Legend of Korra drabbles

[Winged]

Hi all! Sen Beret and I were sad about the lack of Korra material on here (especially after Mako in the last episode - that was DYING to be fic'ed), so we decided to take matters into our own hands. Thus, the drabbles were born!

And then we thought, hey, what if we got other people involved in this? Hottest thread EVER. So Sen Beret and I will post drabbles we've written, and please feel free to chip in! Just add your drabbles to the compendium of awesome. Word count is irrelevant - obviously we're pretty loose about our definition of 'drabble.'

---

Character: Mako (m)

Cause: Allergy (dust)

“Are you sure we’re supposed to be up here?” Bolin said in a stage-whisper, pausing on the lowest rung of the ladder and looking up at Korra and Mako.

“Tenzin never said we couldn’t, did he?” Korra breathed back, her eyes glinting in the dim light. “Better to ask forgiveness than permission.”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Asami,” Mako said wryly from his position a few rungs below Korra. He shifted his weight on the ladder so he could adjust his scarf.

Pabu squeaked quietly from Bolin’s shoulder, and the Earthbender absently reached back to stroke him. “Quiet, Pabu! If Korra’s wrong, Tenzin could Airbend us into oblivion.”

“Korra’s not wrong!” Korra’s voice echoed back down the ladder. Mako rolled his eyes.

“Will you hurry up and open the trapdoor already? My arms are falling asleep,” he grumbled, tapping his fingers impatiently against the rungs.

“Ah-hah!” Korra crowed in return, and a sharp snap rung throughout the narrow ladder shaft.

Bolin yelped and lost his grip on the ladder, beginning to frantically scrabble for purchase. “MAKO MAKO HELLLPPPP!” he yelled, completely disregarding the need for silence.

“Bo…you’re two feet off the ground,” Mako hissed. Bolin froze and chanced a quick glance below him. Sure enough, Mako was right. He let out a long sigh.

“You’re a lifesaver, bro. Thanks.” Bolin scratched a terrified Pabu between the ears and began climbing again. Thirty feet above, Korra had vanished into a square of faded light that marked the entrance to the attic. Mako wasn’t far behind her.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have, um, smashed the trapdoor,” Mako said dryly, kicking the splintered remains of the wood. Korra ignored him and ran to the windows.

“Woah, Mako, come look at this!” He grudgingly followed, sending suspicious glances around the room.

“I don’t think anyone’s been up here in years,” he said softly, drawing his toe through the layer of grime and dust covering the floor.

“Weird. Who wouldn’t want to come hang out in a deserted room in the Air Tower?” Bolin said thoughtfully, brushing himself off as he hauled himself through the trapdoor opening. Pabu scampered off to join Korra at the window.

“You can see your house from here!” Korra exclaimed, but then seemed to remember that times had changed. “Well…what used to be your house,” she finished awkwardly. Bolin let out a dejected sigh from her left and folded his elbows on the edge of the window.

“I miss that place. The place in the corner where the floor squeaked, the way that I’d always fall down the ladder in the mornings…” he trailed off, lost in reminiscing.

“What about you, Mako? Do you miss living at the arena?” Korra asked. Mako didn’t answer her, and she glanced quickly over her shoulder. Had she offended him?

“What?” Mako asked, glancing up from tying his shoes. “Oh, um, yeah, I guess.” He straightened up and shook the dirt from his clothes. “Ugh, it’s revolting up here,” he complained, rubbing absently at his nose with the heel of his hand. “Couldn’t we have adventured somewhere a little cleaner?”

“C’mon, bro, where’s your sense of adventure?” Bolin turned away from the window and gazed around the room. “There’s a ton to do up here! We can…we can stack the crates on top of each other and make forts, or spike Pabu’s fur with the dirt and make him look like a zombie, or…”

“Wait, there are crates?” Korra darted to the curious objects, the window forgotten. “I wonder what’s in here.” She began to pry at the lid of the nearest box. “Help me out, guys.”

Bolin obediently started in on a crate to Korra’s right, but Mako didn’t move. “I don’t know if that’s a good – hih! – g-good idea.” He closed his eyes for a brief second, his hand hovering halfway to his mouth, then doubled over in a sharp sneeze. “Aek-TSHOO!”

“Bless you,” Korra replied absently, while Bolin continued digging through his box. “Look, I found some old papers!” He cried.

Mako wasn’t finished. He arched back, his eyes half-mast while his hands fluttered towards his face. “Huhh – haah -- hhh—HAEK-schoo.” He managed to tent his hands over his nose to trap the sneeze, or at least to muffle it a little.

“Bless,” Korra and Bolin both echoed. Mako straightened with a liquid sniff, but he otherwise said nothing about his dual explosions. “What are you finding?” He said brusquely, moving over towards the boxes.

“A lot of old tax records.” Korra made a face at the dry parchment stacked between herself and Bolin. “It’s kind of boring.”

“I was hoping for a treasure map,” Bolin agreed. Pabu crinkled his nose and jerked forward in a tiny sneeze, and Bolin jumped.

“Aww, Pabu! Is the dust getting to you?” He cooed, rubbing his nose against the little Fire Ferret’s. Pabu let out a tiny whimpering sound and leapt from Bolin’s arms to curl into a ball on top of a nearby crate.

Mako too was in the throes of another sneeze. He twitched his nose and brought his hands to his face in expectation. Allergic tears welled at the corners of his eyes. His hands quivered as his breath caught, hitched, and swelled to a crescendo. “Huh-ASCHH-uh,” he sneezed harshly, spray glittering in the half-light as it misted through his fingers.

“Bless - ” Korra started, then paused. She turned to face Mako, crates forgotten. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fi – fuh – f – ufffschh.” He muffled the sneeze in his hands and resurfaced, blinking away tears. “I’m fine,” he muttered, abashed.

“No, you’re not.” Korra rose to her feet in a single, liquid movement and placed her hand against his forehead. “You don’t feel warm,” she said after a moment, puzzled.

Bolin finally seemed to clue in that something was going on. “Woah, you okay, Mako?”

“I’m fine!” Mako repeated irritably, stepping back from Korra. His eyes and the rims of his nostrils were turning pink, and he twitched his nose again before succumbing to a quick “HUHf-ssch.” stifled in the crook of his elbow. The Firebender pulled his sleeve down over his hands to wipe his nose, blushing. “It’s just dusty in here,” he muttered.

“Why didn’t you say you were allergic? You didn’t have to come along,” Korra said, her eyebrows snapping together in frustration. Mako just sniffled. Korra rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s get you back downstairs.”

“C’mon, bro,” Bolin threaded his arm behind Mako’s shoulders, quivering with the buildup of another sneeze. “You’ll feel better after you shower.”

Korra led the way down the ladder, pausing to help Mako down the last few rungs.

[pinknose]

AHHHH!!! I saw this and my heart skipped a freakin' beat. Legend of Korra fan girl right here!!!

[EmeraldThread]

YES. I love this, seriously love it so much. I've been thinking for weeks about writing a Mako fic. Nothing in my mind ever seems to work. BUT now that there's a thread about it, I think I may have to whip something up. Thank you soooo much for starting this, yours is absolutely fantastic (from the Mako fangirl)!!

[Gypsy]

Ah! I love you. That was adorable. <3 A legion of Legend of Korra drabbles sounds lovely. I'd like to contribute something soon, too. :]

[Sawyer]

Oh my god I'm so happy you guys like this! Feel free to contribute! PLEASE contribute! You can never have too much LoK fetish fiction~

Winged and I have been giving each other prompts so if you guys are out of ideas or if you have an idea but you don't want to write it you should totally say something here and everyone will take care of it for you! Yay! I'm so excited! Here's mine:

Untitled

Character: Mako (m)

Cause: Cold

-

-

Mako watched his girlfriend’s expression falter as yet another advertisement for automobile racing played on the radio.

“You miss driving?” He prompted.

“Yes,” Asami admitted with a sigh. “I’m so, so grateful for Tenzin’s family to have taken us in like this... but if there’s one thing I’ll miss about my life at home, it’s my dad’s race cars.”

Mako placed a comforting arm around Asami’s shoulders. “That's not the only thing you miss though, is it? You’re going through a lot right now. What can I do to help?”

She rested her head on his chest and said, “Just being with you makes it a lot better. I don’t know what I would do if I had to go through this alone.”

“Hey, how about I take you out tonight,” Mako suggested. “I know money’s tight right now but there’s a lot to do around here that won’t even cost one yuan. It’ll help take your mind off things.” His tone was encouraging and upbeat, although he coughed involuntarily through the last word.

“That sounds great,” Asami agreed, looking up at him. Then, noticing her boyfriend’s pained expression, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Mako coughed again, taking a lot longer to stop this time. “I just -- I need a drink. Sorry. I’ll see you in a little while.” He squeezed her hand and quickly went inside without looking back, leaving his confused girlfriend on the patio as the snow began to fall.

-

After downing two glasses of water, Mako’s chest still felt warm and achy. He’d woken up with a sore and scratchy throat the day before, likely a result of the awful fresh winter air. Despite staying hydrated and getting as much rest as possible, the sore throat had progressed into this annoying cough, and now an incessant buzzing in his sinuses.

This happened to him every year. Perhaps a firebender’s body was simply not as adaptable to cold weather. Why had he asked Asami out when he knew his condition would only get worse? She didn’t need this to worry about on top of everything else.

“Hh’ETSCHue!” Damn, and now the sneezing was starting. Perfect, just what he needed. He braced himself for the second, hovering his hands a few inches from his face. “Hah-TSCHuh!”

Maybe a shower would help.

-

It didn’t.

“Huh-AESCHoo!” The steam had only given him temporary relief, and the chills he got from the change of temperature that came with leaving the shower had only irritated his sinuses further. “Hh’MMPHshh!”

He heard footsteps in the hallway, getting closer. “Mako, hurry up in there!” Bolin demanded from the other side of the door. “The rest of us need showers too!”

“Okay!” Mako called back. He stared at his reflection. His eyes were dull and lined with dark circles and his nose was almost as red as Pabu’s fur and... and he had to sneeze again.

He pinched his nose shut and his head bobbed violently with a near-silent sneeze. Good, there was no way his brother could have heard that. “Ngxt’SCHue!” But the second had gotten away. Still, he didn’t hear anything from Bolin -- a good sign. Mako figured he was in the clear, pulled on his scarf, and exited the bathroom.

“All yours.”

-

Korra, too, was on her way to the bathroom after airbending practice. “Mako!” She called down the hallway, pointing at the bathroom door. “Is the shower taken?”

“Bolin’s in there right now,” Mako said when he got closer. “You’ll have to wait your turn. Hot water bight rud out though.” And now the congestion was affecting his voice. Great. Maybe she wouldn’t notice.

“Shouldn’t be a problem, seeing as we’re both firebenders,” Korra said. “Hey, your voice sounds kind of funny. Are you okay?”

“You’re just ibagididg things.” Really? Out of all possible words, he'd decided to use that one?

“I’m what?”

Alright, he just had to avoid m’s and n’s and everything would be okay. “Deverbide. I’b fide.” Damn it!

Korra was about to protest when Bolin walked out of the bathroom, his hair still wet, and joined them. “What’s going on? Mako, why is your face so red?”

Mako shook his head. “Forget it -- I’ll see you at lunch.” He all but ran ran away from the two of them in the direction of his bedroom.

“What is with him?” Korra asked. “He’s been acting really weird since yesterday and now his voice is all stuffy, like it was that time we were in the attic. Pema keeps a clean house; I know it can’t be the dust.”

Bolin shrugged, then paused to think about it for a moment. “Oh! Mako always gets really irritable and sniffly this time of year, when the weather changes. He hates getting sick.”

“That does make sense,” Korra said. “Still, why wouldn’t he just say something?”

“Mako hates admitting to stuff like that,” Bolin explained. “He’ll keep denying it until someone forces him to suck it up and get some rest. That’s usually my job.”

“Well, let’s just hope he doesn’t get any worse or we’ll have to intervene.”

-

During lunch, Mako had excused himself to go to the bathroom a suspicious number of times -- during which he was relentlessly blowing his nose and occasionally sneezing. Each time made his nose flush an even angrier shade of pink, but at least his voice was a little clearer.

After Mako’s umpteenth return, Asami looked up from her noodles and asked, “Are you alright? I’m pretty sure you’ve been to the bathroom, like, ten times in the last thirty minutes.”

“I’b fi-- uh, yeah, I’b okay,” Mako answered. Phew, that was a close call. Mako could feel his nose quickly becoming more congested, but he couldn’t run off to the bathroom again now that Asami had brought it to everyone’s attention.

And now would have been a really good time because he had to--

“HAHT’nxtSCHoo!” He’d turned away from Asami and tried to smother the explosion with his sleeve, but it had been too strong to contain.

“Bless you!” Asami offered, placing a hand on Mako’s shoulder as he geared up for another sneeze.

“Thank y- hhuhhh.. y-you. Hh’ETSCHue!”

“Bless you,” she repeated, her tone sounding concerned.

Mako sniffled thickly, then turned back to face everyone. “Sorry. Thanks. I, uh. I have to go -- I’ll see you tonight.”

Korra and Bolin exchanged a look.

-

“Bro, come on. You can’t take Asami out like this. You can’t even pronounce her name.”

Mako looked up from his bed to see Bolin standing in the doorway. He coughed into his fist and then said, “I dod’t kndoe what you’re talkihg about.”

Bolin sat on the bed next to his brother. “Dude, seriously, the jig is up. Just admit you’re sick so you can get some rest and go out again when you’re feeling better. It’s really not a big deal.”

“She has a lot to worry about,” Mako said. “She shouldn’t have to deal with this on top of it.”

“You know going out in the cold will just make it worse,” Bolin pointed out.

Mako sighed. “I’ll be okay. If it does start to get worse I’ll tell her we’ll come right back here, okay? Don’t worry.”

Mako wasn’t sure if he was really trying to convince Bolin or himself.

-

It was far colder outside than Mako had anticipated. Perhaps the sun setting and increased snowfall had something to do with it. Despite being bundled up in a coat and gloves with his scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, Mako was still shivering -- and the cold had made his nose start to run.

“Hh.. huh.. hah’AETschoo!” And there was that.

“Bless you!”

“Huh’tSCHOO!” Snifflle. “Thadks.”

“Are you alright? You haven’t stopped sneezing since we got outside. It sounds like you’re getting sick.”

“Asabi, I’b fide, really.” Nope, that did it. He’d said her name -- Bolin was right.

She stamped her hand on Mako’s forehead. “Sweetie, you’re burning up. Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

“I didn’t wadt you to worry,” Mako explained. “It’s okay, really. It’s... huh! it-- hh... eht-tSCHue!”

“Listen to you,” Asami said sympathetically. “Come on, we’re going back. You shouldn’t be outside with the weather like this.”

“I probised I’d take you out,” Mako protested.

“Let me take you in, instead. We can still have a date night; we’ll just have tea and soup instead of snow and streetlights and when you’re feeling better we can go out again. It’s okay, really.”

She grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek. “Let’s go home.”

-

-

Guys, please feel free to contribute! That would be so awesome!

Edited May 22, 2012 by Sen Beret

[EmeraldThread]

Lovelovelove!!! Mako is so cute, and I love the firebenders being sensitive to cold/getting sick/sniffly and cranky when it starts getting cold outside. Such great sneezes (in both of yours)~

Btw, I wouldn't mind a prompt if anyone has some on hand. I can be kinda choosy, but I can definitely mold it into something I can write better if nothing else. Anyway, I really just wanna write a Mako drabble-thing as soon as humanly possible.

[happybunny]

mmpf! you're killing me here! this is really amazing, just picturing the episode makes me squirm in glee!! thanks so much you are AMAZING!

[Gypsy]

Okay, so Bolin is my favorite character, and I kiiinddaaa ship Asami and Bolin. I know it's weird. I guess I just like the whole 'opposites attract' deal, and I like them both a lot as characters. Plus I love the idea of forbidden love is that so wrong yes it is oh well SOOO here are Asami and Bolin tramping around the island and having really awkward 'I'm attracted to you but trying to pretend I'm not' moments.

Character: Bolin (m)

Cause: Allergy (seasonal)

“This was a good idea,” said Asami conversationally, looking around the beautiful island. “You know, it’s funny that even though we live together, sometimes I feel like we hardly know each other. It’s good for us to have bonding time.”

“Yeah, good old brotherly bonding time,” said Bolin. He stopped, thought for a second, and then said quickly, “Sorry. You’re not a brother.”

“I know what you meant,” Asami laughed. “Relax.”

He grinned. “It’s habit, I guess. I do spend like ninety percent of my life with Mako. For us, every day is brotherly bonding time.” He frowned, remembering some choice fights they’d had. “Except when it’s not.”

“Well, yeah, that would make sense,” she said coolly.

He sniffled and rubbed his nose absentmindedly. Then he stopped, looked her dead in the eyes, and glared menacingly, completely changing his tone. “Don’t mock me, lady.”

His face was so straight and serious when he said it that she couldn’t help laughing, and he laughed too, and both of them just kept laughing, and then they started laughing at how stupid their nonstop laughing was, and they completely forgot the world and everything that was happening to them. They just laughed.

“Well, aren’t you the comedian,” she managed when they were done, minutes later. “How are you related to Mako? I mean—I love him and all, I do—but the guy can’t take a joke, or tell one, or anything.”

“Eh, he has his moments,” said Bolin. “Well, it’s how our genetics divided up, I guess. I got the sense of humor, the muscle, the social skills, the charisma, the looks, the brains, and the pretty eyes, and he got the height. It was a fair trade.”

“Mako has pretty eyes,” said Asami defensively.

“Oh, come on,” he said condescendingly. “Prettier than these?”

He jokingly shot her a charming, lady-killer stare, but his eyes were gorgeous once she really looked at them, and she was at a loss for words. They were a different shade of green than her own; deeper and earthy, and really fascinating. She tried to think of a comeback, but just couldn’t think at all.

Thankfully, at that moment, he sniffed softly, turned sideways, and looked toward the sun. There was a pause; then his breath hitched, his lip trembled, his eyelids fluttered, and he quickly brought his fist to his turned-up nose.

“Heh-PTCCHHxxuuhhh!”

“Oh!” said Asami, startled. “Bless you.”

“Thagyou,” he said quickly, before trembling again. “PTTCHheeww!”

“Bless you.”

He kept his hand to his nose for a moment, sniffed hard, then blinked and smiled at her. “Thanks. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize,” she said sincerely. He blushed.

“I have sort of bad allergies in the spring,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s flowers or something. Or maybe it’s trees? Same thing.”

“Yeah, flowers, trees, who can tell the difference,” Asami giggled. “Isn’t that funny, though? The earthbender is allergic to the earth.”

“I never thought of it that way,” said Bolin. “It’s ironic, I guess, but I would hardly say it’s funny.” He sniffled and rubbed his reddening nose pathetically. “More like cruel.”

“Oh, don’t complain,” Asami said, gently rubbing his shoulder in a this-is-very-platonic-and-I-am-totally-not-attracted-to-you-because-you-are-my-boyfriend’s-brother-and-that-would-be-so-weird kind of way. “It’s just allergies. Things could be worse.”

“Easy for you to say,” he said darkly, rubbing his itchy nose, his voice getting stuffy. “You don’t ha—h-h-h-“ He gasped comically, hitching arresting his voice, and he bent down quickly. Asami's hand was still on his shoulder, and she felt his muscles tighten; she rubbed him comfortingly, and, as she kept telling herself, innocently.

“HH’IIISCCHHHoooohhh! ISCHHuuhh! Hhh—h-h...ha’IIISCCHHH!”

With his last sneeze, the earth shifted and burst beneath them, and Asami jumped back, wide-eyed. Bolin stumbled, then straightened up and looked the mangled ground over.

“Nice!” he said, clearly impressed with his own work. “I haven’t done that in forever. It’s a good one, too.” He swelled with pride, then remembered Asami, and looked at her in worry. “Oh man, I’m sorry. Are you okay?!”

“I’m fine,” she said, still catching her breath. “That was just—unexpected.”

He shrugged. “It happens if you’re a bender. To some of us more than others. And by ‘some of us’ I mean the most powerful ones, of course.”

“Oh,” said Asami. “Well, I—I guess that makes sense. Try not to kill me, though, okay? I mean, I can take care of myself, but I don’t think I can fight an earthquake.”

“Don’t worry,” he said softly, smiling gently, and for a minute the winds changed, and the sun shone a little brighter, and time stopped, and they were in a different world. “I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you.”

She caught herself staring into his gorgeous eyes again, and she told herself repeatedly to stop staring, to look down, to look anywhere else but at those eyes. But as long as he didn’t look away, then she didn’t want to either.

[DogLover]

Um.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my feelings on this. These are all pure and unadulterated awesome! (The fact that I love Avatar in general and Mako in particular doesn't hurt either....) So, yeah...

I may have to write one now.

[Sawyer]

Oh my GOD, Gypsy! That was too wonderful! THEY ARE SO CUTE AND CHARMING. The "don't mock me, lady" and the eyes thing and then the spring allergies AWW and f;akldjfa;jaldka the EARTHBENDING SNEEZE and then him saying he would protect her AWWW so cute and awesome! I love Bolin!! You write his character so well! I loved it!!

DogLover yes PLEASE WRITE ONE! <3 This is the hottest thread ever.

[DogLover]

New Plan

Character: Mako

Cause: Allergy (Dust)

"Bolin!" hissed Mako from a few feet ahead in the tunnel. "What did we say about silence? And stealthiness?"

"Sorry, sorry, I can't see where I'm going!" Bolin crawled faster to catch up to his brother, wincing as he yet again banged a limb, an elbow this time, on the metal wall of the tunnel, making a loud, echoing, booming noise.

"Okay, new plan," whispered Mako as the echoes died away. "Let's go slowly. Slowly and carefully."

"You're the boss!" Bolin said much too loudly.

"Sshhh! I'm surprised they haven't heard us by now," Mako glared at his brother before remembering how much use that would be in the almost complete darkness of the tunnel. "Come on, let's go."

Proceeding much more carefully now, their going was almost silent, partially muffled by the the thick layer of dust in this part of the tunnel. It was so quiet that Bolin had absolutely no problem hearing the change in Mako's breathing.

"heh...eh? hah!...hiihhhh..."

Mako cursed internally as his breathing hitched erratically, a sure sign of what was coming. Why, why did the tunnel have to be so dusty?

"Bro?" Bolin whispered. "You okay?"

"Yihh--yeah," Mako managed to spit out. "Ju-huuhhh--just d-dusty."

"You? Just dusty?! Yeah right," Bolin said, volume rising.

"Whaaat did I say about s-silence--HAAEK-SHOOO!" Mako succumbed to the sneeze and winced as it echoed much more loudly than any noise Bolin had made.

"You were saying?" Bolin's laughter was apparent in his voice.

But Mako wasn't finished.

"haaaahh....ha'KSHOOO! ha'etschUUu! huhh...hah? hah! heh...SCHUU!"

In desperation, Mako grabbed his scarf and muffled his sneezes into that.

"heehh-MPHfffftt! hah'mmpt! hh'mmph! hah'MPH'schuu! heh! heehhh'CHuUu!"

After about a minute the fit tapered off.

"Um, bro?" Bolin said. "New plan. Let's sneak around in tunnels that you aren't allergic to."

****

Yeah, I don't like it that much, but whatever, I'll post it anyway.

[Winged]

Ahhhhh omg DogLover that was so great!! Mako and his dust allergies are SO. HOT. And I loved Bolin's snark, and Mako muffling the sneezes in his scarf was super sexy. Unf. You guys are the best <3

and Gypsy! Absolutely loved it! you kind of made me ship Bolin and Asami a little bit - which is saying something, haha. Eeee

[Sawyer]

DogLover, that was awesome! I adore Mako and his dust allergies <3 seriously, there is nothing more charming and adorable. I loved that desperate fit and mmm and the way he kept trying to talk through it and how his voice was all shaky and his breathing was erratic and wow omg so so hot

You guys are amazing! Please write MORE! Or just comment and say what you thought and join us in this puddle of hotness. I will try to whip something up soon!

Edited May 22, 2012 by Sen Beret

[EmeraldThread]

Before I add my thing, I wanna say these are ALL amazing, and I keep checking back here (probably more often than I should) to see if more have been added. Seriously, I love it, and I'm soooo happy this thread got started (I hope it never dies, ever)!

Anyway, here's what I came up with based on the prompt given to me by Winged:

Maybe they're cleaning out the attic (at the arena) in preparation for moving, and the dust is bothering Mako but he's too proud to admit it?

It's soooo much longer than I intended.

Character: Mako

Cause: Allergy (Dust)

“Thanks for letting us stay with you guys,” Mako said as he, Bolin, and Korra climbed the ladder to their flat. The guys were packing up, getting ready to leave the first place they’d called home since their parents’ deaths. It felt strange, and yet normal to leave yet another place.

“No problem,” Korra replied, climbing out of the square opening in the floor and stretching with her arms behind her head. “So where do we start?”

“I guess over there.” Mako pointed to an area of the apartment that looked well used. It was clearly their kitchen area, littered with a couple frying pans and a fair few dirty dishes scattered in the sink. “Uh, maybe we should clean these up first,” he added.

“Good idea, bro,” Bolin chimed in, heading over to the sink. Several steps short of that area, however, he changed direction, heading over to a pile of stuff that definitely didn’t belong to Mako. Pabu jumped from the sixteen-year-old’s shoulder, dashing toward one of the still greasy pans and licking the inside.

Mako sighed and shook his head. Guess he was stuck with that job again.

As Korra and Bolin packed, Mako glanced over periodically to find that they weren’t putting things in the boxes so much as Bolin kept taking something he thought was cool and showing it to Korra. A lot of it was pro-bending-related, and she seemed really interested in it. That made it worse. At this rate, they’d never get anything out of there.

“Can you guys please get serious?” Mako finally grumbled, having finished his chore of putting away what turned out to be everything in the kitchen.

Bolin averted his eyes guiltily, lowering a strange homemade looking object. Korra, on the other hand, stood to face the firebender.

“Lighten up,” she said, firmly, but not in anger. “Do you have any idea what kind of cool stuff is over here?”

Mako waved her off. “That’s just stuff Bo collected over the years. I’ve seen it all. Why don’t you help me with that?” he suggested, gesturing above them.

Korra followed his hand to a ladder leading to some sort of storage loft. It connected to the walls all the way around the flat, about four or five feet wide. Korra observed several boxes already set to go, and an equal number of loose items.

She shrugged. “Okay.”

Bolin opted to keep rummaging through his collection while Korra and Mako ascended the skinny ladder. When they got to the top, they found it was quite a bit dustier than either of them expected.

“Looks like you guys haven’t been up here in a while,” Korra observed, kneeling and swiping one hand over one of the larger boxes. A cloud of dust rose in front of the two, expanding before it floated slowly into a new place.

Mako rubbed a knuckle against the tip of his nose. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ve touched this stuff since we moved in here.”

“How did you guys have so much stuff? You were orphans on the street, right?” Korra blurted without thinking. She glanced over her shoulder to gauge Mako’s reaction.

He seemed to think little of it, or was otherwise distracted. “Yeah, but when we got here, they gave us some things we didn’t need. And once we outgrew others, we just put them up hh-here. Some of it’s not even ours, I don’t think.” He scrubbed at his nose again, more intensely this time. Something was bothering it, but he couldn’t figure out what.

Korra pried open a box, freeing another thick covering of dust into the air. “Hey, look!” she exclaimed with a chuckle. She held up two pro-bending helmets that were obviously way too small for either of the boys now. “Did you guys used to wear these?”

Mako opened his mouth to answer before his eyes lost focus. His breath hitched once before it came. “Huh-H’EsCHu! Yeah, a long time ago.”

“Hey Bolin, come up here!” Korra called. “There’s so much stuff!”

Bolin grabbed Pabu and scampered up the ladder, running over with a huge grin on his face. Mako had to grab Bolin’s shirt to keep him from tumbling over the edge of the loft as he skidded to a stop beside them.

“What’d you find?” he asked excitedly, wasting no time kneeling to pick through the boxes.

“There’s a lot of you guys’ old stuff here,” Korra said, pulling out what looked like a stuffed fire ferret that had been very well loved.

“Hey, I remember this!” Bolin took the animal and hugged it to his chest. “See Pabu, this is what we had before you.” He held it out to the little creature, who sniffed it cautiously before leaping atop Bolin’s head as if to claim him.

Korra and Bolin continued their reverse packing, sending dust particles flying through the air around them. Mako sighed and knelt to pick up the things that they lost interest in, reloading the boxes.

There was only one problem. His nose was so itchy that he could barely breathe through it. Every time he inhaled, he felt like it would send him into a fit.

“You okay, bro?” Bolin’s voice coasted to his ears, tinged with concern.

“Yeah, wh—hih—why?” the stoic young man asked, fully aware that he was about to sneeze now that he’d risked talking.

“Your face looks all…wooooo~” he said, wavering his tone at the end and waving his arms in aimless fluid motions.

“Heh…hih-hh-hept’NchUH!”

“That’s why,” Korra answered as Mako jerked forward with the miniature explosion. He bumped a stack of previously untouched boxes, bringing a rain of dust down on himself.

“I’m finehKSchu!” he said, the reassurance transformed into another sneeze.

“You sure?” Bolin started to rise, but Mako waved him off.

“Yeehh…heh…h’NGxst! Hut’Ptscht! H’Kshht!” The stifles failed to release any of the irritants trapped inside his nose, instead only strengthening the tickle in his sinuses.

“Bless you,” Korra said, blinking in surprise.

“Hey, are you getting sick?” Bolin asked, worry becoming more evident in his voice.

“Ngh…no,” Mako choked out, sniffing and brushing at his nose again.

Korra looked at him skeptically as he visibly steeled himself against another sneeze. A thought crossed her mind. If he wasn’t sick, there was only one other thing that could make him react like this so suddenly.

“Then what is it?” she pressed, a sly grin manifesting on her face.

“It’s nothing,” he snapped, whirling on her. “I just sneezed a couple times, it’s not a big deal.”

Korra raised her eyebrows. “Whatever you say.”

Mako turned grudgingly back to packing, dragging a finger across his nose occasionally as he grew more and more impatient with the building sneeze.

Korra, on the other hand, was biding her time, peering over at him now and then to wait for her chance. It came when Mako turned around, presumably to ask her a question.

He never did get to speak before Korra swept up a handful of dust and blew it at his face. He shut his eyes and turned away, but not before he inhaled an overwhelming amount of the particles. There was no way he could hold back this time, despite his best efforts. The prickling in the back of his sinuses took over completely, traveling from the bridge of his nose all the way to the tip. It teased his sensitive nose to the point where he could barely form his retort.

“Whaaahh…what was thah-that f…heh…H’ESChxSHUh! Ept’TSCHUH! Hh-Het’ShxCHuh! Hih’ESchXSHUh! HahEPTSKschUH!”

By the end of the fit, he was leaning forward, one hand supporting himself against the ground, the other covering the lower half of his face. His breath came in heavy gasps, trying to regain the air he couldn’t take in while sneezing.

When he finally raised his head, he beheld Korra and Bolin starting at him wide-eyed, mouths agape.

“What was that?” Bolin asked incredulously.

“He’s allergic to the dust,” Korra supplied, hand on her hip. “Admit it, Mako.”

Mako averted his eyes with an embarrassed sniff as he muttered, “Fine.”

“Go finish packing the stuff down there,” she ordered, pointing to the floor below them. “We’ll finish up here.”

“But—“

“Go.”

At that, Mako obeyed, reluctantly descending the ladder while Korra grinned above him at her triumph.

(If anyone else has more prompts, pleeeease send them my way - that is if you're not planning to do anything with them. I'm always open to ideas for cold, allergy, whatever, and I want to write more of these. xD)

[pinknose]

Oooh I loved that last one. (all of them really, but especially that last one) I love that allergic!Mako is becoming a thing on this thread, but would you hold it against me if I requested some cute cold sneezes?

Love this thread sooo much <3

[Dye]

I've never seen Legend of Korra, not sure if they air it here yet, but these are just gorgeous~ <3

[DogLover]

Ooh, yay, more Mako dust allergy! Wonder how long it'll take for that to become fanon...

[Sawyer]

It is TOTALLY fanon >D

ElementsOfGary ohmygod you are soooo good! I love Mako's dust allergies~ and Mako~ and how Korra was totally suspicious and proved herself right mmm yes SO HOT and concerned Bolin and just asfkjadhfashlsfasdjka;sfjlas that was so awesome!

favorite line: “Your face looks all…wooooo~”

Aaahh I can't wait to see more from you guys!

[chui]

Hrrrrngh.... Gypsy, that was such a lovely bit of brain-breaking. I confess, Bolin is by far my favorite. I just want to snatch him up and cuddle him for hours! I loved every word of it.

[Zane]

SQUEAL!!!!! *goes into fan girl mode* I've read this like a billion times now and I love it!!! Mako!!! <3 thanks for writing this Looking forward to more.....especially Mako!

[Illiana]

OH MAN. BEST THREAD EVER. LOVE IT. You guys are great! I love everything~ *_____________*

[Sitruuna]

...Okay, I only read the cold one but OMG THAT WAS HOT~

...I glared at this thread earlier in the "stupid Legen of Korra, stupid Finland, lucky people >B|" way since I hadn't yet seen one single episode of it, buuuut now I've watched the episodes that have come out online~ And I'm über (had to use word, had it, it's been years since I heard anyone say it) happy for this thread.

[Winged]

-thread revival-

Ok, so Sen Beret and I have MASSIVE crushes on Asami, because she is gorgeous and perfect, and we decided there needed to be a bit more of the ladies in this thread! So I present to you KorraSami - friendshipping, but I guess it's a little romantic if you turn your head sideways.

Come on back, my writers! We miss youuu.

--

Character: Asami (f)

Cause: Cold

Asami was the last person Korra had expected to find her.

Once the newly dubbed “Team Avatar” knew where she went to be alone, Korra had immediately set about finding a new location. Air Temple Island had its fair share of hiding places; between the clifftops and the sparse forest clustered in the island’s center, Korra had never had much trouble claiming a place to herself.

However, having new occupants on the island had encouraged everyone to spread out a little more, and Korra found herself dodging White Lotus guards and Air Temple acolytes as far out as the Sky Bison caves. She had rolled her eyes and continued climbing, pushing through scrapes and sore muscles until she reached the highest point on the eastern side of the island.

She had seated herself on a large, flattish rock overlooking Yue Bay and was just beginning to settle into a sort of peace when the absent scuffle of footsteps alerted her.

“Who’s there?” Korra demanded, immediately snapping to attention. She raised herself from the rock and had shifted into a Waterbending “ready” stance without thinking; when Asami came around the corner, hands offered palm-up in a sign of peace, it took a conscious effort to relax her muscles.

“What are you doing here?” Korra sighed, deflating considerably.

Asami hesitated. “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to intrude. I was just looking for some quiet,” she admitted. Korra raised her eyes with a faint smile.

“Aren’t we all.” The rock was warm from soaking in the afternoon sun, and Korra resettled herself, pulling her knees to her chest with a shadow of a sigh.

“Mind if I sit?” Asami’s voice was softer than usual, and Korra glanced up sharply to see her hovering.

“Yeah, definitely. It’s a big rock,” she added a little lamely, touching the smooth granite next to her in an invitation.

“Thanks.” Asami folded her legs under her in a tailor’s seat, letting her feet dangle off the rock. She looked exhausted, Korra noticed with a stab of pity. Ashy shadows pooled beneath her eyes, now longer solely green but rimmed with red. Even her immaculate curls showed signs of neglect. Asami seemed to feel Korra’s gaze on her and blushed, straightening her clothes self-consciously.

“I’m sorry I’m such a mess. I hadn’t planned to run into anyone.”

“It’s okay,” Korra replied, pitching her voice low and gentle. Asami ducked her head.

“The boys went out exploring, they said,” she intoned. “So if we see anything explode, we should probably go check it out.”

Korra let out a snort of amusement. “Oh, those bending brothers,” she quipped, charming an answering smile out of Asami. “Maybe we should send out a pre-emptive search party. Save the White Lotus sentries a bit of trouble.”

“Yeah,” Asami huffed a soft laugh that caught in her throat and turned into a rough cough. Korra paused respectfully until Asami could breathe properly again.

“Sorry,” Asami apologized again – what was that, the third time? Korra mentally rolled her eyes.

“It’s fine! Really. Don’t worry about anything.” She pulled her legs underneath her, mirroring Asami’s positioning. “This space is only for zen.”

Asami managed a smile. “Zen? Don’t you have, like, entire buildings dedicated to that on this island?” She teased.

Korra rolled her eyes. “That’s not real zen. If you have to say ‘this is the place to relax,’ you’re not doing it right.”

“Gotcha. Once again my lack of Avatar experience shows.” Korra shot Asami a quick, startled glance, only to see the other girl quirking her lips in one of the first real smiles she’d seen in the last few days. Their eyes met for a brief, charged moment, then Korra looked away. She could feel a blush beginning on her cheeks.

“So, um, how are you?” She asked after a moment of silence, tracing vague spiral patterns on the rock with her finger. Asami shrugged from her right.

“I’ve…been better,” she replied softly. Korra bit the inside of her lip. She respected Asami, and liked her as a friend and all that, but Korra still really sucked at comforting people. Wasn’t that Mako’s job anyways?

“I’m, um, sorry to hear that,” Korra mumbled. Thankfully Asami didn’t seem to notice the discomfort pricking at her tone.

Asami just sighed. “I don’t know,” she whispered, her voice all of a sudden very rough. She cleared her throat and broke into another short coughing fit that tore from her lungs into the breezy evening air. Korra hesitated, then gently placed her hand between Asami’s shoulder blades.

“You okay?” she asked once the fit subsided. Asami shivered and forced a smile.

“Yeah…yeah, I’m fine,” she said off-handedly. Korra was about to remove her hand when she felt another quiver run through the young heiress’s body. Her heart sinking, the Avatar pressed the back of her hand to Asami’s forehead, ignoring her protests.

“Asami…you’re burning up!” Korra’s hand snapped back, and Asami looked away in shame. “How on earth did you not notice?”

“I feel fine,” Asami lied weakly, then turned her body sharply away from Korra for a quick “hah-ETSCH-uh…ahh.” She sniffed, blushing violently as Korra arched an eyebrow.

“Okay, maybe I’m a little warm,” she admitted. Korra pressed her arm against Asami’s and made a face.

“More than just a ‘little’ warm.” Korra abruptly got to her feet, extending her hand to Asami. “Come on. You should be resting, not tramping around outside.”

Asami crossed her arms, raising her delicately shaped nose in a rare and unmistakable display of stubbornness. “I’m staying out here,” she insisted, but her stubbornness was tempered by a look of dull confusion – one that Korra soon recognized as a pre-sneeze face. Korra politely averted her eyes as Asami bent at the waist and uttered a harsh double. “AISCH-uee... – h – huhAISCH-uh. Ahh.”

Asami sniffled and rubbed her finger roughly under her nose. Now that the first sneeze had slipped out, the others that had been building all day were slipping from her control. What had been a slight fever and cough had blossomed quickly into a vicious chest cold that had kept her up for three or four nights now. Thankfully everyone had been busy chasing down the Equalists and helping their new tenants get settled in – Asami had managed to fly under the radar up until now, keeping to her room and only seeing people when truly necessary. She had explained to Mako that she really just needed time alone right now – true, but not for the reasons that he was assuming. For once, it was great to have a totally oblivious boyfriend.

Korra was aware of none of this as she watched Asami battling another sneeze. It was clear to her that she needed medical attention, or at least just to rest. Asami’s flush that she had mistaken for embarrassment was definitely the mark of a lingering fever.

“h’AEISCH-uee…ah.” Asami groaned and buried her face in her hands. “I guess the jig is up, huh?” she asked tiredly, her voice muffled through her fingers.

“Yeah,” Korra replied reluctantly. “You definitely need to get that fever looked at, at least, and your cough doesn’t sound fantastic either.”

“And here I thought I was pitch-perfect,” Asami joked weakly before lapsing into another coughing fit – longer and more violent than the previous two. Korra threaded her arm around the other girl’s waist and helped her slowly to her feet. With their hips and shoulders pressed together, Korra could feel the intensity of the coughs wracking Asami’s frame. When they finally subsided, she felt her begin to shiver: gentle little tremors that grasped her muscles and wouldn’t let them go.

Korra stopped their progress and helped Asami onto a nearby tree stump.

“What are you doing?” Asami breathed, tears glittering unbidden on her fair cheeks. She ducked her head forward for a weak “Esch-uh…ah.”

“Bless you,” Korra said, coming around behind her and placing her hand against her back. She could feel her wheezing. “I don’t know a whole lot about healing colds, but I know that I can at least help you breathe better. Is that okay?”

She felt more than saw it when Asami sighed, then nodded. Obediently, Korra half-closed her eyes and drew a handful of water from the air around them. Concentrating on the flow of power, she watched as it gathered around her right hand, glowing blue in the dimming light. As she pressed her hand to Asami’s back, she felt the awful contrast of icy cold and scalding of the fever that had the young aristocrat in its grip. Yeah, they’d probably have to send for someone in the city. At least Korra could help clear her lungs a bit.

She gently directed the flow as it pooled in Asami’s chest, clustering in the thickening airways of her lungs. Korra felt Asami’s breath, though unsteady, hitch in a pre-sneeze. “Esch-ueeahh.”

“Bless you,” Korra murmured absently, focusing fully on her patient. Within a minute or so, Asami’s lungs were significantly clearer, though she was far from healed.

“Wow, I can feel that already,” Asami hummed, her voice vibrating through Korra’s hand. “Th-thank you. I think I can make it from here.” She tried to stand up on her own but swayed, only to fall against Korra’s waiting shoulder.

“Don’t even think about it,” Korra said firmly, wrapping her arm securely around Asami’s waist. “Now let’s get you back to Tenzin.”

[EmeraldThread]

I feel like it's been forever since I've spent any time on the forum (I've neglected all my favorite story threads ;_; )! I'm not into female sneezing, but I really liked that one. I like that kind of spelling for the sneezes, too - it's not like the really delicate ones. But the story itself was wonderfully written! I can't wait to see more in this thread (I'm working on another myself)!

[SneezeyLove]

Waah! This is so great! Seriously, I think I might die from the smexy overload. Mako + dust = So, I just watched the episode with the wonderful fake sneeze, and I had to write this. It's stupid-funny, and not really my style, but hopefully you guys like it anyway. And who knows? Maybe I'll write a more serious one where Mako has a cold sometime soon.

Also, I managed to slip some Makorra in at the very end and you MakoxAsami girls can suck it up and deal with it because I happen to adore that pairing!

You actually sneeze like that?

Mako

dust

Why does she need so much stuff? Mako silently wondered as he, Bolin, and Korra helped Asami unpack her things in their new home. It was not the first time that he had to remind himself that he and Asami were from very different worlds.

“Okay,” murmured Asami, surveying the room that was almost overflowing with the various sized boxes that had contained most of her possessions. “It looks like that’s the last one,” she said, pointing to a rather large wooden crate.

“Where do you want us to put it?” asked Mako.

“Oh, um… why don’t you just put it in the closet? I’ll unpack it later.”

Mako motioned for Bolin to help him with the trunk. “C’mon, bro.”

“Gotcha.” Paboo jumped down from his perch on Bolin’s shoulder as the earthbender took the opposite end of the trunk. Together, he and Mako pushed it toward the closet.

“Hang on, let me get the door!” Korra jumped in front of them and pulled the sliding door open wide.

The brothers managed to push the trunk into the closet, kicking up a large cloud of dust in the process.

“Sorry,” Korra apologized as Bolin coughed, “I guess we don’t have guests here very often, so the rooms haven’t been cleaned in a while.”

“No worries,” Bolin replied cheerfully.

“Mako, are you alright?” Asami asked suddenly.

The elder brother had his eyes shut tight and was frantically attempting to wave the dust away from his face. When that didn’t work, he pressed the back of his hand to his nose and rubbed hard.

Korra frowned. “What’s wrong, Mako?”

Mako held up a hand as if to ward them off, and began to back up.

Asami tried again. “Mako, what’s – “

“L-look out,” he interrupted her.

“What?”

“I-I’m gonna s-sn… ihh… snee… hih…snee-hee­-eeze! Hiihh-aaschhoo!”

The three barely had time to get out of the way before a jet of fire shot from Mako’s mouth. It was all over in a second, and they turned around to see Mako with both hands clamped over his mouth, blushing furiously.

Asami was the first to recover. “Wait… you actually sneeze like that?” she giggled.

Mako sniffed and rubbed his nose, still blushing. “No… I mean, I try not to. Normally I try to s… st… hah… oh, not again!” Korra, Bolin, and Asami ducked, but this time Mako was prepared. He clamped his hands over his nose and mouth and, squeezing his eyes shut, let out a strangled sounding, “Hik-eemmpkt!” A thin trail of smoke wisped upwards from behind Mako’s hands, and he blushed more furiously than ever.

Bolin burst out laughing. Pulling a startled Paboo from under the bed, he explained to the girls, “He always tries so hard not to sneeze, because when he does, ­fwoosh! It’s like flames everywhere! He’s a nightmare when he’s got a cold!”

While Asami and Bolin laughed, Korra sidled over to Mako, careful not to draw too much attention to the already embarrassed firebender. “Here,” she whispered, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to Mako.

“Thags,” he whispered back before taking the handkerchief and blowing his nose quietly but thickly. “Um…” He looked unsure as to whether or not he should offer to return it.

“Why don’t you keep it?” Korra smiled. “It looks like you'll need it more than I will.”

Mako brought the handkerchief back up to his nose and sniffled. He was still blushing, but Korra could tell that behind the handkerchief was a small smile.