Exercise Extreme Caution
Summary: Sequel to Road to Recovery. "You all keep acting like I'm still recovering from what Zaheer did, but I'm fine. I'm the Avatar, and even though many people don't agree, the world needs me. I'll prove it to you." Korrasami. Set after series finale.
I
-Eight Months Earlier-
Korra jumped when she felt a swift kick to her. She blinked rapidly before sitting up in her seat. She wiped the drool off of her chin and the surface of the table before looking over at her girlfriend. Asami Sato had her head down, writing down notes of what President Raiko was saying. Korra wasn't too sure about the topic because she zoned out hours ago.
"…And Miss Sato is here to give the presentation," President Raiko said, nodding in her general direction. He stared her down for a few seconds before moving back to his seat. Asami raised her chin a bit before getting out of her seat. She passed slid a piece of paper and a pencil over towards Korra as she got up.
Korra watched her walk up to the front of the room in confusion. Once Asami was at the head of the table, she placed her notebook flat on the table. "Thank you, President Raiko," she said to him with a tight smile. Asami briefly caught Korra's eye before shifting her gaze lower. Korra followed and peered at the paper, reading Asami's slanted handwriting:
I know this is boring, but you have to pay attention.
The Avatar flipped the paper and picked up her pencil, before focusing on Asami. The engineer smiled softly before addressing the entire room.
"You sure do have a kick, Asami," Korra groaned as she limped out of President Raiko's office. She passed Asami her satchel before leaning up against her glider for balance.
"Well, I can't tell you all of my secrets," Asami commented as she checked her bag to make sure she had everything. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be much of a sparring partner," she added with a small wink. Korra chuckled.
"Excuse me….ladies," President Raiko said as he walked up to the two of them. Korra limped over to Asami's side to give him room to walk by.
"President," Korra sneered.
"Have a good day, sir," Asami said with a polite nod.
"So, when is the hard ass getting out of office?" she asked, watching him head back to his office. "Please let it be soon. Please, let it be soon."
"We don't necessarily know if he will be voted out." She slung her bag over her shoulder before the two headed down the hallway and towards the front doors of the building.
"But no one likes him," Korra pointed out.
"He was chosen as president of Republic City for a reason, Korra," Asami answered gently. "Non-benders need to know that they still have a voice. That was part of the reason why the Equalist movement started."
Korra grunted and rolled her eyes. Asami laughed through her nose before pressing a light kiss to her cheek. The Avatar instantly brightened before turning a light shade of pink. She pushed against the front doors and stepped to the side, letting Asami exit the building first.
Asami looked up and frowned as the clouds opened and started to pour. She ducked underneath the awning and started to dig around her bag for her small umbrella. She brushed her bangs out of her face and frowned. "Korra."
"Just a minute," she muttered in response. Korra pressed her back against the door to hold it open as she balanced on one leg. She then circled her hand in the air, water bending the rain droplets in a ball of water. She dropped her glider to the ground and rolled up her pant leg before bending the water on top of her bruise. She sighed happily once the water started to glow, and the pain began to subside.
"Korra, have you seen my umbrella?" the engineer asked.
"Hang on, babe," she answered.
Asami snapped her head up. She forced her hand into her bag, jamming two of her knuckles on the spine of her notebook. She winced at the throbbing pain but forced herself to ignore it. "What did you just say?" she asked quietly.
The Avatar looked up at her in confusion. She couldn't detect the tone of her voice. Was she angry or just didn't hear what she had just said. Crap, what did I just say? Babe? Oh man, I didn't mean to say that. Of course she wouldn't respond to pet names. She's Asami Sato. Although, she did call Mako sweetie that one time…and another time…and another time…but that was different. Relationships can be different…Dang it, Korra, how long have you been standing here starring at her? Say something!
"Sorry," Korra blurted out. "It just slipped out. I didn't mean to say it."
"So, we're using pet names now?" Asami asked. Korra instantly relaxed when she noticed the teasing smile on her face. "How long have you been thinking of using that one?"
"For awhile now," she answered with a shrug."I didn't want to rush into it…all things considered." She rolled her pant leg back down before taking a few steps to test out her balance. She quickly air bent her glider up into the air and caught it with one hand before the door closed on it. "If you don't like it, I could use something else. How about sweetie? Or honey? Whichever you prefer."
"Maybe not sweetie," she answered, her smile fading. "It's not really fitting, after what happened."
Korra mentally slapped herself in the forehead. "I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay," the raven-haired girl quickly reassured her. "I know you didn't. Plus, my parent's always called me that so I think I'd like to leave that with them. Along with firebug."
"That's a cute one," Korra commented. She then took on a serious face before reaching out and pressing her finger to the tip of Asami's nose causing her to go crossed eyed to look at it. "Then you get to pick the name."
Asami slapped her hand away with a laugh. "No, I shouldn't pick. How about you just use a few and see which ones I answer to, that way it's easier."
"Yeah, easy for you," Korra answered. "I have to come up with these names." She then half-smiled. "So, what will you call me?"
Asami looked up at the sky as she pondered the thought. "I don't know."
"I mean, there's so many to choose from," Korra continued. She held a hand up in the air before stepping out from underneath the awning. The water split around her as if she were holding an invisible umbrella. "Amazing, awesome, and super charming come to mind," she said with a smile.
"Shut up, Korra," Asami laughed. She hooked her arm with the Avatar's before joining her by her side. She grabbed a hold of Korra's glider and used it as somewhat of a walking stick as they made their way down the sidewalk. The engineer stared at it, barely paying attention to where they were walking forcing Korra to pull her out of the way of food carts, signs, and other pedestrians.
"I can see the wheels turning," Korra said with a half-smile. "What are you thinking? Expansions to the city?"
"No." Asami frowned. "I covered that at the meet…you still didn't listen?" she demanded.
"I tried, but I was kind of distracted."
"By what?" she asked, amused. "Counting sheep-goats?"
"No, with having to look at you while you talked," she answered. Asami smiled as the younger girl turned bright red once more. "I mean, it's kind of hard to do. You're really pretty. Beautiful. Gorgeous in fact…and, yeah."
Asami snuggled closer into her side. "Thank you for the compliment, but I was thinking about finding a way to make your glider more compact." She apologized as a small child tripped over the stick in her hand. Her cheeks burned before she turned away from the mother's disapproving glare.
"Why?"
"Because you won't let me design a winged suit for you," Asami answered. "You would still be able to wear blue."
"Aang had a glider so I'll have one too," Korra said stubbornly. She removed her arm from her girlfriend's before holding it out, stopping the engineer from walking into the busy intersection. Korra looked across the street to see a red signal flashing. She rolled her eyes before waving her hand along the ground, bending the air to form an air scooter.
"Don't," Asami said with a warning tone. Korra sighed hard before placing a hand on her hip. She tapped her foot, waiting for the crosswalk signal to turn green.
"So, did you like the vacation?" Korra asked quietly.
"Yes, I had a great time," she said brightly. "I'm so glad Mako and Bolin were able to join us. I wish it wasn't over so quickly."
"I think two weeks away was enough time. Plus, you did kind of go nuts thinking of ways Varrick was ruining the company."
"Yeah, that wasn't my finest moment," Asami muttered in agreement. Every night during the vacation, Asami would be the first to retreat to bed. Korra, Mako, and Bolin would stay up just talking or playing a game they had brought along. Numerous times, they would find Asami trying to sneak into another room with a radio wanting to contact the newly formed Future Global Industries. They had to force her to promise not to do anything work related during their entire vacation. Eventually, they had to hide all of the radios from her. Their plan backfield when she kept them up into the early morning, ranting and raving about what could have potentially, and possibly, gone wrong.
"But we all thought it was entertaining." Korra held her arm out, letting Asami grab onto it once more before they stepped onto the cross walk. A loud horn honking filled the air. Korra looked to her left and spotted a food truck rolling backward down a hill. "Look out!" She pulled her arm away before wrapping it around Asami's waist.
Korra jumped into the air and landed on the other side of the street on the sidewalk. Asami easily landed on her feet once they cleared the jump. She flinched as the back of the food truck slipped into a nearby ditch. A woman jumped out of the driver's seat and walked towards the back, running a hand through her hair.
"Let me get that for you," Korra said. She pushed Asami over to store front underneath an awning so that she wouldn't stand in the rain. Korra then gripped the bottom of the food truck and tugged. Her eyes widened when it didn't budge. "Wow," she gasped.
"What?" Asami called out.
Korra didn't respond. She dug her feet into the ground before gripping the food truck once more. She gritted her teeth and pulled, eventually lifting the back two wheels of the vehicle out of the ditch and then back onto the road. "Sorry," she panted. "It seemed to be heavier than I thought it would be."
"Thank you, Avatar Korra," the woman said graciously. She reached out and gripped her dark cheeks between her thumbs. Korra winced lightly but couldn't help but smile into the gesture. She bid the woman farewell before rejoining Asami's side. She water bent the rain out of her hair and clothes.
"Maybe you just need to get back into the swing of things," Asami suggested gently. "I mean, we were gone for two weeks."
"Yeah, but ever since Kuvira," Korra started, frowning at her muscular arms, and then working through your problems, I haven't been keeping up with my workouts. I think I actually lost some muscle mass."
Asami looked her up and down with a raised eyebrow. "You still look good to me," she commented.
Korra stopped looking at her arms. She didn't lift her head but shifted her gaze up and peered at her girlfriend through her bangs. "I'm serious," she insisted when she saw the flirtatious smile.
"Me too." Asami nodded. Korra half-smiled. The raven-haired girl looked down the street and pointed to a building on the corner. "How about some noodles? You must be hungry."
"Not really." Korra shook her head. Her stomach quickly disagreed by letting out a large, and pretty audible, growl. "Okay, fine," she relented as Asami laughed. "Some noodles and then I'm going to work out for a few hours. Maybe I'll get Bolin to join. It's better to work out with someone else."
"Why not me?"
"Because you'll distract me, like at the meeting this morning." Korra winked. Asami chuckled. "Besides, you're probably excited to get started on designs for my glider."
"…Yeah, I am," Asami admitted. Her eyes lit up when she spotted two people walking along the opposite side of the street. "Hey, it's your parents," she pointed out. Korra turned to see where they were before grabbing Asami by the arm and rushing across the street when the traffic was clear.
"Mom, Dad," Korra cried before giving each of them a giant hug. "What are you doing here?"
"Your father was called into town by President Raiko to talk about reconstruction," her mother explained.
Korra pulled Asami over before placing an arm around her waist. "Asami's and Varrick's proposal is moving along," she said. "Some buildings have already been rebuilt."
"That's great to hear." Senna smiled. She gave Asami a soft hug. She pulled back after a few seconds but kept her hands on the girl's shoulders. "How have you been?"
"I'm good, Senna. Thank you," Asami answered softly. "We were just about to grab some lunch. Care to join us?"
"No thanks, I want to be able to enjoy my food instead of inhaling it," Tonraq snickered.
"Dad," Korra snapped.
"What do you mean?" Asami asked.
"You have seen her eat, right?" he laughed through his nose. "When she was growing up, I couldn't even get through half of my plate before she started to pick off of mine and ask for seconds." He slapped Korra hard on her back. She scowled up at him, but ended up smiling a few seconds later. "I couldn't say no. That might have been why she was kind of chubby."
"Dad!"
"Everybody has baby fat, Korra," Senna answered with a shrug. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."
Asami led the small group to the noodle restaurant and flashed a gold card to get them some seats near the back in the private section. Since they all were public figures, she wanted to make sure they wouldn't be disturbed. "So, will you get your usual two bowls?" Tonraq asked while peering over a menu.
"I'm going to make it one this time," Korra answered stiffly.
Senna elbowed her husband on his arm. He looked at her in confusion. She jerked her head in their daughter's direction and it was then he noticed her poking at her arm muscles. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"I know, dad." Korra lifted her head and smiled brightly. "I just don't want to overeat before working out later. Even though it'd be good to carbo-load, I'd rather not puke."
"Are you sure?" her mother asked. "You could use some meat on your bones."
"That's what exercising is for," Korra answered with a shrug. "Asami and I were talking about it before we bumped into you. I think I've lost a bit of muscle mass after Zaheer-"
Senna, Tonraq, and Asami all paused. Korra looked at each of them before clearing her throat.
"After I was poisoned," she continued. "Then I realized fighting wasn't always the answer to get things done when dealing with Kuvira. It's time for me to work out for my health and not as a sport."
As Senna and Tonraq turned the conversation to Asami and the expansion of Republic City, Korra went back to staring at the muscles in her arms, going over a workout program in her head.
AN: So just in case it wasn't clear, this story takes place two weeks after Road to Recovery. Many thanks to my new beta, sennafan4ever.
PS - This story will now be updated on Thursdays.
