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It had been a week. A week of blurred conversations, static noises, barely eating. Asami was absolutely exhausted and she couldn't sleep because every time she closed her eyes, she saw it. She heard him in the back of her head and she would jolt up off the bed, sweat pouring down her face. It made her glad that she had turned down Korra's offer to bunk together at Air Temple Island. However, Asami was starting to think that heading back to her old house so soon after her father passed away was probably something she should have thought out a bit better.
Taking a shuddering breath, she flipped the covers off of herself and stood, walking around her bedroom to find clothes she could get away with wearing outside of the house. She grabbed her keys and made her way to her garage.
A drive will help, she thought as she climbed into her favourite Satomobile.
Aimlessly, she drove through the wreckage that was Republic City, eventually finding herself at the docks. All of the lights at Air Temple Island were off, and Asami sighed.
Of course they are; it's nearly three in the morning.
Korra's invitation to bunk together flared in her head and Asami parked the car, heading toward the boats used to cross the bay. She dropped a few bills into the manager box and grabbed a set of keys.
The fresh air was oddly refreshing, and the cold chill that the water added finally made Asami feel something other than the daze she had been trapped in. She had spent the last week holed up in her mansion, blocking everyone out while numbly trying to plan a funeral for her father. It wasn't going well. Pushing the thought from her mind, Asami blinked rapidly, trying to focus on getting to Air Temple Island as quickly as she could.
Asami was off the boat seconds after it had docked and though she knew she tied it down, she didn't remember doing so. Waving it off, she stalked up the hill and quietly slipped into the girl's sleeping dorms. She took the path she knew all too well from when Korra was recovering from her battle with Zaheer, and as soon as she got to Korra's door, she froze.
She made the offer.
She made it seven days ago.
That doesn't mean anything. She never took it back.
She also never extended it.
What if she wanted to?
Well, you didn't really give her much of a chance, did you? Hiding the way you have been.
Shaking her head, Asami reached out and slowly opened the door, slipping into the room as silently as possible. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she turned and found Korra sitting on the side of the bed, her hand above a glob of water.
"Asami?" she asked, the water dropping back into the pitcher on the bedside dresser.
"Can I still stay here?" Asami asked quietly.
Korra's arms opened and she gestured Asami close to her, having to nearly catch the engineer as she collapsed into her best friend's arms.
"Hell, Asami, you're freezing! Here, take off your boots, I'll warm you up," Korra whispered, rubbing her hands over Asami's shoulders and arms.
Soon enough, Asami was bundled up against Korra, and the Avatar's hands were rubbing up and down Asami's back with what Asami thought might have had a bit of firebending behind them. As she warmed up and curled closer to Korra, she felt her eyes start to water.
"You okay?"
"No."
Korra was quiet for a moment, and then, "you know, it's okay to cry."
Asami chuckled weakly as the words sank in. An entire week had gone by and she hadn't seen Korra at all and the woman still knew she hadn't cried yet.
"It still hasn't completely sunk in," she replied softly. "But thank you."
"What for?"
"For this. For not pushing."
Asami felt a pressure against the top of her head and registered that Korra was kissing her crown.
"I'm here for anything you need, 'Sami."
"You ready?"
Asami laughed as she pulled on her coat.
"I need layers, remember? Not all of us can regulate our body temperatures with Bending," she teased, grinning at Korra, who blushed slightly.
"I'm just really excited. Two years is a long time together and I have something really special planned. I don't want to miss it."
Asami walked over and pressed a kiss to Korra's cheek.
"Ready now, Avatar Korra," she whispered.
Korra groaned at the title and Asami laughed as her girlfriend linked their arms together. The Avatar dragged her out of the house and helped her onto Naga's back, ensuring that Asami was holding on tightly, and then they were off across the streets of Republic City.
"So where are we going?" Asami asked about fifteen minutes in.
Korra tilted her head back so it rested on Asami's shoulder and turned her face to Asami's ear.
"I've found a really great place that I use to think things over when you're at work. I figured it would be private enough that we could just be together. Take a couple hours of just us."
"We didn't need to leave the bed for Alone Time, Korra," Asami teased, making the Avatar blush again.
"Not that kind of Alone Time," she replied as Naga slowed down to a light trot. "I feel like I'm so behind on stuff going on with you. That trip to Zaofu to help Su out was the longest trip of my life."
"It was six months."
"You weren't there with me."
"So? You've gone three years with not seeing me."
"Low blow, Sato."
Asami sighed.
"I didn't mean it like that, you know that," she murmured. "I was just stating a period of time."
"Well, still, that doesn't mean I didn't miss you," Korra said, nuzzling back into Asami's arms.
"I missed you, too, you know," Asami whispered, pressing her nose against Korra's temple.
They were quiet for the rest of the trip, and Asami soaked up the chance to hold Korra again. The six months that the Avatar had stayed in Zaofu had been hard on both of them, but Asami had been in the middle of very important meetings with her board members and couldn't afford to push them off. It had been a week since Korra had gotten back and they had hardly left their bedroom, let alone taken the time to be out in public together.
The clearing Korra had taken them to was on the edge of Avatar Korra park, and Asami instantly saw why Korra had been drawn to it. Tall trees stood all around the clearing and a small pond glistened in the corner. Korra's hand slipped into hers and gently tugged her to the pond, a grin on the Avatar's face.
"Thoughts?"
"It's beautiful, Korra," Asami breathed, her eyes finally resting on Korra's.
"Happy two years," Korra murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to Asami's lips.
Asami smiled into the kiss, her head tilting down slightly so she could rest her forehead against Korra's.
"Happy two years," she repeated, her eyes closed.
Korra's shirt was bunched up under her fingers and she took a slow, steadying breath as Korra's hands worked up and down Asami's back slowly.
"I love you."
Asami's eyes flew open and she pulled back slightly to look at Korra, who was staring at her with wide eyes.
"You ... really?" Asami asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.
Korra choked out a laugh as she brought her hands up to cup Asami's face.
"Are you kidding me? Yes, really. Galaxies above, 'Sami, it's ridiculous how in love with you I am. Ask anyone."
Asami let a small laugh past her lips and felt her eyes start to well up.
"You love me."
"One hundred percent accurate."
"I love you, too," Asami said, still laughing a bit.
Korra grinned widely and crushed her lips to Asami's, fingers digging into her hips as she held the engineer close. They broke apart moments later and Asami pressed her face into Korra's neck.
"You know, it's okay to cry. As long as it's happy tears, that is," Korra stated softly, stroking Asami's back.
Asami laughed slightly and pulled away from her girlfriend to wipe at her face.
"Of course it's happy tears, you dork," she said.
"Good," Korra replied, grinning.
The sweat that had gathered along her spine was starting to cool, causing Asami to shiver slightly and snuggle closer to Korra while groping blindly for the sheet. It had been kicked to the foot of their bed in the middle of their late night "activities" and, much to Asami's disappointment, she would have to move from her spot against Korra if she truly wanted the extra warmth it would provide.
"You okay?"
"Chilly. I can't find the sheet."
Korra shifted slightly and Asami released a groan in protest. Korra chuckled slightly as she settled down again, manipulating the air waves to bring the sheet close enough to grab. She settled it over Asami and ran her hands over the engineer's back in an attempt to help warm her.
"Do you know how happy I am when I'm with you?" Korra whispered after a few minutes.
"Probably about as happy as I am," Asami replied, stifling a yawn.
"I still have moments where I can't believe that I get to come home to my best friend," Korra murmured, her arms tightening slightly.
Asami snuggled closer and pressed her nose into Korra's neck while mumbling, "ever think about doing that every day?"
"I already do it every day, Asami."
"No, I mean ... every day until we die?"
Asami tilted her head back slightly to look at Korra, who was staring at her.
"You mean, like..."
"Marry me?" Asami asked simply. "We'll make it official. Paper and everything. You already live here."
"You're proposing?"
"I guess so," Asami laughed. "Probably should have thought it through some more, though, I haven't any kind of -"
Korra cut her off with a kiss and suddenly Asami was pinned to the bed, the warm weight of the Avatar covering her. She let her fingers trail up Korra's spine and then delve into the thick hair, holding Korra to her. They parted enough to let Korra rest her forehead against Asami's and it was then that she noticed the tears in Korra's eyes.
"You know, it's okay to cry," she whispered, cupping Korra's face and wiping at her cheekbones with her thumbs. "Unless they aren't happy tears, then we can talk about what's wrong and-"
"No, no these are happy tears! Yes, I'll marry you. I don't care about rings or necklaces or whatever," Korra replied, her words rushing together as she bumped Asami's nose with her own. "I didn't think you wanted to get married or I would have proposed years ago. Five years is a hell of a long time to date."
"Would you have been upset if I didn't want to get married?"
"Nah, probably not. I dunno, I guess I've got you that's all I need, really."
Asami grinned and kissed her fiancee again, glad that they hadn't made plans for the next day; it was going to be a long night.