Note: This is for the anon that gave me that awesome prompt last night! This was so fun to write. And more Masami and Bolami than I expected...
She couldn't take it anymore. The lies, the half-truths, the way she was forced to consider every word before she said it. It was all too much for Asami. It was time to come clean.
And so she called them all together, all three of the Fire Ferrets, sitting before her, waiting. Bolin on her left, smiling amiably. Mako directly in front of her, staring intently. Korra to her right, pouting and glaring at Mako. Little did they know she was about to shatter their worlds.
Asami glanced at Mako one more time. This could be the last time she looked into his eyes and saw nothing but trust there. After all, he was the reason she was finally telling the truth.
You're falling in love with him. Why mess it up? The bad side of her thought, but she ignored it.
A deep breath. "Before I tell you what I'm about to tell you, I want you to know how much I deeply care...about all of you," she said, looking at each of them in turn. Her eyes lingered on Korra for a brief moment. "And I want you to understand that...I know what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry." She tried to continue, but the words wouldn't come. Bolin's eyebrows furrowed.
Mako nodded in his solemn way. "Go on."
"I...I've been working for Amon. I'm an Equalist."
The brothers looked stunned. But Korra jumped to her feet, her face pale, her hands clenched. "So you betrayed us?" she roared.
Asami had been afraid this would happen. "No!" Her voice broke. "No, it's not like that! I hadn't met...any of you yet! I didn't mean to hurt Bolin, I-" She clasped her hands to her mouth in horror. Well done, Asami. Now you've said too much.
It was Mako's turn to rise to his feet in a fury. His face was beet red, the complete opposite of Korra's. "Hurt. Bolin," he repeated hoarsely. Asami could tell he was struggling to restrain himself. He was shaking. "The Equalists that captured him. That was YOU?" He looked so angry, even Korra seemed scared.
Asami Sato blinked back tears. "Mako. Please, just listen-" She reached out for him. He flinched away.
Mako put his hand on Korra's shoulder. "Let's go, Bolin."
The young earthbender cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um, Mako? Let's not be hasty..." But perhaps he glimpsed his elder brother's expression, because he didn't argue any more.
"Don't come near us, ever again," snapped Mako, and he glared at Asami so fiercely that she actually felt chills down her spine. And the three benders marched off.
And for the first time, she was all alone in Republic City.
She rode her moped to the city park. It was the best place she knew to sit and just think. She sat on a bench near the turtleduck pond and sighed heavily.
One of those quaint little couple carts passed by her, rattling happily. She could see a content young man and woman sitting inside, laughing to one another. Immediately, Asami thought of Mako, and the tears finally came.
She wasn't sure how long she sat there, crying, but sooner or later she heard heavy footsteps behind her. Had Mako come back? She dried her eyes and whirled around.
"Mind if I sit with you?" he asked her, smiling apologetically. She nodded. He sat.
It was silent a long while as they sat there, watching the turtleducks swim and the sun fade past the rooftops of Airbender Island.
Finally, Asami rustled up the courage to ask him, "Is he...is Mako very angry with me?" Suddenly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer.
Bolin nodded sadly. "Yeah. He doesn't even know I'm here. He feels pretty betrayed."
She felt the need to explain herself, and the words poured out of her in a rush of emotion. "You have to know, I became one of them about three years ago. Long before I met you. I was angry at my mother for being dead, and I was angry at my dad, too. I don't know why. Maybe because...even though he was this world-class millionaire, he still had to answer to the benders. I didn't get it. I thought I had to escape them, and I had nowhere to run.
"And Amon...he finds people like me, people who are frustrated. When you hear him talk, it's as if he knows exactly what you've been thinking your whole life, and he takes advantage of that. He told me that benders were terrible, that they lived only to bring us pain. I believed him."
Bolin watched the turtleducks swim, expressionless.
Asami went on. "But then, I saw what they did to those poor people at the rally. They took away everything they had against their will. It was terrifying. That's when I knew how very wrong I'd been. The Equalists are criminals, and Amon is just a thug. And I met all of you, and it convinced me even further. Now, I just want out."
Her beautiful head dropped into her hands.
Another pause, then Bolin said, "You know, the Equalists aren't the only thugs around here."
Asami looked up with a puzzled expression on her face. "What?"
"No, hear me out, I'm serious. When Mako and I worked for the Triple Threats, we saw some stuff done to non-benders we didn't like to think about. Stuff that didn't make us very proud to be benders."
"The way I see it," he said. "It doesn't matter who you are, or what you've done, or even why you've done it. If you're sorry for it - and I mean really really sorry for it - that's what counts."
They thought about that, together on that bench.
"I am sorry," Asami said.
Bolin's grin stretched from ear to ear. "I forgive you. That is, if you forgive me for being with the Triple Threats."
"You keep telling Mako...what you told me, he'll forgive you, too. I guarantee it."
Note: WHEW that was long. And definitely not something I would've thought up on my own. Good job, Anon. I hope I didn't take too many liberties with this. And remember guys, send me a prompt anytime you like!
