"Korra!"

They had been pushing hard in practice, the match was in two days, and Mako still considered Korra unready for it. Usually there was a lot of squabbling between the two, ones that got a little louder and meaner when Asami came by. Bolin tried to ignore what that meant.

But today, the squabbles were few and easily gotten over. Korra was listening, and even got close to a compliment from Mako. Mako who wasn't here. Technically , practice had been over for several minutes, and Mako had already left for the power plant. While they were sponsored by the Sato family, he still had too much pride to go and ask his girlfriend for food money. Bolin had waited for Korra to come out the showers to see if she wanted to get something to eat, but it was taking a long time. So, after checking that no one was around, and being thankful that the next team who was here for practice was all male, he slipped in. And found Korra , slumped to the ground.

"Korra!"

It only took Bolin a few steps to reach her, arms grabbing her shoulder, trying to see if he could spot any injuries. Korra blinked, blue eyes staring unfocused on Bolin's face.

"What's wrong, Bo?"

Bolin laughed, a nervous habit more then anything and he slipped an arm around her waist, moving her to the bench. "I was going to ask you the same thing, darling, since you were on the floor. Did I hit you too hard in practice?"

Bolin had tried to watch it, but one of his disks had gotten a little too much power, and it caught Korra in the stomach. She seemed fine, even laughing about how she was going to get back, but now…

"I'm fine, I guess I just fell asleep. Sorry?"

Her eyes were more focused now, and as to prove proof to her statement, she let out a yawn, her hand a heartbeat too slow to fully cover it. Bolin frowned as he sat down on the bench, legs on either side so he could look at her. "You having trouble sleeping? Because if so ,I got some stuff upstairs that can help."

Mako had gotten it after the fifth night he woke up in a cold sweat. They each had their own patched up futons, but the years on the street meant they slept better close together. Which meant Mako woke up everytime he did. He had gone out and bought some sort of tea blend, making Bolin drink it every night. Thankfully it was sweet, so it wasn't a hardship to drink it, and it helped. But Korra shook her head.

"Nah, it's okay, really, don't worry about me. Let's just get out of here." She stood up, stretching, and Bolin stole a glance, unsure whether to be thankful or not she had dressed before fainting.

Sounds good, I was coming in to ask if you wanted a bite to eat, my treat? I know this amazing place just a couple blocks over." Bolin's grin only grew wider when she smiled back with a yes on her lips. It wasn't a date date, but Bolin was a patient man, and they had at least till the end of the tournament before he had to worry about her leaving.

The meal had gone well, except for when Naga stuck her head inside, getting them both kicked out even as they tried to pry the bowl off of the polar bear dog's head. He and Korra were still cracking up as they left, arms draped around each other, Naga following behind them. It wasn't what Bolin really wanted, but very seldom in life did he get what he really wanted. He had learned to accept what he could get without a complaint, and so he treasured every easy smile she gave him. The smiles that broke a little when she saw another flyer for the Equalists. He looked over her shoulder, reading. He hated seeing that face again, and he was thinking it would take a double dose of that tea tonight.

The flyer erupted in flames. Korra's head was bent and he couldn't see what was going on, but he could see the protester on the street corner, obviously walking home, the remaining flyers under his arm. And Korra was starting off after him, yelling.

"Korra wait up, c'mon, don't do what you're thinking of doing!"

It took him a moment to follow, and another to catch up, grabbing her arms as she raised them in bending position. The man barely turned and looked before picking up his pace, leaving the two of them alone.

"Let me go, Bolin!"

Something was off. Her voice was off. And when her head tilted up to look up at him, it wasn't full of anger as it should have been. Instead, there were tear tracks, and it didn't take Bolin long to guess what. "Amon scares you too, huh?"

The tension in her arms weakened, and so did his grip, finally releasing her wrists. Korra wrapped her arms around herself, only lifting a hand to wipe what she could off of her face. "I know, it's stupid, I'm the Avatar, I'm not supposed to be scared of anything. I keep trying and I can't…" The words spilling out took a turn for pity, but before she could keep on with how she was failing Republic City, Bolin had grabbed her in a big hug.

"Korra, you're not a failure. C'mon, you saved me, right?And I've been listening, no more benders have lost their bending. And hey, just cause you're the Avatar, doesn't mean you can't be scared."

He wasn't sure if he was making sense, but he tried to remember what Mako had told him on so many different times; the first time Mako admitted fear, and then still got them away from the orphanage when they were going to be split up. Eventually the words stopped coming to his mind, and he just held her, listening to her cry . Slowly, the tears stopped, and her breath slowed down from it's raspy pants, and she looked up, her eyes still watery but a weak smile on her face.

"Thanks Bolin. It's just so much. I didn't know that being the Avatar was like this, and sometimes I wish I didn't have to be it."

The grin on his face was unmatchable. He couldn't give her a lot , couldn't give her gifts like that that councilman, but he could grant her wish.

"Well then Korra, don't be. So long as me and you are together, it's just Bo and Kor, deal?"

The hug he got in return stole his breath away, literally. But the matching grin made his heart flip. No, it wasn't a date or a confession of love, but they had time. He was an earthbender, and slow and steady always won the race.