Chapter Text
"She's waking up, go grab Tenzin and tell Katara. Korra?"
Asami watched as Korra opened her eyes, blue staring back at her. She gave a small smile, reaching her head out and dabbing a wet cloth to Korra's forehead. A small moan escaped the Avatar's throat. "Feels nice, huh…?" Asami asked quietly, Tenzin walking into the room with Bolin in towe.
"Has she said anything?"
Asami shook her head. "She groaned, though. The cold water feels nice."
"I bet it does. I'll go get another bucket."
When Korra's eyes moved from Tenzin to Asami, the dark haired woman ran a hand through Korra's short hair. "I know you feel awful right now. Don't try to move or do anything but lay here," Asami watched Korra's eyes scan the room. "We're at the Southern Water Tribe. You're in Katara's healing shack," Korra looked back up to Asami, straining to look at the rest of her body. She found she wasn't able to move her head, but could make out she was laying in a tub with ice over her body. Asami dipped the rag back into the bowl of ice slush, not bothering to wring it out as she placed it against Korra's forehead. "You got really sick after going into the spirit world the other day," Asami started, Korra silently thankful because she had no idea what was going on. "We haven't figured out how or why yet, but Katara thinks you may have contracted some sort of illness."
Bolin walked back in with Tenzin, a bucket in the hand of each. She noticed gauze wrapped around Bolin's palms. His bucket contained water, heat visibly radiating off of Korra's lower body when he dumped it into the tub. Tenzin walked over, chopped ice in his as he dumped it in, following Bolin back out for more.
"Your temperature was over 100…" Asami trailed off, dumping the water from her bowl that had started to warm into the tub and scooping up more. She once more soaked the rag, placing it against Korra's forehead. "Kya said if you weren't a fire bender or the Avatar your skin might be covered in second degree burns right now. That, or you'd be dead…" It was a whisper, but Korra felt a pang hit her chest. She wanted to reach over the tub and hug Asami, but no matter how much she willed her body to comply it wouldn't. "Mako had to carry you in," Bolin entered again, Korra once more noting the bandages before he left with the bucket. "Bolin tried to and ended up with burns on his palms and arms where he'd been touching your skin,"
Asami watched a tear fall from Korra's eye. "Hey- He doesn't blame you. He's just upset he couldn't help. Katara said his hands should be fine after she heals them. He wouldn't let her or Kya touch him until they figured out something to do with you…" The rag dabbed at her forehead again, Korra closing her eyes at the soothing cold. "Katara and Kya have been healing you. It hasn't worked as much as they liked, but… Your temp was 133 when we got here. It's down to 119 now." Asami yawned. "Jinora and Opal took some of the air benders to Wan Shi Tong's library. They're looking for a remedy," Asami smiled when Korra looked her in the eye again.
"Sleep."
Asami was shocked for a moment, before she nodded. "You can sleep. I'll be here the whole time." Korra blinked twice.
"You."
Asami stared at Korra's face in thought, before shaking her head. "I can't. Not when you're like this. I won't."
Tenzin walked in, dumping the bucket of ice in before placing the pale back by the doorway. He eyed the way Asami was looking at Korra, deciding he should let the two have some privacy.
Asami studied the pleading look Korra gave her, ignoring the tears that sprung to her own eyes. "I can't. Korra- Bolin said you fell over in the kitchen and almost stopped breathing," the tears fell down her cheeks. "If I hadn't been holed up at work the whole week, I could've forced you to come see Katara before it got this bad. Instead, we're here like this," Asami sniffled.
Korra hated herself. She internally tensed, fighting her body to just move her hand and grab Asami's. Why couldn't she do it?! She turned her eyes down to her hand, staring holes into it. Work!
It wasn't a second later that Asami gasped when Korra's eyes turned white, watching as water from the tub froze from the wrist up on Korra's arm, the Avatar moving said arm out of the tub and holding it out for Asami to take. Asami watched Korra's eyes go back to blue, a heavy sigh leaving the Avatar's lips as she stared into Asami's eyes.
She wanted to hold hands.
Asami let out a small chuckle at the realization, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve and grabbing Korra's hand with both of her own. "Only you would go into the Avatar state just to hold hands with me," the corners of Korra's lips twitched, Asami observing the ice frozen up Korra's arm. "To keep your hand cool enough for me to hold it?"
A weak groan of approval.
Asami nodded. "Smart." She scanned her eyes over Korra's face again, moving the girls hand up and kissing it as Korra closed her eyes. "Please, try to get better."