Finally an update!
Peaceful darkness surrounded the young couple. Sheets were tangled up from the young woman's efforts to stay comfortable throughout the night. Wisps of air fluttered against the curtains in the October night, creating ghost-like flows in the fabric. The clouds glided across the sky blissfully.
Mako hugged his wife close, resting his head on her shoulder. His arm draped over her protruding belly and mindlessly rubbed it. That was his kid in there. He breathed in the smell of her hair. It was sweet and fresh, just like her. With a sigh, he snugged half-consciously into her hair.
If you asked him if a minute or an hour had passed since that sweet moment, he wouldn't be able to tell you. All he could register now was that it was late and that he was lying on the floor face-down.
He sat up on the cold hardwood with a sleepy groan. What happened?
He blinked his crusty eyes, trying to make out the image in front of him. Korra was still sleeping soundly, her back to him. A soft snort broke through her lips before she muttered herself back into silence. The sight was so pleasant and beautiful, he couldn't find it in him to be irritated. She was so peaceful in her deep sleep.
Perhaps he had just fallen out of the bed. It happens.
Mako climbed back onto the mattress and burrowed himself deep into the blankets. He rested on his side so his back was to her, just to give her a little more space. With a quiet yawn, he drifted back to sleep.
Something bumped him.
His eyes creaked open and glanced over his shoulder. Korra had flipped over in her sleep, and now her stomach was resting against his back. Her hair was mangled from her tossing and the blankets had been kicked off her feet. Her cheek was pressed against the pillow and a single line of drool dripped onto it. Still adorable… except the drool.
Mako's eyebrow twitched. He loved Korra alright, but nobody could make drool attractive.
His eyes flickered shut once again.
Ugh, what was that? It was like there was something tapping him. It wasn't the baby kicking, was it? Mako sat up and looked at his wife. Her eyebrows were furrowed slightly. He rested a hand on her stomach.
Yup. Baby kicks.
Mako shrugged sleepily. Not much could be done about that. He laid back down on his side and stared out the window. The soft breeze was so warm and soft it felt like a wool blanket. The moon glowed whimsically in the black night. Silence oozed around him. Who couldn't love this city? It was so peaceful and calm, so serene—
"OWFF!" Mako found himself slammed back onto the floor, a horrible pain shooting up the back of his leg. The firebender grasped his shin, grinding his teeth. "Great Agni…"
His eyes slid accusingly over to Korra who had the most innocent look on her face that he could have sworn she had kicked him on purpose. With an exasperated sigh, Mako slid his pillow off the mattress and hobbled his way into the living room. He blindly grabbed a blanket off his armchair and dragged it with him onto the couch.
He flopped onto the leather and adjusted the pillow against the armrest. Tucking the blanket underneath him, he settled into the warm hug the cloth was offering him. He reached for slumber's peaceful rest once more as silence reigned in the house.
For about five seconds.
GNOOOOOOOOOKKK…..
Mako's eyes snapped open. Oh, no. Please, no.
SNROOOOKKKGGGGN…..
HROOOOOOOOOK…..
Mako groaned and flipped onto his stomach. His ochre eyes helplessly searched the darkness, frantically trying to find something to muffle the awful noise. He grasped his pillow and slammed it over the sides of his head.
Well, it was certainly better, but Korra's animalistic snoring leaked through the cotton.
Mako squeezed his eyes shut. He could practically feel the bags of skin under his eyes sag. The muscles in his shoulders protested his position. His leg throbbed from Korra's accidental assault. His chest felt constricted against the sticky leather sofa.
Oh, Agni, make it stop…
The house fell silent.
Afraid to question his answer to prayer, Mako kept his eyes closed and he dared not move a muscle. He feared that a single flinch would signal an endless tirade of groans and grunts.
After a few minutes of complete silence, he relaxed his shoulders and allowed himself to turn towards the back of the couch. His muscles sighed in relief. The pillow rested against his head, but it was no longer clutched like it was a life preserver. This position felt… comfortable. Soothing.
The firebender allowed himself to try one more time. He settled deeper into the couch and—
"Mako."
For the third time that night, the firebender found himself on the floor.
"For Agni's sake, what?!" The soon-to-be father searched the darkness frantically. His nerves were shot; his energy felt frayed at the tips; his eyeballs burned.
"Calm down, it's only me. Jeesh." The sound of Korra's voice melted over him like butter. Mako squinted and saw the Avatar standing before him, her sheet draped over her like a cloak. Her blue eyes shined sleepily in the darkness.
The firebender sighed. "What is it, Korra?"
"I can't sleep."
"Oh, really?" He couldn't help it. An eyebrow shot up and an exasperated huff escaped his lips.
Korra glared at him. "Yes, really. What's that look?"
"It's the 'I-know-you're-lying-because-you-snored-like-a-rhino-lion' look." He leaned against the armrest of the sofa, a sour expression fixated on his face.
"My apologies, your highness, but what I meant to say was 'I can't sleep anymore because I had a nightmare'."
"Oh." Gee, what a great husband he was. Mako patted the couch cushion beside him and Korra sat down facing him. He held back a yawn. "Want to talk about it?"
"No." The waterbender looked down at the cracked leather and traced the seam with her finger, her eyebrows knit together. "I just wanna forget I even had it."
Mako's heart crumbled. Even after knowing her for so long, that pitiful, wounded look still stung whenever he saw it. That look meant she was scared and hurt. It still shocked him sometimes, the fact that she didn't have an impenetrable heart.
"Well… I have an idea."
"What?" Korra looked up at him hopefully.
"I could tell you what my baby-name ideas are."
Korra's eyes glimmered happily. "I was wondering if you had thought of any."
"Oh, yeah, you kidding?" Mako smiled in the dark. "This is my kid we're talking about here. I want to know as soon as possible."
"Okay. What were you thinking?" The waterbender crawled over to her husband and laid down on his chest, her belly facing the ceiling.
"Well, first off, we're not going to use names of friends or family members, right?"
"Not unless you want to." Korra wrinkled her nose. "I'm not crazy about the idea. I want something original."
"My thoughts exactly." Mako stared up at the wooden paneling above them. "What about Saki?"
Korra laughed. "You want our kid named after an alcoholic beverage?"
Mako blinked, then shook his head. "I hadn't thought about that. Okay, scratch that one. How about… Chem?"
"Chem? Hmmm… I don't know anyone with that name. What's it mean?"
"It means gem. It's a girl name, and I thought if she's related to you she's gonna be a real gem, so…"
Korra lightly smacked his shoulder and giggled. "I like it… what about a boy name?"
"I was thinking Jian. It means strength and, well, as Bo put it, you're strong, fun, and beautiful."
Korra giggled. "Bo said that, huh?"
Mako grinned. "Yeah, back when we first met you. He did call himself gorgeous in comparison, though."
The firebender could practically hear his wife rolling her eyes. "Hmm… Jian… It's alright."
"Alright? I thought you'd like that one."
"I do, but I have some ideas, too."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"How about Yhao?"
Her response was a silent grimace. She sat up and crossed her arms, twisting her head to look at him. "What? You don't like it?"
Mako ran a hand through his scruffy hair and groaned. "It's a nice name, but… There's this guy at work named Yhao who's a total drunken ass and I don't want him thinking we named our kid after him. He'll probably want a shrine dedicated to himself or something."
Korra looked down thoughtfully. "Yhao… Yhao… Wait, is he that guy from work that almost got you fired because he yelled out that I was pregnant in front of Bei Fong—"
"Yes. Thank you for that trip down memory lane." A blush stained his cheeks despite the amount of time that had passed since that embarrassing day.
"Okay, okay. Sorry. Well I didn't love it anyway. How about Hai?"
"Hai… for a boy or girl?"
"It's for either one."
"What's it mean?"
"Heck if I know." Korra shrugged. "I just like it 'cause it sounds nice."
Mako's laughter filled the dark apartment. "What's your top picks?"
Korra smiled at her belly. "I like Genji for a girl, and Zheng for a boy."
A few moments of silence ensued. All was still and quiet. Crickets chirped outside and the fan hummed lazily above their heads, lulling them in the dark night.
"I like them both."
"I like Jian better than Zheng, though." Korra looked up at Mako. But I want Genji if it's a girl."
"Just what I was thinking." Mako kissed her on the forehead. "Feeling better?"
"Much… want to try to sleep?"
Mako yawned. He was definitely exhausted now. "Sure."
The couple shuffled back to their room, hand in hand. Korra flopped unceremoniously onto the mattress and was out within seconds. Mako stretched and sat on the edge of it, looking at his wife. His eyes drifted down to her stomach. A living bond between them was sleeping soundly within his love's belly, and soon it would be a tangible person. A life he could nurture and protect.
It could be a boy, a roughhousing little fighter that he could fake wrestle with and teach to firebend, provided he was a bender.
It could be a girl, a sweet little angel that could manipulate his heart with her tears and get him to do whatever she wanted because he would love her so much.
It could be either one. And he was thankful.
Mako leaned over and kissed Korra on the forehead. She wiggled in her sleep.
His head met the pillow for the first time in—seemingly—forever. The busy thoughts in his head slowly stopped bouncing around his skull, hushed by the cool autumn night. He hugged his wife to his chest, stroked her soft hair, and let his heavy eyelids hood his bloodshot ochre eyes. Peace, at la-
"OOF!"
x…x…x
Bolin woke up, startled. Pabu was chirping wildly and something was that thumping?
It couldn't be the door. Not at this hour.
The earthbender hurriedly stumbled into the living room and felt around for the light switch. Brightness blinded him as the bulbs flickered to life. He staggered to the door and pressed his ear to the wood.
"Who's there?"
"It's me."
Bolin frowned. Mako?
Bo opened the door and—behold—his brother stood before him in his pajamas, his shoulders sagging, his eyes droopy and red, his hair mangled.
"Mako? What… what happened to you? Did someone attack you or something?"
"No… well, not on purpose…"
Bolin watched, confused, as Mako held up the pillow and blanket he had clutched in his hands. "Uh… come on in, bro…"
Mako nodded his head in gratitude and limped into the room. Without a word, he wrapped the blanket around himself, plopped his pillow onto the couch, and fell onto the cushions.
"Mako, are you feeling okay? What happen—?"
It was too late. Mako had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Bolin chuckled. "Out like a light."
He flicked the lights off, masking the apartment in complete darkness once again. He sauntered back into his bedroom and cuddled himself into the mattress. So Mako would stay the night. Not a big deal. Bo would have someone to cook for in the morning, which was always fun, and maybe he could catch up with his brother.
Pabu jumped back up onto Bolin's shoulder, gargling happily. A few moments later, the gargles turned into soft wheezes. Bo closed his eyes. Ah, quiet peace once again.
Clouds shifted across the sky, screening the creamy moon. A soft mist settled on the ground. The sounds of night whispered in soothing tones.
HGROOOOOOCK… BRNNKKKKKOOOOOG
Bolin's eyes snapped open.
Oh, no…
x…x…x
That's the fic!
For some reason, ironic humor like this always gets me.
Keep Calm, Leaf On!
~JasmineDragon818