The night in Republic City was cold and too quiet for a place that never sleeps during the day.

You stood on the edge of the roof, looking down at the streetlights, the moving trams, the life that went on as if Amon weren't breathing down someone's neck.

Your chest still clung to the tension from the battle. The Equalists were gone. Not defeated—just gone. And you... you felt that uncomfortable feeling again: that even the Avatar could be vulnerable.

Footsteps sounded behind you. Quiet. Confident.

"...You always stand like that after a battle," — Mako's voice was low, calm.

"As if checking to see if the world is still there."

He came closer, but not too close. He leaned against the metal railing next to you. The wind stirred his black hair, and the city lights reflected in his dark eyes.

"The Equalists were more aggressive today," — he continued.

"They..."

He paused, choosing his words.

"They were too close to you."

He didn't look at you directly. But you felt his attention—like a warmth against your shoulder.

You still felt the echoes of magic in your body: the air that was rushing out, the fire—impatient, angry, the earth—heavy, stubborn.

And fear. Small, but real.

Mako turned his head and finally looked at you.

"You don't have to do this alone," — he said more quietly.

"Even if you're the Avatar."

He removed his gloves and squeezed his palm—thin sparks of lightning ran across his skin for a second, then vanished. Not a threat. Habit. A reminder that he, too, was ready to fight.

"When they came at you…" — his jaw tensed.

"I realized I didn't care about anything else. About tournaments. About the rules. If they'd taken you, I'd have followed you, even into hell."

The wind picked up. Your clothes fluttered, as if responding to your emotions.

Mako took a step closer. Now there's less than half a meter between you.

"Tell me honestly," — he said quietly.

"Are you... afraid?"

He didn't sound weak. He sounded real.

And in that moment, the city beneath you seemed to disappear—there were only the two of you, the night, and the feeling that this connection was more dangerous than any magic.