A/N: A oneshot of Makorra that takes place the night before the festival in Book 2. Reviews are love & would be appreciated! (The image credit goes to viria on tumblr, go check her work out if you haven't already. It's perfect.)
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Bryke.
Korra lied down on her bed, anxiously awaiting for the sleep she knew wouldn't come. She couldn't shake off a horrible notion that something was awful was going to happen tomorrow at the festival. Her life was going by far too easily.
Maybe that's it, she thought. My life is going by too smoothly for my own good.
After all, it was just months ago when she was in the middle of a war in Republic City led by a powerful waterbender named Noatak. Weeks she had spent frightened by him and convinced she was a half-baked avatar. But she had won. He was forced to leave the city because of her.
But that was months ago. Why think about it now?
Besides, there wasn't much to worry about now. Of course, she still had to completely master airbending and the Avatar State (as Tenzin kept pestering her about even though she would never admit he was right). And being the Avatar, she knew there was already conflict written in her future, whether she liked it or not.
But as of now, as of this instant, life was calm and undisturbed. She was home with her family at the South Pole. She and Mako were finally together. Republic City was rebuilt, the battle just a memory. People praised her again and again.
Then why couldn't she go to sleep? Why did she feel so uptight and afraid?
I'm just being stupid, she decided.
Maybe, said a voice in her mind. Or maybe it's Aang trying to warn me.
She sat up again, knowing she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon and to pretend everything was alright was just foolish.
A light knock on her door stole her attention from her thoughts and she looked at the doorknob, waiting for it to turn.
"Can I come in?" Of course he would ask first.
"Yeah."
The door quietly opened and a tall figure with pointed black hair and amber eyes stood in her doorway. His smile vanished when he saw her, and a concerned expression replaced it.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Was it that obvious?
"Nothing," Korra lied.
A cocky grin suddenly formed on his face.
"Really?" he said in a mockingly inquiring tone.
She was going to say, really what?, but the thought slipped out of her mind as he walked across her furry rug and sat down next to her, an arm thrown over her shoulders and legs crossed. Most of his body, from his shoulder to his hips to his legs, was touching her, warmth seeping through him, heating her up. Korra thanked the spirits it was dark because she blushed, a blotchy red surely covering her cheeks.
Even though it had almost been six months, she still wasn't used to him. To those small moments where he would hold her hand and intertwine his fingers with hers, never letting go. Or when he would wrap an arm across her waist, always calming her down. Those small smiles they shared that made her everything inside her flop around and turn to mush. Or when he held her against his chest, one hand stroking her hair, the other keeping them in a tight embrace. All of those countless kisses that made her go insane.
The things he made her feel…
"Really what?" she finally asked, trying to make her mind function correctly. It was almost pathetic what he could do to her with a simple grin. She was the Avatar, the most powerful being in the entire world, and could be reduced to a smitten, teenage girl in less than a second because of an infuriating firebender.
"Really you think you can lie to me and I won't notice?" he asked more seriously. She could tell he looked at her as he said that and turned to meet his eyes.
"No," she admitted, giving a little sigh. His hand left her shoulder and moved down to rub small circles on her back. "What is it then?" he asked more softly. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"
Korra looked back down at her lap and gave another sigh, "Somewhat. I just feel like, like life is too easy right now. That something's going to happen tomorrow at the festival. Avatar instincts, I dunno."
He didn't respond right away, but kept a hand on her back, gently pushing her closer to him, and looked at the wall in front of them. She could tell he was thinking; his eyes squinted and had a faraway look in them. He ran his other hand absentmindedly through his hair.
He turned to look at her and said, "To be honest, I haven't been thinking about that. There were some other things on my mind these past few months." And his gaze at Korra let her know exactly what he meant by that. (She thanked the sprits again because she blushed.)
"Although that doesn't mean I'm right," he quickly added.
"Of course you're not. You're just an idiot I keep around for my own amusement," Korra jokingly responded.
He grinned at that and suddenly bent down, closer to her ear and whispered in an annoyingly knowing voice, "By the way, I saw you blush. Both times."
His hand left her back and moved down to hold her hand in a comforting grip.
"Anyway," he continued, "I think you're right. He warned you last time."
She knew he meant Aang, who did in fact warn her about Noatak. She was just a bit late in putting the facts together and realizing he was Tarrlok's brother and Yakone's son.
This time she had to be ready. This time she had to be sure she was ahead of whatever was coming.
He saw the determined glare on her face and knew she was already putting too much pressure on herself by preparing for the unknown enemy.
With one hand still intertwined with hers, he moved his free hand to lightly touch her face and slowly turn it to him.
"Look, even if something bad is coming tomorrow-"
Korra interrupted him and said, "Which is extremely likely."
"Whatever's coming still has to get through me. Because there is no way something is going to attack my girlfriend," he finished.
She couldn't help but smile at his words. (Especially when he called her his girlfriend- she would never get over that, would she?)
"But-" she started.
He cut her off this time. "We'll be alright, Korra. We always have been."
"Still-" she tried again.
"Shut up," he advised her, though with no harshness intended.
She sighed and leaned back against the headboard of her bed, her arms crossed and a scowl forming on her face. "I'm just saying, we have to be careful & keep our guard up tomorrow night."
"I know. But if you keep thinking something bad is going to happen, it is. Trust me, I know."
She wondered if he was referring to the years he had spent on the streets and decided to stop talking. A part of her knew he was right anyway.
"We'll be alright," he repeated, more for himself or hers, she didn't know. The grip on her hand had strengthened and she leaned sideways and curled up on his chest. His arm at once wrapped around her, stopping at her waist and she felt a bit more reassured.
Even now his hand was still held hers.
After a few moments like this, just listening to each other breathe, she asked, "How could you tell so easily? That something was wrong in the first place?"
Although she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smiling. "I don't know, I love you right?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Something like that."
She got up and playfully punched his shoulder, though not too hard. "Seriously, tell me!" What if her enemies could see through her as clearly as he did?
The sarcasm left his voice when he said, "I am being serious."
All of a sudden, he grabbed Korra around the waist, where he held her firmly and turned his head so he was looking straight into her cerulean eyes.
"I love you," he said again, voice just a whisper though filled with emotion. "I'm going to know if something's wrong. I can just tell." His lips quirked up in a smile again, a smile that seemed to say so many things at once.
"Well that's one of the reasons anyway," he added.
"What's the other reason?" she asked, still getting over the fact he just told her he loved her. Again.
"Well, you're still wearing these," he slowly said, stroking her hair and in no doubt talking about the hair ties that held her hair in three separate wolf tails.
He quietly explained, "You always take them off before you go to sleep. You must've been too tense tonight."
Her hand reached up to her head and sure enough, she had left them on. "Oh. Right."
At once, she moved off of him and quickly struggled to untie them.
Mako shifted forward and murmured, "Here. Let me."
His hands moved to her hair and gently untied each of them so carefully, so softly, that she didn't know hands such as his could. Hands that produced such angry, hungry fire, now caressing her hair.
When the last hair tie was off, he turned around to put it on her nightstand.
When he turned again to face her, her arms locked around his neck, and she looked at him with longing eyes. No words needed to be said.
His lips found hers and one arm encircled her waist, pushing her closer, the other hopelessly entangled with her hair. She had grabbed a fistful of his white undershirt while her other hand fervently ran through his hair. Both slowly, yet hungrily kissed each other, wanting more.
Eventually, they broke apart, mostly for breath. Korra would have gladly spent the rest of her life in that moment.
When she finally came back to her senses, she was lying on him, though she didn't remember how she got there. One of his arms was slowly stroking from her hair down to her back. Her head was on his chest and to her amusement, his heart was beating quite fast.
They stayed like that for a long time, much lengthier than the previous silence.
For the first time that night, she felt completely reassured.
After a while, whether it had been an hour, a day, or a year, she heard him say, "I should go."
She didn't want him to go, but knew he had to. The last thing she needed was for her parents to find her boyfriend sleeping in her bed.
"Fine," she sighed over exaggeratedly and rolled off of him, lying on her side.
He rolled onto his side, put a hand on her face, and kissed her again, this one much more gently and less fierce. One arm already looped around his neck, she responded back happily. After many more kisses on her eyelids, her nose, her cheeks, her hair, and her lips, they pulled apart. Their foreheads touching, she breathed, "I love you."
He gave her one last kiss on her forehead and said softly, "I love you too."
She smiled. "I know."
"Well if we're stating the obvious now-"
"Mako," she said exasperatedly. She could see the light streaming into her room from the sunrise and knew her parents would be soon awake.
"Fine, I'm leaving."
His hand gave hers a small squeeze and he murmured, "See you tomorrow."
"You too, Cool Guy." He gave a small chuckle at the nickname he knew would never leave him.
He finally rolled off the bed and stood up lightly, making no noise, walking to the door. His hand on the doorknob, he turned around, gave her a smile that was just reserved to her, and stealthily left the room while closing the door.
She lied back down and closed her eyes, reliving the past moments.
Everything will be alright, she thought, repeating his soothing words. And a part of her truly did think so. Yes, struggles and encounters would happen, possibly even tomorrow, but it would all be fine. Because (she smiled inwardly at how cheesy her words sounded) he would be there, with her.
She felt much lighter than before and quickly found sleep, as if it was a present someone was wishing to give her.