Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay, this one was just really hard to write. I'm totally not satisfied with the ending of the chapter, but I really wanted to keep moving on in the story so this was just a bump I had to get over.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Also Korra ends December 19th... let's all pray for each other!

~Korra~

They sat together on an abandoned dock, looking out at the darkened Air Temple Island across the bay. Korra's legs swung out in front of her, skimming the chilly water with the toes of her boots.

It was late; probably two or three in the morning. Korra hadn't planned to stay out this late, but losing track of time with Mako was an easy thing to do. After their conversation in the noodle shop the pair had simply walked around the city, enjoying each other's company. Mako explained the layout of the streets to her and acted as her own personal tour guide.

Soon they'd found themselves at the quiet docks. Korra had requested to sit and spend some time at the water's edge; she wasn't ready to swim back to the island just yet.

Sighing, the Avatar stretched out her arms and laid her back flat against the wooden pier. Mako glanced down at her.

"Tired?"

"Nah," she answered, staring up at the stars. "Just… content."

Mako hummed in agreement and pulled his knees up under his chin.

"Does anyone know you snuck out?" Mako asked.

Korra chuckled nervously. "No, of course not. I can't imagine the trouble I'd be in if someone found out." She paused and turned her head to the side to look up at him. "What about you?"

"Just a roommate," Mako shrugged. "Hopefully he's sleeping right now. I don't like to worry him."

"Is your roommate a Triad too?" Korra asked. Mako nodded and she grimaced at the thought.

"He's not like that," Mako said quickly. "His name is Renshu and he's only a kid. He… reminds me of my little bro."

Korra pursed her lips in understanding and sat up, feeling slightly dizzy from the head rush. She shuffled a bit closer to the firebender. Whether he minded or not, she wasn't sure; at least he didn't move away.

Korra wasn't sure what she thought of her new friend. Can I even call him that? She pondered to herself. Korra's opinion of Mako had certainly changed over the course of the night. She'd gone from despising the very sight of the guy to… growing to enjoy his company.

He's still a dirty gangster… The voice in the back of her head chirped.

Bah, go away, Korra countered to herself, rubbing her temples in annoyance.

Korra tried to deny the fact that Mako's affiliation with the Triple Threat Triads went against her morality as the Avatar, but it wasn't as easy as she would have hoped. He helped a bunch of thugs with illegal activity. Although misunderstood, Mako still terrorized local citizens.

Surely, if Korra was thinking straight, she'd knock him out and bring him right over to the city's police station. Technically, that was her duty.

"Screw it," she muttered to herself irritably.

"What?" Mako questioned, leveling his face with Korra's to get a good look at her eyes. Korra blushed slightly and vaulted to feet, nearly whacking him in the forehead in the process.

"Nothing, nothing," Korra said casually as Mako stood up as well. She looked up at the looming moon overlooking Yue Bay. "I should really get going soon."

"Me too," Mako said regrettably. He turned to face the waterbender; he was nearly a foot taller. Korra had to crane her neck to look up at him.

"I wanted to apologize," Korra muttered.

"For what?"

"For… uh… tackling you… and punching you in the face." She rubbed her neck awkwardly and eyed the bruise that was still visible on his cheek, even in the dark.

Mako laughed. "What's this? The esteemed Avatar Korra, apologizing? Surely something's wrong here."

Korra puffed out her cheeks and punched him in the shoulder. Apparently it was a little too hard, because Mako stumbled backwards and almost fell into the bay. Korra yelped and vaulted forward, grabbing him by the scarf and pulling him back upright.

"I'm so sor – wait, no I'm not!" Korra huffed, watching with amused eyes as Mako shivered from his near plunge into the water. "You deserved that!"

Mako laughed again – a real, joyous laugh that made Korra's chest flutter. She chuckled as well – wiping at her eyes and trying to catch her breath.

"Well, I should get going. It's a long walk back to my apartment," Mako said, readjusting his scarf.

"Me too, I've gotta sneak back into my room," Korra groaned, stretching her arms out. "So when can we see each other next? Maybe next week?"

Mako faltered and frowned down at Korra. Her eyes widened slightly and her smile dropped.

Something was wrong.

"Korra… it was a fun night and all, and I'm glad we're on good terms now, but…" He looked away guiltily.

"… But, what?"

"But… we shouldn't really make this a regular thing."

"… What?"

When Korra was seven, Master Katara had fallen ill with a very severe cold. Korra had cried her eyes out and wept against Katara's bed until a White Lotus guard carried her out kicking and screaming.

During her twelfth year, while riding Naga outside of the compound, a hunter had mistaken her best friend for a wild polar bear dog and shot her in the leg with a bullet. Korra had pressed her hands to Naga's wound, sobbing, while the hunter sprinted back to the compound to get help.

Both instances had been devastating experiences for Korra.

But this… this made her hurt in an entirely foreign way.

Her heart ached, but the pain was different than what she had felt for Katara and Naga.

She felt tears stinging her eyes and willed them back; not now. She couldn't cry now.

Korra was embarrassed. Embarrassed that she had perceived Mako's actions and gestures as friendly.

He didn't want anything to do with her. Simple as that.

It hurt.

Mako was looking at her with concern in his eyes. Fake concern, that voice in Korra's mind snapped. He doesn't care about you.

"Korra, listen to me," Mako groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It just… wouldn't be a good idea. You're the Avatar and I'm…" He sighed. "If the public caught wind of this… it'd be bad for your image."

"Don't give me that bullshit," Korra said harshly. Mako flinched. "Don't act like you're trying to put me first. You never even liked me, right? Did you think it was amusing to string me along, just because I'm the Avatar and you're… a lowly thug who will never amount to anything in life?"

The air between them stilled; the atmosphere tense.

Korra felt like she was going to throw up. Her stomach churned uneasily. Did she really believe that about him? She wasn't sure, but it was hard to think straight through the angry red haze that was clouding her mind.

"If you were human at all… you wouldn't belong to the Triads. You would quit," Korra muttered furiously. "I can't believe I ever thought we could be friends."

"You're just angry, Korra," Mako huffed. "Calm down."

"It's Avatar Korra, to you," Korra snapped.

Mako pursed his lips, his amber eyes hardening. "Fine."

"Fine."

More silence.

"I'm going home," Korra stated, her voice starting to break. Not yet, she hissed to herself. Don't cry. Keep your composure.

"Me too," Mako muttered, starting to back up away from her. "I'm sorry that I upset you…"

"No you're not!" Korra cried, tears finally escaping from her eyes. Panicking, she turned and bolted toward the edge of the pier, diving into the dark, churning bay below.

Korra thought she heard Mako call her name before she jumped, but she let the water wash away any good thoughts she had once had about the firebender with the red scarf.

She swam home, sobs racking her body the entire way.

Look at that, Korra thought to herself, once she lay back down in her bed on Air Temple Island. You can't airbend, and you can't make friends.

What an Avatar you are.

Sleep was restless.

~Mako~

"You what?!" The young waterbender cried, jumping up from his perch on the couch. The dark hair on the right side of his head stuck out at gravity-defying angles; he'd been asleep when Mako had unlocked the door to the small apartment.

Mako groaned and turned away, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Renshu…"

"You made the Avatar cry?!" Renshu shook his head in disbelief. "What kind of sick monster –"

"Look, I wouldn't have told you if I didn't feel guilty about it," Mako snapped, cutting him off.

"Just… back up a little," Renshu said, plopping back onto the couch and patting the cushion next to him. Mako lowered himself down with a sigh.

"So how'd you meet her this time?"

"We… bumped into each other on the street," Mako shrugged.

"And were you civil?"

"I was," Mako said defensively. "I'm pretty sure she was going to light me on fire."

Renshu crinkled his nose. "What a great start to a first date."

"It wasn't a date!"

"Kidding, only kidding," Renshu sighed, his hands in the air. "What happened next?"

We went to Narook's and talked for a few hours," Mako muttered. "It was… uh… fun."

"We've really gotta work on your vocabulary," Renshu said. "It was only fun?"

Mako huffed. "Fine. It was amazing. She's an amazing person. She's witty and talkative and funny but also really kind and concerning, and her eyes –"

"Woah!" Renshu laughed, "I didn't mean for you to go that deep!"

"Shut up!" Mako hissed, thwacking him on the back of the head and crossing his arms angrily. Renshu laughed harder.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Mako muttered. "She hates my guts now."

Renshu's laughter stopped abruptly. "Did you tell her you couldn't…?"

"Yeah," Mako sighed. "She's the Avatar. She can't get caught up with what we do. It wouldn't be good for her image."

"Well… Did you ask her how she felt about that?"

Mako blinked. "Huh?"

Renshu rolled his eyes. "Did you give her a choice? What if she just didn't care whether you're a Triad or not?" He shrugged. "I'm sure she considered it, and if she didn't push you away then it probably meant she was fine with who you were and what you did. She just wanted to be your friend."

Mako sat there, staring at his hands as Renshu stretched out further on the couch.

"You know, I think you focus too much on trying to make everyone happy that you end up making everyone unhappy." Renshu rolled over. "Goodnight."

"… Yeah, goodnight," Mako mumbled, his mind reeling.

Well, shit.