Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to LOKFan1997 and it makes sense in context who have faithfully reviewed every chapter of this story thus far. Thank you guys so much.
Bolin spent the next few days taking "Conscience Korra's" advice and pondering what made Jinora so special. He thought of all her good qualities, all of the little quirks that made Jinora who she is. He thought of her love of reading and how no matter where she was she always had a book with her. He thought of her love of animals and how great she was with Pabu. He admired how she spoke her mind and how she was always honest. He thought of how graceful she was when she would bend and how he could spend all day watching her and wouldn't be bored. He could spend all day naming off the traits in the airbender that over the last decade had become one of his best friends, but for the life of him he could not figure out what the funny feeling he felt was every time he was around her.
He knew he needed help if he was to solve his dilemma. He thought briefly of gong to the real Korra to see if she could fill in the gaps that "Conscience Korra" left behind, but quickly put the idea out of his mind. Looking back on what "Conscience Korra" had said to him he shuddered to think what the real Korra would say. No, there was only one person he could think of that he could go to with his problem. Mako. His older, wiser brother may be able to shed some light on this issue and, best of all, if the solution was obvious there was a much smaller chance of Mako making fun of him than his sister-in-law.
x-X-x
He knocked on the door of his brother's house. The house he had helped build. After Mako and Korra had announced their engagement the issue of where they would live after they were married came up quickly. Neither had wanted to move to the South Pole, Mako didn't want to leave his brother or give up his job on the police force and frankly was terrible in the cold weather. Korra loved that the South Pole was her birthplace and loved to visit her parents but couldn't stand the thought of living there permanently, too many memories of being locked up in the White Lotus Compound. They had looked at apartments, but none felt like home and most of the building owners were not too keen on housing a 600-pound polar bear dog. Tenzin quickly offered the solution of living on Air Temple Island, Mako and Korra hesitated at first but quickly gave in after Tenzin, Pema, Master Katara and the spirit of Avatar Aang all insisted that it was as much Korra's home as it was theirs. He, Mako, Tenzin, and the Air Acolytes had begun construction on the home as soon as the matter was settled.
Bolin waited and nervously shifted from foot to foot. He knew he needed advice from his older brother but he didn't know how to bring the subject up. Bolin knocked again.
"Coming, coming!" yelled Mako from behind the door. "Bolin?" asked Mako when he opened the door.
"H-hey bro!" stuttered Bolin.
"Hey, Bo. What're you doing here?" asked Mako.
"What, I can't hang out with my older brother?"
"Well yeah, you can, it's just around this time of day you usually don't. You and Jinora are usually off hanging out somewhere," Mako stated.
"Oh! Yeah, yeah!" Bolin said distractedly. He hadn't realized it had gotten so late. He and Jinora would usually be meeting up right about now. Oh well, guess he'd have to miss seeing her today.
Mako could tell something was up with Bolin. His brother was never this nervous around him. He'd have to get to the bottom of this.
"Well I'll just grab my scarf and we'll go for a walk. Korra and the baby are up at the temple right now so I'm free." Mako said over his shoulder as he went into the house.
'That's right,' Bolin thought, 'Korra's checking on Jinora's ankle today. I guess I wouldn't have been able to hang out with her today any way.'
"Bolin you ready to go?" The sound of his brother's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Yeah," he replied and they headed off.
x-X-x
"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to drag it out of you?" said Mako looking at Bolin.
"Wrong? N-nothing's wrong!" said Bolin looking anywhere but at Mako.
"Yeah, I believe that about as much as I believe that you hate dumplings." Said Mako sarcastically. "Now why don't you tell me what's going on?"
"Well… you see, there's this girl," started Bolin.
"And?" Mako pushed Bolin to continue.
"Well, every time I'm around her I get this funny feeling. There's something about her that's special to me, I do things for her I wouldn't do for anyone else, I just can't figure out what it is."
Mako was beginning to see where this conversation was heading, even if Bolin couldn't figure it out yet. He decided to push his little brother a little further, just to see if his hypothesis was correct.
"You said you got a funny feeling when you're around her, describe it."
"I…I don't know, I feel lighter around her, more free, but at the same time fully grounded. It's like-" Bolin blushed, "it's like I can just be myself around her, I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not or pretend to feel a way I don't feel. But at the same time, she makes me want to be better. She makes me feel like I can be better."
"I know what that feeling is," said Mako smirking.
"You do? What is it?" asked Bolin excitedly. Finally, he has a solution!
"Yep, I get it, too," said Mako.
"Really! When do you get it?" asked Bolin.
"Every time I'm around Korra." Mako was near ready to burst with laughter as he watched the wheels spinning in his little brother's head.
"Y-you mean…" Bolin began, stuttering.
"You're in love, little bro," finished Mako. Then he asked, "This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain airbender that you've been carrying all over the island everyday, would it?"
Bolin entire face turned a bright shade of red that would rival the Fire Nation emblem. He knew there was no point in lying to his brother, Mako would be able to tell he was lying even if he wasn't blushing.
"Jinora's a lucky girl." Mako said smiling.
Bolin beamed.
AN: Whew! The longest chapter yet! Please review and check out the poll on my profile!