A/N: Right, this one needs some background. This is supposed to be part of a longer, multichapter Korra fic meant to explore the Fire Nation Royal Family (because, let's be honest - we didn't see nearly enough of Iroh, Izumi, and the Fire Nation). I haven't gotten around to writing the full thing yet, but this scene, once I conceived of it, just demanded to be written. And then I thought, you know what, who knows when the full story is ever going to be written, so why not just post this as a oneshot for now.

All you need to know to understand the context of this scene is that this is set after Book 4, the Krew are in the Fire Nation and have been interacting with the Royal Family, and Mako and Bolin have just discovered something rather shocking about their heritage. It's a major spoiler for the full fic, I guess, if I ever post that - but it can be enjoyed on its own.

She found him by the beach, staring off into the ocean and the night sky. He didn't say a word as she went to stand next to him, and neither did she. It was a remarkable display of patience from the once-headstrong Avatar.

"I always wondered why Mom never spoke about her family." His voice was steady, even as his gaze remained fixed on the sea. "Dad was open about why he left Ba Sing Se, and he told us whatever we wanted to know about the family we had back there. That was enough for Bolin, but I…" He trailed off.

"You wanted to know about the Fire Nation side," Korra surmised. It made sense. Mako took after his mother, in both appearance and personality; of course he would want to know where that part of his heritage came from.

"Yeah." He created a small flame in the palm of his right hand. "I especially wanted to know where the firebending came from. Mom wasn't a bender, and I just wondered…" He sighed as he closed his hand into a fist, extinguishing the fire. "Careful what you wish for, right?" He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Korra gently nudged his arm. "You know, it doesn't change who you are."

"Doesn't it?" Mako scoffed, pulling away. "My grandmother was Azula. The woman who killed the Avatar. Who killed you, in your past life," he realised suddenly.

"Not permanently," Korra reminded him. "And Aang and I may share the same spirit, but we're not the same person. Azula didn't kill me."

"Still." He turned away from her gaze. "It's hard to swallow, you know? That I'm descended from one of the most infamous villains of recent history."

"So is Bolin. He doesn't seem to be too bothered by it."

"Yeah, but Bolin's not the one who inherited Azula's abilities, is he?"

"I think you're focusing too much on Azula," said Korra. "She's not the only part of your Fire Nation heritage."

"It's not like it gets better if we go back a generation or two. Ozai? Sozin?" Mako shuddered. "Spirits, my lineage includes a man who committed genocide."

"It also includes Avatar Roku," Korra said pointedly.

Mako stared blankly at her. "What?"

"You didn't know? Roku was Lady Ursa's grandfather. That makes him your —" She paused to count the generations. "— great-great-great grandfather."

Mako blinked. "I didn't know that."

Korra nodded triumphantly. "And for the record, you're not the only firebender who has to deal with less-than-ideal ancestors. The entire Royal Family is descended from Sozin, remember? They don't let that stop them from being damn good people."

Mako shook his head. "That's different. Zuko, Izumi, Iroh, Mai Lee — they are good people."

Korra raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "And you're not?"

"No."

Korra stared at him, unable to believe her ears. "Mako…"

"I'm not a good person, Korra." Mako met her eyes seriously. "I've done some pretty bad things. You know my history with the Triple Threats."

"You said you just ran numbers."

"I lied," he said bleakly. "That was just the tip of the iceberg."

For a moment, Korra was stunned speechless. She hadn't thought to question any further, that day they spent the night in the park — but perhaps she should've known that what Mako told her then couldn't have been the whole story. Her knee-jerk reaction to hearing that he'd once been involved with the gang hadn't exactly been very understanding, so it wasn't surprising that Mako would have given her a watered-down version of what he'd really done — especially since they barely knew each other then.

And maybe she hadn't wanted to know. When she first got to Republic City, she'd viewed the world in black and white. She'd since learned that things were a lot more complicated, but she wasn't certain that 17-year-old Korra wouldn't have severed ties with the brothers if she'd learned that they'd done more than run numbers for the Triad.

Things were different now. She was different now.

"What other things did you do?" she asked quietly.

Mako glanced at her before looking away again. "Are you really sure you wanna know?"

"Yes." She was ready to hear it.

Mako tensed and kept his eyes firmly on the horizon. "It started small — go burn some things, do some damage so they could justify their protection rackets. Quietly, at first, at night when there were no witnesses. That wasn't so bad. I mean, it was bad — I knew it was wrong — but it wasn't…" He exhaled.

"I understand," Korra said. Scorching a few walls in secret was mild compared to what it could've been — and, she figured, what he did later.

"It progressed. Next they wanted me to do it in broad daylight, or in front of the shopkeepers — intimidation…or punishment, if someone hadn't paid up. I had to endure them cursing me, or crying, as I destroyed their belongings."

That wasn't the worst of it, Korra was sure. There was more.

"Then…Lightning Bolt Zolt taught me how to bend lightning."

"Lightning Bolt Zolt taught you that?"

The shock in her voice was so palpable Mako risked another glance at her. "Where did you think I learned lightningbending, Korra? Not a lot of opportunities for a street rat to learn such a high-level technique."

Korra supposed she'd never thought about it that way. However, given what they knew now about Mako's bloodline, she had a feeling he would've picked up the skill on his own somehow even if he hadn't learned it from Zolt. Azula had been a prodigious lightningbender, after all.

"Why would he teach you?" She would've thought the mob boss would want to keep that skill to himself.

Mako snorted. "It wasn't out of altruism. He wanted me to learn so I could continue to intimidate people for him. Apparently I was good at that," he said bitterly. He was back to looking at the ocean. "Thank the spirits, I got out of that life before he ever made me use lightning against someone else."

Korra was struck by a sudden thought. "Did you ever use fire against someone? Not fighting, I mean — but…to hurt them?…deliberately?"

He closed his eyes. "Twice."

Korra swallowed. "Mako…"

"I didn't want to do it. But the Triad was our only reliable source of income in those days. It was winter, and…we needed a place to stay. I couldn't firebend to keep us warm all the time. Zolt was really angry with a guy, and he really wanted information…I don't know why he didn't do it himself, but I was there — he offered a big payday if I could make the guy talk, big enough that I wouldn't have to do any work for them for several months." He paused, looking pained. "I also thought that — if it was me — I could make it less harsh than someone else might've. I was hoping I could just talk to him, make him understand the stakes — but he was so stubborn. Zolt told me to use fire…"

He drew in a shuddering breath and Korra wanted to lay a comforting hand on his arm, but she understood that it would be unwelcome right now. She focused instead on projecting as nonjudgmental an air as possible, silently encouraging Mako to continue. She doubted he'd ever disclosed this before — knowing him, he'd just kept it bottled up for years in an effort to be strong.

After several seconds, Mako continued, "The second time was both easier and worse. I actually wasn't doing anything related to the Triad — I was just running a marketplace scam — but an Agni Kai confronted me about some heist the Triple Threats pulled. Bolin and I weren't involved in that at all, but he must've recognised that we were part of the Triad. He tried to threaten me, and when I stood my ground, he threatened to go after Bolin — and I lost it." He pulled the collar of his coat up and deliberately avoided Korra's gaze.

"Bolin doesn't know, does he?"

Mako shook his head. "I kept him out of most of the gang stuff. Didn't want him getting in as deep as I was. Bo's a good kid."

"He had good guidance." Now Korra did rest her hand on his shoulder. "Mako, Bolin wouldn't be the wonderful person he is if it weren't for you. You did what you had to do to survive. I don't hold that against you."

"I do," Mako said candidly. "Ever since I got out of that life, I've done everything I could to distance myself from it. It's one of the reasons I went into the police force — and I'm still shocked Beifong accepted me with my rap sheet."

"You earned a lot of brownie points helping the Avatar take down Amon and the Equalists."

"It's the same reason I was willing to sacrifice myself to take down the Colossus," Mako continued, as if he hadn't heard her. His left arm twitched reflexively. "If someone had to die, better that it was me."

"What you did that day was heroic, Mako," Korra said sharply. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again — the words 'thank you' don't feel enough."

"Yes, but when it comes down to it, nothing will erase the bad things I did." Mako's amber eyes were anguished. "My time with the Triple Threats — it tainted me, Korra. It feels like it was so easy for me to do those things…and now I know why. It runs in my blood."

Korra shook her head; the stubborn man still wasn't getting it. "Mako, we've all done things we're not proud of." Echoes of childish remonstrations about 'sides' and a wholly inappropriate temper tantrum at the police station came to mind. "But our past choices don't define us, and neither do our ancestors. Azula might have done terrible things, but Lord Zuko would tell you she did have some redeeming qualities. She just didn't choose to lean into them, to try to become a better person." Her hand went up to cup his cheek, to keep his gaze focused on her; the intimacy of the gesture wasn't lost on either of them. "You are not your grandmother, Mako. None of us choose our ancestors. And you may have made some bad choices, but that's not who you are."

"And who am I?" He sounded lost, like a child desperately seeking validation. Korra wondered how much his internal conflicts had been eating at him; she berated herself for not noticing sooner.

"You're a city boy," Korra said fondly. "You're an amazing firebender and a beautiful soul who's had a difficult life, but you've come out stronger for it. You're a detective, and a damn good one. You're Bolin's brother, and an integral part of Team Avatar. You're a good person, no matter what you've had to do in the past."

She hesitated, but plowed on, softly, "You're someone I'll always love."

Mako met her eyes directly for the first time that night, and it struck Korra that she had never seen those amber orbs so open. Mako had kept so much of himself hidden away from everyone for so long, but now the dam had broken, and she saw him for who he truly was.

And she loved the man he was.

Without thinking, she closed the distance between their lips. For the first time in three years, she was kissing Mako. And Mako kissed her back — tangling his fingers in her hair, pressing her waist to his — but all too soon, he pulled back, panting slightly.

"Korra, I…"

"I'm sorry," she said immediately. She was not going to let this devolve into a shouting match like the last time she'd kissed him unexpectedly. "If — if this isn't what you want —"

"No, that's not — I want it," he confessed. "I've wanted it since we broke up…but I don't think now's the time. My head's not right, and…" He huffed, resting his forehead against hers. "If we do this — when we do this, I need it to be right. We do it right this time, or not at all. I don't think I can watch you walk away again. So…" He withdrew slightly to look her in the eye again. "Can we take it slow?"

His golden gaze was full of earnest hope and smouldering passion, and Korra knew she wouldn't be able to walk away from him again, either.

"All right, cool guy," she said with a smile. "Slow it is."

A/N: So...yeah. That's what I've got. I have nothing against Korrasami, I just ship Makorra more. And I think they do still love each other even in Books 3 and 4 - but they had a lot of growing to do before they could make a relationship work. But it is SO hard to find good Makorra fic post-Book 4, which is part of my motivation for posting this up separately from the (as yet unrealised) main story.

As for the idea that Mako and Bolin are descended from the Fire Nation Royal Family...it's not a concept I've seen done in any of the TLOK fanfic I've read, but it seems feasible. We know nothing about their mother, and Mako's a fantastic firebender and lightningbender - my brother made an offhand comment that we've typically only seen that kind of talent in the royal family, so I just ran with it.

Reviews make me happy! Let me know what you think!