disclaimer: I own nothing, only a computer

Not Goodbye

They're always walking away from each other. For Mako, each time it happens he gets a sense of déjà vu, a feeling that it's happened before, and the inescapable feeling that it will happen again. The very first time that they met, he walked right by her, not even giving her a second glance.

He regrets it of course; Korra's not just some crazy fangirl that cajoled her way into their lives. She's the Avatar, and not only that. She's amazing. She's crazy, of course. There's no denying that, but he's come to see that she's the good kind of crazy.

It's not fair that they're always leaving each other behind, whether they mean to or not, whether they want to, or whether they want to be by each other's side.

Sometimes, more often than not, they storm away because they're angry. They're both too quick to judge, to shout, too quick to give up reasoning with the other.

As soon as he had banged the door to the lockers shut after their confrontation on the arena steps, Mako had wished he had shown the same cool under fire attitude that he was renowned for in the ring. When they walk away from each other in anger, he feels so drained. It's not good for him, it's not good for her, and it's certainly not good for them.

And then there're times like the pro-bending finals, when she had to go after Amon, and there was nothing he could do but stand there and watch her skim across the ice and into the water. Nothing he could do but watch her go, terrified that she might not be coming back.

It was a mixture of pain and anger that filled him as he walked away from her outside the Future Industries factory. She had no real evidence, no grounds to make an accusation, and yet there she was. Hiroshi Sato, an Equalist? It was absurd and Korra knew it. She had to know it. She had to.

Mako knew he had been stupid, of course. He had been cruel; he knew that what he said to her would hurt, but he had said it anyway. His threat had been an empty one, though. He liked her too much to let her go completely.

When Lin Bei Fong uncovered the secret tunnel in Hiroshi Sato's workshop, Mako knew just how wrong he had been. The look on Korra's face hadn't been one of triumph. He should have known that she would never be so petty or childish to frame Mr. Sato just to drive a wedge between Asami and himself. She was the Avatar. She didn't have the luxury of being a child.

It was Korra that walked away this time, and Mako wishing that he was with her. As she melded into the darkness, moving away from him yet again, he felt so ashamed at how he had treated her. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry, that he'd never walk away in anger again, that he'd never doubt her. That he was wrong. Instead he stayed where he was, with a strange, sick feeling rising in his stomach.

Maybe it's just their fate, some cruel trick that the spirits have played on them, to never let them stay together in peace. Sometimes, it's their own fault, and their own stubborn stupidity that sends them reeling in opposite directions, but it is times like those in Mr. Sato's workshop, when Mako wants nothing more than to just stay with Korra, that he can't stand it.

They're on the airship now, leaving the mansion behind, standing in reserved silence. Mako watches Asami stare out at her home, growing smaller in the distance, but has to look away. It's too private, too personal for even him to intrude on, so he turns away from Asami to find Korra, arms crossed and a solemn, unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you. But Asami's dad being an Equalist is not an easy thing to believe. Even now," he tells her, and hopes that she can tell how much he means it.

Neither of them can meet each other's gaze. Not yet.

"I know. I'm sorry this whole thing happened," she replies, still staring down and out of the airship.

"So... does your offer to live at the air temple still stand?" he asks her, glancing at her from out of the corner of his eye.

"Of course it does," Korra says, and turns to smile at him, " And Asami's welcome too."

"Thank you so much," he says, earnestness seeping through his voice.

"After everything she's been through, she's going to need you, Mako."

And she will. She's just lost the only family that she's had left, and Mako resolves to be there for her as long as she needs him. It's not fair that the world has conspired to do this, to make him turn away from her yet again, but Asami needs him more than Korra. They both know it, and even if it hurts, they both know that it's the right decision.

Korra puts a hand on Mako's shoulder and meets his eyes. It's not goodbye, just his cue to walk away.