After everyone went their separate ways Mako started to get used to being alone and developing different habits and hobbies. When he turned 20 and had more money saved up he downgraded to a smaller but clean apartment in a safer neighborhood.
It was a small omega home with little apartments run by an older lady with a bunch of rules. No painting the walls, no parties, no loud music, and, no alphas.... even tho he saw the girl under him sneak in one just to find out she got kicked out. But he didn't care that was her problem and he was barely home. Mako was either at the station or this quiet cafe that was open almost 24/7. He started to enjoy his quiet time there reading or sketching so much that his boss started noticing that he never stayed late at the station unless he had a lot of work. So this cafe became what he would prefer a safe place until someone asked to sit next to him one night.
" Hi, do you mind if I sit next to you," someone asked while he was reading this book Jinora gave him. Now he knows that he took a comfy 4-sited booth in the corner but why would someone ask to sit with him when there were 10 other places to sit down and there were only 4-5 people here?
"I might mind a little-" Mako started before looking up and seeing the last person he thought would be here. " General?"
" Yeah, I just finished a last-minute meeting with President Raiko and wanted to stop for tea. I promise I won't interrupt your reading time," General Iroh said giving him a small smile while holding his book.
" I guess you can join," Mako said and watched as he sat down and opened his book before someone came and gave him his tea. Mako just decided to pretend like he was alone like before and moved more into the corner and started reading again.
During the past two years, Mako decided to focus on himself while being single and had to learn how to have 2 friends and one brother instead of having two ex-alphas and one younger brother he felt like he had to take care of. During the whole thing with the red lotus, he realized he had to learn to care for them as friends and realized that he had more family. His brother was an adult and didn't need him. Bolin went off to help the earth kingdom after he helped him move and reminded him that he had a family now if he ever gets lonely. He also reminded him to put himself first for once. Most times he would go over to see his family and learn recipes and stuff from his grandma.
He also had time to go to the library and the bookstore where he ran into Jinora and had her introduce him to a few books and a new genre. Boys-love books were something he didn't think he would be interested in. Mako never saw himself as a romantic but it's nice to see stories that involve love but also involve life struggles that he only saw in nonfiction books. He didn't expect to read the books she recommended and to get stuck on them and want more but also to learn something about himself. Maybe Mako was ok with Korra and Asami but what if he preferred male alphas like the guy in the books he read and the guy sitting in front of him who just pushed a cookie closer to him when he thought Mako didn't see him?
Mako may have waited a min or two before he ate the cookie and rolled his eyes when he was the general smile. It's been a few mins before Mako realized the time, one other rule about the apartment he lived at was the fact that there was a 9:30 curfew and 10 was the last that someone with a job like his can stay out till.
" I have to go it's 9:15," Mako just told him before shoving everything in his side bag and running out. It took him 2 seconds to realize he was being followed before asking "What are you doing?"
" It's late and I wanted to at least walk you home or wherever you're going," He heard General Iroh say.
" My apartments are not far there's just a stupid curfew," Mako mumbled while speed walking.
