A/N: I've had this idea in my head for a while (after "the Revelation" and "the Voice in the Night") and I just needed to get it out of my head. We've never really gotten to know how much Bolin's run-in with Amon affected him. We only get the mention that he's had nightmares too…so, here is my take on those aforementioned nightmares. It's not very long, but, like I said, I just had to get the idea out of my head and onto paper. I may go back to it and expand it at some point, but I'm not sure yet. I hope you enjoy.
The nightmares were terrible. He had had nightmares before – back when he was a little boy, after Mako told him that they no longer had parents. But the sadness of those dreams was nothing compared to the terror of these nightmares.
Some nights there was screaming. Screams that would pierce the soul. Some nights there was crying. But, every night, Bolin would wake up in a cold sweat. He would sit in his bed, shaking violently, with his head in his heads, willing the images in his mind to leave him be.
Mako was always there to try and comfort him. He never asked about the dreams, but he had a good idea about what they were about. He would just sit on Bolin's bed and hold his shaking brother in his arms. He never really knew what to say, so he was usually stuck in a cycle of repeating "Shh, Bolin, shh. It'll be okay. It'll all be okay" until his brother had stopped shaking. He knew it didn't really matter what he said, it was just Mako's presence that Bolin needed. But Mako always felt the need to say something to his brother.
Often, Mako was able to calm Bolin down enough to allow him to go back to sleep, though it was usually still a fitful one. Despite all of his efforts, however, Mako knew he was never going to be able to make his brother's nightmares go away for good. He just didn't have that power.
The nightmares were always the same. Bolin would be standing on a stage bound like a prisoner and surrounded by a thick layer of either smoke or fog. Then, out of the vapors, steps a shadowy figure with an all too familiar form – Amon. As Amon moves towards him, Bolin struggles to free himself but his binds only tighten with each movement. Now Amon is standing directly over him. Bolin's panic and terror must be plain on his face, for Amon lets out what sounds like a laugh. Bolin tries to plead for his life, but only finds that he can't speak. He can open his mouth, but no words come out. His eyes widen even more as Amon leans toward him, hand outstretched. Amon places his hand on Bolin's forehead and- Bolin's eyes shoot open and he wakes up.
But tonight's dream was different. Bolin didn't wake up when Amon placed his fingers on Bolin's forehead. Nor did he wake up during the ordeal of Amon taking his ability to bend. He only woke up after the nightmare had finally played itself through.
This night, there was both screaming and crying. Mako jumped out of bed and ran over to his brother, throwing his arms around Bolin. He pressed Bolin's head into his chest, letting his brother's tears soak through his thin undershirt. Mako rocked Bolin back and forth, whispering to him, telling him that his brother's here and that he doesn't have to be scared anymore, that everything is going to be just fine.
A while later, Bolin's screaming had stopped. Mako wasn't sure if the screaming stopped because Bolin was calming down, or because Bolin had screamed so much that he had lost his voice. Bolin was still shaking and crying, however, so Mako didn't figure that Bolin was getting calmer.
Mako knew there would be no comforting his brother tonight. But, still, he stayed there on the bed, holding a shaking Bolin in his arms, all through the night.
After all, he thought to himself, we're all we've got.
A/N: As always, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is welcome. Destructive criticism and flaming is not welcome and will be ignored.