Friends with...No Benefits?
The tall and slender waiter greeted her kindly before setting down the large plate of breakfast in front of her. Kuvira nodded to him as he strolled away to serve another table. The amazing aroma of thinly sliced, medium-well steak tenderloins filled her lungs. Accompanied by eggs, potatoes, steamed vegetables, and other small portioned sides. The air was chilly and restaurant calm as other early risers ate their first meal of the day.
Prince Wu was shipped off to Beifong's academy so Kuvira was finally free to enjoy some well deserved peace and quiet. After yesterday's evening she needed the recuperation and was unsure where things were going to lead the next few days. Emotions were definitely on edge in more ways than one. The memory of last night's debauchery flickered in her mind and she stirred a little bit at the residual emotions attached to it. It didn't exactly play out as she intended but she wasn't disappointed. Quite the opposite actually, and now she was intrigued by the prospect of being able to get such a rise out of Detective Mako. She'd probably do it again given the chance.
Once Korra ignored her first several calls and texts she put it to rest. Clearly the princess didn't want to be disturbed by anyone and she didn't need to guess as to why. Kuvira was still a bit shocked Mako dropped the 'L' word in the first place.
Her knife cut threw the stake with ease and she brought the first bite up to her mouth. As the food hit her tongue a small sense of mirth filled her chest and she took a moment to relish in solitude.
"KORRA'S STILL NOT ANSWERING!" She heard a voice shrill, shattering her blissful morning.
Mako stomped up to the table, pulled out a chair and sat across from the General in frustration. Kuvira's eyes were wide and brows curved as she glared at him, mouth full of food unable to yell at him for disrupting her meal.
"I've called and left a few texts-"
She swallowed roughly, "Is there anywhere else you could be but here!"
How did he even know where she was?! She surely did not extend an invite. Then again he was a detective, it was his job to find people.
Mako ignored her protest, "Her car is parked but when I knocked on her door no one was home."
Kuvira shook her head disapprovingly, he really wasn't going to let this rest.
"I don't know what to do..."
She looked up at him from the corner of her eye as she continued to eat her breakfast. "Maybe leave her alone."
The Detective looked visibly displeased by that answer. Kuvira took a fork full of vegetables into her mouth and chewed softly. She really didn't care how upset he was, this was all technically his fault.
"I can't do that." He replied stubbornly.
"Why? Because then you'd be forced to sit with your own thoughts and realize that just maybe she's not going to give you the answer you want?"
Mako swallowed his reply, hating how right she was. Kuvira was genius when it came to reading people and in this moment he hated that about her.
"I thought you'd be worried too." He retorted.
Kuvira shrugged, "What for? Korra can take care of herself and if anything she's probably with Tahno."
Mako's brows perked, he completely forget about Tahno. That's probably exactly where she is! He made a mental note to check there later on in the day.
"Also I'm not the one who-"
"I know I fucked up" He groaned.
She scoffed, "You think?"
"I don't know what came over me..." He confessed.
"Hormones." She declared.
They sat staring at one another as Kuvira ate another bite of finely cooked meat. She could tell he didn't like that answer either.
"No, I-that's not it." Mako retorted. A few strands of hair fell in front of his face as he looked down at his fists.
Kuvira's brows jumped comically as she remembered observing Mako's hormones up close. Korra and him had sex like it was their sole purpose to repopulate the Earth. Never had she seen two people so brazenly horny for each other. He was most definitely running off of adrenaline and a raging sex drive.
"It looked like it to me..." She spoke.
"That's all you know isn't it? Just sex." Mako replied, glaring at her.
Kuvira laughed off his hostility, "That's the plot of this story isn't is?" She aimlessly pointed her fork at him as she spoke, "I know where I am with Korra. We both MUTUALLY AGREED to just have sex. I'm not out -oh I don't know- confessing my love for her while rearranging her guts."
Mako huffed, disgusted by her blunt approach, but that was so in her nature wasn't it?
"Besides I have no intention of unloading my baggage onto someone else. I'm uninterested in relationships at the moment. The whole farce...I have enough to deal with already."
She stabbed the prongs of her fork into another slice of meat and tore her teeth into it. Mako knew what she was referring to and her deteriorating engagement was enough of a reason to need a distraction.
"If I wasn't going through the equivalent of a divorce maybe I would pursue Korra and I wouldn't see you as much competition to get her..."
They sat in silence a few paces, metaphorically comparing their dick sizes. Kuvira liked pushing his buttons like this, it was nice to find a worthy opponent. Mako wasn't going to let her get under his skin though. His talk with Bolin helped a lot and he knew what was real and what wasn't.
"No. I do love Korra." He declared, "The timing wasn't the best-" He shrugged off the embarrassment, "But I meant what I said."
Kuvira cocked her head to the side, "So what if you did?"
Mako furrowed his brows wishing her approach was a bit softer like Bolin's.
"Korra is just supposed to drop everything and everyone and go carve out a betrothal necklace for you?" Kuvira asked. She took a drink of her coffee and dabbed her mouth. Maybe he didn't want to hear this but she was getting annoyed now.
"Just because you know where you are doesn't mean that she does and it's not your job to force a confession from her when she's not ready."
Mako's gaze was blank as he listened to her scold him. Bolin was alluding to this when he asked if he could just be friends with Korra and nothing more. They were both right, he just didn't want to hear it. He knew he wasn't wrong, Korra loved him too. He couldn't handle the anxiety of waiting. He needed to hear her say it, although knowing how unfair that was to apply so much pressure.
"It wasn't just sex for you but maybe it was for her."
"It's not." Mako snapped.
Kuvira sat back in her chair, taking a break from her half eaten meal. "ooooh you got a little angry there huh?"
Her waiter conveniently returned and asked if her meal was to her liking. He then turned to Mako and asked if he would like something to eat or drink.
"Yes actually-"
"No! He's not eating with me." Kuvira interjected. She rolled her eyes as Mako proceeded to order a few things off the menu to further agitate her. He also requested the morning newspaper to see if his syrup stained promotion made the headlines.
"Even if there is more," She continued, "she doesn't owe you anything. Korra clearly still has baggage to deal with."
Mako tucked his chin, letting his eyes trail the floor. There were few occasions where his impulses got the best of him and this was by far one of the worse ones. There was no way Korra would just ignore what had happened.
"Korra obviously doesn't want a relationship right now. So whatever you did have is fucked..."
"I know.." Mako groaned. Now he wouldn't be having sex with Korra anymore and she'd most likely feel a bit awkward around him.
"And you're okay with that? Seeing Korra indulge in sexual comfort without you?" She smugly smiled already knowing his answer to that question. She was even more pleased to think that she could finally have Korra to herself without Mako's intrusions.
"I...don't own her. She can do whatever she wants with who ever." He replied.
The waiter returned with his little breakfast and he thankfully shoved the food in his mouth, burying his words. He then turned the newspaper over to see that there was another topic making the major headline.
"Engagement between Ba Sing Se General Kuvira Lalani and Bataar Jr. of the Beifong dynasty in ruins."
Mako glanced up at Kuvira awkwardly but she seemed unfazed.
"You're welcome." She shrugged. "turn the next page..."
Mako did as she instructed and instead of seeing the paparazzi photos of his heroic blunder protecting Prince Wu, the picture of him, Bolin, Asami, and Korra was the header for Beifong's ceremony. His eyes lingered on Korra for a moment longer before closing the paper. How he wished he could turn back time.
"I figured that was a big enough story to draw attention." Kuvira said dryly.
"Thanks." Mako sighed.
"Oh, I didn't do it for you. I was already planning to pull the plug eventually. Once the words I told the press yesterday reach Zaofu I'm sure Bataar Jr. will have some choice words for me."
"Is there anything I can do?"
Her green eyes watched him skeptically as she lifted her coffee cup. Was he actually offering to help her with something like this?
She sipped her coffee and sighed, "Oh no, you've already ruined the only good thing I had in this city."
Mako rolled his eyes, instantly regretting giving her sympathy.
"Korra can have sex with whoever she wants." He declared. He wasn't going to stop anything she wanted to continue. It wasn't his place.
"Oh come on. Enough with the mature bullshit." Kuvira leaned forward with her fingers interlaced. She had no doubt he believed that but deep down they both understood their dominant tendencies. Kuvira saw it first hand last night.
"Just admit you don't like it..." The ends of her lips curved upward in a devious grin. "You can act dominant all you want, but you're jealous..."
"Of who? you?" He responded, matching her energy with squared shoulders. "Was last night not enough proof for you?" He smirked.
Kuvira clenched her fist, the feeling of his leather belt around her wrists still fresh in her mind. Mako had no reason to be jealous of anyone's sexual prowess.
The General hummed, finding it so intriguing when he was being possessive. She could tell why Korra liked it so much, he really only behaved this way on her behalf.
"Well then, do you love her enough to let her go? Because if I'm being honest-"
"Oh you weren't before?" He jested, rolling his eyes.
She clicked her teeth amused by his comeback, "Korra is perfectly content where she is right now lover boy..." She downed the rest of her coffee and wiped her mouth properly. "..with all of her multiple suitors."
Mako felt indifferent knowing he was probably crossed off that list. It was a relief to confess his love but it also felt like an inconvenient sacrifice. Of course he could just be Korra's friend until she was ready for the next step but damn did he enjoy the benefits.
"Maybe sex was too much of a defining factor..." he spoke aloud. This break of theirs might give him time to tame himself. Separate the love from the lust and just be authentically her friend for a time.
"Test the theory" Kuvira pitched, her tone a bit playful.
"What does that mean?" He asked.
"Have sex with someone else-"
"No." Mako interrupted.
She shrugged bashfully, "Listen I'm not saying Korra isn't as amazing as she is but surely you can find another-"
"I can't do that..."
Kuvira reached across the table and stole one of his sweet buns he had ordered for breakfast. "Oh so you've tried?"
"Yes," he corrected himself, "no not really, I have this coworker and we went out a few times-"
She took a bite, "I don't care about that. We're technically "out" right now. Fuck someone else other than Korra. Then you'd see how much sex has influenced your attraction."
Mako glanced away, repelled by the thought.
"I knew it." She scoffed. "You're whipped."
Mako's nostrils flared, since when was falling for someone considered being whipped? Just because he was exclusive didn't make him gullible.
"So you're just going to pine after someone whose emotionally unavailable for who knows how long?" Kuvira looked at him sympathetically, guy loved to torture himself on all kinds of levels.
He hated when she made sense, but he was forthright in his pursuit.
"Korra makes me want to be a better person. She's always seen right through me. I've never made a connection like that with anyone else in my life." His eyes flickered up to her face with confidence in his gaze.
"When you bond with someone like that, the sex is unmeasurable to anyone else."
Being with another person would just felt like a pale substitute. Their connection was just another layer on top of what was already there. Mako felt a sense of ease in this revelation, sex wasn't the foundation of this relationship. He could go without it.
Kuvira hummed in response, her own turmoil flustering as she heard what Mako said. She knew it was true, she always saw how they favored one another. That's really what she wanted in the end and was living that fantasy vicariously though Korra. To have that connection she once thought she had with someone else.
"...Well I wouldn't know what that's like." She muttered. Her jaw was clenched as suddenly her food tasted unappetizing. She kept her chin up though, defiantly fighting the urge to look as broken as she felt.
Mako felt uneasy and didn't quite know how to respond. "Im sorry..." He partly mumbled. There was an underlining stab of guilt in his tone and he realized despite how much he wanted Korra, her ties to other people were helping them as well.
"Don't be." Kuvira sighed, she called over the waiter to bring her the tab and collected her things. Once she paid for the entire meal, including his she stood up and promptly walked away.
Her fingers softly tangled into his curls and began twirling the strands around her fingers. Korra's gaze was low, fixated on the promiscuous view of Tahno's head between her legs. They were sprawled out on his couch, seats laid almost flat like a bed as they watched another suspenseful thriller. Although halfway through the film Korra decided to occupy their fleeting time in a more favorable way.
The curtains in his loft were drawn, giving them a false sense of what time it was outside. She hadn't checked her phone all morning when they awoke, and didn't bother to do so now. It was a lazy sort of Sunday and she didn't want to end her little getaway. Yes, it was probably selfish of her to drop off the grid, but it was just a desperate need to be in a drama free zone for a bit before she was inevitably launched back into it.
Korra cooed, slowly rolling her hips as his tongue slithered around her clit.
"Don't move..." He sighed, poking his gaze up at her. She calmed herself and he gleefully continued, licking along her skin, stimulating her senses.
He was deliberately going slowly, savoring her taste. It was torture for someone like Korra to let her orgasm build at a steady pace. She liked going hard and fast, but he enjoyed to switch things up from time to time. Especially now when they were in a thick haze of erotic intimacy.
He kissed her mound, feathering her lips apart as he licked down toward her entrance. He could feel the tendons in her thighs tense and he smiled knowing she was trying to do as he said and stay still. His index finger lightly dragged over her slit, collecting her natural lubricate that began to drip. He poked between her lips but not enough to penetrate and lightly stroked her sex.
"Ergh!" She groaned reluctantly bucking her hips.
He continued to pet her, mesmerized by the delicate folds of her forbidden flower. He added another finger, spreading her open and massaging her inner lips with his wet fingers.
"haa..ahh" she gasped letting her head fall back against his throw pillows. "hmm-mm"
This felt so good and Korra was surprised it was almost harder to endure than rougher sex. Every nerve in her body stood on end, prickling with energy as she physically begged for more. His heavy petting felt like wavelengths of pleasure vibrating through her limbs. It pulsed throughout her body like adrenaline, but she couldn't act on it.
"Tahno..." She moaned. Her full lips pursed as she pouted submissively. He loved when she said his name.
He quicken his pace but only a minuscule amount, widening his circular motion to swipe across her clit and lips. Korra's entire body shivered as a melting warmth spread throughout her lower abdomen. His pajama shirt was bunched up around her collarbone, framing her round breasts in almost a picture perfect way. He looked up at her as she groped and pulled on her nipples, further spiking her ache.
Tahno dipped down and sucked her lips into his mouth, lapping up her desire hungrily. Her skin was soft and hot against his face as he devoured her. Korra was the most acclaimed thing he had eaten all day and he soon found himself unable to crave anything else. He could spend the rest of his life sandwiched between her thighs and die a happy man.
He wasn't a stranger to sexual partners but Korra was definitely in his top three. No wonder Mako was so domineering over her, she had the skill to captivate anyone.
"Hmm," He groaned, brushing his pointed tongue along her textured walls. The sloppy sounds from his oral feasting grew louder and he enjoyed listening to the disgusting sounds. It turned him on so much to please her. His erection dangled between his legs, dripping with need.
"Ah!" Korra clamped her legs together and he held her thighs to each side of his face, pinning her in place. Korra moaned loudly as his tongue wiggled and snaked along her nerves, setting them on fire.
"F-fu-ah!" She pulled on his hair and arched her back.
A deep guttural moan escaped his chest as he sucked her flesh dry. His face dipped and curved with the movement of her hips, lapping her up like a cat in a bowl of milk.
"Ahh! yes!" Korra shuttered as her climax seized her limbs. "ha-aahh"
Tahno smoothly crawled over her body, positioning his cock between her legs after sliding a condom over his length. Before Korra had time to calm down he buried himself deep within her, his entrance slick from her desire. They moaned in unison as the first moment of penetration was always the most satisfying.
"Oh! Shit!" Korra yelled, she was still shaking from her previous orgasm and he didn't wait for her to be any less tender. Her eyes flickered up to his face as the head of his dick probed her throbbing walls. He hit a sensitive spot that made her toes curl and senses inflame.
"Just like that.." she breathed, addicted to the feeling.
He was holding himself up in a push-up position, his lower back doing most of the work as he obeyed her plea. She was so tight around his shaft and her muscles twitched along his veins adding to the sensation.
Their bodies meshed so perfectly and moved in unison like a contemporary dance. Korra's hand clawed at his hip, encouraging his deliberate movements.
Tahno moaned loudly, his eyes closed in pure bliss. Her grip on him was tight and unyielding. Her muscles still thronged from her first climax which felt so good tingling around his shaft. Even through the latex he could feel her and the sensation was so deliciously overwhelming.
Years of pent-up emotions billowed out of them within the span of one night and one day. He was surprised he could keep up with Korra. If sex was an endurance sport she could be a professional at it. Last night, twice this morning, and now their final session before the weekend concluded. Korra seemed to be wanting to get her fill of him before their time ran out. He could feel her underlying anxiety and wanted to relieve it, he wasn't going anywhere no matter what happened after this.
"Korra." He moaned, his eyes fluttering. She cupped his face as if to steady him and they locked eyes, blurring out the world around them. Her icy-blue stare pierced through him and Tahno was quickly getting lost in her. Not so much physically but emotionally.
"Fuck..hahaaa" He cried. Korra was pulling him under like a wave and he couldn't escape the current. How could she give herself to him like this... Seemingly so devoted and vulnerable...The part of himself that loved to self-sabotage told him he didn't deserve it, he didn't deserve her. His hair fell messily over his face as he dropped his head breaking their gaze.
Korra watched as he fucked her, his modest length disappearing inside her before appearing again as he backstroked. Compared to Mako, Tahno was lacking in size but made up for it in technique. He knew just how to angle his hips and pace his rhythm to simulate all the right places. He was learning her body increasingly well, following her orders and executing them perfectly.
Korra's hands clawed down his back as she cried out desperately. "You're so good..." She breathed encouragingly. "Don't stop..."
He collapsed against her chest and she hugged him close. This new angle allowing his cock to drive deeper than before. He worked his way to the base of his shaft in short strides as his orgasm drew closer.
"Oh yes.." He cried. "Korra ohh..."
He buried his face in her neck relishing in her warmth. Korra's arms wrapped around his torso was more foreign a form of intimacy than the sex was. Tahno couldn't remember the last time someone held him like this and actually meant it. How welcoming it felt for someone to actually want him for him and not just a random fling.
Korra truly broke down the blockade he took so many years to build up and nestled a little spot in his heart reserved just for her. That soft place had always been there as their friendship formed but now it sprouted into something more.
His body shivered as her muscles clenched, tightening her walls around his shaft.
"hmmm.." She mewled. Her hands caressed his shoulders, dragging over his muscles tenderly. She arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest in an attempt to form their bodies as close as possible.
He kissed the bend of her neck graciously, a silent thank you for giving him this experience and igniting a small glimmer of hope that he could possibly let someone in again despite the fear of getting hurt and betrayed like he had been in the past. Korra was so special to him, but he felt the need to tread lightly now or he'd end up just as hooked as Mako was.
xxx
Korra fished under the bed for her phone and found the dreaded device. She stood up and debated whether or not to turn it on.
She got dressed in the shirt and pants Tahno let her borrow and headed out. As she walked out of the guest bedroom with her dress in hand Tahno met her at the bottom of the steps.
"ready princess?" He spoke.
Korra groaned, "No I'm not." She approached him and laid her head on his chest, "But thank you anyway, I don't deserve you."
"Good to hear you acknowledge it." He laughed. Tahno glanced down at her phone for a moment, his expression a bit more serious. "You should call him."
Korra stepped back, her face falling into a pout. "Where did that come from?"
Tahno began walking toward his front door, "You can't hide forever. Like I said just be honest. He deserves to know how you feel right?" As he reached for his door the bell rung followed by several knocks.
They both froze looking at one another with the same thought in mind. Korra didn't move, holding her phone to her chest nervously. Tahno took a second to collect himself and act as casual as possible. He flipped his hair out of his face and opened his door.
The cold breeze blew into his loft as Mako stood at the doorstep. His leather jacket on and hands casually in his pockets. He cleared his throat and looked at Tahno gravely.
"Hey...Is Korra here?"