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A cloud of steam billowed out of the bathroom ahead of Asami when she opened the door, and Korra looked up from the couch, raising her mug of tea in a salute. “Hello, beautiful.” The Avatar grinned at her girlfriend and winked. “Got all the grease off?”
Asami stuck out her tongue as she stepped out, pulling the sash of her bathrobe tight. “Ha, ha. Very funny. If you hadn’t decided to try to revolutionize the oiling process, I wouldn’t have needed–” She paused for a second, realizing something. “Hey, why are you still completely clean? And when did you change clothes?”
Korra gestured over towards the sink. “Oh. I cleaned off while you were in the shower. Waterbending sure is handy.” There was a mischievous glint in her blue eyes as they met Asami’s. “I would have offered to do the same for you, if I’d thought of it earlier…”
Had Asami’s cheeks not already been flushed from the heat of her shower, they would have turned crimson at the pleasant mental image that conjured. She hurriedly changed the subject. “I still need my hair brushed. Would you like to do it?” She held out the brush to Korra, who set down her tea and accepted it with alacrity.
“Certainly, dear.” Korra twirled the brush as if it were a baton, but somewhere between the third and fourth spin it slipped from her fingers to the floor. “Aw…” she said, looking somewhat disappointed. “I just ruined my own cool moment.”
Asami laughed. “You’re as bad as Bolin sometimes.” She seated herself at the foot of the couch and handed the brush back up to Korra. “No more fancy maneuvers, okay?”
“I promise…” said Korra sheepishly. She began running the brush through Asami’s hair, long and even strokes. Asami closed her eyes, letting the motion soothe her.
“Hey, Asami, do you remember the first thing that Meelo said to you?”
Asami blinked, then turned her head to look up at Korra. “…what?” Did that question come completely out of nowhere, or what?
“See, it just came to me. It was when you came to stay on Air Temple Island. The air kids were pretty excited to see you–you know, the mysterious beautiful girl that was the Avatar’s friend…” She chuckled. “I bet most of them didn’t see this coming.”
“Jinora might have,” said Asami. “But don’t change the subject so suddenly! What were you saying?”
“Oh, right. As I recall, the first thing Meelo said to you was…” Korra took a deep breath, screwing up her face into her best approximation of the little airbender, and spoke in a grating, high-pitched tone. “YOU’RE PRETTY CAN I HAVE SOME OF YOUR HAIR?”
“…what.” Asami buried her head in her hands, groaning. “I had forgotten about that. Thanks so much for reminding me.” Blushing, she looked up at Korra. “Why do you ask?”
Korra grinned evilly. “Well, at long last, my plot has paid off. I am now in the position where I can indulge him. You see, I have here in my hand your very own hairbrush, with your loose hairs attached. I have but to put in a call, and I’m sure that young Meelo will pay a handsome price for–”
Asami snatched at the brush, but Korra was just a hair faster, pulling it out of her reach and jumping to her feet before Asami could grab it. She vaulted over the back of the couch and stuck out her tongue cheekily, daring Asami to come after her. Asami’s eyes narrowed, and a thin smile came to her lips. If that’s the way you want it, you’re on.
She jumped up onto the couch, and as Korra stepped back, Asami swiftly pounced. Korra, surprised by her girlfriend’s vehemence, was unable to sidestep in time, and Asami managed to catch her, wrapping her legs around Korra’s stomach while her hands went after that stupid hairbrush. Korra, her vision blocked by Asami’s chest in her face, stumbled slightly, falling against the back of the couch.
The pair overbalanced and tipped over, falling in between the couch and the little table. They lay there, breathless, for a few moments, before the last straw: Korra’s mug of tea, forgotten during the teasing, finally overbalanced and poured its (thankfully cold, by now) contents over both their heads.
“This is your fault,” said Asami, fighting back a smile. She inhaled, appreciating the way that the tea smelled in Korra’s hair.
“Yeah, it is,” said Korra. “There is, of course, something else that needs to be dealt with.”
“What’s that?”
Korra wriggled around to face Asami and smiled. “Well, we had just gotten clean, and then I had to go and spill tea all over both of us. We should probably clean up again, you know what I’m saying?”
Asami felt her pulse quicken, and she was suddenly very conscious of how warm Korra was in her arms. She smiled, biting her lip slightly. “Mmmmm. Going to show me the, ah, cleansing properties of waterbending?” There was a note of anticipation in her voice that Korra could not have failed to notice.
“Of course.” Korra brushed back Asami’s hair from one ear and moved her lips close enough to brush the lobe as she purred, “Among other things…”