A/N: I apologize for any typos - I wrote this on word pad, which does not have spell check. This story is not betaed. I am sorry if this is at all out of character. This was written for my amazing, pervy friend Skin. Skin, I love you and your mind! Anyway, onwards!~

Blood-bending.

He could still feel it, his veins moving with parasitic blood. It fed off his reactions, cracked his tendons and forced him to do his bidding. It sent poison into his bloodstream and consumed his fear like a desperate worm, wriggling into his consciousness. All he knew was pain, all encompassing. It was terrible, and yet...

Tarrlok hung his head, his fingers pressed against the cold metal of his cage. The transport he was enclosed in rumbled underneath his body.

The feeling was familiar.
(in more ways than one)

Not too long ago, Tarrlok had known the euphoria of commanding this power. When he was younger, the power was a curse to hold. It brought sadness, it brought pain... But as he aged, the worm grasped hold of his flesh. It grasped hold of him and...

Tarrlok looked between the bars separating his prison from the front of the transport.

It had also wriggled his way into the heart of his brother.
Amon. The bloodbender.
Noatak.

The reason Amon's power seemed so similar was becausehe was Noatak. Tarrlok wasn't sure whether to cry out in happiness or pity. The boy inside him was leaping for joy but the man in him seeted with anger and hatred for what Noatak had become.

But, then again, Tarrlok had become very much the same thing. It was a realization that was long overtue.

He sighed, rubbing his face.

The car rumbled to a stop, and Tarrlok could hear the slam of the doors at the front of the truck. He soon became aware of short snippets of conversation that were greatly muffled by the metal surrounding him.

"Amon...handle the prisoner?"

"Lieutenant, no, you've... alone."

Tarrlok looked to the doors, anticipating their opening. He steeled his expression.

CLUNK CLUNK
The doors opened and a figure came into view.

"Councilman. You will be coming with me."

A pause. A glance at the speaker's mask.
Bastard.

The tone of voice didn't lie. Yes, this man was definitely his brother. He could recognize that condescending tone anywhere. Tarrlok scowled, his eyes meeting the man's straight on, "It has been some time since we last met face to face, Amon. How has life in the city been holding up for you?"

Amon's left eye twitched.
"You are merely a prisoner of the revolution, Councilman. Be silent and do not assume we are familiars."

Tarrlok looked at Amon.
Amon looked at Tarrlok.
Glare.

And then Tarrlok was roughly pulled out of the vehicle, stumbling, onto the pavement. He couldn't resist a smirk as he felt just how tight Noatak was gripping his hand. It was slightly painful, but Tarrlok couldn't help but feel a twisted sort of satifaction. This was a brotherly dynamic, certainly. Tarrlok knew just what to say to enrage his brother. If he was to be his prisoner, Tarrlok would give 'Amon' Hell.

Amon looked over to the lieutenant and began to list off orders. As he spoke, Tarrlok surreptitously peeked at his brother's inferior and felt a bit ill. Tarrlok could practically feel the devotion for Noatak oozing from the man's eyes. It was sickening.

"...Do not follow. Return to the base and inform our men of what has occured. Tell them I have captured a prisoner but the Avatar escaped. I will be with you in a short period of time. "

Tarrlok could see the lieutenant's hestitation. "But, sir... Are you certain that is the wisest move? We do not know if the Councilman is harboring allies nearby. If we are not fully prepared for such an encounter-"

"If such a thing were to happen, I would take care of it. Leave, Lieutenant. "

"Amon-"

"Lieutenant."

"...I understand."

With a bow, the lieutenant gathered the rest of the soldiers, leading them to a grate in the ground. He motioned for them to enter and when there were no more equalists crowding the street, he made his way down as well, pulling the covering over his head.

The remaining two men stared at the grate, and then with a 180` turn, Tarrlok was once again being pulled along by his brother. He was about to scold him for the strategic disadvanges of such a move when he realized...

Noatak was still holding his hand.

They had been walking for five minutes.

Tarrlok was still confused, and Noatak still refused to respond with any helpful answers. This was the first time he had met his brother since he was a child. He had already long accepted the conclusion that he was dead. And yet despite all this, their reunion started with his brother removing the skill that had defined Tarrlok as a person and then refusing to respond to any of his questions. A vein in Tarrlok's forehead began to throb.

Tarrlok tried again,
"Where are you taking me?"

Amon held firm,
"Do not speak, Councilman. If you do not stop talking, I will do worse than take away your bending."

Tarrlok highly doubted that. There weren't many other things that Noatak could do to him that would fit the definition of 'worse'. He could rip out his tongue, but in all honesty, it would hardly make a difference. 'Amon' would not speak to him and properly and already undoubtedly knew everything about him. It was useless.

Tarrlok sighed, "Your threats will not work on me. I am no longer a child."

"I never said you were a child. I would not know how you respond to threats. We have only just met, after all."

Stubborn bastard.
"You didn't say it. Your conduct implied it." Tarrlok shut his eyes tightly, aggravated by the other man's behavior, "We are brothers. I am surprised you forgot about me so easily."

Amon was silent for a moment, and Tarrlok could feel the fingers harshly gripping his hand slacken and let go.
"Your fear is causing you to hallucinate. We..." His voice was dripping with unspoken sadness, and it clawed at Tarrlok's heart, "Are not brothers, Tarrlok."
The double meaning was so strong and apparent, it was impossible for Tarrlok not to see it.

We are not brothers.

We are not brothers.

'He was right about you.'
And suddenly Tarrlok's annoyance was forgotten, and he could only feel pain.

They made it to their destination. Noatak placed his hand on an inconspicuous wall and it slid open. Tarrlok hardly noticed; he just felt sick to his stomach. He was sat down in a chair, but he was only numb. He could feel Noatak's eyes on him, but he was still lost in the realization he had stumbled upon.

Even though Noatak had left saying those painful words, he had still always thought that they were the same to each other. Tarrlok had thought that once Noatak had returned, they would still care about each other, just as how it had always been. Was he naive? Had he really disappointed him beyond repair?

The air was stuffy and thick.

"We are not brothers..." Tarrlok felt weak; he hated feeling weak. It was too close to him as a child. "And yet I have not once let up the thought of you. Our years together as children... Do they truly mean nothing to you?"
Tarrlok chanced a look up at Noatak, he eyes scanning over his face. Without his mask, would he even recognize him? It was a painful thought.

Noatak's voice rumbled out, "Brothers... Do not abandon one another. They would not allow the other to leave, to fend for their own. If you had only come with- "

And then suddenly, Tarrlok snapped. His emotions took a complete turn around. How could Noatak even think that after everything Tarrlok had gone through for the sake of his brother? Everything he worked for was in his brother's name. He and Yakone had looked for daysfor him, thinking he had died. He had never abandoned his brother - not once!

"You left me, Noatak!" Tarrlok yelled, enraged, "You left me to deal with the remaining shards of our family! Our mother... she was never the same... And Yakone was different, lost. He just forgot about us. I dealt with the pain of you leaving for years after you left. It has haunted me for my entire life and only today has it subsided. If you think I was the one to abandon you, you are a misguided fool!"

The air sizzled with tension and reverbarated with the uncomfortable quiet. The quiet stuck, stayed. It was awkward. The only sound was Tarrlok's heavy breathing as he calmed.

Noatak hung his head, his body slowly sliding into a defeated stance, "I..."

Tarrlok could see the remorse in his body language.

"As much as it pains me to say it, you are right. I am the fool here, Tarrlok. I am sorry... I didn't mean to harm you, and it was not my intent to hurt our mother. Perhaps my thoughts were misguided. The truth is..."
Noatak paused, looking away though his mask already easily hid his espression.
"I have missed you. It has been so long... To be honest, I thought you had chosen our father over me. Now, it is starting to seem like a ludicrous throught."

Tarrlok's dying anger sizzled down to a dying ember and then stopped completely. Before he could stop himself, Tarrlok was moving over to Noatak and his arms were wrapping tightly around his figure, fingers gripping into the thick fabric surrounding his brother's form.

"Never." Tarrlok mumbled, his face buried in Noatak's shoulder, "Yakone... Our father was horrible to us as children. I would have traded him for you at the slightest mention. Compared to you, he meant nothing."

Noatak response was to slowly lift his arms and wrap them around his brother, fingers flattening against his back.

Tarrlok tensed for a split second at the touch and then relaxed into it, a smile creeping over his face. "Can you remove your mask? I want to see how much you have changed."

He could feel Noatak's arms shifting, moving back towards his frame. Tarrlok lifted his head and watched as shaky fingers reached for the face covering, gripping the edges and sliding it over a face. When Noatak's face was revealed, Tarrlok's breath caught in his throat. He was nothing and everything like he had imagined. His face had changed with age, but Tarrlok could still see he had the same cheekbones, the same serious brown eyes... It brought a burst of nostalgia and comfort, something that he had gone far too long without.

Tarrlok lifted his hands over Noatak's cheekbones, wiping away the tear tracks that had drifted down his brother's face, "I missed you, Noatak."

And then, as if a bullet had shot off in their brains, they were kissing and fighting and battling each other for dominance. Noatak's warm, musky scent filled Tarrlok's senses and he was flipped over, pushed into the chair where his brother was once sitting. Neither of them understood exactly what was happening. It was the spur of the moment spear of lust, brought on by agitation and the tiniest twinges of affection made so much greater.

It was wrong. It was so wrong. But... Neither of them seemed willing to voice their unease.

Tarrlok felt the kisses being peppered down his neck, the licks of Noatak's tongue swirling across his shoulder and collar bone. He let out a breathy sigh and a groan, and then he felt the distinct sound of a chuckle vibrating against his chest.

"What is it?" Tarrlok snapped.

"Nothing..." Noatak hummed, his fingers slowly undoing the line of buttons, "I just never knew you felt this way about me, little brother."

Tarrlok's cheeks flushed, and he ineffectively tried to push Noatak off, "Don't be ridiculous. This is merely lust brought on by... conflicting feelings. Do not mistake it for anything else."

"...You are rather awful at proving a point. Have you always been like this?"

If Tarrlok still had his bloodbending, he would have cut off circulation to Noatak's brain.

But, as it was, Tarrlok wasn't sure if his mind would even have the capacity to do such a thing if he was still fully intact. He obeyed unquestioningly when his jacket was slipped over his arms, complied without the slightest hint of a complaint when his underclothes were slipped over his head. Noatak's fingers were gently scratching down the right side of his chest and on the other side... And then, h was suckling his nipple like... Like a...
It was absolutely preverse.
Tarrlok was about to tell him just that, when he felt fingers brush against the cloth covering his (and oh how it shamed him to say it) throbbing groin. And then he started to stroke it.

"N-Noatok..."

Tarrlok looked down to his brother with hazy eyes, scanning over Noatok's features. He watched as he grabbed onto the hard length, pressing into it and wrapping his fingers around it, shaking it gently.
He was like a nymph. It was like he was seeing this man in a whole new light. The longer he stared at him, the longer the sensations continued to flow up his abdomen, the more aroused he became. His body shook and shivered, and was this what it was actually like being with a man?

Tarrlok had experienced a woman's touch before. The city was filled with brothels in every district. It was no trouble to find a willing woman to pleasure him. But often times, he found himself unsatisfied. The sensation was wonderful, but it never quite had this degree of feeling to it. Often times, Tarrlok had perverse thoughts about the same sex during these acts, but he never... Was this what his body was telling him that he wanted all along?

Abruptly, the feeling of Noatak's hands on him stopped.
But before he could say anything, his trousers were being pulled down and his erection was exposed and his brother's mouth was suckling the tip.

"Noatak!"

He watched with lusty eyes as Noatak's tongue poked out of his mouth and began to run along the underside. He could feel his brother's laugh again, but now he definitely didn't have the capacity to snap back at him. He closed his eyes, and waited for his unspoken question to be answered. Of course, it was.

"Again, my amusement is nothing you should be concerned about. So I take it you've never had this done before?"

Tarrlok groaned; partly from annoyance, partly from sensation, "W-who do you take me for? I have never- W-well, I have had the act done before, but never- !"

Noatak's mouth was on him again, but this time it was moving up and down, his tongue swirling and his teeth gently nipping at the swollen flesh. Tarrlok felt the other man's hand stroking up and down at a fast paced speed that had his heart throbbing and his body tensing with more more more.

And before he could stop himself, he was ejaculating into his brother's mouth at an embarrasingly short period of time. No, forget the amount of time it took... He was ejaculating into his brother's mouth.

Tarrlok looked away in embarrasment, "I'm sorry Noatok. I... I should have warned you. It was not my... intent, to-"

But Noatak interrupted him, his mouth moving upwards to soothe him with a comforting kiss. Tarrlok opened his eyes and saw Noatak smiling before him. Words rushed out of his mouth, not of his own volition, "Noatak, I think I love you."

Noatak only responded with a smile, his fingers coming up to stroke his face, before a twisted smile overtook his features, "...My turn."

And then Tarrlok was pushed on the floor, Noataks lips ravaging him once more.

"I love you too, Tarrlok."