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Earlier that day, back at the Sato mansion, Asami told herself that no matter what, by the end of the night, she would confess her feelings to Korra. It had honestly seemed like the perfect time to do so; Kuvira was defeated, the world wasn't in any imminent danger, and most importantly, Korra was back in Republic City, feeling better. This meant that Asami no longer had to worry that revealing her little crush would burden Korra’s recovery in any way.
Of course, Asami should've known that actually confessing wouldn’t be so simple; nothing ever was when she was involved.
Team Avatar had decided to meet up at Tenzin’s place before Varrick’s wedding started. Asami hadn’t seen Mako and Bolin for several days now, given how busy all of their schedules were. The boys were tasked with rubble cleanup, while Asami, in addition to running her company, was asked to help create rebuilding plans for the city. That meant a lot of late nights spent in her office, in addition to meetings with the city’s more difficult leaders.
With such a hectic, stressful week, Asami was just glad for the time to relax and catch up with her friends. Well, at least two of them. The sun had started to set over Yue Bay, but Korra had not yet joined them. Asami loved the boys, but she was getting increasingly stressed out the longer she waited for Korra.
Pema walked by the group on her way to the kitchen. She informed them that the young Avatar was still getting dressed in her room, but should be out shortly.
Mako scrunched up his nose in disbelief. “That doesn’t sound like Korra. She hates dressing up,” he remarked.
Asami gave him an acknowledging shrug, and started to play around with the bangles on her wrist. A pile of nervousness was settling in her stomach. Although it wasn’t a feeling she was entirely familiar with, she associated it’s presence with Korra. Even Mako -- as much as she thought she was in love with him at the time -- never managed to elicit such disruption of her usual calm.
Footsteps from the dormitory hallway startled Asami from her thoughts. Her head flew up as Korra bashfully entered the room. She looked well, her cuts and bruises from the final battle all gone. This was no doubt thanks to some water-healing sessions that Korra probably administered herself.
“Hey guys… Sorry for taking so long. I forgot just how complicated this dress was to put on…” Korra started, rubbing her shoulder in embarrassment. “...And then Jinora saw me and deemed that my hair needed to match the rest of my outfit , and, well, you can guess the rest,” she finished, pointing to the simple yet elegant bun on the back of her head.
Bolin rushed towards Korra and pulled the girl into a hug. He seemed to have already forgiven her for being so late. Asami hung back, not wanting to disrupt his excitement.
“Korraaaaaaa, I’ve missed you so much!” he cried, sniffling.
“It’s only been a few days, Bo… But I’ve missed you too!”
Korra returned his hug, squeezing him back tightly. When they finally disentangled, she took a step back and noticed Asami standing off to the side of the room. Korra gave her friend’s outfit a quick once-over before accidentally catching her gaze. They both blushed in the process.
“Hey,” Korra greeted, eyes wide in admiration. She was doubly embarrassed from not seeing the taller girl sooner.
“Hey, yourself,” Asami responded coolly, though she could sense that her heart rate was elevated. They stared at each other for several seconds.. “You look really nice in that Korra; you should wear dresses more often.”
Korra laughed and waved one of her hands in objection.
What Asami said was true though. She'd always thought of Korra as pretty, but today, in her blue Water Tribe dress, she looked exceptionally beautiful. Maybe it also had to do with the fact that Korra’s face turned bright red at her compliment, and how she was now trying to (and failing), not to look at Asami again.
Mako coughed loudly, bringing everyone’s attention onto him. He was peering outside one of the nearby windows.
“I know you just got here, Korra, but I think we’d all better head out. I can see Varrick bossing people around about the seating arrangements from here,” he stated. Korra walked over to take a look too, with Mako holding back the curtains for her. She let out an audible sigh.
“You’re right,” she said dejectedly, and turned back towards Bolin and Asami. “I guess we should go and help out before Varrick completely destroys his own wedding. I just hope this doesn’t come back and bite me in the ass later...”
Sensing a sudden drop in everyone’s spirit, Bolin pulled the team together so they were all shoulder-to-shoulder. “C’mon guys. I know you’ll all feel better once you hear the magnificent speech I wrote for the wedding. I spent all week on it! So, basically, it goes something like this- ” ...
The group of friends made their way outside, Korra walking several paces in front of her. She tuned Bolin out and took the time to look at the girl again. It might have just been a trick of the light, but she could’ve sworn that the blush hadn’t yet faded from Korra’s face.
____________________
Half the evening had gone by, including the wedding itself, and Asami still hadn’t been able to speak with Korra alone. Quite frankly, it was starting to get ridiculous. Every single time she saw Korra standing on her own, someone inevitably had to get in her way.
First it was Pema, forcing her to try the mung bean curry she perfected for the night - it was delicious. Then it was Wu, attempting to ask her out on a date again - she wasn’t interested. Even Meelo at one point started to tug on Asami’s dress, begging her to dance with him. Asami easily complied; she loved the Airbender kids, but that didn’t stop her back from hurting given their large height difference.
After she thoroughly stretched out her back, Asami searched the dance floor but to no avail. Korra was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she found Bolin beside one of the buffet tables, investigating some small sandwiches stacked in a pyramid. She walked over to him, and was immediately met with a plastic cup shoved in her face.
“Asami, you have got to try this punch!” He exclaimed. She was skeptical, but grabbed the cup from his hand anyways. She took a wary sip. He was right; the punch was good. Tangy, with just a hint of sweetness. The face she made right after must have spoken for her, as Bolin gave her a smug grin. Asami rolled her eyes and smiled back.
He looked very handsome tonight, in his suit and slicked back hair. Opal thought so as well; Asami talked with her for a bit during the beginning of the reception.
Bolin’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he scratched the back of his head as if he were uncertain about something.
“Listen, I was meaning to ask - What was up with Korra back at Tenzin’s? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her blush so hard before. Did you finally tell her? About, you know…” He trailed off, but Asami knew what he was talking about.
In Korra’s several year absence, Asami had experienced some ‘rough patches,’ to say the least. The worst one though, was when she received the only letter Korra sent her during that period. Reading it turned her into a wreck for the rest of the week. Thankfully Bolin, ever the good friend, tried to help her out. All he did was give her some space to talk and vent, but that was exactly what she needed. She ended up telling him everything.
“No.” She replied. “But I want to. Tonight. It’s just that I sort of lost track of where she is.”
Bolin raised his eyebrows and grinned mischievously.
“Well, it seems like you’re in luck.” He pointed away from the main celebration area, towards some stairs that lead to one of the island’s many observation decks. “Last time I checked, she was somewhere over there.” Asami’s eyes went wide, and she smiled at him gratefully. Before she could move away though, he placed both hands on her shoulders.
“And Asami? Good luck. For what it’s worth, I don't think you have anything to worry about.”
She really hoped that he was right about this, too.
Soon enough, Asami managed to find Korra. She was talking with Tenzin, but it looked like whatever needed to be said between them had already been done -- or so Asami selfishly hoped. She put on her best ‘worried’ face and walked towards them.
“Sorry for interrupting, Tenzin, but Varrick was looking for you. I think it was something about wanting to borrow a glider suit to jump off the tower...?” She left the rest up to his imagination.
Seeing the speed at which Tenzin took off at, she almost felt bad for lying. But it did leave the two girls alone. Korra sat down on some nearby steps, and patted the spot next to her. She looked up at Asami in invitation.
They watched the stars and city lights twinkle in the dark water of the bay. The constellations in the sky were bright and clear, a far cry from how they looked like back at her mansion.
Korra looked at her and broke their silence.
“I need to apologize to you.”
Asami was confused. This wasn’t how she imagined their conversation going.
“Huh? What for?” She replied.
“For not coming back when I promised to. For lying. For not telling anyone where I was going. Asami, I was gone for three years - I know that I caused you, and everyone else, a lot of stress and worry. I never properly apologized for it, so - I want to do it now. I’m so sorry.”
Asami moved to put her hand on top of Korra’s. She thought for a bit before replying.
“I can’t lie and say that the past few years weren’t difficult for me, but you had to leave Korra. You were in a dark place. You needed to work things out by yourself, to understand what it meant to not only be the Avatar, but also, yourself. I’ve seen such a great change in you, and I’m so proud of what you’ve accomplished. But apart from it all? I’m just glad that you're back now. With me.”
Korra audibly swallowed back a sob, and threw her arms around Asami. When they let go of each other, Asami could see tears forming in the other girl’s eyes. She thought of reaching to wipe them away, but Korra beat her to it, laughing softly in embarrassment.
“... So now what? Back to the dance floor?” She mused, still wiping away at some stray tears.
Asami leaned back on her hands to think, and was instantly reminded of the ache in her spine.
“I’m kind of all danced out to be honest. I don’t know, with everything that’s happened this past week, I could just go for a vacation,” she joked, matching Korra’s previous mirth.
“Then let’s do it,” Korra declared suddenly.
“What?”
“Let’s go on vacation! Just the two of us, you and me - anywhere you want to go!” She pulled at Asami’s hands, waiting for her to think.
“Well, I’ve always always wanted to see what the Spirit World looks like...” She replied with a bit of apprehension. Korra’s face turned into a stupid grin anyways.
“That sounds perfect. We can leave tonight!”
Asami’s brain finally caught up to what they were planning.
“What about the destruction in the city? Don’t people need our help right now? And - we can’t just leave without telling anybody. Especially not after the stunt you pulled off a year ago.”
Korra didn’t seem too worried about that. She shook Asami’s hands before responding.
“Come on, we deserve a break! The world won’t end if we’re gone for a few days. We have our friends to keep everything in order. And I’ll tell Tenzin where we're going, so don’t worry. Listen, just go and get your things ready, I’ll handle the rest! ”
Asami gave her a skeptical look, mulling things over. But then a smile erupted on her face, and she started to nod enthusiastically. “Okay - Okay, let’s do it!” She said, laughing. Korra hugged her once more for good measure.
“Then I’ll meet you at the Spirit Portal in two hours.”
____________________
It turned out to be exactly two hours and 23 minutes, but it wasn’t the Avatar who was late this time. Korra was already standing beside the portal by the time Asami reached it.
She seemed to have packed light, very light. Asami didn’t find that surprising though, knowing Korra’s attitude towards things like these. That’s why she took the effort to pack a few extra items that the Avatar probably overlooked... which is what made her late. (Usually, she was a very punctual person.)
Korra reached out her hand and gave her a shy smile. “Ready?” She asked. Asami returned her smile, and intertwined their fingers.
“Ready.”
They entered through the portal together. It was a bit disorientating at first, but bearable, especially when Korra grasped her hand a bit tighter in response. Soon enough, her feet were on solid ground again. They’ve arrived in the Spirit World.
Asami couldn’t believe her eyes; she’d never seen a more beautiful place. The sky was a warm purple, casting a gentle glow on the landscape below it. Trees of various shapes and colours grew off to the side, creating a forest of rainbows. Small cloud spirits flew above them, chittering as they bumped into each other. She looked at Korra, completely speechless.
All the girl gave back in response was a yawn, followed by an embarrassed grin. In all of their excitement, they’ve both forgotten that it was very late, and that they just left a wedding. Their adventuring would have to wait until tomorrow.
They set up their bedrolls by a blossoming tree a bit further away, and laid down an arms length apart. An awkward silence immediately fell upon them. Asami turned her head away from Korra, lifted up her chin to look towards the sky. She spent some time examining the swirling clouds above her, while Korra remained quiet.
At one point, Asami turned back to see if Korra had maybe fallen asleep. She had not. She was wide awake, staring directly at Asami. She must have been watching her this whole time.
“Everything alright?” She prompted.
“No I - Oh. Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking is all. ” Korra looked away bashfully. Asami offered her the time to continue if she wanted to, which she eventually took up.
“Actually, I do have something to tell you. It’s been on my mind for a while now, if I’m being honest. I don’t know how you’ll take it though.”
Asami’s heart thrummed in her throat. For some reason, she gained a surge in confidence.
“Try me.”
Korra took a deep breath, and propped her head on her elbow. She levelled her gaze with Asami’s. “When I was back home, I had a lot of time to reflect on things, especially you. I realized just how much time you sacrificed in those days after Zaheer hurt me. You took care of me and never left my side. You kept on writing me letters, even after most of the others stopped. You never gave up on me.” She paused for a second, and then continued more cautiously.
“I... like you, Asami. And - not in the way friends are supposed to like each other. If you’re weirded out or anything, we can forget this ever happened. I swear. But I wouldn’t be able to handle it if you disappeared from my life entirely. I-”.
“Can I kiss you?” Asami interrupted.
Korra looked at her, not comprehending at first, before slowly nodding in confirmation. Asami reached over to tuck a strand of brown hair behind Korra’s ear, and then leaned forward, pressing their lips together. Korra tasted like the wine they served at the wedding. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss, while the shorter girl’s steady hand found its place around Asami’s waist.
When they finally separated, she went to hide in Korra’s neck and started to giggle. Her eyes felt wet.
“I wanted to do that for such a long time,” Asami confessed. “I like you too, Korra. So much.” Korra wrapped her arms around her and joined in Asami’s laughter.
“Then can we try this? Try us?” Korra asked into her ear.
Asami went in for a second kiss. She felt that that was enough of a response in itself.