Pabu scrambled onto the bed and began to riffle through the covers. He found Bolin's long and fat toes, then his hands and fingers. The red ball of fuzz followed the trail of abs on Bolin's stomach until he reached his neck. Pabu looked up quickly, expecting to find Bolin's face. Instead, he was greeted by a mass of pillows.
Pabu gave an angry chirp, quite unhappy with the turn of events. He hopped up onto the pillow and began to lick an exposed section of Bolin's face.
"'Bu," moaned a tired Bolin, "go away." Pabu began to paw at Bolin's head, deciding a more aggressive tactic would be effective.
"What is it?" asked Bolin, now fully awake. He rubbed his sore head and watched Pabu jump to the floor. Pabu pushed a picture out from under Bolin's bed. Bolin's eyes landed on the flawless image of Iroh's face. Like always, his heart skipped a beat. "Good morning, Iroh," he whispered lovingly. "Iroh!" he shouted, sitting up in bed. The harsh sunlight trickling into the room told Bolin it was ten minutes past ten. He had over slept and now was late for their daily date.
"Thanks, little guy, for waking me," said Bolin as he patted Pabu on the head. He hurried to get dressed, his hands fumbling with the buttons on his pants. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you earlier. When I get back, I'll cook you a big meal. How does cow hippo sound?"
Bolin ran out the door with Pabu clinging to his shoulder. Mako was sitting in the living room, eating breakfast on the couch and listening to the radio.
"Where are you going in a hurry?" asked Mako, having heard the commotion in Bolin's bedroom and was now watching him sprint through the house.
"I'm late to see Iroh."
Mako raised his oddly shaped eyebrows.
"You two have been hanging out a lot. It's nice to see you've really become good friends. It'll be nice in the future to have the entire United Nations army on our side."
"Yeah," laughed Bolin, having to turn his head so Mako wouldn't see his blush. He couldn't let Mako know there was something more than just friendship going on between him and Iroh. It wasn't yet the time.
Bolin hurried to the Jasmine Dragon, a small teashop in-between their two apartment buildings that they met at for tea every morning before the two went their separate ways for the day.
"Sorry I'm late, Iroh. After the busy day yesterday, I must have over slept." Bolin looked up, realizing he was talking to an empty teashop. Iroh was not in his usual spot, sipping a steaming cup of jasmine tea and reading the newspaper.
"Iroh!" called Bolin, confused. Iroh was never late, and if anything, he was several minutes early.
"Jin Lou!" Bolin called for the young woman who ran the teashop, hoping she would have some answers.
Jin Lou was a lovely young woman. She was significantly shorter than Bolin, but she made up for her lack of height with her strong personality. She had short, light brown hair and sparkling green eyes. Jin Lou was beautiful, no doubt.
"Oh, it's just you," said Jin Lou, coming out of the kitchen. "Once five minutes had passed and no sign of Iroh, I was starting to wonder if you too had gotten in a fight." Jin Lou's eyes twinkled knowingly. She was the only one who knew about the twos relationship. Iroh and Jin Lou bonded easily and she became Iroh's best friend in Republic City.
"No, we're doing wonderful, actually," said Bolin, his thoughts on the day before. He smiled, remembering their intimate moment together.
"So you haven't seen Iroh at all?" asked Bolin, bringing himself back into the present.
"Not at all," said Jin Lou, shaking her head.
"If you see him, can you tell him I'm looking for him?"
"Of course. Good luck!" called Jin Lou as Bolin left.
Bolin tried Iroh's apartment next. He knocked on the door and got a muffled response to come in. Using his key, Bolin unlocked the door to see Iroh sitting in the middle of the hallway with a letter in his hands.
The scene was heart breaking. If the tears streaming down Iroh's face wasn't enough, his disheveled appearance told Bolin the news was bad. Seeing Iroh in such a vulnerable state was new for Bolin. Bolin had only seen Iroh cool, confident, and collected. He always dressed sharp and kept a rock solid presence no matter what the situation. In Bolin's eyes, Iroh was the strong one, the rock. He was not allowed to be vulnerable or sad. A pit of dread settled in the bottom of Bolin's stomach. It either had to be the end of the world or the loss of a loved one. It happened to be the later.
"The news came this morning," said Iroh through tears. Bolin could only just make out the seal on the letter in Iroh's trembling hands. It was from the Royal Family.
Bolin got to his knees and placed an arm around Iroh's broad shoulder. It was an attempt to comfort him, but Iroh shrugged him off.
"Iroh, what's wrong?" asked Bolin, his voice low. Something about the moment made Bolin want to whisper.
"It's Zuko." Iroh could barley say it aloud. As soon as he did, though, he doubled over. His body shook with violent sobs and tears smudged the ink on the paper.
Bolin began to rub circles on Iroh's back, something that had always comforted himself. When his parents died, Mako used to rub Bolin's back every night while he cried. He hoped it could comfort Iroh too.
Iroh leaned into Bolin, and Bolin's strong arms wrapped him in an embrace. Iroh felt safer in Bolin's arms. Even though he knew nothing could comfort him, Bolin's arms reminded him that he could survive, that he would survive. He'd have Bolin by his side the entire time. With Bolin, he knew he wouldn't fall apart.
Iroh found himself sharing memories with Bolin. He told Bolin about the first time Zuko took him to the Southern Water Tribe. Zuko had taught him penguin sledding that day. Iroh told Bolin stories about living in the royal palace. Iroh had gotten into plenty of trouble as a child, always looking for a new adventure. Zuko had been there to get him out of all sorts of trouble, and at the same time teach him life lessons. It was from Zuko that Iroh learned about his namesake, and where he learned to appreciate tea. Iroh told Bolin about the first time Zuko taught him how to conduct lightning. He told Bolin that he had been so scared and felt embarrassed over his fear, but Zuko reassured him that he had similar reserves.
"Please don't cry," said Bolin, wiping a few tears off Iroh's face once Iroh had finished talking. "Do you hear all these incredible memories you're telling me? Zuko isn't dead. As long as you remember him and rejoice in his life, he will live on."
"Mako told you that one when your parents died, didn't he?" asked Iroh. Bolin smiled. He must have done something right to make Iroh joke.
"I came up with that all by myself, honestly."
"Well, thanks. And Bolin?" asked Iroh.
"Yes?" asked Bolin, hugging Iroh even tighter.
"Please stay for the night."
"Of course, anything to bring you comfort."