UPDATED A/N:To my new readers - welcome! So you're aware, this initial chapter was intended to be a one shot for the competition details you see below. I decided to keep going after an influx of requests. With that, be warned, the pace definitely chances after the first chapter. It's not quite as innocent/fluffy as this, and so the rating was changed from K+ to M. Anywho, I hope you like it!

A/N: For those who follow me, I'm sorry I haven't written in a while! I've been extremely busy lately and haven't had a chance to update my main fics. I know many are in need of their daily Korrasami fix, so I made my submission for this round of the Pro-Bending Tournament Circuit Korrasami-centric. Hopefully everyone enjoys it! As for my other fics, I'll get to them soon, I promise! The encouraging Reviews, Faves, Follows, and PMs are always appreciated. Thank you!

Pro-Bending Tournament Circuit - Round 2

Team: Ba Sing Se Badgermoles

Position: Manager

Prompt: NoBending!AU

Word Count: 3,288

For as long as she could remember, mechanics were her passion. Of course, there were many other things she loved, but when it came down to it, mechanics was the hobby she always fell back on whenever she had a free moment or needed to blow off some steam.

Since her father's incarceration due to a series of "business" deals went horribly wrong (she wasn't naïve; she figured out what kind of deals he was making), she hadn't had much time to enjoy her beloved tinkering time. His firm was left in her name, leaving her to be the only person to manage the entrepreneurial monstrosity. While she enjoyed the concepts of business practices, the constant need to fix one problem after another had been getting to her more and more. She needed a fix of her own; to spend some time doing something she loved. The problem was that the government seized her father's estate, along with its beautifully crafted garage and workshop, until the investigation was concluded.

She decided to take a drive one evening in an effort to get out of the office. The stuffiness of the windowless rooms and suit-wearing men she was surrounded by had been enough to last a lifetime. After one particular and poorly conducted meeting she stomped out, leaving only the loud bangs of a few doors and a "I'm taking a break!" directed at her assistant in her wake.

The convertible she bought was nice, the warm summer breeze from the top being down was a nice comforting tool, but it was nothing compared to the roaring pieces of art she had solely constructed that were sitting in her father's garage. 'When are they going to finish that stupid investigation?' she asked herself, frustrated with the fact that all of her personal possessions were unattainable even 6 months after the arrest. 'This is absolutely ridiculous.' A quick huff escaped her lungs as she shifted gears, bracing herself for a quick increase in speed and she swept through the city streets.

After a while, she found herself on the outskirts of the city, having not felt satisfied with the speed limitations and wanting more freedom to let out a little aggression on the open road. The tires squealed as she made quick adjustments with the gearshift and hand brake while coasting around curves and corners. The thrill of potentially losing control at any moment was exhilarating. However, that would never happen, simply because she was Asami Sato and she NEVER lost control.

A dirt road suddenly caught her attention. Without any signs warning of trespassing, she considered taking a leisurely drive down it was legal. With a quick flick of the wheel she made her way down its path, dirt and rocks kicking up under the low-level car. The speedster wasn't really made for rough terrain, but knowing that eventually she would get her four-wheeled babies back, she didn't give it much thought or care. All that mattered was a new setting that she'd yet to explore.

After a couple minutes of driving while taking in the gorgeous landscape surrounding her, a small building came into view, growing in size as she neared. What looked like specks soon became people and equipment and… 'Is this a mechanics garage?!' A few more yards driven and her observation was confirmed. Several cars were parked in the semi-grassy yard, a few of them with their hoods up and men leaning over the engines. Others were sitting on lifts inside each garage opening, more men standing underneath either working on the under-belly or chatting to others, likely sharing ideas or knowledge about the vehicles. There were a few more men sitting at picnic tables off to the side, laughing over beers and burgers while one stood over a grill, flipping patties casually. 'What is this place?' she asked herself, looking around for a sign of sorts as she parked a short distance away, unsure of what to do.

Her eyes scanned over the scene, taking in the spectacle of men who were happily working away with one another. Finally, a small sign hanging above a door that looked like an entrance into an office came into her line of vision; The Getaway Garage, it read. Asami contemplated the meaning for a moment. 'Getaway – as in a vacation?' she thought, continually scanning the area.

There were hoards of men walking around of many varieties. Some were tall, dark and handsome, and other were short, stubby and awkwardly out of place, but every single one of them seemed to be smilingly genuinely. For a moment she thought that maybe this place was a gentleman's club of sorts, one where women weren't exactly welcome, until suddenly, from around one of the most brilliantly made roadsters she'd ever seen, came a woman – a HOT woman, to be exact. 'WOW…'

The average-height girl strolled around from the front of the car where the hood was propped up, seemingly haven blocked Asami's view initially. She was elegant tan color, one that could only be entirely natural, with smooth muscles that scored over her arms and legs as if sculpted by hand. Her hair was cropped just above her shoulders, a chocolate color that was held back by a light and dark blue bandana with Aztec-style print. She wore a pair of dark blue jean shorts that came to rest just below her pointed hip bones, the top of an abdominal 'V' visible just about the waistline. Her t-shirt was a cut off, the armholes dipping down low so that a bright blue sports bra could be seen underneath. A rag was tossed over her shoulder, which she grabbed to wipe her hands on as she gracefully walked toward the trunk of her car, likely looking for more tools. She stopped suddenly, Asami taking notice to the pause in her movement, and then quickly realized her pause was because she was looking directly towards Asami's car.

Asami gulped, feeling like a deer in a headlight, as the woman began walking her way. Having been caught, the best thing she could do was at least apologize for intruding, hopefully getting some information about the location while doing so. She opened the car door and stepped out, closing it behind her and leaning her hip on the frame. The girl stopped in her tracks for a moment, her eyes darting around quickly before she continued her forward movements. 'Did she just check me out?' Asami thought to herself, her eyebrows rising slightly at the question.

Asami wasn't as stiff as her business counterparts were, dressing regularly more for comfort and fashion rather that professional appeal. Today she was rocking a pair of charcoal colored skinny jeans that rested very low on her hips. Red stilettos extenuated her somewhat curvy, yet slim, frame. Up top she wore an off-white, sheer button down with rolled up sleeves, the black laced bra she wore underneath just slightly visible. Her long, flowing jet-black hair was tied back neatly, away from her face as she wore a pair of grey aviator sunglasses. 'At least I look good today,' she considered. 'Not that it really matters, unless she really did happen to be checking me out. I guess, we'll see…'

The girl walked right up to her and stuck her hand out as a welcoming gesture, saying, "Hi there, I'm Korra." Asami took the friendly hand in her own, shaking in their greeting as she returned the sentiment. "Hi. I'm Asami. It's nice to meet you, Korra." Her thumb lightly brushed the back of the girl's hand before pulling away. 'Wow, this girl has smooth skin, and those eyes! I could touch and look at her all damn day.'

"So, what brings you to our little piece of paradise?" Korra inquired, giving her a questioning look, but remaining soft and approachable.

"I actually just stumbled upon this accidently" Asami responded, not really knowing how to explain herself.

Korra laughed at her answer. "That's interesting, seeing as we're quite a ways off the beaten path. How'd you manage that?"

Asami slumped her shoulders, feeling a little foolish. "Well, I had a rough day at work so I decided to take a drive. I saw the dirt road but didn't see any signs, so I figured it was okay. I wasn't expecting to find anyone down this way." She shrugged a little as she looked away. "I apologize if I'm trespassing. I really had no idea."

"Oh, it's fine!" the girl retorted, putting a hand on Asami's shoulder, coaxing her to look up into her dazzling blue eyes. A comforting smile made it's way across her lips as she continued. "That's exactly what this place is meant to be! Welcome to The Getaway Garage! The whole idea is that people can come here to enjoy some downtime away from their regular stressors, which is what it sounds like is exactly what you need." The hand on Asami's shoulder slowly grazed its way to her back, sending a wave of electricity through her body. The girl turned to her side and out-stretched her other arm, enticing Asami towards the complex. "I'll show you around, if you'd like."

With a step forward and a side glace towards the young woman, Asami answered her, "Yeah, that'd be great! If you don't mind, of course."

"Not at all!" Korra grinned widely and crookedly, showing off her pearly whites and pinked cheeks in the process. 'Oh my, this girl is too freakin' cute' Asami commented to herself.

As they walked towards the assortment of cars and men, Asami noticed that Korra's hand had drifted down slightly to her mid-back, never once leaving its place there. Everyone around them had stopped what they were doing, eyeing the girls instead. Asami assumed that they were surprised that another woman was among them, possibly making them angry as some seemed to be narrowing their looks into intense glares. Worriedly, Asami turned to look at Korra, about to ask if it was okay that she was there, until she saw the possessive glare the girl was giving all of them. She smirked slyly to herself, thinking, 'If I'm not mistaken, I'd say Korra is marking her territory.' The thought gave her a triumphant feeling.

Normally, when someone tried to give off the perception of "owning" Asami, she'd get angry, her independent nature flaring up, as she would refuse to be owned by anyone. However, this felt different. Instead of wanting to brush the hand on her back away and defiantly scold the person attached to it, she slowed down just a tad, enticing said hand into slightly adding more pressure as the girl guided her towards the roadster.

As they approached the vehicle, Korra's hand disappeared from its spot to pick up a tool from atop of the engine block instead. She looked back with a twinkle of elation in her eyes. "Are you familiar with the mechanics of a car?"

Asami smiled. "A little bit."

"You've come to the right place then! I can teach you everything you need to know to get your car into tip top shape!" She leaned to the side, taking a look at the battered convertible. "That thing could probably use a tune up."

A few men off to the side snickered, their gazes bouncing back and forth between the women a couple time before returning to their hushed conversation. Korra noticed the noises, turning back to them briefly with an irritated look on her face. Asami giggled as well at the girl's reaction, causing her to turn back, her expression changing to confusion.

"Is there a joke that I'm missing?" Korra asked, obviously uncomfortable.

"Not at all," Asami responded, giving the girl a warm smile. "I'd be happy if you'd teach me a few things."

The woman before her lit up like a Christmas tree in excitement at showing her some of her knowledge. 'This should be interesting' Asami thought, curious enough to play dumb for a while as the girl started pointing various parts of the engine out and talking about each one's purpose.

After about a half an hour of patiently letting Korra go through how to fix a variety of common issues, Asami couldn't suffer anymore as she tried incredibly hard not to correct each instruction. Korra was animatedly expressing how to change a spark plug when she reached out to grab the tan hand as it whipped through the air. "Korra…?"

She stopped dead mid-sentence. "Am I boring you?" she began, a look of alarm on her face. "I'm boring you, aren't I? I'm so sorry. I don't usually explain-"

"Not, that's not it," Asami cut in. "I just… know all of this already. And… well, I…" She drifted off, unsure of what to say without embarrassing the girl. "I may know quite a bit more about cars than I let on."

"Oh," was all Korra could get out. After a long, awkward moment of the girls looking away from each other, Korra finally broke the silence. "Um… exactly how much do you know?"

"I may have designed and built a few cars myself…" she started, quickly feeling guilty as the girl's expression turned to a frown, obviously realizing that her somewhat novice explanations were probably completely off the mark.

"How many have you built?"

"Um… Six? There's a seventh that was half built."

"Was?"

"Long story…"

Korra sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Well, I feel stupid all of a sudden," she stated with a hint of sadness.

'Shit! Fix it, you dummy!' Asami reached out and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling it towards her to clasp between her other hand, as well. "No! Please don't feel stupid. I should have said something sooner, but you were so cute-" She stopped talking, realizing what she said. 'Shit!'

Korra's eyes grew wide at the comment, but after a couple of seconds her eyebrows returned to their normal fashion and a surly smile grazed its way across her face. "Cute, am I?"

This time it was Asami's eyes that grew wide in shock, her mouth hanging open just slightly as words escaped her. "I- uh- um… Yes?" Her eyes blinked as she tried to process her response. 'Smooth, Asami… Very smooth.'

This was so far outside her usual behavior. She was Asami Sato, and she NEVER lost control. Never… until now. On the plus side, though, the stress from her professional life melted away as she found her new mechanic's oasis. Even more so, she found a woman that literally took her breath away. 'Maybe losing control isn't the worst thing that could happen.'

"Asami?" the girl questioned, breaking her out of her thought process.

"Hmm?" She looked up towards the gorgeous girl's face, completely forgetting that she had just stumbled her way through a very awkward conversation.

"Are you alright?"

The look of worry on the beautiful woman in front of her made her think that she must have gone through a series of expressions, never settling on one as her thoughts drifted. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm fine." She answered quickly. "Would I be able to use the garage? Honestly, mechanics is a bit of a hobby of mine. Really, it's the only thing that gives me any stress relief. I don't have access to my personal garage at the moment, rendering me unable to tinker when I need some time to myself."

"Of course you can!" the girl exclaimed, a little louder than she may have intended. "This place is open to anyone who wants to get away and busy themselves with cars, machines, tools, or whatever else gets their blood pumping."

"That's awesome! What a cool concept," Asami replied, smiling widely as she confirmed her usage of the wonderful haven, as well as changing the subject from her earlier fumble.

Korra grinned devilishly. "Plus, I own the place." At that, Asami was definitely shocked. 'How does a girl who doesn't have much extensive knowledge come to own a place like this?' she inwardly contemplated. "I know what you're thinking, but the whole point of this place is to help folks gain a little balance in their lives. Life stressors can be a bit overwhelming, so sometimes people need to get away to do something they love," Korra began to explain. "I found this place a few years ago and the guy that owned it had been looking to sell for pretty cheap, just wanting to get it off his hands so he could retire elsewhere. Being that it was conveniently located just outside the city, I thought it was a good investment. So, a couple friends of mine helped me fix it up and word spread that this was a guy's getaway." She chuckled a little at the thought. "That wasn't really what I had intended it to be, at first, but it all worked out. There are few women who come up here with their cars from time to time, or with their husbands to just hang out, but for the most part I'm the only woman here. It would be nice to have a girlfriend to talk to."

The term "girlfriend" seemed to be loosely used, giving the hint of a platonic meaning behind it. Asami's heart both fluttered and sank as it fell from the girl's lips.

"Well, if you'll have me, I'd love to come up and spend some time here whenever I can. My life can get pretty hectic, so I wouldn't mind having a place to escape to," Asami responded shyly. "Also, I think the company would be worth the trip."

Korra's face lit up again. 'I swear, sparks fly when this girl smiles,' Asami mentally annotated. "I'll definitely have you…" Korra whispered, taking a step closer.

The hairs on Asami's neck stood on end, the words giving her a shiver of excitement. 'Platonic may have just gone out the window,' she noted to herself. She took a step forward as well, placing a hand on the girl's cheek in the process. Her eyes took notice to the stark contrast of skin tones that reminded her of those chocolate and vanilla swirled soft-serve ice cream cones she loves. "Mm." The soft noise came out, barely audible. Embarrassingly, she looked away, blushing in the process. The sunset caught her attention as she realized how late it had gotten and her eyes drifted back to the girl whose face her hand was still resting on.

"I should really head home," Asami stately flatly, her hand dropping as she took a step back.

"Oh," Korra started, also noticing the night sky making its way overhead as she, too, came to realize the lateness of the evening. "Alright, I understand. Will I see you again soon?" she asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.

"Absolutely." Asami smiled as she began to turn away to head back towards her car.

As she walked off, a hand grabbed hers, stopping her in her tracks and forcing her to turn around. Warm lips pressed against hers, fingers brushing along the sides of her jaw and neck and as body just barely leaned into her. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it ended. She stood there, entirely shell-shocked as the girl held steady, barely an inch away from her face.

"I'll be waiting." And with that, she walked off, leaving Asami to stare as the girl headed inside through the office door. Her hand came up to clasp over her mouth as she realized what just happened. She turned again, heading towards her car, a smile, once again, plastering itself onto her face. 'Oh yeah, this place is definitely going to be a great stress relief.'

A/N: I'm getting a lot of asks about this... This story was only intended to be a one-shot for this competition, however, if enough people show interest I MAY write a continuation for it. It might take a little while because I need to update my other fics first, but I could possibly squeeze it in. As always, Faves, Follows and Reviews are always appreciated! It keeps me going! Much love to you all :)