General Iroh had been awarded many things in his life. He d been award medals, been given the option to be part of the military, had the chance to defend the people he cared for, and earned the rank of General very early on. All of which had been great honors.

But not one had given him the sense of fulfillment that he was searching for. There was nowhere that he ever felt truely needed. Everything that was given to him (though earned) was given out of an obligation.

That fact always left him feeling a bit hollow.

But that changed one night.

It was winter in Republic City once more. Just a year after the events with Amon. He held open a door leading to the brightly lit winter wonderland that the city had become, waiting for his young lover Bolin to venture out into the snow. He handled it better than the previous year, but was still obviously rather cold.

So Iroh removed his left glove, and offered his hand to the boy. Bolin hesitated for only a moment before taking the offered hand, smiling brightly at Iroh as he felt warmth leech into him once more.

And that smile filled Iroh with more joy than any medal of honor he'd ever received.