Work Text:
Asami Sato has a morning routine.
After (often less than) five hours sleep, she gets up, breakfasts while dealing with emails, exercises (light calisthenics rather than a full workout), showers and dresses (in twelve minutes which she's trying to get down to ten), works on her book for an hour (never a full hour, though, no matter how hard she tries to protect her writing time), orders her morning coffee (a flat white with an extra shot of espresso), dons her makeup, boots, and appropriate seasonal outer layer (currently a thigh-length red and black cashmere coat), walks the two blocks to Average Joe's to pick up her morning coffee, walks two more blocks to Future Industries' main office and (officially) starts her working day at exactly 8.30.
Asami Sato never varies her routine. She is never late for work. She is widely known as the most reliable employee in the company. She is often the last person to leave the office. She never refuses a responsibility, quietly and efficiently solves any problem placed in front of her, and has never been one to seek credit or place blame.
Asami is Future Industries' brightest star. She is also the daughter of the company's founder (in her mind, very much in that order).
Her evenings are a little more varied, depending on when she leaves the office. But usually they're spent going to the gym (for a full workout), or the dojo (she's close to getting her third blackbelt), and working on her PhD (her second, in biology. She has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Business). She reads, for pleasure, before bedtime (she has recently discovered a guilty passion for detective stories).
With whatever spare time she can find at the weekends, she shops, cooks, works on her racing Satomobile (which she almost never races), and, sometimes, she even goes on a date (always one. There has never been a second date with anyone).
Asami Sato is twenty-two years old.
Asami is an only child. Her mother died when she was six. She rarely sees her father, outside of work, and they rarely talk about anything other than work (and never about her mother, not since their only fight).
Asami has been trying as hard as she can for as long as she can remember.
No one really likes her.
No one hates her. No one is cruel to her (not twice, anyway. She doesn't tolerate bullies). But...there's no one she feels close to, either. Maybe because there's no one who cares more about Asami than they do about Sato.
Of course, Asami is too busy to notice (but she does), or to care (but she does).
It's Tuesday.
This particular Tuesday is the first day back to work after a long weekend spent at a conference.
Asami met a lot of intelligent, dedicated, driven engineers. And a lot of idiotic, lazy, irritating engineers.
The less said about the managers, the better.
She tries to forget entirely the ill-advised drinks with a colleague she thought she liked (Asami is very enthusiastic about her recent acquaintance with the works of Dashiell Hammett. Zhu Li made some polite noises, then steered the conversation towards the latest innovations in electric Satomobiles).
When Asami wakes up on this particular Tuesday, she discovers that someone at the conference has given her a cold.
Asami swallows extra vitamins, and loads tissues into her bag, but otherwise powers through her morning routine without missing a beat.
It's only when she gets to Average Joe's that she realises that she has, in fact, forgotten one thing: to order ahead for coffee.
Joe's is busy. There's a long line waiting. If Asami joins the line, she'll be late.
Asami Sato is never late for work.
She silently, savagely curses herself for her mistake, and leaves.
A block further in the direction of the office, Asami notices a flyer pasted on a lamp post. It's advertising a new place called Korra's Café. It's down a side street, but it's not too far. And if it's new, it might be quiet, and there should just be time...
Asami turns down the side street.
Asami peers in the window. It's a small place, and the decor is a little old-fashioned, and cluttered. But there's no queue, at least.
Asami goes in.
There's no one behind the counter. There is a teenaged girl in a school uniform leaning on the front of it, picking disconsolately at a muffin. She glances at Asami.
She has dark hair, a button nose, and a very sweet smile which lights up her face.
Asami finds herself smiling back. "Excuse me, do you know how long-"
"Oh! One second!"
The girl turns and yells in the direction of the back room, "KORAAAAA! CUSTOMER!"
Asami blinks.
A woman emerges, yawning and grumbling, "Okay, Jinora. You don't have to yell like...oh."
She's a couple of inches shorter than Asami, has short brown hair, smooth brown skin, and enormous blue eyes which widen at the sight of Asami.
A dazzling, joyous grin spreads across her face. "Yesss!" She fist pumps. "In your face, other coffee places! I have a real customer! Welcome!"
Asami glances at her phone, winces, and rasps, "Could I get a flat white to go, please? I'm in a bit of a hurry."
Korra nods, still grinning, and says, "Uh huh, sure, you're in a hurry. This'll be quick! But also, no. No flat white."
Asami opens her mouth to ask why not, but the girl at the counter scoops up the largest surviving piece of her muffin, and quickly scoots over, next to Asami.
"Hey, she doesn't mean to be rude. She's just excited. Watch this, it'll be fun!" She stuffs the muffin into her mouth, and chews happily.
Korra blurs, and all at once there's a cutting board on the counter, a knife in her hand, and a variety of ingredients being sliced up and dropped into a teapot.
"You've got a cold," Korra says. "You want a flat white, which is an excellent choice normally, but right now you need tea. You're rasping, so your throat is going to get treated, too. With ginger, lemon, and...uh, sure, sure, cardamom. And maybe..." Korra glances up at Asami, studies her for a second, and grins. "Oh, yeah, definitely. Anise. And obviously we're going with a black tea base, so you'll still get a good caffeine hit."
She works with effortless, flowing grace, even as she talks, and within a minute she's pouring warm water into the teapot.
"Sorry, gotta let it steep for a few minutes, but then you're good to go." She grabs a paper cup and scribbles on the side of it. "And tomorrow, if you liked the tea, and you still want a flat white, I will make you a great flat white. If you want. Um."
Korra finally runs out of words. She fiddles nervously with the string of her blue apron and smiles at Asami.
"I..." Asami is taken aback, and a little confused. She's never been treated like this before. Someone wilfully refusing to give her what she asks for should be enough to make her walk out of the shop. But something about Korra's energy, and her concern for Asami's cold, makes her decide to at least try the tea. "How much do I owe you?"
Korra's smile becomes a grin again. "Well, you see-"
Jinora groans. "Korra...don't be dumb."
Korra pouts, somehow contriving to look less mature than the schoolgirl many years her junior. "It's not dumb! It's a business strategy." She turns to Asami and declares, proudly, "No charge for your first drink!"
Asami shakes her head. She's smiling, now, too. "No, please. I have to reimburse you, uh..."
"Oh, please just call me Korra. And you can reimburse me by coming back. If you like the tea. Which should be ready!"
Korra pours Asami's tea into a to go cup, and passes it over. "There you go! I hope you feel better soon, uh..."
"Asami." She takes the cup. The tea smells wonderful. And Korra's smile is wonderful, and sweet, and...Asami remembers the time.
"Oh, I have to run! Thank you, Korra. Nice to meet you, Jinora."
Asami has to walk briskly, but she's in her office by 8.30.
The tea proves to be delicious, and very soothing on her throat, and her mood.
Asami laughs when she notices that Korra's scrawled a smiley face on the side of her cup, and underneath, the words 'Get well soon!' She leaves the cup on her desk for the rest of the day, with the smile facing her.
So Asami alters her morning routine. Just a little.
Korra's grin is even bigger than it was the day before. "You're back! Told you she'd come back," she says, poking Jinora's side.
Jinora, who is slumped over the customer's side of the counter, snorts, and peels a flake of pastry off of a croissant. "Yeah, yeah. Remember to charge her this time."
"You're just jealous of my successful business strategy."
"I have never been less jealous of anything in my whole entire life, Korra." Jinora waves at Asami. "Hey, Asami! You look better already!"
Asami laughs. "All down to the tea, no doubt. But I am feeling better, thank you. Now, I think I was promised a flat white?"
Korra goes to work, humming happily, and quickly provides Asami with her drink.
Asami pays, and drops her change in the tip jar.
Korra's grin becomes luminous. "Thanks, but you don't need to-"
Jinora says, "Shut up, Korra. Thanks, Asami!"
Asami laughs. She checks the time. She has a couple of minutes. "So...are you two related?"
"Sort of," Korra says.
At the same time, Jinora says, "Not really."
They both laugh.
Jinora says, smiling shyly, "Korra's family, but we're not related."
"Jinora's dad, Tenzin, helped me get started with the business. He and my dad know each other, and Jinora and the other brats-"
"Hey!" Jinora tosses an ineffectual pastry crumb at Korra.
Korra laughs. "Well, we sort of grew up together. Which makes them family. Which...basically means that Jinora takes advantage of me at every turn."
"I do not!" Outraged, Jinora appeals to Asami. "She won't let me pay for anything! I have to sneak money into the till or the tip jar!"
"You see? She brazenly admits it!" Korra shakes her head, sighing. "I blame her parents for this attitude problem."
Asami laughs. She isn't quite sure what to say, though, so she takes a sip of coffee. Her eyes widen. "This is good."
"Yup," Jinora says, proudly. She picks up the largest piece of croissant on her plate, and solemnly shoves it into her mouth. "Korra knows her stuff," she mumbles.
Korra shrugs. "It's mostly the ingredients. I'm glad you like it, though."
Asami glances at her phone, and sighs. "Sorry, but...the office beckons."
"Bye, Asami!" Jinora waves.
Korra says, "Thanks for stopping and chatting!"
Asami says, "See you tomorrow."
When she's on the street again, she checks, and finds another smiley face on her cup.
Asami smiles all the way to the office.
Asami's morning routine changes a bit more. She shunts some more email time into her office hours, shaves a few guilty minutes off of her book time, but somehow loses two minutes to her shower routine. Still, she manages nearly ten minutes in Korra's most mornings.
Jinora isn't always there, which is a shame, because Asami likes listening to her gently bicker with Korra. And sometimes there are other customers, and Asami doesn't get to chat with Korra. But Korra always smiles at her, and she often scribbles a message like, 'No. 1 Favourite Customer,' and she always draws a little smiley face on Asami's cup.
It's a small, silly, meaningless thing, but it makes Asami smile.
Asami's book stalls out. After a couple of mornings spent fretting and failing, Asami decides she needs to change her approach.
The only sensible thing to do, she thinks, is to take her laptop to Korra's and work there.
It's more efficient, too, because she can use the ten minutes she normally spends at Korra's on email, since she'll be there for an entire hour!
Asami is pleased at this solution. She's horrified when she somehow loses five extra minutes getting dressed and putting on her makeup.
Asami arrives at Korra's Cafe just before 7.30.
It's shut.
Asami freezes in place on the sidewalk, staring stupidly at the 'Closed' sign on the door.
She's too early. She didn't think to check the opening time, which, she sees now, is 8.
Asami doesn't know what to do. She can't walk home. It's three blocks. A waste of time.
She could go to Joe's. It's open, but it's still inefficient to double back like that. And she's lost her taste for their coffee.
She'll have to go to the office. But she can't work on a personal project in her office...
Asami hisses, "Idiot."
A voice croaks, "Asami?"
It's Korra. In spite of the weather beginning to get chilly, she's just wearing a t-shirt. She yawns cavernously and offers Asami a sleepy smile. "You're up early."
"Oh! Korra! Hi. I...hadn't noticed the opening hours. I was looking for a change of scenery, while I work on my book, but...I'll come back later."
Korra laughs around another yawn. "Nah, that's pointless. Just come in."
Korra unlocks the door, produces a grin for Asami, and ushers her inside.
"Ugh, I'm late, today. I try to get in before 7, to get things set up. One problem with being my own boss, though, is there's no one to tell me off for sleeping in."
Asami hovers uncertainly just inside the door. "Korra, I...don't want to put you to any trouble."
Korra yawns again, and stretches. She shakes her head vigorously, and snorts. "Ugh. 'Kay. Coffee is required. You want an espresso? I got a new blend I want to try. Oh, and come in. Sit down, already! I'm glad you're here."
Asami blinks. "You are?"
"Yeah! You're the nicest. That's why you're my favourite customer. And you're writing a book? What's it about? Talk to me, Asami! Help me get through the horror that is early morning!"
Asami laughs. "This isn't really early morning, Korra."
She takes a seat at a table near the counter as Korra busies herself setting up for the day.
Korra glances at her, and smiles. "Okay, I admit it, I'm bad at mornings. And you are bad at telling me about your book. I'm beyond help, but it's not too late for you, Asami!"
"Well, it's...a novel." Asami blushes. She hasn't told anyone about this before. Her father would find it frivolous. "Actually, it's a sort of detective story?"
"Cool! Like a murder mystery?"
"Yes. It's about a young engineer who has to solve a murder at the plant where she works. She's the only one who thinks it is a murder, because the crime is so perfect. Her name's, uh, Izumi."
Korra beams at her. "Huh. You're an engineer, right? You work at Future Industries?"
"That's right." Asami has admitted that much, at least, but not how senior her position is, or who her father is. "I suppose that's a bit cliche of me."
"What? No way! It just means you'll know what you're talking about. Izumi gets the bad guy, though, right? Bad guys have to be got, or it's a bad detective story." Korra says this firmly, with a hint of a scowl.
She does look formidable, when she scowls like that. But, mostly she's just...adorable.
Asami laughs. "I agree! And she will, in the end, don't worry. Well, if I get to the end. I'm...stuck."
"That why you needed a change of scene?"
"Yes. That's why." Asami Sato isn't a liar. But...she doesn't feel like she's being entirely honest when she says that either. She digs her laptop out of her bag. "I suppose I should, uh, get unstuck."
"Oh! Of course, sorry!"
"No, I...I like talking to you. Don't apologise."
Korra smiles. Asami smiles back.
Then she hides behind her laptop and tries to type something.
Korra deposits an espresso at her table. Asami reaches for her purse, but Korra shakes her head. "Nope, nuh uh. You're not paying for that."
"Korra, I like coming here. I don't want you to shut down!"
"Well, then. Don't expect me to conduct business outside business hours! I could get in so much trouble if I take your money."
"I'm...fairly sure that's not true."
"So. Much. Trouble." Korra grins, and Asami laughs, and resolves to sneak even more money than usual into Korra's tip jar before she leaves.
Asami sips her espresso. She watches Korra gulp hers down and sigh.
Asami blurts, "I was thinking that maybe Izumi needs a partner? Someone to help her figure everything out? It'll help me, too, if she has someone to bounce ideas off of."
"Good plan. Everybody needs help, Asami! Even super smart engineers." Korra winks at Asami, puts on her apron, and gets to work in earnest. "Hey, if it helps, you can always bounce ideas off me?"
"I...might take you up on that." Asami smiles. "That's...you're very kind, Korra."
Korra laughs. "All part of the service!"
As she begins to write, Asami finds herself hoping that that isn't true.
She sneaks the odd glance at Korra, wondering. Something about her, the way she moves, fascinates Asami. Korra isn't efficient, or economical. She's always flitting off to do something and leaving another job half finished.
But...before 8, the store is ready, order somehow brought about in spite of Korra's chaotic process.
She hums softly the whole while, and Asami finds she likes that, too. She likes the sound of Korra's voice, and the smell of Korra's coffee, and Korra's smile, frequently directed at Asami, and Korra's cheerful energy, which fills the cafe, and wraps around Asami. It makes her feel like she's part of something larger than herself.
And that's an odd thought, because it's just the two of them in a small, quiet cafe, and Asami is just sitting there. In half an hour, Asami will be in her office, where she'll serve as an integral, active part of a multi-billion yuan company.
But the feeling she gets that morning is something she's never felt working in Future Industries. It unsettles her, enough to make her throw herself into the world of her novel and not look up again until it's time to leave.
The next day Asami gets to the cafe for 8. It's not an efficient way to divide her time, but...it still seems right, somehow.
Especially when Korra grins warmly and hustles over to the hold the door for her.
Asami has barely set up her laptop by the time Korra appears at her elbow with a flat white in a ceramic cup.
"Oh! Thank you, Korra." Asami laughs when she sees the art on top of her coffee. "A smiley face?"
"For you?" Korra grins. "Always! You always put a smile on mine, so it seems fair."
Asami blushes and looks at the cup. She feels oddly reluctant to drink from it. "Well, thank you. I've noticed them on my cup, before."
"Oh, I always put one on your coffee, too."
Asami gasps. "But I...I always get my drink to go. I've never looked! You always do this?"
"Yeah. I figure, even if you don't see it, it's still a positive influence. And...ah, no, forget it."
Korra abruptly looks down, and fiddles with her apron string.
"What is it?"
"I don't mean this in a bad way, but...you looked like you needed more smiles in your life. So...I've been providing! I..."
Korra trails off, and Asami just gapes at her for a second.
"Sorry," Korra says. "It's not my place to-"
"No! I, uh, you're right. I have a lot going on, and..." Asami bites her lip, but forces herself to add, "The, uh, smiles...brighten my day."
Asami Sato has won numerous awards throughout her life. Korra's grin, in that moment, is the best yet.
"Good! You deserve bright days!" Korra hesitates, then blurts, "So, look, I have an idea. It's genius, too. Though you have to promise you'll tell me if you hate it, okay?"
"O-kay?"
"Good! So, I need an excuse to drag my ass out of bed in the morning, and you're a weirdo who likes getting up and doing stuff in the morning. I mean, I'm a weirdo, too! I think weirdos are the best! And you're a really nice weirdo! And Jinora loves you, and I, uh, like having you around. You made everything much easier yesterday."
"I did?" Asami didn't even do anything.
"Uh huh, yeah! I hate opening up on my own. But it's not like I'm busy enough to justify bringing someone else in. So really, you'd be doing me a favour if you wanted to come in early some mornings."
Asami tries to process all that. "Um..."
"If I think you'll be coming in early, it'll motivate me to be here," Korra explains. "I can let you in, and you can write while I get set up. You don't need to do it every morning. Or at all! Just, if I think you will, then...ah..."
Asami laughs, unable to help herself. "Alright, I'm convinced!"
Korra grins and her legs bunch, preparation for a celebratory leap.
"But there's a condition," Asami says.
She freezes. "Uh...okay?"
"You have to let me pay for my drinks." Asami grins, "I'm afraid I'm inflexible on this point."
"What? No!" Korra pouts. "Won't let you."
Adorable as her expression is, Korra's being her own worst enemy. "Korra! This is your business. You won't succeed if you don't charge people for your product."
Korra scowls and stubbornly folds her arms. "You're not people. You're my friend."
Asami opens her mouth, and nothing comes out.
Korra smiles. "I'll let you get back to your writing. I gotta make tea for Jinora."
Asami nods and stares at her laptop screen and pretends she's reviewing the latest chapter until Jinora arrives.
When Jinora shuffles in she says, "Morning, Korra." Then she spots Asami, and grins. "Asami's here, too? Awesome!"
The look of delight on Jinora's face surprises Asami.
Asami hesitates, but only for a second. She closes her laptop. She gets no writing done that morning. She doesn't regret it.
For the next few weeks, Asami is usually to be found outside Korra's by 7.05 (sometimes a minute or two later. She spends less and less time on email in the mornings, but keeps losing minutes to getting herself ready to face the day).
Korra's never there before Asami, but she's rarely more than a few minutes late. And while it would make more sense for Asami to aim to get there for 7.10, she enjoys the look on Korra's face too much.
Korra is worse at mornings than she is at business strategy. Her expression in the morning is one of dazed horror at being ambulatory at such a time.
But when she sees Asami, her eyes brighten, she grins, and she rushes towards her, saying, "Morning, 'Sami! Sorry I'm late!"
Asami writes while Korra readies the shop. After a couple of weeks, Asami stops getting flat whites. Instead, Korra makes something she thinks Asami will like that morning.
Korra's right, every single time.
And there's always a smiley face, in her coffee, or on the cup, or in the chocolate chips of a cookie, or an arrangement of fresh berries on a saucer.
It's just a small thing, really, but it's far from meaningless. It makes Asami happy.
Korra won't take Asami's money. She even takes to hiding the tip jar while Asami is around.
So Asami starts making breakfast for them both, and brings it with her every morning.
Korra protests, weakly, once. Then she just devours everything Asami brings her and rewards Asami with a happy grin.
Asami gives up on work email before she goes to the office.
At first, she worries about how complicated it will make things at Future Industries.
After a week, she finds she doesn't care.
Korra isn't always cheerful.
She tells Asami about customers who are rude to her.
She tells Asami about bad dates she goes on, or disastrous ones. Asami feels a pang when Korra talks about dating. At first, she thinks it's sympathy.
Later, she realises it's something else.
Korra doesn't tell her how badly the business is doing.
Jinora does, in hushed tones one morning when Korra's in the back. "It's not terrible. I don't think. But...Korra's worried." Jinora moodily picks the crust off of a slice of apple pie. "And when she gets worried, she gets dumb. She pretends everything's fine, and tries to do everything herself. But she doesn't have to!"
"You're really concerned about her, aren't you?"
"Yeah. She's stressed. More than she lets on. Will...will you help her?"
"Me? I'm not-"
"She'll listen to you." Jinora smiles, shyly. "She likes you."
And while Asami's not sure how much Korra will listen to her advice, Korra does listen.
She listens when Asami talks about her book. She listens when Asami talks about her day. She listens when Asami complains about a work project gone wrong, or about a cooking mishap, or...anything.
Korra listens, and she laughs, or she scowls, or she offers comfort, or silence, or coffee, and it's always just what Asami needs in the moment. Even when Asami doesn't know what she needs, Korra always seems to.
Asami smiles, and takes Jinora's hand. "Of course I'll help."
Hiroshi calls Asami to his office when she puts in a request for leave.
They're at a critical stage in the development of the automated assembly systems for the electric Satomobiles. Hiroshi wants her monitoring the whole project.
She stands in front of his desk. He doesn't invite her to sit.
"I assume you have a good reason for this request? Are you unwell?"
Asami keeps her tone even. "No, I'm in good health. And yes, I have a good reason. I've never taken a holiday before. I want to."
"That is not sufficient reason. But if that's how you feel, then in a few months-"
"No. Now. I have something to take care of."
"More important than this? This is our company! This is our legacy to the world! You're being a child."
She's never seen him so angry. Well...not since she was a child, and her mother was just...gone.
"It's important to me," Asami says, her voice beginning to shake. "And that's all that should matter."
Hiroshi gapes at her. "Don't be ridiculous. This is absurd. I won't let you waste time when there's real work to be done."
"That's not what I'm doing!" Asami grits her teeth. "And you can't stop me."
More is said, as they embark on their second serious fight, but that's really the end of it.
It's Monday. It's 7am. Asami is waiting outside Korra's Cafe.
She's been waiting for ten minutes. She's nervous this morning, because she's abandoned her routine entirely.
The morning is chilly. Winter's beginning to sink its teeth into the year. Asami likes the quality of the light in winter, but she hates the cold.
Still, she couldn't bear to sit around her flat for another minute.
So here she is.
Korra shows up at 7.03, which is a personal best.
She yawns, waves, mumbles "Hey! I am so not up for dealing with anyone today. I'm so glad you're here."
Asami has long given up pointing out the seeming contradiction when Korra says things like that. There is no contradiction in Korra's mind.
Asami isn't people. She isn't anyone. She's Korra's friend. She's...part of Korra's life now.
Korra is a part of Asami's, too.
She intends to prove that today.
They go in, and Korra bolts the door and dumps her bag. "Bleh. Sorry. Weekend sucked. Family drama. My dad and my uncle are basically at war, and I've been trying to put out fires the last few days. Cheer me up, Asami! How's the book? How're you?"
"The book's coming along. But it's on hold. Because I'm...on holiday."
Maybe permanently, depending on her father.
Korra blinks. "You are? Well...no offence, but why are you here? At this hour? Not that I'm not happy to see you, but...why?"
Asami shrugs off her jacket and drapes it over the back of her chair. "Because. You make delicious coffee. And you create an inviting, warm, wonderful atmosphere."
"Oh...uh, thanks. I do try!" Korra blushes and rubs the back of her neck.
"But mostly because, in spite of those things, you're the worst small business owner I've ever seen."
"Huh?" Korra's incredulity morphs into a pout. "Am not! I'm great at small businesses! Uh, business."
"You've given me 957 yuans worth of product in the last three months, expecting no payment."
Korra gapes. "I...have? And you've kept count? Uh, that's...I mean, you still paid for a lot of it. I keep finding money when I'm cleaning up. Which I'm mad about!"
Asami shakes her head. "Korra. You're one of...no, you are the single sweetest person I've ever met. But you need help with this. I'm here to help."
Korra frowns. She paces up and down, grumbling. She stops, her back to Asami. "How...would you help?"
"First, we'll go over your accounts. That'll give me a clear picture to work with. Then, I'll set up a budget. Including marketing. You haven't done any, other than those flyers when you first opened. That has to change. No one's going to come if they don't know you're here. For now, I've got a firm working on some new flyers and your social media platform. We're going to update the decor, too. Just a bit."
"Wait, what?" Korra whirls round. "You haven't! That's...I don't know if I can-" She flushes, and breaks off, her hands balling into fists.
Asami steps towards her. "I'm not letting you pay. Not for this, at least. Once this place is up and running, you'll be able to manage it yourself. And hire someone to help you. You've got the skills to make this place succeed. You just need a bit of organisation to get there. I'm good at organising, Korra."
Korra slumps, her hands loosening. "I...I'll pay you back," she says, stubbornly.
Asami shakes her head again. "Nuh uh. Won't let you." Asami smiles, nervously. "We're friends. A-aren't we?"
Korra groans. "I mean, I kind of hate you right now. But...I'll get over it." She laughs, and rushes over to Asami, wrapping her up in a hug. "I'm over it. Of course we're friends. Thanks, Asami. This is...wow!"
Asami is a little startled at first, but then she hugs back.
Too fiercely.
Asami feels embarrassed, and wants to pull away, because holding Korra is exactly what she wants, and it's too much.
But Korra says, softly, "It's okay. You need a hug. I've got you."
Something shifts in the shrinking space between them.
Korra holds her until Asami's ready to let go. She isn't sure she'll ever be ready to leave Korra's embrace, but she has to, so she does.
Asami half turns away, brushing tears from the corners of her eyes.
When she turns back, Korra smiles at her. "I'll make tea. Then we'll figure things out, okay? We'll figure everything out."
Asami nods, sheepishly.
And that's what they do.
Asami does go back to her job, but not her old habits.
It takes time, of course, for her long maintained routines to break down completely, but they do.
Her job at Future Industries becomes just that: her job. She keeps regular office hours, and as much as possible, she keeps her work day confined to those hours.
And if that causes problems, if that causes Future Industries to need to hire more staff, Asami realises that the company's problems aren't quite the same as her problems.
She has enough of her own to solve. The company will have to manage with less of her.
Things don't blow over with her father. His bitterness at her decision to make more time for herself surprises her, and hurts her. It takes time, and talking things over with Korra, for Asami to realise that that's what their relationship is: built on a foundation that accommodates Hiroshi Sato's bitterness.
Asami doesn't know what to do about it. She isn't sure she can fix it.
She isn't sure she should have to.
But she decides that first, she needs to build her own foundation. Not on routines into which she can sink the hours to avoid having to face the days.
There's more to life than that, she knows.
Korra helps.
Asami was at a loss of what to do on her week off, in the evenings, until Korra suggested they get dinner together. It wasn't a date, or anything, just two people who like each other hanging out.
They took to hanging out a lot, that week.
And in the months that followed.
Asami Sato still hasn't been on a second date with anyone. But only because, at some point, she and Korra became girlfriends without ever really having a first date.
Korra's Cafe is doing better, too. Asami helps, whenever Korra needs her.
And whenever Korra insists that Asami Sato's time is too valuable to waste on a cafe, Asami tells her that that's not true.
Asami tells her that it was Korra who taught her how to value time, not for what could be accomplished in any given minute, but for what was happening. And for who it was being shared with.
Korra's the one who taught Asami how to dismantle her routines, the one who fills her broken spaces with kindness, and with smiles.
And whenever Asami says something like that, she and Korra end up forgetting what they were doing and just kiss for who knows how long.
It's always time well spent.