Title: To the Right End
Rating: T to be safe (for mild language)
Summary: Bolin proposes that they add the Avatar to their pro-bending team, but Mako has some things to say about that.
Genre: General
Words: 2161

A/N: So I can't draw fanart, I can't make graphics, and I'm not always good at analyzing or discussing stuff very articulately… but sometimes, if my muse comes out from his basement and stops smoking on his pipe long enough to sprinkle around some fairy dust, I can kind of write fic.

To the Right End

He's seen the newspapers, sure. The articles about how Avatar Korra's bending abilities already rival Aang's (doubtful); her achievements at already mastering water, earth, and firebending at age 17 (admirable, but hardly something to wet a pair of trousers over); and how her primary goal in Republic is to confront "this Amon guy" and knock him on his ass as soon as physically possible (which is, frankly, laughable). All in all, she seems like a whirlwind of someone he wouldn't even trust to run around the city without a leash on, much less have in charge of keeping the peace between the nations and balancing the spiritual harmony of the world.

But the most important thing the newspapers mentioned – for them, anyway – is that her waterbending is apparently something folks would pay an arm and a leg for to see in , Bolin's suggestion is more than a little absurd. They just lost Kazuo last week and Mako thought they were going to take a small break to regroup and hold auditions for their next waterbending teammate, but of course his brother had to go charging after the most obvious, most popular, most attention-seeking choice –

"Excuse us for a moment," Mako says to Korra, who is smiling at something Bolin's said (probably at his expense, but he's going to let it go this time). He gives Bolin a Look. "Can I talk to you?"

His younger brother may be a total goofball, but he's no idiot. Bolin nods and follows him out of the arena, where he had decided to stage this particular get-together (thank Agni the last pro-bending match ended hours ago and there's nobody here to see this meeting and start spreading rumors).

Mako leads them down into a secluded corner behind two pillars that separate the spectators' seats. He looks excited, perhaps, that his brother is about to agree with him that this is a good idea, yes, even better than that time they decided to enter that pork bun eating contest because they were out of money and wanted free lunch –

"Bolin," he begins, "you know that little voice people have that tells them not to touch that hot stove? It's the same one that informs them of the dangers of using earthbending to change the course of the road while you're driving, or generally prevents people from acting out bad ideas."

"What?"

"It's become clear to me that you've fallen out of contact with yours. I'd like you to tell me how you got in your head that adding the Avatar to our team could ever be a good idea," Mako says sharply. "She's undisciplined, she's hot-headed, she's a teenagerfor the love of – "

"Hey, so are we," Bolin replies, frowning as he realizes this isn't going as he'd planned. "Look, you may not like her, but that doesn't mean she's not a worthy teammate. I'm sure if you ask she could give you a waterbending demonstration, I've seen her in action and she's really very good – "

"I'm sure she'd be more than willing," Mako said, "which is part of the problem as well. She's arrogant. That doesn't make for very good teammate material. Just because she took out those three criminal gangsters in the Market District single-handedly doesn't mean she'd work well when we have to watch each other's backs."

"I know you probably miss Kazuo – "

"I do notmiss Kazuo. The man was a lunatic, and I only agreed to take him on because you promised we could get to the semi-finals with him on the team."

"Which we did!"

"By forfeit when the other team was arrested for that opium den scandal. And webarelymade it past the match before because of his trip-up when he doused me with scalding water that left my firebending soggy for five minutes – "

"Look," Bolin says sharply, and Mako knows his brother well enough to at least try to listen this time. "I know. I get it. She's not perfect. She's kind of – well – childish, and she probably hasn'tworked on a team before in her life. But think, she's already mastered water, earth, and fire – "

"Which reminds me," Mako says, suddenly reminded of another important point, "a lot of other teams are going to see that as cheating, so we could avoid the entire issue altogether by getting someone el – "

"Mako!"

This time, he's quiet.

Bolin looks back at Korra, who's still waiting patiently in the ring for the two of them to make their decision. The sigh he heaves out isn't quiet or shy, but a labored, exhausted release of air that leaves Mako feeling guilty. "She's mastered three elements. And come on, she knows she can't use earth or fire, and she doesn't strike me as a cheater." Bolin runs a hand through his hair, frustrated. "She probably knows a lot more than any other waterbender would ever about how you and I could work. No, don't interrupt, just think about it. She's already great at firebending, or so the papers say… She could help."

"I don't need help with my firebending, thank you very much."

"Not with teaching us, just with… well, in the ring. The entire dynamic in our battles. We have to understand each other better than the other teams. Korra knows how firm you have to be to bend earth, how fierce you have to be for fire. That's already something she has that no other waterbender could offer. Even if she doesn't know us and what our styles are yet, she still knows what we need. Not as people, but as benders. It's something we all have in common that she can relate to and respect. At the very least, there's that."

Which is true, but…

But. Korra's unpredictable. She's rough and wild, a loose cannon. He may be able to trust her in training, and she may be a good partner in the ring, but he doesn't want to rely on a hot-headed stranger to help them win the pro-bending jackpot. There's too much riding on their matches. A win means rent and food for a week. A loss and you'll probably lose half a dozen sponsors, if not more, and that means it's back to living in one shaggy apartment of the week at a time as you climb your way back to the top – it's too much for them to take risks with something like this.

"I just don't know if she's worth it," he says. "It could be disastrous. This is probably just all fun and games to her, she's probably not even going to make this a priority. But for us…"

"For us, it's important," Bolin agrees. "You're right. So just make her understand that. You're good at intimidating people."

"Am I?"

"Sure. Remember when I brought Mei over and you glared at her from across the apartment before she made some excuse and left?"

"No," he says darkly.

"Well, I suppose it was all for the best, since it turned out she was still seeing her ex-boyfriend from Omashu, but still. If it doesn't work out, we'll be honest about it and she'll understand. Come on, please? Take a chance, just this once."

Except Mako isn't good at taking chances. He doesn't live for variables; it's not what's kept them alive on the streets for so long. It's not what'll keep them sane and orderly in the upcoming months as Amon and the Equalists grow bolder and Republic's crime rates climb higher and higher every week.

But still, he sees the hope in Bolin's eyes, and knows he owes it to him to at least try. Even if he doesn't trust Korra, he does trust his brother. Maybe the rest will come in time.

They trudge back up to the ring, where the Avatar's been observing the scoreboard from the recent matches. Mako isn't ashamed to let her see their statistics – they've won their last five matches, which isn't half bad, especially for benders their age – but he's hoping she doesn't see the note under their last match, which states in the fine print that their previous waterbender had stormed out after a very large, very heated, very publicargument about dividing the winnings immediately after the game. Even if it happens all the time, pro-benders quitting teams aren't exactly good publicity, especially not without a formal statement and either of the phrases "mutual decision" or "left due to creative differences" to hide behind.

Kazuo leaving was Mako's fault, of course. It always was; no matter how much he tries to keep the peace and a level head, there's always something that sets him off when faced with mediocrity and idiocy, especially when combined. Bolin's willing to let a lot of it go, sure, but he wasn't old enough to remember their dad pushing Mom around before he left and she caught the flu. He barely remembers a pre-teen Mako having to take care of a sick middle-aged woman and a toddler for a brother in a dripping shack with a shrinking budget. Now that there's only two of them and he's old enough to make a difference with their finances, now that he can control things… sitting down and letting himself be pushed over by these criminal bending gangsters or making compromises with stupid squabbles over money just isn't worth their time.

But the Avatar should be rich anyway, right? No need for her to demand more than her fair share of winnings. Heck, maybe the publicity she comes with could help, for as much as it's worth…

"…All right," Mako says quietly when they reach her. "We've decided to take you on."

Korra's and Bolin's spreading grins are threatening his pride, so he quickly adds, "For a trial period. Say, if the next two weeks of training go well and we don't completely bust the next match, then you're official. But it'll be hard, and I don't want to hear any complaints." He supposes this is what makes him an effective team leader: no crap, no whining, no arguing on petty things that don't matter. Money – that matters. Status and public image – that matters, because it leads to money. Everything else is relative.

"Yes, sir," Korra says, and Mako's not sure if she's being sarcastic but he narrows his eyes a bit nonetheless.

"Bolin and I, we take this seriously. I understand this may be just an exciting, recreational way to spend time for you, but this is important to the two of us. You don't have to take it as seriously as we do – "

"I don't take it that seriously," Bolin comments. He's joking, of course, but Mako still frowns.

"Fine. You don't have to take it as seriously as Ido, but as long as you recognize this isn't just all fun and bending shenanigans for the two of us, then that's fine. We clear?"

"Of course," Korra says, and now she's not grinning anymore. She holds his gaze for a moment, firm but not challenging, and then smiles. "I'll take it seriously, I promise. If I can tough it out through water, earth, and firebending then I can do this kind of training, no problem."

"It's different from the regular training," he protests, "because this time you're learning to fight with otherpeople, not just – "

"Come on," Bolin interrupts and grabs her hand, leading the three of them down the stairs from the ring. "Let's go out to dinner and celebrate. You been to the Merchant District yet? They've got all these great noodle shops and this one on High Street has the most delicious pork dumplings…"

Mako bites his tongue to keep his brother from reminding that they'd already eaten out a few days ago and shouldn't be spending so much money again so soon. He'll let the two of them have their fun tonight, then get started on being a hard-ass tomorrow morning. He owes them that much, at least.

If anything, it was that second when their eyes met, the moment of absolute seriousness in the midst of the rest of her cocky, sassy attitude, that convinces him that she may be not an entire waste of an investment. Maybe she'd last, maybe she wouldn't. Either way – and he has to admit this, even to himself, at the very least – it might be worth it to see the look on their opponents' faces when they step into the ring with the Avatar in their team's red gear, a statement to the city that perhaps Mako and Bolin aren't just two regular street rats, broke schmucks living in the streets like half the rest of the population after all. No matter how much it's true. The Avatar, of all people, sees something in them that she likes, people she wants to get to know better.

Even if she is just a reckless, irresponsible, destructive, frustratingly captivating teenage girl.