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Korra beams as her best friend, Asami Sato, receives her MBA after two years worth of effort consolidated in one year. She claps enthusiastically with her other friends, remembering the stress the young businesswoman had been put through. The MBA had simply been a formality. After the arrest of her father for conspiracy in a terrorist organization, she revitalized her family’s business with a passion that had yet to be seen.
Scanning over Asami’s appearance from afar, Korra’s eyes can’t help but glaze. Asami Sato is beautiful.
An elbow nudges her in the gut, and she sees it is Bolin. The man’s eyes twinkle as if they know what she is thinking. Her cerulean eyes glare back at him, causing him to snicker in response. Opal, Bolin’s girlfriend, gives her a sympathetic look.
Everyone can see how she looks at Asami.
The two women met during their undergraduate years, when Korra was in desperate need of a math tutor. Korra was on an athletic scholarship for soccer, doing well in her kinesiology classes, but failing the necessary math courses. Remembering fondly how she originally met the heiress when she was the girlfriend of Bolin’s brother, Mako, Korra thought she would be a spoiled, arrogant brat. Instead, Korra met her best friend.
With a swish of ebony hair, Asami waves to her cheering friends, diploma in hand, dressed in her maroon cap and gown that is reminiscent of her usual ensemble.. Korra feels their eyes meet and immediately turns warm. Bolin gives her another look, and Korra proceeds to jam her elbow into his ribcage.
“Ow!”
Turning back to the heiress, Korra sees emerald eyes shine with mirth as she returns to her seat.
The rest of the graduation passes by in a blur until Asami finally reunites with her makeshift family. Korra is the first one she embraces, the younger girl lifting her off the floor for a brief second. Their eyes meet, but no words are exchanged as the rest of the party meets them in the hallway.
“Congrats, Asami!” everyone cheers. Asami smiles as her body is being turned over from person to person - Bolin's enthusiastic hug that lifts her off the floor again, Tenzin and Pema's warm embrace, Mako's awkward but friendly hug, and Opal's proud squeeze.
Korra grins as Meelo and Ikki attack Asami at her torso, Jinora's embrace joining in, nearly knocking the young woman over. Mako walks over to Korra, smirking as he follows Korra's blue eyes to the sight in front of them, asking, “Why haven’t you asked her out yet?”
She erupts into a blush, her jaw nearly dropping. This is coming from the man that she had dated for a brief stint after he had broken up with Asami. “W-What are you talking about?” she stutters.
The detective smirks, “It doesn’t take a detective to figure out you have feelings for her. She loves you, you know?” He says his question softly, reassuringly almost. Korra glances back at Asami, who meets her eyes with a smile. She really is beautiful.
“I know.”
They celebrate Asami’s major accomplishment with good food at Tenzin’s home, some good wine, and good company. As the night comes in a wave over the city, the children are put to bed, Bolin walks Opal home, and Mako reports back to the station. Korra and Asami leave together, Asami’s Satomobile parked in the driveway.
“I can give you a ride home,” Asami suggests. After shedding her cap and gown and tossing it into the backseat, Asami turns to her in a stylish black dress that hugs her curves and flares at her waist.
Korra swallows hard. “I’m okay.”
The heiress takes a couple steps forward and takes Korra’s hand in hers. She could feel her heart beating faster than any soccer drill could possibly cause. “I am taking you home.”
Again, their eyes meet, and Korra wants to retreat into the nearest ocean. She tries a joke, “I think you’re supposed to take me on a date before taking me home.”
“Sure. Let’s go on a date.”
Her jaw nearly drops as she turns to stare at her best friend. Her best friend. Korra immediately tries and dodges her eyes away from the intent stare Asami is giving her. She can’t go on a date with her best friend right? Is she even being serious?
As Korra’s eyes wander to anything except Asami’s face, she notices Asami’s slender fingers fidgeting nervously.
“You okay there, Sams?” Her blue eyes followed pale, slender fingers as they toyed with the frayed end of her friend’s crop top. Korra only wished she had broken the toaster recently, maybe the microwave? If there was anything that could calm Asami’s racing mind and fidgeting fingers, it was fixing a broken appliance.
Asami bit her bottom lip as her fingers resumed tracing an invisible, intricate track amongst her shirt.
“I don’t know if I can do this.” Asami’s voice whispered quietly.
Immediately, Asami felt her hands being enveloped by a warm, firm grip. Her fingers let go of her shirt and her eyes focused on joined hands. Korra looked at her and in a voice, clearer and stronger than anything Asami, herself, could ever muster, spoke the four words she needed to hear.
“You can do this.”
Again, like in a distant past, Korra grabs Asami’s hands, immediately halting her fingers in their tracks. Inside her mind, she speaks the words she remembers saying to Asami, you can do this.
“Sams,” she starts, using the nickname she created during her drunken episode after breaking up with Mako, “I would love nothing more than to go on a date with you.” Her voice only continues to get stronger and suddenly the dams that have withheld her feelings for years break.
“I want it all with you, Asami. I want to take you on a thousand dates and take you to my parents even though I’m pretty sure they love you more than me and I want to visit you at your office and make sure you eat lunch because you never take care of yourself when you get busy and then make you go on walks with me and Naga because I just want to show how much I love you to everyone in this city, in this entire world even! I want it all, Sams. You’re all I want.”
Korra can feel her breath leave her chest and she’s never felt so… free? However, this momentary feeling of exaltation escapes her as she finally looks up at Asami’s shocked green eyes.
“I love you?” Korra finishes pathetically as Asami continues to watch her.
Finally, a small smile breaks onto Asami’s face and Korra feels her weight being tugged down as Asami slowly falls to her knees on the driveway. Korra can hear a breathy laugh escape Asami’s lips, and feels her heart both constrict and lift at the same time? Korra kneels down carefully next to Asami, never letting go of their clasped hands.
“I love you too,” Asami finally breathes.
The tight rope that constricted Korra’s heart is finally loosened, and Korra joins in Asami’s laughter. For this instance, Korra decides, she will let go of Asami’s hands for something better. Korra wraps her arms around Asami’s waist, lifting them both us in one smooth motion. Asami squeals in surprise as Korra brings their bodies close, holding Asami above her.
Korra gazes intently into her eyes. “I love you,” she repeats, with more conviction.
“I love you too, you dork.”
Korra grins crookedly before Asami finally leans down and meets Korra’s lips with her own.