‘So, what do you think of Korra in a… girlfriend sort-of-way?’
‘She’s great, but I think it makes more sense for me to go for Asami.’
‘I was talking about a girlfriend for me. Leave some ladies for the rest of us.’--
‘Wow. We were really connecting out there in that ring.’
‘Yeah. You know, I feel like the two of us have been connecting really well out of the ring, too.’
‘Uh, s-sure.’
--
Mako had played these two moments together in his head for the last hour, questioning when exactly it was that his focus had begun to slip. He hoped that the fresh air just outside of the pro-bending arena might help get his mind off of the wrong woman, but it had done the exact opposite. The relaxed atmosphere, the occasional breeze, the hint of salt in the air, all of it had kept his mind on the Avatar, Korra, with little room to maneuver around her image. It wasn’t as if he hated her. Truthfully he found himself admiring her more and more, little by little, but it had never gotten as bad as it did right now.
Being with Asami was a dream come true. Any guy in this city would be ecstatic to be in the position he was in, and there was nothing about their relationship that had gone wrong yet. She was perfect. So why was it that Korra had begun to take priority over Asami Sato of all people? It had gotten to a point that even when the heiress of Future Industries was in his arms holding him tightly, he was worried about what Korra was doing at the time. She voiced her interest in him, something he couldn’t possibly accept, and when rejected she had finally looked to Bolin for some sort of consolation prize.
Or even worse, she was just using his little brother to get his attention.
And it was working.
Sitting around, standing around, any kind of simply being around wasn’t getting his mind off of Korra any sooner. Reaching into his pocket, Mako had begun to make for the nearest street close to the arena in hopes of hailing a taxi, his fingers flicking against the spare coins in his pocket. A nearby round of laughter in almost perfect unison rang nearby, bringing his attention up higher to the source. That was when Mako saw them. Korra and Bolin looked out at the bay, enjoying the view while an unknown conversation was being played out.
Were it any other day before this one, he may have said hello and went on his way. Bolin was happy. Korra was happy. But something about it did not sit well with him. His little brother liked her a lot, and didn’t shy away from telling him before. Korra had only decided to spend this level of time with Bolin after rejection. It could have only been to get back at him, he was certain of it.
So he went up, just as Bolin had run off, leaving Korra to admire the view alone for a time. He had to make this quick.
“Hey, Korra,” he said.
“You got a second?”Korra spun around a little too quickly, looking more surprised than excited.
“Oh, hey, uh… sure. What’s up?”Mako brought a hand to the back of his neck and began to rub it. A short pause followed.
“Yeah, well, about the locker room thing… no hard feelings, right?”“No,” Korra shrugged and averted her eyes.
“I get it. You’ve got Asami, and you said you didn’t feel the same way to begin with, so we can just forget that we even had that conversation.”“Yeah, well… this isn’t just about that. It’s about Bolin,” Mako’s face hardened. As much as he didn’t want the conversation to take this turn, it felt necessary to him. Bolin meant more to him than his own discomfort.
“I’d like it if you didn’t use him like this.”Korra returned her focus to him, expression shifting to confusion.
“Use Bolin like what?”“You know what. First I reject you in the locker room, and then you take Bolin’s offer to go out with him. If I hadn’t rejected you, you wouldn’t even be with him right now. All you’re doing is trying to get to me by using him.”“Excuse me? Whatever you think is going on here, you’re wrong. Bolin invited me out, and instead of sulking about your lack of feelings for me, I decided to have some fun with him. He’s a nice guy.”“Exactly, he’s a nice guy and he doesn’t deserve to be treated like a rebound.”“A rebound? I’ll say it again: you’re wrong. We spent the day together, as friends!”“Riiight, friends,” Mako said sarcastically.
“Look, just admit you’re using him and promise me you’ll let him down easy.”“Are you even listening to me!?” Korra’s demeanor shifted entirely. No longer the blushing, cheerful mess she was earlier, Mako’s presumptions had made her blood run hot.
“I’m not using Bolin. He’s a friend, a friend who offered to take me out and have some fun. I was forgetting all about our little post-game chat until you showed back up,” She stepped forward, finger prodding at his chest.
“What, was Asami too busy tonight and you thought you’d just show up and take your frustration out on me?”“I’m not taking anything out on you. I was on my way to Asami’s place anyway!”“And you just saw me and decided you’d come up and… and…” The wheels in Korra’s mind had begun to turn. The irritation that surged through her body had dissipated, replaced by a sudden satisfaction that wrapped around her body and mind like a blanket. The trace of anger on her face had relaxed into one of understanding.
“Wait a second, I see what’s happening now,” Korra’s hands moved to her hips.
“You’re jealous.”“Jealous?” Mako repeated, surprised etched on his face.
“Jealous of what?”“That’s what I’m wondering myself,” Korra grinned.
“You saw me having a good time with Bolin—without YOU—and you just couldn’t handle the fact I wasn’t crying my eyes out about what happened. This was never really about Bolin. It was about a part of you regretting what you said to me and wanting to be with me. That’s it, isn’t it?”“Wh-what? No, you’re— “ “It is!” Korra would confess that she could be wrong, but this was not one of the times she was. Mako’s flushed face said it all.
“So what’s wrong with Asami?”“Nothing, she’s perfect!” Mako argued.
“Riiight,” Korra said smoothly, mocking his earlier doubtful tone.
“Asami is so perfect that here you are with me instead. Or… maybe she’s missing something.” “Like what?”“It’s not my job to figure that out,” Korra’s satisfied grin faded into a relax smile.
“I can always help you with that, if you’re interested.”Mako froze, deliberating.
“What?... I don’t… no, no,” he said, shaking his head.
“This was about Bolin. You can stand there in denial, bu—“ Korra had moved in, stopping him in the middle of his sentence with an interruption like no other. Her lips fell upon his own, capturing them and bringing a long moment of silence between them. Where she was relaxed and more than at peace, Mako’s eyes were wider than she had ever seen. Whatever he felt at that moment, Mako wasn’t fighting this. Fighting her. And that only served as a silent encouragement.
It was only when Korra had grown too comfortable, pressing her chest against his while her hands moved to his shoulders, that Mako had snapped back into reality. With a firm push, he had separated himself from Korra’s grasp and stared at her satisfied smile with shock and disbelief. He had no words, no other expression, and slowly Korra had begun to realize that perhaps she had miscalculated a little. Before more could be said or done, Mako had turned away and left the way he came, leaving a disappointed Avatar watching his back.
As if on cue, Bolin—who Korra was ashamed to admit to herself that she almost forgot about—had returned bearing… flowers?
Korra looked from Bolin to the flowers, trying to muster the same cheer she had before he had confronted her.
“Oh, thanks Bolin… they’re nice.” Her smile was there, but it was different. Weaker. She wasn’t the same Korra he had left alone just minutes ago.
~-~
Three half-hearted knocks were heard at the front door of Asami’s home almost thirty minutes later.
Taka
Dane
erikh