I'm sorry.
I can't just stand here and say nothing.
I can't just watch this play out.
Forget about what this means for me, how the hell am I supposed to deal? What am I supposed to do now? But what it does to everyone really involved.
Mako's sitting on the stairs and I keep straightening to stand up and speak with him, and slumping back down in defeat without even trying. I can't compete. She loves him. I know that. And he loves her. Ha. He loves her.
Right; if he loved her he would have broken up with Asami long ago. He would have told Asami about the kiss and not leave her to find out through me. Really Mako, really.
But now, now we're all sitting, and no one is speaking, nothing has been said about how star-crossed we all are, how wrong this situation is. I mean, I know what happened; Mako told me, but Asami doesn't know, and Korra and Mako still act the same as before. But really… really.
I sigh, once more after the million that I've let out in the last few hours. I can't do anything, but I can't do nothing. Finally I drag myself to my feet and over to where Korra is making small rain-clouds in her hands.
"Korra… I…" but my voice dies out when she looks at me, her eyes smiling. That all-to-familiar flutter returns to my stomach but I catch myself before I blush. Okay, it's not her fault. Yeah, she likes Mako and not me. Loves Mako and not me. But she still likes and loves me in a different way. I sit beside her, and instead of telling her how perverse this whole situation is, I simply say, "You'll be okay."
"I am okay Bolin," Korra's eyes question as she doesn't understand what I'm trying to convey, but she takes comfort in leaning into my shoulder. And I smile from her warmth against me, even if it's not from fire between us, and against her hair I say once more "You'll be okay."