Summary: Damn it all- he just doesn't want the last thing he says to her to be "we're breaking up".
Rating: T
Pairing: Makorra
Bolin is not smiling. Or pouting.
This vaguely worries Mako, because Bolin's default expressions are smiles and pouts, ones that invite complementary smiles and responding laughs and good times and general happy. Right now, though, his little brother looks really… old. The type of old Mako imagines he wore like a mask back when they were on the streets. The rough type of old.
He puts his case file down (Varrick's face smiles up at him and he resists the urge to punch something), biting back his comment on doing "important things"- he's been so busy and stressed that he just noticed how much of a jerk he's been lately. Even if his little brother's been going a bit crazy with fame, Bolin's things are just important as his. He doesn't know why he forgot that.
There's a beat of silence. Bolin's eyebrows are scrunched and he seems sad and tired. His eyes are rimmed with the slightest tint of pink. Tears.
"Bo?" He stands up from their little couch and crosses the room in quick strides. Bolin doesn't move from the doorway, but Mako can see the sadness fall away with every step he takes, patches of seriousness stitching themselves onto his brother's usually jovial features. He stops within arm's reach. Bolin lifts his chin.
"Mako… It's about Korra." The clarity in his eyes is so startling that Mako nearly shrinks back. This isn't a post-breakup speech or a relay of some rant Korra may have subjected Bolin to. This is serious. Something's wrong.
His tongue darts out to wet his suddenly chapped lips. "What happened?"
Something between the two of them shifts. Little Bolin becomes the big brother, if only for a few moments. "Korra was headed to the Fire Nation to get that help she wanted," He makes no accusations regarding his involvement in the President's interception of the troops, for which Mako is glad. "But, she… She ran into some trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" His heartbeat thrums in his chest. Bolin isn't smiling or pouting. This is serious, very serious, too serious. He saw Korra just the other day, yelling and angry and sad but perfectly fine, otherwise. "Bolin, what kind of trouble?"
Bolin heaves a hoarse sigh, his throat probably raw from crying. He bites his lip. Mako licks his own. "She never made it to the Fire Nation. There was a spirit sighting in the direction she was headed in. Korra disappeared a week ago."
Mako's knees buckle out from under him and he doesn't notice Bolin's hand grabbing his arm and he doesn't notice Bolin leading him to the couch and he doesn't notice that he's shaking until his brother asks him if he's okay. But, he's not okay, of course not, so Bolin shuts up and sits and waits.
Mako gulps in air like a drowning man breaking surface. His chest burns. He feels terror paint his heart when he thinks of Amon, of Tarrlok, of Korra locked up. Then, he remembers nonsensical things, like how pretty she looks when she beats people up, and how her smile makes him want to kiss her over and over and over, and how she always has that one strand of hair she leaves out on purpose so he can brush it out of her face and she'll melt into his touch-
"So, what? Are you breaking up with me?"
"Yeah… I guess I am."
Bolin rubs circles into his shoulders and keeps him tethered to reality. Mako can't hear what he's saying, not really, but it's nice to know that someone's already done their crying so that he'll get the chance to. And he does. For a long time.
Bolin only smiles again when he gets up and starts babbling about a search party- because damn it of course that girl is alive she has to be she's Korra she's tough she's strong- and an apology, only a hundred sixty-eight hours overdue, but still an eternity too late.
.
.
.
.
Please forgive me I'm emotionally compromised