Model Behavior


Summary: Modern/AU. Korra thought it was an ordinary day of art class at Republic School for the Gifted. But then, the art model Asami Sato walked into the room... Korrasami


Chapter 3: Secrets and Lies

Wednesday morning, Korra quickly got dressed and left Opal's dorm room with her overnight bag and school books. She reminded the young girl that she was to sit with her friends at lunch, before hurrying off.

Naga, who was kept in the school dorms' storage shed, let out a soft whine as Korra opened the door. She scrambled to her feet and rush over to her own before giving her a big lick on the cheek.

"Morning, girl. How did you sleep?" Korra asked while handing her polar bear dog a treat. Naga whined once more before devouring her food. "I know. You're getting tired of being cooped up everywhere. They don't allow pets in the dorms or off-campus apartments and housing and you're kind of hard to hide." Naga nuzzled Korra's neck. "Don't worry. I'll find us a place big enough where you can run around freely. I promise." Korra then climbed up onto Naga's back.

Naga walked out of the storage shed and turned around so that Korra could close and lock the door. "Now, let's go to school." She dug her knees into the polar-bear dog's sides and grabbed onto her collar before bracing herself.

Korra felt her eyes beginning to tear up as she felt the wind whipping at her face as they raced down the street. She waved cheerfully to everyone she passed as they made their way towards the school. Naga slipped down an alleyway between a bakery café and a bookstore. Korra leaned over a little bit in the saddle and swiped a croissant off of a tray from the open window.

"Whoa, girl!" Korra called out and pulled on the reigns as Naga emerged from the other side of the alleyway. Naga slid across the ground before coming to a stop in front of a parked red and black car. "Nice reflexes. We almost ran into it."

"It wouldn't have been too much of an issue if you did," Asami said as she walked up. She was twirling a key ring on her finger while carrying a coffee cup in the other hand. Korra noticed her clothes matching the car. Her black hair was pulled back with a pair of red sunglasses. She was wearing a red leather jacket, black top, black pants, and black shoes. "It's a rental as mine's in the shop."

"Pretty nice, but it can't beat Naga." Korra affectionately rubbed the top of Naga's head. "Isn't that right girl?"

"A polar-bear dog?" Asami looked at her with fascination. "I hear they're hard to train."

"They are. She is the only tamed one." Naga turned her head and sniffed at Asami. She then started to walk over. "No, Naga. Leave her alone."

"Oh, it's fine." Asami reached her hand out, the back of her hand facing up. Naga pressed her cold nose to it and sniffed before barking happily. "She's very sweet." Asami scratched Naga behind her ears. "Heading to school?" she asked.

"Yep." Korra nodded. She then smiled slyly. "Want to race?"

"You're on," Asami said with confidence.

"Go!" Korra dug her knees into Naga's side. She gripped the reigns tightly and held on tight as she felt her body being pulled back from the force of Naga pulling forward. Korra looked over her shoulder and smirked as Asami slowly climbed into her car.

A few seconds later she heard the loud sound of an engine roaring. Korra looked to her left and felt her eyes widen in shock, in spite of the air biting at her face, when she noticed Asami on the road next to her. She was moving the gear shift and pressing the pedals with ease. Her movement was so simple and fluid that it was as if she didn't think she was in a race but enjoying a simple drive.

Asami looked over to her right and sent Korra a wink. Korra clenched her jaw and urged Naga to run faster. The roar of the satomobile's engine alerted Korra that Asami was still in close distance. As the school came into view, Korra had Naga run even faster. She pulled hard on the reins as Naga stepped onto campus.

Asami drove up into the adjacent parking lot. She swung the steering wheel around and caused her car to turn and skid straight into a parallel guest parking space. She cut the engine and stepped out of the car. After fluffing up her hair, she walked around and swiped her newly acquired guest pass across a grey box on the meter. "How did you do that?" Korra asked as she slid off of Naga's back. "No one has ever come close to beating Naga."

"I just know cars," Asami said with a shrug. She slipped her car keys into her pocket as she followed Korra to the stables on campus .Korra handed Naga's reigns to a stable hand before burying her face in Naga's neck.

"Have fun with the horse-mules, Naga." Korra hugged her tightly. "I'll get you later." Naga licked her on the cheek before bumping her with her nose.

"How did you get Naga?" Asami asked.

"That's a long story," Korra answered. She stretched her arms above her head before placing her hands behind her neck.

"Is it long enough for us to walk to the art room?" she wondered as they started towards the art building. Korra had to walk a bit faster than normal to keep up with Asami's wide steps

"Longer actually."

"This is nice," Asami said before taking a sip of her coffee. She then tossed it over her shoulder and it landed neatly into a trash can. "Us just talking. You finally giving me a chance."

"I don't know about finally," Korra snickered. "It was only two days. I've iced out a few people before for much longer."

"Figuratively or literally?"

"Both." Asami burst out laughing. "I don't know. There's just something about you."

"My charm?" Asami lifted her sunglasses off of her head and placed one of the arms into the corner of her lips before smiling big and winking.

"No, your annoying persistence," Korra said with an eyeroll. Asami laughed once more before putting her sunglasses back on her head. "I didn't know if I would be able to handle it for that long."

"Well, I'm used to getting what I want," Asami said coyly.

"Korra," Opal said while running up to them. "I brought it." She reached into her backpack and pulled out a pink magazine.

"Oh, thanks." Korra snatched it out of her hands and quickly flipped it open.

Asami bent down and looked at the cover. "Are you interested in fashion?" she asked with an amused tone.

"Nope. You are." Korra flipped open to a page before holding it up into Asami's face. Asami's cheeks started to turn a bright red as she stared at herself in the magazine. She was seated on the hood of a satomobile, her legs crossed indiant style, and her elbows resting on her knees. She was wearing a red fedora that covered her right eye at an angle. "Is there anything else you're hiding, Asami Sato?"

"I told you, modeling is a hobby." Asami grabbed the magazine from Korra's hands before giving it back to Opal. "This kind of stuff I only did a few times." She then cocked her head to the side. "How did you know I was in this spread?"

"I may have picked it up when I was at the vet with Naga for her checkup a few months ago," Korra said rubbing the back of her neck. "I can only take so much of medical magazines."

"Sato?" Opal repeated. "Are you related to-"

"No, I'm not," Asami quickly denied.

"It would be a shame if someone were to deal with the backlash from what he did," she continued.

"Yeah, it'd be a shame." Asami said while shifting her gaze to the ground.

"So, I think you owe me for lying," Korra said. Asami looked over at the Avatar with a raised eyebrow. "I mean, friends shouldn't lie to each other."

She called me her friend! Asami thought happily. "Name it. Whatever you want," she said with a big smile.

"Those will be your last words," Opal joked.


"Asami texted me this morning while we were in science about you two planning to hang out soon," Mako said as he placed his tray down before taking a seat. Asami claimed the chair next to him and started to pick at her food.

"She's not so bad," Korra said with a shrug. She polished off a bowl of ice cream before setting it on her tray. She then picked up a small contrainer of grapes and started to chow down. Asami rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.

"Hey, so the gym is being used today, but every team in the upcoming tournament is to meet in Earth Hall tonight," Bolin said while taking his seat. "I just passed Tahno outside of the cafetia telling his teammates."

"Earth Hall?" Asami repeated.

"People are assigned to their dorms based on the bending they can do," Mako explained. "There's Earth Hall, Air Hall, Water Hall, and Fire Hall. Then there are the apartments. Co-ed and co-bending floors but people usually end up becoming friends with their own type so they usually room together."

"Didn't you stay with Tenzin and his family?" Asami asked. "Mako also told me you stayed with him and Bolin the other day. Do you not have a place to stay?"

"Shhhh," Mako and Bolin hissed as Korra slapped a hand over Asami's mouth. The three of them quickly looked over their shoulders to make sure none of the faculty members heard them. Korra slowly pulled her hand away and started laughing when she noticed Asami's red lipstick smudged off of the right corner of her lips.

"The school offered Korra a place to stay along with her full-ride but she declined," Mako explained quietly. "She's convinced everyone that she has her own place in the city that she's paying for."

"So you couch surf?" Asami asked.

"Until I find my own place," Korra clarified. She stacked up her empty plates on her tray before leaning back in her seat. She pulled one leg up and wrapped her arms around it. "I mainly stay with Mako and Bolin or Opal in Air Hall. That's why Naga is either in the stables, or in the backyards of the dorms and apartments. She just can't be inside because animals aren't allowed inside." She gave Bolin a pointed look. He missed it since he was leaning underneath the table feeding Pabu a bit of his food. "No one has a problem with her being outside, but, she can't be outside all the time; especially since it's not cold enough yet for her to sleep comfortably. If anyone finds out that I'm breaking the rule, I'll be kicked out."

"And let us not forget we could be in trouble too," Mako pointed out.

"Mako follows all of the rules," Korra said with an eye roll. "He wants to become a police officer."

"But, do you really need to go to school?" Asami asked.

"My parents say I need an education to fall back on." Korra looked across the cafeteria and spotted Opal in the line, picking out her food. She was talking to a few of her classmates. "Opal, pop a squat," Korra called across the room. Opal said something to her friends before giving a small wave. She paid for her food before making her way across the cafeteria to Korra's table. She dropped her tray and slid into the last empty seat.

"Hey guys," she said happily. Opal cleared her throat before turning towards Bolin. "How are you doing, Bolin?"

Bolin, who was shoveling fried rice into his mouth, paused. He swallowed his food before turning towards her. "Oh, I'm doing fine," he said slowly. "How about you?" his voice cracked a bit.

"Never better." Opal smiled. She picked up her fork and started to pick at her macaroni. "My mom asks about you a lot. She says you were one of her favorite campers."

"Does your mom work here?" Asami asked before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"My mom and my aunt." Opal nodded. "My mom is a philosophy teacher and my aunt is the gym teacher."

"So, now that we're all becoming so close, let's compare schedules," Bolin said excitedly. Mako, Bolin, Korra, and Asami all reached into their pockets and pulled out

"Okay so we have classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but pro-bending and clubs and other stuff at night," Korra said around a mouthful of noodles. "Plus, I have my meetings and meditation with Tenzin."

"Right and I have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays along with modeling for your art classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and work," Asami listed off.

"So, it's looking like the weekends are the best times to hang out," Mako concluded.

"Or we could grab some breakfast before classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays," Bolin suggested.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Asami said happily. "I still want to see you all pro-bending."

"We have a tournament coming up so we'll get you some tickets," Mako offered.

"How about I take you all out next weekend? I know a great nightclub."

"Oh, I want to go." Opal's eyes shined in excitement. She turned to Korra and tugged on her arm. "Please let me go with you guys."

"You're not old enough," Korra said gently.

"Neither is Bolin," Opal shot back. "And neither are you, now that I think about it."

"I'm the Avatar, they just have to deal with it." Korra then smiled at the younger girl. "Why don't you two do something together and we can meet back at our place afterwards for a post-party party?" she suggested.

Opal immediately blushed. "Sounds great," she said quietly. Bolin rubbed the back of his neck and started to turn red as well.

"Me too," Bolin quickly answered. He slapped himself on the forehead as Opal giggled into her hand. Mako snorted as Korra playfully rolled her eyes. Asami smiled as she looked around the table at her new group.

I'm friends with these people. I actually have friends. There are actually people who like to be with me.

"Don't you need to answer that?" Korra asked while pointing at Asami's pocket.

Asami blinked and listened for a second. It was then she heard her phone was ringing. She dug into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She glanced at the caller i.d. – "Dad".

"No. Not right now," Asami said while hitting the END button.


AN: Chapter 3! I'm so glad you all are enjoying the story. I know it's kind of moving slowly. In the next few chapters it will speed up. I'm just trying to show the beginning of Korra and Asami's friendship before jumping into the real ideas and topics I want to get to. Also, I'm kind of basing this off of K-dramas and J-dramas I like to watch so I plan on having this story be somewhat long. :) I hope you all will continue to follow the story. :)