"Bolin!" Mako bellowed. "Get this rat away from me!"

"He's not a rat, he's a fire ferret!" Bolin shouted back.

Korra lifted her head at the yelling coming from downstairs. As it continued, she groaned and rolled over, resting her head on Asami's shoulder.

"Isn't it too early for them to be yelling?" She mumbled with a yawn.

Asami sighed and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "It's three-thirty in the morning."

"Ugh. Can't they just knock it off?" Korra mumbled.

"I think it's about Pabu," Asami said sitting up. "We should-"

"I'm up. I'm up." Korra said stretching.

The women, clad only in pajamas, padded their way down the stairs to see Mako holding a rolled up newspaper and Bolin clutching Pabu to his chest.

"I want that thing outside! NOW!" Mako yelled.

"He didn't do anything wrong!" Bolin shouted back.

"Anything wrong?" Mako threw his hands up. "He was on my face!"

"He was just sleeping!"

"On! My! Face!"

Asami and Korra looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Mako took a threatening step towards Bolin, who held Pabu tighter to him.

"Mako, just relax." Korra said.

Mako turned angrily to Korra. "Would you 'just relax' if that thing was sleeping on your face? I want it out!"

He stepped closer to his brother and reached out for Pabu, who scrambled up Bolin's shoulders.

"If Korra gets to keep her girlfriend, I should get to keep my fire ferret!" Bolin cried out while pushing Mako away.

Korra and Asami looked at each other and stared.

"Did you seriously just compare my girlfriend to your pet?" Korra asked with a genuinely confused expression.

"Yes!" Bolin said. "Think of the parallels!"

"Parallels?"

"You were lost with no direction and then fate dropped a life changing thing in your lap," Bolin said indignantly. "Same thing with Pabu."

Asami tapped her chin. "He actually is making a decent point."

"You and a fire ferret are not the same thing!" Korra said putting her hands on her hips.

"No, but we're both introductions that change lives. Bolin has a point, if I get to stay, why doesn't Pabu?"

"Because you are not a disease ridden animal!" Mako said pointing to Pabu. "That is."

"Let Bolin have this," Asami said calmly. She looked at Bolin and Pabu. "He'll just have to stay off of Mako's bed. I'll pay for a vet to get him checked out."

"Really?" Bolin asked excitedly. She nodded with a smile. "You're the best, Asami!"

Mako sighed. "Fine, if he sees a vet, he can stay." He waved the whole situation off. "I'm going back to bed."

Korra raised an eyebrow as she watched Mako ascend the stairs in a huff. She turned back to Asami as she hugged Bolin.

"Come on, Pabu. Stay with me, ignore mean old Mako." Bolin cooed as he returned upstairs.

"You know, you and Pabu aren't the same," Korra said.

Asami smiled knowingly. "Sure we are. We were both wayward travelers until we found our home on a countryside road."

She bent down and kissed Korra's cheek. The younger woman sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Ever the romantic."

"Yes ma'am. Now, let's go back to bed."

Asami sat at her desk and rubbed her eyes. She leaned back and looked at the calendar on her office wall. The past six months had gone by steadily. She had managed to pull the diner back from the brink of financial ruin and form a sturdy relationship with Korra.

Korra had grown comfortable in her relationship with Asami and had even begun to make plans to take Asami to meet her parents. Korra had even begun researching possible career options.

Bolin had finally convinced Mako to keep Pabu. The two had become inseparable, much to the dismay of some of the customers; he kept Pabu in the kitchen with him. He had even met a girl named Opal, who had come to learn some of Tenzin's ancestral history. She would come to the diner for lunch every day and he would come out to flirt casually.

Mako, however, still seemed to be at odds. He was growing visibly moodier and was going off on his own. Once Asami fixed his Satomobile he would often go out on drives alone.

Asami frowned. 'I wonder what has been bothering him. I doubt he'd open up to me, though.' She shook her head and looked back at her files. 'Maybe I could get Korra to talk to him.'

A soft knock on the door caused her to turn. Korra smiled and held up a bottle of rice wine.

"Busy?"

Asami smiled. "A little, but I can take a break."

"I was hoping you'd say that." Korra moved to Asami's desk and sat on the corner. "How are the plans?"

"Coming together, just a few more minor changes and I should be able to send them to my dad."

Korra opened to bottle and took a drink before handing it to Asami.

"No glasses?" The engineer asked with raised eyebrows.

"Why waste time with a glass?"

Asami chuckled and took a drink from the bottle. "So, do you think you'd be able to see what's wrong with Mako?"

"I've thought about talking to him, but he's always running off. I wonder what's with him?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm worried."

Korra clicked her tongue before taking another drink. "I'll see what I can do."

"Mako!"

He turned to see Korra jogging to catch up with him. He stopped walking and waited.

"Where are you going?" Korra asked as she reached him.

"Was just going for a walk," Mako said impatiently.

Korra smiled. "Good, I could use one."

Mako frowned. "I want to be alone."

"Well tough," Korra said staring up at him. "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"Everyone is worried about you."

Mako snorted. "Bolin is too obsessed with that rat creature and your head is shoved too far up Asami's ass to care."

Korra's eyes flickered and she punched Mako in the stomach. He dropped to his knees and grunted in pain.

"S-sorry. I deserved that." He mumbled.

"Yeah, you did," Korra said with crossed arms. "What the hell is going on with you?"

Mako stood and tried to readjust himself. "I have no direction."

Korra raised her eyebrows questioningly.

The amber-eyed man continued. "You have Asami and Bolin has Pabu, not to mention that girl Opal. I'm just waiting for her to become his girlfriend." He shrugged and looked at Korra. "What do I have?"

The younger woman pursed her lips. "You have us."

"That's not what I mean. Yes, we all have each other, but what do I have?"

"Mako…"

He held his hand up. "I'm just struggling right now. I just don't know what to do with my life. I mean, I love Asami to death, but when it was just the three of us we were good. We were the best of friends. Now, Asami has you and Bolin thinking about a happy ever after."

"Do you want Asami to leave?"

'No! She's great. She fits in with us seamlessly. I just…ugh! I don't know!"

Korra took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Mako. He smiled softly and pulled her close.

"You do what makes you happy, Mako." Korra looked up at him. "We'll support you. We want you to be happy."

Mako's arms tightened around Korra. "I…I was thinking about going to Republic City and going into the Police Academy."

She smiled brightly. "Is that what you want to do?"

He nodded meekly. "I…I've always wanted to do something good. Ever since my parents…"

Korra hugged Mako tighter. "You don't need to explain. You've always had an amazing sense of right and wrong."

Mako coughed and pulled out of her arms. He chuckled and sat down on the ground. Korra plopped down next to him.

"I think this is what I want to do," Mako said. "I want to help people. I don't want kids to have to grow up like Bolin and I did."

"If that's what you want, then we'll support you," Korra said resting her head on his shoulder.

"I just…I don't want to leave everyone." He said quietly.

Korra smiled somberly. "To be honest, I don't think I'd want you that far away, but you need to do what makes you happy."

Mako took Korra's hand. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She said. "Hey, it's not like we'll never see each other again. It'll only be a little while and then I'm sure you'll get breaks."

"I know, but not being around you guys all the time will suck." He said. "You guys are my family."

"Well, family sticks together no matter what," Korra said. "We will always be here for you."

"I love you, Korra."

"I love you, too."

"So, Mako wants to be a police officer?" Asami asked as she changed for bed.

Korra nodded with a toothbrush in her mouth. "He says it'll make him happy."

"That's gross, Korra. Don't talk with your mouth full of toothpaste." Asami said with a face.

The younger woman rolled her eyes and spit into the sink before sticking her tongue out at Asami. "Anyway, he said that it's what he wants to do."

"Then he should do it," Asami said matter-of-factly.

"He'll have to wait for next year's recruitment, though."

"Why?"

Korra shrugged. "He needs to save up the money for everything. Only officers get lodging covered, recruits don't."

Asami looked at Korra disapprovingly. "Seriously? What is it with you people?"

"Huh?"

Asami growled in frustration as she made her way out of their bedroom. She turned and swung open the door to Mako and Bolin's room. Bolin, clad only in boxer shorts, shrieked and tired to cover himself with a pillow. She rolled her eyes.

"Where's Mako?"

"In the kitchen! Get out, you pervert!"

Asami waved him off and walked downstairs, past the questioning Korra. The older woman made her way into the kitchen to see Mako digging around in the fridge.

"Really?" She asked.

He turned with a questioning expression. "Huh?"

"You people piss me off!" Asami said with crossed arms and Korra and Bolin walked into the kitchen. "You sit here and let yourselves be miserable and you don't even ask for help!"

The three stared at a completely pissed off Asami.

"How much do you need?" Asami asked Mako sternly.

"For what?" He asked.

"The Police Academy."

"Asami…"

She stomped her foot. "Answer the fucking question!"

"About two thousand yuans for room and board." He said softly.

She sighed. "Fine, I will write you a check in the morning." He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand. "You will take it and you will like it."

She pointed to Bolin. "You will stop fighting me and let me give you money so you can take Opal on a proper first date." Her gaze flicked to Korra. "And you…"

Korra gulped and took a step backwards as Asami walked to her. "You will stop being such a stubborn idiot and let me buy you the fucking jacket you want."

"Asami, we don't need your money." Mako said.

"Mako…shut up," Korra said softly. "She's really mad."

"We don't need a handout, Asami," Mako said.

"You people sit here and complain about money and how everything is so difficult. However, I am sitting on literally millions of yuans and you treat me like it isn't good enough. I care about you all, but you sit here and refuse every offer for help I give. It's not fucking charity! For the first time, I have found a group of people who I care about." She paused and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. "People who I thought cared about me."

She turned on her heel and walked towards the front door, grabbing her keys off of the hook.

"Asami!" Korra called out.

"No!" Asami shouted as she stormed out.

Korra sighed. "Damn it. I'll go after her." She ran towards the front door as fast as she could.

Mako collapsed in a chair and sighed. "I would just feel awful if we took Asami's money for everything. I don't want her to think that's the only reason she's here."

"I know, man. I know." Bolin said. "Hopefully Korra can talk her down."

Korra ran outside and caught a glimpse of Asami getting in her car. Korra dashed down the steps and ran in front of Asami's car.

"Asami! Stop!" Korra said slamming her hands on the hood.

"No! I'm sick and tired of everyone treating me like I'm not good enough."

"That's not what this is! We don't want you to think your money is the only reason we want you around!" Korra said desperately. "We love you, Asami. I love you."

Asami sighed and let her hands fall from the steering wheel to her lap. "I'm sorry."

Korra moved from the front of the car to the driver's side. Asami got out of the car and let Korra take her in her arms.

"You don't need to be," Korra whispered. "Come on, let's go back inside."

Mako and Bolin looked up when they entered the house. Asami sighed and shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

"No," Mako said. "It's us. We've been hesitant to let you help because we don't want you to think we're taking advantage of you."

"It's the support you have to give," Bolin said. "We should have been more accepting."

"See?" Korra asked nudging the other woman. "We love you."

Asami smiled softly and leaned into Korra. The four turned when the phone rang.

"Who's calling at this hour?" Mako mumbled as he moved to the phone. He picked it up. "Hello?"

He turned to Korra. "It's your dad."

Korra frowned and took the phone. "Hello? Dad?"

"Korra, you need to come home, something has happened."