Chapter Text
There were undoubtedly many things that could make Hachiman almost lose his patience. He may work in the republic city police department but he didn't deal with benders.
But this! This was new category.
“So let me see if I got this straight Ms-”
“Korra”
“OK, Ms.Korra, you see a group of mobsters harassing a shop owner and you decide to intervene correct?”
“Yes”
“And they started to attack you?”
“Yes”
“And two were fire benders and a water bender.”
“Correct”
“And you couldn't find the nearest republic officer because you are and still is technically new to Republic city?”
"That's right," Korra nodded, her blue eyes gleaming with a mix of pride and defiance.
Hachiman pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. "And so, instead of seeking help or, I don't know, calling for assistance, you decided to... what exactly?"
Korra's face lit up with excitement. "I showed them what a real bender can do! I took on all three at once. You should've seen their faces when I redirected the firebender's flames, froze the waterbender's attack mid-air, and then earthbended the ground right from under their feet!"
……OK, so he was dealing with a the Avatar, a teenage avatar. Seriously! why the hell wasn't the Chief dealing with this shit. He was just a civilian aid of the department. He wasn't paid enough for this crap.
Hachiman's eye twitched as he struggled to maintain his composure. "And the shop? The street? The surrounding buildings? What state are they in after your... demonstration?"
Korra's enthusiasm faltered slightly. "Well, there might be a few... minor damages. Nothing that can't be fixed!" She quickly added, waving her hand dismissively.
"Minor damages," Hachiman repeated, his voice flat. He glanced down at the report on his desk, which detailed extensive property destruction, including a collapsed storefront, multiple shattered windows, and a rather impressive crater in the middle of the street.
"Listen, korra," he began, leaning forward. "I get that you're the Avatar and all, but this isn't the Southern Water Tribe. Republic City has laws, procedures, and a whole lot of paperwork for incidents like this."
Korra's brow furrowed. "But I was helping! Those thugs were—"
"I know, I know," Hachiman interrupted, holding up a hand. "Your intentions were good. But next time, please, for the love of all the spirits, just find a police officer. Or at least try not to level half a city block in the process."
He sighed heavily, reaching for a stack of forms. "Now, we need to go through this incident report in detail. And then, you'll need to speak with Chief Beifong-”
The metal door to the interrogation room slid open, and in walk the very woman he was talking about.
Along with-
“Tenzin!!”, Korra said with happiness.
“Chief Beifong, Councilman Tenzin.”, Hachiman said impassively, organizing the necessarily forms he was going to throw over for either one of them to handle since apparently the Avatar already knew Councilman Tenzin.
"Hachiman," Lin said, her voice carrying its usual authoritative tone. "I'll take it from here."
Tenzin nodded at him politely before turning to Korra. "I see you've already managed to cause quite a stir on your first day in Republic City."
Hachiman gathered his papers, more than happy to relinquish this headache. As he stood, Lin caught his eye and gave him a barely perceptible nod that he recognized as her way of saying 'good work.' It wasn't much, but coming from Chief Beifong, it might as well have been effusive praise.
"I was just explaining to Ms. Korra here about Republic City's approach to vigilante justice," Hachiman said, sliding the paperwork across the table. "Specifically, how we don't encourage it."
Korra crossed her arms. "Those guys were extorting an innocent shopkeeper! Was I supposed to just walk away?"
"You were supposed to find an officer," Lin replied sharply, placing her hands on the metal table. "This city has systems in place for a reason."
Tenzin stepped forward, his robes swishing softly against the floor. "Perhaps we could discuss this somewhere more... private?" He glanced meaningfully at Hachiman.
"By all means," Hachiman said, already heading for the door. "The damage reports are all there, Chief. I've cataloged witness statements on pages three through five."
As he reached the door, Korra called out, "Hey, wait! What's your name again?"
Hachiman paused. "Hachiman."
"Well, Hachiman, thanks for not immediately throwing me in jail," she said with a grin that was somehow both sheepish and confident.
"Don't thank me yet," he replied. "The Chief still might."
Lin shot him a look that would have wilted a lesser man, but Hachiman had grown up with those looks. He merely shrugged and slipped out the door, closing it behind him.
The bullpen was its usual chaotic self—officers filing reports, phones ringing, the occasional perp being escorted to holding cells. Hachiman navigated through the desks toward his small workstation, grateful to be away from the Avatar situation. He had enough on his plate without adding "babysit the world's most powerful bender" to the list.
"So, you met the Avatar, huh?" Officer Song asked as Hachiman passed his desk. "What's she like?"
"Trouble," Hachiman replied without breaking stride.
Ten minutes later with most of his paperwork complete, Hachiman was preparing to leave when he noticed an officer trying to pull; well struggling pathetically, a massive collared and leash polar bear-dog.
The animal made the officer look like a child trying to pull an adult. The poor man's boots slid across the floor as the creature sniffed about, completely unbothered by his efforts.
Hachiman stared at the scene, willing himself to just walk away. This wasn't his problem. He had reports to file, a quiet evening at home to look forward to, maybe even catch up on some reading.
"Need some help there, Kato?" another officer called out, laughing.
"This thing belongs to the Avatar," Officer Kato grunted, planting his feet and pulling with all his might. "Chief says it can't stay in the station, but I can't... get it... to move!"
Hachiman closed his eyes. Count to ten, he told himself. One, two—
The polar bear-dog suddenly turned its massive head and locked eyes with him. Its tail began to wag.
Three, four, five—
The massive creature bounded forward, dragging Officer Kato face-first across the floor before he wisely let go of the leash. It skidded to a halt in front of Hachiman, tongue lolling out, looking down at him expectantly.
Hachiman's face remained perfectly neutral as he stared up at the enormous beast, its hot breath washing over him with each pant. The creature's massive paws could easily crush him if it decided to get any friendlier.
The polar bear-dog leaned closer, sniffing at his hair.
The massive creature made a curious huffing sound, then without warning, reared up on its hind legs. In an instant, the polar bear-dog transformed from merely large to absolutely towering, its shadow completely engulfing Hachiman as officers around the bullpen stopped what they were doing to watch.
"Oh no," Hachiman muttered, milliseconds before the beast came down, not with violence but with surprising gentleness, effectively trapping him beneath its warm, furry bulk. The creature made a contented rumbling sound, apparently having decided that Hachiman was the perfect-sized cushion for its afternoon nap.
Pinned against the floor with only his head and one arm free, Hachiman maintained his composure. His expression remained neutral even as the bullpen erupted in laughter.
"Someone get a camera!" Officer Song wheezed between fits of laughter.
"This is going on the department bulletin board for sure," another officer called out.
Hachiman's eyes narrowed slightly as he mentally composed a list of people to blame for this indignity: the Avatar for bringing this oversized furball into Republic City in the first place, every Avatar before her for perpetuating the cycle that led to this moment, the spirits for their general mischief, and especially his so-called colleagues who were now doubled over with mirth rather than helping him.
"If you're all quite finished," he said evenly, his voice somehow maintaining its usual flat tone despite being partially smooshed beneath hundreds of pounds of affectionate polar bear-dog, "perhaps someone could assist me?"
"Naga!" Korra's voice cut through the laughter as she emerged from the interrogation room with Tenzin and Lin.
The polar bear-dog—Naga, apparently—wagged her tail happily but made no move to release Hachiman from her furry prison.
"What are you doing to this guy?" Korra asked, approaching with an amused smirk.
"Existing, apparently," Hachiman replied dryly. "Your 'friend' seems to have decided I'm either a new toy or a snack for later."
Lin crossed her arms, the corner of her mouth twitching in what might have been amusement—a rare sight indeed. "Hachiman, I don't recall pet-sitting being in your job description."
"It isn't," he replied, attempting to extricate himself and failing.
Korra whistled sharply, and Naga lifted her head, ears perking up. "Come on, girl. Let the nice police guy breathe."
With a reluctant whine, Naga finally shifted her weight, allowing Hachiman to slide free. He rose to his feet with as much dignity as one could muster after being publicly flattened by an Arctic beast, brushing fur from his clothes with methodical precision.
"Sorry about that," Korra said, not looking particularly sorry at all. "Naga just really likes you for some reason."
"I have that effect on large, dangerous animals," Hachiman replied, straightening his shirt. "They either want to eat me or adopt me. There's rarely a middle ground. My mom had to fight a saber-tooth moose lion once, when it kidnapped me on a camping trip with my sister.”
Tenzin's eyes widened. "A saber-tooth moose lion? Those are extremely territorial predators!"
"Tell me about it," Hachiman muttered, picking the last bits of white fur from his sleeve. "My sister thought it was hilarious. She still brings it up at family dinners."
Korra looked genuinely impressed. "Wait, your mom fought off a saber-tooth moose lion? That's amazing! She must Be a pretty impressive woman to do that.”
"You have no idea," Hachiman said flatly, catching Lin's eye with a barely perceptible nod. His adoptive mother's expression remained stoic, but he could read the subtle warning in her gaze. Their family relationship wasn't exactly public knowledge in the department.
Tenzin cleared his throat. "Well, Korra, I believe we should be going. You've caused enough excitement for one day."
"Fine," Korra sighed, grabbing Naga's leash. "But I still think I did the right thing. Those thugs won't be bothering that shopkeeper again."
"No," Hachiman agreed, "they'll just move two blocks over and find a different target. One without an Avatar to protect them."
Korra's triumphant expression faltered. "I... didn't think about that."
"That's why we have systems," Lin interjected. "To address the root problems, not just the symptoms."
As Korra and Tenzin prepared to leave, Naga gave Hachiman one last affectionate nudge, nearly knocking him off balance again. He steadied himself against a desk, wondering what he'd done in a past life to deserve this.
"You know," Korra said, pausing at the door, "I could use someone who knows the city to show me around. Someone who understands how things work here."
"I'm sure the Air Acolytes can arrange a tour guide," Hachiman replied without missing a beat.
"But they don't know the real Republic City," Korra pressed. "The parts tourists don't see."
"Neither do I," he lied smoothly. "I just file paperwork."
Lin made a sound that might have been a suppressed snort. Tenzin looked between them with growing impatience.
"Come along, Korra. Hachiman has work to do, and you have airbending training to begin."
As they finally departed, the bullpen gradually returned to normal. Hachiman gathered his things, eager to escape before anything else could go wrong.
"Hikigaya," Lin called as he reached the door.
He turned. "Chief?"
“Go make sure they actually make it out of the building.”
Hachiman sighed inwardly but kept his face neutral. "Yes, Chief."
He followed the sounds of excited chatter and massive paws padding down the hallway. The Avatar was gesturing animatedly to Tenzin, who nodded with the patient expression of someone who had learned to weather storms of enthusiasm with meditative calm.
Naga's tail swished dangerously close to a display case of metalbending achievement awards. Hachiman quickened his pace.
"—and then I could learn to combine airbending with waterbending for some kind of steam attack!" Korra was saying as he caught up.
"Avatar Korra," Hachiman interrupted, "your polar bear-dog is about to demolish police property. again."
Korra turned, blinking in surprise while pulling on Naga's harness. "Oh, hey! Did you miss us already?"
"Desperately," he deadpanned. "Chief Beifong asked me to escort you out. For the building's protection."
Tenzin stroked his beard. "A wise precaution. Come, Korra."
As they approached the main entrance, officers and civilian staff alike pressed themselves against walls to avoid Naga's enthusiastic tail. Hachiman noticed the receptionist ducking beneath her desk as they passed.
"So," Korra said, falling into step beside him, "if you're not a tour guide, what exactly do you do here? Besides interrogate avatars and get squashed by polar bear-dogs?"
"Administrative support," Hachiman replied. "I handle paperwork, witness statements, and occasionally serve as a liaison between benders and non-benders."
"You're not a bender?" Korra asked, studying him with renewed interest.
"No."
"But you work for the metalbending police?"
"With, not for," he corrected automatically. "And yes."
“Sooo, How it feel to work ‘with' a hard-ass like Chief Beifong?”, Korra ask with a grin.
Hachiman's expression remained perfectly neutral as he replied, "That 'hard-ass' is my mother."
The words hung in the air for a moment as Korra's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. Tenzin coughed awkwardly, suddenly finding the ceiling architecture fascinating.
Inside, Hachiman couldn't help but agree with Korra's assessment. Lin did have a well-earned reputation for being strict and unyielding. It was something he'd experienced firsthand for years, especially when she dumped ridiculous assignments like babysitting the Avatar on him without warning.
"Wait—you're—she's—" Korra stammered, her confident demeanor evaporating. as her brain proceeded to shutdown.
“Look at that were at the entrance, Goodbye Councilman Tenzin, Avatar Korra…And you too Naga.”, Hachiman now hurriedly pushing them out. he just wants this day over with already so he can go home and sleep.