A/N: Set immediately after "Out of the Past": It's not easy to lie to Asami Sato, so Bolin and Asami don't bother trying. Masami, Makorra, Bosami friendship.
Asami Sato was not a stupid girl.
Growing up at the Sato mansion, she had been exposed to all kinds of people and experiences – test driving and spending time with the factory workers by day, dolled up in high end restaurants and ballrooms by night, she was always observing. She had learned to defend herself physically and mentally, learned the difference between a person that wanted her and a person that wanted her money and status. It was hard, making real friends. Everyone seemed to want something from her father. Mako had been different.
Even now, she could see that. He was leaning over Korra on the saddle of the sky bison and Asami couldn't tear her eyes away. He wasn't hurting her intentionally, she knew. He was just boneheaded enough to not think about the implications of this until it was all over. Asami shook her head and turned away finally, resolving not to get on the bison. She would ride the polar bear dog back to the mansion if she had to. To that effect, she turned to Tenzin and Lin.
"Naga looks really tired. I'm going to lead her back to the island, ok?" Lin nodded, giving Asami a much softer look than she had ever seen on the older woman's face.
"Take Bolin with you," Tenzin said. "He's had some experience with Naga, in case you need to ride." Bolin turned at the sound of his name and agreed to go, and Asami silently welcomed the opportunity to talk to him again.
They watched the bison fly off before gathering the reins of the polar bear dog and beginning to walk toward the bay. Asami waited until they were at the end of their first city block to begin asking questions.
"Were you going to ride home with them?" Bolin snorted, and Asami could hear him stifling his chuckles.
"No way. Mako gets overprotective, he's going to be hovering over her all night-" Bolin caught himself there, trying to pivot away from that line as Asami frowned. "Don't get me wrong, he does this to me, too. When I was kidnapped by equalists, Korra and Naga went home and Mako ran around, cooking and trying to calm me down for hours. That's just how he is." Asami was aware of that. When her father had turned out to be an equalist Mako had held her for what seemed like hours while she cried, and prevented her from taking or destroying all of her belongings when she moved to the island. There was something different about this, though, the way he watched over Korra, searched for her. He had been angry, desperate. Surely Bolin had to see it.
"When they kissed, you were upset? How did you get over it? Why did you get over it?" Bolin pouted slightly, looking away.
"Well, I was going to ask her on a date, a proper date, flowers and dinner and everything. I really liked her, and at first I didn't get over it. I went to my favorite place and ate noodles all night, talking to Pabu about my problems." He shook his head with a slight roll of the eyes. "Mako had to carry me home the next morning. It was a disaster." As Bolin laughed quietly, Asami started.
"Wait! You mean the semifinals, when you lost your noodles?" Bolin shrugged.
"Yeah, not my best game. Mako and I were sort of arguing." It had all begun to click. Just how long had she been missing this dynamic? She had heard Korra and Mako yelling outside her father's factory about jealousy, saw Korra's discontent when Mako had first introduced them – Mako had told her so much about Korra, but hadn't mentioned a word about herself to his teammate. How long had this been going on? Asami heard Bolin talking and snapped out of her reverie to listen.
"So then we decided to be friends. We had fun, but she doesn't feel that way about me, and that happens, you know? It's no one's fault." There was something Bolin wasn't telling her, but she was pretty sure she knew what he meant. It wasn't anyone's fault, but Korra liked Mako. Spirits, if Korra and Asami had anything in common Korra had probably liked Mako from the moment she saw him.
"Bolin, besides the kiss was there anything else? Anything different between them, even when they first met, anything?" Asami didn't know why, but she wanted to know. She needed every piece of this puzzle, needed to understand. They were nearing the ferry, and she was going to have this figured out before they set foot on the island. Bolin was staring at her, his gaze soft and concerned.
"Asami, why are you doing this to yourself?" Asami stopped, staring back at Bolin across Naga's back.
"I knew she liked Mako. I suspected she had a crush during the tournament, and I thought she had put it away, gotten over it. I just need to know how long Mako's felt the same way about her." Bolin looked away, and made for the ferry at a faster pace. "Bolin, please!" Her voice had cracked, and Asami bit back any more words before she lost control. The earthbender stopped, pulled the reins forward so Naga would follow, and turned to face her.
"Look, he really cares about you. He just got confused, ok? It's a lot for him. Normally I'm the one with the girl problems." Asami nodded. It was only natural that Bolin would try to protect his brother. He took a few more steps forward and paused again, turning to talk to her. "And Korra really did back down. She said we would all be friends, and we all were, through the finals, through the equalist hunt, everything." Of course. Asami had seen how Korra felt going into the secret factory, how quickly she accepted Asami into her home. The jealousy and irritation were gone, and Korra had grown to respect her. Bolin still had not answered the question, though. Asami asked again with a lighter tone.
"Bolin, you didn't answer me. Was there anything else? It sounded like they really got to know each other when they went out searching for you. Did anything happen then?" Asami walked forward and paid the ferryman, giving Bolin time to think. She had heard the story of Korra and Mako's daring rescue of Bolin, but now she suspected there were missing parts. Bolin walked Naga onto the ship and Asami followed, staring off the side of the massive boat.
"How much do you know about the scarf?" Asami blinked, surprised.
"It belonged to your father. No one touches the scarf." Her eyes widened, surprised. It couldn't be that simple, could it?
"When they came to rescue me he didn't have it on. Korra needed a disguise - her water tribe clothing is too recognizable - so they found her a coat and a hat and used the scarf to hide her family crest." Bolin was looking across the bay at the island, and Asami sighed. Mako was an idiot. "I probably should have realized it then," Bolin said. "Would have saved myself a massive stomachache!" He laughed, and turned to face Asami again. "Do you feel any better?" She gave a small smile with only a little bitterness.
"Your brother is an idiot." Bolin laughed again, loudly, and Asami's smile grew. "I don't think he knew it. I'm pretty sure he's liked her this entire time and just pushed it away, " she said, quirking one eyebrow up, waiting for Bolin's response. Bolin threw up his hands, a gesture that screamed 'I know, right?'.
"That's how I got over it. I knew he liked her, and she obviously liked him and, well, Mako gave me everything. He's the one that goes to work when we need money, he's the one that fought and scraped and took care of me after our parents died. If he likes the same girl as I do, well, the least I can do is step down, let him figure things out." Bolin played with Naga's hair, looking down as he asked. "You're not too mad, are you? Mako's not very good at thinking about himself." Asami shook her head. She had been mad, back on the streets. She had been so angry, thinking that Mako had been hiding this from her all the time. But she could see now that that wasn't it. He had been sincere; he had tried to figure things out and ended up making a mess of it. He was dead wrong to not tell Asami about the kiss, and she was going to tell him as much, but it wasn't quite as bad as she had thought.
By the time the ferry landed on the island, Bolin and Asami were laughing again. He had told her about some of the arguments he had witnessed between Korra and Mako: how evil morning practice was, why didn't you kill Tahno when you had the chance, there is no fighting dirty in the arena, for starters. It hurt to laugh at stories about Mako being so attached to another woman and she almost asked Bolin to stop, but in the back of her mind she knew she would have to get used to the sight of these interactions if she was going to keep her friends. It wouldn't be long, she knew. As much as Asami cared for Mako, she could not stand to date someone who had feelings for another, and once she got past the initial shock she was sure she put aside any romantic idea of the firebender. With any luck, her next boyfriend would be more self-aware.
Asami and Bolin watched Naga scramble through Korra's window before the walked into the house and checked on the girl herself. She was under a single sheet, still dirty, bruised and cut, asleep in her bed. Naga had lay at the foot of the bed, and Mako sat in a chair beside it, still wide awake. Bolin tilted his head and gestured for a report, and Mako smiled.
"It's ok, she's knocked out. I don't think she slept at all last night, she's exhausted. Thanks for taking care of Naga." Bolin glanced over at Asami, who smiled weakly, and he left the room, saying he was bushed too and would visit Korra in the morning. The door shut quietly behind Asami and she stood there, looking Mako in the eye.
"Asami, I-" She raised one hand, silencing him.
"You love her." Mako began to sputter, but Asami waved the hand at him again and he shut up. She lowered her arm and continued. "I was thinking about it on the way back, and it became obvious. The kiss, the arguing, the way you're always the first to pick her up, the way you two fight and play together. You're crazy about each other." With every example Mako's blush became a deeper red, until Asami wondered if he had any blood left in the rest of his body. "I don't think you realized how much you cared until she was gone, and I get that. But you should have told me, Mako. If you even suspected you felt that way about her, you should have told me. Why did I have to find out about the kiss from someone else?" His response was immediate.
"I didn't want to hurt you, Asami. It was impulsive and confusing and I thought if we just stuck to being friends nothing like that would happen again." It was exactly the sort of answer she suspected, and it wasn't enough. "I'm so, so sorry." Mako was looking her in the eyes, and she could tell he meant it.
"I know." She sighed, and looked over at Korra's sleeping form. "I can't be with you if you feel that way about someone else. And I want us all to stay friends, but I'm going to need some space for a while, I think." She turned back to Mako, and for a moment, looking at his face, she wondered if she hadn't given up too easily. But her next thought was quick and vicious as lightning – was he ever hers at all? "Tell me when Korra wakes up. I'm worried too." Mako promised as much, and with a last glance at the sleeping Avatar, Asami walked away.
A/N: This probably isn't the canon way it goes down, but I can't imagine Asami staying with Mako after "Out of the Past". She's too dignified for a screaming, crying breakup, and too savvy to hold a grudge. Thanks for reading!
