Firmamentum
As usual, Asami noticed first.
Since they'd met, Asami was always the one to notice the little things about Bolin. Asami didn't blame Korra and Mako for not noticing things, really. Mako had his job with the police, and Korra had plenty to keep her busy, being the avatar. Asami was busy, too, with trying to keep her company off the ground, but she managed to make time. Time to notice the way his face lit up when he heard a bad pun, the slurping sound he made when he ate Water Tribe noodles, the songs he hummed under his breath when he thought no one was listening.
Time to notice exactly how terrified Bolin had been of Eska, and why.
And now, time to notice that Bolin hadn't been sleeping.
Looking at him across the table in the crowded restaurant, she could see that Bolin was trying to act like nothing was wrong. The three lovers were sitting around a small, circular table. Asami was on his left, and on his right sat Korra, who was in the middle of a long, gesture-filled rant about something to do with Unalaq and the Cultural Center bombing. There was a lot of pressure on her, and she didn't seem to be coping with it very well, which worried Asami. Normal teenagers could afford to be stressed, but if Korra made a hasty decision under pressure, she could potentially disrupt the stability of the entire world. Bolin was resting his head in his fists, unconsciously rubbing his face every few minutes. There were faint dark circles under his eyes.
"So I need to send in troops NOW!" Korra finished, pounding the table. Bolin started, and Asami winced inwardly.
"You agree with me, right?" Korra said, looking at Asami imploringly.
"I think you have some very good points," Asami said reasonably. "But shouldn't we try to find a peaceful solution first?" Korra's forehead crinkled into a stormy scowl that Asami secretly found adorable.
"You don't-" she began, but the waiter came by just then to pick up the check. Asami gently guided her furious girlfriend and despondent boyfriend out of the restaurant. The sun had nearly set, and the sky was a black-and-purple bruise. All was quiet as the three walked down the street.
"Yeah, sure, peace is great," Korra continued loudly. "But it's time for action! They attacked us first, and-are you listening to me?"
"Bolin?" said Asami, gently putting her hand on his shoulder (another thing Asami had noticed was that Bolin didn't like being touched without warning anymore). "Are you all right?" He turned towards her, a huge grin on his face that would have fooled most people, but seemed a touch manic to Asami.
"Yep! Yep. I'm fine. Super-duper-fine. Never been better. In fact-ow!" Bolin had run into a lamppost. Now Korra was looking at him, too, with her arms crossed.
"Bolin, what's going on?" Korra demanded. Bolin sighed.
"I'm really fine," he said. "I just haven't been sleeping very much. Mako hasn't been home much at night, and I've been having some pretty crazy dreams."
"Her?" Korra said. Bolin nodded, standing under the bulbous orb of the lamppost. For just a second, Asami saw the deep fear on Bolin's wan, shadowed face. Then he smiled again and stepped out of the light. Korra's scowl deepened.
"That's it, I'm going to destroy my creepy cousin," said Korra. Asami sighed inwardly. She knew that Korra was angry at Eska, and even more angry at herself for not noticing what Bolin was going through. She suspected that Korra had purposely ignored the signs because she was angry at Bolin. Even though they'd all agreed to an open relationship, Korra could be a little jealous. But Asami wished she could get it through to Korra that her anger wasn't helping. Asami knew that all Bolin really wanted was for everything to be back to normal. The problem was getting him to confront his problems without constantly rubbing what had happened in his face. Korra wasn't even trying to strike that balance.
"Do you want to talk about anything?" Asami asked.
"Nope. No no no. Perfectly fine. Hey, is that Chief Beifong? Hey! Hi!" Bolin said. He began frantically waving his arm above his head. Chief Beifong's facial expression didn't change. She approached the three.
"I need to talk to you two," she said, pointing to Korra and Asami. "It's about the Cultural Center bombing. And it'll probably take a while."
"Shoot," said Korra. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah," said Bolin, looking put out. "See you then." He turned and walked back to his house.
...
"I'm glad that's over," said Korra as they walked out of the police station.
"You can say that again," Asami yawned. "Let's go home and get some sleep. That meeting took way too long." It was nearly midnight. The stars shone down, tiny pinpricks in the thick, suffocating cloth of the night sky.
"I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do this," Korra said softly and nervously. "This Avatar thing. I had the bending down, but now, there's all this political stuff that I can't handle. I...I need help." Asami slipped her slender hand into Korra's.
"I'll help," Asami said earnestly. "Any time you need something, I'll be there. I promise."
"Yeah, I know," Korra said with a small smile. The two walked together in silence, weaving in and out of the flickering streetlight.
Suddenly, Korra slapped her forehead.
"We left our pajamas at Bolin's last night," she said. "I only have the one pair. We'll have to go get them."
"It seemed like Mako was going to stay at the station for a while, so Bolin will be the only one there," said Asami. "I just hope we don't wake him up. Especially with his nightmare problem."
"Yeah," said Korra. Then, hesitantly, she said, "Do you think it was my fault? For not warning him about Eska?" Asami took Korra's hand and squeezed it.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "We all could have done things differently." Especially me, Asami thought. I should have noticed sooner.
A light was on in Bolin's room.
"I guess we won't have to worry about waking him up," said Korra. They opened the door nervously.
"Gah!" Bolin yelled, leaping off the couch. His eyes were red and watery, and he flushed when he saw the two. "Sorry! Sorry, I thought-I was bored, so I decided to sit on the couch, because I-I wasn't crying! I wasn't..." Bolin suddenly fell back onto the couch, hyperventilating.
"Hey!" said Korra. Asami raised her hand to quiet her before she could say anything else, then sat down next to Bolin.
"It's all right," she murmured. "I'm right here. You're safe. It's just us." Following Asami's lead, Korra sat down on the other side of Bolin.
After several minutes, Bolin's breathing slowed.
"Yeah. I was crying," Bolin said.
"Babe, if something's bothering you, you should tell us," Asami said, ruffling Bolin's hair. "I promise we won't be mad." Bolin took a deep breath and nodded.
"So? Are you going to tell us or what?" said Korra.
"It's just that I live really close to the ocean," said Bolin shakily. "And sometimes when I'm alone at night, I get worried."
"How about we stay with you tonight?" said Korra. "The three of us would be more than a match for her."
"Really?" Bolin said, his face lighting up. Asami shrugged.
"Why not?" she said. "Our pajamas are already here."
"Wow," Bolin said, running his fingers through his hair. "I really appreciate this, guys."
"Anything for the best boyfriend ever," said Korra, playfully nudging him.
...
Bolin, the rock that kept the house from falling down, lay in the center of the bed, his arms over his head as he snored loudly. His smooth, round face looked younger than ever, and he wore a tiny smile. He was clearly enjoying the first good night's sleep he'd had in a long time.
Korra, the stalwart, pulsing heart, lay to his left on her stomach. For the first time in a while, her face was smooth and unweighted, and her closed eyes lent her a strange vulnerability. Her dark, toned arms were clenched protectively around Bolin's sleeping form.
To his right lay Asami, the noticer, the planner, and the dreamer. Her face was smooth and serene, and her flowing black hair was splayed about her head like a starfish. She snuggled tightly into Bolin's side, making small, contented, murmuring noises every so often.
Tomorrow, they would have to face the world again. Tonight, though, they cuddled together in bed, safe in the knowledge that whatever the world brought them, they would face it together.