Makorra Week 2015

June 17-23

Author's Note: Hey guys! Day 2 is upon us now and I'm revved up to start a new prompt. So I'm currently writing to "Radioactive" by Marina and the Diamonds but I'll let you guys know if (see, that's IF, because I listen to shit on repeat so much these days) I change the song. As you could probably tell from the last chapter, I use music as an inspiration. I chose "Lightning" because number 1, I couldn't think of anything for the other two prompts. And number 2, I think I share the thirst for Mako to teach Korra to lightning bend. We're all thirsty. Let's face it: we're the Makorra fandom. The thirst is real.

Day 2. Lightning

He wasn't sure which came first, the "Fucking OW" that his mind screamed, or the actual burst of agony in his chest.

As the fire bender stirred from a drowsy, dreamless slumber, his chest and head immediately began to ache. For a moment he stilled, breathing hard, sweat bursting forth from his flesh all over again, renewing the initial state of panic he'd been in earlier. This morning? Yesterday? Mako wasn't entirely sure he could remember. All he really knew was that his chest hurt like hell and that he could not move from bed without making it worse.

What had he done that made him hurt so much? His best guess was that he got hurt on duty. His fellow officers were constantly on leave for various injuries sustained from clashing with perps. It was entirely possible that he'd been hurt badly and Beifong immediately sent him off to get well. She wouldn't tolerate laying down on the job and he wouldn't blame her for it.

Taking in a sharp breath, Mako decided to leave the thinking for later, when it hurt less to do so. He kind of wished someone would crack open a window or something, his skin was burning something hot!

Just when he was about to risk exacerbating his pain by moving, Mako heard the door open. The heavy sound of metal clinking against the tile floor clued him in to whoever was visiting him. He didn't even need to crane his neck forward to greet, "Chief."

"Detective," the curt, rigid voice responded. "How do you feel?"

Called it, the young man thought.

He shifted just slightly, wincing as his chest pain ripped through him like rusty scissors. "I'm okay," he replied. "What? Do you have a case for me?"

Chief of Police Lin Beifong narrowed her eyes at the fire bender, the first and only fire bender on the Republic City police force, who had an indispensable mind and a will of steel. Mako had narrowly brushed off death and had the nerve to joke!

Approaching the felled detective's bed slowly, Beifong questioned almost menacingly, "Do you know how close you came to dying? You're just lucky the Avatar was on the scene."

Suddenly, the wave of memories flooded back. Korra asking him to show her a lightning technique...the sudden sparring session...some muffled shouting...a poorly aimed bolt of lighting skyrocketing towards him...

Mako's eyes widened fearfully and his heart rate sped up.

The chief noticed this instantly and peered into his view. "Mako? Do you remember who did this to you?" She asked, voice no longer rigid, just concerned.

A lie immediately spilled from his lips. "No," he said. No, no, no!

Lin apparently decided not to press the matter-not right now, anyways, and took her leave after wishing, no, ordering, his health back.

Mako swallowed hard and tried to calm himself down as he broke out in another sweat. She couldn't have done this. No, Korra was too skilled, too controlled...she couldn't do this to him! She...she wouldn't...

But, despite his faith, then a seed of doubt planted itself in his gut. And that seed threatened to grow as he unraveled the recollections of what happened earlier.

The detective had been crouched in the garage of his apartment building, wiping down his motorcycle with a waxy finish he bought from one of Bolin's friends, when a shadow loomed over him. His initial instinct, honed between years of living on the streets surrounded by criminals and potential "accidents" and being a cop, kicked in and his fingers itched with fire.

"Hi, Mako," the voice said.

Immediately, the fire bender's walls crumbled down at the sound. That warm, smooth voice that often spoke to him in his dreams was speaking to him now!

He set down the old dishrag in his hands and twisted his torso around to get a good look at the woman.

Korra was standing with the sun to her back, creating an aura of bright white to emanate around her. Her features, sharpened a bit by the years, still held that wonderfully kind smile and hopeful stare. She stood there with her toned arms at her sides, stance open and vulnerable and just begging for a hug.

"Hey, Korra!" He replied, standing upright to properly greet her.

The Avatar reciprocated his hug, tightly winding her arms around his trim waist. "It's good to see you," she said, laughing a little. "How're you doing?"

After a while, Mako bashfully pulled away and replied, "Just fine. So what do I owe the honor of Avatar Korra gracing my humble garage?"

Korra snickered, "Well, if you insist..." she started, biting her bottom lip slightly. It was apparent she had come to ask him of something. Part of Mako was a little hurt by the fact that she hadn't just come to see him for the sake of it. However, he repressed the thought. Korra was here to see him and that was all that mattered!

"I was wondering if you could teach me to bend lightning," she confessed, obviously sheepish and even nervous about the whole thing. He caught the subtle glance at his scarred arm, the violently red, marred skin a testimony to his heroism and bravery.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "What brought this on?" He asked.

Korra sighed, "I mean, you do it all the time. And even Asami can do it with her glove..."

The bundle of nerves already knotting in his stomach tugged even tighter at the mention of the heiress. She and Korra had only recently broken up, after which Mako decided not to pursue any kind of relationship with Korra. It was working until now, showing up flustered and glowing and beautiful as always.

"Okay," he conceded. After all, she'd come to him for help. How could he turn her down?

Her face lit up in a different way then, lips corners pulled back to expose her pearly white smile, eyes scrunched up in a fit of joy. She threw her arms around him and picked him up, breathing, "Thank you so much, Mako!"

They were practicing in Avatar Korra Park downtown, after the city had gone to sleep and the moon spirit shined peacefully above them. Mako took his stance on an open path of grass and said, "Lighting is about purifying your chi."

He fell into a series of smooth an careful motions, two fingers tracing an invisible pattern up his left arm, then arching at his shoulder, past his heart, dipping into his stomach, and then out of his right arm. "If you can separate the dark and the light energies inside of you, you can create something amazing."

Korra watched as crackling blue light sparked from Mako's fingers suddenly. The light lit up dangerously around his features, capturing the concentration in his eyes, reflecting the raw chi splitting and clashing within him. The sound of thunder rolled overhead as the fire bender traced the path of chi across his body and finally released said energy.

The lightning was beautiful-splaying out into the dark night sky like thousands of sharp white threads, like a fireworks display.

Once the light dissipated, Mako glanced at Korra, whose expression was of pure shock. "Ready to try?" He asked.

Korra nodded in delight and determination. "Let's do it!" She replied.

There was a rustle in the bushes, then. The two fire benders froze, instincts quickly taking over. Mako felt the heat in his palms generate, flames ready to burst forth. Korra already took hold of the water in the park's fountain, levitating icicles just behind her.

"Wait!" A young, male voice interjected.

"Huh?" The two benders voiced in unison, slowly letting their arms down.

Out of the bushes stepped a thin, tanned boy about 16 or 17 years old. His long brown hair just licked his shoulders and he wore a dirty green cap on his head. His clothes, evidently too big, were raggedy as well.

"Whoa," he reiterated, holding his hands up as a sign of goodwill. "You wouldn't hurt an old friend, would ya?"

Mako narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Skoochy," he growled. "What're you doing here?"

Skoochy shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, "Nothin'. Just doin' some scoutin'."

Voice like steel, the detective retorted, "That's a pretty stupid thing to say to a cop."

"Some cop."

Korra saw it first, the glimpse of the street kid's eyes, just beyond Mako's head. There was a tiny speck of blue light there in his irises, his pupils constricting in response...

"Heads up!" Mako exclaimed suddenly. He body slammed Korra into the ground just as the lightning stuck him below the heart. Korra gasped and and whipped a belt of water into the offender's torso. He flew back several feet and landed on his back in a patch of grass, soaked. Skoochy quickly turned a heel and ran off, only to have Korra bend the earth out from under him, flipping him onto his face and catching his legs in a rock trap.

When she made sure the threat had been removed, the Avatar ran to Mako, who lay a few feet away. His face was grimaced, contorted in total agony. His shirt was badly burned, in fact, melting into his skin. The edges were blackened significantly around the violently red, oozing burn just below his heart.

Blinking back tears, Korra found herself shouting, "Mako! Stay with me, Mako!" She hurriedly bent a bubble of pure water over the wound, trying to ignore the rapid pounding of her heart against her ribcage. She worked on healing the man, feeling the flesh stitch itself back together, reducing the inflammation with the water's cooling effects.

Mako grunted around his teeth, wincing. He tried to pick his head up, letting out a harsh moan when he realized he couldn't. That's when Korra saw the blood oozing onto the ground below his head. The bloodied brick lying a few feet away had been the object that received Mako's head when he hit the ground. Panic renewed, the tears began flowing down her cheeks as she angrily shouted at Skoochy and the unidentified assailant.

"Why would you do this?!" She screamed. "He did nothing to you! Nothing! I swear to Agni I...!"

She trailed off, unable to coherently communicate anymore. She returned her focus to Mako, trying desperately to keep him alive with trembling hands. He moaned miserably again and Korra dipped her forehead to his. The sound of police sirens sounded in the distance and the Avatar sobbed in relief. She whispered, "You're going to be okay. You're going to be fine."

Mako opened his eyes again and sighed, relief and calm washing over him. It hadn't been Korra, he reminded himself. She saved him.

Just then the door slid open again and the object of his thoughts came crashing into the room. "Mako..." She murmured.

The man's amber eyes glanced over to Korra, who stood just inches away, eyes dripping, nose and cheeks red, lips quivering. "...Hey," he replied softly.

Nearly bursting into tears a second time, the Avatar brushed her fingers over the bandages on his chest and said, "Oh my gods, Mako."

"I know," he said with a slight chuckle.

Korra huffed wordlessly, scrubbing her face with a gloved wrist. Mako started to move, shifting his weight onto his elbows, when the pain from his chest and his head came crashing down on him. "Ah!" He grunted.

The Avatar grumbled, "Here, let me help you."

With her assistance, the detective was sitting upright, one pillow against the headboard, the other in his lap. He watched as Korra sat on the edge of his bed and interlaced their fingers together silently.

"I was so scared," she admitted. "I mean, I'm the Avatar for Yue's sake. I shouldn't have frozen up like that. You got...you got shot and I just...lost it."

The cloudy memory of Korra screaming and sobbing above him replayed in the Mako's mind and he reached over, pulling her against him in a comforting hug. He didn't say anything however. He learned a long time ago that sometimes, silence was the best form of therapy.

Swallowing hard, Korra continued, "After what happened with Kuvira, I've been terrified that I would lose you because of me."

Puzzled, Mako pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Cheeks growing flushed, the Avatar replied, "You say you'd follow me anywhere I went if I needed you, but I'm the Avatar. I've got a target on my back, I'm dangerous. I can't keep putting you in harm's way!"

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Mako reached up to cup a brown cheek. "Didn't I tell you? I don't care if you're the Avatar or not," he said earnestly, honestly. "I'd be willing to risk my life for you time and time again if that's what it takes."

"Takes to what?" Korra retorted angrily, jerking her head back. "See me healthy and happy? How're you going to do that from your funeral pyre?!"

Wincing at her unabashed honesty, Mako furrowed his brows and responded coolly, "I'm not dead, Korra."

She shook her head, short brown locks waving about. "Maybe not this time. But one day, I'm going to get in trouble and you and your thick head are going to come after me and get killed trying to protect me!"

"But this isn't about me!" Mako yelled, catching Korra off-guard. "This is about you, Korra! It's always been you!"

The Avatar took a step back and stared at him, eyes wide and glistening. Her heart took off, beating a mile per minute as the realization slammed into her head.

Dear Gods, it always was her, wasn't it?

Voice breaking just slightly, Mako shook his head and continued, "It's about you, not me. Who cares about me?"

Heart heavy and face burning, Korra reached for the door handle and looked back at the detective. His amber eyes gazed upon her, pleading to her. They were so full of pain.

A familiar ache erupted in her chest and as she stepped out of the room, she murmured, "I do."

Author's Note: This was supposed to have a happy ending...but it turned into angst. Sorry.