Control

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One of the things I wrote for fandom_stocking. This one was for yabamena. It's Korra/Tahno from the Legend of Korra, which we both just discovered we can't get enough of. I guess there are spoilers for relatively midway through the season and minor speculation before it goes (unfortunately) AU.

Korra's not really in control when she gives Tahno back his bending, but then, when is she ever in control? She's got her feelings about everything Amon-related firmly tamped down as she removes the block on Tahno's bending, just like she did for Chief Beifong. But they're there sizzling under the surface when she touches Tahno, and for a second she wonders why the little jolt she feels when they touch isn't anything like when she touched any of the others who had their bending taken away. She writes it off as her simmering temper, and doesn't notice the way Tahno's eyes linger on her as she moves onto the next person.

A few days later, Tahno shows up, that stupid hair of his still hanging in his face, and Korra can't help noticing how he looks so much better than when she saw him about to be interrogated on how Amon took his bending away. His confidence is back, his shoulders straight and his smirk like it never left. He leans against the doorjamb and in that deep and smooth voice of his, he asks her to train with him.

Korra's shocked at first. When he still had his bending, they were rivals, Wolfbat versus Fire Ferret. Why would he want to training with her?

"You're the Avatar, Korra. Who wouldn't want train with the Avatar?"

Korra can't turn him down. He's one of the best waterbenders she's ever met outside of Katara, slinging ice and water interchangeably with ease. He's not as good as he used to be though, she notices right off the bat. It's like he has to relearn some of his best tricks after not having his bending for a while.

It frustrates him at first. That's hard to tell because when he's frustrated, things ice over and he goes still and silent,. It's so different from how she rages and yells and shoots fire from her fingers when she's angry. She's a waterbender, sure, but she's got the heated temper of a firebender and that's what makes their training sessions interesting.

Some days they go head to head, water to water, ice to ice. Some days she doesn't waterbend at all, using fire instead forcing him to douse her flames, ice them over, cool her down while building his strength.

By the end of it, they're usually both sweating, his eyeliner has started to run, and he's dabbing at his face with a clean cloth so he doesn't look like, well, a fire ferret. It's when he decides to stop wearing it to practice that she realizes that she likes it on him.

So he starts to wear it again and learns to divide his attention, keeping himself cool, while keeping his water strong and cold enough to fight her flames. She enjoys training with him so much, she doesn't realizes how much time she's spending with him and not with Mako, Bolin, or Asami.

It doesn't take long before Tahno starts using some of those illegal moves he'd used to win the probending tournament. The memory of the loss, of the cheating, still chafes at Korra and in seconds, she's in his face about it.

He's right back in hers, smug and overconfident and Korra wants to punch him with her fiery fists, but that's not all she wants to do and that's what actually stays her tongue for once. Tahno's trademark smirk is on his face but it doesn't match the expression in his eyes Korra surprises herself, taking a step back and calling training over early.

The next few days it's the same thing and they find something else to bicker about. If it's not one thing it's another and it's not long before their bending fights starts to include some physical moves as well. Tahno catches the punch Korra throws, but is caught by the long sweep of her legs. When he goes down, he takes her with him and they both land on training mats, Tahno first, then Korra atop him. The fists and fire and water have all stopped flying and Korra's staring down into Tahno's face that for once isn't remotely smug. It's strangely open and that stupidly fair skin of his (what kind of waterbender is that pale anyway?) is slightly flushed. Korra doesn't even know what she's doing as she lowers her head but it's okay because Tahno doesn't either and he's raising his to meet hers.

When their lips meet that tingle's back and Korra realizes it's nothing to do with her anger at Amon and everything to do with feelings for Tahno she can't even believe she has. She growls into the kiss and Tahno laughs just a little, deep and rumbling, like he understands just why she's growling.

She bites his lips, he sucks on hers and suddenly their training session is nothing of the sort. It's a revelation, it's insane, and Korra doesn't care. His fingers reach up and tug out her hair tie, then thread in her hair, and her hands brace against his chest only a moment before one steals upward to figure out if his hair's really as silky as it looks.

It is and the sound he lets out makes it clear he likes her fingers in his hair so she wraps that stupid part in the front around her fingers and gives it a tug as his hands smooth down her back. It's not where either of them expected it to go but one thing you do with ease when you're a waterbender is go with the flow.

So that's what they do. Sometimes they actually get some training in first but more often than not it's cut short by a suggestive look, a sideways comment, or a shove just a little too hard.

It's just another kind of loss of control but losing it there with him means Korra gains it elsewhere, if her improving airbending is any indication. It helps that despite his appearance, his control's as thin as hers. But when they're locked in combat or in something else, neither of them really cares who's got more control.