Which is pretty good! All things considered. This is Mako, and he's not the most romantic person, but he's managed to find a corner of the boardwalk particularly draped in flowers and set up a blanket there. He managed to grab a couple pillows, and put some of the roses in the center of the blanket. It's a much better version of their first date: secluded and flower-draped, with thicker blankets and a notably less-nervous Mako, who stands up as soon as Wu's close enough. ]
[ Wu knows he doesn't mean it, because Mako wouldn't have told him to get changed if he didn't anticipate that it would take Wu a (long, long) while. He can't help but smile at the get-up. This is nice, really nice. Mako has been particularly nice and romantic since that night at the Red, and Wu likes it, a lot. He didn't think anything would change about their relationship, but he isn't going to say no to this kind of change.
He leans in to kiss Mako. He means it to be sweet and short, but he's too excited about whatever this is, and he instead kissing Mako too deep, too long, for them being in public. His face is a little pink when he finally pulls back. ]
[ Mako grins, red-cheeked and a little flushed from all of that, and pulls Wu into a one-armed hug, keeping him close to keep away the cold. He's radiating heat like Zuko, entirely on purpose and entirely to keep Wu warm. Maybe he should stop inviting Wu for outdoor dates in the winter.
But he's here and he's here for a reason and that is because he's figured out the buns don't work when they get cold, which means they have to be close to the source. ]
Mako! [ Wu laughs brightly, hugging him close. Oh, he missed how warm Mako can be. He feels so good, and Wu feels safe and happy pressed up against him like this. ] Boy, you really can't tell me when something's a date, can you?
[ But he isn't upset. It's sweet, really, and they don't really go on dates anymore. He looks expectantly up at Mako ] So...
[ Mako tugs him onto the blanket, keeping his arm wrapped around Wu's shoulders until they reach the little section of pillows he set there. In the center of the blanket is another little pile of pile of blankets which Mako only unwraps once they're both seated, Wu pressed up against his side.
Inside that pile are steam-baskets, the kind the buns come in, still hot thanks to Mako's insulation. ]
Oh-- yes. [ Wu grimaces at them, because, well. Everything that happened with Min-Gi. But he settles next to Mako anyway, leaning into his side ] Baby, you know I can already feel your feelings most of the time!
[ Baby still does strange things to him after all these months, sends something warm fluttering through his belly. Mako looks away to hide his pleased little grin. Wu can probably feel that he's a little nervous, a little worried about the outcome of all of this. It's... a big step. ]
We're not testing that one. I was doing some reading on the bonds. You know anything about the one that's closest to marriage?
[ Wu can feel that, and he wonders what this is all about. He's been busy with planning and hasn't really spent much time thinking about Trench life recently. Only wedding all wedding big party, those are his thoughts at the current moment ]
[ He.... doesn't know. Oh boy. Mako's nervousness spikes into an even more detectable thing as he reaches out to draw the steam-basket closer to them. ]
It's a ritual. You do a ritual with some blood and some other stuff. They all have side-effects that match up pretty well with these buns. The, uh. The romantic one lets you hear each other's thoughts.
[ It's complicated. Mako pushes a kiss against the cold edge of Wu's hair. ]
You don't have to do the bond, or you could do a different one. There's one that lets you feel each other's feelings, like you can do, and one that makes sure you can feel physically what the other person is, which, uh. Is. Interesting.
That is, ah... interesting. [ Wu can sort of imagine where Mako's thoughts are going there-- but if they do this bond, he would know. He would know what Mako's thinking. That's... kind of a nice thought. He shifts a little closer, watching Mako's face ]
[ Mako relaxes, fractionally, because now Wu's on the same page and he's not immediately recoiling. That's—that's good. It's a stupid thing to be nervous about, because Wu is the one who asked, the one who's throwing everything he is into this party (wedding, Mako reminds himself, to him. Not just a party. He hopes). ]
Yeah. I figured, we test it out, see if we want to do it, or if you hate being in my head too much.
Or if you hate being in mine. [ Which is a concern he never thought he would have until now. He bites his lip, glancing over Mako's face. This is big, really big. A big gesture of trust, of love, of commitment, and it makes Wu's heart soar. ] Let's try it. We said this is a Trench wedding, after all.
[ He's okay with it. More nerves, spiking up again like a wave. Mako shoves them down, glancing over at Zuko and Fritter, who are uncharacteristcally quiet, twined around each other for warmth. Zuko gives him a pointed look, lifting her nose, and Mako smiles thinly. ]
Yeah. Yeah, okay. I tested it earlier and they only last about 15 minutes, so. We can test it out, see, and then it should wear off. The bond is permanent, though.
[ He reaches for the steamers as he talks, pulling one of the lids off to release a cloud of steam and heat into the air. He's still pushing a little more heat into his own limbs, into the blanket, to keep Wu warm, and it stops the buns cooling so quickly, too. Carefully, Mako pulls one free and hands it to Wu. ]
[ Wu takes it, and this somehow feels momentous, even if it is just eating a bun. He holds it up with a smile, waiting for Mako to get his out, too. ]
Can't hurt! To us, baby.
[ He toasts Mako like it's a drink before taking a bite. It's good, and he thinks, maybe, that it's the same type that he ate with Min-Gi, which is... strange. But maybe that's why he could hear Min-Gi's thoughts.
Well, that certainly makes more sense. It makes sense that the bun would do it (does it? Does that make sense? Ah, Trench, you're a strange one). But at least that all worked out, at least he and Ryan have made up.
Wait, focusing on Mako. Back on Mako, because Mako wants to share Wu's thoughts and that's-- well, that's sure something. ]
[ (He could hear Min-Gi's thoughts? No wonder the guy freaked out—)
It is weird. Mako tried this before, too, and got slammed by a tidal wave of questions and thoughts not his own. It's easier now in their own little bubble, the bun soft and squishy, like something from home. One of the few reminders of home, in fact, enough that when Mako had tried one for the first time he'd been slammed right back into Republic City, holding out dirty hands with yuan they'd grifted from a rich older lady to buy him and Bolin buns on festival day. The vendor had gotten shut down a few days later for health violations, but Mako had bought them chickenpork buns spiced with lightning-peppercorns and they'd been so soft and so warm. He'd thought about them for days afterwards.
All of which Wu is privy to right now. Mako realizes that a second later and offers Wu a sheepish smile. Don't make this weird, or he won't want to do it. ]
[ Seeing a memory that isn't his own isn't the weirdest thing, not really. But seeing it like it's his own, being taken back and seeing it through Mako's eyes is so strange, so intimate, and his lips part as Mako thinks about it, and then he reaches out to slap Mako lightly on the arm ]
You ate them anyway? Mako!
[ The idea of eating food from an unsanitary vendor, and with dirty hands, no less, is a lot for him. It's so much, but in Mako's memory it tastes so good and he was so hungry... Well, maybe Wu can't really judge, even though his initial reaction was exactly that.
His own mind skips to a memory of a banquet at the Palace, buns were there, crimped in a complex pattern, the flavor amazing, and Wu had wanted to eat all of them, but one of his caretakers had been watching him, and had slapped his hand when he reached for another one.
But that sheepish smile on Mako's face is so cute, boy he is so handsome and Wu gets to marry him and oh, no, is Wu the one making this weird now? He laughs sheepishly, too, glancing away from Mako. ]
You're not making it weird—your caretakers really sucked, huh?
[ Mako has to reassure him, reaching up to slide fingers up along Wu's face, making him look at Mako again. He had known, kind of, the way Wu thought about him, but this is new a little breathtaking, especially coming from Wu with his bright green eyes and his soft hair. He wouldn't have thought that Wu was anything close to his type until the realization of him had slammed into Mako like a train, making clear that yes, actually, he was very into all that soft skin and the way Wu fits against him.
It wasn't actually a fast realization. He'd been faced with the sweep of Wu's back a hundred times in their suite, had watched him pad from shower to bedroom, chattering about something Mako could barely pay attention to because he was caught on some water drop clinging to Wu's shoulderblade, wondering why he was staring so much, thinking that he shouldn't be. He'd known Wu was attractive. How could he not? Wu's a hard thing to not notice. It was what all those little moments—watching his long fingers curve around chopsticks, the way streetlights haloed him in gold—actually added up to that Mako had missed. He hadn't seen the larger thing for what it was, hadn't fitted all the pieces together until the pool, and Wu, up close and damp and wanting. ]
[ Wu's breath catches, meeting his eyes and feeling caught there. Mako really thought that, all that time? He had no idea, had no idea that Mako thought about him, even during those years in the suite. Wu definitely thought about him, too. Didn't quite know that he was in love with him, but the signs were there. He wanted to be around Mako all the time, wanted to impress him, wanted Mako to pay attention to him. Those things haven't really gone away, they've just changed, morphed into something healthier, wanting to make Mako happy, wanting to make sure that Wu is giving him what he needs.
But in the pool... Wu remembers that, too. Remembers it differently. He remembers wanting Mako so, so badly. He remembers wondering if Mako knows, if he's sending the wrong messages, if Wu is going to make it awful and awkward between them because he likes Mako so, so much, but he doesn't want to lose Mako. He never wants to lose him. Mako is so important to him, the one person who stuck by him, the one person who bothered to get to know him, the one person who wanted to protect him. Even if he was paid to do it, it still matters to him. It still matters that Mako was there. It matters that Mako cared.
He doesn't remember to reply out loud, and instead his eyes drop to Mako's lips, drawn in and warm and feeling so wrapped up in Mako, so in love with him that it eclipses everything else sometimes. ]
Mako knows that, in his head: knows how lonely he was, knows how few people in the world cared about him, but it hits him now harder than it has before because he's getting all that loneliness and all those thoughts at once, and it's—
It's enough to make him reach up, sliding his thumb along Wu's cheek. If Mako has anything to say about it, Wu's never going to feel again like someone only cares about him because they have to. He's not going to let Wu feel that alone. ]
[ Tears well up in Wu's eyes. Hearing that from Mako's own mind, not filtered through what he thinks he should say, not said into the air but right into Wu's heart, it's everything he's ever wanted to hear. He can't help a watery smile before he's kissing Mako because he loves him, he loves Mako and he wants to make sure that Mako has a life he's proud of, a life that lets him do the things he loves, a life where he's safe and loved and surrounded by people who care about him.
Wu wants him to have that. He wants be the one to give Mako that. He wants to be with Mako until they're old and grey ]
[ Mako mumbles, mostly because there is so much feeling swelling between the two of them and it's kind of a lot, it makes him feel too big and too warm with it. He doesn't know what to do with all of this love and care: how does he hold it? Where does it go? ]
[ It flows between them, a swell and a pull and Wu leans in against him and he's sure. He's sure that he wants this. He wants to marry Mako, he wants to share Mako's thoughts, he wants to share everything with him. ]
[ A silly thing to be focusing on when he can also hear the stream of Wu's thoughts, when all he wants to do is throw himself into them and let himself be carried along. He likes Wu's thoughts, is the thing. Hearing them isn't new because Wu gives voice to them so fluidly, and they're a comforting thing to tune into. They aren't in the background like they used to be. In their suite Mako would let Wu's words wash up over his toes like the waves of Yue Bay rinsing dirty feet, a balm after a long day. Now he sits and he listens, watches the way Wu's eyes crinkle up when he smiles and the flash of white teeth, lets himself get caught up in the nooks and crannies and tide pools of his day and his opinions about it. ]
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done his best.
Which is pretty good! All things considered. This is Mako, and he's not the most romantic person, but he's managed to find a corner of the boardwalk particularly draped in flowers and set up a blanket there. He managed to grab a couple pillows, and put some of the roses in the center of the blanket. It's a much better version of their first date: secluded and flower-draped, with thicker blankets and a notably less-nervous Mako, who stands up as soon as Wu's close enough. ]
Took you long enough. Nice job, Zuko.
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[ Wu knows he doesn't mean it, because Mako wouldn't have told him to get changed if he didn't anticipate that it would take Wu a (long, long) while. He can't help but smile at the get-up. This is nice, really nice. Mako has been particularly nice and romantic since that night at the Red, and Wu likes it, a lot. He didn't think anything would change about their relationship, but he isn't going to say no to this kind of change.
He leans in to kiss Mako. He means it to be sweet and short, but he's too excited about whatever this is, and he instead kissing Mako too deep, too long, for them being in public. His face is a little pink when he finally pulls back. ]
What, um. What's the occasion, big guy?
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[ Mako grins, red-cheeked and a little flushed from all of that, and pulls Wu into a one-armed hug, keeping him close to keep away the cold. He's radiating heat like Zuko, entirely on purpose and entirely to keep Wu warm. Maybe he should stop inviting Wu for outdoor dates in the winter.
But he's here and he's here for a reason and that is because he's figured out the buns don't work when they get cold, which means they have to be close to the source. ]
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[ But he isn't upset. It's sweet, really, and they don't really go on dates anymore. He looks expectantly up at Mako ] So...
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[ Mako tugs him onto the blanket, keeping his arm wrapped around Wu's shoulders until they reach the little section of pillows he set there. In the center of the blanket is another little pile of pile of blankets which Mako only unwraps once they're both seated, Wu pressed up against his side.
Inside that pile are steam-baskets, the kind the buns come in, still hot thanks to Mako's insulation. ]
You had any of these yet?
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We're not testing that one. I was doing some reading on the bonds. You know anything about the one that's closest to marriage?
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[ Wu can feel that, and he wonders what this is all about. He's been busy with planning and hasn't really spent much time thinking about Trench life recently. Only wedding all wedding big party, those are his thoughts at the current moment ]
What is it?
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It's a ritual. You do a ritual with some blood and some other stuff. They all have side-effects that match up pretty well with these buns. The, uh. The romantic one lets you hear each other's thoughts.
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[ It's complicated. Mako pushes a kiss against the cold edge of Wu's hair. ]
You don't have to do the bond, or you could do a different one. There's one that lets you feel each other's feelings, like you can do, and one that makes sure you can feel physically what the other person is, which, uh. Is. Interesting.
[ Read: kind of hot. ]
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So, you want to try it? The romantic one?
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Yeah. I figured, we test it out, see if we want to do it, or if you hate being in my head too much.
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Yeah. Yeah, okay. I tested it earlier and they only last about 15 minutes, so. We can test it out, see, and then it should wear off. The bond is permanent, though.
[ He reaches for the steamers as he talks, pulling one of the lids off to release a cloud of steam and heat into the air. He's still pushing a little more heat into his own limbs, into the blanket, to keep Wu warm, and it stops the buns cooling so quickly, too. Carefully, Mako pulls one free and hands it to Wu. ]
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Can't hurt! To us, baby.
[ He toasts Mako like it's a drink before taking a bite. It's good, and he thinks, maybe, that it's the same type that he ate with Min-Gi, which is... strange. But maybe that's why he could hear Min-Gi's thoughts.
Well, that certainly makes more sense. It makes sense that the bun would do it (does it? Does that make sense? Ah, Trench, you're a strange one). But at least that all worked out, at least he and Ryan have made up.
Wait, focusing on Mako. Back on Mako, because Mako wants to share Wu's thoughts and that's-- well, that's sure something. ]
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It is weird. Mako tried this before, too, and got slammed by a tidal wave of questions and thoughts not his own. It's easier now in their own little bubble, the bun soft and squishy, like something from home. One of the few reminders of home, in fact, enough that when Mako had tried one for the first time he'd been slammed right back into Republic City, holding out dirty hands with yuan they'd grifted from a rich older lady to buy him and Bolin buns on festival day. The vendor had gotten shut down a few days later for health violations, but Mako had bought them chickenpork buns spiced with lightning-peppercorns and they'd been so soft and so warm. He'd thought about them for days afterwards.
All of which Wu is privy to right now. Mako realizes that a second later and offers Wu a sheepish smile. Don't make this weird, or he won't want to do it. ]
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You ate them anyway? Mako!
[ The idea of eating food from an unsanitary vendor, and with dirty hands, no less, is a lot for him. It's so much, but in Mako's memory it tastes so good and he was so hungry... Well, maybe Wu can't really judge, even though his initial reaction was exactly that.
His own mind skips to a memory of a banquet at the Palace, buns were there, crimped in a complex pattern, the flavor amazing, and Wu had wanted to eat all of them, but one of his caretakers had been watching him, and had slapped his hand when he reached for another one.
But that sheepish smile on Mako's face is so cute, boy he is so handsome and Wu gets to marry him and oh, no, is Wu the one making this weird now? He laughs sheepishly, too, glancing away from Mako. ]
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[ Mako has to reassure him, reaching up to slide fingers up along Wu's face, making him look at Mako again. He had known, kind of, the way Wu thought about him, but this is new a little breathtaking, especially coming from Wu with his bright green eyes and his soft hair. He wouldn't have thought that Wu was anything close to his type until the realization of him had slammed into Mako like a train, making clear that yes, actually, he was very into all that soft skin and the way Wu fits against him.
It wasn't actually a fast realization. He'd been faced with the sweep of Wu's back a hundred times in their suite, had watched him pad from shower to bedroom, chattering about something Mako could barely pay attention to because he was caught on some water drop clinging to Wu's shoulderblade, wondering why he was staring so much, thinking that he shouldn't be. He'd known Wu was attractive. How could he not? Wu's a hard thing to not notice. It was what all those little moments—watching his long fingers curve around chopsticks, the way streetlights haloed him in gold—actually added up to that Mako had missed. He hadn't seen the larger thing for what it was, hadn't fitted all the pieces together until the pool, and Wu, up close and damp and wanting. ]
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But in the pool... Wu remembers that, too. Remembers it differently. He remembers wanting Mako so, so badly. He remembers wondering if Mako knows, if he's sending the wrong messages, if Wu is going to make it awful and awkward between them because he likes Mako so, so much, but he doesn't want to lose Mako. He never wants to lose him. Mako is so important to him, the one person who stuck by him, the one person who bothered to get to know him, the one person who wanted to protect him. Even if he was paid to do it, it still matters to him. It still matters that Mako was there. It matters that Mako cared.
He doesn't remember to reply out loud, and instead his eyes drop to Mako's lips, drawn in and warm and feeling so wrapped up in Mako, so in love with him that it eclipses everything else sometimes. ]
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Mako knows that, in his head: knows how lonely he was, knows how few people in the world cared about him, but it hits him now harder than it has before because he's getting all that loneliness and all those thoughts at once, and it's—
It's enough to make him reach up, sliding his thumb along Wu's cheek. If Mako has anything to say about it, Wu's never going to feel again like someone only cares about him because they have to. He's not going to let Wu feel that alone. ]
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Wu wants him to have that. He wants be the one to give Mako that. He wants to be with Mako until they're old and grey ]
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[ Mako mumbles, mostly because there is so much feeling swelling between the two of them and it's kind of a lot, it makes him feel too big and too warm with it. He doesn't know what to do with all of this love and care: how does he hold it? Where does it go? ]
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You'd look cute grey.
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[ A silly thing to be focusing on when he can also hear the stream of Wu's thoughts, when all he wants to do is throw himself into them and let himself be carried along. He likes Wu's thoughts, is the thing. Hearing them isn't new because Wu gives voice to them so fluidly, and they're a comforting thing to tune into. They aren't in the background like they used to be. In their suite Mako would let Wu's words wash up over his toes like the waves of Yue Bay rinsing dirty feet, a balm after a long day. Now he sits and he listens, watches the way Wu's eyes crinkle up when he smiles and the flash of white teeth, lets himself get caught up in the nooks and crannies and tide pools of his day and his opinions about it. ]
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