'You stubborn asshole.'
The long drive to the small apartment was silent, tension in the cab of the Satomobile heavy in the air. Ochre eyes stared out the passenger window aimlessly, watching the world rush by in a blur of colors. The passenger of the car idly ran his thumb over the soft cloth in his hand, so meticulously folded just moments ago with such care that it seemed wrong. Hell, everything about this night felt wrong. His ears were still ringing, his clothes reeked of smoke, and he could swear his vision in his left eye wasn't supposed to fade in and out. Although he was ordered to rest and return to the medical center, the officer stubbornly refused, proclaiming he had to do this himself. He was exhausted without a doubt, but with each time he closed his eyes the memories of what happened earlier that evening flooded his mind. It was best to stay awake.
The vehicle came to a stop out front of a building that had seen better days, but who was he to complain given his past living conditions? The sound of someone clearing their throat was heard and he turned stiffly to look into the eyes of his Chief, noting the poorly concealed grief in her green eyes. They sat in silence, each wanting to say something but warring with themselves about it.
"You can stay in the car if you wa-" She hadn't finished her sentence before the rookie was shaking his head, tongue darting out to wet his lips.
"I… I need to do this, Boss. He was my partner." He croaked, hating how weak his voice sounded. He would pass it off as smoke inhalation. Lin nodded solemnly and stepped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her. He looked back down at the folded material in his hands as if looking for some sense of reassurance. It took a few shaky breaths but he followed her suit, climbing out of the vehicle and stepping in line behind the metalbender as the pair made their way up the stone steps of the building, his hands tightly clutching the cloth.
It felt like it had been years since he had been at this shabby apartment complex, when in truth it had been just a few short hours. He would have never thought that it would have been the last time he would see his partner in crime roll his eyes at his attempt of humor, or swap stories of life on the streets. Who would have thought that two street rats would have made it so far in life? He swallowed thickly as what few memories he had with the other officer came to mind, both on and off the clock. Their first stake out (a supposed shipment of illegal equalist paraphernalia was rumored to be smuggled out of the city), a night on the town with his brother and friends, and just spending time handling paperwork. Just knowing that whenever he looked across his desk he would only find an empty chair forced the officer to stop at the base of the staircase, leaning against the banner with his free hand and taking deep breaths. The chief turned to look at him over her shoulder, her usual stoic expression one of understanding. It was always difficult to lose someone like this. Everyone on the force became a family once they put on their uniform, and it hit nearly twice as hard when a brother or sister had fallen in the line of duty.
"Come on. We can't keep pussy footing around." She said gruffly, looking away from him and making her way up the narrow staircase. He nodded and they resumed their climb up the stairwell, each step forward weighted down with lead in their shoes and a sinking anchor around their hearts.
He wasn't sure how long it took to finally make it to that familiar door, but as soon as he laid eyes on it the officer became rooted to the floor. He… he couldn't do this. He swore to everyone that he would protect his partner, even his little brother… and now?
Now he was being fitted for a pine box.
'You stubborn asshole.'
"Pull yourself together, rookie." Lin barked, trying to retain any authority she had left in her. The other looked back and forth from the door to her and slowly nodded, standing up straight and walking briskly to the door. Without any further hesitation, he raised his fist and brought it down on the wooden door.
He could do this.
He could do this.
Everything would be alright.
He could—
The door quickly opened to reveal a pair of bright green filled with surprise and worry belonging to a familiar face, and he knew within that moment that nothing would ever be the same after this night. The owner of the apartment looked up towards the Chief.
"Lin! Have you been listening to the news? Apparently a oil tanker went off at the docks. All of those people. They aren't sure about how many are injured or…." The young teen trailed off slowly, blinking slowly in confusion. When she said nothing, his thick brows furrowed as he looked back and forth between the two officers. Ochre eyes locked with emerald for a split second.
That's all it took. A simple look. No words, no spoken apologies, no confirmation or denial or anything. It was just one look between the two benders for everything to fall into place.
"Where's my brother?"
Silence fell in the hall like a ton of bricks. His green eyes looked back into Lin's for what seemed to be like forever, and what the young teen found in the metalbender's eyes was enough to turn the poor boy a deathly shade of white. The other male turned his attention back to him.
"Shiro, where's my brother?!"
He had never seen the poor boy with such a dangerous look to him before, his green eyes dark with anger and denial, fear and grief, hatred and… and acceptance. Spirits, the poor boy probably was able to tell the moment it happened. The officer's vision began to swim, and he ducked his head in shame, looking down at the frayed red material so carefully folded in his hands. He didn't have to watch everyone else follow his line of sight, for the soft gasp from the other before him was enough of an indication that they knew. Before he could speak, Lin stepped forward between the two men and bowed her head.
"You're going to want to sit down, Bolin." She said softly, resting her hand on the other's broad shoulder. Green eyes welled up with fresh tears, but he held them back with a strength the officer did not possess, leading them into the other room with a stiff walk and leaving the other at the doorway. He was hesitant to enter this small room so soon, knowing he would never see that face or hear that voice again. That night, he had lost more than a friend or a brother in arms.
He lost his heart at the docks.
How could he have let this happen? Why hadn't he tried to stop that stubborn ass from going out? Why? Why?
'Because the Spirits are cold-hearted bastards.' He thought bitterly, stepping forward into the apartment. His hand was still on the handle when he heard it; the shrill cry of anguish in the other room where the others were. Other tenants quickly rushed to their doors, throwing them open to look around for the source of the noise, all eyes falling on the lone officer standing at the doorway of the brother's apartment. All at once, the officer received a collective stare of pity, disgust, understanding and bitter resentment.
He glanced down at the worn and frayed fabric in his hand, the dark red color staring him in the face like a constant reminder of what they all lost this night.
Shiro slowly shut the door and made his way towards the other's with a heavy heart, his hand clenching around the scarf in his hand tightly.
'You stubborn asshole. Why did it have to be you?'