Fool on the Shade
By SharkAria
A/N: I was listening to this 1950s song, "Silhouettes on the Shade," by The Rays. Then I listened to "Fool in the Rain" by Led Zeppelin. Then I drank some beer, and I felt compelled to write about Tahno and Korra. Also, I know there's no evidence that there were intercoms in the Avatar universe, but sometimes I play it fast and loose with canon. Hope you enjoy. - SA
The summer day in Republic City had been hot, sticky, unbearable; but the perfect summer night was worth all of the sweat during daylight. Walking down the quiet street, Tahno enjoyed the warm, humid, air, with just the hint of a breeze that made his stroll pleasant rather than uncomfortable. And of course the several beers he had consumed with his teammates over the previous few hours generated an inner glow that simply added to his pleasure. There was a special, ineffable feeling of accomplishment for an evening well-spent that put a spring in his gait as he sauntered down the lane alone on his way home from the bar. He pulled the zipper down on his tunic and exposed his neck to the night air and smirked to himself.
He was never more in his element than when he went out on the town with his teammates. He never lacked for confidence, but after knocking a couple back on a perfect evening like tonight, his self-possession sparked out of him like the fireworks he used to make memorable entrances before pro-bending matches. And why shouldn't he feel good about himself? He had his bending back permanently. He'd won the championship tournament on his own merits. Republic City Enquirer readers had voted him "Republic City's Most Attractive Water Bender."
And, of course, he had the amorous attention of the Avatar herself.
"She finally came to her senses and agreed to go out with me," he declared aloud to the empty street. A stray cat that had been fishing through the garbage cans outside of a closed restaurant yowled in acknowledgement, then slunk down the alley.
Surprised by the noise, he stumbled and narrowly avoided an embarrassing faceplant into the gutter by catching a streetlamp pole. So, maybe he'd had more than a couple beers. But why shouldn't he have? If he couldn't enjoy a night out with his boys, there was no point to being a celebrity.
He walked along another block past several apartment buildings as he pondered his fame. Of course he should be able to enjoy himself once in a while. And just as his notoriety afforded him these evenings, his status as Korra's boyfriend should allow him to pay her a visit this evening. She wouldn't mind, even if he was a little tipsy. She could barely keep her hands off him whenever they were together. Not that he could blame her. And the feeling was mutual on his end, of course.
Without really realizing it, he'd been walking in the direction of her building anyway. It was so much easier to visit her since she'd moved into her own place on the mainland. No airbender kids sneaking around to tattle on her for having a guy in her room. This late at night, she was probably asleep, Tahno reflected; however, a certainty had lodged itself deep in his gut that somehow, as soon as she opened the door to let him in, she'd forget all about being tired and fall straight into his arms, hopefully yanking some of his clothes off in the process. He tossed his head back and flicked his bangs to practice the look that she'd indubitably find irresistible.
Finally, Tahno reached the four-story building where Korra rented a flat. To his surprise, the light in her bedroom window was still glowing, a diffused yellow across the shade that she'd pulled down. He chuckled; his girl hated the morning light waking her up like he hated losing in the arena. The fact that she was still awake would make it even easier for him to convince her to stay up all night. On a whim, he unzipped his tunic and slung it over his shoulder, then ran his fingers through his hair again. He checked his reflection in the glass of the building door and winked at it. Poor Korra, she didn't know what was about to hit her.
Tahno glanced up at her window again. Her curvy silhouette slid onto her window shade, and she tossed her ponytail back with her hand. Then she put both of her hands on her curvy, muscular hips. Oh yes, Tahno was going to enjoy this housecall very much.
But just as he reached out to ring the buzzer for Korra's apartment, a second figure appeared on the backdrop. A short-haired, broad shouldered masculine figure. The man's shadow pulled Korra - Tahno's Korra! - into a close embrace. The two figures kissed. A thousand fireworks exploded behind Tahno's eyes.
No one played Tahno, team captain of the pro-bending champion White Falls Wolfbats, for a fool. He jabbed the buzzer with his finger over and over again in a staccato rage. A musical giggle and a deeper laugh crackled over the intercom, but neither Korra nor her companion said anything distinguishable. It didn't matter - Tahno couldn't possibly formulate words to express his anger in any event. He wasn't even sure what he would say to the offending male kissing his girlfriend when he stood face to face with him - maybe he would just blast him straight through the window with a hose of water. The front door clacked open automatically. Tahno yanked it open and clambered up the flight of stairs, his inebriation hampering his vengeful steps.
He turned the corner, his footsteps on fire, and came to Korra's door. He banged his fist against the door over and over again, until it swung open and he nearly fell into the apartment.
A busty redheaded stranger with golden eyes and a ponytail stared at Tahno.
"Who the hell are you?" she exclaimed. Her dark haired, snub-nosed Fire Nation boyfriend cracked his knuckles threateningly behind her.
Tahno looked back and forth between the couple, utterly baffled. "Wha - where's Korra?"
The girl laughed. "The Avatar? Buddy, you've had too much to drink. Go home and sleep it off." She slammed the door in Tahno's face. That's when he noticed that the apartment door was painted red, not wooden, like Korra's, and the hallway had a dingy runner instead of bare wood. Had Korra moved without telling him?
Tahno retraced his steps, slowly and carefully, down to the first floor and out onto the street. He examined the building more carefully. It looked just like Korra's - about twenty years old, grey stone with a black roof. He glanced at the building address number.
He was on the wrong block.
Tahno put his hands over his eyes, then wiped them down his face. Giddiness washed over him. The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement, in spite of his shame over his drunken idiocy. He walked away from the building, picking up his speed and eventually breaking into a run. He wanted nothing more than to see Korra and hold her.
Another minute and a triple check of the building number later, Tahno pressed the buzzer to what he was almost certain was Korra's apartment. After three or four rings, a sleepy, unmistakable voice answered. "Unless this is an emergency, come back in the morning. And by morning I mean after lunch."
"Korra," Tahno purred into the intercom. "It is an emergency. I gotta see you." He leaned his pounding head against the cool stone. He resolved that he would never let Ming, who outweighed him by 50 pounds, challenge him to a drinking contest ever again.
Once again, the front door popped open, and once again, Tahno climbed the stairs. As he made the turn to Korra's apartment, he saw that she was already waiting for him by the open door, her pajamas covered by a bathrobe. Tahno groaned in relief.
Korra raised an eyebrow at what must have been a strange expression on his face. "What's so important that it couldn't wait - oof!" Tahno squeezed her so hard that he must have knocked the wind out of her. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip, but leaned down and gave her a long, desperate, passionate kiss.
When they finally came up for air, Korra started laughing in her low, familiar, beautiful voice. She leaned her cool forehead against his burning cheek. "That was the emergency? You needed a kiss?"
Tahno chuckled. "It's been a long night. Can I come in?"
Korra smiled. "Of course." She took his hand and led him inside, flicking on a lamp on a table next to the couch. Then she turned back to him with an expectant, pleased look on her face.
Tahno smirked back, ready to push the robe from her shoulders. But just as he reached up to do so, he glanced over her head at the open window. "Hold on a sec," he whispered with a smirk. He crossed the room and pulled down the shade. "Much better."
Korra looked at him cock-eyed but didn't ask for an explanation. He returned to her and put his hands on her hips, pulling her close, just as he'd wanted to do for what seemed like hours. He gazed down into her face and smiled, vowing that they would be two silhouettes on the shade.
A/N: OK not sure where that came from. Oh no too much cute. I guess I had to get that fluff biscuit out of my system so that I could get back to my multi-chapter Tahnorra fic where there is tons of angst to go around! Thanks for reading.