Featuring a tiny cameo by Hiroshi Sato! I only mention it because it would be incredibly easy to miss otherwise, but it made me laugh and I wanted to share with you all.

It was easy to tell myself that I could afford a break. I'd earned almost a quarter of the money after only two days on the streets, and with just a little more luck we'd be able to pay the fees for the tournament. I just tried to forget how that money had come to me. Amon had been unnerving even when I hadn't known who he was, and he was terrifying now. He knew where to find me and hadn't been content to just have me once. If he wanted me again, he'd be back for me, and I wasn't at all certain he'd take no for an answer. I'd seen what he nearly did to Bolin, and it was impossible to shake the feeling that every touch would be the one that took my bending.

It was even more difficult to force myself to go to work when I knew Asami was waiting for me. I'd never known someone like her before. It was easy enough to go through the motions of sex and fake emotion for the people who wanted it, but I'd never felt the urge to pull someone in for a spontaneous kiss, or to put my arm around their shoulder and hold them close just to know they were there. I wanted to spend every moment where I wasn't training with her, and it hadn't been easy to say that I couldn't afford to lose much work time. She smiled and assured me it was fine, but I was careful to avoid any particulars about my job. It was better for her not to know.

For the first few days I was sick to my stomach, fretting that someone would look past the cheap rouge and recognize me as Asami Sato's new companion. I had to smile and posture for the men and women who came down our street looking to hire a warm body, but I spent most of my time keeping an eye out for any sign of Asami or Amon. I wasn't sure which I dreaded more, but nothing happened.

Work continued without interruption, and things became easier the more people I followed back to their homes. There was the older woman draped in pearls and gems, trying gamely to hide the beginnings of wrinkles under heavy layers of makeup. There was the pudgy, richly-dressed businessman with grey-streaked hair and little round glasses. I remembered a time when I'd been reluctant to go with so many clients in so little time, but now it was just business. I was never able to charge as much as I did with Amon, but the money came steadily in and the stash of yuans hidden under our floorboards grew larger and larger.

It had been long enough that I'd forgotten to worry. It was just another day and I'd gotten an early start. Asami had been hinting that she wanted me to meet her father, and if everything went according to plan we'd be meeting him at his factories this evening and going to her house for a nice dinner. I needed to find a client early and get this over with. I had started to walk up toward the sleek Satomobile when I recognized the driver and felt my heart lurch. I had been careful to look for escape routes after the last time and began backing toward an alleyway before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop.

The driver called, "If you aren't free now, we can always just come by your home later."

I stopped and glared. "I'm allowed to say no to a customer."

"But can you afford to? You are working under a deadline, after all."

I stepped close and dropped my voice, hissing, "I can do this on my own. I don't need your money."

There was movement from behind the driver, and Amon leaned over his Lieutenant's shoulder. "Name your price."

" You don't need me. You could hire any man on this street, and they'd be glad to have you."

I could hear the smile in his voice. "Oh, but I have very particular requirements. I'm looking for a firebender with an earthbending younger brother, and who has been seen of late courting the young Miss Sato-"

"Stop. Just stop. Why do you need me?"

"I don't need you, but I want you. Come, boy, you've seen what I can afford to spend and if you can't pay your fees soon, I'm afraid that pro-bending tournament will slip away from you. Tell me, how soon do they expect you to come up with the money? Name your price."

I shuddered. Why would he go through the trouble of learning so much about me? "Fifty thousand yuans."

He laughed long and hard. "No. I'll pay you five thousand again, and you can be the one who decides to walk away from that much money. Can you do that? Will you throw away your future because there's one man in the city you won't whore yourself out to?"

Even if he'd already paid me that much once before, the amount still took my breath away. There had been a time when Bolin and I could have lived on that much money for a year. That much would take us over halfway to what we needed. I'd known it would take luck to earn the thirty thousand yuans in time and as much as I wanted to say no and leave- this was the last piece of luck I'd needed.

"Well?" the driver growled, but Amon held up a hand to silence him.

"I don't trust you."

"Please. I could have done whatever I wanted long ago. They would have found you lying unconscious in the gutter without your bending. You're safe with me" He spread his arms wide. "This is nothing but a business transaction."

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. "I'll do it."

The ride was quiet and uncomfortable. I expected something like our first meeting in the Satomobile and tried to move to get things over with, but Amon stopped me. We sat silently watching each other as his Lieutenant drove through the tight streets and alleys, finally coming to a stop in front of an unfamiliar building.

"This isn't where you took me before."

"Of course not. You've been hired by the most-wanted criminal in Republic City. Did you think I stayed put in my home, just waiting for any nosy bender to stumble across me?"

As before, the Lieutenant led me up narrow stairwells and down hallways until he finally stopped in at an unremarkable door and ushered me inside. I hardly had a chance to get my bearings before I heard Amon step in and close the door behind him.

"Now, boy. Mako." I flinched at the sound of my name. "I was generous last time, but this time I expect you to give me a performance that worthy of the price you charge."

"Wh-"

"This is not a race to see how fast you can get me to come so you can take the money and go running back to your little society lady. I will pay you all five thousand yuans if you satisfy me, but if you can't do any better than before, I'll be holding onto a good part of that money."

"That's not what you agreed to!"

He shrugged. "No. But what can you do about it? Do you honestly think you would win in a fight between us? All I want is what I've already agreed to pay for."

I took a step back as he advanced. "I don't know what you mean. I did my best for you."

I ran into the edge of the bed and took a quick look behind me as he closed the distance between us and laughed. "I don't believe that for a second, Mako. If your 'best' is that flat and cold, I'd never expect you to hold a young lady's interest. Tell me, does Miss Sato appreciate it when you won't even look into her eyes? How about when you glare at her when you think she's not looking?"

"That's different. You can't expect me to forget what you've done."

"Mm." He ran a slow finger down my chest, over my stomach, then caressed me through my pants. "Do you let her touch you?"

"That- That's not-!"

He threw his head back and laughed. "So innocent! Selling yourself on the streets and you're blushing like a child." He rubbed me harder. More insistently. "Mako, you are going to come for me."

"No! I don't want to-"

His hand left me and I breathed a momentarily sigh of relief. Then I felt his thumb against my forehead. "I could always touch you like this." I struck wildly at him, but he leaned back and easily avoided the flames. "Mako, Mako. I'm a customer. Let us be generous and say that I've paid for nothing but a single orgasm. I want it to be yours."

"But why?"

His hands were moving over me again. "Do you really need to know that? Am I sitting here asking why a nice young man like you is whoring himself out to the highest bidder?'

"You don't need to ask. You clearly know everything about my life already."

"True, true. Consider, though- I will pay you five thousand yuans if and only if you satisfy me. Right now, I think that all that I want to pay for is to see you struggle against it. Seeing you helpless as you tried to resist me, seeing you shake as you came under my hands. Red in the face, gasping for breath as you came all over yourself, unable to fight any longer."

I tried to think as he slid my shirt up over my chest. There- there was the money. I couldn't forget that. But no matter what I did for other people, this had always been mine. If I just made them come, I could leave. That had always been all I could handle. Even for five thousand yuans, could I say yes? Would he let me say no?

In the end I said nothing at all. It hardly seemed like this was happening to me. It was like I was a third person watching from the outside as he slowly eased my shirt over my head, undid my belt and slipped a hand into my pants. I hadn't expected his hands to be so gentle. His fingers ghosted over me, a feather-light touch I could barely feel. I had hoped he'd move on and take me quickly, but the minutes dragged by as we stood there, him barely touching me.

I was hard by then, and it was difficult to remember that I wasn't supposed to be enjoying this. After all the soft touches, it was a shock when his hands became more demanding. His thumb pressed against the tip of my cock, and a small gasp escaped me.

"You like that don't you, Mako?" I mouthed 'no' and tried to shake my head, and all of a sudden he jerked my pants down over my hips. "Perhaps you don't, but your cock certainly does. Look at it, standing up and just begging me to touch it more. Even if you won't say it out loud, I know you want me." He took me into his hands again. "Will you be telling your pretty little lady about this later?"

"She has nothing to do with this-"

"Of course, of course. I'm sure she thinks you work some lovely honest job and bring home your honest wages. A girl like her would never guess she was with a boy whoring himself out to the most dangerous man in the city." His fingers tightened on my balls as he spoke, and I clutched helplessly at his arms.

He laughed at the look on my face, but his touch grew lighter again. He brought his hands up to my shoulders, pressing me down onto the bed. This was more familiar territory. If he would only cooperate, things could move faster from this point to the end. I edged into the center of the bed and lay back with my legs spread wide. I reached a hand out to Amon as he settled beside me and as he settled down over me, I thought I had control again.

"Oh, no. I'm afraid you won't escape so easily, Mako."

"Stop using my name!"

"Mm, I don't think I will. I rather like the way you react to it." I took his hand and moved it back toward my cock, but he trailed it down over my thigh and back up over my chest, never once touching me where I needed to be touched. He sighed, "So shameless. You can't even take a little break before you need my hands on you again?"

"That's not-"

He lifted the edge of his mask just enough for a glimpse of ugly red scars before he lowered his mouth to my chest. It was difficult to ignore the feeling of the twisted scar tissue against my skin, but it was impossible not to react to the teeth and the wet tongue. As he bit me, there was smallest little noise came from the back of my throat. He didn't say a word, but I could feel him smile.

He was distracted, and as I watched him move I had a horrible, awful, stupid idea. First I carefully tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him close to me. I ran my hand up the back of his head until I bumped into the edge of the porcelain mask, then back down to the base of his neck. Then, slowly, slowly, I edged toward the cord that held his mask in place. I was almost there when his hand shot up and grabbed my risk. When his head lifted, his eyes were angry and his voice was cold.

"You aren't as much of a fool as you act, Mako. You have a great deal more to lose than I do, and I promise you would regret it until your dying breath, which could easily come in the very near future. You will not recieve a second warning."

His grip tightened. I could feel the bones of my wrist grind together and gasped, "I won't-"

He patted me on the cheek. "Wonderful. Now just lie there and be a good little whore for me."

As he stretched out along my body, I could feel his cock nudging against my hip through the fabric of his pants. I eased one of my legs between his and pressed it up against him. He ground down against me, slipping one of his own legs forward to brush against my cock. I was so hard, and as much as I disliked this, that contact was a wonderful relief. He rocked forward against me, setting a tortuously slow pace as he dropped bites and kisses over my chest and neck.

I blindly fumbled with his belt and pants. He'd agreed that he'd paid for one orgasm. If I could only make him come first, perhaps he'd let me leave. He let me do what I wanted until I'd pushed his pants down around his thighs, but then he grabbed my hands and pinned them over my head as he continued grinding against me. His cock left damp trails over my skin as he thrust against me, and some distant part of me was aware that my cock was dripping just as badly. He probably could have brought me over the edge just like that, but just when I realized that I was almost ready to come,he pulled back and sat down on the bed, just watching me. I opened my mouth to protest, then thought better of it, but I could practically feel him smiling behind the mask.

"Did you have something to say, Mako?"

"No," I snapped.

"Of course. I just thought you were about to beg me to touch you again."

My cheeks must have been bright red, but I glared at him. "You're the one who wants to make me come. Why not just get on with it?"

He sighed. "So very impatient. I certainly hope you don't treat Miss Sato this way."

I started to turn over onto hands and knees, but he held up a hand to stop me. I waited impatiently for him to say something, but he began slowly stripping off every piece of his clothing, folding it, and dropping it onto a neat pile on the floor. Finally, I said, "Well?"

"I'm paying for your services, aren't I? It might be easier for you to fuck me without all this in the way."

"Hold on. You want me to fuck you?"

He sighed again. "I don't believe I was unclear."

"But I didn't-"

"Didn't... what, exactly? Didn't plan on satisfying your customer? Didn't expect me to ask for something beyond what you wanted? Mako, I'm not so sure you have the best understanding of the whore-client relationship."

"Fine!" I shouted before pulling myself back under control. "Fine. Then get over here so I can just do it."

"Mako, Mako. I'm not someone who's made a career out of sleeping with strangers like you are. You'll have to prepare me first. Frankly, if you don't do a good job I don't think you'll deserve much of your payment."

I ground my teeth together and hoped my smile didn't seem too forced. "Whatever you want."

Amon reached into a small table beside the bed and pulled out a little bottle of clear liquid. He waved it teasingly in my face and said mockingly, "Remember, be gentle with me."

I tried to ignore him as I opened the bottle and poured lube over my fingers. Amon lay back against the pillows with his legs spread wide, watching me through the mask with half lidded eyes. I groaned. "Don't you want to do this from behind? It's easier."

"No, no, I think I want to see everything. Don't you fret, I'm sure you can handle it. You're a professional, aren't you?"

Just ignore him. Get it over with. I pushed the first finger in without much warning, but it didn't even get a noise out of him. I only moved it in and out a few times before adding the second. He didn't outwardly react, but sighed, "Oh dear, Mako, if this is your idea of gentle I do feel badly for your young lady."

"Stop talking about her!" Amon's back arched as I slid a third finger into him, and I thought I heard his breath catch. He laughed breathlessly as I scissored my fingers, stretching him as quickly as I could. His hand moved lazily over his own cock as I pulled back to pour lube over myself.

I entered him with one smooth motion and his hands reached up to grab my arms and pull me closer. I braced myself on my elbows, my forehead resting in the crook of his neck as I thrust in and out. He'd moved slowly, but it was my turn to set the pace. I began quickly and went faster and faster. It was easy to lose myself in him and with every movement I could feel his cock sliding against my stomach.

Amon's head was thrown back, and from this close I could hear his breathing getting ragged. At this point I probably would have been able to make him come and leave, but by now I needed to get off so badly it hurt. He was so tight around me and I only wanted to press myself closer to the warmth of his body-

It took me by surprise when he took one of my hands and slipped it between us. He wrapped my fingers around his cock and held me there. I moved up and down, my palm rubbing over the smooth skin of his cock's head as his hand rested on top of mine. When I smoothed a finger through the precum beading at his tip, he actually moaned.

It was almost too much. I could feel my breath catching as I tried to move even faster against him as I jacked him off. Once or twice he tried to say something, but he couldn't string the words together any more than I could have. Finally he came, shaking under me with his hands clinging to my shoulders. He tightened around me and that with the sight of him gasping for air was enough to send me over the edge. I bit down on my lip as I buried myself deep, collapsing on top of him as the aftershocks rocked through me.

We lay there for some minutes without moving or saying a word. This time, Amon was the first to leave the bed. As he began to unfold his clothing and dress, I remembered myself. It took him a while to pull on every layer and piece of armor, so I was dressed in my simple shirt, pants, and shoes before him. I sat on the bed waiting for to finish, until finally he stood and fetched his roll of money.

He slowly counted out bills, then looked up at me. "Three thousand was what we agreed on, was it not?"

"You said five!"

"Certainly, certainly."

I counted the money twice before hiding it safely away. Amon was still between me and the door and I cautiously stepped around him as I went to leave.

"I expect you'll be telling your rich young lady and your brother that you found work in the factories, then? If you need to find more money to pay for that tournament, you know where to find me. Or rather, I know how to find you." I glared at him and he laughed one last time. "Oh, you may hate me now, but just think! It will all be worth it when you bring home that tournament pot. I'll be seeing you, Mako."

I wanted badly to say something, but I had to remember that this was all for our future. It would be worth it. The Lieutenant was waiting for me in the hallway again. I followed him through the hallways down to the Satomobile. He began to drive me back to the pro-bending gym, but as soon as we were on a street I recognized I told him to stop and I could walk the rest of the way. By the look of the sun, it was still only early afternoon. There was still plenty of time to get home and clean up before Asami wanted me to come meet her father.