Chapter Text
Asami sighed and finally allowed herself a little bit of self pity as she shuffled down the suburban street with her hands shoved deeply into her jacket pockets. She wasn’t exactly sure where she was, but she knew she wasn’t anywhere near home. On her moped, she could’ve just hopped onto the main highway leading into Republic City and been home within twenty minutes. Walking, she was stuck taking the quieter streets through the suburbs on the outskirts of the city. The suburbs where she had gotten hopelessly turned around.
“Should’ve just sucked it up and called Dad. Still could, I suppose,” Asami muttered to herself as she walked, even though she knew she wouldn’t call. It wasn’t the first time her fellow high schoolers had given her trouble, but they’d never gone so far as to damage her stuff. Slashing the tires on her moped was low, even for her pea brained knuckle-dragging peers.
This was not the way she wanted her dad to find out that his golden child was actually a bit of a social outcast. Her pride kept her from dialing his number, even though that she’d been walking for half and hour now and still hadn’t managed to penetrate the monolithic maze of the inner city. Her pride, and the knowledge that interrupting her dad when he was in his workshop was a risky endeavor.
She was peering upwards, trying to find the city skyline through the thick trees lining either side of the quiet street, when she got the first inkling that something was about to go wrong. The clue was a strange thudding noise behind her, growing steadily louder, reminding Asami of a freight train barreling down upon a poor, helpless victim. She only managed to turn halfway around before a giant white blur of fur and slobber clipped her leg as it sprinted past, its momentum slamming her so hard that she completed her turn before crashing into the pavement. Asami threw her hands out to avoid smacking her face into the sidewalk and winced as the pavement bit deep into her palms.
“Naga, NOOOOO!”
A clear, loud voice cut the air, and Asami turned to look behind her, wary of another collision. What she saw was a girl around her age sprinting towards her, arms pumping, yelling that word at the top of her lungs. Naga? What did that even mean?
The girl was clutching a leash in one of her hands, and as she slid to a stop next to Asami, she put it together that the monster that ran into her must have actually been a dog. A genetically mutated dog, or a polar bear, maybe. That thing was huge.
“Oh Spirits, I am so so sorry! She ran out the door before I clipped her leash on, she didn’t mean any harm, I promise, Naga’s just excited to be outside, I’m sorry I’m so sorry!”
The girl was clearly panicking as she kneeled over Asami, her hands hovering but not quite touching her like she was unsure if Asami would allow her to help.
Asami flipped over onto her butt so she could raise her hands in a placating gesture. They must’ve looked worse than she thought, though, because the girl’s eyes darted straight to them and she winced hard.
“It’s ok, really, I’m fine…” Asami started, trying to cut off the girl’s frenzied stream of apologies, but she trailed off as she got a good look at the big blue eyes and the shaggy, chin length haircut covered with a grey beanie staring down at her. This girl was pretty, really pretty, in a rough-around-the-edges sort of way and the expression of concern that was pinching at the corners of her eyes and mouth did nothing to dispel it.
“I really am sorry,” the girl murmured uneasily, glancing from Asami’s face, to her hands, then down the road behind her, clearly torn between trying to help Asami and going after her escaped dog.
Asami solved her dilemma for her by jumping to her feet and offering the girl her forearm, in lieu of using her bloody hand, to help her up.
“I think she ran through those bushes into that backyard over there, come on, I’ll help you find her. Oh, and my name’s Asami.”
The girl turned red as she clasped Asami’s forearm with her hand and let herself be pulled back onto her feet. “Geez, I should be the one helping you up, I’m going to kill that dog I swear… I’d say nice to meet you but I’m sure you would have rather never have laid eyes on me.” The girl smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck and then remembered and added quickly, “I’m Korra.”
Asami smiled at her and ignored her throbbing palms as she set off towards the bushes she had seen the giant white furball- Naga- barrel through. She looked back at Korra and gestured for her to follow with a tilt of her head. “Come on!” Korra jumped and jogged to catch up with her.
“My house is just down the road back that way, once we get Naga I’ll clean your hands up for you. I’m sure Pema has a first aid kit somewhere.”
“Ok, sounds good. I’ve been lost for ages anyway, another delay won’t hurt anything.” Asami wriggled through the bushes into the backyard, hoping the homeowner wasn’t watching them through his or her window and dialing 911.
Korra laughed and reached through the bush’s branches to clap her on the shoulder, “When Tenzin gets home from work I’ll make sure he drives you anywhere you need to go. Where you headed, anyway?”
Asami started to answer, but couldn’t help erupting into giggles as she finally broke through the bushes and took in the back yard. It wasn’t very big; basically just a brick patio and then a large, muddy garden. Oh, and a giant white dog rolling around happily in the large, muddy garden. Naga was wriggling on her back with her tongue lolling out the side of huge jaws that Asami swore were grinning up at her. The dog’s fluffy fur and droopy ears were so caked with mud that if Asami hadn’t glimpsed her earlier, she would’ve never known the dog was supposed to be white.
She heard Korra wrestling her way out of the bush behind her, muttering expletives under her breath. Expletives that quickly increased in volume when Korra got a good look at her dog.
“Shit! Fuck! Naga, no! Seriously what the hell?! You run away, then knock over a very nice lady and now you’ve decided to channel your inner hippo? You’ve got to be joking me,” Korra howled as she tromped over and grabbed Naga’s front paws. Asami had to sit down she was laughing so hard as Korra tried in vain to drag Naga out of the muddy hole that used to be a garden.
Disregarding her tendency to knock over strangers, the dog must’ve had a pretty good disposition because she stayed flopped over on her back and just wagged her tail as Korra finally tugged her out of the mud with a gross sounding squelch.
Asami tried in vain to stop her giggles as she finally was able to crawl to her feet and hand Korra the leash that she’d dropped in the grass after laying eyes on her disaster of a dog. Korra grumbled a thank you and clipped the leash onto Naga’s mud-caked collar.
“It’s a good thing Pema’s at the park with the kids or she would banish you from her home forever, you stupid adorable dog.” Korra rambled as she tried to keep an angry face on. Naga simply squirmed her way into a standing position and gave Korra a giant slobbery kiss. Asami swore the dog’s tongue was so big that it licked from Korra’s chin to her forehead and knocked her beanie askew.
“Yeah yeah, don’t give me that. If you’d behaved, we’d be in the park right now. Instead, we’ve got to go bandage up poor Asami and give you a bath. This is all your fault!”
Asami broke down into laughter again. She wished her hands would quit bleeding so she could rest them on her knees and catch her breath. Korra noticed her struggle and hustled Naga out towards the street. She caught Asami’s arm on the way and tugged her along as well.
“Dog secured, phase one is complete!” Korra chuckled, “Now lets get you cleaned up. I bet you’re eager to get far away from the irresponsible dog owner and her crazy beast.”
Asami grinned along with her and tried to calm the tingles running down her arm where Korra was touching her. If she wasn’t lying to herself, she was really enjoying Korra’s company. She had almost forgotten what it was like to talk and laugh with someone, to (maybe) have a friend.
“Actually,” Asami threw out in another fit of honesty, “This is by far the most fun I’ve had all day.
Korra threw her a teasing glance over her shoulder. The muscles of her back that Asami could see under her lose tank top were tight and rippling with the effort it took to keep Naga from pulling her off of her feet. The dog was straining at the leash, enthusiastic to sniff and enjoy every pebble on the sidewalk and every piece of foliage in the yards.
“Geez, you must’ve had a pretty rough day, then,” Korra said.
Asami’s smile dimmed a little bit and she ducked her head. Korra noticed and immediately heaved Naga to a stop.
“Woah, hey I’m sorry, I was just teasing,” Korra apologized. The hand that didn’t have a death grip on Naga’s leash was doing that hovering thing again, like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to comfort Asami.
Asami decided to help her out and plucked her hand out of the air and gave it a little squeeze.
“Don’t worry about it, I've got thick skin. High school is just… not fun sometimes. No big deal- Oh ew, I’m sorry!”
The small lightning prick of pain that Asami felt when she grabbed Korra’s hand with hers finally registered that her hand was definitely still hurt and she had definitely just gotten blood on Korra. Great.
The other girl just laughed, however, and gave her hand a careful squeeze back before releasing her and wiping her hand off on her jeans.
“It’s all good. Not the first time I’ve gotten blood on me- Wait! That sounds creepy, I meant like- I’m not a murderer, I swear! I’ve done martial arts since I was a kid and sometimes it gets a little messy is all.” Korra swiped at the back of her neck again, something Asami was learning was a nervous tick.
“Oh cool! Dad’s had me in self defense classes for a few years now. Where do you go?”
Before she answered, Korra turned off the sidewalk and unlatched a gate that was set into a cute white picket fence. The house behind the fence was small, but immaculate. It was made of stone, and the yard was landscaped into a beautiful water garden, dotted with statues of Buddha and other meditation symbols that weren’t as recognizable to Asami.
“I actually just moved here, so I don’t have a place to go yet. I’m an exchange student from the Southern Water Tribe. Tenzin and Pema are my host family.”
Asami trailed behind her through the winding pathway up to the front door. Then, a spark of recollection hit her and she said, “Wait, Tenzin like Councilman Tenzin? Wow, I’m more lost than I thought. This is nowhere near the neighborhood I wanted to be in,” she mused.
Korra grinned and then bent over to scoop Naga up into her arms, holding her around the chest so that her legs stuck out in every direction. She huffed in exertion and then said, slightly strained, “Yep, that’s the guy! My dad is the leader of the Southern Water Tribe so he and Tenzin go way back.”
Asami darted in front of her to open the door and Korra waddled inside, trying to keep any part of the mud-covered Naga from touching anything in the house. Asami was more than slightly impressed at how strong Korra had to be to lift up her monster dog. The impressment turned into amazement as Korra started up the stairs.
“Wow, you’re strong, “ Asami mentally slapped her forehead. Why in the world did she say that out loud? And to the daughter of the leader of a country? She hadn’t spoken this many words to anyone who wasn’t a Future Industries employee or a teacher in a long time; her verbal filter must just be a little rusty.
She followed Korra up the stairs, sticking close behind her in case Naga’s weight made her tip backwards (though she had no idea how she planned to catch both of them if that did happen), and into a small bathroom. Korra gave a final grunt of exertion as she heaved Naga up and over the lip of the tub and gazed triumphantly at her handiwork with her hands on her hips.
“Stay, Naga. Remember, you did this to yourself,” Korra said as she leaned over and cranked the shower knob. To Asami’s surprise, Naga simply wiggled happily under the stream of water and obeyed her owner. Korra turned to Asami with a rather proud grin on her face.
“I told you she was just excited earlier, she’s usually a pretty well-behaved dog. Being cooped up in the yard all day after growing up in the South Pole hasn’t done her much good, I don’t think.”
Asami tried to follow what Korra was telling her but she couldn’t help but smile at what an absolute mess the shorter girl was. Naga’s struggles had shoved her beanie too far down over her forehead so it almost covered her eyes and her entire front was saturated with mud. Asami walked over to the sink and grabbed a washcloth.
“Hold still, you have a ton of mud on your face.”
Korra turned red with embarrassment and squirmed as Asami tugged her beanie back into place and wiped at her face with the cloth, but she gave her a cheeky grin when she was done.
“There you go helping me out again when I’m supposed to be the one fixing you up,” Korra said, and lightly punched her arm. Then she got down on her hands and knees and started rifling through the cabinet under the sink. Naga woofed at her from the tub and Korra’s arm shot out and pointed at her, the rest of her upper half still completely inside of the cabinet, “Stay put, missy! Pretend you’re at the beach or something.”
Asami gave the dog a wary look and nudged the door shut with her toe, just in case. She wanted to tease Korra for talking to her dog like she could understand every word, but didn’t know her well enough to be sure she’d take it well, so she stayed silent. After a few moments and some shuffling noises, Korra gave a wordless exclamation of victory and crawled out with a battered first aid kit in her hands.
“I knew it was in there somewhere! Ok, maybe just run your hands under some water first and try to get the dirt and dried blood off of them, yeah?”
Asami obliged and when the water hit her battered palms she hissed in pain.
“Ouch. I think the last time I scraped up my hands like this was when I was little and learning how to ride my bike.”
When she looked over her shoulder at where Korra had the contents of the first aid kit spread out over the shower mat. She was gazing up at Asami with a slightly pained, guilty expression.
Asami turned off the water and unceremoniously dropped down onto the floor to face her. “Korra, it’s fine. Believe me, I can handle a hell of a lot more than a little scrape. Thick skin, remember?” She leaned back against the sink and Korra nodded, still looking guilty, then scooted forward to take Asami’s hands in hers.
Korra peered closely at Asami’s wounds and face scrunched into a concentrated scowl. “I think there are still some sidewalk rocks in here. You want me to have a go at them with some tweezers?”
Not that she would ever admit it, but Asami really liked the feeling of Korra holding her hands. She also didn’t mind Korra being so close to her that their knees were touching and her light breaths tickled her hands.
“Asami?”
At the sound of her name, Asami jumped and sheepishly looked away, having been caught staring.
“Uh, what?”
Korra smirked at her like she knew some secret Asami didn’t and waved a pair of tweezers under Asami’s nose. Asami blushed even harder and nodded her permission.
Tweezers digging rocks out of soft, achy palms hurt more than she thought it would. It took her teeth dug deep into her lip and a battery of clenched muscles to keep her from yanking her hand away from Korra’s grasp.
Korra peered up at her with her striking blue eyes and patted her leg in sympathy before returning to her task and Asami’s heart lurched in her chest and honestly, what was going on with her? She could see down the loose neck of Korra’s tank top and her eyes drank in dark skin and surprisingly sculpted muscles covered by a ragged sports bra that had undeniably been through more than a few adventures- and it was getting a little hard for Asami to breathe. Though maybe it was just due to the pounding of the shower and the smell of Naga’s wet fur. Yeah, she was going to go with that.
In an effort to get some air back into her lungs and get her head out of the forbidden places it was circling, Asami blurted out the first conversation topic that popped into her head.
“So have you started classes yet? Which –ouch- school do you go to?” She tried to quell the little spark of hope in her chest. There were several high schools in and around Republic City, the chances that Korra went to hers were-
“Nope, tomorrow is actually going to be my first day. I’m going to be a junior at Republic High. You?”
The spark burst into a cheery little fire and Asami laughed a little at the happiness that suddenly warmed her from the inside out. Or maybe that was the shower, too. Who knows.
“That’s great, I’m a senior at Republic High. If you want, I can help you get to your classes if you meet me tomorrow morning before school starts?”
“That’d be wicked! I’m not too nervous or anything but it’s nice to have made a friend already.” Korra finished with the tweezers and tossed them up into the sink before reaching back and switching off the shower. Naga huffed happily and rolled onto her back, content to nap in the tub now that her ordeal was over.
For her part, Asami tried to ignore how her little campfire heart had turned into a miniature inferno when Korra had called her a friend. It’d been a long time since she’d had that word applied to her. That must be why she was reacting so strongly to Korra. She’d been alone for a long time, and the prospect of actually having someone to talk to and laugh with was startling.
She was rolling up the sleeves on her leather jacket so that Korra could bandage up her handiwork when she saw Korra’s eyes dart to the Future Industries patch on her shoulder and then quickly away, like she was hoping Asami hadn’t seen. Asami stilled and eyed Korra warily.
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
Again with the hand on the back of the neck thing, this girl didn’t bother to hide her emotions at all. Korra had the grace to look a little ashamed as she scrubbed at her neck and tugged her beanie lower over her forehead.
“I mean yeah, I know you’re Asami Sato, but it’s kind of a long story. I dunno, it doesn't really matter to me, and you just seemed really cool and I didn’t want that to change anything.” She glanced up at Asami from under her eyelashes like she was afraid of being yelled at.
Asami sat back and crossed her arms, ready to hear her out. “Give me the short version.”
Korra sighed but nodded, “Alright, let me wrap up your hands while I talk though, ok?” Asami let Korra take her hands back but didn’t say anything else. In a way, she kind of appreciated Korra treating her like just anyone off of the street, but the fact that she had known Asami was the daughter of the most powerful industrial tycoon in the nation and didn’t say anything made her wary for a reason she couldn’t quite grasp.
Korra’s fingers were surprisingly nimble as they wrapped the bandages around Asami’s palms. She liked the feeling of Korra’s meticulous attentions and the way she held tight to Asami’s wrist with one hand, steadying her, and wrapped with the other. She liked the feeling of someone taking care of her. Her sudden mistrust of Korra was already thawing before she even started to explain herself.
“So, earlier, I told you I was the daughter of the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, and that I’m staying with councilman Tenzin. Dad’s been trying to shape me as a diplomat-in-training for a few years now. Says that between my family and my family’s connections, I’m in a unique position that's perfect for ambassador affairs,” She huffed a breath out and blew her bangs out of her eyes, then leaned in close to tie off the bandage on Asami’s left hand.
“Anyway, Tenzin’s really big on that too; training me in the ways of politics. They’re both so certain that I could make a difference in the world that they're hellbent on turning me into a good diplomat.”
“You don’t get a choice about any of this?” Asami asked, incredulous.
Korra sighed softly and shrugged, “I’ve always been happy to make my family happy and proud. If they think I can do this, then I’m willing to try. I do think the world needs a mouthpiece that can help keep a peaceful balance between nations, but it’s kind of a big job and I'm just one person. I’m not sure why they think I’m going to be able to make any sort of difference, or even if this is the right way for me to go about it…” Korra trailed off and sent a wistful glance off down where the hallway would lead if the bathroom door weren’t closed.
Asami tried to imagine what Korra was thinking about and what she was looking at, but her interest was also piqued.
“So, what does all of this have to do with me?”
“Patience, Asami, I was getting to that,” Korra grinned at her. Her bangs fell down over her eyes again and Asami reached forward to brush them away, without even thinking about it. Korra’s eyebrows shot up but then she relaxed into Asami’s touch and kept talking.
“I’ve only been in Republic City for about a week, but Tenzin has been grilling me nonstop on all the important and influential people here. He’s having me learn names, family members, their political connections, job statuses, on and on and on. It’s insane. So… yeah. That’s how I recognized you.”
“That's me, daughter of Hiroshi Sato.”
Korra tied off the last bandage and shook her head, “Not just a daughter. Tenzin told me to pay special attention to you. Said you were the brightest innovators he’d met in a long time and that he was excited to see what you’re going to do with Future Industries in a few years.”
Asami couldn’t help but flush at the praise. She’d met Tenzin a few times at galas and maybe even one of her dad's business meeting once upon a time. She had no idea the man thought anything special about her.
“That… was really nice of him to say,” she said slowly. Korra climbed to her feet and offered her a hand up.
“Yeah, Tenzin’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He actually gives me hope that not everyone in politics is a sleazy, selfish bastard. More importantly, am I off the hook for being creepy?”
Asami laughed and accepted her help up. “Yes, I suppose. But, be honest with me, do you actually like politics?”
Personally, Asami didn’t care for them. She thought most of the politicians were selfish and unflinching in a field where compromise and caring should have been valued over everything else. These people were supposed to lead the nations and help their people. Their main goal should be to foster peace and, like Korra had said, balance. But, her idea of the job description was apparently pretty far from what a lot of politicians thought it was. Republic City in particular had some pretty slimy figures.
Korra didn’t answer for a long moment, instead choosing to towel off a sleepy Naga. When she finally did speak, it was after she opened the bathroom door and headed down the hall, gesturing for Asami to follow.
“Let me show you something.”