Disclaimer: LoK is not mine. It belongs to Nickelodeon. I make no money off of this junk. Please don't sue.

Author's Note: This is the family-friendly addition to my new "Welcome to the Framily" series. The NSFW version is now a stand-alone fic which can be found under the title "Party Suit."

"Don't worry, dear," Senna said reassuringly. "It's really no hassle at all. Besides, you're not really dressed for the South Pole. And we'd all be upset if you got sick."

Mako sighed and let his shoulders slump in resignation. The morning had gone by so smoothly until he arrived in the dining hall for an early lunch. Master Tenzin had taken the airbending children and Korra off for some meditation. Bolin was absent because Lin was fulfilling her promise to test his potential for metalbending. Asami had disappeared earlier that day after some off-duty sentries had shyly asked her to teach them a bit about engines and basic repair.

And that left Mako to face Pema, Senna, and Katara all by himself. Even though he knew it was absurd, he half suspected that the three of them- or at least Pema and Senna- had been waiting for a chance to pounce and separate him from the rest of the herd.

"Are you sure?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, that coat Tonraq loaned me is pretty warm. And as long as I'm inside, my clothes are just fine." He raised his arms slightly and pointed at his shirt.

Senna seemed to ponder his hair and eyes for a moment and turned to Pema, addressing the other woman as if he hadn't spoken at all. "What do you think? Dark blue? I might suggest light blue, but he's so pale and it would just make him look like a washed-out mound of snow."

Mako fought the urge to roll his eyes. At least he knew which parent gave Korra her bluntness. He looked pleadingly at Katara, but the old woman merely chuckled at his plight and remained seated at the table. So much for having an ally.

Pema stepped up to give Mako another critical once-over. "Dark blue. Definitely. Besides," she added, "it'll make for a better contrast with his eyes."

"You know, Bolin didn't get fussed over like this," he mumbled.

"That's because your brother took the clothes we gave him- without complaining, mind you- and they fit. He's got some meat on his bones," Senna said off-handedly. "Like any good, healthy boy should. You, on the other hand, are just skin and bones."

Mako rubbed the back of his neck and shifted uncomfortably as Senna and Pema began taking his measurements.

"Besides, I want you to look nice for Korra's birthday feast."

/

Mako found Korra waiting for him on the platform on the edge of the training grounds. She was perched on the railing and plucked at an invisible piece of fuzz on her pants. Her eyebrows were scrunched together and her lips pressed into a tight line. He took in her troubled expression and waited a moment before swooping in to give her a peck on the cheek.

She immediately broke out into a grin and her entire face seemed to come alive, looking for all the world as if she hadn't been in deep and worrisome concentration only moments before. Mako watched the light breeze play with her hair and moved to join her on the railing.

"I thought I was supposed to be the moody one," he said, moving to take one of her hands in his.

"Sorry. It's nothing important."

"What's not important?"

Korra sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. Staring out at the training grounds, she continued, "The celebration. We almost always have some kind of feast or party on my birthday. The entire compound and even a couple of the nearby villages come together to celebrate. It's normally not weird, but this is… different."

"I'm not sure I follow," he confessed.

Korra shrugged almost imperceptibly. "After everything that's happened over the past six months, it just seems so surreal to be back here, getting ready to celebrate something as simple as my birthday." She shifted to lace her fingers through his.

"That makes sense." Mako let his cheek rest on top of her head and smiled. "If someone told me six months ago that I'd be freezing my butt off in the South Pole, I would've told them to go see a healer."

Korra's eyes narrowed and she tugged at his sleeve. "Speaking of which, did mom and Pema get a chance to talk to you about getting you some warm clothes that fit?"

Mako rolled his eyes at the memory of what was supposed to be an enjoyable lunch. "Oh yeah. Yeah, they did."

Her laugh bounced playfully out and across the training grounds. "Good. It's about time. You look like a little kid running around in my dad's old coat. It's kind of ridiculous."

"I do not look like a little kid."

"Yeah, you kinda do." Korra grinned and pulled him down for a deep kiss. She released him and hopped down off of the railing. "Now then, city boy," she said teasingly as she backed away, "are we going to do some firebending or what?"

/

Mako smiled at the sound of Bolin's energetic laughter. Asami was trying to show his brother how to swing dance, but the lesson had quickly fallen apart when it became obvious that the earthbender wasn't serous about trying to learn. Instead, he playfully swung his partner about, lifting the tall woman with remarkable ease.

He was happy to see them getting along. Mako had worried that Asami would distance herself from the group after their breakup- as quiet and relatively painless as it was. He was honest when he said he still cared for her. After all, she was part of the new family they had created, and he was thankful to find that things were not nearly as awkward between them as they could be.

The drummers changed tempo and Asami left Bolin for another dance partner. Bolin immediately snatched up the unsuspecting Jinora who had the dubious honor of being the closest unpaired girl. This time it was Mako's turn to laugh as his brother tossed her about and the small girl managed to avoid getting stepped on.

"Wow. Look at you, cool guy."

Mako's attention was torn away from the dancers. "And look at you, Avatar. You're rather well-dressed."

She wasn't just well-dressed. She was stunning. Mako watched the firelight from the torches dance across her features and the throbbing beat of the drums suddenly seemed to match his pulse. Her hair tumbled freely past her shoulders and small beads were woven into a single braid that hung from her temple, and he had to resist the urge to reach out and touch them.

Korra waved a dismissive hand, breaking his trance. "I'm used to Water Tribe clothing. Even the fancy stuff. But I have never seen you in anything like that."

"I'm going to take that to mean you like it."

"Mmhm." Korra moved closer and ran a flirty hand along his fur-lined collar. "It looks good on you."

"It'd better," he huffed. "Your mother and Pema spent enough time making me stand around like some kind of model."

"Of course they did. It was their birthday present to me," she said, lightly fingering the stitching.

Mako blushed a little at that. Suddenly, the drummers changed their beat once again and she was dragging him out into the throng of dancing people. The dance was a traditional one that he had only seen here in the South Pole and he struggled to keep up with Korra. If she noticed how many mistakes he was making, she kept her criticism to herself. They moved together as the crowd flowed in a circular pattern around the large, central bonfire. At one point, she managed to briefly press herself against him and leaned in to murmur something in his ear.

Mako's face burned furiously and she only chuckled, twirling away to continue the dance. He watched her feet glide gracefully over the trampled snow. Her eyes twinkled with unvoiced laughter and her face was flushed with excitement and exertion. It seemed as if the dancing went on for hours, but her words remained fresh in his ear:

"I can't wait to unwrap my present."

Author's Note: I apologize for any typos you may have encountered in reading this. I know i've mentioned this before, but these little fics are typed up on the fly and i don't spend much time proof reading them. I don't really plan them out and i mostly use fanfiction as a sort of writing exercise when i don't feel like working on something original.

So that said, yeah, my fics sometimes have little mistakes in them. If they're bad enough, i'll go back and fix them. If not, consider them little Easter eggs.

Until next time…