Title: Fault
Rating: T just because that's my default rating, it's pretty light though.
Series Summary: Various unconnected LoK oneshots based around ATLA quotes.
Oneshot Summary: Mako comforts Korra after a mishap with the Avatar state.
Notes: In my headcanon, Korra is really protective over Tenzin and his family. Just to clarify.

"For the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary." — Katara

Korra grew up with one fact being drilled into her head day after day, lesson after lesson, teacher after teacher: She was a part of something much, much bigger than herself. She was the Avatar. Bridge between the worlds. Master of all the elements. The a physical manifestation of the power of the Spirit World. On and on and on. Really, it had never sunk in. As a kid, all she knew was that she had pretty awesome powers.

She'd never thought about what those powers could do. Until now, of course.

Things were quieting down. The silence was almost eerie, compared to the chaos of earlier. Almost everyone was in bed… except the teenage Avatar herself, of course. She was still milling about the courtyard. It was hard to even look at the place without wanting to avert her eyes, guilt welling in her. She'd single-handedly managed to destroy half of Air Temple Island in just a few seconds. People were hurt. She'd seen them being carried to the hospital area.

It was her fault.

If he were here, Tenzin would have tried to reassure her by saying that no one had expected the Equalists to attack the island. It seemed almost untouchable, outside the city limits, untainted by the woes and wars inside Republic. But it was a place, just like anywhere else, and it was an easy ferry ride from the docks to the mainland. The Equalists had stolen a ferry and, while everyone was asleep, made their attack.

It was insanity. Not many of the Air Acolytes were warriors; they had all taken up the Air Nomad way of life to avoid fighting and spend their days in a peaceful environment. That had been their downfall when the chi blockers went after them. Most of them went down, and the few that had been able to fend for themselves had barely succeeded. The White Lotus guards were more successful, being trained, but not many had actually been prepared for the chi blockers and had gone down under their punches.

Korra only remembered scrambling up when she heard the noise and immediately having to fight to keep from getting captured. Many of the Equalists were flocking towards her; maybe Amon had ordered them to bring her back. Probably. She didn't know. But she was getting better at defending herself from them. She'd fought her way out to the courtyard, where Tenzin and even his children were fighting off the attackers.

She just barely recalled the moment before it happened. She was fighting left and right. She remembered resisting the urge to laugh when Meelo jumped down on an Equalist's head, yanking his goggles up and making him stumble around.

Then Pema screamed.

Korra saw the Equalist who was about to attack her— Amon's lieutenant.

His lightning rods were on.

She remembered hearing a voice— or many overlapped voices, blurring together to create an eerie, otherworldly boom— scream "NO!"

The only way she could describe the sensation after that was an explosion.

The Water Tribe girl sighed, sitting down on an overturned piece of rock. It's not like she didn't know it could happen. Katara had made sure to sit her down and explain, once she was old enough. The Avatar State was a great power. A huge, great, terrible power. She recalled her Waterbending Master telling her of the times Aang had gone into it. "Horrible," was how she had described it. "Because being in the Avatar State means that you're in so much rage— you're absorbed so much into one, singular moment of anger towards someone or something— that you surrender your own self to the power. You let it take over you. And you aren't you anymore."

Korra wondered if that's something Aang had said. It seemed pretty accurate, looking back. She just remembered that there was no way she was going to let that guy attack Pema. Those lightning bolts could kill her. Or her baby. And Korra would not let that happen to the family that had helped her so much in such a short time.

It's not like she remembered any of it though. She'd woken up groaning in the hospital wing, half the place destroyed because of her anger. The Equalists had scattered in the wake of Korra's display, catching their ferry or swimming away. No one had gone after them; they didn't want to risk it. Now the Air Acolytes were left with half their population wounded and much of their temple in shambles.

All because of Korra.

She resisted the urge to punch something, or set something on fire. Things were going downhill so quickly. Since coming here, all she'd seen was destruction and fear. She was the Avatar! She was supposed to bring balance to the world! Not make things worse.

"Hey."

She jumped a little at the voice, turning around. It took her only a second to recognize the lanky form walking up towards her, and another to wonder what he was doing.

"Mako?" she asked, standing up, her frustration broken by the moment of confusion. "What are you doing here?"

The Firebender boy made it up to her, his face thrown into light by the candles that had been re-lit after the whole fiasco earlier. "Bolin and I heard the fighting— well, actually, the whole city did. You guys are making the front page tomorrow, I can tell you that… But we hopped a ferry over here as quickly as we could. Almost had to assault the operator, he didn't want to ride over here with the threat of Equalists."

Korra looked at the ground, kicking a rock from underneath a boot. "You… didn't have to come… Not that I don't appreciate you guys coming, but I mean…" She couldn't explain it out loud. How she wished they hadn't come because they would see what happened when she lost control, what being the Avatar really meant. Mako just shook his head though.

"Bolin would've killed me if I didn't let him come over here. We were both worried about you. About all of you." His expression was pointed, with twinges of worry.

Korra sighed, dropping down to sit on the rock again. "Guess you heard what actually happened then." Her voice was flat, almost angry. She was kind of angry though. Angry at the Equalists for showing up. Angry at herself for losing it like she had.

Mako paused, moving to sit next to her. "We saw it from the apartment. What happened."

"Great. Someone else saw me royally screw up everything." Korra's voice was hard, and she grabbed a rock, sending it hurling across the courtyard.

"You didn't screw up anything." Mako's voice was firm. "You made the Equalists leave."

"By destroying half the place."

"Things can be rebuilt. Really, Korra, the only thing Tenzin is really concerned with right now is how you're taking it. And Pema for that matter. She said you were protecting her?"

Korra groaned, putting her head in her hands again. "I just… I couldn't control it. The guy with the lightning rods was going after Pema and… I mean… I couldn't let her get hurt. Or the baby. I wouldn't let that happen. And I… I couldn't stop it."

He was silent for a moment. Then Korra felt a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Korra. No one blames you. You were protecting her. You probably saved her or her baby's life. None of them are going to complain about that. They're just worried about how you're dealing with it."

Her eyes still averted his.

She could hear him sigh. "Look… From what I've heard, the Avatar State comes on when you're at your most scared or angry. And all of us hate that you have to deal with that. But it's not your fault. It's not something you can control."

Korra felt a lump forming in her throat. "Avatars before me could control it."

"After practice, from what Tenzin was saying," Mako corrected her. "Apparently Aang had a hard time mastering it too. Just like anything else. But hey," he turned her to face him, "it's not your fault. You'll just have to work at keeping it in check later, right?"

His expression was so worried and vulnerable, just for a split second— so unlike the cool, collected Mako he normally was— that it broke through. After a second of silence, Korra nodded. "Thanks, Mako," she said, embarrassed that her voice broke when she spoke.

A small, almost imperceptible grin passed his face. "C'mon," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and steering her back to the main part of the temple. "Tenzin's going to drive everyone crazy with worrying if you don't come back soon."

Korra gave a shaky laugh.

And later, when Pema was fussing over her and Jinora was hanging onto her arm in a sweet, protective way and Bolin was sweeping her up in a giant bear hug, she figured maybe Mako was right.