The Code

Betrayed

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Korra awoke to warmth. It felt like her whole body was enveloped in a warm blanket. Someone was stroking her hair back from her face in a soft caress. She yawned and nuzzled into the warmth, feeling the top of her head brush against something solid. Her brow furrowed. She slowly opened her eyes. Her whole body stiffened.

She lay curled in Amon's lap, her head resting against his chest, just under his chin. A fierce blush lit across her face as she remembered the events from the night before. They'd almost... gah. His arms were wrapped around her, one hand gently twirling in her loose black hair. Korra sat up, slamming her head against the base of his chin. Her hand flew to the sudden pain.

"Ow," she moaned.

"I could say the same," came the slightly amused grunt. "Good morning to you too."

Korra blinked, struggling to lose the grogginess of sleep. She tried to pull away from him, but his arms tightened around her, holding her close against his chest. Korra's heartbeat quickened.

"Let go of me," she demanded, struggling against him. It was like fighting against two arms of stone.

His breath ruffled her hair, making her shiver at the proximity. "What if I said no?"

Why did the sound of his deep voice make her heart race like that? That couldn't be normal. Korra struggled to maintain her cool decorum. "I'm afraid I'd have to break that nose of yours. Give you a real reason to hide behind that mask."

Amon chuckled. "Such spirit. You know, that's what I've always admired about you."

To her relief, he released her. She slid to her feet, shaking off the remnants of sleep. She looked down at him, then sighed and offered him a hand up. He clasped it and rose to his feet, standing a good twelve inches taller than her.

"You talk in your sleep, you know," he suddenly said, making her cheeks instantly darken.

"Yeah, whatever." She turned away, moving to scoop up the uneaten fox-rabbit and badger-hare from the floor. She tucked them into her bag, wincing when she heard his footsteps behind her.

"I wonder if this handsome young firebender feels the same way about you as you do about him?"

Korra choked. Wheeling, she slammed a finger into his chest, hating the ungodly twinkle in his golden eyes. "If you tell anyone about that," she snarled. "I'll hunt you down and turn you and all your unfortunate Equalist buddies into eunuchs."

He laughed. Her face still aflame, Korra turned and stomped back to the fire, kicking dust over the still-glowing embers. They fizzled and died. Her stomach rumbled, and she suddenly remembered how long it had been since she'd last eaten. Stooping again, she reopened the bag and ripped off a chunk of the badger-hare. The meat was cold, but it was still tender and life-giving. She moved to sit against the far wall, pointedly putting a fair amount of distance between her and Amon, and began to eat.

"You know," he said, settling himself against the opposite wall, meditation-position, his golden eyes fixed upon her. "We are both fully recovered. I believe it's time we begin our trek back up the mountain."

Korra tried not to let him see how her whole body slumped at those words. She kept her eyes fixed on her knees, matching his position, and took another bite from the badger-hare leg. Chewing thoughtfully, she waited a moment before answering.