disclaimer: i own nothing to deal with Avatar and/or Legend of Korra. These characters are not mine, but I do have fun with them every so often.

almost; by bspace.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, easy and warm, as she inhaled the familiar scent the Earth Bender gave off – a mixture of sweat, hearth, and a calming spice, something in their time together she had grown more than accustomed to; a stark contrast to that of his brother or his girlfriend. Relief flooded through her at the press of strong arms on her waistline, the push of fingertips in her hip as her body tucked against his. It had been so long since they last saw each other, well, only truly a month but since the events back in Republic City; she had become a fully realized Avatar and returned to a minor sequestered life to continue her study of Air Bending.

And that meant no distractions. None from him, Mako, Asami, or anyone else and for Korra, nothing seemed lonelier. She had to bulk up on her skills, she knew that much – after everything that had gone wrong, from the disastrous tournament, down to the last minute struggle between the Equalists and the Benders. But no one could blame her for the excited yelp she let out when word got through to her that her friends were coming to see her, near racing to the village gates faster than Naga could keep up.

So she buried her face in his shoulder, strong and taut, laughing as he pressed a light kiss to her temple and exclaiming that it was so good to see her again and how can she stand the cold weather – just senseless babble, refusing to let go and not that she minded. He told her that Mako was off somewhere looking for their rooms and Spirits know what happened to Asami, probably playing with Meelo and the girls but she didn't care about any of that, too engrossed in the warm body snatched up against hers; one to her, that signified friendship and unadulterated adoration and trust.

"You're going to have to let me go sometime, Korra," Bolin chuckled, nosing his face into her dark hair, fighting the strong urge to pick her up and swing.

"Mhm, no." Her arms and hands latched tighter, fingers clawing into the soft green material of his normal garb and she burrowed her face further than what believed possible, in the crook of his neck. "You just got here, if I let go, you'll disappear."

"Hey, that's not true. I at least have to stay for dinner."

"Not funny, Bo," the Avatar growled.

"But I am hungry. And so is Pabu."

"Pabu is always hungry."

"This," he sighed, patting her before settling his hand on the small of her spine. "This is true. But uh, can we get inside, it's freezing up here!" She felt him shiver in their embrace, fighting her hardest not to burst out into giggles but the smile on her face told of her amusement better than any tease.

"What, big man like yourself can't handle a little cold?" She pulled her head from his shoulder, tilting it to the side to catch a glance at chattering lips and a red-tipped nose.

"A little? There is snow everywhere!"

Korra shook her head, hair brushing against both their faces as she kept her arms looped about his neck, noting with curious interest how he didn't let her go either. "Well, we aren't going anywhere until you let me go," she murmured, realizing how close their faces were, how flush their bodies had become in the wide open tundra landscape for any and all to see – and knowing they had been like that for near fifteen minutes.

"You first, I'm retaining heat here." Shiver.

"Is that all I am to you, Bo? A portable Avatar space heater?" Her tongue clucked against the roof of her mouth. A blush spread across his cheeks and she couldn't tell if it was from the cold or something else.

"You're more than that and you know it." There was an air of confidence to his voice, though a wavy tremble shook through the deep timbre; wondering if such thing would ever need to be vocalized. Korra felt a spark of warmth pool in her chest at the reminder of his feelings, if they were still applicable and she could help the twitch of her mouth as her nose bumped against the soft pale skin of his cheek.

"Yeah, well... So are you." It wasn't a retort, but merely an acknowledge on something she had mediated on in her solitude, coming to grips with the realities of her emotions and those she wanted to keep close or even moreso. She felt the wash of a steady gaze on her face, a rumble deep in her chest as she cocked her head to the side to stare the questioning look down .

She could feel the tighten of his muscles and the hitched sound of sucking in breath as eyes met for a moment, bare and open; his hot breath coming out shallowly on her lips and adding steam to the air. Just a nudge, just a shove and she could press her lips against his and he knew it too, barely ghosting over each other's flesh that had long since been pinned for.

"We... We should go inside before someone asks after us," he licked his lips, tongue catching against her plump lower lip and it caused her to stammer.

"Y-yeah, good idea. So, um," she shuddered, slipping her arms from his neck and coming to grab his own about her waist, fingers latching on his wrists and pulling her along with him. "We'll definitely catch up more later, yeah? But let's get you warmed up."

"Yeah, definitely."

A/N: Another prompt given to me last night 9/10 on tumblr. It's a short drabble fill, nothing serious. I will probably make a mini-collection filled with all the ones I got from tumblr, if I get anymore, as additional chapters on this current story. Hope you guys like it! And honestly, if you do like it, review and I will almost always write more. Thanks!