i've never written for this fandom so forgive me. the original idea was asami and korra bonding over being dumped by mako, but obviously after the last episode that wasn't going to happen.

It took him quite a long time to find her. He searched everywhere, until he finally slipped passed the temple and caught a glimpse of blue in his peripherals. And then there was no question as to where else he could have found his best friend.

She wasn't exactly the same Korra that had left crying and heartbroken. Not everyone could see the subtle differences in her, or at least he figured no one cared to notice as much as he did. No one watched her the same way he did. They didn't notice the gentle tone she spoke to her mentor's children with or the way she paused, pursing her lips and taking a moment to think before speaking. His brutish aggressive girl was gone. And an even more beautiful mature woman was left in her wake.

All it took was a single week.

Bolin leaned against the doorway, watching the Avatar meditate. He would have never described the old Korra as gentle before, but that's exactly what she looked like to him. Gone was the girl whose forehead was constantly wrinkled in fury. Her hands, which had always been clenched in fists, lightly lay on her knees.

The earthbender could stare at her all day and never get his fill. There was always another detail he happened to overlook.

His heart warmed as her bright blue eyes opened and he watched the way they focused in on him. He grinned. "There's a pro-bending match on in a few hours. Want to get dinner and head over to my place for a listen?"

There's a moment right before she answers Bolin's request when all she can see is Mako and feels the pain that accompanies any mention of her ex-boyfriend. She sees all of their shared traits at once; so many bombard her that she fails to see the cheery earthbender standing in front of her. His hands come up to their shared inky black hair and she recalls running her fingers through a similar head of thick hair, trailing her fingers down identical pale skin, tracing the visible veins that lye underneath.

There's no mistaking that the two were cut from the same cloth.

It only takes a few blinks of her eyes before she sees Bolin again, taking notice that where his older brother's visage is all sharp angles, Bolin's has gentle curves and the brightest eyes she's ever seen. Her eyes move over his heavily corded arms that give the best hugs in all the Four Nations and never fail to reassure her that she will always have one ally on Team Avatar.

She stood up, wiping off her pants. "Ready?"

He nodded, sending him that grin that transformed his entire face, each of his features lighting up.

It was almost impossible not to smile when that face was beaming back at you.

xxx

The pro-bending match is eventful, but Korra instead watches as Bolin's ear stay trained to the small radio, his body prepared to spring up in delight or defeat, depending on the results of the tiebreaker.

His broad shoulders tense under her stare, his eyes finding hers. "What? Are their noodles in my hair?" The edge of his lips lift with the question, a reminder of the last time they listened to a pro-bending match and the earthbender jumped up, sending his bowl of noodles toward the ceiling before gravity sent them right atop his head. He'd never heard Korra laugh so hard, her laughter coming from the depths of her stomach.

Korra shook her head, chuckling lightly at the memory.

The Avatar noticed the edges of his mouth immediately tip downward, his hand stretching out to silence the match. "You're not even listening, are you?"

She was stuck between answering truthfully and lying, but looking into those grass-green eyes proved that there was no other possibility than telling the truth. He was too easy going, too trusting and she wouldn't dare betray that trust; his green eyes just seemed to bore into her soul. There was no way she could lie to Bolin without feeling the weight of it within seconds.

"Sorry, I've got a lot on my mind."

He sighed, shifting his body on the couch, his torso turning to face her, his arm on the back of the couch behind her head. "Yeah, I know Avatar stuff right?" His eyes looked hopeful, he could only hope that her responsibilities were helping push any thoughts of his dumb brother to the back of her mind. The look in her eyes squashed any hopes of that possibility instantly.

It was no wonder why the Avatar had taken to meditating during her down time. There was no better way to avoid dwelling on her ex-boyfriend than to quiet her thoughts altogether.

Korra toyed with the idea of lying to him, but even the thought was too heavy a weight for her to handle at the moment. "Don't make me say it."

For all of the changes Korra had undergone, he could see the anger, the fire burning in her eyes because after all the hottest fires didn't burn red or orange or even yellow, they burned blue. Instead, she suppressed her feelings, in favor of becoming the Avatar the world needed, one to take on the weight of the world. But Bolin knew that Korra needed someone to take on just a few pounds of that weight from her shoulders, at least for a few minutes.

"You don't have to pretend."

She avoided his gaze, focusing on the carpet at her feet instead.

"Korra," he started, tipping her chin to meet his eyes, "You don't have to pretend with me. It's okay to be angry."

The brunette shook her head, bringing one hand up to her mouth. "I don't want to be that girl anymore. I don't want to prove him right. I can't-" She stopped, taking deep breaths in a sad attempt to stifle her quickening breaths. If she was angry, if she raged at Mako, she'd only be showing him that he was right in breaking up with her and finding solace in Asami's arms.

The earthbender wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his chest. He breathed in her scent. He'd never smelled anything exactly like it until he met Korra. Where Asami's scent was artificially sweet, like burnt sugar and dried flowers, Korra's was natural and no matter how hard he tried he never could find the right words to describe it. It was a fresh breeze on a brisk, winter day, the birds chirping in the dawn. It was simply Korra because she was one of a kind and there was no one else like her.

He was furious with his brother. One week. Only seven days passed before his brother was over Korra. Bolin had spent months watching his brother with Korra, each day attempting and failing at ignoring his feelings. He had gracefully bowed out, wishing his brother and Korra all the happiness in the world. And for what? For him to get over her in seven days? It was complete and utter bullshit. Bolin had never been a particularly angry person, the emotion just didn't suit him, but feeling Korra's tears seep through both his shirt and undershirt sent him into a frenzy. His jaw clenched and he tightened his hold on Korra.

The Avatar looked up, her watery blue eyes finding his. "I just-I just feel so replaceable."

Bolin shushed her, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. Korra was amazing and beautiful and he'd be damned if anyone, including his own brother, got away with making her feel this way.