Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra
"Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you." –Baby, Dirty Dancing
.oOo.
"No," he said with finality, turning his back to her and hoping that she would get the hint to let it drop.
She didn't.
"Why not? Look, it would work perfectly. Bolin would be on defense and-"
"I said 'No', Korra. I won't risk it."
"Then we'll lose!"
"We're going to lose anyway. I appreciate what you're trying to say but I'm the captain and I'm the one who makes play decisions. Ok?"
"Alright, Captain." She sneered, her chin jutting out defiantly, her hands balled into fists on her hips.
Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on and if she kept pushing he was going to snap.
Korra stewed for a moment until Mako almost believed that she was done. He grimaced when he heard her smack her right fist into her other palm.
"No, you know what? It's not alright. You've thanked me in the past for not giving up on this team when things looked bleak and I'm not giving up now. So what it they're reigning champions? They have to screw up sometime."
"Ugh! No they don't. That's why they're the reigning champions," Mako yelled, his hands waving in the air.
"We came in second last year—"
"…and we'll take second again this year. We've gotten better, I know, but—"
"Why won't you just let me help you? Help us? Last I checked we were still a team and I for one think that this strategy will work!"
"Korra," he warned.
"Mako," she rebutted, dragging out his name in childish affectation.
He sighed heavily, frustration making his shoulders tense, "Look, I know that this means a lot to you but Bolin and I have a lot riding on this, more so than last year. If we attempted this play and screwed it up, even a little, we could be disqualified. We've come too far for that. I would rather lose one match and keep the sponsors we have than take the risk and lose everything."
"But if we won we would gain more sponsors and higher winnings," she pressed, and Mako had bent so far for her, that he finally broke. His temper getting the better of him, lightning tingling at his fingertips.
"You are so infuriating! I won't live on the streets again, Korra. It's taken us everything to get this far and I know all too well that it could all be taken away in an instant. I've seen the stakes; I've been watching the games for much longer than you have. I'm not so naïve tha—"
Her face softened, and she reached out with tentative fingers to touch his shoulder, give him comfort. He was so wound up that he didn't even see the look of rejection that crossed her face when he yanked his shoulder out of her grasp. Or the way that she brought the knuckles of the offending hand up to her lips forlornly.
"You don't understand. You have nothing to lose. You're not afraid of anything!" he huffed in accusation.
"Me? I'm afraid of everything! I'm afraid of Amon and the equalists. I'm afraid of losing my bending and having everyone turn their backs on me. I'm afraid of failing," she laughed mirthlessly.
"I'm afraid of the council and the gangs, and I'm afraid that Amon is right, that Innocent people are being oppressed. That I've already messed up and made things worse. I'm afraid that I'm not good enough, not strong enough to help everyone and that everyone, EVERYONE, knows it," She lifted her eyes to his and they were so blue, like ice, that he couldn't help the shiver that slid down his spine and the tug at his heart when the weight of her youth, her vulnerability was thrown in his face.
He looked away, his eyes falling to the floor as she continued sorrowfully.
"I'm terrified that when Tenzin looks at me that he isn't seeing me, he is struggling to catch a glimpse of the man who was so much stronger than I am. The man that I can never live up to. I will never be the Avatar that The White Lotus expects me to be and that the world needs me to be."
"Kor—"
"—Let me finish," she let out a breath, her shoulders slumping. "I'm scared that you and Bolin will realize that I am nothing without the Avatar spirit. That you'll leave… because you might think that you need me as a part of this team but that doesn't even come close to how much I need the two of you, the only friends that I have ever had."
He stepped forward, his movements mirroring hers from only minutes ago as he reached out to touch her. His hand fell to his side as she stepped back. Keeping the distance, that seemed longer and longer by the moment, between them.
"But most of all," her voice hitched and she cleared her throat. She squared her shoulders and settled her resolve, staring into his eyes. The tears were gone and her prior vulnerability was hidden behind an invisible wall of defense that she was almost visibly trying to patch back into place.
"—Most of all, I'm afraid that you will never love me," and with those whispered words the wall came tumbling back down, revealing the full weight of her insecurity. "…as much as I love you."
For a moment, the world stopped spinning and he was stunned into inaction. All too suddenly, everything came roaring back to life. His heart was pounding in his ears and his steps felt uneven, as if he were teetering on the corner of the world and then she was in his arms.
He was dimly aware that he had initiated the kiss this time and he felt warm at the thought. Then he was unable to be aware of anything outside of his lips sliding against hers while his hands tangled in her hair, caressed her neck and slid down between her shoulder blades, skimming the muscles of her back before resting on her waist.
He was never very good with words, but he poured all of his being into this one action, hoping that she could read between the lines; Hoping that she understood.
The kiss ended slowly, peppered with small wet pecks that somehow eased them into the feeling of being separated again.
They rested their foreheads together and Mako smiled down at her as he pulled away, tracing her plumped lower lip with his thumb and savoring the feeling of having her in his arms.
She kissed the pad of his finger tip and tucked herself into the curve of his body, her head coming to land just under his chin so that her cheek was against the soft material of his red scarf. She turned her face into the well-worn cotton, breathing him in and hiding her blush.
He wrapped his arms around her and Korra, who always tried to appear so brave and so sure of herself, felt less afraid.
"If it's really that important to you, we can try your game play," Mako mumbled into her hair and Korra laughed despite herself.
She wouldn't admit it to him right now but the plays and game strategies didn't matter. The disagreement was unimportant. What mattered was just being with him, even if that meant having an argument. It was an argument with him, and she would rather have the occasional screaming match with him than live a life without him in it.
She wouldn't be able to just be his friend, not anymore. But he hadn't run from the room at her confession, far from it in fact, and that was a start. They could put a name to these things later but, for right now, it was enough.
.oOo.
"And ever since the day you put my heart in motion
Baby I realize that there's just no getting over you." –Amy Grant