A/N: So this took me a little longer than I expected to update, but that's because I've been working on several different Makorra pieces at once. Seriously, I cannot get them out of my head. They are actually perfect and, fingers crossed, CANON! Anyway, this story is now an AU as we've already seen the clip in which Jinora and Ikki meet Mako, but all in all I think I did a pretty good job. Enjoy!

Distantly, Korra was aware that there were things happening in the background. Loud things, mostly screaming and the occasional curse from the annoying Firebender who she couldn't seem to shake, no matter what she did, but she was able to ignore these things by snuggling deeper into the contours of the plush chair. A sigh escaped her as she readjusted her arms over her chest, content to let Mako run himself into exhaustion while she caught up on her shut eye, which was severely lacking. Though she would never admit it to the man, she was beginning to think that Tenzin was right in saying that she'd bitten off more than she could chew.

She would find a way to manage it all. Training times could be changed, and she was a hell of a bargainer. Someway, it would work out. Korra would work it out; she always did, even if the pieces of the puzzle fell into place by accident.

Just as the strange sense of vertigo that she associated with sleep started to wash over her, there was a loud bang that sounded distinctly like something heavy being knocked over followed by shrill screams and the scampering of footsteps. Mako shouted something unintelligible. The childrens' responding laughter echoed through the house as did their frantic footsteps against the wooden floorboards. An amused smile pulled at Korra's lips as she visualized his flushed cheeks and his dark eyes flashing angrily in her mind's eye. She could even imagine the twitch in his jaw as he clenched his teeth. Rolling her shoulders into the curve of the chair, Korra emitted a soft moan at the sheer feeling of comfort settled over-

Something hard collided with her legs, which were stretched out in front of her. She tried to pull them back, but there were limbs tangled with her own and before she quite understood what was happening, all of the air was forced from her lungs as something incredibly heavy landed on top of her.

"Ouf!" she breathed just as Mako exclaimed, "Shit!" His breath stirred the loose strands of hair near her ears and played against the sensitive skin of her neck, hot and entirely too close. Their faces might not have been inches apart, but she was close enough to see the flecks of green in his dark amber irises and how his pupils dilated when he made eye contact with her.

They stared at one another, scarcely breathing, for a prolonged moment.

"Sorry!" they shouted in unison, both spurring into action at precisely the same moment. Naturally, this only served to further complicate things. Korra pushed against him while he pulled back, her sleeve catching one of the buttons on his jacket and the strap of his boot snagging on the fringe of her fur wrap. Between that and her fingers gripping the front of his tunic and his hands on the curve of her shoulders, it was nigh impossible to get away from one another.

It was also why Mako lost his balance, not expecting her to grab his shirt and force him away from her, and collapsed on top of her.

Again.

A grunt escaped her as his elbow dug into the pit of her stomach and her knee landed a blow on his thigh, just shy of a highly sensitive area. Mako sucked a hiss in through his teeth as he propped himself up on his hands. Korra tried to roll out from underneath him, but it was no used. She was trapped by his arms, which he had situated on either side of her head to support himself. Tilting her head back, she smiled tightly.

"Comfortable?"

"Not really," he answered, chuckling gently. "I'd move, but I don't want you to tear your tunic." He nodded towards her top, which had ridden up her stomach, exposing a patch of dark skin and the defined planes of her abdomen, and was caught on his jacket button.

Heat poured out onto Korra's cheeks as she shifted, doing her best to pull at her top without tearing either of their clothes. A soft gasp fell from Mako's lips at the sudden motion. If she hadn't felt his breath against her cheek, she would've thought it was her mind playing a trick on her, but then she looked back up at him and took in his wide eyes and tiny pupils. Her blush intensified until it took over her entire body, but she ceased her wiggling. Hell, she ceased breathing, but she couldn't take her eyes off him, even when he averted his gaze, cursing under his breath.

Korra cleared her throat. "If you could just – um…" she trailed off, unsure of how to word her sentence without sounding like a total pervert. Not that this could get any more awkward than it already was, but she wasn't going to take her chances.

Closing his eyes, Mako turned his face away from hers as he spoke, too embarrassed by the blush coloring his cheeks. "I could try to - "

"Yeah, and I'll –"

"Good plan," finished Mako, his words catching on a hitch as her hands went to work on the confusing tangle that kept her attached to him. As much as she tried avoiding skin to fabric contact, her knuckles still brushed against his stomach as her fingers worked at the complex knot; the heat of his skin still seeped through the fabric of his shirt. Every time she inadvertently touched him, he inhaled, not a sharp gasping breath, but enough that she could feel the faint ripple of muscles; enough to show her that she did, in fact, have that sort of effect on him, even though he insisted she didn't.

"O-okay," Korra said, her voice shaking almost as much as her hands were. "I think I've got it."

"Good," breathed Mako, doing his best to keep his body from sagging with relief. The very last thing he needed was to be completely flushed against her. As if his…discomfort with the situation wasn't already evident, it certainly would be if their bodies touched again.

"There's just one more –"

"OH MY SPIRITS, GUYS, HE'S EATING KORRA!" screamed Meelo at the top of his voice, effectively scaring the living daylights out of both of the benders. Korra jumped, this time kneeing him right in the family jewels. Mako gave a pained shout, all but leaping off her to stagger into the wall, doubling over in pain.

"Holy shit, are you okay?" she asked, scrambling to her feet. She didn't approach him, though. Oh no, she kept her distance, shuffling her weight from foot to foot as she watched him.

Mako's eyes were screwed shut and his lips were pressed into such a thin line, there were practically nonexistent, but he managed to give a short nod of his head.

"Holy shit," Meelo said, laughing loudly and stamping his feet on the floor. "Is he gonna die?"

Korra slapped her hand against her forehead. "No, Meelo, he's not going to die and you can't say that because that's a b-"

"No, I think he's dying, Korra. Look at him. He's dying. " Meelo poked Mako on the arm. He didn't respond. "See," he said, turning his wide eyes to Korra. "He's a goner. Did you slay the dragon, Korra? Did you?"

"No, I didn't –"

"HOLY SHIT, GUYS," Meelo shouted, wheeling around to face the hallway from whence he came. "Korra slayed the dragon!"

"Meelo, please stop saying that," begged Korra, wanting nothing more than to break down and cry. In the background, she could hear Ikki and Jinora making their way towards them. Her dread increased, becoming a leaden weight in her stomach. "Your parents are going to kill me if they come home and you're saying that."

The boy rocked back on his heels to get a better look at the Avatar. His thick, dark eyebrows wrinkled as his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why would they kill you, Korra? Is it because it's a –" he lowered his voice dramatically, a wicked glimmer in his eyes "-bad word?"

"Yes, it's a bad word. Very bad. A terrible word, even." She tossed a desperate look over her shoulder at Mako. "Back me up here, will you?" she said out of the corner of her mouth.

He grimaced at her, apparently still very bitter with her for something that was hardly her fault."It's the worst word imaginable," Mako deadpanned, still using the wall to support himself. In all fairness, she had kneed him very hard indeed. She made a mental note to apologize for it later.

"And you could get in a lot of trouble if you said it again."

Meelo frowned. "But you said it."

"Yeah," Korra admitted, already dreading where this was going. She had the distinct feeling that she was about to be blackmailed by a five year old. "I did, and I'm going to get in lots of trouble."

"And Mako," Meelo continued, throwing an arm out to point at the bender in question. "He said it too. Is he going to get in trouble too?"

"No, I don't think so," Mako said, sending Korra a pointed look.

"Yeah," she agreed swiftly. "He's been punished enough as it is."

The furrow in Meelo's brow deepened as the cogs in his head turned. "So if he said a bad word and isn't going to get in trouble….that means I don't have to get in trouble, right?"

"Only if you promise not to say it again."

"But I'll only get in trouble if Mommy and Daddy find out," Meelo continued, completely ignoring Korra. His eyes were gleaming – and not in a cute way, either. "And the only way Mommy and Daddy will find out is if you tattle on me, Korra." He puts his hands on his hips and glared up at his babysitter. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"

Korra folded her arms over her chest. "I won't tell if you stop saying it."

"Mommy will get mad at you for teaching it to me."

"How will she know I taught it to you?"

Meelo shrugged. "I'll tell her."

"You wouldn't."

He tilted his chin defiantly. "I won't if you give me what I want."

And there it was – the bribe she had been waiting for. Though it wasn't necessarily a bribe as he held all of the cards in his hands. While Korra doubted she would get in trouble with Pema and Tenzin, she knew they would be disappointed, and that was even worse. After all of the nice things they had done for her, the least she could do is set a good example for their kids – even if her example was hardly one Tenzin would want any of his children to follow.

Korra pinched her brow, holding back a sigh. Her teeth gnashed together. "What do you want?"

"Ice cream!" Meelo trilled just as Ikki and Jinora rounded the corner.

Ikki perked up immediately. "Did someone say ice cream?"

"Are we getting ice cream?" Jinora asked hopefully, all but bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Their stares were too intense. Turning away from them, Korra looked at the only other person in the room. Mako was standing on his own now, though there was a distinct frown marring his brow, even more distinct than his usual frown. The tightness around his mouth didn't disappear, not even when Korra offered an apologetic smile along with her look of desperation. He could see the question burning in her eyes and despite his every instinct telling him to say no, to get out while he could, Mako sighed.

"Yeah," Mako sighed, carding his fingers through his hair. "We're getting ice cream."

Nodding her thanks, Korra turned back to the kids, who were waving their arms over their heads and dancing in a circle. "Go get your shoes on."

"I'll go get my gilder!" Ikki exclaimed, preparing to take off down the hall when Korra stopped her.

"No, no gilders. We're walking."

"But how are we going to get there? We can't walk across water."

Mako shared a look with Korra. There was hesitation in her expression, which wasn't unusual so much as it was unnatural. He lifted his shoulder in a shrug; he'd already committed himself to yet another adventure. Besides, she would need all of the help she could get. "We'll take the ferry."

Giving little shouts of happiness, Ikki and Jinora made for their respective rooms to get ready for the evening out. Meelo, on the other hand, remained firmly in place. "Not Oogie?"

"No, not Oogie," Korra said, placing her hands on Meelo's shoulders and giving him a slight push down the hall. "I can hardly air bend, much less point a sky bison in the right direction and make it fly. Besides," she added, giving one final push. "The ferry's fun."

Though Meelo scoffed, he retreated down the hall all the same.

Refolding her arms over her chest, Korra watched the wry little Airbender to make sure he went where he was told before sighing. She screwed up her face as she said, "I've just made a really big mistake, haven't I?"

Unable to help himself, Mako laughed, mostly at the tone of her voice and maybe a little at her resulting whine. "Probably," he replied.

"At least I've got you." She elbowed him lightly on the arm.

He elbowed her back. "At least you've got me," he agreed, glancing over at her profile and smiling slightly.

A/N: Did I make up for the lack of Makorra in the last chapter? Did I? I hope so. I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you enjoyed it too. As always, feedback is appreciated.