It was all overwhelming… the proud and awed faces, the soft congratulations and the celebratory handshakes. It was almost too much for the firebender, who was so used to having people cast a blind eye on him and his brother. No one had ever paid this much attention to him, even during probending. It was so strange to be treated like he belonged with the bigwigs of the city, the councilmen and councilwomen, the successful business owners, the people who came from old money. All eyes were on the trio that stood off to the side. Bolin and Asami were giggling about something, presumably Tenzin's face as the airbending children ran amuck amongst the upper class of Republic City. Unlike his brother, Bolin seemed to be comfortable with the atmosphere. He had always been better at adapting to unfamiliar situations, inserting himself into whatever it was and making it look like he grew up there.
Bo even looked the part, dressed in a dapper suit and his arm loosely wrapped around Asami's bare shoulders as he pointed discretely at the airbending master and snickering a little bit. And of course Asami was completely at ease, she had grown up going to fancy galas and celebrations, and she looked it. She was dressed in an extremely beautiful dress – he had overheard her telling Jinora and Ikki that it was her mother's. They looked very good together, Bolin and Asami did. Mako felt like the third wheel, standing stiffly beside them in a suit that was not his, hands wrapped around a drink that had been handed to him by his brother to relax his nerves. It wasn't working though, as Mako nearly jumped out of his skin as Bo thumped him across the back.
"Mako, bro! You gotta relax!" the earthbender said, dragging out the last word with a mischievous grin. He held up his own drink, tapping it lightly against his brother's, then Asami's.
Clearing his throat, Mako shrugged. "Guess I'm not used to being called 'a hero of Republic City', unlike you two," he pointed out, taking a sip of the brandy, was it? He was never much of a drinker, except for the time Korra had found some liquor after once of their matches. Bolin and Korra had gotten drunk off their asses, while Mako – the ever responsible big brother – barely touched his.
Asami snorted and rolled her emerald eyes. "Better get used to it, Mako. That's all we're going to hear for the next while," she told him. For a couple that had an exceptionally messy split, they were rather civil with each other, almost to the point where they could be considered friends. She repeated time and time again that it had been for the best, after Mako apologized time and time again. He was glad that they were not one of those couples that broke up and didn't speak to each other. He liked Asami, just not in a romantic way anymore. She smiled, winking one of those eyes, and took a sip of her drink.
Mimicking her action, Mako lifted his glass to his lips and took a drink. His amber eyes scanned the immense ballroom. People of all ethnicities and ages filled it, even Rohan, the newest addition to the airbending family. He was almost three years old now and probably the youngest person in the room. He clung to his mother's robes, taking in the scene much like Mako was. Tenzin scooped him up, and the little boy caught sight of Bolin, Asami, and Mako. He gave a shy little wave, which was reciprocated by the three of them. Rohan attempted to squirm out of his father's arms and once he succeeded he bolted over to them.
"Hi!" he greeted, reaching for Asami's hand. Similar to his older brother, he had been taken with the Sato heiress and the Avatar as well. Lately he would drag one of them along until he found the other one, and the three of them would go for walks around Air Temple Island. "Korra?" he asked, holding Asami's hand tightly.
Bolin knelt down so he was on the toddler's level and grinned. "I think she went outside. Want one of us to go get her?" he said, reaching to gently poke the little boy's stomach, who giggled and nodded eagerly.
"I'll go look for her," Mako volunteered quickly, glad for an excuse to leave the ballroom, even for only a few minutes. He handed his drink to Bolin and slipped out through one of the grand doorways that lead to a balcony. Sure enough, Korra was there, sitting on the railing and staring out at the city lights. He sat on the railing, though faced the other way, looking into the well lit ballroom. "Hey," he said simply, leaning his elbows on his knees.
"Hey there, city boy," she replied, smoothing out a wrinkle in her traditional Water Tribe dress. It was elegant, an unusual sight on the rowdy Avatar. Korra wore it well, because even though it was not something she would normally wear, she still looked like Korra in it. She even wore a pair of heels, which surprised Mako the most. "What's up?"
He shrugged again. "It was getting a little crowded in there. And Rohan wanted me to come look for you," he muttered, suddenly wishing he hadn't left his drink with Bolin. They had barely spoken since she defeated Amon; every time he was free she was not, and vice versa. She let out a chuckle, a familiar, endearing sound.
"Can't leave my little man alone for a minute, can I?" Korra teased, shoving him. He smiled, pushing his shoulder against her slightly. "So, you going back to probending after all this commotion dies down?"
"I don't know," Mako mumbled. "Bolin might apply for the Metalbending Academy." Just thinking of that made Mako's swell. He had spent so much time trying to track down someone who would teach Bolin the basics of earthbending, because it made his little brother so happy. Mako had taught himself, imitating whichever bender was around him. It ended up being a waterbender most of the time, which was how he developed his 'cool under fire' style. Rubbing his burnt hands, feeling the keloid scars that had developed so long ago, he sighed.
He felt Korra straighten beside him and whip her head to the side to face the firebender. "Are you serious? Mako, that's fantastic! Why didn't you tell me this before?" the Avatar exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air with an exasperated look on her face.
Straightening his back as well, Mako snorted. "Sorry that you haven't been around lately! Sorry that whenever I try to get a hold of you, the White Lotus says you're busy, too busy to be seen by me!" he snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose. She hadn't changed at all. Korra swung her legs over the railing, barely missing Mako's head, and glared at him.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" she almost screamed, knitting her eyebrows together. "It's not my fault that I have a duty to fulfill as the Avatar! How do you know that I don't want to see you? Maybe I do! Maybe I actually want to see you, because it's really hard to go a day without seeing you. Ever think of that? I really miss you, Mako!" He didn't dare look her in the eyes; he knew that if he did, they would be shooting daggers at his head. It felt like he had been transported a few years back, where all they did was fight.
With a surprised pause, he absentmindedly ran his fingers over his scars again. "You miss me?" he asked quietly and arched an eyebrow. He lifted his head, gazing inside to see that the band had picked up the pace, to play some jazzy piece of music. Everyone seemed to come alive with excitement. Asami picked Rohan up, proceeding to dance with him and Bolin. Tenzin was dragged to the dance floor by his daughters while Pema and Meelo followed. What he wouldn't give to be dancing with Korra right now, hand in hand, in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by their friends and family.
Korra was quiet for once, watching his hands. "Well, yeah," she muttered, fumbling with the fabric of the dress's skirt. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"
"Because I've been a jerk to you a lot since we've met, and you've been a jerk to me, and you pretty much spilled your heart out to me about your feelings and I've ignored them for the past three years," he retorted. "I don't deserve you to miss me." He clasped his hands together, starting to get fidgety. He had been a jerk to Korra since the moment they met, yet she still liked him, even after he almost terminated their friendship during the Hiroshi Sato incident. During their breakup, Asami told him that she knew how much Korra liked him, how she had seen the Avatar steal shy little glances at him, and how insanely jealous Asami was of the other girl. He did not, could not, understand why Asami had been getting so angry at him after Korra returned from being held captive by Tarrlok.
Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as the girl – er, woman now – softened and reached over to grab his hand. "Well, you're in a bit of a tough pickle now, cool guy. You're kinda stuck with me missin' you," she murmured, squeezing his gloved hands lightly. Mako lifted his head, turning to face Korra. He took in a breath of air, attempting to gather his nerves before leaning forward so he was almost nose to nose with her.
"Am I now?" he whispered and shifted so his body was facing her as well. In a brief moment of extreme courage, the man kissed Korra, taking her head in his hands. At first, she stiffened in mild surprise, and then relaxed. Mako wasn't sure how long they were there until Korra broke away with a smirk on her face. He quickly moved away slightly, worried that she didn't like him anymore, that he was too late.
"It's nice to be on the receiving end of a kiss, for once," she teased, tucking a piece of her loose hair behind her ear. "But, I think I'm finally ready to dance. Care to escort me, Mako? I mean, the Avatar does need someone to dance with and there doesn't seem to be anyone available but you. I guess you can dance with me, y'know, if you really want to."
Mako was stunned for a moment, before his lips spread into a trademark Mako half smile. "Why, Avatar Korra, I would be absolutely honoured," he replied as he relaxed, hopping off the railing and holding out his hand for her to take. She did, and the couple walked hand in hand to the ballroom.
author's note: LOL sorry for this. I just got really muse-y and then this idea got stuck in my head and I had to write it. Each character seems a bit OOC-ish to me, except for Rohan, cause y'know, he doesn't really have a personality right now. So again, sorry about this entire thing, ahahha. Anyways, this takes place about three years after what's going on in the series right now, and Korra just defeated Amon like, two or three weeks ago (sorry about that too, I know it's a really long time to skip. I just really wanted to use toddler!Rohan instead of infant!Rohan. 0:) ) I love using Mako's point of view, even if I always end up making him a bit OOC. There's also probably some weird grammar mistakes, so… ahhh. Reviews would be absolutely lovely! I appreciate every single one :)