Say Something

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 Bolin.)

One-shot

The puzzle pieces just didn't fit together anymore, Mako knew that much. He had a tendency to avoid acknowledging situations to the fullest extent of their complications (or 'messed-up-ness', as Bolin might put it), but even then, Mako knew the situation at hand was a tangled mess of doom. No matter where he tried to unravel it, the whole thing was bound to come undone with no way of returning to what it used to look like. He could practically hear the clock ticking with every moment he spent with her.

But watching her fight somehow made everything seem so simple. It wasn't so much that she was strong, though that was certainly a factor, too. Even watching Korra get pounded to the ground didn't lessen that tough part of her at all. Mako loved Korra with all he had when he saw her fight. It had to do with the way she moved with such tenacity. You could see the purity of her when she fought. He loved the way she grit her teeth, belted out roars that came from the gut and watched her opponent dead in the eye with a blistering intensity.

Every time he saw her move with that deliberation and confidence, putting all that she had on the line, she was absolutely beautiful to Mako both inside and out. It was so easy to forget what made it so difficult with her, and to remember exactly what he respected so much about her. To see her fight in the Harmonic Convergence had brought his feelings all out again, reminding Mako exactly why he'd chosen her at all.

And in this moment, as Korra smiled at him in the darkness of the tent, the moonlight spilling in against her hair in a brilliant, soft backdrop, he felt his pulse race and his skin break out in gooseflesh that had little to do with the chill of the South Pole and everything to do with the way she was looking at him.

Why can't it be this simple all the time?

Mako kissed her, felt her mouth against his doing that little possessive nipping thing she liked to do, and relished the warmth of her tongue as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mako," she said into his mouth suddenly, urgently. He lazily looked at her through hooded eyes, drunk with the moment and ignoring with every bit of wit he had the painful twist in his gut at the tone of her voice.

"Korra?" he said huskily, his words muffled as he lightly kissed her jawline, and she let out a soft noise of protest. She was going to say something to ruin this and make it all painfully apparent that something was wrong, he knew it, and he would distract her from it if possible.

"Mako..." Her voice trailed off helplessly as he tightened his hold around her waist and nuzzled her neck with his nose, nibbling at her collar-bone.

"Mm?"

Please. Please, don't...

Korra's sharp intake of breath made it clear she'd been on the verge of saying something, but Mako suddenly kissing her full on the mouth cut it off effectively. For a second, her arms were taut, her fingers grappling to find hold on his shoulders, and Mako felt his heart sink; she was going to do it, say something, push him off and end this fierce, beautiful moment of simplicity.

But she didn't.

To Mako's great surprise, Korra let out a quiet noise that sounded like a sigh before she slumped her arms against his chest and responded to his kisses with a surprising amount of obedience. Happily encouraged, Mako took her up on it and for a long time, the bliss stretched thinly over the ache that was growing in his heart.

She broke off the kiss, not abruptly, and looked into his eyes for a long moment. Her lips hovered just millimetres from his own, still wet and warm, and Mako wanted badly to kiss her - at that moment, not so that he could enjoy her as he just did, but just to ensure she wouldn't say anything.

But to his surprise, he was the one who spoke first.

"We should go to bed now." Was that his voice? He sounded so alien. So detached and far away. "We have an early morning tomorrow."

"I know," Korra said softly, just as distantly.

Why was she being so still and silent all of a sudden? Did she want to... talk?

For a maddening moment, Mako wanted time to stop with all of his being, but the rush of panic fell abruptly into a sick sort of helplessness.

Just don't think...

Mako reached up to gently brush wayward strands of her thick, dark hair away from her face, and Korra suddenly closed her eyes tightly, as though to shut him out for a moment.

"I love you."

Damn it. Don't sound like you're about to cry.

"I love you, too," Mako said, almost automatically. Almost.

When she touched her mouth to his again, it was a brief one, and he tasted salt in it.

The shift of weight as Korra got off from his bed made him feel barren. As she walked towards the door, she turned around and gave him a clear, bright smile. When she opened her mouth, he expected her to say 'good night', and got a jolt that hit somewhere painful when she said again, instead: "I love you."

He couldn't say it back to her out loud, this time. But she didn't wait for a reply; her hair swung behind her as she left with a swift burst of movement.

And with that, Mako was left right back in the thick of his fractured emotions and thoughts, a jumbled mess of broken things that fogged everything up.

Turning to his side, Mako shut his eyes, but felt it again: that blasted clock, ticking away.

"I love you, Korra." Mako murmured, and gripped his blankets so tightly his knuckles looked ghostly white in the fading light. "Is it too late?"

All he got from the night was silence in response. And in his heart...

Tick. Tick. Tick.

FIN

Author's notes: I was surprised how sad I was to see this couple end things. I wonder if they'll be able to salvage what they once had? In any case, this is a tribute to what they had. Or could have had.