AN: Just doing a disclaimer, I don't own Legend of Korra. The show belongs to its wonderful producers!
Tahno knew one thing for sure about not having bending: it was starting to get a little easier. There were still of course the looks of pity as people recognized him when he walked by, even when he no longer had the bags under his eyes and started to style his hair again. He hated, no, despised the way they looked at him. They had no idea how it felt to lose the most important aspect of their life that was a part of their every second.
The only one who didn't look at him like that anymore was Korra. She did at first when she saw him disheveled and at his worst, and he genuinely missed the fire in her eyes. Their competition was over. The playing field was destroyed. They were on different levels of skill.
He honestly missed it.
One night he walked over the docks just to experience the sound of the water splashing up against the shore and the boats rocking slightly to the current. Even though he could no longer control the water himself, he could still feel, or at least pretend to feel, the push and the pull of the waves. He didn't mean to see it at first, but he caught the activity on the shore of Air Temple Island. The waves splashing against the island were irregularly large and defied gravity, but beautiful. He couldn't see her, but he imagined that the water was flowing around her, circling her body, then splashing down into the bay again. It was then he knew that he wanted to watch her.
In the morning he learned how to style his hair without waterbending, proud of himself that he finally tamed his hair again. This time he didn't mind that he couldn't control the direction of the water spilling into the sink. As soon as he was out on the street he headed for the nearest flower shop and ordered a dozen white roses to be sent to her, specifically white ones to match his perception of her: purity in every way possible. Pure rage, pure style, pure boldness, pure beauty. The note he sent in it simply said "Thank you, Korra."
He also bought a single fire lily. No, he knew it did not compliment her appearance like the white flowers did, but it represented her beautiful, fiery personality. Tahno couldn't care less if people stared at him all day, but he refused to keep the flower out of plain sight. When the sun was finally setting, Tahno knew it was time to make his move. He had never manually rowed a boat before using ores, since even during his days back at the Foggy Swamp Camp he could just use his waterbending. But once he finally put the ores in his hands, they felt natural, and rowing the boat to Air Temple Island seemed to be just an ordinary part of his life.
What was a surprise to him was that Korra was not at the beach, nor were any White Lotus Guards. The lack of challenge and the lack of getting to see Korra in her element were slightly disappointing. He guided the boat to the edge of the beach where a tree was blocking the light of the moon, casting a shadow over his carefully placed escape route. Fire lily in hand, Tahno snuck around the complex looking for Korra, almost getting caught by a White Lotus Sentry patrolling the area once or twice.
He finally found her alone in the gazebo, her back facing him. Tahno wasn't sure if she was lost in thought or just couldn't hear the soft footsteps he was taking towards her. If he had his bending, he could see himself splashing the back of her head with the water from the puddle on the ground next to him. His voice would just have to suffice.
"You know, you're very easy to sneak up on. Shouldn't you be more aware of your surroundings, Uhvatar?" The way she tensed up and clenched the railing of the gazebo was enough to let him know that she had no clue he was there. Slowly she turned her head around to see him.
"Tahno?" Beautiful cerulean eyes met his, filled with fright, confusion and concern. Not the spark he wanted, but at least it wasn't pity. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't a guy just pay a nice evening visit to the Avatar?" he asked in his usual drawl.
"Not really." His smirk grew larger when her bright blue orbs finally displayed the fire he wanted to see.
"Well I just wanted to give you this to complete the bouquet I sent you this morning." He held out the fire lily for her to take. Korra looked as if she was contemplating actually taking it, but hesitated to.
"You sent me those flowers?"
"Yeah. I did."
"Why? Without a name?"
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
"Well, you should have written your name on the card."
"Why's that?"
"Because I burnt them." The matter-of-fact tone she stated that in wouldn't have fazed Tahno the jerk, and perhaps it would have fuelled his entertainment further, but the Tahno standing before her was visibly upset.
"Why?"
"Why? Because they could have been from an Equalist, or worse, Amon! I have to be careful about these things."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
Korra nearly gasped as she heard his confession. "Sorry isn't a word I thought you would ever say."
"That would be the old Tahno," he said as he finally stepped into the gazebo, only feet away from where she was leaning against the railing, her arms crossed over her chest.
"You certainly look like the old Tahno."
"Sure, on the outside. But on the inside, I'm a complete mess." Tahno was actually surprised he was able to keep the walls from crashing down this long. "Do you know what it's like to wake up in the morning and you turn on the faucet in the sink, but all you can do is listen to it pour out? Could you even imagine what it's like to know that no matter how long you've been standing there, staring at it fall, you'll never be able to control it again? It's like a lunar eclipse that will never end. I'm never going to have that again and it's tearing me apart."
The silence between them was deafening. Neither of them spoke, and even if Korra knew what to say, she wasn't sure if the words would be able to leave her lips. Her hand slowly started to reach out for his arm.
"But," he said, stopping her motion, freezing her hand in the air. "There's times when it doesn't bother me. When you'd think I'd want my bending back more than ever. But it's crazy, because those are the times that I don't care if I can bend or not. Do you know when those times are, Korra?" The only response he received from her was the dropping of her hand to her side. "It's when I see you."
"Me?" Her confusion was as clear as the sea when it looked as if she was about to fall on her backside. "Why me?"
"I like watching you bend. You're not a pro-bender at heart. You can do so much more. It reminds me of how beautiful waterbending really is." His steps carried him right into her personal space. His eyes never left hers as he took her right hand and placed the fire lily in it. Her fingers curled around the stem and she stared at the sight of their hands touching, the radiant lily looking up at her. "I'll never waterbend again, but maybe I can learn to live with that fact." Tahno lightly pressed his lips on Korra's forehead before spinning around and leaving the gazebo. Instead of reaching out for him, she clutched the flower tighter. "Don't burn this one, Uhvatar," he called over his shoulder.
All Korra did was watch his back as he left. In the end, she decided to let this one go unharmed.