Chapter Text
The alley was quiet, though it was to be expected considering the late hour and the rundown nature of the buildings around. No one in their right mind would willingly get so close to the Spirit Wilds, but to anyone who knew the city, they also knew which parts to stick to in order to avoid the attention of spirits or disturb them in their new “home”.
The white-haired bender let out a short sigh, leaning against the cracked wall at his back. His contact was supposed to show up any minute now, though he didn’t hide his reticence at being so close to the vines.
“Are you Bao Sho?”
The man jumped at the sudden voice, quickly turning around to see the woman who had just appeared out of nowhere. He hadn’t even heard her approach.
“Fucking Shu- you trying to give me a heart attack?” he patted his coat down, pretending not to hear his heartbeat in his ears, “Yes. You the Earth Empire contact then?”
“Correct.” the woman stepped forward, her green uniform hidden under an inconspicuous civilian attire, “We have work to do.”
Nodding his head, Bao Sho put his hands in his pockets and eyed his interlocutor. She looked Earth Kingdom, with her dark hair and green eyes – no doubt another earthbender, considering the ones who made up most of Kuvira’s army – yet she looked more like a spy. The kind of person he had imagined meeting when he had been contacted, after all.
“You people stirred up quite the hassle at the coronation.” he spoke after a moment, reaching into his coat, “But what can I do for you?”
“Intel and a way to get our people in.”
He paused at that, eyes meeting the woman’s with a sceptical gaze.
“Infiltration? I can’t get you into the higher ups-”
“Nothing of the sort. Yet.” the spy moved forward, her hands folding inside her sleeves, “The Districts will do. Mainly the Central and Downtown. We’re already set for the others.”
“Who exactly are you targets? Because I’m not interested in-”
“Are you Earth Kingdom, Bao Sho?”
Her sudden question gave him pause, the change of topic almost jarring before he nodded slowly.
“My family worked the land for generations before the Fire Nation colonised it. We settled in Republic City since the beginning.”
“And how did your family take it, I wonder?”
“What...do you mean?”
“Did they rejoice when their land was given freely to those firebenders?” the woman explained, her head tilting to the side, “Did they get just treatment? Lived peacefully among the same people who had oppressed them?”
Bao Sho was quiet, his brows furrowing over his forehead. They had struggled, of course – he remembered his grandparents, the look in their eyes every time they saw a firebender or Fire Nation passing them by in the streets, the fear stark. He himself had grown up with their stories after all, and he couldn’t hide his own resentment, especially when it came to the Triads.
“...they were given back their home, but it wasn’t easy, no.”
“Republic City is young, the new generations don’t remember.” she moved closer, her voice dropping lower, “But you do, don’t you?”
He did. He had been a child when his family had moved there to find work, but he hadn’t forgotten, his eyes narrowing.
“The way I see it, the way the Earth Empire sees it...” she spoke after a moment, gesturing with a hand around, “This land belongs under one banner, and it is not Raiko’s or the United Republic’s. Imagine a Nation where justice and equality come before everything else, where people are active citizens and work together for the safety and prosperity of their home-”
“I’m no fool.” Bao Sho interrupted the woman’s spiel, his arms crossing over his chest, “We hear the stories of your cities. And there are good folks here, too. I’m no subject to an upstart.”
“That upstart has united the Earth Empire and leads with strength and fairness. What has your President and the Council before him done? They couldn’t even stop Amon or the Red Lotus, let alone the Triads that plague your home.”
The spy had a point, he admitted begrudgingly, his lips curling down under his greying beard in a scowl. But still...
“Kuvira doesn’t come as a conqueror, or a tyrant. But as a just leader. You will keep your autonomy under her, everything you have worked for. You just have to follow her instead of a President you obviously don’t respect much in the first place.” the woman shrugged, her hands returning to her sleeves, “Not to mention seeing those Triads finally disappear. Now, wouldn’t that be a sight?”
Bao Sho’s eyes widened at the declaration, his stance easing as his arms slowly dropped at his sides.
“How can you even promise that?”
“I’m sure you know who Kuvira’s second in command is. She was a police enforcer of Republic City after all, and made it her mission to bring the Triads down. She already plans on taking it upon herself to make sure they never hurt you or any other ‘good folks’ around here.”
Letting out a low hum, the earthbender passed a hand over his short hair, contemplating the offer.
No Triads. It sounded almost too good to be true, and he knew the catch was staring right at him.
He looked at the woman again, only now noticing the split eyebrow, and the way she stood and carried herself. A soldier, no doubt, yet the look in those green eyes made a shiver run down his spine despite himself.
“...fine. What do you need?”
“Names of Earth Kingdom citizens that moved to Republic City or lived here before. Anti-monarchists, dissenters, people who are, in one word, unhappy or could be swayed. Think you can help us?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I can.”
“Excellent. We will send agents over to do the rest. You just make sure they blend in.”
Nodding, Bao Sho let out a deep exhale and looked around the Spirit vines before turning once more towards the spy, eyes trailing up and down her form.
“Will I see you again?”
“Perhaps. Until then, you’ll keep this discussion private.”
With that, the agent walked away down one of the paths leading back to the city, disappearing in a matter of seconds and leaving Bao Sho alone among the vines before he, too, headed in the opposite direction, his mind replaying their encounter over and over again.
.
.
.
The soft vibrations of footsteps on the roof-tiles alerted Khayra before anything else did, her eyes turning towards the window of the hotel room and watching as the stranger landed on the balcony a moment later. Standing from the couch she had been sat in, she opened the latch of the glass door with a flick of her wrist, allowing them to enter.
The concealed bender stepped forward before bowing low, her hands in the sleeves of her coat.
“Report.”
“It is done.” the woman spoke softly, rising once more and meeting the stern expression of the Commander, “We have our way in.”
“And the rest?”
“Dealt with. We planted a few in the Triple Threat and Terra Triads. They will make sure to hit the targets we chose and have people on the scene.”
“No civilians in the casualties, Rema.”
The spy’s lips twitched imperceptibly, though not enough for Khayra not to notice, her eyes staring hard into the other woman’s.
“That will make things slower, Commander.”
“I don’t care. Our people can fake an injury. I don’t want to involve civilians unless strictly necessary.”
“Yes, Commander.” Rema nodded, her stance easing despite the reprimand, “We will make sure the Districts are ready for the people you have chosen.”
“Good.”
Passing a hand down her face, Khayra glanced at the door at her back, beyond which Kuvira was slumbering in the comfort of their bed.
“If I may, Commander.”
She turned towards Rema, one eyebrow raised in silent consent for the spy to continue.
“This operation may take a while without other agents in higher places. Are you sure you don’t require a major infiltration?”
“I have no doubt a former Dai Li will have no trouble accepting the challenge, won’t you?”
The cold words made Rema’s hands clench in the sleeves of her coat before her eyes turned towards Khayra, surprise colouring them at finding the Commander suddenly so close.
She hadn’t even heard her move.
“This is a mercy I am giving you and your...associates, Rema.” the metalbender spoke, one hand grabbing the spy’s jaw and tilting her head up, “Fail, and I will see to it that you are all sent to a re-education camp. I’m looking for a reason to gut your order, and your usefulness, much like my patience, has a limit.”
The touch was as hard as steel, but it was the look in the woman’s eyes that made Rema’s composure shake, her mind doing her best to cling to the training and stoicism that had been instilled in her since a young age.
In another life, she had no doubt the Commander would have been the best Dai Li ever had she never been taken away from their influence.
“...understood, Commander.”
“I hope so. For your sake.” letting go of the spy’s jaw, Khayra gestured at the door of the suite, “You’re dismissed.”
With another bow, Rema walked swiftly out of the room, eyes glancing one last time at the other woman’s striking form as she stood by the balcony door before closing the door behind herself.
Now in the deserted hallway of the hotel, the former Dai Li allowed herself a soft exhale as she took off her coat, leaving it on one of the hangers of the hotel carts lying around. Smoothing down her dark-green uniform, she fixed her stance with a roll of her shoulders before making her way down the corridor to rejoin the other soldiers downstairs, her face stoic once more.
The punch in her gut sent her reeling, a choked gasp escaping the Dai Li at the strength behind it. She had faced many opponents before, taken down dissidents left and right, yet the bender now standing over her after destroying her house made something settle in the pit of her stomach, something Rema hadn’t felt in a long time.
Fear.
She stood once more, hands swiftly moving in front of her and sending several earth projectiles that she hoped would stop the woman’s advance. But she didn’t even flinch, one arm rising in a sharp wave-like movement that made the projectiles stop and unify into an earth disk while the other bent the pieces of metal off the arms of her uniform.
The Dai Li’s shock and dread skyrocketed as she saw the metal and earth blended together before being sent towards her in grenade-like chunks, spikes of metal bursting free on impact and stabbing through the fabric of her clothes when she couldn’t avoid all of them.
Rema fell to her knees with a panting breath, one hand clutching the opposite arm where one of the bigger spikes had lodged into her shoulder, the rest leaving bleeding cuts all over her torso and face.
She watched in despair as the soldier stepped closer, her boots crushing the splintered wood and glass on the floor like dead leaves until she stood barely an inch away from the downed agent, hands going to her helmet and taking it off.
The house around was a mess of broken walls and overturned furniture, Khayra’s eyes taking it all in with a detached look before they settled on the green ones currently looking up at her, the harshly concealed fear in them making the grip she had on her helmet tighten.
“Rema Fhe.” she finally spoke, her voice almost loud in the silence of the room, “Domestic life doesn’t suit you.”
“I have no idea who-”
The Dai Li grunted as a slip of metal hit her face and wrapped around her head, covering her lips to shut her up.
“You think I’m some idiot you can fool, Captain?” Khayra snorted, the sound hollow, “Don’t make me laugh.”
Moving closer, the soldier grabbed a fistful of dark hair before snapping the woman’s head back, her teeth almost bared.
“Hiding away in a village in the middle of nowhere, are we? What happened to your oaths?”
Before she could even grunt, Rema felt several other strips of metal grab her wrists and legs, pushing her against the wall at her back. She was trapped, wounded, and the soldier in front of her looked like she was enjoying every second of it.
Her mind tried to cease the harsh beating of her heart, struggling to figure out who this younger woman was to come after her.
Until she looked better into those light brown eyes, the shape of them and the set of her jaw familiar-
A sharp smirk split Khayra’s face as she watched the realisation dawn on the former agent, her fingers clenching into a fist and making the metal restraints tighten.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Then again, last time I saw you, I wasn’t ready.”
With a sharp punch that left her gasping behind the metal gag, Rema was pushed through the wooden wall and landed onto the floor beyond, her whole body trembling. The soldier had the strength of a damn moose-lion, and she could only watch as she advanced on her again.
“You’re a hard bunch to find, but I knew that. Luckily, your tricks become repetitive after a while. And a village outside the province was far enough to be inconspicuous while still keeping an eye out, hm?”
The next blow landed on her leg, making the earthbender cry out from behind the metal. She had been so careful to cover her tracks, but it seemed she had left herself open.
When she looked up, she found Khayra staring down at her with a look that was filled with anger, satisfaction, and cruelty, the sight making her heart drop to her stomach.
“My my, Captain. You lost your touch.”
The metal gag fell off her face a moment later, a sharp coughing fit leaving Rema’s lips before she managed to turn onto her back to avoid putting pressure onto her wounded shoulder. She could feel her chest and abdomen aching, no doubt several bruises already forming there, while the blood dripping from her split brow forced her to blink through it to see.
“If you’re here to kill me, Khayra, just do it. It won’t bring them back...”
“Oh, I’m not here for that, Rema.” the metalbender crouched over her, eyes colder than ice, “You think petty revenge is what I’m after? No. I have a proposition for you. And if you want to keep your life, you will accept it.”
The former Dai Li agent’s breathing was ragged, more like a pant as she tried to breathe through the pain coursing through her. She knew a lost battle when she saw one, and she wasn’t foolish enough not to believe the younger woman would uphold her words.
“...I’m listening...”
“Good.” Khayra smirked again, the sight making Rema swallow, “We have work to do, Captain.”
The memory made Rema bite back a shudder, her fingers fixing the cuffs of her uniform. She didn’t fault the Commander for her ruthlessness, Spirits only knew the younger woman had a reason to want the Dai Li wiped out, and unless she wanted to end up like the senior agents who had refused, she’d do her job and follow orders.
After all, she was used to it.
Kuvira listened to the door of the suite closing before she let out a short breath, her ears picking up the sound of Khayra finally stepping in the room and joining her in bed once more.
“Work?”
“I’m handling it.” Khayra murmured, her lips touching the General’s naked shoulder, “Once we’re back on the train and in the capital, we can think about the rest.”
The words pulled another soft sigh from Kuvira, her eyes closing as she felt those lips trail back to her nape and nipping the skin. They’d remain in Republic City until the next day, when they’d leave come morning.
But for now, they could enjoy the added privacy and peacefulness.
Her eyes flickered open when she felt Khayra’s hand slip under the blankets and trail down her hip bone, splaying against the underside of her thigh and squeezing it lightly in a silent command for her to raise it.
Once she had complied, the General’s breath became faster as those fingers pushed her underwear down and off in one swift movement before returning to her warm skin, trailing between her asscheeks. They hadn’t had much time since the coronation if not for that brief release that had left them both hungrier for more, and it seemed the other metalbender was trying to rectify that.
Rising a hand up, Kuvira made sure to make the lock of the room shut in place before reaching behind her, her fingers finding the dark brown tresses of the Commander’s hair while she tilted her head back with a low groan.
“Khayra...”
Her breath hitched as she felt those rough fingers part her folds from behind, spreading her wetness around. She had been frustrated, true, but she hadn’t an idea on how much until she felt the other woman push inside of her, her own hand tightening its grip on her hair.
The pace was unhurried, letting her know they’d be busy for a while, and Kuvira could only welcome the sensation after going so long without it, her hips canting back into those skilled fingers until they went from two to three, the stretch making her moan.
Behind her, Khyara’s lips were still trailing along her shoulders and nape, leaving gentle yet sharp bites that she quickly soothed with her tongue the way she knew Kuvira enjoyed.
The General was always stoic and professional when with the rest, but here? In the arms of her lover? She knew she could just let go and let the other woman take the lead.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips when those fingers suddenly pulled out of her, the emptiness leaving her aching, and she looked behind her shoulder to watch as Khayra stood up from the bed and went towards the wardrobe where their luggage had been put, forest-green eyes following the movements with impatience and hunger alike while she took off what remained of her sleepwear.
Having gotten what she had been looking for and letting out a harsh breath after having prepared herself, Khyara wasted no time in rejoining the metalbender in bed, the toy between her legs making Kuvira’s core clench around nothing and her mouth dry, the rubber head right under her eyes.
Sitting up on the bed, she waited for Khayra to come closer before lowering her mouth to the toy and starting to lick it, coating the length in her saliva and making the woman above her almost growl in pleasure, the rush of seeing the Great Uniter like this a privilege she coveted closely.
“That’s a good girl.” the Commander whispered, grabbing onto black tresses and pulling harshly, “On your stomach.”
Nodding breathlessly, Kuvira moved up the bed before dropping onto her front, the feeling of hands grabbing her hips and moving them up making her shiver. Khayra just knew how to treat her, what she needed and when, and she let herself being manhandled into position without a fuss, fingers tightening in the bedsheets as she felt the other woman press against her.
The sight of Kuvira willingly submitting herself made Khayra tighten her grip and her core clench around the toy, one hand lining up the other end towards the bender’s entrance. Rubbing the tip up and down those weeping folds, she teased for a few moments longer before pushing inside with one harsh thrust, the way she could see Kuvira’s body shudder and hear her sharp moan making her teeth grit.
“F-Fuck...”
“Quiet.” she growled, lips a breath away from the General’s ear, “You’ll be good, won’t you?”
“...yes...”
Kuvira’s words were just as whispered, her teeth biting into her lower lip as Khayra started moving, dragging the toy all the way out before slamming it back in and leaving her begging for more.
“That’s it...” the Commander’s breath brushed her dampening skin, “Be good for me...”
“Kh...Khayra...”
The soft gasp made Khayra’s eyes flutter close, her hips keeping up the languid movements for a while longer before she finally started picking up the pace until she was pounding into Kuvira, watching the way the woman’s back arched and her lips parted with her moans.
“Kuvira...” she growled, biting down onto her shoulder and making her grunt in return, “You’re so tight...fuck...”
The Great Uniter’s mind was slowly losing its grip on reality, the way the metalbender behind her was all but fucking her into the mattress making her almost lightheaded. She had been missing this, had needed this for a while now, and she could only trust Khayra with this side of her. With the desire that burned deep inside, when she could just finally let go.
“Harder...” she found herself whispering, her head tilting back the moment her hair was tugged, “Harder...please...”
“Begging already?” Khayra chuckled while complying, her movements becoming faster and deeper, “You must be so desperate...”
The change of pace made Kuvira let out another sharp moan, the next thrust hitting that sweet spot inside of her and making her see stars. Yet, she didn’t have time to properly process it that she was being moved again, this time onto her side with her leg raised up and held into an iron grip while the other woman pumped into her with abandon.
The sight alone, of Khayra looking down at her like that, her hair falling out of her topknot and around her shoulders while her hands held onto her thigh and hip alike, brought another deep shudder down Kuvira’s spine as she held onto the pillow and bedsheets for some sort of stability.
But she needed more, wanted more, and the Commander seemed to understand that, her bulkier body lowering until she was covering Kuvira, allowing her legs to wrap around the still pumping hips.
The position caused the thrusts to go even deeper, Kuvira’s core clenching around the fake length while her lips slanted against Khayra’s, tongues sliding against each other in a mad dance through which the General was glad to be led and made to follow.
The train would leave tomorrow and take them back to their Empire, to their mission of reuniting what was theirs by right. But tonight, they could just be here and lose themselves in each other.
Khayra could feel Kuvira’s incoming peak, the way the woman was practically clinging to her, nails digging into her shoulders and eyes closed as she moaned without a care, making her own release approach. Her movements turned sloppier, her bites harsher, her kisses more aggressive while the other bender kept moaning and clenching around the toy.
Until the pressure snapped and she was sent spiralling down the edge, her strong body arching under the Commander’s in a beautiful spectacle of ecstasy she was only too happy to replicate, hips stuttering as she, too, finally came a moment later.
Kuvira accepted the weight on top of her, her arms still clutched around broad shoulders while her nails dug into the skin beneath, unwilling to let go yet. She was still high-strung, her body a live wire that demanded more.
Meeting those forest-green eyes with her own brown ones, Khayra saw the hunger and desperation deep inside, and after a moment to catch her breath, she rolled onto her back, taking Kuvira with her. Sitting up against the headboard of the bed, the Commander then started licking and sucking at the breasts now in front of her, the quiet groans that followed music to her ears.
With the new position, Kuvira didn’t waste time in starting to ride the toy, her eyes screwed shut as she rocked her hips up and down, aided by the steady hands holding onto them. Her own were far from idle, one buried into Khayra’s dark hair to keep her close to her chest, the other rubbing the burn scars on the woman’s neck and shoulder, holding onto her like her life depended on it.
And maybe it did.
“Please...please, Khayra...”
She didn’t know what exactly she was begging Khayra for. To never let her go? To never stop? To keep breathing against her chest, hearing the way her heart felt like it was about to burst with everything she felt?
The Great Uniter wasn’t sure. All she knew was that she’d never let go, and as Khayra’s movements became faster once more, as her own head tilted back with the loud moans she didn’t care enough to stop, and as she came again – harder this time, her core spasming and covering their thighs in slick – she slumped forward into awaiting arms that welcomed her without a word, but with enough care to make her almost weep.
Falling back onto the mattress, their highs still flowing through their now exhausted bodies, Khyara held Kuvira through it all, her arms wrapped tightly – safely – around her while their hearts beat against each other so close their chests were pressed together.
When they had finally calmed down enough for them to pull the toy out, letting it drop somewhere on the floor among their clothes to be picked up later, and settle into bed, Kuvira rested her head under Khayra’s jaw, enjoying the warmth so easily given to her like it was second nature now.
“Good?”
“Very good...” she nodded, kissing the scarred skin under her lips, fingers massaging the rest of the arm, “...I love you...”
“I love you too...”
The murmured words made Kuvira smile, eyes closing as she let out a deep sigh of contentment. It wasn’t long before she drifted of to sleep, finally relaxed.
Under her, Khayra stared down at the sleeping woman in her arms with a soft smile of her own, fingers moving a strand of black hair away from Kuvira’s face and lingering against her cheek, right where the small more was under her eye.
“I’ll keep you safe...” she whispered in the darkness of the room, low enough not to be heard, “...I swear it.”
Kissing her forehead, the Commander allowed herself another moment to take everything in before closing her eyes and welcoming the sweet embrace of sleep, her arms holding Kuvira close through the night.