"Mako! Get up! Today's the day!" Bolin threw open the curtains and jumped onto my bed. "The first playoff round of pro-bending and we actually get to play!" I looked over to the clock on the wall, it was only 5:30 in the morning. It was way too early for this.
"Bolin! Go back to sleep!" I pulled the blankets over my head, but my little brother persisted. There was no way I was going to be allowed any more sleep today. I sighed and sat up.
"Come on! Aren't you excited?" Bolin threw his arm around me, crushing me to his side. "Mako and Bolin, the fabulous bending brothers… and Korra." He motioned with his hand as he came up with our made up title.
"I don't think Korra would appreciate that." I laughed a little, watching as my brother struggled to defend himself.
"At least I remembered to include her this time! Speaking of Korra, she's going to be here in an hour. Let's go get some practice in before then!" I frowned as my brother pulled me out of bed and dragged me down the hall. He was already dressed in his training clothes, but I was only wearing a pair of boxers. My face burned with embarrassment as we passed a janitor in the hall.
"Seriously Bolin! You couldn't have given me a minute to get dressed?!" I yelled as soon as we were in our practice room. I couldn't stay mad for long though, my brother did genuinely seem like he was sorry about forgetting that detail.
"I'm sorry Mako. I… I was just so excited to start training that I didn't realize" I shook my head and got a spare set of clothes out of the closet.
"It's okay. Let's just wait for Korra to get here to start." I leaned against the back wall of the gym and closed my eyes.
"No! We start now!" My eyes flew open as a rock disc exploded into the wall a few inches from my head. Bolin smiled at me, knowing that would give him the response he wanted. I shook my head.
"Do you ever listen to me?"
"Yeah… sometimes. Only when it's important though." He turned away from me, sending another disc my way before kneeling down to pat Pabu on the head like it was nothing. I shook my head, mad at him. Before I could think to stop myself I sent a fireball hurling towards him. He turned around to see it, but couldn't react in time. I watched in horror as my little brother was knocked off his feet, thrown into one of the buckets of water we kept for Korra to practice waterbending moves.
"Bolin!" I ran over to him, trying to help him up but he was upset. I couldn't say I blamed him.
"Why would you do that to me?!" He screamed. "I wasn't trying to hurt you!"
"Bo, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just a little tired from the late training session last night. I didn't sleep well." I frowned at my brother, I didn't want to tell him this but I had to make him understand why I was so grouchy this morning. "I had a nightmare again."
"The nightmare?" Bolin's eyes shone with understanding as he crushed me to his chest in a tight hug. Every now and then one of us would dream about the night our parents were killed by a criminal firebender. It was so vivid and real that it seemed like I was standing there in the alley instead of sleeping in my own bed a few feet away from my brother.
"Yeah… that one." I sighed welcoming his hug. Some things never changed, Bolin and I had never been shy about expressing how much we cared about each other. When one of us was hurting or needed support we wouldn't laugh and make fun of each other like other brothers, we did something to make each other feel okay again. Other boys teased us for it, but they didn't understand that we are all each other has in this world. Besides Pabu we had no other family.
"Aww. How sweet." Korra walked in noisily, tossing her bag into the corner. I let Bolin go and silently asked him not to mention this to Korra, bad dreams shouldn't be an issue for the big tough firebender she thought I was. "So, what's wrong?" She sat on the bench, she had been our friend long enough now to know when something was up.
"I…" I bite my lip, I couldn't lie to her. She didn't know about our past though, what was I going to say?
"Mako was trying to make me feel better. Last night I had a nightmare about Pabu getting taken away and when I didn't see him hiding in my bag I freaked out a little. Stupid right?" Bolin rubbed the back of his head, trying to laugh it off.
"Bolin, you're such a kid." Korra rolled her eyes, laughing at my brother before going to get her helmet from her locker.
"Bo…" I didn't know what to say. I'd just attacked him with a fireball and without hesitation he'd thrown himself under the bus just to save my pride. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."
"Don't worry about it Mako." Bolin smiled at me and put his helmet on just as Korra walked back in. He raised two rock discs in the air. "Ready for some training?"
…
After a long training session and a quick lunch we all found ourselves back in the gym, suiting up for the big game. Bolin didn't seem as excited as he had this morning. He was uncharacteristically quiet, sitting in the corner patting Pabu. I walked over to him.
"Bo, you alright?" I crouched beside him, scratching Pabu's head for a second.
"I'm great. I'm just nervous. What if we don't make it to the finals? We won't win our money back and then how will we pay our rent. I don't want to go back to the streets." I was surprised. Normally my carefree little brother didn't ask questions about money or how we were going to get by.
"We're going to be fine. We always are." I stood, offering him a hand up. Korra walked out of the changing room then, holding her helmet in her hand.
"Let's do this!" Korra threw her fist in the air, optimistic that we'd win this round easily. Bolin's enthusiasm returned quickly and he ran out the door with Korra, heading to the arena. I smiled and shook my head gathering my helmet as well as Bolin's as I followed them. As soon as I entered the arena I heard the screams of the crowd, it was more overwhelming than any of our previous matches.
"Mako!" Korra ran over to me and noticed I was carrying two helmets, she stopped in front of me breathing a noticeable sigh of relief. "You're a life saver!" She threw her arms around my neck, making me blush as she hugged me.
"I just know my brother." I laughed, letting her pull me over to the team platform. Bolin was there, waving to our fans. I walked up to him and held out his helmet. "Forget something little brother?"
"Oh!" His face turned red as he took it from me. I shook my head and put mine on as the announcer came over the loudspeaker. Korra joined us on the platform then.
"Here they are, the Future Industries Fire Ferrets!" The platform brought us over to the playing field, the crowd erupting into thunderous applause. Bolin laughed, waving and posing, having a great time. Korra smiled up at me, her expression saying good luck. I smiled back. The announcer introduced our opponents, the Capital City Catgators, to the crowd and we took our positions. I was in the middle, Korra on my left, Bolin on my right. The buzzer sounded and we were off. I hurled fireballs at my opponents while Korra sent bursts of water at them, Bolin had rock discs flying at them at top speed. Before long I'd begun to pick up on their style. They were cheating but the referees didn't stop them.
"Mako they're cheating!" Korra screamed, trying to stand her ground.
"We have to play by the rules!" I yelled over to her.
"Bolin!" Korra screamed, watching as the Catgators' waterbender water-blasted my brother in the face until his helmet flew off, falling to the water below. Bolin coughed, getting pushed back a zone as he tried to find his feet.
"You take the waterbender! I'll handle the others!" Korra increased the speed of her attacks dodging her opponents. I looked back at my brother for a split second, it proved to be a big mistake. The waterbender blasted me in the face, getting the same results as when she'd attacked Bolin. I was coughing and sputtering, trying to gain my breath as I stood.
"Korra!" Bolin yelled, sending his own flying rock at the other team's waterbender, knocking him off. This happened at the same time our teammate took a fireball to the chest and was knocked off the platform. I threw my hands up. Were the refs even watching this match? The Catgators were playing dirty. I aimed a fiery blast at the other firebender, taking my eyes off the earthbender knowing my brother would handle him.
"Bolin, whatever you do don't get hurt. They're going for illegal headshots, that must be why the waterbender blasted our helmets off." I ducked to avoid a blast of fire that singed my hair. I narrowed my eyes, this was getting to be really annoying. I gathered all my strength and hurled fire back at him, knocking him back.
"Mako! Look out!" Bolin jumped in front of me, raising a disc in the air. All at once time stood still and everything happened at once, a blast of fire hit Bolin sending his disc crashing to the floor, he didn't recover in time and a disc meant to hit me slammed into his head, sending my little brother to the ground. The crowd went silent. I dropped to my knees as the officials finally blew their whistles, stopping play. Bolin was unconscious, his head was bleeding badly and was already black and blue, a large bump starting. His breathing was uneven and ragged as I held him. Tears stung my eyes but I blinked them back as I balled my hands into fists. Nobody got away with hurting my little brother. Nobody.
"Do you think this is funny!?" I got up and marched over to the Catgators' earthbender, who was wearing a smug grin. I grabbed him by the neck of his shirt. "He's not just a teammate to me! That's my little brother!" The firebender walked up to me, putting his hand on my shoulder.
"Just calm down. It's just a game!"
"Just a game?! This isn't just a game anymore, he meant to hurt my brother!" I shoved him over the side of the platform into the water below and turned to the earthbender. I lit a fire in my hand and made a fist. He wanted to play dirty, I'd play dirty.
"Mako!" Korra's voice stopped me from blasting him in the face. "It's Bolin..." I turned to see her crouched before my brother, I was by her side in an instant.
"What! What's wrong?" I looked down at him, he looked pale. Why hadn't any of the medics come to help yet?
"Mako I'm so sorry. I… I think he's…" She tried to hug me, but I wasn't having any part of it.
"NO!" I shoved Korra away and held my ear to my brother's chest. It was silent. "No!" I punched a ball of fire at nothing. "No! No! No! No! No!" Tears flowed freely down my face and I didn't care who in the arena saw them. I knelt before my brother, taking a deep breath. There was one thing I could try. Shakily I took off his gear and removed his shirt. I closed my eyes.
"Mako! What are you doing!" Korra screamed. She realized my plan after it was already too late to stop me.
"You're all I have. You can't die on me Bo." I focused every ounce of energy I had left into a giant ball inside of me, willing it to grow until I couldn't stand it anymore and slammed my hands down onto my brothers bare chest, sending a massive bolt of electricity running through his body. As soon as I let go I watched him gasp for air. I felt sick with relief. The crowd was screaming, officials were trying to get everyone out, but the arena was in absolute chaos.
"Mako! That was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen anyone do!" She crouched over Bolin's body, working to heal him with her waterbending. She looked up at me. "And quite possibly the bravest. I didn't say anything as she worked over him, I clutched my little brother's hand in mine, watching his chest rise and fall with his breathing, every second it was getting stronger and stronger. "It's working Mako. Bolin is going to be alright."
"Thank you Korra." Tears streamed down my face as Korra finished up and my brother's eyes fluttered open to look at me.
"M… Ma… Mako?" Tears leaked from my brother's eyes, he tried to sit up but I gently pushed him back down.
"Shh. It's all going to be okay now. You're safe." I watched as he closed his eyes again, overwhelmed by what had happened.
"I love you Mako." Bolin whispered, causing more crying on my part. He reached for my hand, I gave it to him and squeezed gently.
"I love you too Bo." Korra cleared her throat awkwardly, she didn't want to interrupt a moment between brothers.
"Mako, he needs to rest. Let's get him back to your apartment. I'll help you." Korra offered me her hand but I shook my head.
"I've got this."
"Okay." She sighed as I stood up. I gently cradled my brother in my arms, just as I had so many times when we were kids. Slowly I made my way back to our apartment, Korra following right behind. She opened the door for me and I carried my brother to his bed, laying him down gently.
"Will you stay here tonight incase something happens? I know you're the Avatar and you have better things to do but you have to understand, Bolin's the only family I have left... if anything happened to him -" I trailed off not wanting to think of what would happen. Korra put her hand on my shoulder.
"Of course Mako. What are friends for?"
"Thanks. Really." I sighed. You can have my bed, I'm going to stay with Bo. There are some sweatpants and stuff in the drawers over there, take what you want to sleep in." She nodded and took whatever was on top and headed to the bathroom. I sat on the edge of Bolin's bed. I frowned, trying to get the image of my brother limp and cold on the ground out of my head. I realized now more than ever how lucky I was to have him in my life. I thought back to this morning and how mean I'd been to him. How none of it mattered and he'd lied just because I didn't want to tell Korra who had really needed the hug earlier. I frowned, looking down at Bo. Nothing would ever hurt me as badly as those moments when Bolin was gone.
"Looks like I have a new nightmare to haunt my dreams little brother."