Chapter One

"I'm home!"

The same words repeated every day as he walked into the house, taking off his protective helmet and setting it on the table. For once, he was shocked to not find her in the kitchen playing with Anji, both girls' laughter ringing up through the rafters of the apartment. Bolin frowned and put his hands on his hips, utterly confused. Not a peep. Not a word. He went to put the rest of his equipment down when suddenly, his shoulder was being weighed down by a little fire ferret in a metalbending helmet exactly like his own.

"Silly," He said, scratching the animal's back before moving to the kitchen and grabbing himself something to eat. "Kor? You home?" He shouted out as the ferret climbed down from his shoulder and onto the counter. He pulled out his secret stash of fire cookies and took a bite, savoring it's tasty tang. "Korra?" He mumbled after swallowing, feeling the heat linger in his throat before disappearing.

Suddenly the sound of little feet came running through the house and he arched a brow as Anji threw herself against his legs. "Daddy!" She cried, laughing. "We hided from you!" She giggled. Bolin grinned, unable to suppress his smile and unable to want to.

"Hey kiddo," He teased, tickling her as he wrapped her in a hug. Her laughter was perfect. He picked up his daughter, his daughter, and placed her in the crook of his arm, offering her the remainder of his cookie.

While she chewed on the food, his gaze lifted to the bedroom doorway, where his beautiful wife was, with her bright blue eyes. Her hair was tangled and around her face, her eyes drooping like she hadn't gotten enough sleep. And yet, Bolin still thought she was the prettiest thing in the world, besides their daughter, of course. He set Anji down and she took off running after Pabu II, laughing happily. Bolin, however, was more concerned on his wife.

She smiled weakly as he wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her like she'd been gone for months at a time. He missed her every moment he was without her. After the defeat of Tarrlok and Amon, she had said her goodbyes to the fabulous bending brothers and rushed off to save the rest of the world's political problems, promising to be home as soon as she could. Bolin had waited and waited. He and Mako played their sport with a new waterbender, whose name was nothing important. The team had their winnings. And as congratulations, she'd returned for one night.

He had felt like it had been forever since they'd spoken. He'd been so focused on the sport that his mind wasn't able to comprehend the fact that she had left. But seeing her—her hair down, shockingly, and in a rare piece of clothing Asami called a dress- he realized just how badly he had missed her. She'd run up to congratulate him first, instead of his firebender brother. He'd been so surprised that he'd sat their for two minutes before finally picking her up and spinning her until the both of them felt sick.

The four of them had gone to eat and Bolin hadn't been hungry. He'd literally sat beside Korra all night and questioned her about her journey through the Nation. Mako and Asami had made kissy faces the entire time, and Bolin was shocked because she was paying him attention. Him! He didn't want to go crazy because he knew she would leave the following day, but it was still incredibly nice to be talking to her again. The only thing that hurt was he realized how hard he was falling in love with her again.

Mako and Asami left early that night—probably to get lucky, Bolin pondered. He didn't mind. He was happy for them, but he was happier because Korra was here and alone with him. They'd gone to the same places that they had on their first date, while only talking. He felt happy again, happier than he had been. He had been so focused, so dedicated to probending that it had taken away some of his personality. He knew that it was his life, but he selfishly wanted more.

He wanted Korra.

Bolin felt stupid for feeling like that, but he couldn't help himself. He eagerly tried to tell her before she left, how much he still felt for her, but she had said something to him that had cut him dead in his tracks.

"I missed you Bo. You look so different."

Different? Was that bad? Was that wrong? How could he look different? He felt like the same kid he'd been when they'd first met! He was only two years older, two long and agonizing years, for Spirit's sake! How in the world did he look different?

Of course, he'd been silenced by her proposition that she'd taken notice. "In a good way, silly. You look older. You're growing." She'd reached up and touched his face and he smiled weakly. Older. Older was good, right? Sure? He had been so confused by her words that he couldn't speak, his internal fight tearing him apart. Then Korra had given him a big smile and he felt her arms wrap up around her and squeeze.

They had both grown up. Though the next day she left, they promised to keep in touch. Letters came frequently, sometimes accompanied with pictures or stories. Sometimes little trinkets came from out of the blue. Mako was confused about it, but Bolin would laugh and remember an inside joke from their letters. Rarer were phone calls where the two would talk for hours and hours at a time. Then Mako would roll his eyes and get two minutes to talk to her, before Bolin snatched the phone back.

He missed her so much. His heart ached every time he finished a letter because he knew that it would take a week or so for another one. He always wanted to cry when they were saying goodbye over the phone because it would mean losing a part of himself when she hung up. He desperately wanted to see her again, because the pictures were hardly doing anything for him and his lovesick heart.

When they won the championship again, Bolin had expected to see her there. He had expected her to surprise them all again, but he wasn't lucky enough. Asami had been there, and she was pretty, but she was no Korra. Mako had been ecstatic but Bolin felt like his heart was shattered. He didn't go out to the party that night. He didn't feel worthy enough.

The next time she called, he told her how much he wanted her home. She promised she would try but that things in the Islands were troublesome. He wondered if he could visit her, but how would he get there? He could chase her around and around until he finally found her. He could be there with them and hug her whenever she felt sad or homesick. But he couldn't. He couldn't find her because he was too attached to the city, too attached to his brother, and too fearful that he might not find her and lose the last piece of his soul.

Mako had come home on Bo's special day and Bolin had all but given up. It was his birthday, a day he had a terrible distaste for. He hadn't shaved, hadn't even gotten out of bed because he was so disappointed in himself. He was a mess without her. "Bo, I got you a present." Mako had said, but he wasn't listening. "Bo. Compose yourself. For once?"

When he hadn't responded, Mako had pushed himself off of the bed and made him get up and work properly. Bolin had showered (sadly) and dressed (sadly), but he didn't shave. Somehow, he thought this is what Korra meant by older looking and frankly, he liked it. The stubble trailed around his chin, up to where his hairline met. He remembered frowning as his stupid hair fell into his eyes.

Mako had dragged him out to meet Asami at Narook's Noodlery. He hated his brother for deciding that dinner should be here, of all places. As they walked inside, they noticed how deserted it was, how empty. Nothing usual like Narook's at all. Frowning, Bolin had found his gaze lingering until it fell on the corner table, where she sat with a familiar pout on her face, leaning against her arm.

It had nearly caused him to faint when he saw her, waiting. She looked so normal, so utterly Korra that he almost wanted to cry. He remembered whispering her name before watching her look up, and watching the brilliant smile on her face.

Korra touched his cheek and brought him out of his memories. "How was work?" She questioned, her calloused fingers pushing his stupid bangs out of his face. Bolin smiled weakly but made no reply; police business was hard, and he wished he had had the same respect he had for them when he was younger than now. "That bad, huh?"

"Nothing fun." He muttered, kissing her nose. When his lips moved away, he saw the content smile spreading across her face and his worries about the day disappeared. "I love you, you know that?" He questioned, squeezing her waist gently.

Korra smiled. "I know, silly."