Author's Note: No matter how much I love Korra, Bolin will always be my favourite characterof the series. He is such a sweetheart. I can't get enough of him. Enjoy! Please leave a review.
Bolin leaned against the railing of his box in the pro-bending arena. He reached up, his arms slick with sweat, and tugged on the microphone. "Come on Maya, I could hit my grandmother harder than that!" he shouts. The young earth bender sends a glare at the man but sends her next rock flying at the opposing fire bender's head. He grins. "That's my girl," he says as he lets the mic dangle in the air.
His green eyes wander to the team he sponsored. Well, technically he sponsored all the beginners. Ever since he took over from the past manager, Bolin made it his goal to get as many teams in there as possible. He wanted to improve their bending, but also provide a form of entertainment that had been missing since the drama with Amon. In the nine years he had been at this, Bolin had seen many teams come and go, but as people began to trust him and his business, parents started sending their children to train at the arena and from there he fostered amazing teams.
As the team trained, he found himself thinking of them like his children. He wanted them to succeed and he wanted them to find something in themselves that they could be proud of, like he had when he started. Thinking back on those years, he smiled. Those were some good times.
The twenty-six year old scratched his five o'clock shadow. Man, he needed to start heading home before one o'clock. The nice thing about staying up late was someone else was always up like him, specifically Asami. Her office was down the block from the arena, and sometimes they went for tea together just to talk. His ex-sister in-law was very much still apart of his life, but in a way that felt more familial than romantic. That spot would always be reserved for Korra, whenever she decided to grace the city with her presence. He remembered a conversation they had the last time she came around.
"Why don't you come with me? You always said how much you wanted to travel when we were younger."
"That was before I had a business, Kor. Besides, I can't be around messing with your Avatar stuff. You gotta focus, keep the peace and all that. My place is here."
She placed her hand over his. "My place is with you."
He thought she meant it, that she would stay, but the next morning, after they shared breakfast, she and Naga took the next ferry out of the city. It had been almost two years since then. He could still smell her on his pillow.
The team's water bender, a thirteen year old nicknamed Scrap, sent a blast of ice at the other water bender. Bolin narrowed his eyes. "Watch those ice shards, Scrap. This is just practice."
Scrap waved his hand at Bolin then was hit but a fire blast. Bolin chuckled. The kid was good, but he was hotheaded like a certain water bender he once trained with.
"You train some mighty fine kids, Bo."
The earth bender whipped his head around and saw Korra staring at him from the doorway. Her arms were crossed and she was leaning against the frame with that cocky smile of hers. He wanted to kiss it off her as soon as he saw that spark in her eyes.
"You doubted me?"
She chuckled, pushing herself off the frame. "Never. Mako certainly doesn't."
He pouted. "You saw my brother before coming to see me?"
"Technically, I saw Lin first. Mako just happened to be coming back from lunch." She leaned against the railing beside him, their arms brushing. His skin prickled at the contact, but in a good way. It reminded him of the first time he held her, really held her, when she was half asleep on his side of the bed.
"Guess I can't blame you. He is a big shot police officer."
Korra rolled her eyes, nudging his shoulder with hers. "You're not exactly a street rat either, Bo. Still got that swanky place in Asami's postal code?"
Bolin smirked. "Nah, that place was too big for just me. I'm renting it out to some of the teams who can't afford to live on their own. So far it's been paying off. My flat fits me just fine." He reached up and pulled down the mic again. "Alright everybody, put on a good show. The Avatar has graced us with her presence today."
The six youths all turned their heads and saw the Avatar wave at them. Within minutes they were beating each other left and right. Bolin was impressed. "You need to come around more often," he teased.
Korra laughed. "That takes all the excitement out of it though. Then they'll get used to me."
"Is that why you keep leaving? So I won't get bored of you?"
She stared at her hands. "Maybe," she said quietly.
Bolin looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time that day. Something about her was different. The bags under her eyes were darker than before, and while she still had that spark, he could see from the way she moved something was weighing her down. He wanted to hold her again, and he almost reached for her when he remembered the kids were still practicing. He looked away and took the mic. "That's enough for today guys. Be back here at seven tomorrow morning for your training. Your ring time starts at nine, so don't be late!"
The kids ran off the platform, leaving Korra and Bolin alone. "Do they do this every day?"
"I work it around their schooling. With the cash Varrick left me, I've managed to hire some tutors for the children whose parents aren't in their lives, or can't afford schooling." He turned to her. "But that's not what you came here to talk about."
She looked up at him, her blue eyes shining like they held the moon inside them. She took a small step closer, placing her hands on his shoulders. The muscles slacked under her touch and that stupid knot that was always in his neck started to unravel. She tilted her head up with eyes half shut. "I don't want to talk."
His lips found hers without effort. This was an old game they had been practicing for almost a decade. His hands knew just how to sit on her waist, knew just where to press so she leaned closer against him. This was a game he learned how to play a long time ago, and he liked playing it with her best. Just as his arms started to snake around her body, cocooning her close against him, she pulled back a little.
"Your place close by?" she whispered, trying to catch her breath.
Bolin nodded. She smiled. "Lead the way."
Korra slipped on one of his shirts. He forgot she sometimes hated the cold, mainly when she was still wet from a shower. He managed to find a clean pair of underwear before crawling back into bed beside her. His arms sought out her body and soon she was wrapped in them again, like before, with his head resting against her shoulder from behind. His eyes drooped shut, but he kept them open as the open windows let in an afternoon breeze.
"Bo."
He sighed, proving he was still awake, but flexed his arms around her for good measure. She chuckled. "I hate when you do that."
"Why, because you're not as ripped as I am?"
"Excuse me? Have you seen these guns?"
"Yes, in fact, I have." He tilted his head down. "And I love them," he said as he kissed them.
She snorted. "You are such a sap."
"I'm your sap," he muttered. "Forever."
Korra didn't reply after that, and he thought she was asleep when he felt her take a deep breath. "I think I want a kid."
Bolin's eyes popped wide open. "Pardon?"
She shrugged. "Don't you want kids?"
"Well, yeah, of course! I've always wanted to be a dad. I just . . . you know . . ."
She turned in his embrace so she was looking right into his eyes. "Bo, I want kids. A lot of them. I want a pack of troublemakers who've got a quick tongue and strong fists. But I want them to be sweet and gentle." Korra's gaze flickered off to the side then back to him. "I want your kids. Our kids."
Bolin pinched himself. When he whimpered "ouch", Korra raised an eyebrow. He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I had to pinch myself. I thought I must be dreaming."
She shook her head. "I know it's unexpected, but I've been traveling for ten years. That's a long time in anyone's life, but in those ten years I've seen so much. As the Avatar, I have to bring balance. I've been so focused on my work that, well-"
"You've been neglecting yourself," Bolin finished.
"How did you know?"
"I saw it on you when you came in. You're pretty good at hiding things from Mako and Asami, but you're not good at lying to me." He smiled. "I'm kinda glad you suck at that though. Makes it easier to have the upper hand."
She punched his shoulder and he flinched. She smirked. "Two for flinching." He avoided her first the second time and instead kissed her deeply. One of her hands weaved through his hair while the other rested lightly on his cheek, fingertips barely brushing his whiskers.
"You never did say anything about the whole kid thing," she reminded him later.
Bolin's hand played with her damp hair. "I thought the answer was pretty obvious," he said, pressing a kiss to her jawline.
"Is it?"
"Kor, how long have we been doing this?"
"Long enough."
"Exactly. I'm amazed we haven't had a baby before now." When she didn't answer he opened his eyes to find her eyes shining with tears. "Korra?"
"Bo, there's something I have to tell you."
He sat up a bit, leaning on one of his elbows. "What is it?"
"I—do you remember a few years back, how I didn't come back to the city for . . . a while?"
"Yeah, you said it was work related and you couldn't come. I understood."
"It—it wasn't work related." She stared up at the ceiling. "I lost it."
Bolin squinted. "It?"
"The baby—our baby. She . . . I didn't even know she existed until I lost her. I thought it was my moon time, but . . . something felt wrong." She roughly wiped away her tears. "The healer said I was only two months along. I hadn't begun to show. I didn't—I wanted to tell you but every time I thought about it . . . I just started to cry." Korra looked at him as another tear fell. "I'm so sorry, Bo."
He held her tight, one of his hands rubbing her back as she rested her head against his shoulder. "It's not your fault," he replied quietly as the image of Korra carrying his child flooded his mind. I had a daughter. He squeezed his eyes shut as a few tears fell.
After they were both done with tears, when Korra was on her back staring at the plastered ceiling, his hand fell to her stomach. The warmth traveled up his arm and settled in him, making him rest his head on her bosom. "You're going to be a great mom, Kor," he said quietly.
She ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp in the process. "Thanks, Bo. That . . . means a lot."
"I've always wanted to name my first kid Bei," he said.
"What makes you think we're having a boy first?"
"There's nothing saying we won't."
Korra snorted. "Please. It'll be a girl. I know it."
"How do you know?"
"I just do. Mothers know these things."
Bolin chuckled. "Fine, fine. We'll save Bei for the next one. Just how many girls am I going to get to spoil?"
"A ton, so you better use Varrick's money wisely. Invest it in something useful."
"Like toothpicks?"
She lightly smacked his head. "Now you're just trying to make me laugh," she chuckled.
"It's working, isn't it?"
"Unfortunately"
The young man pushed himself up on his elbows and pecked her forehead. "Then it's worth it. So when do I get to go ask your father if it's okay to marry you?"
"Whenever you can get away from work, I guess," she smirked.
Bolin rolled over to the bedside table and pulled out his calendar. He circled the entire next week, writing in his messy scrawl 'ask Korra to marry me'. She laughed. "I did plan on staying in the city for a while."
"We can always come back, if you want."
"Is that what you want?"
"I'm not passing up on the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with you, if that's what you're asking. And I'm not saying traveling is completely out, but the kids are going to need a stable home. If we keep a place here, you can do your work and I can do mine."
"Then we can combine them when the kids are old enough. You could always expand your business to the other kingdoms."
Bolin's eyes widened. "You know, I hadn't thought of that." He kissed her cheek. "You're a genius."
She smirked. "Can't say you just keep me around for my looks now." As they made themselves comfortable again, her stomach grumbled. "I think it's time we get dressed and you take me out to celebrate."
"What are we celebrating?" he asked as he reluctantly loosened his grip. She sat up and looked around the room, wondering where her clothes had ended up. Before getting up, she leaned back and kissed him.
"Us."
He smiled. A damn good reason to celebrate indeed.
