Graze

Fanfic for The Legend of Korra

(Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Legend of Korra, though if I had a choice I'd get dibs on Mako. Or Bolin. They're both cute.)

One-shot

"We have to keep looking."

He knew he wasn't exactly being smart when he said it, he knew it, but at the same time he couldn't care less. Everything in him wanted - no, needed - Bolin to be safe. Plaguing his brain endlessly was the glimpse he'd had of Bolin's wide-eyed fear and helplessness at the back of the satomobile.

It irked him that in the end, with no physical energy to go on aimlessly searching, all they could do was rely on something Korra had thought of: a vague connection that could just as easily be a significant lead as it could be a wild goose chase. No, that wasn't the issue. At this point, any lead, no matter how small, was significant. The real issue was that Korra had thought of it.

Korra. She'd offered to assist him, she'd brought Naga along, and the massive polar-bear dog was the only reason he and Korra were still safe and able to look for Bolin. And now, it was on a hint she had that they could still cling to a strand of hope.

But she had nothing to do with him.

It was odd, perhaps, to say that about someone who had participated in a tournament with him as a team member. But Mako had learnt a great deal about people in his scrapings to survive with Bolin under his care, and he knew this: trusting just anyone was suicidal. There was no one in the world besides Bolin that Mako could believe in. It had always been by his own ability, thinking and strength that he'd pulled through 'til now. Depending on others only meant you would be backstabbed, taken advantage of or - worst of all - be an incredible cause of discomfort or pain to the person good enough to trust.

No, to Mako, what was odd was Korra. That she actually seemed to care enough to search the streets and even wait with him for this long spoke volumes about the kind of person she was. Mako had known Bolin all his life. They were family, so it only made sense. He barely knew Korra in comparison. It was like comparing a stitch to a tapestry.

And yet, here she was sitting next to him, trying to keep her eyes open but failing badly from her exhaustion. She nodded off once, twice... then quickly jerked back up, shot him an embarrassed side-glance and then raised her chin up, looking for all the world like a proud cat.

Why?

Even as he asked himself the question, he knew a part of the answer already. She was a fierce defender of justice, and she was more stubborn than a thousand year old oak. She'd said they would save his brother, and she wanted to see the whole thing through to prove it. For all her insanely brash and difficult attitudes at times, Mako admitted that in it all, it showed that she cared. A lot.

He wondered for a moment if she knew how obvious it was to him that she was a little... lonely.

She had eyes like Bolin. Not the colour, no; Bolin had eyes the colour of an young piece of jade, a bright apple green that was as crisp as it was shiny. Korra had eyes the colour of the sky during daytime, an aqua that was refreshingly cold. But their eyes were both so deep and clear, you could see all the way to the depth of their heart and thinking in a single glance and know they meant what they were saying.

Korra nodded off again, and this time she dozed off properly. Mako found himself watching her, the gentle rise and fall of her chest, the childlike innocence strewn all over her sleeping face...

When the sunshine poured in through his eyelids, Mako didn't bother stirring for a while. He was warm and comfortable, and felt so at ease, it just didn't seem worth the effort. Eventually, though, an aggravating noise through a megaphone gnawed at his ears, and he forced himself to open his eyes.

What shocked him wasn't the fact that he was leaning against Korra. Not even the fact she smelled good, or the fact that his heart skipped three beats in response. What stunned Mako was that he'd fallen asleep so easily, so comfortably. The fear of being made vulnerable wasn't there with her.

It was crazy for Mako. He'd spent countless nights wide awake with Bolin sleeping soundly at his side when they'd been younger, the surge of protectiveness pumping adrenaline through his veins to keep him well alert.

But without realising it he'd tumbled into an implicit understanding that Korra was by his side. That she wouldn't leave him or try to trick him.

To his horror, while Korra rapidly drew away from him and stammered, Mako could feel his eyes prickle hotly. He forced it all back, fixing his face as rigid as a mask, but it didn't take that much effort. He was, after all, still in shock.

When Korra hastily pointed at something else to focus on, Mako gladly switched gears and determinedly concentrated on their quest at hand and not his newfound revelations.

Still, when Korra slipped her arm around his later on, it unnerved him; he never let anyone touch him that casually. He couldn't help demanding (in a higher pitch than normal), "What are you doing?"

She'd explained, her eyes serious and her hands firm. It was all business. He tried to look as unruffled as possible.

After a few steps, however, Mako found that he didn't really mind.

-FIN-

Author's notes: Just wanted to write a short little something for this scene. :) I'm looking forward to seeing this relationship blossom through the season. I love how understated and yet overstated their chemistry is. I really liked this scene, it made me squee and laugh like a giddy fangirl. Which I am. Hope the show gives me more to write about!