Title: Winter
Summary: [written for day 3 of Makorra Week | fluff with a hint of angst | Makorra]
Words: 531
"This spot taken?"
Her blue eyes trail away from the raging fire before her, slowly moving up the young man's figure and meeting those amber eyes of his she loved so dearly. He dons a shy smile – something unusual for the firebender, though she assumes it is due to her parents' presence in the kitchen just down the hall – and gestures to the spot on the floor beside her.
She shrugs her shoulders from beneath the warmth of her blanket and turns her attention back toward the fire. Although she hasn't given a definite answer, the firebender takes her vague action as her usual sure, I guess, and carefully lowers himself to the ground, crossing his legs and sitting beside her.
She notices the young man beside her shivering, despite the warmth which emits from the flames of the fireplace, and she must remind herself that he isn't used to a cold climate such as this. She has experienced winter in Republic City, something the young man always said he would die from given the temperatures. She laughed at the statement, of course, telling him winter in the city was mere child's play compared to the weather of the South which remained year-round.
She pulls one side of her blanket away from her, allowing the cold air to nip at her body, and scoots closer to the young man. He watches her closely, and although she can feel the heat of a blush spreading across her face, she doesn't dare stop her actions. She flings the side of the blanket up and over his broad shoulders to the best of her ability and allows her hand to linger near his bicep. Her head comes to rest against him, and she inhales the scent of him through the fabric of his thermal shirt. He's much warmer than her, something she has always loved, often telling him he is her own personal, human blanket, and she presses as much of herself against him as she can.
His arm finally comes to wrap around her small frame, holding her close while he wraps the blanket around them with his free hand. His head rests gently against hers and he sighs in content. His hand begins tracing patterns against Korra's side, sending shivers down her spine, and a smile spreads across his face.
She spent many cold nights alone growing up, and now with Mako in her life, she had never spent them alone again. He would warm her with his embrace and his kisses, and that was something she cherished and looked forward to the most each year. She never imagined that those moments would be ripped away from her after Unalaq and Vaatu's defeat, leaving her alone on those cold nights once again; and yet, here she was, back in that moment she longed for the entire year. What this meant regarding their relationship status, she didn't dare ask, fearing she would ruin this moment; however, whatever it meant, she knew it was a step in the right direction.
A step closer for the two of them to get back on track, and her back in his arms on those cold, winter nights.