She pressed her face into his chest, and she breathed in his scent. The scent of the fire bender who always had her running to him. He always had her wrapped around his finger. Because if she lost him, she lost everything. And she was about to lose him again.
She felt his warm hands circle around her waist as his lips pressed against the crown of her head. Then her embrace on him tightened.
"Do you really have to go?", he asked for what seemed like the hundredth time, but it still hurt to have to hear it.
"I don't have a choice. You know that Mako.", she said into his scarf.
His hand went to stroke threw her chocolate brown hair, as if flowed in the wind of the bay. She was about to leave on a year long trip to the earth kingdom, and a private boat was to take her there, without a single press finding her. It was two in the morning and they were the only ones at the port. She asked he'd be the only one to see her off. She couldn't put up with having to see more faces she'd have to miss.
They had been wrapped around each other for an hour at least before the boat pulled in. As they loaded her things onto the craft, she stayed in the tall fire bender's reach. But once the last item was loaded, she was dragged on by the captain. They literally had to pull her away, for they had been through this before. They knew she wouldn't let go, and nether would he.
As they guided her onto the boat, they never broke eye contact. The sad fake smiles came into play on both of their faces. And then she realized she forgot something.
She ran to the front of the boat, and leaned over the edge just barely. And he followed.
"Just one more.", she asked.
"What?"
"Just one more kiss.", she asked. "Please. Just one more."
He wasted no time. He stood on his tiptoes and gently grabbed her chin, and pressed a soft kiss to her chapped lips. The fog horn on the boat went off in the distance, but nether seemed to notice or care. Her hands went to cup his face as their heads tilted into each other. And then his hands went to hold her face also. And finally, the broke apart. Not because either pulled away. No, the boat had started to pull from the dock, and it took Korra's lips with it. As she leaned back up from the stern, she kept her eyes on him.
He watched her mouth out the words he loved to hear, or see in this case, all the time from her.
"I love you."
He could do it just one more time for her.
