Bolin was transfixed by Korra's story as they rode back to the compound on Naga. "So you got to meet Aang?"

"Yeah."

"What was he like?"

"Um...tall?", Korra answered, sounding unsure.

"Tall?"

"And...bald, I guess?"

"I kinda meant what was he like as a person?", Bolin clarified.

"Oh, well he seemed nice, but we only talked for a few minutes."

"But he gave you your bending back? How'd he pull that off?"

"Energybending. I'll explain when we get back to the compound, that way I don't have to tell the story five hundred times."

So from then on the ride back was quiet between them, but it was a peaceful one. The only sounds made were Naga's paws hitting the ice while Bolin looked at the surroundings, his arms wrapped around the girl he loved.

Eventually they reached the compound Korra had fled from, and she was immediately ambushed by everyone they left behind, but Korra made a small flame in her palm to show she was all right.

She didn't explain what happened right away, the first thing she did was restore Lin's bending. Korra put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her forehead, then her eyes started glowing, and just like that, the chief of police was throwing boulders like it was nothing.

Her methods and how she learned still didn't make sense to Bolin, but he supposed as long as Korra had her bending back and she could do the same for others, it didn't really matter.

He could tell that Korra wanted to spend more time at home, to catch up with her parents and Katara about everything that happened in Republic city, and have a proper visit with her boyfriend, but that wasn't a luxury they could afford right now. The world needed the avatar.

They hadn't heard from Bumi or General Iroh since the lone message regarding Tarrlok and Noatak, so none of them were sure what Republic city would be like when they returned. Would it be completely abandoned? In the middle of an all-out war? Or nothing but ash and rubble?

When they could finally see the city from the back of Oogi, Tenzin, Lin, and Team Avatar saw that Yue bay was full of United Forces vessels, but looked otherwise abandoned apart from the occupying military force. They landed on the pier close to the makeshift headquarters that had been set up, and Bumi came over to give them an update on the situation.

Apparently the news of Amon actually being a waterbender had spread like wildfire, since the proof had dozens of witnesses, and it became a fatal blow in terms of equalist morale.

Many of the footsoldiers for "Amon's" army had given up and fled when they heard the news, going into some form of hiding, and those that stayed weren't able to put up much of a fight.

The United Forces and the remaining police were able to restore order not long after that. Civilians had been ordered to remain in their homes, and now everyone was wondering what would happen next.

Korra knew exactly what she wanted to do first, though. She put a message out on the radio that she could restore the bending of anyone who'd lost theirs to Amon, and that they should come to city hall.

Apart from Tahno and the rest of the Wolfbats, everyone who showed up seemed to be cops. Lightning Bolt Zolt, Shady Shin, and Two-Toed Ping were notable absences, probably not worth it for them to get their bending back only to be immediately thrown in jail. The people who did show up wasn't a large amount, luckily Amon hadn't been in control long enough to take bending away from more people, and Korra was able to restore it for all of them.

Bolin could tell it was tiring for her to do so, despite her efforts to hide it. But everyone knew the hard work to fix everything was only beginning.

It started with trying to get information out of the equalists that had been captured and arrested, but it wasn't surprising to find them being unwilling to talk, and the uniform they wore made it impossible for those uninvolved with the group to identify, so those that had been able to desert were almost impossible to track down if they had covered their tracks properly. Even the weird mustached guy was uncooperative, the deception by Amon not shaking any of their loyalty towards each other, still believing in the goals they had, just not the man who led them.

That wasn't the case for Hiroshi Sato, however. According to General Iroh, the man had fallen apart when he found out the truth about Amon, inconsolable at the realization of what he'd done, although nobody really felt that sorry for him.

Despite this, he still tried to make amends While everyone else was unwilling to talk, he sang. It wasn't a surprise that he was the main funder for the equalists, apart from a few people who Sato named, but was unnerving to see how the money had been spent.

Apart from the expected costs of creating and building all the machines the equalist army used, a significant amount was also used to make sure people behaved a certain way. Cops and other government officials were bribed to make sure that the true power of their operation remained a secret, through looking the other way, tip offs about any sort of trouble or investigation, and some unexpected things as well, like harassment of nonbenders to fan the flames of the equalist narrative, and the referees for the probending championship letting the Wolfbats blatantly cheat, for no other reason than it would supposedly prove Amon's point during the speech he had.

The uprising they had planned also went further than anyone had anticipated. Mr. Sato was able to use his business to secretly ship equalist equipment all over the world, to other groups waiting on the word from Republic city that it was time to strike, waiting in the fire nation, Ba sing se and the rest of the earth kingdom, even the northern and southern water tribes.

Those groups were unaware that their existence had been revealed, so it wasn't too difficult for local authorities to take them by surprise and dismantle their operations. Once that was handled, Tenzin felt comfortable to send for his family, who were waiting in the south pole until he could ensure it was safe for them to enter the city.

There were more arrivals then he was expecting, though. Katara explained to her youngest son that everything that had happened recently put things in perspective for her, and she wanted to come to Republic City to spend more time with her children and grandchildren. Bolin privately wondered how much Korra's story about talking with Aang affected her decision. He also didn't recognize the other woman in blue clothes with grey hair, but Ikki said that was their aunt Kya, though Tenzin didn't seem particularly overjoyed to see his big sister.

It was a sentiment that apparently applied to his brother as well. Commander Bumi had decided to retire and live on air temple island now that the equalists were dealt with. His ceremony was mixed in with Lin Beifong being restored to her previous title as chief of police, along with Korra, Bolin, Mako and Asami being presented medals for civilian bravery during the equalist takeover, which was pretty cool. Things almost seemed like they were gonna start to calm down, but of course that didn't happen.

While investigating the late ex-councilman Tarrlok, Lin came across records that documented information that he had been using to blackmail his former colleagues into following along with whatever he had planned. Two of the council members resigned when the information was uncovered. One was even arrested. And although he wasn't named, the former chief Saikhan decided to retire, embarrassed that Tarrlok had been able to use and manipulate him so easily.

With Tenzin being the only one remaining, he conversed with other world leaders and they came to the conclusion to disband the council and hold elections to appoint a president. It didn't make much sense to Bolin to improve representation by replacing five people with one person, but he never really did understand politics much.

One pleasant surprise is that relations between benders and nonbenders seemed to be calm. It was definitely an uneasy peace, but there was no violence, retribution, or retaliation from either side. Everyone just seemed like they wanted to move on, whether they were under occupation and terrified of losing their bending, followed the words and actions of a fraud, or bystanders watching in horror.

That thinking led to the probending championship rematch being turned into a grand affair in the rebuilt and renovated arena, the building being the only major property damage that had occurred the past few weeks. It was a long battle, the Wolfbats a massive challenge with or without following the rules, but the fire ferrets were able to pull it out, with Korra knocking out Tahno in a third round tiebreaker.

In the thrill of victory, she jumped from the raised platform into Bolin's arms (he managed to catch her this time), tore off both their helmets, and planted a big kiss on his lips.

So anyway, that's how the whole city found out they were a couple.

It actually didn't cause as much change as Bolin thought it would. In fact, the spectacle actually disproved some weird, and in some cases, unseemly rumors about the romantic lives of team avatar. The press kept their distance for the most part, or at least after a particularly nosy reporter and photographer ended up in a nearby fountain.

With that happening, it was almost easy to forget that the championship win came with the prize money: four hundred and eighty thousand yuans. It was an amazing feeling when they found out. The days of living on the streets felt so far behind Bolin and Mako. Even splitting the pot three ways they wouldn't have to worry about money for a long time.

And the prize money also came with opportunities for better places to live. Bolin wasn't really interested in going back to an arena apartment that felt kinda cramped compared to where he was staying now on air temple island, and he really didn't feel any need to move somewhere else. But Mako was able to find himself a nice place that was close to where he now worked at the police station.

Lin offered a position to him after the corruption revealed by Hiroshi Sato led to her ranks being severely depleted due to arrests. It still wasn't enough for her to offer Bolin a job though, which had him a little miffed. He probably wouldn't have accepted, the whole thing felt weird to him with their past experiences with cops, but it was more the principal of the whole thing. Either way, it didn't leave Mako with much free time, which pretty much put an end to the Fire Ferrets.

Bolin figured it was for the best though. When they first started probending, it was more for the need to stay off the streets and away from the gangs. But being homeless again wasn't a worry for them now, and to be honest the sport now didn't bring him the same excitement it did when he listened as a little kid, or bring the same satisfaction as working with Korra and the rest of team avatar. It was just another way Bolin and Mako weren't attached at the hip anymore. They were growing up, each of them having their own lives, centered around different things and different people.

But they still were able to spend plenty of time together, usually helping out Asami with Sato industries. Despite public statements from chief Beifong and the avatar that she'd had no knowledge or involvement of her father's actions, the company took a massive hit with its public image and credibility. Much of the public was skeptical of her taking over, either due to her being a teenager with no previous experience running a company, or the turmoil the company was dealing with related to lawsuits and the resignations of the entire executive board, leaving Asami with her friends as the only advisors she had.

They tried to help out as much as they could, whether it was to test new inventions, file paperwork with her, or prepare for business meetings. But Sato Industries still remained in danger of collapsing, with many consumers and investors either scaredeither scared off by her father's actions or disappointed she didn't seem to share his views. Speaking of, they'd heard through Lin that Hiroshi tried to reach out to his daughter, in some feeble hope of making amends, but Asami wanted nothing to do with him, and none of them could really blame her.

Still, Bolin knew that Mako's new job and trying to help Asami out had his brother under a lot of pressure, as well as putting a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend, but Bolin also knew his brother well enough that no good would come from him prying or trying to get involved. He was just grateful that nothing like that was happening with him and Korra.

He'd decided to accept her offer to stay on air temple island, figuring it didn't make much sense to spend money to be further away from his girlfriend and everyone else. The kids were thrilled when they'd found out he'd still be living with them, but Tenzin didn't seem to be as thrilled as his children were.

The man appeared to warm up to the idea eventually though, probably grateful for all of the time Bolin was spending with his children, keeping them out of his metaphorical hair.

It wasn't a chore for him by any means. In fact, Bolin was kinda proud of how well he fit in with the family. He'd enjoyed being Pema's assistant in the kitchen, learning enough to cook a meal for himself and Korra on a few occasions. Meelo still regarded him as the older brother he always wanted, and they'd had fun swapping bending techniques.

Ikki and Jinora were great company as well. The younger of the sisters was the first person Bolin had met that could keep up with his ability to converse, and the older girl was always good for a lesson or two, whether it was something new about air nomad culture, or finding a good way to impress Korra. He'd noticed that Jinora had a habit of staring at him when he wasn't looking at her, but he figured it was best not to mention it, and hope it would sort itself out. Eventually Bolin was able to make good on his promise to the kids to take them out for ice cream.

It actually ended up being a pleasant experience. The place wasn't too crowded, they had his favorite flavor in stock (Sabre-tooth Moose Lion Tracks), the kids were relatively well-behaved, and they even bumped into Tahno while they were there. He seemed very different from that night he gave Bolin and Korra a hard time at Narook's, and after they talked for a little bit Bolin was wondering if he'd made a new friend. Or at least someone he could tolerate being around.

He also enjoyed spending time with the older members of Tenzin's family. Katara, Kya, and Bumi had plenty of stories, either about the hundred year war, people and places seen while traveling around the road, or tales of heroics from the retired commander that nobody took seriously, but they were still a joy to be around. For the most part...

(-)

Bolin had been a part of Tenzin's morning meditations with Korra and the kids for only a few days, so he was still worried about screwing something up and getting kicked out. That's why he didn't say anything when he noticed a rather putrid stench one morning, letting someone else point it out instead.

"Agh, it smells like burning sewage out here!", Tenzin sputtered. "Bolin, was that you?"

"Hey, don't blame me! It was probably the same person who invented fartbending!"

But Meelo seemed offended by the accusation. "How dare you! I would never fart quietly! It was probably one of the girls!"

That caused things to devolve into a bickering match that Tenzin once again had to referee.

"Enough! Look, I can't reach a state of spiritual enlightenment with the smell of rotten meat in the air, so someone had better take responsibility!"

"Uhh...Tenzin?"

He looked at Bolin, expecting a confession, but his eyes eventually followed to what he'd spotted.

"Bumi!"

But the older man didn't seem to mind being discovered. "Gotta say little brother, I've missed making you the 'butt' of the joke!"

The morning meditation ended after that, as Tenzin stormed off, leaving everyone else to try to get Bumi out of the tree he'd been blasted into.

(-)

Bolin was starting to get an idea of why Tenzin wasn't thrilled to have his brother living with them on the island. But that wasn't to say he didn't enjoy the man's company. Bumi was funny, entertaining, and he was always able to come up with something fun to do...

(-)

Bolin, Bumi and the kids were outside on a balcony, staring at something Korra couldn't see when she approached them from behind.

"Hey, you", she spoke, greeting her boyfriend first with a kiss. "What are you all up to?"

"Fruit pies", he answered.

"You, uh, mind elaborating on that?"

"Sure!", Bumi interrupted. "I'm teaching the kids about the ancient air nomad practice of airbending fruit pies."

"Is it really an air nomad tradition if only grandpa aang and dad were doing it?", Jinora asked.

"Well, they're both air nomads, aren't they? And they started doing it over one hundred and fifty years ago, so I don't see why not."

"Sounds fun", Korra said. "So did you have a target in mind?"

"Right over there," Bolin pointed, and when she looked over the balcony, she saw Tenzin and Mako off in the distance having a conversation.

"Oh, that'll be good. But are you gonna be able to help out, Bo?"

"Nah. I don't have the arm strength to throw it that far, and earthbending isn't precise enough. But they taste really good, though."

Korra giggled as her boyfriend digged into one of the pies with a spoon, then she noticed there were four other pies on a nearby table. "Did you make extra?"

"Bolin thought you might wanna join in if you showed up", Ikki explained.

"Well aren't you the sweetest?"

"Obviously, Bolin answered while continuing his bad habit of talking with his mouth full, getting him another eye roll with a smile from Korra as she took an airbending stance in front of the pies alongside Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, while they waited for the order from Bumi.

"Alright, soldiers! One, two, three, fire!"

Everyone had hopeful grins as the pies sailed towards their targets, but they changed to looks of horror as they saw two other people walking up to Tenzin and Mako.

"Oh no."

"Abort, abort!"

"It's too late!"

"Then bail! We can't let them catch us!"

All six of them scrambled and tripped over each other trying to get off the balcony and out of sight, so that when Mako, Tenzin, Lin, and Katara got the pie off their faces and looked where they came from, there would be no evidence anyone was there.

(-)

With everything going on in their lives, it tended to be difficult for Bolin and Korra to spend time together with just each other as company, but they figured out a few tricks to make it work.

Korra was able to get Katara to teach them about flying bison, and her waterbending master seemed to catch on to what they had planned, taking into account how quickly the lessons went along, and the knowing smiles she gave both of them the entire time.

They were able to get the teaching over with quickly though, and once that was done, taking a trip on Oogi or one of the other bison was a great way for them to get a few hours just by themselves.

Both of their birthdays came and went over the next few months, and they made time to celebrate each of them. Korra's came first, so Bolin took her out to Narook's, and he was able to pull a few strings for the entire restaurant to be closed down, except for one booth candlelit for a traditional water tribe feast, where he also gave her some jewelry he earthbended himself along with a poem he etched into a stone tile.

For Bolin's birthday, she took him to Hue's barbeque, where they managed to pull off the Fauna Feast challenge he talked about. They both got their own shirts, and a photo of them in front of a plate full of clean bones, and faces smeared with sauce. And back at the island, Korra found a private place to give him his birthday present from her.

It was a pipa, somehow exactly like the one his mom had even though he never described it to Korra. Same size, same wood pattern, everything. He admittedly got a little misty eyed the first time he ran his hand over the strings, and the smallest sound of music came from it. Korra was his only audience for a while, as he taught himself how to play, and also find out that his singing voice was actually pretty good. Eventually, he opened up enough to play for the rest of the family, with songs he remembered as a kid and new ones he'd heard over the radio.

Part of Bolin was worried that with his relationship with Korra becoming more serious, they'd lose part of the casual closeness that made things so great at the start, but somehow that never happened. Sparring matches were still friendly for the most part, both of them took part in food fights at the table started by the kids (or Bumi), and Pema never let them hear the end of the time when one morning she found the couple sprawled over each other on the couch, snoring, surrounded by bowls and plates cleaned of food, and the radio still playing quietly in the background, never switched off after the probending match they were listening to the night before ended.

Bolin still wasn't sure how things were gonna turn out with all the big changes that happened, but with Korra by his side he felt ready for anything.

Notes: So I tried to address all the things that happened that I thought never really felt resolved or addressed in between the ending of book one and the start of book two, if you think I missed anything, please let me know and I'll try to add it in. Also threw in some slice-of-life stories too, kinda add more on so the whole chapter wasn't saying "this happened, then this happened". If you liked them, great! If not, sorry.

Looking forward to starting book 2 soon! Not gonna give away spoilers, but I do wanna say Katara will have a bigger role in this story instead of what was basically a quick cameo on the show. Thank you so much for the support!