"'Course I think so." With Bolin still stuck to his chest like glue, Mako reached over the expanse of his brother's broad shoulders to reach for another dose of napkins. Fingering a few, he brought them back to his side and offered them out to his brother, waiting patiently for the other to notice and take it if he wanted. "I mean, they don't call you the rising earthbending champ for nothing, right?"
And it was times like these -- when his little brother would vocalize doubtful questions such as 'really?' or 'you think so?' -- that Mako resented the fact that he was seen as the Fire Ferret's team leader and its leader only. Sure, he definitely reveled in the fact that his team was gaining more popularity and gossip by the match; but at the same time, Mako wasn't so greedy for attention. Though he may be their team's leader, he certainly didn't appreciate it when the announcers or probending critics credited him for the wins. Seldom were their any mentions of Bolin or Hasook on the radio broadcastings; hence, Mako sought to reconfirm his little brother's and his teammate's worth as much as he could -- but for Bolin, especially.
Come to think of it, though, wasn't the match that decided whether or not they would make it into championship in a day or two? Mako's eyes momentarily flitted over to the restaurant's nearest window, already seeing a few shades of orange leak through the flimsy fabric's curtains. He sighed then, knowing full well that rushing things with his brother would only make things take longer; and besides, one's mentality was more important than one's physicality during these sorts of situations, right? His head snapped back to attention, however, when Bolin mumbled a rather important tidbit of information.
“Well, I told her we lived in the arena, and she didn’t like that.”
"She wha--?" He stopped himself and bit his bottom lip. No, now wasn't the time to be mad about that. If Bolin had truly cared about this girl, then criticizing her wouldn't alleviate any wounds. "...Well," he said after a slight pause, "...Then it's her loss. If she can't see through the fact that she was dating a strong-hearted and nice guy like you, then she'll sure have trouble finding someone like you around this banged up city." And it was the truth, too -- because if anybody knew Republic City's grim realities, it was Mako and Bolin. The two had done everything in their power to make end's meet when they had been torn of their parents.
"But hey, Bo. Listen. You...you shouldn't be ashamed for telling me something like that. It...almost sounds like you thought I would've gotten mad at you. I wouldn't have taken what you said to be an insult. I mean, sure, I worked hard to get us where we are -- but so have you. So...don't let this girl beat you up, okay...?"