Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Avatar: Legend of Korra, or any intellectual property derived therefrom. I do not derive any income or other benefit from posting the story below.

Cops and Robbers

"Stop! You're under arrest!" The black-haired boy was grinning as he chased after his lighter-haired brother.

"Haha! You can't catch me, copper!" The younger boy shouted. His green eyes sparkled as he vaulted over a crate of apples, spilling a few, and dodged around a cart piled high with cabbages.

Mako slid feet-first past the still-startled grocer and under the cart, nearly horizontal as he used his momentum to carry him clear. He used one muddy hand to push himself back into a sprint as he pounded after Bolin.

Further down the alley, the younger boy slapped the brick wall as he ran by. A few small chunks of masonry slid out from the wall, floating in midair for a moment before the stocky young earthbender swung his arm behind him, batting the fragments back toward his pursuer.

Most of the pieces flew wild, skittering along the packed dirt ground or careening off a wall far above Mako's head. Mako ducked one lucky shot, and spun sideways to avoid a second. It slowed him down a little, but not enough to matter. Bolin was almost as tall as he, despite their difference in age, but not nearly as quick.

The two tore out of the alley, around a corner, and onto the sidewalk of a paved street. Bolin dodged around the pedestrians, with Mako only a few paces behind. Men in rounded hats and women in the brightly colored dresses shouted and tried to get out of the way.

The two boys chased each other down the street, over a white cobbled bridge and into the Memorial Park. Bolin hopped over a low white chain strung between posts lining the edge of the grass, blithely ignoring the "Please Stay Off Grass" sign neatly hanging from the chain. Mako skidded to a halt, barely keeping himself from tripping over the chain and onto the bright green grass.

His brother, knowing he was safe for the moment, slowed to a walk. Panting, he went to lean against a tree with white bark and thick, waxy foliage that had been trimmed into a careful sphere.

Mako crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "Get out of there, Bolin." He used his best older-brother voice. He was proud of how his words came out. They were gruff, adult-sounding. He hoped his gold-flecked pupils caught the light in an appropriately threatening manner.

Bolin just stuck his tongue out.

"I mean it!"

Bolin reached into his baggy, too-large shirt and pulled out an apple. He took a huge bite, juice dripping down his chin, and slouched lazily against the tree.

"Erraaah!" Mako punched the air, shooting a fist-sized ball of flame at his brother. Who, understandably, ducked. The flames slammed into the tree, leaving a black scorch-mark on the previously unblemished trunk. The smell of smoke and charred wood floated through the air.

The younger boy's eyes slid up to gaze at the still-sizzling wound. "Uhmm..."

Something whizzed by Mako's head, slamming into Bolin. Two somethings, actually, one for each arm. The metal cables curved and pulled upwards, leaving the boy dangling by his wrists, a few feet off the ground. Bolin's apple fell from his hand and thudded softly into the grass. Mako gulped and turned around. A metalbender.

The officer was standing quite a ways away, on the highest point of the bridge into the park. The late afternoon sun stretched his shadow before him, reaching almost to Mako's feet. His arms were raised in an earthbending posture, controlling the metal arms that had caught Bolin. The officer's armor was ringed, black metal. A dark cap shadowed his face, and for a minute, he looked too familiar. Too much like Dad.

The officer lowered his arms, depositing Mako's brother safely on the gravel path. Bolin started rubbing his wrists as soon as he was released, as the metalbender strode down the bridge to tower over them.

"Unauthorized bending and destruction of public property. What do you have to say for yourselves?" His voice was low, threatening. Nothing like Dad's rough but warm tones.

"Sorry," Mako mumbled, looking down. Please don't arrest us please don't...

Bolin looked up angrily. "We were just fooling! We didn't do anything wrong!"

In other circumstances, Mako would have slapped some sense into his brother. This was no time to argue! Instead, he stepped forward, still not looking up.

"It's my fault, officer. Please don't blame my brother." From the corner of his eye, he could see the metal arms moving.

"Firebenders," the man said. Mako could hear the sneer in his voice. Beside him, Bolin clenched his fists, but, thankfully, he kept quiet. "You people cause more trouble than all the other benders combined. At least you seem to have a little control of your temper." With a shick, the cables withdrew back into the metalbender's armor.

"I see you set anything else on fire, anything, and you and your brother will both be in a cooler." The officer turned away and walked back to the street, where he shot up and off along the ubiquitous wires strung between the upper levels of the buildings.

Mako stood there for a minute, not trusting himself to move. Next to him, Bolin relaxed and spun around, stretching.

"Welp, that was fun!" He tugged on his older brother's ragged sleeve. "It's almost sunset. Time to go home, right?"

Mako sighed, a long deep breath that released all the air in his lungs. He looked up. "Yeah, let's head back."

As they walked away from the park, Bolin reached into his tunic and pulled out another piece of fruit. "Want an apple? I've got lots."

Thanks for reading! This is my first ever piece of fanfic, so reviews and constructive criticism are desperately welcomed.