The Avatar and Her Idiot: Makorra Month Drabblebending
Day#8: m i s communication

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She finally burst one day after nearly a week of silent glares.

"I thought I made it very clear, Mako: I don't need any babying! I can pull my own weight around here!" Her voice boomed in their shared apartment. Her stare was livid, accusatory; her hands clenched at her sides, dark, puffy shadows rimming her bloodshot eyes.

"And I thought I made it very clear I don't do these things to baby you." He resisted the urge to yell back. No use fighting fire with fire. He turned back to the sink, sponge in hand, and continued to scrub at a pile of soiled dishes that had built up in the last few days.

She made a sound of frustration. "Look, I'm pregnant. Not an invalid."

"I'm aware," he said carefully. "But you've been so busy with your duties as the Avatar... I just thought I'd take care of some things." He took a deep breath, a furrow forming between his brows. "Take a look at yourself in the mirror, Korra. You're stressed. It's not healthy." Pause. "For you or the baby."

She fell silent. He turned on the faucet to fill the void with the sound of running water. She stormed away, heavy footsteps in the direction of their bedroom. He set his lips in a grim line, rinsing and drying, evaporating the moisture from his hands when he was done.

The door swung open with little effort, and he found his young wife sitting cross-legged on their bed, her back towards him and her face turned upward towards the sunlight.

"Korra? Can we talk?"

She didn't respond and he threw caution into the wind, hugging her from behind as he settled his weight onto the bed. "Hey..."

"I'm so tired of talking," she said all of a sudden. She sat stiffly, refusing to lean into his embrace.

"Korra, you've got to tell me what's going on so I can help—"

"And that's the whole point!" she exploded, shrugging away from his touch, shifting her body to the side. He caught a glimpse of her face and was surprised to find it wet with tears. Without thinking he reached out to still her movement, cradling her face in his hands, swiping his thumbs across her cheeks.

She now grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut. "I just hate feeling useless, like I always have to be helped. Especially now." Her voice came out in a ragged whisper. "I've been useless all week. Everyone at the council thinks so. And then I come home and you're always doing everything..."

He brushed the matted bangs from her forehead, hating to see his strong, confident wife like this. "You're far from useless," he murmured. "I just wish you'd told me earlier about feeling like this. You're burnt out, you haven't been getting your rest—"

"I mean, they're right, aren't they? We just sit around and talk. And then it's like, how can I expect to take care of Republic City and the world when I can't even manage my own household? Who cares if I'm a powerful bender? I can't take care of anything. And now everyone's treating me as if I'm just some silly, hormonal pregnant woman!" She sniffed loudly and glowered at him, an open dare to disagree.

"Korra, stop. You need to stop thinking like that. Change takes time. And no one expects you to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders." He held up a hand when she began to protest. "Listen to me. I know you. You're strong, and confident, and you're mine."

She shrugged at that last bit, the tiniest hint of a smile playing the edge of her lips, and he took that as an invitation to continue. "And you know me. I'm yours, and you know I would never make the mistake of doubting your capabilities." The smile looked as if it was getting wider. "You also know that I do things not because you need me to. It's because I care about you, and that's just what I do for the people I love. It's what I'm used to." Her smile turned sheepish, and she raised a hand to shield her eyes. Of course she knew, of course she recalled what he had to go through with Bolin. He pecked her on the forehead.

"So are we clear on that now?" he asked, brushing the back of his hand fondly against the curve of her jawline, a tender look in his amber eyes. "I'm sorry if I made you feel at all inadequate. Let me do my thing, and you'll find yourself better equipped to deal with the outside world, okay?"

She nodded and bit her lip. "I'm sorry I yelled at you for just... being you."

He raised a single eyebrow. "Why would I ever want to be anyone else when I'm the lucky one you love?"

She laughed, the first time he'd heard it in weeks. "Glad we had this talk. Now, husband of mine, if you could just kiss me, please."

He smirked, happy to oblige; there was no worry about miscommunicating here.


A/N: Blame the hormones guys, just blame the hormones lol. This one is definitely different compared to the first three chapters. What do you guys prefer and why?