He's as old as he'll ever be, he thinks, as he flops against the old couch in the living room, staring back at the interior design closely resembling the attic of the pro-bending arena. Mako remembers it as clear as day, of course - the old news paper articles that Korra snipped, sloppily taped up on the back-wall behind the TV; never letting him forget their teenage years. They rustle from the breeze drifting through the crack in the window. He's gotta fix that soon, and he's been telling himself that for weeks - probably months, at this point - but the scarf, still managing to hold its threads together, makes the draft tolerable, for now. There's time, he tells himself. Winter's got a long way to catch up, and even though he's reached an age he never saw himself reaching, the wrinkles in his strong hands are nothing to get fooled by. Once a fighter, always a fighter, and that's what keeps him going strong, even after the death of Korra; his teammate, his best friend - his wife.
The first death seems to hit the hardest, though. Mako cranes his head into the back cushion and stares up towards the ceiling. Never, in a million years could he imagine his life without his little brother, but life seems to always work on a different schedule… It was a hard year for him, and sometimes, when hes left to his thoughts in his empty, brownstone apartment, it's still hard. One death seems to make all the others fresh again in memory.
The only thing to warm the cold sting in his chest is the knowing that Bolin can finally see what Mom looks like.
Mako deflates the air in his lungs to release a sigh before inching to a stand from the couch, and makes his way towards the kitchen for some tea. On the side of the refrigerator are more pictures, sloppily stuck by magnets, paper faded to yellow crisps of memories. In the middle, there's a picture of the Fire Ferret brothers; Bolin stands at attention, failing to keep the smile from ruining his bearing, as Deputy Chief Mako proudly pins his little brother getting promoted to Colonel. Avatar Korra ruins the perfect formation behind them by cheering, as if for a pro-bending match, causing Chief Beifong to glare expectedly, despite the cameras going off. The picture all the way at the top is a group photo. From left to right it's Mako, Bolin, Asami, Korra, Naga and Pabu. They're squeezed together infront of Air Temple Island; a picture taken by Master Tenzin. It took four tries to get it right. Rohan - a fan of his older brother's fartbending - was an infamous photo bomber (the blur of his airbending robes can be seen in the bottom right corner). And lastly, at the bottom, is a statue. Korra's statue. She's standing atop Naga's saddle, flexing her muscles as if she were as tall as the monument built in her tribute. Mako had taken that shot when they were visiting her family in the Southern Water Tribe.
Reaching up in the cupboard, Mako retrieves the black tea leaves after setting his mug on the counter, and grips the lid. The bones in his hand crack under the stress and his fingers tremble. He has to use firebending to warm his hands and complete the task. Today is a day he won't dwell on it (as usual), though; he has to keep a clear mind, so he will be ready to teach, when his student arrives.
'— …' When the water is hot enough for his liking, he strains the leaves and carries his "Avatar's Husband" mug (guess who bought it?) over to the window. Up in the sky is a Sato-plane, flying over Republic City, it's logo visible from where he stands. Asami had revolutionized the Airplane Era by storm, hiring, training and empowering women everywhere; Her "We Can Do It!" poster is taped above the ironically disorganized calendar of Korra's side of their bedroom. It's even scrawled with Asami's delicate signature. The Heiress even had one of Korra's in her own Estate located the other side of the city. Mako watches as the plane disappears somewhere beyond the skyline. He really misses her. Her daughter looks just like her.
Mako sips, slowly, turning on a heel to re-locate back into the living room. He sits down and decides against flipping on the television. Instead he drinks his tea and meditates, focusing on breaths while he still has them. He's almost at peace when an uneven knock raps against his door. Opening his eyes, he sets the empty cup on the table and makes his way over to the door, trying to ignore the anxiety tightening his chest cavity. One breath later, he turns the knob, finds himself staring down at a young Avatar, and smiles, as if the pain in his chest isn't there.
"Ah, the Avatar has finally come to grace me with her presence," he jokes in a raspy voice, and the girl snorts, placing a hand on her hip. "Don't give me any of that hullabaloo, I'm gonna be as strong as Avatar Korra, just watch - you'll see!" She flexes her muscles, pats them with sandy fingers. Mako gives a faint, understanding smile towards the White Lotus member who is giving her regretful apologies in the background. Oddly, there's something about the woman that reminds him of that one Lotus Sentry Korra had befriended—Howl, he thinks is his name, vaguely.
Oh, the more things change, the more they stay the same, the firebender thinks; a hint of optimism creeping through his spirits.
And then—she does this thing—that causes Mako's heart to skip beats and his breath to hitch. The Avatar flashes a crooked grin and the fire-bender is so much at loss for words that he blurts out "Not bad," in an attempt to dismiss the oncoming wave of emotions. When she frowns at him, his laugh is so foreign to his ears, it takes a second before he realizes he's even doing it.
"What? I said 'not bad'." He lifts his hand to his mouth and pretends to cough, hiding the smirk behind a sleeve. He almost calls her 'Korra'.
"I'll show you 'not bad'! I'm ready to learn some firebending!"
Mako ushers her inside, pulling on the faded, fingerless gloves for the first time in years; a spark in his eyes ignites the gold in his hues, once more. "Alright, alright - I will teach you, Avatar Shan."
She spots the old newspaper articles taped behind the TV and her awe when she nearly lunges over it takes him back to the day the Fire Ferrets got their new teammate…
"But, let me show you a hat-trick, first."