Title: Unexplored Worlds
Word Count:
400
Summary: [Korra stands at the sidelines. Mako is surprised. | Makorra. One-Shot.]

be-the-peaf · Prompt 018 – Winter

-.-

-Unexplored Worlds-
-12/22/12-

-.-

Mako is never sure with Korra. About anything.

Standing beside her as the snow floats down from the sky, piling up as high as the trees on the island, he half-expects her to run out to it, just as Tenzin's children have. But instead, she remains at his side, feet firm on the wood as the children laugh and run around blasting snow on the chilled wind. She smiles, and it is a light and calm and a puff of white bursts suddenly into the air as Meelo chases his sisters with a mountain of snow covering his head and it takes Mako a second to realize that it's a laugh coming from her lips.

He leans to the side, his head hovering next to her shoulder. "You can go out to them, you know."

"Yeah," she replies. Her eyes never leave the kids. "But I'll let them have their fun, on their own."

"I see..." He stands straight, scratching bits of snow from his hair. He doesn't really get it. Korra knows; it's in his voice.

"It's kind of like they're in a new world; with all this snow piled high, a new place to explore," she crosses her arms, hand buried between her elbows to keep them warm. "They should be allowed to make their own of it, without anyone else's intervention."

He's kind of shocked to be hearing something like this from her. "That's very…" he searches for the word. "Wise of you, Korra."

"I'm the Avatar. I'm full wisdom."

"Oh, you're full of something alright," he shakes his head. "But it's never wisdom."

She nudges him in the side for that.

"Anyway, they'll have their fun for now and if they want me to join them, I will." She sits down on the wooden boards, waving for Mako to join her. Ikki is on top of a snow pile now, ducking her head as Meelo and Jinora throw snowballs at her. Korra smiles at them and Mako wraps his arm around her shoulder. She leans into him, her hair brushing against his neck.

"Did you and Bolin get to explore it?" she asks. "When you were kids?"

Mako stare out into an empty spot in the snow, mouth parted, frozen in place.

"No," he finally says. "Not really."

She takes his free hand in his and then, tightening it lightly, she surprises him again.

"Me neither."

:Fin:

I must have had a million ideas for this prompt but then I wrote this out of the blue and wow IT IS DEPRESSING AT THE END. OUCH.