Tahno
.
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His memory of last night is a blur of alcohol and smoke and the double-syllable caw of his name being bleated in his ear by some girl whose name he cannot recall, and who has yet to leave his bed.
The morning light—if it is indeed morning—filters through the small window above, slinking softly up his naked torso until it finds his face. He squints and lifts his hand, shielding his eyes from the harsh glare before stretching with a sort of feline grace. Beside him he can feel the smooth shapely limbs of some undoubtedly slender girl. She stirs as he wakes, pressing full, soft breasts into his side, and he groans.
All he can feel right now is a hammer pounding inside his head and the narrowing pinpoint of a clammy sort of churning in his gut. When she begins to cling tighter, he shoves her off. Naked, sweaty flesh peals away and he slumps into a sitting position, holding his head in his hands before sloughing off towards the toilet.
The floorboards creak as he walks down the stairs to get some breakfast (or is it lunch time now?) and another drink—anything to end this fucking hangover. With food lining his belly, he'll go back upstairs and order the strange girl out of his bed. Or, if he's fortunate, she'll take the walk of shame out of the tavern while he's still eating.
He laughs at the thought before palming a hand over his eyes. Yawning, he stops dead in his tracks when he sees the Avatar seated at a table in the far corner. She's hunched over a bowl of noodles, eating like there's no tomorrow.
Maybe it is noon.
She stirs, probably having felt his eyes upon her, and directs a half-hearted glare in his direction before returning to her meal. Tahno lowers his hand and frowns. Her presence is so jarring that he cannot help but stare, ignoring the hunger (or vomit) growling in his stomach.
Very rarely is he caught off-guard, and he has to blink twice just to make sure that she's real and not some drunken hallucination. After the second blink, when she's still there, he lets out a soft 'humph' before absently running a hand down his chest. He's half-naked and his hair is stuck up and tousled by restless sleep. He's quite certain she's never seen him so unkempt and for some reason this bothers him.
His blue silk pyjama bottoms pool over his bare feet as he walks over to her table, ignoring the countless eyes on him. He takes the seat across from her and leers.
"What are you doing here?" she barks, unperturbed by his half-naked appearance.
He arches an eyebrow in mild shock. He would have figured her for the blushing type. She is not. She's more of the staring until you drop your gaze first type. Under her scrutiny, he unconsciously flips back his hair.
"That should be my question, Uh-vatar," he says, his voice dark and rich. "I live here."
"You live here?" She glances around the joint. "In the bar?"
He snorts derisively. "No, upstairs in the loft, you idiot."
"You're the idiot," she mutters.
Her blue eyes narrow and then the tips of her ears turn pink. Finally, a blush—an angry blush—and his grin turns predatory.
"So, what are you doing here, Uh-vatar?" He leans forward on his forearms and she lifts her chopsticks, pointing to the bowl in front of her.
"I'm eating lunch. What does it look like?"
He watches her shovel the noodles into her mouth and leans back with a grimace. "If that's eating, then the rest of us are doing it wrong."
"Oh, ha-ha," she mumbles between bites before sucking back a slippery noodle. "Don't you have some sleazebending to do elsewhere?"
"No, I'm perfectly content right here." He keeps his eyes trained on her while he raises his hand, signalling for a waitress. "Ticy, a glass of rice wine and the usual."
The waitress nods and the Avatar's brow furrows in disapproval. "Drinking so early in the morning?"
"Who says I've stopped since last night?" He spreads his arms wide in supplication before leaning back on his chair. "Besides, that's what us sleazebenders do."
She puffs out her bottom lip in keen thought as she mulls over his words. He wonders if she knows that her defiant glare looks more like an adorable pout. In any case, he won't tell her that.
"Aren't you worried about being too tired for the match tonight?" she asks, slumping back in her seat. "I'm pretty sure you can't show up drunk. Not that I fully understand or even read the rules."
"Why would I be worried?" He shrugs nonchalantly. "I'm just facing off with a trio of rookie losers." Her right eye twitches at this and he can't resist issuing her a lazy smirk before snapping his fingers. "It'll be a cinch."
"I wouldn't count us out so easily," she growls, and his smirk widens to a grin.
"No, I wouldn't count you out so easily."
He holds her gaze, gauging her reaction to his compliment. Most girls would turn away and blush. The Avatar just stares through him, or maybe into him, with the harsh lens of reality. He suddenly feels uncomfortable, almost awkward, and unaccustomedly struggles for words.
"You know, I saw your first match," he idly comments, trying a new tactic.
"Ah." She blushes softly in embarrassment. "You were at that game?"
A small smile of victory curves at his lips. "You were horrible," he tells her, silky crooning lies from a snake bastard. "But if it weren't for you, those street rats wouldn't have stood a chance in the tournament."
Her cheeks are burning red in anger now. "Mako and Bolin were doing just fine before I came along!"
"Mako, huh?" He snorts. "Right. The firebender. Y'know—" he leans in close "—even with the Avatar on his side, a loser like him can't change his colours."
She sits back in her chair and glares at him hard. He's hit a nerve. He can almost feel the ice in the air, and though he should be wary he can't help but smirk triumphantly.
The Avatar then picks up her drink and tilts it back, swallowing the last of the dregs all the while watching him, as though daring him to say something else. She sets the glass back down on the table and belches rather unladylike.
"Well, I suppose there's a certain kind of logic to that. It takes one to know one, right?" She licks her lips and offers him a wry grin. "Who better to flush out the scent of loser than the biggest loser of all?"
His nostrils flare in indignation and he glances at her sideways, his gaze lingering on the boneless way she slumps against the chair. She's totally uninhibited. Unafraid. It's brazen and annoying but so very refreshing.
"You're feisty," he admits after a moment's pause. "I like that in a woman."
Suddenly she laughs, a lilting crack of sound that resonates through the bar. "Careful there, pretty boy," she cautions. "You're coming off as one step above a creepy sleazebender, and I might just end up not loathing you entirely. Then what would happen?"
He ponders the notion for a second before smirking. "The world would stop turning, I suppose."
She laughs again, and this time he almost feels like joining her. "Wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?"
"No." He leans back in his seat and cocks his head to the side, really taking in her form. "No, we wouldn't."
She's not the best-looking woman he's ever seen, but she's fit and tight and has the most killer blue eyes he's ever seen. On top of the undoubtedly soft and curvy body hidden beneath those baggy clothes is a woman with strength and personality—and a remarkable sense of humour. It's the first time he's really looked at a woman beyond her looks, and he can't deny that he's intrigued by her undeniable presence.
"So, do you want to go out after the match and get a drink? After we defeat your Fire Ferrets, of course."
"Who says you'll win?"
"Me."
She snorts. "You're pretty confident."
"So are you." He offers her a wink. "Maybe it's a waterbender thing."
"Maybe."
"Seriously." He leans in again. "I'd like to get to know you better outside the ring." His eyes travel down her body, lingering for a moment, before meeting her gaze. "I think you and I could have a lot of fun together. How about it, Uh-vatar?"
She rolls her eyes but there's an effulgence of colour on her cheeks. It's downright adorable. But, again, he'll never tell her.
"Yeah, not a snowball's chance in the Fire Nation, pretty boy."
He laughs. "C'mon, I'm curious about you."
"You're curious about me because I'm the Avatar," she says, waving her hand in front of her face. "Some famous, talented bender."
"Who said you were talented?" he asks dryly.
Her eyes widen a fraction of an inch and then she squints up at him in a facsimile of a glare. "This really isn't an act for you, is it?"
"What isn't?"
"Being a jerk."
No, there's nothing put-on about his personality at all. "I'm the best probending waterbender there is, Uh-vatar," he says lowly, cocking his head to the side. "It's not an act. It's a fact."
Disgusted, she breathes a hot jet of air out through her nose. She throws some money down on the table and kicks back her chair to stand. He doesn't bother to get up.
"My offer still stands," he says, looking up at her.
"Offer?"
"Those private lessons." His grin turns wolfish when he sees a hint of pink creep up her neck.
"No thanks," she mutters, and is about to turn when she places a hand on her hip. "You can do one thing for me, though."
He lifts a thin eyebrow, intrigued. "And what's that?"
"Bring that cocky attitude of yours to the ring, pretty boy," she threatens. "I intend to wipe the floor with it."
"Oh, I will, Uh-vatar," he purrs, locking eyes with her until she finally turns to leave. "I will."
He watches her exit the bar. Not once does she look back and he can't help but smile. This Avatar Korra is someone special—of that he has no doubts. It's as though she's become the last remnant of a teenage fantasy that he no longer thought was possible for him. Or, more plainly put, she's a challenge.
And tonight when he's with some other woman, he'll imagine the Avatar's thighs wrapped around his waist and her pouty lips on his neck. And though some nameless girl will fill the role for now, he takes comfort in the fact that someday that girl will be the Avatar. Someday she'll accept his private lessons.
Author's notes: Yeah, I have to admit it feels great writing arseholes again—and Tahno is one hell of a man-slut with a voice that is pure sex. I'm a little rusty, though, so I might have to write more one-shots with this sleazebender in them. He wasn't nearly douche-y enough in this, but then he was sleepy and hungover. It's excusable. ;)
Oh, and I recommend listening to Chongthenomad's electro house remix of 'Private Lessons' featuring Tahno on tumblr.