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“Makooooo,” Wu said, unable to control the whine in the last syllable of his new bodyguard’s name. “It’s an emergency!”
“A torn hem is not an emergency,” Mako said in an unflappably monotone voice. Mako was so serious, yet he took nothing Wu said or did seriously.
“It is. If I don’t get it repaired right away, it will start to fray more!” Wu insisted. He desperately held the suit jacket up to Mako’s face. “We don’t even have to go anywhere. We’ll just have the tailor make a house call!”
“No,” Mako said without flinching even the slightest. “No unscheduled visitors. I’ll have the police department secure the tailor’s shop tomorrow for a scheduled appointment.”
Wu huffed and tossed the jacket onto the chair. He hadn’t expected Mako to be quite so unrelentingly stubborn! Wu’s other bodyguards all just did whatever Wu said to do. His last bodyguard would have let Wu call a tailor to come up to the hotel room. But nooooo, Mako wouldn’t allow it because it’s a ‘security risk’. If Wu had known that Mako was going to be such a killjoy about something as simple as calling a tailor, maybe he wouldn't have requested the illustrious hero cop member of Team Avatar to be his personal bodyguard.
Not that Wu regretted adding the detective to his security team, but maybe it was a good thing it was only a temporary two-week rotation.
“Well fine,” Wu said, crossing his arms. “But for the record, this is extremely unfair! I mean, I should be able to have a visitor in my own suite if I want to.”
Mako remained exactly as stoic as he had been since the moment Wu had frantically emerged from his hotel room and dragged him inside to inform him of the tragic tear in his favorite suit jacket. Mako stood tall, arms behind his back, a picture of perfect professionalism. Truly cool-headed and unshakable. All the whining in the world wouldn’t be able to get this guy to lighten up.
“Was there anything else you needed, Prince Wu?” Mako asked, completely ignoring Wu’s complaint about the utter injustice Wu was suffering at the moment.
“Ugh. No. Just… make the arrangements for me to visit the tailor tomorrow!” Wu used his very best regal tone to give Mako the order.
“Of course, sir,” Mako said, and Wu chose not to point out that sir was not the correct way to address the heir to the Earth Kingdom Throne.
Mako exited the room, hopefully to go make plans to secure the tailor shop. When Wu was alone, he flopped back on the sofa, next to where his suit jacket was laid out. He reached out and stroked the ripped hem, and tried not to lament the loss of freedom. He couldn’t even call a tailor for a house call! Being the last Hou-Ting was not all it was cracked up to be. Things had better get better when he was finally crowned King! At least when he became King, and back to Ba Sing Se where he’d have absolute power, then he could do as he pleased.
Well. At least his new bodyguard was nice to look at. That was something.
“Your driver isn’t available at the moment.” Mako stared Wu down, his lips pursed into a thin, unamused line.
“Well you can just drive!”
“Absolutely not,” Mako said firmly. “I’m your bodyguard. Not your driver. I can’t protect you if I’m driving.”
“Well can’t you get someone to drive?” Wu asked, his desperation increasing with each moment. The jagged edge of his broken nail was driving him insane and he needed to go to the spa or he was gonna crawl out of his skin!
Mako sighed, a more regular occurrence now that he’d been Wu’s bodyguard for a few days. “Prince Wu, you can’t just go to the spa anytime you want. We have to have at least a few hours lead time to schedule a security sweep of the premises.”
“But they’ll be closed in a few hours!” Wu holds up his hand, showing Mako the damaged nail and the exposed skin. “I need to go get this taken care of now!”
“I literally cannot take you to the spa right now while also ensuring your safety,” Mako says firmly. “A hangnail isn’t an emergency. Just deal with it it yourself.”
“Makooooo!” Wu whined, tugging on his arm in a frantic attempt to get him to concede. “Please, Mako, pleeeease…”
Mako pulled his arm away from Wu’s hands and scowled. “Tomorrow. Stop asking.”
Wu deflated.
It was frustrating, because he liked having Mako around—Wu certainly felt safe knowing such an accomplished member of Team Avatar was at his beck and call! But Mako was almost too dedicated to Wu’s security. His other security guards would concede to Wu’s wishes almost immediately, but not Mako. He was as dug in as an earthbender trying to move a mountain.
Sure, Wu had never felt safer, but not because of Mako’s dedication to blocking every attempt Wu made at spontaneity—it was because he was big and tough and the Avatar’s friend and Wu knew that if anyone tried anything that Mako would stop them in their tracks with a little firebending action! And he was certainly nice to look at, lean and strong and ruggedly handsome and resplendent and—okay, Wu, take it down a notch. He was tough and good looking, but boy oh boy was he a stick in the mud!
“Fine…” Wu slumped his shoulders forward and trudged back to his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Maybe this just wasn’t meant to be… Maybe Wu should just go ahead and ask the president for a new guard. No… That was silly. Detective Mako would only be here for a couple of weeks, and then his rotation would be up and a new officer would be assigned to guard Wu.
And there was still this part of Wu that couldn’t bear to part with Mako. Despite his steely demeanor, Wu felt drawn to him in a way that he’d never felt toward a person before. It was probably just because Mako was good looking, or maybe it was just Mako's reputation.
It didn't matter. Unless Wu went to the trouble of asking for Mako to be assigned to his close protection permanently, he would be gone before long.
“Your Highness, you have to get up. You have a meeting with President Raiko this morning.”
Wu cracked an eye open, letting the morning light hit his pupils painfully as he tried to make out the fuzzy figure of the person standing beside his bed. Mako. Mako in his room, waking him up. Wow. That was new.
Wu wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. On the one hand, it was certainly a nice sight to wake up—a handsome face, chiseled jawline, warm amber-brown eyes… On the other hand, not only could he not come and go or have guests over as he pleases, but now he couldn’t even sleep off a hangover without getting permission from his security team.
“Cancel it,” Wu said, covering his head with his pillow and retreating into the darkness again. His head was pounding and he was still a little nauseated and he just needed to sleep! Ugh. He felt awful.
He really shouldn’t have had that last drink at the Earthen Fire Winery. It wasn’t his fault their wine was so much stronger than he was used to. Or that they had a wine tasting and gallery viewing event on a weeknight. Or that the President wanted Wu at a meeting so fucking early!
"It's not my job to cancel your meetings," Mako said, though the pillow muffled his voice. “My job is to get you to the meetings and events on your schedule. Safely, and on time.”
Mako yanked the pillow out of Wu’s hands, and the light from the window suddenly burned through his eyelids.
“I can’t go. I’m sick!”
“You’re not sick. You’re hungover.” Mako’s voice was humorless and stern.
“Hungover is a type of sick,” Wu said pathetically.
“You’re going to the meeting. Or you can call the President and cancel the meeting yourself, and if I get word from City Hall that your presence is no longer expected, I'll leave you alone.”
Calling President Raiko sounded just as painful as getting up and going to City Hall and meeting with him.
“Ugh… Makooooo. I don’t want to,” Wu groaned.
Mako’s calm, levelheaded demeanor cracked for just a second. But instead of sympathy and understanding, Wu saw him frown and square his jaw with an angry furrowed brow.
“We all have things we don’t want to do,” he said in an unusually biting tone. “I’ll be back in a half an hour to make sure you’re up and ready to go. Your Highness.” And with that, Mako left the room, his footsteps heavier than usual, shutting the door with just a little more force than necessary. The loud bang made Wu wince as it hit his ears.
After he was alone for a few moments, Wu sighed and sat up slowly, rubbing his temples and trying very hard not to become angry and bitter at his circumstances.
A few months ago, he was just a college student. He should be skipping his obscenely early calculus class after spending the previous night getting wasted on cheap beer from a party at the Fang Dorms. He shouldn’t have to get up and go to a meeting with the president.
Wu took a deep breath. This was his new life. He would just have to drag himself out of bed, shower away as much of his hangover as possible, and fake his way through some boring political meeting where he’d have nothing meaningful to contribute. If he was lucky, maybe he could convince Mako to make an unscheduled stop for a tried and true hangover remedy—a coconut ginger banana smoothie from his favorite cafe.
Although, with how stuffy and uptight his new bodyguard was, that was a long shot.
Oh well. Mako wouldn't be his bodyguard for much longer. Soon enough, it'd be on to the next bodyguard. Wu guessed the next one might be less enjoyable to look at, but maybe they would be nicer or at least let Wu do what he wanted every once in a while!
Wu awoke to the bright light from the bedroom window as Mako threw the drapes open. Ugh. The light was startling, but not nearly as startling as the all over body ache Wu felt upon waking. He’d been having odd dreams all night, tossing and turning, going back and forth between being way too hot and sweaty under his sheets to freezing without them. But the pain in every muscle and joint was new. He swallowed, and a burning pain flared up inside his throat.
“Come on,” Mako’s ever-exasperated voice sounded through the room. “You’ve got that meeting today with Grand Secretariat Gun. Updates on the unification.”
Wu didn’t reply. He wanted to, but he honestly couldn’t. His throat hurt and talking would be painful, he was sure.
“Come on, Prince Wu,” Mako said, growing more annoyed with each word. “Why are you—”
Mako stopped talking, and Wu opened his eyes, pitifully staring up at Mako. Mako stood on the far side of the room, the light from the window shining through and creating a silhouette of Mako's gloriously athletic form. Mako silently stared at Wu for a moment, then suddenly marched over, right to Wu’s bedside. Mako crouched down and scrutinizing Wu carefully. His amber eyes were sharp with focus and Wu wasn't sure if he'd ever been this close to Mako's face before... He was just as handsome up close as he was from a distance, truly a sight to behold!
Mako's searching expression turned softer with each moment. His eyebrows, normally permanently furrowed in anger, drew up in concern. His irate scowl relaxed into a more neutral line. Well, that was weird and new. Mako actually looked… worried.
Mako brought his hand up to Wu’s face, brushed aside his bangs, and pressed his hand against Wu’s forehead. Mako’s hand felt nice and cool against Wu’s skin. Wu closed his eyes for a moment and relished the feeling of Mako’s hand touching him, and whimpered pitifully when Mako pulled his hand away.
“Mako…” Wu managed to croak out, his throat hurting as he spoke.
“You’re sick,” Mako said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. “You have a fever.”
Wu couldn't muster up much of a response to that. He groaned a little, then opened his eyes. Mako was so close, and he looked beautiful.
“What hurts?” Mako asked gently.
“Throat. Head. Body. Everything,” Wu said in a quiet, raspy voice.
“You're not coughing or sniffling. Can you breathe okay?”
Wu was pretty sure he could breathe, but he inhaled slowly just to be sure. It made his throat hurt, but he managed to take in a lungful of air.
“Good. Just hang tight, okay? I'll call for a healer.”
Wu simply nodded, then closed his eyes and tried to ignore his pounding head and painful throat.
Wu wasn’t sure how long it was before Mako returned, but suddenly he was back, and his voice was quiet and gentle as it roused Wu from his half-sleep.
“Healer’s on the way. Don’t worry about the meeting, I took care of it. When was the last time you had anything to drink?”
Wu didn’t feel like answering verbally, so he just shrugged. He honestly couldn’t remember. Last night? At dinner? He tried not to drink too much water too close to bed, lest he have to wake up in the middle of the night to pee.
“Here, sit up and drink this—” And Wu opened his eyes to see Mako produce a glass of water with ice cubes clinking in it. Wu sat up slowly and let Mako hold the straw up to his lips. Wu drank, noticing that the water was cucumber water, and if Wu weren’t feeling so terrible, he might have been shocked that Mako had somehow remembered how Wu liked his water. Wu didn't realize Mako was so thoughtful.
The cold water did not feel great on his throat at first, so he winced.
“Ugh… feel like I'm dying! Wu down!” Wu collapsed back down onto his pillow and groaned, kicking the comforter off his legs as he suddenly felt overheated in his silk nightclothes. Ancestors, it really did feel like he was on death's door! People could die from a sore throat, he was pretty sure… He'd heard of illnesses like that! "Mako, don't let me die!" he added, reaching out and clutching Mako's sleeve like it was tethering him to the living realm.
“You’ll be okay,” Mako said quietly, not even acknowledging that Wu was probably overreacting. “Like I said. Healer’s on the way.”
Why was Mako acting so considerate? This wasn't the same bodyguard Wu had gotten to know over these last couple weeks! Wu let go of Mako's sleeve and clenched his eyes shut. He heard Mako walk away, but Wu was honestly too tired to bother watching him leave. Wow. Wu was really sick if he couldn’t be bothered to ogle Mako from behind.
Wu heard Mako's footsteps as he returned, and suddenly Wu felt something cold and damp on his head, giving his throbbing headache and flushed face some relief. Wu cracked an eye open and realized Mako had a cool, wet washcloth pressed against his forehead.
If Wu wasn’t on the verge of delirium from his fever, he probably would have found the whole thing completely unbelievable. Who was this guy? Was this the same Mako who wouldn't even entertain the idea that Wu should be allowed to bring a visitor into the suite? The guy who was so hung up on his job duties that he wouldn't drive Wu for just one quick visit to the spa? The same Mako who practically dragged Wu kicking and screaming to a meeting when he was too hungover to function?
But Wu got a fever and a sore throat, and suddenly Mako turned into a mother possum-hen. This was an interesting development, indeed.
“Better?” Mako asked. Wu could only nod.
Weird. This was all very weird. Maybe Wu was dreaming. He closed his eyes again, too tired to dissect whether this was real or a fever induced hallucination. Instead, he let his exhaustion overtake him and dozed off to get a break from all his pain.
“You’re sure it’s nothing more serious?” Mako asked the healer as she ran her hands along Wu’s neck, throat and jaw, doing some kind of spirit-y sensing to figure out what was wrong with Wu.
“Owwww…” Wu said, wincing as she ran a hand over a particularly tender spot where his jaw met his neck.
“Apologies, Your Highness,” she said, then turned to Mako. “It’s a common ailment. Nothing serious. A few healing sessions over a few days, and he’ll be back to normal.”
“His fever was pretty high. His lymph nodes are swollen. He can barely talk.” Mako was practically arguing with the healer.
“I found nothing alarming in my examination. Fevers and swollen nymph nodes are a normal immune response. Visual examination of the throat and tonsils show classic signs of a strep infection.”
“But his symptoms seem too severe to be just strep,” Mako continued arguing with the healer. "And it all came on really suddenly. He was fine last night."
Wu couldn't help but agree. "I've had strep throat when I was a kid..." Wu said, barely getting the words out. "It wasn't this bad..."
“Unlike with many other illnesses," she interrupted quickly, "the symptoms of strep can be more extreme in adults than in children. But the treatment is simple and recovery will be quick.”
“How can you tell it’s strep and not… something more serious?” Mako’s usually stoic demeanor was undercut by the worried furrow of his brow.
“I just explained how—” The healer cut herself off with a sigh. “Officer, I’m going to ask that you leave the room so I can treat the patient in peace.”
“It’s Detective, and I’m not leaving. I’m his bodyguard. It’s against protocol,” Mako said firmly.
“It’s fine,” Wu said to the healer in a raspy voice. “I want him to stay.”
“Alright, fine." She shook her head. "Both of you please be quiet so I can begin treatment.”
Wu felt instant relief as the healer brought water out of a canteen at her hip and started undulating it over his neck. One thing he loved about Republic City—many of the physicians were waterbenders who could use water healing. Really sped up the recovery process from simple illnesses and injury. Not that water healing could fix everything, but it was certainly a bonus.
After a few moments, she returned the water to her canteen and Wu could feel that the swelling had gone down and the pain had improved significantly.
“I'll have some medicine sent here as soon as possible. Rest, drink plenty of fluids—warm or cold, either is acceptable, whichever is more soothing—and we’ll do another healing session this time tomorrow. The infection will be cleared before you know it.”
Wu relaxed at the good news. Not that he thought he was actually going to die! But the instant improvement from the water and the healer’s insistence that Wu would be fine in a few days made him much less scared that he might drop dead at any moment.
However, when the healer left, Mako didn’t seem even slightly relieved. He looked more tightly wound than ever. As if he were truly worried that Wu wouldn't get better. The idea that Mako was worried for him made something warm spread through Wu's chest—not feverishly warm, but blissfully warm.
“Hey big guy, relax!” Wu said, his voice still slightly hoarse, but not nearly as painful as before. “You heard the healer, I’ll be back to my old self in no time!”
Mako just pursed his lips together. “You should lay down. You heard her. Get some rest.”
Wu flopped back onto his pillows and sighed. “Ughhhhh. I hate being sick.”
Mako frowned, and left the room without saying anything. Wu wasn’t sure where he was going. Not that Mako had ever been particularly chatty, but maybe his mother possum-hen instincts had waned and he was just done with Wu now that it was clear he’d recover.
Instead, a moment later, Mako reappeared with a cup of tea. The steam was curling up and Wu was confused, because Mako had barely been gone for a minute. How did he prepare a cup of tea so quickly? Oh, yeah, duh. Firebender!
“Did you heat that with your bending?” Wu asked excitedly. Mako sat down in the chair that the healer had been using when she'd done her check-up on Wu.
“Yeah. Lemme know if it’s too hot or not hot enough…” He handed Wu the cup of tea, and Wu took a sip. It was sweetly minty, and the temperature was perfect. The warm liquid ran down his throat and gave him even more relief with each sip.
“Wow, thanks big guy! I’m feeling better already!” Wu said with a bright smile after he'd had a few drinks.
“That’s because you saw a healer,” Mako said with a roll of his eyes. Wow, Mako was rolling his eyes. That professionalism was disappearing by the moment!
“Maybe, but the tea definitely worked some magic too!” Wu said as brightly as he could, given that his throat was still a little sore. "Strep throat, who would-a thought! I haven't had it since I was a kid!"
“Just drink and get some rest," Mako said, folding his arms and looking away. "I’ve cleared your schedule, but you’ll have a bunch of stuff to do when you’re better.”
“I thought you didn’t do that? Didn’t you say that wasn’t your job?” Wu asked, feeling his lips curl into a smile. Mako narrowed his eyes and maybe Wu was still a little fever-crazed, but he found it very entrancing and endearing, the way Mako's eyebrows seemed to sharpen with his irritated expression.
“It’s not my job.” Mako said with a scowl. For some reason the scowl was even cuter than the angry eyebrows. Something about his posture, his tone, and his expression seemed different. Like he was being more relaxed and familiar with Wu. “But I didn’t have much of a choice. You’re pretty sick.”
“The healer said I would be fine,” Wu said with a shrug, sipping his tea.
“Yeah well. You could barely talk. Considering you talk a lot, I had a right to be concerned.” Mako averted his eyes. Wu could have taken Mako’s comment about how much Wu normally talked as insulting, and maybe Wu was imagining it, but there was the slightest hint of a teasing cadence to Mako’s tone. And given the fact that Wu had seen Mako actually act like a person and not just some kind of rigid mech, Wu couldn’t help but feel delighted.
“Thanks, Mako. I don’t know what I’d do without you!” Wu said with a happy grin.
And it was true. The idea that Mako's security rotation was almost up was unacceptable now! Wu couldn't imagine feeling safe with anyone else, not after the way Mako had shown genuine concern for him! Maybe his other bodyguards were more lax and let Wu do whatever he wanted, but none of them had shown the slightest bit of interest in Wu's comfort or well being. He couldn't imagine any of them putting a cool rag on his head or bringing him tea unasked or taking so much time to ensure the healer was taking Wu's symptoms seriously.
No, no, no... Mako couldn't leave Wu's security detail now. He'd have to call the President as soon as he was well enough and insist on promoting Mako!
“Get some rest," Mako said, his voice rich and resonant in Wu's ears. "I'll be right outside, in the living area if you need me." Mako stood and left the bedroom of the suite
This time, when Mako walked away, Wu let himself stare at Mako from behind as he left the room. When the door closed behind him, Wu felt a flutter in his stomach—not a sick flutter, an excited flutter. Mako wasn't returning to his post outside the hotel door, but instead was just in the next room, waiting in case Wu needed him.
Oh yes, Wu would need to call President Raiko as soon as possible, to ensure Mako remained his bodyguard for good.
Mako nervously trudged through the police precinct, toward Chief Beifong’s office. It was his first day back after finishing up his rotation guarding the prince, and as soon as he walked in, Beifong had yelled for him to come into her office, immediately. Given her tone of voice, it was probably bad news. But given Mako’s penchant for bad luck, he probably shouldn't be surprised. Mako's life seemed to be one bad thing after another.
“Detective,” Beifong greeted Mako curtly when he entered her office.
“Chief,” Mako returned the greeting as he shut the door behind him.
“I’ve got some… news.” Beifong’s voice was neutral and serious, and Mako felt his heart drop.
“Bad news?” Mako asked hesitantly. Given her phrasing, he didn't high hopes for whatever she was about to tell him. Had there been a stall in progress on the Red Monsoon case during his two week absence on Wu duty? Maybe their boss had gotten away, or one of the other detectives had screwed up evidence handling or something. Spirits, Mako hoped it wasn't something too terrible. The Red Monsoons had gotten out of control trying to push on Agni Kai territory, fighting over a corner of the Dragon Flats Borough, and the neighborhood was paying the price. Mako really needed to get things back on track if something had gone wrong in the task force's investigations during his absence.
“You’ve been promoted,” she answered. Wait, what? That kind of news should be good, but they way she was delivering it didn't sound good at all.
“What does that mean?” Mako asked anxiously.
“Starting immediately, you’ll be Prince Wu’s permanent close protection officer, and in charge of all officers assigned to the security rotation.”
“No!” Mako dropped any veneer of professionalism and slammed his hands on Beifong’s desk. “No, I don’t want the promotion. I decline. Refuse. No fucking way am I going to work for that guy permanently!"
“Sorry kid, you can’t get out of it.”
“What do you mean I can’t?” Mako asked, perplexed. This couldn't be happening. He just finished his stupid assignment guarding Prince Wu, and the entire two weeks had been horrible! He'd never met someone so whiny or immature or spoiled or demanding. He could not go back to being Prince Wu's bodyguard!
“Well, the president is the one who assigned you this promotion. You don’t just decline a promotion appointed by the president," she said with a shrug.
“No, no, no, no, no... There’s got to be some way I can get out of this!”
“Sure. You could quit the force," Beifong said in her deadpan way of joking.
Mako hung his head in frustration. “Some other way!”
“I guess if you did a horrible job, the prince would probably fire you," she said, tapping her chin like she was seriously considering that as a solution. "But then I'd probably have to fire you, since it's an extension of your job through the police department.”
“I don’t understand, why is this happening?" Mako collapsed back in the chair on this side of the chief's desk. He slumped forward, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his eyes. "Why is the president forcing me to do this? I shouldn't have even been assigned to guard duty in the first place! Everyone else who got pulled onto prince duty was a beat cop! I'm supposed to be on the triad task force!”
“Prince Wu asked for you by name. And the president isn't about to deny His Royal Highness whatever he asks for." Beifong said pointedly. "And now he's personally offering you the extremely prestigious position of royal bodyguard, with a raise and perks."
Mako pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Perks? What possible perks could there be?"
"You would stay in the second bedroom of the Presidential Suite. All living expenses included—meals, laundry, personal care items, transportation. You'll still get regular days off. Vacation time. Paid sick days. All that, plus a pay raise."
"You said permanent, but it can't be forever, right? Isn't he going back to the Earth Kingdom eventually? I mean, the whole reason the city is providing him security is to keep him alive until he's crowned King or whatever, right?"
“Once Kuvira unifies the Earth Kingdom, she’ll transfer power and Prince Wu will take his place on the throne.”
“So when he goes back to the Earth Kingdom..."
“His safety will be in the hands of the Earth Army guards," she said, nodding.
“And then I can go back to being a detective?”
“Yep," she said confidently. "Shouldn't take more than a couple of years.”
A couple of years?
Why was this happening? What spiritual energies had Mako angered that put him in this position? Why did it seem like anytime life got a little better, something would get thrown into the mix to make everything worse?
Mako took a deep breath to center himself. He just needed to calm down and look at this rationally. Living expenses covered, plus a pay raise... Was that worth it to have to babysit that man-child for who knows how long?
And even if it wasn't, what was he supposed to do? The options were all terrible: Quit, get fired, or remain in this miserable position for a couple years.
“Fine.” Mako hung his head in defeat after breathing out a frustrated sigh. "When do I start?"
"Tomorrow. Good luck, kid. I know you don't want to do it, but for the record, I think if anyone can manage the prince, it's you."
Mako wasn't so sure about that, but he nodded reluctantly all the same.
A couple years, and he would go back to his old job... Just a couple years....
The next morning, Mako mentally prepared himself as he entered the Four Elements Hotel. This was his job now. And the more he thought about it, the less sense it made. Why did the prince want Mako to keep working for him? Prince Wu had been so obnoxious the whole time. He argued with Mako at every turn, when Mako was just trying to do his job and keep him safe! Refusing to indulge the prince in his whims for unplanned outings, not allowing unvetted visitors to enter the suite, forcing the prince to do his fucking job and got to meetings that involve the country he's supposed to eventually govern... Everything Mako had done, Wu responded with whines and tantrums.
Granted... He had probably gone beyond standard job duties when Wu woke up obviously sick the other day. But... the feverish flush to Prince Wu's face, the hoarse voice, the pitifully desperate look in his eyes that was like he was begging Mako to make the pain go away... Mako couldn't just call a healer and stand by silently. Maybe he didn't particularly like Prince Wu, but it's not like he deserved to be miserable like that.
Or maybe it just reminded him too much of his childhood, anytime Bolin got sick. The occasional routine illness could turn deadly in their less than ideal circumstances. There was a free clinic in the Dragon Flats, but they were overworked and understaffed, and they weren't always open. Mako would sometimes just have to manage Bolin's symptoms and hope for the best until he could get him into the clinic, or until he could scrounge up enough cash to see a doctor or buy medicine.
Not a problem for Prince Wu. The top healer in the city simply made a house call. What Mako would have given to be able to simply summon someone to hurry over and fix whatever illness or injury Bolin had. And there had been a lot over the years—from the flu, to septapox, to whooping cough, and the scariest one: Diphtheria, colloquially known on the streets as the strangling spirit; a sore throat that could eventually suffocate the afflicted. That had been the one time Mako had thought he might lose his little brother. Mako shudders to think what would have happened if he hadn't carried Bo to the clinic and gotten him help in time.
And now, his baby brother was on the other side of the world, helping Kuvira with the unification. Mako missed him terribly and only had sparse letters to reassure him that his brother was alive and well. Mako knew, intellectually, that Bolin was more than capable of taking care of himself and doing good things for the Earth Army, but it was still hard, knowing he was so far away. The last time Mako had spent so much time away from his brother was when he'd been in jail.
Maybe Mako wasn't worried so much as envious. Bolin was out there making a difference, while Mako was stuck here, doing a job that he really didn't want to do. Maybe if Bo were here, he'd find a way to cheer Mako up or get him to look on the bright side. There were perks to this job that Bolin would be delighted to hear about. He could picture Bolin brightly telling Mako to keep smiling! as he handed him a stupid Nuktuk poster to hang up in his new bedroom in the Four Elements Presidential Suite.
Well, Bolin wasn't here. So there was no sense in bothering to keep smiling. Bodyguards shouldn't smile anyway. They should be silent and intimidating.
Mako rode the elevator to the top floor of the hotel and took a deep breath as he entered the hallway. There was a beat cop doing door duty, but before Mako could even greet him, the double doors flung open and Prince Wu emerged.
"Mako! I'm so glad you're here! Oh man this is gonna be so great! I'm so excited Chief Beifong let you take the job!"
Let him take the job? Wu seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that Mako didn't want this job at all, and Beifong was basically forcing him to do it. Well. It would be unprofessional to express that here and now, so Mako kept his mouth shut as Wu continued on.
"Oh buddy, I feel like a million yuans now! So much better, not even a tickle in my throat anymore! Oh, you need to get settled in! I'm so glad you'll actually be staying in the suite—not that I didn't feel safe with someone on door duty, but knowing you're here just in the other room is a huge relief! Have you had breakfast yet? I'll order us some room service. What do you like? I mean, there's a menu, but the kitchen will whip up anything, so just say the word!"
"Uh, I'm okay, thanks. Already ate." Mako followed Wu into the suite and tried to accept the fact that this was his life now. He would be living here.
"Well, not much longer til lunch; I'll make sure to order us a nice spread. Do you like ramen? I mean, most people like ramen, but what kind of ramen do you like? They can make just about any kind with any toppings…"
Mako blinked as Wu continued to go on and one about lunch. How was Mako going to get through this assignment? He would just have to remind himself how much money he'd be saving with all the costs of living covered. Mako would never complain about free meals or a bed to sleep on or a roof over his head. And as soon as Prince Wu became King Wu, Mako would go back to his real job as a detective.
Just a couple of years. He'd been through much worse for much longer; he could handle a couple of years of having an annoying job. It sure beat being homeless and starving and having to resort to crime just to afford medicine.
"Mako, let me tell you, now that I have my singing voice back, all I can think about is visiting the zoo and singing to the badgermoles! They love when people sing to them… And I know what you're going to say, that you need time to set up the visit, secure the site, and that's completely fine! I promise not to make a fuss if you can't make it happen today. We can do it any day this week..."
Wu rambled on about planning a trip to the zoo and Mako resisted the impulse to smash his head into the wall as he reckoned with the fact that this was his job now. Setting up zoo visits for a spoiled prince. Great.
Prince Wu continued excitedly outlining everything he wanted to do this week so Mako would be able to make the necessary security arrangements in advance. Mako mentally noted that the prince did seem to act much more considerate now that he was well again. He wasn't being as petulant or whiny or demanding. He just seemed really happy with the current arrangement.
In fact, the way Wu was talking, it was like he wanted to… impress Mako or something. That was weird, why would a prince want to impress someone like Mako? No… He was probably reading too much into it.
"I gotta say, Mako, this is gonna be great! You and me, out on the town, living the life!"
"Yeah. Great," Mako agreed unenthusiastically.
Well. Whatever the case, Mako was stuck with Prince Wu for a while. He was just going to have to make the most of it.