The winter wind is howling as the young Corporal pulls his coat tighter around his form. There are many ways to describe the routine he has chosen to undertake, but professional is not one of them. Tom-Tom clears his throat as the knowledge that what he is doing could indeed land him is deep trouble distantly makes him nervous.
Even though he is afraid of what his superiors might say (or do), Tom-Tom knows very well that he will not alter this course of action anytime soon. He has come to enjoy Tia's company; the young man smiles as he thinks of Tia. Her lips are the most beautiful pink he has ever seen and he would gladly get lost in the depths of her gaze if he had the chance. However, the thing he enjoys most is the way in which the girl touches his arm in thanks. The gesture is far more powerful and rewarding than he had ever thought possible.
Tom-Tom smiles a little as he pictures her smile. Hers is the most intoxicating, beautiful expression in the entire world. His cheeks fame a little as he tries to calm his racing heart. The young Corporal has had many dreams about her since her arrival to the prison. In actual reality, she has scarcely left his mind. The thought is somewhat intriguing to him as he considers his admiration for Tia.
He knows he should resent her, look upon her with disgust, like his comrades do. He should hate her, join in their ridiculing of the young woman. Alas, Tom-Tom cannot bring himself to think badly of the girl. Even as he is aware of the crime she has committed and the severity of her sins, he knows that he will never feel any hatred towards her.
Tom-Tom huddles the package he is carrying closer to himself. His stomach rumbles loudly as he does so. Dinnertime has long passed but he hasn't eaten. Instead, he has insisted that he undertake guard duty. There are two reasons for this. The first- he wants the opportunity to be away from his fellows so that he doesn't have to put up with their insults of Tia. The second- being on duty, he is alone and therefore has the right to eat alone. This allows his routine of saving his food for after his duty ends at precisely two in the morning, so that he can share it with Tia.
He nods at the young guard standing watch of this wing of the makeshift prison, which now houses only Tia. He hands the other him some gold coins as a gift; something to shut him up and allow himself time with the girl.
As usual, the man allows him a few hours and promising that he will tell no one, unlocks Tia's cell door. Tom-Tom knows he can trust this man for he is from the same platoon as him; although, the Corporal wouldn't call him a friend. He approaches Tia's cell and absently smoothes his hair with the palm of his hand, making sure he appears presentable.
When she sees him, a smile lights up her face and he is relieved for her joy to see him. He is no strangers to prostitutes, having hired one himself. He knows that they are masters at disguising their expressions to suit their customer's liking. Even though, he constantly convinces himself that she is indeed happy to see him. He smiles at Tia and takes a seat opposite her, closing the door behind him.
There are a million things he wants to tell her. He wants to inform her that a promotion is around the corner; that he might actually become a Sergeant if his behavior continues to be exemplary. He wants to tell her that he trusts her and wants her to trust him. He wants her to know how much he cares for her. Although, he does not say any of these to her.
Their relationship is built on unuttered understanding, trust and comfort. He unwraps the bread he has saved for her and dipping them in a bit of gravy from the stew he had saved, he warms the bread. He knows that she only gets plain and diluted porridge gruel twice daily. He knows that even though his food is far from royal, it is more appetizing that hers.
Tom-Tom passes her the bread and she pauses a moment. It is almost as if she is afraid. This disturbs him because he had thought that a week of interacting with this girl nightly would make her see him as more of a friend. Gently, the young man takes Tia's hand in his and notes the connection between them.
"Eat," he says. She takes the food from his hand and thanks him. Tom-Tom is pleased with her acceptance and smiles. He watches as she tears the slice of bread into half and offers it to him. As she eats, Tom-Tom stops and for the first time in their week together, he stares at her, in complete awe at the fortune he has of being this close to her. Tia's beauty, the way her hair is slightly messy, the way her bangs frame her features the way her small hands hold the food, it all makes him wonder how such a gorgeous person can exist.
Silently, he brushes her fringe to the back of her ear as she swallows the last bit of food and meets his gaze. His hand comes to hold the back of her neck. He is as gentle as humanly possible as he stares deep into her emerald gaze. Swallowing hard he admits to himself that he loves her.
Agni help me.
Her hand ghosts over his cheek and he leans in, pausing a mere centimeter from her lips, just enough for her to pull away if she so desires, even though, she doesn't. Instead, she closes the distance between them and kisses Tom-Tom. Tia's lips feels like heaven as he embraces her, sliding his tongue along the roof of her mouth as he deepens the kiss.
Her hands move from his face to his coat as she pulls it off him, then proceeds to work on the belt around his waist, and without much thought, removes it.
Tom-Tom doesn't really know how it happens, but their kissing quickly escalates to touching, feeling, tasting and finally, he finds himself making love to Tia. He doesn't know how to describe the pure euphoria that courses through him as he climaxes but he knows with surety that it is uncorrupted and sincere.
Afterward, as they lay naked beside each other, he wraps an arm around her and cuddles her closer. He knows that he loves her, and is more certain of this that anything, even though she cannot say the same.
Katara
X
"What are you doing here," the dread in my heart must be reflected on my face as I for the first time in a long time am more than fearful.
"I think I am in a position to ask you that very question," the smugness in this son of a bitch's tone is sickeningly condescending and I find my lips turn down at the sides. Spirits only know what this sick shit has in store for me. I try to play it cool as I step towards the carriage, ready to hop in when the opportunity arises. "Let me tell you a something," he says as he smirks. "We play the same game," he informs me.
"I don't know what you are talking about," I know I most definitely sound less than convincing but frankly, I am at a loss. "I just came here to get some fresh air," I answer as coolly as possible. This only serves to widen his disgusting smile.
"Fresh air?" he queries, mocking me. "In an abandoned industrial park?" he asks, falsely surprised. I cannot help the scowl that plays on my features. "I know you have killed many Katara. I'll let you in on a little secret… I have too, just like you," he says. "We are not all that different Katara. I think you'll find that we are actually very much alike," the way he likens me to him is almost unbearable.
"You see Kat; can I call you that?" he doesn't wait for my reply as he continues. "Kat… I'm certain you know what Tu Di Zhong is? I know you understand its teachings. We fight against oppression. Hey, we're the same, I want to kill them Fire bastards as much as you do," I shake my head, unable to fathom where this is going. "We'll make a good team," he tells me. "I admire your work. Bravo," he says and begins to clap. "I like the way you try to throw the police off your scent by using poison stigma."
"What do you want?" I cut to the chase because I know where this is going. Getting him to skip all his ostrich horse crap quickly would be the most intelligent thing to do. "Spit it out," I say, impatient.
"Well… I want you to kill for us," he announces, smirking. "And… you are going to service me, my needs, everything I want, whenever I want," he says. This time I really look at him. He is younger than I, probably in his early twenties or late teens. His skin is dirty and he smells like garbage and alcohol. I wonder where he's been to obtain such a hideous odor. "Now," he begins and unzips his pants, heading into the abandoned warehouse. "Do it," he tells me.
When I hesitate he laughs heartily. "Come on, what are you waiting for? It won't suck itself," he says. I am taken back in time, to when I first lost my virginity, to the sexual abuse I have endured over the years. Except, this is far worse. I close my eyes, aware that I am vulnerable as I do as he says. The filth in performing such acts on Mika doesn't wash off, no matter how hard I try.
X
By the time she reaches back to the brothel, she is spent. Zakai's body has been scattered all around the countryside, parts of it has been fed to wolfdogs, other parts have been thrown into the lake. His head, however, now sits in the abandoned Power Corp warehouse Mika has occupied. He has made the man's it a trophy of sorts.
Katara is not spent because of the fact that she had to dispose of a victim's body, instead she is totally shattered, physically, emotionally and psychologically from the sexual acts she was threatened into doing. Mika proved to be more of a beast than his mother. Katara closes her eyes as she recalls being told to do some obscene acts on Mika's person. The sick bastard even made her perform them on the dead body.
A shudder runs down Katara's spine as she thinks about the way she has insulted the poor man's memory. It is a first to her, she has never been this weak. Out of all the times she has been abused, this one stands out from them all.
With shaking hands, she pours herself a cup and tea. The jasmine calms her, and steadies the waves of discomfort in her bones. She doesn't like this feeling, doesn't like being used. She closes her eyes and tries to calm down.
A knock is heard and she is immediately on alert, ready to defend herself at all costs. When she opens the doors, the Colonel is standing in the doorway. Despite the chilly weather, the scarred man is not wearing a coat. His name is Zuko, she reminds herself as she smiles up at him. There is nervousness within as she fears his suspicion of her.
"Sir," she begins with uncertainty and he nods at her, bowing slightly.
"I'm afraid I left my coat here the other day… I didn't have the time to collect it," he tells her. There is a sense of gratefulness that this is not a visit to arrest her but merely one to collect his coat. "Do you have it?" he asks when she doesn't speak for a few heart beats. As he says this, he looks at her, eyes her form, the oceans of blue that are her eyes, the curve of her jaw, the red of her lips. The thing that stands out most, however, is the filth on her skin. The man suddenly finds a great need to do her something good.
He watches as she leaves him, heading into her chambers to retrieve his clothing. When she returns, he nods at her, taking the coat and pressing some money into her palm. She jerks back, her face burning as a look of shame crosses her features. Suddenly, he realizes that she must've misunderstood his intensions and rushes to make clear his stand; that he sees her as a person and not a sex toy.
"Would you," he begins, his face stern and unreadable. "Have dinner with me?" he asks. She looks at him as if she cannot comprehend his word and then, with trepidation and suspicion, she nods.
A/N: Review people! oooohhh! how do you all feel about the tom-tom/tia romance? i like it! and i'm happy that zuko and katara are going out for dinner! yay! *confetti* celebrate with me by reviewing! thanks for reading!