She woke slowly into consciousness this morning, the feel of a strong arm wrapped loosely around her side was something that she wished could happen every morning. She could feel her hair moving as the girl snuggled up behind her breathed into it, deep peaceful full breaths, clearly she was still sound asleep. A pale slender finger traced down the tanned forearm that was laid out in front of her, peeking out from under one of the numerous pillows on her bed. She continued down her arm to her palm, and up her fingers, causing them to spasm a little as the light touches were no doubt ticking her. The breaths behind her became less deep, with a hum of displeasure thrown in-between as the girl was beginning to wake. Finally. She gently turned herself around to face her student, careful not to make her movements too sudden and disturb the girl further—she knew how she liked her sleep after all. But maybe there was something that she wouldn't mind waking up to… She brushed the locks of short brown hair away from the girl's face, revealing eyes that were still closed trying to escape deeper into dreamland. I don't think so. Crimson lips were brought to the junction of a tanned neck and shoulder, once again eliciting hums from the half-asleep person next to her, but this time the hums rang with less displeasure.
"Hmm… Asami?" the girl mumbled, eyes shut and arms still heavy.
She continued her work, slowly trailing soft and meaningful kisses up Korra's neck, her jaw, right next to her ear, "Good morning, gorgeous."
She felt the arm that was still trapped around her contract as soon as she whispered the words into the girl's ear. Within seconds, the arm that had previously been splayed out in front of her was now being pulled from beneath her, squeezing between her side and the mattress so that a tanned hand could be brought to her hip, gripping it roughly. The body next to her turned as two strong hands forced her own hips to turn, making it so that she was straddling her student who now found herself lying on her back, eyes open and full of purpose and desire. Pale thighs rubbed against the toned abdomen as Asami began to grind her hips into the girl below her, Korra's hands guiding her hips as she did. She couldn't deny the warmth growing between her legs, a warmth that was quickly consuming her. She traced a finger over Korra's lips, down her chin, her throat, and past her collar bones. Her red painted lip found itself between her teeth as she neared the valley between Korra's breasts, hooking her finger in the tank top she was wearing, pulling it down slightly to reveal more of the perfectly shaped, firm spheres trapped within a navy blue bra.
A strong hand left her hip and came up to grab her own, stopping her downward motion that would have lead to Korra's abs. She dragged her gaze back up to the girl's face, meeting the deep blue eyes looking back at her. "I'm yours Asami."
The heat between her legs turned to wetness as the words hit her, words she didn't know she longed to hear. She was falling for Korra, but didn't know just how hard until now. As soon as the girl got the words out, Asami started her descent, closing her eyes as she quickly crashed her lips into Korra's, joining them in a heated kiss. Her hands found Korra's and brought them back to her hips as she again began to grind into the girl. Muffled moans trying to make themselves heard between hungry lips, Korra's strong grasp urging her to keep going, pale hands finding themselves entangled in short brown hair letting her know that that she didn't intend to stop. The hand on her side slid from her hip to her ass, squeezing it hard, pulling her further into the body below her. The lips she craved were pulled away from her, only to feel them being pressed to her forehead. "Sleep well gorgeous."
What? Sleep well? Asami opened her eyes. Korra was no longer below her, she was lying on her stomach, half her face buried in her pillow. She could feel the wetness between her thighs, damn vivid dreams… 'let's wait until after you graduate' awesome fucking idea Asami… Without turning her head, she reached out to the opposite side of the bed in search of the body that had been with her in her dream, worry running through her as her hand never found the soft skin it was looking for. She suddenly came to the realization, 'Sleep well,' she left… She shot up and turned to face the empty side of the bed, looking for the girl who held her the night before, her worry only dissipating as she heard a soft chuckle. She turned her head to find what looked like Korra to be sitting at the foot of the bed, barely able to make out her smile in the moonlight creeping in through the blinds.
"Don't worry gorgeous, I'm still here."
She turned fully now, turning on the lamp on her nightstand before sitting up in the bed. "Sneaking off without saying goodbye?"
The fully clothed girl got up and moved closer, sitting right next to her and placing a hand on her bare thigh. "I didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful."
She brought her hand up and captured Korra's chin between her thumb and forefinger, leaning in to place a hard kiss on the girl. "Always wake me up when you leave." Her words sounded more like a command than anything else.
A smug grin found its way to Korra's face, "Always eh? Does that mean there's gonna be more of these cuddly nights? Or do I have to wait until after graduation for those too?"
"Smart ass." She kissed the girl again before releasing her chin. "Why are you leaving so early anyways? It's not even light out yet, and I know how much you hate mornings."
She watched as Korra pulled out her cell phone and checked the time. "The first bus is in 10 minutes, I have to catch it or Dad's gonna freak if I'm not there when they wake up. He wanted to drive me to practice before I leave for the weekend."
Asami mentally slapped herself, how could she forget? "Oh right, semi-finals."
She saw the confusion on her student's face as she flung the covers off of herself, how blue eyes followed her as she made her way across her room to her dresser. She slid on a pair of black leggings and turned back to the girl, "You don't think I'm actually going to make you take the bus do you? I'll drive you."
"You sure that's a good idea?"
"Don't worry we'll be discreet. Anyway you said it yourself, your parents are sleeping. Besides, it's dark out and my car's black so no one will be able to make it out…" She could see her words were doing nothing to sooth Korra's anxiety, "…and I can drop you off a couple doors down just to be safe."
A smile appeared on Korra's face. "I guess that'll work."
"Of course it will. Now come on let's go." She gestured for Korra to follow as she walked out of the room now fully dressed, "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble would we?"
Korra just stuck her tongue out at her as she walked by.
"I saw that."
The tongue retracted and Korra quickly followed.
For once Asami was the one who was acting without caution, without worrying about the consequences of their actions. There was something oddly refreshing about it. Anyway it was just a car ride.
The leather seats of her car creaked slightly as she sat down in the driver's seat, her student taking the passenger seat, she could hear her snickering softly as she sat next to her. "What?"
A smile formed on Korra's lips as the words came out, "You sure you're ok to drive? Last time I got in this car with you you could barely stand."
Why the little shit… A mischievous smile formed on her lips as the wheels turned in her head.
"Oh you're right Korra…" She pressed the brake and the clutch as she turned the key in the ignition causing the engine to roar as gasoline sparked. The girl next to her jumped slightly at her rapid movements and the quick sound of the car starting up.
"I did have trouble last time didn't I…?" She put the car in reverse and slammed on the gas causing the tires to squeal on the asphalt as it fought to gain traction, but once they did the car quickly jolted backwards until it cleared the driveway. Korra jerked forwards in her seat at the movement, only for her head to come back and meet the headrest as Asami pressed the clutch in whilst simultaneously pulling the handbrake as she turned the wheel, making the front end of the car come swinging around so that it now found itself facing the opposite direction.
"So much for being discreet—"
"Maybe I should take it slow…" The tires squealed again as she put the car in gear and roared down the street, hugging the curves of the slight turns in the neighbourhood as she ripped through them.
Korra was swaying from left to right as Asami easily managed the curves, accelerating once they entered a straightaway. The girl next to her was grabbing the edges of her seat as she picked up speed. "Okay! Okay! I take it back! You're an excellent driver!"
"What? I can't hear you over the sound of the engine." Asami was just toying with her now, pressing the gas pedal further down causing the engine to roar louder.
A sharp curve was in sight, she could see her student's eyes widen as they flew by the yellow warning signs. "You're a good driver Asami! You're a good driver! Just slow down!"
They blew past another sign, she never took her foot off the gas. She leaned over the center console slightly, getting closer to her student, her voice calm and unalarmed, "Miss Sato."
"What?! Asami you're gonna kill us! There's a turn! Enough of your chicken shit bullshit!" Korra was frantically pointing ahead of her now.
This time she actually turned to face the panicked girl next to her, taking her eyes off the road which only sent more worry though Korra. "Miss. Sato."
As they blew past the last warning sign the girl finally got it. "Miss Sato! I mean Miss Sato! You're an excellent driver Miss Sato!"
Asami let out a loud laugh as she returned her eyes to the road, never reducing her speed. "That's better." She pulled the handbrake right as they entered the turn, cranking the wheel as hard as she could, drifting them through the turn with ease. Driving always gave her such a rush, the way the engine sounded as she'd press on the gas, how it would cut slightly as she released the pedal to find the clutch with her other foot, or how the tight leather felt beneath her fingers as she gripped the steering wheel. It relaxed her, when she was behind the wheel all she had to think about was driving, no lessons to plan, she didn't have to worry about her father's constant nagging, no plans to finish, just the road.
This time however it was about more than driving, it was about teaching Korra not to undermine her, and so far it was going swimmingly. Korra's eyes stayed open with shock and perhaps a tinge of fear the entire time, only making Asami laugh harder as they exited the curve, finally returning to an acceptable speed.
Korra released a large audible sigh, her grip finally softening on the leather material of the seat. "I, will, never, dis your driving skills again…"
Asami just laughed at her, "You should have seen your face."
"Where did you learn to drive like that?"
She flipped her hair over her shoulder with her right hand as the left stayed comfortably draped over the steering wheel at the wrist. "I've grown up around cars my whole life, and have been driving on the company track way before I was the legal driving age."
"I'm not gonna lie, it's kind of sexy." Asami briefly took her eyes off the road, turned to her student and seductively raised a brow at her urging her to go on, winning of course. "Ok it's really sexy," the girl finished.
"You know what else is sexy?"
Korra looked at her skeptically. "What?"
She reached over the center console with her right hand, finding Korra's thigh without taking her eyes off the road, sliding her fingers up ever so slightly, causing Korra to hum in anticipation. "When you call me Miss Sato."
Her hand was quickly swatted away from its work and pushed back to her side of the console. "Tease." The girl let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest, stare focused on what was in front of her. "Take the next left here."
Asami drove more slowly now as they neared Korra's house, trying to keep the engine as quiet as possible even though the sun had not yet pierced the veil of darkness that covered the city.
"You can stop here, I'll walk the rest. My house is only a few doors down."
The car slowed to a stop and she cut the engine. An awkward silence fell between them. She knew what she wanted to say to Korra, to tell her that she'd miss her, but should she? Was she allowed to miss her? She was only gonna be gone for two days… like any other weekend… But distance made the difference. Knowing that there was no way she was going to see her for the next two days. At least if she had been around they could have maybe devised a plan or an excuse to get Korra away from home and into her bed for one night of the two… but no, that option was completely off the table.
Korra broke the silence first, stammering a little as she usually does when she's nervous, "So I… uh… I'll umm…" She shook her head, changing the course of her thoughts, "I'll see you on Monday then?"
Asami internally sighed, she thought for a second that Korra might say she'd miss her first, making it easier for her to say it back. "Yeah, I guess you will."
"I had a lot of fun last night." Korra smiled at her, "You know, minus the whole part with the douchebag."
She laughed a little at the comment. "Ming, his name is Ming, Korra." She pushed a stray piece of hair behind a tan ear, "I had fun with you too."
The girl visibly shivered at the touch, blue eyes looked back at her as they fought to gain their composure. "Nah, from this point on he's known as douchebag."
Dork. "It's gonna be a pretty boring couple of days without you barging in and practically starting fights in my kitchen."
"I know eh? What ever are you going do without me all weekend?" The words rang with sarcasm.
Asami gave her a smug smile as her hand moved from the girl's cheek to the pocket of her shorts, pulling out the device within. The girl next to her didn't say a word as she slid her finger across the screen to unlock it and fingered through one of the apps before handing it back to its owner. "There, now we won't totally be without each other."
She saw the big smile that appeared on the girl's face as she looked down at the new contact that had just been added to her phone. "Well isn't this a big step." Korra's grin turned cheeky as she looked back at her teacher.
"You think?" She leaned in towards the girl, reaching for the phone once again, "Maybe you should give it back to me then so I can delete it…" Her lips ghosted over Korra's "Then we can add exchanging phone numbers to the 'after graduation' list." Her own words were now sarcastic.
The girl pulled the phone out of her reach as she brought her lips closer, softly speaking words between the now almost non-existent space between them, "have I mentioned how much I hate that list?"
The corners of Asami's mouth turned up, "That's what I thought." She placed a quick peck on the girl's lips before pulling back, leaving Korra wanting more.
"I don't know how many times I have to say it. You. Are. A. Tease."
She ran her finger below Korra's chin, looking at her with a seductive smile and soft eyes, her gaze shifting down from blue eyes to the lips in front of her. "Right back at you."
Korra cleared her throat, "Well, I guess I better get going…" Her gaze shifted to the windshield, but she never moved her face away from Asami's hand. Finally she looked back. "I'm uh… I'm gonna miss you this weekend…"
It was the first time Asami saw Korra's confidence waver as unsure words left her mouth. She couldn't help but smile hearing the girl fight to form the words, such a cute dork. The words she wanted to hear earlier were out, she quickly brought her lips to Korra's, leaning her forehead against hers as she spoke, "I'll miss you too."
The girl in front of her smiled and surged forwards, capturing crimson lips with her own. Asami brought her other hand to Korra's opposite cheek, pulling the girl closer to her, almost forcing her to climb over the console separating them. The faint feel of sunlight on her cheek pulled her back to reality, the sun was rising and they would soon no longer have the cover of the night to aid them in their discreetness. Their lips parted, "You should probably get going."
"Is it bad that I don't really want to?" Korra replied with a smile, trying to capture Asami's lips once again.
Asami could only laugh, putting a hand on her chest to push her back to her own seat, "It's not, but you do have to. The hockey team needs its Avatar."
"Nahhhh," she said as she waved off the comment with her hand, "I've got confidence in them, they'll do fine without me for one game. Besides, if I stay we can spend a couple more nights just cuddling," she said the last part with a smug grin on her face.
Asami cocked her brow at the girl who had now regained full confidence, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing," her grin only got bigger as she turned to face out the windshield, "Just that I don't believe we'll actually make it until after graduation."
She took on the same sarcastic tone as her student, "Do you really think yourself that irresistible, Avatar?"
Korra turned and leaned back into her, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, "maybe."
She felt the blush fill her cheeks, come on Sato get it together. She caught Korra's lips with hers as the girl went to pull away, "someone's cocky."
"Rightfully so don't you think?" The girl replied back with a flashy grin, "I mean, I'm pretty sure I had you tangling your fingers in my hair and biting my shoulder for a minute there last night."
She just shook her head and rolled her eyes at the girl. The sun was now creeping out from atop the houses on Korra's street, time's up. "You should really be going Korra."
Korra sighed, "Fine…" She looked down at her hands, "I'm gonna miss being able to look across the ice and see you sitting in the stands…"
She brought her hand under the girl's chin, forcing her gaze to meet her own, "Go win this one so you can play back at RCHS for finals next weekend, I'll go watch then."
"Promise?" The girl's eyes were almost twinkling.
Asami gave her a sly smile, "Only if you score me a goal this weekend."
"You've got a deal!" There was a pause for a moment, she could see the wheels tuning in Korra's head. "What if i score more than one?" She asked moving her eyebrows up and down.
"You never quit do you?"
"With you? Never." she leaned in and pecked Asami on the cheek, "I'll see you on Monday." She pulled the handle opening the car door and started to get out.
"Yes, you will. Good luck!"
The girl's head ducked back into the car, a grin on her face, "Thanks babe."
Asami just waved her off, "Get out of here smart ass." She started the car as the door closed shut. Her gaze never left Korra as she walked down the street towards her house, the way she carried herself, the way her triceps tightened as she hooked her thumbs in the shoulder straps of her bag, the way her calves contracted with every step she took…you're staring Sato… She shook her head, put the car in gear and roared down the street.
—
Korra quietly slid her key into the lock of their front door, carefully turning so that the sound of the bolt-lock sliding back would not wake her parents…if they're still asleep. She heard the soft click and retracted her key, she turned the handle with the same care and slowly edged the door open just enough for her to squeeze through. All the lights were still off, sunlight had only just started to creep into the living room, perfect. She closed the door softly and toed off her vans, tiptoeing across the foyer, through the kitchen, up the stairs trying to avoid the creaky ones, and into her room. There was the faint sound of snoring coming from down the hall as she went up the last step, at least her Dad was still asleep, she had to get her hatred of mornings from someone. She let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door of her room behind her having successfully snuck in, a smug smile on her face as she flung her bag on her desk and began to empty out its contents. She could hear faint footsteps coming down the hall, too light to be her father's, shit Mom! She didn't move for a few seconds, standing by her desk attention fully on the noise outside her room, please walk by my room, please walk by my room, she clenched her jaw as the wishful thoughts crossed her mind. She waited still, concentration on every little noise, the sounds stopped and her body relaxed slightly, thank god… She continued going through her bag, only to tense up again when she heard the soft click of the handle of her door turning. She moved quicker than she ever had, jumping across the space between her desk and her bed landing with a bounce on the mattress, hastily throwing the covers over herself and pretending to be asleep. She could hear the door open the rest of the way followed by a soft voice,
"Korra honey, you awake?"
Putting on her best sleepy voice she answered, looking up and purposefully squinting her eyes, "Mm…Morning."
"Well isn't this a surprise, are you sick"
"Very funny Mom…" She fell back down onto her pillow.
Senna chuckled, "I'm sorry honey, It's just usually quite the process to get you up."
If I wake up every morning in Asami's bed it won't be… "Yes yes, it's all very funny"
"Now get dressed and pack your overnight bag, your Dad will want to be leaving right after breakfast."
I'm already dressed… "Yup! I'll meet you downstairs."
The door clicked shut as her mother left the room, she sat straight up in her bed and let out a huff, fooled her. She pulled the covers off of herself and began moving about her room, collecting her things for the weekend and putting them in her overnight bag. Luckily she was a light packer so it all fit into one of her smaller duffle bags, which meant it would be easier to carry with her hockey bag slung over her shoulder later on.
The drive to the arena went as expected. Her Dad going over what she should watch out for when guarding certain players, to stay focused on her game and not to fall into the Rabaroo game, to get Opal to crash harder to the net when she floats a pass to her across the slot. It seemed that he watched more of their game film than Korra did, he was into her hockey career just as much she was if not more, which was nice most of the time, but this morning she just wanted to sit in the back seat and let the sun warm her skin as her thoughts drifted away to Asami and her pale hands that were running all over her body, crimson lips that were pressing themselves to every part of her exposed skin, long legs that were wrapped around her waist...
Finally they got to the complex, to Korra's surprise her parents actually parked the car rather than just pulling up to the entrance to let her out. "You guys just wanna make me walk more this morning or?"
Her mother answered without looking back as she unbuckled her seat belt, "Your father wants to watch your practice since we won't be able to actually see the game."
Korra cocked her brow and looked at her father through the rear view mirror, "Seriously?"
Tonraq simply smiled, "Yup, this way we'll be able to see you before you get on the bus. And also you look like you're lacking a little focus this morning, maybe it's good that I stay and make sure your attention is where it should be, your team needs you Korra."
She couldn't deny it, she was lacking focus... she wanted this badly, but that didn't make ridding her mind of Asami any easier. She shook her head and tried to refocus her thoughts, "You're right Dad. I'll get focused."
"That's my girl. Now let's get in there before you're late."
Korra just smiled and nodded her head, let's do this.
As she closed the car door behind her and began to walk towards the complex behind her father, she felt a soft grip on her upper arm, forcing her to turn back. "Everything ok Mom?"
A smile formed on Senna's lips as she brought her finger up to shush Korra before motioning for her to come closer. "Who is she?" The confusion she felt must have been evident on her face because her mother continued without her even answering. "You don't really think I didn't hear you sneak in this morning did you?"
Seriously how does this woman know everything?! She shrugged her shoulders, trying to answer in the most nonchalant way possible, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"How many times must I tell you? I'm your mother, I notice everything Korra." Senna replied as she crossed her arms.
Korra brought her arm up behind her and rubbed the back of her head, "Maybe you just didn't get enough sleep last night, and you were hearing things."
Her mother's face softened, her arms fell to her sides as she walked by Korra towards the arena, "Well whoever she is, she must be quite something if she's got your attention over your hockey—"
"Come on ladies, we don't want to be late!" Her father was yelling, already at the arena entrance.
Senna turned to face him, "Coming dear!" her gaze turning back to Korra after Tonraq sent a wave of understanding, "We'll talk about this later, let's go before your Dad gets any more impatient." She laced her arm in Korra's, pulling her along to the arena.
The cold air of the arena filled her nose as she pulled the heavy metal framed door of the main entrance open. The faint smell of sweat and zamboni fumes mixed with freshly cleaned ice was all it took to bring her focus to the task at hand, semi-finals start now. Her parents walked up the stairs to the warmer restaurant area on the upper level that overlooked the rink, where her father could sit comfortably and drink his morning coffee while he analyzed their practice. She on the other hand went down the player hall towards the changing rooms, her footsteps softening as she walked on the black skate safe mats that lined the hallways and passages to the ice.
Her team locker room was at the far end of the hall, with the letters RCHS painted across the double doors that opened up to reveal a large room lined with benches and player cubbies. There was a separate section at the back with treatment tables for players who needed attention from the athletic therapists, as well as a smaller space next to it that featured a small table full of white and black stick tape, pad tape, hockey stick wax, sharpening stones and extra laces. To the opposite side of the small equipment space were the showers, walls tiled in RCHS colors, a large counter with multiple sinks, and a rack of spare towels. Everything they needed in one room.
Most of her teammates were already in their respective cubbies, their attention turning to her as she walked in with various words of welcome coming from almost everyone, Kuvira obviously couldn't care less, but it was Opal's silence that confused her. Instead of excitedly waving at her like she usually does, the short black haired girl just sat there and stared at her with a smug grin on her face from her spot next to Korra's.
She threw her overnight bag into the top of her cubbie, "What's up with you O?"
"Someone had a good celebration after winning the competition for the students yesterday eh? Couldn't even find you to help with the clean up afterwards." She winked at her.
Korra just rolled her eyes, "Don't even start with—"
"Yeah cap, tell us about your celly." Kuvira cut her off from across the room, a sly grin on her lips. "Personally I can't even believe you manage to wheel the chick."
She gritted her teeth and turned to face the girl sitting across her, opening her mouth about to yell something surely less than pleasant at her. But a hard knock at the door coupled with Coach Lin's voice stopped her. "On the ice in 10 ladies! Let's go!"
Her jaw tightened again as she narrowed her eyes, stare still on Kuvira. She could feel Opal tugging on the back of her shirt, "Better get ready Kor, everyone else is half ready."
Reluctantly she pried her eyes from Kuvira, just wait until we get on the ice… She sat in her spot next to Opal and quickly got dressed, being late was never good with the Coach.
Despite her quickness, she was still the last one ready, snapping the clasps of her face mask onto her helmet as she walked out of the room closing the door behind her. She turned her head to see the last player stepping onto the rink, Coach Lin standing next to the door to the ice staring intently back at her. "Korra let's go! You're supposed to be the first one on the ice!"
"Yes Coach!" She pulled her glove out from under her arm, slipping it on her hand as she ran across the skate safe to the ice, her coach's gaze burning into her head as she walked by her.
Her blades crushed into the ice with every stride she took, cold air making her eyes water as she skated through her warm up laps, mentally envisioning herself executing the perfect pass or perfect shot, only to have her thoughts driven away by a long harsh whistle calling players over to the dry erase board hung over the glass near the bench. Everyone took a knee and listened intently to what their coach had to say.
"Alright ladies, we have a big game tomorrow so we'll only have a light practice today. We'll forgo the cardio since you're supposed to be doing that on your own time anyways." She pulled the marker from her pocket, it squeaked as she drew on the board explaining the drill. "Forwards line up at the center line and defense split into two groups on either side of the rink at the blue line. Centers will shoot the puck into either corner, the D whose side it ends up will go get it, D to D pass behind the net, then up to the winger waiting at the hash marks who will then send a touch pass to the center who will be breaking out at pace. Once the puck is out of the zone, the forwards will turn around and head back in making a 3 on 2 that you can execute any way you want. Got it?"
There was a resounding 'yes coach' from the whole team before players scattered to their positions. Korra's line was up first. She handled the puck back and forth at the center dot while she waited for everyone to get settled and for Lin to blow the whistle to start them off, she was pleasantly surprised to notice that Kuvira's D pairing was also up first, perfect. The whistle blew and Korra sent the puck into the left corner for Kuvira to pick up, the drill went as planned and she finally received the touch pass from Jinora at the wing. She made a hard turn at the center of the ice just after the blue line, puck still safely on her stick. Kuvira had just finished her pivot and was right in front of her, ready to block a potential shot towards the net, you better be ready. Rather than make a play to get around her, or set up Opal who was breaking in, Korra raised her stick back and sent a hard slap shot right for her teammate in front of her. Kuvira ducked and just barely dodged it, the puck whistling over her head and cracking against the glass behind the net. She skated back after the puck at full speed, clipping Kuvira with her shoulder on her way by, knocking the taller girl on her ass with ease. She had time to get the puck and send it back to Opal for a quick shot on net before the downed defender had time to get up. She skated by her on her way back to the center of the ice to get in line, "keep your nose out of my business or next time I wont miss."
Kuvira put her weight on her bent knee and pushed herself up off the ice, bringing her face to face with Korra. "Bring it on, captain." Both players staring intently at each other, jaws locked.
"Korra! Kuvira! Let's go! Next line!" Coach barked from the center dot.
In the midst of their staring competition they hadn't even heard their coach whistle to start off the next wave in the drill. Both players waited each other out a while longer, trying to see who would break their gaze first.
"Ladies! We haven't got all day!" Coach yelled again.
Finally Korra's sense came back to her, as captain she should set an example, Cool it Kor. She turned to face the rest of her teammates who were standing at the ready on the center line, skating towards them out of the zone. To her surprise, Coach Lin actually gave a tap of encouragement on her shin pads with her stick, "nice hit Korra." Korra turned to face Kuvira one last time to give her a victorious smile, one that only grew as she heard what else her coach had to say, "next time keep your head up Kuvira!" She could see the tall defender's jaw clench even at this distance. Ok you got her Kor, now focus on you.
The rest of practice went smoothly, and much to everyone's surprise, Coach Lin actually meant it when she said they'd have a 'light practice.' It was a lot of standing around and discussions about every aspect of their game, slowly walking through drills and explaining every part of them. They worked on their cycle down low, on their neutral zone passing, and for a fun drill at the end of practice worked on deflecting shots from the point.
Regardless of how light practice actually was, Korra was still excited to get off the ice. Her nerves were setting in and all she wanted to do was sit in the bus, throw on her ipod and zone everyone out. Thankfully the rest of the team seemed to notice her desire to be left to her thoughts and let her get undressed and cleaned up without too many distractions. After she finished showering and getting dressed, she slung her hockey bag over her shoulder, pulled her overnight bag off the shelf, grabbed her sticks and headed for the bus.
Her parents were waiting for her outside, both of them smiling at her. Her dad holding a blue gatorade and her mom holding a garment bag that was protecting a freshly ironed button up shirt.
"Good practice sweetheart!" Senna welcomed her as she pecked her on the forehead.
"Thanks Mom." She smiled back at her.
"You should try not to hit your own players though…" her mother continued.
"Oh that... yeah that was an accident." She tried to play down the incident.
"Sure, an accident." Her father chimed in with sarcasm in his voice as he threw the drink over to her, which she easily caught with her free hand. "I see your hand eye coordination has gotten better, you actually managed to deflect most of the shots sent towards you at the end there. Guess you had a good teacher." Her father continued with a cocky grin, one that Korra was often guilty of flashing people herself.
"Nah, I think it's just attributed to natural skill Dad." She joked back as she threw her hockey bag into the undercarriage of the bus along with her overnight and garment bags.
Her father crossed his arms and cocked a brow, a slight smirk on his face taking away from his attempt at being serious, "Didn't we teach you to be humble?"
Senna tapped her arm, "knock it off dear." She turned and started to walk towards Korra with open arms. Her mother always gave soft hugs, as she stroked her hair, she was so caring. "Good luck, honey. Call us as soon as you're done!"
"I will Mom," she smiled as she left her mother's embrace and walked over to her father.
Her father's hugs on the other hand were the complete opposite, strong arms squeezed her in firm hugs that almost made her feel like she was being crushed. She swore it was because of his hugs that she was able to tolerate Bolin's bear hugs. "Play well Kiddo! Watch your temper out there. Head up and stick on the ice."
"I will Dad." With a final squeeze he let her go. "I'll see you on Sunday!" She waved as she walked onto the bus.
She walked down the aisle between the seats of the coach bus towards a frantically waving Opal. The green eyed girl stood up and let Korra have the window seat, knowing it was what she preferred. She plugged her earphones in and rested her head against the window, watching her parents walk away towards their car. She said her goodbyes, her parents had left, now all that was left to focus on was hockey. She pressed play on her ipod, Eminem playing in her ears as as the bus rumbled to a start and rolled out of the parking lot. Let's do this.
