Work Text:
It's December, just a week before Christmas. And Asami Sato was spending today in her girlfriend Korra's apartment at the beach of Santa Cruz instead of her family's vacation home in Tokyo. Sure, the vacation home was flashy and really, really nice, and the beef teriyaki was a bonus, but Asami figured she'd do something a bit more practical and out of her comfort zone after having been dating Korra for a very long while... and maybe not blow thousands of dollars on something she'd regret buying.
She had been surfing for months now, but she had been secretly dreading the day she started winter surfing because it was creating butterflies that were once again forming in her stomach months after she faced her fears. She kept assuring herself that Korra was there to help her, but that fear still kept her brain in check, namely, over the fact that they were about to surf in snow and wind.
The two had already gotten the gear and were currently changing at home since it would be an insanely bad idea to get dressed at the beach. Korra had already pulled up her wetsuit over her two-piece and nearly got her suit's built-in hood over her head, but she figured she'd put that on last and help Asami into her new wetsuit that she had bought a few weeks ago.
Asami had decided to buy from a new brand after she got some recommendations from a few of Korra's other surfing buddies, like Jinora and Mako. Mako suggested getting something from Xcel, like what he gets for winter, but Jinora insisted that she get something from the Buell website instead. Asami figured both brands had good wetsuits but decided to stick to her gut and pick Jinora's suggestion, given how she knew that Korra saw the fourteen-year-old as a sister and close one in her life, along with her being much wiser for her age, a bit wiser than Mako, honestly.
What she got was Buell's RB2 hooded full suit--gorgeously black and having very well hidden seams within the suit. She luckily took a second look at the price, which was about $270.95 with free shipping provided. It was a way better investment for Asami compared to the first suit she got, so she kinda cursed herself for buying that suit first and then this one. Then again, she ran a company, so a little price tag for a damn wetsuit was nothing compared to what her company dealt with often. Either way, she finally got a thick suit that was perfect for a winter like this.
Asami tugged the suit on in Korra's apartment, struggling for about twenty minutes as she pulled it over her maroon one-piece underneath, taking a few falls on her butt that were broken by the couch. She pulled the chest flap over her head and nearly choked as the hood pulled on her hair, but she quickly pulled the hood down and fixed her hair. Months ago, she playfully whined to Korra about a wetsuit like what she was wearing now, getting her hair messy, but now she was eating her own words when the hood was tugging and making her hair all messy like what she warned. She groaned over her words and finally zipped the suit shut, once again trapping herself in sleek black neoprene that was really tight.
Korra helped her put her booties on and also her gloves after putting her own on. It was like being on a falling airplane where you had to put on your own mask before helping someone else, but it wasn't really much like that at all. Asami was pretty much bundled in neoprene, but it was covering nearly her entire body and making her look like a penguin... or a seal, or maybe even a ninja, either one worked for her.
Once again, Asami felt the urge to stare at her girlfriend looking tight in her wetsuit, especially with a hood that would only let Asami see her face in a few minutes. And once again, Asami had to tell herself to stop oogling like a teenager and act like an adult that's about to go surfing in really cold water.
Korra finished getting everything set up and fetched her keys. Mako was going to come in a few minutes, and Korra was leaving a key for him so he can dogsit Naga while the ladies were gone. She finished tying her shoulder-length hair into a low wolf tail and turned her head to Asami.
"You ready?" she asked confidently.
Asami nodded, adjusting her gloves for a second. That was Asami's way of saying she was ready to get pounded by the waves once again.
Eventually, in five minutes, Mako came over to watch over Naga. The women stepped out of Korra's apartment and jumped into her truck. Korra ignited the engine, and the two drove off to the beach. Asami still felt nervous, so she turned to Korra and froze as soon as she had to figure out what to say.
"What is it, 'Sami?" Korra asked, keeping her attention to the road while still keeping the topic to her girlfriend.
Asami exhaled and said, "I'm still nervous. I mean, sure, we've surfed in the spring and summer, but... I'm still worried that I'm gonna die and freeze to death. I mean, you're the one more experienced than I am."
Korra smiled gently. "Hey, remember that I'm gonna be here. You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Okay?"
Asami nodded. She hated the fact that they were wearing gloves, hating how she couldn't feel Korra's skin and assure herself that the surfer's natural warmth would keep her safe. She shivered a tiny bit from the air that snuck into the truck and asked, "Could you... Maybe get some music going? Get the butterflies flying out?"
"Sure." Korra tapped the radio, and the music started surrounding the car.
The radio suddenly played a nice little country song that Asami drummed her gloved fingers to. Korra smiled as she saw her girlfriend cheering up. Asami hummed to the singing man's voice, and that at least calmed her worries, but she still needed to brace herself for what was to come.
Eventually, the truck finally stopped at the beach. The snow continued to pour and pour, with Asami starting to get worried again. Korra stopped the engine and took a deep breath. She smiled and turned to Asami, grazing her hand with a soft touch again. The brown-haired woman looked at her raven-haired girlfriend and asked, "You ready?"
Asami took a look at the snow and back at Korra. "As I'll ever be."
Let's go surfing.
The two got their surfboards out of the truck, Korra having given both of them fresh wax, and placed them nearby. Asami immediately felt her ears getting cold, but didn't get bothered by it. Korra tied her short hair into a wolf tail and pulled her hood onto her head, tucking strands in until the neoprene framed her face. Asami sighed and took a hair tie that she got from the truck. With quick hands, she tied her hair into a messy low bun as Korra walked over to her.
"Alright, chin down a tiny bit," Korra instructed.
Asami listened without question, tilting her head down a little, and Korra gently but quickly pulled Asami's hood over her own head. Asami choked a bit, but that choking feeling quickly faded away after a few quick adjustments. Korra fixed Asami's hair and tucked the black strands in, chuckling a tiny bit at the bump that her bun left, making her look a little bit like a lunch lady. Korra quickly used her gloved hand to flatten the bun a bit, making it look less funny. Asami immediately felt warmer with her cheeks reddening and the suit already insulating her.
She immediately turned to face Korra, giggling a little bit over how ridiculous but slightly cool they looked. Korra smiled back and said, "You look gorgeous."
Asami couldn't stop giggling. "You too."
The snow blew and blew, but Asami didn't care. She then pressed her lips towards Korra's, feeling cold but not caring one bit. The kiss felt so sudden, but Korra did let out a flirt that Asami would get more kisses after this.
The two soon walked down the pathway to the beach, the snow-covered sand crunching on their booties as they made their way to the water and carrying their surfboards over their heads. Asami at least felt relieved that there wasn't anyone around to see her flail and tumble into the water. That was one thing that she was happy about.
Korra and Asami paddled out, the water rushing and the wind continuing to blow hard. Asami felt her lips getting cold, and she shivered a bit. Korra constantly looked back to see her girlfriend following her and still alive, determined to make sure Asami's fun with surfing didn't get ruined.
"Alright!" Korra said as she saw waves coming up. "Get ready!"
Asami nodded and prepared to paddle. The waves crashed and slowly started to rise, preparing to consume the CEO in a torrent of cold. However, there was one thing the waves didn't seem to remember: Asami had practiced since she started riding them.
She paddled and paddled and quickly stood up on her board as she glided on the waves on her "magic" carpet. She practically flew as she quickly turned her board every now and then through the waves, perfectly mimicking how Korra would often surf at the beach and during competitions. Korra followed shortly after, making cutbacks that cut through the waves and a few speed pumps.
"WOO!" Korra cheered out.
Asami cut through the waves with her girlfriend and cheered as well. She was actually relieved not to be spending the holidays at her family's vacation home, instead surfing in the freezing cold water wrapped in neoprene. Korra continued to smile as Asami faced her months-long fears and surfed with her. Asami even did one move that she was scared of and hung ten, albeit with a wipeout happening, so that wasn't completely perfect.
--
A few hours later, Asami and Korra finally finished surfing and hauled themselves to the truck, putting their surfboards back in. Asami wrapped herself in a towel and got back into the truck with Korra, not too far behind. Asami eventually pulled her soaked hood down, releasing her bun into wet strands.
Korra chuckled at the CEO's hair's messiness, as Asami had predicted, and eventually handed Asami her discarded beanie that fit her perfectly. Asami sighed in relief as Korra then turned on the truck's heater, feeling the warm air blasting against her face.
"Soo... Do you like winter surfing as much as you do summer surfing?" Korra asked as she pulled her own hood down and undid her wolf tail, letting her hair come undone and dry off from the heater's air.
Asami thought about it and answered honestly, "Yeah. Though I will admit summer surfing doesn't need so much gear and is a bit warmer."
Korra chuckled. "Yeah. That's pretty true."
The raven-haired woman then wrapped an arm around her girlfriend, resting her head against the soaked shoulder of the wetsuit that Korra was wearing.
"But I do like it. Especially with my dear, dear girlfriend who's wrapped up in all of this nice... wetsuit..."
Korra raised an eyebrow, already knowing what was still going on in Asami's mind. "Oh? Still going on about that?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Asami teased. "Seeing you riding waves, looking like a ninja or seal... It kinda does things that invaded my mind since I first saw you in that thing. It's kinda sexy."
"Good thing that I like seeing you in one too." Korra sighed. "But we can't spend all day in these, or we're gonna freeze like popsicles."
Asami sighed in defeat. She knew that she loved seeing herself and Korra in these things, but they were soaked, freezing, and in need of a nice hot shower after surfing like this.
"Alright," Asami said. "But we're doing this again tomorrow when I get back from work."
"It's a date."
Korra then managed to get the truck rolling, and the two drove off back home to Korra's apartment.
After getting back to the apartment, Korra and Asami paid Mako, gave Naga some treats just in case she didn't get any, and got a hot shower in after getting their wetsuits off and hanging them in Korra's closet to dry.
After that shower, Asami felt much warmer and refreshed, changing out of her damp one-piece (which got wet despite the fact she was wearing a wetsuit) and into a hoodie that she borrowed from Korra, sweatpants, and fuzzy socks. She grabbed that hair tie on her wrist and tied her strands into a tighter and more polished bun as she relaxed on the couch.
Korra changed into a blue top and black sweatpants, bringing with her two mugs of warm cocoa that she had just made after the shower.
As they snuggled and drank the cocoa, Asami felt more at peace than she ever did in Tokyo. She noticed the wetsuits hanging in the closet from a distance, and she figured to herself, Yep, this is where I'm spending Christmas...