The rain beat down on the earth in an almost rhythmic fashion, turning the grassy expanses of the park into mud. What had started as a warm, spring morning had suddenly changed to a cold, rainy afternoon in less than a heartbeat.

Korra looked up towards the sky, closing one eye and squinting the other as the water fell down onto her face. Even as a water bender, Korra had no particular feelings towards the rain, but she wasn't sure that she enjoyed it interrupting her walk.

The sun had hidden itself behind the currently dark gray clouds, and didn't seem to want to make a reappearance any time soon. In fact, the rain seemed to be coming down even harder than before.

A sigh escaped the young avatar's lips as she realized her walk would have to be cut short. Glancing around to look for cover, she noted a bench situated under some trees in a corner of the park that was remaining dry.

Korra made her way toward the promise of shelter from the rain, and wrinkled her nose as she peeled her dark hair away from her face, where it had damply clung to her skin.

Her boots sloshed in the water and mud as she trotted over to the bench. As she moved nearer, she could just make out the shapes of two dark figures, slightly obscured from view by the trees, that seemed to be fighting one another.

Curious, she drew closer as cautiously and quietly as she could manage until the features of the two figures became clearer.

Wait a second... They can't be...?

She squinted against the rain. They are. Oh, my spirits.

Mako and Bolin weren't fighting, per say. They were sparring.

She couldn't help but chuckle. Only the fabulous bending brothers would somehow manage to find themselves sparring with each other in the park. And in the rain, no less. She didn't question their motives. Who knows what those two are thinking sometimes. Especially Mako. While Bolin had always been more open and enthusiastic about what he thought and felt, the firebender continued to remain much of a mystery to Korra. Perhaps that's what made him so enthralling.

Since when did she start thinking of Mako as enthralling?

Regardless, it was quite amusing to watch them both as they mock-fought in the mud; the rain washing away some of it that had caked on their legs. They didn't seem to mind, however. Instead, they looked like they were having fun.

Korra didn't believe that she had ever seen Mako so... well, free. She had never seen him let go, free of all thoughts and restrictions, and just enjoy himself. But he was definitely doing so at the moment, and Korra was certain that if he noticed she was watching, he would stop. He would go back to being as guarded she's used to, and she didn't want that. It was nice to see him having fun for once, and she had the odd urge to be part of it.

She knew she couldn't be, though. He would never let his walls down like that around her, and the thought made her sad. She refused think about why it made her feel that way.

So she remained as hidden as possible amongst the trees, letting them be as if no one was watching.

They didn't appear to be using their bending, which was probably for the best, Korra decided. She was sure they'd be reprimanded for doing so. And besides, Bolin would tear apart the park with his earthbending; and how long would Mako's fire stay alight in the downpour?

This didn't seem to hinder their fighting spirit in the slightest.

Mako threw a kick at Bolin's head, and the earthbender ducked just in time for the blow to hit only air. The younger brother laughed in celebration of this small triumph, and Mako stepped back, chuckling softly, and ran a hand through his now rain-soaked hair. The water made it seem to glisten. And coupled with the smile he wore, fleeting but beautiful, Korra found herself unable to look away.

Eyes glued to him, she watched hypnotically as a drop of rain slid slowly from his hair, down the bridge of his nose, and to his lips, where a flash of pink darted out to capture it.

Somewhere in the depths of her subconscious, she may have noticed her jaw drop open in a moment of awe. Never would she admit it, though. No, she was far too prideful for that.

A flicker of yellow caught her eye, and blue eyes met gold ones. She felt her heart stop dead in her chest for the full second his gaze was directed at her, though she'd thought it felt like an hour.

And when her heart finally started to beat again, it was an irregular beat, in which seemed to be in perfect harmony with the rain's own beating. Actually, everything seemed to be in perfect harmony with everything else in that moment.

Then he blinked, and broke the magic. Korra pulled herself out of the strange dream-like state that she had been thrown into, and noticed the wide smirk now evident upon the firebender's handsome face.

That arrogant jerk. That stupid, gorgeous, arrogant jerk.

He had caught her ogling at him, and now he had the nerve to smirk about it. The thought was mortifying.

Luckily, Bolin had directed Mako's attention away from her just then, so she didn't have to see the smirk that was meant for her any longer.

She turned away quickly, heart hammering in her chest as if it wanted to break free. She almost wished it would, so she could be rid of this new feeling that she had never felt before. She wasn't sure she liked it.

The rain had slowed tremendously, and since Korra had nothing more to do, she slowly began her walk back home, still genuinely unnerved from what had happened.

Thinking back, she tried to see the bright side. Well, for one, she didn't think Bolin had noticed her staring. Ehrr... Watching, she meant. Yes, that's what she was doing, she decided; just watching.

So she wouldn't have to deal with the younger brother's teasing about the incident, but Mako was a completely different story. She was sure he'd have tons to say about the subject at their next probending practice.

Just thinking about it made her uneasy. She groaned out loud to herself, inducing many strange stares from other people on the street. She could care less about them right now, though. She had much more pressing matters to worry about, like how she was going to murder that stupid firebender that drove her crazy.

Ikki's voice came back to her, then.

"Does he drive you crazy in a bad way, or does he drive you crazy like you like him?"

Korra wasn't yet ready to face the answer to that question. She had hardly met any guys her own age, let alone ones that made her feel like... like that.

What in the world was she supposed to do?

She was the avatar; she had dealt with skilled chi-blockers, conquered air bending, and faced Amon, the most terrifying man she had ever known.

But Mako?

She wasn't sure she could handle that.

AN: MUST. STOP. WRITING. MAKORRA. *twitch*

Haha, I typed the beginning of this out on my iPhone while I was waiting for the subway this morning, and my silly phone didn't recognize Korra's name and kept auto-correcting it to say "Korea". *facepalm*

Anywho, please review! Any comments, suggestions, or concerns are very much welcome~