The Otter Penguin Diner wasn't anything special, but the small eatery provided exactly what Asami had been looking for – a chance to get to know the charming stranger she'd woken up with. The cramped diner had been packed with a Saturday brunch crowd. They had sat together at a small table in the corner, and Asami's entire focus had been on the charismatic, if a little shy, woman. Asami still found herself having a difficult time keeping her hands to herself; there were at least a half dozen times where she caught that she'd touched the woman while they spoke, usually after laughing by putting her hand on her forearm. But Korra didn't seem to mind.

The two had been able to eat and have good conversation: They'd talked briefly about what had happened the night before, but Asami changed topics when she noticed the shorter woman start to blush and fumble through her words again when they started talking about how she got Asami to bed. She asked her to tell her about herself instead, and the woman's demeanor immediately shifted. She was still clearly nervous around Asami and seemed to have a perpetual rosy hue to her cheeks, but when she started talking about growing up in the Southern Capital, she stopped fumbling over her words and instead smiled as she spoke.

She learned that this charming woman grew up in the Southern Capital and had never really traveled outside of it; she'd gone to the surrounding areas when she was younger for snowboarding and snowmobiling with her family but had never ventured further. They also talked about how she was a rookie to the competitive MMA arena and was currently on a short vacation before ramping up her training schedule for her first official fight in about a month's time. Asami appreciated that even though the woman was incredibly physically fit, she never once bragged about her appearance, her muscles, or her workout routine. She instead spoke positively about how she was inspired by others, how excited she was to see other peoples' progress in their fitness, and some minor frustrations with the league rules and her coach.

Asami could have stayed in the diner for hours talking with the woman. She was funny, impossibly polite to the wait staff, and refused to only talk about herself but preferred to have an active conversation between the two of them. She was refreshing to be around and easy to open up to. She wasn't like the business professionals that she was constantly surrounded by in her work life or non-business associates who knew her family name and got a starstruck in her presence. Korra didn't seem to be at all phased by who she was, or at least, was good at hiding it. Her initial nervousness seemed to stem from something else. Perhaps it was merely a holdover from the night before, and the morning they'd shared.

Had it not been for her meeting, she would have spent the entire day with this woman. But the time was getting closer to noon, and she still had notes at her rented office space to review before she set foot into her meeting. Meeting someone as amazing as Korra was no excuse for her to slack in her work duties, no matter how tempting the notion was.

The door to the street opened, and Asami smiled when the sun hit her skin. Despite it being late spring, the air was somewhat chilly, and the slight breeze in the air mixed the heat of the sun with the cool breeze of the nearby sea creating pockets of hot and cold on the air. Republic City never felt like this despite being on the water, too. It was a sensation that Asami hadn't expected to grow to like, but it was one of the many charming things about the area that made her happy that work kept bringing her back here.

Korra held the door as Asami walked through, offering a genuine smile. Asami stopped herself from reaching out and touching Korra's waist as she walked past her. Korra had been okay with arm touching, but reaching out for her side wasn't something that she'd done and definitely wasn't something they'd talked about in their almost two-hour breakfast date.

Asami smiled to herself.

Had this been a date? It felt like a date. But she had just said she was buying her breakfast as a thank you. She hadn't actually asked Korra out. And besides, she wasn't in the area to find love. She was here for work.

The door to the diner closed and Asami turned around, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled when she saw the shorter woman; Korra had her face up to the sun, her eyes closed as she smiled upward without showing teeth.

Asami allowed herself to stare for a space of heartbeats. Korra was absolutely breathtaking. She was beautiful. She already knew that from watching her this morning before she woke up. But after speaking with her in the diner and now watching her soak up the sunshine just showed how vibrant the woman was and how much appreciation she had for the small things. She'd never gone out with someone who took a moment to appreciate the heat of the sun; usually, they'd shield their eyes or automatically pull out a pair of sunglasses or complain about it. But not Korra. She was face up like a flower soaking in every ray of sunshine and all the vitamin D that she could. The sun cascaded over the front of her, causing small shadows to emphasize the muscles along her exposed arms.

Spirits, I could get used to this, Asami thought, thinking of what it would be like to wake up with Korra every day and watch her greet the morning weather. She smiled to herself, biting the inside of her lip.

Korra wasn't something she had time to get used to seeing, though. Not only was she a few meetings away from landing her deal to start construction on her new factory, she still had plenty of obligations back in Republic City. And she'd never had a relationship stand the test of her rigorous work schedule; she couldn't imagine how a long-distant relationship would fare any better. They required more effort, with devoted time to phone calls and video chatting and setting aside time to travel to see each other. Her previous relationships had been merely convenient – grabbing meals between meetings or after work and ample sleeping together at night. But work often ran long and would cut into time set aside for dates. There was a reason her relationships never lasted long.

She had to stop it before it started. She had to. This woman deserved a partner who would never miss a match, who could be her cheerleader through everything, and someone who could be wholly present.

She let out a sad sigh and then took a step forward, touching Korra's elbow.

"Enjoying the warmth?" Asami asked.

"Definitely," Korra grinned and then opened her eyes and met Asami's gaze. "It's been rainy the last few weeks, and whenever it has been sunny, I've been stuck in the gym. This feels nice."

Asami's breath caught. The grin on Korra's face made her eyes light up, and she looked genuinely happy. All the shyness and awkwardness of the morning was gone, and Asami felt as if she was looking at Korra without any filters. It was almost overwhelming. Almost.

She took a step into her. "Is it alright if I give you a hug before I have to run to my meeting?" she asked despite knowing it was probably a bad idea to let herself be held by this woman again. But she wanted at least one last embrace from her before she shut it down completely.

"Absolutely!" Korra smiled wide.

Asami didn't waste any time and slid her arms around Korra's shoulders. Korra's hands firmly moved to wrap around her waist and pulled her close. It was exactly the type of hug she was hoping for. The embrace wasn't timid or dainty; Korra's arms were strong and held her firmly and flushed to her front. Asami could feel Korra's breasts compress against hers as they breathed together and could feel the warmth of Korra's body radiate directly into her own skin. She could smell the faint scent of lemongrass and eucalyptus permeating from Korra's hair, causing a calmness to course through her body, as if the smell rode its way through her entire nervous system, systematically easing each muscle as it passed.

Despite being slightly shorter, Korra's body fit against hers perfectly. There was no denying it. There was something about when Korra touched her that made Asami feel like everything was where it was supposed to be. Her skin tingled in the spots where their skin made contact, and the feeling of her arms around her made her feel safe. She had never needed another human being to feel safe; she'd been taking martial arts since the age of seven and had kept it up until about three years ago when she simply couldn't fit it into her schedule anymore. But Korra felt safe. Safe physically and emotionally.

Asami tightened her arms around Korra, not wanting to let go.

This was silly – she was the CEO and owner of Future Industries. She made her own schedule. If she wanted to make a long distance relationship work, she could do it. She'd never actually tried to move her work schedule around to accommodate another person. Perhaps she was the reason her relationships always failed – because her previous partners had never felt like a priority. But none of them had felt like this before. She could easily make Korra a priority, especially if she continued to make her body feel the way it did when she was close. She was confident that her deal would go through, and once it did, she'd be down in the Southern Capital more than in Republic City until the factory was up and running to her standards. She would have time to get to know Korra. Time to get to know if the way she felt against her was a fluke, onset by a sheer lack of physical intimacy for over a year, or if it was something more. And by then, they'd have something figured out.

Asami always went after what she wanted professionally. Always. Was it so wrong to try to do it for her personal life, too?

I'd be an idiot to not at least try asking her out, she thought.

"You know what else feels nice?" Asami asked just above a whisper as she started to loosen her grip around Korra.

Korra chuckled. "Hugs?"

"Specifically," Asami started as she leaned back, catching Korra's ice blue eyes. "You," Asami teased.

A blush spread across Korra's cheeks, but her demeanor didn't shift into nervousness like it had this morning after they'd woken up together. She held Asami's eyes confidently and licked her bottom lip.

Korra was about to say something when the door to the diner opened behind them, a small bell chiming as it did. An elderly couple was leaving the restaurant, but Korra and Asami were still standing in front of the door.

"Excuse us, sorry," Asami said as she started walking backward with her arms still around Korra, pulling the shorter woman with her.

Korra blinked and then muttered a quiet apology to the elderly couple and let Asami lead her a few steps away from the door of the diner.

Asami watched the elderly couple smile, wave at them, and then start walking away. They had to be in their nineties, at least. But they walked together, still holding hands. The older man stopped and then pointed to a flower in the window box of a shop next to the eatery, and it caused the older woman to smile and lean against his shoulder.

Asami smiled as she watched them walk. They were old and wrinkled and seemed very much in love. She felt her heart twinge – she wanted that. She wanted someone who loved her unconditionally and would be around for years and years to come. She had no idea if Korra was that person, but she'd never know if she didn't make proper time for a relationship and shifted her priorities.

"So, um," Korra started, her voice sounding nervous again as her hands began to withdraw from Asami's back.

Asami blinked and brought her attention back to Korra, who arms were still draped around. Asami didn't dare cling and let her arms fall away but didn't move back from her. Korra brought a hand up to her neck, rubbing the back of it apprehensively.

"So," she started again. "This whole thing has been a bit… different." Korra frowned and let out a breath, dropping her hand and letting her shoulders relax a little.

Asami watched her, unsure what the change in Korra's demeanor meant and braced for the worst. Of course, she could want the woman all she wanted, but that didn't change the fact that she had absolutely no clue how the shorter woman felt about her. Asami had been the one to initiate all of the contact so far. Had she simply misread everything?

"But," Korra continued. "Regardless of the crap that happened last night… I… um… I—" She stopped talking and furrowed her brow, chewing on the edge of her lip.

Asami tilted her head to the side and brought a hand up to gently touch the outside of Korra's arm. She felt like she knew Korra was going tell her that she hadn't signed up for all this and politely end whatever it was between them, but she didn't want to put words in her mouth.

"You what?" Asami asked softly, caressing the skin of Korra's arm with her thumb, trying to encourage her to be honest. She could take rejection without issue. But it looked like it was hard for Korra to get out.

Korra swallowed and then let out a breath, steeling her nerves for what she had to say.

Asami braced herself. She felt her tear ducts primitively activate, and she blinked a few times to get them to settle down. She could handle rejection. It was a part of life. A part of business.

"I was wondering if you'd… If you'd maybe want to go out with me sometime?" she managed to finally get out.

Asami blinked at her. That wasn't a rejection.

Korra swallowed again. "I mean, I know you're not from here, and you're traveling for work and all… but… it could be fun, right?"

"Go out," Asami repeated. "As in on a date?"

"Y-yeah!" Korra started, her smile faltering. "I mean—unless you just want to be frie—"

"Let's do dinner," Asami interrupted. She wasn't about to let this woman think she wanted to just be friends. And she knew the only thing on her schedule today was her one o'clock meeting. "Tonight, seven o'clock?"

Korra blinked rapidly, but her smile returned to her face. "Whoa, tonight?!"

"Is that a problem?"

"No!" Korra blurted and rushed to put her hands out to hold Asami's waist. "Spirits no! I just," she paused and looked Asami over. "You're just so confident and I… I wasn't one hundred percent sure that you were into me."

Asami was happy to feel the warmth of Korra's hands on her waist again. She couldn't help herself and put her hand on the plane of Korra's abdomen, slowly letting her nails drag an inch or so down.

"Oh I'm very interested," Asami said with a smile. "Despite everything that happened last night, you have been nothing but sweet, and kind, and chivalrous, and," she trailed off, pausing as she moved both of her hands to slide over Korra's collar bone and drape around her neck again as she took a small step forward. Korra's hands moved further back on her waist, welcoming the closeness.

Asami thought of kissing Korra to show her how she felt, but she didn't want to push any boundaries. She'd kissed her last night without her expressed permission. She wanted to be positive that that's what she wanted before doing anything of the sort.

"Well," Asami continued, her voice low and only for Korra to hear. "Let's just say that I like you a great deal already. Not to mention how much I enjoy the way you feel when you touch me or when you're close to me."

"Yeah?" Korra's smile spread as her hands pulled her closer, her hands coming together on Asami's lower back.

"That's not too forward, is it?" Asami asked, resisting the urge to bite her lip.

Korra shook her head. "Not at all. I like it," she admitted. "And you. I like you a lot, too."

Asami's smile widened as she let her fingers play with the hair on the base of Korra's head. "So, dinner?"

"Yes! Dinner tonight sounds great."

Asami's eyes looked over Korra's smiling face, down to her lips and then back up to her eyes. The way that they were holding each other still made her want to just pull the woman into a kiss. But she wasn't about to mess this up.

"So, would you consider dinner tonight our first or our second date?"

Korra blinked. "Wait. Was… was breakfast a date?" Korra asked, looking from Asami back to the diner.

Asami let herself smirk and then moved one of her hands to make her finger trail along Korra's jaw, drawing her attention back to her. Korra let Asami move her without any resistance and looked at Asami again, her mouth slightly agape.

"That depends," Asami said as she leaned in closer, moving her hand back to its previous position but taking the opportunity to let her nails rake gently on Korra's neck. Korra let out a labored breath before swallowing, her grip around Asami's waist tightening. "Are you someone who kisses on the first date? Or do you wait until the second date? Or some other indication?"

"We've already kissed," Korra said with a chuckle. "Buuuut I feel like that was more of a show for that weasel-slug of a creep last night," Korra added, looking from Asami's eyes to her lips and back up.

Asami bit the edge of her lip. "That kiss is the only thing I clearly remember about last night," she started as she leaned in a touch closer. "The kiss definitely started out that way, but then I just couldn't help myself."

"I'd be a liar if I said I hadn't enjoyed it, too." Korra grinned.

"If I remember right, I recall hearing you say holy fuck afterward," Asami teased.

The blush came crashing back to Korra's cheeks. "I said that out loud?!"

"You definitely did," Asami smirked, letting her fingers continue to play in Korra's hairline, dragging her nails every so often. "So, let me rephrase my question: when would it be appropriate for me to kiss you again?" Asami asked. "When would you normally kiss someone you're going on a date with?"

Korra looked at Asami for a space of moments. Her smile turned soft, and her eyes looked Asami over while her arms pulled her forward, closing what little distance that was left between them before shrugging.

"It depends entirely on the person."

"What about me?" Asami asked, looking slightly down at Korra.

Korra moved forward, pushing up on her feet just so until her lips met Asami's. Her lips were warm and gentle but tentative as though she was testing to see if this was what Asami wanted.

Asami answered by kissing Korra back with fervor. She didn't want this woman to think for a second that she wasn't interested or that her lips weren't exactly what she'd been craving all morning. Though she appreciated Korra's lips seeking an unspoken consent, she wanted more of how they'd kissed before.

The shorter woman matched Asami's pace once it was set, their lips moving together in a way that started to make Asami's head feel fuzzy. The warmth from Korra's malleable lips radiated into her, and she could feel it pool deep into her core. Kissing Korra now felt different than what she remembered from the night before. In comparison, Korra had been tense, reserved, and unsure. But now she was just as demanding as Asami in wanting closeness, her hands moving freely around Asami's lower back, as their mouths explored each other's with their own small demanding movements.

Asami knew she could easily get lost in Korra's lips. She had a flash of wanting to cancel her meeting and do just that; letting Korra's lips do whatever and go wherever they wanted while they hauled up in her hotel room. But she knew that she couldn't. Allowing herself to explore a possible relationship didn't mean shrugging off all of her duties as a business owner. And if she didn't stop kissing her soon, she was bound to get utterly lost in her lips. And making out on a sidewalk wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with, despite how comfortable the muscular woman made her.

As soon as she started to pull back, her lips began to miss the warmth of Korra's; she pushed forward once more, giving the shorter woman a kiss of simply the fullness of their lips pressed together. Korra hummed in approval.

Asami leaned her forehead against Korra's, pulling her lips away. She smiled to herself as her fingers gently traced the line of the back of Korra's neck.

Korra's lips were on hers again, but briefly. Asami could feel that she was smiling too.

"Does that answer your question?" Korra asked as her hands moved firmly to Asami's waist.

"Yes," Asami said softly, trying to mask that she was slightly out of breath. She wanted to grab her and kiss her again. She wanted to feel Korra's strong hands on skin and not through the fabric of her shirt.

Before she could even form a full thought of what to do next with the woman in front of her, her phone started to ring. Normally she'd let it go to voicemail, but it was the ring tone she'd programmed for her driving service while she was in the south.

I really need to ship one of my cars down here, she thought with a frown.

"I'm sorry, but I have to take this," Asami said, withdrawing her hands from Korra as she went for her phone in her purse.

Korra simply smiled, nodding as she let her hands fall away from Asami's hips. She felt cold without Korra's body pressed against her or her hands on her.

Asami ignored her body's apparent longing for Korra's and brought her phone up her ear.

"Asami Sato speaking."

"Good Afternoon, Ms. Sato," the familiar receptionist of the car company started. "I wanted to inform you that your car is fifteen minutes away from The Spirit Grande. Is that still a good location for your pick-up this afternoon?"

Asami nodded and then remembered she had to actually speak. "Yes, thank you."

"Wonderful. Are there any other services we can provide you today?"

"I'll be needing a return pick-up," Asami said and then glanced at Korra who was patiently waiting. "And possibly another outing tonight, but I don't have the details yet."

"Not to worry, Ms. Sato. We'll ensure that a car and a driver is available tonight for you."

"Thank you."

"And you. Have a pleasant day."

"You do the same," Asami said and then hung up.

Korra looked at her for a space of moments. "Everything alright?"

Asami nodded, putting her phone away. "Yeah, that was just a courtesy call to let me know my ride is almost at the hotel. So," she paused, looking Korra up and down. She didn't want to leave, but she had work to attend to. "I have to start heading back if I'm going to make my afternoon meeting on time. But," she stopped again, this time placing her hand just above Korra's clavicle. "You have my number from last night, right?"

Korra's smile pulled to the side. "Sure do!"

"Perfect. Since you're from around here, why don't you pick where we go tonight on our date and then text me the address?"

"I actually think I know which place already!" Korra's smile widened, her teeth now showing as her eyes lit up. "You like seaweed noodles, yeah?"

"I can't say I've ever had them, but I'm more than happy to try something new!" Asami responded. Korra's excitement for the noodles was infectious.

"You'll love this place. It's super authentic southern food. Though," Korra paused, her lip pouting slightly. "It isn't very classy or upscale. Would you rather go to a fancier restaurant?" she asked, suddenly unsure of herself.

Asami couldn't help herself; she leaned forward and kissed Korra, moving her hand from Korra's clavicle to her cheek. She kept the kiss chaste, despite every urge in her body to pull her into a more passionate kiss.

"So long as I'm with you tonight," she said as she leaned back, keeping her hand on Korra's cheek. "I don't care where we go."

"I-I'll," Korra stammered as the rosy hue resurfaced on her dark cheeks. "I'll text you the address."

"And I'll see you at seven," Asami said with a wink.

She wanted to kiss her again but thought that if she did, she'd never make it back to her hotel in time to meet the car. She settled for letting her thumb caress Korra's cheek before letting her hand drop and taking a decisive step back. She held Korra's ice blue eyes, smiling and couldn't help but bite the edge of her lip.

Before she could take another step and break their eye contact, Korra stepped into her, her firm hand returning to Asami's slender waist and pulled her close, her lips crashing against hers. Asami let out a muffle surprise against her, causing Korra to recoil slightly, perhaps thinking she'd done something Asami hadn't wanted.

Asami couldn't have that. And it definitely wasn't that she didn't want to keep kissing Korra. Spirits that sounded exorbitantly better than anything she had planned for the rest of her stay in the Southern Capital, aside from their date.

As Korra leaned back, Asami grabbed the wide straps of her tank topped and pulled her back into the kiss, showing her that whatever Korra initiated was more than welcome. Korra responded, pulling her flush against her again.

Disregarding her previous inclination to not make out with Korra on the sidewalk, Asami let herself get lost in Korra lips and body – her arms moved back to the comfort of muscular woman's neck and shoulders, her nails gently scratching up in the back of Korra's hairline as she ran her tongue along the curve of Korra's lips. Korra immediately reciprocated, letting Asami's tongue explore her mouth as her strong hands kneaded on her back, urging her closer despite there being no room left between them.

Korra had no right to feel as good as she did. Her warmth from her body seeped directly into Asami's core, pooling dangerously low in her abdomen again. She wanted more – she wanted to feel Korra's skin against hers so that the warmth of the shorter woman's muscles seeped directly into hers. She felts like she could get lost in Korra for hours, if not days.

Her body arched into Korra's as her left foot moved behind her, causing her heel to pop ever-so-slightly and putting more of her weight into the muscular woman. Korra hands encouraged her pressing weight against her, a hand dipping past to the top of her butt while the other held her tightly around her upper back just around her bra line. How easy it would be for Korra to just unclasp her bra. She wanted it, there was no denying that, but they were still very much on a public street.

Korra must have also remembered because their kiss began to settle. Hungry exploration of each other's mouths turned into a slower, more methodical movements against each other. The change in technique from Korra caused Asami to moan into Korra's mouth. Her lips were impossibly soft and made her think of what else they were capable of doing alongside her strong hands. Asami made the conscious effort to put her foot back on the ground when she felt the heat between them cumulate in a newfound warmth and slight wetness in her panties.

The kiss slowed to a stop, and Korra pulled back slightly. Her muscular arms tightened around Asami's waist as she brushed her nose against Asami's before kissing her one more time. Soft, gentle, and not demanding anything more. And that feeling of not having any expectation made Asami want to start up all over again, but she wasn't given a chance as Korra began to withdraw.

Their chests compressed together as they both caught their breath. Asami couldn't help herself and kissed Korra one more time before putting her hands on Korra's shoulder and pointedly taking a step back.

Korra was grinning as she surveyed Asami's expression.

Was she the one blushing now?

If she was, it was because her body wanted things that she simply didn't have time for right now. But the more Asami thought about it, the more she realized that there was indeed a heat to her cheeks.

"See you at seven," Korra said, her voice low with just an edge of husky to it. Her grin pulled into a smirk as she began to slowly walk backward, letting the distance in her gate eventually pull her hands off of Asami's waist and falling away.

Asami bit her lip again but let Korra walk backward. She shook her head and smiled despite her body being sad at the loss of Korra's radiating heat. Her smile returned to her lips when she thought that there would be plenty of time later tonight to relish in her warmth again.

They shared a smile before Asami turned and started her trek back to the hotel. The diner was about a ten-minute walk from her hotel. The car was probably going to have to wait a minute, but she'd apologize in the way of a hefty tip. She was glad that she was already wearing her business outfit, but was sure she'd need to at least touch up her lipstick on the ride to the office building.

She glanced back over her shoulder to see that Korra was watching her walk with an ear to ear smile spread across her face. Korra waved at her and Asami did the same, but then made a conscious decision to exaggerate the sway of her hips as she walked, her heels confidently clacking against the concrete of the sidewalk.

She found herself unable to wipe the smile from her face as she turned her head back around to watch where her feet were going as she tucked a thick column of her free-flowing hair behind her ear. This was all completely unplanned, but Asami felt the swell of excitement stirring in her stomach.

Ten minutes was enough time for a phone call. She opened her purse while she waited to cross the street at a stop light and pulled out a posted note with a realtor's information written on it that she'd tucked away a few days ago after looking it up over a quick lunch in her office before dashing into a meeting with the city planner. Buying a condo in the area suddenly had much more of an appeal to it than it had before.

A/N: This story was intended to simply be a one-shot that ended up being too long, so it became a short fic. However! If there's enough interest, I'd be more than happy to keep it going as a series of short one-shots or less than five chapter fluff short fics, and even some at higher maturity ratings. So if you're interested, let me know in the comments!

Thank you so much for reading! I'm absolutely humbled by the response I've gotten so far for writing in the Korrasami fandom. I've been an avid consumer of the fandom since I watched Legend of Korra back in 2014 and am happy to be producing content for it finally.

If you want to know what else I'm working on or want to jump in on the random polls I occasionally do for what to work on next or see my Last Line Memes that I post as teasers, feel free to follow me on Tumblr at MistressNoriko. I know Tumblr is kind of slowly fizzling out with its recent user agreement changes and now with potentially being up for sale again, but I'm on the lookout for other platforms. I'm terrible at twitter but could try my hand at making a twitter handle for my fanfiction work if there's any interest.

What are some other platforms that you use?