Burnt Kisses - Makorra version

Burnt Kisses (Makorra version)

~P~

"Where do you keep the tea bags?" Korra asked the older Firebender, pulling open a cupboard of the small attic kitchen, looking for the items in question.

"Next one over," he instructed her, watching the kettle closely. Korra opened the cupboard next to the one she had been previously searching and saw a few bags sitting in a glass jar, and reached inside for one. Inspecting it, she decided she'd like it well enough before shutting the cupboard door and placing said bag on the counter. Walking over to Mako, she bumped hips with him and gave him a smirk when he looked at her.

She stood beside him, and he knocked against her side, too. Korra smiled at him again, and then the kettle began to scream, signalling that it was ready to be removed. Mako took the contraption off the burner and poured the steaming water into a teapot beside him, and Korra grabbed the tea bag and placed it inside it before they relocated to the small table in the center of the room.

After setting down the teapot in the middle of it, both waited for it to cool down a bit before they drank it. They sent each other teasing looks, hands brushed, and smiles were exchanged among the flirtatious pair. As she traced lines over his hand and felt at the muscles on his forearm, Korra grinned – she couldn't help but like where their relationship was heading. A few months beforehand, they had been hostile to each other – they had fought a lot and seemingly never got along. But one day, after some encouragement from Bolin, Korra decided to play a little trick on Mako – being oddly flirty around him. The Firebender had been awfully confused at first, not understanding her new desire to spend time with him or touch him, but he had to admit – he didn't dislike the attention, either. What had begun as a week-long joke turned into something that lasted between the two – Korra found that when she wasn't fighting with him, when she wasn't provoking quarrels, that he was a genuinely sweet, awkward guy. She became charmed at how affectionate he was when you came to get to know him, and the pair had continued their flirtation.

For Mako, it all started a bit awkwardly. He had never had time for girls growing up, what with how he had to take care of his brother. All of his teenage years had been dedicated to keeping Bolin safe and happy, not himself. And so female interactions were something the poor Firebender wasn't experienced in, so when Korra began acting so differently around him, it confused and embarrassed him to no end (which gained a few laughs out of his brother). How was he supposed to react to this gorgeous girl in front of him? He didn't know! But over the last little while, he'd managed to break away from his little innocent shell and begin to genuinely reciprocate her feelings for him. Instead of abhorring her presence, he found himself enjoying it and inviting her over often.

That afternoon was an example of that: Bolin had gone out with Asami for the day, and Mako, knowing his brother wouldn't be coming home anytime soon, invited Korra over for some time alone. Besides, they rarely got any! Noticing that tea had cooled down, Mako moved his hand from Korra's tentative grasp and poured them each a small cup. Setting it down, he leaned forward and gave her an intense look, before reaching forward and playing with her hair.

Korra smiled at his actions, before taking a small drink of her tea and placing it back down. Suddenly, a thought that she had been pondering recently shot into her head and she scooted her chair closer to him so she could ask. "Mako," she began quietly, "I've been wondering... have you ever been in a relationship before?"

Mako stopped flitting with her hair and looked away, feeling himself blush. Pulling back and placing his hands on his cup, which began to boil again out of his heated embarrassment, he lied, "O-of course, I have."

Korra raised an eyebrow and gave him a look. She had suspected he hadn't – but she wanted to confirm it before she assumed. She had figured that maybe he'd been in a super innocent one before, and that's why he had been so squeamish at the beginning of theirs, but she knew by the intensity of his flush right then that he hadn't been in one at all.

Rolling her eyes, Korra said, "Yeah, I'm sure." When Mako just lifted his tea up to his mouth, she got a devilish thought and she cuddled up against him, causing him to stop and look at her. "You know, I've never been in a relationship, either. We could learn together, you know..." Her eyes flickered to the bed behind them – Mako's – before continuing, "And besides, Bolin's not going to be home for a few hours..."

At this, the tea cup that had been to Mako's lips spilt all down his shirt, scarf, and chest as he spluttered, jerking away. Despite the fact that Mako had warmed up to the idea of having a romantic relationship with a girl in his life, he had not at all been prepared for Korra's very blatant insinuation of sex! Blushing furiously, he jumped up and out of his chair, knocking it backwards as the boiling liquid scalded his skin and lips.

"Mako!" Korra cried, jumping up. The Firebender ripped his scarf off of his neck.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit, too hot, too hot!" he shouted, waving his arms around frantically as though this would help prevent the burning in his skin. Korra stepped forward and tried to get him to stop flailing around, but he just stepped away from her, humiliated.

"Stop moving around, you idiot!" she scolded. He did so reluctantly, dropping his arms as she bent the liquid from his shirt and into the sink. The boy examined his clothing before flopping down on the sofa beside him, still refusing to make eye contact with her.

Korra shook her head and cleaned up the small mess that he been created. While she bent the spilled tea off the floor and table and out of his scarf, the young man removed his shirt to inspect his burns. They weren't severe by any means – he had gotten worse before, considering he was a Firebender. There were a few down his chest and on his neck. The flesh that was the most scalded, however, was that of his lips. Flushing again, he turned away from the Avatar, hoping she wouldn't notice his one facial burn.

After a few minutes, Korra took a seat beside him and said, "I'll heal those for you..." Bending some water out of the tap, she placed her hands on his muscled chest and healed the skin until it was clear of any signs of the previous burns. Next, she placed her hands on the skin of his neck, caressing at it gently as she healed it. Mako barely held back a moan when she hit a particularly tender place, and she smirked a bit. When she had finished healing him, she sat back down beside him and awkwardly looked to the side.

"So..." she trailed, crossing her legs. When a few minutes passed and he didn't say anything, she continued, "Sorry about that... I didn't mean to, um, make you spill your tea everywhere." When he still didn't respond, she became a bit annoyed. "Hello, I'm talking to you here!" He didn't look at her, and she turned to him. "At least, look at me when I'm speaking to you!"

When he still didn't, she placed her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her. Mako didn't make eye contact with her as she spied his bright red lips. Peering at them, she said nothing.

"Yweah, I burwnt thwem," Mako's speech was a bit off because of his swollen lips, and his blush intensified as his pride slipped away bit by bit. He knew he looked like a total idiot, and had acted even more like one. He waited for her teasing at how goofy he looked and sounded, because that was Korra for you and she was childish, but it never came.

Blinking, she smiled devilishly at him before crawling over him and straddling him. Taking her finger and tracing his sensitive lip, she whispered in his ear huskily, "Don't worry, I can heal those, too." Her lips hovered over his momentarily, teasing him in a different way than he suspected, before capturing them. At first, the kiss was not enjoyable for the Firebender. His lips seared against hers, and he wanted to pull away. But as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeper, he found the skin became less and less sensitive and that eventually it didn't hurt at all. Placing his hands on her hips, he felt something wash over him and he was no longer skittish at the idea of them being closer, and he gently pushed his tongue in her mouth. His impulsive actions were rewarded with a tender nip on his lower lip, and he eagerly continued to kiss her, his hands travelling downwards to feel at her bottom and legs.

By the time the pair parted for air, Mako's lips were once again bright red and sensitive, but for a different reason.

Korra was out of breath above him, and blowing her hair out of her face, she purred, "You should burn your lips for often if it means we can kiss like this..."

Mako gave her another long, lingering kiss before whispering against her lips, "Who says I need to have burnt lips for this kind of kissing?" Korra raised an eyebrow at the boy, and his intense eyes locked with hers before travelling to his bed. "Besides, you were the one who said Bolin wasn't going to be home for a few hours..."

At this, Korra blinked at his sudden change of mind, but didn't argue with it. Smiling wickedly at her, their lips connected again as they stood up and manoeuvred to the Firebender's bed to continue their actions.