Broh Week, Day Six – 'Oblivious'

Dinner was drawing to an end on Air Temple Island.

'Alright, General Iroh and Captain Asama – she would make a great captain, okay – operation "Redirect Suspicion" – activate!'

'I've never been more impressed by any technology than that of Future Industries,' Iroh said at once, leaning towards Asami. 'And I hear that you've inherited some of your father's talents in that area…?'

'Oh, I'm no inventor,' Asami said, laughing, 'but between you and me, I can outrace most of my father's drivers on the test-track – on a good day, that is.'

'Well, that's impressive! Don't repeat this to anyone, Asami, but there's a reason I made ships and not cars my area of expertise. Some of these new vehicles go so fast that it makes my head spin just to think about it.'

Asami giggled. 'Oh, it's not that hard really,' she said. 'I mean, sure, it looks flashy, but it's not like being in charge of one of those great big powerful ships with the sea churning around you and hundreds of lives at stake and the whole Republic counting on you…'

'Well, when you put it that way…' Iroh said, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. 'Maybe I could learn.'

'I'd be happy to teach you.'

'Would you, really? I'd just love that.'

'Of course…' Asami said. So far nobody had shown any signs of interrupting their conversation. Asami looked at Tenzin, and then at Bolin, who made "keep going" gestures with both hands.

'I could come to your room after supper and, you know, give you a few pointers…' Asami said, putting on a warm smile and trying not to let her true feelings show through. 'Just so you have some idea of what you're doing before you get physical…you have a room to yourself here, don't you, so it's not like we'd be disturbing anyone –'

'Actually, that reminds me, we need to discuss sleeping arrangements!' Tenzin interrupted suddenly, his voice sounding unusually terse. 'We've had to make some reshuffles because of the baby, and actually, General, I'm terribly sorry but we won't be able to offer you a room to yourself this time…'

'Oh no!' Iroh said, his lip twitching almost imperceptibly.

'I know it's less than ideal,' Tenzin said, 'but I'm going to have to ask you to share with…' He ground to a halt.

'I don't mind sharing with him,' Bolin volunteered, waving a hand vaguely around in the air.

'Excellent!' Tenzin said, latching onto the proffered lifebelt. 'Miss Sato, you'll be sharing with Korra; Pema and I thought that would be fun for you girls.'

'Oh, it will!' Korra said, beaming.

'So, er, Mako, I hope you don't mind sleeping with the baby's cradle. He's sleeping through most nights now.'

Mako tormented the others with an extra-long pause before saying, 'that's alright. Somebody has to.'

'Well, that's settled then,' Tenzin said, getting up. 'General Iroh, I'm sure you will want to turn in early, be well-rested and so forth. Sleep well, Mako. Miss Sato, I'm sure Korra will make you feel at home and that you'll be up gossiping all night…'

With that, he hurried off down the corridor.

The others separated, Mako slouching off to the baby's room after giving Bolin a very significant eye-roll, and Bolin and Iroh and Korra and Asami going into their shared bedrooms. Pema followed them down the hall, smiling gently.

'Goodnight, Korra, Asami,' she said. 'Goodnight, Bolin. Goodnight, General. Sleep well!'

Bolin and Iroh smiled politely, closed the bedroom door and collapsed into giggles.

'I feel that one maybe shouldn't laugh at a bending Master,' Bolin said, pulling himself together for a few seconds, 'but did you see his face?'

Iroh stumbled to the bed and sat down hard, shaking with laughter. He couldn't remember having behaved like this for at least five years, if not more.

'Was the conversation alright?' he asked. 'I felt that it was a bit –'

'Are you kidding?' Bolin interrupted. 'It was hilarious!'

Iroh smiled.

'Remind me to thank Asami,' Bolin said. 'And now that I've got you here…'

He held out both hands. Iroh took them and allowed Bolin to pull him to his feet and straight into his arms. Bolin kissed him, and he went weak at the knees in a way that he hoped no-one in the United Navy would see, ever. He had a reputation for sturdiness to keep up.

A few minutes later, lying in the warm bed with Bolin doing things to him that were neither respectable nor innocent, he was quite glad of the ruse they had played at dinner. He was proud of Bolin and proud of their feelings, but there were some things that Tenzin was just better off being oblivious about.

A/N: Come on, guys, I have 401 views and out of all of them only one person, who happens to be my sister, has bothered to review. That makes 400 very lazy people out there!