Disclaimer: Don't own Legend of Korra (or A:TLA), nor any of it's characters.
Rating: T
Another idea I had, though it's been awhile heh - and as said by the summary, a loose follow-up to my previous story, 'Relax'. Still, hope you enjoy.
"Opal, your eyes sparkle unlike anything I have ever..."
Bolin sighed, just staring into the mirror. "No, that's gonna sound over-the-top, and that's gonna get me nowhere!" he cried, already imagining her expressions. "I gotta stay normal, like myself, and without any smoothness- no wait, just the 'ladykiller' smoothness, not smoothness in general... I think. And now I'm off-point again."
Taking in a breath, he fought to stay focused, before looking at the mirror again; he can do this.
"Opal, wow your eyes sparkle. When you're happy, they really do, and it's really pretty... I could just look at them all day. Or even just look at your eyes in general, as they are so much like you, in many ways."
"You're talking weirdly again."
Thoroughly shocked, Bolin nearly slammed against the wall in his instinct to move- Opal stood there in the doorway, one hand held behind her back gingerly, but her smile was teasing. He almost had a heart attack or something, but luckily he was just breathing heavily now, trying to make sense of things... "W-What was that?" he manged to ask.
"I said, 'you're talking weirdly again'" Opal repeated.
"I was?" he asked, blinking, before freaking. "I was!? I didn't realize! I guess I got too into it or something- oh man, I'm still-"
"Bolin" she breathed quickly, having stepped forward, briefly touching a finger to his lips to shut him up- then she smiled. "Please, don't get too worked up; I was teasing."
Bolin just sighed, relieved. "Sorry" he breathed, sincere. "I just- even now, I'm still a little scared to drive you away, especially after everything else."
In answer, Opal just stepped closer, both hands caressing his cheeks as she smiled - then she kissed him, a good, sweet kiss he was eager to return, and gently held her waist with both hands. It lasted about five seconds before she ended it, still smiling, though she kissed his nose before truly pulling back, leaving him a little flustered... Opal wasn't, but he knew that's because of her experience as an Airbender after three years; it's harder to make her that way now.
"Wow" he whispered, really soft.
"It's still a little late to forget, Bolin" Opal whispered back, a little gentle. "However, turning me away will take more than your 'weird' talk, unless you persisted with it of course."
"Oh good" Bolin breathed, relieved again. "I mean, I wasn't trying to sound like that... I-I just wanted to say things to myself, see what they sounded like, and if I could actually say them, to you I mean. I didn't actually expect you to come right in, w-when you did."
She gave off a little hum, but nodded. "I can understand that" she answered, hands moving on his shoulders. "I didn't expect to hear all that myself, or be sent back so soon."
"Yeah, I thought you were in the middle of that mission?"
"I was" Opal admitted, before sighing, both hands rubbing at her lower back gingerly. "We were all doing good too, until this Earthbender rogue got in a cheap shot with a rock from outta-nowhere. I'm not sure how he slipped past us, but least we got him back after that, and good too."
The moment those words registered, Bolin was worried: "Are you hurt?" he quickly asked, moving around to her other side, quickly noticing how ginger she was rubbing, an where exactly. "Or I mean, how bad is it?"
"Just bruised" she assured, softer from his concern. "I can have trouble when I sit down or move too suddenly, because it's so sensitive now. I said I could still fight if need-be, but Tenzin also said I've deserved a little time off for awhile, and suggested I come back... I was thankful."
"As I am!" Bolin exclaimed; any time they were together was a good time. "And it's a good thing for different reasons; I can help you out with this, Opal."
Opal tilted her head, but curious. "I've been bruised a few times before" she said, turning toward him. "They're not really that big a deal, if annoying."
"Yes, but bruises can last up to three days, longer if something goes wrong" he said a little importantly, to her slight surprise and further curiosity. "They are sorta-painful, stiff, and can swell - there are certain ways to treat bruising, all of which can help to avoid these symptoms as much as possible, go away faster, and make sure the area is still flexible and alright afterward."
A moment, then Opal smiled at him. "Well lead the way, Doctor Bolin" she whispered, slightly teasing- he was a little sheepish and embarrassed, but nodded as he gestured.
...
When the ice pack first came, of course her body reacted to the sudden temperature, but Opal worked through it; it's gonna help out.
"So, how do you know so much about treating bruises, Bolin?" she asked, laying on her front. "Does it have to do with your time on the streets? Before being a Pro-Bender, fighting a dangerous revolution, being a Mover star, and the whole Airbending thing across the world?"
Bolin was a little sheepish at her wording - almost exactly like he'd stated during that first dinner together in Zaofu - but soon nodded, making sure the ice pack's properly placed on her lower back, shirt rolled up halfway to make sure. "Well yeah, it does" he breathed, his voice a little more emotional, but soft. "A lot of things happened back then."
"If you don't want to talk about it-"
"No no no, it's not that" he quickly assured, glancing up. "It's just sad to talk about, and kinda bad."
Opal slowly breathed out, but affectionate. "Bolin, I'm willing to listen" she said simply, taking his hand gently, doing little motions with his fingers. "I'm not going anywhere, literally - plus I grew up in a city made for second chances, so I'd like to hear your story."
That got him to smile, as well as blush a little regarding the fingers, briefly anyway. "Well... how we got on the streets wasn't pretty" Bolin whispered, letting out a breath. "A Firebender killed our parents when we were young and Mako, who was only eight, had to help take of both of us, doing whatever he needed to."
Almost immediately, she pulled his hand toward her, kissing it several times- a little reaction said this wasn't lost on him.
"So yeah, we went through a lot: sleeping on garbage or hard surfaces, eating wherever/whatever was possible - and stuff could be bad, really bad - trying to make money however we could" Bolin went on. "Mako even ran numbers, literally, for the Triple Threat Triad, because we were that desperate at the time... which did cause problems further down the line, but still."
"What were they?" Opal asked, a little confused - now she saw about the bruises though, as she didn't imagine sleeping on hard surfaces was (initially) good for the body.
He looked uncomfortable, glancing off, rubbing the back of his head. "A uh- a bending gang" he breathed, "Mako didn't like it either, but like I said, we were desperate for money back then... and all he did was run numbers and stuff, not do actual crimes."
"You two certainly didn't strike me as that sort" she assured, still rubbing along his hand. "And I think it's fine."
"Really?" Bolin breathed, surprised.
"Yeah" Opal whispered, looking up at him. "You two did what you had to in desperate times, but you never lost yourselves along the way. And it's payed off, Bolin; look where you are now, and what you can do."
A little moment, where he added his other hand to theirs. "It is pretty cool" he admitted softly, "Though, I didn't invent lavabending or anything like that..."
"As far as I'm concerned, you didn't need to" she breathed, smiling. "It's pretty impressive, but I like your personality more - even with a few bumpy patches, that's important to me."
That made him a bit shy, but it was interesting to watch, so she carefully leaned up and kissed him again... after the surprise, he didn't mind at all.
...
They continued to talk for the next fifteen minutes, mostly little things but a number of affections too - Opal was glad, because finally they could be together after those three years. True the world was still kept busy after everything, but that'd die down in time, and then maybe they could get somewhere... for now though, she's content with this.
"There, that should do it for now."
She made a sound, gingerly touching her back, which was numb-ish from the constant cold- the sore sensations came back, but lesser this time. "What do you mean 'for now'?" she asked, sitting up carefully.
Bolin shrugged a little, as if sheepish to inconvenience her. "Well, normally this should be done three times a day or more, each for ten-twenty minutes, for two-three days" he said, but with a smile. "That should really help out the natural healing, as would carefully-wrapped bandages. Oh, and it's best to keep it elevated when possible."
Opal was curious as she listened, head tilted. "Well since it's on my lower back, how do you think it should be done, Bolin?" she teased, giving him a little look to 'help'.
He just smiled back. "Well, that part's easy" he whispered, gentle. "If you're ever laying down, you should do so on your front, including when you sleep. I did say 'when possible', of course- I-I mean it's not easy to elevate a lower-back bruise, since we're usually standing, and such."
"Well, that'll do" she whispered, before leaning forward- though surprised, he soon got the hint. After the kiss: "Besides, according to you, we gotta do this twice more today, then repeat tomorrow, maybe the day after."
"I can definitely get behind that" Bolin stated, his excitement showing, particularly in that smile.
Opal felt warm, and showed it in her next kiss... it even seemed to leave them a little breathless, but she could swear it hadn't been that long.
"Me too" she breathed, completely sincere. "And before I get too caught up, anything else that might help, later I mean?"
"Uh" he considered, briefly slow, but his cheeks turned slightly red. "Well, it uh- it was also said that a massage could help... you know, for flowing blood, and stuff."
"Oh Bolin, you're so forward" Opal teased, making him briefly freak, even stutter a little- at least until she started giggling hard, then he just slumped in relief. That gesture certainly wasn't out of the question, but she'd been having a little fun with teasing, knowing he'd meant massaging her lower back. "But seriously, that can be done the second time. Right now, you and I have a few days to spend together."
"Of course, of course!" Bolin exclaimed, before thinking. "We gotta think up some things, because this is quality time. It demands no less."
"Of course it doesn't" she thought, but having to struggle not to laugh.
/
Nighttime
"Ah, now this is a view" Bolin breathed beside her, hands behind his head. "Don't you think so, Opal?"
She nodded, still looking up at the night sky's starry view; it's breath-taking, even if some of the city light made them a bit dimmer. "It's amazing" she whispered, shifting underneath their shared blanket, being careful about her still-sore lower back. "I've seen stars before, but being able to lay down in an open field, and just stare at it- we couldn't do that in Zaofu, and training at the airbender temples left me tired a lot of nights."
He turned a bit toward her. "Hey, hey, that's all in the past" he assured, before gesturing in a sweeping manner. "This is now."
Opal giggled a little, leaning over for a cheek kiss, which despite some surprise was appreciated.
"But you know, despite my saying it, I'd be lying if I said if it didn't remind me of the past" Bolin slowly admitted, less cheery, but sincere. "After all, when you're sleeping on the streets... there aren't a lot of beds to go around."
He was about to continue, until her fingers started caressing his cheeks, which turned them pinker- on her side now, she just looked at him.
"Whereas with me, I'd always slept on a bed, before everything" she whispered, but gentle. "Then suddenly I was an airbender, you guys came around, and I went on to train with Tenzin and the other airbenders. That still provided beds, kinda, but once we started taking on missions around the world, sometimes I just couldn't... I learned to sleep on the back of flying bison, or the landscape itself, among other places."
Bolin hesitated a bit, but soon returned the favor on her cheeks, which made her smile. "And it probably made your muscles sore for awhile, right?" he asked, soft. "They weren't used to that, kinda like anyone suddenly working out."
"No, they weren't" Opal agreed, leaning their foreheads together. "Still, I learned how to handle myself across those three years, culminating in today."
At that, he just hugged her close; while surprised, she didn't mind at all. "Even when we were apart, I saw that change across your letters, and especially whenever I saw you in person" he whispered, really gentle. "I mean, you were never a pushover or anything, but you spoke with more confidence, and it took a lot more to make you shy. Yet at heart, you didn't really change."
"Except for one big thing" she thought, but kept that to herself; didn't want him to stop, or ruin her own warmth at his words. Outwardly: "Thank you, Bolin" she whispered, slowly drawing him into a kiss... but in her head, words came without conscious effort.
"We've got some family business to take care of."
"Alright look, before you go, I just wanna say that I understand how you feel. I know there's nothing I can do, or no big gesture that can make up for all my mistakes, but, that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop trying to win you back. Because... I love you."
"...thanks for saying all of that."
Still in the middle of their kiss, Opal slowly pulled back, her breath heavy. "Bolin?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you."
He gave a little gasp, body going shock-still against her- she opened her eyes, moving her fingers over his cheeks.
"I'm sorry it took me this long to return it" she whispered, trying to say it all. "Truly, Bolin. Can you forgive me?"
It took about a few seconds, but the shock faded as he registered that question. "Forgive you?" Bolin asked, before a big grin split his face. "Are you crazy, Opal!? I'm happy!" he exclaimed, kissing her immediately after he said that, much to her squeak. "I'm so happy I could cry right now!"
"H-Hey, you don't need to cry" Opal breathed, trying to reassure him, but happy herself. "Bolin-"
She couldn't finish - didn't even know what she was gonna say afterward - so instead she just kissed him, which he was all for that, and one soon turned into many. The kisses didn't stay simple either, and aside from the tight grips, she counted them 'flipping' each other at least twice during said kisses... it was almost bliss, but that'd be a tad much for description, even without the small throbs from her lower back.
"Oh, Opal" Bolin breathed above her, shaking a bit, but still with a big grin. "You have no idea."
Catching her breath slightly, Opal soon gently tapped his nose. "I think I do, a little" she whispered softly. "Please, show me more, Bolin."
"Can do."
Within a split-second they were kissing again, hands running over spots on each other - not intimate-level, and he was careful about avoiding her lower back, yet even still, they never felt closer that night.
Just so sweet together; that is all XD