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-"Korra?" Senna stood right behind Korra, who was dominating a match of Capture the Flag.

"Christ, when are you going to learn how to fucking knock?!" Korra was more startled by her mother than she was actually angry, but still. She had her headphones on, and between the sound of gunfire and airstrikes, the real world was completely shut out.

Senna just sighed, obviously fighting off the inclination to reprimand her daughter on her language, but she was slowly realizing that was a fight she wasn't going to win. "I'm not here to argue, I'm here to talk to you."

"Well believe it or not, that's how most of our arguments start." Korra was in no mood for this and had turned back to her game, in the futile hope her mother would just take the hint and leave. It was too subtle.

-"Korra, when are you going to drop the whole 'you're acting unreasonable'-act that you're holding up against us?"

"When you start acting reasonable."

-"Are we being that unreasonable? We're just trying to protect you."

"You know, there is such a thing as 'overdoing'."

-"Your father and I..." Korra didn't let her finish. "Are still acting like I'm fucking three! I grew up, and you're just holding me down."

-"Is that what this business of tonight is about? Breaking free?"

"No, it's about trying to make something of a social life happen before you two are in the fucking grave!"

-"Enough." Senna yanked the internet cable from the back of her computer, disconnecting Korra from the match she was playing.

Korra ripped her headphones off and turned around to face her mother, eyes spitting fire. "Mom! What the fuck?!"

-"I have had it with you. You are constantly disrespectful to me and your father, being callous and irresponsible, and making no effort to make this family work."

"Maybe I would respect you, if it weren't for you only telling what to do, what not to do, never asking me what I want to do. If I have to wait for your permission for everything, I might as well start choosing my headstone, 'cause it sure as hell ain't gonna happen before I'm dead."

-"You know that's not what we want. We want you to be safe, and have a future."

"Yeah, and part of a future is having friends, having a life. All I want is for you two not to be ready with a fucking score card, judging my every move."

Senna's face fell a little. "Is that really what you think all your father and I are doing? Judge you?"

"No, I heard you just fine. You're protecting me, but have you ever considered that I actually want something to happen?"

Her mother fell silent. She didn't know what to make of this. Korra let everything that she just said replay in her mind, comprehending just how much of a bitch she'd been to her own mother. Still, she wasn't about to back down now, now that she had forced her mother into the perfect corner to get out of it what she wanted.

"You want to make a difference? Then start by letting me go tonight. You know Mako just as well as you know me," mostly because I tell him more than I tell you "and you know how I really want to make this whole thing with Asami work." Fuck. Poor choice of words. Could be worse, though.

Senna raised a disapproving eyebrow. "'Thing with Asami'? Is there something going on?"

Scratch that last thought. "Oh Jesus Christ - no! You don't pay attention to anything I say around here, do you? She's with Mako, and if you would have just climbed down from your ivory tower for a moment, you might have known that. I'm just trying to make a friend out there! And you know what, it's going pretty well, thank you for asking."

Her mother sighed again, letting her head hang. It was unbelievably tense, but she finally looked up again. "Fine. You can go. But if anything - anything - happens, you'll listen to me and your father."

"Thank you." Korra plugged the internet cable back into her computer, and demonstratively put her headphones back onto her head. She went back to the menu, choosing another game, and her mother left the room.

Team Deathmatch - Broadcast. My favorite. Marines. W1200 shotgun. Sprint to side door. Shoot noob who just ran out in the face. Toss in stun grenade. Shoot stunned noob. Toss back grenade. Kill two more. Run to toilets. Call in UAV. Turn around, knife unsuspecting noob. Call in airstrike. Cook grenade. Lean out past Xerox. Toss down hallway. Kill four more, two with grenade, two with airstrike. Call in helicopter. Korra looked at the in-game timer and smiled. 30 seconds flat. That's gotta be some kind of a record. She got various comments of being a hacker slung to her, but she had learned to ignore them.

Although the rest of the match wasn't quite as convincing, there was never any question as to who was calling the shots.

After a couple of more rounds, all of which Korra was dominating, she looked at her phone, wich had just buzzed. It was a text from Mako. "Asami just called, she's leaving her place now. Nearly done?" Fuck. Forgot the time. No worries, plenty of time to ready myself for tonight. Korra quickly logged off, deciding it to be unnecessary to wear anything too fancy, so she decided on a pair of jeans, a light blue top and a dark blue sweater over it all. She quickly brushed her teeth, grabbed her coat, and figured that the slamming front door would do just fine as her announcement that she was leaving.

She rang at Mako's door, and Bolin opened up. "Hey Korra. Haven't seen you in a while. Come in."

She stepped into the living room, another testament to the fact that the brothers were living quite comfortably. There was a stylish yet comfortable couch, paired with a chair of the same style. Mako was sitting on the couch watching TV. They exchanged a quick 'hey', and Korra let herself fall into the barcalounger, and Bolin sat down next to his brother.

"So, Bolin, I heard you'd broken up with Eska?" Really? You couldn't say that without sounding like the Terminator?

Fortunately, he was used to Korra's *ahem* lack of subtlety. "Well, you know, it just wasn't working anymore. The spark was gone, know what I mean?"

No.

"Yeah. Well, sorry to hear that."

-"Meh, it's alright. I'm starting to feel better again, and I'm looking forward to tonight. It's gonna be fun. Want a drink before we go?"

"What do you have?"

He walked over to the fridge in the open kitchen at the far end of the room. "Beer? No bartender in the world would let you pass for 21, even with a fake ID."

"Beer it is then." Well, clearly he doesn't want to talk about Eska. D'oh well.

Bolin took one for each of them and sat down on the couch again. He tossed Korra a can, And when she opened up, let out a fake British 'cheers mate', before what looked like downing it in one gulp. Impressive.

They watched TV for a little while, when they heard the bell ring. It was Asami, no doubt about that. Mako raced to the door like an arrow released from a bow, and took suspiciously long letting Asami in. So what? She's his girlfriend, let them have their moment. At least they're not eating each other's faces off in front of you.

The couple joined them again, and sat down in Mako's corner, Asami pressed stiff against him. She was dressed in black skinny jeans, the ones that really brought out her ass, GoddamnitwhydoIkeepthinkingthat, and a leather jacket covering a nice blouse. "So, you guys want to go soon?"

"Why? You in a hurry or something?" Korra couldn't repress a smirk as she said that.

-"I'm the designated driver, by the looks of your drinks." Even if Asami disapproved of it, she was very good at covering her true opinion. "So you're kind of bound to me."

-"Well alright then," Bolin said, as he took one last swig of his beer. "Let's roll."

They decided to use Mako's old Ford Crown Victoria instead of Asami's Bentley Continental, for obvious reasons. She drove them down to a place, apparently something that she and Mako had agreed on beforehand. As soon as they walked inside, Bolin got a little nervous.

Korra noticed it straight away. "What's wrong?"

He pointed out a guy in the back. "That guy over there, Tahno, is the quarterback of Eisenhower High. They humiliated us three matches in a row. He's a dick."

Korra eyed him up. He definitely had the footballer's physique: He was big in every direction, his muscular build not really concealed in any way, shape, or form by his clothes, which seem awfully thin for November, but whatever. He looked like the kind of guy who spent way too long grooming his hair. But damned if he wasn't handsome.

They sat down at a table, and Bolin ordered their first round at the bar, forced to stick to juice and soda. It was pleasant enough for the time being. Korra was forced to confess that she still knew squat about the Civil War, a subject she was supposed to teach Asami when they were done with World War 2, which wouldn't be too long. Asami and Mako forcibly kept their smuttiness to a minimum, after Korra gave Mako a good kick under the table. Bolin was outed by Mako that he didn't really break up with Eska because of the lack of a spark, but because she was, quite simply, crazy. This of course made Mako supremely smug, something that Korra couldn't stand from him. Neither could Bolin, who went straight to the bathroom. Korra stood up to order their third round by now, and walked over to the corner of the bar, near Tahno, who she had completely forgotten about.

As soon as she had put down the glasses, he walked over to her, leaning next to her on the bar. A little too close, to be brutally honest.

-"Hi there. Name's Tahno."

She glanced over. "Evening." She went straight back to ignoring him. He struck her more as creepy than handsome, this up close and personal.

-"Saw you come in with Bolin. Why'd you hang out with a loser like him, when I'd be more than happy to welcome your pretty face in the winner's circle."

This guy really is a dick. "That 'loser' has been my friend for the past decade. Now get lost."

He grabbed her hand, turning her around against the bar. "Hey, what are you - Let me go!"

He leaned in, way too close for comfort. His breath smelled like alcohol. "Come on honey, just gimme a chance..."

He has my right hand gripped like a lave. Guess left will have to do here. She couldn't reach back very far because of the bar, but she gave him a decent hook to the stomach, which partially landed on the ribs, causing him to let go of her. Korra leaned against the bar, startled by the act of her own aggression.

-"You'll pay for that." He moved in to punch her, when Asami caught his hand before it landed.

-"When a girl says no, it means no, jackass," she hissed, and then she stunned everyone. With one move, she swiveled around on one foot, catching Tahno's neck in the knee of her other leg, knocking him down on his chest. Asami had him in a hold, pinning one arm with her knee, his head between her knee and her calf, and his other arm twisted painfully up. "Maybe this will teach you a valuable lesson." She thrust the palm of her hand just above the shoulder, getting a massive cry of pain from the quarterback. Asami stood up, letting his arm drop to the floor, before turning to Korra again, who had front row seats and was staring at the whole spectacle with wide-open eyes. Christ in heaven, that was hot. Wait a minute, WHAT?!

Asami took her hand, which was getting unusually sweaty. Korra couldn't tell if it was from inexplicable arousal, or simply the intensity of the situation. Asami either didn't notice, or didn't care. "Come on. We don't want to stick around here," she said, glancing at presumably Tahno's teammates. Korra was just a little too shocked to take it all in. She dragged Korra to the exit, winking Mako over from there. Outside, Asami faced Korra again. "Are you all right?"

She was still trying to straighten her thoughts. "I... Yeah, I'm fine, but... What was that?!"

-"What do you mean?"

"In there, that was amazing! You just went all Black Widow on a 200-pound footballer, you knocked him on his ass in one move! How did you do that?"

She got a tiny smirk on her face. "I've had self-defense classes since I was six. I can handle myself."

You can handle me too, I'm sure. There was a small gap in her train of thoughts. What. The. Fuck. "Yeah... Yeah you can."

Mako and Bolin came out as well. The brothers also had trouble taking it all in. "Did you just break Tahno's arm?" Bolin asked, unsure whether he should be impressed or scared of Asami.

-"No, I dislocated his shoulder. He won't be playing any football for the foreseeable future, that you can be sure of." There was a brief silence, in which Asami was met with three confused stares. "From the looks on your faces, I take it you'd all rather go home."

They all nodded, and quickly got into the car. Asami drove them back to Mako's place, where the brother went straight inside. The girls stuck in the car for a little while. Korra still wasn't sure to make of her thoughts. "Asami, I..." She looked over, seeing the questioning gaze. "Thank you."

-"Not a problem."

"Listen, I'm gonna turn in for the night. I'll see you later."

-"Okay. Later."

They both got out, and Korra made for her own house again. Her parents were still awake, given that it wasn't even midnight yet. She gave them a small wave, and went up to her own room.

Korra ditched her stuff, and went to the bathroom to splash some water in her face. Face still wet, she looked in the mirror to talk some sense into herself.

Alright, get you head straight. What happened tonight was just because of the situation, nothing major. You're just going to bed, sleep it off, and it'll all be fine in the morning.

Deciding that would probably be the best course of action here, she did just that: try to catch a good night's sleep.


Team Player
Act I
Dinner and a MovieThe Green BentleyPropositionMeet the ParentsBlack WidowBlack and White
Act II
New Year, New StartConfessionBlind DateNight's WatchOut of the Frying PanChiseledThe Metal Clan
Act III
And Into the FireExtinguishedEmergency RepairsReinforcementsHome of the BraveHappy Birthday
Act IV
House of CardsReady, Fire, AimWell and TrulyRude AwakeningHome AloneDriveGetaway
Act V
Unfinished BusinessPeacekeeperRisky BusinessHoneyPublic ScrutinySkeletons in the Closet
Act VI
Up, Up, and AwayBest Vacation Ever
One-Shots
The Naval ObservatoryMuch Ado About NothingPepper and Cyanide

See more

For the collective works of the author, go here.

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