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“Come on, it’s going to be fun!”
“Meh,”
Opal sighed and continued to pull Korra down the street by the sleeve of her jacket. “It is, I promise. Have I ever lead you astray?”
Korra yanked her hand away and crossed her arms. When Opal stopped and looked back at her, she raised an eyebrow. “Are you not the same person who got me kicked out of the movie two weeks ago because, according to you; everybody brings in their own food!”
“I was talking about candy! You tried to sneak in a Lunchable!”
“I was hungry!” Korra said as she threw her hands in the air. “I had class all day and didn’t get to eat and then you dragged me off to see some stupid horror movie before I even had a chance to eat so I just grabbed something and shoved it in my jacket pocket!”
“Yes,” Opal sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “You then proceeded to open it during the quietest scene of the movie, ruining the big scare for everyone while you tried to eat your tiny little peanut butter cup.”
Shaking her head, Korra put her hands in her pockets. “I stand by my point. You drag me to things I don’t want to do, they always end up going badly.”
“It’s just yoga, Korra. And you need it, you’ve been so stressed lately between school and all the stuff your dad has been dealing with. This will make you feel better. I promise.”
It was true, things had been hard the last few weeks. She’d been working wall to wall on reports and assignments for school and that was before her father had been hit with a death threat from some group called The Red Lotus that wanted to overthrow him and the rest of the authority figures throughout the world It wasn’t the first time he’d been threatened; it came with the territory. It was, however, the first one that ever mentioned her by name. Which added to her already high levels of anxiety.
With a defeated pout, Korra hung her head and continued following Opal. “You know I workout right? Like…what makes you think this will be any better?”
“I know you workout; all you do with your free time is workout. But this is different—it’s both a physical and spiritual exercise. It can free your mind and help relax you. Plus I think you’ll like the instructor.”
“Oh yes, I’m sure I will.” She said sarcastically. “Probably just a younger version of Tenzin talking about chakra pathways and how I need to open up my mind and fart out my negativity.”
Opal snorted. “Yes, that sounds just like Tenzin.” She slowed her pace down and hooked her arm through Korra’s. “Will you just give it a shot?”
“I said I would!”
“No, I know but could you do it with a positive attitude? If you go in all pouty and whiny then of course you won’t enjoy it. I want you to try this. Please, for me?”
She let out an extremely dramatic sigh and exhaustion and nodded. “Fine. For you I’ll do it. But you owe me.”
“I do,” Opal laughed. “I’ll make you chocolate chip cookies tonight.”
“Yes!” Korra wrapped an arm around Opal’s waist and lifted her into the air. “All for me, right? Bolin can’t come and eat while I’m sleeping.”
Opal shrugged. “I’ll try and keep him away but it would help if you didn’t sleep in till noon every day.”
“Hey, I try and wake up early.” Korra said but Opal merely rolled her eyes. “I do!”
“We’ll see how early you get up when there’s cookies on the line and I can’t keep my boyfriend distracted.”
“I’ll whoop his ass, that’s what’s—“ Korra’s voice trailed off as they reached the yoga studio. It was a small building tucked in between a clothing store and a cellphone company. She stared up at the title plastered on the glass door and frowned. “Yogasami? That’s not even a word.”
Opal grinned. “That’s the instructors name. Asami Sato. Yogasami. It’s a cute pun!”
“No,” Korra shook her head. “No puns are cute. Ever.”
“Oh you’re no fun!” Opal pinched her cheek. “Don’t be a borra, Korra!”
Korra stared at her for a moment, so upset with her choice in best friend in that moment. “I’m going home.” Just as she turned to leave Opal wrapped both of her small arms around Korra’s waist.
“No, no, no! We just got here and you have to meet Asami!” Opal used all strength to pull Korra towards the door. It helped that Korra had slipped into the void and was no longer resisting.
“You mean Yogasami?”
“Yes,” Opal grunted as she used her foot to push open the door and pull Korra. “She’s a delightful person and I really think you’re going to like her.”
“Ugh,” Korra pulled out of Opal’s arms and walked in the rest of the way. The inside of the studio was actually pretty cool. The lighting was soft and once the door closed it was quiet and serene. There were mats spread all across the floor and a giant mirror in the back that covered an entire wall. Korra couldn’t help but pull up the sleeve of her jacket and flex a little into it.
“Oh my gosh will you stop doing that everywhere we go!” Opal smacked her arm and Korra winced. “You are like a cat—if I trapped you in a small room with a mirror I could entertain you for hours!”
Korra pushed her sleeve down and scowled but as her gaze shifted, she caught sight of something that completely locked her up.
In the furthest corner of the room was a woman, not just any woman, a magic woman. It had to be magic. The way her body was contorted and the amount of sexy she was radiating could only be described as such. She had the shiniest dark hair that cascaded in soft tendrils across her face, threatening to escape the ponytail she wore. Her hands were planted on the ground and she had her legs up in the air—one straight, the other bent at the knee. Her back was curved and her white tanktop was falling just a bit down her…glorious stomach.
She moved so gracefully as her legs slipped back down to the mat. She rested on her elbows for a moment and took a deep breath before pushing up on her hands to stand properly.
The sight of her actually upright was more than enough. Korra was fairly certain she’d fallen in love. The loose hair from her ponytail fell across her gorgeous face as beautiful green eyes opened to look at her. She smiled and Korra swore the sun dimmed outside in shame because it couldn’t compete with her.
When Korra realized that this…angel was walking towards her, she panicked and realized she was just standing there looking dumb and started to frantically wonder what to do with her hands. She tucked them into the pockets of her jacket and licked her lips. Before she could say anything, Opal stepped in front of her and hugged Korra’s wife.
“It’s good to see you again, Opal.” The pretty lady said and Opal wrapped her arms around her.
Korra had never been more jealous of her tiny friend than she was in that very moment. “You too, and as promised, I brought my stubborn best friend.”
When her eyes locked onto Korra’s, the world stood still for a moment. She moved in and extended her hand for a greeting.
Thankful to whatever spirits guided her, Korra managed to reach out and accept the handshake.
“It’s wonderful to meet you—“ she let the sentence hang and Korra glanced at Opal who was looking at her like she was insane.
Introduce yourself! Opal mouthed and Korra nodded.
“Hi,” she looked at her soon to be wife again. “I—uh…I’m Korra.”
She smiled again, right at her, and Korra swore her hands started shaking. “I’m Asami.”
Korra felt her eyes go wide. “Yogasami?” She muttered and immediately hated herself for it.
However, the giggle it drew out of Asami made it all better. “The very same. I can totally understand being skeptical. I was too when I first started, I think almost everyone is. But Opal’s told me you’re dealing with some stress and I’d love to help you work that off.”
Oh boy
Korra swallowed the thick lump in her dry throat and forced herself to let go of Asami’s hand. “That uh…that sounds like perfection.”
Even as the words she spoke registered, she saw Opal throw her head back in embarrassment and walk away from the exchange all together.
That sounds like perfection? What the hell was that?!
To her credit, Asami merely smiled. “I certainly hope so.”
-----------------
Asami couldn’t deny that Korra was extremely cute, if not entirely out of her element. She seemed a little overwhelmed by all of the calm and quiet that her studio offered but it was like this for most first timers. Asami stretched her back a bit as Opal had already pulled over a mat and was doing a few poses.
“Okay,” Asami returned her focus to Korra. “Because Opal brought you so early I figure we can get you started before my first class arrives and show you some of the basics.”
Korra nodded for the fourth time since Asami had first seen her. It was hard not to smile at the lost look in her eyes. Those giant blue eyes that looked like they had a million stories to tell. Asami was quite enamored with Korra’s unique appearance. Such delicate and beautifully colored skin meshing with her short dark hair and those vibrant eyes. She was gorgeous and even more so because she seemed so out of her element. Asami had a strong urge to guide her, make her feel safe. It was unfamiliar, but not at all unpleasant.
“Should I—take off the jacket?”
Asami grinned. “You should, otherwise the heat will be too much.
Korra nodded again and unzipped her coat. When Asami had first seen her, she’d noticed how big Korra seemed but she had mostly passed it off to an oversized jacket. However, when that jacket came off and those shoulders and arms were right in front of her, stretching the sleeves of her white t-shirt, Asami was suddenly the one who felt lost.
Her muscles were amazing—as if they were chiseled from stone and perfectly sculpted to fit Asami’s ideal image of ‘drop dead sexy’. She was suddenly really hoping that Korra was as unlearned in yoga as she seemed, if only to give her the chance to guide her into the proper poses and positions.
Focus, Asami. This is your studio. You are a yoga instructor. You are zen as fuck right now.
“Let’s start with some stretches.” Asami said as she pulled a pair of mats from against the wall and laid them down next to each other.
Korra didn’t hesitate with that instruction. After seeing her body there was no doubt that this girl knew her way around a workout. So when she clasped her hands behind her back and stretched them out, Asami should have been prepared for the way her forearm muscles flexed.
She was not. The mat she still held slipped from her hand and the corner hit her right in the toe.
“Ow! Oh crap!” She hopped on one foot and found the wall to lean against.
“Are you okay?” Korra was right there next to her, a hand on her shoulder and Asami swore there was actual fire coming from her hand it was so warm against her skin.
She must have noticed this as well because she removed it just as fast. Asami recovered with a warm smile and a roll of her eyes. “Clumsy, just what everyone looks for in a yoga teacher.” She said with heat pushing through her cheeks.
Korra maintained eye contact with her and smiled brightly. “Approachable, that’s the word I’d use. And a very good quality in a teacher.”
Well aren’t you smooth.
The first few poses went along well enough. Korra was a natural athlete and Asami nearly passed out when Korra held up her entire body weight with her hands and those arms really started to flex. However, when it came to the standing poses, Korra’s body seemed to want to recoil, almost to protect. Like a fighting stance, that was not the desired affect of the pose they were attempting.
“You need to keep your torso facing to the side, Korra.” Asami said gently and Korra turned but her leg moved back for balance and she nearly fell over. “Here,” Asami moved off her mat and stopped just before she reached Korra. “Um…is it okay if I help you?”
There was no denying the pink shade that colored Korra’s cheeks. She looked at Asami bashfully and nodded. “O—Okay.”
When Asami came up behind her, Korra tensed. Remembering to be a teacher first, Asami carefully lifted Korra’s arms and held them out at her sides. “Keep your palms facing down and your arms slightly bent.” She reached out, her fingers ghosting over the hard muscles in Korra’s arms. The feeling was unreal, like every nerve in her body was on fire. She was finding it hard to speak, to even breath. Eventually she realized that the tickle in the back of her throat was actually the pulse of her heart as it raced. She knew where she had to go next and her eyes found Korra’s profiled face in front of her. She seemed every bit as nervous as Asami felt. “Your…torso.” Asami laid her hand across Korra’s stomach and felt her legs start to quiver. The muscles under her t-shirt were so well formed and tight. Every curve was detailed and she had to resist using her index finger to trace the contours of her abs.
Never in her life had Asami wanted to drag another person away and lick every inch of their body. Until today and this girl who didn’t even seem like she wanted to be here five minutes ago.
“Like this,” Korra whispered but the words sounded like nonsense in Asami’s ears. She wasn’t paying attention, she couldn’t. Before she could even register what she’d done, Asami had pulled Korra’s back flush against her own body.
Still, Asami nodded. “You’re really beautiful.” She said and didn’t give a damn if it was appropriate or not. Korra certainly didn’t seem to be pushing her away.
Instead, Korra swallowed thickly and smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.” Asami blushed and her hand pressed even harder against Korra’s toned stomach.
It would be so wrong to kiss Korra right now. They’d just met no more than eight minutes ago and suddenly Asami was thinking of all the different ways she could make this girl cry out her name and how it would echo off the walls of this building. She felt a hand fall across her own on Korra’s stomach and those fingers were gripping hers.
The feeling was mutual and Asami suddenly felt like she was drowning.
“I want—“
“Hey Asami,” they both jumped at the sound of Opal’s voice and Korra tripped off her own mat and nearly fell down.
“Wh—what?” Asami stammered, feeling ashamed and embarrassed at how inapplicable that entire moment had been.
Opal seemed none the wiser though, standing just in front of her bathroom door. “Do you mind if I use your bathroom? The breakfast burrito I ate isn’t sitting well.”
“Oh my gosh,” Korra muttered and Asami felt the tension fall away and her smile return. She nodded and Opal ducked away into the bathroom—leaving Korra and Asami alone again.
Their eyes met, more distance between them now and Korra had her hands behind her back. Asami pursed her lips and sighed.
“I’m sorry,” she said simply enough and Korra frowned at her.
“For what?”
In that moment, Asami wondered if she had been the only one who felt their chemistry. “I—I was…far too intimate. It was wrong, it was—“
Korra waved her off. “You weren’t, I mean—it wasn’t just you.” Korra’s face was dark red and Asami wanted to kiss her so badly she could barely hold still. “I’m a little…amazed at how beautiful you are. I mean we just met and it’s like—“ Korra’s sentence trailed off with a shrug.
Asami couldn’t stop herself, it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. “Like we should be working up a completely different kind of sweat right now?”
When Korra smiled, Asami knew she was in serious trouble.