Running out of time
"Mako can we talk?" Asami's voice rang threw Mako's and Bolin's apartment before she appears in the doorway of the kitchen where Mako was busy preparing his and Bolin's dinner for tonight. Mako turned around from the stove toward his ex-girlfriend. Since they 'as in team avatar' defeated Amon a couple of months ago life goes pretty well for all of them. He got a steady job as a cop, even if he's just a rookie with a stupid work schedule, it pays good money. Especially since they had a tough childhood by living on the street with no money for food or a shelter.
"Yeah sure, what is it Asami?" he takes the kitchen towel from his shoulder and cleans off his hands before laying it back on his shoulder. Asami stood there with her arm crossed and an angry glare on her face.
"When are you planning to tell her? Huh? It has been months Mako." Asami half shouted. Mako let out an annoyed sigh.
"Not this again. Look Asami I appreciate what you are doing but I already told you and Bolin that I didn't find the time to do it because of my job. I need to be able to pay the…" Asami interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.
" The bills? Mako it's always the same excuse. You got a steady job, you don't need to worry about not being able to pay the bills or food for that matter." Asami explains to him.
"They aren't excuses." Mako defence himself and turns back to the stove while starting to bake the meat.
"Don't you dare to deny it Mako. You know I'm right. Stop using them to gain more time out of it, you had months the time to tell Korra about your feelings." Asami says. Mako doesn't turn back around to face her.
"Well I said what I wanted, goodnight Mako." Asami walks toward the doorway. Before she's completely out of sight, she turns back to Mako who still isn't looking her way. "Just so you know, she won't wait forever. Times running out." The last thing he heard was the door that closed with a thud before he was all alone again.
Mako sighs before turning of the fire from the stove and taking out a pair of plates from the kitchen cupboard above him. Maybe they are right, I should have already told her. I'm only making up excuses but I'm just scared that she doesn't feel the same anymore. If I told her after the war maybe 'this' wouldn't have happened. Mako was brought back from his own thoughts when he heard the front door from the apartment opens.
"Bro? Are you home?!" Bolin yelled.
"Kitchen." Mako lays the food down on the plates before laying them on the table. There was some noises from the room where Bolin in is before a loud crash echoed through their home. Mako let out an annoyed sighed.
"Bolin what did you broke?" Mako says with a stern voice while walking in the living room where his younger brother was trying to sweep the broken glass under the carpet before noticing his older brother's presence.
"Ow hey, Mako. I didn't see you there. I was just…" Bolin says guilty while putting his fingers together, trying to look as innocent as ever.
"Just what?" Mako raised his eyebrow. Bolin looks down to his feet's while mumbling something.
"What? I didn't hear you Bolin." Bolin looks back up toward Mako with an embarrassed look on his face.
"I tripped over the carpet and knocked over the vase. I'm sorry Mako. I was in a hurry because I've something very important to tell you." He explained.
"It's okay Bo, luckily it was just an old vase but you should clean it up. All of it, that means also the pieces you swept under the carpet." Mako pointed to the carpet.
"Okay but Mako I really need to tell you that…" Bolin tries to say before Mako interrupts him.
"You can tell me later, just clean this up and eat first. You can tell me after dinner." Mako walks back into the kitchen and takes a seat at the table before eating his meal. 5 minutes later Bolin walks in and began poking his food with his head down. Mako looks over a his brother before putting down his fork.
"Bo, it was just a vase don't worry about it. I'm not mad." Mako tries to reassures Bolin.
"It's not that. It's just…" Bolin's stops poking his food and looks up to Mako with a serious expression on his face.
He takes a deep breath before continuing where he left, "…I got some news about Korra and I'm quite sure you won't like it so much." Bolin says. Mako look straight toward Bolin and slowly puts down his fork. He gives Bolin his full attention.
"Bolin what happened? She isn't hurt is she? Did something else happened? Where is she now?" Mako asks concerned, eager to know what happened to his Korra.
"Mako! Mako calm down! She's fine nothing bad happened. She's on air-temple island, save and sound like always." Bolin says trying to get his brother to calm down.
"What did you need to tell me then?" Mako asked confused.
"She's leaving." Bolin says sadly with his head down. Mako's heart broke right in that moment. His eyes are wide open and he's trying to form words but nothing comes out.
"W-what? She's l-leaving? Why?" he asks with a hurt voice. Tears were treating to spill from his amber eyes. She couldn't leave them, she couldn't leave him. He loves her and he didn't even told her this yet.
"Apparently there's a friend that came to visit her earlier this week. I think his name was Howl but I'm not sure. He asked her to go back with him to the south pool. She leaves tonight." Bolin says.
"Tonight!? For how long will she been gone? When did she told you this? Who's Howl?" Mako asks.
"Mako stop playing twenty-questions will you. She told me today, we went to Narook's and she just spilled it without warning. I know it's shocking, I was shocked too. You should've seen me, my mouth was hitting the floor and the noodles almost felt out. It would've been hilarious if it wasn't happening when she told the bad news of leaving Republic city." Bolin explains.
"Bolin where is she now on this exact moment?" Mako stands up already putting on his shoes and jacket while hiding toward the front door.
"Air- temple. But bro…" The door closed. "…Howl is with her." Bolin finished his sentence before fast taking another big bite of his food, jumping from the table and running out of the apartment to get Asami.
-With Mako-
I should've listen to them, now I'm too late. Maybe if I'm fast enough to get to the island, I could talk her out of it. She couldn't leave without saying goodbye to all of us. She did say goodbye to Bolin and now that I'm thinking about it she probably said it to Asami as well. That's why Asami said, time is running out. Ugh, I'm such an idiot. Mako scolded himself while running to the dock.
"You're the avatar and I'm an idiot"
Mako arrives at the dock just in time for the next ferry that leave for air-temple island. He pays for a ticket and didn't even bother taking a seat for the ride. The ride was silence, the only ones on the ferry where a couple of air nomads and their children who were probably hiding back to their home on the island, the captain and himself. The captain rang a bell to let his passengers know that they will be there in five more minutes. Mako looks up to the sky, "It's becoming dark already, she'll probably leave soon. I hope I'll get there on time." Mako whispers to himself.
Mako didn't wait for the ferry to dock completely at air-temple island before jumping of it and running to the big stairs that leads to councilman Tenzin's home. Reaching the last steps, Mako was panting heavily from all the running and was slightly bent over with his hands on his knees, desperately trying to get his breathing under control. When it was he went back to finding Korra. The first place he search for her is the training ground, where he saw her train once with the spinning gates together with Ikki and Jinora. There he found two from Tenzin's kids playing with the lemurs that live on the island.
"Hey handsome firebending boy. What're you doing here? Did you know Korra is leaving tonight? That makes me really sad because she is like a sister for me. There's this boy who's taking Korra back, I don't like him. Are you here to tell Korra you LOVE her and she needs to stay with us so we can all live happily ever after? Huh? Huh? Are you?" Ikki rambles with hope in her grey eyes.
"AAAHHH the dragon is here! Run for your lives!" Meelo flies of on one of his air scooters.
"Ikki do you know where Korra is?" Mako asks not paying much attention to the five year old boy ridding circles around them.
"She's at the cliff. I can show you where it is. Are you going to kiss her? Are you going to mar…" Mako stops Ikki from talking by putting his hand on her mouth.
"Thanks a lot Ikki but I know where to go." Mako carefully takes his hand away from her mouth and let out a sigh when she doesn't start talking again.
"Go play with your brother. I'll be back." Mako says and runs off to the cliff where he knows Korra will be thanks to Ikki. He push away some branches from the bushes that are in his way and abruptly stops in his steps.
There she was sitting on the edge, hugging her knees to her chest and looking out over the sea. Mako slowly walks over to her and sits down next to her.
"Bolin told you didn't he?" Korra says still with her eyes on the water in front of her.
"Yeah, I kind of hoped you would be the one who told me the bad news." Mako let out a breath.
"So you see me leaving as bad news?" Korra asks finally looking at the firebender next to her.
"Of course, why wouldn't I?" He asks confused.
"Because in these past few month you didn't even make time to talk to me probably." Korra glares at him angrily.
Mako sighs," I didn't talk to you because I didn't know what to say."
"A 'hey Korra, how are you doing?' would've been a good start." Korra looks back to the water away from the intense look the boy next to her gives her.
"I-I…"
"You know what Mako, I don't want to hear it. Not now, not ever. I thought we were friends…" Korra angrily stands up bailing her fist at the side of her hips.
"Mako stand up, eyebrows frowned together. " We are friends!"
"Well if we are, where were you all these past months Mako? Where?! After this damn war ended you started to act strange. I didn't think anything of it because I thought you needed time to compose after the war. We all did need some time after all. Later you went on the force and you forgot completely about me. What did I do to you to make you hate me?" Korra says trying not to let her tears that were formed in her eyes earlier fall.
"It was never my attention to make you feel hated. I don't hate you, not in the slightest. I didn't talk to you because I didn't know how to tell you… that I-I.." Mako takes a step closer to Korra.
"That what Mako?!" Korra says trying not to show that she was slowly breaking inside and outside.
Mako looks down and takes Korra's hands in his. Korra wanted to pull back but something stopped her from doing it. She looks at Mako. He slowly looks up. Water met fire. Amber met blue. Mako could see all the feelings that Korra was feeling in her eyes. Hurt, confused, scared, angry,…,love. He moves his mouth trying to form words.
"I-I wanted to…" Mako sigh this was not how he wanted to tell her that he likes her, no that he loves her. He knows that he's madly in love with the young woman in front of him.
"Common Mako It's now or never." He says to himself. He takes one last deep breath before he starts talking again and to both there surprises it comes out without stuttering.
"Korra, someone told me that my time is running out." They both chuckled at this. " What I wanted to say is, the reason I didn't talk as much as I did before with you is because…I didn't know how to tell the woman that I love how I feel about her." Mako looks straight in her eyes when he told this.
"I love you." He smiles softly. Happy that he finally told her about his feelings. There was an awkward silence for a couple of minutes but then there formed a small smile on Korra's face.
"Took you a long time, city boy." Korra says smiling at the boy in front of her. Mako smiles back before leaning in. their faces where an inch away from each other. They slowly closed the space in between. Their lips finally met for the second time. This kiss wasn't like the first one this was a kiss that shows the love they have for each other. Mako's hands took both sides of her hips pulling her closer to him to depend the kiss. Her arms flew around his neck. After some time they slowly pulled away from each other. Both with a red face from the lack of air.
"I love you too." Korra says looking deeply into Mako's eyes.
"Oooow, finally we thought you guys would never be together." Bolin says walking from behind one of the bushes
"Bolin, you ruined the moment." Asami walked out from behind Bolin and slaps him on the back of his head.
"We will let you to lovebirds alone for a bit." Asami pulls Bolin with her toward the temple.
"Wait Korra, I need to ask you something." Bolin says turning around so that he is facing Korra who still is in the arms of her lover Mako.
"What is it Bolin?" Korra asks wondering what Bolin wanted.
"Does this means that you are staying?" Bolin hopefully asks with a pout on his face. They all laughed. Korra looks at Mako before answering Bolin's question.
"I think I am." She says placing a kiss on Mako's cheek.
"Great! I'll tell Tenzin the good news and make sure that guy Howl goes back without you." Bolin says running eagerly to the temple to tell everyone the good news. Asami just followed the earthbender. When they were finally alone again Mako looked at Korra.
"So who's this Howl and should I feel treated by him?" Mako asked amused with an eyebrow raised.
"He's a white lotus guard and you don't need to feel treated by anyone, because I've only eye for you." Korra laughed.
"Good, otherwise we would've to talk about how he needs to stay away from my girlfriend." Mako says and kissed her on the lips.
-THE END-
