✨•~~~~~~~~•✨
AUTHORs POV

It was an early morning, Zaofu had lifted the dome so that the sun would shine through the city and the mansion. Everyone had gotten up early for each of their activities for the day. Breakfast for today was served but only Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin, Su, and Opal had attended the breakfast. Mako noticed that Lei and Beifong weren't here.

"Where is Chief Beifong and Lei?" Mako asked curiously.

"Beifong's probably off sulking in her room," Korra huffed.

"I know she has a problem with me, but she had no right to yell at Opal last night," Su said sternly. Just then, Wei and Wing had ran into the dining hall and went to the basket of fruit beside Korra, grabbing a bite off the apples.

"All set for your power disc game, boys?" Su asked.

"Yeah! All set to kick Wei's butt!" Wing said, as he nudged his brother.

"I'm going to power disc your face!" Wei countered, and turned to Korra, "You should come play with us,"

"Oh, I don't think I'd be much competition since I can't metal bend," Korra chuckled.

"Really? Lin never offered to train you?" Su said in disbelief.

"Nope, and I guess I never thought to bring it up because I was learning how to airbend, then there was pro-bending, then I got tied up with the equalists, it was a busy few months," Korra explained.

"Well, it's probably for the best. I'm sure would be horrible teacher," Su laughed, Korra laughed too.

"As the Avatar, you should have mastery over all the elements, I'd be happy to show you the basics," Su said.

"Really that would be great!" Korra said happily, Opal turned to Bolin.

"You should try it too," Opal said to Bolin, which made him almost choke on his food.

"No, I'm more of a earth guy, the rocks and maybe some light gravel, that's just kinda where my heart is," Bolin said awkwardly.

"Okay, earth guy. Let me know if you change your mind," Su smiled.

"Asami, where's Lei?" Mako asked curiously, Asami looked up from her food.

"I don't know, she was gone this morning when I woke up but I know she had something planned today with Kun," Asami replied, Mako slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Of course, she does," Mako muttered under his breath.

"Like I said, bro. Anything can happen," Bolin whispered.

Suddenly, everything on the table started shaking and everything including the knifes were thrown off the table, causing everyone to duck down under the table.

"It worked!" Varrick said, "Ju Lee, mark it down, magnet suit test successful,"

Everyone got up from under the table to see Varrick in a magnetic suit with a cord attached to his calf. All the metal from the table were on his suit. Mako noticed that Kun wasn't with Varrick.

"Hey, Varrick, have you seen Kun or Lei?" Mako asked.

"Haven't seen either of them, but he did mention to me that he was gonna show her around the workshop later, probably bragging about the inventions that I created," Varrick said. Mako deeply sighed.

"Alright, Power down," Varrick said, then Ju Lee plugged the cable causing all the metal attached to the suit to fall to the ground.

"Onto Phase 2! Ju Lee cleans up this mess," Varrick said, as he started walking away with his suit. Ju Lee sighed as she saw the amount of metal ware on the ground.

Meanwhile, Lei had gotten up early for a nice peaceful moment to herself. She took Kaya with her as she walked through the gardens. Lei wanted to time to herself for once and she had been in the gardens the whole morning. She was sitting on the floor near the fountains and had been meditating but she got distracted a few times because of Kaya running around as she chased a butterfly. Lei suddenly got hungry, noticing it was around noon and she didn't eat breakfast.

"Hey," Mako said, from behind her. Lei turned around to see him holding an apple and a bag of treats. She was still slightly mad at him from last night from all the secrecy between their friendship.

"What do you want, Mako, I'm meditating right now," Lei said, suddenly her stomach grumbled. She immediately covered her stomach in embarrassment. Mako raised an eyebrow at her and took a seat next to her. 

"Meditating on an empty stomach?" Mako pointed out, as he tossed the apple to her, she caught it.

"Thanks," Lei said, as she took a bite from the apple. Mako put the bag of treats next to her for her to eat as well.

"Are you still mad at me?" Mako asked softly.

"Depends, what's in that bag?" Lei asked, as she pointed to the bag beside her. Mako smiled.

"Egg tarts," Mako replied, as he smiled widely. Lei narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're forgiven, for now," Lei said, as she grabbed the bag and took an egg tart out.

"Where's Korra?" Lei asked, as Mako layed down on the floor.

"She's training with Su, so she can become a metal bender," Mako replied, Lei raised her eyebrows.

"Huh, the teacher became the student," Lei chuckled, Mako suddenly sat up quickly and looked at her.

"I actually have to tell you something, Lei," Mako said softly. She raised her eyebrow.

"What is it?" Lei said, Mako shrugged.

"Well, I--,"

There was a loud bang that interrupted Mako. Both of them exchanged glances before standing up quickly and running to the source of the sound. They arrived at the meteor garden to see Lin and Su fighting. They had just arrived on time to see that Lin had been thrown to the wall.

"You got it out of your system?" Su asked, impatiently.

"Not quite yet," Lin retorted, as she and Su started running at each other, each with a boulder atop their heads ready to be thrown, but they were stopped when Opal jumped in between them and pushed the boulders away using her airbending.

"What are you two doing? You're sisters! Why would you wanna hurt each other?" Opal asked angrily, Lei was impressed by this kid, she thought.

Suddenly, Lin looked like she was about to faint. Luckily, Korra was able to catch her before she dropped. Korra had taken Lin to her room so that she could rest for the day. After helping Korra, Mako had went to look for Lei but couldn't see her anywhere. Lei was actually heading to the workshop to see Kun, after she made sure Lin was already taken care of, since she promised him that they would have a nice chat. She arrived at the workshop to see a weird looking magnetic suit.

"Oh, Lei, you're here," Kun said, as he carried a box filled with spare parts. She smiled.

"Are you busy? I can come back later," Lei asked, Kun shook his head.

"No, I'm the one who invited you to hang out with me so I should stop working," Kun chuckled, as he took of his engineering apron.

"What is that?" Lei asked, pointing to the metal suit. Kun turned around and saw that she was pointing at the metal suit.

"Oh, that's Varrick's new magnetic suit. I heard he tested it out this morning during breakfast," Kun explained, Lei nodded slowly.

"So, how has your day been so far?" Lei asked, sparking up a conversation.

"I've been working mostly, this is the first break I've had all day," Kun said.

"I was meditating earlier this morning then saw Lin and Su fighting," Lei said, Kun nodded.

"I heard about that, is Lin alright?" Kun asked.

"Yeah, she should be resting by now. It was funny because Mako and Bolin had to carry her all the way to her room," Lei chuckled, Kun smiled lightly.

"You know, Lei, you're a really great person, you should know that," Kun said softly, Lei smiled.

"Thanks, you're great person too," Lei said, unsure of what to say. Kun grabbed her hand, causing her to look at him.

"You know, any guy would be lucky to have you," Kun said softly, Lei widened her eyes at Kun as he started leaning in. Her heart rate became faster because she was nervous. He didn't really seemed like that type of guy, at first. They were in close proximity and she was about to tell him to stop, but Kun was suddenly pushed off his chair, making Lei stand up quickly. She turned to her side and saw Mako, looking really angry. Lei was confused and concerned for Kun.

"What in the spirits do you think you're doing?" Mako said angrily, as he looked at Kun who sat up.

"Spirits! Kun, are you okay?" Lei asked concerningly, Kun nodded as he rubbed his hip.

She turned to Mako pointedly, who looked like he didn't even regret what he did. Lei was tired of Mako and his changing attitude. She wanted to know what was going on, so she grabbed Mako's hand and led him outside and away from the workshop. He didn't try to let go, because he knew he had gotten her angry. It was already sundown, by the time they left the workshop. She led him all the way up to the garden where they had lunch earlier. She deeply sighed as she let go of his hand. She walked a few steps in front of him and put her back facing him. Mako stayed silent, waiting for her to speak.

"What is wrong with you?" Lei said angrily, as she turned to face him. Mako scoffed.

"What's wrong with me? You should be thanking me for getting you out of that situation," Mako retorted.

"Really? If I recall, you pushed him and I brought us here before Kun could hit you," Lei pointed out, making Mako shut up.

"You know, Mako. I have to say it, but you've been acting up since we left Republic City. I used to think it was just about Korra and Asami because that is what you told me, but I noticed you don't even have a problem with them anymore. Then, you start keeping secrets from me since who knows when. Now, you push my new friend?! I would've had that handled if you didn't come," Lei said angrily, releasing all the repressed emotions. Mako didn't look at her the whole time.

"I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself, so you better tell me the truth," Lei said sternly, as she crossed her arms. Mako shrugged, not saying a word nor looking at her.

Lei exhaled sharply and retorted, "Fine, don't tell me, keep your secrets, for all I care,"

Lei started walking towards him and was about to pass him but she was stopped when Mako grabbed her wrist. She looked at him, hoping he'd tell her the truth so she'd understand what has been bothering her friend for so long.

"It's hard, Lei. To tell you, even though you are the one person that needs to know," Mako started, as he turned to her. They were facing each other, Mako had tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Lei could feel her heart beating really fast and breathing slowly increase. His hand slowly moved from the back of her ear to her cheek. He started leaning in and somehow, she didn't feel scared when she was with Kun. Lei realized why Mako had been acting weird since they left Republic City and explains a few reasons. She realized that they were really close so she pulled back. 

"Mako, you know we can't do this," Lei said softly, as she held his hand.

"Why not?" Mako asked, she sighed.

"Mako, I want this, I do, spirits, I've been waiting for this since you were still with Asami," Lei said, her breathing unsteady, "What do you think is gonna happen? Korra is probably gonna freak about this,"

"Korra? That's what your worried about?" Mako asked, like it's not a problem for him at all.

"Not just Korra, but everyone else. You remember right? Korra got mad at us for nearly kissing when we weren't even doing that! And now, we are, so how do you think she'll react? I really don't wanna fight with her," Lei sighed, as she played with his hand.

"Why don't we keep it a secret first? Just until, we know that Korra and everyone else is okay with it? Plus, Bolin is okay with it," Mako suggested, Lei thought about it, it wouldn't be a bad idea in her opinion.

"Asami is okay with it too," Lei said, Mako raised his eyebrows.

"She is?" Mako said in disbelief, Lei smiled.

"Yeah, she kept telling me that you liked me but now, it's nice to know that it's true," Lei smiled, as she looked up at Mako. There was a moment of silence between the two.

"So, are we gonna try?" Mako asked softly, as he exchanged glances between her hand and her eyes.

Lei looked at him, searching his eyes if he truly wanted this. He gave her a soft gaze, and that was all she needed to know that he loved her. She leaned in, which surprised Mako. She connected their lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Mako pulled her closer as he hugged her waist and took the opportunity to enjoy the moment that he has been waiting for ever since he met her. Lei smiled widely through the kiss and so did Mako. She never thought that she would be able to experience this again after what happened before, with Chang. They pulled away, both breathing for air, as their foreheads were together.

"Does that answer your question?" Lei breathed out, he chuckled.

✨ •~~~~~~~• ✨

After that night, Mako and Lei agreed not to tell anyone about their relationship, for now, to avoid any unnecessary conflict with everything that's going on with Zaheer and the airbenders. Lei hasn't seen Kun since yesterday, but she was hoping to apologize to him and talk about what happened. It was an early morning, when Lei woke up, Asami and Kaya were still fast asleep. She got out of the guest house quietly and slowly made her way to Lin's guest house, to check up on her. When she arrived there, she saw Mako standing in the doorway. She smiled and walked up to him.

"Are you here to check up on Lin?" Lei asked him, he turned around and smiled lightly as he saw her.

"Yeah, Bolin went to get Korra," Mako replied, she nodded slowly.

"I was thinking about talking to Kun today," Lei said, Mako frowned.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Mako asked skeptically, as he put his arms around her waist. Lei rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I'll be fine, I just wanna make sure that he doesn't hate you," Lei said, as Mako let go of her waist and held her hand, "Aren't we supposed to be keeping this a secret?"

Mako chuckled, "Yeah, but I want a few minutes alone with my girlfriend,"

Lei raised her eyebrow in interest and teased, "Girlfriend? Huh? When did we agree to that?"

Mako blushed and realized what he said, "I-I didn--"

"Relax, Mako. I was kidding," Lei said, then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Mako let out a sigh of relief.

Just then, Korra had arrived with Bolin. They stopped in front of Mako and Lei. Korra looked at the door to Lin's guest house then to the three, not wanting to knock on Lin's door.

"So, who's gonna knock?" Korra asked, there was a moment of silence. After a moment, Korra pushed Bolin to the front door.

"What? No, No, No, not me. You're the Avatar, why can't you do it?" Bolin said, trying to get out of it, as he pointed at Korra. Lei and Mako exchanged annoyed glances at the two.

Korra shrugged, "Um, I can but, I just thought that--,"

"I'll do it," Mako said, as he approached the door.

He knocked on the door twice and leaned on the door, before saying, "Uh, Chief, you've been sleeping for sixteen hours, we just wanted to make sure that you were okay,"

Suddenly, he fell forward as the door opened revealing Lin, but she looked different. She had an outfit just like her sister's. Lei went to help Mako up, as she grabbed his arm. Lin went pass them with a huge smile on her face, which was odd.

"Good, Morning," Lin said happily, as she walked away from the guest house.

"Is it me or did Lin just genuinely smile?" Lei asked, not sure of what she just saw.

"It's weird," Bolin commented, as he stared at the direction where Lin went.

"Well, at least she's alright, I'm gonna go and talk to Opal," Korra said, as she turned to leave. Bolin turned to her.

"I'll come too!" Bolin exclaimed, as he followed Korra. Lei looked at Mako, as they realized that they had the day to themselves.

"I'm gonna go and talk to Kun," Lei said, Mako gave her an annoyed look.

"Do you have to do that now?" Mako asked.

"The sooner the better, Mako," Lei chuckled, as she started walking, "I'll meet you after,"

Lei started walking towards the workshop, hoping Kun was there. She knocked on the door before entering. She saw the magnetic suit that she saw yesterday that was also on the same place. She walked around and heard clanking of metal at the corner of the room. She walked towards the sound and found Kun sorting metal parts into a box.

"Kun," Lei said, he turned around and smiled lightly.

"Hey, Lei. You okay?" Kun asked, as he stood up and walked towards her.

"I should be asking you that after what happened yesterday," Lei said, feeling bad about what happened.

"I'm fine, but you should've told me that he was your boyfriend," Kun chuckled.

"What? He's not my boyfriend," Lei said innocently, Kun rolled his eyes.

"I saw you guys yesterday in the garden, so you don't need to lie to me," Kun said, Lei frowned.

"Sorry you had to see that," Lei apologized, Kun shook his head.

"Really, it's ok. I'm sorry for trying anything on you yesterday, it was my fault," Kun apologized, Lei smiled.

"You were just doing what your heart told you to do, there's no crime in that," Lei said softly, Kun nodded and smiled.

"Well, you should probably get back to your boyfriend, or he'll give me another sore butt later," Kun teased, Lei chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, glad to know you're alright with it, bye, Kun," Lei said, Kun waved goodbye before going back to work.

Lei felt relaxed for once in her life and she has never felt this happy in a long time. Nothing could break her happiness. Well, that was what she thought, before the day that terror came from within.

✨✨•~~~~~~~~•✨
AUTHORs NOTE:
This chapter was edited but nothing from the storyline has been changed.

Hello, my dear readers, the chapter that you all have been waiting for is finally here. I kept screaming while I wrote this because, well, you know why HAHAH. I hope you all enjoyed it 😊

PUBLISHED: October 6, 2019