Notes: Guys, did you all really like that because that was one of the more unserious writings I've done….. I've come to the conclusion that everyone here is a closet Tahorra shipper and that we are all normal. Non-Tahno-loving people are weird. Hahahaha, but seriously, thank you for the support! I got almost 30 faves and 40 alerts! That's really nice of all of you!

I decided to split this into more parts instead of two. Maybe four or five or more, hmm. Sorta. I'm also trying to keep this K+, but maybe I'll make it T later. Meh.

And in response to Ladybearington's review, if you want to make fanart for this fic, that is totally awesome. If anyone else wants to make anything, you're free to do so, too! Just notify me on my tumblr (kaathiiee) or here and I can die of shameless appreciation for you. ;D (Also, follow fuckyeahtahorra on tumblr! This ship needs more love so if you guys have things to submit there, go ahead! Support this boat, you guisee.)

.

.

.

I make a move and spill my drink to break the tension
And I know you're never going to understand
But I would have let you leave

Static Waves – Andrew Belle

.

.

.

15&&20

The way she looked at him reminded Tahno of one of the few reasons in the list he made of why he shouldn't bother with pursuing Korra: because half the time he spent with her, she hated his guts—the other half, she seemed okay with having him around. He might have confused her with what he had just told her. No, he probably did confuse her with "Nothing she didn't already know."

"So," he muttered slowly, smoothly, trying to mend the awkwardness between them. "What's this supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" she snapped at him, her eyes matching the shade of a blue flame rather than the sea. Korra's hands gripped the side of her bed as she tried to calm herself. "It's not supposed to mean anything."

But clearly it didn't mean nothing. So Tahno decided to be a little more dauntless and took a careful step back to the bed. "You know, Korra, I am your best friend. You can tell me anything."

"Tahno, it doesn't mean anything," she said, her voice hitching as he neared her. Spirits, how she hated her hormones. "Really, it doesn't."

He bent his knees so that he could be at the same level as her. His gray eyes searched for something in her blue ones—anything that could give him a hint of what her fussing was about. "Really?"

Korra squeaked. "Really."

But he wasn't convinced. At all. He decided to tease her and leaned closer, the tips of their noses almost touching; all while not breaking eye contact with her. "Korra, you should know that you're a terrible liar."

Suddenly, she proved herself to be the most impulsive girl he's ever known by pushing herself off the bed, knocking them both on the cold floor, and sloppily planting her lips on his. He could immediately tell that she had never done this before, but her lack of experience made it even more amusing for him.

After momentarily being frozen, he relaxed, closed his eyes, and wound his arms over her waist, his fingers playing with the fur of her parka. Korra's hands made their way into the hair she was usually bent on burning; Tahno's chuckle reverberated from his throat, and Korra forced her lips harder on him. He didn't mind being under her or having her lead their kiss—she would probably slap him later on if he tried to take over, so he'd let her think she had control.

He noticed that her lips were chapped—it was probably because of how cold the whole damned place was—but when he licked her bottom lip, she pulled away and he saw how flushed her skin had gotten and how her blue eyes were wide with her own surprise at her actions.

"Spirits, I'm sorry—"

He slid his hand up her spine to the back of her neck and silenced her by kissing her forehead softly. Then, he chortled again. "You don't have to be, you silly little girl."

.

It became a little routine of theirs: after asking permission from both of her parents, they would run around the village until they lost the escorts from the Order of the White Lotus, and then they would head off beyond the edge of the village, to some remote spot Korra found a year before. Then, they'd just sit and maybe even hold hands on top of a snow hill they built together without any bending. (But Tahno may have cheated once or twice by adding a foot or two with his abilities.)

They would just stay still in the same spot for a good hour, exchanging stories about the past three years, about things they've missed out on. But it was mostly Korra that did the talking because Tahno insisted there was nothing in his life that she would be interested to know.

"Tahno, come on, there's nothing else I could possibly tell you!" Korra harrumphed, her eyes twitching. "It's like you're avoiding talking about yourself. What happened to Mister I-Am-So-Much-Better-Than-Everyone-Else-For-My-Name-Is-Tahno?"

"His ego was deflated along with his hair when a certain someone stole and hid his hair products," he said dejectedly, playing around with a ball of water in his hands.

"That wasn't me!"

"Only you would find it funny, Korra," he pointed out with a frown. Then, the side of his lips twitched up with an idea that passed his mind. "But I could forgive you if you put your hair down—"

Korra instantly reacted by grabbing the ends of her two front ponytails. "No."

"I think you look pretty when you take those ridiculous hairbands off."

"Pretty boy thinks I can be pretty?" she chuckled, punching his arm lightly. "I'm not going to compliment you back, if that's what you were trying at."

Tahno laughed along and snaked an arm around Korra's waist to pull her to him. "Wouldn't dream of it, Miss Uh-vatar. Besides, you already think I'm pretty, no?"

The young Avatar's cheeks visibly reddened at his obvious flirting, and as much as she liked him, she didn't want him to know that he could fluster her with whatever string of words he spews out from that damned mouth of his. Which knew just how to kiss her. And she just hated him for it. "Don't push your luck with me, Tah-no."

He shrugged noncommittally and pushed one of her ponytails back so that he could plant a soft peck on her cheek. Then, he whispered into her ear, "Still doesn't mean anything to you, Kor-ra?"

She smiled and leaned back into his chest. Korra still didn't know what to do with the stone he gave her, but she was technically too young to have it anyway. She'd wait another year, then maybe she'd consider it. (But she'd most likely say yes because it was Tahno and she thought she loved him.) "Of course not."

Not yet, anyway.

.

"Stop going easy on me!" Korra screamed while dodging the ball of water aimed at her midsection. "What part of 'I'm the Avatar' do you not get? I'm sure I can handle anything you throw at me, pretty boy!"

Tahno grinned and lazily threw another ball of water he bent from the snow while avoiding Korra's whips. "Because you've never beaten me before in sparring, little girl. And it spares me from hitting your little pretty face, too."

Korra gritted her teeth and released her hold on the water, letting it fall back down to the snow. "You're no fun at all," she informed him with a pout. Tahno soon also relaxed from his stance and stood with his hand on his hip, a smirk plastered onto his face. Korra continued to observe him and tried to accept how much of an adult he was—compared to her, at least.

She also noticed how different he moved. He had always intrigued her by his style of fighting, how modern it was compared to the traditional teachings of her masters and trainers, but now it was all changed. He was much more agile and graceful, but he seemed to limit himself with where he would bend his water from. It was all so strange, considering that at the swamp he was supposed to be surrounded by water, but…she just couldn't place why he would do that to himself.

If those old men from the Order told her she lacked restraint, Tahno clearly restrained himself too much. And she was pretty sure it wasn't because he didn't want to hit her.

"Is there a problem, Korra?" Tahno drawled, bored yet at the same time he seemed to be elated with her. "And don't say it's my face because I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be staring at me like that if it was a problem to you. Like what you see?"

She had to stop her jaw from completely falling to the ground at his audacity. Had he really just…flattered himself? Korra huffed indignantly and stomped on the snow before turning around. She was only mildly irritated at how egotistic he was, but that added to her frustration over not getting a proper sparring partner aggravated her even more.

Basically, she was having some mood swings and Tahno being Tahno wasn't helping.

Korra closed her eyes and broke into a run, but just after a few yards, she was knocked back into the ground when a wall of ice magically appeared. Why wasn't she surprised that he'd pull this off on her?

"Tahno!" she called, melting the ice in front of her. "Tahno, I hate you!"

When she heard his deep, guttural laugh behind her, she stood and whirled around to face him, ready to bend that stupid hair off his stupid head, but before Korra could raise her arms to at least splash some water on him, Tahno had both of her wrists in one hand while the other was cupping her cheek.

Suddenly aware of their closeness, she gulped too loudly for her own comfort. "Wha—What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm pretty sure that you don't hate me, sweetheart." He smiled slyly and leaned in closer, their foreheads touching. He closed his eyes when she did hers, and released his hold on her wrists, sliding his hand down to entwine his fingers with hers. After a few beats, he breathed out, "Don't worry, Korra. I don't hate you, too."

.

She was in love. At least, she thought she did. Katara told her enough stories about Aang and herself, and Korra liked to think that what she felt for Tahno was something akin to what her master had with her former reincarnation. There was always that warmth that pooled in her stomach whenever he kissed her—and whenever he kissed her, her eyes would flutter, her heartbeat would go faster; her toes would curl up. Basically, he made her feel giddy, like the female teenager she was supposed to be.

She loved Tahno.

Somehow that thought sit well with her. She couldn't really imagine being with anyone else—but then, she's never really met anyone else. Tahno was technically her only friend. The thought of suddenly meeting other people scared her. What if she meets someone else when she travels around the world to perform her Avatar duties? In Ba Sing Se? In the North Pole? In Republic City?

Her mother poked her shoulder, and Korra snapped from her trance. She saw that her parents were looking at her with worry while Tahno gave her a look that was mocking yet at the same time concerned. (Weird.)

"Korra, honey," Senna said carefully, not wanting to agitate her daughter somehow. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no," the Avatar tried to laugh off, waving the chopsticks she had in her hands. Then, she settled them back down into her bowl of noodles. "I was just thinking of the compound. I have to return tomorrow, and—you guys might think I'm insane, but I actually miss that place. Hahaha!" Her laugh had sounded terribly awkward, and Korra cursed herself for not being good at making cover stories for herself.

Tonraq and Senna gave her knowing smiles. She took a slurp from her bowl and forced the soup down her throat, ignoring that it slightly scalded her tongue.

"Tahno, you're going back tomorrow, too, aren't you?" Tonraq asked, addressing the young man sitting in front of him. "Has it been two weeks already?"

"It seemed just like it was yesterday that I arrived at the docks," Tahno answered politely while tipping the glass of water to his lips. "And I think it was just a few days ago that Korra refused my friendship and threw glares at me—wait, no, that was five years ago."

Senna giggled and nudged her husband to laugh with her. "I remember you were just a young boy! You're a couple of inches taller now, but you're still unmistakably the same boy from the swamps to me," she told him with a wink. "Tahno, dear, you make me feel old."

Tahno clicked his tongue and smirked. "You, Senna? How could you feel like that when you could pass off as Korra's older sister?"

"If I didn't know better, Tahno," Tonraq started with one of his thick eyebrows raised inquisitively. "I'd think you were hitting on my wife."

The younger man in question gave a lopsided grin. "But you do know better."

Korra's parents turned their heads to face each other, and after nodding in acknowledgement of what their guest said, smiled fondly, approvingly of the other waterbender. Then, they turned to their daughter who was oblivious to their conversation. Korra was playing with her seaweed noodles, swirling them around with her wooden chopsticks while looking blankly at the bottom of her bowl.

All she could really think about was that he was going to leave tomorrow, and she didn't know what do.

.

Apparently, they weren't supposed to have the chance to say goodbye to one another, but after Korra threatened the ten sentries the Order of the White Lotus who were sent to get her, they let her delay her return to the compound for one trip to the docks. Her parents were walking ahead of them, while Tahno and Korra trudged the snow while in step with each other. They were standing closely to each other, and no matter how much they wanted to hold the other's hand, they knew they couldn't what with her escort's watching them.

Suddenly, he was smirking. And it wasn't his usual haughty grin which he bared when he wanted to point out her wrongs; it was something else entirely. As if he was confident in what he was doing or what he was thinking. Korra put on her pout and crossed her arms in front of her. Tahno saw this and asked, "Anything the matter, Avatar Korra?"

"I'd tell you it's your face, but that shouldn't faze you by now, should it?" Korra watched her breath fog with the cold temperature—not that it was a new sight, but because she didn't want to look at Tahno. Not when she just wants to tell him of how she feels and not when she wants to hear him tell her that he thinks they're meant for each other, too.

"You're funny," Tahno replied, bending his knees so that he was at level with her ears. He blew into it and smiled when she started blushed and squirmed but didn't make an attempt to chastise him for it. "Don't worry, little girl. I'll come back as soon as I can. And as soon as I'm sure you're free, too."

Korra nodded, not wanting to argue with his promise. They were in front of a giant trading ship—it was the first time in almost ten years that Korra's seen a ferry, and she was at a loss now that she realized that this was going to be her only way out of the South one day.

One day. With him. Because he had promised that to her back then.

"So, Tahno, you're going back to your grandmother, am I right?" Senna asked, hooking her arm with her husband's. "I've only visited Republic City once, and it's an amazing place—how lucky you are to live there, really!"

One day.

"Indeed," Tonraq encouraged with a smile. "And you're planning to win the pro-bending tournament this year again? That would make it your third win if you did, wouldn't it? That is an amazing feat, Tahno."

With him.

"Last call for all passengers!" a voice boomed from the speakers on the ship. "Again, last call for everyone boarding this boat to the city—"

Because he had promised that to her back then.

She started to back away from him, her eyebrows furrowed, trying to grasp the situation. So he did leave her behind?

"Korra, I can explain—"

"I don't think there's anything to explain—"

"No, you stubborn girl, if you'd just hear me out—"

"And I'm telling you that I don't want to hear it—"

Tahno turned on the heels of his boots to face her, dropping his bags in the process. He reached for her shoulders and shook her rather roughly. "Why are you so stubborn?"

Korra pried his hands away from her and continued to back up from him. "Why are you a liar?"

Before he could retort something in response, the sirens of the boat went off, signaling its departure. Tahno looked to Korra, who was looking away and clenching her fists. "Korra—"

"You should go, Tahno," she said, her voice as frigid as the waters before them. "Wouldn't want to leave your fabulous life in the city, would you?"

He breathed out and raised a hand to slide through his hair. The other hand picked up his fallen bag, and he started to walk to the precipice of the dock, heavy heart in tow.

He only looked back once. "Goodbye, then, Uh-vatar."

.

.

.

Leave a review? :3