Ring-ring! Ring-ring!

I groaned, throwing myself over the side of my bed to grab for the phone. I hoped to every spirit I knew that it wasn't my boss – thanks to the attack on the pro bending arena the night before, all operations at the dying facility had been cancelled for the foreseeable future. That was a breath of fresh air for me – I had no idea if I would have been able to work without shaking. It had taken me long enough to fall asleep these past few nights, the events of that evening playing over and over in my head as I contemplated what I could have done differently, what could have happened if Amon had decided not to show me mercy. I hadn't gotten much sleep, and I was in no shape to work.

"Hello?" I mumbled, groggy, into my phone.

"Hello, is this Taro?" the voice on the other end asked, and I blinked, frowning at my phone.

"Asami?"

"Hi Taro!" Asami greeted, and I rubbed my eyes as I flopped back into bed. How in the name of all that was good did Asami get my number?

"I'm sorry if I bothered you-" Asami began, "but I was wondering if you would like to come to my father's estate today. Mako and Bolin have moved in since the arena shut down, and I thought it would be good to have the whole gang together to welcome them."

I frowned. We were hardly a gang. Korra and I were friends, but our relationship had its ups and down. I couldn't even tell if Mako liked me, and I had hardly spoken to Asami since the gala. Not to mention whatever was going on with me and Bolin…

"I don't know, Asami," I admitted, rolling onto my side and pulling the covers up. "I'm not sure if I'm feeling up to it."

I hadn't seen anyone – not even Korra – since the arena had collapsed. I had spent most of the time in my room, fluctuating between full-on, soul-crushing panic attacks, and fury-fueled waterbending training sessions, my muscles aching after I completed my forms. I didn't even know if any of them fully understood what had happened to me that night – it wasn't like I had the time to explain. And I couldn't just head over to Asami's fancy house and act like everything was peachy keen.

Asami sighed on the other end of the line, and I nuzzled into my pillow, pulling my plush polar bear-dog close.

"I know this must be hard for you," Asami began, her voice soft. "I saw what you did that night. I saw you face Amon."

My eyes widened. I had completely forgotten – the Satos had a private viewing box in the arena. She had been there that night with her father, and she had a ringside view of the whole thing. I pulled my blankets over my head.

"That must have taken so much courage," she continued, with conviction in her voice that carried, even through the crappy connection in my old, rundown apartment. "You were so strong, Taro. I can't imagine facing someone like that. And you did it with no fear."

I bit the inside of my cheek, willing the tears to not spill onto my cheek. I didn't feel strong – I felt pathetic. I felt like a failure.

"I know you probably wish you could have done more, but you fought with everything you had – and you brought Mako back safely." I could hear the break in her voice at that, at how much she truly wanted to thank me for it, and I shook. How could she feel as if I had done something great, when I had still failed miserably?

"I want to thank you, for helping him and Bolin see another day. And I would like to do it in person, if you'll let me," she continued, and I shook my head. I didn't deserve that. I shouldn't be going out, to fancy houses, to see people I was barely able to protect. I should be training, taking every moment I could to ready myself for the next fight against Amon.

"I-" I started to speak, to deny her request, but Asami cut me off.

"Please, Taro," she implored me, and I sighed. Asami had been there – she had seen firsthand what had happened. And, while maybe I didn't feel like much of a hero, maybe I could talk to her about it. Maybe seeing things through her eyes could help me, help me understand what I did wrong, figure out what Amon's weaknesses are, maybe. Or just feel like what I did was real, and impactful.

"Alright," I agreed, sinking into my bed. I felt as if the conversation had drained all my energy out of me, and it had only taken a few minutes.

"Great! I'll be over in a half an hour to pick you up!"

X

The Sato estate was massive. I strained my neck just trying to get the whole house in view as Asami led me up the steps.

"I'm so glad you came – I invited Korra too, and I hope she'll stop by as well," Asami added, directing me into the foyer, where I whistled low.

"Asami, this place is massive," I felt incredibly self-conscious. My own apartment looked like a piece of garbage normally, but compared to this place, it may as well be the inside of a particularly disgusting dumpster.

"Hey, Taro!" I looked up, and Mako was running down the stairs, a smile on his face, I was shocked – he never smiled at me. Bolin followed, Pabu on his shoulders.

"It's good to see you," Mako nodded at me, his smile small, but present. I was so transfixed on the fact that he felt some sort of positive emotion towards me that Bolin completely blindsided me, scooping me into a bone-crushing hug and lifting me straight off the ground.

"Bolin!" I cried, my voice cracking as my face lit up. He just picked me up like I was a big sack of nothing, and it made my stomach do a flip. When he finally let me down I pulled back, compulsively dusting off my tunic as I went, trying to busy myself so that my embarrassment wouldn't be as obvious.

Mako and Asami both chuckled, and when I looked up again, they were all smiling at me. Something inside me clicked, and I smiled back, wary, but with a spark of joy growing inside of me. I had felt so empty these past few days, but it all seemed to fall away once I was with my friends.

"Asami said she was gonna show us her indoor pool. Can you believe it? A whole pool… inside," Bolin whispered the last bit as if it were a secret, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah, I can't wait for you guys to see it!" Asami smiled kind, Mako pressing her close as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "I ordered you two some swimsuits last night – Taro, I think I might have something for you in my room."

I colored, waving my hands. "Oh, don't worry, I don't have to swim," I stammered. I didn't want to be a bother.

"Don't worry about it!" Asami chuckled, and she stepped towards me, Mako's arm sliding from her hip so easily. "I've got plenty of extras."

I looked her up and down. I didn't know how to tell her this, but she was what? Six feet tall? I was five foot four, and that was being generous. There was no way I was fitting into anything of hers.

But the boys waved us off anyway, and Asami grabbed my wrist, leading me upstairs to her room.

I gasped when I saw it. It was bigger than my entire apartment – actually, it was probably bigger than two apartments, combined. Asami glided to a large door on the left side of the room, opening it to reveal a gigantic closet. My jaw hit the floor.

"This is amazing," I mumbled, spinning in a circle to take in the whole thing. She had three couches in her own room, not to mention the fanciest radio I had ever seen, a gold-plated phonograph, tiny model cars – it was almost too much to comprehend.

"Huh?" Asami stuck her head out of the closet, then chuckled at me. "Oh! Yeah, my father was very generous when he designed my room. I was always the pick of the lot for sleepovers."

I shuffled to the wall of model cars, admiring the detail on the little metal toys. "The only girl I've ever had a sleepover with is Korra," I admitted, poking at a wheel of a particularly well-made model. It spun under my finger and I stepped back, shocked. When I turned, Asami was holding a blue and white swimsuit with a smile. She reached me in two graceful steps, placing the suit in my hands.

"Why don't you sleep over tonight, then? It would be fun."

I sputtered, holding the swimsuit and looking from Asami to the fancy room.

"Uh, no, I don't want to-"

"You're not imposing!" Asami laughed, shaking her head at me. "I really just want to thank you. What you did at the tournament was so brave, and I really admire you for it."

I sputtered worse, shaking my head violently and stepping back.

"No, I really – please don't admire me," I looked down, at the scrap of stretchy fabric cradled in my arms, willing myself to not get emotional. I clutched at the swimsuit, my fingers tense around it. "I failed. I lost. I could have lost my bending-"

"You didn't lose," Asami's hands pressed against mine, and I looked up. She was smiling at me, her eyes soft and kind. "You gave so many people hope. It's easy for us all to feel so small and insignificant when we only ever see the Avatar taking on someone so powerful. But the fact that you faced Amon with no fear – the fact that you put up a fight, and that you didn't back down – that's important, Taro. You're so strong."

My bottom lip quivered, and I had to look away. What Asami said filled me with an indescribable feeling – I was proud, but still scared, still unsure. But it was so much better than the emptiness, the fear that had choked me for the past few days, suffocating me in inadequacy. But Asami had seen me – she had watched me fight from the outside, and she knew. Maybe I wasn't the failure I thought I was.

I slid my hands out of hers, turning away.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me," I admitted, hanging my head. I took a step towards the door, then faltered.

"Wait a second. Where's a changing room?"

X

The pool was ridiculous. I stepped into the room at the same time as Mako and Bolin, and all three of us just stood and stared, before Bolin broke the silence.

"This is awesome!" he yelled, running full tilt at the pool, Pabu in tow, and launching himself into it with a huge splash. I snorted, shaking my head as I took in the full space. It was so much more than just a pool – there was a waterfall and fresh towels – and even plenty of chairs to lounge on when you got tired of swimming.

"Oh! Oh!" Bolin called, raising his hand as he bobbed in the water. Asami neared the edge of the pool and dipped her feet in, giggling at his eagerness, while Mako and I still stood astounded by the surroundings.

"Yes, Bolin, you had something you wanted to say?" she asked, the lilt of a laugh in her voice. Bolin nodded, and turned to face Mako and I.

"Guys, we have just the right amount of players. We should play chicken!"

I raised a brow, stepping towards the pool. "What's chicken?"

"You don't have it in the Southern Water Tribe?" Mako asked, following me to the edge of the pool. I dipped my feet in like Asami, shocked to find that the water was already pleasantly warm.

I shook my head, swinging my feet back and forth. "No. We did play a game called 'whoever's the first to get out is a red faced loser' though."

All three of them looked at me. I shrugged. "We live at the South Pole? You know, where staying in the water for too long can freeze you?"

All three of them relaxed, oh-ing and ah-ing as they remembered what living at the South Pole actually entailed.

"Well, chicken is fun," Bolin continued, leaning against the pool next to Asami. "The two bigger players – that's me and Mako – carry the two smaller players – that's you and Asami – on our shoulders. You two try to push each other off, and whoever's left standing is the winner!"

"That sounds like fun, except I'm pretty sure Asami is taller than you," I reminded him. Bolin turned pink, puffing his cheeks out.

"I said bigger! Not taller! Listen with your ears!" Bolin pointed to his own, and Pabu chittered, swimming in little circles around him. I laughed, as did Asami. Mako finally joined the edge of the pool with us, crossing his arms.

"I don't know, bro. Don't you think we're a little old for pool game?" Mako asked, and Bolin pouted, clearly dejected by his brother's dismissal. Asami frowned, shaking her head.

"Well, I think it's a great idea, Bolin. We should try it," she smiled at Bolin, and his face lit up. I sighed, shrugging my shoulders.

"I guess we can play," I agreed, with my own little smile, following Asami as she bounded into the water.

"I call Mako," Asami sang, yanking at her boyfriend's leg. Mako groaned, rolling his eyes at her, but he hauled himself into the pool anyway. He probably still thought this was a bad idea.

I swallowed thickly. I should have anticipated that the two lovebirds would team up. That left me with…

"C'mon Taro, we can kick their butts easy," Bolin muttered low, entirely too close. I jumped, and he was right behind me already.

"Spirits, Bolin, what did I tell you about the sneaking up on me thing!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Let's do this!" Asami called. Bolin and I directed our line of sight to the sound of her voice, and there she was, already standing tall on Mako's shoulders. He held her legs tight, smirking at us. Oh, even he thought they were going to win, huh? I narrowed my eyes at them. No way am I, a waterbender, losing a pool game.

I looked at them closer, and my confidence faltered. Asami was sitting on Mako's shoulders, and he was holding her thighs firmly as she giggled and ruffled his hair. My heart hammered in my chest – that was a lot of skin to skin contact. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Bolin, his broad shoulders accentuated by the lack of sleeves on his swimsuit. Maybe Mako and Asami had more of an advantage than I thought.

"Uh, so, how are we gonna do this?" I asked Bolin, gesturing to him. "Do I have to like, climb on top of you?"

Bolin snorted, shaking his head. "No, no. Just stay right there, OK? And don't move."

I raised an eyebrow, skeptical. What, was he going to just lift me up onto his shoulders?

Before I could protest, Bolin held his breath, ducking underwater. What was he – oh! He grabbed my legs, and I screamed as he lifted me, clutching at his hair for dear life. Mako and Asami burst into peals of laughter once we righted ourselves, Bolin holding me steady as I tried to untangle my fingers from his wet hair.

"Don't worry, I've got you," he laughed, patting my knee before he replaced his hands on my lower thighs. My heart hammered like nothing I had ever felt before, my breathing erratic as I tried my absolute best not to crush his head between my legs.

"It's OK, Taro! You can sit up!" Asami giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. She was as cool as a cucumber on Mako's shoulders, standing tall and proud.

I untangled my hands from Bolin's wet hair, using his head to balance as I sat up straighter. I could feel his hands tighten around my thighs – spirits, how were his hands so big – and I exhaled deeply. I felt like I needed breathing exercises.

"OK, alright," I sat up straight, willing myself to trust Bolin as I formed a triangle with my hands and pressed outward, exhaling as I did so before dragging my hands along my sides, willing my breathing to even and my heartrate to slow. It didn't work as well as it usually did, with such a warm, steady pressure just above my knees, but when I opened my eyes I could face Asami without keeling over in embarrassment.

Or, more accurately, I could face her chest. Oh, crap. Bolin and I had forgotten one key difference between us and Mako and Asami – both of them were taller than both of us. Asami probably had a whole extra foot of height like this.

"Oh spirits, wait, this is unfair-!" I tried to argue, but Asami just smirked at me, raising an arm as she yelled "charge!"

"Whoa!" I cried. I held up my arms and Asami bore down on me, her palms connecting with my biceps as we grappled. The boys below were laughing, all good natured as they traded smack talk. They clearly didn't know that it was a battle of life and death above them.

"You're going down!" Asami laughed, trying to push me off. I made a choked noise – I didn't have the use of my arms anymore. The only thing keeping me upright was Bolin. He took a step back to help me right myself, his grip firm and solid the whole time.

"C'mon, Taro!" he called, cheering me on. I set my jaw and pressed back against Asami, trying to trip her up by pushing sideways instead of straight back. Her eyes widened, but with the angle I had it wasn't hard for her to re-orient herself and stay standing, or, sitting, that is.

I tried my best, but Asami had the high ground, and it didn't seem like she was halfway out of her mind just from a boy touching her thighs. I pressed back as hard as I could, forcing Asami lower in her stance on Mako's shoulders just to meet my force. Spirits, she was strong, and as she pushed back against me she grinned, not backing down from the fight.

Oh no. She was pretty. She was pretty, and Bolin was holding me tight, and I was about to fall off-

I abruptly pulled back, tilting my chin upwards forcefully. The water around us responded, a wave cresting just behind Asami and Mako. I cried out in victory.

"Taro-!"

"That's che-!"

The wave hit us harder than intended, sweeping not only Asami and Mako off their feet, but Bolin and I as well. I gasped as the water crashed over us, knocking the breath out of me.

We went under, but Bolin's grip barely faltered, instead of clutching my legs, he twisted his body and grabbed my waist, protecting me from the barrage. My heart skipped – I wasn't in any danger - I knew my own power, even if the wave was larger than I anticipated. But Bolin had acted on instinct, shielding my body with his own.

We both surfaced with gasps, Bolin clutching me to his chest as I coughed, but the absurdity of the situation hit me soon after, and I burst into laughter, knocking my forehead on Bolin's shoulder even as his hands still sat on the small of my back.

Asami and Mako joined in, and Bolin finally let me go, his initial instinct to protect finally passing. I kept laughing, willing myself not to think about the loss of contact as I fell back into the water, still chuckling, as Bolin's voice joined the chorus.

"You cheater!" Asami accused, splashing me with a small burst of water. I sputtered, the water falling in my mouth as I coughed again and stood straight up, cocking my head at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you wanna go again?" I taunted, even as my heart flipped. I think I might literally turn the pool to steam if we ever did that again.

Thankfully, before Asami and Mako could reply, the Sato family butler entered, Korra in tow.

"Korra!" I called, thankful for the distraction. Asami shook her head, giving me a friendly glare before she turned to Korra.

"Hi Korra! I'm glad you made it," Asami said, swimming over to where Korra stood. I brushed the hair out of my face and followed her and Mako over, purposefully avoiding Bolin's eyes. I bit my lip, the feel of his hands still etched into my memory. Thank the spirits Korra was here.

"You all certainly settled in quick," Korra quirked a brow at Mako and Bolin, then raised the other when she saw me. "And Taro's here too?"

"Yeah, Asami invited me this morning," I shrugged. I knew that Korra and Asami weren't on the best of terms, what with Asami dating Mako, and Korra liking Mako… but I didn't think she was that bad of a person. She was kind, even if her interests conflicted with Korra's, and I wasn't going to avoid someone just because she was dating my friend's crush. Especially when I considered him my friend as well.

"Oh, about the 'settling in'," Mako grumbled, swimming over to Asami to give her a pointed look. She giggled.

"Alright, so I didn't ask my dad before inviting you two to live here, so what? It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission," Asami chuckled, leaning at the pool by Korra's feet, with Mako close by her side, hip checking her once they reached the edge. I snorted and flipped onto my back, just enjoying the pool and their company. Asami was right – it was nice to just have everyone together.

"Oh, hey, Korra!" Bolin hauled himself out of the pool, and I spared him a passing glance. He gave Pabu a noogie as he ran to Korra, and the little guy squeaked indignantly. I snorted.

"This place is awesome. Wait, wait, check this out."

He grinned broad as he motioned for Korra to stay put, then jogged across the pool deck to the waterfall. I swallowed hard when I glanced at him and my eyes wandered to a strong chest, well-defined legs… I looked away, closing my eyes. I could handle this. Pool day. I had already faced Amon, what was some big dork with a distracting figure?

Bolin scaled the side of the waterfall, looking at the water below, and then it dawned on me.

"Earthbending bomb!" he yelled, throwing himself into the water. I screamed as the water crested, knocking me around, even though I was laughing too. Bolin surfaced, slicking his hair out of his face.

"That's payback," he pointed at me, with a stupid grin. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"It's not like I was trying to knock us all over!" I countered. Bolin shrugged.

"Oh sure, sure."

I rolled my eyes, swimming over to Korra, who was dangling her legs into the water next to Asami. Bolin used this distraction to divebomb his brother, dunking him under the water. I watched, giggling.

"So, what do you have planned for us today," Korra sighed, shooting Asami a wary glance. "Shopping? Makeovers?"

"Ooh! I vote makeovers!" Bolin called, before Mako used all his strength to dunk his brother. I shook my head, looking at Asami for her answer.

"Actually, I have something a little different in mind," she smirked devious, and Korra and I shared a terrified look.

X

What Asami had in mind was a ride in one of her father's prototypes over at the Satomobile racetrack. I sat by in the stands with Mako and Bolin as Asami grinned and led Korra to the cars, Korra beaming at the chance to go for a spin. It would be good for them, I thought. It was clear that Asami was making an effort, when it came to becoming friends with Korra and I, and I appreciated it. I still didn't know how to interact with new friends, didn't know if I was bothering them asking to hang out, or coming on too strong. If Asami hadn't reached out like she did, I don't know if I would have been able to get to know her the same way. She took initiative, picking out something that she knew both she and Korra would enjoy, so open to befriending Mako's girl friends. It was very kind, I thought. She could have just as easily demanded that Mako not hang out with us anymore – I knew my fair share of girls from the Southern Tribe who would have done just that, without a second thought. But Asami made a conscious effort to try and befriend all of us, and I appreciated the gesture.

Unfortunately, after the racing, Korra had to leave suddenly. I frowned as she stormed out the door, stuttering out something about babysitting. It seemed more serious than that, but I didn't press her, and Asami let her leave with no problem. We all shrugged it off and continued about our day, eating dinner in the great hall. My jaw once again fell to the floor, not just at the grandeur of the room itself, but at the quality and quantity of food served to us. I ate like a man starved, and Bolin looked like he was going to pass out from pure joy at the sheer selection of food offered to us.

It was a nice dinner, with pleasant small talk, but after it, I felt out of place. Mako and Bolin were turning in early for the night, and that left me with Asami, awkwardly shuffling my feet.

"Uh, so," I offered eloquently, and Asami beamed at me.

"Are you still staying over tonight?" she asked, and I sputtered, scratching the back of my head.

"Well, I can, if you want me to – or I could go!" I added, not wanting to impose. Asami chuckled, shaking her head.

"No, I'm excited to have you sleep over. I would have invited Korra too, if she had stayed longer… I feel like I haven't had a sleepover in forever," Asami admitted, a bounce to her step as she led me up the stairs and down the hall to her room. I looked at her in wonder – initially, I had thought that Asami was just a kind, sweet person, who wanted to make friends with Korra and I because she was friendly. But, maybe… did she not have many friends either?

The new realization stunned me as Asami puttered around her room, looking for some sleepwear for me. It was hard for me to comprehend that Asami craved friendship the same way I did. She was rich, and beautiful, and kind. Wouldn't most people jump at the prospect of befriending her?

"Here. These might be a little big, but they should fit."

Asami plopped a set of black silk pajamas into my waiting arms. The slinky material practically fell out of my grasp before I clutched it tighter to my chest.

"Uh, are you sure, Asami?" I asked, watching as she selected a similar red set for herself. "These look really fancy, and I don't want to rip them, or get them dirty or anything."

Asami shook her head, chuckling at me.

"Trust me, I don't care if you rip them. It's no trouble, really," Asami reassured me. I bit my lip, looking down at the fancy, soft clothing that Asami considered simple sleepwear. I was lucky that when Bolin was over I had nabbed a pair of damaged pants from the dye facility I worked at – usually I slept in an old undershirt and my underwear.

Asami sighed, fiddling with her own pajamas in her hands.

"I'm sorry, if this is too much," she began, sitting down on the end of her bed. I leaned against the back of the nearest couch, waiting as she gathered herself.

"When I was younger, all my friends were just… the children of my father's business partners," Asami wrapped her hands over her elbows, pressing her arms to her waist. "All they ever cared about was what dresses I had, what dolls they could play with. It was always some kind of competition – who had more, me or them. My father is considered 'new money' and I didn't know what that meant, but they did. To them, I was only as good as what I could offer them."

"I'm guessing you haven't invited them over in a while?" I tried to joke, quirking a brow at Asami. She chuckled at me, but it was sad, and hollow.

"Yeah, it was hard to cut ties with them. Even though they were rude to me, and weren't real friends… it was terrifying, the thought of having no one."

I looked down, clutching at the sleepwear in my hands. I didn't know Asami's pain, but it mirrored my own, in a strange way. Where Asami had been afraid of being alone, I always had been. I was an outcast, so I clung to any friend I gained like a lifeline, doing everything I could to keep them close. I didn't understand Asami's pain exactly, but I felt her fear – her fear of being alone again.

"Well, you're not alone anymore," I offered with my own shrug, and Asami offered me a warm smile. "I know we haven't been hanging out for very long, but I'm not here for your stuff. Although it is very nice stuff, don't get me wrong," I added, and Asami laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I'm not very good at friendship. I only had like, one actual friend until a couple weeks ago, so I'm sorry if I end up being a crappy friend, but you're a really nice person, Asami. You're very kind, and you don't have to be. Anyone would be lucky to be your friend."

She blushed, holding the clothing close to her chest.

"Thank you, Taro. It's true, we haven't known each other that long, but… it really means a lot."

We sat there in silence for a beat, considering the conversation, before I waved my clothes, standing and stumbling towards the changing room.

"Well, I guess I better get dressed," I nodded my head towards the room, and Asami laughed again, waving me off.

When I exited the changing room, I couldn't stop rubbing my own sleeves. Everything felt like liquid on my skin – so soft and fluid, like it could slip right off at any time. It was light and very nice.

"Asami, these- you wear these to bed? These are amazing-" I patted at the hips of the pants and shoulders. The set she gave me was too big, obviously, and I had to roll the sleeves and pant legs up myself, but they still felt unbelievably comfortable. Asami burst into laughter, shoving her face into a pillow to cover it.

"What?" I asked, crossing my arms. She shook her head, trying to tell me it was nothing, but I raised an eyebrow, jutting my chin forward to let her know I was waiting for an answer.

"I-I'm sorry," she chuckled, shaking her head. "You're so small!"

I scoffed, offended. "I am not! You're too tall!"

"I am not!"

We fell into easy conversation, as I draped myself over the couch and Asami snuggled into her bed. She told me how she learned to drive, a little bit about her life with her old friends – how they would try to purposefully get her to make mistakes when they would attend galas together, and that was why Asami was so hyper aware of certain customs and manners. It was interesting – I loved hearing about the cars, how she helped her dad test them, and how she would spend hours just racing for fun.

In turn, I told her about waterbending training with Korra under Katara, and my experiences in pro bending. She listened intently, remarking that she thought pro bending was so interesting, connecting my experiences to things she had seen in the ring, remarking on rules she thought would make the game more interesting if they were implemented. I laughed at some of the more outlandish ones, just enjoying the conversation as the night wore on.

"You had a match against Mako, right? I remember catching it on the radio," Asami commented, and I nodded.

"Yeah, that was the first match with Korra as their waterbender. He's a formidable opponent, you know. Your boyfriend's a pretty powerful bender," I commented, with a grin. Asami blushed. She was sitting up in bed, her legs crossed as she held a pillow in her lap, resting her chin against it as I leaned over the couch.

"I know. He's sweet, isn't he?" she asked, looking more at her bedspread than me, smiling soft and affectionate. Oh, she was smitten, wasn't she? I chuckled to myself, before replying.

"I think he's mostly just sweet for you," I admitted. "He's all business most of the time. You gotta be somebody special to make him smile."

Asami squeezed her pillow, and I grinned. It was clear she was a strong woman, proud too. But it was adorable to see how much she cared for Mako.

"I'm sorry if I gush too much – I haven't had anyone to talk to about him," Asami admitted, and I scoffed.

"You've barely mentioned him! You're fine," I assured her, and Asami softened, not as tense as she continued her thought.

"I never thought I would fall for a pro bender, of all people, but he's very kind, and genuine, too. And he's the best kisser-"

I giggled, covering my mouth with my hand, and Asami scoffed at me.

"I thought you said you didn't mind!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just so funny to imagine Mako kissing someone-" I snickered, and Asami put her hands on her hips.

"Hard to imagine?"

"Well, to be fair," I admitted, shaking my head. "It's hard for me to imagine most people kissing someone. Like Korra? I have a feeling she would just straight up miss the dude's face altogether."

Asami and I both burst into peals of laughter at that. Once we calmed some, Asami leveled me with a question of her own.

"What about you, Taro? Is there any special guy in your life?"

I wasn't expecting the question, and my mouth opened in shock, my cheeks darkening in the light. I tried to salvage my dignity, but Asami was already smirking at me, an eyebrow raised.

"Uh… no?"

"Oh, come on, I saw that look!"

"it's nothing!" I laughed, trying to play it off, even as Asami reached across the space between us, trying to swat me with her pillow as I tried to avoid her question.

"That blush didn't look like nothing to me!"

"I just-" I took a breath, leaning heavily against the couch as I scratched at the varnish. "I've never really… had a crush on a guy before…"

It pained me to admit it, and I cringed right after I said it. Sure, in the Sothern Tribe, I had thought some of the boys my age were cute, and attractive, and I had wondered what it would be like to kiss them. But then, every single one of them had opened their mouths and that tiny spark of interest fizzled out and died within the week. The only person who even held my interest for very long was Kyona, and I hardly thought that short relationship at fourteen would count for anything, really. It was hard for people – especially men – to catch my interest and hold it.

And that was the problem. I didn't want to admit that there was something different about my crush on Bolin. I was almost begging for him to say something stupid, or annoying, or do something weird so that my heart would stop beating so fast whenever he touched me. I didn't want to feel this way about him. It made me nervous, and confused, and it was so unbelievably distracting. It was so much easier when I could just make fun of him, but now? Any time he touched me it sent shivers down my spine. It made me feel weak, when I just wanted to feel normal.

"Never?" Asami asked me, tilting her head to the side. I shrugged.

"Well, I've had crushes on girls, and I've found guys attractive before… but never like this," I frowned. Asami's eyebrows raised.

"You like… girls, too?"

She looked stunned, and I just chuckled. What was it, about her and Korra and being so shocked? It wasn't like I tried to hide it.

"Yeah," I replied with a half-smile, and Asami bit her lip, scrunching her eyebrows together.

"Oh, I didn't… never mind," Asami shook her head, waving her hands. "We're getting distracted. This is about your crush."

"Ugh," I groaned, leaning back, and almost falling off the couch in the process. Asami giggled at my turmoil.

"What's different about him, then? This guy?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I mean, he's… he's a great bender." It was the first thing that came to mind, the thought of Bolin in that match, taking down the Boar-q-pines with such confidence. He wasn't doing it to show off, or because he needed to impress someone – it was just him. Bolin was a strong bender, quick on his feet, and powerful. That bending was a pure expression of himself, as he fought so hard to compensate for Korra and Mako.

"I can understand that," Asami replied, with a giggle. "I never found bending attractive until I met Mako."

"Yeah," I agreed, staring into the middle distance, still lost in thought. "In the ring, he just – it's something else. He's so strong-"

"Uh, you're talking about your crush, right? Not Mako?" Asami asked for clarification, and I reeled back immediately, waving my hands as I shook my head violently.

"No, no, definitely not Mako! I was talking about B-"

I slapped my hands over my mouth, and Asami's eyebrows shot up, gasping at me.

"What was that? What's his name?"

"No! No- I-"

"Batu? Baron? Bao? Wh-" Asami blinked, and realization dawned. "Bolin!"

"No!" I yelled, louder this time, and Asami leveled a finger at me.

"No, I got you! Admit it!"

I cradled my face in my hands, groaning. Great, another friend armed and ready to tease me relentlessly because I liked a dorky, ridiculous, man. I was done for.