pawnstorm | closed | puts on disney soundtrack

Entry tags:

closed | puts on disney soundtrack

Who: Bolin and Naruto
When: June 12
Where: Dunyaland
What: A very heterosexual afternoon.
Rating: P for Pure

[ There hadn't been a lot of time between Naruto's declaration that he was going to meet Bolin RIGHT NOW, so the earthbender is a little disoriented as he stands outside of the gates of the theme park. His jacket isn't buttoned up properly, leaving his t-shirt visible. He's sans Carrier as well, as he usually is because Yun is the devil incarnate and can probably topple an entire rollercoaster on her own.

But he's also disoriented because everything is so cool. There are couples and children all around him, crowds of excitement, and even fun mascots, but his gaze doesn't waver from the large machines rocketing through the sky. Enprise has a lot of things that Bolin has never seen before, weapons and magic and monsters, but this is by far the most eyecatching. He's immediately staring at the rollercoasters and trying to figure out how a human had even come up with something so wild and exciting!

He's so ready to go!

(And later, he'll be happy to go through the stall and play the games, remember the festivals in the Southern Water Tribe. Thinking to himself that he definitely needs to make sure that Korra gets to experience this as well.) ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's still trying to figure out the chain Bolin has given him (Bolin's brother- and more than one ex-girlfriend, that start dating-) when Naruto finds both of his shoulders clutched dramatically while his friend starts leaning in. His eyes are almost comically wide, it's an expression Naruto mirrors without thinking about it; he's always been a reflection of the people around him.

The reason he isn't hinged on it is because there's a part of him that still feels uncertain about the fight he's in right now. As much as Sakura and Sasuke tell him about the peaceful future they create together, it's nothing more than wishful thinking for many of their comrades back home. It's further away for him than the immediacy of Neji's death, and knowing he'll have to say goodbye to his father's ghost. Naruto's response is owlish in his confusion.]

But the girl of my dreams was Sakura-chan and she was never gonna end up with me.

[ Oh.

And immediately Bolin reels back, regretting having pushed the issue. He slides back to his end of the swan, looking sheepish and apologetic, despite the fact that Naruto doesn't sound heartbroken in the least.

Then again, Naruto's still fairly young. He's got all the time in the world to chase after cute girls. Bolin at his age was making plenty of stupid romantic decisions. ]

Well, I guess it's nice to keep some of the mystery. [ He guesses. ] It might feel forced once you know what's supposed to happen.

[Bolin reels backwards and Naruto feels the boat rock beneath them. He doesn't feel startled, or even upset really, and it shows in his face. He's been in love with Sakura-chan since they were children, always trying to look cool in front of her in the hope that she would one day agree to a date. She's just a beautiful now, and she's still as incredible as he's always thought her to be- but he knew from the beginning that it was Sasuke who filled her heart. After all this time she's able to be with the man she loves, and Sasuke-

Sasuke finally has a home.

What is there to feel regret about?

Naruto stretches, lets the idle curiosity about his future bubble around in him, and then lets it go.]

I guess if it was you you'd try and make it happen right away, huh? [The smile is easy on his mouth. Bolin seems like that kind of guy- eager to make things move. Maybe it's why they get along this way.] But it's good that your brother's okay, huh? What about the rest of your family?

[ Naruto's not wrong about that. Patience had never been one of his strong points, and he's always eager, mind moving from events and possibilities with a wondering gaze. That's not to say that if had information like Naruto has access to, he'd go home, break up with Opal and make plans to get married, but he'd certainly try to tease more information about the future out, try to see where the seeds have been planted.

Though, armed with that information, he's probably change the future already. ]

Oh, uh. I'm pretty sure my grandma and cousins got to evacuate Republic City safely, so they're safe too. [ Bolin furrows his brows. ] Korra probably would've said something if they were hurt.

What a relief! [The thing is, when he says it he means it. Naruto sees the weights of those around him and always ends up taking them on as his own. He doesn't have any grandparents or cousins of his own to worry about, let alone a brother. While Naruto has concerned himself with the well-being of all the shinobi that have come out to join him, he's seen what it means for family to be on the field together. That kind of distraction, that kind of constant fear while he's trying to do his best- he really can't imagine it entirely.

Naruto eases back into the swan, relaxing on the sizable loveseat as the tension leaves his shoulders.] I guess we've both got a lot to finish up when we get back though. Better make sure we stay in shape and don't slack off!

You're pretty strong though.

[ Bolin points out, slouching in his own seat, and not minding as their knees knock together. The swan isn't really made for distance, and Bolin isn't shy about being physical anyway, so it doesn't even register.

The romantic music that starts to play just makes him grin. ]

Oh, but I exercise in the morning with my roommate. I told Sakura to join too—uh, not the older one, the little one. [ He nods at Naruto. ] You should come along! Teach me what you know.

[He makes a lot of noise, and this is certainly the kind of situation Naruto would get up in arms about- but being around Bolin has become really comfortable. Though they're still relatively new to one another, and they've only known each other a short while, there's just something different about it. He hasn't made many friends by trying to kill them right away, but maybe that's part of it. Bolin's already seen him at his worst, and even then he hadn't been scared or angry- he just wanted to help. (In his heart, it's that that stands out. Naruto has offered his hand to many people in his young life, but he doesn't have much experience with someone reaching for him first.)]

To be a shinobi? [The question is bright between them as Naruto settles in, their weight lining up easily from hip to knee. As the thought sits there, it's hard not to keep smiling. He remembers his first time training with Kakashi-sensei, when he and his team were supposed to take the bells from their instructor. Even back then he'd shirked off stealth and cunning to stand openly in the field and demand a fair fight.] I dunno, some people would say I don't act like one at all. But I guess I could show you a few things!

But but, you gotta tell me how you made that metal stuff fly around! Like when you got it on the dragon's face- and then when you stuck it on my arms? You didn't even touch it! Was that magic?

[ Bolin has no idea what a "shinobi" is, but he hadn't meant it like he wants Naruto to train him as one. It would just be fun to exchange some tips—Bolin's light on his feet, but he doesn't have Naruto's agility. Without his earthbending, he's been forced to rely more and more just on his body, and trying to get the hang of being reliant on a weapon. As of yet, the change hasn't put him in more danger - it's not like he's dodging all of the elements here, but having had his bending taken away has severely derailed his offense. He's just not used to having to get up close to hit people with sticks. It's something he wants to get better at, even though maybe he should focus on training his magic better.

But who cares about magic, he's got some lesser version of metalbending now. ]

Uh, I guess? [ Their weapons are magic weapons, right? ] My weapon lets me control metal—where I come from it's called metalbending, but the kind here isn't as good as that.

Metalbending? [The word feels strange in his mouth and Naruto parrots it while imagining a bunch of guys like Bolin standing around and bending spoons between their two hands. He's pretty sure that if it's supposed to be better than the flying and moving metal plates he'd seen swung around- then it's probably not that- but still. The image is there.

One hand lifts to scrub through the mess of his blond hair. Okay okay new mental image- a bunch of guys like Bolin flying through the air and lifting ships up out of the ocean and sending them soaring into bad guys with explosions!!

There are stars in his eyes.]

Ahhhhh can your brother do that stuff too? Can everybody back where you're from? I guess this makes you a metal type? Or maybe steel release... but I've never seen anything like that before.

[ He doesn't know what Naruto is imagining when his eyes are all lit up like that but it's.

Probably totally accurate because earthbending is the best thing ever. ]

No, my brother's a firebender. We come from a mixed family. [ He's a little happy about this, because he thinks his and Mako's respective elements suit them so well. He can't imagine himself bending fire or Mako earth. ] And not everyone in my world is a bender—some people are non-benders. And I wasn't a metalbender back home—uh.

[ Hold up. ]

So first of all, there are four types of bending: earthbending, firebending, airbending, and waterbending. But they all have subspecialties. Earthbenders can metalbend, but I couldn't.

[He's trying to put it into a context he understands- a square peg into a round hole, but it gets him in the same general area at least. Naruto himself hadn't understood the nature of chakra affinity, or what it meant to be nearer a certain element until after he'd gone away and trained for three years. Compared to many of his peers he was a little late to the game. He's not sure how it works in families, or what a "mixed family" would entail, but with this general idea he can guess at it at least.

It's the rest of it he's trying to make sense of.

Their swan rounds a bend lazily and with it a puff of bubbles descends from places unknown. One gets caught in Naruto's hair and- stays there. Clinging for dear life.] You couldn't back home but you can now?

Oh oh! Do you think it's cause your weapon knows you're a earth type?

Earth type?

[ What is he, a Pokemon?

Bolin mulls it over for a second, wondering about the relationship between himself and his weapon—something that he'd never really had to think about before, when all he'd had to rely on was his body and the earth around him. Self-reflection is not one of Bolin's strengths.

So he just shrugs. ]

Yeah! Maybe. [ Before peering curiously at the blonde, smiling a little at the way bubbles are clinging to his hair. ] What's your weapon anyway?

Yeah yeah, like I've got wind type. [Oh, right.] Back home anyway.

[The next question redirects him easily and Naruto tugs on the lapels of his uniform jacket] Remember when we met and I had that real long coat on? With the yellow hood?

I'm not exactly sure what it does, since I can't make magic happen- like explosions or fire or metal or anything like that. So maybe I just haven't figured it out yet. Actually, when I heard we had weapons that really wasn't what I expected at all.

[ Bolin cocks his head to the side, not having expected Naruto's weapon to his coat—mostly because a coat doesn't sound like any weapon that he's ever heard of. Is it really a weapon if you can't use it to hit people?

(Though he guesses... Naruto could throw it at people to obscure their vision!)

He leans forward to brush the bubbles out of the other boy's hair, where they were starting to gather and multiply. ]

What were you expecting?

[ Most of the bubbles pop right upon contact, though one clings angrily to his fingernail before surrendering its fragile existence. ]

Somethin' cool'attebayo!

[They're on the same wavelength, really. Bolin's hand brushes the bubbles away and Naruto's arms stick out dramatically- a gesture to- well. Bolin and Swan-chan apparently.]

A real weapon y'anno? Like a sword, or some shuriken! Just because I already know how to fight that didn't help me take down those dragons very much. There was a girl that had this cool bow and arrows, and then you've got that metal magic, and Sakura-chan's got a big axe!

Mine just covers my head! How's that supposed to help win a war!

Maybe there's some hidden power to it?

[ He's reaching a bit, and really Bolin is not the person to ask about weapons. He can't wield most weapons like swords and guns, he might be able to throw a shuriken with some practice. Still, he does feel like he should say something to make Naruto feel a little better. ]

Maybe you should just get another one? [ He crosses his arms, looking thoughtful. ] I mean, that's what I did.

Eh? [It pulls a startled sound out of him and Naruto jolts up suddenly, at full attention.] You can do that?

You did that? How? What'd you have to start with?

[ He grins, feeling a little cool imparting this information onto Naruto. ]

That staff I had when we first met. [ The one he'd used to numb Naruto when the other boy had lost his marbles. ] I switched it out for a shield.

[Teach him Bolin-senpai. Naruto has always been eager to learn- it takes him time, and he has to absorb his lessons differently than many of his peers, but Naruto had also started out behind the rest. He'd been last in his class. There'd been a time when he'd been unable to perform the technique he'd needed in order to graduate.

The boy always bringing up the rear.

But in a position like that he'd had nothing to lose, and was unafraid to ask for help from others. To look for guidance from those around him.]

Then- what's your shield do? Does that mean you like it better?

It gets really hot. [ wink wonk

But really. That's pretty much the gist of it. Bolin's not sure how hot it can get just yet, but the first time that he'd fooled around with it, he'd end up nearly burning his hands. It's obvious that it's a good pair for his first weapon however, because he can still wield it with the pseudo-metalbending when it gets too hot to touch.

All in all, he's not complaining. ]

But mostly I picked it because it's made of metal! So I can change it into different shapes. [ He just has to make sure that the projectiles he forms out of it don't take too much damage, lest the shield become dormant. ] But the staff was good too... I could just numb problematic enemies.

So I just gotta be worried that you'll melt me instead of makin' my arms fall asleep, huh? [It's a testament to how comfortable he feels around Bolin that he's able to settle back down so easily and touch on the memory of their first fight. Their shoulders knock, and Naruto's legs kick up- ankles crossing over the edge of the boat.]

You know, we really should practice together sometime. You're pretty strong. [Once, all Naruto had wanted was to hear those words himself. For someone to see him, and acknowledge his strength. His worth. When he says it to Bolin he means it, but there's also a genuine warmth to be found. Naruto enjoys the fight- it connects him with his body and it connects him with other people. There are things he will only ever learn about Bolin from one fist to another, and here, he realizes just how much he wants to know them.] Did you fight a lot back home?

[ Normally, Bolin would take those words with a puff of his chest and a proud smile. He knows he's a stronger fighter. But here, in Enprise, it means a lot more. To be told that he's strong by someone that's never seen him earth or lavabend; when most of the time he doesn't really know what he's doing with mana or magic or weapons, fumbling through close combat and hoping that his reflexes get quicker and quicker.

He's more genuinely pleased this time, face warm with happiness from the compliment. ]

Yeah, all my life. [ In response to Naruto's question. Though, despite his history as a fighter, he doesn't communicate through fists like the younger boy. (Unless he's fighting with Mako.)

That aside, he sighs a little, looking out at the tunnel and the cute statues of cuddling mouse and cat characters before turning back to Naruto with an eyebrow raised. ]

We've been talking about fighting for a while though. Do you always talk about work during your dates?

[Bolin may only glance at the cat and mouse characters, but when Naruto follows his gaze he ends up legitimately staring. Don't cats eat mice? It's a little weird seeing them hug. And- kiss? Are those animals kissing? Man this ride is something else. He knows its supposed to be romantic and all, with the hearts and the bubbles and the fountains and the lights- but why the cat and mouse?

His mouth opens, reply at the ready before he's even processed what he's replying to- and then the laugh is startled right out of him. If they didn't know each other well enough to have been through this song and dance already, Naruto might have sputtered and gone red in the face. He's always been easy to work up and equally easy to read- but they've had this fight before and it always ends in Naruto yelling and Bolin backtracking. Its just something they do. He scrubs at his hair once more.]

Ahaha- sorry sorry! I guess I don't really think about it like a job'attebayo, it's just the way life is back home.

You must be getting pretty bored huh?

Nope.

[ His answer, good natured and easy. Bolin's used to fighting, and it's an obvious part of his life. Wake up, eat, mess around with his friends, fight a little, save the world. A usual day. It doesn't bore him to talk about it any more than it bores him to talk about food—and he wasn't serious when he called it work. Most of the people he knows fight for a living, whether with their fists or their minds.

And he doesn't even realise how awful that truth is. ]

Tell me other stuff though! You know, what your family's like and what your favourite colour is.

Oh well, I don't got a family. [There isn't any regret that comes with the words because there isn't a recent loss to go along with it. Naruto had grown up with neither parents or siblings (sometimes Sasuke's words from back then come back to him what could you know about me? you've been alone from the start!) and though he's felt angry or resentful of that fact, it wasn't coupled with the pang of loss. How could he mourn what he never had? It wouldn't be until he was much older that he would have the opportunity to meet them- for the first and last time.] But I know my mom was pretty scary, and my dad was a hero to our village.

So I guess that 'cause they're the Red Hot Habanero and the Yellow Flash, then my favorite color is Orange!

[ Naruto might not feel any sadness about not having a family, but Bolin’s heart certainly wells up with the emotion. He doesn’t think you need to have had something to miss it, because it’s enough to know that everyone else has something so warm and precious. He imagines Naruto, like Bolin when he’d been young, gazing at happy families and wishing so badly for his mother’s embrace; for a home that was filled with the chatter of people that cared about him.

There had been so much love that he wanted to give to his parents, and it was actually painful to have no outlet for it.

He tries not to be too obvious in this however, sliding slightly to close the minimal amount of distance between them, reaching out to ruffle Naruto’s hair, the other boy’s shoulder bumping against his chest. ]

Orange suits you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

closed | puts on disney soundtrack

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject