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Random “what if Bolin and Mako were born in the first series” just because. (Though, their start is the same in the au where Aang died and Korra is born within the hundred year war. Which … maybe I’ll make a post about, maybe I won’t idk.)
They’re born in a Fire Nation colony. It’s small, not overly populated so their family isn’t exactly a secret. Some colonies have less unrest, this isn’t one of them.
Their family is generally ignored but with Fire Nation troops still prevalent in newer colonies they’re still kept an eye on.
Mako is born with gold eyes and his complexion is just darker than his mothers. They’re actually a little relieved. But then comes Bolin with warm green eyes who moves pebbles with his wails and they’re suddenly not so at ease in town anymore.
San is the one who bends a small tunnel under their house. He drills into his boys head that they don’t belong here, that people don’t care for them here. That one day they may have to leave. Go find refuge with his family back in Ba Sing Se. He tells Mako repeatedly that he can’t bend out there. He tells Bolin repeatedly that he can’t bend here.
Naoki doesn’t argue but she hates it, she hates these plans and the fact that they could be necessary. They’re her children, they should belong.
It’s Naoki who gets them in trouble. He’s passionate and speaks her mind but she’s angry too. She loves her nation and she hates it. Hates how it spits at her husband’s feet and looks at her children like they’re nothing. Naoki hates that in many of her peoples’ eyes she stopped being a Fire Nation citizen the moment she married San. (Or not, who knows if marriage between two nations is legal at this point. Especially concerning Fire Nation.)
Mako doesn’t know why his parents are suddenly fighting the soldiers but he knows what it means when they stop moving. He knows what could come next if he doesn’t get his little brother out.
And they’re running away and they’re crying and hungry and their feet hurt. Mako struggles to bend to keep them warm, Bolin struggles to make them stable shelter. Neither of them have any idea where they’re going.
They’re children who have struggled to survive. They have to learn to feed themselves, to keep themselves clothed in any manner they can. They’re rarely ever looked at when they roll into a town. Orphans of war are hardly a new concept, especially on the borders of the Earth Kingdom.
Mako hates firebenders and he never bends in public view but fire is what helps keep Bolin warm and fed. It’s what keeps him close to his mother. Mako hates firebenders but he trains every second he can. He’s skilled enough to keep them safe but his fire is used only as a last resort. Mako’s good with knives. (He doesn’t generate lightning in this au, doesn’t even know that’s a possibility.)
People tend to love Bolin and then dislike him in a heartbeat. He’s a very “not all firebenders are bad” kind of kid because they’re cursing the Fire Nation right in front of his brother and it’s not fair. Mako’s not like that and Bolin’s Fire Nation too. But he knows well enough he can’t say that. Bolin’s not ashamed of his family but he thinks sometimes that maybe he should be.
It takes them years to actually reach Ba Sing Se and by then Bolin has forgotten why they’re here in the first place. Mako doesn’t remind him. He doesn’t find their family. He doesn’t know them, he doesn’t trust them. Most of all he’s afraid they’ll reject them.
They spend three years in the city. Living on the street and in abandoned buildings. They both take whatever job they can find. Mako’s 16 and Bolin’s 14 and they’re used to hard living by now.
“These people are Fire Nation!” Bolin’s panic lasts only a moment when he realizes people are gathered on the street. Two teenagers around his brother’s age are sword fighting. The old man is trying to talk the teenager down, trying to tell them that they’re not who he thinks they are. It’s not surprising when the Dai Li takes one of the angry teenagers away. They said they’re not Fire Nation. People defended them. But Bolin can’t help but wonder.
Iroh is slightly worried it’s going to become a frequent occurrence when ANOTHER teenager comes in the shop asking if they’re Fire Nation. The difference is, he buys some tea and when he brings the cup to the counter, he leans over it to whisper his question. The problem is he whispers his question to his nephew who replies with a loud and impolite “no”. Luckily the boy seems unperturbed by Zuko’s brash behavior. Unluckily for them it just seems the boy decided for himself that they are.
The boy becomes a regular. Not always buying tea but always trying to engage both Zuko and Iroh. Iroh is amused, Zuko is not. But the boy, Bolin, did promise to keep their secret. Iroh believes him, though he never admits to the boy’s claims. Iroh eventually invites Bolin over for tea, much to Zuko’s chagrin. But he’s a hopeful old man and maybe someone as lighthearted as Bolin would be good for Zuko.
Iroh learns a lot about Bolin in a very short time. Bolin loves to talk, especially about his brother. Apparently Bolin has had a very hard life, traveling, homeless, his brother taking care of them since their parents were killed. Iroh doesn’t really understand how Bolin is so ready to be friends with people he believes to be of the same nation that killed his parents. That is until he sees his brother.
It’s Bolin’s eyes that threw him. Standing next to Mako with his dark amber eyes and the boys strong family resemblance, Iroh doesn’t know how he missed the Fire Nation in him. Mako politely apologizes for his brother’s intrusiveness and Iroh hopes maybe Zuko’s potential friend count just bumped up to two. But then Zuko remarks that he should be and the look Mako throws at his nephew makes Iroh realize he should focus on one for now. Still Mako somehow finds himself having tea with his brother, his strange old friend and their shithead nephew.
Another potential friend, a potential more, for Zuko comes in the form of Jin. She’s nice and he thinks her date with Zuko went well. But Bolin’s at their apartment the next morning without so much as a hello but a giddy “I knew it!” Iroh is reminded once again about his nephew’s fault in not thinking before he acts when Bolin told his tale about seeing and following Zuko only to see him light up the candles in a plaza without taking a step towards them.
It’s then that Iroh learns that Mako’s a firebender. Iroh is prevvy to a lot more detail about Bolin’s life then and Zuko quietly listens from his room. Iroh isn’t surprised to learn that Mako isn’t a fan of firebenders and wouldn’t exactly be happy about Bolin hanging around them. Mako wouldn’t be the first.
Iroh is pleased that Bolin is so happy for him when he’s given his own teashop. But Bolin never enters and he’s surprised that Bolin didn’t greet them at their new place. It’s then that he realizes the kind of people he’s suddenly surrounded by. No shoeless, grubby teenagers in sight. He doesn’t get the chance to invite Bolin and his brother into his teashop before they’re invited to see the king.