The nights he disappeared

Bolin was nine when he first noticed Mako disappearing at night. Mako never left until Bolin was already asleep, but sometimes the younger brother would wake up to the older returning. Mako always seemed depressed when he came back, and he always went straight to bed. The next day, they would always eat a hot meal. With the little money the brothers could acquire, food wasn't guaranteed every day, so that post-disappearance meal was always a blessing. Bolin gathered that it was because Mako got money when he disappeared, but how was he doing it? Bolin asked where Mako was going as soon as he noticed it was happening, to which the older brother vaguely answered that he was doing something important. As the little brother, Bolin always wanted to be included in whatever Mako was doing. It upset him to think that his big brother didn't want to bring him wherever he was going, so he quickly asked if he could come too.

"No." Mako told him. There wasn't an explanation, it was just a plain "no". Bolin didn't understand.

"Why can't I come?" He asked pleadingly. "I help you steal all the time!"

"You can't help with this." Mako asserted.

"Yes I can! I'm big and strong and smart! I can-"

"No." It didn't make sense. What was Mako up to that was so serious he had to do it alone?

"Please!" Bolin begged. "I really want to-"

"BOLIN..." Mako said through gritted teeth. "I will punch you in the eye if you ask me again!"

After that, Bolin didn't ask again. Mako later apologized for being so harsh, explaining that this was something he just had to do alone. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bolin, but he had very good reasons for not bringing him. Reasons that he couldn't explain. Bolin was confused, but Mako asked his little brother to trust him. Bolin did trust him. He always trusted Mako, his big brother was the person who made sure they were safe, the person who always knew what to do. Mako was the closest thing Bolin had to a parent. Of course he trusted him, so he didn't question the disappearances again.

Still, there were times when the earthbender wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know how Mako was getting so much money, and why he had to do it alone. He also wanted to know why Mako seemed different. Ever since the disappearances had started, the firebending brother had been sadder and more irritable. He'd even resisted affection, getting uncomfortable any time Bolin hugged him. One time when Mako came back from whatever he was doing, he laid down and collapsed into sobs. Bolin woke up when he heard his brother crying, and worriedly went to check on him. Mako had planted his face in a pillow, so he didn't see Bolin.

"Mako?..." The earthbender said quietly as he laid a hand on his brother. Mako reacted with a jerk, beating Bolin's hand away and nearly burning him with a blast of fire.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" The firebender yelled. Bolin stumbled back in fright. He had to leave Mako to himself that night, and they both cried themselves to sleep. Mako later apologized for the outburst, but offered no explanation of why he was so emotional. It wasn't the last time he cried like that, either.

Things got better when the brothers grew up. The street life was over for them, and so were Mako's disappearances. Life was good, but Bolin sometimes wondered what Mako had been doing all those years ago. He'd started to get some ideas, but was afraid to ask. At one point, the earthbender decided he had to know the truth.

"Hey Mako," He said casually one day. "What did you do on those nights when you went away back when we were kids?" Mako's mood instantly changed when he heard the question. He looked unhappy.

"I broke into houses." The firebender claimed. "I couldn't risk you being caught if you came." That answer didn't make sense. This was the thing that had changed Mako's whole personality? The thing that had made him cry himself to sleep? The thing that he'd had to do without his brother, all while committing various other crimes together? Bolin sensed that it wasn't true, but he saw what the question did to Mako. The truth was something he couldn't talk about, and Bolin felt terrible for asking. He'd have to pretend to accept the lie.

"Ooooh, that makes sense." The earthbender said dishonestly. "Okay, thanks for telling me! Have a nice day!" He walked away guiltily, promising to himself that he would never confront Mako about this again. Bolin hated the burden he'd put on his brother. He hated himself just for existing when he thought about what Mako must have gone through to feed him.

Thanks for reading! I'm thinking of writing an update where Mako tells Bolin the truth, but I don't even know if this story will even be liked, so I'll only write another part if people request it. Please review if you liked this!