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 6: Team Fire Ferrets
Asami bit on her thumbnail as she waited for a response. You can't go back now. Her heart had started to race. It only took a few seconds for Korra to respond.
Korra: -9:52PM- You want to elaborate?
Asami: -9:52PM- Is that your second question?
Korra: -9:53PM- No, it's a two-parter. You interrupted my dramatic pause XD
Asami smiled. Korra didn't have the reaction she thought she would. In fact, it seemed a little too understanding. Well, more understanding than she thought she'd be.
Asami: -9:53PM- Call me.
A split second later her ringtone pealed throughout her bedroom. She moved her laptop off of her lap and snuggled deeper into her pillows before picking up her phone, hitting the ANSWER button and placing it on her ear.
"So, where should I start?" Asami asked.
"The beginning would be great," Korra suggested. Her voice was at a whisper. Asami concluded that she was trying to stay quiet as to not disrupt Mako and Bolin with whatever it was they were doing.
"Okay, well my mother passed away when I was six," Asami said.
"And then her father was found to be a part of the Equalist movement, using his company to supply their weapons and he was sent to jail," Korra explained in a hushed tone. "She's taken over the company since."
"So, she's business royalty?" Bolin asked. "It must be a lot to take on, though. Being a senior in school and having to run a business at the same time."
"Plus, being bullied," Mako added. "She must be so lonely."
"She did mention that in passing once." Korra dumped a few pencils on her tray. She added a small pile of erasers and then a small brush and dust pan. Mako rolled his eyes before placing everything on his tray in an oeganized manner. "Having to work with people older than her who probably don't believe she could run the company and being the brunt of rude jokes at school, how can someone deal with that?" She looked up as Asami walked into the room. Asami gave a small wave over to them before placing her purse and a giant box down by Pema's desk. "It looks like we have something in common."
"What do you mean?" Bolin asked.
"I found out I was the Avatar when I was four and ended up being kept in a compound while growing up. My only friend was Naga." Korra watched as Asami and Pema conversed across the room. "I feel so bad for being horrible to her."
"Well, you didn't know the situation." Mako placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. Korra smiled before placing her hand on top of his.
"And, I don't think you're as bad as those girls," Bolin added.
"Nah, I don't think anyone could be as bad as them," Korra admitted.
"Okay, class," Pema called out. "Asami will gradually make her way around the room, sitting on different stools in front of you. Some will be able to draw her straight on while others will get her side or her back. We are going to work on angles today."
Korra, Mako, and Bolin worked quietly on their drawings. Every fifteen minutes, Asami would move from stool to stool slowly around the room. Her eyes would focus on something on the wall about the student's heads. She ignored their comments and whispers. It wasn't until she sat down in front of Korra, Mako, and Bolin that she relaxed and opened up.
"Hey," she said cheerfully. "Sorry I fell asleep on you last night," Asami said to Korra.
"Oh, you're fine," Korra mumbled, focusing on her canvas. "I fell asleep as well."
"Did I miss something?" Mako asked. He looked at the two of them in confusion.
"We were talking on the phone," she explained.
Asami nodded. She placed both of her hands in her lap and started to twiddle her thumbs. "So, I'm guessing you both know."
"Korra told us," Bolin confirmed.
"I'm glad she did instead of you hearing it from somewhere else," she admitted.
Mako nodded in the direction of the box that Asami had brought in with her. "What's in the package?"
"A present for you three," Asami said. She started to twist her lower body so that the stool seat began to move to the left and to the right. Bolin furiously began to sketch on his canvas. Korra looked over and laughed at his attempts to draw Asami's lower body at different angles while she was moving. "Overnight delivery, but you'll have to wait until after class," she said while winking at him. Mako flushed lightly before focusing on his paper.
"Am I the only person who just felt like throwing up?" Korra asked with a laugh.
"No, I'm right there with you," Bolin answered.
"Shut up, guys," Mako mumbled. Asami giggled into her palm.
Asami held the box in her lap and happily tapped her fingers on it. Korra was digging into her third bowl of pasta, Bolin, was staring longingly at the box, and Mako was seated next to Asami quietly talking to her.
"Can we open it now?" Bolin asked. Asami turned and laughed at the pitiful expression on his face. "I really want to see what's inside it."
"Hang on, we have to wait for Opal," she insisted. "But I at least can announce this since you all know about me being a CEO. I decided to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in your upcoming tournament."
"Awesome, now we can pay the entry fee," Mako said happily. He placed an arm around Asami's shoulders and gave her a side hug. After a split second he pulled away and ran a shacking hand through his hair. Korra chuckled. "Why aren't you excited about this?" he asked after clearing his throat.
"She told me last night about it but I promised to keep it a secret," Korra said with a shrug.
"So, what's in the box?" Bolin asked. Asami, Mako, and Korra laughed before throwing their used napkins at him.
"Hey guys," Opal said as she rushed up. In one hand she had her lunch tray and in the other she had a pile of books. "Hi Bolin," she said quietly. Bolin quickly brushed the napkins off of him before standing up. He smiled and gave her a small wave. Mako grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into his seat as she sat down next to him. "I just got out of my air history class. It is so cool." She dropped her books to the floor, right on top of Bolin's foot. He winced. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized; her cheeks turning a bright red. "Sorry."
"Opal, you said your aunt works in the gym here. She's Lin Beifong right?"Asami asked. "Are you also related to Bataar?"
"Yeah, he's one of my brother's," Opal said with a nod. "Why?"
"I've seen him around my school sometimes for events and things of the like."
"There's also a girl there that I think he likes," she smiled slyly. "Her name starts with a K but I don't know too much. He instantly clams up about it, ehich is why we always talk about it during our weekly dinners."
"I can't take it anymore," Bolin said. He reached over Mako's lap and slipped the package out of Asami's hands.
"Bolin, that's rude," Mako snapped. He shrugged before tossing the box over to Korra. She caught it with one hand while taking a sip from her glass. She then snapped her fingers and a small flame appeared over her index finger. She dragged it down the middle of the box and melted the tape. A second later, she tore the flaps of the box open.
"Wow!" Korra gasped as she pulled out a red, black, and white sports jacket. It said Fire Ferrets above the front pocket and her name on the back across the shoulders. "These are cool." She pointed at the Future Industries logo on the sleeve.
"I also have new uniforms coming in as well," Asami said with delight. Korra passed Mako and Bolin their jackets.
"Look, it has a picture of Pabu on the other side," Bolin pointed out.
"Well, your mascot needs to be represented."
"Wait," Mako called out. Korra and Bolin slipped their jackets on and zipped them up before turning to face him. "Asami, this is really nice, but you can't buy our friendship."
"Speak for yourself!" Bolin cried at the same time Korra said, "Yes, she can!"
"We started becoming friends before you found out I am a CEO. It is no problem at all," Asami reassured him. Mako pulled his jacket on and zipped it up.
"These are so cool," Opal said while rubbing the sleeve of Korra's jacket. Asami noted the look of envy and sadness on her face and couldn't help but smile.
"I got one for you, too!" Asami said as she reached into the discarded box. "I also got one for myself. I thought the Fire Ferrets need to be represented both on the field and in the stands."
"Now we're really Team Fire Ferrets," Bolin said while punching a fist in the air. He then held his hands up which Mako and Korra quickly gave him a high five. Other students in the cafeteria stopped their conversations to look at their small group.
"Thanks, Asami," Opal said while holding her jacket to her chest. "That really means a lot."
"It is no problem at all." Asami smiled before turning towards Mako. "It looks great on you," she commented. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
Korra and Bolin stuck a finger in their mouths and mimed throwing up. Opal watched with a frown as a few girls came up and started to comment him on his jacket. He smiled before holding out his arms so they could feel the material.
"So, what's the plan for tomorrow?" Asami asked as everyone sat back down in their seats. Bolin continued to talk to the few fans as Opal stood over her tray, picking at her food. "Korra is coming over to get ready, so how about we pick you up, Mako, and then we hit the club. What about after? I offered the use of my apartment for the party."
"Sounds good." Mako nodded. "What should we bring?"
"I got it covered." Asami waved the thought away. "We've had a lot of board meetings lately so there's tons of leftover food and drinks I can get for us."
Bolin reclaimed his seat at the table. Opal slowly slid down into hers before slipping her jacket on. She smiled brightly when Bolin complimented her in her jacket.
"How about we text you when we're on our way back so you can head over to Asami's place?" Korra suggested.
"I'll message you all directions later today after work," Asami added. She then turned her attention to Opal who was sitting a bit closer to Bolin but was staring at her hands in her lap. "So, what are you two going to do?" she asked.
"We haven't decided yet," Opal said quietly. She squirmed underneath Asami's gaze before leaning over and lightly punching Korra on the arm. "What are you going to wear?"
"Just jeans and a tshirt," Korra said with a shrug. She frowned when she noticed Opal and Asami staring at her wide-eyed. "What?" she asked slowly.
"You need to dress up a bit more for a club," Opal practically shouted.
"How would you know?"
"If you want to be noticed, you'll dress up."
"I'm the Avatar, I get noticed enough."
"She's right," Asami said gently. "These places do have somewhat of a dress code. At least try to dress up a bit more so we can get in for free. Jeans are fine but maybe a dressier top would be good."
"How dressy are we talking?" Korra groaned.
"Looks like a shopping trip is in order." She clapped her hands excitedly. "Let's go tomorrow."
Korra raised an eyebrow. "You're just looking for an excuse to spend all day with me, aren't you?"
"Darn," Asami snapped her fingers. "You looked through my façade." Korra grinned and shook her head. All of the students in the cafeteria jumped to life as a loud bell rang throughout the room. The sound of chairs being pushed in and loud chatter drowned it out a few seconds later.
"That's the bell," Mako announced while getting to his feet.
"Oh, great, I'm late." Korra jumped up. She grabbed her school bag and started to shovel the rest of her food into her mouth.
"When are you not late?" he asked with a laugh. He gave a small wave when he noticed her reaching for her tray. "I got it," he insisted. Korra smiled brightly, her cheeks puffed up with food, before rushing away.
"Opal, did you have any ideas for what to do tomorrow?" Bolin asked. Opal let out a soft squeak before shaking her head now. "Neither do I. How about we just meet up and find something to do?"
"Sounds good." Opal picked up her books from the floor. She clutched them to her chest.
"Great," he said. He looked as if he wanted to say or do something else but instead, he grabbed his tray and followed Mako out of the cafeteria.
"I'll see you tomorrow night," Opal said to Asami. The CEO crushed the box underneath her feet, before picking it up off of the floor. She placed her purse over her arm and picked up her tray before facing the young girl with a smile.
"Come shopping with us, it'll be fun," she suggested.
"I can't go to the club." The two started walking towards the cafeteria doors. Many other students were filing towards the exit so they joined the back of the group.
"No, but it'll be like a girl's night type of thing. Or, more like a girl's day." Asami placed an arm around the young girl's shoulders. "Plus, I can give you tips on how to move things forward with Bolin." She winked.
"Was I that obvious?" Opal asked while placing her right hand over her face. She shook her head slowly.
"Only when you turn red," she answered gently. "But it's also endearing. Guys like Bolin may act like they have the confidence to acquire a girl, but he's probably as scared and nervous as you are."
"But, has girls chasing after him." Opal jerked her chin over to the few girls who had fawned over Bolin and his new team jacket.
"Yeah, but I'm guessing you like him even outside of pro-bending, am I right?"
"I do."
"Then you have a step up. They're just fans. You're the one wearing a Team Fire Ferret jacket," she reassured her. Asami dumped the leftover food off of her tray into the trash can along with the crushed up box. She placed her tray on the pile of other trays before turning back to face Opal. She paused when she noticed a saddened look on her face. "What's wrong?"
"You're just being so nice to me," Opal muttered. "I've known Korra, Mako, and Bolin for a while now and I just recently started to sit with them at lunch. I just feel like if I didn't make a deal with Korra to bring in that magazine for her we wouldn't be talking now."
"If they didn't care to be your friend then why would they continue to let you sit with them?" Asami asked. "Korra could have just as easily let you sit with them once and that be it."
"You know, I like hanging out and talking with Korra but you're different. She's more of a tomboy, which isn't bad, but I have all brothers." Opal shrugged. "It's good to have someone else to talk to, aside from my mom, and I'm not as close to my aunt as I'd like to be."
"Anytime, Opal," Asami said. She bumped her on the shoulder. "I'll walk you back to your dorm."
"So, how did you and Mako end up being a thing?" Opal asked.
"We're not a thing; we haven't even gone out yet," she corrected. "Not until tomorrow."
"First date at a club?" she smiled slyly. "Could get hot."
Asami laughed in shock. "How old are you?"
"I told you, I grew up with brothers," Opal responded before dissolving into laughter.
AN: Originally, I was going to essentially follow the timeline of LOK for this story, but once I brought in Opal and a few other ideas/elements I decided to just have Asami's introduction to the story kind of follow LOK and then tie in all aspects of the show and whatnot. So this story will features or reference things from LOK from all 4 seasons, at various points and not necessarily in a chronological order. Just so you all know. :)
I got the idea of Opal seeing Asami as a sister figure from my headcanon because she grew up with brothers, an aunt who didn't want anything to do with her or her family for years, and her mother would originally didn't want her to leave Zaofu for airbending training. Plus, with Korra being a tomboy and having some of the same mannerisms like Bolin, which isn't a bad thing because it makes her laugh and enjoyable to be around, she really just does need some girl time which is where Asami comes in.
I hope you are still enjoying the story.
