When Mako works himself to the bone to try to scramble together enough money for the championship tournament pot, his neglected health takes a turn for the worse. Not to worry though, it is just a common cold, right?
Shameless Mako whump just for the hell of it. Set after ep 3 and before ep 4 but with a couple of details altered (such as adding in one more qualifying match) and an extended time period to give the poor guys at least the illusion of a chance to gather the money needed. Perhaps a faint touch of early Makorra if you squint really hard but mainly friendship/bro feels.
Brought to you by she who loves to torture brooding, stubborn, sexy protagonists that tend to be a tad bit too stoic for their own good, jepp it's another H/C fic with family/friendship feels…
"Okay, that was the third time you cleared your throat in less than ten minutes," Bolin pointed out indiscreetly. He could just not stay quiet any longer, not when it was so obvious that something was not right with his bigger brother. He instantly got back up from the young girl standing next to him.
"Yeah, either you have something you really want to say but have no idea how to spit it out; or you have a sore throat. What is it, tough guy?" Korra demanded. Unlucky for her, Mako was in no mood to humour the dynamic duo. He just wanted to win the match ahead of them so he could go upstairs and sleep for two days straight. He had pulled double shifts at the power plant six days in a row now in a desperate attempt to gather the money needed for the tournament fee that was due to be paid soon. If he took on every shift from now to the time limit of payment and they won this game, the winnings and the cash he had scrambled together by busting his ass at the power plant. Together with the addition of a loan, provided he could find someone willing to lend him the money, perhaps by offering a small share of the price money, would just about cover it, and they would be able to enter. He was well aware that there were a lot of 'ifs' and massive holes in his plan, but it was the best he had.
"It's nothing, I'm fine. Get that helmet on and focus on the match that is about to start," he said dismissively and put his own helmet on, turning away from his teammates in a clear sign that the conversation was over. Korra, however, was far from finished. Well knowing how stubborn the older brother could be, she gave a small signal to the younger of the two brothers behind Mako's back. Bolin frowned slightly and nodded in a silent agreement before promptly tackling his brother from behind.
Ignoring his brother's furious outburst and colourful cursing, he quickly grabbed Mako's wrists and bended them back behind him, holding him as still as possible so that Korra could get in close and remove his still unfastened helmet and reach in to touch the older brother's forehead with the base of her palm. Without letting it show, the stocky teen silently noted the amount of effort it took to hold Mako down, or rather, the lack of it; it really should not be that easy…
"What the hell guys, back off," Mako growled, more than slightly ticked off by the impromptu ambush and the blatant disregard of his protests.
"You feel warm, you shouldn't compete today," Korra noted as she withdrew her hand and Bolin let Mako go, but was only rewarded with an irritated snort as the amber eyed brother stood up straight again, rubbing his wrists and glaring at them both.
"Don't be ridiculous, I run naturally hot, ask Bolin. Don't need your pity. Do I really have to remind the both of you again that this is the last match before the championship tournament? If we don't win we don't qualify, so save it." Mako, now in an even worse mood, lectured the two younger teens before stepping out on the platform that led to the arena. It was time for the Fire ferrets to play their final qualifying match.
Korra and Bolin looked at each other, sighed and followed him, too late to back out now.
…
It soon became obvious that Mako was not his usual self that match. His movements were slower, more sluggish and had lost their controlled, precise edge, a fact that was quickly picked up by the other team. They mercilessly hammered the team captain of the Fire ferrets with every chance they got.
"Ouch, that gotta hurt! Mako of the Fire ferrets takes another hit. I don't know what is up with the team captain today but something is definitely off and the Tiger Seal's is utilizing this to the max," the commentator's voice rung out through the arena as Mako was pushed into the second zone and then quickly into zone three, getting knocked down by a rock disk to his chest.
Bolin, now more than a little worried, moved in front of his brother to give him a chance to get up of the floor and catch his breath while Korra focused on drawing the enemy team's attention to her by firing of quick, explosive combinations towards the two enemies closest to the brothers.
"You all right bro?" The young earth bender shouted while blocking the steady stream of incoming attacks.
"Yeah, I'm fine, focus!" Mako yelled back as he picked himself of the ground and quickly moved into battle position again while Korra pushed through the Tiger seal's defense by sending a powerful burst of water towards the opponent in front of her. Bull's eye, the hit to the chest knocked him down on his ass and slid him all the way into the third zone of the ring.
That hit became the turning point for the Fire ferrets. Mako moved into defense, letting Bolin and Korra handle the team's offence for the movement, a strategy that quickly paid off and pushed the remaining Tiger seals opponents into the second zone. They moved forward into enemy territory and when Korra got in another hit on the player teetering in the third zone and knocked him off the ring she allowed herself a victory smirk and a glance to see how Mako and Bolin was faring. Even if they were at a stalemate at the moment, they held their ground and it was the bell that broke the match, signalling that the Fire ferrets had won the first round.
…
The second round yielded a similar result: It started off slower with neither team unable to push the other backwards but both teams, eager to score, progressively picked up the pace. While Mako had given up most of the offensive and focused on backing up Korra and Bolin, he still managed to get in an opening towards the end, and with a round house kick he knocked his opponent backwards one zone.
"Finally! After a very even beginning of the round, we finally have some movement folks! Kala of the Tiger seals moved backwards into zone two and the heat is rising with the ticking clock. Will the Tiger seals manage to push the Fire ferrets back or will the second round go to the Fire ferrets?!"
Bolin quickly gave the answer to that question, focusing on the waterbender that had been pushed into the second zone he prepped her with continues attacks and slowly pressured her even further back. She dodged as best as she could but slowly lost ground and when Korra got in a head shot she spun around and landed on her side, the impact sending her all the way across the third zone and into the water with a surprised yelp.
Either team had moved beyond that when the bell signalled the end of the second round and the second win for the Fire ferrets.
…
Just as the third round were about to start Mako felt a familiar tingling feeling in the back of his throat and tightening of his chest, 'no no no, shit shit not now' he panicked and tried to clear his throat to get rid of the scratching but was unable to subdue the small cough slipping through his lips. It instantly alarmed his team mates, alerted the enemy team and quickly developed into a full-fledged coughing fit.
"OOOOH NOO, look at that folks. I think this is the answer to why the Fire ferrets team captain Mako has taken a backstep this game: trust me on this one fellas, probending, is a very very physical sport if that was not obvious to anyone, and competing while ill must be rough. I wonder what the Fire ferrets will do now? They have won the last two rounds and will win the match if the Tiger seals can't pull of a knock out in the last round."
The referee, who had been just about to ring the bell to start the third and final round stopped and looked awkwardly at the young firebender who struggled to get his breathing under control.
"Uh, how are you doing kid, want to sit this one out?" He asked once Mako had stopped coughing but Mako just shook his head and told him he was fine, ignoring the glares from Bolin and Korra and moving into battle position again.
…
"Here are your winnings from the last game guys, congratulations." The bald man nodded and smiled at the three teens before handing Mako the bundle of yuans, and then took it back in small chunks as he rattled off the long list of money they owed him. Mako looked more and more deflated throughout the process and when Butakha reached for the last of the cash with the offhanded comment about personal loans for groceries, Mako sent a sidelong, grumpy glance at his younger brother who defended himself in a high pitched voice that he was still growing.
"Now, I know you still have one more game to play before you qualify, but I was just going to give you a heads up for if you do manage to qualify for the championship. Each team has to chip in 30 000 yuans to the pot. You have until the end of next week to come up with the dough or else you are out of the tournament." Then he stops, sighs and puts a hand on Mako's shoulder, well knowing that the team were completely struck for cash. "Sorry kids, maybe next year?"
…
'No, no way, there is no next year, I cannot keep living like this for another year, taking every back breaking job I can find, not knowing if I can pay rent that month and keep Bolin fed at the same time. We will qualify and nothing will stop us, definitely not a stupid cold,' Mako thought to himself as he straightened out, removed the hand covering his mouth and nodded to the judge to continue the game.
"I have to give it to him, even after being given the opportunity to sit the last round out and let his team members compete with one player down, Mako still wants to fight and now the third round is finally ready to begin," the commentator's voice sung out, almost paralleling the sounding of the bell signalling the start of the third round.
His determination could only take him so far though. The persistent head ache he had conveniently failed to mention to Bolin and Korra was hammering his temples from within and when he jumped to deliver a low kick flame, the whole arena suddenly spun around. He landed clumsily and took one stumbling step to the side to regain his balance but was thrown off guard by a water burst knocking him backwards. The Tiger seals refocused their united efforts on him and sent a double water and earth combo towards him while still in the air. With him knocked off balance, the rock disk, aimed at his stomach accidentally got his temple instead, creating a dent and a small crack in his helmet and pushing him all the way from the first zone to the cold water beneath.
"Mako!" both Korra and Bolin shouted worriedly but there was nothing they could do, only listen to the commentator's retelling of the fall and hope he was okay despite the blow to the head.
"AAAAAND theeere Mako takes a plunge. I don't think anyone was surprised by that development. He does not seem to get up though, was he knocked out completely? No wait, now he is moving. It is up to his team mates now to hold down the fort. All they have to do is avoid getting knocked off the ring and the victory is theirs."
Bolin jumped at that and could not help but throw a glance towards the end of the game field, as if he hoped the amber eyed firebender would come waltzing in any moment but that quick glance cost him dearly. The Tiger seal's earthbender noted his opponent's momentarily uncertainty and sent three disks swirling rapidly towards Bolin, pushing him deep into the third zone.
Korra kept her head cool and focused on going head to head with the Tiger seal's firebender and while they battled it out Bolin focused on holding his ground despite being heavily bombarded with both water and rocks hammering down on him relentlessly.
Either teams had managed to advance further when the bell rung. The Tiger seals won the last round but as they scored the two previous rounds, the match went to the Fire ferrets, securing them the longed for spot in the championship tournament. Korra and Bolin shouted excitedly, and waiting for them at the edge of the arena Mako threw his fists in the air and let out a series of unrestrained howls of pure joy, allowing himself to fully rejoice in the unbelievable development. They had made it! They had secured their spot despite everything that had happened. He had almost lost hope completely when Hasoock had abandoned them and he had not trusted Korra to come through, but she had and they had made it all the way to the tournament.
Things were finally looking up for them.