Not too long after Korra's ticklish torture, Bolin found himself pinned to the couch in a large lounge in the house, lying on his stomach with Korra sitting on his legs. The Avatar's fingers fluttered up and down his spine, and wiggled at his hips. The Earthbender snickered helplessly, wringing his scarf in his hands to distract himself. Korra smirked and tickled faster, kneading the flesh on his sides and hips. Bolin finally laughed, writhing and trying to roll her off his back.
"I can't believe you're so ticklish." Korra teased, reaching and tickling under his arms and making him laugh harder. Mako laughed from across the room.
"Who do you think I practiced my tricks on when we were young?" the Firebender chuckled.
"Shut up!" Bolin laughed, reaching back and gripping one of Korra's wrists. "Korra, cut it out!"
"Or what, Bolin?" Korra smirked, tickling faster with her free hand. "It looks like I've got the upper hand… so to speak." She and Mako laughed long with Bolin.
"Pabu, help!" the Earthbender shouted as a last resort. The Fire Ferrets' loyal mascot lifted his head and squeaked, jumping onto the couch and nuzzling Bolin's face. His soft red fur only tickled Bolin's cheek.
"You're not helping, Pabu!" he giggled. Mako chuckled and walked over.
"Maybe she'll let you go if you promise to rub her feet." He suggested, smirking.
"That's not a bad idea." Korra smiled; she squeezed Bolin's hip. "How about it, Bolin?"
"Whatever! Just stop tickling!" Korra stopped tickling him, and he let go of her wrist. As she got off his legs and stretched, Mako whispered sneakily into his brother's ear. A sly smile came to Bolin's face as he sat up and relaxed on the couch, watching Korra. The young Avatar pulled her boots off and set her feet in Bolin's lap, and he started gently massaging her soles. Mako snickered as he watched, leaning on the doorframe. He suddenly heard footsteps in the hall and picked up a blanket.
"Hey, catch." He called to Bolin, and the Earthbender draped the blanket over his and Korra's laps, keeping the Avatar's feet on his knees. Just as he finished, three familiar boys walked in as if they owned the room.
"Hello, Korra." Tahno said bluntly and snobbishly. The Avatar glared at him and the other White Falls Wolfbats. Their snooty nature had returned ever since she'd given them their bending back.
"Hello Tahno-" Korra's breath hitched and her witty retort was shot down as she felt something brush against the sole of her foot under the blanket. She glanced at Bolin, who had an innocent smile on his face. She noticed Pabu wandering about under the blanket and passed it off as his tail or something. Tahno disregarded the cutoff in her speech as he and his Pro-bending team sat on the other couch across the room from the Fire Ferrets.
"Do you guys want something?" Mako asked, looking over at his own team as Korra suddenly flinched again, staring at Bolin. He smiled at her, sneakily locking his fingers around her ankle under the blanket and fluttering his fingers over her trapped foot. She squeaked and clamped her hands over her mouth. This situation was worse than that morning's sparring session; she wasn't just playing with the guys, she now had to save face in front of the Wolf-Brats. Otherwise, her reputation could take an irreparable injury. She gripped his sleeve, leaning close to him; but she could barely talk as he lightly scratched her soles with his short nails.
"I-If you.. don't stop it… right now." She stuttered quietly to the smirk on his face, trying desperately not to laugh. "I-I'll kill you!" He just chuckled, wiggling his fingers between her toes.
"It wasn't my idea to rub your feet. Kill Mako." He taunted, tickling faster. Korra whined helplessly while the boys chatted with the Wolfbats nonchalantly. Korra wondered how her best friends could be so cruel to her.
All eyes were on her seconds later though when she burst out laughing. Bolin smirked and wrapped his arm around the Avatar's ankles, tickling her soles with a lot less mercy. Mako chuckled as Pabu jumped off the couch, dragging the blanket off with him. The Wolfbats were understandably a bit shocked to see Korra like this; they'd never seen her so helpless. They'd never seen her helpless at all. She always seemed like the "Unstoppable Avatar"…
"Cut it out!" She shouted through her hysterics, beating Bolin about the head with a pillow. The Earthbender just laughed, reaching over and tickling her side until she dropped the pillow onto the floor, then attacking her stomach and hips. As Mako took over the torment of Korra's feet, the pure hilarity and unlikelihood got to the Wolfbats, and Ming and Shaozu started laughing despite themselves. And despite the scowl on their leader's face.
"You all are so childish." Tahno huffed, glaring at the Fire Ferrets. Ming and Shaozu stopped laughing, reassuming their serious countenances. The boys eased up on Korra and stopped tickling her; She panted, finally catching her breath.
"And you, Korra." Tahno continued, walking over to them. "I expected the Avatar to be more mature." That definitely upset her.
"Oh really?!" she snapped, jumping to her feet. "How about I show you how mature I can be? You and me, outside for a waterbending duel. All waterbending."-she glared at her friends, who smirked at her- "If I win, you have to stop being so rude to us."
"And if I win, you have to act more like an adult. Like me."
"But you're not an adult." Korra teased, and Tahno just huffed, walking outside with the other Wolf-Brats following. The Avatar giggled, motioning to the Fire Ferrets to follow.
Outside, the two Waterbenders did some basic stretches.
"You ready to lose, Wolf-Brat?" Korra sneered.
"How clever." Tahno chuckled. "But I could ask you the same thing." Korra just huffed and bended the water from the snow on the ground, sending a whip of water at him. Tahno caught it and spun around, sending it back at her. She did the same, catching it; she swirled the water into a ball and launched it at him. When he brought his hands up to catch it again, she froze the water around his hands. While he struggled to separate his hands, Korra created a wave that pinned him to a tree and froze him there.
"Looks like I win." She laughed. Tahno snarled, struggling and managing to free his hands; while she wasn't looking, he bended a tendril of water beside her and sighed.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered, bending the water to press into her side; she squeaked and jumped.
"Hey!" she shouted. "I said no tickling!"
"Actually, you didn't." Tahno smirked. "I'm sure you mean to though." The tendril of water coiled around her ankles and froze solid, holding her feet in place. While she tried to melt the thick ice with her firebending, Tahno managed to separate from the tree and approach her, poking her side himself. She flinched and glared at him.
"Don't you dare." She snarled. He smirked, gently fluttering his fingers over her side despite her protests. She bit back giggles as he walked a circle around her, tracing his fingers around her midriff, all with a cruel smirk playing his lips.
"You don't seem to mind." He teased. "I happen to know that most people try to stop people from tickling them." A slight blush came to her cheeks and she shoved him.
"You're just messing with me because you lost." She huffed, crossing her arms and looking away. "You're a sore loser, Tahno." That was the last straw. Tahno didn't care if it was a childish game, he dug his fingers into her ticklish stomach, one finger digging into her bellybutton. Korra shrieked, laughing.
"N-No! Don't!" she shouted. "I-I was kidding!"
"It's too late for that, Avatar." Tahno smirked, squeezing her hips and tickling faster. "Accept your fate with honor." She managed to wrench her feet free from the ice and back away, her arms shielding her belly and sides. Meanwhile, the boys on the sidelines, Fire Ferrets and Wolfbats, were watching and laughing. She huffed; clearly they weren't going to be any help. As Tahno got close to her again, she reached out and poked his stomach, earning a very noticeable flinch and shutting up Tahno pretty effectively. The boys were speechless as well.
"Oh, this is too good." Korra smirked, stepping toward her rival playfully. Tahno stepped back, a bit nervous. He remembered being tickled by his parents in his childhood, but when he reached his teenage years, he made sure no one found out he was ticklish, especially not the Wolfbats or any other pro-bending team. Now, one could safely say his cover was blown, and by the worst possible person.
Korra poked at his sides and hips, seeming perfectly content in just making him squirm and snicker.
"Y'know, boys…" she smiled, a sparkle in her eyes as she squeezed Tahno's sides. "I think I have an idea."
Author's Note: Yeah, the fight scene kinda sucks. But I admit I'm not good at putting action scenes on paper. I hope you like the rest though. :3