#i could've made him smooth and romantic about this but a flustered book 1 bolin is what we all deserve tbh

[bolinity]

The way she halts the two of them is a little sudden, yet hesitant. " I noticed, uh, " she begins, falling short of daring to elaborate. Put on the spot by none other than herself, an embarrassed red is creeping on her features. " There's this one silly tradition, " she tries again, a hand rising to rub her nape, " that if you happen to be under that plant up there, you're ... supposed to kiss? "

She attempts to look amused, to hold her gaze on Bolin, but both fall a little short, like her attempts at air bending. " It's also for like, couples, which we aren't -- exactly? So I don't know why I told you this. "

Only, that she does know-- but she can't just blurt out the whole truth now, can she? She'll have an even bigger mess in her hands. " I guess, growing up holed up at the compound I missed out on a lot of silly, regular stuff like this. "

一 korra to bolin! I heard you like mistletoes....... / from @avatarwithin

❖ || @avatarwithin

Bolin's soft green eyes along with his dark brows flicked up in the direction Korra pointed above their heads. Sure enough, someone had tied up a sprig of mistletoe: its white berries and long, rounded leaves contrasted with the bright red ribbon it hung by. His gaze trailed back down and focused back on the Avatar in front of him, clocking how her cheeks started to lean toward a shade closer to the ribbon he just looked at. Immediately, his ears started to follow suit as he started to feel hot under his collar, despite the lack of firebending taking anywhere near the two of them.

His thoughts immediately rushed between trying to process whatever rules he may have heard about this ritual over the years and Korra speaking at him about what she knew about it. He definitely knew about it... not that he personally ever came across it before either, like her. Yet, here they were.

"Oh- Uh, yeah!" His voice cracked a bit once he finally found it. Mortified, he quickly lifted a fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat. "I mean, yeah," he tried again, his voice dropping an octave lower than necessary. "It's just a silly winter thing, like you said. Nothing, like, serious or anything. I mean, for me, I can't say that I've been around it all that much since I lived on the streets — you already know the story — but I heard that anyone who turns down a kiss, they're doomed to bad luck."

While he was quick to ramble, it took him a moment to process what he just said before he started to fluster and his gaze was everywhere else but Korra, waving his hands dismissively. "I-I mean that just sounds like a way to kinda force someone to kiss 'em or something. And it's not like there's some Mistletoe Task Force in the RCPD that'll come and get people who don't do the thing..." He pursed his lips in apprehension before he tried to save face by nonchalantly lacing his fingers behind his head to appear more casual.

"Soooo, it's not like you're actually obligated to actually kiss anyone actually. It's just a silly winter thing. Yeah. So silly." The huff of a laugh that punctuated that sentence wasn't going to fool anyone as his cheeks burned hot as well as the rest of him. However, the idea wasn't that silly to him, but this display he had put on sure was. He needed to stop talking immediately.

"AndIdefinitelydidn'tmentionthatpartbecauseIwantedtokissyouorwhatever, haaaah." The laugh that tapered the end of that marathon of words exited Bolin's mouth like an exasperated exhale. Despite the cold weather, he was sweating waterfalls at this point.