Asami is already out of bed when Korra opens her eyes. With a stretch and a yawn, she realizes that not only is she out of bed — Asami has already left the room.

Korra lays in bed for a moment, her eyes adjusting as she takes in the room.

If you told me a week ago this is where I'd be today, I wouldn't believe you, she thinks.

The room is dark, though Korra isn't sure if it's because of the time or because of the really good black-out curtains they seem to always have in these hotels.

She checks her phone and frowns.

Seven already? she thinks. Mako wants to be on the road in a half hour

She pushes herself out of bed and tries to shake off the sleep as she makes her way into the shower. The warm water doesn't do much to wake her up, and she's still groggy a few minutes later when she steps out. She pauses to take herself in in the mirror. Her frame is skinnier than she's used to, her collar bones protruding sharply from her chest, and she frowns as she touches them.

Guess I haven't been eating too much lately, she thinks. It makes sense. Kuvira was always more of a cook than she was, and she didn't bother to buy a meal plan for this last semester. She spent most night's at her girlfriend's off-campus apartment, and that included homemade dinners.

She grabs a hand towel to dry her hair as she leaves the bathroom, steam spilling from the room when she opens the door.

Korra nearly lets out a yelp at the sight of Asami, who is standing against the wall, brow furrowed as she types on her phone. Asami's head whips up at the sound, and she breaks into an easy smile.

"Didn't mean to startle you," she says. Korra smiles back in response, and there's a beat between them as Asami seems to take Korra in.

"Mako and I got some breakfast," she says, holding up a small brown bag. "Want a doughnut?"

Korra relaxes at Asami's apparent good mood, but her ease doesn't last long when she realizes she's wearing nothing but a towel. She tenses, grabbing at the cloth to make sure it's secure around her chest.

Why do you care? she wonders. It's not like Asami hasn't seen your boobs before.

Still, she holds onto her towel as she leans forward to grab the brown bag from her friend. If Asami notices her discomfort, she doesn't seem to care. Something in the way her eyes stay on Korra the whole time as she leans forward makes her shiver, and she quickly plunges her hand into the bag to cover it up.

"Mm, Boston creme," Korra says, pulling the doughnut out.

Asami winks. "Your favorite."

Korra lets out a small cough as a blush rises to her cheeks. She's not sure if she's flustered by the fact that Asami still remembers her favorite doughnut, or by something else, but she decides to let it slide.

Asami breezes past her, and by the time Korra turns around the door to the bathroom is clicking shut.

She takes a big bite out of the pastry before putting it on the desk and turning to her duffle.

Might as well get dressed while Asami is occupied, she thinks.

She throws on some jean shorts and a tee-shirt, not taking much time to dig through her clothes for the outfit. She didn't bring much anyway, and fashion was never really her strong suit.

She's tugging the tee over her head when the bathroom door swings open. Her back is to Asami, and she quickly pulls down her hem before turning around.

"Ready to go?" she asks, taking in Asami's freshly applied makeup.

She nods. "The boys are outside. You're the last one up, sleepyhead."

Korra scoffs. "It's only seven! Besides, some of us need our beauty sleep."

"Why, Korra," Asami admonishes. "Are you calling me ugly?"

Korra goes pale. "Uh— I, no, I just meant —"

Asami cuts her off laughing. "I'm kidding, Korra. But they really are waiting for us, are you ready?"

"Right, yeah of course," Korra laughs along nervously, trying to play off how flustered she'd just gotten. She begins to follow Asami out the door but stops short, running back to the desk to grab her forgotten doughnut.

Wu leans against the car, scrolling through something on his phone. Bolin is sitting on the edge of the trunk, sipping from a large coffee as Mako packs bags around him.

"Morning Korra," Bolin calls, and she can practically hear the tiredness in his voice.

"Sleep well?" she teases, and he just grimaces in response.

"We've got to hit the road if we want to make the 12 o'clock ferry," Mako says, and Korra's eyes light up.

"There's a ferry?" She hasn't been on a boat in years, and can't contain her grin at the thought of being on the open water again.

"A ferry?" Wu asks at the same time, his face paling. "Can't we just… I don't know, go around the water?"

Mako shakes his head. "I'm not driving through the city because you're scared of a little water, Wu. We'll pick you up some dramamine?" he offers, and receives a strained smile from Wu in response.

They all pile into the car, and Korra tries to hide her disappointment when Asami calls out "shotgun!" She ends up behind Mako, with Bolin squished into her side.

They've barely made it out of the hotel parking lot when Asami is reaching for the radio. Mako stops her with a look, but Asami just beams at him.

"C'mon Mako, what's a road trip without a little music?" Asami asks, and Korra swears she sees her actually bat her eyelashes at Mako for a moment before he rolls his eyes, reaching forward to press the POWER button on the radio.

"I'm a child of backseat freedom, baptized by rock and roll," a male voice croons.

Bolin and Wu waste no time returning to their car games — this one has something to do with road signs, and Korra is quick to tune them out. Mako and Asami are talking, but she can't hear what they're saying over the music. Instead, she takes to her Instagram feed, scrolling through the photos she's missed over the past few days.

Lots of reunions, she notes, looking at pictures of her friends as they arrive home from college. A lot happier than ours.

She pauses when she reaches a photo of one of Kuvira's friends with her arm slung around none other than Kuvira herself. She doesn't remember the girl's name. She went to the same school as them, but Korra hadn't ever had a chance to meet her. Korra did always find it a little weird that she never met one of her girlfriend's oldest friends.

Then again, she never met mine either, Korra thinks, looking around at the group in the car.

Mako reaches forward to change the radio station, groaning when he can't find anything suitable.

"Why is every station out here country?" he asks, cycling through the numbers a second time. "I thought we left all that behind in Republic City."

"Hey, that sounds like a line from a country song!" Bolin says enthusiastically, putting on a drawl as he repeats Mako's words. "Left it all behind in Republic City…"

Wu picks up the next line, singing something nonsensical that somehow manages to sound good.

By sixth verse, they're all begging them to stop, but it takes until the ninth for Mako to find a station playing not playing country music. They travel for the next five minutes with Spanish music playing at full volume.

/

The car has quieted down in the last hour. Mako finally found a station that played classical music, of all things, that he insisted it was his right as the driver to play. Wu entertained himself with a GameBoy of some sort — Korra didn't know, she was never really good with video games. Asami, meanwhile, had returned to her notebook, and although Korra couldn't quite see what she was writing, she could tell there was a ton of it. Bolin has found headphones, and is bopping his head along to whatever music he's playing.

Probably that playlist he mentioned, Korra thinks.

"In one mile, take exit…" the GPS says clearly over Bach or Beethoven or whoever's music is playing over the radio, and a cheer goes up throughout the car.

"Just in time," Mako says, eyeing the clock.

11:25, Korra notes. Five minutes to spare. Thank god we didn't have to make any pit stops!

Bolin darts out of the car as soon as they're parked in line for the ferry, making a bee-line for the bathroom.

He returns a few minutes later with a hotdog in his hand.

Always count on Bo to find food, Korra thinks.

Her stomach lets out a loud poorly timed growl as she lays eyes on the bun in his hands, and she and Bolin share a look before bursting out laughing.

"C'mon, I'll show you where the food is at," he says, turning back the way he came. Korra glances behind her before leaving, but Mako is talking to a ferry attendant and Asami is conversing with Wu, and judging by the dopey smile on the kid's face she does not want to interrupt.

"Two hotdogs, please," she orders at the counter. "And extra relish."

"Condiments are over there, sweetie," the woman says, pointing to a messy counter with a few bottles of Heinz on it. "It'll be a few minutes."

Korra and Bolin sit at a picnic table while they wait for her order. They haven't gone far, just around a corner, and if she leans back she can see the tail-end of their van.

The ferry isn't leaving until 12 anyway, she thinks, but can't help but continue to check that the van is still there or for a glimpse of her friends. She feels bad that she left Asami in what was probably a very awkward situation, and is about to ask Bolin to wait for her while she checks on her friend when he speaks up.

"So," he says. "You and Mako talk yet?"

"No," Korra sighs. She bites her lip, wondering if she should say what was on her mind. She's never had to hide anything from Bolin, though, and she's not going to start now. "He won't give me the time of day. Asami on the other hand," she says, about to tell him about their conversation the night before, but he interrupts.

"I know right? They can't keep their hands off each other. You know they went out to get breakfast this morning? I caught them when they got back," he says, throwing a look over his shoulder to make sure they're still alone. "They were hugging."

Korra's jaw drops. "Wh—well, that doesn't really mean anything," she's quick to reason. "I mean, she's going through a rough time, you know?"

"Right," he says, sure to draw out the word for a second too long before giving Korra a sympathetic look, his lip pouting out. "Sorry. Forgot you guys had history," he throws the word in quotes with his fingers. He had never been thrilled about the relationship between his brother and his friend, and for good reason. It had driven a major wedge in Bolin's relationship with both Mako and Korra.

"Oh no, it's not about that," Korra insists. She's not sure whether or not she's lying.

You don't have feelings for Mako anymore, she tells herself, and she doesn't. She got over them long ago. She recognizes them for what they were: a high school romance, barely scratching the surface of real love.

Of what I had with —

"Sweetie, your dog is ready," the woman's raspy voice breaks into her thoughts, and Korra has never been happier to see a hot dog in her life.

/

The ferry is pretty empty, considering that it's the middle of a weekday. They could have their pick of booths along the windows, but Bolin runs straight for the stairs, heading up to the open top deck.

They split up, with Wu trailing behind, shivering in the cold. Mako and Asami head for the front of the boat, as Bolin climbs on everything in sight.

Korra takes her time exploring, walking from one edge of the boat to the other. It had been so long since she had been on a boat, and she savors every moment the water moves beneath her. She's not sure how long she stays like that, lost in the sway of the water as she leans against the rail.

"Hey, Korra," a soft voice says behind her, and she's surprised to see Wu standing with his hands in his pockets behind her.

"I thought you were going to head inside. You look pretty cold," she says, hoping to sound playful, but Wu's smile doesn't seem to reach his eyes, his teeth chattering.

"Got lonely," he says. "Thought I'd come check out the scene up here."

"Well, this is the best part," Korra says, looking out as the boat begins to gain some distance from the land. "Watching it all disappear behind you."

Wu doesn't seem so sure, reaching forward to grab the railing when a bit of a larger wave hits.

"As long as you're having fun, m'lady," he says, his slick smile replacing the look of worry there moments before. She doesn't respond, eyes trained on the horizon, and the look drops back off his face. "You guys um, are having fun, right?"

Korra's face softens. She's giving the kid a hard time because he's so rich, and it's hard not to resent a person who has everything handed to them so far, but he seems a little insecure, and she supposes confidence is one thing money really can't buy.

"Yeah," she says, letting a genuine smile take over her face. "Thank you for inviting me. Oh, and happy birthday!"

"Thanks," he says, giggling in a way that makes Korra question how old the kid really is. "But you're early. It's not actually until next week."

His parents sent him away on his birthday? She frowns, but decides not to comment.

"I'll bake a cake," she says instead. Wu's grin makes her think he doesn't realize she was kidding, and she has a feeling she'll have to buy a box of Betty Crocker at some point this vacation. "Come on, let's go find the others."

They cross from one end of the boat to the other, and Wu's teeth chatter louder as they walk against the wind. They round the stairwell just in time to see Mako slinging his jacket over Asami's shoulders, and Korra's heart sinks a little in her chest.

So what if they're dating or… whatever? she thinks. I guess it might get in the way of Asami and I rebuilding our friendship, but, if it makes her happy…

She sighs, unhappy that the sinking feeling is apparently there to stay.

Bolin notices Wu and Korra walking toward them, raising his hand in a wave. Asami's eyes light up as they land on the pair, and Korra can't help but return her bright smile. But then her eyes find something behind Korra's head, and they grow even wider.

She leaves Mako's side and heads towards Korra, just as the other girl turns to look behind her, finding one of those telescope viewfinders attached to the side of the boat.

"Do you have a quarter?" Asami asks, excitement clear in her voice. Mako's pockets are empty as he turns them out. Korra digs into her own, grateful when her fingers clasp the familiar cold metal of a coin. She holds it up with a grin, and Asami grabs her hand to lead her over to the machine.

She pops in the quarter and ducks down, her face near Korra's level and for the first time she realizes how much Asami has grown since she saw her last.

"Wow, look!" Asami says, pointing towards the land the boat is fast approaching, her eyes still glued to the telescope. Suddenly her arm is around Korra as she pulls the other girl forward, taking a small step back as Korra replaces her at the telescope. She keeps her hand on the viewfinder, and Korra tries to ignore the way her her heart picks up speed at the way she's trapped beneath the taller girl, her height once again glaringly obvious.

"Pretty neat," Korra says, barely taking in what's in front of her.

"You can say that again," Asami laughs in her ear, and Korra jumps away.

"Let me see," Bolin calls just in time, and Korra takes a few steps away from Asami, too aware of how hot her face feels even in the breeze. Asami glances worriedly at her for a second, but is quickly distracted when Bolin jerks the viewfinder, losing track of whatever Asami had found so fascinating.

"Whoops," Bolin says sheepishly.

"Hey Bo, where did Mako and Wu go?" Korra asks, realizing that the other two had disappeared while they had been looking at the approaching coast.

"They went to go get hot chocolate. Wu looked pretty cold," Bolin says, and Korra's happy to hear that his tone is more concern than mockery.

She fakes a shiver. "I'm beginning to think they had the right idea," she says, despite the heat still in her cheeks. "I'll meet you guys downstairs?"

Asami doesn't look away from the telescope as she throws Korra a thumbs up, and Bolin waves at her as she turns down the stairwell.

Mako and Wu have found a booth, and Wu's hands are wrapped around a steamy cup of hot cocoa.

"Korra!" Wu greets her enthusiastically. Mako looks up, and she doesn't know whether or not to be grateful that he's at least acknowledging her.

"Just looking for the bathroom, Wu," she says, only stopping at the table to steal a quick sip of Wu's cocoa. He doesn't know whether to be offended that she stole his drink or flustered, and she leaves him before he has a chance to decide.

She's washing her hands when the voice comes over the loudspeaker asking everyone to return to their cars. When she leaves the bathroom, Mako and Wu are already gone, and it takes her a few tries to find the right stairwell leading down to the van on the bottom floor of the boat.

They've already all taken their same seats, Mako apparently refreshed from the time on the boat, and it's not long before they've all taken up their previous activities, Bolin and Wu playing some hand game while Mako fidgets with the radio. Korra's eyes trail on Asami, who has pulled out her notebook again but is no longer writing in it, just frowning down at the pages.

They're barely back on the road for twenty minutes when Bolin jumps out of his seat.

"Mako, look! A Chipotle!"

Mako groans, not putting up an argument as he turns on his blinker.

/

"In a quarter mile, the destination will be on your right," the GPS instructs. Everyone in the car seems pleased but Mako, who frowns.

"I can't believe you don't know the house number, Wu," he says, slowing as they approach the private road.

"I dunno, they just said it was the one at the end," he says. "They said we can't miss it!" he adds when Mako doesn't seem satisfied.

The road is narrow and winding, and Mako grits his teeth as he slowly maneuvers.

"Can't even see what's ahead of us," he mutters under his breath, and Asami laughs. Korra sinks further into her seat as the incline increases.

Bolin looks almost green by the time the reach the end of the hilly road. There's only one house at the end of it, a two-story on stilts tucked into the bluff.

The smell of salt and the sea hits her nose as soon as she opens the van door and she smiles. It's a familiar scent, one she hasn't really been able to enjoy since she was a child. She closes her eyes, breathing it in, and wondering if it's just her imagination that she can hear the waves crashing from here.

Bolin knocks into her as he climbs out of the seat behind her. An apology is on the tip of his tongue when he stops short, taking in the sight before them.

"Whoa. This is yours?" Bolin asks, eyes wide.

Wu pops out of the van, taking in the house before them. "Yeah, my parents bought it after they had a little hurricane or something up here. Destroyed a bunch of property, you know. They fixed this one up for me!" he says, gesturing widely at the house before his arms drop. "Uh- I honestly thought it'd be a bit bigger."

"This is bigger than our house, Wu," Mako deadpans, and Wu laughs nervously.

"Oh, you!" he says, punching Mako in the arm. If he notices the way Mako's fists clench, he doesn't show it, practically skipping as he starts down the path towards the house.

"Don't worry about it, we'll get all the bags," Mako mutters under his breath. Bolin is already at the trunk, piling as many bags as he can into his arms. Korra remembers that he used to do that with groceries when they were kids, never wanting to have to return to the car for a second trip.

Korra grabs her duffle and one of Asami's bags before following Wu down the path, looking up at the house as she goes. The sun is low in the sky, shining through the bungalow's many windows.

She pulls out her phone and snaps a quick picture before continuing. Mako rolls his eyes as he passes her, but Bolin stops to hold the door open as they make their way into the house.

Asami is standing in the kitchen, running her hands along the counter space. The house isn't huge, but it's a pretty open floor plan, with a kitchen, dining room and living room sharing one large space. Korra enters just in time to see Wu disappear down the only hallway, running around the house like a kid who has had too much sugar.

He returns to the kitchen not ten seconds later, dejected.

"Only two bedrooms," he whines, and Mako raises an eyebrow at him. Wu shrinks under the older boy's scrutiny. "Well, they said there'd be three!"

"Hey, what's up here?" Bolin asks, tugging at a string that pulls down a ladder. Wu scrambles up, peeking his head into the dark space. Bolin hands him a phone with the flashlight turned on.

Wu's voice sounds muffled, but his groan of relief is clear. "Oh, thank god, I could not handle sharing a room with you two snorers for another night."

"Let me see!" Bolin shouts, pulling on the bottom of Wu's shirt until the boy descends. "Oh hell yeah, I've always wanted to have a cool attic bedroom!"

"That settles it then," Wu says. "You boys up stairs. I'll take the master. Ladies, may I show you to your room?"

The hall only has three doors, one of which is already open, revealing a bathroom. Wu leads them into the room on the right. It's small but quaint, with twin sized beds pushed against two of the walls.

It smells like mothballs, and Asami moves quickly to open the window.

"I guess some old people must've owned this before," Wu says uncertainly, looking around the room. There are pastels of shells and starfish along the wall, with matching quilts on the beds. "My parents said they were gonna redecorate..."

"It's charming," Asami says with a smile, putting her bag down on the bed. Wu returns her smile twofold, and Korra resists the urge to roll her eyes.

A sudden cry comes from the other room, and Asami wastes no time in going to check it out. Korra is quick to follow, with Wu trailing behind.

In the kitchen, they find all the cabinets thrown open. Bolin stands in front of the fridge, looking comically distraught as he stares at the empty shelves.

"There's no food," he says as he turns to the group. Mako sits at the island, looking unamused as he watches his brother.

"No food?" Wu asks, frowning. "Well, no problem!"

Bolin's eyes light up as Wu walks forward, clapping his hand against Mako's shoulder. He pulls away when the older boy shoots him a glare, but he doesn't seem totally discouraged. "Mako, whadd'ya say you, Bolin and I head down to the grocery store, pick up some grub?"

Korra's eyes fly quickly to Asami. It might be nice to get to talk to her one-on-one, and being alone in the house for a little bit while the boys are out might be just the right time.

We have a lot of catching up to do, she thinks, but her thoughts are interrupted by Mako's scoff.

"Oh no, I am not driving back down that road again today," Mako says, arms crossed.

Korra frowns. Alone time with Asami and Mako is somehow less appealing, and she tries to tell herself it has nothing to do with the looks the two have been exchanging all day.

A brother always knows, she hears Bolin's words echo in her mind. As much as she didn't want to believe it, she too had the feeling there was something more between the pair.

"I'll drive!" Asami offers, and Wu claps his hands in delight.

Korra breathes a sigh of relief that the Asami is willingly putting some space between her and Mako, but her stomach drops a second later when she realizes that that will leave just Mako and Korra alone in the house.

Before she has time to protest, Bolin is out the door, always excited at the prospect of food, and Wu and Asami trail behind him.

Mako is left standing at the kitchen counter, staring after them. Korra can tell this was definitely not what he had in mind when he'd turned down driving.

"I'm gonna go unpack," Korra says, not meeting his eyes as she walks past him into the hall.

She looks at her duffle on the bed and frowns. Not much to unpack, she thinks, but gets to it anyway, putting her clothes in her half of the wooden dresser that sits between the beds. It only takes a minute, and soon she finds herself sitting on her bed, staring at the paintings of starfish on the walls.

Now what? she asks herself. You're just gonna sit in here and avoid Mako until everyone else gets home?

Korra hears the door open and a moment later and almost gets her hopes up that the three had returned in record-breaking time. But it's the back door, not the front, that opens, and Mako catches her eye through the window as he makes his way out on the back deck, looking over the beach.

She watches him for a moment, then sighs.

You're going to be with him for a whole month. Do you really want to spend it like this?

Korra doesn't give herself time to change her mind as she pushes off her bed and walks into the hallway. It's quiet, but she doesn't stop to appreciate the serenity.

It's now or never, Korra.

She opens the door to the back deck, stepping out onto the hot wood. Mako's arms rest on the rail, his face unreadable as he stares out at the waves.

Oh, Mako, she thinks. Always brooding.

She doesn't want to surprise him, so she decides to announce her presence.

"Hey, Mako." It's softer than she'd like, but she thinks it does the job. He doesn't turn, but he does finally blink, a flash of a frown tugging at his lips before he returns to neutral. Korra steps forward.

"I was hoping we could talk?"

He doesn't respond, but stands up straight, eyes still locked on the beach in front of him.

That's probably the best you're going to get out of him, she thinks.

She takes a deep breath, knowing she'll need it if she's going to get through everything she has to say. "I'm sorry I left. And that I didn't call, or write, or... anything. I was just going through a hard time and I just wanted to try to get some control over what was happening to me. So… I left. And I know I hurt you, but I'm willing to work to make it up to you."

Her words come out in one rehearsed rush, and she sighs when Mako doesn't seem to even hear her.

That speech sounded a lot longer in my head, she thinks, fidgeting as she tries to find something to fill the awkward silence that has settled over them. She doesn't need to wait long. Mako turns to face her, and Korra finds herself wishing for the silence again at the dark look in his eyes.

"When you left, you didn't just hurt me. You hurt Bolin, too," he says, his voice soft but firm. "I don't like seeing my little brother hurt, Korra."

"I know," she responds, her eyes downcast. When she left, Bolin had been just a kid. Sixteen and the friendliest, most genuine person she had every met. The thought of hurting him makes her sick, and she's struck with the realization that she doesn't really know how much damage she caused when she left. Now isn't the time to ask, however, so she keeps her eyes low and lets Mako continue to speak.

"But Bo has forgiven you. And I...I understand why you did what you did. It hurt, but... I get it."

This takes her by surprise. "You do?"

He shrugs. "Asami left. Your aunt died. We broke up." She blinks, startled by the stark way he just lays it all out in front of her. People had been dancing around her aunt's death since she got that awful call.

"I know what it feels like to lose everything and want to run away," he says, making eye contact with her for the first time. She's not sure whether or not to be relieved that it isn't anger that she sees there, but sadness.

Right, she thinks. His parents. Mako had never really told her about them, but she knows he felt the loss in a way that had changed him forever. Bolin may have been too young to remember, but Mako was a kid.

He continues. "I've always had something holding me back. But like I said, I get it. I don't like what you did, but I can't hold it against you."

"Thank you, Mako," she says, her voice serious. She waits a beat to make sure he has nothing else to add. "Friends?"

He laughs at this. "Of course. Always. I wouldn't have invited you on this stupid trip if we weren't."

Korra relaxes, returning Mako's smile for a second before it quickly drops, the expression replaced with mock offense. "Wait a second, Bolin invited me!"

"We both know that if I didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here," Mako says with a serious look. He only holds it for a moment before breaking. "I'm glad you're back, Korra."

She isn't expecting it when he reaches forward and wraps his arms around her back, pulling her close. She squeezes back, further surprised by how easy it feels to be in his arms again. But unlike the last time she saw him, there isn't any fire behind it, nothing tugging at her heartstrings.

She sighs and leans her head against his shoulder, taking in the comfort of his embrace.

Korra and Mako had a blaze of a romance. They knew each other since they were kids and had dated other people throughout their school years. If Korra is being honest, she'll tell you she always had a little bit of a crush on the older boy growing up. She's not sure what changed senior year, but suddenly that spark was ready to blow.

And explode it did, she remembers, in one fiery mess.

They kissed for the first time at a school dance. Mako was wearing a suit, she remembers, because she'd grabbed his lapels to pull him in. It was like fireworks. He broke up with his girlfriend the next day, and so began a whirlwind of a romance that ended a year later in Korra skipping town.

When Bolin first mentioned going to visit Mako and Asami, Korra worried there would be some unresolved feelings between the two. Of course, there wasn't much time for that with Mako ignoring her, but now that they were on good terms again... The spark would always be there, so to speak, but they just hadn't worked. Maybe it was because they were young and immature, or maybe they were just really better off as friends.

Only time will tell, she thinks, dropping her arms to her sides as Mako pulls away.

"Mako could you help me m- oh, I'm sorry," Asami's eyes are wide as she looks at the pair, Mako's hands still on Korra's shoulders. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Not at all," Mako says, easily sliding away from Korra to grab the bags in Asami's hand. "This all of them?"

Asami laughs. "Oh no. Bolin did the shopping, Wu took care of the bill. A lethal combination. I think we have enough snacks to last us the whole month."

"Great, so they'll be gone by tomorrow?" Mako jokes. "I'll go give them a hand before Bolin decides he can carry them all himself. Not like Wu is going to help, right?"

He walks back through the door, leaving Asami and Korra on the deck alone.

Korra watches Asami as she takes Mako's spot against the rail, leaning forward to look at the beach below. She takes a step forward to follow, but pauses.

Don't be nervous, Korra, she chides herself. It's just your best friend.

"It's beautiful," she says, regretting the words as soon as their out of her mouth.

Way to pick the most cliche possible thing to say, she thinks.

Asami doesn't seem to mind, humming as she nods in response.

"I haven't been to the beach since I was a kid," Asami says a few seconds later. Korra has to strain to hear, her voice is so soft. "My parents took me on a trip to a place not unlike this."

"Well I grew up practically living on the water," Korra says. Asami nods again— she knows this about Korra, of course, but it's still nice to share with each other. "I can't wait to hit the waves tomorrow."

It's another few minutes of comfortable silence before the boys return. The sun will be setting soon, and Mako looks around the deck, eyes lighting up when he spots a fire-pit in the corner.

"I'll get a fire started. You guys bought hot dogs, right?"

/

Soon they're all sitting around the fire, each roasting their own dinner over the flames.

Bolin holds two skewers, rotating them slowly, biting his lip in concentration. Korra's pretty sure she's never seen Asami eat a hotdog, and she gets a sneaking suspicion that the girl has never even had one when she seems surprised at her first bite.

"You know, these are actually pretty good," she says, mouth full. Bolin nods in agreement, finally losing patience and pulling his away from the flames.

Mako stands. "I know what'll make them even better," he says, before disappearing inside.

"Here," he says when he returns, holding a blue bottle out to Korra. She grins, pulling her kets out of her pocket to get a bottle opener before taking a long swig of the cold beer.

Asami wrinkles her nose. "Ugh. I'm not sure how you guys drink that stuff."

"That's what I'm saying!" Bolin nods. "Tomorrow our first stop is the liquor store, I'm making us some bay breezes."

"What's a bay breeze?" Wu asks, brow furrowed.

"Something I know for a fact you're too young to be drinking," Mako says, wagging a stern finger at him before breaking out into a laugh. Wu seems at a loss for what to do that Mako is joking with him, and chuckles awkwardly.

Bolin pulls Korra into a hug, and she relaxes into his shoulder. Asami tugs on her legs, lying them out over her lap, and Korra smiles at her for a moment before Asami seems to get distracted staring into the flames, her hands coming to rest against Korra's shins.

Korra allows her head to fall back against Bolin, and listens to the sound of the firing crackling as she stares up into the sky, the stars much brighter here than they'd ever been at her school. Bolin starts pointing out the constellations to her, and she thinks that maybe this trip wasn't such a bad idea, after all.