AN: Ahh! I'm sorry for not updating for so long! Inspiration has been SO LOW I can't even begin to describe how frustrated I am at myself. I started this chapter as soon as finals ended, so... I'm not entirely hopeless, right?

Another Mako-centric one, too! I love writing Tahno-centric chapters, but I prefer Mako. My characterization of Tahno is just... depressing; while I was writing it, I was going through some major sads. I guess it rubbed off on my writing and made Tahno amassive ball of pure, concentrated angst. I'll write him with less angst this time, I swear!

Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed! My love is endless!

Gag

A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.

-Ingrid Bergman

Speak of the devil! Mako thought, snapping his head up to see Tahno, thumbs hooked in his pockets, rocking back on his heels. His lips were twisted into that familiar smirk. Mako felt his eyebrow twitch involuntarily.

"Don't call me that," the firebender spat, making sure not to let his guard down like last time. "It's creepy."

Tahno laughed, causing Mako's brow to crease even more. "Well, you never told me your name. What else am I supposed to call you?"

"The name's Mako," he snorted, giving Tahno a glare. "And I guess that means you haven't bothered tuning in to any of our matches."

"Well, of course I haven't," the waterbender said, his response strangely cutting. "I have better things to do than listen to a match where the rookies don't even know what they're doing."

Mako felt his blood boil. He didn't care how good this guy was, he wasn't going to let a remark like that slide. He stood, his place at the top of the steps giving him a boost in his height. "Just what is your problem with me, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't have a problem with you, hotman," said Tahno, his smirk growing at Mako's sour reaction to his nickname. "In fact, you're the only Fire Ferret I can tolerate. The Uh-vatar is in over her head, and her boyfriend is a submissive crybaby—"

Mako stomped down the steps separating him from Tahno and seized him by the collar, his face contorted with white-hot rage. He jerked Tahno up to eye-level, the waterbender almost on his tip-toes.

"Don't. Ever. Talk about them like that," he growled. "Korra might be arrogant, but she doesn't hold a candle to your pigheadedness. And if you knew anything about what Bolin has been through, you'd think twice before calling him a crybaby."

Stop, Mako felt his breath catch as he thought. He's baiting you. If you touch this guy, we might as well kiss the championship goodbye. You're better than this guy, Mako, just let it go.

Sighing, he let the waterbender fall back on his heels, looking at him coolly as he struggled to regain his balance. "I know what you're trying to do, Tahno, and you can forget it. We're gonna be in the finals, and your stupid mind-games won't change that. Now, beat it." With that, Mako turned his back on him and proceeded back up the steps.

"Oh, so now you're acting all cool?" Mako stopped when he heard the absolute lividity in Tahno's voice. "You expect me to just walk away after you talk shit to my face? Do you even know who I am?"

Mako turned around. The look on Tahno's face, so distorted with anger and a hint of pain, made him look like a completely different person. The egomaniac with the stupid hair now looked like a broken man, genuinely infuriated at Mako and, possibly, himself. The firebender didn't know how he could tell so much by just looking at him; perhaps it was through sheer empathy. The prospect of hiding behind a mask to protect one's true self was not lost on Mako.

"Look, Tahno—" he started, his new found understanding of the waterbender urging him to be less cold with him. However, Tahno would have none of it.

"Don't—don't you dare act like you feel sorry for me!" he barked. "You act like you're this a tragic hero, like you're such a fucking martyr! Well, guess what? You're a lot better off then you think you are!"

Well, shit, Mako gathered, feeling worse and worse as Tahno continued his tirade. You've really done it now, hotman. What next? How are you gonna kick him while he's down? Oh god, look—he's crying now.

It was true; Mako could see tears running down his cheeks. His paternal instincts began kicking in as Tahno got progressively more and more upset. Mako didn't know if he should handle this the way he handled Bolin's tantrums; sling him over his shoulder, carry him home and have a man-to-man talk with him? Would Tahno even listen, at this point?

Shrugging to himself, Mako approached Tahno once more. Tahno gave him a look of wide-eyed confusion as Mako gently took him by the shoulder, sat him down on the steps, and took the spot next to him.

"Look... I'm sorry if I said something stupid, all right?" he started, not meeting his eye. "I've just had a lot on my mind as of late, and, uh... I guess I took it out on you without realizing it? I'm not that good around people to begin with, so... I'm sorry, okay?"

Mako stole a glance from the corner of his eye. Tahno had stopped crying, thankfully, but he could still see a trail of tears shining on his cheeks. His lips were parted, slightly, his eyes still partially wide.

Even with the situation at hand, Mako couldn't help but suppress a snicker at the waterbender's ridiculous hair. It was just so strangely effeminate, with curls that didn't seem to want to go in one direction, but in several different ones. The mental image of Tahno standing in his bathroom fussing over his hair was, undoubtedly, too hilarious. While he did manage to contain his laughter, Mako had to lean forward and press his lips into his hands to hide his smirk.

Tahno sighed, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and leaning back. "I never pegged you for the socially awkward type, hotman. It's actually kind of cute, but you didn't hear that from me," Tahno snickered at Mako's over-the-shoulder glare. "The apology was very sweet, though. Thank you."

"Just what did you get so upset about, anyway...?" Mako mumbled to himself, feeling his cheeks heat up. Glancing at Tahno again, he was surprised to see that the smug grin melted off his face, replaced with a hard, almost melancholic look. That look didn't last long, however, a smirk quickly rising to his lips.

"It's more of a personal thing... don't worry about it," he replied. Mako wasn't buying it, but was willing to let it slide.

The two sat in silence after that. Mako could feel Tahno's gaze boring into his back; he didn't dare steal another glance to confirm his gut feeling. He was so busy trying to ignore the gaze that he didn't hear Tahno shifting his position, scooting closer to him. He only realized it when it was too late, and the waterbender had already begun to violate his personal space; the feeling of a leg brushing against his own startled Mako out of his daze. He tried jerking away, but found that he couldn't move a muscle. It was as if there were two great weights attached to his feet.

"Hotman," Mako felt his breath catch at the sultry whisper. Against his better judgment, Mako turned his head.

And he instantly regretted it.

Having been kissed by both Asami and Korra, the sensation wasn't alien to him. However, that didn't help any when the pair of lips—male lips—pressed against his softly, almost tenderly. Mako shut his mouth tightly, not allowing this kiss to go any farther. But, to his surprise, Tahno made no attempt to gain entrance to his mouth. It was just a simple kiss.

Simple kiss? Mako screamed at himself, feeling uncomfortably light-headed. How the hell is this simple?

With those thoughts, he regained control of his own body, practically throwing himself backward onto the steps, taking in deep breaths.

"What..." Mako croaked, words failing him. Tahno, that smirk ever-present, stood up and laughed. His laugh was not smug this time. Wiping his mouth furiously, he wondered what the waterbender could be laughing about.

"Think of that as a little thank-you present. Was it good, hotman?" Tahno sounded a lot less wound up than before, but that was the least of Mako's concerns at this point. As he struggled to regain his breath, Tahno ran a hand through his stupid, stupid hair.

"Well, I think we both need a little rest after that. See you around."

And he left. He just...left. Mako watched his retreating form with wide eyes, already gagging at the memory of the waterbender's lips.

There was no doubt about it in his mind. That guy was a weirdo.

But... a stray thought came to him. Maybe he's... not so bad?

When he's not harassing me, that is.