Work Text:
“Are we really doing this?”
Korra’s friends all turned to look at her with something in between anxiety and exasperation.
“Yeah, Korra, you’re marrying Asami,” Opal said warily.
“You should probably, like, know that by now...” Bolin added, frowning at her.
“Yeah, I do, I just... can’t believe it.”
“You’re not having doubts, are you?” Mako asked.
“NO!”
Opal, Mako and Bolin all jumped back, and Jinora poked her head into the room.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” they all said in unison.
“I’m not... dreaming or anything, right?” Asami asked.
Her assistant rolled her eyes. “No, Miss Sato, we’ve all heard a thousand times. You’re marrying the Avatar. It’s real. And also not relevant to those Sato-mobile prices.”
“Oh... yeah. Um, prices.”
Asami stared down at the document in her hands without really seeing it, eyes focusing instead on the ring on her hand, soon to be replaced by a different one.
“So, if we, um... factor in these rings... I mean, budgets!” Asami buried her face in her hands, embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, I just...”
I’m just way too in love with her.
The decision to hold their wedding privately in the Spirit World had not been made without backlash. The city wanted in on the Avatar’s ceremony, and they’d made that very clear.
But Korra and Asami were used to always being surrounded by people, always being spotlighted, rarely getting to just be themselves. For Korra, this had been a reality ever since she turned up in Republic City. For Asami, it had always been true as a Sato, but was even more so now as the Avatar’s girlfriend. Fiancée. Soon to be wife.
Which meant that they wanted this day to be about them, not the spotlight and the world’s opinion. The actual ceremony would just be them in the Spirit World. After all, if Bolin could officiate a wedding, then why couldn’t Korra and Asami just do their vows themselves? Afterwards, they would join their friends to celebrate, before heading off on vacation. Honeymoon. Whatever.
They hadn’t exactly told anyone outside of their friends where they’d be holding their wedding, because the last thing they wanted was the press hounding them. This was their day, not everyone else’s.
Korra waited in the Spirit World. They’d decided to come here separately, because it had more of the ‘walking down the aisle’ atmosphere. Also, because Korra wanted to make doubly sure everything was spiritually stable, and Asami was likely to take significantly longer getting ready.
Korra was wearing traditional Water Tribe dress, not dissimilar to the outfits she normally wore to parties and formal gatherings. Her short hair was up in a bun, like it had been the day of Varrick and Zhu Li’s wedding, and her engagement necklace was round her neck, although soon a marriage one would take its place.
She waited in the field of flowers where they’d vacationed so many times, a ring in her pocket. She’d fashioned it herself, using metalbending.
There hadn’t been much else to prepare here. The landscape was naturally so beautiful that it was unnecessary to add anything. Small spirits flitted or ran around her.
Korra tried to quell her nerves. She was sure about this. She was very sure. But what if... what if Asami wasn’t?
... But she must be, because she was here. Korra watched her emerge from the portal.
Asami looked absolutely gorgeous, as always. She’d opted out of the white dresses of Republic City weddings, and was wearing her signature dark red. Her hair was loose around her face, falling down her back in glossy waves.
Korra realised she’d been staring at her dazedly. Asami walked towards her slowly, probably mostly because she was wearing heels and this was a field. Okay, a spirit-y, flower-covered field, but still.
Asami’s nerves calmed as soon as she saw Korra standing there. Because this was right. They were right together. They always had been, even when they didn’t know it.
She crossed over the field towards her, trying to stay composed and not run to her, because running in these shoes would probably twist her ankle.
When she reached Korra, her first instinct was to kiss her, but they should probably save that.
Korra took both of Asami’s hands in hers.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
They grinned at each other wordlessly for a moment, before Korra pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket.
“So, I’m just going to say this... unless there’s anything we need to do before that?”
Asami touched Korra’s cheek gently. “There’s not.”
“Okay.” Korra cleared her throat, and held onto one of Asami’s hands tightly whilst she read from the paper.
“Asami, I probably should know this off by heart, but I don’t. Sorry. What I do know is that today is not the beginning for us, even though it’s the start of the next phase of our lives together. Our beginning happened when you crashed into my crush on a moped.”
Asami laughed. That day felt like so long ago.
“At the time, I kind of wished you never had. But it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Spirits, now Asami was crying. Already.
“I know the first thing I said to you wasn’t exactly... kind.” Korra smiled a little at the memory.
Really, because he hasn’t mentioned you at all.
What a far cry that was from the words she was saying now.
“I would never have guessed you would become the most important person in the world to me. I mean, no-one ever knows when they meet the love of their life, right? But really your crush’s girlfriend is probably one of the people you’d least expect. Back then, I would probably have laughed at the idea that one day I’d be standing here asking you to spend our lives together.
“But you, above anyone else, were always there for me, no matter what. After I kind of stole your boyfriend, after I was hostile to you, even after I deserted you for three years, you were still there. When I realised I loved you, I was in such a dark place that I didn’t even know if it was real. But I knew you were. You were real. You were one of the only certainties I had.
“And I’m standing here today to say that it was real, too. That thing I realised when you took hold of my hand and said you were here for me. It was real. It always was. And it is now.
“When I was seventeen and met Mako, I really believed I’d found the love of my life, my... soulmate, I guess. But after everything got messed up between us, I stopped believing such a thing existed. There was love, but it faded, and the idea that there could be this ‘one above all others, forever’ was a lie. But... then there was you.” Korra looked tearful too now, and it was all Asami could do not to sob.
“There was you, and... ugh, it sounds like such a cliché, but you took my breath away. I’d known you for a while, and slowly it just started to become clear, and the day that I came back home to you, everything clicked. It made sense. This was what it was actually meant to be like.
“And when you took my hand that day that... we became us, I realised I’d been wrong. No, just because you love someone, doesn’t necessarily mean they will be your soulmate. Not everyone is going to have someone who’s the ‘love of their life’. But... I do. And you’re her, Asami.
“People say we’re too young to know for sure. But I’ve known for three years – and was pretty sure for another three before that. And this isn’t changing. The future is uncertain, obviously, I mean, as the Avatar that’s pretty much a given. But I love you, and I’m going to love you until I die, and probably after that, since I’ll live on in whoever is the next Avatar.
“And in a life of... really weird stuff happening...” she laughed slightly, and Asami joined in. Their life was definitely weird. “In a life of what ifs and wild guesses and taking seriously dangerous chances, in a life of never knowing what’s around the next corner, where I’ve found it hard to be sure of anything, that is the only thing I’m sure of.”
She tucked the paper back into her pocket and took both of Asami’s hands in hers again. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”
Asami smiled through the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks. This was probably messing up her make-up. She didn’t care in the slightest.
“I’ve seen the world come close to ending enough times that I don’t know if forever even exists or not,” Korra continued, off-script now. “But if it does, I’d really like to spend it with you. So... will you?”
“Of course. Of course I will,” Asami said softly, tears in her voice. Korra slid the wedding ring onto her finger, smiling at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. And for once, Asami didn’t question whether she deserved that look. Whether she did or didn’t, it was there, proof in every word that had been spoken, proof in the beautiful ring on her finger, that Korra loved her.
When she’d collected herself enough to speak coherently, she said. “My turn?”
Korra nodded.
Saying the words, all Korra’s nerves had vanished. The words were real and true and they came from her heart. She loved Asami, and she always would.
Asami clasped Korra’s hands tightly in hers and looked directly into her eyes.
“Korra. I tortured myself for weeks, trying to think of the perfect thing to say to you, the exact right thing to let you know how much you mean to me. But then I realised that those words are never going to exist. There aren’t enough words to express everything you are to me.
“Unlike you, I was actually happy when we first met. But like you, I never would have thought that in seven years’ time we’d be where we are now.
“After my mother died, my father was almost all I had. So when he betrayed me, I thought that maybe it would be better if I just shut my heart off. That caring about people had only ever got me hurt. For a while, I tried not to let anyone get to me like that. Not to care too deeply about anyone. But it was impossible, because there you were. You and our other friends, of course, but most of all you.
“And I cared about you, more and more, so much that it scared me. It scared me, being without you for so long. But then you came home, and straight into my arms, or... that’s what it felt like. And even though I’d never left, I felt like I was home too, for the first time in a long time.
“And I kept feeling that more and more, that day that we went on vacation, and every day afterwards. I love you, and that feeling has never grown old or tired or commonplace. It’s still new, still exciting, still surprises me every day.
“We’ve known each other seven years, and sure, you frustrate me sometimes, but there has never been a moment where I’m tired of you, and I know there never will be. Every day with you brings some new adventure, and sure, sometimes that’s a big risky mission to save the world, but sometimes it’s just seeing how your eyes light up when I walk into the room and realising anew that you’re looking at me that way, because loving you is... its own adventure. And it’s one I’m never going to want to end.
“I think for a lot of people, marriage is about proof. Proving to everyone you know that you’re making a commitment. Proving your love to the world. But I don’t care about what the world thinks, as long as you know that I love you.
“For couples in stories, marriage is their ending, their ‘happily ever after’. But this isn’t the end. This isn’t ‘happily ever after’, because we still have so many chapters left in our story. And I’m not quite sure how I got into writing metaphors, but... I want to keep writing those chapters with you. Because no matter what happens, no matter how long we live or where we go after death, there isn’t going to be an ending, because I’m never going to stop loving you.
“So... Korra...” Asami paused a little, and Korra tried to pretend she hadn’t been crying, but it was pointless, because Asami had been looking at her the entire time and knew full well that there were tears in her eyes. Then Asami smiled suddenly, a mixture of mischief and tenderness in her gaze. “Still wanna marry me?”
“You can ask me that a thousand times if you want, you know I’ll always say yes.”
Asami smiled at her, tears in her eyes, and reached up to unclasp Korra’s betrothal necklace, and clasp another round her neck. The first had been a promise of marriage, this one was a promise of living out their lives together.
When she drew back, Asami stared at Korra for a moment. Looking into her eyes, Korra thought she’s my wife. Woah. That’s going to take some getting used to.
“So... we’re married. Korra... we’re married?” Asami sounded like she could hardly believe it.
“Yes. We are. I mean, we should probably make sure that we sign some official document when we’re back in the city, but... even if no-one else recognised it, I’d still be married to you right now.”
Asami continued to stare into her eyes for a moment, before shifting her gaze to Korra’s lips. “So... I don’t know a huge amount about weddings in general, but isn’t kissing the bride kind of part of the deal?”
In answer, Korra pulled Asami’s face down to hers and kissed her. Their arms went round each other, Korra’s free hand wound in Asami’s hair as she kissed her thoroughly breathless.
After some time, they pulled back from each other slightly, enough to speak.
“So, since I get to keep you forever, there’ll be a lot time for this later, and I guess we should give our friends some of our attention?” Asami asked, laughing.
“Yeah,” Korra said. She wasn’t really listening, still dazed from the kiss and Asami’s proximity and the fact that they were married now.
“You’re not listening, are you?” Asami smirked at her.
“Wh... sure... I... Asami, you’re my wife.”
“Thanks, I know that,” she teased.
“I just... wow. I...” Come on, Korra, words. Words are a thing. “I’m just so in love with you.”
Asami leant down and kissed her again, softly, gently. “I love you too.”
“Friends,” Korra reminded her after another few minutes.
“Right, friends. And I guess I should probably reassure your parents that I’ll take good care of you.”
“What, you think I can’t look after myself?” Korra asked, pretending to be indignant.
“Korra, two weeks ago you almost drove a Sato-mobile into a wall.”
“You distracted me!”
“Sure, but I also saved our lives, so...”
Ugh, Korra was never able to argue with her for long. Not when she was usually right, and also beautiful and kind and the love of Korra’s life and...
“Okay. Republic City.”
“Lead the way...” That mischievous glint came into Asami’s eyes again. “...Mrs Sato.”
“When did we decide I’m Mrs Sato now? Shouldn’t I have been consulted?”
“Oh, do you have any arguments?” Asami asked, leaning down to kiss Korra again.
Okay, she didn’t. Really didn’t.
“I guess not.”
Asami kind of wanted to stay there for the rest of her life, unmoving, please direct all calls here, please visit this address to speak to Asami Sato and Avatar Korra. But they had friends back in the city who, if she knew Bolin, at least, were probably wondering whether they’d been captured or something.
“Better get back to the city before they call the cops or something,” Korra said, echoing Asami’s thoughts. “Although, they need to anyway.”
“Why?” Asami asked warily.
Korra smirked at her, a smile that said she was pleased with herself. “Because someone stole my heart.”
Asami stared at her and then burst out laughing. “You,” she choked. “Are so...”
Korra raised an eyebrow. “So...?”
“Just so...” How did you even describe it? “... so you.”
“Oh yeah? Is that a good thing?”
“The best. But hey, I don’t think calling Beifong is going to work here.”
“Why?”
“Because someone stole my heart right back.”
Korra smiled at her, and then reached down to clasp her hand.
“Well, let’s go back and see whose story they believe.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They headed towards the portal, leaving behind the field, but taking with them love, and hope, and a promise of forever.
Asami paused before they stepped through. “Hey, Korra?”
“Yeah?”
“When we get back to the city, a lot of people are going to be calling me the Avatar’s wife. I want to say it before they do. I’m your wife.”
“Thanks, I know that,” Korra responded, imitating Asami’s earlier response. “And much as that probably is the way round that they’re going to refer to it... I’m yours too. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t.”
Like they had before, on the other side of this portal, three years ago, they turned their heads to smile at each other, before taking one another’s hands.
Because then or now or in fifty years, they were going to go through the world together.