Title: All Fires Blazin'
Word Count: 1,628
Summary: [Surrounded, pinned against the wall, nowhere to run – Things don't look good and Korra just has to make them ten times worse. Or is it better…? (Nope, still worse.) | Mako. Korra. Makorra. Book 1.5]
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be-the-peaf · Prompt 038 – blaze
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Being the Avatar's boyfriend wasn't an easy thing.
Granted, he could deal with it most of the time; the swarms of reporters awaiting in front of buildings, the photographers tagging behind them during walks, the 'ooos' and 'ahhhs'that accompanied a citizen as they placed their face to an article in the paper. But every once in a while the extra company was a little too much, and for times like that they had a plan for sneaking out of the public's view. The reporters could follow them to the restaurants, but they couldn't follow them in. At least, not all at once. Which, if they were fast enough, gave them enough time to hurry through the building and sneak out the back door, where a cab would be waiting for them to take off.
After doing all that, they were free to go wherever they desired.
"So where are we going tonight?" Korra asks, her voice on the verge of laughter as she glances out the window. Mako hands the cabbie a small paper with an address written on it and leans back in the seat, putting his arm over her.
"Just a small place on the northeast side, but I think you'll like it."
-.-
The drive seems to last for mere minutes, and soon enough they arrive. Mako pays the cabbie his yuans, handing him a wadded ball of cash as Korra almost leaps from the car, breathing in the chilled air like it was her first time outside in decades. Mako smiles as he closes the car door and raises his hand toward a small building with a fire-lily decorated on the window.
"The Fire-Lily Grill."
Korra studies the building for a moment before turning back to him. "Make sense. Let's hope no one recognizes us when we get inside."
"We'll just have to wait and see." He says. "Let's get a table."
-.-
It's not as packed like some of the other places they've tried to sneak away to, but it's a diverse enough crowd that they have a shot at not getting recognized here. They get a small table near the edge of the restaurant. There's a fire-lily in place of the usual candle, and Korra spends a few moments feeling the soft petals between her fingers while Mako looks over the entrée section of the menu.
"It's a shame they won't last long." She says. "They must go through a lot of flowers here."
"Probably." Mako shrugs. He hadn't given it much thought. Korra lifts her menu, fingers dancing at the edge of the hard cover as she grazes the various meals at their disposal.
"What about this?" she asks, turning her menu to him and pointing to one of the dishes in the noodles section. Mako finds it on his own and silently reads the description.
"Sounds good." He says, closing his menu. "I think I'll get that."
"I thought you said you've been here before." She turns the menu around to look it over again. "Don't you have something you already like?"
"Well…" Mako rubs his neck. "The last time we were here, Bolin and I weren't exactly 'paying customers', if you get what I mean."
Korra's hands drop slightly at his words. "Sorry."
Mako rests his arm on the table. "It was a long time ago."
Korra sets her menu down and smiles, taking his hand and their fingers tangle for a second before folding over another. Mako smiles back.
"I'm glad we finally found a place to ourselves." She says. "Things were getting pretty crazy for a while."
"Me too." Mako replies, resting his face into his hand. It was a nice place, nothing too fancy or out-of-the-way. It was rustic, in a sense. A perfect place for them to get away for the night. Mako looks out over the room and wonders how long they could keep coming here. When they would be back there again.
Then, he sees some men sitting a few tables behind Korra, men he recognizes, and his mind goes blank. He lifts his hand off of her and his head turns away, blocking his face with his palm as he looks at corner of his menu. He hopes they didn't get a good look at him. Korra tilts her head at him, brows creased in surprise and confusion.
"Is something wrong?"
The men get up from their table and head to the entrance. Mako tugs at the edge of his collar, watching their backs as they leave through the door. None of them look toward them; he thinks they'll be okay.
"No." he says. "Everything's fine."
-.-
A rush of cold air seeps into his coat as they open the doors. There's no cabbie waiting for them this time, so they take their time on the sidewalk, hands clasped between them, radiating with warmth. Their footsteps are muffled on the rough cement, the echoes eaten by the building around them. Korra leans into his side and he smiles, wrapping his arm over her back.
"That was good." She says.
"Glad you liked it."
His smile fades when another set of footsteps sounds out behind them.
Slowly, he turns his head over his shoulder to see one of the men he saw in the restaurant trailing them from behind. Mako faces front, pulling the collar of his jacket against his jawline, like he was blocking it from the wind and walks faster. Korra lifts her head at him.
"What are you –"
"I think we're being followed." He says under his breath. "When we turn this corner, run into the nearest alley. I think we can lose him."
She tucks her chin down. "Alright."
They turn the corner and run down the street, ducking into an alley. Mako spins as they enter, pressing his back to the brick wall to look down the street.
No sign of them yet, he thinks, they must be taking their time.
Korra nudges his side with her elbow.
"Mako, we have a problem."
He turns the other way. They did have a problem; the alley was a dead-end, blocked off by the building on the other side of the block.
There was nowhere to go.
Mako grits his teeth together and looks back to the street. There's three – no, five gangsters walking in from various places on the edge of the street. They would be on them soon – they had to move.
"We've got to get out of here." He whispers, not taking his eyes off the men. "There's too many of them coming."
"Who are these guys anyway?" she asks.
His gaze drops to the ground.
"I think I might know them, from when I was working for the Triads. They're firebenders, helped me out with my bending back in the day." He sighs. "But from the looks of their clothes, I'd say they're working for the Agni Kais now."
"Can't you talk to them?"
"I don't think they want to talk."
Mako scans the perimeter, waiting for an opening to run and Korra pushes her fingers into her chin, thinking for a moment while she looks over the alley.
The boxes aren't any good; they'll search behind them right away, she thinks, maybe –
Then she spots something above them and grabs Mako's arm.
"There's a fire-escape here." She says, running below the metal structure jetting out from the wall and reaching for the rusted ladder. "Help me up."
He crouches down and closes his fingers together to make a step for her. Hoisting her up, she grabs the ladder and pulls it down with a loud creeeeeak. She stops it and Mako bends his fingers under her boot. He sees shadows on the wall; they must have spotted them.
"Pull it down!" he whispers. "They're coming."
"It's suck!" Korra says.
Mako lifts her higher. "Start climbing!"
Korra climbs up the ladder and Mako jumps off the wall, grabbing the bar. He manages to reach the top just as the gangsters enter the alley. Mako places his hand on the railing.
"This isn't good." He whispers as the gangsters enter the alley, poking around the boxes that line the walls. "They find us as soon as they look up."
"Don't they have a saying in the Fire Nation; 'go in all fires blazing?'"
Mako shakes and turns at her. "What?"
Without warning, she jumps from the building, twisting her body in the air to send a wave of fire at the men. Mako yells, jumping after her as the fire bursts between them and the gangsters.
"Well well well, look how came out to play." The middle man, Kuan says, fire crackling on his fingertips as he spreads the flames. "And here I was afraid this game of cat-and-mouse would go on all night. How've ya been, Mako?"
Mako readies his hands in front of him, stepping closer to Korra.
"What are you doing?" he whispers.
"Don't worry." She mutters between her teeth. "I have a plan."
"We were better-off staying up there." He replies. "How is this a plan?"
"Just trust me." She says. "And follow my lead."
Kuan steps up. "Hey – you two done talkin' or what?"
Korra cracks a smile over her face and throws a fireball at the men, charging forward with flames all around her. Mako ducks as a trail of heat sweeps over his head, fires a shot and moves towards the street. The whole alley is so blaze with light and heat that he can't tell exactly where she is. But as his fist connects with the face of the Agni Kai and hears another one yelp in pain, he knows she'll be alright.
They go in – all fires blazing.
And somehow, they make it out just fine.
:Fin:
Writing this reminded me a lot of the first fic I wrote for PEAF (you can find it on my profile if you wanna read - it's called "Flying Fools"). This one was silly, but it was quite fun to do. ^^