Work Text:
Mornings are beginning to grow on you. You still aren’t a fan, exactly, but as you walk into the Future Industries’ lobby with Asami and a bag of bagels, you toy with the idea that mornings aren’t as bad as you once thought.
“I can’t meet you for lunch today,” Asami tells you as she presses the button to call the elevator. “I have a meeting with one of the board members. You remember Akar, right?”
You do. He was the only one at the company mixer that spoke to you beyond a few polite words. “Yeah, he was nice. Even if he is a Wolfbats fan.” You scrunch your nose in mock disgust.
Asami smiles. “That’s generous of you. But you’re right, he’s one of the more reasonable board members. It shouldn’t be too bad.”
The elevator arrives and Asami gets on ahead of you. She hits the button for the twelfth floor—your floor—but instead of also selecting the eleventh floor, she chooses the fourth floor. “I have an engineering meeting with Cabbage Corp today,” she explains when you raise an eyebrow in question. “We’re going over the batteries. Again,” she adds with a sigh.
“Oh, I’m sure Shyo is thrilled.”
Asami grimaces. “I’m going to owe him another raise soon.”
You feel a buzz in your pocket and you pull your phone out. It’s Kuvira, of course.
Kuvira (7:54am): will wrk 4 bagels
You type out a quick response as the elevator slows.
ME! (7:55am): will trade evrything bagel for espresso
“Okay, wish me luck,” Asami says with a sigh as the elevator doors open on the fourth floor.
“They need the luck, not you,” you say as you crane your neck a little to place a brief kiss on her lips. Asami gives you a grateful smile as she steps off the elevator.
Kuvira (7:55am): ugh i just made 1!!!
“Oh!” Asami hesitates mid-step and puts a hand out to stop the elevator doors from closing. You glance back up at her. “Remember we have a double date with Bolin and Opal tonight. I’ll pick you up at seven?”
You nod. “Sure, sounds good.”
Asami leans in to give you another quick peck and ducks back out of the elevator. “Great! See you tonight.”
“Okay, love you,” you say distractedly as your phone vibrates in your hand.
Kuvira (7:55am): we rlly should have looked in2 how much wrk makin 1 espresso was b4 buying this thing
You chuckle lightly. Kuvira is a total coffee snob now, but she hates how much work the espresso machine is. You tuck your phone back into your pocket and glance up with a smirk.
And Asami is staring at you like you’ve grown a second head. Why is she doing tha—wait.
Your smirk slides off your face and pools somewhere on the elevator floor. Your stomach flips and your eyes widen just as the elevator doors close, leaving nothing but an imprint of Asami’s thunderstruck face behind your eyes.
Oh my god.
Why?
Why did you just say that?
Why did you just tell Asami you loved her like it was nothing? Like it was the simplest thing in the world?
It’s barely been three months since you and Asami started dating. It’s way too early to say that, isn’t it? It’s too early to even think it.
Sure, you’re spending three or four days out of the week together at either your place or hers—usually hers, since the chance of you coming across Baatar and Kuvira making out is significantly lower there—but that’s pretty normal, isn’t it?
And okay, yes, you have a drawer in her apartment and a spare pair of sneakers by the door right next to her favorite pair of flats. But that doesn’t mean you’re moving in or anything. It’s just more convenient for you to have a few extra pairs of clothes already there.
And maybe you’ve started grocery shopping together sometimes. It’s not as if Asami isn’t capable of doing it on her own, it’s just that you usually cook and Asami isn’t really familiar with Water Tribe ingredients quite yet and you’re kind of particular—
Oh.
Oh god, you’re in love with Asami. You’ve been in love with Asami. You had never questioned how being with her felt. It just was.
Being in love with Asami isn’t the thrumming electricity in your veins when she kisses you. It isn’t the prickling under your skin when she touches you, reverently, as if she’s cataloging every piece of you. It isn’t the itchiness in your fingers when she’s just out of reach, biting her lip in thought.
Being in love with Asami is the the comfortable bloom in your chest when she distractedly plays with your fingers while she’s reading. It’s the warmth in your stomach when she carefully plucks the leaves out of your hair after you’ve been at the reserve all day. It’s the ache in your lungs when she isn’t around. It’s the completeness you feel when she is.
It crept up on you and now it’s crashing down all around you, right now, in this elevator. You’re choking on the overwhelming, confusing mix of panic and giddiness that this revelation has brought on. You vaguely register that other people are getting on the elevator. You tuck yourself into the corner and try not to hyperventilate in front of strangers.
You know you’re ready. You said it because you meant it and it was remarkably easy. But what if she isn’t? What if it’s too fast? You’re comfortable with how easily Asami slots into your life, but she might not feel the same.
What if you just ruined everything? What if you rushed it? What if she gets freaked out?
The elevator slows to a stop again and the other passengers give you matching glances of concern as they disembark.
You take a deep breath and let it out slowly, focusing on slowing your heart. It’ll be fine. If Asami needs space, you’ll give it to her. If she needs to talk about it, you can do that too. You can do anything for Asami except deny the way you feel. You won’t—can’t take it back, because it’s a part of you now. You’re Korra from the Southern Water Tribe. You love science and nature and Asami.
The elevator is slowing again, finally reaching your floor. You’re not exactly sure how you’re going to concentrate on work right now, but you’ll figure it out. You’re going to see Asami tonight and you’ll deal with it then. For now you have other things to worry—
The elevator doors have opened and there’s Asami, one hand outstretched and planted against the wall next to the elevator, the other hand holding her dress shoes. Her hair is falling in waves around her face, but you can see her chest heaving as she catches her breath.
You stand there gaping, half out of the elevator, trying to find the words to ask why on Earth she just ran up eight flights of stairs when she lifts her head to look at you. You can see small beads of sweat collecting at her hairline.
“I…” she huffs, “I love you too.”
You blink, still at a loss for words. You’re not totally convinced your heart hasn’t stopped beating.
She takes a deep breath and straightens. “This building could really use less floors,” she observes dryly as she pushes her hair out of her face and wipes her brow. “I mean, we could probably get rid of the human resources and accounting floor, right?” she jokes lamely, not quite meeting your eye.
When she finally does it snaps you out of your haze and a smile blooms all over your face. “Couldn’t wait, huh?” you tease.
She rolls her eyes and presses you back into the elevator. “I’m not walking back down,” she says before she kisses you so hard you forget what you were worried about.