Naga ambled towards Korra huffing and puffing in excitement. Korra grimaced and tried to quietly shush her to no avail. Naga had a soft spot for clandestine nighttime adventures. It was a few minutes past midnight, and Korra didn't want to wake Tenzin and the family. Korra didn't really have a good excuse up her sleeve for why she was sneaking out at such an hour. She hastily led Naga away from sleeping quarters and towards the dock facing Republic City. The city glowed a warm gold in the distance; a bright star gleaming in the inky night sky.
"Come on old girl, I'm happy to see you too but we really need to get moving. We're finally getting a night out." Korra's words fell on deaf ears as Naga continued to jovially whine. Giving up, Korra smiled to herself and began to hum without realizing it. She was going to see Lin tonight. She thought back to the last time they had been together and sighed.
It had been almost a week since Korra had last seen Lin. It was not as if their time together a week ago had been exactly private either-their charge that day had been Meelo. Korra had jumped at the opportunity to take Meelo into the city for the fireworks display without really considering the consequences. She just wanted the opportunity to spend time with Lin away from Tenzin's motherly presence. Her eagerness to spend time with Lin in the city had clouded her judgment to the point that Meelo's hyperactivity looked better than Tenzin's maternal aura. What was supposed to be a romantic day at the Avatar Day festival was handily thwarted by Meelo attempting to airbend a firework back towards the main square. Meelo's misguided attempt to "ride some sparks" resulted in much screaming on the part of other festival-goers and some serious earth bending on the part of Korra and Lin to repair the damage to a cabbage packing factory. The day was a bit stressful, to say the least. And the Fire Nation of yore didn't even have anything to do with it.
All throughout the following week Korra had stayed on the island redoubling her efforts to create an air scooter as a way of repenting to Tenzin for Meelo's near extinction at the festival. She couldn't help but wonder if the near apocalypse would have happened if she hadn't been otherwise occupied with Lin behind a thirty foot Avatar Kyoshi shrine. Meelo had seemed deceptively sleepy and content to sit on Kyoshi's massive feet with his green tea popsicle so that Korra seized the opportunity to pull Lin behind for some quick liplock. It was only two minutes before the screaming started. And then before Korra knew it she had essentially grounded herself for an entire week of uninterrupted airbending training. Tenzin seemed pleased in a rather perplexed way at Korra's sudden dedication to perfecting her newest element. He had been much more protective of Korra since her bending was restored. She knew that he took personal responsibility for her momentary defeat by Amon a few months ago. Korra also knew that Tenzin would not have demanded that Korra be "grounded" after Meelo's almost trip to the stars. Regardless, guilt had kept the Avatar on the island all week. If she couldn't even keep a bald little airbender from nuking the city that his grandfather had helped create then whom could she protect?
But tonight would be different. Korra had finally decided to take a leaf out of Meelo's book and make a (temporary) prison break from the island. Tenzin wouldn't begrudge her for the temporary reprieve from her training, anyways. Korra figured he would much rather her sneak out to spend time with his former lover and father's reincarnation than attempt to single-handedly bring down a dangerous megalomaniac. On second thought…well it was too late. Naga had already slipped into the water as that last thought crossed Korra's mind.
"See you later, Naga."
Naga whined softly in response as Korra slipped through the backdoor of Lin's building. In the bright moonlight the streets glittered slickly under a thin sheet of ice. Before turning her head away she saw Naga contently plop her head onto her paws and yawn. Naga had already spent a few nights in the car shed tucked in the rear of the building. Now that the first snow of the year had fallen Naga seemed to like the arrangement even more.
Korra lightly knocked on Lin's door. Even though they were technically alone now she could still not completely shake the shyness. While Korra waited for the door she could feel her heart pounding in her throat. Korra frowned and shook her head. Why was she still shy? It wasn't as if she had never come to Lin like this before. It wasn't as if she and Lin had never…
Her thought was abruptly stopped in its tracks as the door opened soundlessly and Lin stood before her with one eyebrow cocked ever so slightly.
For a short moment they just stayed in place appraising one another.
"Hey kid. Planning on staying out there all night? I know with the snow and all you must be loving every minute outdoors." Lin finally quipped breaking the silence with a small smile tugging at her lips.
Korra felt a pale pink blush blooming over her cheeks and she couldn't help but smile widely back at Lin.
"I missed you too, Chief." Without another moment's hesitation she went forward into Lin's arms and into the room.
After a moment of pressing her face against Lin's shoulder Korra kissed Lin. Without breaking the kiss Lin lowered them both onto a nearby couch until Korra was straddling her.
Lin finally broke the kiss and quietly corrected, "Ex-chief, you mean."
"Ex-chief, former chief, chief for all of posterity, it's all the same to me." Korra said playfully as she cocked her head and placed her hands on Lin's shoulders.
To that Lin gave a small noncommittal snort and lightly fingered the hem of Korra's waistband.
"Anyways," Korra said as she rested her forehead against Lin's, "I kind of like those types of titles."
Korra looked into Lin's jade eyes and smiled a crooked smile. She quickly looked away, however, fearing that her excitement at seeing Lin was making her too bold.
Lin, however, did not seem to be put-off by the seventeen year old's behavior.
"You do, Miss Avatar?" Lin asked as she frowned in mock seriousness. She then abruptly snapped the waistband of Korra's pants loudly back against Korra's taut stomach. Korra met Lin's eyes again as she let a less wholesome smile creep back onto her face.
"In that case I might have to put you in your place." Lin said casually before immediately flipping Korra onto her back. Korra's heart rate quickened as she looked up at her captor. Lin grinned knowingly in response and pinned Korra's wrists above her head flush against the couch. She stretched over Korra like a satisfied cat.
"Hold on a second, Chief. If I'm not mistaken it seems to me like you don't have your cables on ya. How do you intend on cuffing me?" Korra narrowed her eyes and looked up coyly at Lin, giving in to the talk and her own arousal.
Lin bent down and without warning lightly nipped Korra's breast through her shirt. With that Korra gasped and whined, "Lin! Isn't there some code prohibiting the cruel and unusual teasing of prisoners?"
Lin straightened up and said matter of factly, "I doubt it. And furthermore, there is no need to cuff you…at least for the moment. Now if you would be so kind, Avatar, kindly lose the clothes and relocate yourself to the bedroom."
With that Lin nimbly rolled off of Korra releasing her hands. She spun on her heel and walked off toward the bedroom but not without throwing a smirk back over her shoulder at Korra.
Korra gaped in silence for a few moments at Lin's backside as Lin sauntered down the hall. She subconsciously muttered "Yes ma'm" as she scrambled off of the couch after Lin.
Lin laboriously sat herself up to wipe the sweat off her brow. She used the idle moment to catch her breath. Lying underneath her was the avatar-wide-eyed and chest heaving. She rolled over and lay next to Korra with one hand propping up her weary head.
Lin gave Korra a reassuring though slightly shy grin. She wondered in mild disbelief at how she had ended up in such a state with such a person. She absentmindedly ran a not so dry index finger along the avatar's side as she recovered from the exertion.
Korra bit her lip and turned her head to the side. She let her eyes flutter shut as she caught her breath and listened to the blood pump in her ears. Had she not been so exhausted and spent she may have been bashful as she felt Lin's roaming eyes on her.
After a minute or two of repose Lin gently turned Korra's face back towards her and kissed her. Korra kissed her back slowly and still somewhat hungrily as Lin again climbed atop her. Korra wrapped her arms around the former police chief's neck pulling her closer.
"That was really great, Lin." Korra said softly into Lin's ear before she could wince at the understatement.
Lin broke the kiss-taken aback by the tenderness of Korra's words. This wasn't the first time they had made love. This wasn't even the first time they had tapped at this new and mildly surprising connection. But still, Korra's unsuspectingly sweet words caught the metalbender off guard-completely off guard. Lin knew she was no wordsmith and had no intention of ruining the moment. She wondered if she could have been capable of vocalizing such candid emotions at Korra's age. Probably not- but maybe. There was something about youth, Lin was rediscovering as she discovered Korra, that really captured the way the world really was. She replied with a kiss to Korra's neck just below the jawline.
"I wish there were more nights like this." Korra continued cautiously testing the air. Lin sighed and rested her forehead against Korra's collarbone. You're cracking, squirt -she could hear her mother tease. She was giving in. The truth, however, was that she loved every minute of it. She couldn't get enough of this girl, woman, or whatever Korra was quickly becoming in her arms.
Lin scooted up Korra's length until she was directly on top of her face to face. She again kissed Korra and then pulled back to look into the searching cerulean eyes. Lin rolled her own eyes and grinned widely in the dark. She would concede-there was no point in not doing so. She gave Korra's left breast a quick squeeze and chuckled at Korra's sharp intake of breath.
Lin swooped her mouth down to Korra's ear, gave it a playful nibble, and said, "Me too, kid, me too."