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She smirks and tosses her hair over her shoulder, more than amused with the way Korra's eyes follow the movement.
"Alright, Avatar,” she croons, arms crossing over her chest. Her head tilts and she raises her eyebrows challengingly. “Let's see what you can do."
Usually this would garner a more enthusiastic response, but not this time. Korra just groans, slouching against the kitchen table.
"Baaabe," comes the long, drawn out whine while she melts into the table. "You know I'm helpless in here."
Asami’s laugh echoes around the room. She had expected such a reply.
"Oh, come on, Korra. You can bend all four elements, but you can't cook?"
Korra only grunts miserably. Pushing off the kitchen counter, Asami walks over and sits down beside her. She takes Korra's hand in hers and leans her head against her shoulder. Time hesitates for a second before she turns her eyes on the setting sun in front of them. The rays glance off the water in the distance, while quiet ripples lap gently at the shore.
“How much longer?” she asks. She speaks in barely a murmur, unwanting to disturb the peace.
The shoulder she’s resting against shakes the slightest bit with soft laughter.
“Aww,” comes the eventual response. “Do you miss me?”
Asami raises her head, looking into the blue eyes watching her with love and affection and a little bit more.
“Of course, I do.”
The eyes soften at the no-bullshit tone in her voice.
“Soon.”
Asami opens her eyes.
It doesn’t immediately process, but once her mind catches up with what she’s seeing, she sighs. The room is still a little dark, red curtains blocking out all except for a strip of light cutting across the floor and up the headboard. It bounces off the pillow, empty and unused beside her.
A dream.
The thought runs through her like a cliché as she stares at the spot next to her. It feels ridiculous to reach out her hand to touch it, but she can't help herself. Cold silk brushes against her fingers and her hand drops heavily against the pillow. A forlorn sigh escapes her, not that she was expecting anything else.
She squints, turning her attention back to the blinding gap in the curtains. It takes a few seconds before she remembers that, yes, she’d forgotten to cover the window properly the night before. Rolling onto her back, she stretches out, muscles pulling taut, before relaxing into her blankets with a long breath. Her to-do list for the day ticks itself off behind her eyes while she stares blankly at the ceiling above her. Satisfied with identifying her tasks of the day, Asami finally sits herself up in bed.
Everything goes normally. The hardwood floor is cold beneath her feet until she locates her slippers. Her hair is pulled deftly back into a ponytail, tied in place with a red ribbon. The blue betrothal necklace is off-centre but around her neck when she passes the mirror in their room.
It isn’t until she’s stopped to adjust the necklace that she notices the smell of something burning.
She tenses, immediately alert. The smell is coming from beyond the closed bedroom door.
Something is burning in their apartment.
Thoughts of where is that coming from and oh no and how could that even happen are quick to cycle through her while she crosses the short distance between mirror and door. She’s about to push the door open when she hears a sharp clang and a yelp, followed by indistinct muttering.
A chill runs down her spine before her nerves harden. An intruder.
Taking a few steps back, she reaches for her glove sitting atop their vanity table before stalking back towards the door, fingers going through the familiar motions to pull it over her hand. She’s faintly aware she’s about to kick someone’s ass while still just wearing her nightgown, but she could hardly care less.
Sucking in a sharp breath, she yanks the door open. It slams into the wall beside her, bouncing back with the force. (She will check the wall later and sigh at the dent that gets left behind.) There’s a quiet squeak from somewhere down the hall before silence and she narrows her eyes. It seems to have come from the kitchen, which is where her nose is suggesting to be the origin of the smoke as well.
“Who’s there?” she demands.
She’s met by silence.
“I swear,” she mutters to herself and stalks down the hall, glancing briefly in each room along the way.
As she nears the kitchen, she speaks again, louder this time.
“I said—” she grabs the side of the wall and pulls herself around the corner “—who’s there.”
“I’m unarmed!” a familiar voice cries and Asami physically startles, her glove sparking and half risen in front of her.
There are several pots and pans on the stove, each one filled with something mostly burnt black. In the sink are two more pans, both soaking in a bath of bubbly grey water. The counters and most of the kitchen table is covered with bowls, cutting boards, and knives.
But Asami barely spares all of it a half second glance.
“Korra?” she manages to get out.
The Avatar peers sheepishly over her hands, which she’d raised to cover her face in case Asami attacked.
“Hey Asami.”
Asami blinks herself out of her petrified trance and takes a hesitant step into the kitchen while deactivating her glove. She pulls it off and sets it on the table, eyes wandering back and forth between Korra and the rest of the kitchen.
“What…” She glances at all the things scattered around them for hardly a second before she’s looking at Korra again. “What are you…”
Korra straightens up and begins to point around wildly.
“O-Oh, you see. I got back early… Like both early as in today and not the end of the week and also early as in before dawn. And you were still in bed but I was, you know.” She wiggles her fingers around her head. “Wide awake! I thought, hey! Breakfast in bed would be a nice surprise. I should make you breakfast…”
She pauses and looks disappointedly at the pans sitting on the stove, startling upon realizing one of the tops are still burning, and quickly distinguishes it before turning back to Asami with a sheepish smile.
“…Or something.”
Asami reaches for Korra’s hand. There’s a smile stretching across her face that she can’t quite hold back.
“That is so sweet that you wanted to make me breakfast,” she says, “but what I meant was what are you doing here. Why are you back so soon? You’re back much earlier than I expected.”
“Oh uh… Yeah. Things got sorted out easier than we thought.” Her voice trails off while Asami inspects her hands. There are bandages around her fingers.
Asami frowns. “You got hurt during the mission?”
Korra pulls her hands away and Asami looks up at her face, brows pulling together with concern. The Avatar looks embarrassed as she scratches her cheek, eyes darting around and unable to keep contact with Asami.
“That is… what you would think, huh? I wish it was but… no.” Asami squints, unsure how to arrange her expression with the strange tone of voice Korra is using. “I, uh, might have… nicked myself while cutting vegetables earlier.”
Blink, the voice in Asami’s heads tells her, and she does, while a laugh sputters past her lips as well, unbidden. She clamps a hand over her mouth, although the rogue laugh has already left her. It doesn’t really matter, Korra doesn’t even look mad. In fact, there’s a shy and endearing look on her face.
Shaking her head, Asami allows a few more giggles to escape her before slowly reaching her hands to cup Korra’s cheeks. They’re warm beneath her fingers, unlike the pillow from earlier. Korra’s eyes instinctively close as she leans into the touch. Her own hands reach up, one covering over Asami’s while the other latches onto her wrist.
“You’re ridiculous, Korra.” Asami murmurs, pressing her forehead against Korra’s. She watches while Korra’s eyes flutter shut. The look on her face is one of content.
“Anything to see you laugh,” is the response, fanning across her lips.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”