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Clear as Mud

plot by MushuofPudding
borrowed characters and backstories originally created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko

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Bolin ran off, crushed at the sight of Korra and Mako kissing. As Mako was about to run after him, Korra grabbed his arm. He snapped back toward her and glared angrily.

"Please, let me talk to him."

"Haven't you done enough to him?" Mako shouted.

"And that's exactly why I should be the one to talk to him!" Korra shouted right back. "Mako, please," she added more subduedly.

Mako said nothing, but scowled and let her leave.

*.*.*

"Bo," Korra called out when she saw him. He was walking at that point, but he neither stopped nor acknowledged her. "Bo, wait." She jogged up to his side.

He turned his head lazily toward her with a heavy sigh. "What do you want?" he moped, "Shouldn't you and my brother be off somewhere playing kick-the-can with my heart?" He sighed again as his head rolled back down, to watch his feet schlep along the street beneath him.

That was a hard blow for Korra. It knocked the words right out of her. "Bo, I-" she paused, trying to think of something to say. Damnit, she had gone after him because she wanted to talk to him, but now her words were failing her. She searched for anything. And anything is exactly what she got: "It wasn't what it looked like." Crap.

"You mean it wasn't you and my brother kissing?"

Korra sighed. "Well, yes, but there's more to it than that, you see.." She then took a deep breath and proceeded with her explanation. "I had a crush on Mako, but I didn't know whether he liked me. And then Asami came along, and Mako liked Asami. So then I told Mako that I liked him, but he told me that he was with Asami, and he didn't like me like that. So I was feeling pretty crappy, and that's when you asked me out. So I was out with you and we had a really great time, and then I started to like you, and-" she paused for air, "-and then Mako started acting all jealous, so I called him out on it, and he got mad, and I got mad, but then he said that he did like me, but he likes Asami too..." Another breath, "So he likes Asami, and he likes me; and I like him, and I like you, so it's all just really, really confusing. Understand?"

By the end of her explanation, Korra was panting, and Bolin just watched her, processing.

He did understand her explanation, the words anyway. But not the feelings. How could she keep liking his brother when Mako liked another girl and Bolin was clearly crazy about only her? It wasn't fair. Girls always came so easily to Mako, even the ones that Bolin wanted. But at least she said that she liked him too. And his brother got a turn to kiss her, why couldn't he?

Bolin turned to fully face Korra. The young Avatar looked warily up at him, having not received a response to her quiry. Her blue eyes searched his for an answer as he placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. And with grace and fluidity quite befitting a pro-bender, his hands moved from her shoulders to gently frame her face as he pressed his lips to hers.

At first contact, Korra's eyes went wide with surprise, her forearms raised to his chest in preparation to push him away, but she never did. Her surprise melted smoothly away, her eyes flitted closed, and she leaned into Bolin's kiss.

His hands fell away from her face to slide around her waist and pull her hips flush with his. His tongue begged her lips entrance. They timidly obliged, allowing it to glissade in. As her tongue met his, Korra's arms slowly snaked their way up and around the young earth-bender's neck. This closed the last bit of space between them, as her chest pressed flush against him.

The kiss was so hot that Korra had to peek for a moment to make sure she was not physically on fire. And at some point, she was sure that she heard an unsolicited moan escape her throat, when Bolin's hands got bold and quite firmly grasped her behind. By the time they broke apart, they we left panting and wanting so much more.

"I- That was-" Korra breathed.

"Yeah," Bo replied with a grin.

The next night, the Fire Ferrets won the semi-final tournament with ease.

A/N: My first attempt at LoK fic. Seemed like a good idea. Bolin is hot (although I think that makes me a pedobear) and he's such a sweetyhead; he deserves some good lovin' too. Please review, but no complaints about how this isn't M. It'll get there. Promise.