A/N: Just some quick warnings, this is rated T because it isn't descriptive with anything bad, but it does refer to some things, so just as a warning, there is some swearing along with mentioning of alcohol, sex, and suicide.
Disclaimer; I own nothing of Legend of Korra.
Two bodies lay next to one another, each breathing heavily. Their chests rose and fell with loud gasps. Everything about the passing minutes had been quick and had happened in a whirlwind. It barely seemed real. It all went so fast, it was a blur. The man stared at the ceiling. This was the same as every other night he had had. Just another random girl and another fast-paced one night stand.
The girl turned to her side, propping herself up with her elbow. She grabbed the sheets and held them tightly in one hand as she covered up her chest. It wasn't like the man hadn't just seen more than enough of her body, but she still felt like she should keep some class around him. He was famous within the city after all. "That was amazing. You were so great," she said breathlessly, a smile taking over her face.
The man continued to look at the ceiling. His expression didn't change, but a small grin emerged from his serious frown. "Glad you enjoyed it."
"Did you enjoy it?"
"Sure, you were fine."
The girl giggled a little, still high off of the excitement of getting to sleep with one of the most famous Pro-benders around. She didn't notice the annoyance or bored tone in his voice. She only heard his words, but not the truth behind them.
The two laid in silence as moonlight streamed in through the window. The girl took the opportunity to close the gap between her and the man and snuggled up next to him. This got his attention and he quickly sat up and stared at the girl with a crazed expression. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Come on, we just had sex. Isn't cuddling a given?"
"Oh no, I don't think so. This ends here. Get your clothes on and get out."
"But, wha-"
"No, I'm sorry. This was lovely, I had a great time, really," he said quickly, trying to calm her. He didn't need her going and telling people what a jerk he had been to her. He put on his winning front-page smile and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "It's just that I have somewhere to be early in the morning and I'd rather you not be here alone."
"But I want to stay here. I don't mind, really."
The man sighed and threw the covers off of himself. He got out of the bed and began to put his clothes back on. "Well, unfortunately, when I said I have somewhere to be, I meant more that I'm going right now."
The girl looked sad as she got out of the bed and slowly gathered her clothes up from around the room and began to put them back on. She felt like someone he was just throwing out after being used, but she was still full of bliss that it was hard to differentiate her feelings. She decided that he wasn't lying and figured it was best if she left. As she threw her dress over herself, she turned to face the man. "You sure I can't stay? I won't be a bother, I promise."
He shook his head before she even finished asking her request. "I'm sure. Look, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."
He began to usher her out of his room and down the hallway of his apartment to the living room where the door on the opposite wall led to the outside world. He walked closely behind her, pushing her toward it, not wanting to have to deal with her any longer. Most girls were more than happy to leave right after, the thrill of having slept with him enough to please them. The clingy ones who thought they were special were the worst. Maybe he'd feel sorry for pushing them away so much if he actually gave a damn about their feelings. No, this was all for himself. All he wanted was the pleasure. He didn't want anything more.
He reached across in front of the girl and opened the door for her. She walked out but stopped right outside of it and turned once more to face him. "Will I see you again?"
"I dunno, maybe around town or something."
She smiled; this was enough to satisfy her. "Ok, well, see you around Tahno."
He nodded and closed the door before she could try to talk to him anymore. He was ready for this night to be over. He made his way back to his room and sat down on his bed, running his hand through his hair. He looked across the bed at the messy sheets. The blanket that usually sat neatly on top was now thrown across the room, along with some pillows. He'd have to fix all of that tomorrow. He didn't want to bother with stuff like that right now.
He turned his gaze back out of the window, the moonlight the only source of light in the room at the moment. It wasn't the only light outside of his room though. As he looked across the city, he saw lights ablaze everywhere. Shops were closed, but the night life was still awake and thriving.
He quickly glanced at his bedside table at the clock. 12:43 am. The night was still young, and it wasn't that late anyway. Maybe he'd be able to find some more pleasure out there in the seas of people within Republic City. It wouldn't be the first time he'd gone through more than one girl in a night. Women threw themselves at him, especially at this time of night. Why not soak it up and enjoy it?
He got up and after stopping by the bathroom to splash some water on his face to look a little more awake, he made his way back to his living room. After throwing on his jacket, he made his way out of his apartment, down the staircase, and out into the world that was Republic City at night.
"Tahno, is that you?"
"Oh hey there, Uhvatar, long time no see. What're you doing out this late? Won't the monks be angry?"
Korra rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Tahno at the bar. Before she responded, she took note of the somewhat slur that was appearing in Tahno's speech. As she looked at the spot at the bar in front of him, she saw three empty shot glasses, and Tahno cradled a fourth in his hand. She sighed and shook her head, but she couldn't control him. He was more than capable of taking care of himself, or so she hoped.
"Hey, Uhvatar, are you listening? Why are you here?"
Korra looked back at Tahno, having completely forgotten about him for a moment and the questions he had asked her. "Sorry. Just got done winning a Pro-bending match and decided to go out for a little bit, tour the city. I saw you sitting alone through the window and I thought you might like some company. I should be the one asking you why you're here so late. Why are you, Tahno?"
He shrugged, then tossed back his head as he drank the shot that he had been keeping in his hand. He set the glass back down on the bar and turned inward toward the Avatar, focusing on her alone. "Well, I got through one girl tonight, and I figured why not try for two? I can usually find someone here, but no luck so far tonight. The drinking just kinda happened, and here we are now."
"Wait, 'got through one girl', as in you slept with one girl tonight already and you're trying to find another girl to do the same to?"
He nodded, laughing a little at how surprised Korra sounded. "That about sums it up." He lowered his voice, grinning at Korra. "You know, if you want, you can be that girl. Come back to my place, Uhvatar, I'll show you a good time. I'll even let you stay till morning." He brought his hand forward, stroking Korra's arm with the back of his fingers.
His touch made her shiver. It felt wrong. She pushed his hand away and glared at him. "Why on earth would you think that I would ever want to be just another one of the sleazy girls you use for sex?"
"I dunno, we're both big time Pro-benders, even though this is only your first year. It only makes sense that we fuck eventually. Besides, your precious teammates will never have to know. And face it Uhvatar, we both know I'm much better in bed than those two loser teammates of yours." He continued to grin at her, giving her a wink after he finished his statement.
Korra's face was in shock. She was completely appalled. She knew Tahno had a rep as being a player, but she didn't know he would stoop this far. The sad thing was she couldn't tell if it was the alcohol talking or if this was really who he was. She figured it was a combination of both. "Wait, you think I've slept with Mako and Bolin?!"
"Hey, you can do whatever you want, I'm not judging. If it helps get them going for the matches, then I'm all for it. I'm just saying, I can definitely do things they can't."
"Ugh, you are so, how can you say these things? This is not you, Tahno, I know it isn't. Isn't there a good guy in there? One who treats women like something other than just an object that can be thrown away at whatever moment you please?"
As Korra stared at Tahno, she saw the grin on his face disappear, replaced by a much sadder, distant expression. She didn't know what about her comment had got to him, but something had struck a nerve. There was more to Tahno than just this man-whore version after all. A quick glance at his four empty shot glasses told her that maybe now was the moment to find out just what lurked inside this man.
Tahno quietly turned back to face the inside of the bar and put his head in his hands, staring down at the empty shot glasses scattered in front of him. He couldn't face Korra, not now. She had gotten to him. She had found that one spot in him that no one knew about, and yet anytime something remotely close to it was said, he spiraled back into this state.
He felt her place a hand on his shoulder. "Will you tell me, Tahno? Who were you before you were this big shot Pro-bender?"
He shook his head. "I don't know if I can bring myself to tell you. It's something I've spent all this time forgetting, to relive it now could tear me apart."
Korra sighed. She didn't want to have to resort to this, but she had gotten this far with him, she couldn't turn back now. She had to know this deep, dark past that Tahno held hidden away from the world. "If you tell me, I'll agree to be your girl tonight."
He looked over at her, a doubtful expression plastered on his face, one eyebrow raised. "No joke, you promise?"
Korra nodded. Tahno then sighed and turned once again to face her. "Before I was a Pro-bender, I was just some average kid who enjoyed spending any free time I had bending. It was the thing I cherished most and loved the most about myself. I loved being a bender, especially a waterbending. No matter how much I watched the other bending types, I could never thank whoever blessed me with the ability to bend enough for making me a waterbender.
"One day, I was at the park, just messing around and bending the water that was in the river. I was just practicing and trying out a few new ideas I had had. I liked to make up my own moves," he explained. He sighed once again, but a small smile now replaced his frown. "That was the day I met her."
"Her?" Korra asked.
"The moment I saw her, I was frozen. The move I had been practicing fell and left me soaking wet, but I still couldn't stop myself from just staring at her. To my embarrassment, she had caught me staring, and had also seen me drop the water. Oh, I remember her smile and her laugh as she walked over to me. I was so nervous, I couldn't think of what to say or do, I just stood there like an idiot."
"Are you ok?" the girl asked. The smile on her face was infectious. It was radiating, brighter than the sun that hung above their heads in the sky.
Tahno coughed a small cough then flashed a smile back at her, trying to play it cool. "Oh yea, I'm fine. I do that sometimes just to keep myself alert."
She giggled. His smile grew even bigger as he listened to her. His whole attempt to try and be cool failed, and he laughed along with her. "I'm Tahno."
"I'm Lei. It's a pleasure to meet you." After a moment of silence, she looked back at her friends who she had left to come over to talk to him. "Well, I should get going. Hope your practice goes well."
She turned to walk back to her friends, but Tahno quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist. She turned back, surprised. He let go of her, a blush creeping across his face. "Uh, I, well, I was wondering if I could see you again sometime."
Her face broke out into that big smile again. "Yeah, I'd love that."
"Great! Wanna meet here again tomorrow?"
"Sure, that sounds perfect. Maybe you can show me that move without screwing up next time." She winked at him, and with one last smile, returned to her friends.
"From there I was hooked. She was sweet, beautiful, the perfect lady, but she also knew just the right ways to tease me and mess with me. She became my everything. We spent just about every day after that day together. Some days we'd go on crazy adventures, some we would go out to nice restaurants, and others she would sit and watch me waterbend in the park. Those were my favorite times. She was the reason I wanted to become a Pro-bender."
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. I mean, it had always been a small dream of mine, but she encouraged me and made me want to make it a reality. So I did. We spent even more days just me practicing and her watching. She wasn't a bender, but her mom was a waterbender, so she knew a thing or two about it and would help me out. She gave great advice too. I don't think I'd be quite as good as I am if it wasn't for her."
"So how did you actually get into Pro-bending?"
"One of the days, a guy came up to me in the park and offered me a spot on his team. Lei looked at me with the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face."
"Hey kid, you got a sec?"
Tahno looked over at the man addressing him. He was older than him, but still fairly young. "Sure, what's up?"
"I've been watching you waterbend for a few days now. You're pretty good at it. Ever thought about playing Pro-bending?"
Tahno could feel his jaw drop. Was this guy serious? "Yeah, I've thought about it."
"Well, my team just lost our waterbender, and I think you'd be a great addition. What do ya say, kid, you in?"
Tahno looked over at Lei, who was sitting on the grass just a few feet away. By the smile on her face, he figured she must've heard the whole conversation. She nodded quickly and waved him to talk to the guy.
"Am I in? Of course I'm in! Thank you, this is such a big opportunity."
"No problem. Come by the Pro-bending arena later tonight and I can get you some gear and a practice schedule."
Tahno nodded. After shaking hands with the guy, he ran over to Lei and picked her up and hugged her closely, before pulling her away. He held onto her waist and lifted her up, spinning her around. She laughed; she had never seen him this excited. She was excited for him as well. This was what she had been wanting for him ever since she'd first seen him mess up his waterbending move.
"So is that how you came to be a member of the Wolfbats?"
Tahno shook his head. "No, that came later. This was just my starting group. I only lasted a year with them. We didn't make it into the final tournament, but it got my name out there. People were starting to recognize me around town and a few people even asked for my autograph. It was great, and Lei was by my side the entire time cheering me on. She was so supportive and helpful with everything. She didn't even mind that we saw each other less because she knew I was doing something that I had spent my entire life dreaming about.
"So after that year with that team, I decided that if I could find some other players, maybe I could start my own team and we would have a better shot at making it all the way to the championship match. So after putting a few ads in the paper and getting the word out in the Pro-bending community, I had Shaozu come up to me and ask to join. I recognized him from a team that had been in the final tournament, so I knew he'd be a good asset. I found Ming in the training room one day. He was all shaken up when I caught him. He had snuck in because it was the best place to practice his earthbending. He hadn't been a Pro-bender before, but he seemed promising, and gutsy, so I took him aboard.
"With my new team in place, we began training and preparing for the upcoming season. We were the underdogs, a completely new and young team, but we had potential. The papers were raving about us, always praise, very few doubts.
"Soon enough, we were heading to the championship. The fan base had been growing up until that point, but it really took off when we won that last match that got us into the championship. They were going crazy, always trying to get around us and saying crazy things to us.
"Of course, Lei was still supportive as ever, but slowly she had become to grow distant. At first I was too busy practicing to notice, and then I had enough fans giving me attention that I just kind of forgot about her completely. Thinking back now, I hate that I let things get so out of hand."
"Out of hand? What do you mean?"
Tahno sighed. He was back to that same state that he was in before starting his story. "As I said, I kinda pushed Lei away without meaning to and started forgetting about her. In the back of my mind I knew she was there and I loved it, but with all the fans around, the thought just kept getting pushed further and further back. One night, she caught me at our apartment with some girl in bed. We hadn't gotten anywhere, but things were heading in that direction. That was the first time I ever saw her look at me without her sincere smile."
Tahno looked up from his spot in the bed. Lei stood in the doorway, a hurt expression on her face as she stared at the man she loved cradling some random girl in their bed. She shook her head, not wanting to believe it. She looked once again, and saw that it wasn't some twisted nightmare, that it was all too real. She couldn't stay, she couldn't be with this guy anymore. She turned and stormed out of the room, ready to walk away for good.
Tahno hurried of bed, his pants were thankfully still on. He left the girl lying in bed, alone and confused, as he ran after Lei. She had gone outside into the rain. He followed promptly behind her, grabbing her wrist once he had caught up to her.
"What? What do you want?" she screamed at him. Tears were running down her cheeks now as she looked at the guy in front of her. He was shirtless and drenched from the rain. His face looked sad, but she knew behind it all that he hadn't even given her a thought before bringing that girl back to their place.
"Lei, it isn't what it looked like, nothing was going to happen."
"Like hell nothing was going to happen! Tell me then, why were you shirtless, in bed, with some girl?"
Tahno had no response. He stared at the ground at silence, still holding onto her wrist.
"That's what I thought. How could you Tahno? After everything we've been through? I've been by your side all this time, I've been your number one fan, and this is how you reward me? Do I really mean this little to you now?"
"Lei, of course not, I love you, that has not changed!"
"Fuck you and your lies, Tahno! Don't give me that shit anymore. I don't want to hear it. I'm done with you, and this, all of this! I can't take it anymore! You've been pushing me away ever since you started your own team. I was so happy for you at first, but your big shot captain act got old fast. Maybe not for your fans, but it sure did with me. I'm done. Goodbye Tahno, I hope that girl is everything you want." She yanked her hand out of his grasp, and began running away.
He thought of running after her, but it was no good. She was gone for good. He had just lost the one person who had brought light into his life.
"I'm so sorry Tahno, I never knew…"
"How could you have? I've pushed it aside. She left, and it tore me apart. I don't know how I managed to make it this far with her gone."
"So what happened with the championship? What happened with you?"
"We won the championship, no thanks to me. I was a wreck, but the guys didn't know about it yet, so they just figured it was nerves that got to me. I totally screwed up in that match, but they pulled it together for the team and won it for us.
"I left right after the match. I figured the guys would want to go out and celebrate the win, but I was not the mood for anything of the sort. I just went back to my apartment." Tahno grew silent. Korra just watched. She knew he would tell her the next part, even if it was hard for him. He had made it this far, there was no turning back now. Tahno sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time this night. "Couple days later, I made my way to the Pro-bending arena and up to the roof. That's when Shaozu found me and stopped me from jumping."
Shaozu made his way to the Pro-bending arena to pick up some equipment he had left there. As he got closer to the arena, he noticed a person on the roof. He wouldn't have thought it was that weird, except they looked way too close to the edge of the roof to be completely safe. The closer he got, the more he began to notice the guy as his team's captain, Tahno. His eyes grew wide as the thought of what he was doing crossed Shaozu's mind. He broke into a sprint, running through the building up to the roof.
When he got to the top, he hurried over to Tahno and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back with him. They both fell to the ground. Shaozu gripped onto Tahno's wrist and held him there so he wouldn't go back. "What the fuck are you doing, Tahno?"
Tahno shook his head, and in a last attempt, tried to free his arm from Shaozu's grip and do what he had been debating. He didn't think he'd have been stopped. He didn't think he'd have to double think what he was doing. Shaozu only tightened his grip and reached with his free hand for Tahno's other wrist, gripping that one just as tightly. "Don't even try that shit me with, man. I don't know what's going on, but you're not going through with this."
Tahno looked up at Shaozu, an almost murderous glare on his face. "No, you don't understand! The only girl I've ever loved left me, and now I'm alone! What do I have to live for without her in my life?"
Shaozu shook his head. "There is plenty to live for. Your teammates, for one. This may sound strange, but we love you too. You're our captain, you're the reason we made it to and won the championship. That couldn't have happened without you." He sighed. "Look, I know she meant a lot to you, but if she was willing to dump you like this, then she isn't worth doing this over." He stared deeply at Tahno, trying to convey to him how much he meant to him, Ming, and many other people in Republic City. As Tahno stared back, he started to question what he was doing here. Why was he doing this? Was it really worth it? He wasn't sure about it anymore, he wasn't sure about anything. He felt his vision go blurry, and after falling onto Shaozu's shoulder, it went black.
"I passed out and woke up at Shaozu's place the next day. Both he and Ming were wide awake, watching me. Probably to make sure I didn't do anything crazy once I did wake up. They talked to me for quite a while, trying to convince me that I could keep going without Lei.
"Eventually they got through to me, and I turned into the guy I am today. I now have three championship wins with my team, and all the girls I could ever want."
"So that's why you sleep around? For the pleasure and to help you forget?"
Tahno shrugged. "It's just who I am, Uhvatar. You don't have to agree with my lifestyle or who I am, but there's no point trying to change me. I don't think I'll ever be able to go back to being the person I once was. This is the only life I know now."
Korra gave Tahno an intense look. "That's not true, Tahno! Anyone can change. I mean, you changed into this guy, you can change back too. Nobody is stuck with one identity for their whole life."
Tahno shook his head, a small glare appearing on his face. "You don't understand, Korra! I don't want to go back. I don't want to have my heart broken again. I don't want to go back to that state of depression that she put me through. I was ready to kill myself over her, and if Shaozu hadn't come and stopped me, I wouldn't be here today! Thanks to that girl, I can't even think back to my past without those feelings coming back up. I sleep with girls to forget about her, to remind myself that there are so many more girls out there than just that one."
"But what about the cheating? If you guys were such good Pro-benders, why resort to the manipulation and tricks now?"
"The teams got better. We got better too, but it just became a thing. It just kinda happened one time, and then when we won, we figured why not pull the same stunt for another match. From there it just escalated and became a thing. You're honestly the first person to truly call me out on it to my face."
"That's cause I see through you Tahno. I know this isn't the person you want to be, I can feel it."
"Well, you're wrong. I couldn't be happier with the life I have now. Money, girls, and fame, what more could a guy ask for?"
Korra shook her head. The confessions were done. Tahno was back to his normal self and there was no going back now it seemed. She got up and was ready to leave, but she felt a hand wrap itself around her wrist. "Where do you think you're going, Uhvatar?"
"The air temple," she responded, looking at Tahno confused.
Tahno shook his head, his signature smirk appearing on his face. "Oh no, don't think I'd forget so easily. You promised to be my girl tonight. That means you're coming back to my place."
"Do you really want to do that Tahno? You want to sleep with the girl who knows your deepest secrets?"
Tahno shrugged. "Beggars can't be choosers. Besides, I couldn't care less. So you know my life story now, good for you. Let's go celebrate your discovery with a good ole' fuck."
Korra rolled her eyes. "Fine, Tahno, have it your way. Maybe you're right. Maybe there is no changing you at this point."
Tahno grinned, his silent agreement with the Avatar. He got up, threw a couple of bills onto the bar, then stalked off out of the bar and down the street toward his apartment, his next girl following behind.