Mako had been keeping himself busy these past three years. Work had been a major time consumer. Lin assigned him plenty of stake outs, paper work that threatened to fall of his desk, than his promotion to guard Prince Wu, though it felt more like a demotion. His heart and devotion was working in the field; exposing the criminals that he spent countless of hours gathering evidence. All of it filled up the entirety of his day, it was a miracle if he had a long enough break to enjoy a meal.
Though it wasn't frequent, he also set time apart to be around his family. Being overjoyed that Bolin and him had found so many of their relatives, they promised to visit and catch up after all these years. Talking about the past wasn't a preferred activity, but it raised his spirit to be around so many people who loved them. It was fascinating and heartbreaking to hear stories of his dad in his youthful days. He imagined Bolin in a lot of these stories, chasing after gorgeous women, getting him and his brother into trouble, always cracking some horribly awkward jokes. This is where he figured out that Bolin inherited some of his traits, though they weren't always charming traits, he was more than joyful that some part of their father could live on. It made him wonder and yearn for their mothers side of the family.
Bolin and Mako didn't spent much time together these past three years besides their family visit and the very first year. Bolin had decided to join Kuvira once she had become more prominent in the Earth Kingdom. He heard of the unity they were creating and saw this as a perfect opportunity to help, while creating a more stable living situation for their family. The departure was almost immediate after the decision was finalized. Mako didn't get much time off, but he was able to see Bolin off and he was proud, concerned, hopeful for the path that his little bro had chosen to take.
Most of his visits with Tenzin and his family were business, but Tenzin always made sure to share any news regarding Korra. Tenzin even went to the Southern Water Tribe once on the account that Korra could walk again. Other than that and many unanswered letters, Mako had no idea what was going on with Korra. He tried not to think of her often besides the letters he wrote and whenever he was graced with an overbearing presence of Korra's statue. Over time he sent less and less letters, but he always made sure to write one every month. To remind her that they still missed her and that she was always in his thoughts. To keep her updated on his job, even though they got less interesting while working for Prince Wu. Mako didn't want her to forget Republic City, so any change that happened he would write about because it was so much easier than writing his feelings.
Whenever he did think of her it was about how she would look like when they next would see her. Would her hair be the same, has she grown, did she gain muscle or was she as slim as they last saw her, was she even recognizable? She wasn't that same girl that Republic City Park portrayed, she wasn't a girl anymore. Korra was a lady, wiser, experienced; she must be with all the pain and reality that she had been dealt. Than he sometimes would ask himself the hardest question of them all, would they even see her again?
Prince Wu and him were headed to the police station to see if he had gotten new orders about the Prince or anything pertaining towards Kuvira. A declaration of war against the Prince and anyone who stood in her way was definitely a way to keep everyone weary and on their toes. They were headed inside the station when they felt the ground rumble behind them. Mako turned around immediately ready to retaliate, while Prince Wu sprinted inside to get out of the combat zone. He was relieved to see that it was one of the flying bisons landing and Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo gliding off the bisons back. There was an additional body jumping off the bisons side. He was close enough to see that this person was familiar and they had a similar shape, reminding him of Korra.
His heart started beating faster and the weather suddenly felt warmer than a second ago. The thing that had him doubting was the short hair and the green tunic. He couldn't ever remember her in green, she would definitely have looked great in green. Finally she turned, her vision towards the door until a tall, brooding presence was several feet in front.
The realization hit them both at the same time and the atmosphere shifted. Jinora sensing this, went ahead and pushed her younger siblings through the entrance giving them some privacy. Mako didn't know why, even with the knowledge that she was able to walk many months ago, expected her to be in the wheel chair; broken. Reality of the past hit him hard that moment and it felt like these past three years never happened. How could time dare move along, move forward when Korra wasn't home, in Republic City. He felt very childish feeling this way, she went away to get better, to become better, and it seemed that it worked. Even if it took three years. A smile crept on his lips and he awkwardly greeted her, "Hey there... Korrrra?" It was her, but it had been so long that this whole exchange had him questioning himself.
She moved closer at a very casual pace, almost like time hadn't kept them apart for so long, and just grinned, "Must you always be this awkward? It's almost like you haven't changed. Which must not be true since you got yourself a fancy new haircut." She chuckled before launching herself into giving him a hug. He thought that he was going to be tense by her touch, but he surprised himself by how he melded into the hug. Embracing each other was therapeutic, it's when Mako realized that he didn't know if she grew or not. Maybe she did, it was hard to tell since he also grew a bit himself. All those questions he had before seemed so pointless when they were so close, enjoying the ambiance of each other. Her hair was also new, refreshing. Everything was so beautiful at that moment.
They broke apart and he commented, "You also got a new haircut. Which looks nice." The awkwardness in his voice was gone and she continued by chuckling a bit and saying that they would catch up after sharing some news to Lin about Zaofu. They both went ahead and jogged inside and Mako swore an oath that moment. No matter what his duties had in store for him, whether it be his job, world affairs, anything, he would help Korra in anyway to create a better future. To demonstrate to the world the Avatar he always knew she could be, but more importantly to support the Korra he fell in love with. Cause he realized that three years is too long to be without the most extraordinary person in his life.
AN: It has been years since I wrote anything (that's including essays, thesis, creative works.) I started writing this at work and I figured I might as well go with it. So feel free to criticize! It will definitely be helpful, maybe it'll inspire me to write more often. And I should since writing is good. Sorry if it feels stiff, but thank you for reading in the first place!