Work Text:
Operation: Asking out Asami Sato
Avatar Korra had faced many challenges in her lifetime. She had stared down powerful spirits, defeated the world’s most powerful benders, and established a new era of peace.
In her opinion, those trials were nothing compared to the near impossible task of asking out her drop-dead gorgeous, kind hearted and unrivaled genius that was her girlfriend: Asami Sato
It wasn’t that Korra was uninterested or lacking in ideas on what to do, in the short amount of time they were together, she had grown an immense fondness and affection for Asami. This overwhelming multitude of feelings has resulted in a very lovestruck Avatar that couldn’t for the life of her stop pinning and actually ask Asami out on a date.
Every time she had attempted to pop the forbidden question, she would stumble over her words, plans would unexpectedly flop, or some supernatural being out there was just interfering with every single one of her heartfelt endeavors to literally just ask, “Hey Asami, wanna hang out with me?”
And hence, operation [Asking Out Asami Sato] was put into action. Korra spent days coming up with ideas to effectively increase her chances of receiving a “yes” from the goddess that was her girlfriend. With a notebook full of elaborate schemes and a heart full of love, Korra set off on her first mission.
Attempt 1
“Paging for Asami Sato, it seems that Avatar Korra here is insisting to see you now.”
Korra stood impatiently in the lobby of future industries, tapping her foot a little too aggressively as she huffed yet another sigh of disapproval.
“I’m telling you, Asami already agreed to see me at this time, so just let me up there and you can get back to whatever it is you’re doing.” Korra shifted the package she was holding to rest on her hip.
Jun Yi, the front desk secretary rolled his eyes at Korra. “Ms Sato is a very busy woman, and as her secretary, I am entitled to having access to her schedule and it clearly shows that you did not book an appointment with her.”
“I’m her girlfriend,” Korra said proudly. “We wouldn’t be in this argument in the first place if you would trust me.”
“We’ll see about that, I can’t wait to have security called on you when Ms Sato herself delivers the news of- ”
“Korra’s here?” Asami’s melodic voice held a playful lift to it. “Let her straight in Jun Yi, she’s welcomed in my office anytime.”
Korra’s smirk grew tenfold at every word Asami spoke. Poor Jun Yi was vibrating with anger as Korra strolled up the stairs with an “I told you so” look plastered on her face.
Fast strides quickly led her to Asami’s office. Her knuckles knocked on the cherry oak door rapidly. An amused laugh followed by a “come in!” was all Korra needed as she swung open the door. She was pleasantly surprised to see Asami grinning at her with that perfect smile of hers, eyes shining with glee as she stood from her desk.
Korra paced over to meet Asami, anticipation bubbling up within her. The pair stood there for a moment, still unsure of what an appropriate greeting was. Should they wave? Commit the sin of premarital holding again? Is a kiss appropriate for this situation?
They settled on a friendly hug made slightly awkward by the box Korra was carrying. Despite the weird angle, Asami seemed to melt into Korra’s embrace, which in turn made her heart melt into a puddle of mush.
“I’m so happy you’re here.” Asami finally said as they pulled away, much to Korra’s dismay.
“And I’m happy to be here with you too” was what Korra would have said if her heart and brain weren’t a useless pile of warm goo. Instead, she settled for a chuckle, followed by a playful punch to Asami’s shoulder, and then proceeding to shove the box in Asami’s face. Way to go Avatar Korra.
Asami’s cocked her head slightly as she reached over to grab the box from Korra. It was then when Korra noticed how absolutely stunning Asami looked with her signature red and black work jacket and her new pair of pants that fit her nicely. Her hair was let down from its usual style and damn she went from cute and adorable to straight up the most alluring and ravishing individual Korra laid her eyes on.
“I, uhhhhh…” Korra’s mind had short-circuited.
“What’s this?”
“UHHHH me, you, box.” She cleared her throat as Asami took the box into her own hands. “For you, from me. No, wait shit of course it's from me.”
Thankfully Asami seemed very entertained by her rambling and delightedly opened the box. Korra watched as Asami carefully took out the item nestled safely within it.
"This little girl was selling these along the Dragon Flats and it reminded me of the plants by your office window so I got you one!" Asami lifted the charming little plant, admiring its beautiful coloring that was displayed by the glass dome that surrounded it.
Asami was surprised Korra even noticed the plants she had in her office. "This is adorable, thank you Korra."
"The girl also mentioned that the glass would be easy to clean and that this plant will never die. Her pitch was ambitious but I passed a flower shop and she said that this little guy needs water three times a week." Korra watched as Asami rolled the leaves between her thumb and index finger. “She also told me that succulents are the most popular this time of year since they are pretty easy to care for.”
Asami gave the soil a gentle poke, her face scrunched up like how it would when she was working on a complicated design.
"Just make sure they're clean and- Asami? Are you paying attention?"
"Korra, this is very sweet of you and I really appreciate this gift, but I'm pretty sure this is a fake plant."
Wait. A. What?
Korra hastily took the ‘plant’ in her hands, feeling the leaves and looking closely at the soil. The leaves felt rubbery, and the soil seemed to be comprised of wood shavings.
“OhspirtsIjustgaveyouafakeplantI’msosorry.” Korra felt her face flush from sheer embarrassment. She literally got scammed into buying a fake plant.
“Kor? Hey, it’s alright. Some of my plants are fake too.” Asami leaned in closer to give Korra’s arms a gentle rub, followed by a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I still really love this plant, definitely one of my favorites.”
“And if I’m being very honest…” Asami was now so close that her breath tickled against Korra’s neck. “The reason why I like it so much is because its from you.” Another kiss was given. “So, thank you, Korra.”
Korra was then reluctantly ushed out of the office due to an impromptu meeting. Thoughts of asking Asami out were momentarily halted as she gingerly ghosted her fingers over where Asami had kissed her. She was so distracted that she missed the satisfied sneer from Jun Yi as she left the building.
“Holy spirits…”
Attempt 7
Korra adjusted the dress suit she was wearing. She had to admit, as annoying as he is Wu certainly knew his stuff when it came to fashion. Shaking her arms wildly to remove any remaining jitters, Korra mustered up her courage and rang the doorbell.
As she waited for a response, she ran through the plan in her mind once again. Asami probably had just arrived home, and she might be in the mood for a nice walk down the pier after a long day at work. When asked why she was wearing such a fancy outfit, she would say that she had an important meeting with Raiko, and definitely not because she wanted to impress her.
A few moments had passed and Asami had not answered the door. Korra rang the doorbell again, maybe she didn’t catch it the first time. Another few minutes passed, which turned into hours, and by the time Korra was too tired to stand she figured Asami just wasn’t home. At some point Korra had begun dosing off, fatigue from the day finally catching up to her.
Korra rarely dreamt, but on this particular night, she dreamt of a warm embrace, one that she clung onto rather tightly. In her dream the gentle hug she was held in tried to pull away. Dream Korra didn’t appreciate that and just clung on even tighter. Thankfully, that sweet source of warmth and comfort relented and stayed by her side.
What a dream that was. Korra woke up to the smell of lilies and orchids. She felt silk soft fabric cushioning her as she slowly blinked awake, reminiscing the wonderful dream she had the pleasure of experiencing. Deciding that sleep was much more appealing than getting up at the moment, she allowed her eyes to flutter shut, losing herself to the strangely comforting atmosphere…
“Morning sleepyhead” Ah well, time to get up. Asami’s sweet voice was more than enough to drag Korra out of her drowsiness.
Now hold on.
Korra shot up from the bed in a mild panic. “Asami?!” Disorientated, she managed to tangle herself in the blanket that was draped over her, resulting in an unflattering image of Korra falling headfirst onto the floor.
“That’s me,” Asami joked as she helped hoist Korra off the cold wooden floor. “Before we discuss why on earth you were outside my apartment last night, what kind of tea would you like?”
“I swear I can explain myself. And some chrysanthemum would be nice, thank you.” With a hum of affirmation, Asami sauntered out of the room and into the kitchen. Korra watched how her partner seemed so at ease in her own home. The domestic scene of Asami in an oversized t-shirt with pants so long they basically dragged across the floor as she poured a cup of tea was pure serotonin for her.
Did she mention how adorable Asami looked? Asami looked very cute in those home clothes of hers and boy was Korra blushing up a storm.
“Here, I was brewing a pot for myself before you woke up.” The steaming mug presented to Korra calmed her nerves slightly. Asami watched with bated breath as she took a sip. The warm liquid helped ground her to reality as the sweet, floral notes perked her up for the morning.
“Is it good?”
“It tastes wonderful Sami.” Korra leaned up to plant a kiss on Asami’s forehead as thanks. “Thanks, and good morning!”
“I’m… really glad you liked it. I thought carrying you into my apartment would make you a little uncomfortable.”
Korra almost spat out her tea. “Carry?”
“How else would you have gotten in here? Imagine my surprise when I saw you at the door when I was taking out the trash.”
“You were home? But the doorbell!
“The doorbell is broken silly. Oh, and I hope you didn’t mind us sharing a bed, you seemed like you didn’t want to let go last night.”
Steam was erupting from Korra’s ears at this point. Her so-called ‘dream’ made much more sense now. Deciding that it was too shameless to suggest a date at that very moment, Korra had failed another mission yet again.
Attempt 11
“Say Asami, are you by any chance free this weekend?” Bolin flashed his signature friendly smile as Asami checked her calendar.
“I should be, is there something you need me for?”
Korra sat in relative silence as Bolin worked his magic. After hearing many of Korra’s sad efforts to ask Asami out, Bolin being the best wingman he is decided it was time to step in and help. In theory, it was simple enough. All Bolin had to do was free up a day for Asami that coincidentally matched with Korra’s.
It was honestly too easy.
“Perfect, Korra you’re free too, right?”
Just like how they had practiced, Korra stiffly repeated her lines. “Mhm, I think it would be nice to hang out, don’t you agree guys?”
“A lovely suggestion indeed Korra, but alas, I just remembered that I have a shoot to attend, oh well. Looks like it’s just the two of you.” Bolin turned to give Korra a discreet thumbs-up.
“Oh, that’s no problem, if your Friday is free, we could head down to the entertainment district to have fun like the good old times. We can even stop by the food street you missed.”
Korra mentally facepalmed. Of course, Asami’s brilliant mind would account for everyone’s needs, it was very attractive, how Asami was so kind and thoughtful.
Asami’s excitement had rubbed off on Bolin, which in turn made him forget the original reason why he was here. “That sounds great! See you on Friday at 6?”
“Let’s meet here at 5 so we can avoid the crowd.”
Well, at least she still got to spend time with Asami.
Attempt 13
Dear Asami,
I know receiving a letter like this is kind of out of the blue, but I think putting my thoughts onto paper would help me say what I feel exactly. Our new relationship has been an amazing journey so far. Every day I get to call you my girlfriend, do you know how lucky I am? I get to shower you with all the love I possibly can and I get to receive the same from you!
Things have been busy and we haven’t been able to spend time with one another. Let’s go on a date, shall we? Anywhere you like, I’m happy as long as I get to be with you. Let’s forget our responcibilities for a few hours and let loose and have fun together.
Literally your Avatar,
Korra
“Mako just tell me if the letter sounds alright.”
“For the last time Korra I’m not critiquing a love letter!”
“Come on, please?”
Mako groaned in annoyance and gave the paper a glance over.
“You spelled responsibilities wrong.”
Korra paced anxiously outside the Future Industries building, pausing every so often to glance up at the window of Asami’s office. The letter she had written had just been delivered and now she awaits Asami’s reaction.
When a figure begins to move around Asami’s office, Korra could not help but grin. There was no way this was going to fail, her letter had already gotten the stamp of approval from many others including Mako and Bolin, Tenzin and his family, and even Lin Beifong which she had to chase down and force her to give an honest review.
Korra’s grin began to falter as none other than Jun Yi stared down at her from Asami’s window. She could not suppress the growl rumbling within her as Jun Yi waved the letter mockingly.
“That fucking…”
Jun Yi disappeared into the office, only to stumble back over to hoist up a small machine.
“That better not be what I think it is!”
Korra watched in horror as Jun Yi slowly slotted the envelope into the machine, fingers hovering tauntingly over the power button.
“Jun Yi don’t you dare-“
The paper shredder consumed the envelope, reducing all of Korra’s effort into useless paper scraps. The avatar, master of all elements and the peacekeeper of the world, swore vengeance on her girlfriend’s secretary for ruining her plans once again.
Attempt SDJFHOISDF
Korra had officially given up. The universe was against her, and there was nothing she could do about it. She trudged over to the City Hall, dreading another meeting with Raiko which added to her self-misery.
2 weeks have gone by and Korra was unable to summon enough courage to ask Asami out. She figured it was Vaatu’s spirit personally tormenting her as revenge, which was definitely working. Lost in her thoughts, Korra paced through the building, finally arriving at the meeting room that she had grown to hate with a burning passion.
Korra seated herself in her usual spot, the furthest from Raiko humanely possible. When the doors behind her swung open she prepared herself for the insufferable voice of the president.
“Korra? You’re here early.”
Korra whipped around from her seat, Asami flashed a flustered smile as she struggled to keep the boxes of blueprints and proposals from falling.
“I didn’t expect you to be here,” Korra said as she went over to help Asami carry some of her items. “Not that I’m complaining.” The flush on the CEO’s cheeks made Korra do a million fist pumps in her mind.
“Well, I was hoping I’d catch you here, I was wondering if you’d be free after this meeting for a quick dinner?”
Asami Sato had managed to accomplish what Korra could never do, ask her girlfriend out on a date in a minute no less. Korra decided that mauling over this fact would have to wait another time because here she was with the offer of her lifetime.
“YES!”