This fic contains some fucked-up shit that probably should be warned for, and prostitute!Tahno. This is your warning.

Prologue

Tahno sized up the crowd of attractive ladies, and picked the two he thought were prettiest to come sit with him. They giggled with excitement.

"I hate you," Shaozu said. "Leave some pussy for the rest of us."

"There's plenty left," Tahno said, gesturing at their adoring fans. "Stick with me, and you'll never have to go to bed alone."

"Yeah, your sloppy seconds. Is there anyone in that crowd you haven't had yet?"

Tahno looked at the crowd thoughtfully. "Can't remember. It all kind of blurs together after a while."

One of the girls had a hand on his inner thigh, and was sliding it up to his groin. He surreptitiously slid it back down to his knee, flashing her a tight smile.

They toasted to the Wolfbats, and Tahno drank a little rice wine, though he never overdid it. He liked to stay alert and in control. He did his best to get the two girls drunk, though. The drunker the better, as far as he was concerned. Though this did have the side-effect of making them handsier with him, he wore it like a badge of honor so long as it was above the table.

After dinner, he brought the two girls, giggling and stumbling, back to his room. They both started taking their clothes off, and one started undoing Tahno's shirt. He allowed this.

"Say, you know what would really turn me on?" he said to them. "If you totally started going to town on each other."

The girls giggled, and shyly started kissing each other. He watched, and pretended to touch himself when they glanced at him. The sad thing was that he did have an erection, but he didn't really want anything touching it right now. "Keep going, that's really hot," he encouraged.

They continued, their kisses getting sloppier. They lay down on the bed, and one of them started licking and kissing the other all over, but she stopped abruptly.

"Something wrong?" Tahno asked.

"She's asleep."

Good, one down. "What a shame. Well, do you want to rest a bit too, and maybe start again when she wakes up?"

"Actually, I had something better in mind," she said, going up to him and kissing him. He was unresponsive. Undeterred, she slid a hand down his pants, touching his erection.

The change that came over Tahno was sudden. It was like the room had suddenly gotten ten degrees colder. He pulled her hand out of his pants. "Get out."

"What? But—"

"Tell your friends we had sex. I was great," he said, smiling poisonously. "That's what you want, isn't it? Bragging rights? Well, I won't contradict you. You and I, we had a great time." His fingers were still tight around her wrist.

"You're hurting me."

He released her suddenly. "Sorry," he said, and it was actually genuine. "But please…just go."

She pulled on her clothes and took a few steps towards the door. "What about Jian?"

Tahno glanced at the girl sleeping in his bed. Jian? He hadn't caught her name. "She'll be fine. I assure you, I'll be a perfect gentleman," he said, a bit of bitterness in his voice.

"I don't get you, Tahno," the girl said, still not leaving. "I thought…I thought you wanted us." There were tears in her eyes. Great. "And you were hard…."

"Sorry, sweetie, I have a headache," Tahno said. "Goodbye," he said, with a mocking little wave.

When she was gone, he threw himself on the bed and breathed deeply. He glanced at the girl next to him. Hopefully she'd be out for a good long while. He'd probably wake up long before her. Enough time to leave her with a thank you note for a very good time and some flowers.

His door opened and he groaned. "Don't make me call security," he said. It was a bluff, of course—there was no security.

"It's just me, Tahno."

Tahno glanced up. "Good timing, Ming, I just got my pants back on," he said, making an effort to look as debauched as possible with his shirt open and a naked lady asleep on his bed.

"Can we talk alone for a bit?"

"Come here. Oh, don't worry about her, she won't be waking up for a while. Or walking for some time longer, I should think."

"Didn't you have two?"

Tahno shrugged. "The other one had saggy tits. I kicked her out."

Ming sat down on the bed next to him. "I've been thinking a bit, actually. I know you've had men in your bed occasionally…."

"Yes, if they're gorgeous enough. What of it?"

"I also talked with one of your groupies tonight who said you just kicked her out once she took her clothes off."

Tahno's eyebrow twitched. "Which one?"

"Do you do that a lot or something, Tahno?"

"Of course not, I just want to know which lying bitch is damaging my reputation."

Ming sighed. "I know, Tahno."

Tahno's heart beat faster. "What do you know, Ming?"

"You like men more, don't you?"

Tahno smirked coldly. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Ming."

"No, I do, Tahno. Because…because I'm the same way." He leaned in and kissed him. Tahno stiffly pushed him away.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Ming, us being teammates and all," Tahno said.

"What's wrong with being teammates with benefits?"

"It just never ends well. Look, if you want cock, there's plenty of fanboys out there. I'm your captain. Last thing I need is Shaozu saying I'm favoring you because you give me blowjobs."

"Shaozu never has to know about tonight."

"Thing about secrets is they don't stay secrets. Get some sleep, Ming, we have a match tomorrow."

Ming shrugged. "Refs are paid off. We could do it in our sleep."

"Yes, because refs who take bribes are always completely honorable in how they interpret those bribes. You never know when we're going to have to play for real. So go the fuck to sleep, and leave me alone. I'm ordering you, as your captain."

When he was finally left alone (or "alone," he thought ruefully, glancing again at the girl in his bed) Tahno took a deep breath, and ran his hands over his face. He was on top of the world, he told himself. The Wolfbat playboy, knee-deep in pussy, even the boys wanted him. Of course, people had always wanted to fuck him. He tried not to think of the days when he couldn't say no.

It was useful, being desired. Attraction was power. Sex could get him what he wanted.

He got out of bed and went to sleep on the couch instead. It wasn't like he was free of that life entirely. There were still people he had to fuck. His sponsors, who had saved him from the streets, gotten him into pro-bending when they saw him water-whip a customer who'd gotten rough. They took care of him, marketed him, bribed the refs and told him when to win and when to take a fall. Sometimes they wanted a little thanking for all their generosity.

Tahno didn't regret it, of course. He got a lot more than he gave. It was a good deal. It wasn't like when he'd fuck anyone for fifty yuans.

Ming, on the other hand, or girls like tonight's arm candy…they didn't offer him much of anything that he didn't already have.

Truth to be told, he enjoyed his time in the ring, even cheating to win, more than he'd ever enjoyed any sex. It was useful to be attractive, but it was so good to be good at something else, to be appreciated for a legitimate talent. He closed his eyes, playing out the next day's match in his mind's eye—the roar of the crowd, dancing around his opponents' obstacles, the feel of the water responding to his will, and finally slipped a tentative hand into his pants to quell that demanding erection.

1,000 Yuans

Korra had an extra bounce in her step, as if she could actually feel all the money burning a hole through her pocket.

Tenzin had finally gotten tired of having to buy her everything himself, and given her her allowance for the month. One thousand yuans. A whole thousand. A grand. Ten big ones. It had to last the month, of course, but considering food and shelter were already paid for, a thousand yuans was more than enough. She wouldn't spend it all in one day, but she could use some new clothes, for starters. Not that she was usually into stuff like that, but it never hurt to look sharp, right?

She was starting to realize that stores in Republic City actually closed in the evening, though, and her shopping trip might have to wait till the next day. She was just looking for a place to eat, when she realized she might be on the wrong end of town. She passed a store that looked like it was selling dresses, only to realize it was selling the girls.

Why would any girl ever sell that? she wondered. I'd rather live in a bush and just fish for my food.

She saw a man leaning against a streetlamp, who went up to another man who was passing by. She couldn't catch what was said, but didn't miss the bedroom look in the first man's eye, which the passerby was evidently not interested in. It took her a moment to realize, with the state he was in, but with a shock, Korra saw that the solicitor was Tahno.

Apparently he hadn't gone for the bush-and-fishing option, not that he looked like his current path was treating him much better. He'd lost weight since she'd last saw him, and was now worryingly thin, a look which did not complement the fine bone structure of his face. The makeup he'd caked on didn't quite hide the sallowness of his skin, and the liberal application of eyeliner was in no way making the dark circles under his eyes less noticeable. His hair hung lank and lifeless. In short, he looked like death warmed over.

"Tahno, is that…is that you?" she asked.

Tahno looked at her, and she saw the flicker of recognition swiftly followed by discomfort in his dull gray eyes. "Must have me confused with someone else, Uhvatar," he said.

"That is you. What are you doing here?"

"Working. What are you doing here? Looking for a good time?"

"N-no," Korra said. "Tahno, it doesn't have to be like this. I can help you."

"Just go get Amon for me, and get out of my face," he said. "I highly doubt Amon is selling himself on streetcorners, so you're in the wrong district."

"Look, I know we were never friends—"

"Good, now apply that knowledge."

"Tahno, please listen to me."

Tahno sighed heavily and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" Korra called, following him.

"To another streetcorner. One that doesn't have a preachy little girl on it," Tahno said.

"Tahno, wait, please. Just hear me out."

Tahno paused and stared her down. "My time is very valuable. Either buy me, or let me find someone who will."

Korra wavered. "How much?"

"One thousand yuans."

Her jaw dropped. "What? It can't cost that much!"

"Pick up prostitutes often, Uhvatar?" Tahno drawled.

"No, of course not, but…."

Tahno ran his hands seductively down his body. "I'm a celebrity, you know. A thousand yuans to ride the Wolfbat. Are you in or out?"

Pouting with determination, Korra pulled out the wad of money Tenzin had given her, and plunked it in Tahno's hands. His eyes widened briefly in astonishment, before the emotion was hidden away.

"Shoulda known you'd never back down from a challenge." He licked his lips in a way she found rather grotesque. "I'll make it worth your while. Come on, we'll go someplace private."

The 'someplace private' was, in fact, Tahno's apartment. It was small and dingy-looking, but the elegant furnishings testified to his former life of luxury. "This is where you live, huh?" Korra said. "You bring customers here?"

"It keeps expenses down," Tahno said.

"You could afford better for a thousand yuans a pop," Korra said.

"Well, I do have my drug habit to consider."

"You're kidding, right?"

Tahno smiled, and it was the fakest smile she'd ever seen. "Of course I am, darling."

The bed was surprisingly tidy. Somehow Korra had expected something stained and disgusting, but it was spotless. She sat down on it, and Tahno began taking his clothes off.

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Korra said. "I actually just wanted to talk."

Tahno let his shirt fall to the ground coyly. "A thousand yuans is an awful lot to pay for conversation."

"I know. But if it helps you…I mean, I figure it's better to get money from me than to have to…."

"I don't need your charity, honey." His pants came off, and Korra turned away, blushing.

"You paid for it, sweetheart, you can look."

Korra bit her lip and glanced. Tahno was stroking himself to hardness. She'd never really seen a man close up like that before. "And that goes…." she said hesitantly.

"It's yours, it goes wherever you want it to."

"Back in your pants," she said.

Tahno half-smiled. "Oh, baby, that's no fun." He knelt before her on the floor by the bed. "It's okay if you're inexperienced. I can help you start."

"It doesn't have to be like this," Korra said again. "There are people who are willing to help you. You can come to Air—" Tahno cut her off with a kiss. It was a much better kiss than she would have expected, and in spite of herself, she found herself kissing back. He really was a lot better than this than Mako.

"Usually kissing's extra, but I'll make an exception for you," Tahno said. He kissed her neck, finding a sensitive spot she'd never known she'd had, and oh, that should be illegal. Heat pooled at her groin, and she found it harder to think clearly.

"Stop," she said, and reluctantly, Tahno did.

"Come to Air Temple Island with me."

"If Councilman Tenzin wants my services, he can come here same as everyone else," Tahno said. "He wouldn't be my first Councilman."

Korra tried not to think about which other members of the council might have found their way into this very bed. She hoped not Tarrlok. "You'll be given a place to stay, and food."

"In exchange for what?"

"Nothing."

"No deal. Nothing in life is free, dear Uhvatar, and I prefer the price I can see. As do you, apparently. You can get a lot of pleasure for a thousand yuans, you know. Let me show you." He lifted her shirt up to her underarms. She wasn't wearing anything underneath it. "You're very beautiful, you know," he said.

Korra found herself blushing again. "I bet you say that to all your customers."

"Probably. But this time I mean it. People who look like you don't usually pay for people like me." He let one hand slide down her body, and she shivered as his thumb brushed her nipple. She burned hotter. No, dammit, no. She jerked the hem of her shirt down.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"Because you paid me to, darling."

"No, I mean…why sell yourself at all? I'm sure there are other things you could do…."

"Take your shirt off."

"That's not an answer, Tahno."

"Take it off."

"Will you answer if I do?"

"Maybe."

With a sigh of exasperation, Korra pulled her shirt off.

"Now kiss me again," he said.

She reached for her shirt, to put it back on, but he put his hand gently over hers. "Just a kiss, Korra. I'll tell you then."

Korra hesitated, looking at him. He was still a mess, of course, but somehow she saw the beauty underneath it this time. He really did have a pretty face, for all that he'd done to it. She kissed him, barely more than a brush of her lips against his, but he quickly recaptured her lips, pulling her into another kiss, deeper.

"Because I'm good at it, Korra," he whispered in her ear. "Let me show you why this is the best profession for me." He slid a hand between her legs, touching her through her clothes, pressing rhythmically exactly where the pressure had been building. Korra wanted nothing more than to let him keep doing that. Instead she picked him up roughly by the shoulders, and threw him down on the bed.

Unperturbed, Tahno bucked his hips slightly, showing off his erect cock. "Go ahead. Take me."

"You don't really want this," Korra said.

"A thousand yuans says I do," he said. "Money gets me hard, Korra."

"That…that doesn't count. I mean, if there was no money involved, you wouldn't even be interested in me."

"But you're interested in me," he said. "I'm selling a service, and you've bought it. I'm consenting, Korra, it's okay." He picked up her hand, and put it on his chest, dragging it down to his belly. "You're allowed to touch me, you know."

He took his hand off hers, but she didn't move her hand off him. Instead, almost as if it had a mind of its own, she found her hand sliding steadily down. "This is wrong," she said. "This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to help you." Her fingers brushed his cock, and his breath caught.

"I appreciate your business. You are helping," he said. "And good deeds like this should have rewards, should they not?" He pulled her towards him, and started untying her waistband. "There's nothing wrong with you enjoying yourself a little while you give a fallen rival your support."

Korra let herself take a good, long look at his body. There was still something left of the lithe waterbender there, but he'd lost muscle mass, and didn't have much else left to lose. There were a few marks on him, a hickey on his neck that had been covered by his collar, and small round bruises on his inner thighs. He saw her looking there.

"If you want to put marks on me, that's extra," he said.

"What if I took them off? I'm a healer," Korra said.

"If it turns you on, I guess," he said. "But you still pay for any marks you make, even if you heal them afterward."

Korra went to the sink and got some water to coat her hands with. Tahno's expression as she came towards him again was unreadable. He winced as she put her hands on his bruises. It was such a tender area. When she started healing him, his lips parted with a little moan.

Somehow, it gave her a sense of superiority to have her hands inches from his throbbing cock, but not pay it any mind. She was here on a purely altruistic mission. And he wasn't getting her pants off, so he'd never know how wet she was.

"They're rough with you," she said. "And they don't pay you much. You've barely been eating."

"I can take care of myself, Uhvatar," he said.

"Apparently you can't. How long have you been doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He sneered at her. "I get what you like, now. You didn't get to humiliate me in the ring because I cheated, but now you've got your chance. Go on, then, rub it in. You're better than me, and I deserve this. It's okay. You've paid for the privilege."

Korra frowned. "How come I paid you a thousand yuans, but you're giving me everything but what I want?"

"I'm giving you everything I have, aren't I? I'm trying. I'm sorry if I can't satisfy you. Unfortunately there are no refunds."

She sighed. The bruises were healed, but…she could feel another injury in his chi flow, one that couldn't be seen. "Is it okay if I…." she said hesitantly, moving a hand further up his thigh.

"I've told you, honey, you can touch me anywhere. I'm yours for the night."

"Okay. This might feel a little strange," Korra said, sliding her water-coated fingers in his crack. At least he seemed to keep himself clean. He opened his legs and tilted his hips to give her better access, and she snaked the water inside.

"You don't understand very much about my life if you think things going inside my butt is going to feel str—" he started, but gasped when she began the healing.

"Is it okay? Does it hurt?" Korra asked.

His eyelids fluttered. "It's…a bit more than okay," he choked out. A few beads of liquid oozed from the tip of his cock. Korra might be physically innocent, but she did know the basic mechanics of sex, and was sure a few touches from her on his cock now would make him come. The thought aroused her almost unbearably, but that wasn't what she'd come here for. It would be cruel to take advantage of him like that. She had ethics, as a healer.

"I'm sorry," she said, when he was healed, letting the water flow out of him. "I just…didn't like the idea of you hurting there."

"Sorry," he repeated incredulously. "If you want to come by twice a week and do that…I'll give you a permanent discount."

"I don't want a discount," Korra said. "I'm not even attracted to you." She hoped she'd gotten better at lying at some point. "I'm surprised you wouldn't let me just do it for free. That's a better deal than any other healer would give you." And it would mean she could have another chance at talking sense into him after her thousand yuans were up.

"I'd need some compensation for the inevitable lectures you'd give me," Tahno said, apparently having recovered himself somewhat. "It's worse than what my usual customers do."

"Is it really?"

"I'm used to being fucked, Korra. I started doing this when I was thirteen."

"Thirteen," Korra repeated in shock. "I just thought you fell to this after Amon took your bending."

"Well, I didn't have far to fall, and I already knew the way," he said. "But my loss is your gain." He pulled himself up, kissing her neck again, and slid his way down to her breasts, where he found yet another spot under her breast that she had never known was so sensitive. How could he find things about her body in only a few minutes that she had never guessed were there in seventeen years? His tongue teased her nipple, and she couldn't help but squirm a bit in her seat.

"Stop being so good at this," Korra said.

He paused. "How would you like it, then? Should I be the blushing virgin? Should I seem frightened of you? That's what turns you on, the idea of me as a victim. Maybe we can pretend it's my first time." He grinned. "And then you could save me. Fuck me so well I won't ever want anyone else, and I'll come to Air Temple Island as your pet."

"Would you really come with me?"

"It's your fantasy. I could make you believe it for a few hours."

"You wouldn't be my pet."

"My food and shelter would be at your mercy, based on my ability to entertain you or make you feel sorry for me. At least with this job I get time off."

"You could be so much more than this."

"Yeah, I can be anything I want. A pro-bender, even," he said, and laughed. "What, did you think pro-bending was some lofty sport? Rich kids don't go into pro-bending. It's all controlled by organized crime for big money, and the players are all street rats who can't do anything better with their lives, petty thugs and beggars and whores. Most of the matches are fixed, didn't your captain tell you? We were all laughing at you, Uhvatar, treating pro-bending like some kind of game. You were the only one who was playing."

"You were happy, though," Korra said.

"And you hated my guts." He smirked. "What do you care about my happiness?"

"No one should have to live like this," Korra said.

"Well, thousands do, every day. There's a lot more miserable whores in this city, and some of them might actually welcome your help. Why am I your special charity case? Do you have any particular reason, or do you just jump into situations on a whim and expect them to work out?" He slid a hand into her pants, and she thought about stopping him, but something selfish in her that wanted to let him do it won. He started rubbing her, and her breath came faster. She could hardly believe she was letting a prostitute touch her, let alone Tahno, but it calmed the ache that had been building all night, and sent waves of pleasure through her. She saw the corner of his lip quirk up with satisfaction at her reaction.

His other hand wrapped around her body, running up and down her stomach and breasts. She leaned on his shoulder, letting the sensations wash over her. It was like he'd created some kind of alternate universe here in this apartment where things she would never do were suddenly expected and normal. She didn't know if what she was doing was wrong.

"I don't want to take advantage of you," she murmured. "I don't want to be like everyone else."

He kissed her cheek. "Shh, Korra. Just enjoy." His hand worked her faster, and her muscles tensed. She was breaking a sweat.

"You don't really want this," she said. "You're just trying to shut me up. Get rid of me."

He pressed harder. "And why does that turn you on so much, Uhvatar?"

"It doesn't—ah!"

"Could've fooled me."

"I'm just…frustrated, I guess," she panted. "I don't have a boyfriend or anything, and training with Mako all the time…."

"You could pretend I'm him if you want," Tahno purred in her ear.

For a moment she tried, and laughed. "Mako would never touch me like this." And he'd never be this good at it, either.

He stopped working her, and ran a finger down her slick folds. She was so wet she wouldn't be surprised if it had soaked all the way through her pants. Her neglected clitoris throbbed. "Why'd you stop?"

"Oh, now you like it," he said. "I thought you weren't going to take advantage of poor me, like all the others."

"Well, I did pay you my entire month's allowance," she said.

"See, that's the spirit." He explored her gently. "You really are a virgin," he said.

"Is that a problem?"

"If it isn't a problem for you, it isn't a problem for me."

"Have you ever…with a virgin before? A woman, I mean?"

"Yes. Not one so young, though." He pulled his hand out of her pants, and knelt again by her feet on the floor, taking off her boots. Then he started tugging her pants off, and Korra lifted her hips off the bed to allow it.

"What was she like?" Korra asked.

Tahno nibbled the inside of her thigh, and looked up at her thoughtfully. "Sad." He worked his way up, hovering over her crotch. "Grateful." He bent in to kiss her heated flesh, and Korra arched her back.

"Did you like it?"

"Mm-hmm," he hummed into her skin, and she jumped with the sudden pleasure. He licked and sucked at her, and Korra wound her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer, mashing his face into her. She looked down at his eyes peering up from between her legs, ice-gray and shadowed. Spasms of pleasure ran through her.

I'm using him…he'd never let me do this if he still had his bending. I'm as bad as Amon.

She came hard, tightening her thighs around his head, the guilt not far behind the pleasure. She went limp, something sick settling in her stomach.

Tahno wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, and licked his lips. He crept up her body, nibbling her stomach gently.

"You didn't have to," Korra insisted. "I would have paid you to do nothing."

"No," he said. "You made a mistake. You expected something I wasn't selling. There are some parts of me I don't sell, you know." He grinned at her, brittle and bitter. "But what I do sell isn't so bad, now is it?"

She sat up, and wrapped her fingers around his cock, still hard, the tip an angry red. "You didn't have much fun, did you?"

"I don't usually come with customers," he said. "I'm okay with that. Though what you did before with that water," he said his eyes fluttering shut as she stroked him timidly, "that was mean."

"I thought you said you'd give me a discount for it," she said.

"Yes," he said, leaning into her. "It felt good. Better than I have in weeks."

"But you're just going to go out and get it hurt again tomorrow night."

"Unless you have another thousand yuans, sweetheart."

"I thought I got a discount?"

A coy smile. "Eight hundred."

"You're not worth eight hundred. Look at you. I barely even recognized you." She ran her fingers along his ribs, and he shivered pleasantly. "And don't even get me started on whatever's happened to your face. How much do you really charge?"

"No refunds, Uhvatar. You bought it."

"I won't ask for any of it back. Just tell me the truth." She stopped stroking his cock, and he writhed, frustrated.

"Used to be fifty," he said. "Not as young anymore, or as pretty. And benders get a little weirded out by what Amon did to me…like it's contagious or something. Still, people loved to hate me, and they love seeing me choke on their cocks for cheating their favorite teams. So that's business. I can get forty most of the time." He gave her a sad smile. "So thirty for you, honey, if you do that thing with the water."

Her head reeled with how much she had overpaid, and she laughed. "You got to cheat me one last time, Tahno."

"Maybe I can make it worth a thousand yuans yet," he said. He reached in a basket by his bed, and drew out a condom, which he rolled on. Korra's eyes widened slightly in anxiety. "It's okay," he said. "I won't hurt you. Promise."

He kissed her again, and they went slower with it this time, getting into the rhythm of it, kissing for its own sake. She didn't think making out with a prostitute could be like this. Tender. Almost like he cared about her. But he did have an exorbitant fee to live up to, after all. He was selling her a fantasy. She had to remember that. And the more she bought into the fantasy, the further she got away from the real him, the person she'd come here to save.

His cock rubbed up against her folds, his hand guiding it. He made no attempt to penetrate her, just rocked back and forth, sliding over her clit with each stroke. She could feel the smooth heat of his flesh through the condom, and the need started building in her again.

As he moved to kiss her shoulders, his neck was exposed, and she saw the hickey there that she'd forgotten to heal before. No way was she getting up to get water from the sink now, but…she licked the spot, leaving it glistening, and brought her hand up to touch it. He moaned a bit in pleasure as she healed him, pushing harder against her slit. She didn't know who'd left a mark like that there, but she felt satisfied to see it disappear. Whoever they were, Tahno didn't belong to them. He didn't belong to anyone.

Tahno's fingers probed her, and this time she welcomed them. She felt so open and ready. His fingers came out sticky and dripping. "I'm about to ruin you for other men, Uhvatar," he whispered in her ear, pushing her over on the bed, and the tip of his cock pressed against her opening.

It hadn't seemed large before; if anything, she'd wondered if it would be sufficient for the wanting she felt inside her, but now that it was actually there, it seemed to take up all her awareness, blocking out everything else. It pressed into her, and it didn't hurt, but there was a slight burning as she was pried open. She was brimming, as full as she could stand, and it was almost too much.

"Does that feel good?" he asked, his thumb still rubbing over her clit, easing his way into her. She nodded, biting her lip. "Too fast?" he asked, and she shook her head. He took that cue to move a bit faster, and though Korra hadn't intended to give him the satisfaction of moaning, it was torn out of her.

"I thought it would hurt," she said breathlessly.

"Only if you have sex with idiots," he said. "I told you, I'm good at this."

"You're worth a lot more than forty yuans, that's for sure," she said.

"Not a thousand yet?" he asked. "Well, we'll see." He slid his hands under her hips, pulling her into a different angle, and suddenly he was hitting something inside her that was making her melt. He pumped hard in this position, sweat beading on his forehead, making his makeup run. Maybe it was just how good he was making her feel, but she found him more and more beautiful every minute—angles that had once seemed too sharp now seemed merely delicate, even the dark circles under his eyes only seemed to make his gaze smolder.

Korra took control, grabbing his shoulders and rolling him over, and Tahno went down without complaint. His hair fanned out on the sheet, and he looked up at her as she rode him. She'd have killed to know what he was really thinking right then, whether he hated her for this, or if she was in some twisted way managing to help him after all. His fingers found her clit again, and she bore down on him.

When he came, she felt the spasms inside her, and he curled up towards her, face twisted, before collapsing back down on the bed. Her own orgasm slammed into her at this sight, and she fell forward onto his chest, shaking.

For a moment, they struggled to catch their breath, his sharp ribs pressed against her breasts, their hearts hammering next to each other. The trembling of her orgasm didn't die down, though, and Korra's shoulders quaked. A sound came out of her mouth that might have started as a moan, but ended as a sob. Fat, hot tears spilled down her face.

Tahno was shaking a bit himself. He couldn't even get out of her, the way she had him pinned. "I…I'm sorry," he said. "I should have just told you to go…. What an awful way to have your first time. I'm sorry. I was spiteful."

Korra laughed through the tears, an angry laugh. "Was my first time awful…what was yours like, Tahno?"

"You don't want to hear about that."

"Maybe I do."

"Not even for a thousand yuans, Korra."

"Did you cry?"

"Of course I cried." He stroked her tangled hair. "And now I've made you cry."

She wrapped her arms around him. "I'm not crying for myself."

He said nothing, and in a few moments, she shifted off him and allowed him to dispose of the condom. He lay back down, and she nestled into his shoulder, her arm across his chest, still crying. "Do you think we can be friends now?" she asked.

"Until morning, if that's what you want," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I mean when you're not paid to care what I want."

"I don't think we have much in common these days, Uhvatar."

She choked on a sob. She'd done it after all. She'd used him and driven him away. She was just a customer to him now. Like all the others. Like the ones who had bruised him, like the ones who had made him cry. "I really wanted to help you," she said, her voice weak and wavering. "You didn't deserve this."

"Shh. Don't cry," he said, nuzzling her gently. "You'll only make me sad if you cry. It wasn't so bad, was it?"

Korra sniffed. "It was kind of amazing, actually."

"See," he said, and she looked up at him. His eyes were tired and sad. "No need to cry, then. You had a good time. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah," she murmured, wiping her nose on the back of her hand and resting her cheek on his shoulder again. She could feel his heart beat, steady and slow now. Tomorrow she wouldn't be able to. She didn't even have thirty yuans left, and she didn't think she could bear to tell Tenzin she'd spent it all on a prostitute. She'd just have to hope he didn't notice that she didn't seem to buy anything, and wait for next month.

"I'm sorry," she whispered one last time.

"Shh," Tahno said, and held her.

Korra woke up alone, still naked on Tahno's bed. She realized she'd fallen asleep with her ponytails in, and took them out, shaking out her wreck of a bedhead. "Tahno?" she called, sitting up.

On the bedstand there was a note. Thanks for the good time. Feel free to freshen up before you go. Please lock the door on your way out. There was a drawing of a rose in the bottom right corner. She traced it with her thumb, thinking of the hundreds of roses his adoring fans had thrown into the ring.

The note was a bit dog-eared. He must have used it before. She flipped it over, hoping for something personalized, but the other side was blank.

With a heavy sigh, she followed the instructions, cleaning herself up a bit and putting her clothes back on. She glanced at the stained sheets, wondering if she should just leave them like that, but decided he must have some kind of system for them.

She locked the door before closing it, as instructed, and felt tears burn at her eyes again as it clicked shut. How had whatever good intentions she'd had when she saw him on the streetcorner turned into this?

When she got out onto the street, she finally accepted that he wasn't waiting for her, and, with empty pockets and a heavy heart, started walking home.