Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: Legend of Korra
A.N: I'm pretty sure this is going to be a chapter fic but I'm also not sure lol. It will at least have a sequel, undoubtedly. I'm pretty proud of it at this point and though I thought I was only a Tahorra shipper last week, Korrlok has somewhat taken over my life for the past few days.
One can have two OTPs, correct? ;)
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Title: what we make
Fandom: Legend of Korra/ LOK
Pairing: Korra x Tarrlok
Summary: Before the others in the taskforce arrive to the meeting, Korra, being early, and Tarrlok go over the intended mission… or at least that's how it started out. AU starting at Episode four, before Korra meets Amon at Memorial Island but after she's joined the taskforce of course, and after the onset of her nightmares.
Part I
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"If the city needs me then I'll join Tarrlok's taskforce and help fight Amon."
. . .
When Tarrlok hears the door swing open, short of any kind of knock of announcement, he glances at the clock before whoever is entering. It's almost an hour and a half before he'd been expecting anyone to arrive. Staying up late nights in his office or showing up early for any of his self-given responsibilities or duties related to work is kind of just his thing. He's more than just a little obsessive in everything that he does, not that he'd honestly have anything better to do, so he's surprised that someone else is showing just as much initiative as he is.
Well, surprised until he realizes that it's Korra.
Though Tarrlok hasn't known her very long, and thinks that this is more than a pity, she seems to come across as someone determined and hardworking like himself. It's why he'd wanted her on his taskforce, why he'd immediately taken a liking to her, well... amongst other things, but he certainly shouldn't be thinking about that right now or ever really. It's wrong...
He shouldn't.
Certainly not.
. . .
Just don't think about it.
. . .
Tarrlok greets Korra with a wide smile and waves her over to the table.
"Ah, Avatar Korra, it's nice of you to arrive so soon. Perhaps you can help me decide on which lead we'll be following this evening?" he says.
"Uh sure," Korra replies back, forcing the words through the lump in her throat, "I guess that'd be fine."
The dry lump has been stuck right there, somewhere between her windpipe and her voice, since she woke up this morning. Well since she'd gotten out of bed anyway. She hadn't slept too well after jerking awake terrified in a cold sweat, her throat gone raw from the strength of her screams. The sun hadn't even been up yet, she'd noticed, her nightmares were getting worse.
She's so tired and even more than that she really doesn't want to be here, doing this. Unfortunately, she's given her word and even more unfortunately she's read it in at least four different newspapers.
As Korra approaches Tarrlok he finds that he can't take his eyes off of her. Much like he is, she's wearing the armor for the raid tonight. It doesn't show much of her figure, it wouldn't be good armor if it did, and he's had his fair share of women but he's never been more attracted to anyone than he is right now, never been more attracted to someone that is young enough to be his daughter.
And this is just how it is.
He's thought about why, wracked his brain about it. And he thinks it maybe has something to do with how contradictory she is; beautiful but dangerous, strong and daring but naïve and juvenile. And then there's that little thing called her innocence.
It reflects in her eyes, bright like she is and pure like the color of her irises and he thinks that this is probably what traps him. Whether it's alluring because he'd only been allowed innocence for a short amount of time in his life perhaps to the point where he hungers to be near it, or because there's some dark and disturbed flaw in himself that he can't escape, a shadow of him that wishes to corrupt her as he was corrupted, he doesn't know. But he literally craves it… her.
Korra takes a deep breath when she makes it over beside Tarrlok, but the pressure building up inside just seems to bulk up even more, weighing her down as the night wears on. Pretty soon she's going to be out facing equalists and she doesn't even know what to think about this, doesn't want to think about it all. The only reason she'd come early was because she'd been pacing her room at air temple island for the past few hours, meditated trying to clear her mind, like that has ever worked, and then paced some more. If she couldn't stop the thoughts, what was the point?
"So what leads have you gotten?" She tries to sound nonchalant staring down at the rolled up papers grasped in his fingers.
And Tarrlok doesn't answer.
When he also doesn't open the papers she glances over her shoulder and up, he's so much taller, feeling frustrated and finds that he's staring at her, really staring, and if the intentness of the look he's giving her isn't surprising enough, the quickening of her heart beat surely is. Well this is very unexpected, she thinks. "Uh… Tarrlok?"
He blinks once, slowly.
"Yes?" he says. His gaze has dropped to her mouth now and she's almost sure that his tone is a little deeper than usual, as if it isn't nice enough already. Then her eyes are slightly widening at the wayward thought.
She hasn't thought of anyone but Mako like that since she's come to Republic City, miserably even more so now that there's Asami Sato, and even stranger… Tarrlok is far older than her, she reminds herself.
Nonetheless she can't help but look at him a little differently; the deep blue eyes, smooth flawless skin, the strong dominant jaw; and she's pretty sure that if she could see it, he'd generously muscled beneath his armor.
He certainly doesn't look old a part of her mind amends. And although she should be used to his Water Tribe looks, it strikes her that he's got to be one of the most attractive men she's ever met. She pouts a little at this. What is she thinking?
"Um…the leads?" she tries again. Her voice is wavering.
Tarrlok's eyebrows furrow slightly as if he has no idea what she's talking about but then he's snapping back into action, coughing once and looking away from her. For the life of her she doesn't know why but she's fascinated by the muscle clenching in his jaw.
"Of course, the leads." He says, "There's two."
Tarrlok begins straightening out the two papers and Korra tries to avoid looking as wound up as she feels.
Stop this. Tarrlok tells himself as he runs his hands across the blueprints. She's much too young. But he can't help knowing that's only half true, his body surely doesn't agree. Maybe here in Republic City they might get a few looks but they both have Water Tribe blood flowing through their veins and a man his age with a woman of hers, is really not so strange at all. Besides there's just something about her…
"So… the first lead is a training camp for Chiblockers," he begins quickly in order to halt the turn of his thoughts, "It's supposed to be located beneath a bookstore in the Dragon Flats Borough," he gazes at the first map speculatively before turning his attention to the next, "However, the second," he pauses dramatically, "might just be Amon's hideout."
Korra bites her lip to catch herself before she gasps. Amon's hideout? They couldn't possibly…
She closes her eyes.
She's not afraid, she's not, she repeats whileclenching her fists. She disgusted to find that her palms have gone sweaty. She suddenly can't get enough air and she's just… she's just not ready for this yet. Amon's hideout?
Amon.
Amon.
Her eyes snap open.
"I say the first one," she chooses, a little too forceful and a lot quicker than she'd wanted to.
Tarrlok looks at her as if he expected something else.
"I know it seems… farfetched that anyone would give up this information so soon but I assure you each lead is just as likely to be true," Tarrlok replies smoothly with conviction, "It really could be Amon's hideout. We could apprehend the equalist leader, tonight, on our first raid. No more people will be hurt. We can stop him before he begins targeting innocents. Imagine it." Tarrlok looks genuinely cheerful and eager.
Or we could end up bendingless, with our souls detached from our bodies or worse, Korra thinks but she doesn't say this aloud because it sounds dangerously close to fear. Instead she latches onto Tenzin's warnings of Tarrlok, desperate to take on only Chiblockers tonight, just not Amon, and still save face.
"Imagine what?" she mocks, "The glory? Your glory? The only person you care about helping is yourself. I'm not going to take part in your vanity project." And then she turns away, arms crossed, feeling horrible because he'd looked like he'd meant what he'd said about stopping Amon to protect people, and she really should be picking that option, and he was smiling. But she just… can't take on Amon tonight. She can't.
Tarrlok is taken aback a bit by Korra's words. He's heard them plenty times before but not from her. He hasn't done anything to her… sent her gifts, a little more extravagant than needed to be honest but he couldn't help himself, and maybe he'd forced her hand a bit into joining his taskforce but he really did have good intentions… even besides just being around the only woman that seems to make him sweat. But more importantly, there's nothing he's done to her or against her to make her believe he cares for no one but himself.
Sure his words had come out sounding more like a politician's speech when he'd tried to recruit her at Tenzin's home, complimenting and flattering her, but Tarrlok had meant everything that he'd said, especially the part about wanting her to join him. He wants that more than he should actually. So what was this really about? Surely not Tenzin's ideals getting in her head, she seems like someone more willing to listen to herself than anyone else.
Tarrlok gently grabs Korra's shoulder, intent on getting her to turn around, a distant part of himself wishing that she wore her regular clothes instead of the armor for the raid so he could know what her skin felt like beneath his fingers, but maybe that actually wouldn't be a good thing right now… don't want to get carried away, and he startles to find that she is slightly shaking, even through the armor.
When she jumps a little and turns, the shaking doesn't seem to be from anger. And though she's trying her best to portray the contrary, her eyes don't seem angry either… just frightened. He frowns and takes a few moments to process this. At first he's afraid that she might be scared because despite himself he's still touching her. Had she seen and understood the way he watches her? Is she thinking that he'd try and take advantage? He drops his hand, pride slightly wounded. He'd manipulate and force some things but never that.
To Tarrlok's surprise, she exhales a hushed sorry for her prior words and looks away from him, clearly she's not frightened of what he'd thought, but she's still just as visibly tense and nervous. He finally realizes what's really going on.
He's constantly reminding himself that she's young but he'd never truly considered what this meant beyond highlighting the age difference between the two of them, that even though she is the avatar and strong and beautiful and cunning, that this is still her first time facing a threat like the equalists, a threat like Amon. Normal people have not witnessed the darkness that he has and sometimes he forgets this, that he's been tainted. She's just a young girl who's scared and too stubborn to admit it.
"Everyone will come home safe tonight Korra," he says, openly. The other words he catches with his tongue before they can slip. I'll protect you at any cost. He wants to say. Even if I have to reveal my dirty little secret and lose everything.
I'd never let anyone hurt you.
Korra understands that he's trying to help without damaging her pride. He didn't say that she'd come home safe or that there's nothing for her to be afraid of. And he doesn't technically call her out on her blatant weakness, she seems to have so many these days, and she never thought she'd find his way of utilizing words so refreshing. Somehow just hearing him promise her, not Avatar Korra just Korra, safety helps her relax. She can actually breathe for a moment and it feels like it's the first time she's using her lungs. Her shoulders slump, unwound, and she looks up at him.
She's… grateful and for the first time she's realized that she won't be facing anyone alone, not like in her nightmares, not like them at all.
And because she's always been so very instinctive and so very bad with words, she hugs him.
Their armor clank when she throws herself against him and she rests her head on his breastplate with her eyes shut.
For a shocked few seconds, Tarrlok does nothing. It's as if his body won't move but then swallowing harshly, he slides his arms around her and before he can stop himself, he rests his chin on top of her head.
He's never felt quite this content before, or maybe he has once but in a time so long ago that he can't truly remember, but definitely not in his more or less lonely existence as a councilman and certainly not in his... always-a-dark-shadow-following-him-around youth. One of his hands somehow finds its way into the strands at the nape of her neck and he breathes her in. He wraps himself around her tighter, feeling full, like finding something he'd never known he'd lost.
It's when Korra begin's to blush that she pulls away a bit and Tarrlok's too far gone to fully let her go. So now they're pressed front to front, staring at each other.
And there's a boundary that Korra can nearly see.
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But she can also hear her heart beating against the metal plate on top her chest… or maybe that's his, she's not sure, and he's looking at her in a way that she can't recall ever having been looked at before.
The boundary blurs.
The distance between them is visibly shrinking even though Korra can't really tell which one of them is behind it and then his mouth barely brushes hers. The kisses are soft, so soft they might as well have been called touches, and hesitant still. They both have their eyes open as if they're waiting for the other person to pull away, and Korra nearly does but… she's feeling so good right now.
She's not afraid of Amon, or worried about the state of the World. She's not overwhelmed, not feeling inadequate like she does when she's with what's-his-name or thinking about all the ways that she might fail…
Something shifts, or rathers flips utterly on its axis, and the boundary disappears.
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Korra's eyelids flutter shut and fully, completely, she leans in to it.
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And then there's something urgent about it, about how hard he's pressing, and the groan she feels vibrate against her lips. There's heat tightening up and pulsing in her lower abdomen, heat that she knows she wouldn't be able to get rid of, not alone, not by herself, even if she wanted to.
The councilman's fingers are tracing the edges of her breastplate, obviously wanting it off, off, off. And then just as he's pushing her back into the table and she's opening her lips to taste more, much more, and he's finding just the right place to press against her from between her legs…
There's a knock on the door.
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At first Tarrlok just grips her hair harder—when had it come out of her ponytail?—and pushes himself against her harder. They try to ignore it the best they can, but then the rapping starts up again.
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"What?" Tarrlok snaps, barely drawing back from Korra's lips, she can feel the heat of his words on her tongue.
It's his mousy little assistant, informing him that a few of the others—what others? He thinks before remembering the taskforce—are arriving downstairs, and asking if he should let them up early.
For a moment Tarrlok wonders how the heck Korra got up here without going through his assistant as well, but that's actually a dumb question isn't it, so he moves on. He glances at the clock again and then back at the girl in his arms. They still have thirty minutes but he knows that would never be enough time, would any amount ever be enough?
It's like forcing himself not to breathe but he let's go of her and straightens himself up. Korra does the same. He watches her pulling her hair back up without looking at him, blushing hotly. And has to turn away as to not get drawn in again, he tells his assistant to let the others come up.
When everyone comes in, Korra sits all the way in the back. And now that the… distraction from her fears—it was far more than that—is more or less gone, and Councilman Tarrlok, she might have intentionally thought of him so formally on purpose, is about to tell everyone else about his leads on the equalists and Amon, she's feeling rather edgy again. Why doesn't meditation ever work for her?
The councilman surprises her when he only mentions the secret Chiblocking training camp.
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That night Tarrlok makes sure she leaves the Dragon Flats Burough safe.
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She thinks they make a good team too.