100 Words Challenge
100 words, 100 unrelated drabbles, each one between 100 and 200 words. Enjoy!
1. Introduction
"You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot."
And maybe, he thinks, as he pulls her into his chest and soothes away the nightmares that seize her body and leave her a slave to the night, that's all they'll ever be because she belongs to the world, and he's a fool for the way her hair halos around her head on lazy Sunday mornings, but no matter how desperately he wants those sunrises to last, to hold her until the world folds away like autumn, he knows she will always have to leave him eventually for one Avatar duty or another, and it's not fair for him or the world to expect so much from somebody who is just as human as they'll ever be. But he wants her all to himself. It's selfish, but he's never been that good at sharing.
And some days he wonders if life would have been so much simpler if they'd never met.
2. Complicated
She's not sure how she ends stumbling through his apartment door, clothes falling off her body in piles as he bends her over the counter and the walls shake and everything is wrong and right and she's never felt so alive as Tahno's hands claim and his mouth marks and every argument she has against this moment is diluted into incoherent gasps because she needs this. She needs to forget that the world is balancing so precariously on her shoulders, and no matter how hard she tries she can never please everyone. She needs to forget that Mako will never love her, that so many people just want her dead; she just needs to forget.
And it's not fair because all she's ever wanted was to be happy, but in a world so twisted, happiness will only ever be temporary, at least for someone like her, so she takes what she can get in the form of a greasy waterbenders and mumbled promises and fire whiskey that bubbles so dangerously in the pit of her stomach. Because all that's ever been sure to her is the sound of rain and that life just isn't fair.
"It's complicated, right Uhvatar?"
3. Making History
"You, Avatar, are merely the an example; you are here to show the bending population what will become of them if they foolishly try to fight back because in the long run, I am the solution and this has always been my city for the taking," he snickers, grabbing her face and forcing her to look him in the eyes.
And then the blood splatters the wall as the dagger slashes her pretty little throat, and her body falls limp to the floor, and he's almost disappointed because he expected more of a fight from her, she was always far too fiery. Maybe it was unwise of him to kill her parents first. And the airbenders. And those streetrat brothers. Because he's always thought their final showdown would be one of epic proportions, but then again, she was weaker than he had originally thought.
A shame, he thinks, that the last Avatar in history be remembered as the most cowardly. Just a shame.
4. Rivalry
He hears her scream from somewhere in the distance, pained and weak and everything he's never been able to associate with the Avatar, his Avatar, and before Mako has time to process why this could be a fucking terrible idea, he's running, running, running as fast as his feet will take him towards the sound of her ever fading voice. He's so focused on finding her, he doesn't even acknowledge the obstacle standing in his way until he's colliding headfirst with Tahno, the ex-probending star. They eye each other harshly for half a second, and Mako can feel the curses boiling in the back at his throat because do you think this is some fucking joke, but then he hears her scream again this time desperately, brokenly.
"Truce?" Tahno growls as he pulls himself off the ground and offers a hand to his rival, and then they're running side-by-side because they both owe her their lives ten times over, and really, what would this world do without her?
Shatter.
5. Unbreakable
Chief Lin Bei Fong had always taken pride in her independence, in her ability to function, no thrive, without others breathing down her shoulder, but she'll never forget the night Amon humbled her, the night he blinded her and made her a martyr for the city see. She'll never forget the rain and the wind, and the way he threw her so abrasively back into the world like ending her connection to the Earth was nothing, like she as a whole was insignificant. And it's almost pathetic to think that it was that easy for him to do, and really, when she sees Tenzin's family tied up on a stage for the world to see, like animals ready for slaughter, was it all for nothing?
But then Korra saves the world, like she was always born to do, and her bending is returned and that passion she feels for her element is only intensified by its momentary hiatus, and she realizes in a wave of spontaneous self-appreciation that maybe, just maybe, if she can handle all that, she was always meant to be unbreakable.
6. Obsession
It's not an obsession, really, Zaheer manages to convince himself. He was in no way obsessed with capturing the Avatar, but he was, admittedly, obsessed with Fate, and Fate, although known to be a fickle mistress, would not have given him the ability to airbend if She didn't believe his intentions were noble. And the whole thing is almost humorous he thinks, as he ties and gags the precious Avatar, because she, ultimately, created the new era that will destroy her.
"You've heard of Fate, haven't you, Korra?" he whispers, even though there's no need for quiet in the soundproof room, even though he knows she won't answer back, "Well I truly believe this is yours." And maybe, just maybe, he's a tiny bit obsessed with the absolute terror in her eyes the moment before he shuts off the light and leaves her alone in the dark.
7. Eternity
"I'll always love you."
And even as she holds his broken body, blood pooling around them and staining her clothes redder than the color of the scarf he used to wear, it still rings true because she's the Avatar and he's an idiot, and how the hell could she have let this happen to him because you don't just let people you love die like that, die so brutally and so terribly, not when they have so much more of their life to live, not when all you ever wanted for them was all the happiness in the world.
"Please, Mako, please! Just wake up, you'll be fine you just have to open your eyes, and then-," her voice falters as she tries again to shake him awake, her fingers digging violently, desperately into his shoulders, "And then I'll heal you, and you'll be like new again, and goddamn it just wake the hell up!"
He doesn't.
8. Gateway
More days than not, she regrets keeping the portal open because, in all honesty, life in general would be so much easier without the weight of a new era looming so eerily over her shoulder, threatening to consume the semblance of sanity the entire ordeal had left her with, and nobody really seems to understand that everything she does, she does because she believes it's best, but unfortunately life just isn't that simple, and it turns out neither is politics.
"You can't just expect everything to go back to normal in a day," she growls, her voice cracking in barely restrained anger as she points one accusing finger at President Raiko because even though this is her doing, he hasn't done anything to make this easier on her or the city.
And when he smirks she's reminded of a similar scene not so long ago, the scene where Councilman Tarrlok licked his lips and reminded her she's half-baked and she watched the city fall to his cruel hands.
"It's just politics, Darling."
9. Death
"It doesn't even hurt,' Bolin groans, holding his wounded stomach weakly as her tries to convince himself just that, but he's lying and Asami knows it because the blood is starting to soak past his hands and there's still chunks of smoldering rock buried in his flesh, and she's not sure what to say because for some dumb reason, Bolin's always seemed untouchable, like he was better than the horrors of the world, like he was infinite.
"Bo…"
"I'm fine, see," he says, grimacing as he attempts to pull himself aimlessly to his feet, but gravity is so heavy and the world seems to be shattering and before he knows it, his head is banging against the concrete and the black is lurking so dangerously in the corners of his vision as Asami rushes forward, hands cupped delicately behind his head.
She strokes his hair as his eyes lull and his grip on his stomach loosens and the world grieves.
10. Opportunities
"Well if it isn't the Uhvatar," he coos, pulling a seat up next to her at the bar, and maybe, if he had any decency at all, he would realize that there was a reason she had chosen this corner to drown her problems in hard liquor, and if she wasn't so wasted, she would have happily kicked his chair away and told him to fuck off, but she's been too far gone for far too long, and something about the saxophone humming melodically in the background dilutes her usually fiery nerves.
And who is he to pass up an opportunity like a mellow Avatar, so he leans into her neck and whispers something about how loud this place is, letting his lips linger for a second as he tests these new drunken boundaries. It's a shame that she barely bats an eyelash as he wraps his arm around her hip and leads her out of the bar and into the night. It's an even greater shame when she wakes up naked in his apartment with nothing but a sticky gnawing shame in the pit of her stomach as an indication to their affair.
Really, it's all a damn shame.
11. 33%
"I still can't believe we won," she laughs, her smile beaming up at Mako because this, for her, has always been a matter of pride, and she's so fucking proud to be a part of the fabulous fire ferrets, Probending Champions! And he smiles right back at her, the most genuine she's ever seen him look as he crosses the room in two giant strides and engulfs her in a hug that throws her completely off guard.
"Thank you," he whispers as he releases her and hands her a small white envelope, her portion of the winnings, 33% . She doesn't even hesitate to shove it right back in his hands.
"It's yours," she says simply before turning away from him, and really maybe their relationship was only ever meant to be as simple as that and he doesn't question it nor does he waste his time on a thank you she doesn't want to hear because this is not pity, not in the slightest, this is just Korra; it's what she does.
12. Dead Wrong
Half-baked Avatar
"You were wrong about me, Tarrlok," she smirks, her mouth contorting itself into something of a grimace as the earth around him shakes and the fountain freezes and the flames lick his feet, "I'm stronger than you could ever wish to be."
That's when he notices it, the wind whipping around her, encircling her in gusts as her hair lifts halos violently around the crown of her skull, and in this moment she is stronger than she's ever been before, and all she can seem to think about is the way he locked her up, the way he bloodbent her and took advantage of her and told her that nobody would ever find their precious Avatar.
And he deserves to be blown away, to bruise and burn and freeze.
He deserves to scream.
13. Running Away
She's done a lot of hard things in her life, fought a lot of hard battles that most people will have the luxury of never understanding, but she has never had to do anything quite as hard as letting him go.
She leaves in the dead of the night, nothing more than a whisper of darkness shrouded by crepuscular beauty, her bags slung wistfully over her hunched shoulders because she really loves him, more than she'd ever admit. But Amon has taken it upon himself to destroy that luxury, because loving, and being loved, is now nothing more than a liability.
She leaves him a handwritten note, her manuscript choppy and imperfect, ugly and beautiful all at the same time, signed with a tear drop that smudges the ink on the edges of her heart.
It's over. I'm done, for real this time. You never had a chance.
She wanted to tell the truth, to tell him that if loving him was taboo, then love may not be worth it at all. It was for his good, she wants to say, that at least without her he would be safe, alive, and, even if she doesn't want to think it, far happier than he could ever be with her, but instead she makes it sting, makes it hurt, because she doesn't want him chasing after her, not now, not ever.
It's better this way, she somehow manages to convince herself as the sun appears on the horizon and she officially disappears.
At least for now.
14. Judgment
"I'm sorry about your mother," Korra says to Asami, and even though an apology won't fix anything at all, it's a start, a start of the many apologies that are to come because she's so sorry about everything, about her dad, and her company, and the way she accused the heiress of being an equalist and practically tore apart what little family she had left.
But most of all, I'm sorry for judging you, for assuming that just because you're rich and beautiful, you would live a life of perfection because trust me, people assume things about me all the time, and it's not fair to you, not in the slightest.
Because you're stronger than I can ever hope to be, Miss Sato.
15. Seeking Solace
Korra seeks solace in his bedroom, curled into his chest listening closely to the sound of the boats in Yue Bay and even more closely to the sound of his steady heartbeat, fascinated by the way he looks so open when he sleeps, like those walls he tries so desperately to keep erected during the day have fallen, like his world is bigger than three people and the opportunities for the future are endless because in his dreams, he is not defined by his past, none of them are. She wonders if she looks the same when she sleeps, do the demons that chase her in her dreams claim her peaceful facade, or does her mouth go slack, does her body relax so beautifully into the plush world that surrounds her.
She knows the answer when she wakes up hours later, Mako's eyes glued softly to her because you look so peaceful when you sleep, Korra.
"Only when I'm with you."
16. Excuses
It's her fault really. Her fault for dropping into his life like a ripe apple and throwing off his center of gravity.
All her fault.
Mako had never asked for her help; Bo did, of course, but he never would-never could. He hates the way she looks at him, hates that the line between pity and friendship seems to be so blurred, hates that she's the avatar and he's an equalist. He hates her, and that's that. She couldn't even begin to understand his life, nor could she ever comprehend his decisions. Those decisions he made, even the ones he has come to regret, were merely a part of his will to survive, to keep his little brother alive and safe. How could she even begin to empathize with that? Her life was one of luxury, or so he assumes, and he's well aware that a princess will seldom see eye-to-eye with a peasant.
That's why he has to kill her.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in releasing anything LOK related; I think I just needed some inspiration so I figured I'd start off with the hundred word lists and see where it goes. If you're interested in me perhaps making a longer one shot with any of these, feel free to leave a comment, and I'd be more than happy to consider. More to come soon!