Disclaimer: I do hereby disclaim all rights and responsibilities for the characters in this collection. Kudos to Bryke, indeed.
Word Count: 3,100
Author's Notes: 6/11/13. I have been waiting for these chapters for a very long time... and unfortunately, we're going to have to wait a little bit more. This was getting too long... so, naturally, I broke things down a bit more. AGAIN. Don't hate me. It will be worth it. ;) (I hope, haha.)
Musical Inspiration: "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke. (It's been stuck in my head all day!)
Gifted To: EtherealCrescent
Thank you for your review! :) And your prompt.
That one night
they faced off. (Part II)
Tahno bolted upright, nearly toppling Asami from where she laid over his shoulder.
"What was that?" he demanded, breaking the relative stillness of the room.
"Hmm?" came a soft moan. Blinking away the bleariness, Asami lifted her heavy head and glanced about the room. "What was what?" she asked hazily.
"Something just fell," he claimed, still very much on high alert. "Loudly."
With a a great yawn, Asami carefully pushed Tahno back down onto the bed and tucked herself back into the nookof his shoulder. "Must have been Korra," she answered dismissively, closing her eyes as she nestled further into his skin. "She tends not to remember much about the rest of her physical surroundings when Mako is over."
He frowned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Asami's brows crinkled together. "I don't know," she sighed a tad impatiently, rubbing at her eyes. "They're crazy in there."
"Crazy how?"
"I don't know," she repeated, turning so that her voice came out muffled against his skin. He resisted the urge to roll her over so he could hear her more clearly. "Just... themselves, you know? It's a wonder they don't tear themselves apart, considering the rest of the mess they usually make."
Tahno was full-blown scowling now and Asami was already half-awake. "Doesn't that annoy you?" he demanded, peering down at her.
Asami couldn't help it; she laughed. "Sorry," she apologized through a giggle, then glanced up. "You just look so... bothered by it all. It's not something I'm worried about, I promise. Honestly, I just think it's funny. Half the time I think they're wrestling as much as they are love-making,"
"I do not appreciate that terminology," he muttered darkly.
Asami laughed at him... again. "Oh, come on. I know this is probably a little awkward for you since you work together, but I'm sure you'll get over it." Another distant crash sounded from beyond the walls, this time followed by the tiny sounds of hushed laughter. Tahno scowled as Asami smirked. "I mean—she must have," Asami noted with another breathy laugh. "If she's already comfortable enough to get it on while we're maybe only thirty feet away."
And in the far corners of Tahno's mind, he heard it again—I've already forgotten you exist.
"Ah, look. I'm sorry," Asami poked him, bringing him back from his steely thoughts. "I didn't mean to rub it in."
"Seems like she's already got that under control," he muttered, which earned him a stern look from the woman beside him.
"If I remember correctly, we already established that precedent."
"How long is that incident really going to stick?" he demanded suddenly, rising up on one forearm and digging his elbow into the soft mattress. "I mean, really. It's been weeks. It's March and yet I still feel like I'm paying for it at every turn."
"I guess it depends on what you consider payment," she pointed out reasonably.
Payment? he snarled. Try payback.
"Well, that stupid contract, for starters," he snapped. "I still don't know what convinced me to agree to at least half of those conditions."
"Oh, god—that's right!" she laughed, ever-amused at his misfortune. "How many were there, again?"
After another severe frown, Tahno grumbled, "Sixty-four."
He let his head fall back with a large and dramatic sigh, cursing all things relating to interns and their large, hulking boyfriends. His eyes drifted absently across the room, taking in the details that he hadn't paid much attention to before, until they eventually came to rest on an unlikely object; there, in the center of Asami's vanity, was the single candle she'd lit, and for some reason Tahno couldn't seem to drag his sullen eyes away from it. He usually detested candles, finding them incredibly tacky and cliché—although his distaste could be temporarily forgotten, of course, were a fair maiden to exhibit more favorable... tastes—and yet for some reason, this one didn't seem so bad. It sort of smelled like rain.
Not that it helped.
"Oh?" Asami mouthed, and he could sense that she was looking up at him from the softness of her pillow. "That's an awful lot of trouble for something as simple as a few overnight stays, don't you think?"
Tahno quietly huffed, breaking away from the candle to glare at the wall. His jaw felt tight when it clicked back into place. "From what I've been able to gather over the last few months, it appears that your roommate and trouble are seldom far apart." And things are rarely simple.
"Do you ever call her by her actual name?" she asked him curiously, reaching up to play with the long, wavy strands of his bangs. "Most of the time it sounds like you refer to her as a separate entity than an actual person... Though I do admit that she's a force to be reckoned with, all on her own."
Tahno's glare deepened. "Understatement," he deadpanned. "I think that napkin was more of a damn peace treaty than a business contract."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Not when I didn't realize we were starting a war in the first place."
"A war?" Asami asked, laughter bubbling out between breaths. "You're not serious."
"Ask her. She's been the one winning all the battles lately," he shook his head. He had to admit that the dramatic rolling of his eyes was a little theatrical, even for his tastes, but he was rewarded with another bout of giggles, which eased the pain some.
"You know," Asami slowly began, trailing her fingertips up along the side of his torso. "There are rewards that come with battle."
"Yes," he agreed, staring down at her with expressive eyes."For the victors."
"Well," Asami breathed, taking the ridge of his Adam's Apple between her smile. Somehow, Tahno was strong enough not to swallow under the pressure of her mouth, but his eyes still slid closed. Her long, slender arms wove themselves around his neck and against his skin, she whispered, "I happen to know a useful maneuver or two."
In a sudden twist, Tahno ducked his head down to meet hers, breaking free of her hold and claiming the space below her jaw with his teeth. "Is that so?" he murmured challengingly into her long neck, smirking into the vibrations of her laughter.
"If you think you could handle them," she coaxed,and when he raised his head to look down at her, she was smiling. I'm an idiot, he thought, staring down at the beautiful woman lying beneath him. Her pale skin was warmed by the soft glow of the gently burning candle from across the room, and the shadows that danced and dipped along the creamy skin called to him in a way that, truth be told, he had never experienced before. Her dark, ebony hair spilled lovingly across the pillowcase, shining silkily in the candlelight.
"General Asami Sato?" he murmured into her skin. "You are a woman of many talents, indeed."
Strange, but—just for a second—he thought that he'd felt her stiffen under his touch. There was a single tick of observation, and then the moment passed and she was back to wrapping herself more tightly around him. "I'd be happy to share them," she promised, placing a long, burning kiss onto his parted lips. "And who knows? At least with my unique perspective, perhaps you won't mind losing so much, after all."
"You don't anticipate a victory? Even with your precious tactical expertise?"
"Tahno, I may be a very capable woman... but there's still only so much I can do against such a worthy adversary," she smirked, thrusting her hips upwards into his. A grunt escaped him as he fell forward, catching his fall with the lines of his forearms. He looked up at her through the fringe of his bangs, and smiled, dark and greedy and feral. Asami's eyes darkened with hunger as he hovered over her, and her pouting lips parted, wanting.
"On second thought," he amended huskily, relishing the shivers caused by his breath ghosting along the shell of her ear.
(This time, it was his turn to laugh.)
"I may have already won."
Despite his words, Tahno knew that the war was far from over.
And as his intern may or may not have realized...
He excelled in playing dirty.
"Well, it's a good thing we're strategizing and not having sex, because I specifically recall that being prohibited for the evening by a certain—"
Asami didn't bother to let him finish.
Korra and Mako flopped back onto the bed, exhausted.
It was a few minutes before either of them spoke, and surprisingly, Mako was the first.
"Wow," he breathed.
Oh, god, Korra internally groaned. Well, it's not like I ever picked him for his way with words.Never been any misunderstanding about that, she thought with a quick quirk of her eyebrows, laughing rather generally at the funny ways of the universe. Yet when it became her turn to speak, Korra was at a genuine loss.
"Wow," she echoed, feeling her chest rise and fall with long, shuddering breaths.
Mako shifted on the bed, turning to face her, and Korra twisted her head to meet his gaze. Small beads of sweat were bordering his hairline, and a healthy flush was spread far and wide over his golden-tanned skin. His lips, Korra noticed, were rather swollen. She smirked.
"That was... really satisfying," she half-laughed, half sighed, letting her head sink deeper into the mattress. Somewhere along the way, they'd lost the pillows. And the blankets. (And half the fitted sheet, but Korra didn't really mind.)
"What?" Mako prompted with a knowing smile. His fingers toyed with the long strands of her hair and this, Korra thought, was something a girl could get used to. "The sex? Or having sex loud enough for your asshole supervisor to hear?"
"Mmm," she murmured sleepily. "Both."
A long, peaceful pause.
And then, Mako turned to her, and asked:
"Wanna go again?"
(Really, he needn't have asked.)
"Goddammit," Asami hissed, voice hoarse with panting breaths. "We shouldn't have done that."
"Which part of that are you referring to?" Tahno smirked, easing further back into the bed with a satisfied huff. Even he was slightly out of breath. "You're going to have to be more specific."
"Dammit, Tahno," she sighed restlessly, distressed. Quickly, she sat up and rounded on him. He blinked up at her, shocked at how rapidly her attitude had changed. "We are refraining," she told him. "From sex. For the rest of the night." Then, almost desperately, "We have to."
His jaw went slack with disbelief. It was a moment or two before he could speak. "They're not refraining!" he hissed, just as another noise sounded from across the living room. But this time, it wasn't the crash of furniture or the thud of something falling hard to the floor.
It was the unmistakable sound of his intern.
Asami had heard it, too—her fingers immediately moved to cover her eyes, so she missed when his face contorted with rage.
"They're not refraining at all!" he spat, seething.
"Oh, my god," Asami whispered, still covering her face with her hands. "Our neighbors are never going to forgive us. We're going to be known as those girls who live down the hall."
"What do you care what your neighbors think?" he demanded with a frown, feeling the tell-tale signs of one monstrous oncoming headache. His hand flew as he spoke, but occasionally settled against his pounding skull.
"I don't care what they think, Tahno! I care about common courtesy! We try to have a little class, you know."
"You have class. Your roommate, on the other hand—"
"Shut up, Tahno," she snapped, slapping him hard in the chest. His stare examined the lingering imprint made on his skin, then returned pointedly to the woman who had placed it there.
"You know, if you are trying to convince me not to bed you again tonight, this probably isn't the best way to go about it."
"Tahno," she said. "I mean it." He bit his cheek, put out, but he ultimately acquiesced; Tahno had learned to recognize a warning when he heard one, after all. Very recently, in fact. Even perhaps within the last year or so. Or, more specifically, a matter of five months, two days and—
He inhaled deeply, and exhaled, long and slow.
"Whatever," he waved off her concerns. "There are plenty of inconsiderate people in your building. Especially the college kids above you, who are always making a racket."
"I know... But Skoochy really doesn't mean to be so wild, and he's actually very polite and accommodating when we—"
"You know what? Fuck your neighbors."
"Tahno."
"Actually, better thought: fuck me."
"Tahno."
"It sounds a lot better when you scream it."
A pillow connected with his face.
When it fell away, Asami was staring at the door with a thoughtful look. He was about to ask her something, but another cry of distant pleasure seeped through the cracks under the door. Tahno's fists clenched at the pillow in his lap.
"You know," Asami said slowly, trailing off into silence. Tahno shifted, regarding her very carefully. Her hair fell in waves around her shoulders and down her back, but for once Tahno's attention was focused solely on her eyes.
"What?" he asked, tense.
"Call me crazy, but... If I didn't know any better," Asami paused to look at him, and the sight of her made his mouth run dry. "I'd think that they were trying to be heard."
A pause—and then Tahno's whole body jerked into action. "You see?" he quietly snarled, pointing an antagonizing finger toward the door. "I told you! This is nothing but a game!" And she's winning! he thought desperately. "And they're winning!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Asami scoffed, crossing her arms. "That they're facing off against us in some kind of—some kind of sex battle?"
"Yes."
"Tahno, Korra and Mako aren't the kind of people who would—"
"Aren't they?" he challenged, eyeing her expectantly. Asami pursed her lips.
"Well," she mused aloud with a thoughtful frown. "They are very competitive. Both of them."
"Yes," he agreed, stiffly.
"And they are very physical creatures."
He frowned. "Yes," he said, even more so.
"And we did essentially invite them to flaunt their togetherness when we showed up here unannounced."
"Debatable."
He quieted under her stern gaze.
Asami released an exasperated sigh and pulled her fingers through her hair. "So, what? We've just unwittingly found ourselves as players in an unexpected sex duel? This is ridiculous," she huffed, then reached for her shirt. He was about to stop her, and had even raised a hand to reach out for her shoulder—when Tahno's heart spiked with realization that the shirt she was putting on was his.
For reasons that he couldn't entirely explain, Tahno didn't interrupt her.
Gently clearing his throat, Tahno pasted a casual mask over his features, and shrugged. "So, just out of curiosity... how exactly do you plan to approach your roommate about your suspicions?" She sent him a piercing stare. "No, no," he said noncommittally, raising a pair of placating hands. "I'm just simply wondering how one might broach the subject. Do you start with a nice hello, nice to see so much of you, Mako or do you plunge right in and say I know you two are having sex to spite us."
Her eyes tightened. "That's—that's not what—"
"What is this really gonna do, Asami?" he asked her very seriously, gently tugging her wrist back toward the bed. With a slight frown, Asami let herself be led. "Is this going to ease your guilt? Will it make any difference?" He spotted a shift in her gaze, the tiniest spark of doubt, and he zeroed right in. "Or will talking about it all now just make things worse?"
Asami sighed. "Maybe you're right. I doubt there's much at this point that could make things better, at least."
He took her chin between his fingers and gently tilted her down to meet him. "That's the spirit."
"But Tahno, I still don't feel comfortable making a production out of this."
He faltered, just for a moment, then caught sight of her—long and slender limbs, full and soft curves, all enhanced by the dark fabric of his shirt—and he smirked. "I can change that," he promised.
"Tahno," she warned, though if he heard her right—and he did, he knew he did—there was a slight quiver in her tone. "I am not contributing to this madness. Korra's already gonna be angry with me enough as it is. I am not, I repeat, not going to do anything to further along this stupid contest."
For a moment, all Tahno did was nod his head, silent and thoughtful. Above him, Asami worried her lip, obviously conflicted. And then, very slowly, he rose to meet her, standing tall with the backs of his thighs edged against the mattress. She watched him very carefully, torn, as he carefully brought his hands to cup her face, and gently held her. And for another long moment, that was all he did. He held her.
And when he leaned down and kissed her, she sighed into his mouth, and he knew that this battle was over.
He pulled his lips away, just slightly, and smirkingly whispered against her lips, "Then allow me."
