If there was one thing in his life that Mako hated, it was not knowing what to do. He'd had years of living on the streets and not knowing what to do to take care of himself and Bolin for all those years. Years of not knowing where their next meal would come from had been replaced with a meager salary that fed the both of them before he brought his life under complete control.
At least until Korra came into his life and flipped it on its head. But even getting through that hadn't been as bad as living on the streets. At least his needs had been taken care of and they'd all gotten onto the other side in once piece.
But he hadn't expected to have another life event that made him feel so perfectly inadequate with inexperience.
"Korra." He called for her with a frown. "Please help me with him." He begged. "I don't know what he wants."
"There are three options, Mako." Korra frowned right back. "I need a break, I had him all day." She sighed and looked at the infant in his arms, crying protests loudly.
"But he's dry and you just fed him." Mako held the baby stiffly, trying not to hurt the tiny little person.
"Then hold him." Korra groaned and pressed her fingers to her temples. "He wants to be held, rock him or something."
"Ok." Mako attempted to rock the baby awkwardly, and started to pace the floor while he did it to get rid of his own nerves. "I love you." He murmured to the baby gratefully as he started to calm down and huddle against him. "I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing?" Korra asked with a frown as she laid on the chair limply, exhausted from her day of caring for their baby.
"I made him cry." Mako frowned at his son, his little Ryu.
"Don't be ridiculous." Korra sighed heavily. "You didn't make him cry."
"He was crying for no reason other than I didn't have him comfortable enough." Mako felt his chest swelling with uncertainty. "I'm not good at this."
"Neither am I." Korra frowned at him. "It's not like I even had a little sibling to take care of."
"Bo was six when I started to take care of him." Mako frowned at her. "Ryu's actually a baby." He frowned at him. "I don't know what to do with him."
"I call Pema or my mother all day." Korra admitted with a sigh, her eyes watching Mako pace. "He got the hiccoughs and I thought Pema was going to laugh at me." Mako looked at her with wide eyes.
"Was he ok?"
"He was fine!" Korra pointed at him. "Yes, see, you get me!"
"I just…" Mako sat down once Ryu was asleep in his arms. "We're new at this."
"We're probably going to break him." Korra deadpanned next to him. "A few times."
Images of Ryu scraping his knees and falling off of high things had him pulling the baby closer to his body instinctively. His own childhood scrapes meshed with Bolin's as he thought of all the things Ryu could get into in his life. "I'm going to be a good father." It was sudden and fierce, getting a curious look from his wife.
"Of course you are." She stared at him. "We'll figure him out, it's only been a few weeks."
"But he's our child; we should know how to take care of him." Mako sighed heavily, he knew on some level he was being irrational, but that was being outweighed by the deep fears.
"Mako." Korra heaved herself out of the chair and sat next to him, pulling his face so he was looking right at her, a hand on either cheek. "I love you. And the fact that I love you is the only thing keeping me from throttling you right now." She was glaring at him, outright glaring. "We're new at this, that's just how it is. Other people are new at having children and they manage to not kill or maim their children, I think we'll manage."
"But…"
"Shut up." Her glare deepened. "Mako, you insane, irrational, adorable man, you will be a good father. It's been five weeks. Five. We have eighteen years to take care of this kid and I think you'll figure it out eventually."
"You're right." Mako allowed and looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "You're right."
"Of course I am." Korra released his face and leaned back on the couch, her body going limp again. Mako grinned at her and she grinned back. "What?"
"I could go put him down." Mako grinned suggestively at her. "We could go to our room, get more comfortable," he moved closer and closer to her as he spoke, trying to be as suggestive as possible. Korra was just grinning at him like he was a moron. "And then, we could climb in bed," his mouth was close to her cheek so she could feel his breath on it, "and sleep."
"Oohh." Korra released a moan and she grinned. "That sounds amazing, I was afraid you wanted to have sex." She laughed. "I'm so tired."
"Me too." Mako chuckled. "I'll put him down; you put on your pajamas." They moved toward their bedroom, Mako in the corner where Ryu's little bassinet was sitting, and laid him in, grateful that he didn't wake up when he laid him down. He turned and found his wife in a short nightgown smiling at him while she pulled her hair loose. "That doesn't look like it's for sleeping."
"It's erotic sleeping." Korra laughed. "Don't tease me with sleep and try to take it away."
"I'm not." Mako threw his hands up and laughed, pulling off all his clothes while she climbed into the bed. He pulled on a pair of loose pants before climbing into bed next to her. Korra immediately scooted over and rested on his bare chest, breathing out as his arm curled around her waist.
Korra was asleep in seconds.
Mako laid awake for a little while trying to quell the nagging insecurities in his mind. Finally he focused on listening to Korra's steady breathing in his arms and then the soft breathing of the baby on the other side of the room. Once Ryu was old enough to sleep in his own room, he'd miss the sound of his son sleeping in their room. But the advantages of being alone with his wife would definitely outweigh the absence of their little boy in their room.
They'd be good parents. Mako held Korra close to him and smiled. Ryu was happy and content as he slept across the room. Korra was content in his arms. He was content with the two of them. He had the most beautiful wife and the most precious baby in the world. They'd make it, their little family would be fine.
After all, she was the Avatar and he was a police officer and they were both former pro-benders. They managed to stop Amon and the Equalist uprising and master their own bending elements.
Yeah, they could manage a baby. Those thoughts echoing in his mind, Mako slipped into dreamland with Korra and Ryu, content in his own life, insecurities banished.