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Sun crouched on a rooftop, his stomach knotted with anxiety. Noatak had only been willing to accept a week’s worth of training in chi-blocking before he demanded an equal share of the work. Eager for the help, but unwilling to take a huge risk, Sun had agreed to supervise while Noatak confronted a bending criminal.
The alley below was dark, but Sun had a lot of practice picking out dim shapes from bare outlines. A firebender had just stepped into the alley to count protection money extorted from shop owners on the street and Noatak was right behind him.
After a lot of debate, they had gotten Noatak black gear that matched Sun’s and a snarling ceramic Blue Spirit mask of his own. In the dark, slight differences in height and build between them would be easy to miss, especially when the observer was too busy fighting.
Sun struggled to keep his breathing smooth and quiet. No one would notice he was up there from the street, but some criminals preferred to run over rooftops. He didn’t want anyone to notice him looking over the roof’s edge. Breath control didn’t do much to easy his anxiety though. Despite himself, he was starting to like Noatak, far more than was safe or smart. If something happened because he’d dragged the guy into his crusade, Sun wasn’t sure he could forgive himself.
The firebender let out a startled shout, breaking Sun out of thought. Flames burst into life, shedding more than enough illumination on the scene. Noatak avoided them without hesitation or difficulty. In fact, even Sun couldn’t tell he had never tried chi-blocking before. He blocked both arms and then the legs and made the whole thing look easy.
“Well?” Noatak asked, as soon as Sun shimmied down to street level. The pride in his voice was unmistakable.
“You’re a natural. We’ll keep up your lessons when there’s time, but now I’m not worried about setting you loose in the streets.”
“Yes!” Noatak clapped Sun on the shoulder, not quite doing a dance of excitement.
A month later, Sun scaled the wall outside Noatak’s room and entered through the open window. “We’ve made the papers,” he announced, dropping a newspaper on Noatak’s desk. Cheerful, he sprawled comfortably onto Noatak’s bed.
“Really?” Paper rustled as Noatak read the article. “Incredible. I’ll admit we’ve made an impression on them. We should be careful, though, Sun. Yakone and his lieutenants must be getting nervous by now.”
He glanced up, no doubt intending to spear Sun with those intense blue eyes, spotted Sun on the bed, and looked away with his cheeks turning pink. Sun let out a very quiet snicker.
“You always say that. One would think that you would know if Yakone was getting nervous, being his son and everything. I’m not an idiot, Noatak. I’m not suggesting that we throw caution to the wind. Just that we take a little pride in the progress we’ve made. Bringing you in was the best decision I ever made.”
Now that Sun was thinking about it, he was starting to have trouble remembering what it had been like to work without Noatak. They fit together so perfectly that it seemed they’d always been together.
“Alright, then. I’m telling you that Yakone is getting nervous,” Noatak replied with a slight edge to his voice. He always got prickly when the subject of his father came up between them. “Some of the places we cleared out, some of the people we attacked, only someone inside his organization could have known about them. I’ll have to use the things I know more sparingly or risk a full-blown hunt for the traitor.”
The undercurrent of worry in his voice said what he didn’t: that Noatak and his brother would be in danger if that happened. Sun sat up and tried to look serious.
“There’s no need to remind me of all that, you know. I have a pretty good idea of how dangerous Yakone’s organization is. I won’t do anything to put your brother in danger.” A yawn cut off the rest of Sun’s reassurances and he did an involuntary stretch. Unable to stay upright, he slumped back on the bed.
“Sun? Are you falling asleep?”
“No, of course not. I’m fine. Are we going out tonight?” He sat up, expecting the answer would be yes.
“Not tonight. You should go home and get some rest,” Noatak replied. Yet another look of worry crept across his face, this time directed at Sun.
“Can’t. I got evicted a couple days ago.” Without meaning to, Sun looked away. He’d thought he was beyond feeling ashamed that he couldn’t keep a job or a home, but here it was flaring up again. Rather than look at Noatak and see the pity on his face, he stood and prepared to leave.
“Oh. Stay here then,” Noatak said, so matter-of-factly that Sun turned back to face him. “Actually, Tarrlok’s studies keep him out of the house until mid-afternoon. You can sleep here during the day if you like. We have the space and I don’t want you worrying about living space on top of everything else we’re doing.” Noatak squared his shoulders, a gesture that told Sun he was better off not arguing.
“I don’t want your charity,” Sun said half-heartedly. To be honest, the thought of a good, safe bed that wouldn’t cost money he didn’t have was a dream come true.
Noatak stood and shoved him playfully onto the bed. “It’s not charity. Partners look out for each other, as you tell me so often.”
Sun grinned and gave up. “Fine. But if I’m here, where will you sleep?”
As expected, Noatak turned bright red and turned his back. “I’ll be fine on the window seat,” he said in a rush.
Sun laughed. It felt surprisingly good, considering that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed freely. It was too much fun to tease Noatak. He wasn’t sure if the unspoken connection between them would ever be more than friendship, but making Noatak turn red due to his own awkwardness would never get old.
“Oh, no. You’ve trapped me here in your bed, it’s on you to keep me company. I promise I won’t bite.”
Noatak somehow got even more red in the face and stammered for a moment before letting out a sigh. “You’re right. I should have expected that one win was all I would get.”
“I’m only here because I’m too tired to fight over it,” Sun agreed, shedding his boots and coat. Anything else suddenly seemed like too much effort. “Besides, you got this one by offering a deal I couldn’t refuse.”
“Go to sleep. I have things to do,” Noatak retorted. He straightened things on his desk, putting everything where it belonged for the night.
“I’m not sleeping until you are,” Sun grumbled stubbornly, even though his eyes were trying to close against his will.
The light clicked out, leaving the room dark apart from the faint light of a streetlamp coming from the window. Noatak moved around the room for a few moments, but Sun felt him lie down before much time passed.
“I’m irresistible,” Sun cheered sleepily, hardly paying attention to what he was saying.
Noatak scoffed and covered him with blankets. “Just go to sleep. And please remember your promise. Tarrlok isn’t a part of this. Don’t let him catch you here.”
“I promised, didn’t I?” Sun said, turning in the darkness to drape an arm across Noatak’s chest. If his partner had a reply for that, he didn’t hear it as sleep claimed him.