[Korra side-eyes him suspiciously. That's just another way to say We need to talk. She has a sudden feeling that he's going to break off with her again. That seems to be the way he works - running hot then cold, pulling her in then shoving her off.
Whatever. She finishes her juice and turns to the bartender.]
I'm going to take my fifteen.
[The bartender nods, a promise to let the others know she's on break. Korra turns back to Hei and gestures for him to lead on.]
[ Hei slips off his stool, puts some money on the table, and heads for the door, aware of Korra in his periphery. The night outside is cool but not chilly. The air helps clear his head; he scrubs both hands through his hair, rubs his eyes. Stress lines more suited to a forty-year-old appear on his face, then vanish. He bottles his irritation and tries to approach this rationally. ]
[ (In these moments, he truly questions his sanity. Why did he take up with her again? He clearly isn't ready for her, much less right. He has no idea how to handle her impatient angsty brashness -- not unless it's with coldness or blows. She has no idea what an effort it is for him, how exhausted and overwhelmed he is by past failures, and how she pushes those buttons just by being herself. ]
[ Stopping near the chainlink fence, Hei takes a breath. He can still hear music thumping from the open doors of the bar; Korra's familiar aroma mixes with the tang of booze and the stink of urine wafting up from the cobblestones. Flatly, he says, ] Don't glare at me. I just have a request to make.
[ Hei half-turns toward her. Bright secondhand shafts of light, falling through the windows of a nearby store, dapple his face and body, his dark-ringed eyes lit up in a diagonal stripe of red. For a moment he simply takes in the sight of this girl with the open I'm-Listening expression on her face. A girl who, if Hei can navigate a way past professional distance and years of mistrust, might actually be one of the few good things about this City outside of Yin and Mao. ]
[ He keeps that in mind, tries to shake off the stupid tetchiness. ]
When we're in public, don't call me Hei. It's not my real name [ A simple FTR, not a tidbit to assuage any curiosity ] but it's not the name I use when I'm out here.
Oh. Sorry. [How does he keep track of so many names? Geez. Korra really can't imagine having more than her one. But okay. That's easy enough to do. (And certainly not the bad news she'd been expecting.)]
Do I call you "Li," or is there another name I don't know about?
[ There's a very brief flicker of a smile on Hei's lips. Korra's body-language practically projects a sense of That's It? She doesn't realize how important cryptonyms are in his profession, and the sacred rules of tradecraft he's breached by offering her his callsign. Hei. Black Reaper. Kuro no Shinigami. BK201. For many, those names are the last thing they utter before dying. ]
Li is fine. [ He rubs his eyes again, and adds dryly, ] Or yarou. Or filho da puta. Or bái chī. Any name [ or insult, in this case ] except Hei. [ After all, to paraphrase, a molotov cocktail, by any other name, is just as destructive. ]
[She crosses her arms and leans against the fence. It's -- not nice out here, with the filth and the stench -- but it's better than at the bar. For the first time all night, it feels like her shoulders are finally coming down from her ears, though she can't even begin to guess how long it will take her to work the tension from her muscles. So used to force and fluid movement, it's physically painful to rein them in.]
[ Hei feels a degree of Korra's tension dissipate. But the usual smooth force that animates her still feels blocked, staticky. Not a girl with an easy mind, this one. She seems to have more and more piled on her conscience each time he meets her. Seem to be more and more rusted, full of broken glass and nails, in a way that he recognizes. In a way, it's like watching Pai -- or himself -- all over again. ]
[ It's then that Hei realizes he's stuffed his own hands into his coat pockets, half-clenched into fists. To demonstrate to himself that he can be at least marginally at ease for Korra's benefit, he spreads his fingers out and flexes them. ]
[ It's not nice out here, no. But far better than other places he's been. His gaze skips to Korra's hair, shiny in the bright-red wattage of the store lights. And to that tight top that molds so snugly around her breasts and shoulders. Just like that, his irritation fades like a summer squall; replaced by a bittersweet greediness for her. ]
[ Keeping his tone casual, he asks, ] Any chance you could extend that fifteen minutes?
[ The corners of Hei's lips curl. His eyes are unreadable, even looking straight at her, but neither cold nor distant. Instead they radiate a controlled heat. ] I can imagine your predictable response [ he tells her, toneless despite the expression he pulls -- an uncanny imitation of her usual Oh gross! face. It resettles a moment later into something almost playful, if he were someone other than who he is. ]
[ He draws closer, and there's a beat of silence -- his voice is slower, a little quieter. ]
I was thinking about your mouth just now. [ A noncommittal hum. ] Inconvenient, I know.
[His imitation of her face makes her scowl -- one of her petulant expressions that she doesn't realize people who aren't annoyed with her find adorable -- but it melts away as he draws closer. He mentions her mouth and her eyes unconsciously flick to his lips.]
It doesn't take 15 minutes to kiss me. [She's too distracted by her own growing want to pick up on the innuendo.]
[ She can't read him, but Hei chuckles inside anyway. (He likes catching her unawares. It's always fun to watch her figuring it out, and gratifying to see her surprise in the discovery.) He steps closer, lifting an arm to skate his palm along her neck, the side of her face. His thumb barely traces the shape of her mouth. Then his lips are at her ear, whispering to be heard beneath the dim reverb of music. ]
No. Last time you sucked me off, it took considerably less. [ Vulgar, but delicacy and pussyfooting aren't exactly his style once he's set a course for what he wants. His expression, as much as she can see of it in the striped lights, is wry, amused. She's either going to shove him off, or make than pissy face of hers again. Least Liked Look #36 -- Ugh You Are So Disgusting I Can't Even...! ]
[SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE If Korra's head were a tea kettle, steam would be pouring out of her ears. He can probably feel the sudden heat scalding her face.
She doesn't shove him away, though, or give him #36. Her expression is more like Wait Hold On a Sec Did I Hear That Right? It's hard to be sure with his body so close, driving her to distraction.]
[ That expression on her face right now is priceless. Stupefied speechlessness, as if she can't believe what she just heard. Yet somehow that disbelief, paired with that hot red flush, visible even in the dim lights, sends a jolt of electricity straight down his spine and to every other extremity. ]
[ Hei smiles, not unkind, but in a way that approaches a level of honest affection. Circling an arm around her, he pulls her against him. His lips brush the rim of her ear, his breath just stirring the hairs trailing along her neck ]
Should I repeat myself? [ His tongue circles her ear, lazy and slick, but he goes no further; to outsiders, they look like they're simply engaged in a private discussion. (It doesn't seem fair to keep going, to get even more of a head start than his runaway imagination has opened up.) ]
[Her heart pounds and her blood burns and he has to know there's no way they can go back to his apartment, do this, and get her back to work even if she extends her break to 30 minutes.]
Here? [There might a little catch in her voice. She's caught people doing it in public. Prostitutes on her way to work, and that one really awkward time she went to the bathroom and caught her boss with one of the customers. But she never -- no -- what?
(And yet still... She can feel his erection pressing against her thigh. Despite embarrassment and disbelief, she can't help rubbing her leg against it, teasing.)]
Hn -- [ Hei's breath catches at the pressure of her leg, and the rest of it is choked against a quiet laugh, too pleased to do anything but yank her closer. If she's going to go and make a bad situation worse, it's not his fault if he demands a solution, is it? Still, he hears the unease in her Here? In reply he backs her up against the chainlink fence, tips her head up. Presses hard deep kisses on her, feeling the familiar shape of her mouth through its drugging heat. Normally he wouldn't care if the venue was a reeking alley or a narrow bathroom stall, but he has a feeling Korra wouldn't take kindly to either one. ]
[ On top of that, there's the reminder that a quickie is one thing. Repeatedly treating her like his favorite callgirl is another. ]
[ He breaks the kiss, lips lingering against hers, to murmur, ] I know a place. Two minutes away.
[Her fingers dig into his waist as he kisses her, hard enough to bruise, almost as though she's trying to claw him open. She's got enough frustration pent up inside to light up a city block, and at this moment there is nothing she wants more than to go with him to work it off.
She's just about to say Okay (translation: Yes please) when she sees her boss come out of the bar and look around. Probably looking for her. She groans and bangs her head on Hei's chest.]
I can't. My boss will freak out if I'm late. He hates me enough as it is.[Recent events haven't made him very happy with her.
But......she still has a few minutes. She shifts, angling herself so nobody can see her because she will never hear the end of it if someone catches her doing this. Her hands reach for his pants so she can unbutton them and take his cock in hand. A compromise. She wants a more thorough sequel for herself, though that would have to wait until she gets off from work. (She's not going to suggest this until she has him well in hand, a little closer to the edge.)]
[ The bite of her nails pushes a low hum out of Hei, bit off midway into the kiss. His skin prickles, a hot shiver working its way up his spine. The pain adds a sharper edge to everything, makes each sensation that much more vivid and wonderful, and he absorbs as much of that as he can, the better to ground himself, to stay in the moment instead of barrelling ahead. His own hands splay across Korra's waist, then lower down, pads of fingers digging into her rear; they halt at the unexpected break, then squeeze tight because-- ]
[ For fuck's sake. ]
[ Who cares about her boss? He bites in the urge to say that out loud. He can see the man from the corner of his eye. Casually, Hei presses closer to the fence, half the view obscured by the folds of his long coat. Their location is hardly ideal, but it's better than what he's usually used to, especially in Heaven's War. Better than medical bays and ruined campsides and post-kill fucks in char and blood with corpses barely a few feet away. ]
[ There's a rush of chilled air as she unbuttons his jeans to take him in her hand. His breath catches in the middle of a harsh noise that's gasped into her hair, and there's a momentary embarrassment at how eagerly his erection jerks at such simple contact.The temperature of her palm is cool; a sweet contrast to the heat of his skin. There's a restlessness, a movement, building in his hips, in his whole body, but he reigns it in. ]
[ So long as Korra finishes the job, he's willing to stand there. ]
[I can't believe I'm doing this. I can't believe I'm doing this. She's not as appalled as she really should be, although that might just be because the reality of the situation hasn't sunk in yet. More than embarrassed, she feels a satisfaction that's both vicious and generous. She loves those twitches and gasps, those moments where his iron control cracks and she's the one who broke it.
She slips one hand under his shirt, to dig her nails into the flesh at his waist as the other strokes the length of him. She hasn't touched him like this in awhile -- not since that first time, which feels like forever ago but it's only been five months. Her grip is firm (maybe too firm?) and she starts off slow. They're pressed so close together, the tip brushes against her pants with every stroke.]
[ Hei's breathing is steady as she wraps her fingers around him and slides them up. But when the nails of her free hand scrape against his bare skin, he grunts and leans forward, bracing a palm on the icy chainlink above her shoulders, his forehead pressed against her hair. Walling her in. He tries to repress the dizzying urge to speed things up, and fumbles for the edge of her shirt with his other hand instead. His grip stumbles from her waist to her breast, pushing under the bra to cup it, then pinch the nipple roughly. ]
[ A firm touch is what he wants, less sparks now and more raw electricity arcing through his nerves. All his focus is on the soft heat of her palm, the small twitches of his cock hard in her grip. The pace she's set is almost too slow; but for now he's willing to let her run the show. Eventually, between quiet exhales and hums, he presses even tighter against her. Kisses her, hard and biting and thorough, like a challenge. ]
[Not by a long shot. She lets out a soft, pleased sound when his hand makes its way under her shirt, and by the time he kisses her, she's almost ready to forget her boss and go somewhere a little more private.
Instead, she squeezes him tight -- rubs the head hard against her palm, tracing the throbbing vein with the short nail of her thumb -- and picks up the pace.
Once he's close, once she can feel him tremble and burn, she'll stop. Still holding on, but whispering in his ear with an evil grin--]
[ Her nipple tightens in the palm of his hand, and Hei pinches a little harder before firmly fondling her breast. His mouth is hot against her jaw, kissing beneath the ear, biting on the lobe then soothing with a wet flick. The rest is lost in a shudder when she squeezes; he moans quietly, his pulse reverberating through his thighs and pelvis and the length of his erection, skipping a beat whenever she touches the tip. ]
[ He's moving with her now, incremental, almost unnoticeable, her hand and his hips, and it'd be so easy to get lost in this. When she stops, he bites back a curse. It's only by virtue of brutal training, the best at what he is and able to control muscle movement and wild impulse, that he doesn't shove her up against the fence and strip her clothes off to push full-length into her. He tightens his grip on her breast, thumb rubbing the nipple because if she lets go now... ]
[ Sequel? Oh. Right. Hei swallows dryly; his smile isn't entirely good-natured. ] I'm not -- waiting out for you like your damn dog. [ If he conceded to anything and everything the moment a pretty girl had her hands down his pants, he'd be done for ages ago. But he can feel himself, hot and hard against her palm, a stillness that is its own friction and frustration, and he pushes slightly against her on instinct. After a tense beat, ] Promise you'll get off work early.
[There's a chance she misstepped; she can see something dark mixed in his smile. But when he pushes against her, dick pulsing and needy, she knows she's won. She kisses him hard, biting his lip before pulling back just enough to whisper]
I promise.
[It's not like she's looking forward to the wait either. It's going to be the longest three hours of her life. She starts stroking him again, faster and harder, watching closely to make sure she's hitting all the right spots. Her break's going to be up soon and if she's going to sneak out early, she can't afford to come back in late.]
[ All things considered it's a little juvenile, standing fully-clothed at the corner of the lot like they're a pair of skittish teenagers. The scenery is all red and shadows and there's a snaky pulsebeat of music present even in the stillness, overlapped by Hei's breathing that quickens into sighs and soft hums. It's too incongruous, too messed up, but the rhythm she sets is perfect. Each time her thumb swipes over the head of him on the upstroke, there's a twitch to his hips, a low sound pulled past his teeth. His hand is still tucked under her bra. He squeezes insistently, the fingers of the other hand gripping the fence's cold diamond mesh. The chilled air isn't enough to cool him down; he's partways balanced on the edge already. ]
[ But it's not enough. ]
[ For a long breathless moment, Hei leans in and kisses her, and then he has to pull away, shivering. Against her lips, he breathes out: ] I want your mouth, Korra. Just a little -- d'you think you can manage that? [ And he tugs that lower-lip between his teeth, because this is good, more than good. But it could be even better. ]
[She hesitates, hot and breathless but nervous too. What if somebody sees them? She peeks over his shoulder, trying to see if anybody's watching.
She licks her lips, feeling the sting from his teeth.]
Okay.
[But he better make sure he shields her from view. She sinks to her knees and wraps her mouth around his head. She runs her tongue over it, tracing every crevice as her hand continues to pump the rest. She doesn't want to try going deep -- she's already trying to figure out how to keep his come from getting all over her clothes.]
⊕ Friday!
Whatever. She finishes her juice and turns to the bartender.]
I'm going to take my fifteen.
[The bartender nods, a promise to let the others know she's on break. Korra turns back to Hei and gestures for him to lead on.]
⊕ Friday!
[ (In these moments, he truly questions his sanity. Why did he take up with her again? He clearly isn't ready for her, much less right. He has no idea how to handle her impatient angsty brashness -- not unless it's with coldness or blows. She has no idea what an effort it is for him, how exhausted and overwhelmed he is by past failures, and how she pushes those buttons just by being herself. ]
[ Stopping near the chainlink fence, Hei takes a breath. He can still hear music thumping from the open doors of the bar; Korra's familiar aroma mixes with the tang of booze and the stink of urine wafting up from the cobblestones. Flatly, he says, ] Don't glare at me. I just have a request to make.
⊕ Friday!
What? [Terse, but not sullen. She's willing to listen with an open mind.]
⊕ Friday!
[ He keeps that in mind, tries to shake off the stupid tetchiness. ]
When we're in public, don't call me Hei. It's not my real name [ A simple FTR, not a tidbit to assuage any curiosity ] but it's not the name I use when I'm out here.
⊕ Friday!
Do I call you "Li," or is there another name I don't know about?
⊕ Friday!
Li is fine. [ He rubs his eyes again, and adds dryly, ] Or yarou. Or filho da puta. Or bái chī. Any name [ or insult, in this case ] except Hei. [ After all, to paraphrase, a molotov cocktail, by any other name, is just as destructive. ]
⊕ Friday!
I think I'll just stick with Li.
[She crosses her arms and leans against the fence. It's -- not nice out here, with the filth and the stench -- but it's better than at the bar. For the first time all night, it feels like her shoulders are finally coming down from her ears, though she can't even begin to guess how long it will take her to work the tension from her muscles. So used to force and fluid movement, it's physically painful to rein them in.]
⊕ Friday!
[ It's then that Hei realizes he's stuffed his own hands into his coat pockets, half-clenched into fists. To demonstrate to himself that he can be at least marginally at ease for Korra's benefit, he spreads his fingers out and flexes them. ]
[ It's not nice out here, no. But far better than other places he's been. His gaze skips to Korra's hair, shiny in the bright-red wattage of the store lights. And to that tight top that molds so snugly around her breasts and shoulders. Just like that, his irritation fades like a summer squall; replaced by a bittersweet greediness for her. ]
[ Keeping his tone casual, he asks, ] Any chance you could extend that fifteen minutes?
⊕ Friday!
What for?
⊕ Friday!
[ He draws closer, and there's a beat of silence -- his voice is slower, a little quieter. ]
I was thinking about your mouth just now. [ A noncommittal hum. ] Inconvenient, I know.
⊕ Friday!
It doesn't take 15 minutes to kiss me. [She's too distracted by her own growing want to pick up on the innuendo.]
⊕ Friday!
No. Last time you sucked me off, it took considerably less. [ Vulgar, but delicacy and pussyfooting aren't exactly his style once he's set a course for what he wants. His expression, as much as she can see of it in the striped lights, is wry, amused. She's either going to shove him off, or make than pissy face of hers again. Least Liked Look #36 -- Ugh You Are So Disgusting I Can't Even...! ]
⊕ Friday!
She doesn't shove him away, though, or give him #36. Her expression is more like Wait Hold On a Sec Did I Hear That Right? It's hard to be sure with his body so close, driving her to distraction.]
⊕ Friday!
[ Hei smiles, not unkind, but in a way that approaches a level of honest affection. Circling an arm around her, he pulls her against him. His lips brush the rim of her ear, his breath just stirring the hairs trailing along her neck ]
Should I repeat myself? [ His tongue circles her ear, lazy and slick, but he goes no further; to outsiders, they look like they're simply engaged in a private discussion. (It doesn't seem fair to keep going, to get even more of a head start than his runaway imagination has opened up.) ]
⊕ Friday!
Here? [There might a little catch in her voice. She's caught people doing it in public. Prostitutes on her way to work, and that one really awkward time she went to the bathroom and caught her boss with one of the customers. But she never -- no -- what?
(And yet still... She can feel his erection pressing against her thigh. Despite embarrassment and disbelief, she can't help rubbing her leg against it, teasing.)]
⊕ Friday!
[ On top of that, there's the reminder that a quickie is one thing. Repeatedly treating her like his favorite callgirl is another. ]
[ He breaks the kiss, lips lingering against hers, to murmur, ] I know a place. Two minutes away.
Re: ⊕ Friday!
She's just about to say Okay (translation: Yes please) when she sees her boss come out of the bar and look around. Probably looking for her. She groans and bangs her head on Hei's chest.]
I can't. My boss will freak out if I'm late. He hates me enough as it is.[Recent events haven't made him very happy with her.
But......she still has a few minutes. She shifts, angling herself so nobody can see her because she will never hear the end of it if someone catches her doing this. Her hands reach for his pants so she can unbutton them and take his cock in hand. A compromise. She wants a more thorough sequel for herself, though that would have to wait until she gets off from work. (She's not going to suggest this until she has him well in hand, a little closer to the edge.)]
⊕ Friday!
[ For fuck's sake. ]
[ Who cares about her boss? He bites in the urge to say that out loud. He can see the man from the corner of his eye. Casually, Hei presses closer to the fence, half the view obscured by the folds of his long coat. Their location is hardly ideal, but it's better than what he's usually used to, especially in Heaven's War. Better than medical bays and ruined campsides and post-kill fucks in char and blood with corpses barely a few feet away. ]
[ There's a rush of chilled air as she unbuttons his jeans to take him in her hand. His breath catches in the middle of a harsh noise that's gasped into her hair, and there's a momentary embarrassment at how eagerly his erection jerks at such simple contact.The temperature of her palm is cool; a sweet contrast to the heat of his skin. There's a restlessness, a movement, building in his hips, in his whole body, but he reigns it in. ]
[ So long as Korra finishes the job, he's willing to stand there. ]
⊕ Friday!
She slips one hand under his shirt, to dig her nails into the flesh at his waist as the other strokes the length of him. She hasn't touched him like this in awhile -- not since that first time, which feels like forever ago but it's only been five months. Her grip is firm (maybe too firm?) and she starts off slow. They're pressed so close together, the tip brushes against her pants with every stroke.]
⊕ Friday!
[ A firm touch is what he wants, less sparks now and more raw electricity arcing through his nerves. All his focus is on the soft heat of her palm, the small twitches of his cock hard in her grip. The pace she's set is almost too slow; but for now he's willing to let her run the show. Eventually, between quiet exhales and hums, he presses even tighter against her. Kisses her, hard and biting and thorough, like a challenge. ]
[ Is that all you've got? ]
Re: ⊕ Friday!
Instead, she squeezes him tight -- rubs the head hard against her palm, tracing the throbbing vein with the short nail of her thumb -- and picks up the pace.
Once he's close, once she can feel him tremble and burn, she'll stop. Still holding on, but whispering in his ear with an evil grin--]
Meet me after work for the sequel?
[She'll finish him off as soon as he says yes.]
⊕ Friday!
[ He's moving with her now, incremental, almost unnoticeable, her hand and his hips, and it'd be so easy to get lost in this. When she stops, he bites back a curse. It's only by virtue of brutal training, the best at what he is and able to control muscle movement and wild impulse, that he doesn't shove her up against the fence and strip her clothes off to push full-length into her. He tightens his grip on her breast, thumb rubbing the nipple because if she lets go now... ]
[ Sequel? Oh. Right. Hei swallows dryly; his smile isn't entirely good-natured. ] I'm not -- waiting out for you like your damn dog. [ If he conceded to anything and everything the moment a pretty girl had her hands down his pants, he'd be done for ages ago. But he can feel himself, hot and hard against her palm, a stillness that is its own friction and frustration, and he pushes slightly against her on instinct. After a tense beat, ] Promise you'll get off work early.
⊕ Friday!
I promise.
[It's not like she's looking forward to the wait either. It's going to be the longest three hours of her life. She starts stroking him again, faster and harder, watching closely to make sure she's hitting all the right spots. Her break's going to be up soon and if she's going to sneak out early, she can't afford to come back in late.]
⊕ Friday!
[ But it's not enough. ]
[ For a long breathless moment, Hei leans in and kisses her, and then he has to pull away, shivering. Against her lips, he breathes out: ] I want your mouth, Korra. Just a little -- d'you think you can manage that? [ And he tugs that lower-lip between his teeth, because this is good, more than good. But it could be even better. ]
⊕ Friday!
She licks her lips, feeling the sting from his teeth.]
Okay.
[But he better make sure he shields her from view. She sinks to her knees and wraps her mouth around his head. She runs her tongue over it, tracing every crevice as her hand continues to pump the rest. She doesn't want to try going deep -- she's already trying to figure out how to keep his come from getting all over her clothes.]
⊕ Friday!
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