A/N: First fluff I've ever written so here goes nothing. Just warning you ahead of time for some terrible writing. Kinda did this in the middle of summer school class. Although I really did enjoy writing it! I'm sorta basing the setting off the new Book 2 photos released at Comic Con.
Summary: The Southern Water Tribe Winter Festival is here and Mako wanted to win Korra a prize but she has a surprise for him, too. Makorra fluffy fluff fluffiness and some Makolin brother bonding bromance. T for sexual innuendos *winkwink* Also some Bosami friendship.
Disclaimer: Blahblahblah I don't own Korra blahblahblah.
Snow was falling, swaying gently in the wind, slowly gathering on numerous counters of food stands and game booths. Paper lanterns hung on wires, high between the rows of tented booths, emitting a bright reddish glow to light up the night. The cool air was filled with laughter and incomprehensible dialogue, evident that everyone was enjoying the Southern Water Tribe Winter Festival.
"Mako look! Seal jerky!" Korra gasped at her boyfriend pointing to a nearby food stand. She grabbed his hand and excitedly dragged him towards it. Mako laughed as he was being pulled to the small counter. When they came to a stop, the smell of fried seal blubber collided with their senses. Korra deeply inhaled the addicting aroma before exhaling and greeting the man working at the counter.
"Hi. I'll take two packs please." Korra ordered, letting go of Mako's hand to reach for her small wallet on the inside of her parka.
"Alright. That'll be 50 yuans," the tall old man said with a smile.
Before Korra could pull out her money, Mako already handed the cash to the elderly man behind the counter, "Here you go. Thank you, sir."
"It's a pleasure. Enjoy your jerky." the tender replied, gladly accepting the cash before giving the packs to Mako.
Mako draped his right arm over Korra's shoulders as they walked away from the counter. Korra put away her wallet, a pout evident on her face.
Leisurely trudging in the snowy path between booths, the sounds of games and obscure conversations surrounded the couple. Mako handed one of the packs of seal jerky to Korra and noticed her pouting.
"Are you okay?" Mako asked in a concerned tone, his hand gently squeezing her shoulder and pulling her closer to his side.
"I was going to pay." Korra responded, bottom lip still jutting out, their stroll coming to a stop.
Mako lightly chuckled to himself, "Korra, it's fine. I wanted to pay. It's only 50 yuans. But, if it really bothers you…" Mako paused, and using his left hand, he tilted Korra's face to meet his in a searing kiss. Korra lightly blushed when they finally separated. She still wasn't used to their public displays of affection, but she was slowly warming up to it.
Mako slightly bent down to Korra's left ear, "…then you can make it up to me tonight." he continued, his breath tickling her ear, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, a clear innuendo in his message.
Korra's mouth was slightly agape as her cheeks reddened even more, but she never failed to nod in reply. Mako smiled, pecking her lips with another kiss as they resumed their previous position and continued walking down the isles between counters, leaving footprints in the snow while eating their seal jerky.
"Hey!" Asami shouted over the mass of people, waving her right arm high above the crowd, "Korra! Mako!"
Finally catching their attention, the couple was now weaving their way through the thick mob to reach her and Bolin.
"Hey guys. What's up?" Mako greeted his brother and ex-girlfriend as they stood in a circle in the middle of the isle.
The four friends had all come to the festival together but decided to disperse, wanting to visit different places. By pure luck did they happen to find each other again.
"Oh! Bolin got a fake tattoo." Asami replied with a grin pointing to Bolin's right deltoid as he took his arm out of his parka.
Bolin laughed as he showed his friends the Earthbending symbol temporarily tattooed on his arm, "Cool, huh?"
"Wow. It looks so real." Korra said astonished, poking the tattoo with her index finger.
"Well it better not be real." Mako commented squinting his eyes at his brother.
"Don't worry, bro. The lady said it'd only last up to 20 days." Bolin reassured.
"Well, I do have to admit it looks cool." Mako admired as Bolin put his arm back in his warm parka.
"Anyways, I thought we should all go and ride the ferris wheel." Asami suggested.
"That sounds great!" Korra expressed, both her and Asami smiling.
"Oh. Uhm." Bolin said uneasily, slightly shuffling in his spot, "I'm. Kind of. Uhh. Afraid of heights." He said, rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, a small blush appearing on his cheeks.
"Well, we don't have to go if you don't want to." Asami said sympathetically, not wanting her friend to be uncomfortable.
"How about you girls go ahead? Bolin and I need to spend some brotherly time together anyways." Mako proposed, grabbing Bolin by the shoulders.
"Are you sure?" Korra asked.
"Yeah. It's fine. Just meet us back in front of the food stands in about 30 minutes."
"Alright. I'll see you in a bit." Korra kissed Mako on the cheek before heading to the ferris wheel with Asami.
Mako and Bolin waved while watching Korra and Asami leave before turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
"So what do you wanna do, bro?" Bolin asked the older brother, stretching his arms before placing his hands behind his head.
"I don't know. Did you have something in mind?"
"We should hit up some games! Bet you 150 yuans I can shoot more balloons than you on Balloon Darts."
"Psh. You're so on." Mako said, accepting the challenge.
"What did I tell you? Oh, yeah! Bolin, Master of the Balloon Darts, wins by a landslide! 43 to 15!" Bolin announced in third person, exhaling loudly, cupping his hands around his mouth, imitating a cheering a crowd.
"This game is so rigged." Mako said as he took out 150 yuans from his wallet.
"Aw. Don't be a sore loser, Mako. We can't all be amazing at Balloon Darts." Bolin teased, grinning at his brother.
"Just shut up and take the money." Mako complained, shoving the yuans at his brother's chest, walking away from the booth. Bolin just chuckled and followed his brother after pocketing the cash.
Walking along the aisles, one game booth caught Mako's attention, the Spill the Milk game. What really caught his attention was the grand prize of a stuffed animal fire ferret. Mako had meant to win a prize for Korra earlier, but he never got the chance to. Looks like the opportunity was presenting itself again.
Bolin came up behind Mako facing the booth, encouraging him, "You got this, Mako. You played this a couple times when the carnival came to Republic City." Rubbing Mako's shoulders, Bolin pretended like a coach who was about to send his boxer into the ring.
"Alright. Let's give it a shot." Mako said, stepping up to the booth and calling the tender, "How much?"
"It's gonna be 30 yuans for three throws, sir! If you knock down all six bottles, you get one fluffy little fire ferret!" the tender answered with exaggerated excitement in his voice.
Mako gave the man 30 yuans in exchange for three small balls. The bottles were stacked with three on the bottom, two above it, and one more at the top to finish the pyramid, all balanced on top of a small table.
Mako held two of the balls in his left hand with one on his right. He reeled his hand back, turning his body side ways, and suddenly chucked it forward. The ball successfully knocked off the three bottles at the very top, leaving only the three on the bottom. Mako took a deep breath before transferring another ball to his right hand, turned his body, and thrust forward again. The ball pushed the milk bottle on the far right of the table, leaving only two side-by-side.
"Woo! Go Mako!" Bolin cheered beside Mako.
Another deep breath and Mako threw the last ball, knocking down one of the milk bottles, but still leaving one.
"Sorry, sir. It was a good effort. Would like one more try?" the tender asked Mako, trying to squeeze more money out of him.
"Nah. I think we're good." Bolin told the tender, trying to lead Mako away from the game.
"Wait, one more try." Mako caved, handing the man at the stand 30 more yuans while Bolin chuckled, rolling his eyes.
Mako repeated the same routine. Deep breath, throw. Deep breath, throw. Mako wasn't as fortunate as his last game. With one ball left, he still two bottles left. His first throw knocked the top three bottles off the table, but his second hit the bottle directly in the middle, leaving a gap in between the two remaining bottles.
"Aw man. That sucks, bro. Well at least you-" Bolin was interrupted by Mako's harsh 'shhh' and remained quiet.
Mako reeled his right hand back, and thrust it forward, releasing the ball. The ball grazed the side of the bottle on the right, the contact making the bottle jump to the left and in the process, also knocking down the other bottle, leaving none standing.
Mako immediately thrust his fists in the air, cheering and admiring his own skill. Bolin was in shock, but quickly recovered and congratulated his brother by clapping him the back, "Way to go!"
"And we have a winner!" the booth tender announced while ringing a bell hanging off the ceiling. When he stopped, he plucked a plush fire ferret from the wall, slightly bigger than life-size, and handed it to Mako, "Here you go, sir. Enjoy your night!"
Mako gladly took his prize and thanked the man, excited to show Korra what he won for her.
The 30 minutes quickly passed. Mako and Bolin headed toward the food stands near the back of the festival area. Bolin bought a turkey duck leg from one of the stands, eating it hungrily as the brothers waited for the girls to show up. Mako hid the stuffed toy behind his back, eager to give his surprise to Korra.
Finally, Mako spotted Korra and Asami among the ocean of people. Although, it wasn't that difficult when Korra seemed to be holding something large and white, making her stick out in the crowd. Korra and Asami quickly attempted to make their way over to the boys standing beside a food stand.
At first, Mako and Bolin thought that the large object might have been Naga but it was slightly smaller. Only when Korra came closer did Mako realize what it was.
'It might as well be Naga!' Mako thought.
"Hey, Mako! Look! I won you something!" Korra exclaimed with Cheshire grin plastered on her face as she held out the stuffed toy bearing the resemblance of a polar bear dog. "I won it from the Ring Toss game." her voice full of pride. "Well, I may have used a little bit of Airbending.", Korra admitted, pinching her index finger and thumb close together.
Mako was speechless, his mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. Bolin was snickering next to him and Asami was attempting to stifle a laugh, but failing horribly.
"You don't like it?" Korra asked innocently, pout forming on her face, noticing his lack of enthusiasm but oblivious of his slight embarrassment.
"No no no! That's not it." Mako said, trying to reassure her. Holding up his right hand in front of him, still holding his own surprise with his left hand behind his back.
Mako looked at his girlfriend, her eyes full of innocence. Why was he so embarrassed? He had a thoughtful, strong, and beautiful girlfriend who cheated at a simple game just to get him something.
Embarrassment slowly fading, Mako smiled at Korra, "Actually, I love it." He took the large stuffed animal from Korra's hands. "Thank you." Mako said as he kissed the top of Korra's head, a smile replacing her pout.
'How did I get so lucky?' Mako thought, his embarrassment completely gone, leaving only happiness.
"Actually, I got you something, too." Mako said, finally removing his left hand from his back, revealing the fire ferret stuffed animal. Korra's eyes lit up and grabbed the fire ferret from Mako's hands and hugged it to her chest. "It's cute. Thanks, Mako." Korra thanked and tiptoed to kiss him on the cheek.
Mako interlaced his hand with Korra's as they walked towards the exit of the festival, Bolin and Asami following behind. Korra held her fire ferret and Mako carried his polar bear dog just above the ground.
"I should've gotten you something bigger. You got me this and I got you that tiny thing." Mako admitted. The couple was farther ahead than Bolin and Asami, their conversation barely out of hearing range.
Korra giggled. "Mako, it's fine. Really. I love it." She said gesturing to the small stuffed toy in her hand. "But, if it really bothers you…" Korra tiptoed again to kiss Mako full on the lips, surprising him. Korra smiled against his lips before parting and finished her sentence, "…then you can make it up to me tonight." Mako's eyebrows shot up, shocked that Korra used his own words against him. She took a quick glance behind Mako seeing if Bolin or Asami might have heard, but they were too distracted in their own conversation.
Korra kissed Mako on the cheek again as she let go of his hand, turning to face him, she began walking backwards, smiling at him before continuing her walk facing forward. Mako failed to notice they even stopped walking. Korra looked over her shoulder giving Mako a wink before looking forward again, swaying her hips with each step.
Mako was left standing in his spot with his stuffed polar bear dog, dumbfounded and mouth slightly open as he stared after his girlfriend.
Bolin clapped Mako on his shoulder, bringing him out of his trance. "You okay, bro?" Bolin asked, no real worry in his voice, and walked around his motionless body. Asami also inspected Mako with a raised eyebrow before following Bolin.
"Yeah." Mako replied faintly, still looking at his girlfriend in the distance.
"Spirits, I love her." Mako said to himself before lifting his stuffed polar bear dog and jogging to catch up with his friends.
Also a semi-disclaimer: I did not come up with the whole Korra-getting-Mako-a-bigger-stuffed-toy-than-Mako- gave-to-her idea. I saw someone post it as a head canon on tumblr a few days ago and I thought I'd write about it since I was bored in my Comm Apps class today. If that was you, message me and I'll gladly give you the credit!
A/N: I feel like I should write follow up smut, but I also feel I shouldn't since I've never written smut before and I don't wanna mess it up. Also, I didn't really know how much a yuan was in the Avatar universe, so I googled how much a chinese yuan equals to a dollar and I based it off that. Hope you enjoyed it! Please feel free to review! Thanks for reading!