Title: Of Broken Beds
Rating: K
Word Count: ~1000
Summary: When Mako and Korra spend the night together, Naga is the least pleased. Makorra between Book 1 and 2
Author Note: Thank you to Kwongs for the idea, and for getting me out of my writing rut. This is the lightest thing I've written in a long time and I love it.
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"She's never been like this before," Korra shut off the bedside lamp and sat up, making sure Naga was still at the foot of the bed. "She's never had a problem sleeping at the foot of the bed."
"What changed?" Mako pulled the blankets up around them.
"You did," she grinned.
Naga was less than pleased to have another person sleeping in the small Air Temple Island room. It was odd honestly; the polar bear dog was usually more than content to sleep at the foot of the bed. Through she of course preferred snuggling close with the Avatar, being the same room was enough for her.
The polar bear dog was used to being exiled just before bed for an hour or so Mako and Korra could have some "private time"; in fact it proved to be perfect timing for a final bathroom break outside on a secluded spot on the island for the night. Before Mako felt emboldened enough to spend the night on Air Temple Island, Naga got used to coming back in to a room with only Korra.
Now, with the prolonged contact between the young lovers, Naga spent more time sniffing Korra as if to make a point that some of his scent was rubbing off on her.
Polar bear dogs were notoriously bad with change.
"Mako, she's not allowed on the bed," Korra mumbled into his back, her nose pressed to the space between his shoulder blades. "She knows that. It's always been a rule since I was little and my mom told me that one day she would grow too big to sleep with me."
Naga now had a single, very large paw on the foot of the bed.
"What am I supposed to do?" Mako sighed. "She keeps nosing her way up on top of me. I have to roll over and away from you or she'll crush me."
The pet wasn't just content with curling up next to Korra; she had to be the only one next to Korra. Naga's weight would cause the bed and mattress to creak as she slowly crawled on to the bed and used her wet nose to nudge the couple apart just far enough that she could drop her weigh on top of the firebender.
"Come here," she pulled at his bare shoulder.
He rolled over and slid his arm under her neck so her head could come to rest on his chest. Sleeping next to him was just so easy, as long as he slipped out before Tenzin woke for morning meditation. Korra could only imagine the colors the airbending master's face would turn if he realized that they were sharing a bed at night in the female dormitories. The whole situation would get worse if he found out that they both slept with almost nothing on. Korra never liked sleeping in restricting apparel and she loved feeling Mako's bare skin against hers.
"Just tell her to get down if she does it again…" Korra's trailed off as sleep seeped into her voice.
Korra always could fall asleep at the drop of a hat.
Mako picked his head up and stole a peek at the foot of the bed. Naga now had a paw and her head resting on the woven covers. Her ears perked up when their eyes met; a sliver of hope still burned in the polar bear dog's mind that maybe she could join her Avatar. Slowly, Naga pulled a second front paw up on the bed. She had a smug look (if she could look smug anyway) that said, "I'm not breaking the rules yet." Her tail thumped on the ground slowly as if waiting for an opportunity.
The firebender shot her what he hoped would be interpreted as a stern look and settled back into bed. All he could do was let his eyes close and hope that he wouldn't wake up with a massive animal on him.
This of course was wishful thinking.
At some point in the night, Mako became slowly aware of a heavy paw pressing into his gut.
"Naga…" Korra stirred and rolled over. "Girl, you need to get off the bed."
The polar bear dog wagged her tail excitedly and licked Korra on the shoulder as a last ditch attempt to sway her Avatar's thinking.
"You have to get off—"
A loud creak echoed through the room before the couple felt the bed collapse under them. Korra's heart lurched as the bed dropped a few inches. Naga wagged her tail looking pleased with herself.
The bed had literally cracked in half. The mattress curved under their weight with no solid bedframe to support the weight of the trio.
"What am I supposed to tell Tenzin?" Korra whispered into the dark.
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"It was crazy!" Korra's mouth was half full as she spoke. "The bed just broke in half when Naga got on!"
"I thought you said that Naga never slept on the bed with you?" Tenzin looked over the morning paper.
"Well yeah but sometimes she really wants the company."
"She's not the only one who likes company," Ikki grinned, trying to hold back a laugh. "Especially boys—"
Korra quickly airbended the dish of applesauce into the girl's lap; this elicited an angry glare across the table. But her effort was futile; she had shut the airbender up too late.
Tenzin's face slowly reddened, "Korra, if you broke that hand carved bed with your…canoodling—"
The Avatar grabbed Mako by the hand and stood up quickly. "We gotta go train and stuff…and probending and duty to the world!"
No one ever believed them that Naga was actually at fault.