I've had a similar fanfic with this pairing called "Magnolia" but this is gentler. Please enjoy. I may make this multi chapter, depending.

EDIT: Since this site no longer allows explicit content, I've edited these chapters and will now post previews only. If you'd like the full version to these scenes, message me for the links.

Under

1: borrow

Republic City's evening lights shone kindly, a mockery of Tahno's snuffed out future. He adjusted his jacket, chilled air gnawing at his bones. How did he get here? Funds exhausted from trips to healers, he owned little left to his name other than enough to buy a few months in his apartment. Strange, how wellness came as a price rather than a basic right. He bit his lower lip, slim frame against the wall of a dimmed shop, this particular area unsavory and known for its dealings with the bodies of the poor.

The city and its great poverty divide, as well as numerous crime syndicates, left prostitution a minor concern, and for the most part, regulation was lax. He laced and unlaced skinny digits together; for all his adoring fans, he never played receiver. It would do him best to charge higher for his services. How did this go again?

Several men called out to him from lowered windows, though most of them appeared rough and unkind, and he stood his ground, a vain attempt to keep his safety. After several Satomobiles drove by, one particularly flashy model stopped in front of him, driven by a nondescript man, who beckoned him closer. Expensive machine- maybe he would get lucky.

"My employer is looking for a companion tonight," the driver said nonchalantly, and Tahno pondered what man would be wealthy enough to have someone pick up a whore on his behalf. Though it felt wrong and unsafe, he entered the back seat regardless, eyes focusing on the carpeted floor. The quiet hum of the drive lulled him into a half sleep, buildings passing the filthy shops to make way to more gilded establishments. His guess was right; the beneficiary would most likely be incredibly loaded.

The car ended in the entrance of a grand mansion, iron doors tall and imposing. Tahno exited, the driver fiddling with the keys to the gate, and with meek footsteps, the young man followed him inside, where servants greeted him to walk up a golden flight of stairs to a side room. He opened the door with trepidation and found walls decorated with paintings and books, the bed large and furnished with silk sheets. Tahno met the calculating gaze of councilman Tarrlok, who eyed him with mild surprise.

"You're that boy who had his bending removed by Amon. My condolences. It must have been difficult."

Boy? How condescending. How even more shocking that his bedmate for the night spent his time in the company of whores. I don't need your sympathy, Tahno's mind cried and reverberated in his skull, but he silenced it immediately.

"Thank you... sir." The reply was brief and businesslike. In an effort to maintain the last vestiges of his pride, he kept unwavering eye contact, body refusing to show signs of weakness.

"Sir, I... must inform you. I'm..."

His words choked, bones stiffening as the councilman approached him to cup his cheek.

"New to this, I assume? From your previous lofty position in your sport I understand that entirely." He slid strong, calloused fingers in limp strands, eliciting a shudder from the younger man. "I prefer your hair like this. It frames your face well."

"Thank you, sir."

You sound like a broken record.

Tarrlok let out a breathy chuckle, planting a chaste kiss on Tahno's forehead and ruffling his hair even further. Shivers crawled in his spine. He felt like a cornered animal, though the touches were kind. Well, he ought to be grateful his body wasn't being subjected to violence.

Take every blessing you can get. You have none left.

"Don't be shy. Your looks alone are worth the price I'll pay."

He nodded. What else could he have done?

Lips traveled further downwards to his mouth, and Tahno parted them willingly, the kiss drawn out and oddly tender. Tarrlok slipped the jacket off his trembling frame and unfastened the shirt underneath as though he had all the time in the world. His body calmed to an extent upon the certainty of his fate. A councilman could not afford to murder a whore, could he? The city loved this man and found him charming and fair. He wouldn't hurt him- not too much.

The slightly chilly air of the bedroom kissed his bare skin, and Tarrlok removed his pants and undergarments as well, a flush of embarrassment gracing Tahno's cheeks. He could not bear it anymore; that gaze bore into his own as though analyzing and calculating each tremble, every time his bit his lip. He closed his eyes.

He did not expect Tarrlok to be this generous; he was doing all the work, in fact, mouth nipping and sucking on the tender skin of his neck, Tahno's shudders regrettably loud.

...

"Shower with me. I'll have my driver escort you to your residence when we're done."

Tahno sat up, eyes imploring.

"You didn't have to do this, sir. You really didn't. But... I'm grateful."

Tarrlok mussed up his hair.

"I haven't had a virgin in quite some time. Don't worry. I enjoyed it very much."

He followed him into the shower, and the whole ordeal was surprisingly devoid of sex, Tarrlok scrubbing his skin like a parent would to a child. Tahno blushed, stuttered out a thousand thank you's, and left with enough yuans to pay his apartment for well over six months.

He felt worthless, but at least it didn't hurt. There was that.