Makorra Week 2014: Kiss

A/N: Alternate ending to book 4

"Hey."

She turned away from the pier and saw him walking towards her. She tried to step away from the reception, get a little quiet.

"Hey,", she said back. "Shouldn’t you be dancing?"

"You know I’m not much of a dancer,", he laughed.

She giggled a bit in return as she looked down at their feet.

"Do you wanna sit?", she asked, gesturing to the steps in front of them.

"Sure."

As Korra sat on the cold stone, resting her elbows on her knees, Mako tried to balance himself as he sat down. It wasn’t an easy task with just one arm.

"You ok there?", she said, a little amused.

"I’ve been through worse.", he responded. Oh she knew he did.

As he settled on the concrete their gazes went to the golden glowing arena across the bay.

"Beautiful isn’t it?", Mako said, breaking the silence.

"Breathtaking,", Korra sighed.

"Bolin thought it was a palace when he was a kid.", he explained. "I guess it kinda turned out that way in the end."

"Yeah, lots of magical things happened there.", she said through a smile.

"Our whole lives changed there.", he remarked. "We finally got a roof over our heads, we head our best paying jobs, we’d get decent meals-"

"You met me.", she interrupted.

"I was getting to that.", he laughed. "Very hard detail to forget."

"Why would you wanna forget?", she laughed back.

"Well..there’s a few things…", he said.

"Oh right. How you refused a beautiful water bender who said you were meant for each other…", she recalled.

"Ok that I go back and laugh at.", he explained.

"I go back and laugh at how I decided to seal the awkwardness with my first kiss.", Korra cackled, pinching her nose.

"Yeah, great job on your part.", Mako answered sarcastically.

"Oh please, you’re the one that slipped tongue.", she teased.

"You’re the one that blushed afterwards.", he told.

"Well could you blame me? I’m surprised you didn’t.", she said.

"I think my body was too much in oh shit mode than oh someone kissed me mode.", Mako chuckled.

"You sure it wasn’t both?", she snickered.

He shook his head.

"It was both.", she said.

"Korra."

"Yes officer blushy?", she asked, pinching his cheek. He lowered it as he looked straight at her.

"I wanted to ask you something.", he said.

"Ok fine I admit it. I considered a threesome with you and Asami."

"Oh. Wait what?", he asked.

"What was your question?", she asked, changing the subject.

"Um..ok. I just wanted to ask you if…well…ok so Wu and I were talking the other day-"

"If you’re trying to fix me up with him I’ll-"

"No no! It’s..the opposite actually."

"Huh?"

"Just let me explain! He started asking about me, and who I was. He didn’t realize that we went out before. So I told him about us, and then I told him how after we broke up that I needed to figure how to live without a lady in my life. And I came to my senses about something."

Korra stared at him blankly, almost confused.

"Korra, you’re not just some lady."

"Thank you, I’m well aware."

"Let me finish. I thought I needed to figure out how to get on without you. But, I realized without you, life was so boring. And with other girls who Asami tried to fix me up with, they weren’t even close to being as exciting and as fun as you made life out to be.”

"Mako.."

"I can live without you Korra. But I don’t want to, ever again."

"Mako, I just…I’m not sure."

His expression softened, and her eyes began to look glassy.

"I mean, I know things are different now. But what if we’re too different? What if we’ve changed so much to the point where our love is just the love of us three years ago and not the us of today? I sorry. I’m just so confused and-"

His lips met hers. After what finally felt like forever, Mako felt as though he had been released from chains holding him back from her, and that every barrier between them fell like a tumbling wall, to let him and his love through to her. And as he felt her lean back into his lips, and her hand cup his jaw, his arm didn’t feel pain anymore. His free hand went wrap around her waist to pull her closer. She left his lips slowly, letting his forehead rest on hers.

"My love for you will never change Korra."