Title: Linger and Lull
Word Count: 1,625
Summary: [ Mako is too late to do anything. | "– I repeat, Avatar is down!" | Mako. Korra. Makorra. Post-Book 2.]
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be-the-peaf · Prompt 043 – linger on
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He's too late to do anything.
"Control Unit 214 to Station – riots are increasing at vine overgrowth two blocks east of Harmony Tower. Requesting backup."
He's breathless, but the doors of the hospital open calmly and he approaches the front desk, still clad in his uniform, to ask where she is. "She's resting." Says the nurse, "Visiting hours are over." But that doesn't stop her from pointing down the left hall "Room 304. The stairs are down that way." It must be something in his eyes, or the way his hands grip to the edge of the counter until his fingertips turn white. Either way, he thanks her, and marches down the hall so fast he can hear the air whistle past his ears.
"Control Unit 214 to Station – Avatar has arrived. Beginning peace negotiations."
The door slams shut as he exits the stairwell, the loud tumblers locking in place and the sign on the wall opposite of him reads #335. He takes another left, the numbers decrease on the edges of his vision. He can see a guard far away, standing outside her door.
"Control Unit 214 to Station – Negotiations are going nowhere. Situation is escalating."
The officer straightens up in a short salute when he walks by and Mako thinks he recognizes the man from the station, but he can't put a name to match the face. He nods briefly, thanking him for his work, and reaches for the door.
"Control Unit 214 to Station – Rioters are threatening spirits with bending. Where's our backup?"
His hand hangs on the knob. And after a long pause with him standing there, doing nothing at all, the officer steps from the wall.
"Is something wrong, Detective?"
Mako stares at the window slit on the door, the other side completely black.
"Control Unit 214 to Station – Situation critical! Rioters and spirits attacking each other in the street! Avatar down!"
Then, after another long, pausing moment, the knob turns.
"No." His head shakes. "It's nothing."
Liar – It's everything.
"Control Unit 214 to Station – I repeat, Avatar is down!"
-.-
He'd been listening to the report as it came in, a new line every minute or so, hand rested on his chin as he scrawled out another line of paperwork. It wasn't anything to worry about at the time, there had been dozens of similar incidents in the new spirit wilds in the past three months. All of them had ended with either Korra's or the police's intervention, quelling the anger and violence before it got any worse.
All he needed to do was finish his paperwork. He didn't think he needed to worry, she could handle herself.
Then his breath cuts short as the end of the room is filled with static, heart racing in his chest as he takes the coat from the back of his chair, walking to the doors with full intention of going to her.
Chief Beifong stops him at the door.
"Mako!" she says, stepping out of her office. "Where do you think you're going?"
He lets go of the handle and turns around with the entire room looking at him. "Two blocks east of Harmony Tower, ma'am. They need help. The rioters down there are getting out of control."
"We've already sent backup to them. They don't need any more."
"But–"
"She'll be fine, Detective." Beifong's words are stern, even if her back is turned at him. "I'm not going to let you run off as soon as you hear someone's injured. You have your own job to do – now get back to your work."
-.-
The room would be completely dark if not for the stream of light coming from the hall. Mako stands with his back to the door, fingers again fumbling with the cool metal of the handle. The light from streetlamps three floors below is trapped behind the solid curtain, thick and heavy, but he can still see the yellow glow run along the floor as it sways, even though the air is still.
Korra sleeps in the middle, bed sheets drawn up to her shoulders.
There's a chair on the other side of the bed, probably left there by Tenzin or one of their friends, Bolin – maybe he got here after work that afternoon, maybe Mako just missed him on his way out, sitting by their friend's bedside until visiting hours were over. But regardless of who sat in it last, Mako crosses the room and sinks into the chair, arms resting against his thighs. He breathes into his nose, and when the air passes through his mouth its hard and tired. His chest feels it's being squeezed with rope.
He had spent the last hours of his shift with his face buried in his reports, refusing to think of anything else than what was in front of him. He needed to trust Beifong's words, had to believe that it was nothing more than a few scratches or at worse a broken bone. But as the hours ticked by and the officers of the control unit came to hand in the incident report he couldn't help but wander over to ask what had happened to her. Roji, the officer who had been on the radio, explained how the negations went south fast and how Korra had tried to stop them from fighting.
But as she was talking to the group of spirits that had gathered along the vines, a firebender lashed out, taking an opportunity to strike when the spirit's guard was down. Thankfully, they missed their target, but it didn't stop everyone from going into a full-blown panic. Men and spirits were clashing on the streets – Korra and the other officers couldn't drive them all back on their own, and in the chaotic mess an earthbender had thrown a hunk of rock, knocking her unconscious in the middle of the fray.
"– I repeat, Avatar is down!"
It had been a few hours since the incident happened, and he was sure what he saw looked a lot worse than what it was. At least, that's what he told himself. The white gauze wrapped around her head and ending just above her right eye was fastened and secure, stopping any bleeding that may have occurred and keeping pressure on what he could only assume was a nasty gash somewhere on her skull. Sure, Bolin had hit him with rocks before when they were young, even in the head a few times. But never with ill intent, and he could only imagine what one at full speed would feel like; completely unexpected, with enough strength behind it to knock you to the ground. It was obviously enough to knock someone out for some number of hours, she hadn't woken up once since coming to the hospital.
Mako pinches the bridge of his nose.
What am I even doing here? He thinks. It's not like she's going to wake up anytime –
Korra licks her lips.
– or is she?
"Korra?" he asks, leaning closer to the bed. She's still and silent for a moment, gaining her bearings as her eyes flicker open to the ceiling and her hand reaches up and brushes against the bandages. She winces – a hiss of air escaping through her teeth.
"Ow…. Mako?" she asks, finally taking notice of him. "What happened?"
"You were knocked unconscious during a riot." He says. "You've been out for hours, how are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit with a rock."
"You did."
"Oh." Her hand hovers on the gauze as she inspects the wound. Finding the spot where the rock had hit, she reels back with her face tightened in pain. "No wonder it's pounding."
"Do you want me to get someone?"
She shakes. "I'm fine. This isn't the first concussion I've had, and it probably won't be the last."
Her arm hits the bed with a thud and her eyes close. Mako holds his hands together as silence fills the room to every corner and crack on the tile. He thinks she might have fallen asleep, but then she takes a long, loud breath and says: "Are you still here?"
"Yeah." He replies, and his voice comes out too breathless for his liking and he swallows, trying to think of what else he could say. When he can't think of anything, he stands, adjusting the scarf around his neck. "I should leave. Visiting hours are over."
"That's some bedside manner you got there, Mako." She mutters. "Not even going to kiss me goodnight?"
"You need your rest." He says, walking to the foot of the bed. "Besides, I–"
"You're staying." She says, opening her eyes to look directly at him. Despite the lack of lighting, his own have adjusted enough to see her face across the bed. She looks tired, more tired than she would care to admit and she fishes her other hand from beneath the sheets, holding it out to the chair. "Come on, I want you to."
Mako sighs, and goes back to the seat. Korra turns to face him, and there are bruises forming on her skin, along her cheek and jawline – probably from where she landed on the pavement. He can't help but clench his hands into fists. If he had gone out sooner, arrived before any of this happened –
She lifts her hand to him. "Hold my hand?"
It takes him a moment to react, then he slides his palm into hers.
"Sure." He says, and Korra smiles, closing her eyes again. "Anything else?"
"Just stay there until I fall asleep, okay?"
"Okay."
And he stays there, lingering in the dark hospital room for an hour, holding her hand until she goes to sleep.
Then, he stays a little longer.
:Fin:
Tried out a different style / method of writing than most of my other fics – what did you think?
Leave a review or a comment! I'd love to know your thoughts on this! :)