Title: While the Lightning Strikes
Chapter Title: Lust a Hot Rain (2/3)
Author: sangi (honestly-sangi)
Disclaimer: I disclaim any rights to Legend of Korra or the characters contained therein.
Rating: M
Words: 5295
Prompt: prompt ficbending, posted for Tahnorra Week, day 2: private lessons
Char/Pair: Tahno/Korra
Warnings: Possible OOC, unbeta'd, and explicit content later on.
Summary: After a thank you dinner (or an apology dinner, it's still up in the air), Tahno takes Korra out for a night on the town. Things get a little out of hand once she starts drinking Arctic Sunrises.
Notes: Part two, even if a bit late. This is more where the OOC concern comes in. I also know that the Water Tribe dance is an over-used device (in any fic involving waterbenders), but I used it anyway. This first part is still rated T, but the next chapter will have some M-worthy content. Cross-posted to tumblr and AO3. This is still unbeta'd, and I welcome any corrections or concrit.
2.
The car pulled up to The Golden Lotus, rolling slowly to a stop. The building's sign was designed in beautiful calligraphy. Water-style, his mother had called it when she taught him, her hand leading his through the motions. Amber-yellow and bright, the lights illuminating the dance club drew him like a moth-fly to a lantern. Tahno glanced over at Korra. Wide blue eyes stared at the ornate, old-fashioned building. The look of uneasy anticipation resting on her face was delicious, and when the car stalled he could almost feel the her swallow nervously.
"What kind of place is this anyway?" she asked. "Am I underdressed?" Beads of sweat dotted her skin, he could smell her: a mix of sea water and smoke. The scent lingered, mixing with the humid air and creating a unique aroma that reminded him of long summer days on Yue Bay.
Tahno just smiled at her, examining her worried eyes. "Stop rambling and don't worry about it." Her brows furrowed at his response and he felt the sudden need to suppress a laugh at her consternation.
Her hand grasped his arm tightly as he moved to exit the car. "What does that even mean? Why won't you tell me anything?"
He placed his forefinger on her lips, which were drawn into a tight line. "Quiet, Avatar." His voice was little more than a murmur, and he saw a visible shiver travel through her spine at the unexpected contact. "Just go with it." The waterbender considered her nervous face for a moment before donning his usual smirk. "You asked for this. Are you regretting it already?"
Tahno gave her no chance to respond, opening the door. As he slipped out of the car, he absently bent the rain away from them again. He heard Korra follow him and shut the door hesitantly.
"I'm not regretting it," she said to his back.
His smile only grew. "Good. I would have been disappointed if you did."
The driver, trained well - that was the only way he hired them - drove off, presumably to find somewhere to park and wait. With the Avatar next to him, he entered the large building. He could immediately hear the noise of loud music in the background, traditional tones of old yueqins overlaid with modern, quick beats from horns, harpsichords, and staccato drums. Her face perked up next to him and he knew she could hear it too, could feel the call in her blood as he did, the pull of the full moon in the sky above them.
Inside The Golden Lotus, a beautiful woman with green eyes and a tight gown stood at a tall table near the front door. The rest of the room was all smooth wood and hanging scrolls, otherwise empty except for periodically placed tables, no hint of the chaos that lay behind the door on the far side. On the left was a large double door that Tahno knew led to a back area full of baths and dressing rooms.
With a charming smile, he approached the woman. "Sir," she greeted in a soft voice. Tahno knew damn well that she had identified him immediately but he appreciated the discretion. From the spark of recognition in her eye as she gazed at the girl behind him, she knew who Korra was as well.
"Good evening. My partner here needs some appropriate clothing, if you could be so kind?" Tahno's charming smile had no impact on the professional. The woman bowed and gestured for Korra to approach. She did so hesitantly. Her gaze searched Tahno's as the attendant led her to a sliding door. When blue met silver, he just smiled. "No regrets, Avatar."
Her face turned red and Korra stuck out her tongue childishly before storming through the open door. The beautiful attendant glanced back at him. "Is there anything else you desire, sir?" He eyed the Avatar as she disappeared down the hallway.
"The usual," he finally said. "And you know where to send the bill." Tahno turned to examine the scrolls on the walls, depicting famous scenes in history, some more salacious than others. After a short time the nameless woman returned, bearing a glass full of sweet summer wine. He thanked her before taking a sip, letting the taste sink into his mouth.
Everything felt so vivid after the restoration of his bending: the wonderful feeling of water surrounding him while swimming in the ocean; the unique sensation of raindrops dripping onto his skin on a rainy night while lightning flashed in the distance; the soft skin of Korra's neck (smooth like water) against his fingers and the scrumptious shiver that had run through her spine at his touch earlier. With the loss of his waterbending had come the dulling of his senses, only returning when Korra placed her hands on his skin and healed him. Nothing else had given him that feeling of fulfillment, not even his pro bono work with the police officers or at the children's bending schools.
Less than ten minutes later a distinctive sound interrupted his musing: the soft sliding of the door opening. He turned, smirking, but his arrogant expression fell when he saw Korra. A long tunic hugged her curves, blue silk embroidered with white clouds, and dark pants billowed around her legs. Her loose hair fell in waves down her back, framing her face and highlighting the bright color of her eyes. She was blushing as she walked toward him. He was surprised; Korra didn't like this kind of clothing.
"Well," he drawled, "you certainly clean up nice, Avatar."
The nervous blush quickly turned into a scowl as she punched his arm. "Shut up, Tahno. Where's the party?"
Setting down his half-empty glass on the table next to him, he tilted his head toward the door leading into the ballroom. "In there," he said. "You ready?"
"I was born ready." He stifled a laugh at her horribly lame comeback - it was quickly becoming a pattern - and tried to take her arm, but she jerked it back. "What did I tell you? I can take care of myself."
Irritated at her stubbornness, he sneered. "This has nothing to do with that, Korra. It will be pretty crowded in there. If we don't stick together we might get separated, and it will take forever to find each other."
Still eyeing him suspiciously, she linked her arm with his. "Fine. But no funny business."
"With you?" He laughed. "Please. As if I'd even be tempted." Tahno could feel her angry glare return as he opened the ornately carved wooden doors, pausing on the threshold of the large, loud room. The waterbender saw Korra's frustration dissipate from the corner of his eye, replaced by curiosity and maybe disgust. The door shut behind them, but she paid it no attention.
No doubt she was accustomed to formal balls, the kind that that the rich and influential held for holidays and festivals. He knew them well. At those events people danced the traditional movements of the different nations and elements, sometimes more a mix of bending and dancing. But here they danced a fusion of styles, the floor a mess of closely lumped and moving bodies. The music had a fast beat, setting blood afire and waking a longing inside of him. The colors of the room were red and dark wood, but with so many people and the dim lights it was hard to tell.
Korra was likely taking in the scene, as he did: a hundred bodies moving together, men and women mingling, some with less clothing than others; two women several paces away that were locked in an intimate embrace, hands wandering and bystanders looking on in wonder; the musicians that were intently focused on their work at the front of the room, playing a kind of booming song that had recently grown popular; a triad member sitting on a chair near the floor, drinking milky white liquid from a small glass. Opium. He steered Korra away and toward the bar.
"This is sickening," she yelled over the din. "I thought you said this would be tame?"
Tahno leaned down close to her ear. "Oh, but Avatar, this is perfectly tame." It was, compared to the other clubs scattered around the city. At least there was some semblance of rules here.
He saw the face she made as they sat on two recently vacated stools at the bar. Glasses sat on the counter and he slid them down the table. "How can they be so close to each other like that?" she exclaimed, looking at the writhing mass of bodies. "It's so hot and sweaty in here, and half of them look completely drunk. Is that girl going to be sick?" Tahno looked to where she was pointing, observing a girl looking very nauseous.
Retuning his gaze to Korra, he raised a brow. "Maybe, and maybe not. She knew what she was signing up for when she came here." He smirked. "Just like you. If you can't take it, you can always go home."
The Avatar sneered. "Are you saying I can't take it?"
Motioning for the bartender, he just let the his smirk do the talking. "Two Arctic Sunrises," the waterbender said when the mixer came over to him. "Put them on my tab." Korra watched with a scowl still on her features.
"What is an Arctic Sunrise?" she yelled over the noise when they were as alone as they could get in a crowded dance club.
Turning in the stool so he could lean against the counter, Tahno indulged himself and examined her features. Blue eyes sat over a straight nose and a pouty mouth, the lips full and a lovely pink hue, her face an oval with a pointed chin and a pert nose. "An Arctic Sunrise is a drink," he finally answered. "I think you'll like it." Korra just made a soft sound of disapproval that he felt more than heard and turned to watch the dancing. A flush rose in her cheeks; following her gaze, he saw a couple moving against each other in way that left no doubt as what they were doing.
"Jealous?" His voice, just loud enough to be heard over the music, caught her attention. Before she could speak, two glasses full of sloshy blue liquid were placed on the bar, distracting them both. Resting in their drinks were two little umbrellas, a paper version of the kind which people used on hot Fire Nation beaches.
Upset at the interruption, Korra shot him a glare - what a firebrand his Avatar was. She picked up the glass, sniffing at it before taking a delicate sip. Her bright eyes immediately closed. "This is good," she said, surprised.
Amused, Tahno sipped at his own drink. He understood her reaction: an Arctic Sunrise tasted like the icy cold waters of the poles, of salt and snow, of nights huddled around a warm campfire and of days spent traversing glaciers. It was a favorite of his, and many other waterbenders in the city, because it was a vivid reminder of home. Korra's eyes met his over her glass, a half-smile forming on her face as if she was apologetic for assuming that he had anything less than perfect taste.
Within five minutes she had ordered a second drink, and within fifteen minutes her eyes were half-lidded and her gaze lingered on his lips every time he spoke.
"No," he told the bartender when she requested another. Her delicious-looking lips, now tinged slightly blue, pouted at him. "No more drinks for you," Tahno addressed her.
"I can take another," she said. Her voice wasn't slurred: she was a member of the Water Tribe, to a man notorious for being able to hold their liquor. The gaze Korra sent him was scalding hot and he felt himself respond to the heat in her eyes. "Not up to the challenge, pretty boy?"
After a moment in which he actually considered it, Tahno shook his head. "It isn't worth it." His tone was darker and Korra had to lean forward to hear him, head tilted to the side slightly as if still waiting for a better response.
Her eager face reminded him of the first time he had seen her after she restored his bending. It had been a day in early spring, the northern flowers blooming already and a light drizzle falling in the late afternoon. The waterbender had been walking lazily along the shoreline, barefoot in the shallows, stirring water absently as he went. Less than a week had passed since he had regained his bending and he spent most of his waking hours practicing and immersing himself in water again. Before Amon had blocked it, he couldn't even recall a time when he couldn't bend - maybe when he was but a child, before he turned five and starting to rock the water in his family's sailboat.
Lost in his own thoughts, he let grains of sand sink between his toes as he traversed the shoreline. Halfway down the beach, he found her. Korra sat on the edge of the water, feet sunk into the sand, her knees brought up with her arms resting atop them. The sun was setting and night creeping over the opposite horizon, and her curled figure cast long shadows on the sand. Tahno slowed, letting his hands drop down to his side as he let go of the ocean water he had been bending. His footsteps fell quietly on the ground, but she still heard and looked up when he approached her.
"Tahno." Surprised and weary, her voice took him by surprise. It was nothing like her usual mocking or angry tones. Korra was an impatient and fiery person by nature, and he rarely saw her without a spark in her eye, without some fire in her soul.
He hesitated before sitting on the ground next to her, the wet sand coating his pants. Tahno winced, thinking of how annoying it would be to get it off. This wasn't the first time, though, that he had sacrificed something for her. "Avatar," the waterbender greeted. "Long day?"
Her shoulders sagged lower. "What does it matter to you, Tahno?"
Silver eyes glanced over her form in the dying sunlight: strands of her hair stuck out of her ponytail, usual blue clothing stained and ripped in places, thick red blood collecting around a couple of cuts. Frowning, Tahno eyed the darkening bruises on her bared arms, lingering on a stray one covering her cheek. "What did you do, challenge a triad boss?" The wry look she sent him chilled his blood. "No," he said, incredulous. "You didn't." When she raised a brow, he sneered. "A bender as bad as you couldn't take on one of the triads and come out with just a couple of scrapes." That he knew.
"You're the Avatar," Korra said abruptly in a deep mocking voice; he wondered if she was trying to imitate Lin Bei Fong. "You have a responsibility to take care of the people of the city, especially if crime lords are using bending to manipulate non-benders - the people who recently rose up in an effort to take us down, and maybe they had something right." Near the end of the sentence her voice lost its sardonic tone and grew thoughtful.
For a moment, Tahno thought she was more the Avatar than she had ever been.
Putting his hands behind him and leaning back, the waterbender just laughed. "They took our bending, and you're still willing to support them?" The curve of his lips was more gentle than he wanted, but she wasn't looking. Besides, he knew what it was like to be an ex-bender in a city that worshipped those who could manipulate the elements: scornful looks while crossing the street, losing discounts at every bar and club, no more pretty girls hanging on your arm and warming your silk sheets. Nothing but another face in the crowd, nothing but another mindless worker.
Korra just snorted. "I don't support them, but maybe I can feel for them." Her hand clenched against her leg, the fingers whitening with the pressure. "I've been reviewing the laws, and it's clear that the city hasn't made non-benders it's priority."
"What are you going to do about it?" She glanced over at him, look questioning. "Well," he explained, "you are the Avatar. You have power in this city, the power to be a catalyst for change."
Visibly perked up, her face began to brighten. She summoned a playful expression. "I didn't know you were such a deep thinker, Tahno."
Behind her, the sun dropped over the horizon at last, leaving the sky a hazy mix of purple and pink. "That isn't your fault; you've never made any impressive claims to intelligence." Tahno meant it to be his departing repartee; however, as he stood, dusting grains of sand off his pants, he felt a splash of cold ocean water drench his head. He stopped completely, looking down at Korra next to him. An innocent look was on her face, but a jubilant smile was fighting to shape her lips. "Oh," he said in a low tone, "I'll get you for that one, Avatar."
"You're welcome to it." Her grin finally won, transforming her face as water dripped from his bangs down his cheeks. Tahno kept his gaze on hers, silver eyes capturing blue, while bending the water out of his hair. After finishing, he turned without another word and began to head back down the beach, toward his side of town.
"Hey! Where are you going?" He heard the sound of shifting sand as she stood to watch him leave.
"Out," Tahno yelled. "You want to come with? We can call it a thank you dinner. I'll even dress up." Korra didn't respond; he glanced back over his shoulder. Her face was pensive, brows drawn together and eyes contemplative. Something sunk in his stomach. "Well, if you don't want to come out and play, I'll give you a rain check. Whenever you're ready, just let me know, and I'll take you for a good time."
When he'd returned home he practiced waterbending for hours, remembering the smile on her face and the way her eyes had lit, just for him, just for his jokes and his banter.
The thought of her happy expression brought him back to the present; a smirk now graced her tanned face, bright blue eyes brimming with an unholy light. He felt the corners of his lips curve in a predatory smile, and her eyes narrowed. "Definitely no more drinks, Avatar. You'll get out of hand and burn this place down, and then momma bear Lin would never forgive me. In fact -" Tahno grabbed her hand as she began to bend someone else's drink into her mouth "- we should move away from the bar."
The man released his grip on her after an intense staring match (which he won, of course), stepping down from the bar and holding out his arm; Korra intertwined it with hers before leaning into his side. Tahno almost stiffened at the feeling of her breasts pressing against his ribs. Damn, was she even wearing anything beneath her clothes? From the sly look she sent him, he doubted it. "Away from the bar, you said. Was that an invitation to dance, Tahno?"
"No." Chuckling at the thought, he tried to pull her toward an empty couch. Maybe if he sat her down for a minute she would calm down, would get used to the special tipsy feeling that Arctic Sunrises seemed to give all waterbenders.
But she resisted his guidance, instead standing on her tiptoes in an effort to reach his ear and forcing him to stop near the wall. Rolling his eyes, Tahno leaned down to accommodate her, and was rewarded with a burst of hot breath against the sensitive skin of his neck. "What if I told you I wanted to dance?" He swore his heart almost stopped in his chest when she pressed against him one more time while speaking, and when she pulled back he saw that her grin was of the ate-the-canary variety.
In response he raised his other hand and traced the line of her jaw, fingers lingering beneath her lips. Tahno felt a smile begin to pull at his lips again. "Is that that an invitation or a question, Avatar?"
Her eyes glowed in the dim light of the room. "Yes," she whispered, and it wasn't the indignant answer he had expected. With all the noise - the sounds of bodies moving together, moans and groans and shouting, and the booming loud music - he couldn't hear her, but her mouth moved and something coiled inside of him at the sight of her curved lips saying 'yes' like a prayer.
Taking him by surprise, Korra's hand grabbed his as she dragged him into the crowd, almost losing him several times as she wound between people. Obviously she had either decided to make the best of this, or she was drunker than he originally thought; he wasn't exactly sober either. Her movements looked like something from airbending, and Tahno found himself admiring the smooth lines of her body. When she reached what could have been the middle of the floor, her hands twisted and bent the air, relocating the people surrounding the pair.
The dancers stumbled away, most inebriated or otherwise distracted, looking around for the cause. But that cause only had eyes for him, and what beautiful eyes they were. A bit cloudy, pupils dilated, and with a devious glint, they were quintessential Korra.
Her lips moved and he had to read them. "Care to join me for a dance, pretty boy?"
Before anyone could move back into their spaces on the floor, the music changed suddenly and she began to dance. Tahno immediately recognized it - a tribal dance, one practiced in both the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. The music was faster than normal, but he found rather quickly that he didn't mind. The dance itself involved a partner, each person dancing one round and bending water, then dancing the last part together while bending. Make that extremely close together - in fact, Tahno was surprised she knew it and wondered who taught her. It was a dance for lovers, bodies pressed so close there was little space left between them, mouths almost touching and breathes intermingling. Something like jealousy boiled in his abdomen. He briefly considered possible reasons why he should subdue her and drag her home, but he buried those thoughts deep, deep in his mind.
He really shouldn't look a komodo-rhino in the mouth.
Horns on the stage blared and drums pounded, but the room suddenly seemed much quieter. Everything else faded. His pale eyes followed her every movement, entranced by the way the muscles in her arms moved. One step forward, two steps back, a twirl, a twist, and then she extracted the water from several people's drinks. Mixing them together with a circular motion of her arms, she turned the liquid a muddy brown.
Korra's body still moved rhythmically to the beat, hips pushing in and out, a seductive smile bowing her full lips as her torso rolled. The soft blue silk of her tunic outlined the curves of her body as she twisted, bending the water with her, feet turning in slow circles. Her body moved as fluidly as the water, less jerky than when she was sober. Tahno smirked even as he felt the blood pump through his veins, as he felt the pull of the moon in the night sky outside.
It would be so easy to interrupt her dance and pull her closer, starting the third part without going through his turn. There was an ache deep inside, one with which he was intimately acquainted, coiling dangerously like a snake about to strike. The others remained outside their circle, few partying again. He didn't doubt that they were just as spellbound as he by her graceful movements, the twisting of her hips, the prominent curves of her breasts through thin fabric. In fact, he thought he saw someone point Korra and him out while winding through the crowd, likely recognizing one or both of them.
He would choose if he wanted to deal with that later: the thought of her waking up tomorrow to pictures of them plastered all over the newspaper was distinctly appealing.
Water twirling in the air above her head, the Avatar suddenly spun quickly as she approached him. Readying himself, feet and hands automatically slipping into position, Tahno received the brown liquid from her with a smooth twist. It was now her time to step back, chest rising and falling with each heavy breath, as he moved gracefully through the motions of the dance.
I bet you can't do it as well as I can, Korra's face said.
His hands bending at a quick speed, Tahno danced. His movements were smooth like velvet and deeply sensual. Korra's eyes followed him as she continued her part of the dance, circling around him. When someone stumbled into their sacred circle, she airbent them back out again without glancing away. He knew what his body looked like when he moved - there was a reason fangirls had once followed him around town and dragged him into back alleys while giggling. Well, that and his amazing hair.
Eager for the finale, he hurried through his part. Tahno dipped before splitting the water in two, shooting one half toward Korra. Without missing a beat, she grabbed it out of the air and approached him, turning at the last moment. He did the same, pressing their backs together. Sweat now covered his face and chest, soaking through his clothes. The club was ventilated, he knew: maybe the humidity of the summer night had seeped in, or maybe all the bodies in the room gave off a certain heat, or maybe he couldn't stop thinking about the way her bottom shifted against his when she moved sensuously behind him.
They slowed with the music, dancing in a circle, bending together. "You do know bending like this isn't allowed in here?" he yelled.
Korra's response was a low laugh. "They haven't stopped me yet." Their muscles growing tired, they turned and faced each other. She was shorter than him by several inches, both of their arms behind their backs and swirling the alcoholic liquid. Her height didn't stop her from tilting her face up and letting her lips graze his chin. Mischievous eyes looked up at him. In retaliation, he freed one of his hands during their next turn and pinched her upper thigh, letting his hand linger long enough to caress it. A dark growl reached his ears. "I felt that, asshole," she said.
"Good. Feel like returning the favor?"
And when their faces next came to look at each other, there was no room, no distance between them. Korra, the obvious mastermind of this plan, wet her lips while her breathing became erratic. Standing on her toes, her breasts were smashed against his chest, her toned body aligned with his stomach, her hot breath washing over his lips. He responded quickly and he had to suppress the urge to stop everything and kiss her. "Fuck you." Tahno's raspy voice had dropped several octaves. She just laughed until he pointedly thrust his hips against her. "Silly little Avatar, did you think I was joking?"
A dark blush spread over her cheeks. "No thanks," she said while spinning. "I've heard what the fangirls say about you."
His hand brushed against her breast, cupping it for the slightest of moments. "The only reason they say that is so they can keep me to themselves." Korra's breath hitched.
"Oh, really? That must be why you're dancing with them right now." Her hand slipped beneath the bottom of his shirt, fingers dancing over his muscles.
Tahno pressed a hard, fast kiss on her neck when she exposed it. She smelled of sweat and ocean and desire. "I may have been with them," he whispered, "but I never said I wanted to keep them." Their eyes met, hers surprised and his fierce; Tahno hopes his didn't scream but I do want to keep you, preferably naked in my bed, boneless and moaning my name.
You're a cheater and a liar, he could see her saying, and why should I go with you?
The music began to crescendo and he realized that the crowd was clapping along to their movements drunkenly, others trying to emulate them (and failing miserably). Snaking an arm around her waist, he prevented her from turning away. When her hips rolled into his Tahno groaned, fingers clenching in the fabric of her top. He supported her as her knees buckled for a moment. Smirking, he leaned down to Korra's ear. "If you weren't ready to finish the game, you shouldn't have started playing."
She wound an arm around his neck. The steps of the dance fell away, both of them now just instinctively moving. "I'll finish it," she whispered, eyes locked on his. "And I'll win."
Laughing, he brought his hand up from his waist to cup her face, the other one spinning the water into a tight sphere at his side. "But you don't even know what we're playing."
In that moment he relinquished control on the water. Her hand reached upward, projecting it toward the ceiling and freezing it. Tahno then clenched his hand into a fist and the block of ice burst into brown snowflakes, fluttering to the ground like autumn leaves. Their faces cooled as ice melted on their hot skin.
"Nice touch," Korra said, admiring his handiwork.
Smiling, he tilted her head back toward him. "I know what you're wondering. The answer is yes: I'm just that good."
A frown started to form on her face, but then he kissed her, long and hard, one hand clenched on her hip and the other softly caressing her cheek. After a confused moment, she responded heartily, lips moving against his as if she was dying of thirst and he was cool water. He managed to pull her even closer, Korra's arms linking around his neck. He parted her lips with the tip of his tongue while his hand slid around her waist, tracing abstract patterns on her skin through whispering silk. He slanted his mouth over hers more fully and when she pushed back, tongue sliding against his, it felt like electricity shot thorough him.
They eventually surfaced for air. He broke the kiss and bit her bottom lip, noticing that both were swollen and red and all because of him. Korra moaned softly, rubbing herself against him; it was intoxicating seeing the Avatar in his arms like this, the rash and fiery woman now a purring armadillo-cat. With a satisfied smile, he pulled back and watched her eyes open hazily. His amused laugh at her unmasked passion brought Korra to awareness, a blush stealing across her face when she realized their position.
"And here I didn't think you were that kind of girl, Avatar. I must be rubbing off on you." Tahno's fingers caressed her exposed collarbone. "I've always said that I would give you some private lessons."
Korra's answering laugh sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine. "This is hardly private, Tahno."
"The offer still stands." He eyed her lips. "You could certainly use practice."
Her snarl warmed Tahno's blood. "I'll show you practice," she said, pulling his face back down to hers.
Tahno smiled into the kiss. She made it so easy for him.