Why?
This was the only question Mako could focus on. No matter where his mind wandered it came back to that one haunting word.
Why?
Mako had been so sure Korra shared his feelings. Especially after her close call with Amon last week. He had been there for her. He had isolated everyone just to make sure she was okay. He stayed awake the whole first night she was back, making sure she was covered with blankets when she shivered, and whispering condolences in her ears when she seemed to have a troubled dream. He left early that morning to pray for her at the temples on the island. Anything to help her recover. And sure enough by the time he came back she was awake. He had broken up with Asami just minutes before so he could openly dedicate his life to Korra.
Why?
He had done all of this for her. All of it. Before she came around, his whole life had been centered on taking care of himself and Bolin. That's all that mattered, and that shaped every single one of his actions. Now here he was, taking care of her. Trying everything in his power to make sureshe was okay. And what he ended up with was hurt. His whole body seemed to sag.
Why?
Mako lay back on the bed he was sitting on and opened his eyes. The tears had stopped but the pain in his heart threatened to send them streaming again any minute. Mako was completely and utterly lost. What was he supposed to do now? Mako shut his eyes tight to prevent the tears from coming again.
Why?
Mako opened his eyes again a few minutes later. He couldn't stay in this room forever and he knew that. He sat up and looked at the darkened space he was in. A bed, dresser, closet, and a night table. Simple. When he had asked Asami to talk they had wandered up some stairs from the ballroom and down a hallway. The hallway was filled with doors and he had opened a random one so they could have some privacy.
Although now that he looked back, the hallway would have sufficed easily enough. There was no one around. Plus, if they hadn't gone into the room he wouldn't have heard voices. And if he hadn't have heard voices he wouldn't have stepped out of the door leading to the balcony. And if he hadn't gone onto the balcony he wouldn't have seen-
Mako stopped himself mid-thought. Whether he saw the kiss or not, wouldn't have changed the fact that it happened. It wouldn't change the fact that he had broken up with Asami moments before. It wouldn't change the fact that he was too late. Korra had moved on. He didn't know why he expected her to wait. She was an impatient kind of gal, and he knew it. Why did he wait?
Why?
Frustrated, Mako sent a ball of fire shooting at the wall that lay in front of him. It left a fist sized hole in the wall, the edges still letting off soft ember light. Mako smacked his still warm hand against his forehead. Why had he done that? He was never so impulsive. He sighed heavily. If he had been anyone else he could just leave it alone and sneak down to the party. Nobody would have to know. Judging by the amount of dust on the dresser, this room seemed abandoned so it's not like anyone would care. And if by some odd chance it did get discovered, there's no way that it would be traced back to him.
But, Mako being Mako, he would have to tell someone. The owner perhaps… whoever that was. Dreading the future conversation he was going to have, he started to come up for explanations on why he was up there and how he happened to burn a hole through the wall.
He lay back on the bed exasperated. This is what Korra did to him. She made him so angry he couldn't even function correctly. Angry, but passionate. He was always so nonchalant and 'cool' with anyone else. But Korra made him care. She made him want to pull his hair out in frustration. She made him want to pull her into a kiss and never let her go. She made him want to-
Mako's thoughts were cut short by the sound of whispers as the doorknob started to jiggle. Although he really had nothing to hide, his first instinct was fear. With that he jumped off the bed stealthily, and ran to the closet closing it slightly.
The door finally opened and two figures stumbled into the dark room.
"I don't kn-, " The deep voice paused for a second giggling. "Know 'bout this Korrrrra." The figure slurred the last word heavily and he fell back against the bed.
With a shock, Mako realized that the two people that were in this room with him happened to be the two people he wanted to see the least.
Korra and Bolin.
Why?