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 25: New Year's Eve
Korra yawned loudly into the palm of her hand. She was seated at one end of the couch in the apartment she shared with Asami, trying to keep her eyes open. Asami giggled into her hand before patting the top of the Avatar's foot and mouthing, "They'll be gone soon".
The Krew had gathered at Asami's and Korra's apartment earlier in the day, spending the holiday together. Korra had originally planned on visiting Tenzin and his family, but they were on an early vacation at the Southern Water Tribe. She had agreed to meet up with them later when she and the Krew were to attend the Summer Solstice Festival. She didn't blame the family for wanting to leave the city as soon as the Equalist threat was defeated.
Opal had begged her parents to let her travel back to Republic City to celebrate the New Year with her friends. After her family traveled back to Zaofu during the Equalist attack, she wouldn't be back in the city with her friends until February when the second semester started. Bolin of course was over the moon to hear that his girlfriend would be in town even though she would have to leave again the next day.
Kiyoko's family had evacuated to a small city on the outskirts of Republic City. Once the fighting was over, they decided to spend their vacation time there. This made it easy for her to travel back to the city to spend New Years with Mako and the rest of the group.
Since the early morning they had followed Bolin's makeshift schedule to fill in as much time together as possible. They had a giant snowball fight, which Korra lost, unwilling to accept defeat gracefully, since she wasn't allowed to waterbend, played numerous rounds of Mario Party, decorated cookies, exchanged late Christmas gifts, and was slaughtered by Asami in games of Mario Kart.
Eventually the girls moved to the kitchen to make dinner, which included talks of boys, pro-bending, shopping, and cars. While the latter category was more of what Asami was interested in, since she was thinking of the customizations on her new satomobile, the other girls just nodded along, not entirely sure what she was talking about. In the meantime, Bolin and Mako were in the living room sparring and trying out new moves they had picked up from marathoning past pro-bending tournaments on DVD.
Now they were all seated in the living room, collapsed on the couches and chairs, gazing at the television screen. It showed a picture of Harmony Tower, lit up with Christmas lights, and a giant ball of confetti hooked at the top. It was Republic City's tradition to pop the ball at the turn of the year, releasing confetti with the colors of the four nations into the air above the residents that gathered at the base of the tower. Bolin had tried to convince everyone to travel out to be in the center of the celebration, but he was quickly shot down as the temperatures dropped. A time was set in the corner, counting down the seconds until the New Year arrived.
"So, since we only have a minute left, what do you all wish for the new year?" Asami asked, curling up into the corner of the couch, a champagne glass clenched tightly in both hands. Korra reached out to take hers, but paused when the engineer frowned at her. "Not yet, you'll spill it."
"Gosh, we're getting sentimental again," Bolin groaned. Opal giggled into her palm as the engineer threw a pillow over at him. He gasped loudly as the liquid in his glass sloshed around, threatening to spill on his clothing and the floor.
"I won't spill it. Besides, that's what water bending is for," Korra answered with a half-smile. She took her glass out of Asami's hand and gently placed it on the floor next to the couch. "As well as a good washing machine."
"I just hope to graduate with as little stress as possible," Mako said.
"Well, we know one of those things will come true," the Avatar snickered.
"Do you have to comment on everything?"
"Only when you make it easy."
As Mako ran a hand through his hair, his eyes narrowing, Kiyoko sat up and kissed Mako lightly on the cheek. He instantly turned a light shade of pink, shifting the red scarf around his neck as if it had suddenly tightened. Asami smiled brightly at the two of them before quickly glancing away, becoming engrossed in reading the title of a book from across the room when Kiyoko looked in her direction, her cheeks their own shade of pink.
"I want to find a subject to declare in," Bolin announced. "I mean, taking gen eds are fine, but I want to find something that I'm passionate about. Like you guys."
"I want to find my voice more," Kiyoko quietly said. She began to rub her left hand up and down the a/c bandage on her right wrist. Her cast had been removed a few weeks ago, and while she still couldn't fully use her arm, she was happy she didn't have to deal with the constant itching anymore. However, she had kept a small portion of the cast, seeing it as a memento that brought her new friends. Of course, it was the portion that had Mako's signature on it. "I can't keep letting people walk over me. It's time I let people know what I'm thinking."
"Well, I would like for my mom to change and not see me as her little girl anymore," Opal said with a sigh. "I know she loves me and I know she cares, but I don't think I can handle having Kuvira on my tail for much longer."
"Well, she's not here now," Asami pointed out.
"That's because she's back in Zaofu training. She wants to make sure she's in top shape before they start accepting new people to the Metal Clan. I'm glad I get one day free."
"Korra?" Kiyoko prompted.
"More sleep," she immediately answered. After their laughter died down, she sat up a bit straighter in her seat on the couch. "No, seriously, I'd like to focus more on my friends and the people around me. I need to take the time to pay attention to others around me instead of myself and my life."
"You already do that," Bolin pointed out.
"Yeah, but things are more in perspective now," she sighed. Korra reached over and slapped the engineer on the arm. "What about you, Asami?"
Asami smiled gently, looking around the room at everyone. "I already have everything." Naga lifted her head up from the floor and licked the back of her hand. Pabu jumped down from Bolin's lap and ran over to the engineer, perching himself on her shoulder. He nuzzled her cheek with his cold, black nose. "I wish for the next year to be filled with great memories with my friends," she said sincerely. "Even if bad things occur-"
"And with this group, it will occur," Korra interrupted. She muttered an apology, curling herself into the corner of her end of the couch when Asami glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. Naga sat up before placing her head in her owner's lap, looking at Asami with a sharp eye. Korra chuckled before scratching behind her pet's ears, muttering words of reassurance. Naga instantly relaxed.
"…it's good to know that we'll always have each other's backs and be there for one another," she concluded. Asami shrugged before looking out the window at the falling snow. "I don't have much of an immediate family anymore, but you all perfectly make up for it." She chuckled softly, before swirling the champagne around in her glass. "It's funny to think that I almost turned down that art modeling job. I took it as an escape from my peers. Then I met all of you and things turned for the better. I wouldn't change a thing that has happened."
Bolin sniffed loudly, wiping at a stray tear on his cheek. Everyone turned to look at Korra as a loud sob broke past her lips. Her blue eyes widened as she furiously rubbed at her cheeks. "I'm not crying you are!" she shouted, burying her face in Naga's fur.
"You must really be tired if you were moved by that," Opal commented.
"Hey," Asami laughed. "Those are my real feelings."
"I'm just saying, Korra only lets her emotions run freely when she's really tired."
As everyone burst into laughter, the numbers on the television screen gradually grew bigger as they counted down. "Oh, it's almost here," Kiyoko pointed out. Everyone shifted to sit around the coffee table, their champagne glasses held high in the air, as they counted with the television.
10!
9!
8!
7!
6!
5!
4!
3!
2!
1!
Happy New Year! The group of six teenagers clinked their glasses together in the center of their circle, before tilting their heads back and draining their drinks in one giant sip.
"Look at that, Korra," Asami cooed. Kiyoko quickly placed a light kiss on Mako's lips before turning beat red. She rubbed the back of her neck, lowering her head as he froze. A second later, he placed a hand on her chin, tilted her head up, and kissed her back. She let out squeak of excitement, before pulling away and burying her face in her hands in embarrassment. Bolin placed his hands on Opal's cheek and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. She smiled into the embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Asami and Korra glanced at each other before laughing. The engineer leaned forward, pursing her lips, ready to place a light kiss on the Avatar's cheek but cried out in shock as Naga popped her head up and gave her a long lick along the side of her face. Korra happily received her kiss from her pet, before burying her face in the white fur. "Happy New Year, girl. We made it."
"Well, we officially now have Bopal and Miyoko," Asami giggled.
"Miyoko?" Bolin repeated, throwing his head back in laughter.
"Hey, it's better than Mayoko and Kako," Korra answered sleepily. "Don't judge, it took me forever to come up with it."
"Happy New Year, everyone!" Opal said happily.
"Happy New Year…now get out!" Korra demanded. Everyone in the room burst into laughter at her abruptness. "You all think I'm joking, but you've been here eating our food since nine am. A girl needs her sleep."
The group got to their feet and slowly made their way to the apartment door. Korra handed everyone their shoes and jackets as Asami bid them a quiet goodbye.
"Bye, love you," Bolin said, giving the engineer a giant hug, lifting her up off of the floor.
"I love you too, Bolin," Asami answered. Once she was back on the ground, she gave Opal a quick hug, rubbing small circles on her back. "Take care." Kiyoko smiled graciously as Mako helped her into her jacket, being careful of her right wrist. Asami winked in her direction as their eyes locked. "Be careful," she said to Mako.
"Bye, Asami! I love you," Korra wailed loudly, clearly over exaggerating, before wrapping her arms around the engineer's midsection, holding her in a tight embrace. Asami wheezed at the tightening before watching Mako and Kiyoko as they filed out of the apartment, hand in hand.
"Korra, I'm not going anywhere," she laughed. "Let go."
"Not until you say it back," she whimpered.
Asami turned her attention to Bolin and Opal as they slipped on their jackets. She tried to wave to them, but her arms were pinned to her sides. She shrugged before smiling apologetically. "See you later," she called out as the couple exited the apartment, running to catch up to Mako and Kiyoko. Asami closed the door with her foot before struggling to pull herself out of Korra's grip. "Get…off…me," she panted.
"Say it, and then I'll let go," Korra said, defiantly tightening her grip even more.
"I'm not going to say it," Asami gasped. The Avatar instantly let go of her friend, causing her to collapse to the floor. The engineer grunted before pushing herself up into a sitting position. Korra glanced down at her, a hand covering her heart. Asami rolled her eyes when she spotted the familiar puppy dog pout on her friend's face.
"That hurts!" she whimpered. "And I thought we were getting close." Korra broke into a half-smile before helping Asami to her feet. She then walked back into the living room, shooing Naga to her bed, the corner of the room littered with old blankets and pillows, before slumping down onto the couch, draping an arm over her eyes.
Asami tiptoed over to the couch, sitting down next to it. She rested her head against the cushion, glancing up at the ceiling. "Korra?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are you okay?" she asked quietly. The Avatar stirred on the couch, moving to lie on her back, trying to get more comfortable. "I mean, after your bending being taken away and everything."
Korra took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, but otherwise remained quiet. Asami sat in the silence as well, stewing in her own stupidity of asking about an event that had only occurred a few days prior. While she was able to regain her bending and enter the Avatar State, the brief time period in between not having her bending and regaining it must have been hard. Tenzin had even flown his mother, Katara, up from the South for her assistance with no results. Mako had chased after Korra when she wanted to run, wanted to leave everything behind her. Twenty minutes later, the two returned and announced that Korra had successfully regained her bending as well as the obtaining the ability to energy bend; Lin was the first person to have her bending restored,
"Asami, I didn't feel like myself when Amon took away my bending," Korra finally answered. "I was so surprised that I was able to keep my airbending, but even that felt like a burden. I'm not the most spiritual person, and the fact that it was the one element that stayed, and I gained a connection with the past Avatars…it's a lot to think about."
"Isn't there a connection to that, though?" Asami said gently. "Avatar Aang's main element was air and that was the element you kept."
"Yeah, but…I don't know!" She sat up on the couch, running her hands through her hair. She shook her head slowly from side to side. Asami glanced up and noticed the fatigue in her blue eyes, the ones that used to brilliantly shine in any circumstance. Now, they were just faded and full of worry. "It's hard to explain. I just…felt like a shell. I mean, I felt normal without my bending. I didn't feel special anymore."
"….Oh."
Korra inhaled sharply. She placed a hand on the engineer's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "Asami, no, that's not what I meant," she said quietly. I didn't mean to offend you. Let's see, how can I explain this?"
Asami turned and faced the couch, bringing her knees to her chest. She toyed with the edge of her skirt, mentally reminding herself to find a needle and some thread to fix the small section that was beginning to come undone. "You know how your nose gets stuffed up when you're sick with a cold? Then everything all of a sudden becomes harder and you're gasping for air after walking up one flight of stairs? It's kind of like that." Some mischief returned in Korra's blue eyes.
"It's like a swollen nose?" Asami repeated, raising an eyebrow.
Korra laughed weakly before yawning. "No; it's like you don't realize how much you depend on something until you can't use it anymore." She grabbed a pillow and threw it at the engineer who began to snicker. "Think about it! You work with your hands and your mind a lot. What if you wound up not being able to use your hands anymore? Then you wouldn't be able to create all of your amazing inventions and visions."
"I think I get it now. You just used weird reference material." Asami fluffed up the pillow in her hands. The two sat in comfortable silence, the only sound came from the crackling of the fireplace across the room. She recently had it installed into their apartment after one too many small comments of the living space being too cold. While Korra had insisted on her saying something sooner, the engineer didn't want to be a bother. Eventually, the Avatar was able to get her to admit to her discomfort and fix the problem. "What's going to happen now?"
"Well, with the passing of Amon and Tarrlok, here's hoping I can get some decent sleep," Korra sighed. "In the long run, it might take a bit for Republic City to regain its footing. I'm sure Lin can cover than though. However, it wouldn't surprise me if President Raiko finds a way to blame me." She snickered. "I mean, he's wanted me out of his city since I got here."
Asami 's stomach tightened. "Will you leave?" she asked.
"If and when I do leave, it will on my own terms, but not until after I graduate." Korra nudged Asami's knee with her foot. "What about you?" she wondered. "You had to fight your dad and send him back to jail."
"I'm just glad Bolin was there," she answered quietly. "I don't know what would have happened if he didn't arrive. I'm also glad Naga didn't listen to your orders to stay put." In the corner, Naga's ears perked up at her name. She stretched out before flopping to her side, her tail slowly moving across the bedding. Asami smiled at the polar-bear dog before biting her lower lip.
"Korra, I wanted to kill him." The Avatar's eyebrows furrowed, but she remained quiet. "I mean, really kill him. But, I couldn't do it." Her voice caught, her eyes began to sting. She sniffed before swallowing hard. Asami reached up and pressed her thumb on her right temple, trying to keep her budding headache at bat. "And yet, he was ready to kill me. How can the passing of a loved one cause someone to change that much? I don't even know him anymore."
"I wouldn't personally know," Korra muttered. She shifted uncomfortably on the couch, rubbing the back of her neck. "…Will you go and visit him again?"
"No," she said firmly. "He doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve anything except to sit in his jail cell." The tears began to spill down her cheek, her breathing wavered. "Korra, I hate him. I hate him and I feel guilty about it because you shouldn't hate your parents."
Asami glanced at the flames, watching it flicker and dance to its own tune. She jumped when Korra thrust her arm in her field of vision. The engineer looked at it in confusion before looking over at the Avatar, who raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. Asami held Korra's arm with one hand, before wiping her eyes on the warm skin, careful not to smudge her makeup. Asami watched as the Avatar made herself comfortable once more on the couch, marveling in the gentle way the shadows of flame swept across the darker girl's face. "Korra, if you need help, I'm here for you."
"What would help me right now is letting me sleep until the end of time," she muttered in response. A second later, she rolled onto her side, placed her hands together underneath her right ear, and began to snore. Loudly. That was the sign Asami knew that she would be asleep for a long time.
It was something she had noticed one of the first few nights Korra had moved in, all the way in her room. At first the disturbance bothered the engineer, but it soon helped her sleep through the night. It was a sound that let her know she wasn't alone. Korra's cell phone lit up and began to vibrate, gently moving across the coffee table. Asami looked at the caller ID, and picked up the phone, pressing the ANSWER button so that the ringtone wouldn't wake the sleeping girl.
"Hi Senna," Asami quietly greeted the woman. She walked into her bedroom and shut the door behind her with her foot. "Korra just fell asleep."
"I figured that would happen," she chuckled over the phone. "It gets pretty hectic as the Avatar, even dealing with school and other things. She always crashes right after the turn of the new year."
"Would you like for me to tell her you called?"
"That would be great." Senna exhaled loudly. Asami bit her bottom lip, trying to find something to say, when her friend's mother's voice floated through the phone. "How are you doing? Korra has been telling me all about those girls at your school."
"She has?" her voice lifting an octave in surprise.
"Yes; even though she believes you can handle it, she still worries. It doesn't seem like you talk about it much." Asami couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt wash over her. Even though she was just an acquaintance, Senna knew exactly how to speak to make it seem like she was being scolded for not wanting other's to worry about her. Must be a mom thing, she thought.
"Every time I call she says she gets anxious whenever she drops you off at school. Don't tell her I'm telling you any of this, though. She'll deny it and then have my head."
"Your secret is safe with me." Asami smiled.
"On another note, I hear you'll be traveling down here for the Summer Solstice?"
"Yes, I have been in contact with Varrick of Varrick Global Industries." She looked across the room at the manila folder sitting on her desk. She made a mental note to move it to a hiding spot, just in case her apartment was to be compromised in her absence on a simple trip to the grocery store or other errands. "I'm hoping he can help keep the company from going bankrupt."
"Well, then it's no wonder Korra has so much to say about you," Senna said with a soft laugh.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she may be the Avatar and have her own things to worry about, but you're going to school, running a company, and brainstorming new inventions. That's a marvelous feat for someone your age," she complimented. Asami couldn't help but beam with pride at the praise she had just received. It had been a while since someone had vocally mentioned the hard work she was doing. Being a woman in a male dominated industry left her feeling alone. "I'm glad she has you as a friend to learn from. Not that I'm saying Mako and Bolin aren't great, but….every girl needs another girl to talk to."
"I understand." Asami nodded.
"Well, tell her I love her, and that I'll call her again soon," Senna said. "Happy New Year, Asami."
"Happy New Year to you too, Senna."
"Call me if you need anything." Senna's voice dropped to a stern tone. "I meant it. I'll see you in a few days."
"I'm really looking forward to it. Bye." Asami pressed the END button on Korra's phone before exiting her room, placing it into the coffee table. After taking the time to clean up the kitchen and the living room, moving quietly around Korra, she glanced at the clock with her burning eyes and took note of the time. She looked over at Korra and felt a flutter in her chest as she took in the peaceful look on her face. "Korra, your mom said to tell you that she'll see you soon and that she loves you."
Asami walked into her bedroom and pulled a spare blanket out of her closet. Unfolding it, she walked back out into the living room and draped it over Korra. Carefully, without waking the Avatar, she lifted her head and placed a pillow behind her neck. "Oh, and I love you too," she said in a mocking tone, brushing some of her dark hair out of her face. She cleared her throat before smiling warmly. "You're the most amazing friend a girl could ask for."
"Goodnight, Angel," she whispered. A section of her dark hair fell back into her face, dangling right above the Avatar's nose. She chuckled as the sleeping girl's nose twitched at the tickling sensation. Asami tucked the section of hair back behind her ear, her hands suddenly shaking. Her pulse began to speed up, roaring loudly in her ears.
She began leaning forward. Little by little, she felt Korra's gently breathing move across her top lip. Asami's eyelids twitched rapidly before closing shut. All sounds in the room ceased, except for her rapidly increasing pulse. After a small inhale, her lips brushed against Korra's in the lightest of touches. Korra's deep breathing filled Asami's mouth, before she gently pursed her lips, closing them together.
A brief pause, a twitch, firmness. Warmth washed over her body, her mind went numb, and a fluttering erupted in her chest. Moments passed between the four lips before Asami pulled back. She slowly opened her eyes once more, reaching out and wiping the smallest of lipstick remains from the darker girl's skin with her thumb.
Asami got to her feet, turned off all of the lights in the apartment, and locked every door and window before making her way over to the room. She turned on the overhead light, and shut the door, immediately collapsing against it. She brought her hand to her lips, lightly touching the plump skin, trailing her fingertips across the still warm section where her lips had touched her best friend's.
After a few moments of silence, Asami tilted her head back, knocking it lightly against the door before slowly sliding down until she reached the floor. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she groaned loudly.
"What the hell did I just do?"
AN: Many, many thanks to my beta, Rubiks.
So, I'm sure some of you are wondering why I didn't cover the fight with Amon. It's simple, I couldn't do the show justice with what they gave us in terms of fighting with main villains, so I decided to just have everything lead up to it and then mention a time jump, or have the plot move forward in dialogue as to what occurred. Plus, this story is about Korra's and Asami's friendship to relationship as well as a somewhat Slice of Life, fic, so in the long run it's not as important as that, at least to me.
You all are probably going to hate me, but I'm going to take a brief hiatus on this fic for two reasons: 1) So i can outline the next 25 (or so ) chapters and 2) so I can take the time to work on the novels I've been neglecting for a while. Plus, being in a different head space for a bit will make me more refreshed to return to this story.
In the meantime, please follow my Tumblr (it is on my profile) or follow my Model Behavior Tag (also on my profile) for updates on this story. I don't like to, nor do i want to, post a new chapter just for it to be an announcement and to get y'alls hopes up that I've updated, so all of my announcements for my story will be there.
In the meantime, please check out a few of my other stories and I will see you all again with an update to Model Behavior soon! Thank you so much for following the story so far! I really really appreciate it!
~Angel
PS: Here is a list of all the songs I reference in the story so far. So, enjoy the Model Behavior - Korrasami playlist:
More than Words - Extreme
Edwin McCain - I'll Be
Edwin McCain - I Could Not Ask for More
Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
Sarah McLaughlin - Angel
Hoobastank - Let it Out
Celine Dion - Another Year Has Gone By
