A/N: This is the first chapter of my next long-term project. It takes place in the canon universe but several years in the future. Since "The Witness" wound up being so relentlessly bleak, I'm trying to keep this once lighter. Let's hope I can actually stick to that. It will be partly a political thriller, my attempt to figure out what it would be like if the United Republic made moves toward becoming an actual representative democracy (just electing a Chief Executive doesn't really count). But alongside all that high-minded stuff, there will be loads of Adult!Krew friendship (I've figured out a way to make Asami relevant this time!), superheroics, and absolutely dis-gust-ing sexual tension.
Also, dear readers, after months of fighting it, I finally broke down and made a tumblr, since that's where most of the fandom is. Come talk to me under the username bobbityhobbity. I'll be posting my fics there as well as here.
"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." – Winston Churchill
Chapter 1
"THE COMPRESSOR SENDS AIR THROUGH THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER, WHERE IT GETS HEATED UP AND SENT THROUGH THE ENGINE AT REALLY, REALLY HIGH SPEEDS TO MAKE THE TURBINE SPIN."
Korra tried to focus on whatever Asami was screaming inside the noisy cockpit, but she was preoccupied by the queasy look on Bolin's face.
"THE TURBINE GENERATES THRUST MORE EFFICIENTLY THAN THE OLD PROP ENGINES. WE FIGURED OUT THAT THOSE TOP OUT THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE SPEED OF SOUND. IF WE EVER WANT TO BREAK THE BARRIER…"
"Bo, could you do me a favor and turn your head in the other direction if you decide to yak," Korra interrupted, causing Asami to pause her monologue and look back at her friend, strapped uncomfortably into the jump seat and looking as green as his shirt.
"Bo's still not a good flier," Asami said, a grin spreading behind the headset that was built into her helmet. "Don't worry. We're almost there."
Looking out the window from the co-pilot's seat, Korra could see mountains on the horizon marking the space where the vast ocean would meet the mainland and funnel into Yue Bay. Beneath them stretched an otherwise unbroken expanse of blue, breathing and shifting like a great beast. Even as she looked out the windshield, she kept her head cocked to one side, half an eye on Bolin, who had been so sweet to tag along but was looking as miserable as Naga in a heat wave.
"You want some help?" she asked.
He gave her a pained look and nodded, hair flopping over a pale, sweaty forehead. Korra extricated herself from the complicated seatbelts and crept back to the surprisingly spacious cargo hold, where Naga lay amid the crates Asami was transporting from the Northern Water Tribe and looked more comfortable than Korra would have expected. She scratched the polarbear dog behind one giant ear flap before detaching a small water skin from the new saddle that had been made for her by the Northerners after their last trip to the Spirit World.
Back in the cockpit, she knelt by Bolin, waving at him to unbutton his jacket.
"Just keep your face pointed over there," she said, faking annoyance. It was so good to see him again, vomit risk and all.
As she healed him, the color came back to his pale face, and he started to sit a little easier in his chair. "If I could keep you in my back pocket, I'd let Asami take me flying anytime she wanted."
"As I recall, you begged me to let you come along this time."
"Special circumstances, madam," he shot back, winking in Korra's direction. "Sorry Mako couldn't come. He's…"
Korra stood and waved his apology off. "No, I know," she said.
"You'll definitely see him tomorrow, if that's…you know…"
"No, it's fine. It's fine," she said, strapping herself back into her seat and hoping her sigh wasn't too audible. It was better that she that she wasn't trapped in a steel tube with Mako before she could figure out where she stood with him.
"And you don't mind about the party, right?" said Asami. "I've been trying to keep them off your case until you have time to settle in. But with everything that's going on, we need a show of unity, and…"
"Asami, quit fussing over me. I know what I'm here for. I can handle it."
Asami looked over from her seat, her green eyes flashing with concern. "You've been away for a long time," she said. "I just don't want you to feel like everything's being thrown at you all at once."
"Do I look that fragile?"
"Not at all! You look great!" Korra couldn't tell if Asami's voice was shrill because she thought she'd given insult or because she was overcompensating for something else. "No really. You look strong. You're just quieter than I'm used to."
I haven't been spending a whole lot of time talking to people lately, she thought to herself. She looked from Asami to Bolin and smiled a little to herself as she thought about how much she'd missed them, both the easy rapport and the dumb misunderstandings. But it didn't feel quite like it use to. Randomly spaced phone calls and letters hadn't been enough for her to keep up with the small things, the little changes in habit and affect she'd have noticed if she had been actively a part of their lives the past few years.
Buildings started to take shape against the backdrop of the mountains, and Asami pulled the headset microphone closer to her mouth. "REPUBLIC CITY TOWER, THIS IS SATO 2929 REQUESTING PERMISSION TO LAND."
Korra could hear a voice crackle on the other end of the radio. "Copy 2929. Standby." She listened with mild amusement as Asami and the tower controller swapped impenetrable jargon, knowing her friend relished every second of this.
As she looked out the window, the water gradually gave way to the coastline, the shapes of buildings and Satomobiles becoming crisper and larger as they eased down. The grid of the city was interrupted in places by the incursion of the spirit forest. But she noticed that even that had been trimmed back a bit, tamed, made to give way again as the human city grew upward and outward as if it were an organism itself. The landing gear locked with a "thunk" that startled Korra out of her daydream, and her stomach dropped a bit as their descent onto the runway became more precipitous. As the ground came closer, she realized she was holding her breath, anticipating something that never quite came. Asami's landing was too gentle to register.
…
Looking down at the tarmac from the cockpit door, Korra saw Asami's limousine and a cluster of reporters being forced to stay behind a roadblock by members of her staff.
"I can have them sent away," Asami said, obviously aware of Korra's hesitation.
"It's ok. I'll answer a few questions," she said. This had become old hat by now, and she'd learned that answering questions at the beginning of a visit meant fewer rumors circulating during her visit. Korra tugged the hem of her jacket, pulling the dark blue wool tighter against her frame, flattening out the wrinkles that had been left by the seatbelt.
Asami and Bolin followed closely after her as she made her way down the press line, shaking hands and making a point to greet the reporters she recognized by name.
"Where will you be staying during your time in Republic City?" asked one.
"The Maeda-Satos have graciously offered to put up with me," she said. A ripple of polite laughter made its way through the cluster. They always laughed, no matter how slight or how stupid the joke.
"So you will be attending the pre-election gala tomorrow night?"
"I will."
"Are you endorsing a candidate for the Republic City seat, Avatar Korra?"
"I will not be backing any candidates."
"But one of them is your…"
"My role here is to ensure that the election goes forward peacefully," she responded quickly, feeling Asami and Bolin shuffle a bit behind her. "I'm not here to tell anyone how to vote. The people of the United Republic have big choices to make next month, but they are choices they must make without me putting my foot on the scale."
She felt them accept the answer and knew that it was time to pull away while they were on her side. She nodded and smiled to them before turning toward the limo and seeking its privacy.
"You've gotten good at that," Bolin said as he slid into the seat next to her.
"Lots of practice," she sighed wearily. Just because she'd gotten good at the press stuff didn't mean it wasn't draining. Someone had told her to get a press secretary at one point, but it felt wrong to have someone else speak for her.
Korra looked to Asami as she slid into the seat opposite from them. "They'll take care of Naga, right? Your people…"
"Of course," Asami said, waving her hand to suggest that it was no big deal transporting a polarbear dog across town.
As the car pulled down the tarmac and toward the highway that led to the Sato mansion, Asami reached into the icebox concealed next to her seat and pulled out a perfectly chilled bottle of champagne, passing it off to Bolin before finding three flutes.
"I thought we should celebrate," Asami said.
Korra eagerly accepted a glass and let Bolin fill it. The champagne foamed up to the top and threatened to spill over. She caught a drip with her tongue as it escaped over the rim and laughed, a little tired but giddy with the feeling of being back to the place that had always felt more like home than anywhere else in the world.
Asami raised her flute. "To Korra being back," she said, so enthusiastically that Korra felt her neck turn red and barking laugh escape her throat.
"Ohhhhh stop," she said exaggeratedly.
"How about to getting Team Avatar back together," said Bolin.
"I'll drink to that," said Korra, clinking glasses with the two of them before tossing back a swig.
"…save one loser firebender, who is too busy to show up all of a sudden," he added in an offhand manner.
Korra drank a little deeper before raising her glass again.
"And to the United Republic Senate?" she queried. "At least, the one it'll have a month from now?"
"Here here," said Asami.
Korra had observed the negotiations that led up to the decision to elect a Senate from a distance, giving neither her approbation nor disapproval. Voicing opinions about the politics of the Republic had rarely worked out well for her. And truthfully, she didn't quite know what to think. People were complaining that after three terms, the difference between President Raiko and the Firelord was the title. But no nation had ever split up a government like this. More people making rules, opponents argued, would just mean more rules and more opportunities for corruption.
And so the Avatar had been called back from her travels to ensure that balance was maintained and the peace was kept.
As they drove around the outskirts of the city, the outlines of the buildings appeared between gaps in the trees as they whizzed by, and Korra remembered the first time the city had called to her, though for different reasons. She had sought and found the things she needed there as a kid who'd been denied the world, and since then, she'd been working to pay off the debt. She responded when it needed her now, even though this was likely to be a pretty tedious job.
…
By the time the car reached the mansion, Korra's brain was buzzing pleasantly from a second glass of champagne. When her boots hit the ground, it still felt steady beneath her, but her head felt miles away, drifting over the grounds and back toward the messy streets where a million years ago she had run from police and chased Equalists with a recklessness that shocked her a little bit now. Those were the days.
Exiting the vehicle, Asami ran towards a waving male figure, eager to fall into his arms.
"It's been two days," said Bolin, rolling his eyes.
"Shut up. They're in love," said Korra, watching Asami greet her husband, a handsome, bespectacled man who was ever so slightly shorter than her. "Just because your relationships never last more than a month…"
"Oh, you're one to talk."
She slugged him in the arm for that, delighting in the contact of her fist with a solid object. That the object said "ow" made it even better.
They made their way up the steps, and Korra took Haruto Maeda's outstretched hand and let him kiss her on the cheek as was currently the fashion in the Earth Kingdom.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help," he said. "But Asami told me this trip was 'Team Avatar only.'"
"You can be a member of Team Avatar whenever you want," she responded. She'd always liked Haruto. He was quiet and gentle and courtly, every inch the son of the nephew of the second cousin of the Earth Queen that he was. He was at ease with himself, and he made people feel at ease in his presence.
"I know you need to get settled in, but I need to borrow Asami. Details pertaining to tomorrow night and all…"
"Understood. Bolin will give me a hand."
"I had some dresses brought up for you," said Asami. "I hope you don't mind. I knew you wouldn't have time to shop."
"Thanks. I'll take a look," she said, waving at Bolin to follow her. She knew the way to Asami's guest rooms by now.
…
"You don't mind Haruto, huh?" he said once she'd closed the door, pushing aside the dresses that covered the bed so she could stretch out on it.
"Why not? He's nice and he's good for her."
"I'm just not used to him is all."
"You've had five years to get used to him."
Bolin pushed the dresses off the bed and onto the floor and flopped down next to her on his stomach, tucking a pillow under his chin.
"You're hanging those up in a second," she said.
He ignored her. "You don't think he's too… I don't know…too academic, you know?"
"You're not sold on him because he reads?"
"'Reads' isn't even covering half of it. That library of his is a big as my whole fucking apartment. I can't understand 70% of what comes out of his mouth."
"Face it, Bo. You've always had a little bit of a crush on Asami. You've hated everyone either of us has dated."
"I didn't hate Mako."
"Mako was the sole thing keeping you alive for half your life, so that doesn't count. And yeah, you did hate him sometimes."
"Well, I don't have a crush on Asami. Or you either for that matter."
Korra reached over and messed up his hair, smiling at his sweet face.
"I'm sorry it's been so long."
"Yeah, well, you're super important and all."
"Yeah, but you're important to me. And I've done a shitty job of staying in touch."
"Dance with me tomorrow night, and I'll forgive you."
"You don't have some date with legs up to her neck?"
"Oh that's right, I do," he said, his eyes widening like he really had forgotten. "And don't be jealous. You're going to loooove her."
She swatted at him, and he dodged out of the way, kneeling down to the floor and scooping up the dresses in both arms before throwing them on a chair in a heap.
"Not what I meant earlier."
"No time. I have a set to get to."
"You're the director. They can't start without you."
"Gotta run!" he yelled, and he was out the door and down the hall, leaving her to relinquish her comfy spot on the bed and start hanging up the dresses in the wardrobe. Each one was probably so expensive it would make her vomit. A couple caught her eye. One was jet black with a high neck and a low-slung cowl in back, the other pale blue and short. She found herself wishing there were someone she wanted to impress. Making a choice of sorts, she hung the black one on the front of the wardrobe and returned to the bed to look at it from a distance. It took minutes for her to fall asleep contemplating the feel of a warm hand against the bare skin of her back.
…
When she jolted awake, the sun was low in the window, and she wondered why no one had come to get her. She supposed she should be thankful to have no appointments, given what was in store for her over the next few weeks. But still, the quiet made her suspicious.
Downstairs, she had to ask one of the house staff where Asami was and was pointed in the direction of her office. As she made her way through the maze of corridors and finally approached the door, she was startled by another familiar face coming at her from down the hall.
"Korra," he said, matter-of-factly, caught off guard but not exactly surprised to see her.
"Hey," was all she said in response. He looked almost exactly like she remembered, except not at all. His hair was different, his characteristically unruly coif gelled into submission. The suit he wore was tailored to fit him perfectly. But his eyebrows were still ridiculous, and underneath them, his amber eyes still let her see just a little more of him than he intended.
Mako hugged her awkwardly, forcing her to stand on her toes to get her arms around his neck.
"I wanted to be there to meet you at the airport," he said as he pulled away. "I…"
Before he could explain himself, Asami's office door swung open.
"There you are," she said, only seeing Korra once she'd vented her frustration at Mako. "Hey! You're up!"
"Uh huh," she said, still thrown off by the whole situation.
"Sorry I didn't warn you. They had to swing by on short notice."
"No problem."
"You should come in and meet everyone," Asami said brightly.
Mako signaled for her to go in first and followed both women into Asami's spacious, wood-paneled office. In front of a desk the size of a barge were two men, one barely old enough to be shaving, and a woman in the sharpest looking suit Korra had seen on anyone who wasn't Asami.
"Korra, this is Jiro, Mako's campaign manager." The man who looked to be her age or a little older rose to shake her hand. His cravat was starched to perfection, but his eyes looked bloodshot and a little wild with…something.
"Avatar Korra!" he said. "I can't even tell you what an honor it is to meet you. I was just telling Asami here: Asami, you have to let me meet the Avatar! But Asami always thinks she knows best and she assured me you needed your rest. But like I told her, there is no rest for people like us, is there?"
Korra found him bizarre and intense, his familiarity a little wearisome. She managed a smile. "I'm pleased to meet you."
"And I am sure," he continued breathlessly. "That by tomorrow night, I can convince you to break this neutrality nonsense and endorse our candidate here. After all, you were such good friends in the past, and we all know that what's best for this city is…"
"Jiro, cool it." Mako's voice came sharply from behind her.
"This," Mako said, taking over, "is Jiro's assistant, Bao." The kid who hadn't yet grown into his giant, thin hands shook hers awkwardly and did something that was halfway between an anxious nod and a bow. She couldn't imagine Bao got to speak much.
"And Keiko takes care of the campaign's finances."
The woman in the sharp suit shook her hand firmly and respectfully. "An honor," she said, but made no further effort to ingratiate herself. "We're discussing a minor fundraising emergency with the Maeda-Satos."
"What she means is that we're out of money," said Mako.
"Well…yes," she replied.
"And of course we're helping," Asami added.
Keiko bowed in her direction. "This family has been extraordinarily generous."
"We support Mako and what he's standing for."
Korra had known about all of this before, that Asami had convinced Mako to run for office after months of persuading, but it was still bizarre that the man at the center of this discussion was the one who had greeted her so sullenly in a pro-bending prep room the day they'd first met. She snuck glances at him as the group talked money and tried to enumerate the ways in which he'd changed. His face was more open. His fierce, almost hostile detachment had melted into a dignified reserve. And his body had filled out just a little bit, looking more like a robust and confident man knocking on the door of thirty than the boy she still saw in her head sometimes, too little flesh stretched out over sinew, muscle, and bone.
The conversation broke up before she could fully assimilate what was happening. There was a discussion about radio ads and paying rent on an office space, and then a check was written and the whole group was out of their chairs, saying something about a meeting with the lightning benders union.
"It's a shame you can't stay," said Asami. "We were planning on catching up tonight, and Bolin already had to leave."
"Perhaps the Avatar would come along with us," said Jiro with a grin Korra didn't entirely like. "It would be beneficial for her to see what the process looks like on the ground."
She smelled a trap. "I'd love to observe a campaign, but it might look like I'm playing favorites. If the press is going to be there…"
"The press won't be there. You should come." This came from Mako, and she was stunned momentarily into silence.
"We can't turn the press away," Jiro said frantically, his words coming out in a hiss. "Do you have any idea what kind of opportunity we'd be giving up. Just one picture of her there…"
Korra wondered if the campaign manager was even aware that she was still in the room.
"I think that's kind of her point. So, the press can take a hike. And she can come—in disguise if she wants. No one has to know she's there."
He smiled softly in her direction, and Korra felt her stomach do something it shouldn't.
"I shouldn't abandon Asami," she said, but her friend was looking from Mako to Korra and back to Mako again with eyes that were a little too eager. And with all the grace of a platypus bear on a bicycle, her friend fell all over herself explaining that it was absolutely fine.
As the party made their way out of the office and toward the front entrance, Asami pulled Korra aside confidentially. "I thought it was going to be so awkward with you two," she said, her glee suggesting that her fear was assuaged.
"What about this isn't awkward?" said Korra. "Why couldn't you get me out of it?
"You should go. You'll be so impressed. He's still Mako, but you'll be shocked by how good he is at this. Just go. Ok?"
"Alright. But if I punch him—you know like on accident or something—and he has to go in front of cameras with a black eye, I'm telling that idiot handler of his that you're to blame."
"It'll be fine."
…
Korra wasn't sure. The small talk in the satomobile was excruciating. Jiro's endless stream of off-putting patter made the tension even worse, and Mako had to shut him down a few times when he started skating too close to subjects she'd rather they not discuss. As terrifying as being alone with him would have been, she would have rather reconnected Mako without an audience, especially an audience this, well, involved.
"And given your history together, " he started, interrupting a polite exchange about spirit activity up north to continue a rant that had obviously been going on for some time in his head. "It would just be so nice if you could, you know, as a friendly gesture..."
"Jiro, I want you to ball up that thing you call a tie and stuff it in your mouth," said Mako.
…
Asami was right, though. She was impressed. The meeting was modest. Mako met with a huddle of the electric workers in the plant cafeteria. Exhausted men and women with soot in their hair and the sheen of sweat still lingering on their skin listened to him talk for half an hour about work hours, job security, and pensions. Then they asked questions, and one woman stood, tears creating tracks on her face, to talk about how her husband had lost his factory job because he'd been injured. Now she was the only one bringing money home, and with her long shifts, she was hardly able to take care of her children.
Mako's responses were measured, thoughtful. He took time to consider each question, and his answers were both encouraging and free of bullshit. Korra stood in the back of the room, concealing herself in the shadow of the empty kitchen and saw the backs of heads bob up and down when he spoke, the occasional grunt of approval escaping the throats of men with haggard faces. That Mako was from the same place as most of them seemed to help.
"He's something, isn't he," Jiro said coming up behind her and making her grind her teeth inside her mouth. "He actually means what he says. You don't find guys like these everywhere. The other candidates have more flash, you know? But you get this guy in front of a group like this in the right setting and…magic…"
Five years ago, Korra remembered, Mako had quit the police force because the job had gotten too depressing. She'd been worried about him for a while at that point. They all had been. His first job after that had been helping Asami set up a charity for orphans. Then he'd moved on to other work in the community, organizing people, fighting fights you couldn't get into if you were wearing a badge. But most of that had been after they'd grown apart. She'd heard about it from Bolin and Asami, occasionally Tenzin or one of his kids.
Outside, after the meeting, Korra watched him continue to shake hands and listen intently to the things people said to him. He didn't seem to get tired. She admired that. This was part of her job too, and it always wore her out.
She stayed back, but it was apparent that one or two people recognized her—or thought they did—even in the poor light of late evening with a grey trench coat covering her water tribe getup and a hat shadowing her face. "She looks like the Avatar," someone whispered to the person next to him as she made her way toward the satomobile.
En route, Mako's conversation with the last union member ended, and he grabbed her elbow as she passed. "You want me to get rid of those guys so we can talk?" he said, gesturing toward his campaign staff.
"Please," she breathed, glad at the prospect of not having to ride back to the mansion with them but a little irritated at the way her skin pricked when he touched her.
She waited while he sent them away in the car, Bao climbing back into the driver's seat to take Keiko and Jiro back to the office.
"This is weird. I'm sorry," he said once they pulled away.
"It is," she acknowledged, but she could feel a smile creeping onto her face.
"Asami hired them for me. I tried to talk her out of Jiro, but as much of an asshole as he is, he knows what he's doing."
She chuckled. "It's ok. It might shock you, but the Avatar gets to meet a lot more charmers like that than you'd think."
"Then it's a wonder you're still single," he said, and she practically shouted with shocked laughter as she shifted the paving stones under his feet and watched him lose his balance.
"Watch your mouth," she said, holding out a hand to help him up. "Or I might be forced to ruin that gorgeous suit."
"Will dumplings be an acceptable peace offering?" he asked, holding out an elbow.
She looped her arm through his, apprehensive but somehow eager for the closeness, her heart picking up its pace in spite of her efforts to assure it this was no big deal. "It was…interesting seeing you in there," she started as they walked toward the pier. They didn't even have to discuss where the dumplings were coming from.
"Good interesting?"
"I'll tell you when I figure it out."
The evening was cool and clear, the last bit of light disappearing over the bay. His gait was easy, and she let herself be swept along, listening to the sound of their feet scraping along the pavement. They didn't talk a lot. It didn't feel like they needed to.
"I can't believe this place is still here, she said when they reached the dumpling stand near the water.
"It's been here as long as I can remember. If Vaatu ever comes back here, and you're not around to stop it, the last thing left will be this dumpling stand."
At the window, Korra grinned at the old man taking orders and minding the till. His eyes sprung open wide as the rim of a wok. "It's the Avatar!" He turned around faster than seemed possible for one his age and screamed toward the tiny kitchen no more than a few feet away. "MOTHER, GET OUT HERE, THE AVATAR'S BACK!"
A plump, wizened face peeked out from the doorway, and "Mother" squeezed herself forcefully into the narrow space behind the counter with her husband. "Oh my oh my oh my," she kept saying, shaking her hands and then cupping Korra's face with them. She still smelled of fryer oil and freshly made dough, exactly like Korra remembered.
"It's good to see you," Korra said.
"Oh honey, we heard you were coming back, but you just got here today, right?"
"I did."
"And you're coming here?"
"Where else would I go?"
"Oh honey honey honey. You look so thin, I think I could break you. You want your favorite?"
"Of course." Korra was struggling to hold back laughter. "You remember?"
"Oh honey, I never forget."
The old woman swung back into the kitchen.
"So you're voting for our young Mako here, aren't you?"
She laughed again. "I dunno. Do you think I should?"
"I think he's worth more than the whole lot of them combined. We're expecting great things from this one here." He winked in Mako's direction, and she could see the color creeping up from his collar.
Their bag of dumplings was presented along with a cascade of sloppy kisses, and they bid farewell to the old couple before turning toward the walk that led all the way to the Air Temple Island ferry, eating while they walked and talking. Within minutes it was like he was walking her home in the days between Amon and Unalaq, and Korra couldn't remember the last time things had felt this comfortable between them. It was as if their whole messy history had been, well, not erased so much as placed in its proper perspective. The cuts had scarred over and faded, the bruises long since healed.
"I was sorry to hear about your wedding, by the way," she said, feeling a little mischievous. She wasn't sorry, and she was treading onto ground she knew to be dangerous. But the euphoria of the evening had started to get into her bones, and it felt like they could say or do anything they wanted.
He looked at her quizzically. "That was broken off two years ago."
She shrugged. "I haven't seen you in three. And as I recall, we didn't part on the best of terms."
It was his turn to shrug. "We kissed." It wasn't the whole truth. It had been more than a kiss.
"You were with someone else," she said, and he resumed a thoughtful expression.
"So what about you and what's his face?"
Now it was her turn to look confused. "I'm sorry, what?"
"The guy, you know, with the hair and the face. Some lesser Fire Nation prince or something." He placed most of the emphasis on "lesser."
A spark of realization hit her, and she started laughing so hard she had to pee all of a sudden. "Not a thing, Mako."
He got a little bit red and shrugged. "I thought read something in the papers."
That picture was taken almost eight months ago, she thought. And it had been a few dates, a half-decent lay, but nothing more than that. It somehow pleased her to think that he'd been holding onto that for so long.
"Don't believe everything you read."
They stopped to lean against the railing and look out at the light from the island tower. Their shoulders were almost touching. She watched his hands dangle toward the beach, and she thought about what might happen if she took one of them in hers. Then maybe she could grab him by his coat and kiss him. She'd done it before. But as beautiful as the night was and as electric as the air was between them, she knew it wasn't time. She knew that someone might see, and being out with him was already perilous with the election approaching. And besides, their last parting had been with her heart bare to him, no less exposed than if she'd been sliced in half, and that was a scar that still showed if she dared to look at it. If for some reason something happened between them, she wanted to make him fight for it a little bit.
But still, he was too much fun to pick on.
"And you? You have a date for this thing tomorrow?"
"He tried. Why? Are you asking?" She could have wiped the shit eating grin off his face with a punch or her tongue down his throat. She didn't really care which.
"Your campaign manager would love that, wouldn't he?"
"Probably."
"Then you can both go fuck yourselves."
He laughed and her head felt light. She pushed off from the rail and started to back toward the street. "I'd better get a cab back to Asami's," she said.
"You want some company?"
There was a look in his eye that made her think of reckless nights past, when he'd feel her up in the taxi, getting her so close to the point of climax that she would have to stagger into the apartment before tearing his clothes off.
But that probably wasn't what he had in mind this time. Still, she smirked back, "I can take care of myself. Besides, you're going in the opposite direction if I'm remembering right."
He was still leaning on the rail when a cab pulled up. "See you tomorrow," she said, waving. And as it drove off, she had to stop herself from turning to see how long he stayed standing there, watching her leave.