Title:"Flower Child"
Rating: T (Makorra romance)
Writer: ayziks
Word Count: 2200
Summary: On the first anniversary of Mako and Korra confessing their love for each other, Mako plans a nice surprise for her on a budget, and knowing she doesn't like a fuss made over her, and doesn't seem to be a big fan of flowers.
...
Mako knew Korra was a tomboy, and she was proud of it. She sparred rough, ever since they had met she talked rough, and their lovemaking was delightfully rough. She had already demonstrated she liked hanging out with the boys and doing everything they did. The only time he had ever seen her soft side was at the special reception for her and press conference in that quaint but beautiful dress with her hair down, and just for those few tender moments behind closed doors each time before things always got hotter.
Everything else was a 'tough girl' image. On their long walks together, every once and a while he'd pick her a delicate wild flower, and she'd sniff it a few times, play with it, kiss him affectionately, but soon it was forgotten. She was just not a mushy or frilly girl.
Maybe it was because she wanted to be the tough girl as a means to dispel the shadow of Aang in which she so often dwelt and was compared to – wanting to be tougher than Aang. Or maybe it was that her harsh beginning life in a constantly frozen land, and being continuously trained in combat bending since age 4 never provided the opportunity for Korra to appreciate or see flowers on a regular basis, and thus never have the time or the desire to appreciate them. The other issue is that she never had the chance to have boys court her, with the White Lotus protection over her, which was more restrictive than Aang had ever envisioned. Aang was simply trying to make sure no evil forces tried to kill the next Avatar like the relentless hunt for him. So Korra left the compound without ever having a date, much less a suitor, and made a lot of mistakes.
Mako smiled happily that until him, Korra had wanted no one else, or even thought about having someone permanently in her life. Mako felt himself that at 18 they both now were promised to each other. He had the brief time with Asami, and made a mess of things for all three of them, but knew he never had feelings for his friend the way he felt about Korra.
While Korra always showed her hard side except around him, Mako was a little old-fashioned on the inside, and his memories were strong of when he was a young child and how his father would dote on his mother with all sorts of soft and frilly things. His mother actually loved flowers, and he could still faintly remember the scent of bouquets in their house on a regular basis, and the flower garden he helped till with his mother when he was very little.
So what to do? He always remembered his dad never forgot anniversaries or special occasions with his mom. It just so happened that in a few days, it would be their one year anniversary of having declared their love for one another – the very same day she was restored.
That begged something special to be done to celebrate. Dinners out together happened often enough that that would not be special. They only had a little money from his police job, but they enjoyed simple but good meals together all the time. Though they were both pretty accomplished cooks, they were always exhausted from their days and dinner out happened a lot. They'd be besieged by paparazzi if they went out. Everyone else knew the significance of her coming restoration day anniversary too.
…...
Meanwhile, on a routine assignment, Korra whispered to herself and smiled a little, "I wonder what he'll get me?"
Korra knew Mako was more romantic than she was, and knew their special date was coming soon. But she didn't want him to spend a fortune on her since they were just a poor young couple, so she wasn't about to let go of her tough exterior by dropping hints that she was expecting an expensive present for their anniversary. These two were proud about knowing the other's needs pretty well without dwelling on it. It wasn't always so in their rocky beginnings, but it seemed everything changed at the South Pole on that fateful day. She never wanted to be a nag about things. He never failed in happily surprising her and warming her heart with his thoughtfulness.
It was a side of him not many got to see, and he only opened up to her and to Bolin in his brotherly affection. Too many years of hurt and sadness on the street caused him to bottle up all those feelings, but she knew deep within him were the memories of a happier – family - time, and the example his father provided him of how to treat a woman, and a baby brother. It was quaint, and sweet, and romantic, and always special. She could see the kind of person he'd be as a husband and father, she dared to think.
Everyone else in the world treated her as the Avatar first, not the woman she was first. So she played along and hid that side. Mako held the key to her feminine side. He never saw the Avatar first, he always saw Korra first. That was why she loved him so. Even when she rejected him at the South Pole Training Center, he stood by her, followed her to the very edge of the glacier, and it melted her heart. Ever since. No one ever had treated her that way.
…...
It had to be something different for their celebration. So Mako started searching the list of all the city's business lists that the police maintained so they could dispatch teams when there was trouble reported. He looked for Southern Water Tribe specialty stores. He made a short list to check several promising stores out over the next day or two.
Each day after his shift was over, he checked out the two stores that were actually not far away in a largely Water Tribe neighborhood beyond the Agni Kai gangs territory, although that gang was so broken and ineffectual – due to his efforts largely – 'territory' was hardly the operative word any more. People walked the streets with no fear no matter what their bending heritage. Or no bending at all.
The third store was closed, and the fourth store didn't seem to have anything that caught his eye, and people seemed uncomfortable with a police officer in their store. So he went to the third establishment. Nothing there either.
He walked in to the fifth and final store, but startled the proprietor, who asked nervously, "O-o-officer, how can I help you?
"Oh, sorry sir. This is personal, not official business," forgetting that the second skin he wore - the police uniform - would unsettle people.
"How can I help you, then, sir?" asked the store manager uncertainly.
"Haha, 'sir' is my superior and my dad. I'm Mako."
"Not THE Mako?" inquired the store owner.
Mako didn't like where this was headed but admitted reluctantly, "Umm, yeah."
The owner smiled with pride, "Well Officer Mako, you sure have one special Water Tribe girl to take care of."
"You are so right about that, sir. I'm looking for something to celebrate a special day."
"Well, I have all sorts of things here. Food, delicacies, imported flowers…you name it."
"Hmm. She's not really a 'flower' kind of girl."
The proprietor grinned, "I can help you make her one. The reason is that Water Tribe girls don't often get flowers. Flowers don't live long at the poles."
Mako chuckled. "I can imagine."
The owner explained further, "But there is a rare few weeks every year that the tundra comes alive in the spring with beautiful blue flowers. They are called the Tundra Rose. I just so happen to carry some here in the store. They are perennials when they grow in the city. I have a whole garden full."
He went to the other side of the store, and in a refrigerated storage case filled with actual snow was huge collection of the tiny, delicate flowers. The Tundra Roses were exquisite. They had a shape of a normal rose, with the petals wound tightly together around the bud, and were a brilliant shade of bluish-purple, almost iridescent. They reminded Mako of Korra's eyes.
"Wow. I've never seen anything like that. Uh, are they expensive?" Mako asked.
He wanted to do something special but he didn't want to bankrupt them. She'd be happy that he thought of something nice, but she'd be really upset if he spent too much. Every yuan counted.
"The imported ones are the most expensive flowers in the city. You'd need another job to buy those, Officer Mako. But since I raise them, they aren't any more expensive than any other flower. In fact, I have a bumper crop this year, so they're cheaper still. All the local Water Tribe ladies love these things. It's like a taste of home."
So Mako bought a couple dozen of them. They were tiny, and a dozen just didn't seem enough. He also picked up enough Water Tribe groceries to make them a romantic dinner together and couple of traditional Water Tribe scented candles. He packed the delicate roses in ice and hid them away from their residence over in the Air Family's part of the building with Tenzin's help, and pretended to go about his normal business the next day, pleased that he kept Korra guessing on their anniversary day.
Mako got home early to prepare a surprise dinner with the Southern Water Tribe specialty dishes. That special aroma wafted into the Air Family's residence, and Pema came over to see who was home, and maybe offer to help.
She was pleased to see Mako preparing a nice meal for Korra, "'Smells good, Mako. You're home early. This is the day, isn't it? She's going to love this special surprise. How can I help you?"
"Well. Pema. I have these special Tundra Roses for her, and I really don't know how to make them look good."
"These are beautiful, Mako. She'll love them. I can help you with that," she smiled, and happily helped arrange the flowers, while Mako continued cooking. They had a good conversation.
She finished up and Mako thanked her profusely. It was getting close to the time Korra normally came home, so Pema, "You two just enjoy your special time together tonight. Tenzin and I still remember those special times of just being 'us'. You are such a sweet couple."
She gave him a hug and left him alone to wait for Korra.
Pema walked into their wing of the residence and in no uncertain terms gave the strictest orders to Tenzin and the kids not to disturb the young couple because this was their 'special' day. Pema was pretty sure how they wanted it to end, particularly since Pema and Tenzin still celebrated their anniversaries the same way.
Korra arrived, exhausted from the day's work on solving non-bender grievances at the Council. She was very surprised to see Mako home. She usually got there before him. She smelled some delicious scents of her favorite Southern Water Tribe recipes.
He looked up from putting the last of the servings on their small table with only two chairs and candles to see her excited smile, "Mako! You remembered."
"And you think I wouldn't remember the best day of my entire life?"
"Well, you are a guy and you know about guys"… she joked.
"No. I don't. What about guys? Is there another guy?" he joked.
Korra jabbed him and scolded, "You know full well that there's only one guy for me."
She hugged and kissed him enthusiastically. They enjoyed their dinner together immensely. She loved the scented candles that reminded her of home so much.
Feeling very full, Korra praised Mako, "You remembered all my favorites! How?"
"Oh, I dunno. Your mom talks a lot," her grinned.
She leaned across the table and kissed him full on the lips, "Thank you. It couldn't be better."
"Are you willing to lay a few yuan on that?"
"No! Seriously? What now?" she quizzed, excited at what he might do next.
He reached into the pantry and pulled out the big surprise, and prayed for the best. What he got was totally unexpected. Korra's jaw dropped, her eyes got enormous, filled with tears, and she started to cry.
Mako was worried she hated his surprise, "Korra? Are you OK? I know you aren't really big on flowers."
"No. Mako. I love them. I…I just didn't expect Tundra Roses. I mean…"
"Seriously, Korra, I didn't pay much. They were all locally grown. They were cheap."
"Oh, so now you're cuttin' corners on my gifts, now, huh? Cheapskate!" she teased.
Mako was completely flustered at her word play, not knowing if she was kidding or not, so she laughed, gave him an enormous hug, and kissed him hard as she said, "I know, Mako. I know you wouldn't spend a bazillion yuan for me. It's something else. Something you don't know – an old family tradition. In the spring when all the Tundra Roses bloomed out on the steppes turning it blue for miles and miles, Dad used to pick these for my mother and me. She always got a bouquet, and I got a woven chain of roses I wore around my neck. When I got older and got too busy, we just stopped doing it. But was nice."
"Really. Wow. I never knew."
"I love these, Mako, you couldn't have gotten me a better anniversary present."
"Uh, Korra," he smiled, "Will you show me how to weave them into a necklace for you?"
She hugged him tight, and they chatted and kidded about her fun times when she got to see her parents as a little girl and the Tundra Rose chains.
It was late, and her brand new Tundra Rose chain was done. Mako gently looped it around Korra's neck, and they ran out of words. She gave him a longing look, took his hand softly in hers, and guided him to their bed.
Mako could not have been happier that the Tundra Rose chain they wove together in loving celebration of their first anniversary of being together was the only thing Korra wore to bed that night.