This Is My Uniform

Patent Leather Shoes

Mako's hands twitched as Wu leaned further over the badgermole enclosure.

"They still aren't coming out for me." Face screwed up into a pout. "I know you begged, my friend-"

"Wu." Mako turned towards the prince, shoulders squared, hands clasped behind his back. "We agreed-"

"It must be done." Fingers ran through hair, he took a deep gulp of his smoothie and inhaled. "Oh sweet badgermoles, I think you are so fine. It breaks my heart, oh, it breaks my heart when you stay underground and hide."

Mako felt every muscle tensing at the just off pitch tune, despite the half decent lyrics. He'd heard worse made up on the spot.

Bolin wasn't much of a singer either.

"Please, Wu-" he leaned closer, voice clipped and low as people began to pay attention.

The prince, on cue, peeked at Mako and grinned, hands tightening on his cup before belting out as loud as his frame would allow. "Badgermoles, I love you so. Won't you come out and play? My day has been kinda crummy, and life's been sorta lame - but seeing you would be-!"

Mako lunged, grabbing the prince by the shoulders, red as his old scarf. "Stop!" Eyes pleading, embarrassed.

Wu, for a change, was silent. He eyes wide as he peered up into Mako's face. "M-Mako?"

He wasn't breathless. His heart wasn't racing. The very ground he was standing on wasn't trembling.

"People are..." His bodyguards grip loosened as realization flit across his face. "I-" The dull thud of Wu's smoothie falling to the ground and Mako blinked, righting himself. "I shouldn't have grabbed you-"

But Wu wasn't paying attention anymore, slipping past Mako and against the enclosure railing as the distant rumbling from before grew to an immediate thundering, the ground shaking.

"See?" Wu beamed, arm extended to point at the creatures emerging. "I told you they liked my singing."

Mako moved back to beside Wu, observing. The softness of his smile, the way fingers traced over the animals forms, the way his eyes glowed ethereal with unadulterated joy.

Peaceful.

It jarred Mako. For all he had seen of Wu; the loud, boisterous, obnoxious, impertinent, sorrowful - he'd never seen the prince at peace.

"I wish I could be a badgermole." Wu sighed, breaking the longest streak of silence Mako had been blessed with since his employment. "I-" A grin, but it was bitter.

When Mako had learned to read the small nuances he wasn't sure.

"They just don't have to worry." Wu sighed, hands falling lazily as the creatures retreated to the darkness again. "Thank you!" He shouted, waving as they vanished from sight.

"Don't you worry about how people will see you when you just-"

"Sing?" Wu stopped to pick up his cup and discard it. "No." Hands wiping themselves of a pocket kerchief.

Long fingers twisting over fine fabric. Mesmerizing in their fluidity.

Mako blinked, focused on the prince before him. "You made such a fuss over the whole stage incident, but singing like that isn't a big deal?"

Wu pursed his lips, head tilted, revealing slender neck. "Mm. It's different. I chose to sing. For something I enjoyed. Besides!" Arm wrapped over Mako's shoulder, "What's the worst the newspaper could say? Earth Kingdom King to Be Seen Serenading Zoo Animals?" Hand pat Mako's chest. "Hard to spin that negatively."