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[pabugotmoves]

Huh? Oh-- You've reached Bolin!
Yeah, I'm a pretty busy guy but leave me a message and I'll beep you back

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[pabugotmoves]

[What you don't want the scoop on some super interesting first hand world lore? You know you dooo.]

Please don't be mad, nowhere felt right and I was in a bad place last month and then I was with Cloverfield and then the musical happened so I've been super busy planning that and then all of a sudden it's now! I've got a safe spot I can close up and I'm going to leave it the moment I find somewhere good.

[arclightning]

[ Don't be mad, he says, like Mako is mad at him and not at himself for not knowing this, like he isn't reeling with the knowledge that Bolin is living outside and trying to hide it, like he isn't terrified that he's going to wake up and not be able to contact Bolin because he froze to death or got eaten by parasites because Mako wasn't there to help because he didn't even know where Bolin was— ]

Where are you.

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin doesn't need to be a paleblood to feel Mako nosedive and he wishes more than anything in this moment that he could take it all back and give the address of the last apartment he'd attempted to inhabit. It had been fine, but the previous occupant's belongings were still present (though dusty) and he couldn't help but feel they would come home only to find it taken. Having a home is so precious, he would hate to be That Guy.

But maybe the feeling would have been easier to manage than knowing he's hurt Mako so deeply and for no reason. He just never really thought about it. Never really considered that taking his time would have consequences.]

Cellar door in the alley to the right of the club. I'll open the door.

[Well. 'Door'. It's rockwall hidden under a strategically placed door panel he found and put there, himself. If anyone opened it you'd just find stone. No one would ever know.]

[arclightning]

[ Mako doesn't dignify that with a response. Zuko trills in quiet concern as he shoves himself up on jerky legs, his mind whirling. He shoves an arm out for her and she leaps to him, coiling up around his neck.

He doesn't remember the journey down the stairs. He's thinking about eight-year-old Bolin huddled in the rain under a cardboard structure already starting to leak, about promising him he'd find them a dry place to sleep the next day without knowing whether he'd be able to keep it. So many times they'd talked about having a place of their own, what they'd do with a house, where they'd want to live. Even when Mako was living under his desk, Bolin had a home and a place on Air Temple Island. For him to choose to live in an alley—

Something is wrong, and Mako had no idea.

By the time he gets to the bottom of the stairs and out the door, smoke is coiling up in loops from his skin, filtering out from under his clothing, and his eyes are burning with anger or guilt or both. He doesn't stomp because that's not who Mako is, but his movements are careful and controlled, and his face is a hard-set thing as he slips into the dark little alley without a word. ]

[pabugotmoves]

[The door is open by the time Mako gets to the alley and Bolin, who is waiting next to it, clocks Mako the moment he turns the corner. His hands are nervously clasped in front of him, standing there like a scolded child. He can't act indignant because, in hindsight, yeah this is kinda messed up and there is no way Mako won't be furious.

The explanation of how he got to this point sounds so far fetched he doubts he'll even be believed. Bolin isn't even exactly sure how it happened but everything got weird after he got spooked by that giant mecha spirit and he's been pretty.. isolated since then with no way to know that upsetting Cloverfield, especially in October, has long lasting consequences.

So maybe he just- maybe Bolin just isn't doing very well. Maybe he hasn't been for a while and he hasn't said anything because he isn't sure what's wrong. He's tried crying it out.. wandering.. adventuring.. even a little fighting but nothing has really helped. Lately it's been a little like no one's even remembered he's around.

But how is he going to explain himself. What on earth is he going to say to Mako.. C'mon, Bo. Think of something. You're an adult, act like one, what have you done? Why are you like this?

It's rolling around in his head like marbles on a circular track but all that goes on pause once Mako is close enough to really see.

Brows up and then furrowed, Bolin looks from Mako to Zuko and back. Mako looks.. well, he looks scary. Teetering on the edge of combustion and an out of control firebender is never a good thing.

But Mako would flip out on him like that...would he? Man, he's so nervous.]

[arclightning]

[ Mako is the scariest when he isn't saying a word, and right now he's terrifyingly silent.

As soon as Bolin's in sight, though, Zuko uncoils with a worried little trilla and practically bolts for him, flying lithely through the air until she collides with his shoulders and coils there, chirring anxiously while Mako stalks silently closer. She's full of all the worry Mako can't channel everywhere else, all the worry his nails are pressing into painful half-moons on his palms. How long has Bolin been out here? How long would he have been out here? How could Mako not have noticed, how could this have been happening literally right behind him, Bolin in the cold while he and Wu curled around each other in a too-nice bed?

None of those questions can answer themselves but he stays wordless, stopping in front of Bolin with that smoke still curling up sharp and short. There is a command in that silence: start talking, bro. ]

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin still can't help but marvel at how neat it is that Zuko exists. A dragon.. a sweet and spicy little noodle of a dragon and he loves her(?) endlessly.

He raises a hand to rest on the dragon by instinct. They give a little comfort in the face of the inferno approaching behind, which is appreciated, but not quite the shield he wishes they were.

Mako looks like a dark spirit the way he moves, silent and smouldering. Like a viper, coiled tightly and ready to bite.

The smoke is up Bolin's nose. The energy is suffocating. The command is loud and clear. He swallows thickly and looks down, inspecting his feet which have suddenly become very interesting. ]

So I.. I um.

[No.. this isn't. He can't-- he just withers and takes a step to the side and reveals his hideout which is.. not that bad. Bad, but not living in a dumpster bad. There are six or seven rough, bent stone steps down into the ground into a room that can't yet be seen except for Pabu who is at the bottom step, very still, and watching Mako like there's a predator at the door. Watching the way Bolin submits immediately with his explanation: unordered, unrehearsed, tumbling out chaotically as fast as he can.]

This was never gonna be forever, I swear. I tried to find a place, I really did. I've had three so far but they were all wrong and then I tried to rent and no one wanted me because of my blood or whatever and.. I don't know, I thought I'd try some exploring and- argh it was the worst at first and then it was kind of okay and then it got cold so I made a place.. it just happened.

[arclightning]

[ He made a place.

Out of stone, in an alley like he's five only this time Mako wasn't here to keep him warm, so how was he managing it? There are steps and that should make Mako feel better but it doesn't even a little bit: he wants to smash the whole thing to bits and drag Bolin inside but that's stupid and unhelpful, so he just stops. Looks, takes it in. The silence stretches past its breaking point and then shatters in a single flare of Mako's nostrils like the first breath of a storm. ]

Show me.

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin hesitates a beat, stroking Zuko before forcing himself to turn and bring Mako down the steps into his burrow.

To be fair, it isn't the worst hole they've slept in.

It's actually kind of nice. Sort of.

The chamber is about 10ft x 10ft and juust deep enough for Bolin to stand (Sorry Mako, you'll have to slouch), illuminated by three decently bright lunar lights. His bedroll lays neatly folded up against the far wall, a mix of straw mattress, disused velvet curtains from the club, and other assorted bedding he's collected. His desk, a wide plank of wood elevated about a foot off the ground on some stone, is strewn with Rocky Horror scripts, designs and plans; and there is another 'table' with some various household tools. A pot and pan, some casks of water, his bags, clothes and some food.

There is no central fire pit, knowing that the smoke would suffocate him underground, but the first step down is black with char where he has had fire and been able to feed it from the door kept open a crack.

He's thought about all this. Quite a lot. And while Bo hasn't been down there very long, it's been long enough to source and install a series of copper pipes across the ceiling and through to street level for fresh air.

It's basic but bare with cold floors and walls, but it's dry and safe from detection and attack. The pipes create a draft which isn't great but mean he can breathe, and there are a few blobs of cooled magma on the ground near his bedroll and more by his desk which is how he's been staying warm.

Bolin moves out of Mako's way once they've descended and sits on the stairs with Zuko and Pabu, letting his brother survey his work. There isn't much to say and no elegant or earnest turn of phrase will help, so he stays quiet and waits.]

[arclightning]

[ It isn't as bad as Mako was expecting. He doesn't know what he was expecting, but at least Bolin—at least he made a home for them the way he used to, at least this has four walls and a roof and a... feel that might, in some places, be like a home. He has a bed. He's working on stuff.

But obviously Bolin knows this isn't ideal, because he was hiding it, and that's the thing: that's what Mako doesn't know, that's what scares him. If Bolin didn't have a choice, this would be fine. But why he'd choose to live like this when there are plenty of houses to choose from, why he'd hide it, it's all wrapped up with Mako having not known in the first place. Guilt curls sickly through him as he spins in a slow circle, taking it all in, before landing on Bolin. Mako doesn't even know what his own face is doing. He can't tell what his feelings are doing, either, only that he's cataloguing the details in here one by one and the only thing he comes up with, after all of it, with Bolin looking at him like a contrite child— ]

This is nice.

[ The words are stiff and rough but earnest, at the very least. Mako's eyes skip from Bolin's knees up to his face, and then his stony expression cracks into hurt and anger all at once like the surface of lava breaking open. ]

Why?

[pabugotmoves]

[Bolin was expecting a reaction, sure: anger, coldness, the explosive chiding of an angry brother and only parent he's every really known, but hurt... man, that is so much worse. Getting yelled at he can handle, he's used to that, but hurting Mako is the thing that immediately slips between the plates of his armor and strikes him deep in the core. There's no defense against it and the pit in his sour stomach makes him feel sick.

His shoulders drop ever further, fingers worrying against each other with guilt as he tries to think of a way to explain.

It takes him a moment, head hung as he stalls with a breath before looking back up- not quite making eye contact.]

Well.. if I made a place then there wouldn't be a family to kick me out when they came back, or a landlord to tell me to buzz off. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to come back to your place. I'm an adult now, Mako, I have to find my own way. And yeah.. it's taking longer and there are more challenges than I was expecting but I knew if anything went really wrong you're just a few feet away.

[arclightning]

[ There is so much there.

So much that Mako has to pick through: Bolin was afraid, apparently, of getting told to leave. Why? Because it would make him think about the first time? Because he hates to be told no? Valid, both, but Mako doesn't think it's enough.

That he didn't tell Mako because he didn't want to—what, be a burden on them? Because he wanted to make his own choices? "Find his own way" even if that way leads him to a hole in an alley and a bed made out of curtains after Mako worked so fucking hard to get him something better—

He doesn't understand, and that more than anything scares him. He should understand. He should know Bolin better than anyone.

Clearly, he doesn't. Finally, he makes a rough little noise in his throat, trying to pull words from the tangle of questions in his head. ]

So you were just going to stay here and freeze. It's almost winter, Bolin. We don't even know what that's like here.

[pabugotmoves]

[The real answers are the slightly more depressing: he knows what it's like to be without a home and doesn't want to put other people in that situation by taking theirs, and he doesn't want to go back to his brother- who he knows would take him back in- because he wants Mako and Wu to focus on their life together and Bolin doesn't want to get in the way of that.

Which is what he really doesn't want to be forced into admitting. The last thing he wants Mako to take away here is that it's him having a relationship that is the problem. Because he knows Mako will read that and it isn't a rabbit hole Bolin wants to go down.

He knows Mako will take this as a personal failing either way, but he can at least try to guide them towards a softer landing.]

I wont freeze. And besides, I think I'm only going to be here another week. Maybe two, tops. Worst case, I'll get a hotel. I just want to find a home that isn't waiting for it's people to come back.

[arclightning]

How am I suppposed to trust that, Bolin?

[ The words come out sharp and short, faster than Mako means them to, but he doesn't take them back, crossing his arms over his chest as his shoulders hunch up. ]

You didn't even tell me you were here!

[pabugotmoves]

Because I didn't want you to know!

[He flaps back, matching the energy like for like.]

I knew you'd freak out and I just needed a little more time. What was I going to say, huh? Oh hey Mako no big deal but just so you know I'm apparently incapable doing something as simple as finding a place to live- no! And anyway, I like my hole so just-- just back off!

[He'll regret this in about thirty seconds but right now the anger feels valid and better than guilt.]

[arclightning]

[ Mako grits his teeth against a rush of anger, too much and too quick fo the situation but he's sleepless and flaking away, losing himself, and everything is intense. ]

It's a hole! In the ground! You can't seriously want to live like this!

[pabugotmoves]

Maybe I DO!

Argh- Mako you're so!!

[Fuck it. Let's fight. Bolin points at his brother before balling his fists with frustration- shifting to the side to get out of the way. He swipes through the air, opening the stone door with a slam. A rush of cold and dust invade down the steps but he doesn't care.]

Get out of my hole!

[arclightning]

Fine!

[ Mako snaps, and reaches out to grab Bolin's arm as he stomps for the door. He's not just going to leave Bolin in this stupid hole to freeze to death if he can help it. ]

[pabugotmoves]

[HAHAHA NOPE he noodles away from the grab immediately, backing up a few steps out of Mako's reach. Light on his feet, you see. Never went away. Bolin looks scandalized before pointing to the door again. How dare you.]

Out!

[arclightning]

[ Mako rounds on him, his face pulled into a very mighty scowl indeed. Prepare yourself for Big Brother voice. ]

Bolin, we're leaving. We'll talk about this inside.

[pabugotmoves]

[Yeah! Well!! Prepare yourself for bratty little brother gremlin!!

It's instinct to to just submit to Mako's force but he's committed to being hopped up and mad now so here we are.

Mako rounds and Bolin squares up to him, fists balled. Try to fireman carry and he'll scream like a banshee.]

No, you're leaving, Mako. We're not talking about anything, I told you to get out so get out!

[arclightning]

I'm not going to leave you in a hole!

[ And it's more than just a hole, and Mako knows that, somewhere, but his anger is a physical thing, a fire burning a hole in his belly, leaking even to Zuko, puffed and angry on his shoulders. It's entirely illogical, the idea that if he leaves Bolin here he'll walk away and come back to find him frozen, that he's a failure of a brother and a person for letting this happen at all, but Mako isn't using logic right now. He's hurt and he's angry and he's corrupted far beyond things like common sense. ]

[pabugotmoves]

[Which is all completely fair and totally valid. Bolin knows that's how Mako will be feeling but man this is getting stupid and he feels like it will come to blows soon if they don't stop. Neither one of them is willing to budge, which is rare, because usually Bolin just caves to his brother's will.

Not this time.

It's not even for a good reason, just bravado and wounded pride masking embarrassment.]

I will throw you out of this hole, so help me,

[It's a growl. The earth under them tenses as he grabs a hold of it, ready to pull and humming with energy. Mako, he will open the ceiling and boost you up into the club through the floorboards if you do not get the fuck out right now.]

[arclightning]

[ Mako feels the rumble and the shift under his own feet, trained after a lifetime of fighting beside Bolin, and he knows what's coming. He knows this is only going to get worse, that Bolin really means this, that he's stuck on this stupid, stubborn thing like he was with the train, and Mako—

Mako snarls at him, and Zuko trills in something like quiet disapproval as Mako whirls. ]

Fine! Making your own choices worked out so well for you last time but fine. Stay here and freeze.

[ Low blow, yes, but Mako's anger is tipping over and smoke is pouring off his skin, filling the space and hazing the light, and he has to go—go do something before he does something stupid in here. He doesn't give Bolin a chance to respond before whirling on his heel and storming right back up those steps. ]