A/N: An A-Z of one-shots centred on multiple pairings in both TLOK (mostly) and ATLA. I'll be posting the stories in alphabetical order, of course, with the starting letter of their titles corresponding to each letter I'm writing for. The titles are the central idea to each story. That being said, prompts are necessary cause I need something interesting to write about for every chapter/letter.
Enjoy!
A
Acrobat: Kainora
Rating: K+
The roaring applause sent Kai into an adrenaline-induced high. He grinned dashingly at the audience, stretching out his arms at his sides in a grand gesture. Having finished his final act, he removed his top hat and bowed graciously to the chant of his name before marching over to the bleachers overflowing with fanatic people of all ages.
"Thanks, thank you, that's very kind of you," he repeated politely as he collected change from offering hands. Once he was certain that he'd taken all of it, he glanced back at the stage. A couple of crew members were removing his equipment, signalling it was time for him to go. He threw one last kiss to the cheering spectators, and made his way backstage through a side exit.
It wasn't long before he heard Ringmaster Bolin's booming voice, somewhat muffled by the curtains that blocked him from view. "Spectacular! What a magical performance by Kai, the King of Illusions!"
That was his last appearance of the day, and he couldn't be more relieved. Joints tingling, he kept to one side, careful not to get in the way of flustered stagehands who were bustling about, running the show. As his ears started to adjust to lower decibels and the euphoria in his bones began to settle, he felt the hat getting heavier in his grasp. He peered inside, happily admiring his bountiful profits.
Satisfied, he placed the hat on the ground and started removing his coat. A magician's coat is filled with all sorts of secrets - and one secret in particular, he had forgotten all about; a flurry of feathers made contact with his face as an extra dove he kept in a hidden pocket flew abruptly upward. He stepped back in surprise. Losing his balance, he fell bottom-first onto an embellished circus prop. A cloud of glitter popped out around him and he unwittingly breathed some in, resulting in a loud, resounding sneeze.
"Shh, Kai," someone whispered from behind, silky voice teasing. He cringed, realising there had been a witness to his rather embarrassing display. And when he recognised to whom the faint voice belonged, his embarrassment increased ten-fold. "You gotta be a bit more quiet, or they'll hear you."
He stood swiftly and spun around, coming face-to-face with a girl wrapped in colourful tights and sequins. For a second or two, he was breathless, like he always was when she came into view. Grateful that the dim lighting was helpfully concealing the blush he's sure was on his cheeks, he gathered himself and gave her one of his devilish smiles. "Don't worry. I usually keep my volume down."
The corners of her lips turned up slightly. His heart did a mini-somersault. "Are you alright?" she asked, a hint of concern portrayed both in her tone and in her eyes in spite of her smile.
He glanced down at the now indistinguishable object he had landed on a minute ago. "I'm fine, but I don't think I can say the same for whatever that thing is."
She laughed. The butterflies in his stomach seemed to have suddenly morphed into wasps. "Oh, I watched your set. You were great out there," she said sincerely, gesturing to the massive curtains. "The crowd loved you."
He scoffed, amused that Jinora still didn't realise how she was the main attraction around here. "Not as much as they'll love you."
She opened her mouth for a retort when a whistling sound interrupted her. Their heads snapped simultaneously to the source.
"That's enough flirting," a young woman with dark hair said quietly from a few feet away. At this, the two shifted to defensive stances. They must have looked quite uncomfortable because a smirk emerged on the woman's face. She motioned to the girl beside him. "You're on standby, Jinora."
Jinora nodded and moved past Kai, her arm lightly brushing against his. Not really aware of what he was doing, he snatched it, keeping her in place. She whipped her head around, startled.
They stared at each other for a brief moment before Kai came to his senses. He broke into a sweat trying to think of something smooth to do to correct his blunder. It took only half a second; with a flick of his wrist, he produced a single crimson rose and offered it to her with his free hand. "G-good luck."
She smiled appreciatively, and he stiffened when she leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Kai," she whispered into to his ear while her fingers tactfully collected the flower from his shaking grip. She stepped back and winked at him. "Since I watched your performance tonight, you have to watch mine."
He dipped his head slowly in affirmation, just barely processing her words, though in the back of his mind, a small voice says, 'I was going to anyway'. His arm fell to his side as she turned and walked away. When she had gotten far enough, he gasped out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Sweaty fingers absentmindedly caressed the spot on his face her lips had touched.
In his dazed state, it took a while for him to realise that the brunette woman had her gaze fixed on him. He didn't like the expression she was wearing at all. "What?"
"Nothing," she replied innocently, but her smirk hadn't dropped just yet. "I'm just observing the beauty of young love."
His eyes widened at her implication. "Korra, I-" he stammered, struggling for words to say. "What are you- I don't know what you're talking about."
Korra's only response is the rolling of her bright blue orbs. She strutted toward the exit, slapping his forehead lightly on the way. "Don't screw it up, kid."
Rubbing the newly-sore spot above his brows, he mumbled, just loud enough for himself to hear, "I won't."
"By the way, your ass looks like you just shat rainbows."
She had been beautiful that night, as always. The way she'd moved, it's as if her whole body was an extension of air. She flipped and spiralled, whirled, jumped and twisted - she flew, even. The safety net below her was put there as a precaution, but everyone knew that she would never need it, for she would never fall.
Kai had watched, genuinely captivated and unable to look away, as Jinora gracefully defied the laws of gravity. Whenever she propelled herself off a flying trapeze, or performed wonders while hanging on a mere wire, she became unbound. She became free.
Their traveling circus housed many breathtaking, mesmerising and delightful talents that attracted hordes of people wherever they went: a young man who breathed fire, a polar-bear dog tamer, a genius technician who developed the most enthralling of rides, and a couple dozen other exceptional individuals. Yet, the person whom he believed stole the entire show was Jinora; she showed humanity what it meant to fly.
Of course, that opinion may be a little biased, considering he was indeed in love with the acrobat.
A/N: Meh. Bad ending, I suppose. Hope you had fun reading nonetheless. Haven't thought of what I should write for the letter "B" yet so suggestions/prompts are very much welcome! Also don't forget to mention which ship you want sailed the next chapter, cause I can't decide.