Author's Note: Lol what is this, I don't even…? So I really should be writing on my other fic but I've hit a slump and I need to claw my way out lmao. ^_^; This is just a short little thing to show the brotherly affection between the two brothers. I feel like in all of the shipping wars and pairings that relationship gets a bit lost. I also feel like Mako has been peppered with all of this hate for some reason but I can't hate the guy even if Bolin is my absolute favorite. I may expand this a bit but it'll most likely only be a few chapters until my other fic is complete. This may also end up being rewritten, I've really no clue LOL.

~~~GW~~~

Chapter 1: Night Sweats

It was the screaming that woke him up.

A horrible mangled noise of fear and despair that sent a chill of ice racing along his spine. The hair on the back of Mako's neck stood up and in that uncanny brotherly way he knew that something was very much wrong. He sat up in bed, hair a tousled mess, and kicked the covers off of his legs as he scrambled from his bed.

"Bolin?" He called into the dark, squinting his eyes at the bed across from his. The screams had dissolved into pitiful whimpers as Mako padded barefoot across the chilly wooden floor. When he reached his brother's side, Mako reached down to rouse his brother and his hand came in contact with damp sheets. A worried frown creased his brow and he leaned further over the bed.

Bolin's body was swathed in covers damp from sweat. Shivers trembled through his body as he tossed and turned, sweat beading down his brow. His eyes were closed, expression twisted in a very uncharacteristic look of fright. His dark hair was plastered wetly to the side of his head, sheets crumpled and wrinkled under his body. His hands clenched desperately at the fabric, fingers clawing at some unseen foe.

"Bolin! Hey Bolin!" Mako called, brushing back a few stray locks of hair as he pressed a hand to his brother's forehead. An alarming amount of heat flared up underneath his fingertips and the firebender swallowed in distress. "Bolin wake up." He demanded as Bolin flinched under his touch and flailed about.

"No…don't…!" The earthbender whimpered, voice strained. His eyes roamed about from underneath closed eyelids as he fought against Mako's touch. "My bending!" Bolin moaned and a cold understanding struck Mako as he realized his brother was having nightmares of the night the Revelation had happened. The night Bolin had almost lost his bending by Amon's hand.

"Bolin wake up!" He demanded more firmly, determined to drag his brother from the nightmarish grasp of that masked man.

"M-Mako…"

"Yeah it's Mako, it's your bro." He breathed as Bolin finally stilled, eyes fluttering open underneath heavy lashes.

"Mako…?" He mumbled again and Mako noticed with alarm that his brother's eyes had a feverish glaze over them.

"Yeah I'm right here Bolin, tell me what's wrong. Are you sick?" He asked leaning worriedly over his little brother's shaking form. The last time Bolin had gotten extremely sick they were still kids living on the streets. The malnutrition and horrible filthy living conditions had finally taken its toll and Bolin had barely survived. That was about the time Mako had sworn to himself that they would find a better life no matter what it took.

"I…" Bolin groaned, propping himself up on shaky elbows. "I don't feel so well Mako…" He weakly admitted.

"You're sick?" Mako clarified, leaning closer.

"I'm gonna be sick!"

"What?" Mako just barely had time to lunge out of the way before Bolin abruptly hung his head over the bed and vomited all over the wooden floor. His shoulders heaved, fingers clutching desperately at the side of the bed as Mako recoiled and dashed to fetch a bucket. The sounds of Bolin retching miserably filled the loft as Mako retrieved a pail of water and several rags. He expertly swiped up the mess, crinkling his nose in distaste at the sour smell. Exhausted Bolin buried his face in the sheets, his body still half slung across the bed as his stomach churned dangerously.

"Come on Bo, roll over. Don't press on your stomach." Mako instructed, gently nudging his brother. Bolin obeyed, rolling onto his back as a cool damp rag was neatly folded and pressed over his hot forehead. His head was propped up on pillows and the sheets were tugged back up underneath his chin. Bolin's clammy hand suddenly caught his wrist and Mako paused, looking down at his little brother as Bolin blinked blearily up at him. He flashed a strained grin up at his older brother and licked chapped lips.

"Hey, it'll be fine…" He murmured and Mako felt a surge of love for his sibling. Even while sick and miserable his little brother was still worried about him. "…it'll be fine, my brother Mako will be here any minute…" Bolin muttered, eyes slipping closed as Mako drew back in alarm.

"Bo? Bo! I'm right here! I'm Mako! Hey? Bolin!" He cried before letting it go, seeing his brother had fallen back into a fitful sleep. With anxiety gnawing in his gut like worms he padded his way over to the lamp in the corner and lit it, casting a soft glow throughout the small space. Downstairs he kindled the stove, putting some tea on to boil as he checked in on Bolin before throwing out the soiled rags and rinsing out the bucket. He returned it to its position by the bed, unsure if it would be needed again and perched himself on the side of Bolin's bed, legs slung over the side, elbows digging into his knees as he rested his head in his hands.

What were they going to do if Bolin was seriously sick? They had another Probending match coming up and there was no way they could miss it. If it was bad enough to call for a doctor…how would they pay? Would they need medicine? Should he stop by a shop? What healers did he know that could possibly cut them a deal? There was that guy near the noodle shop. His rates were cheap but was he reliable? What if it was something serious? How weak was Bolin? Was there something his brother had been keeping from him? How long had he been feeling unwell? Maybe it was just food poisoning…Bolin had eaten a lot last night…

Thoughts swirled around in Mako's head and he clutched at his hair, fingers sliding through the shortly cropped ebony locks. He seized a fistful and hung his head, shoulders hunched as his mind raced to come up with solutions to this new dilemma. He couldn't lose Bolin. Absolutely not, it wasn't even worth considering. Without Bolin none of this-

No.

It was just a cold or something, it had to be! Nothing serious. Maybe a twenty-four hour bug of some kind. In no time Bolin would be up and about, bouncing around and scarfing down food while chatting away in his normal cheerful manner! The trilling whistle of the teapot coming to a boil broke Mako out of his worried thoughts and with a sigh he hauled himself to his feet as he clambered down the ladder to the first floor of the attic. He pulled the teapot off of the burner and steeped the bag of leaves in the boiling water. His pinched and worried face stared back at him, his image mirrored in the circle of steaming water.

Water…

Korra! Korra could heal using waterbending! He suddenly realized, eyes widening at the idea. But was this even something she could heal? It wasn't a wound of any kind…but she had trained under Master Katara though, right? It was worth a shot. He decided firmly, his resolve hardening. Bolin would be fine. Tomorrow if Bolin was doing better he'd go to the island and ask Korra for her help he swore to himself.

~~~GW~~~

Author's Note: So let me know what you think? Next chapter should be up sometime. We'll see how things go. I'm also getting a feel for the characters. I've fallen hard and I mean extremely hard for LOK so there will probably be more fics to come! =D