A/N: Toza's Gym challenge: Nets level 1, emotion regret.
Characters: Mako, Lin, Iroh. (Mako/Iroh crack ship)
Words: 1493
The All-Nighter
6:00 p.m.
Mako groaned and wanted to kick himself. Why had he does this to himself? Why had he let the molehill become a mountain? Mako pouted and looked up at the giant piles of paperwork in front of him. Those flat white mocking slips of Vatuu toilet paper were practically laughing at him as they formed a mountain of work he could not possibly hope to climb.
"A whole months worth of paperwork...all undone, all due tomorrow." He leaned back in his chair. "I'm so screwed. Why did I not work on this stuff earlier?" Mako put his head against the desk hoping that the whole station would burst into flame.
6:30 p.m.
A nocked on his desk brought him out of his self pity. Lin looked down at him.
"Waiting until the last minute again kid?"
Mako nodded. "Yup, except this month I made a whole lot more arrests than last month."
Lin nodded. "Yeah, well good luck kid, I'll see you at 6 a.m. tomorrow." She chuckled. "You know the boys down in homicide have a pool going to see if you actually finish this pile on time."
Mako growled. "Those guys have had it in for me ever since I picked the Special Victims Unit over homicide. " Mako looked up at her quizzically. "Did you bet anything?"
Lin smirked. "I might have thrown a few yuans in the mix in favor of you getting this all done." She looked at the piles and cringed. "Not much though."
Mako sighed and pulled a file towards him. "Well, I better get started this is going to be a long night."
Lin patted him on the shoulder. "It will be for you, I've got a hot date tonight." She started to walk away. "Have fun kid."
"Say, hi to Kaya for me!"
"I will!"
Shaking his head and smiling Mako went back to his work.
7:00 p.m.
Mako put another file on the very small 'done' pile. Grumbling Mako grabbed the next one.
8:00 p.m.
"You know it's kind of amazing how many assholes there are in this city." Mako closed another file, this one a rape case. "I mean really! Is 'fuck off creepo' not plane enough language for some drunk guys?"
8:30 p.m.
"Oh I remember this one… even the victim was pain in the ass." Mako looked around and saw one of the other detectives looking at him strangely. "Not that I'm blaming the victim! No one deserves to have that happen with a pepper shaker!" Mako looked back down the papers. "But I can see the temptation." He muttered under his breath.
10:00 p.m.
"That's it! There are only three decent men in this whole damned city! Bolin, my self, and Tenzin." He paused. "Well maybe General Iroh when he's in town…I wondering if he's in town? Now that's a man I'd drunk kiss without hesitation. Wait. If I did that, wouldn't he be in trouble because I was incapacitated?"
11:00 p.m.
"No, he'd be ok just as long as I wasn't too drunk…. what's too drunk again? Where's the coffee? Damn we're out of coffee… But what if he was drunk too? Would I be the one in trouble then? Would we both be in trouble? I should know this."
11:45 p.m.
"I got it! I just won't kiss him drunk! I'll do it sober! Prefect plan detective Mako!" Mako smiled which faded quickly. "But if we weren't drunk would he even want to kiss me? I'd kiss me. I'm probably the only one who'd kiss me."
12:15 a.m.
"Oh this paperwork is never going to end…I'm doomed. Doomed! Doomed to die alone! Covered in paperwork!"
12:30 a.m.
"You know next month I'm not going to procrastinate as much. I'm going get this stuff done in a timely manner! That why Iroh will notice me…what?! Ok Mako, you're starting to loose your mind. Get back to the paperwork. General Iroh barely knows you're alive, and finishing this paperwork is not going to help your love life in anyway shape or form." Mako nodded and cracked his knuckles. "Ok Detective time to get shit done!"
1:00 a.m.
"I should call him."
1:30 a.m.
"I should not call him…that's a horrible idea."
1:45 a.m.
"He might not even be home! What's the worse that could happen?"
1:50 a.m.
"I'm going to call him! Best idea ever!"
1: 55 a.m.
~Ring, Ring~ SLAM!
"Worst idea ever! What if I woke him up?"
2:00 a.m.
"Well, he's awake now, I should apologize." Having had all his inhibitions fall asleep an hour ago, Mako called Iroh's private number and waited for a sleepy man to answer on the other end of the line. He didn't wait for him to say anything but a muffled hello before Mako's caffeine fueled and sleep deprived mouth kicked into action.
"Hi General Iroh, I'm me, uh Detective Mako, Korra's ex-boyfriend and one of the guys that saved the world a few times. We've met before a few times. Uh so I'm calling because I'm just in love with you and it's not because you're the hottest thing since sliced bread but you're actually a great guy. I had a case involving a guy who worked under you and he had only praise to give. So yeah, uh you're the bees' knees and now a hooker is giving me a weird look…." Mako cringed and just froze the phone still against his ear.
After a moment a half-awake Iroh spoke. "Uh…Mako why are you telling me this at 2:07 a.m.? And further more can you explain the hooker please?"
"She was arrested by Mo for prostitution…she'll be out by morning."
"Oh…ok. Do you have anything else on your mind?"
"We're out of coffee here and I'd kill for a doughnut…. I guess I'm filled with self loathing for putting all my paperwork off until now."
"So you're at the police station?"
"Yeah, surrounded by paperwork…so many reports to finish. So many."
"Ok… I think I've gathered everything of importance. Need anything else?"
"Nope. That's it. Sleep well."
"Uh, ok. Good luck."
Mako heard the click on the other end of the phone and replaced the receiver. He paused for a moment just looking at the piles of papers with unfocused eyes before reality slapped.
"Oh Spirits what have I done?"
3:00 a.m.
Mako was gently shaken awake from his unplanned nap. Groggily, he woke up and looked at who had shaken him. His eyes were still clearing when he smelled the rich aroma of coffee. Mako blinked first focusing on the large paper coffee cup then the person holding it. General Iroh stood with a face of half pity, half amusement and holding a white box.
"I think you are in desperate need of this Detective." Iroh handed him the coffee, which Mako took a grateful gulp of. "I also brought doughnuts."
"I love you." Mako said between sips of coffee. "I mean it."
Iroh chuckled. "I think you need higher standards detective, if bringing you coffee is grounds for loving someone." He glanced at the piled of paperwork. "But I think you've got some more pressing matters than dating standards. Would you like some company to keep you awake?"
Mako nodded and sighed. "Yes, but I don't want to inconvenience you more than I have."
Iroh shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm a notorious insomniac this will give me someone to talk to."
8:00 a.m.
"Done!" Mako triumphantly slammed the pile of paperwork on the desk in front of Lin. "I finished it all!"
Lin nodded. "I can see that…. are you ok?"
Mako giggled. "No, I'm going home now and getting some much needed sleep."
Lin nodded. "Good, and while your on your way out can you take General Iroh with you? He's kind of cluttering up your work space."
Mako nodded dreamily. "Yeah, I'll take him home with me."
Lin opened her mouth then closed it shaking her head. Walking out in the euphoria of sleep deprivation Mako tripped and practically collapsed in Iroh's arms.
1:00 p.m.
Mako woke up in a bed he didn't recognize with a note taped to his forehead. Quickly, he peeled it off and read the note.
Dinner? ~Iroh II
"Huh?" Mako looked around trying to figure out what had happened and where he was. Shaking his head, Mako got out of the bed and wandered out into the hall. He looked at the piece of paper in his head. "What happened? Did I finish my paperwork? Is this all a dream? Did I miss the dead line?"
Trying desperately not to freak out, Mako sat down and took a few deep breaths. Slowly the events of the night before came to him and the panic picked up. "Spirits! What did I do? Why did I do that? I'm an idiot!" He yelled before looking back at the paper in his hand. "A lucky, lucky idiot."