[[ Cliche dumb!Bolin mistaking androgynous!Desna for Eska? youbetyoursweetass ]]

The avatar was marrying young, barely fresh out of training, and having newly restored the earth's balance, at that. But the excitement was more focused on a different aspect of this news: Avatar Korra was marrying a woman. Surely there was as much disapproval from the Southern Water Tribe elders as there was from the North's elders, whose voices grumbled during the early afternoon on which they received the news, and the invitations to attend. In those more traditionally inclined, Avatars were to keep balance even in relationships, demonstrating the ideals of a perfect coupling of man and woman, through the cliche concept of yin and yang. Desna thought it was cliche, foolish, and a very old way of thinking, so he was glad when his sister finally spoke on the subject.

"After the previous chief's disastrous intervention in matters that were above his head, there would be no place for our intervention, whether it breaks tradition or not," her words were softly spoken, but were as hard cut as ice. Desna felt pleasure in the way the elders went rigid with uncertain fear. Unalaq, the previous chief and father of the twins, at least pretended to be gracious and courteous in his deceit. Desna and Eska hated humanity, but not enough to fucking destroy it.

"Desna and I'll be attending the wedding, and the council will maintain current expansion plans." The water tribe was focusing on its trading and export, and building along the coast, and opening up its cities for influence, much to the chagrin of again, the traditionalists. The two nineteen year-olds were ecstatic at the chance to escape their chiefly duties, even if they wore the same dully flat-lined expressions. "Any who object to Avatar Korra's wedding will be sentenced to an icy death," she added in good faith as she rose from her chair.

No, she'd never had to act on her threats. But Eska amused herself giving them out.

Desna was a second late in following his sister out, and she noticed with an eerily quick glance, one that might've scared the wits out of anyone else, but one that Desna knew to be interest. "You're not solely amused by the elders' collective torment, Desna."

"I am not, Eska." Desna confirmed, standing a few more inches taller than his sister, but not enough to escape her gaze.

"... I'm glad for you." It was uncannily devoid of any edges, a tone reserved for the only person in this world with whom she could trust. Desna accepted it with a small smile.

The exchange might've been a bit confusing to anyone other than them, who mutually understood everything about the other. Their cousin Korra was unwittingly opening a new door of change for Desna, who was homosexual himself. This had never reached elders, but it'd been noticed by Unalaq, who refused to let his son engage in any imbalance.

But if the Avatar, representative of balance in humanity itself, could marry into the same sex, then so could a Chief.

"Not that you have anyone to marry. Woman or man, neither would tolerate your complete lack of charm and your abundance of off putting sarcasm, as I have." Eska teased him like this, but for the most part, he usually agreed with her. "I should hate to let you go to another."

"Thank you, sister." He drudged, casting her a sideways glance. "I should also hate to lose you to another foolish earth-bending turtle-duck. Bolin is undoubtedly attending the wedding, so don't make a spectacle of yourself pursuing his interest."

Eska's frown turned deeper. Coincidentally, her eyes shone subtly with a smile. "He misses me more than I miss him."

"I bet he does."

Besides their father's madness, Bolin was another unexpected cog messily fitted into their otherwise finely tuned clockwork. A loyal friend to the Avatar, he was down to earth, as extremely cliche as it sounded being an earth bender, but his actions ceaselessly demonstrated his utter stupidity and at some points, his indefinite courage.

Still, he managed to act cowardly when opposite Eska, who enjoyed the power she'd commanded over him, until he became disobedient. Sometimes Desna wondered if she still held affection for him. He had been the only one to have obtained her affection.

He remembered their conversation the night after the southern water tribe's spirit festival.

"I think I am in love."

At sixteen, even Desna knew how foolish that was out of his sister, his hair whipping with him as he turned to her. "You'd better unthink that. We're here to assist our father in his work, not to meddle with the Avatar's troglodyte." He looked away, then back at her again with a look of irate puzzlement. "I didn't think you had the capacity to love."

She wiggled in her seat, a silent disregard of his sensible protests. "Maybe it's not love, then. But he does make me feel something I've never felt before."

"Oh?" His interest piqued, he sat on a cushion directly in front of her. He saw a new expression on his sister, one that had her eyes shifting downward, and redness coloring her cheeks. She looked vulnerable and beautiful, and he wondered if he shared that beauty when he was embarrassed.

"When he's bending to my will, I feel warm and... dizzy. I feel pleasure."

The two of them were close, and though their father was trite more spiritual than even Tenzin of the Air nomads, they discussed such things. Nothing was beyond them.

"You would derive pleasure from such a thing." He rolled his eyes and sampled a morsel of dried seal jerky, a brutish delicacy of the southern tribe's. He gagged unceremoniously.

"Don't you?" she inquired flatly, watching him wash down the cured meat with some water. His throat once cleared made his voice sound rougher. "Not from control."

So they were different, in that at least. But admittedly, he did find himself liking Bolin for completely different reasons.

And they'd be seeing him again. And Korra. And their uncle who liked big hugs and sacrilegiously loud ceremonies. They arrived the morning of the ceremony and were greeted traditionally as chieftans. The two wore ceremonial trails and robes similar to the untrained eye, but Desna's was of male design, and Eska's of female. Dark blues ran over the shapes of their bodies, lined with pearl colored silks and matching ornaments in their hair. Their clothing was far more elegant than the fashions of the south, and Desna and her sister drank in the collective shock and awe of the simple people.

More remarkably still was Avatar Korra, in her wedding robes. The clothes were simpler, held none of the richness that Desna's or Eska's had, but she filled them beautifully stole the show right back without meaning to. Her bride had also chose simple water bending clothing that hadn't fit right with the ivory of her skin. Her hair was dark, but her skin was very fair in comparison to Korra's. Desna compared the two as they held hands at the altar, and when their smiles kissed. The two bending brothers were the best men, coincidentally, with Makko smiling more than he'd ever before, and Bolin crying. Desna could hear a sigh of pleasure in Eska, before he rolled his eyes and returned them to the grossly sobbing man. Bolin had grown some in stature and strength, it'd always been visible in the way clothes fit him. He'd lost none of his natural, boyish charm. And from the few longing looks he sneaked to Eska, unnoticed by her but picked up on by her brother, his feelings for her might not have changed either.

It was a much celebrated event, though Desna and Eska were partially hoping for some fun drama to pass the time. After the main ceremony came the feast, and the speeches, and the gifts. The twins had presented the two with tribal war relics and jewelry, as was the protocol. The other nation's leaders and trade partners to Asami also came bearing gifts and wishes of longevity and prosperity in the couple.

By the time the entertainment had rolled out, the twins had become bored. Despite the last time he was fooled, Desna thought he might brave it through the seal jerky, thinking that this time the blubber would suit his palate.

"I-I need fresh air," he heaved, excusing himself from the table much to Eska's dismay. She did not want to be left alone, but Tornaq was cornering her to dance with a southern tribesman. For once in their tiny, closely knitted universe, they were separated.

It'd helped once the tight pins and pearls binding his hair were released and the dark, matte hair spilled forward over narrowed shoulders. It was colder in the south, Desna appreciating the way it soothed his stomach. His bare hands spread over the ice rail forming the balcony of the less than extensive hut the southerner's called a palace. He felt the ice melt beneath the warmth of his hands, until his breath started quickening in pain.

"Boy 'm I glad to see you, Eska."

Desna sharply turned around, eyes wild as he caught Bolin in them. Eska. Did Bolin accidentally follow him here? He was still watching Bolin far too long to come off as anything but shocked, which Bolin would've reveled in had her hands not been sitting on ice. "Isn't that cold?" He asked, slowly shortening the distance between them with each step while Desna silently shook his head, ripping his chilled palms from the surface. Before he could speak, Bolin was taking off his gloves and replacing them onto Desna's fingers, maybe just a scant thicker than his sister's, but Bolin clearly couldn't tell the difference. Bolin carefully tugged the fur-lined inside of the gloves over Desna's wrists before bringing them up to his face, breathing hot air into both clothed palms while his own waited the cold of exposure.

Desna couldn't believe that Bolin would be comfortable enough to do such a thing with Eska. But Bolin looked unafraid, his eyes light and green and every bit as powerful as his earthbending. Desna shuddered at the warmth filling him, not from his breath or his gloves or his hands, but from the warmth that came from within. His voice caught in his throat and he looked downward, backed up against the ice railing. His face felt like it was on fire. He'd never been so close to someone else like this, and it wasn't fair that Bolin's eyes were heatedly concentrated on his own.

"I know things kinda ended bad between us and got weird, and you thought I was going out with Kuvira the last time I saw you, but I just want to know that things are all right between you and me. You know?" Desna's breath hitched, but he knew Bolin wasn't talking about him. This soothed him a little. Why, Desna'd tell Eska and the two of them would have a laugh about it. Bolin meant nothing to them.

Desna looked up at the wrong time, seeing the unmistakable agony Bolin wore so openly. "I miss you." His voice was guttural, and heartbreakingly quiet.

Another breath, and the young water tribe leader couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm not Eska." His voice was shaky, and the deeper tone surprised Bolin, but his hands were still cupping Desna's. Eventually, the shorter of the two tried pulling his hands away, and Bolin finally let him, coming down from his reverie. "You're... ohhh. Desna. R-Right." Suddenly, color filled Bolin's face. "GAH! Fuck." Bolin folded his arms over the railing and buried his face in it, but Desna could see the red tips of his ears.

Desna felt a little offended that Bolin had reacted so adversely, now that the shock was fading slowly. And no matter how awkward it was, Desna wasn't going to leave; he'd gotten here first, practically claimed this as his own sanctuary. He frowned looking down at the gloves that were slightly too big for him. Damn Desna for still feeling that warmth inside.

A muffled, "Sorry", came from the crook of Bolin's elbow, before his face was shyly peeking out in Desna's direction. The tanned male felt his heart skip a beat at the tender sight. "But you two do look really alike."

Desna rolled his eyes, feeling his heart calm down. "You should be grateful it was I and not her; she would've frozen you for touching her like that, as you did."

"Oh, nah, I'd be okay." Bolin forgot that he was speaking to her brother of all people, "Me and her did stuff like this all the time." Then, he remembered. "W-Well, not all the time, hahaha, hah... p-please don't kill me." Bolin thought Desna was angry, but in all actuality, he was wondering what else he didn't know about his sister.

There was silence between them and Bolin was anxious, as if Desna would go off on him. Instead, he was thinking of what to say next.

"My sister..." The soft sound of his voice made Bolin flinch. "Sometimes, she talks about you."

A wide grin overtook Bolin. "Does she? Really?"

His pretty grin made Desna's knees feel weak. He nodded, feeling the brush of Bolin's shoulder as he walked past him. "Thanks, Desna," he called from behind him, stopping to give him a small salute. "You're a great guy, honest!"

Desna didn't feel great. What was that? A sickened feeling replaced the warmth, and he blamed it on the seal blubber.

After that run in, he pursued an early end to that night's festivities and bid his sister join him, until they separated for bathing and rest. Their uncle had insisted upon it, stating that no bathtub was good enough for his nephew to sleep in, no matter how Eska pressed for it. So, Desna was unaccustomed to the aching softness of the bed beneath him and longed for comforting porcelain, which his uncle had refused him without knowing his actual sleeping preferences. He stared up at the ceiling, in the thin layer of silk that was his robe, thinking of trivial things. The gloves that Bolin left with him, that now sat on his dresser. He didn't particularly like the thought of his cousin Korra having sex, but he wondered how she and her bride were supposed to consummate a marriage without anything to do the consummating. Then he thought of Bolin, some more.

It'd been late, but sleep was finally finding him. And then, warm lips found him too.

"... ska... Eska."

Desna woke to the sound of his sister's name spilt from honeyed lips as they caressed over his burning cheek. Desna's body locked up immediately and a large hand suddenly swept over his mouth, before he was gazing up into pools of green once more. "Shh! It's okay, Eska, it's just me." It was just Bolin, but that was exactly why Desna was alarmed. Bolin's pale shoulders were bare in the moonlight that spilled in from the window intricately woven with ice. The design splayed the shapes of snowflakes and diamonds over Bolin's broad back, but Desna couldn't tell from where he laid beneath Bolin's hovering body. The Republic city dweller was clothed in what Desna could only describe as sleeveless and low cut, something that scandalously showed off Bolin's masculinity, though in reality it was nothing more than an undershirt. The lower Desna looked, the more he wished he hadn't. His eyes quickly flicked back up and he was trying to burn the image of Bolin's clothed bulge from his mind, all the while that hand slid from his mouth. Finally, he could tell Bolin just what kind of a mistake he was making- -

"It's cold. Lemme in."

Desna was having a hard time denying him this request and he struggled in vain to keep the covers all to himself. "S- -Stop being stubborn." Bolin huffed, finally yanking the covers from underneath him and joining Desna in his warmth. He thought Bolin would be hugging him close or placing him in a similarly awkward situation with his lower half the way it currently was, but Bolin did no such thing. He laid himself down on his back with all of six inches between them, his arms folded on top of the covers. Oh. Desna scolded himself for feeling disappointed. And then, he thought of the lips that'd been touching his face before he properly woke up. No, all of this was very bad. If he didn't tell Bolin soon, there'd be no telling of the foolish heights that idiot would rise to.

"I won't do anything you don't want, okay?" Bolin grumbled, his eyes obstinately focused on the ceiling. "Just hear me out. Since you ignored me all day."

Did she? If Eska had, Desna didn't know about it. The two of them were otherwise occupied, except for the rare exchange between himself and Bolin. He couldn't imagine how badly Bolin would react this time. Desna pulled the covers up over his shoulder and tried to wiggle his face down below the covers as Bolin started rambling.

"See, at first I wasn't sure about being with you because- -hell-O- -I didn't even know you, and then you suddenly said we were getting married and so I kinda got cold feet, no pun intended, and I ran away and you got super angry." What was Bolin even talking about? Desna peeked nervously from his spot on the bed, Bolin animatedly using his hands as he spoke. "And then the harmonic convergence came and I said I loved you, but maybe you thought I was only saying that to trick you, because you said you didn't want to be with me- -" Bolin finally interrupted himself and by now Desna was sure he'd heard enough for a lifetime. Just when he thought Bolin might've talked himself out of his rambling jag, he heard a little sniffle.

Desna's eyes widened and he sat upright in bed, watching Bolin raise a fist to wipe underneath his eyes. He was... crying?

"Don't look at me like that," Bolin's bitterness was weak and unlike him. "I know we're not really meant to be together. But with the wedding today, I thought... man, I really missed out, didn't I?"

Bolin was beautiful. Everything about him was noble and sweet, and he wondered why his sister hadn't already taken him. Maybe she would've, if he'd visited her room tonight instead of his. Bolin stubbornly turned his face as his hand fell back over the covers. Desna's body leaned, and then his hand guided Bolin's back over, so the intensity of his eyes could meet Desna's again.

"... Why aren't you saying anything?" Bolin asked, bidding Desna a reply. No, he was asking Eska right now. Desna felt himself flush in shame and his hand dropped, but not before Bolin picked it up. Desna looked down at their joined hands, feeling Bolin's fingers wiggle into the spaces between his. Then, a small squeeze of understanding. Bolin's other hand raised, smoothly combing through rich, dark hair, before he was gently guiding Desna down.

Desna's hair pillowed around the shape of Bolin's face, a cascade of darkness around them that caught the light of the snowflakes. Bolin's eyes were as warm as they'd been before at the banquet, when he'd been attempting to warm Eska's hands, before he knew it was Desna. Then, the probender's lower lip jutted out.

"If you're not gonna say anything... I'll do whatever I want."

Desna's heart quickened at that. He could end this right now, speak in his normal tone of voice and watch Bolin scramble to leave the room. Or he could stay silent, let Bolin have his way. Honestly, Desna wanted both.

He let Bolin's hand press his head down further, until their lips were inches apart. Bolin's breath was shaky, but warm. Desna breathed him in and found his eyes closing sooner than he'd admit, anticipating Bolin's touch.

There was a sigh of relief, then. Desna's eyes fluttered open, seeing Bolin's breathtaking smile again. "Good, you... you look like you really want it. I didn't know what I'd do if you looked like you hated it."

The distance was soon lost between the two of them, Desna's lips unceremoniously landing over Bolin's, who groaned at the sudden contact. Bolin's hands repositioned themselves on Desna's shoulders, then his arms and waist. Desna found himself being directed over Bolin's body and pulled closer, keeping his lips firmed against Bolin's as he half draped himself over him like a blanket of snow, soft and lush. Bolin enjoyed the weight of the others body, gently rolling himself up underneath Desna.

"Ngh."

Desna made a sound. It was small, and quiet, but it was deep and unlike his sister's.

Shakily, Desna's lips disconnected. He'd been so caught up in such a chaste, meaningless kiss that he'd grunted. He'd held back none of the masculinity. As he opened his eyes, he could see Bolin's were wide in wonderment.

"I've... never heard you make a sound like that before," he said breathlessly, eyes glinting with curiosity. And then, mischief.

His hands were shifting over Desna's body then, sweeping the boy underneath Bolin's powerfully built body. The waterbender wasn't ready for this in any way, he'd never been ready for any of this, but that didn't stop Bolin in any way.

Bolin's body pressed down into Desna's, moreso than Desna had pressed onto Bolin. There was no escaping his heat or his strength, not when Bolin's knee dug into the bed right between Desna's thigh. Desna willed himself not to grind down on his knee, instead tilting his chin upward when Bolin spoiled him with another kiss.

This one was immediately open-mouthed, and nothing like Desna had experienced before. To be fair, he'd never experienced this kind of wet kiss with anyone, his tongue subjected to a slow, soft torture in which Bolin teased him with his own tongue, sliding it in and out of his mouth, rolling it against Desna's tongue and occupying every second with mind numbing pleasure until Desna was leaking sound again. Bolin couldn't have been this stupid to still think this was Eska.

Could he be?

"Gee whiz, Eska. You're so sexy-soundin'."

Yes, he was this stupid.

But Desna wasn't complaining, not in the way his hands slid over Bolin's broad shoulders and pulled him closer, not in the way his body arched up into Bolin's, nor the way in which his thighs opened up. Bolin's hands wandered possessively, exploring the curve of Desna's back and his ass, squeezing tightly. Desna's lips parted and Bolin sucked on his plumped lower lip, treating the kiss swollen lip to even more attention as Desna was left panting and withstanding the obscene treatment of his ass.

Bolin's hands slowly pulled away, however, and he released Desna's lip. The young chief felt his eyes were already dimming, his eyes covered in a film of lust.

"We'll have... so much time together. Maybe we shouldn't... rush this?" Bolin asked, his eyes swimming with affection. Desna realized that Bolin was scared of rejection, and he was doing everything in his power to do things right this time.

Desna nodded slowly, releasing Bolin so that he could push himself off. "I'll... uhh... go cool off. Haha." He coughed a little, sitting up and off of Desna, who could barely pull himself together. "You sleep good. Good sleep. Good night." Bolin's weight was quickly leaving the bed. Then the sound of him left the room.

But he had no chance of leaving Desna's thoughts.