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The afternoon air is filled with the sound of metal on metal as the disc hurtles from one end of the arena to the other. Wei readies himself, preparing to send the rocketing object back towards Wing when he catches movement in his periphery. He narrowly dodges the incoming disc, his mind occupied when he sees the figure as they come into focus. The sound of a horn cuts through the air followed by Wing’s cheers. Wei can’t find it in himself to care too much, not when he sees Bolin’s lips quirk as he sends a small wave to the twin.
Wei’s face lights up as he shouts, “Bolin!”
“Wing, Wei! Man, It’s so good to see you guys!”
The Beifong twins bend rock beneath their feet, launching themselves into the air and landing a couple of feet from Bolin.
“What brings you here? Did you come to see Opal? Is the Avatar with you?” Wing asks excitedly, not giving Bolin a chance to answer any one question.
Bolin’s smile falters slightly at the mention of the twins’ airbender sibling. It goes unnoticed by Wing but Wei is more observant. He always paid attention when it came to Bolin.
“Opal and I... we broke up,” Bolin says, solemnly.
Wing’s shoulders fall and his earlier excitement diminishes. “Oh...”
“Yeah,” Bolin says, his hand scratching at the back of his head. “We thought it better to stay friends. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you.”
An awkward silence descends over the three earthbenders. It stretches on until Wei can’t stand it anymore and repeats Wing’s first question.
“So what are you doing here?” he asks, not to be rude, but out of curiosity.
“Oh right, I –” Bolin pauses then looks at Wing.
Wei turns his head as well. Nobody would accuse his twin of being astute, but he must understand the other’s look because he mumbles out an obvious excuse and skitters off.
The two of them now alone, Wei turns back to Bolin, the older male looking embarrassed.
“So I was thinking, I mean I know it’s kinda a lot to ask but I was hoping it would be possible for you to tryandteachmemetalbendingagain?” Bolin shoots off and adds a sweet smile at the end.
Wei just stares at him for a moment, eyes wide and his brain unable to untangle the mess of words the older earthbender just shot at him.
“Uhhh...What?”
“I said: I was hoping it would be possible for you to try and teach me metal bending again,” Bolin repeats, body hunched over and staring at the ground.
“Oh,” Wei says, surprised. “Why would you still be interested in metal bending now that you can – you know –” Wei gestures with his hand.
Bolin doesn’t actually know what the twin’s referring to.
“Lavabend,” he huffs out, exasperatedly. Sometimes talking to Bolin is hard.
“Yeah... but I still wanna be able to, you know? I don’t like knowing that I tried something and I gave up because I couldn’t do it.”
Wei doesn’t know if it’s the whole truth, but Bolin looks earnest like he believes it. Then again that’s like the older earthbender’s default facial expression.
“So couldn’t you ask the Avatar to teach you, not that I’m saying no. Just curious is all.”
“Korra and Asami just took off after Varrick’s wedding and haven’t returned. She’ll send something to let us know she’s alright but she’s constantly moving, so we don’t really know where she is.”
Wei says nothing just nods in understanding.
“Sooo...” Bolin asks, pouting.
Wei’ll be damned if the doesn’t think that’s cute.
His last little bit of resistance crumbles and he slouches, his head hanging low. “Fine. But after lunch.”
He’s not prepared for the larger male to jump at him and envelope him in a hug. Wei tries to pry him off but fails miserably. Apparently the fact that he just had an intense game of powerdisc and is sweating like a bull pig doesn’t bother Bolin who has his cheek pressed up against Wei’s. The twin finally manages to get the older male off and turns around so that Bolin can’t see his blush.
“We’ll begin after lunch,” he repeats and then scampers off to his room.
Arriving in his and and Wing’s sleeping quarters, he rushes to the bathroom and bends the metal door closed, pressing his back against the cold slab. He thought he was past this.
Wei begs off from eating in the dininghall and has his lunch sent to his room. To his dismay, it’s Wing that brings his meal, delivering it with that devious grin of his.
“So Bolin is back,” he beats around the bush.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Wei responds, not in the mood.
His tone just makes Wing’s smile wider. “So is the crush I see. But I don’t think that ever went away.”
“Wing, don’t,” Wei warns, his voice dangerously low.
Wing, like always ignores him and just carries on rambling. “And he’s not with Opal anymore, so maybe you have a chance. Wait –” Wing pauses and looks at Wei. “Did he tell you why he’s here?”
“He wants to give metal bending another try,” Wei reveals, not feeling like he’s betrayed Bolin’s confidence by revealing that fact.
“Or –” Wing points his index finger up. “He’s here to see you.”
Wei’s eyes darken. “Shut up.”
His twin sticks his tongue out and bends the metal door to their room open, stopping to blow a raspberry at his brother. He doesn’t shut the door again and Wei can hear what sounds like a ‘see if I help you out again’ drift through the hallway.
If that’s help... Wei thinks sarcastically as he starts to eat.
Wei and Bolin step over the steel bridge and into the garden housing the numerous meteorites.
“We’ll start from the beginning. I know my mom told you about the unique properties of the meteorites the last time you were here, so I think it should be a good place to start,” Wei says bending a tiny fragment off the rock closest to him and manipulating it into a flat disc shape and then into a shuriken before setting it into its original shape. “See how easy it is?”
“Easy for you, maybe,” Bolin pouts again and Wei clears his throat, looking sheepish.
The metalbender levitates the rock in front of Bolin’s face then lowers it slowly into his outstretched hand.
“One part of mastering metalbending is actually believing that you can do it,” Wei says as he stops next to Bolin.
The older male’s face is scrunched up in concentration, sweat has even begun pooling atop his brow. Wei follows the moisture’s path as it slides down the other male’s cheek then to his neck before it disappears past Bolin’s collar.
Wei clears his throat again, snapping himself from his thoughts.
“Rather than the metal as a whole, focus on the fine pieces within it, That’s what you’re really bending.”
The metal in Bolin’s hand quivers slightly and Wei raises his eyebrow. Maybe he’s getting the hang of it?
The metal stops moving and now it’s Wei’s turn to pout. “It seemed like something was happening there. Maybe –” he trails off like he’s formulating a plan. “Yeah,” he says stepping in behind Bolin and puts a hand on the other’s shoulders pushing lightly, a request for Bolin to lower himself.
“You’re standing mostly in an earthbending posture, too rigid. Try relaxing a bit more.”
Bolin lowers himself in to a squatting position, prompting Wei to roll his eyes.
“That’s too much. Maybe try... splitting the difference.”
Bolin seems to grasp his meaning and Wei hums in approval. “That’s better,” he says as he places the palm of his right hand on Bolin’s right bicep. “Let your left hand act as sort of like an anchor and use your right to pull. Similar to when you tear something, only less force. You want to move and not break,” Wei says, breath ghosting over the shell of Bolin’s ear.
Bolin nods, the back of his head scraping against Wei’s cheek. The twin peers over the other’s shoulder, rather than stepping back from the other earthbender. He knows he shouldn’t but he can’t deny himself the contact, no matter how miniscule.
Bolin’s hand hovers over the fragment, his limbs less tense before. Where they were once shaking from exertion, now they were more fluid and relaxed, but not totally different from the signature style of an earthbender. He closes his fingers into a pseudo-gripping motion and lifts his hand a few inches further from the rock.
A point protrudes from the surface and then another.
Bolin turns around, his expression one of unbridled excitment. Wei doesn’t even let himself dwell on the loss of meager contact. He doesn’t even have time to, because Bolin has his arms around him in a crushing bear hug. Wei’s stunned for a moment, he doesn’t return the hug. Then when he thinks Bolin’s about to pull back he wraps his arms around the larger male, his palms flat against Bolin’s back.
He doesn’t want to let go.
He’s not sure how long they stand like that for, doesn’t even care. A member of the staff, his brothers or, heck, even his mother could walk up to them and he wouldn’t let go.
“Thank you,” Bolin says, his lips brushing against Wei’s ear.
It’s Wei who pulls back, concerned that Bolin would feel his reaction to the contact and the effect Bolin’s voice had on him. He’s blushing, he knows that but he could easily play it off as being in the sun for too long.
“Maybe now we can move on to the bigger stuff,” he tries to joke but it falls flat.
He looks at Bolin and something seems slightly off about him now. His one hand’s gripping his shoulder but not in the way somebody in pain would, no. This is a nervous tick, Wei’s noticed from all the times they’ve worked together.
“What’s wrong? You should be proud Bolin.”
Bolin nods. “Yeah, I know but...” he trails off.
“But...”
“I lied. Earlier when I told you why Opal and I broke up,” Bolin stutters out.
“Okay...” Wei drawls, not entirely sure where they’re doing with this, or how it’s relevent.
“I mean. I didn’t totally lie. We did both decide that we should be friends. I wasn’t totally honest about the metalbending either I –”
“Bolin, what are you trying to say?” Wei interrupts the other’s rambling.
“I like you, okay!”
And Oh. The. Spirits, Wei was not expecting that. He stands there with his eyes about to pop out of his head. he’s not even sure that he’s breathing anymore.
“What?” he croaks out eventually.
“I didn’t really want to learn to metalbend, not that I’m complaining. It’s just – Opal said it would be a way for me to get closer to you and –”
“You told Opal!?” Wei can not believe what he’s hearing now; the story’s just getting better and better.
“I didn’t know who else to talk to and I didn’t wanna keep stringing her along and – Wei? Please say something.” Bolin pleads, looking like he’s about to pass out.
Wei, however, doesn’t say anything. He just stands rigid like one of his brother’s sculptures, barely registering what Bolin’ saying.
“I made a fool of myself, didn’t I?” he says, turning to walk away. “You don’t feel the same and I –”
“Wait!” Wei shouts, grabbing at Bolin before he can leave the training area.
Bolin turns to face him. He’s biting his lip and there are tears welling in his eyes. “It’s okay Wei. I ge –”
Wei kisses him.
It’s not the greatest kiss he’s ever had but it’s definitely the most memorable. When they separate, Wei finds Bolin looking at him in a daze, his eyes are glazed over and his lips are slightly parted. Wei pecks him one last time then stands up straighter. “I do. Feel the same,” he confesses.
The smile Bolin gives him is... Wei doesn’t have any words to describe it; beautiful simply doesn’t do it any justice. Their little bubble bursts though when they hear clapping and they both look up at the stairs. Wing and his mother are standing there with these giddy expressions on their faces.
“Get it, bro!” Wing shouts.
And Wei... he wants to die from embarrassment. But at least he can die happy.