A.N: As promised, before Friday! This one takes place after before/during/after (I know, I'm so specific) my fic Checkmate, and it basically ignores the whole Asami thing (because she'd make things awkward, and I didn't mention her in Checkmate). Someone mentioned that Bolin was a bit OOC in Checkmate, as he was mad, so I decided to show what poor Bolin goes through. This is tied to his line "Days—nay, WEEKS of therapy—I think I'm actually starting to produce estrogen—cooped up with someone who shoots fireballs when she's upset…"
Disclaimer: I disclaim.
-breakbreakbreak—
Bolin knew that this session would be worse than the last (they always were), but he was completely taken aback at the heads of the dummies scattered around the floor of the gym. Most looked like they'd been severed—no doubt by a scarily sharp water whip—but there were a couple that looked suspiciously scorched.
"…Korra?" He called cautiously, getting ready to throw up a wall of earth, if needs be. "It's me. Bolin. Don't shoot, please."
"I know who you are. I'm not deaf. You guys sound nothing alike."
Great. She was sulking already. "C'mon. Help me glue the heads back on, or else we'll have to pay for them. Again."
He stood next to her, working quietly for a couple minutes. "You know you'll feel better if you talk it out. We had a deal: senseless violence is okay, but you have to talk eventually. If you bottle it up, you'll get sent to Chief Bei Fong for beating up an innocent food vendor. Again."
"I think she's developing a twitch in her right eye," Korra sounded thoughtful, but her eyes glinted like they always did when she was considering what rules to break that day.
"You're avoiding the queeestion," Bolin sing-songed, putting another head on its body, then cursing quietly as he realized it was backwards. "What happened? Was it really so bad that mass decapitation seemed like a good idea?"
Korra slumped against the wall. "I was trying to make him laugh—cuz he's such a zombie after work—and so I was telling him how Tenzin went bright purple when I suck out last night, and how I got a lecture on how young ladies, even young ladies who are the freaking Avatar, should act—and he started laughing!" She finished indignantly, her fists balled.
"…so, mission accomplished?"
"He was supposed to laugh at Tenzin's grape impersonation," she gritted her teeth, "NOT the description of me as a 'young lady'!" She threw the head she was supposed to be gluing across the room, sending a burst of fire after it. "Did you know," she whirled on Bolin, finger pointing dangerously, "that I've heard him call me 'Korra' like three times? Like, friends don't normally call each other by name? Am I supposed to call him 'Captain Fire-Ferret or something? Like, did I miss something?"
Bolin fought the simultaneous urges to roll his eyes and laugh out loud. "Go ahead and finish up—don't pout, you're the one who decided to go all axe-crazy on innocent mannequins. You should come upstairs after—" he waggled his eyebrows "I hear a certain firebender's gonna be there…" his sentence was cut off by a rock disc flying towards him, which he dodged easily. "G'night, Korra."
-breakbreakbreak—
"Stupid Bolin," Korra huffed up the stairs, "leaving all the glue and his bag downstairs—you'd think he wanted me to—"
"You like Korra. Checkmate."
He jaw dropped. That traitorous little jerkwad! She forced a smiled and made her voice sugary-sweet. "Are you guys playing chess?" There was a loud thump, and she was greeted by the view of Mako, face-down and butt-up, everything except the back of his shaggy black head buried in the carpet. "Whoops, didn't mean to scare you or anything."
"Korra!" Bolin's lips were twitching. "What are you doing here?"
"Dropping off the gear you left downstairs." She glared at him, holding up a fist. "Why is Mako on the floor?"
"It looked comfortable," came the muffled reply, and Korra stifled a laugh. Bolin raised his eyebrows again, smirking, and she threw the bag at him.
This is all YOUR fault. She glared at Bolin, trying to beam her thoughts into his brain. I didn't even realize I liked him until YOU poisoned my brain!
Bolin shrugged, still smirking.
"Screw. You." She whispered.
-breakbreakbreak—
A.N: How was Bolin? A little more IC? Leave your comments—I love them, they make my entire week—and I have finals coming up, so I need reviews. Be sure to check out my other stories, especially Just a Dream—it's not exactly a Makorra (though more Makorra than anything else), so it's gotten a lot less love. :( Hahaha, but seriously, review! I love you all!