, as she got up. "Bolin? Is that you?"
"Deeee… one and only."
"Gosh." She sat up a little straighter. "Why are you in myroom?"
"To see you, of course," Bolin grinned. The expression was a lot dopier than usual, and was, at the same time, absolutely and completely adorable.
Resisting the urge to grin back, Korra sniffed the air. "Bolin, just how much have you been drinking?"
"A leeettle. A coupla bottles – " He squinted, counting off his fingers as he tried to remember. Once he got past five, he gave up, slumped on the floor, and offered her a big smile again. "Not very much."
"Not very much?" Korra slipped off her bed. "Bolin, as cute as you look right now, you smell like a barrel of sake."
"Do you meaaaaaan that?" Bolin asked, wide-eyed and drooling.
"Mean what?" She lifted him up. "C'mon big boy. Up you go"
"Do you reaaaally think I look…" He landed on her bed with a heavy sound, still looking at her all wide-eyed and wistful. "Cute?"
"Awww, Bo," Korra laughed, as she sat down next to him. "You know I think that you're amazing."
"I know I'm amazing." With that, Bolin burped, long and hard. "But c'mon Korra," he continued when he finished, as though nothing had happened. Never mind Korra's slightly stunned expression – the Avatar was no slouch when it came to burping, but she hadn't thought it was actually humanly possible to burp thatmuch. "Do you think I'm cute?
"I mean. Sure, Mako's hot–" Bolin snorted, making it clear what he really thought about Mako's looks. "And… everything. But c'mooon. I'm easy on the eyes too."
"I think you're adorable, Bolin," Korra said, as sincerely as she could. "And I think you're really, really sweet too. Honestly. I do." She had a bad feeling. This conversation was not headed anywhere good. In fact, this conversation was headed everywhere she had been avoiding for the longest time, where Bolin had been involved.
"Look, maybe you're just tired and everything, I think you should get some rest. In the morning, you can have a nice shower, some breakfast, go home and – "
"No!" Bolin yelled as clearly as he could. Stunned, Korra stopped blabbering. "No Korra, you are going to listen to me. Now."
Satisfied with her silence, he continued. "Korra, I really really reaaaaaaaaally do think that you're the most amazing person I've ever met. You're… you're perfect. I wasn't…" He swallowed hard, remembering everything he'd said to her before their first date.
You're the smartest, funniest, toughest, buffest, talentest incrediblest girl in the world! He'd meant it all then. Someway, somehow, he meant it even more now.
"Okay. I just." He laughed. "Y'know I had a whole list of things to say to you before I came here. But I dunno." He swallowed again, trying to remember everything he'd wanted to say but as he looked in her eyes – not quite blue, but deep turquoise, and incredibly beautiful – he couldn't think very straight. He was fairly sure it wasn't just the alcohol making his head spin either.
Forget the poetry, Bo, he told himself. Just go with your heart.
"Bolin, don't –" Korra cried. This wasn't supposed to happen. This was going to destroy everything they had – the friendship they had now, built on laughs and fun – if she didn't say yes. And she didn't think she could say yes.
Bolin placed a finger firmly on Korra's lips. The action was surprising enough that she shut up immediately. "Korra," he said. "I think… I think… I may just be… I may just be in lo – "
"Stop!" It was a knee-jerk reaction. She punched him in the face.
"Oh my – Bolin!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "I am so, sosorry! Are you alright?"
He mumbled something. It sounded vaguely like "That was some kiss", then passed out cold.
Korra swore, long and hard.
"Mm…ah?"
"Hey, sleepyhead."
Bolin was convinced he was dreaming. He had to be. Why else would he wake to an angel's gorgeous beaming face? And she had breakfast. That was definitely an angelic thing to do. Giving people breakfast.
"I just finished morning meditation with Tenzin, and figured I should check up on you," Korra smiled. "I brought food."
"Thanks, I – " As he tried to sit up, his head was bashed with a giant sledgehammer. Or at least, that was what it felt like.
"Oh… My head," he whimpered.
"I've got some orange juice," Korra said. "And water. Drink lots of both." She gave him a conspiratorial wink. "I've snuck alcohol off the guards lots of times. Been there, done that. Still wouldn't want to be you are right now though."
Bolin groaned. "Korra… You never fail to amaze me."
"It's a talent of mine." She laid the tray she was carrying on the bed. The very foreign looking bed.
"Waaaaait…" Bolin realized, for the first time since waking up, that he wasn't in his room. "Where am I?"
"My room." Korra paused, as though she was mulling over something. "You really don't remember?"
"Not… Really." He tried to recall the previous night's events, but his headache only intensified.
"You came over here. Completely smashed, I might add."
"Did I?"
Why had he been drinking again? It was starting to take shape. Something to do with Korra. Her eyes. Gosh. She had amazingly beautiful eyes. And he wanted to tell her… Tell her… "Did… I say –"
"Nope! You didn't say anything! Just came over here and collapsed!"
"Korra, why are you breathing so hard?"
And she was. Her chest was heaving pretty badly. Not that he minded too badly, it only drew attention to her chest. But still.
"Um. Nothing! No, nothing, it's… Isn't it a little hot in here?"
"Not… Really…" He did his best to focus through the haze of his hangover. "You sure you're alright Korra?"
"Yeah, yeah I am." She paused, and glanced at the doorway, and back at him. Then the doorway, and him again. "Look, I've gotta go, I'm late for Airbending practice and I – "
"Korra!"
A ridiculously tall man, with an even more ridiculous looking beard appeared at the door. "Korra, this is ridiculous! You were supposed to show up at practice ten minutes ago! Don't tell me you've been sneaking food out of the kitchen again – Who is that?"
"Oh. Um. Hey Tenzin."
A pause. Bolin tried to focus on the man. Tenzin. Right. The airbending teacher. His robes were so… Poofy. Tenzin shot him a stern look, but he didn't seem to look too upset. Bolin attempted to wave, but his hand felt like jelly. He opted to waggle his fingers instead.
"Um. Hello."
Tenzin studied him, long and hard, with a frown plastered on his face.
"Korra, come out here."
Korra had a bad, bad feeling.
"So… Look who dropped in for a visit! It's Bolin! You remember Bolin? My teammate on the Fire Ferrets? The one who was kidnapped by the Equalists the other time?"
Korra knew Tenzin was angry. How angry though, she wasn't too sure.
She tried to figure out what may have set him off. Sure, she was late for practice. But she wasn't tenminutes late, that was Tenzin exaggerating again. More like two. And he wouldn't normally barge into her room for any reason. This was something big.
But spirits, she couldn't think of anything she'd done bad enough to warrant this… Sternness.
Then Tenzin stopped in his tracks so abruptly that she smashed right into his back.
"Korra." It sounded like he was speaking through gritted teeth. Korra rubbed her nose. It felt different. Swollen. Could she really have injured her nose by walking into Tenzin?
But back to what Tenzin was saying. "… and I'm not really good at these things… for heaven's sake, my girls aren't even teenagers yet but…Would Bolin happen to be your boyfriend?'
"…Come again?"
"I said, would Bolin…" Tenzin still didn't face her. Each word came out, forced, pained. Like pulling teeth. "Happen. To. Be. Your. Boyfriend?"
"No!"
"I'm quite serious, Korra," Tenzin said, doing his best to unclench his teeth. Or stop himself from tearing his beard out. Or kicking the boy off the island and banning Korra from seeing him again.
"And I'm telling you the truth! We're just friends– "
The airbending master sighed. This was a conversation that he just couldn't have right now. "Alright Korra, I'm just going to ignore the boy sprawled on your bed for now. So would you please care to explain just why," he inhaled sharply. "Is there now a pass leading from Air Temple island to the Pro-Bending Arena?"
"What?" Korra looked out, towards Yue Bay, in the direction of the Bending Arena. There was now a very narrow strip of land leading from the Bay to the island. It was nothing more than an uneven path of rocks and earth, weaving a haphazard link between the island and the mainland. If it was an earthbender who did it – as it could only be – he either couldn't bend a straight line to save his life, or he was dead drunk. She was going to go with the latter. There were already various ships and ferries swerving and signaling frantically to each other to avoid crashing. She could see three ships piled along each other as they'd tried to avoid each other, failed, and collided.
"Um. I didn't do that. Really." Inside, she thought, I am going to kill Bolin.