Entry for Round 6 of the Pro-Bending Competition!
Prompts Used: (easy)dialogue: "There are so many...I don't know what to choose."; (medium)smell: Cinnamon; (medium)character: Korra
POV Used: Bolin's POV on Mako kissing Korra; LoK Season 1, Episode 5: "The Spirit of Competition"
Word Count: 2,148
"Thanks for the wonderful time, Bolin." Korra smiled brightly.
"No, no, no." The earthbender waved his arms, "thank you, for coming with me."
The two benders locked eyes and Bolin found himself in the ecstasy of love. He neared in, trying to close the space between them when Korra pulled back and remembered something.
"Oh! We got a match in a few minutes!" she held on Bolin's hand and pulled him "Let's go! We don't wanna be late!"
"Hang on for a sec!" He laughed, "I gotta pick something up, I'll catch up with you guys."
Korra nodded and made a run for the arena. Bolin watched her from behind, still in a dreamy state when someone bumped him.
"Hey! It's Bolin!" The boy nudged his friend.
"It is him!" The two fan boys jumped up and down in excitement.
"You're so cool! We've watched your matches ever since you started in the arena."
Bolin scratched the back of his head. "Wow! Well, you guys are awesome!"
"We gotta go! We don't want to miss seats in your game tonight!" The boys waved at him "By the way, you and Korra look good together!"
The earthbender blushed and smiled. "I gotta say, she's an amazing girl," he whispered to himself.
Bolin walked around the Arena in a tizzy, trying to relive all the moments he had with Korra. This was one night that he would never forget, and he aimed to make it just as unforgettable for Korra. Lucky for him, he spotted a flower stand by the side of the street. He couldn't fail now.
"Excuse me!" Bolin called out and looked around for the saleslady.
An old woman popped out from the side of the stand, spewing petals all over the place.
"Sorry for that, young one," she dusted the petals off her clothes. "Who's it for?"
"A very special woman." Bolin daydreamed, "she's one of a kind, amazing, talented, and most of all, just...beautiful!"
Bolin smiled with wide eyes and stared into the nothingness with a sigh. The old woman hit him with a stick.
"So, what are ya waiting for? Buy one and go for her!" the woman smiled.
"Uhh…maybe a few flowers would be nice," he counted the money in his hand and realized he was a few Yuans short.
The old woman took a peek at the cash in his hands and smiled. "Don't worry 'bout the money, just grab a bouquet from those pink roses over there. This one's on me, kid." she nodded and motioned him toward the flowers.
"Thanks, young lady!" Bolin grabbed a bouquet and winked at the woman.
"Am I that young?" the old woman blushed "Hurry on and good luck!"
The young earthbender was running towards the arena with Pabu holding on the edge of his shirt. He made it in the locker room as Mako and Korra were already in the ring. He placed the flowers inside his locker.
"Watch them for me, alright, Pabu?" He patted the small fire ferret on the head and suited up.
After the match with the Boarcupines, Korra went out to get some fresh air. Asami arrived shortly after and quickly left with Mako. Bolin was left alone with Pabu and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.
"Okay, Bo," he staggered his feet. "Pull yourself together, you can do this."
"What scent would she like?" He grabbed the most uncommon cologne inside his bag.
"Cinnamon? Girls love cinnamon," he smiled and sprayed it all over his body.
He practiced several lines to ask Korra out.
"So, Korra…what'cha doing tonight?" he placed his hands on his waist. "Well, I know what I'm doing tonight," he paused and smiled seductively "You."
"Was that too weird, Pabu?" The little fire ferret covered his eyes.
Bolin looked up and placed his hand on his chin "Let me think…Ah! I know!"
The earthbender cleared his throat, "Hey, Korra…you look so tired. Does your hand feel heavy?"
"It does? Well, let me hold it for you." He smiled and intertwined his own fingers.
"Argh!" he placed his hand on his head "None of these sound right!"
"Whatever, I'll just say anything," he stood up and stared at the mirror in his locker. "Uhh…Korra, I just want to say, I enjoy every moment with you."
Bolin held on the mirror with his hand. "Having you by my side is something that I want to happen in every single day of my life. I love you, Korra…"
He neared in the mirror and placed his lips on the glass. He closed his eyes and imagined a stunned Avatar returning the kiss.
"What are you doing?!" a voice came from behind the locker.
Bolin closed the locker door and nervously smiled "N-nothing!"
Shiro Shinobi was walking just outside their locker room.
He laughed "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Anyways, you did well, kid! Good luck with your girl!"
Before Bolin could've talked, Shiro was already gone. He took a deep breath, grabbed the flowers, and placed Pabu on his shoulder.
"I got this, right Pabu?" The ferret purred. "Now...where could she be?"
He stuck his head out the window and searched for the Avatar. Fortunately, Korra was just inside a gazebo several feet away from the arena.
"There she is, Pabu!" He yelled and happily ran off after her.
"Remember the lines, Bo," he fixed his shirt and slowly walked towards the gazebo.
His feet were stopped by something unexpected. Bolin's eyes squinted and to his surprise, someone else was taking his spot with the Avatar.
"Mako?" a puzzled look sprawled across his face, "what's he doing here?"
Bolin's feet moved faster and as he got nearer, something painful started building up in his chest. He stopped again, staring at the two people that were dear to him the most. They kissed and he froze in his tracks.
"Bolin!" his brother faced him "This isn't what you think!"
The hurt younger brother started running off, dropping the bouquet of flowers in his hand as tears fell on his cheeks.
Their match was a victory, but underneath the cheers and praise was a sudden cold embrace. Bolin's heart never felt this way before. Korra was his bandage, but the bandage fell loose and his heart shattered in a thousand pieces.
It was clearly a night he'll never forget.
Bolin dragged his feet across the city, looking for a place to spend the night. He refused to sleep in the same place with the person who betrayed him. The cold breeze of the midnight air added more misery for him. He sat around benches but left soon after when couples started sitting beside him.
His stomach grumbled, "Hey Pabu, you hungry?" the tiny ball of fur poked out of his side pocket and nodded it's head.
"Mako…" He whispered. "You're stupid, insensitive…stupid…argh!" He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It didn't work. "I hate you!" He muttered and kicked a small can at his feet.
Finally, he reached a place that reminded him of Korra, Narook's Noodle House. He had nowhere else to go, so he entered the city's best noodle restaurant.
"Ey, Bo!" Narook welcomed the earthbender. "Weren't you here with Korra earlier?"
Bolin looked down as if not wanting to bring up the topic of Korra and him.
"Oh, my bad" Narook gave him a menu. "Here, let me make it up to you. It's on the house."
"Which one? There are so many..." The young man browsed the food, "I don't know what to choose…"
"I told you, it's on the house. Grab anything you want," Narook smiled.
The night went on, and Bolin uncharacteristically ate just a few bowls of noodles. Most of them were the Southern Water Tribe noodles that Korra loved so much.
"She doesn't like me!" He slurped up some of the noodles. "Why does this always happen to me?! Stupid Mako..."
He sobbed in between eating and talking. In front of him was none other than his best friend, Pabu.
"Uhh…mister? Can I get-" A burp interrupted his speech, but he continued, "Five more of these please?" He sobbed harder, trying to finish the bowl of noodles in front of him.
With Bolin's enormous appetite, he managed to gobble up eight bowls of noodles and Pabu finished a larger one by himself. But exhaustion took over and he fell asleep on the table.
"C'mon" Bolin felt a hand gently touch his back. He raised his head to see his brother's face. It was the last person he wanted to see at this moment. "Takin' you home, bro"
Bolin's eyes had deep dark circles around them from all the sobbing and the lack of sleep. He was a real mess.
"Don't-" He sniffed a noodle from his nose, "-call me that! You're not my brother!" Bolin started sobbing, "You're a 'brother-betrayer'!"
"The only one I can trust anymore-" He pointed towards the fire ferret "-is Pabu, Pabu loves me."
Mako sighed. "You're a mess and we've got the biggest match of our lives tonight."
He grabbed Bolin by the shoulder "Let's go-"
"No!" The earthbender slapped Mako's hand away "I'm not going anywhere with you! You, traitor!" Bolin's voice raised and his older brother looked surprised.
Mako pulled up his sleeves and picked up his sobbing brother. "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
"I told you dating a teammate was a bad idea."
Bolin turned around "You're a bad idea!" He cried harder "Put me down!"
"Ah!" Bolin screamed as he fell out of the ring and into the water below.
He surfaced with a big gulp of air and swam over to the platform. An unexpected hand stuck out for him to grab. Bolin took it with his uninjured arm and climbed out of the water.
"Are you okay?" Mako asked and looked at his brother. "How's your shoulder?"
"It's messed up pretty bad." He groaned, "but I think I'll be alright."
They stepped on the elevator and an awkward silence passed between them. Bolin looked at his older brother and spoke up.
"Are we," he looked away. "Gonna be okay?"
"Of course we are. We're brothers." Mako dropped his shoulders. "We'll get through this mess."
"I'm sorry" The firebender started another conversation.
"Me too," Bolin replied."Girls…"
"Seriously" Mako sighed
As the platform slowly rose, the arena came to view. Korra was dancing with elegance. Bolin saw every single element pass through the Avatar. He didn't realize how low his jaw dropped.
He looked at the timer and the clock was ticking. There was only fifteen seconds left yet the three opponents still stood against Korra. Bolin was nervously placing his hands over his head and biting his nails.
"Go, Korra!" He cheered for the Avatar, "You can do it!"
Mako was beside him, also cheering for their teammate. They stepped off the elevator and watched the match from their locker room.
Bolin heard Shiro say that there was ten seconds left. The earthbender was jumping up and down when a sudden move blew them away.
"It's the big Kabosh!" The crowd was in a frenzy and the brothers cheered on. "What a knockout!"
The Avatar walked towards the locker room and removed her helmet. Bolin remembered how the woman in front of him was something else. She looked beautiful. Her hair waved from side to side as she smiled at him. Bolin felt the same pounding in his chest, but this time, it was a bit slower.
The White Falls Wolfbats entered the arena with pure grace. Their dark colored uniforms gave them a mysterious look. The Fire Feretts looked at them with annoyance. Korra hissed at their rivals and the Wolfbat's captain waved a hand at them.
Everyone was talking to each other when Bolin decided sit down with his injured shoulder. He hissed at the pain and held it with his good arm. He felt alone yet he needed help with his shoulder.
Bolin finally spoke up. "Uh, if everyone's done with the little 'thank you' party, I need some medical attention here!"
"Oh! Let me help." The Avatar stood beside him and placed her hands on his swollen shoulder.
"Ow!" The pain crawled across Bolin's body, making him jump. "Haven't you hurt me enough, woman?"
"Relax, I'm a healer." The Avatar pulled some water from the bucket beside the earthbender, "I learned from Katara, the best there is."
"No, no, no!" Bolin's cries turned to coos as the relaxing sensation of the healing water filled his body. "Oh, that's the stuff."
"Bolin, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," Korra bowed her head. "I didn't mean to let things get so out of hand"
"Ah, I'll be alright." The young earthbender smiled, "but we had fun together didn't we?"
"I had a great time, honestly!"
"You are one of a kind, Bolin." The Avatar said and gave him a soft smile.
"Please, go on." Bolin jokingly boasted, "I enjoy the praise."
