Mako enjoyed being in the kitchen. He'd become comfortable there. Every night he stood over that stove, making komodo chicken stir fry or roast vegetables or sticky buns or any number of things, and for a long time, he'd been indifferent to it all. He had to eat and Bolin had to eat, so he had to cook. Maybe it was when he and Korra moved in together, when he learned what foods she loved and which ones made her cringe and which ones made her clothes come off, that he started enjoying it.
Yeah, that might have been it.
He was in the kitchen now, scraping the inside of a bowl as he folded the batter, the smooth, dark brown batter. It had just the right smell of cocoa, just the right sheen. He had the cake recipe memorized, after all.
"Hey," Korra said, approaching him. She bumped her hip against his. "What are you making?" She bumped him again and he lost his footing this time, catching himself. "Ooh, dessert!" And before she could stop him, she'd dipped her finger in, scooping out a bit of batter before popping it into her mouth.
Mako rolled his eyes. "How many times have I told you not to eat raw batter?"
"Too many." She laughed, leaning her head against his arm, sucking on her finger. She hummed a little as she walked behind him. He poured the batter into the pan, opened the oven door, and pushed it inside. He grabbed the bowl of frosting and continued whipping it higher, lighter, fluffier. She continued. "You're such a good cook, you know that? Even if it is kinda girly."
"…Excuse me?" he said. "What do you mean 'girly'?"
Her arms wrapped around his waist from behind, her hands locked, and he felt her face pressed against his back. Her voice was muffled as she spoke into his shirt. "Baking?"
"What!"
"Well, even if you are a bit girly, that's just the way I like you. I like you cooking."
He turned then and looked down at her. Korra was grinning up at him, her chin on his chest. His arms made their way around her as well.
"You're just saying that because you can't cook at all."
"Maybe, maybe not."
He smirked and curved his neck down for a kiss. She stood on her toes to meet his lips. She tasted like chocolate. "Be honest," he said, holding her tight.
She laughed, sneaking a finger into the bowl of frosting and wiping it onto his cheek. "Nope!"
"C'mon, Korra." He grinned.
"You're just…" she began, averting her eyes. Then she stood on her toes once more, kissing the frosting off his face, her tongue licking his skin. "You just look really sexy when you're cooking, okay?"
He couldn't help but laugh then, and she tried to twist away, tried to hide her flushed cheeks, but he wouldn't let her. She was far too cute when she was embarrassed. So he pulled her closer and lifted her off the ground, holding her tight in his arms and he kissed her again, kissed her cheek, kissed her neck, kissed her lips.
She was hesitant at first, but soon her legs wrapped around his hips and they were tumbling to the ground, rolling over the floor and tangling up in each other. They laughed as they kissed, Korra pinning him down, running her fingers through his hair, sighing when he sucked on her neck.
He did not notice that the cake was burning.
And really, he didn't care.