A/N: I felt bad today. So to cheer myself up, I wrote this and decided I might as well post it.

Swing

June (one month)

The heat was almost unbearable. Shady Shin wanted to go home, to his apartment, and crank the air conditioner to the coldest setting. Instead, he was sitting in an empty room on Air Temple Island, waiting on Korra.

His prosthetic leg was finished. That was why he was waiting. Korra had gone to pick it up, and was supposed to have been cleared by the hospital to assist him with it. That was fine. He just wished she'd picked somewhere cooler. Kya was in the South Pole and wouldn't be back for another two weeks, so he was stuck with Korra until then. I might as well get used to it.

He'd worn shorts, as she'd requested, and he looked at his watch with a sigh as sweat beaded on his forehead. Where the fuck is she? She's late.

He closed his eyes and sighed again, leaning his head back against the wall before wiping the sweat off his face with the inside of his shirt. Any day now, boss.

Eventually, he heard her heartbeat in the distance, accompanied by her faint footsteps. Finally. She wasn't alone, and he exhaled slowly, lowering his head so that he could watch the door. She slid the door open within a few moments and Meelo came in excitedly, half carrying the prosthetic leg. Korra looked to be as hot as Shady Shin felt, even in her tank top and board shorts. She was barefoot, and she padded into the room with a smile, motioning at the prosthetic when Shady Shin looked at her.

"Here it is."

"Yeah, I got eyes," He grunted. He wasn't in a good mood. He blamed the heat. The kid doesn't need to be here either.

Korra took a moment to look at him, one eyebrow raised, and he knew she understood. At least, he hoped she'd realize how irritated he was.

"Alright," Korra sighed, looking from Shady Shin to Meelo, "Meelo, why don't you go play fetch with Naga until lunch time?"

"But you said I could help you teach Shin to walk again." Meelo objected, pouting.

"Change of plans," Korra told him, "We're not going to be doing anything fun today. We just need to make sure it fits."

Meelo crossed his arms, looking from Korra to Shady Shin for several moments, but he eventually nodded. He saluted Korra once before leaving them alone in the room, and Korra was quick to slide the door shut behind him.

"It's hot." Shady Shin complained.

"You're telling me," Korra shook her head as she carried the prosthetic over to him, "I'm from the South Pole, remember? You ready?"

"Ready?" He arched one eyebrow, able to feel the sweat on the back of his neck, "Couldn't we have gone somewhere cooler?"

"Well, yeah," Korra shrugged, "But it was easier to just do it here, there's more room. I mean if you want to go back to my apartment-."

"Fine." He snapped, looking out the window, "Here's fine. Let's just get it over with."

She nodded, bringing the prosthetic over and raising her eyebrow.

"I'm going to help you put it on. At least this time. Ok?"

He shrugged, pulling the leg of his shorts up and exposing the stump.

"Go for it."

"Ok," She nodded again, motioning with one hand, "This is the socket, and it's supposed to fit snuggly on your thigh…"

She kept talking, but he was only half listening. He watched long enough to know how to do it, but anything she said to him after that was lost on deaf ears. It's too hot for this shit.

"Alright," Korra said a minute later, "How's it feel?"

"Feels fine."

"Not too tight or too loose?"

"No." He was a little snappy with the reply, but she didn't seem to notice. If she did, she didn't show it.

"Want to try and stand?"

He nodded, pushing her hands away when she went to help him up. I don't need you to carry me.

"Ok," was her only response, and she took a step back.

He managed to push himself up to his feet, though he straightened uneasily on the new leg. Korra was watching him attentively, no doubt ready to grab him if he started to fall. He wished she'd just back off.

Once he was steady, he took a moment to focus on how the prosthetic felt. It was odd, to say the least, but it didn't hurt. It was just something he wasn't used to. I guess that's going to change.

He stood there for a few minutes, alone with Korra in the silence as he focused on the new feeling of balance he was experiencing. He could hear her heartbeat thrumming in his ears, and he pushed it out of his mind. She's fine. What do I care?

"Alright," Korra repeated, sighing, "Want to try and take a few steps?"

He could feel his shirt sticking to his skin from the heat. Korra too, seemed to be sweating, and he wondered how she could be so calm. It's too hot for calm.

When he nodded in response to her question, she stepped closer to him. Too close. She had her arms stretched out, nearly touching his sides, no doubt to guide him or at least catch him if he fell. I don't need this.

He put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back with a scowl.

"I can do it myself."

She raised her eyebrows, but she held her hands up in concession and took several steps back.

"Fine."

She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall, and she watched him. He stared at her for a few seconds before he set his jaw and tried to take the first step. He tried to move the prosthetic forward like he would his normal leg, and it shifted stiffly. But when he tried to take the second step the same way, the prosthetic bent down on itself, dragging Shady Shin to the floor.

He pushed himself up with his arms once he was able to, huffing when he heard Korra stepping closer.

"I'm fine," He growled, as a bead of sweat rolled off the tip of his nose, "Don't fucking touch me."

Lost the leg on my fucking own, I can take care of myself too.

Silence was the only response Korra gave him, and a few seconds later he heard her footsteps crossing the floor, a moment before the door slid open and she left him in there alone. Great. You ran off the only help you had. This would be easier if ma was here.

He huffed and moved so that he could use his arms to drag himself back over to the chair. He managed to pull himself up and sit back down once he reached it, but he wasn't feeling brave enough to try and stand again. He was miserably hot, out of breath, and angry. This was his own fault.

He started to take the prosthetic off and leave it when the door reopened, and Korra came back inside with a pitcher in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"Here."

He took the glass of water when she offered it and chugged it down, panting slightly when he handed the glass back. She filled it again a few seconds later, but instead of giving it to him to drink, she dumped it on his head. The cold felt nice, if only momentarily, and it soothed part of the anger away. It helped. Especially when she did it a second time.

"I don't need a bath, boss." He muttered, licking his lips as the water trickled over them.

"You needed something. Do you feel better?"

"No."

Korra sighed and put the pitcher and glass down next to the chair, squatting down in front of him so that he was looking down at her when she was finished.

"Look," She told him, "It's ok to be angry. It really is. And you—well you've had time to kind of absorb everything in these past few weeks, especially what happened to you. I don't really know what to say, actually…but do you blame yourself?"

"For the leg? Yeah." He grunted, "It was my fucking fault. I should be doing this alone."

"Well," Korra shrugged one shoulder, looking up at him, "The good thing about it is that you don't have to."

"I fell, Korra. I can't-."

"Did you listen to what I told you?" She asked, raising one eyebrow, "You have to move your thigh differently. It's going to change the way you walk, or the way you're used to walking. You're going to have to swing out a little, with this leg."

"So I'm going to look like a dumbass."

"No. You're going to be able to get around without crutches. That's what you're going to be able to do. Who gives a shit how it looks, so long as you do it? You got that?"

He sighed, looking down at the knee of the prosthetic.

"Shin."

"What, boss?"

"People fall down. All the time. For less reason than this. It's going to be ok. But you're going to have to listen to me. And there's no shame in asking for help."

"Fine. How in the hell are you so patient in this heat?"

"You want to be a good healer, you gotta learn to be patient," She shrugged, standing up, "You want to try again?"

"Yeah."

He pushed himself up to his feet once more, and when Korra held her arms out in case he fell again, he let her. What'd she say I had to do? Swing.

He took the first step with his good leg, and when he went to move the prosthetic, he swung it out slightly to one side before rocking forward. Korra took a step backwards when he did, and he used the momentum it gave him to take another. He took four steps before he realized he was laughing.

"Boss, I'm walking."

"You're damn right you are," Korra was beaming as he took another step.

They continued until they reached the end of the room, and once they were there Korra turned around and started back the other way. He followed her, despite still feeling the heat, and the pair of them spent the next thirty minutes walking from one end of the room to the other.

Korra only had to grab him once, though she didn't help him up, instead letting him take the time to steady himself. 'You have to learn', is what she had told him. He agreed.

When they were finished, he lowered himself into the floor, out of breath as Korra sat next to him with the water she'd brought in earlier. She poured him another glass, handing this one to him to drink. He drank half of it in one gulp, and once he had he returned the glass to her. She drank the rest of it, and he found himself grinning at her.

"Boss…thanks."

"For?"

"This…helping me," He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I just…I'm still not used to people giving a shit. So…thank you."

He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, smiling when she returned the embrace.

"Don't get sentimental on me, you smug son of a bitch," She chuckled, patting his back, "If you really want to thank me, you gotta make a deal."

"What, like get your father-in-law out of jail?"

"No," Korra shook her head when he leaned back to look at her, "You want to be a healer, yeah?"

He nodded, and she continued.

"Then I want you to be the best goddamn healer in this city. You got that?"

"That sounds good to me. I won't let you down, boss."

"I know you won't. Because you won't let yourself down either."

They sat together for a few minutes, and Shady Shin let himself look over the prosthetic stretched out in front of him.

"I got a new leg," He muttered, more to himself than to Korra. He remembered how shocked, how angry he had been when he found out he'd lost his leg. He'd thought he'd never be worth anything again. Worthless. That's what I was. No one here thinks that, though. Not even Korra.

He heard Korra shuffle around, and his attention was drawn by seeing her pull out her phone.

"What're you doing?" He asked her as she stood up.

"Well," Korra laughed, holding her hand out and pulling him to his feet, "I'm going to show Kuvira that you're walking. Think you can take a few steps without me?"

Kuvira? She's keeping up with this too? She cares? He knew at this point he'd walk a mile if Korra wanted him to, so he nodded.

"After all the laps we've already done? Definitely."

It didn't take her long to record her video, and once it was done she sent a copy to both Kya and Kuvira.

"They're going to love it." Korra grinned at him, "Kya especially."

"Yeah, I'd say ma will like it," He laughed, "Will you walk with me around the island? I want to get some more practice. It can't be as hot as it is in here."

"Sure," Korra agreed, "We need to show everyone your new leg anyway. You want your crutches?"

Shady Shin looked over his shoulder at where he'd leaned his crutches against the wall and he shrugged.

"Nah. Just leave 'em. Let's go, boss."

"Lead the way."