Prompt #74 - Pickup Lines from 100makorrathemes on tumblr.

Word Count: 1,770

Author's Note: I had fun with this one! Review and let me know what you think.

Korra got the idea one morning when Mako passed her her usual steaming cup of oolong tea, brushing his thumb lazily along the back of her hand as he did so, and she realized that the little spark that had always accompanied his touch had disappeared without her noticing.

She hopped up on the kitchen counter and clasped the warm cup between her hands as sunlight flooded in through the window and fell on her lap, before dipping her head down to take a sip as she mulled over the thought.

"Mako?"

He hummed in response from his spot at the stove where he was deftly scrambling eggs while pouring himself coffee, only half dressed for work. His white tank top was haphazardly tucked into his work pants, and his hair was still mussed from bed.

She thought she'd come right out with it.

"Do you ever feel like the romance is dying?"

Mako choked on his coffee and turned from the pan to fully face her, expression a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"I- what-" He sputtered, then ran a tiredly hand over his face as he set his cup down. "Do you have to be so blunt this early in the morning?"

Korra just grinned at him over her tea, and took another sip, shrugging as she picked around her words.

"I just mean, we've known each other for… six years, now? Been living together for two? And, I dunno, there's no mystery anymore. We know each other. And we're both working all the time, and I'm gone for… weeks sometimes. You almost died twice last month on the job - nothing new there. Everything just feels so… monotonous lately. Normal. Boring. Is that just me?"

Mako stared at her with a deadpan look in his eyes for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to the eggs.

"So you want to… what?" he asked. "Spice up our love life or something? Kama sutra?"

Korra shrugged hesitantly. "I don't know."

Mako was quiet as he scooped the cooked eggs into two bowls, grabbed forks from a drawer, and brought them over to her side of the kitchen. He handed her a bowl as he leaned against the counter and took a bite.

"Well…" he replied slowly, chewing in contemplation as he stared out the window at the sunrise over the bay. "I won't lie, it's been a while since we've done something actually romantic, per se. And sometimes it's a pain having to deal with you when you come home from your trips all… needy." Korra knocked him playfully on the shoulder when he chuckled.

"I just feel like we… need a little something different every once in a while," she said. "Just to keep the spark alive. Don't you think?"

Mako cocked an eyebrow at her. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, funny you ask that," Korra began with an awkward laugh. "Su was telling me just the other day that she and Bataar sometimes… well, I'm not sure if you'd be up for it, but… roleplaying?" She watched him nervously for his reaction as he looked at her and swallowed his bite. "Not if you think that'd be weird, though!" she hurried to add. "She just said it was a good way to be adventurous, and change things up, but also that it added a creative aspect to the-"

Mako held a hand up to stop her.

"When do we start?"

.

.

.

There was a robbery on Main Street that day. Nothing serious, just another attack by some Triad members looking to terrorize a few shop owners and make off with their goods; the police had arrived on the scene almost immediately and taken control of the situation. They were loading the Triads, handcuffed and more than a little angry, into the back of a police van by the time Korra arrived. She was by no means needed there, but she'd been in the area after a formal event with Earth Kingdom royalty (and was still dressed to the nines), and had thought she'd drop by to make sure everything was fine when she caught sight of Mako. He was standing off to the side of the road interviewing an older man - most likely the shop owner - with his logbook out, pen flying across the paper as he took notes. This was her opportunity.

Korra waited for him to finish, chatting amicably with some other officers until she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Mako give a curt nod of thanks to the owner and flip his notebook shut. Before he had a chance to catch sight of her, she quickly slipped away from the cops and crossed the street, sauntering up behind him as he surveyed the scene.

She stopped a few feet away, hands clasped behind her back and leaning forward on her toes as she cleared her throat, catching his attention.

Mako glanced over passingly, then did a double take, eyes going wide as he recognized her, taking in the form fitting, short, black dress she was wearing and softly curled hair that fell past her shoulders in glossy waves. (If there was one person she trusted enough to go to for these things, it was Asami.)

"Officer," Korra (almost) purred, an impish smile slowly forming on her face when Mako took a second too long to respond.

"Ko- oh." He caught on and cleared his throat awkwardly, eyes still hovering on the dress. "Avatar."

Korra flipped her hair over her shoulder and cocked her hip, nonchalantly looking out over the stretch of road in front of them. "I thought I might be needed, but I see you've taken care of everything here?"

Mako nodded vaguely, glancing up into her eyes which seemed to be larger and more… sultry than usual. And was she wearing blush?

"What a shame." Korra stepped closer to him and lifted a hand to run it lightly down his arm.

"…oh?" Mako managed to choke, grip suddenly very tight on his logbook.

"Mhmm," she nodded. "I was hoping I'd get to see you use that… gun of yours," she said, biting her lip and raking her eyes over his city-issued uniform. "You know it should be illegal to be this sexy? I've heard that you-" she broke off suddenly, standing back.

"…. you're laughing!?" Korra watched open-mouthed as Mako bent over and held back a snort of laughter, turning away from her.

"I'm- I'm sorry, it's just- really?" he wheezed. "Cop pick-up lines? Really Korra? Spirits!"

Korra glared and haughtily folded her arms over her chest, turning her nose up. "Excuse me?! Well, you try this then, Captain! It's harder than you'd think."

Mako just laughed again, eyes crinkling from his smile, and appraised her as she tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Alright." he coughed out finally just before she stormed off. "Fine. But I'm sure I can do a hell of a lot better than that."

.

.

.

He didn't.

Sure, the dark plastic bag he carried home the next day containing his purchase of red, lacy, stringy… material (he wasn't quite sure how it would go on as much as he was sure it would look good) had held so much hope for the night when he'd been paying for it. He'd even gone through the trouble of lighting a few candles and making a bath and setting the mood with some quiet music before Korra came home, and carefully placed the new set of lingerie on the bed so she would see it the moment she entered the room.

But sometime between then and now, when Mako and Korra stood staring at their disaster of a bedroom, Naga had managed to get into the house.

Water was flooding onto the floor from the now cracked tub, the carpet was torn in multiple places, the curtains were low key flaming after their encounter with the candles, and in the middle of it all, sitting on the broken bed with her head sagging in embarrassment and strings of red cloth still hanging in tatters from her mouth, was Naga herself.

Korra coughed.

"This… may not be a well known fact. But, uh, sometimes polar bear dogs are similar to bull-yaks in that when they see the color red, they…" she drifted off at the look on his face.

They stood in silence for a long moment.

"Would I have at least looked good in it?"

"So good."

"Damn."

.

.

.

Korra had her second chance a few days later while the two were shopping for the week's groceries. She'd done her research this time, and asked someone she trusted for advice before rushing headlong into it, and she felt prepared with the perfect angle. Mako was rummaging through a cart of fruit when she ambled up next to him, carelessly grabbing an apple and tossing in the air as she blatantly eyed him up and down and threw him a confident smirk. Acting toward her as any other stranger would, he ignored her until she she spoke.

"So," Korra drawled as she leaned in close, batting her eyelashes and looking up at him with heavily lidded eyes. Her full lips parted enticingly. "Papaya."

Mako broke character.

"I… what?"

His befuddled expression must have spoken volumes to her, because all he got in response was a frustrated growl as Korra threw her arms up and turned away from him, muttering something that sounded oddly like, "Damn it, Aang."

.

.

.

The accidental face full of pie was the last straw for Korra.

She stood facing an apologetic Mako with both hands placed on her hips and the angriest expression she could muster on her face (not that he could see it from behind the copious amounts of whipped cream still dripping onto her clothes and to the ground).

"Mako!" she growled, jabbing an angry finger in his chest to punctuate every word. "You'd better believe you're going to clean this mess up."

Mako held his hands up in surrender. "Korra, I swear I wasn't-"

But before he could finish his sentence, she'd grabbed him by his collar and dragged him to their bed, shoving him unceremoniously down on it and then climbing onto him, firmly planting herself on his lap.

"And you can start by licking this the fuck off me while you're ripping my clothes off. Is that clear?"

Mako looked up quickly into her flashing eyes for one shocked moment, then smirked. His hands came up around her waist to grip tight before he yanked her down and they fell onto the sheets together, cream flying everywhere.

"Crystal."