Chapter 13

"UGH GOD SO MANY FINALS." Korra groaned from her hunched over position, she was currently pouring over all her text books, seeing as winter break started in a little over a week, basically every class had a final or some sort of huge test. Much to every students pleasure.

"Yelling isn't helping." Rachel snapped. After her failed attempt to get a pregnancy test several days ago she had been agitated by the slightest things. Banana's that were too brown, when the corner of the rug was sticking up, if the same commercial came on twice, just about anything could set her off.

"Sorry." Korra muttered, hiding behind her books.

Rachel huffed slightly, glaring at her computer screen in anger as it froze while trying to load an online text book.

"Fuck." Tess exclaimed after a few moments of quiet.

"What is it?" Asami asked, genuine concern in her voice. It wasn't that Tess didn't care about her grades, far from it, but she never let herself get stressed studying.

"Fucking cookie clicker just crashed." Tess said, something akin to offence coloring her tone.

Asami sighed, looking back into her mechanics book, but not before checking her phone quickly first, she couldn't wait till 9. Iroh was leaving a week before winter break, and Asami was going with him.

{(sry Asami ilu buuuut too many charactrersdasdwes)}

"You still didn't get a test for Rachel?" Zuko asked, looking shocked, "Don't you guys wanna know if-"

"I think everyone knows." Bolin cut him off, looking up from his paper to raise an eyebrow at Zuko. "It's pretty safe to assume there is a baby in there." He finished, shrugging his shoulders as he refocused his attention on the paper before him.

"If you say so." Zuko replied noncommittally.

"I say so. She say so. We say so." Bolin said, his tone was absent-minded though and it was obvious he was using his 'Super-rock-earth-bending-mind-strength' (His words not Zuko's) to focus on his work.

Zuko blinked, turning back to his laptop. This cookie clicker game Tess was so obsessed with was… difficult to understand. He kept clicking, but he felt no sense of satisfaction. He had thought the game would be a good talking point, a good excuse to talk to her, but it simply left him confused.

"Do you know where Jet goes on holidays?" Zuko asked finally, wondering if Jet would be off ruining someone else's life.

"I dunno, ask Natalie."

"That has the success rate of invading Russia in winter."

"Maybe we should go shopping in the 'baby' section for Bolin and Rachel." Natalie said casually, chuckling slightly as she check the price tag on a nice pair of boots.

"Har har har." Mako muttered under his breath. "You have a lot of jokes about babies and all things involved don't you."

"I do have a lot of sexual jokes yeah." Natalie replied, moving over to a different pair of shoes, Mako following behind.

They were headed out doing 'Santa Shopping' (Natalie's phrase for Christmas shopping.)

"But seriously, what should I get Bolin?" Natalie said, turning suddenly to look as Mako.

"Hm, welllll, I dunno." Mako replied after some thought, "He has food and shelter, we never really worried about anything else before."

Natalie's eyebrows drew together as she frowned, "Don't say sad things."

"Heh, sorry. Anyways just make him food he likes food."

"Ok, well, he was the last guy on my list." She replied happily, pulling out a hand-written list and checking off Bolin's name.

"I'm not on the list huh?" Mako remarked, reading over her shoulder.

"Only good little boys and girls get on Santa's list."

"Hmm, well I think I can find a way to get myself off the naughty list."

Natalie grinned at him, "Yeah, like help me get Korra a gift, c'mon."

"Hey! Natalie, Mako! What's up?"

The couple turned at the sound, searching for it source, only to find Jet walking towards them casually.

"What bring you guys here?" Jet questioned once he reached them.

"Santa Shopping." Natalie replied.

"Really, do you think you could help me out?" Jet said eagerly, "I need to get Tess a gift but I have no idea what to get her."

"A chastity belt."

"Ha." Jet snorted shooting Mako a look.

Natalie laughed, "Ha, I knew there was a reason I kept you around. Anyways, Jet get her a diamond ring."

"What seriously why do I-"

"I was kidding." Natalie cut Jet off with a punch to the shoulder.

"Oh. Yeah. Right." Jet muttered nervously.

"Get her a funny t-shirt, or like a Supernatural one or something of the like." Mako suggested.

"Or some ceramic-y stuff."

"Those are actually good ideas."

Natalie and Mako glanced at each other, sharing a look in response to Jet's genuinely shocked tone.

"Well, hey thanks you guys I gotta go. Catch ya later!" Jet said as he headed off towards the other end of the mall.

Natalie and Mako watched him go quietly.

"Buy me food."

Tess looked around the campus quad. She wanted to go for a walk to take a break from cookie clicker. That game was both amazing and scary. Not many other students were out and about though, Tess figured they were all studying for their test. 'Every fucking professor is giving a test. Fucking fuck.'

She walked a few more meters before something cold touched her face. She looked up in confusion. To her surprise, snow had started falling. Tess grinned, she hadn't seen snow since she had moved into the city because it never snowed there. She stood still for a few moments enjoying the feeling of the snow falling on her. Smiling again, she turned and raced back toward her dorm to get everyone outside, only to run face first into Zuko's chest.

"Ooph." Tess grunted as she stumbled backwards, her fall only stopped back Zuko reaching out and grabbing her wrists.

"Whoa, hey are you ok?" Zuko asked, concern creasing his brow.

"Huh, Zuko? Yeah, I'm fine, why are you out here?" Tess asked, shaking off her stumble.

"Not following you. Or watching- er, keeping an eye on you. Not those things." Zuko replied quickly.

Tess raised an eyebrow, "Ok… but if you aren't doing those things, then what are you doing?"

"Uh, I was just um. Walking. Needed some air." Zuko said tripping over his words slightly as he regained his cool. Or tried to.

"Studying?"

"No, um, actually I was playing cookie clicker."

"WHAT? I love that game! It's so fun isn't it!" Tess said, suddenly very eager.

"Oh yeah I love it. Could barely tear myself away." Zuko said slowly, seeing as it was a total lie.

"Huh, yah know, we're really 'clicking', huh?" Tess said, laughing aloud at her own joke.

Zuko chuckled too, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, whenever Tess focused her attention solely on him, he always got flustered.

"So, you see snow before?" Tess asked casually, waiting for Zuko to follow her back to the dorms.

"Yeah, actually. I've done a lot of travelling." He said falling in stride beside her.

"Oh? Cool! Where are you heading after this then?"

"Um. I dunno. I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well, you have time. You can always come live with me!"

"Really? I'd lo-"

"And Jet!"

"Riiight."

"Whoa, what is going on?" Mako asked, jumping slightly in surprise.

"What, what's happening?" Natalie spun around, giving Mako a worried look.

"The sky, its…"

"Don't tell me you've never seen snow before?" Natalie asked laughing as her stance relaxed.

"No, well, only on TV and stuff. I've never actually seen snow falling." Mako murmured his voice somewhat awestruck.

Natalie smiled but said nothing in reply, her face softening as she took in Mako's childish awe.

"C'mon city boy, it'll be falling all over town and we need to head back before it gets too cold." Natalie said, tugging his arm to get him to follow along.

Mako looked back at the falling snow one last time before tugging Natalie into his arms and tucking her head under his chin.

"I'll keep you warm. I'll have you know I'm, and don't tell anyone, but I'm a firebender." Mako said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Wow, a real living firebender." Natalie whispered in fake awe.

Mako grinned down at her, but he was starting to notice how cold it was getting.

He reached up and tugged his scarf off, and then proceeded wrapped it around Natalie's neck, pulling it all the way up over her nose.

He started to pull back, only to lean back in and kiss her lips over the scarf.

"Alright, alright, enough mush, more march leggo."

"Christmas is so cloooose!" Rachel said in response to 'Jingle Bells' being played rather loudly in the student quad.

Korra looked up at Rachel, "Yeah, we know. But you know what's closer?"

"The booty?"

"Exams, study." Korra said in a no-nonsense.

Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but the door was thrown open and Natalie jumped into the room.

"GUYS IT IS SNOWING!

"SNOW?" Korra exclaimed, jumping up and running to throw the curtains open.

"We should take the rest of the day off." Korra proclaimed once she had confirmed that it was, in fact, snowing.

"But you just sa-"

"Shhh, snow, Asami, snow. I haven't seen that since I left home. It is my duty as the avatar to go and play in that snow." Korra said firmly, grabbing Asami and dragging her towards the door. Natalie and Rachel watched them go.

"I guess I should go help Asami. I imagine the snow-ball fight will be of epic proportions." Rachel said, smiling, "You gonna join us?"

"Nah, I've been out all day and now I have to study."

"Study. Riiiight."

"Well, I'll try."

"I've never really been that fond of the snow." Zuko said absently as he walked back towards the dorms with Tess.

"Huh? Why not?" Tess said frowning.

"I'm a firebender, I dunno. Just not my favo- Oof!" Zuko huffed, wiping the snow off his face and turning to face a grinning Tess and fixing her with a glare.

"Uh, it was Natalie…?" Tess said nervously, before breaking into a run towards their dorms where Rachel, Korra, Bolin, and Asami could be seen having a snow ball fight of their own.

Zuko allowed himself a smile before chasing after her.

"Guys, I love snow." Korra said, her head poking out from her blanket.

The group had played in the snow for hours, Jet, Natalie, and even Mako joining in at one point.

They were now snuggling comfortably in Natalie and Mako's room on the floor where they had made a nest of blankets and pillows to rest and warm up in while they watched movies.

"Ah. Who doesn't?" Bolin said taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Zuko."

"Hey, I played in the snow too didn't I?"

"Fair enough." Tess said, conceding with a grin that only brightened when Jet wrapped his arms around her a bit tighter.

"Yeah, but your team lost." Rachel's voice was very muffled by the blanket that was completely covering her head.

"Yeah, well you had all the water and earth benders on one team." Natalie replied without taking her eyes away from the TV screen, which was currently displaying 'A Year Without a Santa Claus'.

"Not my fault. If fireball fights were a thing, I'm sure you would win." Bolin replied as he patted around the blankets trying to find Rachel.

"No. I would still win." Tess said, looking Bolin dead on with a stern look.

"O-o-ohkay." Bolin stuttered nervously, sliding under the covers in an attempt to hide.

"All y'all shush. The Heat miser song is coming on and everyone best be singing." Natalie said, silencing everyone, "'specially you Mako." She said calling out Mako, who was currently running his fingers through her hair to get the snow fight-induced knots out as per her request, "Yeah yeah, whatever you say babe."

Korra watched her friends fondly as Natalie turned around to sass Mako for his use of the word babe, looking around the rest of the group Korra realized that this was the first time everyone was together and relaxed like this.

'I don't want things to change. I want to stay like this forever.' Korra thought wistfully, her throat tightening at the thought of everyone going their separate ways after college.

'I guess I, we, just have to make these years count then.'