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 21: Winter Formal (II)

"What'd you do, fall in?" Korra joked as she knocked on Asami's bathroom door. The door handle twisted to the left before the door opened. The engineer rolled her eyes in response before turning back to the mirror.

"I'm almost done," Asami muttered. Korra stepped into the room and watched as Asami continued to put on her makeup. Her white button down shirt was open, showing the middle of a black laced bra and her pale abdomen. "Sorry I'm taking so long."

"That looks to have cleared up nicely," Korra commented as she pointed to Asami's side where her bruise used to be. "I still can't believe they were able to jump you."

Asami sighed hard through her nose as she placed her makeup brush onto the counter of the sink. "I may know self-defense, but it is different when you're having a flashback. You don't have much control over anything."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're the Avatar. What do you have to be afraid of?" she asked with a laugh. Korra forced a smile before turning away. Asami buttoned up the rest of her shirt before placing her fedora onto her head. Korra picked up Asami's suit jacket and held it out so that Asami could slip her arms into it.

"This." Korra pulled her cellphone out of her back pocket. She pressed a few buttons and held it up to Asami's ear. The engineer looked at her in confusion before listening to the phone. As the seconds passed her green eyes crinkled with a smile, before slowly widening, before finally landing upon a wince. She slowly pulled the phone from her ear and gaped at the Avatar who simply nodded. "Mom wasn't too happy when she found out about sneaking Bolin and Mako out of the dorm and everything." She placed her phone back into her pocket. "But she did remind me to get you to call her so, congratulations, you are her new favorite daughter."

"Please, I could never replace someone as awesome as you," Asami laughed. "But I will call her later." Asami reached underneath her collar and flipped up her hair so that it cascaded down her back. "So, what do you think?" She did a quick turn before holding her hands out to the side.

Asami was wearing a black suit jacket, with red buttons down the middle, and red pockets. Her skirt was red and reached mid thigh. She had paired knee high boots with her outfit, along with red laces. Her fedora had a red feather tucked back on the left side.

"I think we'll be the best dressed group at this dance," Korra answered as she looked at her reflection. She tipped her hat a bit lower over her eyes before winking into the mirror. "I promise, you'll have fun tonight."

"I'll be holding you to that," Asami answered. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket before turning it around in her hand and lifting it high into the air. Korra stood close next to her and held up a peace sign as Asami snapped a picture.

"You'll have a great time as long as you don't let Rika bother you," Korra insisted. She placed her hand on top of Asami's as she moved to put her phone back into her pocket. The Avatar pressed a few buttons before smiling at the picture they just took. "With your friends by your side, you'll have nothing to worry about."

After taking numerous selfies, and trying to keep Bolin from eating all of the cookies Asami had brought back to the apartment, the group piled into Asami's satomobile and she drove them over to Opal's house. Upon arriving she got caught in a conversation with Baatar and her Senior Project. While she didn't mind talking about her project, she didn't want to worry about school related topics at the moment. Soon, the conversation switched over to her satomobile and the customizations Asami had put onto it. She then promised to look at the Beifong's family car when she'd get the chance.

"Geeze, Asami," Korra said with a snicker. "You just can't help but tinker with things can you?" In response, Asami stuck her tongue out at her. Korra was about to sit down in the living room, but offered her seat to the raven-haired girl instead, with a wave of her hand. Asami smiled graciously up at her before taking the seat. Korra sat on the armrest before turning to talk to Kiyoko about an upcoming probending tournament the Fire Ferrets were going to join.

After their bowling trip, Korra had become more talkative with Kiyoko. While they didn't have much in common, they did both like pro-bending which seemed to be the topic of all of their conversations, not that either of them had a problem with it.

Lin briefly stopped by the house. She complimented the group on their clothing, saying they looked better than they normally did. She and Mako had a brief conversation about one of his criminology courses, which had struck Asami as odd until Korra explained that while she was a gym teacher and head of campus security, she also taught a few criminology courses at Republic. Asami shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Lin and Korra talked quietly. Every few minutes, she would look over at the engineer out of the corner of her eye. Korra picked up on the exchange after a few moments but remained quiet on the topic.

Asami couldn't help but smile every time she took a glance at everyone's attire for the Winter Formal. Mako and Bolin dressed in their nicest suits; Mako had grey accents while Bolin had green accents. Of course, Mako's red scarf was draped around his shoulders.

Opal's suit consisted of a pair of shorts and gold accents. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows and her fedora had a gold bow. She decided to wear a pair of gold ankle boots to match her outfit. They were Kuvira's and she had to promise five different times that she would return them in better condition. When asked where and why she purchased the shoes, Kuvira would just scowl and change the subject. Once Korra picked up on this, she drilled her with questions, watching in amusement as Kuira excused herself with to her bedroom with a light blush on her cheeks.

Korra's suit had light blue accents, and the jacket was left open to reveal her dark blue shirt underneath. The bottom of the shirt stopped a few inches from the top of her pants, showing a decent sized sliver of her abdomen. Her fedora had a water tribe pin attached to it. Kiyoko was wearing a dress suit with purple accents, and a light blazer on top. Her hair was pulled down from its signature bun into a ponytail, which curled down her back. Her fedora had a small purple heart pinned to the side.

"Mom, this is Asami Sato," Opal said as a woman stepped into the room with a camera around her neck. Asami looked down at her clothes, before smoothing out her skirt and rising from her seat. "This is my mom, Suyin."

"Please, call me Su," the woman said with a smile. "So you're the bad influence," Su said while shaking Asami's hand. The engineer paused, her eyes going wide and her jaw dropping. "I'm only kidding. I just noticed that Opal started to get into more trouble once she began talking about you a lot."

"Mom," Opal moaned.

"Not just you," she added. "You and Korra and all of her news friends, but especially Bolin."

"Mom!"

"Calm down, Opal," Korra said. She had taken off her hat and started to tossing it up into the air and catch it. "Parent's do stuff like this all the time. It's better to just accept it instead of being embarrassed."

"Yeah, her mom tells us stories about her all the time," Bolin added. Korra missed catching her hat, letting it fall to the ground as her eyes widened. She stared at the earthbender, her right eye twitching.

"What do you mean, all the time?" she demanded.

"Come on, you guys," Mako groaned. "Let's just get these pictures taken." Asami and Korra shared a look with each other before giggling into their hands. While dating Mako, both noticed that he had the tendency to get stiff when taking photos. Or, it would take a lot to convince him to sit still long enough for one picture.

"Let me just double check my makeup, really quick," Asami said after she calmed down.

"Me too," Opal said. "I'll show you to a bathroom." She grabbed the raven-haired girl by the arm before exiting the room. Kiyoko shrugged before following the two of them out of the room. The three girls burst into giggles and quiet chatter as they made their way to a bathroom.

Korra threw her hands up in the air and let out a big sigh. "Now I understand the guy's side of this," she muttered. Mako chuckled softly. "This is why I don't wear makeup."

A split second later, a loud shriek came from the other room. Korra, Mako, and Bolin looked at each other for the briefest of seconds before rushing after the screams. As they rounded a corner of the hallway, they paused to see Asami, Opal, and Kiyoko standing outside of the bathroom, holding each other tightly.

"What happened? Bolin rushed to his girlfriend's side. He pried Asami's and Kiyoko's arms off of her before wrapping her in a big embrace.

"There's an ant-spider," Kiyoko wailed.

"Kill it!" Asmai demanded. Mako looked at them in disbelief as Korra marched into the bathroom. She stared at the sink, watching as an ant-spider, the size of a cookie crumb, scurried across the marble.

Korra slammed her hand down on top of it. She lifted her palm and flicked the crushed body into the sink before turning on the water to flush it away. As she emerged from the bathroom, she turned off the light, before leaning against the door frame.

"You three," she said while pointing at Opal, Asami, and Kiyoko, "are pathetic," she concluded. "It wasn't even that big."

"You picked a great roommate, Asami," Opal wheezed from underneath Bolin's grasp. "She can kill all of the bugs for you."

"How did I ever get so lucky?" Asami gushed as she rushed over to Korra's side. She wrapped her arms around Korra's left arm and smiled over at her. Korra playfully rolled her eyes before brushing the girl off. How did I get so lucky?

"Come on, you guys. We have a party to get to," Kiyoko said before grabbing Mako and pulling him down the hallway.


"Look at them." Korra nudged Asami with her elbow before nodding out in the direction of the dance floor. Asami took a sip from her cup before turning and placing it on the table behind her. She looked out at the dance floor and let out a slight squeal of happiness as she watched Bolin and Opal, and Mako and Kiyoko slow dancing.

"Just call me the group's matchmaker," Asami gushed, clasping her hands together. She rested her chin on her fingers, smiling happily.

"So then, when are you going to find someone new for yourself?" Korra crossed her arms over her chest before leaning up against the edge of the table, crossing one leg over the other.

"Not for a while," she answered. "Things are too hectic right now. I wouldn't give them enough attention."

Korra hummed a response before nodding. The two sat in silence, swaying a little bit to the beat of the music as they continued to watch every other couple on the floor. Asami noticed Rika sulking in the corner. Manami was saying something to her, but the girl just scowled and looked away. Asami chuckled a bit to herself. While in the back of her mind, she knew things with Rika were far from over, she was glad that the girl had been defeated if only for one night.

Upon their arrival at the dance, Rika immediately tried to dig into Asami with as many passive aggressive comments she could make. Manami was by her side, smirking and adding in extra insults where she could. Mako and Bolin cracked their knuckles before taking a step forward. Korra held out her arms, forcing them to stay put as Asami had taken a step forward. All it took was one mention of Iroh and his absence that had the girl walking away in tears. Manami glared at Asami before punching her left palm with her right fist. Asami just brushed her away before taking in the sights of the room.

The Winter Formal was being held in one of the conference rooms at City Hall. The room was dark with a disco ball spinning from the ceiling. Large white cloth spiraled around some of the poles in the room, creating the image of Greek columns. An arc of balloons were hung high above the stage where the DJ was spinning a great mix of dance songs. Christmas lights were strung up along every wall, and the various tables around the room were decorated with purple table clothes and glitter.

While not many people had been dancing, Korra and Bolin rushed the floor. All Asami heard over the music was something about "showing the smart kids how to really have fun". The two danced wildly to Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon. Eventually Asami found herself dancing next to them. At first, she tried to stay in rhythm of the song. Whenever she caught someone's eye, a small wave of embarrassment caused her to second guess herself. Bolin grabbed Asami around the waist spun her in a huge circle. As soon as her feet returned to the ground, Asami started to dance as wildly as they were, not caring who was watching. It wasn't as if they were blending in any way since their group was one the only that had the girls wearing suits as well.

Mako, Opal, and Kiyoko had soon joined them and they had a mini contest to see who could be the worst dancer. Mako won hands down when he had attempted to perform the Roger Rabbit and ended up tripping over his feet. The group danced through many songs, and it wasn't until the DJ announced a medley of slow songs, that Asami went over to the refreshment table to catch her breath. Korra was by her side in an instant and the two talked quietly about the music, the decorations, and the whole dance in general.

"Hey," Korra said, nudging Asami once more. "Want to dance?" Asami's eyes widened a bit as she looked between Korra and the dance floor. "What? Two friends can't dance with each other?"

"Girls normally don't-" she started before Korra held up her hand.

"What happened to the Asami who was going to throw caution to the wind? You were doing so great before. Who cares what anyone else thinks, remember? You should only care about your friends."

"I was more worried about who would lead," she concluded.

"Ah." Korra answered. She held out her hands so that Asami could grab a hold of them. Asami stepped closed and wrapped an arm around Korra's waist, before placing her right hand on her shoulder, and gripping her other hand. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Leading," Asami said. "I'm taller than you."

"Yeah, but I learned the other way." Korra then switched their hand placements so that Asami's hand was on her shoulder, and her arm wrapped around the engineer's waist. "This feels weird too," she said after a moment. She quickly held up her palms in the air. She flattened them out and placed them a few inches apart from each other. Asami watched with amused look before pressing her hands against the Avatar's. "And so does this."

"Here." Asami placed an arm around Korra's waist and pulled her close. She then took Korra's arm and wrapped it around her own waist before grabbing her hand. "How about that?"

"Better," Korra said with a laugh. The two shared a smile before slowly moving around the dance floor as I Could Not Ask For More by Edwin McCain began to play.

From time to time, Asami would break her gaze with Korra just to glance around the room but found herself looking back into her blue eyes. The Avatar smiled, her blue eyes glittering with mischief. Before Asami could say anything, she found herself going through the motions of a spin. As Korra pulled her back in, Asmai tripped over her feet and stepped hard on the darker girl's right foot.

"Sorry," she apologized.

"It's no problem," Korra said with a shrug. Asami repositioned herself and the two started to move to the music once more.

As they moved in a slow circle, Asami spotted Rika from the corner of her eye. The girl was staring at them with a raised eyebrow. Asami briefly let go off Korra's hand to wave in her direction.

"Is something wrong?" Korra asked. She turned to look over her shoulder. Asami quickly sent Korra into a dip, laughing as the darker girl flailed her arms and let out a cry of shock as her balance changed.

"No." Asami answered simply. She pulled Korra back up and laughed as she received a glare. Korra playfully rolled her eyes before repositioning the fedora on her head. "For once, everything is perfect."

"Ow," Korra muttered as Asami stepped on her foot again.

"Sorry," she instantly apologized.

The two continued to dance for a few more seconds before Asami, once more, stepped on her foot. "Ow!"

"Sorry." Asami sighed hard as she took a step away. "I'm not much of a dancer."

"Stop apologizing," Korra said through a wince. "It was just an accident. You're not stomping on my feet on purpose," she said with a laugh. Asami knew she was joking, but it didn't help to lighten her mood. Korra easily picked up on this seeing as, for the first time since they'd met, the normally mature girl was pouting. "Just relax."

"My dad was the one who taught me how to dance," Asami muttered as Korra moved her back into her arms. "He wasn't too good either. I think I got that gene from him. My mom was good. So he told me."

As the song started to wind down a bit, Asami finally felt herself relaxing. She caught a deep breath of the perfume Korra was wearing: a mixture between seaspray and marshmallows.

"Are you having a good time?" Korra asked.

"I always have a good time when I'm with you," Asami answered. Korra smiled proudly, her chest puffing up a bit, as they continued to dance. You just make everything so much easier.

"Thank you for indulging me," Korra said as the music changed. She lifted her hat off of her head, before deeply bowing. Asami giggled before giving her a curtsey in response.

"Thank you for asking." The raven-haired girl looked towards the dessert table and spotted two chocolate cupcakes down at the end. "Hang on, one second." She stepped around various couples and groups as she made her way to the dessert table. Asami quickly picked up the two plates and turned around. She let out a loud gasp as she almost smashed the dessert into Korra's abdomen. "You didn't have to follow me."

"Hey, I'm your date. Where you go, I go." Korra plucked one of the cupcakes off of the plate. She slowly unwrapped the paper from the bottom before stuffing the whole thing in her mouth. She smiled happily as she chewed. "Isn't that how this works and these things?"

"No." Asami looked around for a napkin to wipe the smear of icing from the corner of Korra's lip. When she couldn't find one, she tapped the corner of her lips. Korra's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Asami rubbed the icing off of her friend's face with her thumb. "Girls tend to come with a date and then talk to their closest friends all night."

"Then what's the point in bringing someone?" Korra asked around a mouthful of food.

"I have no idea." Asami shrugged before licking the icing off of her thumb. She peeled the paper off of her own cupcake and started to eat the desert little by little. Korra stood next to her, bobbing her head to Aerosmith's I Don't Want to Miss a Thing, as Asami continued to eat. The Avatar looked out on the dance floor and noticed Opal and Kiyoko smiling at each other as the two couples slowly danced by each other's side. Asami hummed happily before throwing her plate away in a nearby trash can.

Korra grabbed Asami by the wrist and pulled her back out onto the dance floor. She tapped Mako on the shoulder, and once he turned around, she pulled him and Kiyoko closer towards them. Bolin and Opal appeared in the small group, Bolin saying something about not wanting to be left out, their hands held tightly together.

Korra placed her arms around Asami's and Mako's shoulders and began to sway back and forth, happily singing the words aloud. Asami smiled, before nodding, and placed an arm around Korra's and Bolin's waist. Soon, the rest of the group were together in a small circle, arms wrapped around each other, loudly singing the lyrics of the song as they rocked to the beat.


"My feet!" Asami moaned as she and Korra entered the apartment. She quickly slipped off her boots before tossing them haphazard by the door.

"I told you to take them off," Korra answered with a laugh

"But they went so well with my outfit," she moaned. Asami walked over to the couch and collapsed. She let out a huge sigh before closing her eyes and relaxing into the pull of her seat. She didn't move when she heard Korra heading in the direction of her bedroom. "It's too bad Opal had to leave early."

"We could have stayed," Korra called out from her bedroom.

"No, I didn't want her to miss out on anything." Asami reluctantly pulled herself up off of the couch. She walked into her bedroom and shut the door behind her, eager to change out of her clothes. A few minutes later, she exited the room in her pajamas, making her away around the apartment, turning off lights and making sure all windows and doors were locked or closed.

"Hey, come here," Korra said.

"Korra, I'm not falling for it again," Asami said with a bit of bite. On the way back from the Winter Formal, Korra had played a prank on Asami. She had told her that there was an ant-spider on her hand as she was moving the gears in her car. In her haste to get the offending creature off of her, she threw the car into reverse and almost backed up into a tree. What Asami had thought was an art-spider was actually a piece of lint that had fallen from one of their sleeves.

Korra was successful in tricking the engineer two more times on the way up to their apartment. Asami had sworn her revenge, which Korra did not believe in the slightest. As the two rode the elevator all of the way up to their floor, the Avatar would spontaneously burst into a fresh fit of giggles, which Asami knew was directed at her.

"No, I need to tell you something." At that, Asami walked into Korra's bedroom. She paused in the doorway when she spotted the Avatar standing in front of her laundry basket, tossing her suit and dress clothes into it. Korra was only dressed in a tank top and a pair of boxer shorts. Her hair was pulled down from her usual wolf tails.

Wow, Asami thought as her eyes followed every ridge and bumped of Korra's muscles. She felt her cheeks heating up as Korra turned to look at her. Asami dropped her chin to her neck, and bent down to roll up the bottom of her pant legs so that they didn't drag on the floor. Anything, so that she wouldn't have to admit that she had been caught looking.

Normally, she would wear nightgowns to bed, but she started to bundle up the colder it became. Now she dressed in pants and a long sleeved shirt.

"Remember when you made that comment about being scared about stuff?" Korra climbed onto her bed and crossed her legs. Asami crossed the room and sat down across from her. She nodded while pulling her hair up to the top of her head. She pulled a hair tie off of her wrist before securing her hair into a bun. "To give you an honest answer, I've been having nightmares on and off for a while now."

"What are they about?" Asami rubbed her hands together to warm them up a bit. A draft had suddenly entered the room. She stuck her hands into the sleeves of her long-sleeved shirt, her fingertips barely poking out of the elastic of where the shirt would fall on her wrists.

"Around the time I arrived, when the Equalist movement first started. I was captured and brought to Amon." Korra's voice cracked. Her hands grabbed at the comforter they were sitting on, bunching it up in her fists. "I thought I could take him, but I couldn't. He…he almost took my bending away. That was the most scared I've ever been in my life."

Asami placed a covered hand over her mouth. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"I joined Tarrlok's task force as a way to prove my worth to myself," Korra continued as if she weren't interrupted, "but since then, I get flashbacks sometimes."

The raven-haired girl placed a hand on Korra's knee and rubbed small circles on it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, I don't think so." Korra shook her head. She lifted her blue eyes to look at her. They seemed to glow a bit in the darkness. "I just wanted you to know."

"Well, thanks for trusting me."

Korra shrugged before turning away. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked over at her curtain covered window. "Asami," she said, moving quickly to her knees. Asami flinched before pulling her knees to her chest.

"Korra, when will you stop?"

"Chill, Tinkerbell. Look at this." Korra crawled over to the window and grabbed the curtains before pulling them over to the side. She flicked the bedside lamp off and motioned for Asami to come closer. The engineer curled up into Korra's side and rested her chin onto Korra's shoulder.

"That's really beautiful," Asami whispered as she watched snow begin to fall. The lights from outside of the apartment caused the ground to glitter brightly in the darkness. She relaxed into the darker girl's warmth and fought back a yawn. She was so mesmerized by the scene on the other side of the window that she didn't even ask where her new name had come from. "I had a great time tonight. Thank you for forcing me to go." Asami sat up and pressed a light kiss to Korra's cheek. The Avatar smiled and shrugged in response.

"No need to thank me. Everyone deserves some fun once in a while." Korra yawned. "Goodnight, Tink," She closed the curtains before leaning back into the pillow. She quickly turned onto her side and closed her eyes.

"Night, Angel," Asami muttered. She lightly stepped over Korra and moved off of the bed before making her way to the door.

"You can stay if you want," Korra said through the darkness. "So you don't have to go all the way back to your room. I know you were trying not to yawn before"

"Busted," Asami joked. She climbed up onto the bed and crawled to the empty side. She turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around the end of the pillow that was behind her head. She took a deep breath and found the last few traces of Korra's perfume enter her nose, lulling her to sleep.

"Asami, how did Lin know your dad?" Korra asked. Asami slowly opened her eyes as the words floated in the air. "When we first came up with our twenty questions game at the gym. That was when Lin was mad at me for always leaving doors unlocked. You said she knew your father." Her voice was light and airy. "That's my sixth question."

"She was the one who arrested him," Asami admitted. Korra muttered a response, but Asami didn't hear it. The sleep she had been fighting off was taking over her. She melted into the bed, ready to slip into another world. She felt a shiver move down her spine as the wind picked up outside. Asami lifted her head off of the pillow and peered through the darkness at the curtains; they moved gently with each breeze. She looked closer and found a small crack in the windowsill.

Korra must like the bit of cool air, Asami thought as another shiver raced over her body. She turned on her side and found herself looking at Korra's back. She could feel the heat radiating off of the darker girl's skin as she slept peacefully. The raven-haired girl slowly moved her legs up so that she was in the fetal position. Once her feet were free of the sheets, she placed them lightly onto Korra's back, relishing in her warmth.

A second later, Korra let out a loud scream as her back arched away from Asami. She sat up before turning and glaring at the wildly laughing girl. "Keep your cold feet away from my back," she demanded.

"You're really warm, though," Asami said through her laughter. "That's what you get for the ant-spider joke." Korra huffed before turning onto her side facing the engineer.

"I'm keeping my eye on you," Korra said, as her eyelids began to droop.

"Good luck doing that while you're sleeping, Angel," she answered. Korra muttered a quiet response before closing her eyes. She took in a deep breath, before exhaling slowly, letting her body relax into the bed. "What is Tinkerbell suppose to mean?"

Korra's eyes snapped open before she sat up in shock. Asami looked up at her in confusion before sitting up as well. "She's Peter Pan's partner, and the star of her own set of movies," she answered slowly. "You know; the Disney Fairies movies?"

"You watch Disney Fairy movies?" Asami asked with a laugh.

"Ikki likes them," she said with a shrug. "She always asks me to watch them with her when I babysit. I'm sure Jinora likes them too, but she probably thinks she's too old to admit it." Korra rubbed her eyes before grabbing her cellphone off of the bedside table. "This is Tinkerbell. She's a tinker fairy. She creates all sorts of gadgets and comes up with ideas to help make things for the other fairies." Asami shielded her eyes as she glanced at the bright screen. "You're like her; always creating things and working with your hands, and just making everything better for everyone else."

"Oh, that's so sweet," Asami said before yawning. "Thank you." She flopped back onto the bed. A few seconds later a smile started to creep onto her face as she moved back underneath the covers. She turned onto her side towards Korra, their knees brushing against each others through the thin barrier of sheets. The two quickly drifted off to sleep as the snow continued to fall outside.


AN: The two songs featured in this chapter are "I Could Not Ask for More" by Edwin McCain and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith.

Many, many thanks to my beta, Rubiks. If I didn't cut this chapter in half it would easily be 12k+ words long and I didn't want her to have to sit and edit it all of it in one go.

Next chapter title: Meltdown