Title: Wanting
Rating: T
Pairings/Characters: Mako-centric. Onesided Makorra. Borra.
Notes: Listen to Everything You Want by Boyce Avenue while reading. It's so great I can't even.

Since coming to Republic, since their parents had died, really since he'd been born… From day one, it had been about Bolin for Mako.

He'd done everything he could to keep his brother safe and happy and innocent, even before their parents had died. They hadn't been the most well off of people, but if you looked at the family, you wouldn't have known that. Mako could remember his parents surprisingly well, considering how young he'd been when they were killed; he constantly kept them in his memory, but it was becoming harder as the years went by. Sometimes he'd forget what his father's smile looked like or the smell of his mother's perfume and he would panic, because they really didn't have much left of them, and forgetting them… Well, that wasn't an option for Mako.

Despite the fact that they were pretty low on the financial ladder, their family had been a happy one. His mother was large and beautiful and loud, and Bolin took after her both in good looks and personality. Mako was more like his father, quiet and lean (and dorky, Bo would add). The few memories Mako had of before his parents' deaths were filled with laughter and the sensation of being swung up over his father's shoulder, of snuggling up to his mother for a story and playing chase with Bolin and the children on their street.

Then that Firebender had mugged them and mangled them, leaving Mako and Bolin alone in the world.

The rest was history, as far as Mako was concerned. They'd found their way to Republic, hoping for a better life, but all they were given was a hard time out on the streets, begging for money, and, later, helping out the Triads just to get by. Those years had been hard, had solidified Mako's stoic, cool exterior. There wasn't much innocence or naivety you could keep when you were in close quarters with gangs who would gladly double cross you as soon as looking at you. Even then, though, he'd kept his baby brother out of the mess for the most part, working twice as hard so Bo hadn't been harmed.

"I'll figure something out. I always do."

It had worked, mostly. Bolin was all wide-eyed naivete, at least when it came to matters of finance and the hardships of the world. He tried, though. Mako knew that much. He worked his ass off at Probending, knowing, at least, that that was the only thing keeping them afloat at the moment. And he was always, always there for Mako. They were brothers. Mako was closer to him than anyone else on the planet. He trusted him and loved him and would gladly die for him. For years, it had just been the two of them. Protecting each other. Helping each other. Bolin was the one person in Mako's life who'd actually truly mattered.

Then she'd shown up.

Of course it had been Bolin to introduce her. He was the charmer, whereas Mako was the one who sat back and carefully assessed any new person that walked into their lives. She was a mystery to both of them— brash and confident and ready to tackle the world. She was the Avatar, but she was entirely unlike any Avatar Mako had ever pictured. Avatars were supposed to be bearded middle-aged men with the wisdom of old sages and the cold ferocity of the spirits within them, all bundled into a package that was used for the greater good of the world. Korra, on the other hand, was a fiery, sheltered teenage girl who cursed and acted without thinking and set things on fire in frustration. More than once Mako had thought they were all doomed.

Naturally, Bolin had clicked with her instantly. They were two peas in a pod. At first, Mako wanted to bang his head into a wall— now he had to deal with two of them, and one he didn't have natural brotherly love for. But he would be lying if he said Korra hadn't grown on him. Though he rarely showed it, it didn't take long for her to worm her way into their little family and nest there.

"I'm telling you, there's something special about her."

And soon he started noticing. Noticing the way Bolin worried about her a lot, how he even went so far as to take extra care to slip in suggestions for her favorite restaurants when she went out to lunch with them or take her out on the town when she wasn't having the best day. At first, he'd been happy for him; Bolin was no stranger to the romantic world, but he and Korra could be good for each other. And he seemed to like her a lot.

If only he'd noticed things from Korra. Things that didn't have to do with Bolin; her little side glances, the slight twist of her mouth when Mako talked about a date with Asami, the way she grew more and more distant and then more and more bold as the weeks went on.

"You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot."

He was an idiot.

He'd rejected her after she'd kissed him. He was with Asami. He liked Asami a lot. It was only natural that he'd been shocked and immediately rebuffed Korra when she was so forceful like that. And he could tell immediately that it hurt her.

Later, she apologized. Equated it to high running emotions at the time. She'd been going off to fight Equalists because they had captured Tenzin's kids; she'd been stressed and had felt helpless and had needed some reassurance. Mako had told her it was fine and that there were no hard feelings and their relationship had returned to relative normal since.

He tried not to let his mind linger on the fact that, more often than not, he wished he could go back to that kiss and do things differently.

It's not like it matters now though.

Because he can see how Korra laughs at Bolin's jokes more, how their nights in the city become more frequent. He sees the way Bolin throws his arm around her whenever he gets the chance, and how Korra ruffles his hair affectionately when he does something silly.

He tries not to notice the odd feeling in his chest when, after they win the semifinals in the Probending tournament— amid chants of Fire Ferrets, Fire Ferrets! and Asami's bright laughter and hugs— Bolin sweeps Korra off her feet in a huge hug and plants a kiss on her cheek, leaving the girl grinning and slightly red in the face.

And he musters up the strength to grin and clap his brother on the back and give a few, "That's great Bo!"s when Bolin bounds up to the apartment, gleefully exclaiming how he's just asked Korra on a date.

He couldn't live with himself if he sacrificed his brother's happiness for his own. Because it's always been about Bolin for Mako.

Even if that hurts like hell.

So yay more Korra!

I hopped on the Borra train after last episode kind of, Bolin is just so adorable! But I still love Makorra a lot and I'm looking forward to seeing it later on in the series, yeah yeah.

Also, this series is taking over my life.