Bolin can't lie to save his life. He waves his hands, avoids eye contact, angles his eyebrows upwards, his mouth pulls to the right just a little. It doesn't take an expert to tell. Asami notices it especially well when the other three go ahead to free Lin's officers.

She asks him, "What do you think about Korra?"

Bolin gives her a look, because she's Asami, and they're not friends, not really, and it's probably the first time they've interacted without his brother's arm around her shoulders. But his eyes don't widen, don't flee from hers. He shrugs, instead. She's a little surprised.

"She's a great friend. Sometimes, she kind of … well, she's a lot to take in."

She nods, quiet. "What do you think about me?"

And that's when it happens. Bolin's hands find his pockets, his shoulders pinch, his mouth shrinks into a pucker, and his eyes, oh! His eyes roll around the room, searching for a place to stare at.

"I think you're cool—I mean, you know—yeah—" he cuts off with a dry cough, and for a moment, all Asami sees is Mako, but then he turns that pale shade of green towards her, and the feeling is lost. "You're one of us, right?"

Right? He doesn't sound like he's sure. Asami steps closer, and, for the first time ever, she notices she's taller than him.

"Right," she bites out, and notices his eyes drop from hers to her mouth. She feels very appreciative of her lipstick, right then. She hopes it isn't smudged; suddenly, she thinks about Mako kissing her, and wonders if he kissed Korra the same way he kisses her - that soft, familiar way, his hands on her face, like he's breathing life into her. Or if it was something completely different, like hot and cold, like hands on waist, like he physically needed to get closer. She's leaning on the latter.

Her eyes drop to Bolin's mouth. He doesn't notice it—he's still watching her mouth.

"You sound angry," he says, in a whisper. He probably doesn't even realize how his voice has shrunk.

Asami lets her head tip to the side. Her hair slides behind her shoulder, and there it is, his eyes straying to follow her jaw.

"Do I?" She remembers Bolin saying that it didn't mean anything, but Mako hasn't looked at her since he's learned Korra is missing, and Asami is anything but stupid. Bolin opens his mouth to say something, but she steps into his personal space, glaring down. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my boyfriend hasn't told me jack about kissing another girl."

Bolin swallows. His tongue traces his lower lip.

"Maybe. That sounds—yeah—that's—"

Asami wonders if he's ever kissed Korra. She's still picturing it when she leans in. Her eyes are open. She can see his widen, in shock, even if she has to focus to make out something in the dim room. Bolin's not so responsive, but she blames that on the shock, because when she inhales, closes her eyes and tentatively skims his lower lip with her tongue, Bolin makes this soft noise, like a gasp or a mewl or both at the same time. Mako would never make that noise. She wonders if Korra would be able to make him do it.

When they part to breathe, Bolin is red in the face, just like when she barged inside his jail cell and he was turned away. Just like when his fly was open and Lin zipped it for him. Asami puts her hands on the rail he's leaning on, blocking his sides. He doesn't even look away from her face.

"Wow, that was—um," he says, and she notices with some satisfaction that his eyes are a little half-lidded. "We probably shouldn't do this ever again."

"Probably," she says, and she absolutely doesn't think about Korra or Mako (or the two of them together) when she kisses him again.