A/N: New family bonding time! Bolin deals with his changing body and everyone tries to fit into their new dynamic. Yet another flashback interlude.
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Identities
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"Just use some toilet paper!"
"I don't think you understand how much of this stuff there is!"
Bolin was ten and three-quarters years old and he was panicking.
"Try using your shirt!"
"How would we explain that to Mom?"
Mako was twelve and seven-eighths years old and he was also panicking, so Bolin didn't feel too awkward.
"I'll come up with something, just do it before Lin gets back!"
"Help me fold it up!"
It had been approximately (almost but not exactly; it was his word of the day) eight months, one week, and four days since Bolin and Mako had met Lin Beifong, seven months, two weeks, and one day since she decided she'd basically adopted them already and filed the paperwork, and one month, one week, and two days since Bolin – and Bolin alone – had taken to calling her "Mom".
Bolin was very good with numbers.
"Just go lay down on the bed or something – put a towel down! – while I clean up."
Mako was also very good with numbers, but he said Bolin was better. Mako was better at taking charge, though.
It had been approximately (he should get more stars from his tutor for using it more than once, right?) twenty minutes since Bolin discovered he was bleeding.
If Mako hadn't heard some of the ladies living on the street talking about "monthly visitors", Bolin would've thought he was dying. He did for almost three minutes (two minutes and thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four seconds). He'd called Mako into the bathroom to tell him goodbye and he always loved him and he was the best brother ever and tell Mom she's the best mom he could've hoped for and then Mako told him he was just going through a girl thing.
Bolin hated the term. "Girl thing". He was a boy – a. BOY. – but Mako couldn't think of another way to put it.
"You're supposed to use a sponge or a cloth pad or something to soak up the blood."
"How do you know?"
"I thought it might happen to you, so I asked."
Mako was the best big brother of all time.
Bolin was laying down on the bed (his very own bed! he still got excited about it), trying to go over his history book to distract from the pain in his belly, when Mom came home.
She sensed immediately (very quickly; yesterday's word of the day) that something was up.
Bolin felt a pulse go through the floors.
"Bolin?" Mom called. Bolin heard her armor clanking as she made her way down the hall. "Kid, you alright? You feel a little shaky."
"I'm fine!" Bolin tried to assure her. "Just a stomachache! Mako's been taking care of me!"
The clanking stopped. She must have run into Mako because next she said, "Have you now? And what's the verdict?"
"Well…," Mako stuttered. "Well, it was really sudden, actually, so I haven't done much yet. I was just… looking for the hot water bottle."
Mako was so smart!
"Good idea," Mom complimented. Bolin could practically feel Mako smile. He may not've been ready to call Mom "Mom" yet, but Mako still valued her opinion. "It should be under the sink in a blue bag. You grab that while I change out of this uniform and we'll boil it in the kitchen and start on some soup." Her voice suddenly raised. "Soup sound good to you, boy?"
"Boy"; Bolin loved that.
"Sounds great, Mom!"
Six minutes and seven, eight, nine seconds later, Mako walked in carrying the hot water bottle. Bolin pressed it close to his belly and let out a happy sigh when the pain went down.
"Thanks, Mako."
"Anytime, little bro."
"Bro"; Bolin loved that, too.
"Lin's making some stew recipe her aunt taught her."
"Aunt Suki or Aunt Katara or Aunt Mai?"
"Aunt Katara, I think."
"That is so cool." Bolin turned on his side and curled around the water bottle. "Wanna listen to the pro-bending match while we wait?"
"I'll turn on the radio!" Mako jumped over to the nightstand and turned some dials. Shiro Shinobi's voice came through the speakers;
"We've got a real treat for you today, folks, as our reigning champs…."
Fifteen minutes and fourty-six, fourty-seven, fourty-eight seconds later, the match was over – knockout! – and Mom was asking Bolin if he felt well enough to eat in the dining room.
"I'll be fine, Mom. The hot water bottle really helped!" Bolin smiled up at her and she ruffled his hair.
"Did you thank your brother for thinking of it?"
"Thanks, Mako!" Bolin stood and hugged him, and Mom gasped.
Behind him on his bed, Bolin had left a big, red bloodstain.
"Sweet Kyoshi, what happened?" Mom demanded, pulling Bolin off of Mako and running her hands up and down his sides as if searching for injuries. "Who hurt you?" She turned him around and gasped again. "Who touched you?" She turned him back to face her and grabbed his arms. "Tell me who touched you and I'll make sure they never go near another living person again," she ordered, her expression furious and her grip steadily becoming too tight.
"I– I'm not–"
"Whatever they threatened you with was a lie, Bolin."
"No one–"
"Just tell me!"
Bolin started to cry from fear and Mako had had enough. He started kicking Lin, yelling at her to lay off, Bolin wasn't hurt, it was just a thing they had to deal with.
"THIS IS JUST WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN EVERY MONTH NOW SO GET OVER IT!" Mako screamed and Mom seemed to snap out of whatever rage she'd flown into.
"I'm– I'm sorry!" Bolin sobbed and his mother gathered him into her arms. "I'm sorry I'm weird! I'm sorry I have a girl thing! I'll stop!"
"No no no no no," Mom said, rocking him back and forth while Mako watched cautiously. "I'm sorry. I thought someone hurt you and I wanted to hurt them back. I shouldn't have grabbed you and I shouldn't have yelled at you. You didn't do anything wrong." She rubbed his back soothingly. "Now come on, breathe with me. Big breath in, big breath out. There you go."
Bolin slowly calmed down, only letting out the occasional hiccup as Mom picked him up and sat them on the bed, ignoring the bloodstained towel.
"Now, tell me what happened. And what did you mean 'a girl thing'?"
Mako climbed up on Bolin's other side, wrapping an arm around his brother's shoulders and glaring at Lin in warning.
"I–" Bolin hiccuped. "I'm a boy."
"I know that, Badgermole."
"B-But…." Bolin looked to Mako and the older brother spoke up;
"When Bolin was born, the doctors thought he was a girl."
"…Why?"
"B-Because I have g-girl parts!"
Mom pulled them both to her this time, chuckling softly. "Is that what this is about? You got your period?"
"Is that what it's called?"
"Yeah," Mom answered. "It happens to almost every person with a vulva once they hit puberty."
"What– what does that mean?"
"It means you're growing up, Badgermole."
"No, what's a vulva?" Bolin asked, looking up at her from his spot in the hug.
"That's the parts people like us have."
"Girl parts?"
"Oh, kid." She shook her head and 'tut'ed. "There's no such thing as 'girl parts' or 'boy parts'. It's just people trying to make something really hard really simple, but they failed," she said. "Lots of men have 'girl parts', like you do. Lots of women have 'boy parts'. And if 'girl parts' are on a man, they can't be called 'girl parts', now can they? It doesn't make sense!"
Bolin blinked. This was all news to him.
"Your 'parts' are 'boy parts' because you are a boy."
And in his ten and three-quarters years old mind, it sounded just that simple. It was logical (reasonable, to be expected; word of the day sometime last week). Bolin was a boy. His clothes were boy's clothes and his books were a boy's books and his haircut was a boy's haircut and his parts were boy's parts. And that meant there was nothing wrong with him.
Bolin threw himself even tighter into the hug, happier than he'd ever been. His brother had his back and his mother still loved him and it was the best day ever.
"Now as much fun as hugging all day would be, you two should go eat while I run down to the store and get you some pads." Mom pulled away and gently pushed them both to their feet. "Make sure you put a towel down before you sit, Bolin. And Mako, don't try and reheat the water bottle until I get back." She headed for the door.
"Yes, Mom."
She froze and turned back to them, Bolin beaming as brightly as a kid could beam and Mako looking happy but nervous.
He'd called her "Mom".
Mako had called her "Mom".
Mom cleared her throat. "Yes… well… good. I'll be back in a few minutes, and when I get back, we're gonna have a little talk about other genders." And she left.
Best. Day. EVER.
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A/N: Just a cute little thing about Bolin's coming out and Mako finally embracing the new family dynamic. This is pre-Lin's coming out to the brothers, hence all the 'she/her's.
I tried to mostly use the tone of a 10-year-old but I know I fucked up at parts. I don't spend a lot of time around kids so I forget how they talk. Oops!
I headcanon Toph as a very "show, don't tell" type of parent – and that her version of "show" was very different from most people's, ex. punching them – and that the lack of "tell" was a big motivator in Lin and Suyin's constant attempts to get her attention/approval. Lin, not wanting Mako and Bolin to do that, always tells/praises them when they do something right, which is why ze seems nicer. Because ze does have human emotions. Just not in public.
And I know it would take more than a single adult in a position of authority saying "you're not weird" for someone to get over the amount of dysphoria Bolin developed, he's just riding high on joy right now. He did crash later, and often, throughout the years and does still feel wrong sometimes, but it's a work-in-progress and god is he working!