Officer Mako x Reader

Chapter 57: A Lighter Sentence

(Let's see what's new....my car will be fixed soon. I mightttttt rethink living with Danny or at least have a backup plan, and my religion class is almost over. Fucking finally. Oh, and that laxative guzzling bitch at my job is going on an improvement plan and if she doesn't improve she will finally be let go. Guess we'll see where that takes us. 

Anyways. Onto the next chapter. I really gotta end one of these fanfics soon. It's gotten so outta hand lmaaao 😭😂

But love yinzzzz. Please stay safe out here!🫶

-A

[Viper's Restaurant] - 7:00 am

"And that's...24 hours," Shin sighed in annoyance after checking his watch, "Mudo's gone AWOL,"
"That or shit-for-brains Mako threw him back in a cell," Viper scoffed as he sipped his coffee,
"Regardless. Guess we can throw this back in the safe," Shin breathed, pulling out three thick stacks of yuans from his briefcase and setting them on the large wooden table,
"He was never good for the money anyway," Viper smirked while he read through the morning paper,
"Yeah? Then why make me withdraw it in the first place?"
"You don't know anything about farming, do you, Shin?" Viper asked unamused,
"No. Should I?"
"Yes, because then you'd know that a mule, loyal as he is, will labor ten years. Willingly and patiently for the privilege of kicking you once,"
"So...we're being kicked right now?" Shin questioned,
"By Mako, yes," Viper said flatly, "Sending us up against the Dai Li? For the end of a deal he might not even uphold? Yeah, we're being kicked alright," he scoffed, folding his paper carefully, "But Mudo? Hmph. Mudo's all too happy to be a mule. Because he's never been anything else. There's no fight left in his game,"
"So?"
"So. A mule at the end of its rope has only one thing to wager when it's expecting a bullet in its back," Viper smirked,
"Freedom?" Shin asked,
"Loyalty," Viper nodded, "And a con man's loyalty always lands in the hands of the highest bidder,"


Mako's apartment - 7:22 am

"Hey, those are hers," Mako snapped at Jay, smacking his hand away from the plate of sausage he had set by the stove,
"Sorry. I would think that everyone would get sausage this morning," Jay teased after pouring himself a large mug of coffee,
"Everyone does when I'm done," Mako breathed, "It's just– those sausages I was going to put her pills in. I slit them perfectly, now I have to start over,"
"Oh? Whatever are we drugging her for?" Jay smiled curiously,
"Stop that. I'm not– drugging her,"
"As someone who did drug her? You're drugging her," Jay grinned, "Now, the reason. That's what I'm curious about,"
"Well, I-I've been thinking about how I'm gonna get ahead of Viper,"
"...Yeah?"
"So, I figured I'd do a little recon and track him–
"No,"
"Jay–
"No, Mako. There's no possible way you can convince me that your best and brightest idea here is to stalk the man who's been trying to kill you," Jay scoffed back, "You just sent him off to Ba Sing Se,"
"He's not actually gonna go," Mako huffed as he whisked more eggs in a large bowl,
"How the hell do you know that?"
"I-I just know okay?" Mako argued, "Viper's calculated. But he's far from stupid. He knows where he stands on the food chain in the city. He's nothing in Ba Sing Se,"
"He's right, kid," Mudo sighed before dragging himself off the couch, "Viper doesn't have many fears, but Ba Sing Se is one of them. He doesn't even gamble there,"
"Okay. Fair," Jay nodded, "But Mako, you spent your entire childhood trying to get away from him. Recon at a time like this?"
"It's just until I find some real concrete evidence that can at least put him in a holding cell for now,"
"Why now? Why today?" Jay questioned, his eyes squinted as he studied Mako's body language.

His back was tense, just like his jaw and forehead always were when Jay tried to reason with his tactics, but something was different. He was just– all too careful when he cut into another sausage and placed it in the hot pan,

"What was her dream about?" Jay questioned sharply,
"What?"
"You only care about her anxiety when she's off the deep end,"
"Ugh. I do not–
"You can't exactly lie to me here," Jay snapped, "You slept with her your first six hours of knowing her because she was stressed out,"
"Six hours, huh?" Mudo chuckled, "Couldn't wait till after dinner?"
"The dream," Jay ordered with his arms crossed,
"It was nothing. A-And for the record, she is stressed. It's what causes the dreams," Mako hissed,
"You might as well cough it up, kid," Mudo breathed as he added two shots of whiskey to his coffee and sipped eagerly, "Or we're both gonna ask her when she gets up,"
"Ugh. Fine,"

Mako set the spatula down with a faint clink, his grip tightening on the edge of the counter while Jay and Mudo waited silently,

"I guess...I-I was captured...and unconscious," Mako sighed reluctantly, "And Viper ordered Shah to put a gun to my head,"
"What!?–
"It was just a bad dream!" Mako groaned, rolling his eyes at Jay, who resorted to pacing back and forth,
"Not if it's something that could actually happen!" Jay shouted, "I-I mean seriously, you wouldn't even be thinking of this if it hadn't scared her this bad,"
"I don't know if you've been keeping up, but Viper kidnapped her twice, almost three times, thanks to this lunatic here," Mako pointed to Mudo, his anger on the point of tipping, "Her own brother nearly killed her, and she's deathly afraid of heights. She has plenty to be scared of, and of course, she has nightmares about it–
"Did Shah pull the trigger?" Jay asked softly,
"Ugh. Why does that matter?"
"Because I shot him when he tried to kill you!–
"Okay, Jay! Fine! You win! I won't go,"
"Good–
"At night," Mako breathed,
"Mako!"
"Look. You said yourself that deep down she doesn't want Shah to go to jail for life," he argued again, "If that's the case, doesn't it make sense for me to find some evidence that could...prevent that?"

Jay stopped. His eyes framed in bewilderment.

"You're...gonna exonerate him?"
"Or get him a lighter sentence–
"Wow. You really do love her," Mudo chuckled,
"Of course I do," Mako scoffed, "Which is why the both of you are going to stay here, eat your breakfast, and keep your mouths shut. I don't want her more anxious than she already is,"
"Fine. For an extra omelet, I'll be quiet until you get back," Jay agreed, "Which better be before the sun sets,"
"Yeah. Yeah. Eat your eggs,"


[Laghima's Peak] - 150 miles from Republic City

"You're off course," 93 chuckled when he finally caught up to Shah, who had been staring out across the mountain range as far as he could see into the lush horizon,
"Yeah? How in the hell did you find me then?"
"With her," 93 smirked, pointing up at the sky to a black and yellow bird circling above,
"You're tracking me with a falcon?"
"A hornet falcon and yes," 93 nodded when the bird landed on his wrist for a treat, "Ostrich horses only move so fast, y'know,"
"Fair enough," Shah grinned until his smile faded, "You know where we are?"
"Laghima's Peak," 93 answered flatly, "Supposedly, this is where the great guru achieved weightlessness,"
"I learned about this place in prison," Shah seethed softly, "Pictured what it looked like down to each treetop just from the stories,"
"And now that you're here?"

Shah stepped closer to the cliff's edge, letting the wind cut across his face as the valley stretched endlessly beneath them,

"I haven't unlocked half of it," he finally breathed, clenching both of his fists tight, "You gotta do me a favor 93,"
"Anything," 93 nodded, catching the seriousness in Shah's voice,
"If I don't make it back to her– alive. Leave me here,"
"I can't grant–
"I mean it, 93. Don't take me back to her like that. Leave me here,"
"I'd sooner die in your place than make that promise, now get back on your damn shirshu. We're wasting daylight," 93 snapped before continuing down the narrow path,
"Hmph. Damn," Shah chuckled, following orders as given, "You really know how to kill a mood y'know that?"
"And I'll kill it again if you start talking like you're taking the easy way out," 93 snapped again without looking back, "Captain Kuvira could've left you with any agent, but she left you with me. Don't forget that,"


Mako's apartment - 8:15 am

"Rise and shine, princess," Mako chuckled when he found you still wrapped up in his blankets, snoring deeply into his pillow, "One veggie omelet with bacon and sausage on the side, decaf coffee and the tallest glass of ice water,"
"Mmph. How long have I been out?" you whined softly, wiping the sleep from your eyes the second Mako set your breakfast next to you,
"A few hours," Mako answered with a light smirk, "But you slept. That's all that matters,"
"Ugh. After this. I'll probably sleep for a few more hours. Why do you always cook me a feast?"
"Because I get yelled at when you don't eat,"
"I don't yell–
"What was that?" Mako grinned after shoving a piece of bacon in your mouth,
"Fine. I yell sometimes,"
"And I cherish every moment of it," Mako teased, planting a quick kiss on your cheek before he stood and got dressed,
"You're leaving?"
"Uhh yeah. Headed to the station," Mako fibbed, "Chief Lin wants a full report and I gotta figure out some way how to tell her that we lost Kuvira and Shah without getting my ass handed to me,"
"Is...Jay going with?" you asked with a sad look in your eye,
"No. Hey, don't get worked up again. It was just a dream," Mako pleaded, holding your face when you would no longer hold his gaze, "Jay is staying here to keep an eye on you and Mudo. I'll be with the Chief and thirty other officers. If Viper wanted to get to me, he'd have a hell of a hard time doing so,"
"Okay," you finally nodded, "Just...be careful,"
"Always," Mako whispered, pressing his forehead against yours, "Eat your breakfast. Get some rest. I'll be back before sunset,"
"You promise?"
"I promise,"


[Crystal Catacombs] - 1.3 miles below the surface

The air around Kuvira and the other agents became thicker by the second. Redder too. She could tell it was lava coursing through the tunnels because her bending could sense it. The walls were breathing better than her lungs could at this point, but her mind was still on Shah, yet stuck on 93's orders,


Shah is gone, and your training is now. Shah is gone, and your training is now. Shah is gone, and your training is now.

Kuvira repeated in her head. Over and over until her anger boiled in the back of her throat,

"We're here," Rohai nodded to his agents, "Close it,"

In four swift movements, his agents sealed the tunnel behind them, trapping themselves beneath the earth,

"What the hell!?" Kuvira shouted, "Why did you just–
"That Kuvira, would be our way back," Rohai smirked,
"I see that," Kuvira hissed, "Why the hell would you seal it? We're two miles underground, any further and we'll be cooked alive,"
"Actually, we're 1.3 miles, putting us in the heart of the magma chamber," Rohai answered quickly, "I sealed our way back, and you're going to find us a new one,"


Kuvira clenched her fists, biting back the urge to spike him through the throat.

"And if I don't?"
"Then we all run out of oxygen by morning. But let's not waste time entertaining failure, Captain,"

The agents stood motionless behind him—silent, watching, waiting.

"The Dai Li operate underground, Kuvira — not beside the earth, but inside it. If you cannot bend your way out of this chamber, you are of no use to us,"
"Are you nuts!?" Kuvira scoffed, "If this rock so much as fractures wrong, the magma will pour through this chamber like water,"
"Exactly," Rohai nodded calmly, "So don't fracture it wrong," he ordered with an unyielding gaze, "You may begin,"