So this is my first regular fic (at least that I've posted). My other one is under deep construction due to a few setbacks and it may not be started up again at all. Meanwhile, I'll be posting this fanfiction. This fic is Rated-T due to some suggestive content, mild language, and dark elements in later chapters. Nothing too heavy, but the end is bittersweet.
Makorra pregnancy! I know, this is such a regular topic, but I assure you mine is different and much more detailed than most of them. Hopefully it's better written, too. Please write reviews! I love to hear from you guys!
Oh, and one more thing… I want my stories to be like episodes of the TV Show, so if you have a good imagination, I encourage you to imagine the dialogue using the characters' voices and imagine the settings like they are in the show. IDK why I said that, but it would just make it better.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Vulnerability is the last thing any Avatar needs.
Tenzin had made that all too clear to Korra. She was lectured about it for two hours— about how babies were made, how that made her susceptible to enemy attacks, and how extra security measures would have to be taken if she ever had a child. Korra really didn't have any reason to listen to those wise words spoken to her when she was seventeen; she was new and fresh, ready to take on anything, ready to be the Avatar. But at the age of nineteen, the words had a new meaning. Eighteen was the appropriate marrying age according to the Water Tribe customs, and Korra and Mako wasted no time taking advantage of that. They had to postpone a few times due to standard Avatar business, but it only made the moment sweeter.
As soon as the big nineteen rolled around, Korra and Mako held a ceremony. It was small and intimate... sort of. In retrospect, it was obvious the Avatar couldn't get married without press, policemen, and council members attending, a minor setback the happy couple easily dismissed. The service was brief (both being impatient people who want to get straight to the point) and ended with a kiss and a shout from the pews. The following reception was casual, the regular ceremonials with personal touches from the bride and groom, like a sparring match between the newlyweds (Mako's idea), an ice-sculpture-with-waterbending contest (Korra's idea), and a performance from everyone's favorite fire ferret (Bolin's idea).
Mako had always thought about having a family; he'd always wanted to give what he didn't have. He wanted to be a model dad, someone his boy (or boys…) would try to become when he got older and someone his daughter (or daughters… you never know…) would kiss on the cheek without pushing away. Korra honestly never thought about it unless someone brought it up. To her, kids were an afterthought. Sure, she'd love to have some with Mako (maybe more than one...) but this was one thing the young Avatar didn't feel like rushing.
Being the Avatar and all, Korra couldn't be swept away on a remote honeymoon to some isolated island, so the couple settled for a week-long trip to the Earth Kingdom Islands west of Republic City. It was distant enough to have some quiet alone time, but not so far that it would take more than a day to return to Republic City if necessary. Nature has a funny way of making situations like these turn in ways you wouldn't expect. Things got... heated that week on the island— relaxing, but QUITE heated. Before they both knew it, it was time to head back to reality. However, they brought home a souvenir that they weren't quite expecting.
Korra groaned as a steady beam of light found its way over her eyes. She really did hate the mornings. She covered her face with her hands and tried to rub the sleepiness away, but she suddenly felt too exhausted to move. She yawned ungracefully and tried to lean against her headboard. Something about this didn't feel right. The young Avatar looked to her left and found a certain Firebender dozing lightly on the bed beside her. She grinned and stroked his hair lovingly, still trying to accept the fact that they were married.
Mako's sleeping form stirred. His eyes creaked open to find his wife watching him with a goofy smile on his face. He smiled at her before stretching and leaning over to kiss her cheek.
"Morning, Miss Avatar," he grinned against her skin.
"Morning, City Boy," the Waterbender kissed the top of his head.
They shared a quick, light smooch before Mako leaned over the side of the bed and stood, stretching his long arms. He made his way to the kitchen and Korra watched in envy, wishing she could be able to get up so quickly. The Avatar sat up painfully and hauled her legs over the side of the bed. A sharp pain in her stomach made her wince, then slither back under the covers.
Mako's soft voice leaked through the blankets covering Korra's face. "I know mornings are hard for you, babe, but you have to get up. Today's a big day. Plus, Tenzin's going to be waiting and you know how he gets."
Korra smiled as the memory of Tenzin's red face scolding her flashed through her mind. Her grin turned into a grimace when an abrupt wave of nausea engulfed her. Why the spirits was Korra's stomach flipping over itself? Shaking off the dizzying pains in her lower abdomen, she flung herself out of bed and staggered over to her dresser. She gasped at her reflection: her eyes looked clouded and tired, her hair was mangled from tossing and turning last night, and grayish bags of skin hung under her eyeballs. She ran her hands through her tousled hair. This was going to be a long day.
Chief Bei Fong's speech was long, but painless for the crowd gathered around City Hall. That is, for everyone except Korra. She had slipped into a casual dress for the meeting and had pulled her hair back into a messy bun. It ended up looking like Naga licked it, but Mako was surprisingly skilled with a brush and had it looking pretty in no time. She had to admit she looked nicer than usual, but her body was definitely not letting her enjoy it.
Her arms felt heavy as she stood next to Bei Fong, her face twisted in pain as the chief briefed the city of its attempts to control the gang riots occurring in the shadier parts of the city. Part of the plan was to promote some of the cops to captains and make them patrol the suburbs with some new recruits. Mako just so happened to be one of those lucky men getting a promotion. Korra hardly noticed when Mako stepped up to the podium to give his speech.
"I, Mako, hereby accept the responsibilities of protecting Republic City…"
Korra's stomach lurched.
"…from all evils, large or small…"
Her throat burned as something bubbled up to her mouth.
"…I am ready to submit to Lin Bei Fong and her copartners— to listen, to follow, and to serve—respectfully…"
Korra slapped her hand over her mouth to keep the rush inside her mouth from flowing out.
"…and I pledge to protect the citizens of Republic City with my life. I will stay alert, ready for any conflict that arises, and then handle the conflict with grace, dignity, and honor—"
A horrible sound was heard as Korra pitched forward, releasing what the dam of her mouth tried desperately to hold back. Mako whipped his head around just in time to be sprayed with the vomit currently spilling out of his poor wife's mouth. He shrieked and jumped out of the way much too late. The crowd clamored below as Mako knelt down beside Korra, who was on all fours, spewing bile. Her body contracted as another wave hit. Bei Fong's eyebrow twitched in disgust. Korra was rushed off the stage as the City Hall janitors began mopping up Korra's mess.
"Sorry I puked on your uniform during your inauguration."
Korra was back in her comfy bed, a bowl accompanying her just in case another tsunami of slime wanted to burst forth. Mako sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair comfortingly.
"It's fine, really." When Korra furrowed her eyebrows, Mako added, "If nothing else, it made it even more memorable." The corners of the Waterbender's mouth twitched in a tired smile. She slipped into a deep slumber as Mako pressed a kiss on her forehead.
When Korra awoke the next morning to an empty bed and a not-so-empty bowl, she grumbled and pushed the smelly basin away. She wanted to get up and dump it out, but found her joints to be so screwed up that she just couldn't move. Instead, she stared at the ceiling. What was this awful disease that made her feel so crappy?
Could it just be stress? It had only been a month and a half since the honeymoon. Could she seriously be overwhelmed so soon? Maybe it was the flu? Nah, she didn't have any headaches and she didn't feel the need to cough. She just felt nauseous and achy. Sure, she had had a few sleepless nights maybe, but nothing to be too concerned about.
Well there was always-
No.
Korra's head snapped up from its causal position on the pillow. Almost two months since the honeymoon. The nausea, the exhaustion, the achiness in her limbs. She shook her head in a hurried attempt to shake the idea out of her head.
No way.
Her stomach growled fiercely. Ah, of course! She hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday… oh, yeah. Yesterday. Yesterday when she made a complete fool of herself on stage in front of hundreds of people by throwing up all over her husband at his own initiation ceremony. No wonder she felt so bad.
The Waterbender swung her legs over the side of the bed and gingerly shuffled to the small kitchen. She dumped the bowl of bile out in the sink and rinsed it out. She then staggered over to the fridge. Despite a ton of delicious Water Tribe leftovers from her parents' visit last week, nothing in the fridge seemed appealing. She sighed as she closed the door.
Korra spotted a peach on the counter and hungrily snatched it from the bowl. She poured herself a cup of lychee juice (the only thing remotely appetizing in the fridge) and sat at the table in the small apartment that she and Mako shared. She bit into the fruit and abruptly winced at the hardness. Oh, right. That was a peach from the bowl of plastic fruit she put out to make the kitchen look a little less empty. Good thinking. She sighed. Something was seriously wrong with her if the only thing she actually wanted to eat was plastic.
Finishing off her last sip of lychee juice, Korra admired the flowers Mako got for her three days ago. She noticed the now murky water in the vase and how the flowers were starting to look ominously brown, their petals beginning to crisp. Swirling her wrist, Korra tried to bend the water out of the vase, but the water didn't react very much. Now at full attention, the Avatar tried again, a little more forcefully. The water shifted a little higher, but not out of the vase. She exaggerated the simple bending movement wildly. The water came up, but only spilled out of the side of the glass tube.
What was happening?! Why couldn't she bend?!
A page out of the book Jinora gave her for her wedding flashed through her mind. Bending may be dampened or even blocked off if a female bender is pregn—
No. Nonononono. Not. Happening.
The phrase sprinted through Korra's brain again as she ran (or, at least tried to run) to the bathroom. She tore through the medicine cabinet for the pink box concealing the only thing that could tell her if her suspicions were correct. She stared at it, rolling it over in her hands, studying it from every angle.
Wait. She didn't want to use it and find out she was just being paranoid, then have Mako notice the box was absent from the shelf. Jeez, that would be embarrassing. An idea popped into her mind. She put her hand on her stomach like she'd seen the healers do so many times when she was living in the North Pole. She rubbed her belly slowly, trying to sense movement.
Nothing.
Whew, what a relief. She was safe and free. All thoughts of parenthood began sweeping out of her mind—wait. What was that?
Thump. Was she imagining things?
Thump. There it was again.
Korra lifted her hand away and then put it back on.
... Thump-thump... thump...thump…
Then it was true.
She was pregnant.
So that's chapter ooooone! How was it? I promise it gets better, but this is only the first part. Please review and stay tuned! The second, third, and fourth chapters are all in the making, so be sure to follow! Until then, fellow Avatards, Keep Calm and Be the Leaf.