Couples

Chapter 1
The Red Door

"Mako? You all right?" Korra asked him while still holding Asami's hand.

Mako felt like he had been hit by a brick, and he wasn't ok. "You're both dating each other now… That's cool… I'm cool with it…" Mako trailed off.

Bolin patted him on the back. "While Make takes a minute to process all this I have a question-"

Mako didn't really follow the rest of the conversation and as soon as they left the scene he made an excuse to slip away from the group and walk through the city. Mako's head seemed to have cleared a little but his whole world seemed to be upside down. Korra and Asami were dating each other and Bolin was cool with it? Just like that? Mako wasn't really surprised that the two other girls were ok with it, one was raised an air bender and Opal's family seemed like the most accepting bunch in the earth Kingdome, but Bolin? He had grown up on the streets; the cruel streets where just an accusation of homosexuality could get you killed. You were taught to fear them, think of them as predators, the triads seemed great compared to how parts of the streets demonized the gays.

Mako turned on to another street this one tree lined. Maybe, Bolin had been too innocent back then and never even learned those unspoken rules. To Mako's shame, he might have learned those rules a little too well and unlearning them had been a real bitch.

Mako stopped outside a very well kept brown stone house with a red door. He pulled out a key. At least he hadn't had to do it alone. Mako opened the door and was met with a rush of welcome smells including the best smell in the world. Walking into the warm yellow front hall, Mako felt part of himself relax a little.

"Hello?" Yelled a familiar voice from upstairs. "Is someone there? If I don't know you, leave I'm busy."

"It's just me!" Mako yelled back.

"I didn't think were coming over tonight." Iroh said walking out of his study and leaning against the railing. The young general in his late twenties gave Mako an amused smile. "Did your calendar finally open up?"
Mako shrugged. "Kinda, my life." He made a motion with his hand. "The one involving the avatar and trying to act normal and," He sighed, "Straight, just got a lot gay friendlier."

Mako's boyfriend tilted his head. "Really? Is this a call for calibration or one of your patented stressed out, panicked, slightly self loathing, rants?"

"Eeeehhh." Mako shrugged. "I've got a lot of thoughts running around my head I need to get out, but I can also see a reason to celebrate. It's just kind of confusing and."

Iroh jumped on to the stairs and was by Mako's side in a second. "Well how about this, you can rant with a glass of celebratory champagne and kill two pigkens with one stone?"

"You don't even know what we'd be celebrating." Mako pointed out, though the prospect of a drink to kill off a few nagging brain cells was very appealing.

Iroh shrugged. "Doesn't matter, if your other life gets a little more gay friendly then it's worth a bottle of bubbly."

Mako chuckled. "Well I'm not going to say no to a drink with you." He paused trying to remember the last time he and Iroh had shared a drink, or really anything but a quick bite and maybe a six-hour night. "Spirits, we haven't been on a proper date in months."

Iroh pulled two champagne flutes with gold dragons etched into them out of a kitchen cabinet. "Let's focus on one issue at a time sweetheart. Tomorrow we can worry about the dismal state of our date schedule."

"You're right, you're right." Mako took a deep breath. "So should I start the rant now or after you finish pouring the drinks?"

"How important is it for me to follow all the rabbits in your head?" Iroh asked now surveying the impressive collection of booze in one corner of the kitchen.

"Probably really important, I don't know. I just, I think I'm in shock."

Iroh pulled out a green bottle from the bunch. "Then wait five minutes and you can pace around the library with my full attention."

"Can it be the bedroom? I like having the option of flinging myself on to the bed to be extra over dramatic."

"Sure just promise me you'll set the glass down first. Sleeping in champagne is not a luxurious as one would assume."

"I can do that." Mako took a deep breath.

"So." Mako took a swig of champagne and started to walk around the massive master bedroom. "Korra and Asami are dating."

"Ok." Iroh did a slow nod as he reclined in an over stuffed chair by the fire.

"They're dating each other. My ex girlfriends are dating, each other."

"They probably make a cute couple, Asami is the Sato woman who makes all the really good mechanical stuff right?"

"Yeah, that's her."

"Well then definitely a cute couple, go on." Iroh took a sip.

Mako laughed nervously. "Well, my brother is ok with it, he's super ok with it." Mako paused. "It's not even remotely a big deal to him. It's like he doesn't remember any of the dumb, stupid, hateful shit we learned while on the streets at all."

"Ok."

Mako took another drink. "So for the two years we've been dating and who know how long before that I've been freaking out over the possibility of loosing my little brother because I'm attracted to men was for no reason." Mako felt like crying. "All those nightmares and freak out rants were pointless! I could've told him when we met at the hotel for Wu's coronation and he'd have been completely chill about us."

Iroh looked at him sympathetically. "You didn't know at the time and if I remember there was a lot going on then. Didn't you have a fight at the hotel?"

"Yeah but that's because he called my work stupid and pointless, which was not what I needed to hear that day at all."

Iroh nodded. "Yeah, I know, that was one of your more colorful rants about Wu."

"Yeah, well Wu deserves a few colorful rants." Mako shook his head. "You're getting me off topic you handsome bastard! Look the main problem here is since Bolin came home I've been terrified about him finding out. There's a reason I've been avoiding you at public events."

"And here I thought it was because I changed my after shave." Iroh added dryly.

"Huh, so that's that new smell." Mako shrugged. "I think I like it better than your old one."

"Me too."

"Anyway, all that fear was for nothing, and that's not even getting into the fact Korra and Asami should be ok with my sexuality."

Iroh tilted his head. "Was there ever a time you were afraid they wouldn't be? Wait, dumb question, I remember that paranoid ramble. You where afraid they were going to accuse you of using them as beards and then there was this whole tangent about Korra being super judgmental on really random things."

Mako crossed his arms. "Well she is and how do you remember that but not my birthday?"

Iroh opened his mouth then closed it. "I have no good reason for that. Continue or have you gotten all your thoughts out?"

"Well, I think so." Mako glanced over at a bookshelf that was missing a huge portion of books. "But now I am suddenly aware of a new worry."

Iroh glanced over the shelf. "And that is?"
"I still haven't returned all that fire nation erotica I borrowed and those books are randomly hidden around the apartment. What if Bolin found some and already knows and has just been really polite and not brought it up?"

Iroh snorted. "Why are those books randomly hidden around your apartment?"

Mako blushed. "Because I would start reading one, get interrupted, put it somewhere hidden and forget where it was."

"At some point I'll have to come over and help you spring clean and find those books. I kind of want them back." Iroh chuckled. "So any other panicked thoughts?"

"I think I've gotten all my thoughts out. I guess I'm just mad at myself for spending all that time and energy worrying about it." He finished off his drink. "I mean I had nightmares about waking up with you and finding one or all of them just staring at me before walking away in disgust."

"Yeah." Iroh nodded. "Have I ever mentioned that if you ever want to go see a therapist I am 100% supportive of that?"

"You have. Multiple times." He leaned against a desk. "Still really don't want to go spill my deepest fears to a person I don't really know, but thanks for the support."

"Anytime." Iroh stood up. "So, can you stay the night or do you need to go back home?"

Mako paused; until Bolin had come back to the city this place had been his home pretty much. Yeah, he technically just had his own drawer and some grooming items at the brown stone but he didn't really need much to call any place home.

"I'd like to stay here." He walked over and sat on Iroh's lap and leaned his head against his shoulder. "I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too." Iroh leaned over and kissed him. "But won't your brother worry about where you are?"

"I'll give him a call and let him know I'll be home in the morning and I'll explain everything in the morning."

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "You know if he's related to you that's going to make him worry more right?"

Mako yawned. "Yeah, I'll just say a prince needed my attention and he won't question it."

Iroh chuckled. "Poor Wu, always getting thrown under the bus."

"Hey, he and I have an agreement. He'll be my alibi anytime I want to be with you and I'll grin an bare it anytime he wants to go to the mall." Mako relaxed a little bit more against Iroh. "For some reason I suddenly feel exhausted."

"Emotions can really drain you." Iroh smiled. "However, I wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly got a second wind at the prospect of a two person shower." He looked at Mako's arm. "Can you shower with that?"

Mako nodded. "Yeah, I can and you're right I'm suddenly feeling a second wind."
A/N:
This is taken from my AO3 account (same name). hope you enjoyed and i'll see you later!