A/N: Hello hello all!
Its been a while eh?
Sorry for the delay! In all honesty, with my busy summer schedule I totally forgot that I had a story going, hehe.. Between going out and watching my goddaughter, I don't know how much time I would have hand anyway. However, last night I stayed up late, typing away, and came up with this chapter. Its not exactly.. cute? I don't know, its just a way of showing the awkward, slow crawl of Mako and Korra's current relationship.

Unlike most fans, and I do not put down the bold fluffy fics, I believe that while the two are close and that the season one finale showed this, there must be SOME tension there? I mean come on, you think they'd just fall into each other's laps? Nuh-uh, doesn't work for me.

Anywho, I'd like to extend my thanks to A-Source-of-Hope who has been showing me some REAL LOVE recently! Thank you for my first review on this story, for favoriting and following! You definitely made my day, and I hope the new chapter doesn't disappoint! (:

Alright, enough blubbering, on with the show..

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra.


"Korra?"

There was a loud clatter of of boxes and a thud as the startled Avatar bumped her head on the underside of the counter, having been rummaging through the cabinets for some type of food. The firebender frowned, walking around the island at the center of the room to find her sitting on the floor, rubbing the top of her head and cussing under her breath. Smirking smugly, he crossed his arms.

"What are you doing under there?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Trying to find something to eat." she muttered indignantly, looking up to shoot him a glare.

However, as she turned her azure eyes to meet his, she merely blinked under his gaze. Mako was equally caught off guard as the two realized they hadn't seen one another in days. The stayed in this position for a while, staring silently, before he let out an awkward cough and looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

"Why are you here so late?" Korra asked, pushing herself off the floor.

"I should be the one asking that, I'm usually the only one up right now." he countered.

"Oh.." she frowned. "Beifong kept me at the station late going over reports. The crime in the city's going down, it's still not normal but at least we're getting somewhere."

"Well that's good, things are finally settling down." he said with a nod, uncrossing his arms. "Less work for us, right?"

"Right." she agreed with a smile.

The two sat again, awkward and quiet as they couldn't figure out what to talk about. After a moment or two, Mako cleared his throat and pointed to one of the tall stools against the island.

"Sit, I uh, came to get something to eat too." he told her.

With a raised brow, she took the spot without complaint.

"D'you usually do that?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah." he nodded again, peaking into the cupboards. "I'm usually home late so I told Pema not to wait up to cook me dinner. She gave me free range of the kitchen so I could do it myself, y'know to save her the trouble."

"Cool, so you're in here every night?"

"Sorta, if its really late I'll just grab some fruit or something."

"And this is early?" she questioned as he lifted a wok from one of the lower cabinets, realizing that it was into the wee hours of the morning.

"Well, yeah." he shrugged, retrieving ingredients from the icebox and the produce baskets. "Sometimes I'm not home for another hour or so, depending on if the force needs me for something or if the plant has me working an extra shift."

Korra tapped her fingers of the counter, frowning. She'd forgotten that he worked late with the power plants. While she knew that they had put out notices in need of able benders, she hadn't known he'd been there so often. When he ignited the stove top but did not continue to cook with his bending, her frown grew.

"Wouldn't using firebending make the food cook quicker?" she asked.

"Probably, but using the burner is a little easier." he said, cutting up vegetables while oil began to warm in the wok. "And its kind of relaxing to just do it all manually."

Relaxing. To her, the word sounded like heaven. After rubbing her face in exhaustion, she looked back up at the firebender, who was adding veggies to the oil with a sizzle. Watching him, she realized how tired he must have been as well. While her work was more on the mental side of things, his must have been more physically draining. He would have been bending during his shifts at the plant, and chasing down rioters or criminals with the force. This in mind, she now noted the way his shoulders sagged as he bent over the cooking food, how he periodically yawned or rubbed his eyes, and the dark bags under them.

The Avatar's expression softened slightly. Her desire for a day of rest for her friends entered her mind again, wishing that they had time to recuperate from all the stress of the city's reshaping. She gave a soft sigh and closed her eyes, resting her head in her hands.

Moments later, a bowl of steaming rice, meat and vegetables was placed in front of her, a voice as tired as she felt speaking.

"You okay?"

Korra looked up at him, glancing at the delicious smelling food before her. Mako stood beside her, his own food in hand, a slightly concerned expression on his face.

"I'm fine." she nodded, ushering him to sit on the other side of the island's corner. "Just sort of tired."

"Sort of?" he repeated, taking the seat. "I think we're all a little beyond that, don't you think?"

She gave a groan in agreement, picking up her chopsticks. Taking a bit, she grinned at the familiar taste. During the early weeks of the pro-bending season, she had often joined the brothers for dinner at their apartment after games. It was nice to get a taste of Mako's cooking once again.

The young man in question ate silently, watching her out of the corner of his eye. While he felt a little shy around her at this point, he felt his interests in her swell in his chest, having been dormant during the past few weeks. Mako wondered if she was feeling the same rush of anxiety as he was.

The two didn't speak while they ate, and when the firebender finished first, he moved to work on his dishes. Korra was done a few moments later and stood with her own, walking to his side and gently nudging him out of the way.

"Don't worry, I've got this." she waved him off when he frowned down at her.

Using her waterbending, she pulled the stream from the faucet and picked up one dish at a time. Guiding the water with her free hand, she scrubbed away the food residue from the kitchenware.

When she was finished, she turned to see Mako leaning against the counter, arms crossed, with an amused look on his face.

"What?" she questioned, blinking.

"Nothing." he shrugged. "Watching was interesting."

He bit the inside of his cheek as she cocked her head to the side, ponytail swaying with the movement. He felt it almost refreshing to see her so closely after so long apart. He was shaken from this absorption when she yawned, holding a hand to her mouth to stifle it.

"You know, we ought to get to bed." he said. "Just as busy a day tomorrow."

With a groan she started towards the door. He pushed off the counter and followed silently as they walked together. When they reached the apex of the temple, where the girls and boys dormitories were located in separate halls, they stopped. Standing there, neither knew exactly what to say.

"Well, I-"

"Korra?"

She blinked at the interruption, noting the nervous look on his face. His eyes turned away, as he scratched the back of his head.

"If... If you're ever out again late like that... I'll make you dinner again." he mumbled.

Korra was caught a little off guard by the offer and remained silent for a moment.

"Thanks Mako." she finally returned with a genuine grin.

He rocked from heel to heel, looking at the ground to conceal the light blush that stretched across his cheeks.

"Its no problem, really. Its nice to have a little company like that."

Korra took a step forward and brushed her hand against his, making him look up. His expression was mirrored on her lightly flushed face.

"Its my pleasure. I should have Beifong keep me late more often." she said with a softened expression.

Mako returned the look, allowing his hand to touch hers again before he took a step back. While he did wonder how far he could push the awkward state of their relationship, he didn't want to test it. Korra seemed to only falter a second before offering a renewed grin of comfort.

"You may have to." he said. "Good night, Korra."

"Night Mako."

The two parted ways, left to ponder the encounter as they climbed into their beds. Both young adults fell asleep within seconds of their heads hitting their pillows.


In another area of Republic city, a phone rang shrilly against the silence of one woman's home.

A pale hand reached out, grabbing it with force as an irritated voice answered the call.

"Do you know what time it i-?"

"Cheif Beifong." a man's voice came through the other line. "Its Saikhan, I know its late but its urgent."

"What is it?" Lin asked, sitting up in her bed.

"We've had a murder downtown, its ugly."

"This couldn't wait until my shift started?" she grunted, rubbing her tired peridot eyes. "Saikhan, you are the chief of police, you should be able to handle these things without me holding your hand the whole way."

"I can handle these things." he said, agitation edging into his own voice. "But this is different. This isn't the usual hit and run, shooting or stabbing. Whoever managed this one is one twisted son of a- Its just gruesome down here."

With a loud sigh, the exhausted woman swung her legs out of her comforting bed.

"I'll be there as soon as I can." she muttered, hanging up before she stood.


A/N: So? What do we think? Any idea where we're headed next?

R&R, Thanks!

MTD