"Are you boys sure you want to do this?" The new Avatar chuckled, stretching in the snow outside the house on Air Temple Island. "This seems pretty stupid."
"You kidding?" Bolin laughed. "We can take on some girl any day!"
"Are you forgetting that this girl is the Avatar?"
"No, we remember, Korra." Mako smirked. "Just like you'll always remember today: When we kick your butt on the sparring field!" Korra just laughed and assumed her stance, ready to deflect anything the boys threw at her.
Bolin attacked first, stomping the ground and lunching a boulder at Korra from her left side. She launched a kick, shattering the rock into pieces. At the same time, Mako shot fireballs at her from her other side. Korra bended water from the snow on the ground, extinguishing the flames and pinning the Firebender to the ground, freezing him there. The cocky Avatar laughed.
"One down, one to go." She sneered, looking around. "Now, where'd he go?"
Unseen by Korra, Bolin winked at his pinned brother from behind a tree, sneaking up behind Korra and wiggling his two index fingers just below her ribs.
"Hey!" she cried out, jumping away and spinning around. But Bolin was faster than she gave him credit for, having already gotten back behind the tree. Korra looked around, confused, and Mako snickered.
"What are you laughing at?" Korra asked, playfully aggressive. "Did you see what happened?"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't." he smirked. Korra just huffed and kept looking for Bolin, not noticing Mako using his bending to slowly melt the ice.
"Bolin!" she called out. "Get out here and fight like a man!"
"If you say so!" the young Earthbender laughed. "Sneak attack!" He rushed up behind her and dug his fingers into her sides, tickling the Water Tribe girl as fast as he could. She squealed uncharacteristically, caught off guard by this second tickle attack. Bolin laughed along with her, tickling up and down her sides while she tried to escape.
"Stop it, Bolin!" she laughed, trying to push him away. "That's not fair!"
"Oh, isn't it?" Bolin sneered. "Or is the mighty Avatar just too ticklish?" He punctuated the question by squeezing her hips and making her shriek. She finally managed to pull away from him, hugging her sides and backing away. Bolin smirked and watched her as she backed away from him until her back collided with something.
"Well, hey there, Korra." -Make that someone. - "What's wrong? You scared of a little tickle?" Mako teased in a babyish tone.
"I am not!" Korra snapped, glaring at him. He just smirked and wiggled his fingers at her belly.
"Well, then let's put that to the test, shall we?" he advanced on her as she giggled and backed away, now caught up in the game. Bolin grabbed her shoulders, holding her as still as he could while his older brother tickled and teased the Avatar's stomach through her shirt. She chewed her lip and snickered, trying to resist covering her sides in order to save face in front of the boys. With her eyes squeezed shut in concentration, she didn't notice the two brothers exchange a cruel smirk. Mako warmed his hands a bit while tickling faster, and Bolin slipped his hands under Korra's arms; then both of them started teasing her with ticklish baby talk.
"Tickle tickle tickle!" Mako teased, tickling her hips and sneaking a hand under her shirt to torture her bellybutton. Bolin snickered, wiggling his fingers deep into her armpits.
"Kitchie koo, Korra!" he taunted, tickling her armpits and upper ribs. Korra just couldn't take it; she collapsed in hysterical laughter, the boys never losing their pace as their fingers danced over her ticklish spots. She covered her ears, trying to at least block out their taunting, which had no reason other than making her focus on her torture and magnify it.
"Stop it, guys!" she begged, trying to curl into a ball. "Tickle talk is definitely cheating!"
"Hmm… I don't know." Mako snickered. "What do you think, Bolin?"
"I think we can let her go after she says we beat her." Bolin said officially, smirking deviously. "Does that sound fair?"
"N-No! I'd never let you guys win!"
"Suit yourself, Avatar." Mako smirked, kneading her hips and making her shriek with laughter. Bolin wiggled his fingers around her neck, and Korra squeaked and squirmed.
"Say it, Korra." The Earthbender teased. "Or Mako can use his secret weapons." Believe it or not, Korra had been tickled by the Fire Ferrets before, and Mako had figured out a few tricks that seemed to make her give in every time.
"N-Never!" she laughed stubbornly, still squirming. The boys smiled, Bolin pinning her wrists over her head, and Mako leaning on her waist to pin her legs. Mako lifted her shirt, and Korra shrieked in shock as the snow touched her bare back and sides. Mako's fingers hovered over her sides teasingly as she tried to struggle.
"Fire one!" Bolin commanded playfully. Mako pinned Korra's hips, now totally immobilizing her, and pressed his lips to her stomach. He took a breath through his nose and blew a harsh raspberry into her ticklish skin. His breath was warm from a sneaky firebending trick, and that seemed to make it tickle more. Korra shrieked in hysteria, struggling more frantically.
"N-Not that!" she begged, barely able to speak. "Anything but that!"
"Then say we win." Bolin chuckled, rubbing her shoulders as he pinned them to the ground.
"Never!"
"Fire two then!" Mako blew another raspberry into her stomach, and she shrieked, trying to curl into a ball to protect her belly.
"Last chance, Avatar. Give up?" the Earthbender prodded again, leaning down and softly blowing into her ear. Korra squealed and laughed.
"N-Not a chance, boys!"
"Okay, but we warned you, Korra." Mako smirked; He wiggled his index finger into her navel, making her writhe and shriek. "This is definitely your last chance. You sure you don't want to give up?" Korra didn't answer; she was too caught up in her hysteria. The boys smirked and just shrugged, Mako tickling her faster and focusing for their biggest trump card; Seconds later, the young Firebender released a small jolt of lightning into her navel. Korra screamed, laughing and collapsing into the snow, too weak to struggle.
"I give!" She shrieked. "You win; I can't take anymore!" The Fire Ferrets released their captive and let her curl into a ball, giggling and panting. The boys exchanged a victorious high-five.
"Yes!" Bolin laughed. "We beat the Avatar!"
"Tickling doesn't count…" Korra huffed under her breath.
"I'm sorry, what?" Mako teased, squeezing her hip as he picked her up. She squeaked and giggled.
"Okay, okay, tickling counts." Korra pouted, letting Mako carry her back into the house.