A Hard Day's Night

"He's not here? What do you mean he's not here?" Korra tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice as she looked at Bolin incredulously. "Not that I care or anything… but wasn't this supposed to be a team bonding session?"

Bolin looked faintly embarrassed at his brother's absence. "I told him we were going to hang out. You only see the hardworking side of him, the side he shows at practice. I thought a more relaxed setting would let you two get along a bit better."

"Mako has a lighter side?" Korra asked with a smirk.

Bolin stuck his tongue out at her. "When he's not around crazy Avatars, yes. Well, sometimes. On occasion. Anyway, I told him about it and he didn't even seem that opposed to it. But he's been gone most of the day. Working, probably – he still has hopes of getting that thirty thousand yuans to enter the tournament. In fact, I haven't seen him since this morning's practice," Bolin mused, oblivious to his companion's growing annoyance as his story continued.

"So he's been missing all day? And you haven't thought about him at all?" Korra was getting a dangerous look on her face, and Bolin backed away a few steps before responding.

"He does that sometimes. Now that we have a place of our own and I'm big enough to take care of myself, he's not around so much." The Avatar's anger was fading, being quickly replaced by curiosity. Here was an opportunity to learn about the fabulous bending brothers, and opportunity to learn about Mako – an opportunity she knew the elder sibling would never give her.

"If you don't mind me asking…what was it like?" Korra paused for a second, then rushed to clarify, realizing that Bolin wasn't privy to her thought process. "Growing up on the streets with Mako, I mean. He never tells me anything about it. Little snippets, sometimes, but nothing substantial."

She looked at her friend with a hopeful glance and was rewarded with an acquiescent nod. "Mako doesn't really open up to people. He keeps a lot of things bottled in," Bolin began, motioning Korra over to the brothers' couch. He took a moment to relax before continuing his story.

"The first years of my life were happy. I can barely remember them, but it's all a warm glow. I imagine it's the same for Mako, especially his earliest years when I wasn't around," said Bolin with a chuckle. His face sombered as he reached the next part of the tale. "Our parents were killed. It was one of the bending triads – we've never been sure which. I was five; Mako was eight. He has more memories of them than I do – hell, now I can barely remember their faces." The young earthbender was quiet for a second and Korra put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. Bolin gave her a small smile and went on with the narrative. "We were on our own after that. Just Mako and I. Two kids who hadn't even hit double digits yet. It was hard. I can only imagine how hard it was for Mako, because it was hard for me, and he was the one looking out for us. He would work, try and get food, find shelter. Everything. I helped, of course, but he would always take the hardest jobs. It wasn't an easy life, but I rarely went hungry." Bolin's face softened. "Thinking back, I don't think I can say the same for Mako. He still doesn't eat enough – he thinks I don't notice, but he always makes sure I have the bigger portions, the extra dumpling."

"And you've never called him out on this?" came Korra's question, and Bolin turned to face her a bit abashedly.

"A few times, yes, but, well…I'm a growing boy." He sheepishly grinned and Korra couldn't help but roll her eyes at the goofy, often-famished earthbender. Even with his tough upbringing, he was still a lighthearted, carefree young man. Unlike his brother.

Bolin's next sentence confirmed her analysis. "All this talk of food has made me hungry. I'm going to pay a little visit to a street vendor. Po, perhaps. Or maybe Moo-shi." Korra laughed and rolled her eyes again. Only Bolin would know the food merchants around here by name. "Keep an eye out for Mako!" he yelled to her as she waved at his retreating form. "I'll be back soon!"

Shaking her head at Bolin's antics, Korra moved back to the couch, staring out the windows. The brothers' apartment wasn't very well adorned with decorations or furniture, but the view was magnificent. She lost herself in the beauty of Air Temple Island, admiring the high tower, the elegant buildings. She lived there, yes, but somehow seeing it from far away added to its grandeur in a way the close-up experience didn't.

A faint grunt coming from the stairs caught her attention and brought her mind away from the window. Was it an intruder? Bolin? Korra had a fleeting vision of her ever-ravenous friend struggling up the steps, arms so laden with food that every step was a battle, and giggled quietly to herself.

There was another grunt and she saw a hand grasping at the top of the steps, scrabbling for a grip. The young Avatar stared as the hand was joined by another, and she saw a dark head of hair poke up accompanied by another groan. Recognition slowly dawned across her features as Mako pulled himself up the remaining steps and collapsed on the floor. He looked awful. His handsome face was tarnished by weariness – extreme weariness. He rolled over and gasped out a quiet inquiry.

"Bo?" As the question faded, unanswered, Korra realized two things: one, he did not know she was there, and two, he was completely, utterly exhausted. Telling the part of her brain that was informing her of all the interesting things she could do with a helpless Mako to shut up, or at least trying to, she walked across the room with a faint blush. She didn't think about Mako like that. No she did not. Not at all. Although the way he moved when he was firebending was – Not. At. All. But that way his hair looked after a fight – Not. At. All.

Korra's internal struggle finally gave out to her urge to help the person sprawled on the floor in front of her. "Mako! Are you okay?" she asked, rushing to his side, though she was fairly certain he wasn't.

"Oh," he said. "It's you." Under normal circumstances, Korra would have taken that as his normal ornery attitude, but at the moment it seemed he just wasn't capable of a longer greeting.

"Yes," she said, "It's me." It was hard to tell whether Mako was happy to see her or not. He seemed tired enough that it didn't matter.

Korra knelt next to him. "You look horrible," she said, forgetting her tact as she often did around Mako, although for a quite different reason than normal. "What have you been doing to yourself?" The firebender croaked a few unintelligible words and Korra realized he was in no condition to be answering questions. She reached down and lifted him over her shoulders, ignoring his groans of protest. She hefted him easily. "Bolin is right. You do need to eat more." Lowering him gently onto the couch, she headed to the sink to grab a cup of water. "You stay put, okay?" she said with a wink.

Her tone was sarcastic, but there was real concern behind her words, and Korra hurried back with a full glass. Propping him up – not an easy task, as he couldn't seem to find the strength to support himself – she shook her head. He had dragged himself home in this condition… Korra doubted that she would meet anyone as determined, as stubborn, as downright hardheaded as Mako was. Except perhaps herself. Forcing his lips open and softly tilting the cup against his mouth, she got him to down most of the cup before he broke off, coughing a little. Korra lowered him back down, her strength easing his motions but not completely quenching the involuntary gasps of pain that accompanied his every movement.

Mako lay still and Korra took the opportunity to study him. She had meant it when she said the firebender looked horrible. His skin was a pasty, sweat-stained white, and his hair had lost its usual style, lying flat on his tired skull. Now normally, Korra was not adverse to the sight of a sweaty or unkempt Mako. But this was a different sort of sweat, casting a sickly sheen over his body. What had he been doing that was so strenuous? He was a rock when they practiced bending in the mornings.

Her companion was silent, and Korra again looked out at the night sky, the lights of the city a delightful contrast to the blackness of above. Bolin would be back soon; perhaps they could figure something out together. For now, rest was what the stubborn firebender needed. She glanced at him and saw with a start that his face was contorted in pain. "Mako!" she cried, moving over to him on the couch. She grabbed at his shoulders and found less resistance than she expected, whipping him upwards into her. If he had been at full strength he probably would have knocked her over, but as he was she was only slightly rocked and regained her position easily.

Her hands were still on his shoulders and she felt his muscle, unbelievably tense. Goodness, he knew how to exert himself. Ignoring for the moment their sometimes less than friendly status, Korra massaged Mako's back, trying her best to alleviate the pain and the stress. He collapsed against her, teetering before plunging onto her lap ungracefully. Korra's face reddened at this new, unexpected development but she stayed on her mission.

As a waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe, she had trained in the art of healing. Katara had showed her a few tricks in addition to her Avatar training, feeling it would be a useful skill to have, whether used on herself or others. Korra channeled those memories now as she kneaded Mako's skin, a blue glow surrounding her hands as she worked to try and heal his wounded body. There wasn't a mark on him, but her fingers felt the strain, the hurt, and tried to mend it as best they could. She had never been the best healer, focusing more on attack, but she had been instructed well and was blessed with great natural waterbending talent – the combination of those two attributes aiding Mako greatly.

He sighed, wheezing out a final mumble before nodding off. Korra cocked her ear. Was that a "thank you" that she had heard? No, she must've of imagined it. Not from Mako.

Korra moved to sit up, but stopped, conscious of the weight on her lap. She smiled. She could handle staying here a bit longer. Bolin should have been back by now, but the worry tugged at her consciousness for only a moment before she too drifted off, joining the wearied firebender in sleep.

…

Korra awoke a little while later, her head on a pillow and no firebender in her lap. She sat up and looked around, moving drowsily. Mako had moved from her to the floor, sitting on the hard wood and staring into space. A little cautiously, Korra yawned and made her presence known. She had no idea how much he remembered, or how he felt about waking up in her lap, or if he thought she was being too forward, and worries raced across her mind like sky bison through a cloudless day.

Mako turned to her, his face betraying no emotion – as usual. "You're awake," he said evenly, still expressionless, still sending Korra's mind through a gauntlet of bad scenarios.

"I could say the same to you," Korra said with a smirk, deciding to play it as cool as she could. But Mako wasn't looking for a fight or an argument.

"What…what did you do to me while I was out?" He stared at her with amber eyes and a questioning gaze. "I remember coming home, you making me drink…and then doing something. It…felt good. Made the pain recede." Mako winced as he completely turned around to face her, obviously still hurting. "Somewhat."

Korra smiled, glad he had not asked her about anything else. "I healed you. One of the advantages of growing up in the Southern Water Tribe." She moved toward him with concern. "Maybe you need another session…you still don't look good." Korra sat next to him and ran her hand along his back. It was still tense, still pained, but much better than it had been. "But what did you do to yourself? Jump into a pit of lava?" She reached for his hands, which she hadn't examined before but now saw were covered in little scorch marks, and waited for his answer.

Mako seemed a little uncomfortable with the contact but didn't jerk away. "Working at the factory," he said. "Bending lightning to power the plant. Not the easiest work, but it pays well. Seeing as we need 30,000 yuans this week, I might have…overdid it a bit." He grimaced as Korra ran her hand over one of his (many) sore spots, but held his arm there with resolute compliance. "Since lightning bending is a little demanding, the shifts are only an hour long, and with frequent breaks in between. You're not supposed to do more than one shift in a row."

Korra sighed, seeing where this was going. "How many did you do?" she asked, already knowing the answer would be more than one.

"Four. Well, four in the morning, after practice. Then a few more…" Mako made a face. "To be honest, after the fifth or sixth one I lost track. I just got into a rhythm, as mindless as I could, and ignored the pain. Made some good money." He reached into his pocket and brought out a sizable wad of yuans. "Nowhere near what we need though. Suppose I'll have to go back tomorrow."

"What? Going back there? Doing the same thing again? No. No, you cannot. I forbid it." The words rushed out of Korra's mouth before she had much time to think about them, and she flushed slightly as she realized what she'd said. But she stuck by her opinion. "I was here when you got back. You could barely get up the stairs. I will not let you do that to yourself again."

Mako was a little taken a back and more than a little touched by the Avatar's concern. He hadn't expected such a strong reaction, given all the fights they had, all the insults they traded. So he let the matter drop and turned to another pressing issue.

"Where's Bolin?"

Korra jerked her head back. Where was Bolin? "He left right before you got here looking for food. I haven't seen him since." She watched Mako with a worried look in her eye. He'd been through enough, he didn't need another thing to fret about – and it seemed as though he was about to do just that.

But to her surprise, Mako's face broke into a grin. "He left to get food, huh?" The firebender tilted his head back in hilarity and Korra nervously smiled, wondering if all the lightning had made him crack. "He'll be gone for hours! First, he'll go to one or two of the stands, get some food, talk to the vendors – he's unbelievably chummy with them – get hungry again, talk some more… it's a vicious cycle. I wouldn't worry about him just yet. He's already disappeared once this week, I don't want to have to rescue him again."

Mako laughed once more and this time Korra joined him, before the two fell into a comfortable silence. Korra glanced at the person sitting next to her – her acquaintance – her friend? Whatever he was, he was staring off into space again. Korra hated to disturb him, but there had been a question bugging her since Bolin left and she figured now was as good a time as any to ask.

"Mako..." she began, a little hesitantly because it was a touchy subject, "before he left Bolin was telling me about how you two grew up." She tried to gage his reaction, but he was as stony-faced as ever. "He left before he finished. Do you think you could… fill in the gaps?"

Nervously, she looked at Mako. This had the potential to alienate him further, and that was the last thing she wanted to do now that they were finally on, if not good, peaceable terms. But curiosity had always been one of Korra's weaknesses, and the brothers' background was the newest mystery in front of her.

Mako was a private guy. He didn't like talking about his past; too often it invited pity, sympathy, things he didn't want or need. It happened the way it happened. No one could change that with a few kind words. But Korra had cared for him, tended to him, and for some reason he didn't think she would be the kind of person who would pity him or treat him differently because of it.

And there was another factor at play. Bending lightning takes a lot out of a person, and all the things Mako usually kept bottled in had burst out in a dangerous form of electricity. Sure, he wasn't bending lightning now, but everything he kept so closely guarded couldn't immediately be put under lock and key again.

"It's not something I talk about often. Or like to talk about." Mako glanced at Korra, and couldn't help but admire her ocean-blue eyes, shimmering as they returned his gaze. "As I'm sure Bolin told you, our parents were killed when we were young. A firebender from one of the triads was looking for cash our family didn't have. He killed my father in front of me. I was eight." He paused as Korra inserted herself in the space directly next to him, hands around his arm, face pinking but defiant. His ears colored slightly and he hoped the darkness would hide them from her.

"Since then it's just been Bolin and I. We worked when we could, slept in whatever shelter we could find. I've always tried to look after him, to make sure life didn't hurt him too badly."

But who looked out for you? thought Korra, snuggling in closer to Mako. But all she said was, "You did a great job." Mako smiled, a real, lasting smile this time, not like his usual half-second, blink-and-you-miss-it ones he usually directed towards the Avatar. She had another question, though. "How did you find work? You mentioned you did some for the triads…"

Mako sighed, a defeated look crossing his features. "Some of it was honest work, lifting and transporting and whatever else. But we've worked for pretty much all of the triads in Republic City – all the major ones, anyway, and quite a few of the smaller." He gave a short, harsh laugh that was devoid of any mirth. "We've probably done jobs for the very triad that killed our parents. Ironic, isn't it?" His face twisted into a bitter smile, less of amusement and more of resignation, of fatalism. Korra's heart went out for him at that moment. She wrapped her arms around him, forgetting to keep her boundaries or not give him any hints of her feelings, and after a second Mako returned the gesture, if not quite as tightly.

He went on, wanting to finish his story now that he'd started, but Korra pressed a finger to his lips and her body against his. There was now no pretending that she didn't feel anything for the tall, aloof firebender, just quiet acceptance of her feelings and a burning hope that he returned them.

They lay there against the couch, bodies close, arms and legs entangled, as comfortable with each other as pillows as they would be with a feather-stuffed bed.

…

A/N: My first Legend of Korra fic! Any details seen here that aren't in the show I either made up or got off fansites, so don't worry if you can't spot the sink in Mako's apartment or anything. Thanks for reading, please tell me what you think!