A/N: Shh just enjoy it. You know you want to.

Also keep in mind I will not write outright smut. Probably one of the few in this ship who won't ^^;;

Three: Temptation

Korra didn't know when she started becoming curious. When her teacher had turned into something more complex. Amon didn't seem to change; he was one of those men who seemed frozen in time, even while furthering a complicated cause. She had already seen what was behind his mask; she had already been working on separating the man from the idea. But something had changed and suddenly she was faced with an insatiable curiosity.

When it got to the point that even in the middle of the night the comfort of darkness was not enough to cease her swirling thoughts, Korra finally decided to do something about it.

The next morning the Water Tribe girl met her teacher in the training room, as they'd done countless times before. His arms were crossed as he turned to face her, his mask seeming to wear a deeper frown than usual. "You're late." He said flatly, watching as she crossed the room with strong, determined steps. He hated tardiness, Korra knew, but that didn't stop her. She walked straight up to him, halting only when she was a hair's breadth away, her face carefully composed into her own mask, breath held and shoulders back. He didn't move away, not even a lean backwards, but simply angled his head down to watch her.

"Take off your mask," Korra demanded, mouth set in a firm line.

His response was delayed, and Korra liked to think she had caught him off guard, but his tone was the same as ever. "No."

Korra frowned, expecting such, but her ears began burning in embarrassment regardless. "Take off your mask." She repeated firmly, as stubborn as an earthbender (as Lieutenant liked to remind her sourly).

He leaned forward slightly, arms still crossed, and somehow that small movement made him all the more intimidating. "No."

Her muscles tensed and screamed at her to move away, but she refused. She had enough courage to face down a half a dozen benders on her own; she jumped into battles with hardly a second thought. And yet she had to muster up everything she had to just lean forwards.

"Fine." Korra pressed her lips against his mask, cold and rigid, lingering in a moment of provocation. She could feel his sudden intake of breath, a small crack in his stoic armor, but he remained rigid. Only two seconds, if that, passed before she pulled back, spun around, and stormed for the door, unable to contain her embarrassment anymore. Her dark cheeks burned but she ignored the flame and focused on getting to the hallway, where she would probably stalk further down, find Lieu, and start yelling at him for no reason he would understand.

Her plan was dashed when a hand grasped her arm and her back slammed into the wall with a thud. Breath escaped her lips from the sudden movement, but her oomph was swallowed by a rough mouth. A hand pressed along her jaw kept her head in place, though the action was moot, Korra simply turning into the unexpected kiss. His mask had been discarded somewhere on the training room floor, and she could feel the heat of his skin, radically different from the chill of his mask. His lips worked her mouth open, hand moving from her arm to her hip. With her eyes shut, his scars were hidden from view but she could still feel the jagged skin from the slice through his lips, and she paid careful attention to it with her own.

His hand moved down, fingers pressing teasing circles into her thigh and trailing down her hip bone while he explored her mouth, sending shivers down her spine. The kiss was hot, open, and devouring. He gave her no leeway even as she tried to keep up, gripping the front of his coat as she tried to figure out what to do with these new, burning sensations. He pulled back just enough to divert his attack to her neck, massaging and sucking and biting until her breaths came in groans. His lips worked to her throat, forcing her chin up and head back, seemingly ever intent on keeping her submissive in some manner; ever at his mercy.

Just as quickly as he came, he stopped. Somehow, he hardly appeared out of breath despite the fact Korra was desperately trying to remember how her own lungs worked. She paused long enough to regard him in confusion, before tugging at his collar and leaning forwards to continue when he seized her chin. His fingers dug into her skin, cool against her flushed face, and kept her from coming closer, diverting her attention from his lips to his eyes. They were dark and blazing, but with what exactly, she wasn't sure. He still leaned over her, forcing her gaze up. He caught her eyes as easily as he had captured her lips, and his tone was heavy, husky, even intimate. And yet he still sounded like a leader speaking to a subordinate.

His face remained stoic, though words were sharp. "Do not tempt me."

Lingering only long enough to see the understanding register on her face, Amon released her jaw and moved away, a rush of cold replacing the previous heat of his body. Korra stared, unable to compose herself and react quick enough. He picked up his mask and replaced it in a deft movement before striding out of the room.

Korra slumped against the wall, staring after him, trying to wrap her head around what just happened and to quell the dissatisfaction tightening her core. "I guess training's dismissed for the day," she said to herself to fill the silence, half expecting him to come back and drill her mercilessly (which she would find out the following day was a correct expectation) but figured his departing statement was what he wanted her to focus on the rest of the day. Her tingling lips rose into a smirk.

After that display, she couldn't help but think this was one lesson worth ignoring.

.x.