Fire in the Sky (TLOK)

Chapter 60: A Promise of Victory

Yuno flung back the covers of his blanket, clutching his head. His heart beat fast, trembling as he stumbled out of bed. He wasn't a stranger to nightmares but being away from Kira made him more nervous than usual. Yuno walked quickly down the hallway. The boy's rooms were quiet. No one was awake yet, having just hit a few hours after dawn. Once he got closer to the family residency, Yuno scurried towards the one bedroom that he recognized. Twisting the knob, he pushed it open, freezing at the front.

Yuki's room was filled with silent breathing. The window was slightly ajar, and the curtains were blowing in cool morning air. On the bed were two sleeping figures. Mako had arms wrapped around Yuki, one arm supporting her neck and the other around her waist. They were both facing the other side of the room, softly breathing. Yuno shifted his feet in the doorway. He was still scared, but he didn't want to bother.

But before he could step out, Mako shifted, slowly turning his head to the door. Squinting, he looked to Yuno, and then back at Yuki. Yuno opened his mouth but found no words to say. Mako didn't seem bothered by that. Slowly, the firebender slipped his arm out from under Yuki's neck. She shifted only a little bit, murmuring nonsense. Mako dipped his head once more to kiss her cheek before sliding off the bed and shuffling over to Yuno.

He was wearing a large t-shirt and shorts, squatting in front of the boy.

"What's going on, bud?" he whispered, rubbing sleep from his face.

"I-I got scared." Yuno whispered back, wringing his hands together. "I'm s-sorry for waking you."

"It's alright." Mako patted Yuno on the head. The warmth was comforting, "I'm a light sleeper anyway."

Mako looked back at Yuki, "Do you want to sleep some more?" he asked, "I'm sure there's room."

"I don't know."

"Okay..." Mako held out a hand to the boy, "I'm not sure how much help I can be with nightmares, but you can tell me about it. Maybe we can get something to eat."

Yuno nodded, grabbing Mako's hand. The two of them walked out towards the kitchen. It was empty, still far too early for anyone to be properly up. Mako shuffled around, remembering where Yuki kept her hoard of snacks, pulling out a bag of fire crisps.

"Okay," Mako knelt down, "She'll probably hate me for this later, but I heard these are your favorite so... here."

Yuno let out a small giggle, opening the bag, "She shared this with me a few days ago," he said while Mako boiled some water for tea.

"So, the nightmare," Mako handed Yuno a cup, "Was it about the vines?"

"Sort of... I only saw the purple light this time. But it was making huge explosions everywhere. My dream ended when I saw the light hit Air Temple Island."

Mako sighed, sitting down next to Yuno, "I see why you got scared."

"Do you think it has to do with what might happen? With the weapon?"

"Well... I wouldn't want to lie to you."

Today, Mako was told the police force was supposed to help with evacuation. Last he spoke to Wu, it was going slow, and they needed to hurry up. No one knew when Kuvira would strike with her weapon.

"Yuki would say not to worry." Mako patted Yuno's shoulder, "We're going to stop things before they get too bad."

"You guys have a lot of confidence."