"I'm sorry."
She looked over at her companion in confusion, dark brows knitting together in question. All throughout the trip to the South Pole, the firebender had been silent, a grim and defeated expression on his face when he believed no one to be looking. They were a few hours from docking and seeing Master Katara in hopes that she would be able to somehow heal the Avatar after their encounter with Amon, and each mile they became closer to the frozen tundra the more isolated and silent the older brother became. He had waited until they were left alone, the dark skies turning a soft rosy hue in the far off distance. A glorious sight of a frozen dawn if ever witnessed, yet the young waterbender had all but forgotten it in favor of the trembling teen. Spirits, it couldn't have been the cold. The poor boy was wrapped in two sweaters and a fur lined parka. She stepped closer, hesitantly resting a hand on his shoudler.
"What seems to be the problem, City boy?" She asked, her voice light and airy despite her growing concern. Ochre eyes stared at a passing glacier for a moment as if memorizing the jagged surface. It was then that she noticed the slight redness that rimmed his eyes. Korra frowned and stepped in front of him, thinking it to be the cold air.
"Come on, let's get you inside before you fre-"
"I'm sorry." He muttered thickly, turning his head to the side. His trembling intensified briefly, his broad shoulders visibly shaking despite the many layers of protection. The waterbender managed to guide him back inside, closing the bulkhead door and turning around only to be pressed between the cold metal and a warm body. Her heart leapt to her throat at the sudden proximity of the firebender, yet any happy thought she had dispersed the moment she heard a nearly inaudible sniffle come from him. Mako slowly dropped to his knees before her, his arms wrapping around her middle tightly.
"I'm…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried to protect you. I tried so hard." He confessed, the words that had been weighing his heart down like an anchor finally flowing free. He shook his head, unable to stop himself from going on.
"I tried to protect you. Not only because you're the Avatar, but because I… I-I just couldn't… I couldn't risk losing you. Korra, I am so sorry. I failed."
Korra was stunned into silence, never having seen the other break down and act so vulnerable, not even when his brother went missing. he was one of the strongest friend she had to pleasure of meeting and getting to know, and here he was openly crying in front of her because he thought…?
Slowly, Korra brought her arms up from her sides and wrapped them around his trembling frame, one hand rubbing soothing circles on his back. She swallowed past the lump in her throat and had to blink back tears of her own. When she tried to open her mouth and say something -hell, anything to help settle him down- she found that she couldn't. What could she say? It's not your fault? Mako wouldn't believe it, and would only put more unnecessary blame on himself. He always tried to look after everyone in their small family, and it damn near broke the waterbender's heart to see him so broken himself. To know that he blamed himself for what happened to her made her heart clench painfully. No, there was nothing she could say to take away his guilt and ease his pain.
So she held him in the darkened corridor of the ship, running her fingers through his dark hair as he continued to apologize for not having the strength to protect their Avatar and his Korra.