A/N: This story is like a prequel to Fear Itself and basically sheds some light on what Korra and Mako have been up to since the series finale. We've acknowledged canon and have interpreted its consequences based on how these characters were written during the series. Again, we don't own anything; we just love the characters to bits.

Mako stood outside the restaurant, pondering whether he should actually go inside and keep his promise. It was a difficult situation he was in. He'd known that theminute she and Asami had come back from the Spirit World hand in hand. He knew things would be different between them. But he'd promised to be by her side no matter what. And while on some occasions he absolutely loathed the pain he felt whenever he remembered that she didn't feel the same way about him anymore, he reminded himself that it was a better deal than not having her in his life at all. Exhaling slowly, he walked into the fancy place and scanned the large space for her familiar figure.

He was surprised to find her sitting at the bar sipping her drink in a rather morose manner. He was even more surprised that she looked like she'd grabbed her coat and just walked the whole way from her shared apartment with Asami, wading through the crowded streets with the collar of her trench coat up and hat on so as to not get recognized. Grateful for the fact that he didn't look like he'd had a great day, either, he sighed and sat down beside her as she acknowledged him with a slight smile.

"You're late," she observed.

"I was surprised you called," Mako admitted.

"I didn't think you'd come," Korra sighed as she looked at him as if trying to discern what he was thinking.

"I almost didn't," Mako said, not wanting to lie to her.

"I guess I haven't been a good friend to you, have I?" she wondered out loud. "I'm-"

"Don't be. You were dealing with a lot. And I guess Asami was just... there," Mako said simply.

Korra sighed and sipped her drink again, running her free hand through her hair that was growing back slowly. She closed her eyes, shutting everything out for a few seconds. Mako knew that look. She was wondering whether she should tell him about what was bothering her. Hesitantly, he reached for her hand and took it in his. The gesture seemed to startle her out of whatever trance she'd been in, and she looked at him as if she was reminiscing about how things had been...

"What's going on, Korra?" he asked her.

"Was I a hard person to love?" she asked him, catching him off guard.

"I... I don't-"

"Was it difficult for you to love me when we were together?" she asked him again.

"I... never really thought about it," Mako admitted. It was the truth. He'd never planned it, of course, but having fought his feelings for her for months, he'd found giving in to them relieving.

"Well, I must be, because I seem to have had some rotten luck falling for the wrong people," Korra deadpanned, making him worry even more about the state she was in.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Asami and I are done," she stated bitterly. "She didn't take the fact that I visited her father's murderer in prison too well."

Mako didn't know what to feel. But whatever the case, he knew he shouldn't be feeling the slightest bit happy about this new development. Korra was his best friend. He really should sympathize with her. But he found that his heart wasn't in it.

"I'm sorry," he said when he finally managed it.

She waved him off. "Don't be. I didn't know what I was thinking, hoping she'd understand me."

He sighed and tightened his grip on her hand, hoping she'd get the message. Turned out that she did. After a few seconds of silence, she returned the pressure and smiled at him.

"You're not a hard person to love, Korra," he assured her. "You've had to deal with things Asami can barely even imagine. She cares a lot about you. She'll call you back, and..."

"I told her not to," Korra cut in. "I... I told her that she shouldn't try to reach me and make me change my mind."

Mako sat there with her hand in his, taking in what this implied. She'd willingly broken things off with Asami and left. Where had he been? Had he missed something? How had he not seen that she was unhappy? Then again, he'd tried to avoid her when he'd first found out about them. So he discerned that he shouldn't be surprised at all that he didn't know what had been going on with her.

"You broke up with me, too, remember?" she reminded him, making him cringe a bit.

"I... I guess I didn't think you'd remember." He'd said the words before he'd thought it through. Her fingers slackened in his hand and she'd almost extricated hers but he didn't let her because he quickly tightened his grasp.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean... Look, Korra... what we went through wasn't... I didn't mean to bring it up. Anyway, I'm sure you'll find someone who'd love you for who you are," he assured her.

"Really?" she asked pointedly. "You really think someone would allow themselves to like someone as insufferable as me?"

Mako smiled at her little jibe at herself. "Tell you what, Korra... I'll make you a deal," he offered.

"A deal?" she asked him curious despite herself.

"You got it! A deal. If, by the time you're thirty, your insufferable self hasn't found anyone, I'd be happy to suffer with you," he joked.

"I can't tell if you're serious or joking," Korra deadpanned.

"Oh, so I'm suddenly not a viable prospect?" he asked her as he bumped her shoulder with his own.

"I didn't think I'd be a viable prospect for the future Chief of Police," she mocked.

"Well, if I had no choice," he shrugged.

She finally smiled at him genuinely. "Thanks for cheering me up."

Mako smiled back at her and was reduced to thinking about his offer and why he even made it. He cursed himself for being far too forward or eager. But he couldn't help but hope that she'd accept his offer. He knew that he'd rely solely on that chance, more so because it meant putting her happiness above his own. He stopped this train of thought because Korra was still in pain over what had happened. He savagely even wondered whether she'd cried, as she had while breaking things off with him. It was then that he felt sickened by himself.

"Were you serious about that offer?" she asked him after a few minutes.

"What?" he asked her, a little taken aback.

"About your offer," she repeated. "Were you serious?"

Mako looked at her and saw everything that had made him fall in love with her in the first place. In the three years she'd been away, she'd grown more beautiful than he'd ever remembered. And then after she'd returned there had been no time to tell her at all about how he felt. That'd been six months ago. He'd been so angry with her for leaving with Asami that he'd barely spoken to her for a month. He'd made excuses whenever Bolin had told him she wanted to meet them and kept himself away from her as much as possible. Until, of course, she'd shown up at his doorstep demanding answers. He felt so guilty about it now that he didn't want to refuse her anything.

"I'd have thought with resilience such as yours, you didn't care much for what other people thought of you," he casually remarked.

"I don't. But to think I'd have no one to bother for the rest of my life is something I'm not looking forward to," she admitted. "And you're my best friend in the world. It'd be easier with you."

"If that's what you want," Mako said with a smile, "then we have a deal."

"Thanks, Mako," she said, looking slightly more relieved. Mako smiled back at her and they enjoyed a simple dinner as friends. When they were done, she left for Air Temple Island and he went back to his apartment.

A few months went by and Mako watched Korra finally make amends with Asami get on talking terms with her again. They'd decided that despite how their relationship turned out, they still enjoyed each other's company as friends and decided to let it stay that way. For Mako, this luckily meant being able to spend more time with the only friends he had. The real perk was the fact that Korra was spending more time with him. Whether it was on Earth Federation business or overseeing rehabilitations in the newly rebuilt city, they ended up working togther, and he wasn't going to complain.

"Come on, Mako! She's a perfectly good looking woman! I cannot believe you didn't want to go out with her!" Korra remarked.

They were having lunch at Narook's after having worked all morning with Asami on the city's latest Spirit Park attraction being built around the Portal.

"Oh, yeah? Well I was too busy noticing that she was checking you out. So I didn't really stand a chance. You should've talked to her," Mako suggested.

"I have a backup plan, remember?" she nudged him.

"Doesn't change the fact that it isn't your intended plan," Mako noted sagely.

"Yeah? Well what about you, Officer? Finest looking Cop on the force and you spend your free time with lousy company!"

"What about me?" Mako asked.

"Well, what's your intended plan?" she asked him.

"Call me crazy, but I don't have one right now," he lied.

She surveyed him for a minute and sighed. "You're a terrible liar, Mako. Spill."

"There's nothing to spill, Korra," he groused.

"That's it! We're not leaving until you tell me about your own plan. And you know how much Lin hates it when you're late," she said almost reminiscently. Mako's breath caught in his throat as he remembered his first days on the force when they'd been together and oh, so happy that nothing could've soured his mood. He'd been late to work on several occasions because of her, and he hadn't regretted a single one of them.

"Korra, that's really not necessary," he almost pleaded. He was content enough to be there for her when she needed him. He knew he'd spend the rest of his life waiting for her, no matter how pathetic it looked to anyone else.

"Hey, come on! You can't be alone forever! What if you find someone before you turn 31?" she pressed on.

"I highly doubt it," Mako replied.

Korra wanted to argue, but she let it go for the time being. She kept watching Mako as he slurped his noodles and averted her eyes whenever she thought he caught her staring. She couldn't help but think back to the time they'd spent together as a couple or as friends. It reminded her of how easy it had always been with him. Making fun of him, teasing him, working with him... But she was also reminded of how much she'd hurt him and his job by demanding his full support. As much as she still loved him, she couldn't ask him to do that ever again.

"There's a reason I asked you to come here with me today. I'm leaving for the Fire Nation with Lord Zuko by the end of this week," she told him.

"Wait, what? Why?" Mako asked her, a little hurt that she hadn't told him sooner.

"Zuko heard that I'd never been there, so he and Fire Lord Izumi are allowing me to tour their lands with the White Lotus. Plus, General Iroh will be taking over soon, apparently. His service with the United Forces is ending soon and Izumi is keen on having him back," Korra explained.

"How long will you be gone?" he asked her.

"I don't know yet... The trip to the Fire Nation is set for two weeks. There are still things in the Earth Federation that need to be smoothed out. Wu and the Council of Five haven't called on me yet, but the third phase of the state elections is around the corner and I'll have to take care of that, too," Korra said.

"So you're just leaving. Again," Mako snapped.

"Mako, I-"

"No, I get it," Mako cut her off. "I get it. Anyway, thanks for lunch. I'll see you around, maybe. Or hear from you. Maybe."

Korra watched him leave and held her face in her hands in resignation. If only she could make him understand what their little arrangement had done to her... But she wanted it too much to let him walk away. She needed time away so she could stop thinking about him for a few minutes and start mending her own life before wrecking his. She couldn't ask him to keep waiting for her just because she thought she needed him in her life. She couldn't tell him how hard it was for her to see him every single day and not be able to kiss him like she used to... or even talk to him like she used to.

And so, at the end of the week, she was sad, but not too shocked to not find him amongst the people who'd come to see her off. She knew she'd hurt him badly. So she asked Bolin to let him know she'd said goodbye. Tenzin and his family were there, too. And as supportive as they'd been of her for the last few months, she knew she'd been a downer for quite some time.

"Take care of yourself, Korra," Tenzin said kindly. "We'll meet you in the state of Gaoling in time for the elections."

She nodded at him and joined Zuko and Izumi on the deck. As they sailed away, she detected a tall man in a trenchcoat silently waiting on the docks, making her grip the railing harder. Before she could call out to him, however, he was gone. She grit her teeth and cursed herself again. There was nothing she could do about it now. She'd have to deal with him later.

"So, Korra," Izumi called out to her, derailing her train of thought, "where would you like to go first?"

"I was hoping we could go to Crescent Island," Korra replied.

"Wonderful!" Zuko interjected. "My great-grandfather Roku had a fire temple built there. Unfortunately, it was destroyed when Aang came to speak with him during the Winter Solstice."

"But you must want to also see the Royal Caldera City? And Ember Island?" Izumi asked.

"Of course!" Korra replied enthusiastically, trying to feel as excited about it as she sounded to them.

The Fire Nation was a refreshing change from Republic City or any place she'd ever seen. Everything was so much warmer and the food so much spicier... Red rooftops, red robes... Everything was splattered with gold and red and while it reminded her of a certain someone, she very much enjoyed the tropical climate. She often wondered what it would've been like had Mako accompanied her. All she knew was that they'd have done a lot less sightseeing. Veering herself away from the train of thought, she chided herself for even thinking about those possiblities.

"But it could be a possiblity," she thought to herself, "if you wait a few years."

She was berating herself for wanting to wait... For not having taken her chance when she could have. When she'd asked him to meet her at the restaurant. But for some reason, she couldn't. And they'd fallen back into this comfortable friendship. He'd made her that stupid deal and told her that it was just a backup plan. A safety net. Not the actual tightrope. She didn't know how to feel about that. At all.

"You know when I first came here," a wizened voice cut through the silence, "I was a little boy with a family that had actually been happy."

"Zuko! I didn't... I missed dinner with Izumi and Iroh, haven't I?" Korra winced.

"No, no... I was just coming to get you and I found you pondering. This place has that effect. I should know," Zuko sighed.

"You said you came here as a little boy with your family," Korra said.

"Yes, but that was before my cousin died... and before my mother left. I came here again later when I was almost seventeen. We'd been sent away on a forced vacation of sorts," Zuko explained.

"And what happened?" she asked.

"A lot of things... This place has many mixed memories for me. Here, I had a family that cared for each other. My uncle, my cousin, my mother... even my father and sister," Zuko reminisced. "But I was also here with people who eventually became my real family."

Korra had heard the stories of Sozin's era. She'd known about Zuko's own losses and triumphs. Then she remembered something else.

"Tell me something, Zuko... You and Mai had... times when you didn't agree with each other, right?" she asked him.

Zuko surprised her by laughing heartily. "Disagreements were the norm. It takes practice avoiding a markswoman's knives, mind you."

"Have you ever had to let her go?" she asked him.

"We both have had to let go of each other at some point... I cannot tell if it was for good or bad. Only that it happened and we got through it. Sometimes it doesn't matter how much we care... circumstances have a way of driving people apart. But if we truly want to make amends, then they also have a way of bringing people together," Zuko noted sagely.

Korra shook her head. "Sometimes it's funny how much your uncle has rubbed off on you."

"I believe it was for the best, Korra. Now, come. Our dinner awaits," Zuko said as he guided her back inside.

Days turned into weeks, then weeks into months. Eighteen, to be exact, since he'd seen Korra. She'd written to him a few times, thankfully, letting him know that she was currently travelling through the Kunukuang province in the mining district of the Earth Federation. The elections had been taken care of smoothly, but some remnants of the Earth Empire army still needed to be taken care of. And with Kuvira's help, she'd been doing just that. Mako sighed and re-read the letter for the thousandth time that day. She'd actually taken the time to write to him this time, and he felt so grateful for not being left out again.

"Pathetic," he chided himself. "You didn't have the guts to tell her when you had the chance, and now you're sitting here alone in your apartment reading all the letters she sent you."

He threw the letter into the stack that he'd kept ever since she'd left. He'd hated himself for not seeing her off when she left. But he'd been so blinded by his anger that he didn't realize he wouldn't be seeing her again in a while. He'd spoken to Bolin and Asami and found out that she hadn't told them when or if she was returning, either. So when he caught Tenzin in Lin's office the next day, he simply had to ask.

"Hello, Sir," he greeted Tenzin abruptly.

"Why, hello, Mako. How have you been?" the Airbending Master asked.

"I'm fine, thank you, Sir. I was just wondering if you had any idea when Korra might be returning," Mako replied.

"Well, she was in one of the provinces in the mining district to take care of some rogue Earth Empire soldiers... After that she was supposed to return. But she did mention a visit to her parents, though. So that must be it," Tenzin explained.

"Thanks again, Sir," Mako said and walked away not knowing if he should be at all disappointed.

He spent his day filing reports, expecting it to be a droll sort of day where nothing crazy happened and he'd actually be able to leave work on time. Once the clock struck eight, put his coat on and walked out into the rain soaked streets of the city, making his way to the best dumpling stall he knew to pick something up for himself. He then trudged up the stairs to his apartment on the seventh floor and was fully expecting to just sit back, relax, and eat the steaming, hot dumplings while reading the newspaper.

What he wasn't expecting was for someone to be patiently waiting outside his door.

"Korra!"

"Hi, Mako," she replied hesitantly. "I'm sorry if you're busy, but I just thought I'd come see you."

Mako didn't know what to say. But before he could think better of it, he dropped his bag of food and hugged her. He felt her stiffen at first, but then she reciprocated in a few seconds. It didn't occur to either of them that they were still in the hallway and had been locked in an embrace for far longer than friends normally would have been. When he finally let go of her, he fumbled with the food and opened the door to let her in quickly.

"So how long are you here for?" Mako asked, hoping to hear that she'd be staying indefinitely.

"That... kinda depends on how a few things pan out," Korra answered.

"What things?" Mako asked.

"Mostly on when I can get an apartment... I can't keep living on the Island forever. I need my own place," the Water Tribe girl declared.

"I guess not," Mako agreed.

"But it also depends on whether or not I have something to stay back for," Korra continued. "Or someone."

Mako stopped setting the table for them altogether and almost dropped the bowl of broth he'd been heating in his palm. Did he hear her right? Did she really just say what he thought she said? He'd have loved to believe that she'd be happy enough to stay back with him forever and make this place their home. But she'd never even shown him any sign to let him know it was what she really wanted, so he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Anyone in particular on your mind?" he joked, but stopped smiling the minute he caught the expression on her face.

"We need to talk, Mako. We need to talk about that deal we made," Korra said firmly.

Mako gulped and set the bowl down. Sighing, he walked over to sit opposite her. He was terrified that she might tell him that she'd found someone and that there was no need for them to keep their deal. He was prepared to hear her say that she'd fallen in love and she was incredibly happy. That's what he'd always wanted, isn't it? That's what he'd promised himself, too. That he'd be happy for her no matter what.

"I don't think it'll work," Korra said sadly.

Mako sighed. He'd known this would happen. "You've found someone, haven't you?" he asked her bitterly. "Is that why you were away so long?"

"No!" Korra replied angrily. "Mako, I-"

"I knew it! I knew this would happen! Wait, what?" he asked her, bewildered.

"I haven't... That's not why this won't work," Korra clarified.

"What now, Korra? What is it now?" Mako demanded. "Am I not good enough for you? Did I not care for you enough? Did I not give you enough space?"

"Because you deserve better!" Korra yelled. "Spirits, Mako! Don't you get it? I don't want you to hold yourself back because of me!"

Mako didn't speak... he didn't trust himself to, so she continued. "I... I tried so hard to forget about the deal and move on... I knew... I knew you'd keep yourself from meeting someone and... and I tried to move on and let you go. I did! I didn't want you to settle for me. Ever."

"You... What makes you think I'm settling for you?" Mako asked, stunned beyond belief that he hadn't thought about how it might've looked to her in the first place.

"You tell me," she shrugged. "You offered me a chance at happiness, Mako... But what about you? It wasn't what you intended either!"

If he'd been thinking clearly, he'd have simply answered her question. But his stupid instinct to let her know exactly how he felt took over and he ended up kissing her. It was crazy how familiar and new this felt. Yet he couldn't bring himself to stop. Especially when she started kissing him back.

"I've been holding out for you," he breathed as soon as they broke apart. "All these years I've been waiting for you. You were my intended plan all along. I just didn't know how to tell you."

"I didn't know how to tell you, either. I've been so stupid!" Korra cursed.

"We've both been stupid," Mako agreed. "But that's over now. The deal's off. We have a new deal."

She nodded with a shaky laugh as he hugged her. "And the new deal," she began, "is that we stay together here and finally work this out."

"I like that deal," Mako admitted with a smile that would've melted her, had he not kissed her that second.

And that he did.