[ Mako turns to push a kiss against the pad of his finger before he lets Wu collapse against him, pulls them both back down into the bed so Wu doesn’t have to be upright anymore ]
I’m your boyfriend. It’s still my job to keep you safe.
[ Mako turns his face, pressing it into Wu’s hair again, his eyes pressed tightly shut so he stops crying. It’s mostly working. ]
Leave checking in with Orpheus up to me. I’ll handle it. You’re gonna feel pretty bad for a while.
[ Wu mumbles the words, listening to the hitching of Mako's breath. Even with the crying, he's glad that Mako's here. It's making him cry, too, tears leaking from his eyes. He sniffs loudly. ]
[ Mako pulls him closer still, pushing his face half into the pillow. Tears are still welling up hotly in his eyes, prickling at him, no matter how much Mako tries to ignore them. It’s like the world has dropped out from under his body.
Wu is back. Mako shouldn’t be feeling this way, like a hollow thing, but he can’t summon up any kind of feeling besides guilt and failure, can’t get the image of Wu’s body collapsing out of his head. ]
It’s how this boyfriend works.
[ Slowly, Mako lifts a hand, letting it curl back around Wu’s head. ]
There’s soup, too. Downstairs. I can heat that up when you’re ready. I, uh. I’ve been here all week. My house is. Empty.
His house is empty. That could mean a few things, but in that tone, it means that Kristoff, Anna, Bolin, they're gone.
Wu's breath hitches and he hugs Mako tighter.
That means that Wu was dead, and Mako's closest friends, family, are gone. His eyes burn even hotter, imagining what that must have been like, how alone Mako must have felt.
At least he has Korra, and Chuck, and Raleigh. That must have helped, at least a little. ]
Mako--
[ He doesn't know what to say. What do you say to that?
Instead, he holds Mako tighter, pressing himself close, face in Mako's throat, his good arm wrapped around Mako's back, the tears flowing freely now, for himself, for Mako, for the people who are gone, hopefully home, but loss is still loss, no matter how it ends. ]
[ The way his voice breaks on those two short words says it is not, but Mako scowls fiercely at himself, clutches Wu as tight as he dares as Fritter’s little paws press the bed beside Wu down. She is curious, unaware of what’s happening as she nudges her nose against Wu’s cheek.
Mako swallows hard, feeling wrung-out, like he’s been through the spirit vines all over again. He can’t make his limbs move. Wu must be feeling worse. ]
You’re back. That’s... what matters. If you, uh. Want to talk about it. You said that helps.
[ Wu laughs a little when Fritter's wet nose presses against his cheek.
It's not fine. Wu can tell, but Mako doesn't like being pushed. They can talk about that later, talk about how Mako feels later. For now, Wu nods, shifting so Fritter can crawl into his lap. He pets over her head, glad that she's okay. Of course Mako took care of her.
He lets out a breath, leaning into Mako, petting through Fritter's fur. It feels better, like this, even if he also feels like he's burning up from the inside out.
Like how he died. ]
I, I don't know. It's so fresh. Like it just happened.
[ It's been a week for Mako, he thinks. But for him, he remembers dying, he remembers that creature, and then he woke up ]
[ Mako pushes his nose into the side of Wu’s head and stays there, breathing him in, trying to remind himself that it really is fine. Wu is here, Wu is back, Mako isn’t dreaming twice. ]
We’re tracking down the guy who did it. Figuring out why. Raleigh knows him. Did he give any reason?
[ Mako nods, sharp, and turns his face back into Wu's. ]
It probably was a Deerington thing. But it wasn't your fault.
[ He lets out a slow, quiet breath, pressing his fingers into Wu's hair and keeping them there. It's so good to have him back, here, even burning up like he is, even though he probably feels awful.
Even though Mako can still feel the press of cold fingers on his, can still hear the edge of fear and desperation in Wu's voice. He swallows, trying to breathe, trying to stay here on the bed with Wu. ]
[ It wasn't his fault. He knows that, he does, but hearing it helps. It's not easy, in a place like this, to be the only one who can't defend himself, the only one who keeps getting hurt, who keeps making Mako worry about him. He wishes he could be strong, that he could be like Mako or Korra or Raleigh, strong and ready to fight and willing to sacrifice himself, but he's not. That's not who he is, and no amount of training will get him there.
Training.
His brass knuckles.
He sits up a little, head spinning. ]
My stuff. Do you have my stuff? My books! My weapon! They were all there!
[ Careful and slow, Mako presses his lips to the pads of Wu's fingers, feeling the warmth of them (too warm, fever-warm, he really needs to get Wu some water) as his eyes slip shut.
Finally, some of the panic and discomfort, some of the hollowness, is receding. Mako doesn't like the sharp feeling it's being replaced with, but at least he's feeling something. His muscles relax almost on their own account, and he drops his other arm around Wu's waist to pull him closer. ]
Don't thank me.
[ The words are barely a mumble, weighed down as the exhaustion of the last week crashes into Mako all at once, filling his limbs with lead. ]
[ Wu opens his mouth to say something, but then those words sink in.
The people you love.
Wu squeezes his eyes shut against tears. He's exhausted, he's feverish, he's in pain, but those words pick something up inside of him, something that's been ignored for years, something that Wu had only held onto because Wu is nothing if not hopeful.
Mako loves him.
When was the last time someone told Wu they loved him?
His breath hitches, face hot, and then he's crying again, clutching at Mako's shirt, pressing his face into Mako's throat, his body shaking.
Fritter makes a small sound and wriggles out from between them, and Wu laughs even though that hurts, and drags himself even closer to Mako.
He died. He died, he tried to get away, but it did nothing. Sam broke his arm like it was nothing. Mako had to deal with his ghost, alone, Mako waited here for him, Mako loves him.
All of it is so much and Wu is crying and laughing and so incredibly happy and tired and scared at the same time that he can't make himself stop. ]
[ The sudden hitch of breath, the flood of tears, is kind of alarming, but Mako is too tired to do anything but tug Wu closer still, press Wu's head into his shoulder. His shirt is getting damp already, but he can't make himself care, not with Wu crying like this. The laughter is weird, a little worrying, but Mako just pushes his lips hard against Wu's temple and stays there, wrapped around him.
He can't fix this. Not really. He can't take away Wu's fever, he can't go back in time and save Wu from any of that pain, he can't even really make himself get up to get Wu more tea or water or anything. He can hug Wu, rest his lips against Wu's too-hot skin, and he can breathe and he can be here, and that's about it.
It will have to be enough. Mako curls around him like a blanket or a shield, like the shape of his own limbs will protect Wu from the rest of the world. He murmurs something like I'm here, more movement of lips than actual sound, and tangles his fingers into Wu's sweat-damp hair. ]
[ His hysterical crying last a while, pressed into Mako's skin. Mako is the only one he trusts with this, with his weakness. He isn't ashamed of it, but he doesn't trust that others won't use it against him.
Mako won't.
Mako loves him.
Eventually, he quiets, sobs turning into sniffs, his head dizzy, achy, compounding with his fever. ]
I love you, too.
[ When he finally says it, it's so much more sure than the last two times, colored by not knowing, not thinking, that Mako could return his feelings. Thinking that, like with everything else in his life, it would be one-sided, him wanting more, more than the other person could or would give him. But Mako is giving him more than he even dared ask for, and Wu loves him for it. Wu loves every part of him, from how awkward he is around new people to how single minded he gets when solving a problem to how deeply he cares about things, even when he probably wishes he didn't.
He cares about Wu, and that feels precious, something to be protected. ]
[ It hadn't quite occured to Mako, the weight of what he'd said. That Wu is easily lumped in with "the people I love," that Wu has maybe been there for longer than Mako thought. Wu, who Mako is so proud of, whose absence was a solid thing, a presence over Mako's shoulder, weighty and silent.
Who is trying, and growing, and who makes Mako want to try, too.
Who loves him.
Mako has been tracing quiet meaningless shapes on the back of his head for the last fifteen minutes, reminding Wu that he's here now because he couldn't be there before. He sighs a little with the words, hitches his other arm just a little tighter and splays his palm over Wu's back, between the wings of his shoulderblades. ]
Don't die again if you can help it. That was the worst week of my life.
[ Wu assures him quietly, staying close. It feels good, right, to have Mako's hands on him like this, to have his strong arms encompassing Wu, keeping him close. ]
It wasn't great for me either? The death. Not the week. Wasn't really, ah, aware. For that.
[ He bites his lip, his breathing more under control now. He looks up at Mako, fingers stroking gently down his chest. ]
[ Mako actually flinches back at the question. Doesn't try to hide it, doesn't try to hold it back, because this is Wu and he trusts Wu, and Wu will know how awful that space and silence is.
He is quiet for a long, long moment. Beside them, Fritter lets out a little sigh in her sleep.
Mako's eyes dart away, over to the heavy curtains rustling slightly in the breeze. ]
[ Wu wants to ask him to stay, but he can ask that when he's better, when he's sure he won't cry again if Mako tells him he thinks that's not a good idea.
[ Mako pushes another kiss against his cheek, a little clumsy, happy to have something to focus on that isn't the space and silence in his home. Happy that Wu wants him here, that he doesn't have to go back to that empty house. ]
Yeah. I'll heat it up. Uh—Sven is in the backyard. He... didn't leave.
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I’m your boyfriend. It’s still my job to keep you safe.
[ Mako turns his face, pressing it into Wu’s hair again, his eyes pressed tightly shut so he stops crying. It’s mostly working. ]
Leave checking in with Orpheus up to me. I’ll handle it. You’re gonna feel pretty bad for a while.
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[ Wu mumbles the words, listening to the hitching of Mako's breath. Even with the crying, he's glad that Mako's here. It's making him cry, too, tears leaking from his eyes. He sniffs loudly. ]
I can text him, Mako. I can do that at least.
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Wu is back. Mako shouldn’t be feeling this way, like a hollow thing, but he can’t summon up any kind of feeling besides guilt and failure, can’t get the image of Wu’s body collapsing out of his head. ]
It’s how this boyfriend works.
[ Slowly, Mako lifts a hand, letting it curl back around Wu’s head. ]
There’s soup, too. Downstairs. I can heat that up when you’re ready. I, uh. I’ve been here all week. My house is. Empty.
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His house is empty. That could mean a few things, but in that tone, it means that Kristoff, Anna, Bolin, they're gone.
Wu's breath hitches and he hugs Mako tighter.
That means that Wu was dead, and Mako's closest friends, family, are gone. His eyes burn even hotter, imagining what that must have been like, how alone Mako must have felt.
At least he has Korra, and Chuck, and Raleigh. That must have helped, at least a little. ]
Mako--
[ He doesn't know what to say. What do you say to that?
Instead, he holds Mako tighter, pressing himself close, face in Mako's throat, his good arm wrapped around Mako's back, the tears flowing freely now, for himself, for Mako, for the people who are gone, hopefully home, but loss is still loss, no matter how it ends. ]
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[ The way his voice breaks on those two short words says it is not, but Mako scowls fiercely at himself, clutches Wu as tight as he dares as Fritter’s little paws press the bed beside Wu down. She is curious, unaware of what’s happening as she nudges her nose against Wu’s cheek.
Mako swallows hard, feeling wrung-out, like he’s been through the spirit vines all over again. He can’t make his limbs move. Wu must be feeling worse. ]
You’re back. That’s... what matters. If you, uh. Want to talk about it. You said that helps.
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It's not fine. Wu can tell, but Mako doesn't like being pushed. They can talk about that later, talk about how Mako feels later. For now, Wu nods, shifting so Fritter can crawl into his lap. He pets over her head, glad that she's okay. Of course Mako took care of her.
He lets out a breath, leaning into Mako, petting through Fritter's fur. It feels better, like this, even if he also feels like he's burning up from the inside out.
Like how he died. ]
I, I don't know. It's so fresh. Like it just happened.
[ It's been a week for Mako, he thinks. But for him, he remembers dying, he remembers that creature, and then he woke up ]
It was terrifying.
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We’re tracking down the guy who did it. Figuring out why. Raleigh knows him. Did he give any reason?
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[ Wu sucks in a breath, glad that Mako is so close. It makes it easier, when his head is all fuzzy ]
I knew him. I met him, once. He seemed nice. But he, he,
[ Finding the words is hard, and he knows he won't make much sense, but he tries anyway: ]
He said he was making art. The art was Orpheus-- he was dead. He'd drawn with Orpheus' blood, it was, it was horrible.
[ He shudders, curling up smaller ]
So I tried to get away. I did get away. I pushed him with, with the brass knuckles Ruby made me. I got away.
He said it was because I pushed him. That's why he, he killed me.
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[ Mako doesn’t even hesitate, the words coming out sharp and sure. ]
Raleigh... saw that. Somehow. Your ghost... went into him, or something, I don’t know.
But that was a threat. The... thing with Orpheus. You did the right thing.
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[ Wu looks up at him with another frown ]
But he tries to say that, that that was why. That I was, um, rude.
But, no. That isn't why. I know that now, but it was all, it was confusing, and scary, and I couldn't reason with him.
I wonder if it was a Deerington thing, like with you--
[ Probably not a good train there. He looks down at Fritter, who fell asleep again ]
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It probably was a Deerington thing. But it wasn't your fault.
[ He lets out a slow, quiet breath, pressing his fingers into Wu's hair and keeping them there. It's so good to have him back, here, even burning up like he is, even though he probably feels awful.
Even though Mako can still feel the press of cold fingers on his, can still hear the edge of fear and desperation in Wu's voice. He swallows, trying to breathe, trying to stay here on the bed with Wu. ]
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Training.
His brass knuckles.
He sits up a little, head spinning. ]
My stuff. Do you have my stuff? My books! My weapon! They were all there!
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His stuff. He’s asking about his stuff. ]
They’re here. Everything, don’t worry.
[ Mako pauses, collapsing back into the pillows. ]
Except your scarf. I... had to burn that, to get rid of the ghost.
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[ He remembers doing that for Mako, banishing his ghost. But at least they were there together, then. But Mako had to do this alone.
He reaches up to touch Mako's cheek. ]
Thank you. For doing that, for me.
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Finally, some of the panic and discomfort, some of the hollowness, is receding. Mako doesn't like the sharp feeling it's being replaced with, but at least he's feeling something. His muscles relax almost on their own account, and he drops his other arm around Wu's waist to pull him closer. ]
Don't thank me.
[ The words are barely a mumble, weighed down as the exhaustion of the last week crashes into Mako all at once, filling his limbs with lead. ]
That's what you do for the people you love.
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The people you love.
Wu squeezes his eyes shut against tears. He's exhausted, he's feverish, he's in pain, but those words pick something up inside of him, something that's been ignored for years, something that Wu had only held onto because Wu is nothing if not hopeful.
Mako loves him.
When was the last time someone told Wu they loved him?
His breath hitches, face hot, and then he's crying again, clutching at Mako's shirt, pressing his face into Mako's throat, his body shaking.
Fritter makes a small sound and wriggles out from between them, and Wu laughs even though that hurts, and drags himself even closer to Mako.
He died. He died, he tried to get away, but it did nothing. Sam broke his arm like it was nothing. Mako had to deal with his ghost, alone, Mako waited here for him, Mako loves him.
All of it is so much and Wu is crying and laughing and so incredibly happy and tired and scared at the same time that he can't make himself stop. ]
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[ The sudden hitch of breath, the flood of tears, is kind of alarming, but Mako is too tired to do anything but tug Wu closer still, press Wu's head into his shoulder. His shirt is getting damp already, but he can't make himself care, not with Wu crying like this. The laughter is weird, a little worrying, but Mako just pushes his lips hard against Wu's temple and stays there, wrapped around him.
He can't fix this. Not really. He can't take away Wu's fever, he can't go back in time and save Wu from any of that pain, he can't even really make himself get up to get Wu more tea or water or anything. He can hug Wu, rest his lips against Wu's too-hot skin, and he can breathe and he can be here, and that's about it.
It will have to be enough. Mako curls around him like a blanket or a shield, like the shape of his own limbs will protect Wu from the rest of the world. He murmurs something like I'm here, more movement of lips than actual sound, and tangles his fingers into Wu's sweat-damp hair. ]
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Mako won't.
Mako loves him.
Eventually, he quiets, sobs turning into sniffs, his head dizzy, achy, compounding with his fever. ]
I love you, too.
[ When he finally says it, it's so much more sure than the last two times, colored by not knowing, not thinking, that Mako could return his feelings. Thinking that, like with everything else in his life, it would be one-sided, him wanting more, more than the other person could or would give him. But Mako is giving him more than he even dared ask for, and Wu loves him for it. Wu loves every part of him, from how awkward he is around new people to how single minded he gets when solving a problem to how deeply he cares about things, even when he probably wishes he didn't.
He cares about Wu, and that feels precious, something to be protected. ]
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Who is trying, and growing, and who makes Mako want to try, too.
Who loves him.
Mako has been tracing quiet meaningless shapes on the back of his head for the last fifteen minutes, reminding Wu that he's here now because he couldn't be there before. He sighs a little with the words, hitches his other arm just a little tighter and splays his palm over Wu's back, between the wings of his shoulderblades. ]
Don't die again if you can help it. That was the worst week of my life.
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[ Wu assures him quietly, staying close. It feels good, right, to have Mako's hands on him like this, to have his strong arms encompassing Wu, keeping him close. ]
It wasn't great for me either? The death. Not the week. Wasn't really, ah, aware. For that.
[ He bites his lip, his breathing more under control now. He looks up at Mako, fingers stroking gently down his chest. ]
Your house is empty?
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He is quiet for a long, long moment. Beside them, Fritter lets out a little sigh in her sleep.
Mako's eyes dart away, over to the heavy curtains rustling slightly in the breeze. ]
...yeah. Kristoff and Anna are both gone.
So is Chloe.
And Bolin. If... Bolin was even here.
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Wu closes his eyes, shaking his head minutely. He takes a breath, lets it out.
They're back home, now. They'll be okay. ]
Mako, that-- I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't there.
[ Mako had to do this alone, alone in his own house, alone in Wu's. Wu hugs him tighter, pressing a messy kiss to his jaw ]
You should stay here. At least for now. To, ah, take care of me.
[ Mako doesn't like being taken care of. And if taking care of Wu can help Wu take care of Mako, he'll do it. ]
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Honestly, I... haven't slept in my own room. I was kind of planning on staying until you got better.
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He nods, pressing close. ]
I want you here.
Can I have that tea, now?
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Yeah. I'll heat it up. Uh—Sven is in the backyard. He... didn't leave.
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