Aight, so I wasn't really planning on releasing another chapter already, but I'm officially a year older now, and to celebrate that, I decided to write some stuff and basically update all my fics, so here it is!
Also, I'd like to thank Dylanobae and J. T. MacK for your reviews! I'm glad to know there are people out there interested in this silly, random idea of mine.
Chapter 2: This Isn't a Date. Maybe.
"Look, Mako, you need to chill."
The words came from the blue-clad girl sitting opposite of him, who was stuffing her face with pizza that Opal had brought over, and Mako gave the speaker a glare.
"Am I really listening to you giving me advice right now?"
"Yes," Korra replied, downing the rest of her pizza with a can of soda.
Bolin, who was sitting next to Korra, snickered. "Would you prefer it if I take over?"
Mako sighed exasperatedly. "I don't need either of you to give me advice on my life. Maybe you two should figure out your own lives before helping me."
"Hey, my life is perfectly fine," Korra whined, reaching for another slice.
"I'd say mine is pretty good, too," Bolin added, giving his girlfriend a dorky smile. Opal rolled her eyes, but her mouth turned up slightly, betraying her agreement.
"Korra is right, you know," Opal said. "You're thinking way too much about it. Aren't you two just hanging out as friends?"
Mako shrugged helplessly, looking deflated. "Yeah."
"But he doesn't want that, do you, Mako?" Korra teased. "You want more than that."
"I swear," Mako threatened, turning slightly pink as he tried to regain his composure, "If you keep this up, I'll—"
"You'll what?" Korra challenged, smirking a little. "Throw me out? This is my room, Mako."
Mako narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll stop bringing you food."
Korra gasped dramatically, clutching at her heart as if she had been wounded. "You can't do that!"
"I can and I will," Mako said, sounding determined.
"We all know I'm the one who brings the food all the time," Opal interrupted, gesturing at the mostly-finished pizza box in front of them. "So, that doesn't work. You can't threaten her like that."
Mako grumbled under his breath, taking a bite out of his long-forgotten pizza.
"You know, you're pretty awkward sometimes, Mako," Korra commented, leaning back onto the sofa.
"Oh, really, now," Mako said sarcastically. "Especially since such a statement is coming from you?"
"You're fooling no one," Korra said indignantly. "Everyone loves me."
"I wish that weren't the case," Mako said. It was then that his phone lit up, and for a moment, all four friends stared at it, bewildered at the sudden lit screen. Before anyone could make a move, Korra hurriedly snatched it from the table where it had lain, and stared at the screen, a slow grin working its way onto her face.
"Ohh," Korra said. "Guess who it's from?"
"Korra!" Mako yelled, jumping up and extending his hand to grab his phone back, but Bolin and Opal, who had been intrigued by Korra's outburst, had stood up to look, and were now blocking his way.
"Give it back, Korra!" Mako demanded. Korra merely shrugged, putting on an air of innocence as she hid the object behind her back.
"Give what back?"
"Korra, please give it back," Mako tried again, but the phone was no longer in the girl's hands, having been passed onto its owner's brother.
"Oh, wow, she's actually talking to you!" Bolin exclaimed. "She says—"
Before Bolin could finish the rest of his sentence, Mako's ringtone went off. Korra and Bolin exchanged glances, matching widespread grins on their faces. Mako had a very bad suspicion about what was to happen next.
Bolin immediately picked up the call, changing the pitch in his voice in an attempt to sound like his brother.
"Bolin, no!" Mako pleaded, but the deed had been done.
"Hello, Asami?" Bolin greeted, pressing the speakerphone so the others could hear the replies.
There was a pause. "Mako?"
"The one and only," Bolin said.
There was another pause. "Is this Bolin?"
Bolin groaned. "How did you know? How do you even know my name?"
There was a chuckle on the other end. "I remember Mako telling me about your antics last year. Besides, Mako doesn't sound like that, and I doubt he would be so careless as to leave his phone somewhere unattended."
"Hi, Asami," Korra spoke up, and Mako facepalmed. "This is Korra. You know, the one who sort of accidently ran you over earlier today."
"Oh, hello, Korra," Asami replied. "I remember. It's hard to forget someone who ran me over."
"Just like how you ran Mako over?" Korra asked, trying to look innocent, but by the glares Mako was shooting her way, she hadn't succeeded.
"Mako told you about that?" Asami asked in disbelief.
"Only, like, fourteen times a day," Bolin said.
"Fourteen times?"
Bolin stopped, looking at his older brother sheepishly as he realized he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Mako buried his face in his hands, saying something under his breath that vaguely sounded like a death threat.
"Well, maybe not that much," Bolin admitted. "But, hey, did you need something?"
"I was hoping I could talk to Mako," Asami responded politely.
"About what?" Korra asked curiously. "Couldn't you just have texted him?"
"He wasn't answering my texts," Asami explained. "Though, now I know why."
"Oh, sorry about that," Korra said. "We were keeping him occupied with pizza, but he's all yours now!"
Korra smiled as Bolin handed Mako his phone. Mako gave both one final glare, before retreating outside.
"He's so sensitive," Korra observed, amused.
Opal sighed, looking less amused than her roommate. "You should leave him alone, Korra."
Korra made a face at her. "Maybe he should leave me alone."
"Oh, grow up," Opal said. She turned to Bolin, who had proceeded to finish the rest of the pizza.
"Did you just finish that?"
Bolin swallowed the guilty slice. "Maybe."
Opal shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder how I ended up stuck with you two."
.
Mako had returned from his phone call, looking nonchalant, but Korra and Bolin could spy the cheerful smile threatening to break free.
"So, I'm guessing it went well?" Korra asked, eyebrow raised in question.
"I guess," said Mako, returning to his seat directly across from her.
Bolin playfully punched his brother on the shoulder. "You seem awfully happy."
"I do not." Mako crossed his arms, daring the other two to argue with him, a challenge which they dutifully accepted.
Korra scoffed. "Right, and Bolin didn't finish the pizza."
"Wait, he finished the pizza?" Mako leaned forward, flipping the lid of the pizza box open, only to stare at it in dismay.
"How could you finish all of it, Bo?" Mako accused.
"You said you weren't hungry!" Bolin cried, standing up as he waved his hands about. "And you already ate two slices!"
"He's a growing boy," Korra said solemnly, patting Bolin on the shoulder as he sat back down. "He needs to keep up his energy if he wants to stay with the Chief."
"Enough with your jokes, Korra," Mako said wearily. He checked the time on his phone. "It's getting late, Bolin. We should be heading back soon."
Bolin pouted a little, but didn't argue with his brother. The two got ready to leave, but Korra stopped them.
"What did Asami Sato want?" Korra asked.
Mako sighed. "She asked if I was free tomorrow."
"And?" Korra prodded.
"I'm not," Mako said.
"Then why do you look so happy?" Bolin asked, confusion evident on his face.
Mako held up a hand. "Let me finish. I'm not free tomorrow, but I will be this weekend."
"That's a first," Korra said.
"Are you sure you're not lying to yourself?" Bolin added.
Mako glared at them impatiently. "What's up with you two always interrupting me?"
"It's our job," Korra said matter-of-factly. "Who else will do it, if not us?"
Bolin nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm starting to regret agreeing to the plan," Mako said.
"The plan?" Opal inquired. "Why do you sound like there's more to this than just you hanging out with her?"
"That's because you're correct," Mako said, sounding miffed. "She asks if we want to hang out this weekend. At her place. Apparently, there's a party being held, and she's invited us."
"Is that normal of people?" Korra said. "Inviting strangers to your house?"
"She's Asami Sato," Bolin said. "She's probably got, like, hundreds of bodyguards ready to kick us out, literally, if we misbehave."
Mako closed his eyes, slowly rubbing his temples. "We're friends, Korra. Or did you forget that? I'm not a stranger. And neither is Opal."
"Wait, you know her, too?" Korra turned to her friend.
Opal nodded. "Yeah. Did I never mention that?"
Korra crossed her arms. "You kind of did."
"Whoops," said Opal sheepishly. "But I've met her plenty of times. We're on friendly terms. Her father often works with my parents. In fact, the party this weekend; isn't it for that new contract my parents signed with her father?"
Mako nodded his head in confirmation.
"Nerds," Korra said, a comment that did not go unnoticed by Opal, who gave her friend a playful shove.
"Anyways," Mako interrupted, "You're all invited."
"What if I say no?" Korra said.
"There'll be food."
That was all Korra needed. "Okay, sign me up!"
.
The weekend arrived fast, and Saturday found the college students standing in front of a large mansion, staring open-mouthed at it.
"Did I take a wrong turn somewhere?" Korra asked. "Because this doesn't seem like somewhere I should be."
"Korra, you don't even drive," Opal said. "Besides, you came here with my family, and Baatar never gets lost."
"Unless Kuvira fed him the wrong directions," Korra argued.
"My father was the one giving directions," Opal said. "So, no, we're not lost."
"I feel underdressed," Bolin complained, tugging at his T-shirt.
"It's a simple party, Bolin," Opal said.
"But it's at a mansion!" Bolin protested. "With super fancy people!"
"Look, this isn't for business," Baatar Senior, having overheard the boy's complaints, spoke up. He placed a reassuring hand on Bolin's shoulder. "Hiroshi and I go way back. We're just having a little party to celebrate another few years of us working together."
"If it makes you feel better, Korra isn't dressed up, either," Mako added.
"But you are," Bolin pouted.
Mako couldn't argue with that. He was dressed in a simple dark gray suit, the only fine clothing he had in his possession. Opal and her parents were also dressed nicely in matching green tones, while the twins and Huan had opted for more casual clothing, though still in the same colors.
Korra, who had stubbornly chosen to stay in her normal tank top and pants, narrowed her eyes at Mako.
"You just dressed up so you could impress Asami," Korra said. "Wait a second. Isn't that the same suit that you got from that one date with As—"
Mako loudly cleared his throat, quickly pushing Korra in front of him and away from everyone else. "I think we should hurry. It looks like they're waiting for us."
Before anyone could object, Mako had already forced Korra to the entrance of the house, where Hiroshi Sato was waiting to greet them.
"Mako," Hiroshi greeted, a little stiffly.
Mako nervously nodded. "Yes, sir. It's an honor to be here."
Korra looked back and forth between them. "Do you two already know each other?"
"Korra!" Opal, who had finally caught up to them, hissed, pulling her friend backwards and stepping forward to apologize for her rude behavior.
Hiroshi waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. Such a question is to be expected. As for the answer to your question, Mako and I have met a couple times, mostly last year, when he and my daughter had to work on a project together."
Korra nodded, seeming satisfied. Opal jabbed her in the side, and Korra took the hint.
"I'm Korra," the girl introduced herself, offering a hand.
Hiroshi Sato slowly extended a hand and shook it. "Hiroshi."
"Oh, Mako, you're here!"
The group of guests looked over Hiroshi Sato to see Asami Sato walking towards them. She was wearing a red dress that, if Mako and the twins' expressions were any indication, fit her extremely well, showing off her curves and as much skin as Korra did on a daily basis.
"A-Asami," Mako stuttered, and Asami smiled. She stopped next to her father.
"It's good to see you again, Asami," Suyin said, giving the girl a hug, which was returned with just as much warmth.
"It's always a pleasure working with you, Su," Asami replied. She turned to the other members and greeted them one by one while Hiroshi went to talk to the adults.
"And you must be Bolin," Asami said, turning to the only person she didn't know.
Bolin grinned. "Yup. And you're Asami. You've got a really cool place here."
Asami laughed, and Korra couldn't help but stare a little. "Thank you."
She gestured for them to follow her. "Let's get inside."
Like lemmings, the children followed her, with Bolin and Korra, the least exposed to such finery, gawking at everything presented to them.
The twins were sidling up to Asami, starting a conversation about their companies, and Mako scowled at them.
"Don't look so bothered, Mako," Korra smirked. "This isn't a date, after all. Anyways, such a pretty girl like her should end up with someone better looking than you."
Mako glared at her. "I don't recall you complaining about my looks back in high school."
Korra turned red. "That was then, this is now."
Mako rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "Whatever."
Opal guided Korra away from him. "Come on, Korra. You're probably hungry."
Bolin and Korra's faces lit up. "Food?"
Opal laughed and dragged the two of them over to where the food was being kept, with a sulky Mako following behind.
There were other guests meandering around, some who Korra recognized as the Beifongs' acquaintances, as well as others who Korra didn't exactly know, but seemed somehow familiar anyways.
The Beifongs had scattered, and Korra noticed how Wing and Wei had been replaced by Baatar Junior and Kuvira. Mako still looked displeased, but slightly less so now. Korra chuckled to herself. As much as she teased Mako, Korra was still his friend, and she decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea to help the poor boy out.
Taking a hold on the startled boy's arm, Korra purposefully made her way towards Asami.
