Author's Note: My friend Xusong helped edit this, so some of the credit for this goes to him.
"Mako, we need to talk." Korra stood behind the firebender, arms crossed.
His response was silence, save for the crackling of flames that quickly died down as Mako clenched his fists.
"Mako."
Silence.
"Mako!" Korra bent a water whip and snapped it across his hip. "This isn't just about me. It's about Asami."
"Fine. What do you want, Korra?" Mako refused to turn around and face Korra. The sting on his hip faded quickly, but the sting on his pride lingered a bit longer. His jaw ached from being wound up by the anger inside of him. Mako knew what Korra wanted to talk about, but he wasn't going to start the conversation.
"What's going on between you and Asami?" Korra accused. She held a sphere of water in her hands in case she needed to spur Mako into talking again.
"Nothing," he muttered. After an exhausting day at the gym, the last thing on his mind was dealing with certain women.
"Don't lie to me. Asami told me herself what happened." Korra said calmly. Her voice struggled to stay relaxed, though, and her voice wobbled as she continued in Mako's lack of response. "She - she said that you guys have been having some issues with trust."
"It's nothing I can't handle." Mako clenched his fists even tighter, struggling to block the memories of the argument.
"What's wrong, sweetie? I can tell something's on your mind." Asami gently put a hand on Mako's face, her eyes searching his for an answer.
"Nothing, Asami. I'm fine." Mako grasped Asami's hand in his own and kissed it, once. The bags under his eyes had apparently been more noticeable than he thought. Or maybe his girlfriend had keener eyes than he realized.
"No, you're not. I can tell, you haven't been sleeping well. Tell me what's wrong." Asami held worry in her emerald eyes, while Mako's were unreadable. He kissed her softly.
"I'm fine, I promise, 'Sami."
That was the start of it.
"Mako, stop it. You need to rest now."
"Asami, I'll be fine. Really, you don't need to worry about me," Mako gently said. He kissed his girlfriend in reassurance, but it wasn't working.
"Well if you won't rest, will you at least tell me what's wrong?" Asami pouted.
"No, you don't need to worry about my problems! I'll be fine, I promise." Mako was beginning to get irritated, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was how Korra would respond. No, she wasn't clingy and pushy like Asami. But then again, if Korra was his girlfriend maybe she wouldn't have any problems to ask mako about.
"Mako, I ask because I care about you, you know that right?" Asami asked. "I'm your girlfriend, you can trust me."
"It's...it's not the right time to tell you, Asami. I'm too tired." It wasn't a complete lie, but Mako still felt a twinge of guilt. Asami shouldn't have to deal with his issues.
"See, I told you that you need to rest. Come on, let's go back," Asami pressed herself again Mako and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm tired, too."
"I'll walk you to your room then." Mako wrapped his right arm around Asami, and together they made their way back to the main part of the island.
After he had tucked her in, and kissed her goodnight, Mako stayed in Asami's room for a bit until he heard her soft, steady breathing. His thoughts wandered and for a moment he wondered how Korra would look with the moonlight reflecting off her darker skin as it did on Asami's paler face. He shook his head once, twice. Thoughts like that were dangerous.
***
"No, it's not because I don't love you! Not at all!" Mako stepped in to comfort his girlfriend, but she reeled away.
"Then why won't you trust me? Is it because I'm not good enough for you?"
"Asami, no-"
"Not good enough compared to the Avatar?" Asami had tears in her eyes. "Of course, I couldn't ever compare to Korra..."
"Of course not! You're so beautiful and caring, Asami. Why would I compare-"
"Then why won't you loosen up and tell me what's wrong?" Asami sadly looked at Mako. "Why won't you tell me?"
"It's - it's just, I'm not used to opening up to people, okay?"
"Then you can start now!" Asami yelled. Everything that had happened in the past week, her father's betrayal, the pain of losing him along with his mother, now this, suddenly weighed upon her. "There's a first time for everything, isn't there?"
"Asami, I-"
"But if you don't trust me enough, then you can go crying to Korra about all your problems!" Asami burst into tears and ran off, away from him and the hand he extended to try and bring her back. As he ran after her, shouting, "Asami, wait! Come back!", he heard the rev of a moped accelerating and he stopped. "Asami..."
***
"Mako? Mako!"
Again, Mako felt the sting of water slapping his hip and this time he turned, his pain disguised by the sudden fury in his amber eyes. He realized that she'd been calling him for a while, and a small flame appeared in his now open palm. "What?" This time he turned, and flame met flame as they made eye contact.
"What did you say to Asami?" Korra got right in his face. "I won't ask again!" The water in her hands had become a roaring fireball.
"Nothing!" Mako intended the word as an expression of how "I didn't say anything to make her so mad!" but the Korra interpreted it the same way as before.
"Not this again." Korra glared at the wall in disgust. She whipped her head back at Mako and a few seconds later Mako was aware of his body flying through the air.
"Korra!" Mako yelled in surprise. Whipping his legs over his head, Mako flipped over and landed in a net meant for earth discs, not human bodies. It ripped and Mako found himself tangled within a black mesh.
"Now tell me: What happened with Asami?" She forced her words out, a dangerous glow in her cerulean eyes.
"It's none of your business anyway! Why should you care?"
"Excuse me, but I'm Asami's friend too! Of course I care!" She almost roasted him alive right then and there, but Asami would just be more upset than she already was, so Korra temporarily satisfied herself with roasting a practice dummy. It wouldn't be missed by anyone.
"Fine! She was upset that I trusted you more than her! Are you happy?" Mako glared at her with as much dignity as he could. Which at the moment, was very little.
"No, I'm not!" Korra couldn't say any more without giving her own emotions away any more than she might have already.
"Then what WILL make you happy? Telling you that I accidentally told her that I still like you?" Mako yelled, and too late tried to take back his words.
"I - what?" Flames spiraled into the ceiling as they were released by the Avatar, who's fiery expression had melted. "You...so you still like me?"
"I - yes! But like I said, I like Asami too, and I don't know what to say to her, and I - umph!" Mako hated when Korra bent him to her will. Literally. She stomped into the ground and sent him to his feet, the net still wrapped around him like a messed up towel. As he rubbed the spot where the earth had crashed into his side, he glanced up and saw the anguish in Korra's eyes. It vanished faster than he could blink, and was replaced by a dark ice.
"Then for your sake, and Asami's more than your's, forget about me and focus on her." Korra looked down. "It doesn't matter what I feel for you anymore... I'm the Avatar. I'm stronger than this." She laughed, a hollow, bitter sound that Mako wished he could forget. "I don't need you..." Her last sentence was more of a persuasion to her heart than words meant for Mako.
"Korra..." Mako slowly untangled the net from around him, and burned it, the ashes slowly drifting to the ground. "Korra...why?"
For a while, she didn't answer. The last thing she wanted Mako to see was her tears, and to hear her broken voice.
"Because..." She swallowed. Waiting wouldn't make her confession any easier. Without any more hesitation, she spoke. "Because I love you more than I love myself, and if letting you go makes you happy...then I'll just have to deal with it."
She left the gym, leaving Mako's heart, for the second time, in pieces. It wasn't until she was well on her way back to Air Temple Island, willing the water to carry her home, did she allow her tears to flow freely. All she tasted was bitter, bitter saltiness. There was no sweet.
And hours after she left, Mako still sat in the gym, his head reeling and his heart aching. He still didn't understand. He couldn't understand.
"If I'd been watching where I was going...maybe I wouldn't have lost the two women I loved in the same day," the voice inside his head murmured. Mako stared at the ground, and watched as his tears mingled with the ash on the ground. Why did love have to be so complicated? He didn't know.
He would just have to deal with it.