Chapter Text
As soon as Republic City acquires a semblance of stability, she moves out of her home.
Filled with rambunctious benders, it was impossible for the hallways to echo as empty. But Mako and Bolin's loud family has to move out at some point, as they can’t keep living under her roof. Asami understands that. It's the same reason she won't permanently move to Air Temple Island.
She also understands the feeling that sings under her skin every time she sets foot in the mansion (she thanks Raava it's not a malicious one). She's not going to sell the mansion. She's too fond of those walls, despite... despite.
Instead, there's an idea that tickles her brain. It's the urge to do something with her old house, to transform it into something her parents could be proud of - both her parents. Something for the city, like a school or a library.
It's still a work in progress.
But inevitably, she moves out of the mansion.
She brings Bolin along in her hunt for a new apartment - he harbours a secret keen eye for design and Asami exploits it every time she can. Korra and Mako tag along, and the four of them make a day out of it, an afternoon that turns out to be a whole array of apologies to landowners as the pair of them keep destroying furniture and leave burnt marks on the walls.
She settles for a small house located on the side of the bay, one that has the Air Temple's skyline on the background and shingles that come loose after a storm. It's not in peak conditions, but she doesn't mind manual labour.
The roof is the first thing she patches up.
Slowly, each room gets touched by Korra, who spends as much time as possible there even if they aren't officially living together. Not yet.
Most days, Asami comes home to a second pair of boots next to the doormat, and the second toothbrush by the sink attracts a fuzzy feeling. She finds a second dish drying on the rack and a huge white polar dog chasing butterflies in her garden.
The same garden that Korra likes to turn into an impromptu training field.
The same garden her office has a direct view of.
Desk littered with notes, Asami nibbles down on a pencil as she tries to focus on the blueprints of an engine for a new line of mopeds.
Try is the key word here. She struggles to keep her head low on the project, because otherwise she will be rewarded with an unashamed view of Korra working out in the garden. An alluring and distracting view of her girlfriend working out in the garden.
It's not the first time she watches Korra train - they still regularly work out together at least once a week. But the image of Korra in workout clothes never fails to stir a very specific reaction in her belly. A pooling warmth that-
She shakes her head and banishes away those dangerous thoughts.
She erases another line on her pad, noticing a dumb error in the thermal conductivity equation.
If we shorten this pump, make it thinner, than the cooling liquid can move faster, so that heat will be released... release, crouch, jump and release, crouch, jump... quadriceps, those quadriceps. How could anybody have quadriceps like those? Sweet mother of all quadriceps...
Asami comes back to Korra's last squat, one fluid movement that ends in an arch of firebending, flames sizzling in the air.
And that’s not the point. The point is energy, energy she needs to find a way to carry to the core of the engine. Not Korra's impressive pace as she switches from roundhouse kicks to fast and powerful punches.
Even her hands somehow look really hot, wrapped in white tape.
And she knows that Korra's doing it on purpose, parading in front of her window in baggy pants and loose top.
If she wasn't, she would have completed her running laps along the circuit that wraps around the house, instead of turning back halfway to the first corner. It's completely intentional, like the casual waves Korra throws her way whenever she catches Asami's emerald eyes through the windowpane. She can detect a certain brashness in the Avatar's stance, one that's making her feel... things.
Usually Korra's flirting ranges from a 'I saw this rose and thought about you,' to 'Sun's out, guns out!' as she shows off like a dork, making Asami laugh each time.
And if Korra's new flirting is affecting her, well, Asami certainly won't have to admit that.
She rises from her seat to open the window leading to the garden. She remains motionless for a moment, enjoying the view of Korra doing some earthbending stances. She can see every slightly-ragged breath the Avatar easily control during the difficult poses, legs spread wide and shoulders firm.
The window latch clicks as she unlocks it.
"Korra," she calls out, elbows crossed over the sill, "Could you come here for a moment, please?"
Korra breaks the bending stance she's holding and hurries back to her, hopping on the window in a smooth leap, "What is it, Asami?" she asks, smiling like a puppy.
A cute, sweaty, hot puppy.
"How's the training going, dear?" Asami slows her tongue in a low curl around the endearment.
"Oh," Korra huffs and dabs at her forehead, flexing her bicep in the process, "I'm doing just a light workout, nothing too taxing."
"Mmm," Asami hums, hand rising to her chin and tapping at her lips. A smirk settles on Korra's face.
"See something you like?" Korra asks, blinking meaningfully at Asami. It's more of a very inept wink she makes with both eyes. Asami doesn't know, but she feels giddy nonetheless at Korra's earnest flirting.
She bends lower until she's inches from Korra, who now sports a bashful look on her face. For all her bravado, the Avatar quickly resorts back to a fumbling, stumbling, blushing mess. A cute, fumbling, stumbling, blushing mess.
"Are you trying to distract me?"
"Ah, is it working? Aaaah," Korra stutters and one of her hand rises to rub the back of her neck.
Asami leans closer and closer, until she feels warm breath tickle her lips and Korra's expression somber. There's the lightest of the pressures on her lips, the promise of something more. Korra struggles to chase that touch, pushing her torso up with the pure strength of her arms only to be welcomed by empty air as Asami smirks and turns back.
"You should work a little more on those reps," she tosses over her shoulder, "Your earthbending stance seemed a little sloppy."
Korra's pout is almost endearing as her smile.
+++++
Korra is juggling a huge plate of Fire Nation spicy food, a glass of red wine she didn't really want and the most boring of the Earth Kingdom's ambassadors, when she notices the look Asami is giving her.
They're attending a gala in one of Republic City most glamorous venue, under President Zhu Li's insistence. If it was Korra's choice, she would have stopped participating to those events long ago.
Alas, being the Avatar meant being under the spotlight. Public appearances were a necessary if not uncomfortable requirement of her life and since Republic City hadn't faced any recent major crises, Korra had to settle for a stuffy gala once in a while instead of holding public speeches about passion and unity.
The only bright spot in those otherwise dull evenings were her friends and family, most of which were usually in attendance, being important political figures themselves. Tenzin and Jinora politely nodding from one corner, Lin frowning over a plate of dumplings and sometimes her father smiling proudly over a dorky thumbs up.
But on the nights when she's really lucky, then it's Asami who's smiling at her.
She doesn't know how Asami manages to give her one of those sultry looks and a moment later nodding politely to one of those old investors of Future Industries.
Asami will glance her way, sneaking in feather light touches on the inside of her wrists and in the crook of her elbows between one bald man and an overdressed lady easily impressed by the Avatar's presence. And she'll steal Korra's glass from her pliable fingers to take one sip of her drink. And each time, Korra is left to stare at the lipstick imprint on the corner of her glass for the rest of the evening. (She doesn't dare finishing it for fear that a waiter will take it away.)
It's not like they are against public displays of affections. While most of the time they are pretty reserved about their relationship, they never shy away from small touches and fond smiles in public.
But holding hands and swapping chaste kisses is totally a different thing than the looks Asami is giving her right now. In the middle of a ballroom packed with some of the most prominent figures of Republic City.
That doesn't stop Korra's heart from flipping in her chest.
The red silk of Asami's dress covers the dip of her shoulders in a crimson cascade as light dances in the folds created by the gown. The shine of her earrings draws attention to the beautiful emerald hues of her eyes. There's a speckle of gold swirling in them, one that Korra knows wanes in the dark.
Asami flips her ebony hair over one shoulder as she covers her lips with fingers to hide a polite chuckle and Korra swears her gaze flickers to meet hers for a moment. Korra's ears turn red.
"Your last speech in the northern region of the Earth Kingdom was really admirable, Avatar Korra. For once, I..." dull words reach her ears, breaching her mind with the thoughtlessness behind them. She has no idea what the ambassador's saying, his words lost in an ocean of his own egocentricity.
"Yes, really inspiring," Korra's lips thin into an awkward smile as she stumbles through what she deems a gracious dismissal, "However, I am afraid I must take my leave now, ambassador."
"Ah, yes. The Avatar's company is as pleasant as it is sought-after."
Korra hides a grimace, "Thank you, my Lord. I look forward to meeting you again in the future."
The ambassador takes an obnoxious sip of his drink, "Oh, and do seek my company if you wish to hear more tips about earthbending, after all I once was a..."
The droning is swallowed by the buzzing of lively guests as soon as Korra steps away.
She nods to some familiar faces on the way to the buffet table, schooling her features into an expression she wishes could convey her desire of not wanting to be approached. She sighs in relief when she spots the punch bowl, a swirling coral colour, the same shade of Asami's lipstick.
"Hiding already?"
Korra wills herself to face another stuffy politician or worse, some stuffy politician's trophy wife, but instead is greeted by the welcomed sight of a red dress and a radiant smile.
"Asami!" she fumbles, feeling heat collect on her cheeks after her recent thought about her girlfriend, "Aren't you supposed to entertain your investors?"
"They can survive without me for a moment. I thought I would come and see how my amazing girlfriend is feeling, hiding all the way to the buffet table."
"You know me," Korra says and tries desperately to move her eyeline up from Asami's hips to her face, praying she won't notice, "I can never say no to more food."
"Mmm." Lifting her glass to her lips, Asami's expression changes, smirking in the way Korra has learnt to fear.
"You never told me what you think about my new dress."
Korra blushes, floundering and thinking about how good it looks on her.
"Great!" Cheeks flaming, she yanks her chin up and fixes her eyes blindly on an undefined spot over Asami's shoulder.
"So, you like it?"
"You look amazing in red," Korra forces in a strangled voice, "You always do."
"Mmm."
"Asami," Korra barrels forward and there's a breathlessness in her voice she can't mask, "Have you been trying for all this time to distract me? Or did I just imagine those... those?" she waves a hand in a vague gesture.
"Is it working?" one of Asami's chiseled eyebrow rises in an elegant arch.
"...maybe?"
Asami inches closer and closer, forcing her backwards until Korra's feels the bump of the table.
"I see," Asami's smirk makes her spine tingle, "So, right now, in this dress... do you think I look... snazzy?"
Korra's embarrassment washes away in a cloud of ruffled groaning.
"Asami..." she moans, eliciting an amused chuckle from her girlfriend.
"I'm sorry, dear. But it was too good of an opportunity to let it pass."
Korra grouses a bit more and Asami presses a kiss to her cheek, careful not to leave a lipstick stain, "Don't think I forgot about your little training stunt this afternoon."
The mood eases into something more familiar as Korra wraps her arms around Asami's waist, welcoming the touch and the fondness, "You're lucky I love you."
"Ooh, you love me," Asami cheekily repeats, hands interlocking behind Korra's neck, "And do tell me, am I distracting you right now?"
Korra smiles as she brings their lips together.