Longest chapter yet! Enjoy (and reviews are appreciated)!
"So what are we doing tonight to end Ling's birthday celebration?" Mako asked. It was later that evening, and Ling and Korra had met up with the boys on the mainland.
"Nanook's?" Bolin suggested. "The four of us plus Asami?"
"Sure, that sounds great," Korra said. "She can probably come, I'll call her from the pay phone down the street."
"Thanks for being around, Ling," Bolin said. "That means I'm not the third wheel with these two anymore! Or the fifth wheel whenever Asami brings a date."
Korra grinned. "Does this mean it's a double date now?"
Korra's advice from before boosted Ling's confidence, causing her to try to laugh a little and shrug casually. "Dunno," she said, meeting Bolin's eyes for a brief second. His face had turned a pale pink and he turned away as soon as they made eye contact. Did this mean that he liked her? Or, oh no, was he repulsed by the very idea of dating a girl as stupid as she?
Korra tried to break the awkward silence by immediately jumping into a story about when she and Asami were ambushed in the streets by paparazzi who wouldn't stop shouting questions at them, about whether Korra supported this legislation or what Asami thought of this new business regulation, or even their opinions on the latest celebrity gossip, which seemed so absurd to ask the Avatar and a CEO that it was laughable.
Later that evening, the four stood outside of Nanook's, waiting for Asami.
"Hey, guys!" a tall, willowy girl around Korra's age greeted them as she approached. "I can't believe it's been so long since we've been able to just hang out. Luckily it looks like things at work are finally calming down a little. Man, I can't keep letting things get so hectic like that. Something's got to change."
"Aw, come on, Asami!" Bolin said, pulling her into a hug. "How many times have you said that about work before?"
Asami let out an exasperated sigh, but returned Bolin's hug. "I know, I know. But enough about work, let's just relax for once."
"Hey, Asami, have you met Ling yet?" Mako asked.
"No, but Korra called me up at work today saying we're going out to celebrate her birthday, but didn't even tell me who she is!" Asami then turned to Ling herself. "Oh, sorry, that was rude- Happy birthday, Ling. I'm Asami Sato, by the way."
"Thanks," Ling said. She was a little uneasy about how Asami and Bolin seemed so causally affectionate with each other. Was there a history between them? Ling tried to shake that thought from her mind. Why should she care about Bolin's romantic history? She just met the guy a few weeks ago!
Korra looked around, as if someone else was coming to join them. "So, are you here solo tonight?"
"In fact, I have a date," Asami smiled. "Met someone at a work event."
"Oh, so a high-class business type, huh?" Mako said, smiling.
"A server at the party, actually," she retorted. "Believe me, I get tired of staying around the same few arrogant, over-confidant business owners who want to spend their dates talking about investments- Oh, there she is!"
Walking towards the group was a girl who looked to be in-between Asami and Ling's ages. She had the same skin tone as Korra, if not darker, which made Ling believe that she likely had Water Tribe heritage. Before coming to Republic City, the only diversity Ling had ever experienced was from sailors who docked at her town's small port, and even then, most of them were from the Earth Kingdom.
"Miriak! Over here!" Asami waved the girl over.
Miriak approached Asami, smiling broadly. "Hey," she said, before pecking Asami on the lips.
Ling was momentarily confused. Was this some sort of Water Tribe custom-
Oh.
Ling's family had occasionally spoken disdainfully of those who dated within their gender. "What good do they think will come of it?" her grandmother would ask, shaking her head. "They'll only end up miserable." But Ling noticed how happy the two girls looked to be in each other's presence.
"Miriak, this is Korra, Mako, Bolin and Ling," Asami introduced everyone. "Though I'm assuming you've seen these three in the paper from time to time."
"Hey, guys," Miriak greeted everyone. She seemed slightly starstruck at meeting both the Avatar and two members of a well-known Pro-Bending team. "Hey, Ling, I guess you and me have to stick together as the non-celebrities of the group."
"Well, Ling will be well-known soon, believe me!" Korra said. Asami and Miriak looked from her to Ling in confusion.
Ling sighed. "I'm already getting tired of demonstrations," she muttered under her breath. At the moment, a small gust of wind was blowing through the night. Taking a deep breath, Ling took an airbending stance and directed the wind so that it flowed in a circle between the group.
The two who she had just met stared at her in shock, taking a moment to process what they had just seen.
"Wait, you're telling me-"
"But this doesn't make any sense-"
Bolin cut them both off. "Ling's had to tell this story about two hundred times in the past month alone, and who wants to spend their birthday answering questions about being a brand-new airbender? Let's just get to Nanook's and then we'll tell the story."
Ling looked up to Bolin gratefully, mouthing "thank you." Bolin smiled back, and soon the group was making their way to dinner only a few blocks away.
The group ended up having a great evening at Nanook's, with the owner discreetly seating them in the back room, away from gawking onlookers or any potential paparazzi. Asami had everyone laughing over her story of a snobby investor who made disparaging remarks about having women present at the meeting, before realizing that it was Asami herself who was the CEO of Satomobile Industries.
Eventually, the group began to pair off. Asami and Miriak said goodnight, while Korra pulled Mako away, claiming that they needed some time alone. Privately, Ling wondered if this was part of her scheme to push her and Bolin together. And inwardly, Ling had no idea how to react.
Bolin also seemed to be anxious, and kept glancing at Ling before looking back down on the ground. "So," he began, his voice hinting at his nerves. "Korra said to meet her and Mako at the west bridge in an hour, which is good, considering that Korra's your ticket home."
Ling laughed. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to be stranded in a deserted park at night. Maybe it's just because I'm from some small village, but I have this fear of the city. Did Korra tell you that this is my first time actually here? Otherwise I've been on Air Temple Island."
Bolin nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned it. It's amazing to think that you've never been here. I've spent my whole life here, and a good part of it literally on the streets."
Ling raised her eyebrows. "Wait, really?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, it wasn't great. Mako and I were orphaned as kids, and we didn't have anywhere to go. He took good care of me, though. Always made sure I had enough to eat. Anyway, enough about the past. Right now, the future is looking pretty good for both of us. I'm on a pro-bending team, and you're an airbender. Doesn't get much better than that."
Bolin then suggested that they go to the turtle-duck ponds to sit. "It's pretty peaceful at night, but maybe we'll see a few birds that are still awake. Hey, maybe it'll remind you of the country."
As they walked, Ling's feelings of excitement of hanging out with a guy- a really nice, cute guy- were mixed in with the sneaking suspicion that the two were being watched- followed, even. But even time she would suddenly turn around, expecting to find someone standing there, there was no one under the street lamps that illuminated the park's walkway.
Don't act so paranoid, she told herself. Do you want him to think you're an idiot?
Finally, the two sat down on the shores of the pond ("The largest body of water in all of Republic City Park!" as Bolin had boasted earlier). The still water reflected the clear night sky.
"There are so few stars out," Ling observed.
"No, there's actually quite a lot out," Bolin replied. "I can see more than usual."
"Oh," Ling realized. "I guess the lights of the city block out a bunch of the stars. Back in my village, you could see ten times the stars. It's amazing to sit out on a clear night like this and look at all of the constellations."
"Now that's something I'd like to see someday," Bolin said.
"Come to my village and see," Ling said without thinking. Inwardly, she criticized herself. Stupid, she thought. Why say something like that to a boy you've only just met?
Turning her head towards Bolin, Ling realized that he was looking at her. She mustered up the courage to meet his stare, but broke down in giggles, something he then did as well.
"I don't know why I'm laughing," she said once she caught her breath. "I guess it's just- it's nothing."
"Is it because you're nervous?" he asked.
Ling stared at him. How did he know?
"Well, I'm nervous too. Because I'm sitting with this pretty- no, beautiful girl- on a beautiful night and while I definitely like her, I have no idea if she likes me back. I mean, she's an airbender!" Bolin then pressed his hand to his forehead. "Did I really just admit to that? Oh, no, I didn't just say that, did I?"
But Ling was laughing. She noticed that his hand was lying on the ground, and moved her hand towards it, until they touched. Where did she get this confidence from?
The two looked up at each other, and Ling was grateful that it was too dark for him to see her face reddening. But slowly, he leaned his head towards, hers, and a moment later, their lips were touching-
A bright flash went off, startling them. They both screamed, and within an instant they were on their feet. Ling was ready to flee, but Bolin stood his ground, shouting, "Who's there?" (Ling assumed it was a mixture of the pro-bender in him and his childhood on the streets that made him prepared to fight.)
From behind a tree trunk, a shadowy figure ran out, and the two could see a camera clutched in their hand.
"Paparazzi," Bolin breathed. "They must have thought that they could photograph some pro-bending athlete to make a good story. Well, I'll show them-"
"No, Bolin!" Ling said, grabbing his arm. "Don't go after them. Do you think it'll make a better story if you get thrown in prison for assaulting someone in the park?"
Bolin exhaled. "I just don't want that showing up in the gossip section of the papers and having everyone see it,"
The papers, Ling realized with a panic. Oh no, that picture wouldn't end up in the newspaper, would it? The Republic City newspaper that Tenzin read every morning? Of course, he never bothered with the gossip section, but if he managed to see it, her life would be over.
Bolin noticed the stricken look on her face. "Hey, Ling, it'll be alright," he was grabbed her hand in an attempt to comfort her. "Who knows if the picture even turned out alright in the dark? Maybe you can't even tell it's either of us. And so far, nobody knows who you are yet."
Ling was still shaking. "I just want it to stay that way."
The two walked briskly back to the bridge where they were to meet Mako and Korra. Bolin and Ling were still holding hands, but as they saw the others approach they pulled away.
"Hey," Korra said brightly as she came up to them. "You guys have fun? Mako and I went to Yue Bay to see the lights reflecting on the water- Ling, are you alright?"
The girl nodded, but the streetlight's illumination showed her color-drained face.
"Mako, I'm gonna take off with Ling. I'll call you tomorrow," Korra said to her boyfriend. She put her arm around Ling and began walking down towards the water, where soon the ferry would be making the last run of the night.
"Hey, you okay? What happened while we were gone?"
Ling took a deep breath. "Everything was going great, really. Bolin and I were talking, and then he called me beautiful. He sort of leaned in, and so did I-"
"Wait, that's what you're shaken up about? Kissing? I mean, I know that it was probably your first kiss, but-"
Ling shook her head. "No, no, it wasn't the kissing part. It was the being-amubused-by-paperazzi part."
The Avatar stopped dead in her tracks. "What?" she said. "Wait, what?"
All Ling could do was nod. "I… I don't know what to do," she finally choked out. "Can you imagine everyone's reactions if they see it in the papers?"
"Hey, it'll be okay," Korra said, trying to reassure her though her voice held doubt. "I mean, think about it: what's the worse that can happen?"
If only they had any idea of what was to come.
Update: Again, this was written before seasons 3 and 4, so no Korrasami. I always thought that it would be nice to have an LGTBQ character in the series, and I suppose I guessed correctly with Asami! -Lindsay