AN: Just a little one shot from a debate from a week ago on Tumblr. Enjoy!
Korra pulled up the dirt driveway letting out a sigh of relief, she had finally found her destination. A older man stood at the end waving at her welcoming him to his home. Once she finally stopped, she threw the car in park and swung out the door to greet the man.
"You're place isn't that easy to find" Korra said giving him a firm handshake.
"Well I like it that way" the man replied with a toothy grin. He walked her to the back of the property and unlatched the gate allowing her through. The farm was on a beautiful piece of property in the middle of the woods. The air was so clean you could smell the difference.
"They told me you were the best breeder in the City"
"Well they told you right little lady" he replied, a sharp country drawl laced in his voice. She had searched everywhere for the perfect breeder to purchase from. Knowing Mako, she guessed he would want a well breed dog, one that was dependable.
He opened the sliding door to his house and out bounded 6 chocolate lab puppies. They all ran up to her with their tails wagging beckoning her to get down and snuggle with all of them. She plopped down in front of them, a large grin plastered on her face. A few came and joined her one laying down on her lap and the other licking her cheeks. She laughed as their whiskers tickled her face, reminiscent of when Naga was a young pup.
"Well aren't you the cutest thing" she said nipping at its nose. The puppy let out a small bark as it tried to convince Korra to play with her. She set the puppy down and tossed a ball with her air bending and watched as the puppy bounded after it.
She contemplated taking all of them home with her but realized that she only needed one. She sat and played with them trying to gage which one would best suit the birthday boy. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed one away from the group just watching the events unfold.
"What's the story on that guy over there?" she asked pointing with her elbow as she scratched behind the ear of puppy number four.
"He's always been like that. He's the protector of the group for sure but not very social like as you can see" he said joining her on the grass letting a puppy come and sit with him. That sounded like someone she knew.
She got up and dusted off her hands and walked over to the puppy. She squatted down in front of it and extended her hand as a sign of friendliness but the puppy got up and walked a few yards away sitting back down with it's back to her.
"Fine be a jerk" she said at the him and stuck out her tongue. She walked back to the group feeling the all too familiar rise in her temper that she first had when she had met Mako. She took her seat back and continued to watch the puppy as she socialized with the rest. The behavior was uncanny and she noticed that after a few minutes the puppy turned back around to watch the group again. After a few more minutes of puppy play she had finally come to a decision.
"I want that one" she said motioning back to it.
"You sure? The lady you got seems to have taken a liken to you" he said
"I know she has" she said nuzzling her nose to the puppy's nose "but he seems like he would be the perfect fit, especially for the guy I know"
"Well just make sure he's taken care of. Come on inside and we can complete this transaction"
After signing a few papers and shelling out the cash, Korra walked back out to the yard and grabbed the maroon collar she had brought with her. She walked up to the puppy who seemed to remember who she was.
"Yea I'm still here and you still seem like a jerk" she said with her hands on her hips as he looked away dismissively. Everyone in the world adored her but yet this puppy couldn't care less, Avatar or not. These interactions was all too familiar to her and she knew that this puppy would have a bit more in common with Mako. She scooped him up much to his protest and walked to her car. She waved at the man as she backed down the driveway. Soon the two were off for the new adventure.
/~~~~~~\
Mako wasn't a fan of big parties but knowing Korra and Asami, it was going to be a large event. Korra had invited most of the old crew plus some of the cops from the precinct. It was an overall good turnout with a lot of fantastic food. When the festivities died down, it left team Avatar together sitting around the table catching up from their busy weeks.
"Thanks for the party guys" Mako said with a smile. He normally wasn't one who would have have a good time but this was too much fun. He placed the last unwrapped gift on the pile with the others.
"Well you know Asami always likes to put on a show" Korra said nudging Asami.
"I can always tell how good a party is by how much Bolin eats" Mako replied slapping his brothers stomach causing Bolin to burp.
"Yea this was a good party" Bolin agreed resting his head on Mako's shoulder clearly inebriated with whatever concoction Varrick had brewed up for him.
"Don't you have to leave soon Bolin?" Asami asked. It caused Bolin to become wide eyed and check his watch
"Asami you're a lifesaver. I got an early morning with Varrick." He said heaving himself up from the table outstretching his arms opening for a hug. "Happy Birthday bro"
"Thanks bud" Mako said with a smile standing up and giving him a hug "you be safe OK? Don't forget to write"
"I promise"
After Bolin left Asami made her leave as well leaving just Korra and Mako. They sat down on the steps and Korra leaned up against Mako as they gazed across the bay at the glowing city.
"I can't believe Bolin is leaving" Mako said almost in shock.
"Well you had to know you two wouldn't always be around each other" Korra said breathing Mako's scent. He always intoxicated her whenever she was near him. That was one if the big things she longed for while she was gone. It had been a hard three years, limited contact changed their relationship a bit. They weren't back to where they needed to be but she knew they would get there.
"Yeah but it all just seemed like a distant thing when he first told me. With you leaving and Asami constantly pouring over her work it's going to be pretty quiet around her" he said with a sigh allowing Korra to lean into him a little more. She rested her head in the crook of his neck. After hearing Mako's words she knew it was time for her gift.
"I'll be right back" Korra said getting up. This was her cue. She walked into the Air Temple and returned with a rather large box. She sat down and handed it to Mako.
"Happy Birthday!" She said with a bright smile still a bit nervous to see what his reaction would be. She wanted to end the party with a bang and figured this would be the best way to do it.
He gazed at the box expecting it to be a trick. Then something shifted inside startling him. He held the box out at a distance expecting something to explode from it.
"Ah….Korra?" Mako said hesitantly. Eyeing her and the box at the same time. He didn't want another pythonaconda incident.
"Stop being a baby and just open it"
Mako set the box on the step below him and slowly opened it. He saw a furry chocolate brown face peer up at him, it's scowl matching his.
"You like him?"
"Yes? I've never had a dog before so I don't really know how to answer that" Mako said scratching the back of his head trying to calculate what to do next.
"Well pick him up" she said nudging his shoulder. He complied and picked up the little pup under his front shoulders and held him at a distance. He noticed that he was wearing a collar that matched the color of his scarf. Coincidence? It stared back at him not saying a word.
"I'm Mako" he said slowly to the dog. Korra laughed which in turn caused Mako to glare at her.
"How can you make every introduction so awkward?" She said stifling another laugh. "I got your room all set up with a bed, food and water dishes, and mats for when you can't get him outside in time to let him do his business"
Mako was surprised at how thorough Korra was with this.
"Why a chocolate lab?" Mako asked setting the puppy down allowing it to roam.
"Well a bulldog isn't your style. A mastiff is too big even for YOU. A retriever sheds too much. Labs are decent maintenance so that will be good because I know how busy you can get with work. Plus this little guy is too much like you."
Mako looked back at the puppy who sat a few feet away from them watching the two. Mako got a warm feeling in his chest. It seemed after all these years, Korra still knew him better than anyone else.
"Thank you. I really mean that even though I'm not to keen on having a dog" Mako said giving her a hug. She lingered in the embrace for a bit not wanting to let go of him. He took in the smell of her hair, something he loved to do. She missed being held in his arms and he missed holding her. She felt a bought of guilt wash over her as she thought back to her time away. They came out of the hug and Korra dried her eyes.
"Well no guarantees that this works out" he said nodding at where the puppy should have been
"Where'd he go?" she said looking at an spot behind Mako.
"Shit" Mako said turning around. Great start to being a pet owner. They scanned the courtyard and saw the puppy sniffing under an apple blossom tree. Both let out a sigh of relief. The last thing that needed to happen was a lost puppy on an island.
"Come here-" Mako started to say but realized he didn't know its name making him look at Korra for the answer.
"Nuktuk" Korra said for him. The name had a nice ring to it.
"Nuktuk get over here!" he shouted. But the puppy continued to ignore them and went about its business. Mako followed him and continued to bark orders at the dog. The puppy barked back in refusal and bound past him.
"If he doesn't come in I'm going to leave him out here" Mako said getting frustrated as he chased him around the courtyard. All Korra could do was smile. She enjoyed spending this short time with Mako. The two had seen each other sparingly since she got back and were never alone. Seeing that he was almost to his breaking point, Korra went over and picked up the puppy in her arms.
"You just have to be patient with him instead of being a grumpy pants" she said bouncing the puppy in her arms playfully giving a cute little look at Mako
"Are you always going to use that baby talk around him? It's kind of annoying" Mako said bluntly. Korra just rolled her eyes and walked back toward the temple. The two parted ways after they lingered for a moment, the weight of the words unsaid hanging over them. Mako sat down on his bed and put the puppy in its bed.
"You…stay… there" he said putting his hands up as a deterrent. The puppy laid down and just starred at his new master, letting out a small bark. Mako sat and watched Nuktuk's eyes close signaling that Mako could finally fall asleep. He laid back in his bed and let sleep take him, trying to replay the last moments he just had with Korra.
/~~~~~~\
Korra snuck down the hall not wanting to wake the sleeping patrons of the Temple. She finally got to the room that she was looking for and slowly opened the door. She stuck her head in and saw Mako laying sound asleep. She noticed a small mass on the middle of his chest rising and falling with each breath, his hand resting on the puppy's back. It seems like Nuktuk got cold and made himself comfy on Mako's warm body, something she had done all too often when they were together. She thought back to how Nuktuk was defiant to Mako's orders and always seemed to respond whenever he yelled at him. Maybe this puppy was not just a mirror of Mako, maybe it was a mirror of herself as well. Something that would fill a void for both of them.
"Someone's not a dog person huh?" she muttered softly to herself with a smile as she leaned up against the door frame, taking an extra moment to take in Mako's chiseled features. She hoped she would be a part of this small family in front of her. Maybe the both of them snuggled up to Mako to keep warm.
Content that she got Mako probably the best gift she let him be and headed to bed. As she walked down the hallway on her return trip she wondered if Mako had read what was on the back of the gold tag. The second part of his gift:
I have never stopped
being in love with you
AN: Hope you enjoyed it. As always review.