Blue thunder god

26 and tired

[cobaltperun]

Main Masterlist

This will be the pinned post with all the masterlists from the blog, starting from Jenna/her character masterlist to every other fandom I end up writing for.

Jenna Ortega Masterlist

Current story count: 2 ongoing stories; 4 complete multi-chapter stories; 8 one-shots

Yellowjackets Masterlist

Current story count: 1 ongoing story

Marvel Masterlist

Current story count: 1 ongoing story

Other Stories Masterlist

Current story count: 1 ongoing story for Legend of Korra (Korra x Reader) 1 one-shot (For Elizabeth Olsen's character)

Incorrect quotes Masterlist

1 for MCU; 1 for Wednesday; 1 for Scream

New Year Resolution 2026 (just to see if I'll get it done when the year ends) (Progress on 700k words in 2026: 195.7k (31 chapters))

[cobaltperun]

Breathe Into Me (8) - Just Keep Breathing

Korra x Female Reader

Summary: A series of unfortunate events puts you in the position you never wished to be in; stuck on the Air Temple Island, guarding the Avatar. You'd be fine with it, if only it didn't force you to be around Tenzin, who had no idea you were his and Lin's daughter.

A/N: I know I usually use Korra gifs, but given the context, I might have to start using other character gifs when they work. 🤣

Masterlist / Part 7

Word Count: 5.2k

-Without the dark, the light won't show remember that you're not alone-

~X~ Y/N ~X~

Naga whining woke you up and you groaned, blinked a few times, your eyes adjusting to the dark. And then you noticed Korra wasn’t next to you. Your eyes snapped open, your heart racing yet again. “Korra?!” you jumped to your feet and looked behind you, seeing her looking out the window. “Nightmare again?” you asked, walking up to her on shaky feet, and leaning sideway against the wall next to her.

Korra nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “Sorry Naga woke you up,” she apologized, glancing back at Naga who just lowered her head. Though her tail kept wagging as she watched the two of you standing there.

“I want her to wake me up,” you said, taking a step closer to Korra. You recognized that look in Korra’s eyes, that same look you had once the adrenaline was gone and you had to come to terms with Fu being gone. She still had her bending, but that hardly mattered. “Korra,” you took her hand and slowly tugged, waiting for her to turn around and face you.

You placed your hands on the backs of her own, your thumbs brushing across her palms. “Could you firebend?” you asked, looking into her eyes and you felt her hands tensing for just one moment before she firebent a small flame between you. The flames illuminated the dark room, the gentle heat warming both of you.

“I know I still have my bending,” she muttered, looking at the flame. “Why am I like this? I got out, you got me out,” she berated herself and you watched as her brows furrowed, a scowl appearing on her face. The fire flickered, the small ball increasing in size before she sighed and reined it in.

“Physically,” you said as the flames went out and the room was once again only illuminated by moonlight. A part of you knew you should step outside, find Pema or call Lin, tell them Korra was safely back at the Air Temple Island. Another part of you didn’t want to even consider leaving Korra.

“A part of you will never leave that place,” you whispered, echoing the words Fu told you after the first time an operation went wrong. “Now it’s up to you to find a new part,” yet hypocrisy tainted your words as you stood there, aware that you made no effort to find a new part for the one you lost.

Korra looked into your eyes, the fear and doubt still lingered as she wrestled with knowing her whole identity could have been ripped away from her. She took your hand and looked to the side, biting her lower lip, and you let her pull you back to Naga.

Neither one of you said a word, you just sat back down, leaning your back against Naga’s side and Korra sat down next to you. You took your jacket off and put it around her shoulders. It was ridiculous, she was from the South Pole, and it wasn’t even all that cold, yet Korra still pulled the jacket closer.

And once again, you moved together, Korra leaning on you and closing her eyes tightly as you wrapped your right arm around her. “Sleep, the night will pass; and when you wake up, there will still be no one trying to hurt you here,” you muttered against the top of her head.

You knew, though, that this was just the beginning. This was just her first encounter with fear.

And it wouldn’t end after just one night.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

The doors sliding open woke you up, but Naga wasn’t reacting and this time Korra was still right where she was when she fell asleep. So, for the time being, you kept your eyes closed, waiting.

“Just to double check. We’re all seeing the same thing, right?” you heard Bolin asking and felt a pang of guilt in your heart. Tenzin sighing dramatically only made it worse.

“At least we know Korra is fine, right?” a female voice you didn’t recognize pointed out and you resisted the urge to groan. You definitely should have told someone, and if Bolin was here, it probably meant Mako was there as well, probably with Tenzin. Meaning they almost certainly spent the night looking for Korra.

“Still, were they always that close?” Mako questioned, sounding surprisingly bothered.

You opened your eyes and looked at Korra still sleeping peacefully with her head tucked in the crook of your neck. ‘Good,’ you thought, seeing the look on her face and figuring whatever scolding you’d get would be worth it. You raised your free hand to rub your eyes, still feeling a bit sleepy. “Try not to wake Korra up,” you finally spoke up, and Naga huffed in agreement, though her tail wagged louder than anyone spoke. “She’s finally sleeping well,” you added.

“Try not to-“ Tenzin cut himself off, taking a deep breath. “Officer Y/N, do you have any idea how scared we all were? We thought she got taken by Amon,” for what it was worth it, he kept his voice low to avoid waking Korra up.

You had a pretty good idea though; you felt it from the moment you heard Korra challenge Amon over the radio. “I’ll take full responsibility,” you said, looking into his eyes.

Mako scoffed. “That’s going to make everything right,” he snapped sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest as the woman next to him placed a hand on his forearm. She looked a bit familiar and then you remembered. She was Hiroshi Sato’s daughter, you remembered seeing her in the passing one time about two years ago when there was an attempted robbery of Sato’s factory.

You didn’t have it in you to question how she got involved in this. “That’s all I’ve got, Mako. I’m sorry you were all terrified, but Korra had it the worst last night,” you said, frowning when Korra stirred a bit in your arms.

The five of you held your breaths, almost as one, worried that she woke up, but then she relaxed again, and you let out a sigh of relief. “Did Amon show up?” Tenzin asked, his breath hitching when you nodded.

“We’ll explain when she wakes up, but Korra still has her bending,” you said, and despite everything smiled when you saw just how relieved all four of them looked. You looked at Korra and smiled, she was building a solid support system without even trying.

‘And yet still going off on your own, troublemaking Avatar,’ you thought fondly.

“Right, we’ll just go now,” Bolin nodded, apparently getting over the initial surprise of seeing Korra with you. You tried not to notice the pout and unimpressed side eye he was giving you. Poor kid.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

She was warm. Which wasn’t strange, she was in Republic City, after all, and it was significantly warmer than in the South Pole, and she was leaning on Naga and… you as well. You were warm. “Funny. Last time I was sleeping like this, I panicked,” she muttered, still too emotionally drained to panic. Being afraid for so long sucked.

“Bullshit. Mako didn’t have his arm around your waist,” you mumbled, a lot less sleepy than she was.

Korra would have rolled her eyes if they were open. “You curse too much,” she complained, twisting in your arms and sitting up before moving to lean back against Naga.

“So I’ve been told,” you said and raised your arms over your head, stretching before slumping back again.

“I wonder why,” Korra replied sarcastically, finally noticing that your jacket was still around her shoulders. A small blush colored her cheeks as she glanced at you. She saw you in the sleeveless shirt before, every night she healed you, always a bit loose because you had to maneuver around the cast.

The cast.

Korra jumped to her feet, pointing her finger at your arm. “Why is your cast gone?!” she demanded, knowing you were meant to keep it on for another week.

You tilted your head like you were confused, like that was going to save you from her wrath. “I wasn’t going to rush into actual combat with my arm immobilized,” you pointed out like it made things any better.

“You weren’t supposed to rush in at all! What if you got hurt?” she snapped, feeling more like herself now that she was angry and expressing herself more openly.

“I wasn’t going to sit back and let you face Amon on your own,” you said stubbornly and to make things even worse, Naga huffed behind you, like she agreed. And then you made it even worse by reaching back and scratching Naga behind her ear.

“I’m the Avatar! It’s my duty to stop him,” she argued, afraid or not, she had to stop him.

“And I’m your friend,” you said, looking into her eyes with conviction she wasn’t sure she ever saw on your face before; not to this extent anyway. “I’ll come for you, no matter against who, no matter where.”

Korra scoffed and crossed her arms, trying to ignore how her heart pounded in her chest. “That was still reckless, but,” she sat down next to you and waterbent the water from the jug so she could heal you. There was no way you weren’t at least uncomfortable after straining your arm so much right away. “Thanks for coming,” she finished, hoping she wasn’t blushing too much.

“Don’t mention it,” you replied like what you did was to be expected and the water began glowing.

And then a scar on your right forearm caught her attention. She wasn’t completely sure, but it looked like it was from a stab wound. “What happened?” she asked, noticing it was on the other side of your forearm as well, like someone stabbed through it.

You followed her line of sight and brushed your thumb over the scar on the inside of your forearm. “I got stabbed the night Fu got killed,” you said and Korra’s breath hitched at that. You had that look in your eyes again, the same one she noticed whenever you or someone else mentioned Fu.

Like you’d trade anything for a chance to kill him. Well, now she knew it was almost anything.

She wasn’t sure what to make of that. ‘I’m with you,’ you said, moments after rejecting Amon’s offer. “Byako is going to go undercover tonight,” you suddenly said, changing the topic. “Since I told you about that, you should also know the standard procedure. As long as he is undercover, we don’t mention him, we don’t greet him first, the less people know about him, the safer he is,” you looked into her eyes, swallowing the lump in your throat.

You despised everything about his mission. “Do you think he’s ready?” Korra asked, her heart skipping a beat when you shook your head.

“I don’t think he’ll ever be,” you muttered, looking away. “From what we know the Equalists operate mostly at night, so I’ll be working at night as well, so, starting tonight I’ll be spending a lot less time here,” you looked at her again, a silent apology clear in your eyes.

Korra nodded, focusing on the water. It felt like you had so much more to tell her, yet the silence stretched, neither of you saying a word.

A few minutes went by and she waterbent the water out the window once she was done healing you, only to hear someone crying out on surprise. “Oops,” she winced, hiding behind Naga.

“Now that was just unfortunate,” you tried to keep a straight face, but the moment Korra lightly smacked your shoulder you cracked, starting to snicker before it turned into a full on laughter.

Korra looked at you, shaking her head before chuckling as well. “I’m blaming that on you,” she said, turning her back to you and leaning back, falling against you.

You snorted, lowering your forehead on her shoulder, a lot like you did last night. “Sure, that’ll work,” you teased, making her roll her eyes.

Yet, hearing the Air Acolytes and the White Lotus guards in the distance, just going on with their day made her sigh. Tenzin must have been losing his mind last night. “We should get going,” she whispered, reluctantly getting up and offering you her hand.

You took it, letting her pull you up to your feet. “Mako, Bolin and I think Hiroshi Sato’s daughter are also here,” you told her and Korra groaned, burying her face in her hands.

“Spirits, I really made them all worry about me,” she mumbled, feeling that guilt come back tenfold.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked at you, grinning at her. “Come on, it comes with being the Avatar’s friend. We’re always going to worry, no matter how strong you are,” you said so casually Korra wanted to smack you for that. But you just took your jacket off her shoulders and put it back on. “Besides, it sure beats no one losing their mind if something happens to you,” yeah, that made her feel so much better.

“Let’s just go,” she huffed, rolling her eyes. She took a deep breath, convincing herself that she could do this, and stepped out of her room, with you right behind her.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Korra could feel the tension in the air before she even stepped into the dining room, not even Meelo peeking from the dining room into the hall eased it. Not even when he bolted back inside and she heard him whisper yelling that she was coming with you.

She glanced back at you as she reached the doors and you nodded, reaching to gently squeeze her shoulder before she nodded back, took a deep breath and opened the doors.

Only to be met by absolutely everyone. Bolin sat in the corner, looking like he was trying not to cry from relief, his lower lip trembled and he was giving her the same look Naga did when she was pouting. He was also hugging Pabu like squeezing the fire ferret was the only reason he wasn’t crying. Mako sat next to him, stoic, frowning, with bags under his eyes and that exhaustion she remembered back when Bolin was missing etched on his face.

Asami, the one she was the most surprised to see still here, looked concerned, and tired, like she didn’t sleep either. Spirits, she misjudged the girl, didn’t she? Guilt gnawed at Korra for that, even more than for that passive jealousy she showed at the gala.

And then there were the kids, Jinora looked like she’s been comforting Ikki and Meelo, and she suddenly looked older than thirteen to Korra. Like the weight of taking care of her siblings while her father was losing his mind over Korra’s safety made her realize things she was still too young for. Jinora’s serious, worried expression suddenly reminded Korra of you. Ikki looked like she understood more or less everything important, and Meelo, well, he didn’t quite get it, but he understood enough to act serious.

Pema looked relieved, yet the bags under her eyes told Korra all she needed to know, and then there was Tenzin. The usual calm demeanor, patience and smooth robes were gone, leaving him looking like he considered turning the city upside down to find her.

Korra looked down as Tenzin stood up and approached her. He stopped and she caught herself staring at his feet. She could already imagine it. His face turning red with anger as he rightfully scolded her.

Yet, instead of that she was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug. Korra’s breath hitched, yet she immediately hugged him back, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I worried you, all of you,” she desperately tried not to cry. Yet the more he held her, the more relieved she felt, the more difficult it was not to get emotional.

“It’s alright, the nightmare is over,” Tenzin said tenderly. “I’m just happy you’re safe.”

Korra heard Bolin sobbing at that. “Please don’t do that again!” he added, wincing suddenly and Korra looked toward him, seeing him rubbing his side as Mako looked at him.

Slowly, Korra pulled away from Tenzin and looked at everyone, her hands balling into fists as she stood there, feeling a bit overwhelmed as the tension began fading away. “I didn’t know what else to do,” she admitted and when Pema tried to get up Asami gently placed her hand on Pema’s shoulder and got up instead.

“We know,” Asami said, smiling gently and walking up to Korra. “What matters is that you’re safe and still have your bending,” she said, placing a hand on Korra’s back. Korra’s eyes widened slightly, surprised by the care Asami openly showed. “We’re all here, Korra,” Asami assured her and Korra let herself be taken to her usual seat at the table.

Korra wiped the few tears that threatened to fall away, hating how vulnerable she felt since she first saw Amon taking away bending, and she especially hated how she felt since last night. And yet, she still felt safe. “I was terrified this whole time,” she turned to Tenzin and you, seeing you were leaning back against the wall.

Tenzin nodded, not looking surprised, and she figured she should have seen it coming.

“You two were right. I was scared and I never felt that before and I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Korra’s voice cracked at that confession.

Tenzin sat down next to her, pouring warm tea into her cup. “You’ve made the most important step in overcoming that fear, Korra. You acknowledged it; now you can begin the rest of the journey,” he said as what was left of the tension slowly vanished.

And then Ikki and Meelo barreled right into her, hugging her. Meelo latched onto her a lot like he latched onto you and Ikki hugged her tightly, and all Korra could do was hug them back, smiling as her vision blurred from unshed tears again.

A few minutes went by, breakfast letting everyone forget about last night for a short while. At least until Mako broke the silence. “How exactly did you escape Amon though?” he asked and Korra looked at you. You were now sitting down on her other side.

“Chi blockers got me and Y/N carried me out,” she admitted, remembering the ease with which you moved last night. She figured you were fast, but last night was a whole other level. “And then Naga showed up and took us back here instead of back to the city.”

“I’m fast and have swords,” you shrugged, eating rice like it was nothing, and if she was being honest, Korra wasn’t sure whether to be impressed by how nonchalant you were, or to be annoyed. Both. Probably both.

Either way, with how you were ignoring everyone’s eyes on you, it was clear that was about as much as you were willing to share.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You walked into a small tea shop, dragging your feet after getting scolded by Lin. For a woman who refused to act like your mother for over eighteen years she sure had the art of scolding mastered. A vein popped on your forehead at the mere thought of the verbal hell she put you through.

“Y/N, welcome back!” Tao, the tea shop owner, a short nonbender from Omashu, who made one hell of a good tea greeted you with a grin.

You put on a smile, realizing how much you’ve missed the quiet tea shop and the gentle scent of floral candles Tao kept lit. “It’s good to be back,” you said with a lot more lightness in your tone than you expected. If you closed your eyes you could imagine Fu walking in after you. It was his favorite place and it quickly turned into one of your favorite places in the city as well.

You turned to the corner you usually occupied with Fu, to the point Tao used to put ‘reserved’ sign on it around the time you and Fu would usually drop by. Meng was already there, nursing a tea cup with the second one set in front of your usual seat.

“It’s so good to see you,” you said, walking over to him and placing your hand on his shoulder. Meng looked up, smiling slightly. He looked better, still grieving, but better.

“Right back at you, Y/N,” he replied, getting up and hugging you. You relaxed, feeling the tension leaving you.

“How’s Topaz? Is she going back to school?” you asked as you both sat down.

Meng nodded, taking a deep breath. “Some days are still a struggle, but she’s getting better. Being around her classmates is helping a lot,” he said and took a sip of his tea.

“I should come by,” you lamented, leaning back and resting your right elbow on the back of the chair. “Just, the things with Korra are-“ you shut up, feeling like you had no right to make excuses, no matter how much you felt like you were being pulled in too many directions at once.

Meng didn’t seem to mind though, as he smiled at you, genuinely, the way he did for years. “Surviving doesn’t mean you lost the right to complain, kid,” he teased, reaching for a fan Tao used as decoration. He closed it and used it to gently tap your forehead with the end of it. “You’re trying to hard to be an adult.”

Your eyes widened and you frowned, pushing the closed fan away. “I am an adult,” you muttered.

“Sure. Tao, mind bringing our adult here a glass of juice?” he chuckled, pointing at you.

“Coming right up, Meng!” Tao laughed as you glared at both men. “Here you go, an adult drink,” he said, bringing a glass of elderberry juice to the table.

“Ha ha, fuck you too,” you flipped him off but took the glass. You liked the juice too much to refuse it.

Meng’s eyes lit up, at least your cursing still amused him. “So? Things with Korra?” he asked, leaning in to give you his full attention.

You sighed, knowing when you were defeated. “Everything about her is new and it’s like I don’t know how to merge my old world with this new one I stumbled into. She’s incredible, but she’s also got so much on her plate, and I don’t think Topaz wants to meet her like this,” you blurted it all out.

Meng nodded, resting his chin on her palm for a few moments, just thinking. “Topaz definitely doesn’t want to meet her right now. Meeting her hero when she’s not ready to fully feel that happiness would probably sting more than anything,” he put your own reasoning into words better than you probably ever could. “And with those Equalists on the loose your friend has her hands full as well,” Amon’s offer flashed through your mind at the mention of the Equalists.

You fell silent, looking at the table. “What’s wrong?” Meng noticed immediately.

“Amon offered me Fu’s killer. It’s ridiculous, that man has been evading authorities for at least half a decade, hopping from one place to another. And yet I-“ you bowed your head and clenched your fists. “I can’t stop thinking about it,” your foot bounced under the table.

You heard a heavy sigh and looked up, seeing nothing but compassion in Meng’s eyes. “I keep waiting for him to come back, you know?” even if he didn’t mean it maliciously, it still felt like a punch to the guts. “And then I remind myself of what Fu would tell me. Not to look for what I lost, but at what I still have,” yeah, Fu would often say that. “Do that, for him, if not for anyone else,” Meng pleaded, looking into your eyes like he was desperate for you to just agree and move on, to not get stuck in grief.

Yet guilt and grief squeezed at your heart. “I’ll try,” you lied, so badly not even Topaz would believe you, let alone Meng, yet for now he let it be. He didn’t call you out on it.

~X~ LIN ~X~ Two weeks later ~X~

Lin Beifong wasn’t a stranger to coming to the station at dawn, or spending the night there, but it usually didn’t happen because one of her officers called her in on Sunday.

Even if you were that officer.

She walked into the quiet police station, seeing an officer sleeping at his desk next to the phone. The city was for the most part peaceful at dawn so she wouldn’t scold him. Much. That would have to wait though.

Lin entered the office assigned for the Equalist Case and saw you arranging papers on the board. There were some new information there, in addition to the routes and safehouses the unit uncovered over the past weeks. She didn’t immediately speak up, though the way your shoulders tensed and back straightened told her you knew she arrived.

Your uniform jacket was thrown over the chair, not that you wore it tonight. You were wearing a beige long-sleeved shirt with green around the collar and sleeves rolled up to your elbows.

So, you were undercover, retrieving Byako’s message. “What did he find out?” Lin finally spoke up as she approached you, and immediately frowned as the scent of smoke and alcohol hit her. Just where did you get the message from?

You yawned and rubbed your eye, blinking a few times. “It’s still mostly word of mouth, rather than definitive evidence, but we can finally make up some structure here,” you said, pointing at the paper on top of the board. “We’ve got Amon in charge and there’s this guy people call Lieutenant, Byako’s description matches what Korra, Mako and Bolin told me,” you tapped the man’s name and then slid your finger lower.

There were four codenames there, Specialist, Major, Sergeant and Colonel.

“Military ranks?” Lin questioned, seeing a sort of a pattern in front of her. You nodded.

“Byako confirmed Sergeant exists, the other three are still more of a rumor, but, given what we know so far Specialist is either their strategist or the one funding them. Sergeant and Major are combatants, said to be on the same level as Lieutenant. And then there’s Colonel, who we know absolutely nothing about, other than the fact that they might exist,” you told her, sounding like you desperately needed sleep.

Still, the investigation was going somewhere. She didn’t expect a soft of a chain of command to be revealed this quickly. “Tell Byako not to be reckless,” she instructed you and you hummed in agreement. “And go to sleep, you look awful,” she snapped, masking her worry with a harsher tone. “And if you’re going back to the Air Temple Island, at least go change first,” she added coldly.

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, sure, I was going to go have breakfast with kids and the most sheltered Avatar in history while smelling like a damn brothel,” you snarked sleepily. Which Lin definitely didn’t appreciate.

And then one word echoed in her mind. The last one. Brothel. Smelling like a brothel. “What do you mean a brothel?!” she demanded, turning back to you, her jaw hanging open.

You gave her the most unimpressed look you could muster, one eerily similar to her own unimpressed expression. “A brothel. You know, a place where people-“ in an instant she was in front of you, raising a finger in front of your lips and glaring at you. You were not finishing that sentence. Not in front of her.

“How exactly did you end up in a brothel?” she demanded in a barely controlled voice. You were eighteen! You were her daughter, you had no business going to places like that!

You groaned, dropping onto the closest chair and slumping slightly. “I’m using Fu’s information network, Byako leaves the message with the owner, I get it, chat with the staff, leave,” of course Fu taught you all his methods. Including his attitude in regard to rules. And then, as if Lin wasn’t about to have a heart attack, you pulled out a pack of cigarettes from your table and flicked the bottom before offering her the cigarette sticking out.

Her face turned red as she glared at the cigarette pack. “What makes you think I smoke? Actually, what makes you think you’re allowed to smoke?!” she demanded while you pushed the pack toward her.

“What are you going to do, Chief? Ground me?” you deadpanned before pulling the cigarette that was sticking out yourself and spread it out, revealing a rolled-up note. “I don’t smoke, by the way,” you said and tossed the cigarette pack into the desk.

Lin massaged the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache. “Just go rest,” she sighed and left the office before she could snap again.

“Sure, Chief,” she heard you replying and felt her blood pressure rising instantly.

“Officer! No sleeping on duty!” she snapped at the sleeping officer instead and the man cried out, scrambling to his feet in panic.

“Chief!” he stammered, fumbling over apologies even as she slammed the police station doors behind her.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You may have borrowed police motorboat again, heading to the Air Temple Island with two hot dumplings in a bag. Even after a shower and changing your clothes the scent of cheap perfume, alcohol and smoke still lingered, stubborn and annoying and giving you a bit of a headache.

So, you slipped past the White Lotus guards, sneaking into your room at the Temple, mostly to avoid running into kids or Korra. You did not want to explain the stench if they caught you. And there she was, rolling in the grass just outside the bedrooms. “Naga,” you whisper-yelled, getting the polar bear dog’s attention.

Naga jumped to her feet, barking happily. “Fuck, Naga,” you winced, looking around to make sure no one noticed, luckily, no one did. Naga ran into you, knocking you off your feet as you chuckled and scratched behind her ear. “Easy girl,” you chuckled.

Naga sniffed and then huffed, shaking her head and turning away from you.

“You don’t like the scent?” you burst out laughing and hopped into your bedroom through the window. Naga huffed again. “You don’t say,” you rolled your eyes playfully and grabbed a pen and piece of paper. It felt so good to be able to write with your right arm.

You read the note again: ‘Good luck at practice today, sorry I’m not here as much. See you at dinner tonight’ nodded and folded it, setting it next to the warm dumplings. “Go get Korra,” you said and snuck out as Naga ran off to get Korra. You stuck around just close and long enough to catch a glimpse of Korra letting Naga drag her to your room, and then left the island with a smile on your face.

A/N: I heard you all, Makorra is out. Wouldn't make sense at this point.

Taglist: @hellenheaven @martyyy7 @opulentnet @comets-tail2 @dragonfliesareworthdimes @liifeunwritten @wespirallin @seegull-111 @lovemoneybtw @notausername1 @kaeyaszlut @noisylilmonster @sturnrngs @theendlessvoidofdarkest @randomgirl-scrollinghere @lvotwe @thatoneloserdyke @miralice15 @traacy-lin @zakispacecadet88 @millyloves2read @rubyyworld @ira-16 @thexpastelxpoet @tigerlillyruiz @ferziah @nebthetautora @fvckingeetar @elliesgirl222 @ceridwyn3 @yuubyshin

[cobaltperun]

plz dont leave us for another month!!!😭

Sorry, sorry, I just finished chapter 8 actually.

[cobaltperun]

I’m a little embarrassed 🫣 cause I don’t ever comment, send in questions, statements, or whatever without anonymous on. However, I just had to desperately tell you that I am foaming at the mouth for your Shadow series. I am desperately, impatiently, enthusiastically, and torturously waiting for the next chapter.

But that’s nothing new. I feel that way for all of your stories that I’ve read so far and I’m excited to read any other ones I haven’t gotten to yet. As well as upcoming stories that you plan to write. Just had to let you know that, all the love 🤭🥰

Sorry it took me this long to answer, I saw it and was in the middle of doing something and just didn't answer right away. Anyway, that's perfectly fine, don't get me wrong, I love getting comments or asks, or any feedback really but I get it, and you're good. I'm glad you're enjoying my stories. 😁💙💙 Shadow is definitely a story I'm very proud of, so I'm glad you love it! My next chapter should be Shadow 23, it'll be a really big one as far as importance goes.

Thank you so much for sending this, you really made my day when I saw it 😁💙💙

[cobaltperun]

I CANT WAIT FOR TENZIN TO KNOWW

Now that's going to be a fun scene to write, that being said, we're still far from it. It will happen in Book 1 though, that much I can tell you.

[cobaltperun]

Breathe Into Me (7) - Glass House

Korra x Female Reader

Summary: A series of unfortunate events puts you in the position you never wished to be in; stuck on the Air Temple Island, guarding the Avatar. You'd be fine with it, if only it didn't force you to be around Tenzin, who had no idea you were his and Lin's daughter.

Masterlist / Part 6 / Part 8

Word Count: 7.3k

-The truth has fallen down, the illusion we've become, a fear we can't outrun-

~X~ TENZIN ~X~

He should have seen this coming the moment Tarrlok came to his home. Basket full of flowers and luxurious sweets was one thing, even if it cost more than most people earned in a month. But the newest model of the satomobile? That was even more ridiculous than Tenzin could have imagined in his wildest dreams.

What would Korra even use it for?! She didn’t know how to drive.

Speaking of people who didn’t know how to drive and if Tenzin had any say in it would never learn how to either. “Out of the way, Daddy! We're driving here!” Ikki yelled at him as her and Meelo made engine and horn noises.

“Just be careful,” he sighed and continued on, heading to Korra’s usual training spot.

“Korra, come on,” he halted in his place, hearing your muffled groaning. That was unusual. You struck him as a serious young woman. “Just once. It’ll help us relax!”

“No, your arm is still broken,” she berated you. Korra? Sounding like she was the more rational one? What was going on? What were you even talking about? “And for the record, I am relaxed!” there was Korra he knew.

You huffed and let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m not!” Tenzin rounded the corner as you exclaimed that, seeing you sitting on the stairs while Korra practiced the airbending forms and stances.

Tenzin frowned, it was another reason to worry. Korra had the movement down perfectly by now, yet there weren’t any results, no matter how much she meditated or practiced. And she practiced constantly, hoping it would finally click. And Tenzin was left unsure of what to do. He knew his father struggled with earthbending, but not nearly as long as Korra was struggling with airbending.

‘How do I help her?’ he wondered, worried that he was failing her as a mentor. He’d have to think of something. “I see Tarrlok's gifts are getting more and more extravagant,” he said, announcing his presence and approaching Korra and you. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed you immediately straightening your back.

“Yeah, that guy doesn't know how to take no for an answer,” she replied, her tone a bit more distant than usual. There was no longer any doubt in his mind as he looked at her, at the tension in her every move and the slight frown on her face, that she was afraid.

“Korra, are you doing all right?” he asked as he sat down about ten feet from you.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she said immediately, way too quickly.

Tenzin glanced at you, expecting you to maybe say something, to talk to Korra or share something he didn’t know. Yet, you remained quiet. “Why don't you take a break?” he offered and Korra lowered her hands and sat down between him and you. “I'm glad you turned down Tarrlok, but I just wanted to make sure your decision was for the right reason,” he said, trying to be subtle. He knew cornering Korra wouldn’t accomplish anything.

“I'm just really focused on my airbending right now is all,” she said, her voice a bit smaller, nothing immediately noticeable, but he could tell. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how ashamed she must have been of her fear, even if there was no reason to feel any shame.

“Right, that's what you said. You know, it's okay to be scared. The whole city is frightened by what's been going on,” he told her, trying to reach her, to gently nudge her into opening up, but she just looked away. “The important thing is to talk about our fears. Because if we don't, they can throw us out of balance.”

That didn’t help much either. “You’re not alone in this, the Council is looking into ways to ease the tensions, and the unit officer Y/N is on is quickly making progress on their investigation, right, officer?” he turned to you.

“Yes, Councilman,” you said in that usual, official tone.

Tenzin raised an eyebrow, still not understanding why you were insisting on being distant with him in particular. From what he heard you even relaxed around Pema a fair bit. Not enough to stop calling her ma’am, but still. He set that aside and turned his attention back to Korra. “I'm always here for you, if you want to talk,” he promised her and chose to give her some space, trusting her to come to him when ready.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

Hours later it was clear not even Tenzin was getting to Korra, as she sat on the porch fence, leaning back on the pillar and looking in the distance.

“Taking a page out of Mako’s Book of Brooding?” you asked as you leaned sideways on the wooden fence. That finally got her to crack a smile.

“Very funny, Y/N,” she rolled her eyes and you wiggled you eyebrows, making that tiny smile widen a bit.

“Thank you,” you grinned, glancing toward Jinora and Ikki playing Pai Sho. “I have no idea how to play that,” you randomly revealed.

Korra tilted her head at that. “Really? That’s not what I expected,” she admitted. “I mean, how come?” she asked, prompting a small chuckle from you.

“I’ve got no patience,” you admitted sheepishly, which was very ironic, but sitting still felt like the worst punishment you could go through when you were a kid. And now, well, you wouldn’t call it the worst punishment, but you still didn’t like it.

Korra shook her head, for a moment setting aside her own worries, at least from the looks of it. “Somehow I’m not surprised, miss what-broken-arm-let’s-spar,” she teased you, and your eyes softened as you looked into her vibrant blue eyes. Spirits, you felt like you got hit by a tidal wave and were getting swept up in something you didn’t expect.

Her breath hitched for a moment and you both looked away at the same time. You cleared your throat, trying to find something to say, but your brain refused to form any sentences.

Luckily, Tarrlok’s assistant showed up. Who would have guessed you’d ever be thankful to the man. “Avatar Korra, I have something for you,” he said.

Korra jumped off the fence, frowning and losing her patience with Tarrlok’s gifts. “It doesn't matter how many gifts Tarrlok sends, I'm not joining his task force,” she declared, actually earthbending the ground under the man to turn him around. And to send the message clearly, she, with her hands on her hips, kicked the man forward. Granted, with a lot less force than she could have.

“It's not a gift, it's an invitation!” the man cried out as he stumbled forward and barely remained on his feet instead of plummeting to the ground. He turned around and showed Korra an envelope.

“To what?” Korra asked, confused and curious and you hopped over the fence as well. “Y/N,” she warned you, clearly not approving.

You tilted your head in confusion. “What? My legs are fine,” you argued as you stood by her side.

“Uh, Tarrlok is throwing a gala in your honor. All of Republic City's movers and shakers will be there. The Councilman humbly requests your attendance,” the man explained and handed Korra the envelope, and then quickly left as she looked it over.

“Son of a,” you cut yourself off when you remembered Jinora and Ikki were close enough to hear you.

Korra sighed, looking the invitation over once again. “Guess we have to go,” she said and you snickered despite your annoyance. “What?” she asked, annoyed by your snickering.

“You have to go,” you corrected her, enjoying the way she made a face like you insulted her on a deeply personal level.

Korra crossed her arms. “You’re not leaving me to do this alone,” she said, thinking that would be enough, and you just put your left arm around her shoulders.

“So, here’s a thing, my adorably naïve Avatar. I’m a rookie cop and this party is for the elites of this city. The closest I’ll get to that party is the street,” you told her but judging by the blush on her face you weren’t entirely sure she heard you. “Dully noted,” you said to yourself as Korra recovered from whatever you said that caused her to blush.

Still, as much as you joked, you didn’t like this one bit. Tarrlok was not the kind of man to just throw a huge party for someone. There wasn’t anything you could do, but hope Tenzin would be able to prevent whatever Tarrlok was intending.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You sat in the dining room, going through the case files and waiting for everyone to get ready. ‘Good thing I don’t have to dress up,’ not only would it be a pain in the ass with your arm the way it was, but you did not have a gala-worthy clothes, at all.

You set another page aside. Chi blocker training, uniforms, masks, the weapons Korra described, not to mention all the vehicles. “Where do you get your money from?” you muttered under your breath. Was he some rich guy? No, you doubted that. From what Korra described, he moved a bit too well to be one of those. “Now I wish I could go to that stupid gala,” you muttered, leaning back. Then you could maybe start talking to some people without bringing them in for questioning.

Now that would be a pain in the ass. And you doubted Lin would even let you go through with it without evidence.

“How come?” you heard Korra asking and turned to look at her, only for the pen to fall right out of your left hand as you saw her. Her hair was down, with a part of it tied in a bun, and her dress, your throat suddenly got dry as you took notice of the sleeveless, long, water tribe dress.

And unlike the airbending robes that still looked unnatural on her, the formal dress looked perfect on her.

“That’s, I, uh,” you stammered. “Reasons,” you managed to say very slowly, clearing your throat. “You look incredible,” you added, your voice cracking at the end and you so desperately wished you were born an earthbender so you could just rip open the ground underneath you and let it swallow you.

Korra placed one hand on her hips and tilted her head a bit. “Are you flustered, officer?” she teased you.

“Pft, don’t be ridiculous,” you huffed, looking away with an annoyed look plastered all over your face. Which only made Korra look even more smug. Oh, she knew exactly how flustered you were.

“Korra,” Tenzin walked in, dressed in his own formal clothes. “Good, you’re ready. Come, we should get going,” he said.

Korra nodded and stepped inside, offering you her hand. “Come on,” she said and you accepted her hand, letting her pull you up to your feet.

“I can climb the balcony if you need me to,” you said, only half-joking and she elbowed you lightly. “Okay, no climbing,” you promised, groaning a bit.

As you walked outside you saw Jinora, Ikki and Meelo jumping onto Oogi and Tenzin helped Pema up as well, but you just stopped. “Need any help? I could earthbend a ramp,” Korra offered, thinking that was the issue.

“No, I’m, I’m good,” you said, approaching the sky bison. He let out a low rumbling sound as you approached, looking right at you. Something about this felt familiar, even if you couldn’t explain it, even if you never came anywhere near Oogi or any other sky bison. It was just something deep inside you, telling you this was fine somehow.

“Hey,” you muttered. “You’re friendly, aren’t you?” you had no idea where that in particular came from, but you reached up, running your hand through the white fur. Oogi moved his head toward you, not enough to push you, but just enough to close the distance.

You suddenly became very aware of sic pairs of eyes staring at you and chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry, that was weird, wasn’t it? Animals like me? I guess?” you tried and climbed up onto Oogi’s back, trying not to look at anyone currently staring at you.

“I guess. Naga took a liking to you immediately as well,” Korra figured and you bit back the response that you did give Naga a whole bucket of fish, so, did that really count? Well, as long as it got them to forget about this.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You sat in a small tea shop on the other side of the street, looking at the absurd banners, almost as tall as the actual building, with Korra on them. They looked exactly like Korra, even getting her confident, one hand on the hip, pose. “Ridiculous,” you muttered, sipping your tea.

The gala had been going on for close to half an hour now and then you saw Lin coming out, leaning back against the wall. Even from this far you could see the how tense she was, wearing that armor despite coming to a gala.

“Like she forgot what it means to live,” that’s how Fu used to describe her when you’d get annoyed with her. You stood up and walked across the street, your heart hammering in your chest.

“Chief,” you approached her carefully, not wanting to cause any inconvenience.

Her eyes widened just for a moment, just long enough to notice if someone paid attention, and then she looked at you, looking indifferent. “Officer,” she nodded, not even saying your name. “What do you need?” she asked.

That was a good question, wasn’t it? What did you want? “Have a tea with me? We’re working on a big case, it wouldn’t be completely crazy,” you offered, grinning sheepishly at her.

For a moment you thought she’d turn you down but then she sighed. “Fine,” she grumbled and pushed herself off the wall. You let her walk past you and followed her back to the table where you previously sat.

The waiter immediately rushed to take her order, and you watched as Lin told him what she wanted in that usual stern voice, no different from the one she used at the office. “You look like something is bothering you. More than usual,” you pointed out carefully, like you were avoiding traps.

Lin frowned even more, somehow, and you saw her clenching the side of the table so hard you were surprised it didn’t crack. “Your Avatar friend just joined Tarrlok’s task force,” she finally said and suddenly you were just as frustrated as she was.

“That snake tricked her, didn’t he?” it took everything in you not to walk into that gala and give him a piece of your mind. You leaned your head back, looking at the skies. “Of course that was his plan.”

There were too many moving parts, the police unit, Byako, now the task force, made up of people who did not want to work together. “This will put Byako in more danger,” Lin sighed and you gave her a blank look.

“It’s not too late to just change the plan,” you pointed out, even though you knew it was a long shot. And Lin shaking her head only confirmed that. “I can’t believe I’m considering sabotaging Tarrlok,” you muttered.

“You will do no such thing,” Lin immediately warned you and you both shut up as the waiter came back with the bill for the two teas.

“Eighty yuan?!” you exclaimed, immediately sitting up straight as Lin casually paid for it. “We can feed Naga for a whole day with that money. Naga! A polar bear dog! For two cups of tea!” you complained, still staring at the bill.

“Should have checked the prices then,” she pointed out, making your jaw drop.

“Fucking rich district,” you muttered under your breath.

“Don’t curse,” Lin warned you sternly and you could only pout.

“It’s therapeutic,” you mumbled, and caught a very tiny smile appearing on her face. “Thanks,” you gestured at the table between you, at the two cups of ridiculously expensive tea. “For this,” you whispered and Lin nodded, leaving it at that.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

She walked right into Tarrlok’s trap, she knew that. She messed up so badly she couldn’t look anyone in the eyes, as they flew on Oogi back to the Air Temple Island. Now she would have to face the consequences on her own. No Tenzin, no you, no Mako or Bolin, no one but a councilman that put her in the position where she had no other option but to join him and a bunch of benders who expected her to solve the Amon problem.

And in their defense, they had every right to expect that. She was the Avatar! She had to solve this!

It was up to her to keep the city safe, to make sure no more benders would lose their bending. “Didn’t you say you were going to focus on your training?” Ikki innocently asked her. There wasn’t any malice in her voice, or judgement, just pure curiosity. And yet, to Korra, the question felt like a slap to the face.

“Ikki,” Tenzin immediately warned her, speaking sternly to her for the first time since Korra arrived to the city. Oh, she really messed up if Tenzin was using that tone with his own children.

“Sorry, daddy,” Ikki apologized and rushed into Korra’s arms, hugging her side as tightly as she could. “Sorry, Korra.”

Korra’s eyes softened and she wrapped one arm around Ikki. “It’s okay, I just had a change of plans,” she said softly, and then you moved to the side, reaching over to ruffle Ikki’s hair.

“Since Korra will be busy, that just means you’ll have to push her harder when she does get the time to train,” you teased, winking at Korra and making Korra blush and look away.

“Officer Y/N,” Tenzin suddenly spoke up, and your entire body went still for a moment. “When you took it upon yourself to help Korra with her training, what was the logic behind your approach?” he asked and Korra’s jaw dropped, even Jinora and Ikki gasped at the question. Meanwhile Pema had a small, satisfied smile on her face and Meelo jumped onto your shoulders, like he was proud that his favorite non-family person was being involved.

You opened your mouth and then closed it, clearing our throat. “Air is the element of freedom, so, it stands to reason that it would respond to feeling free, regardless of the form,” you said eventually and Korra could swear she could see gears turning in Tenzin’s head.

“You are leaning more into wind, rather than air in general, to suit Korra better,” Tenzin realized. “Aggression isn’t the Air Nomad way,” he argued, though not as vehemently as Korra expected him to.

“Korra isn’t an Air Nomad though,” you said simply and that had Tenzin humming.

“I’ll consider sparring as a potential method in the future,” he agreed and Korra’s heart soared. She turned to you, grinning widely, but you were so focused on Tenzin’s back you didn’t even notice her turning to you.

~X~ MAKO ~X~

The night had fallen over the Republic City, the weather was nice, a bit chilly, but it didn’t bother him. And he had a date with Asami. Yet Mako couldn’t decide if the butterflies in his stomach were from the upcoming date or if he just felt nauseous because Korra hadn’t come to train since that incident with Amon. And at first it was fine, they all thought they were out of the tournament.

But now? They were given the opportunity of a lifetime and se wasn’t showing up.

“Mako, sorry you’ve been waiting for me,” he heard Asami’s voice behind him and turned around, smiling at her.

“I just got here too, don’t worry,” he lied. He arrived twenty minutes ago, too nervous to stay at home, but she didn’t have to know that now, did she? She stepped closer, smiling back at him and cupped his cheek before getting on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek. A shiver ran down his spine, the gentle caress, the feel of her lips reminding him just how long it’s been since he felt any tender affection.

“Still, it’s nice to know you came early,” she teased, smoothing his collar as they stood there.

Mako’s heart skipped a beat, and he looked away with a blush on his face, he even stuffed his hands in his pockets.

And then the radio from the inside of the tea shop next to them stopped playing music and switched to live public announcement. “Avatar Korra has bravely answered the call to action. With the two of us leading the charge, Republic City has nothing to fear from Amon and the Equalists!” he heard that councilman’s voice. Tarrlok, if he remembered correctly. The guy Korra was working with now.

Mako clenched his jaw, not liking this at all. The way Tarrlok got Korra to join him just felt so wrong.

“Question for the Avatar. Amon remains at large. Why have you failed to locate him?” one of the reporters asked, like that was what Korra needed.

“Seriously? They’ve been at this for only a few days,” Asami scoffed. “Give them a break,” she said.

“Sounds like you really don’t agree with Amon,” Mako joked and Asami nodded, crossing her arm over her chest.

“Those gangs need to be stopped, but taking away bending isn’t the way,” she said firmly just as Korra answered the reporter.

“You wanna know why? Because Amon is hiding in the shadows like a coward! Amon, I challenge you to a duel!” Mako’s blood ran cold as he heard her, and Asami gasped next to him. “No task force, no chi blockers. Just the two of us, tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me!” she challenged Amon, just like that.

“We need to stop her,” Mako immediately blurted out.

“She’ll have to go to the bay first, come on!” Asami immediately agreed with him and motioned toward the street. “Come on, I’ll drive,” the date could be postponed, Korra’s safety was a priority.

“We got to get Bolin first,” Korra said the duel would be at midnight, so they still had about three hours left, and with some luck, maybe Bolin would be able to reach Korra if all else failed.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You swore the temperature in your apartment dropped by several degrees when Korra challenged Amon to a duel. “Tarrlok, when I get my hands on you,” you said through gritted teeth.

“Please don’t get into a fight with a councilman,” Byako, who sat across from you in your living room, pleaded. You’ve been going over the plan again, since he was meant to start his infiltration into the Equalists tomorrow.

Your eyebrow twitched and you took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It wasn’t working. At all. Your blood pressure was probably through the roof at this point. “Easier said than done,” you muttered, getting up and unlocking your closet.

“Woah! Wait a second!” he cried out, jumping to his feet and slamming the closet shut right before you could reach in to grab your wooden swords. “Have you considered talking to Korra before you go in swords drawn?” he asked frantically.

You stared at him, not amused one bit. “Byako. There’s no talking Korra out of this,” you weren’t even going to waste time trying. She was going to see this through, no matter the consequences, she was simply too proud and afraid to back down. “So, I’m doing the only thing I can,” you said, opening the closet again and getting the swords.

“Think of your arm!” he cried out as you strapped the two wooden swords to your left side. “Left? No, no, no, Y/N!” he exclaimed, trying to pull you away from the closet as you reached in and grabbed a knife to cut the cast open. “You’re a week early!” he pleaded like you were actually going to listen.

“Korra’s been healing me since I went to Air Temple Island, it’ll be fine,” you said, tossing the cast aside. You started moving your arm slowly, carefully, first by stretching it out and rolling your shoulder and then slowly curling your fingers into a fist. “Good enough,” you figured as you flexed and moved the arm. “Still a bit stiff though.”

“I swear if you break it again,” Byako threatened you, or at least tried to sound threatening. “How are you even going to reach the Memorial Island?!”

You looked at him like it was obvious. “Borrow a police motorboat,” you said casually as you massaged your right wrist. “It’s a police motorboat and I am an officer,” you said nonchalantly and he just went back to the sofa he sat on and slumped back into it.

“You’ll be the death of me,” he complained, covering his face with his hands.

“Technically, Korra would then be the death of both of us,” you pointed out, drawing the wooden blades and feeling the familiar weight in your hands. Yeah, now you felt right.

“Do not swing them inside your apartment!” Byako shouted before you could do exactly that, and you pouted. Why did he have to ruin what little fun you had?

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Korra took a deep breath as she looked at the Memorial Island, ominously surrounded by mist with Aang’s statue standing proudly, facing the city. He would have been able to handle Amon, to resolve this decisively. The city wouldn’t fear Amon if Aang was here. And now it was her turn to live up to that, to prove she was the Avatar capable of living up to his legacy.

‘I’m not going to back down,’ she resolved even as her heart threatened to break through her chest. She set a lamp on the rowboat Tarrlok provided for her. She didn’t need anything fancy, just something she could use waterbending with.

“Avatar Korra, I implore you to reconsider this once more,” Tarrlok tried to convince her not to go, but she shook her head, not even considering going back on her own challenge. Did he seriously think she’d even consider it, knowing what was on the line.

Her pride would never recover.

Most importantly, she wasn’t afraid of Amon.

“There’s nothing to reconsider. I’m ending this tonight,” she declared boldly, with all the courage she had.

Tarrlok let out a sigh and looked at the dark, cloudy skies. Not even the moon was visible tonight, giving the night an even more ominous feel.

Suddenly there was screeching of the tires and a car stopping right on the edge of the bay. “Korra!” her eyes widened as she heard Bolin yelling her name. Korra looked to her right and saw Bolin sprinting as fast as he could toward her as Mako and Asami ran after him.

Why would they come here? “What are you doing here?” she exclaimed in pure disbelief as she stared at them.

Bolin hunched over and wiped sweat off his forehead. “Island, Amon, don’t,” he breathed out, pointing at the Memorial Island.

Oh. Her eyes softened as Mako and Asami reached Bolin as well. “What Bolin tried to say, don’t be reckless,” Mako said, looking all concerned and Korra’s heart sped up for a whole different reason this time.

“Just because you’re the Avatar, it doesn’t mean you have to handle everything alone,” Asami offered, gesturing toward the Memorial Island. “People like that don’t play by the rules, even if Amon shows up, he won’t be alone.”

Korra crossed her arms over her chest and leaned more of her weight on her right foot, stuck between being thankful and annoyed. “Even if he shows up with chi blockers, I’ll be ready for them this time,” the first time they caught her by surprise, she didn’t know they could do that. “Amon needs to be stopped.”

“For sure, but not like this! He’s like, really scary!” Bolin argued and offered her his hand. He had that heart-broken look on his face, the one begging her to just take his hand and get out of the boat.

“Korra, you didn’t let me look for Bolin on my own. You don’t have to face this alone, either,” Mako added, his voice carrying the fierceness she hadn’t heard since Bolin got kidnapped. “We’re a team,” he reminded her as he stepped up next to Bolin.

She looked at them, and even at Asami, looking at her like she was encouraging Korra to accept Bolin’s hand.

Yet reaching for Bolin’s hand felt like admitting fear and defeat. “If I don’t go he’ll only grow bolder,” she argued and instead of taking Bolin’s hand, she grabbed the ropes tying the boat to the bay and untied it.

And just then Tenzin swooped in on his glider. “Korra, this is madness,” he said immediately, nodding to Mako, Bolin and Asami.

Korra let out an exasperated sigh, touched and frustrated by their worry. Why couldn’t they just believe in her? “Don't try to stop me, and don't follow me! I have to face Amon alone,” she said all of them at once and used her waterbending to push the boat toward the Memorial Island at high speeds. The sound of her friends calling out her name echoed, and she closed her eyes.

She wasn’t afraid of Amon.

She had to stop him. As the Avatar. And as Korra. She wasn’t going to let Amon take bending from anyone she cared about.

She arrived at the island with half an hour to spare and made her way to the rooftop, standing right on the edge, in front of Aang’s statue. Like this no one could sneak up on her, there weren’t any shadows chi blockers could hide in or ambush her from, and she was close enough to the water to have all three of her elements at her disposal.

The statue behind her made her feel stronger, calmer and she did her best to draw strength from all the stories she heard about Aang.

The clock struck midnight and she jumped, crying out in shock, her heart racing faster than it ever did before as she frantically looked around. Yet there was nothing, she was all alone. She stood like that, waiting, so tense she felt like just standing in that anticipation was draining her energy.

And eventually she sat down, then relaxed, then just watched as the city turned dark. The more she waited, the more she calmed down, realizing there would be no fight tonight. And she hated how relieved she was deep down. “Guess you're a no-show, Amon. Who's scared now?” she taunted as she stood up and figured it was simply time to leave.

Korra got off the roof and began heading back to her boat. She felt uneasy as she walked by the dark entrances to the museum under the statue, yet she ignored it. She gave Amon enough time to show up, even Tarrlok’s forces left, figuring Amon wasn’t showing up.

And then she heard a whooshing sound, like a rope cut through the air. She gasped, looking to her left just as a bola wrapped itself around her ankles and yanked her off her feet. Korra cried out as she was dragged into the darkness, her heart pounding in her chest as she firebent her way out of the ropes.

And then she saw them, easily over twenty masked chi blockers surrounding her as she jumped to her feet. The flames vanished, leaving her in complete darkness with nothing but over twenty pairs of glowing red eyes staring at her from every side.

Korra gasped, narrowing her eyes as she looked around and immediately threw a large flaming arc toward one side, only for two bolas to wrap around her wrists and spread her arms, trapping her in one place. With a cry she tried to pull her arms free and saw red eyes coming closer. It wasn’t even Amon! She kicked a massive fireball in one direction and then kicked with her other foot, making the floor shoot up and throwing several chi blockers up in the air.

Yet it meant nothing as she felt two chi blockers attack her from behind, blocking her chi with precise strikes from her feet to her shoulders, on both sides. Her nightmare paled compared to the piercing sense of helplessness as her body slumped, her limbs completely immobile.

‘I can’t move,’ she realized in terror, capable only of looking around as one of the chi blockers placed a lamp near her and lit up the small area around her. They all just stood there, watching as she helplessly lay on the floor. None of them moved, none of them spoke, they just stared, circling her like she was a sacrifice for their cause.

And then two of them moved, slowly, in no rush whatsoever and grabbed her arms, just above her elbows, their harsh gloves making her skin crawl as they pulled her up to her knees and just held her like that, keeping her arms spread as her body still refused to move.

Korra grunted, trying to force her body to listen to her, to fight back, yet it meant nothing. The chi blockers didn’t even need to hold her down, they just had to hold her so she wouldn’t slump back onto the floor.

Then came the footsteps and Korra’s heart stopped for a moment. Amon emerged from the darkness, even more frightening than he was in her nightmare. “I received your invitation, young Avatar,” he said in that cold, terrifying voice that made Korra’s breathing grow erratic.

Her vision narrowed down to just his approaching hand and yet she still couldn’t move. She failed! He was going to take her bending and she didn’t do anything!

Korra twisted her head to the side, hyperventilating, closing her eyes as her heart hammered in her chest. ‘Wake up! Wake up’ her mind pleaded, desperately hoping this was a nightmare. She’d wake up and scream, and you’d come in and she’d be fine, she’d still have her bending.

She bit her lower lip trying hard not to cry. And then, instead of touching her forehead, Amon grabbed her chin, forcing her to turn her head and look at him.

“Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature,” he declared, his fingers squeezing around her jaw, before he loosened his hold. She could only look at him, wide-eyed and growing even more terrified. What was he doing? “Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now-“ a sudden pained gasp took even him by surprise and something light brown slashed through the air, making Amon let go and take a step back.

Korra’s eyes widened as a shadow got between her and Amon, grabbing her and lifting her off the floor. “Y/N,” she whispered, taking a moment to recognize you in the dim light.

“Sorry, bud, you can’t have her,” you declared, your voice harsh and a bit strained as you jumped and twisted around in midair, skidding across the floor and coming to a stop in a crouch about ten feet from Amon. You glared at the masked man with a wooden sword drawn and pointed up at him and Korra pressed against your chest, your left arm, wrapped around her waist holding her up.

You were warm. Somehow that was the only thought that registered in her mind.

For a moment no one moved, and then Amon just raised a hand, and his chi-blockers took a step back. “I’ll admit, your recklessness did catch me by surprise, officer,” he said eerily calm and unbothered.

“One time I’m glad I’m a nonbender, I guess,” you muttered, not talking your eyes off Amon.

‘Why would you do this?!’ Korra thought as she looked up at your face and then back at Amon, afraid of what he was going to do to you.

Amon raised his head a bit, looking down at you. “You’re the officer who lost her partner last month. Even as far as benders go, his killer was unusually sadistic,” Korra’s heart skipped a beat as she felt your arm flexing around her, your entire body tensing at the mention of Fu.

“Tell me, officer, what would you do if I promised you your partner’s killer, delivered to you to deal with him however you see fit,” Amon offered, making Korra’s eyes widen as she looked at you.

You scoffed. “Awfully generous offer. Why?” you asked as Amon began slowly walking around you.

“It gets you out of my way, of course,” he revealed, stopping right behind you.

Korra’s felt a drop of cold sweat slide down her cheek as she looked at you, the dim light from the lamp making your eyes look like they were shining a bit. And then you smirked. “How flattering. You think I’m a threat,” you taunted.

“A threat? Hardly. It’s as simple as removing a part of young Avatar’s safety net,” he spoke calmly.

Korra closed her eyes, remembering that dread she felt when it took you a moment to reply when she first told you about Amon’s ability. And now, the idea that you might agree to Amon’s terms somehow terrified her almost as much as Amon himself.

“Not interested,” you said nonchalantly and Korra’s heart skipped a beat and she let out a small sigh of relief. “I’m with you,” you whispered to her and lowered your wooden sword, picking the lamp up with the tip of the blade. You threw the lamp right at the chi blockers standing between the two of you and the closest exit.

Korra’s eyes widened as chi blockers scattered, a bola flying at the two of you through the dark. You moved, holding her close and dodged the bola, as two chi-blockers rushed you from each side. “This is going to be a bit reckless,” you winked at her and slipped between the chi blockers before you began running, slipping through the chi blockers, stepping to the side and evading them.

The sounds of your boots skidding over the floor and quick, light steps echoed as you ducked under a bola.

Korra looked over your shoulder, finding enough strength to reach up and grab the back of your shirt. Amon wasn’t moving, he wasn’t chasing after you. He didn’t need to; he already got exactly what he wanted tonight.

You threw your wooden sword toward the exit, getting one chi blocker to dodge it. You dropped to the ground, sliding between two chi blockers and Korra looked ahead just in time to see a chi blocker attempting to strike you while you were still on the floor.

Her blood ran cold and she braced for the impact and to inevitably get caught again. And then your right hand shot forward, making Korra gasp as you grabbed the chi blocker’s wrist. You yanked it toward you, pulling yourself to your feet and making the chi blocker stumble into another one behind you.

The one in front of you didn’t do any better than the others who tried to stop you, as you stepped to the side, elbowed him and jumped over him, planting your hand on his back to jump over another chi blocker.

You sidestepped another one, kicking the chi blocker in the side and pushing your body to the side. You made it look easy, and Korra felt her own heart rate slowing down as you slipped between two chi blockers, too quick for them to catch you.

And then you began sprinting, circling a couple of chi blockers before you reached your blade and kicked it up into the air. You caught it, spinning around and slashing behind you, making the chi blockers closest to you stop abruptly to avoid getting hit.

The next thing she knew, she was no longer in the museum, the darkness vanished, illuminated by moonlight as you took off in a mad dash with chi blockers running after you. “Damn stubborn bastards,” you cursed and Korra finally noticed you were out of breath.

And then you both heard Naga’s roar and Korra let out a sigh of relief as Naga, wet from swimming to the Memorial Island, barreled toward you. “Naga!” Korra exclaimed as Naga slowed down just enough for you to grab on and get onto her back with Korra still, somehow, after all of that, in your arms.

Naga jumped over the fence, running toward the sea and Korra finally felt like she could breathe, as difficult as it was, as Naga began swimming toward the Air Temple Island.

You adjusted on Naga’s back, probably after realizing Korra still couldn’t move and sat so Korra was sitting in front of you and leaning back on you. For a short while you just breathed heavily, sweat dripping down your face as you tried to catch your breath.

“Are you okay?” you finally gasped, dropping your forehead on Korra’s shoulder.

Korra nodded. “Yeah, he, he didn’t take my bending,” she told you, struggling to breathe properly. You wrapped your arms around her waist, holding her tightly, so close that she could feel your heart beating fast against her back. She felt you trembling, the adrenaline slowly disappearing.

“Spirits, Korra, you frightened me,” you said, though halfway through the sentence a sob tore through you and Korra, slowly regaining her ability to move, twisted in your arms, burying her face in the crook of your neck.

She bit her lower lip, breathing heavily to try and stay strong, but then the first sob broke through and she could no longer contain it. He had her, he could have taken her bending, you could have been seriously hurt, or worse, and it all came crashing down on her. “I was so terrified! I felt so helpless!” she cried out, warm tears streaming down her face as she clung to you as tightly as she could.

“He can’t hurt you now,” you promised, still breathing heavily. Naga whined, just letting Korra know she wasn’t alone, she was with the two of you.

“You and Tenzin, you were both right,” Korra confessed, relief and fear colliding inside her, that helpless feeling refusing to vanish and let her relax. “I've been scared this whole time. I've never felt like this before and Y/N, I don’t know what to do!” she admitted through tears, unable to stop crying.

Spirits, she wanted to stop crying, but with each sob tearing through her, making her body shake in your arms, she felt lighter. Not no longer afraid, just lighter.

“Not face him alone, that’s all I know,” you whispered, leaning back a bit, and then your right hand cupped her cheek, thumb brushing her tears away. “Don’t go off on your own,” you pleaded, crying just as she was.

Korra nodded, hugging you tightly again and slowly calming down as Naga brought the two of you to her room. By that point, albeit on shaky feet, Korra managed to get in through the window and collapse on her bed.

“That’s a good idea,” you muttered and sat down on the floor with your back against her bed, and Naga, now mostly dry, lied down next to you, resting her head on the bed.

Korra reached up, scratching Naga behind the ear and then looked at you, slumped sideways against Naga’s side. “That’s a better idea,” Korra said and slowly got off the bed, joining you on the floor and leaning on Naga. You shifted, turning slowly so your back was leaning on Naga as well. And just like that, with Korra’s shoulder pressed against your own, the three of you fell asleep.

A/N: Comments make me very motivated and very happy. Also, can Makorra even reasonably happen at this point? With Korra and Y/N like this already? Tell me your thoughts.

Taglist: @hellenheaven @martyyy7 @opulentnet @comets-tail2 @dragonfliesareworthdimes @liifeunwritten @wespirallin @seegull-111 @lovemoneybtw @notausername1 @kaeyaszlut @noisylilmonster @sturnrngs @theendlessvoidofdarkest @randomgirl-scrollinghere @lvotwe @thatoneloserdyke @miralice15 @traacy-lin @zakispacecadet88 @millyloves2read @rubyyworld @ira-16 @thexpastelxpoet @tigerlillyruiz

Masterlist / Part 6 / Part 8

[cobaltperun]

Breathe Into Me (6) - Fear Of The Dark

Korra x Female Reader

Summary: A series of unfortunate events puts you in the position you never wished to be in; stuck on the Air Temple Island, guarding the Avatar. You'd be fine with it, if only it didn't force you to be around Tenzin, who had no idea you were his and Lin's daughter.

Masterlist / Part 5 / Part 7

Word Count: 6.3k

-Have you ever been alone at night thought you heard footsteps behind and turned around and no one's there?-

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You stood in the mostly empty street, listening to crickets as you stared at the apartment buildings on one side of the street. “Now is probably the worst possible time to realize I have no idea where Lin lives, isn’t it?” you wondered, smacking your forehead and drawing the attention of the one passerby that was going somewhere.

You didn’t even know the building, let alone which floor or apartment you were supposed to go to. So, with an exhausted sigh, you walked over to the telephone booth and slipped in a coin. The telephone rang for a few seconds and then someone picked up.

“Republic City Police,” you heard a vaguely familiar female voice speaking.

“Yeah, hi, I’m officer Y/N, identification RCNO41-02,” you said, giving the officer at the station time to confirm you were telling the truth.

The woman hummed and you heard the rustling of the papers. “On duty guarding the Avatar?” she asked.

“Guarding is one way to put it,” you joked, chuckling, though the woman didn’t find it funny at all, as you were met with awkward silence. “Anyway, I have information chief Beifong needs to know about right away. Could you tell me where she lives?” you asked, and though it took a bit of convincing you eventually got Lin’s address.

So, here you were now, standing in front of her doors and knocking several times. “Chief, are you there?” you asked and just heard the doors unlocking. ‘Subtle,’ you thought sarcastically and opened the doors.

The place looked more or less how you expected it to be. Simple, practical; as far as the furniture went it wasn’t much different than your own apartment, only bigger and more expensive. And there she was, sitting at her table, arms crossed over her chest, still in her uniform, complete with that unreadable expression constantly on her face.

A part of you always wondered if she hated you in some way. If that was why she refused to have you in her life and the secret just gave her a convenient excuse so she wouldn’t have to deal with you. “Chief,” you greeted her, even here, even with just the two of you here, you still couldn’t call her by any other name.

“Sit down,” Lin ordered you, her voice wavering only for a fraction of a moment, and even then, just barely.

You nodded, sitting down on the opposite side of the table, your healthy hand resting on the table. “I’m guessing you don’t know about my assignment,” you opened with that, and sure enough, Lin raised an eyebrow. ‘There’s no way this goes bad,’ you thought sarcastically. “I’ve been assigned to watch Korra since she came to the city.”

The moment those words left your mouth she stood up, slamming her hands on the table. “What?!” she demanded.

“Tenzin has no idea, no one does,” you said immediately, definitively, looking straight into her eyes even as you desperately wished you could look anywhere else. “I’m careful,” you added quietly, finally looking down at the table. It looked flawless, like no one ever put a hot teapot on it by accident or nicked it with a knife.

You missed Lin biting her lower lip before she let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m assigning someone else first thing in the morning,” she decided as she began pacing the room, making you feel like you were one of the criminals she interrogated.

“No, you’re not, Chief,” you still said, with more confidence than you thought you would have.

Lin stopped, right behind you. “Excuse me?” she asked and you turned around in your seat, looking into her wide, surprised eyes.

“Korra was at the Equalist rally tonight,” you opened and Lin pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling a headache coming. “It’s not her fault, and it doesn’t matter. Amon can take people’s bending away, I’m not leaving Korra to some other officer,” you said, leaving no space for arguments. You’d rather quit the police if it came down to it.

“That’s impossible, only Aang could do that,” she argued, yet seeing the look in your eyes convinced her otherwise. “You’re an airbender, we can’t risk you losing your bending,” she said, sitting back down, this time next to you.

Your chest tightened. She was so close, you just had to reach out and you’d touch her, but you didn’t move. “I’m safe as long as they don’t know I’m a bender. Theoretically, I’m your best option,” you argued.

Lin sighed and leaned her head back, looking at the ceiling. Her entire body was rigid as she crossed her arms and gripped her biceps hard. For a while the only sound in the apartment was the sound of clock ticking. “I’ll put together investigation unit first thing in the morning. You’ll be a part of it, spend four hours at the office, the rest guarding the Avatar,” she finally, reluctantly, agreed.

“Thank you, Chief,” you said and stood up. “Have a good night, I’m sorry for dropping in on you this late at night,” you added.

Her breath hitched as you turned around, walking toward the doors. “Y/N,” she called your name and you stopped without turning to look at her. “How are your injuries?” she asked, in a tone so gentle you couldn’t believe she was the one speaking.

You didn’t turn around though. “Better, I, I don’t do much,” you chuckled a bit. “It’s Korra’s fault, really. She won’t let me do anything,” you bit your lower lip, struggling not to say more.

“Smart girl,” Lin whispered, despite her reluctance to compliment Korra. “And others?” she asked hesitantly.

“The acolytes are kind, the White Lotus guards are polite enough, and Korra’s friends, Mako and Bolin are a bit uncomfortable with me being a cop, but they got used to me being there. Naga is just majestic and adorable,” you swallowed the lump in your throat, blinking traitorous tear away. “Pema is nice and Jinora is really fucking smart and at that stupid age where she’s too cool for her siblings but still gets dragged into their mess,” you choked up a bit. “Ikki should work for you, she’d be great at interrogations and Meelo is apparently copying me, so there’s that,” your heart hammered in your chest as you tried to ignore it.

You stopped entirely, taking a deep breath. “And Tenzin, well, I’m surviving him. I’m keeping my distance, it’s not hard either. He’s councilman, it’s a convenient excuse,” you finally gave her the answer she really wanted.

Neither one of you spoke after that. You did dare to look back, just for a moment, and you saw Lin clenching her jaw and keeping her eyes closed. “Good night, Chief,” you said, slipping out of her apartment and taking a deep breath as you slumped back against the wall.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Quick footsteps in the middle of the night startled Korra awake. She jumped to her feet, realizing two things at once, Naga was gone, which immediately filled Korra with dread, and she just saw a shadow running past her window.

Her heart slammed against her chest and she looked around, unable to find her voice and warn anyone. The Equalists rushed into her room, breaking through the window and the doors and surrounding her. Korra struck immediately, even as each move felt sluggish and slow, like she was moving through something, like her flames lacked their usual heat and precision.

The Equalists dodged her attempts to hit them, spreading through the room and jumping over the flames. One of them lunged at her and she blocked the kick with her forearm, pushing the attacker away. But one still snuck behind her, jabbing harsh fingers from her knee to her neck, making her cry out as she dropped to the floor. The Equalist didn’t even need to hold her down, her entire body refused to move.

And then she heard footsteps, echoing as he closed in without any rush, like he knew no one would interrupt him. And then he emerged from the darkness, looking like he was one with the shadows in her room, and wearing that terrifying mask.

Her heart threatened to break through her chest and her eyes widened in terror as his hand inched closer to her face. “After I take your bending away, you will be nothing!” he said, and for a moment she felt his thumb on her forehead, making her blood run cold and panic overwhelming her.

And then Korra screamed, sitting up abruptly and struggling to get her breathing under control as she realized no one was in her room. No one except for Naga, and she nuzzled closer to Korra, resting her head on Korra’s lap and whining softly.

“It's all right, Naga. I just had a bad dream,” she said, her voice unsteady, as she desperately ran her fingers through Naga’s fur, needing it to calm her down. She could still feel Amon’s thumb on her forehead, and she looked at the jug of water on the table.

A drop of sweat slid down her cheek as she raised her arm in a fluid motion, bending the water from the jug into the glass and letting out a sigh of relief.

The knocking on her doors made her gasp and look at the doors wide-eyed. Naga didn’t growl though, her tail actually wagged happily. “Oh,” Korra mumbled softly, realizing you were behind the door.

“Korra? I’m coming in,” sure enough, she heard your voice. Of course you heard her, you were in the room next to hers.

“It was just a stupid nightmare,” she tried to lie as you slid the doors open and stepped inside, looking like you were still trying to wake up properly. You were wearing a loose gray sleeveless shirt and pajama pants. At least you no longer had any bandages around your torso.

You glanced at the glass of water, but didn’t comment on it, instead you brought a chair over from the table to the side of her bed and sat down. “Go back to sleep then,” you simply said, getting comfortable on the chair.

‘If only it was that easy,’ she thought bitterly, frowning a bit. “You’re going to watch me sleep?” Korra tried to joke, but it still came out a bit too strained, too breathless and terrified for her liking.

You looked at her, like you saw right through the flimsy grin on her face. “If it’ll help you through the night,” you just said, making it very clear you heard her the past two nights as well.

Korra looked down as Naga nuzzled against her stomach. “It’s the same nightmare,” she admitted, to which you just nodded, like you understood how that felt.

Judging by what she knew about you, Korra wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. She still didn’t want to talk about it any longer. She was the Avatar, being vulnerable because she had a nightmare was embarrassing. And you, luckily, didn’t push her. “Are you going to the city first thing in the morning?” she asked.

Your absence wasn’t exactly the easiest to get used to, especially now, but at least you still spent most of the day on the Air Temple Island.

You shook your head and Korra tried to ignore how glad she was because of that. “I’m going around noon, after the Council decides how to respond to Amon,” you said, sounding troubled.

The brief moment of happiness ended as she saw that look in your eyes. “What’s wrong?” Korra asked, grateful for a chance to talk about anything else, even if she didn’t like you being troubled.

“They are considering sending someone to infiltrate the Equalists,” you said, leaning forward a bit. Korra, however leaned back, surprised by that. “Logically I get it, but it’s still risky,” you muttered bitterly.

“Especially if they are found out,” Korra agreed, not even wanting to imagine how it would feel knowing one wrong move might cost someone their bending if they were discovered. She remembered her nightmare and shivered, resisting the urge to hug herself.

You noticed. Of course you did. But Korra shook her head, silently pleading with you not to react, so, you didn’t move, you just stayed in the room with her. And that, at the same time, meant more than you knew, and more than she was willing to acknowledge.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

The mood in the office given to the police unit assigned to the ‘Equalist Case’ was tense following the announcement on the radio. Councilman Tarrlok was making a task force to fight the revolution, and Amon was essentially declared public enemy number one.

“Well, this just made our job more difficult,” Asuka, a veteran firebending officer assigned to be the unit captain sighed as she flipped through the pages, looking for anything useful.

“Can’t say I’m surprised,” you massaged your temples. Between the news and the stack of papers that so far led you nowhere the morale was already, barely four days in, at an all time low.

The doors opened and you all straightened your backs as Lin walked in, looking as stern as always.

And then Byako walked in after her. ‘What?’ you thought, confused. And then your heart skipped a beat as you saw the expression on his face; the trembling of his lip, the way he squeezed his hands, his eyes darting everywhere before they landed on you and he mouthed ‘help’ and you felt like the ground opened up under you.

“Get officer Byako up to speed, he’s been assigned to the team as the mole,” Lin said and you saw Byako’s knees buckling slightly as you jumped to your feet, ignoring how loudly the chair you sat on scraped the floor.

You felt like someone just poured a bucket of ice-cold water over you. “Have you gone mad?!” you demanded, throwing your healthy arm up in the air, all respect and composure flying out the window despite Lin glaring at you.

“Woah, Y/N, what are you doing?!” Asuka demanded. She got up, quickly putting her arm on your shoulder and trying to get you to sit down, but you shoved her arm off, focusing solely on Lin.

The cold fury in Lin’s eyes mirrored your own. If you weren’t so focused on what she did, maybe you would have noticed your expressions were damn near identical. “Officer Y/N, sit down,” Lin berated you so harshly everyone, regardless of their rank flinched, taking cover as she glared at you.

“Fuck that,” you refused to back down or show respect. “You are sending a nonbender who doesn’t even have any combat experience to infiltrate a terrorist organization that’s been kidnapping benders for at least half a year,” you accused her. Byako wasn’t even a field officer, he handled paperwork and inspecting gear and occasionally provided support dressed as a civilian. And now Lin wanted him to infiltrate the Equalists?!

Lin’s eyes narrowed, and you noticed she was clenching her fists. “If you’re going to challenge every decision made in this operation, maybe I should remove you from it,” Lin threatened, already on edge after you challenged the whole mole idea two days ago.

Anyone smart would have backed down.

Just as you opened your mouth to speak, Byako cleared his throat. “Chief, please, Y/N is just concerned,” he jumped to your defense and walked up to you. He was shaking like a leaf in the wind as he placed his hand on your shoulder. “I don’t have bending that can be taken from me, I’m,” he took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m the only choice we have,” he whispered and his knees buckled.

You immediately steadied him as well as you could, letting him rest his weight on you as you grasped at the back of his uniform. No one would willingly take his place. Not for something like this.

“I’ll be fine,” he whispered and you nodded, still glaring at Lin over his shoulder.

“You’ll be fine. We’ll prepare you,” you promised. “Remember how you coordinated similar operations with Fu and I?” you turned to Byako and he nodded. “You remember the different communication codes?” you asked, to which he nodded again. “Good. Deep breaths Byako. It’s the same deal, just the two of us now,” you told him.

“Like with Fu,” Byako mumbled, a bit calmer now. And it didn’t escape your notice how the temperature in the makeshift office dropped at the mention of Fu, like the rest suddenly got reminded of the risk nonbending officers took upon themselves. You bit your lip at that, feeling your blood boiling.

“Byako,” one of the officers Asuka personally picked for the team, Dan, a rugged earthbender, spoke up, his voice booming in the small office. “You put on that uniform. If you thought it would come with clean hands and safety, do us all a favor and take it off,” he spat, and immediately Asuka and two other officers got between him and you and Byako, ready just in case.

“And you’re the role model he should follow?” you spat back, glaring at the man.

Dan snorted at that. “Funny you should say that; weapon expert,” he taunted you, very much aware of your fighting style. “The point is, he’s an officer, until he retires his life and morals belong to his commanding officers, just as everyone else’s.”

You bit your tongue, your body rigid with tension and remained quiet. There was no point in arguing with Dan.

“I,” Byako stammered but you gently pushed him toward the doors.

“Let’s go, tea is on me,” you said, guiding him outside. You looked at Lin one more time. “We’re not done talking about this, Chief,” you said, spitting her title out like it was venom.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Korra leaned her chin on her palm as she glanced toward the hall, waiting, watching. Her tea was still too hot, steam coming out from the cup and she sighed, glancing at the cup next to her own.

“Is Y/N not back yet?” Pema asked as she walked into the dining room and Korra’s back straightened immediately.

She could feel heat rising to her cheeks and quickly folded her arms over her chest, clearing her throat. “Not as far as I know,” she replied, trying to sound casual while feeling very tempted to spill the second tea cup.

“I’m sure she’ll come back for dinner,” Pema said, like Korra needed that reassurance. She didn’t. You were working. It was perfectly fine, she just, she was worried, nothing else.

Korra pouted turning to Pema. “Let’s say, maybe, just hypothetically, that I have been waiting for her,” Pema nodded at that. “That’s just worrying about her, right? Her arm is still broken,” she pointed out.

Pema smiled at her, but it wasn’t the usual, kind and sometimes teasing smile, it was more like she felt sorry. “Korra, sweetie,” Pema placed her hand on her stomach and slowly sat down next to Korra. Korra immediately reached up, helping her sit down to the best of her ability. “Thanks,” Pema smiled. “You finally have someone your own age nearby, it’s okay to feel strange now that Y/N suddenly isn’t here all the time,” she said softly.

Korra looked down at her cup of tea. That was it, wasn’t it? For the first time she had a friend her own age, and now it felt like maybe the friendship wasn’t as equal as she thought. You haven’t told her one thing about the police unit you were assigned to. Even when Korra asked, you gave her bare bones, the names, what element the officers were bending, nothing about the actual case.

But then again, she noticed Tenzin did that too. He just left work at, well, work. In over a month since she came to Republic City, she hadn’t once heard him talking about Council, not even in passing.

“She just, when she interrogated that protester, I didn’t like how cold and detached she was,” she admitted reluctantly. “I began wondering if that’s how she’ll be all the time now,” and she really hated that idea.

Pema placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s something you can only learn with time,” she said and then offered her a smile. “But I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about,” and just as she said that Jinora, Ikki and Meelo arrived, or rather barreled in, in Meelo’s case.

“Mom, leave this to us,” Jinora said as the three of them began setting the table for dinner and Korra got up, joining them.

Yet even five minutes later, when Tenzin finally arrived, you still didn’t return and now the plate and bowls Meelo set down for you seemed a bit jarring. “Should we wait for Y/N?” Ikki asked, looking around like she expected you to appear out of nowhere.

Tenzin smoothed his beard, looking like he was actually considering it. “Officer Y/N hadn’t called, so, there’s no telling when, if at all, she’ll be back tonight,” he decided and though Ikki and Meelo pouted he didn’t change his mind. In fact, he began the usual pre-dinner ritual.

“We are grateful for this delicious food, for happiness, for compassion and,” Tenzin began when a man, clearly from one of the Water Tribes, cleared his throat.

“I'm not interrupting, am I?” he asked, though he didn’t seem to care much even if he did interrupt Tenzin.

Immediately Korra could see annoyance on Tenzin’s face and she raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Tenzin to get annoyed this quickly. “This is my home, Tarrlok. We're about to eat dinner,” Tenzin told him as he stood up.

The man, Tarrlok, smiled a bit too smugly. “Good, because I am absolutely famished. Airbenders never turn away a hungry guest, am I right?” Well, he had Tenzin there, and he knew it, as he walked past Jinora and Ikki and moved toward Korra.

“I suppose,” Tenzin sighed and sat back down.

Tarrlok stopped by Korra’s side, spreading his arms a bit. “You must be the famous Avatar Korra,” well, he certainly knew how to start a conversation. Korra smiled, glad that someone properly recognized her as the Avatar first. “It is truly an honor. I am Councilman Tarrlok, representative from the Northern Water Tribe.”

Korra stood up and bowed politely. “Nice to meet you,” she said and they both sat down.

“That’s Y/N’s spot,” Meelo immediately said, and from the corner of her eyes, Korra noticed Tenzin’s eyes widening.

“Y/N? Ah, the nonbender officer assigned to watch Avatar Korra,” he remembered and actually moved to Korra’s right side. “My apologies,” he said, though it didn’t sound completely sincere, even to Korra.

“Why do you have three ponytails? And how come you smell like a lady? You're weird,” Ikki, as Ikki usually does, barraged him with questions.

“Well, aren't you precocious?” Tarrlok said, almost through gritted teeth before he returned his attention to Korra. “So, I've been reading all about your adventures in the papers. Infiltrating Amon's rally, now, that took some real initiative,” he said enthusiastically.

Korra’s hand went still right before she reached for her bowl. The image of Amon’s hand approaching her in her nightmare flashed through her mind but she shook it off and took her bowl. “Oh, thanks. I think you're the first authority figure in this city who's happy I'm here. You know, aside from Tenzin and Y/N,” she said, trying to change the topic.

“Nonsense. Republic City is much better off now that you've arrived,” Tarrlok assured her, and she relaxed. He was a councilman, like Tenzin, there was no reason to be suspicious of him.

“Enough with the flattery, Tarrlok. What do you want from Korra?” Tenzin interrupted their conversation.

“Patience, Tenzin, I'm getting to that,” Tarrlok said and Korra had to cover up a chuckle. Oh, how glorious it was that someone reminded Tenzin of all people to be patient. She was starting to like the guy. Tarrlok turned back to her. “As you may have heard, I am assembling a task force that will strike at the heart of the revolution, and I want you to join me.”

“Really?” she asked, taken aback. At the same time, she felt her blood running cold. She was the Avatar. There was only one reason why someone would mention this to her.

“I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly, someone who is fearless in the face of danger, and that someone is you,” Tarrlok told her, really trying to sell her the idea of joining him.

That nightmare crossed her mind again. That mask. That unnatural ability Amon possessed. Her fingers trembled on the table. “Join your task force? I can't,” she said, looking down as shame consumed her from the inside. And the shock on Tenzin and Tarrlok’s face only increased the shame she felt.

“I must admit, I'm rather surprised. I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon,” Tarrlok admitted, clearly taken aback.

“Me, too,” she heard Tenzin muttering and reached for her tea cup.

“I came to Republic City to finish my Avatar training with Tenzin. Right now, I just need to focus on that,” she said, her voice lacking her usual confidence, and took a sip of the tea, realizing it was lukewarm.

“Which is why this opportunity is perfect. You would get on-the-job experience while performing your Avatar duty for the city,” Tarrlok tried to change her mind, and her heart hammered in her chest as she gripped the tea cup a bit tighter.

She knew she should join him and fight Amon. Knew that she shouldn’t hesitate. She opened her mouth to agree, if for no other reason than to prove Amon didn’t control her actions.

“Korra gave you her answer. It's time for you to go,” Tenzin interrupted her before she could change her mind and Korra let out a small, shuddering sigh of relief.

“Very well. But I'm not giving up on you just yet. You'll be hearing from me soon. It has been a pleasure, Avatar Korra,” Tarrlok said and got up, leaving without once touching the food.

“Bye-bye, ponytail man!” Ikki told him happily.

Korra looked at her bowl of rice, unable to look up and meet anyone’s eyes. And she felt them staring at her, shocked, maybe even disappointed. She knew she was disappointed in herself, so they had every right to be as well. She was such a mess, letting her fear stop her from doing her duty.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention, but she didn’t look up. Not that she had to as Meelo jumped from the dinner table. “Y/N!” he exclaimed, and Korra looked up just in time to see him jumping over Tenzin and latching onto your neck and shoulder. Your right shoulder. You no longer winced, and soon you’d be able to use your right arm, but Korra still would have preferred if you were a bit more careful.

“Woah, careful!” you reached up, steadying him, even if it was ridiculous to steady an airbender, even one as young as Meelo. Still, you let him sit on your shoulders. “Did I just see councilman Tarrlok leaving?” you asked as you stepped inside and bowed to Tenzin and Pema, patted Jinora on her shoulder, ruffled Ikki’s hair and then sat down next to Korra, grinning at her.

And then your eyes widened slightly as you noticed the tea and the bowls and plate and for a moment Korra could have sworn she saw your lower lip tremble. It was just a seat at the table, though. Why would that affect you so much, anyway?

“Yeah, he sat on your seat, I told him not to,” Meelo bragged, pumping his fist and still very much on your shoulders.

You chuckled awkwardly at that. “So, what did he want?” you asked, turning mainly to Korra as Meelo finally slid off your shoulders and ran back to his seat next to Pema.

Korra looked down, avoiding your gaze. “He, uh, wanted me to join his task force,” she admitted, hearing your breath hitching at that. “I turned him down,” she added, not really eager to explain herself. Frankly, she doubted you’d believe her anyway, especially given her nightmares.

You let out a sigh of relief and Korra looked at you just in time to see your shoulders relaxing. “It’s for the better,” you turned to Tenzin. “No offense, Councilman, but I don’t think task force was the right decision,” you said.

Tenzin actually nodded. “None taken, officer, I actually agree,” he said, much to Korra’s surprise, but then again, Tenzin was an airbender, he preferred less violent approaches.

It was still a bit strange to see you and Tenzin agreeing on something.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Korra sighed, petting Naga’s belly as she sat on the stairs. She finished all her airbending forms for the day. She skipped probending practice though. It wasn’t like she wanted to skip it, it was just that going to the city reminded her of Amon. There was a chance Mako or Bolin would bring up what happened at the rally and she wasn’t sure how to handle that.

“Hey,” you approached her, back from the city and carrying a paper bag. The familiar scent hit her as the sun began setting and you dropped onto the stairs next to her. “Here, it’s still warm,” you said, placing the bag with the dumpling on her lap. Despite everything, the dumpling made her feel a bit warmer on the inside.

Korra nodded, taking the dumpling out of the bag, but she didn’t immediately take a bite. “You’re spending a lot of time on the case,” she pointed out and finally took a bite of the dumpling. The sweet jam and the warmth of the dumpling actually comforted her a lot more than she thought they would. It wasn’t enough to chase her fears away, but her smile was a tiny bit more genuine.

You sighed, sounding like you were carrying the weight of the whole case on your shoulders. “I’m actually preparing Byako, he’s going to infiltrate the Equalists,” you said, making Korra freeze in the middle of chewing.

“Byako?” she asked as soon as she swallowed the bit of dumpling in her mouth. “Isn’t that risky for him? Benders at least have a better chance escaping if it comes down to it?” she saw the rage at the rally, their glee when benders lost their bending. And those were the ones just supporting the Equalists. What of the ones actually kidnapping benders and fighting alongside Amon?

How bad would they react if they realized Byako was a cop sent to infiltrate their ranks? Even if he wasn’t a bender, chances were they’d see him as a traitor, which might even be worse for some of them.

“I’m trying to minimize the risk, set up different ways for him to communicate that don’t require actually directly talking to us,” you muttered and lay back. Korra looked at your furrowed brows, saw how tightly you clenched your jaw, and her guilt came back tenfold.

If she joined Tarrlok’s taskforce she could stop this, she could stop Amon and make sure countless people were safe. “Korra,” you suddenly raised your left hand and jabbed the side of her head. “Task force isn’t going to fix this, no matter what Tarrlok says. You aren’t making this any more difficult or dangerous by turning him down.”

Korra frowned, leaning her head to the side to get out of the range of your jabbing finger. The nerve of you. “I wasn’t thinking about that,” she denied it and you raised an eyebrow like you didn’t believe her. “Seriously,” she huffed, refusing to admit it. Even Naga turned around, no longer showing her belly and now just lying on her other side.

Yet you kept looking at her, not believing her. “I’m not scared of Amon!” she snapped, looking away and then looking at you, glaring helplessly. “You’re not even a bender,” she added bitterly and immediately buried her face in her hands. “That came out wrong,” she huffed, hearing you sitting up.

She felt your hand on her back, moving in small, slow circles. “Scared or not, talking wouldn’t hurt. And I’m going to be here whenever you decide you’d like to talk. About Amon or anything else,” you said and pulled your hand away.

Naga moved closer to her and nudged her with her head, making Korra sigh and pet her best friend’s head. “Thanks,” she muttered, to both Naga and you.

And then she heard whistling and looked ahead, seeing Bolin walking toward her. “Hello, fellow teammate!” he greeted her with his arms behind his back, cheerful and full of energy as always. “And officer,” he added.

It was more than enough to bring a smile to her face. “Hey, Bolin,” Korra said and saw you raising your hand as Bolin turned all his attention to Korra.

Bolin leaned forward, still keeping his arms behind his back. “Missed you at practice this week,” he pointed out, almost teasingly, like he was more bothered by not seeing her, rather than her actually missing practice.

Korra looked at Naga’s head, scratching behind her ear and smiling as Naga huffed, approving of the scratching she was getting. “Yeah, sorry about that,” she apologized.

“Nah, it's all right. We're probably out of the tournament anyway, unless some money miraculously drops out of the sky by tomorrow,” he shrugged and Korra honestly wasn’t sure what to tell him.

“Money rain, now that would be a sight,” you commented, sensing the awkward silence and filling it before it got way too awkward even for Korra.

Bolin chuckled a bit. “Anyway, reason I came by was to give you this. Ta-dah!” he exclaimed proudly and revealed what he was hiding behind his back. A cupcake and a rose. That he was offering to her.

“Woah, thanks. What's this for?” Korra asked, confused, though she accepted his gifts.

Bolin turned away rubbing his chin. “I can't remember,” he hummed and then turned back to her, grinning. “Yeah, now I remember. You saved me from Amon!” he exclaimed, thrusting his arms toward her.

“That? It was no big deal,” she said, a bit quieter than she hoped she would as her head and shoulders dropped a bit.

“No big deal? Are you serious?” Bolin exclaimed and started stomping around and waving his arms. “I was totally freaking out when he was coming at me with his creepy mask, all, I will take away your bending forever!” Korra’s heart began beating faster as Bolin tried to copy Amon’s voice.

“Bolin, we get it,” you said more sternly and he flinched a bit, stopping and turning back to look at her.

“I mean, that is scary stuff. I still can't sleep well,” he said, softer this time and Korra could only hum. She could definitely understand that.

“Delivery for Avatar Korra!” luckily, they were interrupted by Tarrlok’s assistant that Korra had the misfortune of meeting this morning. “Tarrlok sends his compliments and urges you to reconsider his offer,” the man said and placed a huge basket of flowers and smaller boxes on top of the stairs next to you.

“Tell him I haven't changed my mind,” she instantly refused, even made a show of it as she closed her eyes, not even acting interested in the gift she just received.

“Of course, Avatar Korra,” the man bowed and left as suddenly as he arrived.

“Who's this Tarrlok guy? Is he bothering you? 'Cause I could have a word with him,” Bolin offered, cracking his knuckles.

Korra chuckled a bit. “No, it's not like that. He's just some old guy who works with Tenzin on the Council,” she explained and noticed you picking up a box of chocolate from the basket.

“There’s a joke in their even I’m not willing to make,” you muttered, confusing Korra, but she brushed it off.

Bolin, on the other hand, immediately smiled again, looking relieved. “Oh, good, good. That sounds better. I like that better,” he said and Korra genuinely wasn’t sure how to respond to that either. Bolin was cool, but she wasn’t entirely sure they were on the same page.

“You know, just thinking out loud here, but you could see this. These boxes alone are probably close to 2000 yuan,” you pointed out and Korra’s jaw dropped as she turned to look at you.

“Don’t you earn like 1500 yuan a month?” she asked, baffled by how expensive Tarrlok’s gift was. She still didn’t care about it, but the price was ridiculous.

You just nodded, like anything about the basket was normal. “Doubt he’ll send enough gifts to cover the whole 30 thousand, though. At least today,” you shrugged and tossed the box back into the basket. “Might at least buy you a few days,” you added.

“That just feels like a wrong thing to do,” Korra frowned, feeling like using the gifts in any way would make her owe something to Tarrlok.

You didn’t argue, you just grinned, like you expected that from her, and honestly, she didn’t mind that.

A/N: I wanted to finish episode 4 in this chapter, but then it would have been too long.

Taglist: @hellenheaven @martyyy7 @opulentnet @comets-tail2 @dragonfliesareworthdimes @liifeunwritten @wespirallin @seegull-111 @lovemoneybtw @notausername1 @kaeyaszlut @noisylilmonster @sturnrngs @theendlessvoidofdarkest @randomgirl-scrollinghere @lvotwe @thatoneloserdyke @miralice15 @traacy-lin @zakispacecadet88 @millyloves2read @rubyyworld @ira-16

Masterlist / Part 5 / Part 7

[cobaltperun]

Finally finished breath into me 5. And i really want to say thank you for not only writing a korra x reader fanfic but also for putting in what seems like so much time and effort to make it this good. Exited to see where this goes and how reader reacts then lin loses her bending💙

Thanks for reading, and the compliments. I do put in quite a bit of time and effort into my stories, so, thanks for noticing. 😁💙 Chapter 6 is going to be a fun one, I hope, especially since I plan to cover episode 4. Oh, Reader is going to have one hell of a reaction, if it happens. Okay, yeah, it'll happen, it's too big of a moment not to happen, but it might go differently. Anyway, we'll see when we get there. 😁

[cobaltperun]

r u done writing for jenna ortega? sorry i haven’t rlly caught up with all this stuff lmao

I'll still write WOTS and eventually finish reuploading Lost, but other than that, probably yes, at least for the time being. None of her upcoming projects really catch my interest as far as potentially writing a story goes.

[cobaltperun]

How do you feel about fanart for stories?

So, I know I write x Reader stories and that means my stories lack, for the most part, physical description of Reader characters. That being said, I have a bit of an itch to draw every now and then, so I might consider doing something for the stories I'm writing, maybe a scene, maybe a cover, something.

Anyway, what I have in mind if this poll goes well is probably designing a few sketches and then letting you all vote which one you like the most for Reader and then I'd draw something with top 2 or 3 picks. These drawings would never be referenced in the stories, Reader depicted there would not be used as a base for Reader within text, but I think it might be cool to have a visual of some scenes.

Either way, I'm leaving this poll for you to vote on, and feel free to share your opinion in the comments.

Fanart for X Reader fics

Is okay but shouldn't be used as covers for chapters/stories

Is okay and can be used as covers for chapters/stories

Isn't okay because it would break reader immersion

Voting ended onJun 25

[cobaltperun]

Breathe Into Me (5) - Revolution

Korra x Female Reader

Summary: A series of unfortunate events puts you in the position you never wished to be in; stuck on the Air Temple Island, guarding the Avatar. You'd be fine with it, if only it didn't force you to be around Tenzin, who had no idea you were his and Lin's daughter.

Masterlist / Part 4 / Part 6

Word Count: 8.3k

-Fate thickens the air, we know our time is near-

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You yawned, rubbing your eyes as you leaned against the gym wall. Saikhan’s stern warning kept you from sleeping in and letting Korra go to probending training on her own. At least it got you off the Air Temple Island.

Luckily, you weren’t the only cranky one. Korra caught the ball with ease and a frown on her face. “What's the big idea with making me train this early in the morning?” Korra asked. “The morning is evil,” she complained and tossed the ball back to Bolin.

“You can say that again,” you muttered, slumping to the side and lying down on the floor. The gym was too loud, each time someone caught the ball echoing, and you just wanted some peace and quiet.

Or to join in, but you couldn’t have that now, could you. Korra explicitly warned you not to even think about it even though you itched to just get moving again.

Bolin tilted his head. “Aren’t you supposed to be like, disciplined or something? Being a cop and all that?” he asked you as he tossed the ball to Mako.

“If it makes you feel safer,” you shrugged, closing your eyes. You missed Korra glancing at you.

“Right,” Bolin commented, chuckling awkwardly. He and Mako may have gotten over you being there, and Bolin may have taken the news better than Mako, but you wouldn’t exactly consider them happy to have you here. You couldn’t remember ever arresting either of them though. “We're the rookies, so we get the worst time spot in the gym,” he turned his attention back to Korra.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Korra asked, making you open one eye to see the embarrassed grin on her face.

“We’re rookies. We gotta get you up to speed if we want to survive in the tournament. Deal with it!” Mako explained, tossing the ball back to Korra. Even as distracted as Korra apparently was, she caught the ball with ease.

“You deal with it!” Korra snapped, tossing the ball back with too much force and hitting Mako with it. Mako gasped and fell back, skidding across the floor with a soft grunt.

“Got it,” he mumbled, staying sprawled on the floor.

“That’s just uncalled for,” you snickered. At least Korra’s occasional outbursts, which you could easily get behind given how early it was, entertained you. Korra stuck her tongue out at you and crossed her arms over her chest, looking smug. ‘This girl is such trouble,’ you thought, shaking your head even as you smiled.

The gym doors opened and a larger guy dressed to appear richer than he actually was walked in, stopping the practice. “There are my little hard working street urchins!” he exclaimed and you hopped to your feet, not liking that tone one bit. “It's an honor to finally meet ya, Avatar,” he patted Korra’s shoulder.

“And you are?” Korra asked, puzzled but sounding suspicious.

“Butakha. I run this whole pro-bending shebang,” he said, taking his top hat off and bowing to her, before turning his attention to Mako and Bolin. “Here's your winnings from the last match,” he said, handing over the money.

Korra on the other hand walked over to you, looking annoyed and sleepy. “If you know I’m the Avatar, at least give us a better training time,” she grumbled under her breath, barely loud enough for you to hear.

You grinned at her. “Come on, I’ll take you to get dumplings later,” you promised and Korra looked at you with a blank face. You still caught the corner of her mouth twitching up before she got it under control.

“Are you bribing me with food, officer?” she asked, one hand flying to her chest in indignation.

“Is it working, Avatar?” you shifted your weight a bit and tilted your head ever so slightly, giving Korra a wide, cheeky grin.

Korra rolled her eyes and smacked your healthy shoulder. “Yes. Yes it is,” she muttered under her breath.

You looked over her shoulder, seeing Butakha taking all of the money he gave to Mako back. “I’ve gotten too jaded, that doesn’t even surprise me,” you muttered and Korra looked back, gasping slightly as she realized what happened.

“He can just do that?” she asked you, baffled that Mako was left with nothing. “You’re right here,” she said, like you being an officer should have prevented it somehow.

You just nodded. “It’s not even against the law.”

“Oh, and one more small item of business. The Fire Ferrets need to ante up 30000 yuans, for the championship pot,” he told the two brothers as you and Korra approached.

“30000 yuans?!” Bolin exclaimed and you choked on air.

“Sorry, kids. You've got till the end of the week to come up with the dough, or else you're out of the tournament,” and with that Butakha left the gym, leaving a much worse mood than it was even a minute ago.

“Uh, you wouldn’t happen to have a secret Avatar bank account overflowing with gold, would you?” Bolin asked, turning to Korra. He looked heartbreakingly hopeful.

Korra looked at him apologetically and just pulled her pockets out showing they were empty. “I got nothing. I've never really needed money, I've always had people taking care of me,” she said casually. Even here in Republic City, that didn’t change.

Mako, just for a moment, frowned at that. “Then I wouldn't say you've had nothing,” he said, sounding almost bitter. For a moment the air felt heavier, like there was something weighing the brothers down and you were about to feel it as well.

“Sorry, I didn't mean,” Korra quickly apologized, taking you by surprise. Now that you thought about it, she had been working on her social skills over the past week.

Bolin, luckily, didn’t hold it against her. “No, it's alright. It's just ever since we lost our parents, we've been on our own,” he explained.

“I'm so sorry, I didn't know,” Korra apologized immediately and you patted his shoulder, offering silent comfort.

“So, anyway, how are we gonna come up with the money?” Mako asked as he began taking his training gear off.

“Uh, Y/N?” Korra turned to you sheepishly and you burst out laughing, breaking the tension for a moment as Bolin began laughing with you and even Mako snickered. “What? You’re a cop.” Korra raised an eyebrow.

“Which you’d think would pay well,” Mako shook his head, still recovering from laughing suddenly.

Your laughter finally slowed down and you looked at Korra. “I’m a rookie nonbending officer, Korra, I earn like 1500 a month,” you said, still snickering at the absurd idea as Korra’s shoulders slumped.

“Oh, oh! I got it! I got it!” Bolin suddenly picked up Pabu, showing him off. “I've been training Pabu to do circus tricks, now, people would pay good money to see that,” he genuinely believed that.

“Poor kid,” you muttered to yourself, already seeing where this was going. All that got you was an elbow to the side. “Ugh, Korra,” you complained, trying not to wince.

Mako looked at his brother and sighed. “Don't worry about it. I'll figure something out. I always do.”

~X~ KORRA ~X~

If every morning came with these dumplings, Korra would not complain one bit. The paper bag was still warm in her hand as she bit into her second one. Spirits, these were so good! “Pema is going to be so annoyed that we’re skipping breakfast.” Yet, even knowing that, she still didn’t think twice about getting two of each flavor.

You grinned at that. “In your defense, these are good. A bit too sweet, but good,” you said and finished your first dumpling, savoring the taste.

The warmth spread through her chest and she quickly cleared her throat. The city was already bustling with life. The streets were busy, people clearly in a rush, bolder merchants already calling people into their shops. Korra was still getting used to that and as you reached the harbor she looked at Aang’s statue.

Every step she took in the city he created reminded her of who she was. Who she had to live up to. ‘I’ll make you proud,’ she thought, lifting her chin up ever so slightly. She clenched her fists, resolving to put in even more effort in today’s airbending training.

“Working early, Y/N?” she suddenly heard a teasing voice approaching the two of you and looked to your left. Korra blinked, she knew she heard it somewhere, and she could have sworn the man looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

The moment you saw him you grinned. “You’re working too,” you teased back instantly as the man, clearly from the Fire Nation, slumped at that like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“I know,” he sobbed dramatically. “Like, why? Why did the shipment have to arrive this early?” he whined and you patted him on the back.

“You’ve got this, buddy,” you said, clearly trying not to snicker.

Byako! Korra finally remembered who the man was. And just in time as the man sighed and nodded, coming to terms with his circumstances. “Good morning, Avatar Korra,” he said, more seriously now, and bowed. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too, Byako, and thanks for letting me listen to probending,” she bowed back.

Byako brushed it off with a small grin. “Speaking of probending, this one was probably writing her obituary when she saw you playing,” he teased you, but instead of finding it funny, Korra winced. She could only imagine how angry Chief Beifong was when she heard the news.

“Charming,” you said sarcastically as the ferry arrived. “See you later, Byako,” you said with a look on your face that made it clear you weren’t actually annoyed by Byako.

“Later,” he said as Korra joined you, and then he suddenly stopped. “By the way, Meng and Topaz said they’ll drop by the station today,” he said and the small grin vanished from your face as you got serious.

“Thanks, I’ll be there,” you said, your hand clutching the fence as more people boarded the ferry.

Korra didn’t dare to ask who the people Byako mentioned were, but your lower lip trembled and your shoulders tensed. So, not knowing how else to approach you right now, she just placed her hand on your shoulder.

“I’m okay,” you muttered, looking at the water instead of facing her and Korra nodded, dropping her hand.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You arrived at the police station around noon, greeting the officers you ran into on the way to your desk. This was it, wasn’t it? One final proof that he was gone.  You sat down at your desk, the empty desk to your right making your heart feel heavy in your chest. You looked at it, suddenly feeling the weight of exhaustion and slumped forward a bit, feeling that weight on your shoulders.

The small box of belongings sat on the desk, soon to be taken by Meng and Topaz, and before you’d know it someone else would be given Fu’s desk. Before long you’d forget how he liked to arrange his table, how easy it was to just reach over and hand him files, how he’d lean over his desk and grab a snack from your desk.

A part of you was surprised someone wasn’t assigned to it already. Maybe Lin was being sentimental, postponing that moment for your sake.

You weren’t about to complain if that was the case. A selfish part of you wanted to preserve his presence as long as it was possible. With a sigh you tried to focus on doing some work, you had a report to write after all. You still had to blink a few times.

Speaking of desks, yours was terrifyingly organized. “Byako? This your doing?” you asked, your voice shaking ever so slightly as you pointed at your desk. Since you began working here your desk was never half as organized as now. Everything seemed so meticulous and practical. It made a shiver run down your spine as you compulsively moved the ink bottle just a bit to the side so it wasn’t perfectly lined up with papers.

“Yeah, why?” Byako asked, oblivious to how distraught you were by this much order.

“I don’t know where my things are anymore,” or rather, now you had to look for them. Byako just rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Korra took a deep breath, getting her breathing under control again, and wiped the sweat off her forehead. It felt strange doing this without you sitting nearby. She immediately got used to Tenzin not being there and letting Jinora and Ikki help her when he was busy with the Council or something like that, but you? Nope.

It wasn’t throwing her off. Much. But it was strange. And you didn’t even tell her when you would be back. It was already late; you had three ferries left tonight.

Well, that was your decision and you didn’t owe her any explanations.

So what if she frowned when she had to start training without you there?

With a huff, Korra set your absence aside and focused on the gates as Jinora and Ikki effortlessly airbent, making them spin. She moved, light on her feet, feeling the air against her body. She moved quickly, keeping her eyes closed and spinning between the gates. It wasn’t the same form Jinora used, far from it, but she went through.

Light footsteps approaching got her attention and she looked back, not seeing anyone yet. Definitely not you, you were quieter than that. And soon enough she saw Mako walking up the stairs toward her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, pleasantly surprised to see him there and trying to be cool about it.

“Ooh, he's cute!” Jinora noticed him as well and Korra’s cheeks turned red, all of her cool instantly evaporating at that comment. “Korra, is that the handsome firebender boy that drives you crazy?” Jinora asked, basically punching all of Korra’s air out of her lungs.

“Does he drive you crazy in a bad way? Or does he drive you crazy like you like him?” Ikki joined in, making Korra’s eyes widen in horror.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, desperately hoping Mako didn’t hear them, and slammed her foot down, catapulting them into the air with earthbending. They, predictably, easily landed behind her, airbending easing their landings.

She cleared her throat and turned around. “Oh! Hey, Mako,” she greeted him, trying to gauge if he heard anything, but he was as brooding as always.

“You seen Bolin?” he asked, still sounding like a jerk at times.

Korra’s eye twitched at that greeting. “Nice to see you, too,” she said with a dose of snark in her tone, but then she saw his furrowed brows, his head handing lower than usual, like weight was on his shoulders, slowing down his every step. “And, no. I haven't seen him since practice,” Korra added, softer. “Think something's wrong?”

Mako sighed, looking around. “I don't know. Bolin has a knack for getting into stupid situations,” he admitted, turning around. “See you later,” he said, already leaving.

Korra began walking after him. “Wait! I could help you look for him,” she offered immediately, without a hint of hesitation in her mind.

“No, I got it,” yet he brushed her off.

Korra wasn’t having any of it, Bolin was her friend, and so was Mako. She grabbed his forearm, stopping him. “Hey, "cool guy", let me help you. We can take Naga,” she offered, gesturing behind her.

Mako looked at her, raising an eyebrow. “Who's Naga?” he asked, confused.

“My best friend, and a great tracker,” Korra said with a grin and motioned for him to follow her.

Mako let out an exhausted sigh, too cool to follow her without making it seem like it was a bother, but he followed her anyway. “What about that officer?” Mako asked, looking around again. “I though she was watching you.”

Korra shrugged. “She had to go to the station today, hasn’t been back since,” she explained, glancing back just once, hoping you’d show up, they could probably use a bit of extra help as well. Since you were an officer and all that.

“Good to know,” Mako commented. Korra looked back at him, seeing his posture relaxing ever so slightly at you not being here. She frowned, but didn’t question it, figuring Mako had his reasons. He hasn’t really been eager to have you around from the start. And unlike her, you didn’t seem eager to put in any effort to make him change his mind.

It did sting a bit that a lot of people seemed to basically treat you as nothing more than an officer. Korra was yet to hear Tenzin call you anything but ‘officer’ dropping even your name since she revealed you were helping her train. And he explicitly forbade you to train her, which you actually, much to Korra’s annoyance, obeyed.

They found Naga with Oogi, lazily stretching on the ground. “Naga!” Korra called her, and the polar bear dog immediately jumped to her feet, rushing toward them. Mako cried out, falling back in shock and curling up on the ground.

Korra snorted, trying hard not to laugh. “Easy, Naga, easy, it’s just Mako,” she said, tugging at Naga’s harness as Naga sniffed Mako suspiciously. Mako’s jaw dropped and he raised a shaky finger, pointing at Naga and trying to come to terms with what he was seeing. “She doesn’t bite unless I tell her to,” she assured him, maybe a bit too smugly, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He chuckled uneasily and nodded once. “Your best friend is a polar bear-dog,” he finally spoke up again, his voice cracking a bit at the end. Now that she thought about it, Korra never asked you what your first reaction to Naga was. “Somehow, that makes perfect sense,” Mako added, tugging at his collar.

Korra smirked, enjoying this a bit too much. “I'll take that as a compliment, city boy,” she teased him jokingly and patted Naga before getting on top of her and patting the spot behind her. “Come on up, let’s go find Bolin,” she told him, doubling over and burying her face in Naga’s fur as Mako paled.

“Maybe I should walk?” he tried to talk his way out of it, and Korra just shook her head, smirking. And she was then treated to Mako, at his most terrified, approaching Naga and carefully placing his hand on her back. And Naga, spirits help her, growled playfully. “See?!” Mako cried out, to which Korra laughed.

“She’s messing with you,” she assured him and patted the side of Naga’s neck. “Behave,” she warned her best friend.

Meanwhile, Mako, still reluctantly, tried again, slowly, like he was signing his own death sentence, getting on Naga’s back.

She was never going to let him live this down.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You came back to the Air Temple Island on the last ferry, only leaving after Topaz fell asleep. And even then, it was with a heavy heart. Seeing Meng put Fu’s things away would have been too much on its own; seeing Topaz trying not to cry again might as well have killed you.

Your face fell when you noticed the lights were still coming from the dining room. You nearly turned around, heading straight to your room, but you owed it to at least inform someone that you were back. Someone who wasn’t Korra, anyway. So, you knocked, hoping you wouldn’t find Tenzin there.

“Y/N, come on in,” you heard Pema’s voice and frowned, leaning back a bit. Were you really that predictable?

‘Love that for me,’ you thought and slid the doors open, finding the exhausted woman alone, drinking her tea. You immediately changed your mind. Pema alone was an even worse option than Tenzin. But you couldn’t back out now, things were already awkward as they were. “Uh, baby troubles?” you blurted out before you could stop yourself and mentally smacked your forehead as you walked in.

Pema gave you that tired smile that told you all about her day in one second. “The baby is just kicking a lot today,” she said, prompting you to just nod awkwardly, not sure what to say to that. “Want to take a seat? You look like you could use a cup of tea yourself,” she offered, moving to get up.

You weren’t sure what made you do it, but you placed your hand on her shoulder, only to immediately flinch when she abruptly looked at you in surprise. “I meant, well, I can get it myself. If that’s not a problem,” you stammered, looking anywhere but at her.

Yet you still saw her smiling. “Of course you can,” she said with the ease that made your stomach twist as you went to the cupboard and got a cup. You sat down on the other side of the table, crossing one leg under the other and sitting slightly sideways with your left elbow on the table.

Pema stifled a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.

“Excuse me?” you raised an eyebrow, hiding the slight frown with the tea cup.

Pema cleared her throat, smiling at you. “No, it’s nothing, I just wonder if you noticed Meelo is copying you,” she said it so casually just as you took a sip of the tea and nearly choked on it.

You coughed, your eyes watering slightly. “No, I haven’t noticed,” you wheezed. “Say, do you know if Korra is already done with her training?” you asked, desperate not to talk to the woman about her children, especially similarities between you and her children.

The smile on Pema’s face vanished. “Jinora told me she went to the city, one of her friends went missing,” she told you and you immediately straightened your back, ready to bounce to your feet. “I understand you want to go looking for her now, but rest for the night. Korra is the Avatar,” Pema reminded you with an almost motherly look in her eyes.

You pretended not to notice it.

You knew that; you knew Korra didn’t need you. “It’s my job,” you argued weakly, yet you looked at your arm, still broken, still useless in a fight. There was no way to know if Korra would even get into a fight, maybe Mako or Bolin, whichever one was missing, just lost track of time.

Yeah. You didn’t believe that one for a second.

Pema hummed at that, looking thoughtful. “If Tenzin is okay with this, you should be too,” she pointed out. “You know how strict he was at first,” and now he trusted Korra. He would have trusted her to go to probending practices alone if you weren’t here.

“I suppose,” you sighed, running your fingers through your hair. “Thanks, I’ll see you in the morning,” you said, getting up and leaving the room.

Yet you spent hours just lying in bed, waiting to hear Korra come back. Only, she never did, and around four in the morning you sat up and snuck out, finding one of the row boats. “No one will notice,” you muttered to yourself, standing on the edge of the boat, facing the Air Temple Island and took a wide stance.

The darkness of the night and the vastness of the sea would hide you, provide the cover you needed.

You took a deep breath in and punched; a gust of air propelling the boat forward and then all it took was keeping the motion going.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Exhaustion was catching up to her, a long day of training and then the whole night of searching for Bolin, and now it felt like the most difficult thing to do was to stay awake while waiting. Even Mako, as worried as he was, looked like he was barely keeping his eyes open.

“So, why is Bolin running around with the Triple Threat Triad, anyway?” Korra asked, forcing herself not to lean back on Naga, otherwise she’d fall asleep mid-sentence.

Mako looked at her, then looked away, avoiding her gaze. “Well, we,” he hesitated, which wasn’t like him. “Promise not to tell your officer friend,” he muttered under his breath.

That certainly woke her up. Why you of all people? “Sure, I won’t tell her,” she promised, curious and a bit concerned. Surely Mako didn’t dislike you that much, right?

He cleared his throat. “We used to do some work for them, back in the day,” he revealed, sounding a bit ashamed.

Korra’s eyes widened and she leaned toward him, which made him lean back a bit to avoid her accusing glare. “What? Are you some kind of criminal?” she demanded, too sleepy to have any tact after learning something like that. At least now it was obvious why he wasn’t comfortable with your presence.

And Mako immediately glared back at her. “No! You don't know what you're talking about. I just ran numbers for them and stuff,” he snapped, lifting his chin up in defiance. “We were orphans out on the street! I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother.”

Korra looked down, pulling back in shame. “I'm sorry. It must've been really hard,” she apologized, berating herself for jumping into conclusions. “Can I ask what happened to your parents?” she asked tentatively.

Mako hesitated, pulling his scarf over his lips. “They were mugged, by a firebender. He cut them down right in front of me,” her heart ached as he revealed that. “I was eight.”

“Mako,” she whispered, reaching up and putting her hand on his shoulder. He flinched a bit, but relaxed after a few seconds.

“Bolin's the only family I have left. If anything happened to him,” he muttered into the scarf and Korra shook her head, refusing to let him fall into despair.

“We’ll find him, I swear,” she said as gently as she could.

Yet at some point the exhaustion won over the resolve to stay awake and wait for the protestor to show up yapping about the Equalists and their movement. She fell asleep, the warmth of Naga behind her and Mako to her left making it very difficult not to.

What woke her up, who knows how much later, was the scent of meat and the sound of Naga devouring something. “What?” she muttered and blinked a few times, which also seemed to wake Mako up. And then she saw where she was, her face mere inches from Mako’s. “Aaah!” she cried out in shock, scrambling away from Mako. “I, uh,” she grinned awkwardly, embarrassed by what she did.

“Well, that was awkward,” and then she heard your completely unbothered voice and saw you holding up a stick with meat skewered on it for Naga.

“Woah!” Mako, hearing you behind him, scrambled to his feet and both of them just looked at you.

Korra rubbed her eyes as she got up, just making sure she wasn’t seeing things. “How did you find us?” she asked.

“Turns out, asking people about a polar bear dog is a good tactic,” you shrugged and tossed her and Mako a bag. “Just sandwiches, eat while you catch me up on what’s going on,” you said, scratching Naga behind the ear as you finished feeding her.

Korra looked at the two wrapped sandwiches. ‘Yup, that’s Y/N,’ she thought, handing Mako a sandwich and unwrapping her own. And then she noticed you were waiting to be caught up to speed.

Korra looked to the side, not wanting to get Bolin into trouble. He did kind of have criminal past, and he was with a gang last night and you were a cop. She exchanged looks with Mako, his lips were pressed tight and he clearly wasn’t going to talk. She took a bite of her sandwich to buy time but also because she was starving.

“Well, you see,” Korra began after she swallowed the first bite, stuck between not wanting to hide things from you and not wanting to tell you about the trouble Bolin got himself into. “Long story short, Bolin got kidnapped by the Equalists and now we’re waiting for the protester guy to show up,” she blurted out, immediately feeling lighter.

You suddenly became very serious. “Shit,” you muttered under your breath and Mako’s breath hitched at that. And since he was chewing on his sandwich Korra had to pat his back so he wouldn’t choke on it.

Korra just winced, still getting used to you cursing as much as you did. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one not used to profanities.

Mako cleared his throat, coughing into the back of his fist. “Do you know something?” Mako asked.

You let out a sigh. “It wasn’t my case, so I’m a bit out of the loop, but we have gotten occasional missing person report over the past half a year, petty criminals passing through the city mostly. They’d turn up, back at the place where they came from, spouting about the masked man and no longer being able to bend. Since they weren’t in or from the Republic City we couldn’t exactly bring them in for questioning,” you explained. “Not to mention we dismissed it, since their claims were ridiculous,” you added.

“Clearly they graduated to local criminals,” Mako said and squeezed his eyes shut, breathing in through clenched teeth.

“You weren’t supposed to say that, huh?” you figured, staring blankly at Mako. Korra chuckled awkwardly, giving you her best grin. “The less I know the better,” you decided with a sigh and both Korra and Mako visibly deflated at that.

“Equality now! Equality now! We! Want! Equality! Now!” the voice boomed throughout the park and Korra turned to the side, seeing the guy she saw on her very first day in the city, still protesting.

“That's the guy,” she recognized him and began walking toward him, Mako and you immediately following.

“Take back your city! It's time for the,” the man gasped as he recognized her. “It's you again! You cannot silence me, Avatar!” she went to smack his loudspeaker she felt you pulling her back by her shirt.

“Woah there, slow down, Korra!” you exclaimed and turned to the guy. “Republic City Police, I’d show you my badge, but my hands are a bit busy at the moment,” you said, tilting your head to your broken arm and the other arm holding the back of Korra’s shirt.

“You will not silence me officer!” he yelled through the loudspeaker at you.

“You still don’t want me to break that thing?” Korra asked you under her breath, annoyed that you were holding her back, and looked at you, seeing your eye twitching.

“It’s very tempting right about now,” you admitted and took a deep breath. “Show me your public speaking permit,” you demanded firmly and the man’s arm dropped as he looked at you a bit uneasily.

‘Oh? Right, she’s an officer,’ Korra tilted her head a bit, raising an eyebrow. She hasn’t really heard that tone from you before.

“I have the right to protest against oppression!” the man defended himself vehemently.

“You are calling people to take action,” you pointed out. “So, we can do this the easy way and you answer Korra’s questions and we leave you alone to keep protesting, or I could bring you in for questioning. So, how about it?” you asked, leaving no doubt in Korra’s mind that you’d bring the man in if needed.

Korra looked at you, seeing the stern look on your face and the no-nonsense attitude. It kind of reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on who it was. Either way, it seemed to be working as the protester sighed and nodded.

“What do you want to know?” he asked reluctantly, frankly surprising Korra that this was working as well as it was. She thought she would have to scare him or even beat it out of him.

Korra turned back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. “My friend got kidnapped by some chi blockers. Where'd they take him?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” he denied it, and you cleared your throat behind Korra, which made him shove a piece of paper into Korra’s hands.

“Witness the Revelation tonight, 9 o’clock,” Mako read as both him and you looked over her shoulders. “What’s this Revelation?” he asked.

Yet the man remained defiant, glaring at the three of you until his shoulders slumped in defeat. “No one knows what the Revelation is. And I have no idea what happened to your friend. But, if he's a bender then my bet is, he's getting what's coming to him!” he revealed, almost gleefully, actually scratch that, he was happy about what happened to Bolin.

Korra glared at him, very tempted to still rough him up for that comment alone.

“Sure, bud, and where is it?” you asked, cold and detached, glancing at the paper and, sure enough, there wasn’t any location written down.

Korra looked at you, her eyes widening slightly at your tone as you waited for the man to answer. Bolin was your friend, kind of, yet you didn’t seem one bit bothered by the man’s comment. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed Mako having a similar reaction.

“Come on, I’m already on the fence about letting you stay here,” you reminded him, sounding bored.

“Look at the back, the dot is pointing at where the Revelation will be,” the protester mumbled reluctantly, clearly not wanting to get arrested.

Korra looked at the back of the paper and sure, it looked like a map, but there was nothing else.

Mako picked up a few other pages and looked at them. “There’s a red dot on this one,” he said, and then put the images together.

“I know where that is,” you said and turned to the protester. “I’ll keep my word, you’re free to keep protesting,” you said.

Korra nodded, patting you on the back and ignoring that she really didn’t like this side of you. It was too ‘I’m working, you can’t get to me,’ as far as Korra was concerned. Especially considering how you were with Tenzin’s kids.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

You took Korra and Mako to your apartment. “It’s a bit dusty, I haven’t been around a lot,” you said, not even faking it, you really only spent one night at your apartment since you were assigned Korra guarding duty.

“Sure,” Korra said, looking around your apartment curiously. Not that there was much to see. It was a fairly basic, regular apartment, practical more than anything else. Aside from locked storage with case files you’ve accumulated thus far and a small collection of weapons, there really wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

Korra didn’t seem to mind though, as she kept taking the apartment in.

“So, what’s the course of action here?” you asked, sitting down on the couch and leaning back. You couldn’t exactly call for backup, the gathering wasn’t in a public area, so they wouldn’t need any permits. And without proper evidence it would be hard to convince the police to raid the rally. Even if Korra and Mako had actual solid proof the truth of the matter was that the ones kidnapped were criminals.

“Sneak in and find Bolin?” Korra said almost sheepishly and you nodded.

You noticed Mako shrugging as he leaned against the wall and yeah, Korra’s plan, as bare as it was, really was your only option given the circumstances. “Right, I’m sure nothing will go wrong.”

“I meant me and Mako,” Korra clarified, making you frown immediately.

“What?” you asked and Korra just pointed at your broken arm. “Oh, come on, I can still move!” you cried out, cursing your broken arm yet again.

“Korra’s got a point. You can’t drive, and you can’t really fight either,” Mako pointed out, to which Korra, at least, chuckled. “What? What did I say?” Mako asked, turning to her.

Korra grinned, clearly remembering your spar. “I assure you, she can still fight,” she turned to you and approached, standing over you as you sat there. She smiled, seeing that annoyed look on your face “But those chi blockers are fast, and you’ve got a very vulnerable side,” she pointed out, poking at your right shoulder.

You looked her in the eyes and leaned your head back, groaning in utter annoyance. “I hate it when you’re right,” you complained. “But I’m still staying with Naga,” you said, and Korra had no issues with that.

~X~ KORRA ~X~

Getting into the rally wasn’t an issue, especially since you gave her and Mako coats and hats to make sure they didn’t stick out, especially her with her Water Tribe clothes, and Mako even gave her his scarf. But of all the things she expected, it wasn’t this.

The place was filled to the brim, hundreds of people standing together bonded by one common feeling. Hatred of benders. She felt vulnerable, the story you mentioned about people claiming they could no longer bend echoing in her mind. What if it was the truth? But how? It didn’t make any sense. Korra felt her palms sweating at that.

“I knew a lot of people hated benders, but I've never seen so many in one place,” Mako muttered under his breath, getting her mind off that horrifying possibility.

Slowly the two of them moved through the crowd and Korra noticed the people she was walking by, she noticed the scars on some of them, barely concealed by clothes. She noticed the crutches and the canes, and slings around arms and swallowed the lump in her throat.

You so casually telling her how your arm and ribs were broken crossed her mind again. Looking at how many people seemed to be hurt, some clearly limping even if they didn’t have any obvious injury, made her painfully aware of what likely happened to them.

“Please welcome your hero, your savior, Amon!” the announcer exclaimed and the smoke rose from the platform, and Korra felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw a masked man coming up to the thunderous applause that died down as he walked up to the microphone.

There was something dangerous about the way he moved, only further enhanced by the gauntlets, shoulder pads, the hood over his head and especially the mask. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stared at the lifeless mask, at the circle on the forehead, the almost flame like patterns on the sides, and the shadows encasing it.

He let the silence drag out, and Korra couldn’t take her eyes off him, and from the silence everywhere around her, neither could anyone else.

“My quest for equality began many years ago,” he finally spoke up, his voice cold as ice. “When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the firebender who extorted my father,” no one else made a sound, the story resonating with too many people all at once.

“One day, my father confronted this man. But when he did, that firebender took my family from me. Then,” Amon made a pause again and Korra looked at Mako, seeing, just for a moment, the story resonating with him as well. The same end result, only he at least still had Bolin. “He took my face,” Amon continued, making people gasp.

He let the gasp echo, linger in the crowd. “I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since,” he finished his tale, everyone present listening to him with undivided attention. “As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City. And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world,” he began, and Korra almost felt like his eyes were directly on her.

And when the booing started all around her, she had no other choice but to lift Mako’s scarf up higher, trying to hide her face to the best of her abilities.

“But, she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world is suffering. It has been the cause of every war, in every era. But that is about to change,” he spoke with so much certainty even Korra found it hard to doubt him. She frowned and glared as he pointed his finger at the crowd, emphasizing his point, but she something in her bones told her he wasn’t delusional.

“I know you have been wondering, "What is the Revelation?" You are about to get your answer,” he made yet another dramatic pause.

“Since the beginning of time, the Spirits have acted as guardians of our world. And they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity,” Korra’s eyes narrowed even as her palm turned sweaty and she felt a bit lightheaded. “That is why the spirits have chosen me, to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away,” her heart stopped.

Was it true? Did he actually have the same ability Aang had?

“Permanently,” the word echoed, knocking air out of Korra’s lungs.

No, he had to be crazy. It couldn’t be true. “That's impossible. There's no way,” she denied it vehemently, turning to look at Mako.

“This guy's insane,” Mako agreed with her, easing some of her worries.

“Now, for a demonstration,” and immediately her heart sank. What trick could he possibly pull to fool this many people? An older man was brought in by some of the Equalists and Mako’s breath hitched as he clearly recognized him. “Please welcome Lightning Bolt Zolt, leader of the Triple Threat Triad, and one of the most notorious criminals in Republic City.”

The crowd booed again, even harder than they did when Amon mentioned her.

And then she saw a few other people being brought in by the Equalists, and there Bolin was, right at the end of the line. “There's Bolin,” she told Mako and just paused. There were too many people, and she figured those Equalists were also chi blockers.

“We can’t fight them all, we need to be smart about this,” Mako said exactly what she was thinking. And looking around her, Korra also didn’t want to cause panic with this many injured people here.

“Zolt has amassed a fortune by extorting and abusing non-benders, but his reign of terror is about to come to and end!” Luckily, Amon seemed more than willing to keep giving his speech, giving her and Mako time to figure out a plan. “Now, in the interest of fairness, I will give Zolt the chance to fight to keep his bending,” he announced and Zolt was untied.

“You're gonna regret doing that, pal!” Zolt exclaimed, firebending several fireballs toward Amon and Korra’s breath hitched. He was fast, dodging the flames like it was nothing, his movement jagged and quicker than anything she saw in her life. Zolt even tried to use lightning, yet Amon somehow dodged that too and before Korra could figure out what happened he was behind Zolt, pushing the man to his knees and pulling his head back.

Korra watched, horrified, as Amon placed his right arm on Zolt’s head, his thumb on Zolt’s forehead and the lightning turned to fire before it too died out with a sharp exhale coming from Zolt.

The man crumbled onto the podium, looking broken, like his entire sense of self was just taken from him, shaking Korra to her core as he threw a punch and not even embers of flame came out.

For a moment all the sounds faded to the background and Korra’s vision narrowed, focusing on the fallen man. “Your firebending is gone. Forever,” Amon declared, and the crowd took a moment to take in what happened before they began cheering, celebrating something as essential as bending being taken away in an instant. “The era of bending is over. A new era, of equality, has begun!” Amon declared, raising his fist victoriously.

“We need to get Bolin and get out of here,” Korra quickly said, snapping out of her daze and turning to Mako.

Mako, equally as shaken as she was tilted his head to the side, to large barrels and pipes. “See those machines? They're powered by water and steam. If you create some cover, I can grab Bolin without anyone seeing. Then, we duck outta here,” Mako laid out the plan.

“Works for me!” Korra immediately agreed and as he turned placed her hand on his shoulder, partly to calm herself down as well. “Mako, good luck,” she said, offering him her hand.

“You too,” Mako nodded, accepting her hand.

She slipped to the side of the building, following the pipes and finding a bunch of red valve handles and she quickly turned one, only for a rather meager amount of steam to emerge from the pipe. “It's not enough,” she moved to another one, finding similar results. As it was she’s never make it in time.

“Hey, you!” the same large guy who stood at the entrance came up to her.

“Is there a problem, my brother?” she asked, trying not to draw attention to herself. If he called anyone this whole plan would be for nothing.

“What are you doing back here?” he demanded, not yet calling for help.

Korra grinned at him and held her hands behind her back, trying to sell her lie. “Uh, looking for the bathroom?” she said, using that excuse yet again, and considering the man pulled out a wrench, she figured it didn’t work this time either.

She ducked under the swing, tempted to use the bending and end this, but that might have made too much noise way too quickly. So, she grabbed Mako’s scarf and used it to tangle up the man’s wrist and throw him into the machine, and just like that steam erupted from it.

“Thanks! This should be enough,” she said, hoping she was on time as she bent the steam onto the podium and over the crowd.

And then she heard it, the screams of panic, the rush of people trying to flee and closed her eyes. She didn’t want that to happen. She didn’t want them panicking. That was part of the reason why she didn’t rush in, swinging fire at Amon and the Equalists. Yet people were still overcome with panic.

Korra shook her head, seeing Mako and Bolin fleeing toward the exit and began running outside as well. But then she noticed, more by accident than anything else, a man falling over, his crutches immediately being broken by the running civilians. “No!” she cried out, earthbending a dome around the man to keep him from being stomped to death by the people running.

“There she is!” she heard someone yelling. “She’s a bender!”

Korra swallowed the lump in her throat, stuck between making sure no one got hurt and knowing it would only put Mako and Bolin, and you for that matter, in more danger if she didn’t run.

So, she bent a wall behind her to buy her some time and ran, catching up to Mako and Bolin just in time to see them down on the ground with a lone man holding electrified batons or something of that nature, looking like he defeated them without breaking a sweat.

“You benders need to understand there's no place in the world for you anymore,” the man said, standing over Mako, not paying any attention to his surroundings. And Korra took full advantage of that, earthbending a pillar into his back and sending him smashing into the nearby wall.

“I wouldn't count us out, just yet,” she declared, sounding bolder than she actually felt. She rushed to help Mako to his feet.

“Thanks,” Mako grunted, stumbling to his feet.

Korra nodded and whistled loudly. In an instant Naga, with you on her back, rushed in, only coming to a stop long enough for her and Mako to get on her as well. “Go!” Korra exclaimed, and Naga began running again, grabbing Bolin in her mouth even as he screamed even louder than Mako did last night.

Korra turned back, looking at you. “The thugs weren’t lying, Amon can take people’s bending away,” she told you, her heart still hammering in her chest.

Your eyes widened and you looked back. “There’s no way it was faked?” you asked, voice shaking a bit.

“I saw it,” Korra said quietly, but it might as well have been the loudest thing she’s ever said.

You didn’t answer right away, instead turning to look at Korra and she saw a conflicted look in your eyes, one that made Korra’s heart beat even faster. Surely you wouldn’t agree, right? But then again, after what happened to Fu and to you… “We’ll figure it out,” you said, vanquishing her doubts in an instant. 

A few blocks away you hopped off Naga and pinched the bridge of your nose. “You head back to the Air Temple Island, warn Tenzin, I’m going to see Chief Beifong,” you said and Korra didn’t even have it in herself to question you going there this late at night.

“Be safe, okay?” she told you, worried that you’d run into trouble, out in the streets or when you do reach Lin Beifong.

“You too,” you said and walked in the opposite direction of the one Korra, Mako and Bolin were heading.

A/N: So… one episode in one chapter, seems like a good pace to me, that being said, I can’t promise that every chapter will cover a whole episode. Especially if I want to expand on it.

Taglist: @hellenheaven @martyyy7 @opulentnet @comets-tail2 @dragonfliesareworthdimes @liifeunwritten @wespirallin @seegull-111 @lovemoneybtw @notausername1 @kaeyaszlut @noisylilmonster @sturnrngs @theendlessvoidofdarkest @randomgirl-scrollinghere @lvotwe @thatoneloserdyke @miralice15 @traacy-lin @zakispacecadet88

Masterlist / Part 4 / Part 6

[cobaltperun]

Will you be following the February 2026 update schedule once you are caught up again?

So, finally remembered to answer this. Probably not. I tried, life is too hectic to keep that kind of schedule for what is ultimately a hobby. If I tried that again the chapters would have to be shorter so I have some ready in advance for times like this drought. And shorter chapters... well, I don't really want to reach like Shadow 200 and I might just do that if I drop the word count to like 4k per chapter. It's already got 160k and I'm not even done with season 1.

[cobaltperun]

Shadow (22) - If Today Was Your Last Day

Jackie Taylor x Female Reader

Summary: You thought you knew your limits, that you knew when to stop. You firmly believed you could stop at any moment, that it was all your choice, but some things don't go that way. Sometimes the things you think are under your control are actually controlling you.

Story Masterlist / Part 21

Word Count: 6.5k

A/N: Apology to anyone who might be in the medical field for this and he future couple of chapters, all of this is based on brief research and I have no proper medical knowledge.

-So do whatever it takes 'cause you can't rewind a moment in this life. Let nothin' stand in your way 'cause the hands of time are never on your side-

~X~ JACKIE ~X~ January 1st, 1997 ~X~

The crackling of the fire startled Jackie awake. “Shit,” she cursed, scrambling to sit up, her heart hammering in her chest. How could she have fallen asleep?!

You were sleeping next to her, trembling, wheezing quietly. She reached for you, her shaky fingers brushing a few strands of your hair back. She swallowed the lump in her throat, the sweat under her thumb made a shiver run down her spine. You were still warm, or maybe it was the fire and the ridiculous number of layers she covered you with.

She watched you, focusing on the rising and falling of your chest. Still steady, still with her. Slowly, she pulled her hand back and put your jacket, that fell onto her lap earlier, around her shoulders.

And then the crackling got her attention again. The fire always went out throughout the night. “What?” she asked a bit out of breath as she turned to the fireplace and saw Nat sitting by the fire, warming up a pot. “Nat?” Jackie asked again.

Everyone else seemed to be asleep, but she wasn’t surprised to see Nat awake. “I’m warming up water for the bottles,” Nat whispered, glancing back at Jackie and trying to force a smile and failing. “Besides, I don’t want the fire to go out,” she added, and for the first time Jackie noticed the shadows under Nat’s eyes.

“You need to sleep,” Jackie said as she rolled her shoulders. She felt like she was run over by a truck. Carefully she scooted closer to you and caressed your cheek again. Selfishly she wished you’d open your eyes, just to say you’ll be fine, just to take her hand. You didn’t. Her touch wasn’t enough. ‘Please don’t have a fever,’ she pleaded silently, biting her lower lip.

Nat took the pot off the fire and poured the water into three bottles. “I can’t,” she admitted, her voice breaking as she carefully walked around Travis and Javi and slumped by your other side, her body crumbling under exhaustion. “Please,” Nat offered her one of the bottles with shaky hand.

“She’ll be okay,” Jackie said, more for her own sake as she swapped the bottle on your side with the one Nat just gave her. “She’s always been strong,” she added, taking a cloth and wiping sweat off your forehead. Your entire body shuddered briefly, a chill probably passing through you.

Her chest tightened as she looked at you. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pretend you were just sleeping. Shauna did this to you. Jackie let out a shaky breath, looking back to where Shauna was. From this distance she couldn’t even tell if Shauna was asleep. For a moment, Jackie’s entire body tensed, screaming at her to move. How could Shauna even think about being near you after what she did?!

She heard Nat’s breath hitching but ignored it, her hand pressing against the floor, her weight shifting. “Jackie, don’t,” Nat warned her immediately, her tone harsh.

Jackie winced, freezing in the middle of getting up and unclenching her other fist. She didn’t even notice she clenched them, and now she had four crescent moons on each palm.

“Don’t,” Nat repeated, even more firmly and Jackie reluctantly sat back down.

“You want me to just stay quiet? Let her get away with this?” Jackie hissed; glaring at Nat because Shauna wasn’t an option. “You weren’t there, Nat,” she was. Jackie had to lie through her teeth just to avoid Shauna hurting you again. She had to drag you; she had to wrestle with her own exhaustion when staying awake felt impossible.

Anger flashed in Nat’s eyes in an instant. “You think I want to stay quiet?” Nat asked incredulously, though she tried to keep her voice down. “Just because you and Y/N got closer it doesn’t mean you’re the only one who cares,” Jackie’s heart skipped a beat at that, her entire body freezing. Nat’s anger immediately vanished and she groaned, burying her face in her hands. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she sobbed, pulling her knees up to her face and curling up where she sat.

Jackie nodded, choosing to lie down next to you instead of continuing the conversation. She didn’t have the energy to help Nat through whatever she was feeling, and for better or for worse, Nat took that as the end of the conversation.

The sound of others sleeping, breathing, remained the only sound aside from the crackling of the flames. Jackie didn’t even dare to imagine what you’d be telling her and Nat right now if you could.

“Fuck,” Nat cursed quietly after a few minutes, yet with how silent the cabin was, Jackie still heard her.

She didn’t look at Nat though; she just looked at your face. She didn’t dare to slip under your blankets, not wanting to disrupt the cocoon her and Nat made for you in any way. Your jacket was enough for her tonight. She pulled your jacket closer, breathing in the lingering scent.

She still reached up, brushing a couple of strands of your hair back. ‘Be okay, please, just be okay,’ she pleaded, your silence feeling even heavier now.

The cabin seemed to become smaller, the stillness of your body making her scoot closer, just to keep a better eye on you. Eventually watching wasn’t enough and she slipped one hand under the blankets, resting it on your chest.

~X~ Y/N ~X~

‘Oh, fuck, it hurts,’ you thought as you blinked, trying to clear your vision. Everything felt heavy, each breath. “Too many blankets,” you muttered weakly, trying to get up but only managing to prop yourself up on your elbows. Still, even that much made breathing a bit easier.

The heavy layers you were buried under were finally removed and you opened your eyes again, the entire room spinning before a very blurry Jackie came into view. “Sorry, I was worried you’d be cold,” Jackie said, chuckling awkwardly. “Too much?” she asked, pressing her palm to your forehead. You shuddered, her hands were freezing cold and you leaned your head to the side, fleeing from the cold.

Jackie’s breath hitched and she quickly pulled her hand back. “Cold,” you muttered weakly, trying to ignore the dizziness. You groaned softly as you pushed yourself to sit up. “I’m okay, just tired,” you said, noticing Jackie reaching out to help you, but freezing, afraid of making things worse. ‘What am I going to do with you, Captain?’

“Do you need anything?” Jackie asked as your vision finally cleared enough to see her eyes watering before she quickly wiped the tears away.

You nodded, managing a small smile. “You. Come here,” you muttered, raising one arm and she immediately closed the distance, burying her face in the crook of your neck.

Jackie trembled against you, one hand tangled in your hair, the other grasping desperately at the damp back of your shirt. You moved your arm, resting it around her shoulders and your head dropped a bit. “What’s wrong?” Jackie immediately asked, pulling back as you sat there, slowly rubbing your eyes.

“I’m just sleepy,” you muttered, shaking your head slightly to try and wake up, but all that did was make you more dizzy. “And thirsty,” you added, pushing the blankets and everything else Jackie covered you with all the way off to get up, but Jackie was already on her feet, pouring what looked like pine tea into a mug.

“Don’t push yourself,” she said, kneeling by your side and giving you the mug. She didn’t let go though, and with how much your hands were shaking, you were glad she didn’t. “Small sips, Misty’s orders,” she added, taking a moment to wipe sweat off your forehead.

You just nodded, finally looking around and realizing everyone else was gone. “Where-“ you suddenly began coughing, hunching over, the pain in your chest getting worse as you slumped right into Jackie’s arms.

Jackie choked up, rubbing your back as your coughing passed and you took several ragged breaths and closed your eyes, resting against her. “This tea better work,” she pleaded and demanded at the same time, not even talking to you in particular, as she brought the tea mug back to your lips.

‘I’m okay, it’s just sore throat,’ you desperately tried to convince yourself and stay calm. Obediently, you drank in small sips, feeling a bit better. “Others?” you managed to ask as Jackie kept rubbing your back.

“Most of them are just outside, it snowed a bit this morning, so they are cleaning the snow and bringing more wood for the fireplace. And Travis and Akilah went to try and hunt,” she said and you nodded, breathing a bit easier.

You swallowed the lump in your throat, hesitating, not sure if you wanted to even talk about it, but you couldn’t avoid it. For a moment you weren’t in the cabin. You were eight and watching your father helping your pregnant mother get in the car, only to later come back alone. You squeezed your eyes shut, forcing those memories to the back of your mind. “And Shauna?” you forced the question out.

Jackie stiffened beside you, her arms tightening around you. “Nothing,” she said, her voice trembling. “She’s just here and I haven’t done anything about it,” she berated herself and you brought your hand up, caressing her cheek.

A heavy feeling set in your heart, anger and relief mixing in a strange concoction. “Captain,” you said, turning slightly to look at her. “I’m alive, she’s pregnant,” you said quietly, each word tearing through your throat, draining you of what little strength you had left.

Jackie swallowed and bit her lower lip. You smiled weakly, brushing your thumb over her lip to release it. “That’s no excuse. She could have,” her voice cracked. “You nearly died,” she finished, pulling you closer like she couldn’t bear to let go of you anymore.

You wanted so badly to make Shauna pay for nearly killing you. “It’s not an excuse,” you took a deep, shaky breath. “But she’s seven months pregnant.” You couldn’t bear the thought of putting a pregnant woman at risk

Jackie closed her eyes, frowning like she didn’t agree. “Pregnancy doesn’t mean protection,” she said bitterly, too caught up in anger to think clearly.

No matter how angry Jackie was, she’d never forgive herself if she in any way caused Shauna to lose her baby. Neither would you, or Nat. “It does to me. Trust me, it just does,” you didn’t have the strength to open up about your mom, not now. “Please, Captain,” you whispered, coughing once more.

Jackie finally nodded, reluctantly, like she was forcing herself to do it, but she did. “If something happens to you though,” she warned fiercely.

“Nothing will happen to me,” you promised and, even as it took all the strength you had, found it in you to hug her a bit tighter.

~X~ MISTY ~X~

‘Why me? Why is it always me?’ the thought crossed her mind again, bitter, lonely, too loud to be ignored when it came to her mind at the worst of times. Each step through the endless, cold snow felt like cruelty. She had been pulling the shit bucket duty for the past two weeks; at this point Misty was sure someone was rigging the cards.

The stench was awful and she couldn’t even get it off anymore. It wasn’t fair. She didn’t do anything wrong. It wasn’t her fault they all went crazy. It wasn’t her fault. Yet even after more than two months they all still ostracized her like she was the cause of their every misfortune.

Jackie and you even reconciled with Mari and Akilah, they could be forgiven, but Misty? No. Not her.

Misty stopped by the cliff, pausing and looking down. The harsh rocks the snow didn’t stick to looked like rotten teeth of a jaw ready to swallow her, if she only took another step. Just one step.

Maybe then they’d care. A thought she didn’t recognize as entirely her own crossed her mind and she paled, closing her eyes. Like any of them would come looking for her.

Misty shook her head, she had to empty the bucket, but her body didn’t move. “Even yesterday,” she whispered to herself, swallowing the lump in her throat and emptying the bucket.

They finally needed her again, and they still treated her like she was a nuisance they had to tolerate to survive. A chuckle escaped her throat. Yeah, that was all she was, wasn’t she? A necessary nuisance.

“Uh, hi,” she jumped, nearly stumbling and plummeting to her death at the sound of the voice behind her. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Crystal said sheepishly and Misty turned around, seeing the awkward girl rubbing the back of her neck.

“What do you want?” Misty demanded, feeling more disappointed than glad that Crystal came to talk to her. Why did it have to be Crystal? Like that was what Misty needed, another nobody to drag her further from the team.

Crystal kicked the snow and held her hands behind her back as she swayed back and forth a bit. Misty forced a smile, trying not to show how annoying Crystal’s swaying looked. “I thought, maybe you’d like to stick together?” Crystal asked, slowly and yet the question tore through Misty like a bullet.

“Excuse me? Why?” Misty approached carefully, her heart hammering against her chest as she looked Crystal over. Everything about that offer felt wrong.

Crystal shrugged. “There’s no one else,” she said and somewhere in the back of her mind Misty thought back to Crystal trying to get closer to various girls over the past few months, yet always remaining right on the outskirts, alone and passively rejected. “You saw what happened to Y/N. Being alone is a death sentence.”

Misty’s eyes widened. She was wrong. She was looking for deception when this was nothing but safety in numbers. “You know everyone hates me, right?” Misty still asked, though she already knew the answer as she stared at what could have been her own reflection in a mirror, if she was more athletic.

Crystal gave her a somber, resigned smile. “At least they feel something toward you,” she said and approached, offering her hand. And Misty accepted it. It was, after all, the only logical option.

~X~ NATALIE ~X~

Natalie sat with her back pressed against the meat shed. She was curled up, her head hidden by her forearms and knees. Her teeth chattered, and try as she might, she couldn’t stop her left knee from bouncing.

She kept her eyes closed, the fragmented memory replaying in her mind. Misty shouting orders, Natalie and Jackie taking your clothes off and struggling to get you dressed. She remembered blankets being passed from one person to another, the crackle of flames next to you and her mind pleading for that to be enough. Everyone in the cabin moved almost as one, overcome with the same desperate energy that saved Van’s life.

Somehow you made it through the night. Nat never thanked God or any higher being, but she nearly did it this morning.

The sound of snow crunching under someone’s feet caught her attention, but she didn’t look up. “Hey, I figured you’d be here,” Travis approached her. He sounded worried.

Natalie shrugged, biting her lip as she looked at the snow between her feet. “I had to,” she paused, feeling like something was squeezing her throat. “Jackie is with her,” she eventually muttered, sounding bitter and mentally kicking herself for that.

“Right,” Travis caught her tone, and she waited for him to reprimand her. Yet he never did.

Instead, Travis sat down next to her and pulled her into his side, hugging her. His jacket was still a bit warm; he probably came out looking for her. “Y/N is alive. You found her,” he whispered gently, rubbing her shoulder.

Natalie choked up, her vision blurring at that. “Jackie saved her,” she should be thankful, so why did she feel so awful every time she saw Jackie by your side? Why did it feel like her heart was torn from her chest when the first thing you did when you woke up was look at Jackie?

Natalie bit her lip so hard it made her wince.

Travis noticed and pulled her closer, trembling a bit. “You still found them in time. Don’t downplay what you did,” he said, his breath visible. Yet Natalie just looked toward the cabin.

“I’m not,” she whispered, first tears sliding down her cheeks.

She immediately felt the sting of the cold air on her cheeks. The image of the drag marks in the snow flashed in front of her eyes like a brutal reminder of how much Jackie actually loved you. “Promise not to hate me,” she whispered, wrapping one arm around Travis to ground herself.

Travis hesitated for a moment, taken aback. “I could never hate you,” he promised. Well, that was up for debate, but having no other options, she chose to trust him.

Natalie took a deep, shuddering breath. “I kept telling myself Jackie isn’t good enough for Y/N,” she confessed, swallowing the lump in her throat. “That she could never love Y/N enough,” that Jackie couldn’t love you the way she did. How ridiculous that sounded right now.

Travis’ breath hitched and he cleared his throat. “Well,” he stuttered, shifting a bit where he sat. “Well, you and Y/N are protective of each other,” he said awkwardly. From the corner of her eye, she saw him looking away, his brows furrowed, like he was pushing away some uncomfortable realization. “Best friends and all that,” he added.

Natalie snorted. Sure, that was one way of looking at it, the easiest way for him anyway. She should have seen it coming, really. Jackie, Wiskayok’s spoiled princess, the center of attention wherever she went, realized she loved you and was being utterly, unapologetically, open about it.

Shauna was right. Jackie always got everything she wanted, and she moved through life with that belief.

“She’s selfish, you know,” Natalie spat out, wishing she had the energy to throw her hands up in the air. She was too tired, and with a choked sob she leaned her head back against the cold, harsh wood, feeling the dampness of it. Travis opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it, instead brushing some snow off Natalie’s shoulder.

So, she continued, desperate for relief. “Whether it’s dragging Y/N through snow or walking into any room like she is owed attention, it makes no difference,” and there wasn’t a single person out here with them that had that kind of attitude. “She decides she wants something and the world better bend over backwards to make it happen!”

You were alive because of that. And you were being taken from her because of that. Even if you were never hers to begin with.

You were her safe space, though, and she was your safe space. Yet now it felt like Jackie was coming in and changing everything to suit her.

Travis hummed at that. “I guess?” he shrugged. “I’ve only heard about her,” well, he wasn’t that different from most other people in that regard. “Isn’t that a good thing for Y/N? Like, Jackie likes her back,” he pointed out and Natalie felt like her whole world was spinning.

“I guess,” she muttered, hiding her reaction. “Still, selfish,” Natalie added, looking up at the cloudy sky.

Travis’ hold on her loosened a bit, like he saw right through her.

“I could never,” she didn’t finish that sentence, she didn’t have to. She could never be that decisive, she didn’t grow up with that luxury. Even as she leaned closer to Travis, resting her cheek on his chest and squeezing her eyes shut, she felt like she missed her chance.

It didn’t matter anymore, though. Jackie loved you more than Natalie ever could have.

~X~ JACKIE ~X~ January 2nd, 1997 ~X~

The scent of marmot meat being cooked made Jackie’s stomach twist. It was so heavy, making her feel sick after basically surviving on fish. Hell, last night she barely kept it down. You didn’t, though. You threw it up barely ten minutes later.

Jackie dreaded seeing you like that again tonight. On your knees, cold sweat dripping down your face as you vomited in the snow, clutching at your stomach.

“Here, it’s the last of it,” Nat approached her with two bowls of meat, two small pieces in each one.

Jackie’s eyes widened at that, her heart skipping a beat as she looked at the team. They just sat there in silence, defeated, pushing their food in their bowls like they were trying to postpone this as long as they could. The last of it. Nothing else left. Travis and Akilah managed to bring it yesterday after weeks of not finding anything.

There wasn’t any fish left either. What you and Jackie caught at the lake was gone, taken. When Tai, Van, Melissa and Mari went to get the net, buckets and your backpack they found the bucket and the net empty, and it looked like something bit through the net. Just another source of anxiety.

Jackie nodded, smiling at Nat as she took the bowls and set them on the floor. Guilt gnawed at her, she didn’t want to wake you up yet, but she had to. “Y/N, hey,” she gently called your name, placing one hand on your shoulder and the other on your cheek.

Nat stepped away, and Jackie missed the way she bit her lip, her focus entirely on you.

You frowned, leaning into her touch.

Jackie rubbed your shoulder and you blinked a few times, groaning weakly. “That’s it, take your time,” she didn’t rush you, gently coaxing you into waking up.

“Captain,” you muttered, your voice painfully weak and hoarse from coughing. Jackie helped you sit up a bit before bringing a mug with water to your lips.

“Small sips, baby,” she brushed a few strands from your forehead and your eyes finally opened. With a bit of support from Jackie you sat up, clearly exhausted despite sleeping. ‘It’ll pass,’ she thought, ignoring her fears.

Jackie checked your shirt, it was a bit damp, but you were already uncomfortable as it was and she didn’t want to push you into changing it for you again. “I’ll dry your back, okay,” she said instead, getting one of her shirts to use as a cloth.

“Thanks,” you said softly, pulling your shirt halfway over your back for her as she spilled water onto the shirt and used it to wipe the sweat. You trembled, clenching your teeth as the cold shirt touched your skin.

“Just a bit more,” she muttered, kissing your shoulder as she patted your neck dry as well. “There, that’s better,” she whispered in your ear, setting the damn shirt aside.

You nodded, slumping forward and coughing a few times as Jackie sat down next to you. You looked at the marmot meat and exhaled. “I’m gonna throw up again, aren’t I?” you asked, sounding so painfully tired Jackie’s heart ached.

“Probably,” she couldn’t even lie to you as you took the bowl and took the first bite, chewing slowly. “I’ll be with you,” she promised and you nodded, managing to smile.

“You make it very difficult to complain,” you said, looking at her with so much softness in your eyes that Jackie’s throat tightened. Even now, even in this state.

“Good,” she managed to blurt out, taking her own bowl.

~X~ JACKIE ~X~

You did throw up, and Jackie was by your side, helping you through it. And now you were sitting on the porch, leaning back against Jackie. She hugged you tightly from behind, making sure the blanket she brought outside was securely around you.

“Thanks,” you muttered, trembling a bit, but at least your eyes were focused now.

You relaxed and Jackie hummed softly, just a random tune though it did vaguely remind her of some melody you played on your guitar. It didn’t last long though, as a coughing fit made you sit up straight and clutch at your chest. Jackie was immediately by your side, rubbing your back. “Maybe we should go inside,” she said softly.

You kept coughing, your entire body shaking with each cough tearing through you. “Oh, fuck,” you muttered, catching your breath when the coughing finally stopped. “The air is stale,” you muttered, leaning back against her. Jackie bit her lip, nodding. Misty did mention that fresh air, even if it was cold, would help, but she still didn’t like exposing you to the cold.

She heard footsteps coming from the cabin and looked back, seeing Nat coming out with a mug in her hands. “Hey, how are you holding up?” she asked, crouching by your side and checking your forehead for fever. It was subtle, but her breath hitched.

You shrugged. “Like I wanna sue this place,” you said dryly, taking the mug.

“Get in line, smartass,” Nat lightly nudged your shoulder, but she looked at Jackie, realizing what Jackie had known for a while now. Your fever wasn’t dropping.

“You look horrible,” you muttered, your head falling back against Jackie’s shoulder slightly. “When’s the last time you slept?” you asked. Jackie paused; she was so focused on you that she didn’t notice she never saw Nat sleeping since you got back to the cabin.

Nat chuckled helplessly, sitting down instead of crouching. “You’re sleeping for the rest of us,” she teased. “Catching up on your beauty sleep?”

Jackie snorted. “You’re so mean,” she shook her head, but she could see the grin appearing on your face.

“That’s what keeps her going,” you teased back, finally getting Nat to laugh after way too many days like this. “Seriously, Nat, go to sleep,” you added seriously and reached up, brushing a strand of Nat’s hair back. “Collapsing won’t do anyone any good.”

Nat nodded at that, catching your hand before it could drop and holding it against her cheek for a bit. She struggled to keep her eyes open, and you playfully flicked her chin. “Sleep, now.”

Jackie chuckled at that and Nat rolled her eyes but stood up, finally going inside and lying down by the fire. “Want to stay a bit longer?” she asked and you just nodded, closing your eyes.

For a moment, Jackie thought you fell asleep like that, but then you smiled and took her hand. “Just another minute,” you said softly and Jackie nodded, closing her own eyes and giving you that minute.

With the soft breeze and the quiet all around you two it was almost too easy to, even for just a bit, pretend everything was fine. So, Jackie pretended, feeling her own tension slowly easing as she held you.

By the time you went back into the cabin you looked better, like the fresh air gave you a bit of a second wind. You even walked into the cabin on your own, a bit unsteady, but on your own, nonetheless. Jackie’s heart fluttered in her chest at that. ‘She’ll be fine,’ she thought, looking at your back.

“Fell asleep quickly, I see,” you whispered, approaching Nat with a wide smile on your face.

“Finally,” Travis said as he tucked Nat in. “She worries too much,” he added, eying you carefully. Jackie tilted her head at that, not sure if she missed something.

“You can say that again,” you took a sip of water from the mug Nat brought you earlier, clearing your throat a bit. You rolled your shoulders and neck, taking a deep breath as you stepped away from Nat, each movement looking sluggish and slow, but still steadier than before.

“Jackie, how is she?” she heard Taissa asking her as Jackie walked by the main group.

Jackie paused, seeing their concern. Even Lottie looked at her with a somber expression on her face. For a moment they looked almost exactly like they did back when she told them about Kimberly blackmailing you before the semifinals. “She’s not out of the woods yet,” she said quietly. “But it’s Y/N, she’ll be fine,” she added, fully believing that. You turned around at that and grinned at her, winking.

“I haven’t thanked you for yesterday,” you paused. “Or was it two days ago now? Anyway, thanks,” you said, walking over to Jackie and wrapping one arm around her shoulders to lean on her.

Mari snorted at that. “Token gratitude accepted, but it was all your two girls,” she gestured at Jackie and Nat. Jackie blushed at that, still not used to other people openly recognizing what the two of you were. Even if Mari included Nat as well. “And Misty, telling us what to do,” Mari added.

You rolled your eyes. “Still, let’s just say we’re even for Doomcoming,” you said and Jackie’s eyes widened at that and it was like everyone’s jaws collectively dropped, for some literally.

“Well, damn,” Mari blurted out and then clasped a hand over her mouth when Akilah elbowed her lightly.

Jackie frowned, feeling your weight on her shoulders and she blinked the tears away. You were too weak not to rely on the rest of the team, and she wasn’t going to leave your side.

“We need to regroup, or we’ll starve,” you said, taking another sip from the mug so your voice wasn’t too hoarse.

“What even is the point anymore?” Britt commented bitterly, she was sitting in the corner, hugging her knees to her chest.

Taissa looked at Van, exchanging concerned looks before turning her attention back to the main issue. “We should probably start by fixing the net,” she said.

“Y/N can’t work outside, or at all, really,” Akilah argued, reminding everyone that even after this much time you were still the only one who knew how to handle the net.

You faked a hurt gasp. “Writing me off already, that hurts,” you chuckled, lifting their spirits a bit. “I can show you how to tie the knots, after that it’s simple, even a rough patch will do for now,” you said and it finally looked like there was a plan on how to go forward slowly forming.

A huff from the other corner of the cabin made Jackie freeze on the spot, her heart beating faster as she struggled not to react. ‘She’s not worth it,’ she kept repeating in her head.

She tried, she really did. She gripped the back of your shirt, leaned closer to you, reminded herself you were by her side. And yet as she closed her eyes Jackie saw it again, the moment Shauna pushed you.

“Captain, she’s pregnant,” you whispered just for her to hear, masking the whisper by kissing the side of her head. Jackie swallowed the lump in her throat.

Jackie took a deep breath at that, trying to get the state Shauna has been in since two days ago out of her head. The girl spent every moment in silence unless she was spoken to, eating mechanically, pretending she was nothing but a dark, brooding ghost living with them.

Jackie caught her looking at you from time to time, sometimes like she wanted to apologize, but didn’t know how to. Sometimes like she wanted to get up and finish what she started.

As it was, Jackie wasn’t sure she was ready for either of those options.

“God, you’re just something else, aren’t you?” Shauna snapped and the entire cabin somehow became several degrees colder. Taissa got up and went over to Shauna, though not quickly enough as Shauna already got up, her chair scraping against the wooden floor.

“Shauna, think about the baby,” Taissa tried and Jackie looked back, seeing Melissa on Shauna’s other side and Gen sitting nearby as well. Guess that was Shauna’s choice now. A part of Jackie, the part she wished no longer existed, couldn’t help but thinking it was quite a downgrade.

“Don’t you dare use that against me,” Shauna warned and turned her attention toward you.

Jackie looked at her, unable to even recognize the girl anymore. Her former best friend was still somewhere under whatever this was, she could see the remorse in Shauna’s eyes, buried deep under resentment. Something squeezed at Jackie’s chest; all the years her and Shauna spent together, and this was what their friendship turned into.

It crashed and burnt and nearly cost you your life, and Jackie felt like a part of that was on her.

“Is this your idea of punishing me? Huh, Y/N? You just pretend I don’t exist?” Shauna demanded and Jackie’s jaw clenched. You turned around with a sigh, stepping toward Shauna with no one but Taissa between you.

“First of all, giving you any reaction is exactly what you want, second of all, you’re pregnant,” you said simply, looking right at Shauna with your head held up high. You took a deep breath, only for your breath to hitch and another coughing fit overcame you.

Jackie rushed to your side, keeping you upright, and then you chuckled as you looked at Shauna. “Like looking in a fucked up mirror,” you sighed and stumbled to your bedding. “We’ll talk, don’t you worry,” you promised her and Shauna slumped forward a bit, like that ridiculous sentence suddenly made something inside her crack.

It took her a moment, and she was shaking, but Shauna looked at you again, her eyes brimming with angry, unshed tears. “I’m nothing like you, Y/N, you’re,” Shauna breathed in sharply. “You’re nothing. You’re obsessed with being whatever others need you to be,” she half-spat, half-sobbed like she wanted to say that for months.

The temperature dropped and all eyes turned toward you, Jackie’s included. And you? You just smirked, like those words sounded hollow to you. You raised your arms in surrender and leaned back against the wall. “And you’re what happens,” you took a deep breath, swallowing so you wouldn’t cough again, “when that comes with believing you’re owed something in return,” you shrugged, not even denying Shauna’s words.

Shauna’s eyes flashed with anger and yet you sat there, waiting, watching as Taissa dragged Shauna outside.

And Jackie sat by your side, feeling like her heart was breaking in two. ‘Why didn’t you deny it?’ helplessly crossed her mind, the thought she kept ignoring every time it emerged from the back of her mind now painfully present at the forefront of her mind.

~X~ Y/N ~X~ January 3rd, 1997 ~X~

When you got up the next morning everyone was still asleep. It was early morning, from the bit of sunlight coming through the window. So, very carefully to avoid waking Jackie up, you untangled yourself from the ridiculous pile of blankets and jackets she covered you with and stepped outside.

The fresh air immediately made it easier to breathe, even if the annoying persistent chest pain remained. You stood at the top of the stairs, stretching a bit and rolling your neck. “Yup, being sick still sucks,” you couldn’t even remember the last time you got sick, but you recognized this misery.

You cleared your throat, a wet cough followed and you closed your eyes, annoyed more than anything. “Stupid cold,” you muttered, heading to the meat shed to check on the net.

You had no energy, barely dragging your feet through the snow, but you convinced yourself this much shouldn’t be an issue. You spent past two days sleeping, surely by now you were feeling better. The fever was just your body fighting the cold, you were fine. At least that was the mantra you kept repeating to yourself, forcing yourself to believe that you were feeling better, that there was no need to panic.

Finally, you reached the meat shed and the net hung from the side of it. A heavy sigh escaped your lips as you reached for the damaged ropes. A few were loose, but that was easy to fix. You were more worried about the bits of the net that were chewed through. “What did this?” you wondered, though you genuinely had no clue. Probably not a bear? Unless it was light enough to get on the ice.

Either way, the damage wasn’t too bad.

You stumbled back a bit and closed your eyes, your body suddenly breaking into cold sweat, the fever getting the better of you. Maybe heading outside on your own wasn’t the smartest idea. “Jackie is going to scold me so much,” you muttered and turned around to head back to the cabin.

And then it happened, suddenly, violently, a harsh coughing fit overwhelmed you, making you lean forward. You clutched your chest with one hand, the other covering your mouth as you coughed. A helpless groan tore through your throat, the trees ahead of you doubling for a moment.

Slowly it was coming to an end, coughing easing up a bit. Just as you thought it was over, something wet and sticky hit your palm, and you choked up, the metallic scent overwhelming you. You held your breath, all the sounds around you faded away, aside from the ringing in your ears. You clenched your fist, your fingertips touching whatever you coughed up.

You dropped to your knees, the snow immediately soaking the fabric of your sweatpants as you stared ahead into the forest. And then slowly, with your hand trembling, you brought it up, open.

Blood stained your palm.

Bright red, mixed with some mucus.

You dropped your hand into the snow, wiping it clean. You looked back toward the cabin, your eyes wide and unfocused and it felt like everything around you was spinning. ‘It’s over,’ you thought, still tasting the blood.

And just like that, you felt your body catch up with what was happening to it. Like seeing the blood unleased an avalanche. It felt like you were burning up from the inside, your mind suddenly becoming aware of how much each breath hurt,

The red stain in the white snow broke every lie you’ve been telling yourself for the past day and you couldn’t even cry. You didn’t feel anything, not fear, not dread, nothing, you just knew there was nothing you or anyone else could do. For once you didn’t even wonder what you should do, knowing there was a good chance you were counting down days.

Taglist: @gablmk @sassyvindicatorshard @fabraykingmyheart @loveshineslikethesky @morganismspam23 @indigo491 @conamoney-11

[cobaltperun]

10 favorite shows poll

@persevereforahappyending tagged me, so, here is my poll. This was not fun. I have too many shows.

Rules: make a poll with 10 of your favorite shows (they can just be 10 shows you loved watching or your top tv shows of all time) then tag 10 people.

Choose your favorite

One Piece (anime)

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Digimon (1999)

Steins;Gate

Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

WandaVision

Arcane

Yellowjackets

Legend of Korra

Voting ended onJun 8

I'm not tagging anyone, but if you do see this and make your own, feel free to tag me.

[cobaltperun]

Will the new chapter be out soon? (I am genuinely hooked)

Well, depends on what story you're asking for. Shadow should be updated soon, after that Breathe Into Me. WOTS and Until It's Gone might take a bit longer.

[cobaltperun]

Also how do you choose which gifs to use

I just use the add GIF option, type in the character and then scroll until I find something close to what I want.

[cobaltperun]

ITS GOING TO GET WORSE!?!? My poor babies (reader and Jackie)

Yeah. I love them, but they gotta go through the angst.