When Amon took over the city, she knew it was her time to finally step up to the threat. Though she hated to admit it, Bolin could see she was deeply unnerved by the masked tyrant. They all were but real dread pulsed from her in a way the others didn't quite feel. He would comfort her at those times when everything was just too much, pretending he wasn't affected and laughing it off when she asked how he stayed strong. Something that will haunt him for the rest of his life was the image of Korra the day the big mess began: As she stared out at her ruined beloved city from the pipe the group was hiding in, he could see the incredible amount of pain in her eyes. Bolin had stood up, clasped her hand in his and squeezed it. The other two watched for a moment too before they glared at opposite sides of the ground, defeat weighing on their shoulders.
Since then, they'd been forced to go into hiding like rats in the sewers with the other homeless. Sometimes, in the middle of the night when everyone was supposedly sleeping he could hear her muffled crying. She'd try to stop the tears, swiping continuously, but they continued to drip from her lovely ocean blue eyes. Her unspoken words were almost palpable: what if I can't stop him? what if I'm not strong enough? Those nights all he could do was hold her in his arms and whisper over and over again into her ear It'll be ok. I love you. During the day, they acted as if nothing was amiss but there were faint signs of their increased connection. The darkness in their lives brought them closer. The touches linger longer, the kisses sweeter, the secrets greater.
He convinced her when she was at her worst that she could continue. It touched his heart to think that he could affect her in some way because she still doesn't realize how much she affects him. What she sees is only the tip of the iceberg.
Although left feeling like second choice, Asami eventually warmed up to Mako again. There was a hint of desperation in their rekindling of a relationship; kind of like 'it's the end of life as we know it, might as well'. It was a sentiment they all shared. This is it. This is the time for the ultimate fight. It would probably leave someone without bending or hurt, dead even. It wasn't long before General Iroh came into town and when he did, they would act.
A chill ran down his spine this particular night. Something will happen.
"Korra…" She didn't say anything. Only her eyes on his were any indication she was paying any attention. "I – I love you."
"I know."
"With all this crazy happening right now, I don't want you hurt. I want to be with you everyday for the rest of our lives. I want us to share everything. I love you so much Korra," he lightly lifted his hand, earthbending the gift in front of her. "I think this is how people at the Water Tribe do it."
The engagement necklace hovered before her face. The round, smooth stone was carved so delicately, so beautifully, she almost cried. It was strung to an ocean blue ribbon that matched her eyes. It was a carving of the sun, a crescent moon on either side, with a smaller jagged star in the center.
"You're more than the Avatar. You're more than a bender. You are light in every way I could think of. If we survive this, will you marry me?"
Tentatively, she touched the dangling necklace.
"You must have spent days working on that," was all she could manage before she dissolved into tears of pure happiness. "I love you, Bolin. That first day I told you I loved you as a friend but now I love you so much I don't know what I'd do without you. I was an idiot for not seeing that in the first place."
"Is that a 'yes'?"
"You should have figured that out by now. Yeah."
"Just checking." He grinned, deliriously happy and took her into his arms. After tying the necklace around her neck, he kissed her hand, then her forehead, reverently. She was still crying but didn't try to fight back the tears as she gingerly grasped the necklace.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Now you have something waiting for you at the end. Our future. Together. So go out there and kick butt."
She kissed him then, unable to reply in any other way because her throat hurt from the crying and overwhelming emotion. He was her big, strong earthbender. But he's wrong: he's her light. No one else could make her laugh or brighten up her day the way he could. When it feels like the world is about to crumble down (and that is a legitimate possibility right now), he would do anything to save her. He might not be serious most of the time (and while she loves him for that, it can get tiring at times) but when he is, he makes it count.
She knows what she has to do now to make sure no one feels victimized ever again at Amon's hands. She'll do it all to make the future a possibility again.