Korra had imagined what it would be like to have Asami take care of her, to be with Asami as more than a friend, as a partner, as a lover. She had not imagined an injury would ever force them into a position of such intimacy, and she had never thought it could be so... humiliating.

The familiar knock on the door sounded and Korra sighed. "Come in," she muttered, though she knew Asami would anyways.

"Hey." She heard Asami walk in and shut the door. Korra glanced over her shoulder and tried to smile. Asami carried a towel and fresh change of clothes. "You ready?" She set the clothes and towel down.

Korra nodded.

Asami came over to her. "How have you been?" She placed a hand on Korra's shoulder. Korra used to dream of feeling Asami's touch on her skin. Even now, the warmth of her hand brought a rush of blood to Korra's face, but a wave of shame accompanied it.

"Okay." She avoided looking at Asami when she said it. She didn't like seeing the worried crease in her brow.

She felt the gentle tug of Asami pulling her wheelchair away from the window and over to the apartment's bath. She stared at her lap. It had been a few days since Jinora's ceremony. This was nothing new. Korra had dismissed the nurses who had initially helped her, and not very politely. She had not thought through the consequences of doing so. Asami was the only one left to help. At least, she was the only one Korra would let help.

Asami let the bath water run until the tub was filled. As soon as she turned off the tap, she turned to Korra. "So..."

"Just wait a sec." Korra gripped the sides of her wheelchair, pushing up, trying to will her legs to work. She gritted her teeth and her arms trembled. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her heart thudded. Her breath came short.

She collapsed back in the chair, a chill coating her like ice water. "I've got you," Asami said. She placed a hand on Korra's arm again. "Here." Her fingers trailed along her skin, piercing the cold. More than anything, Korra wanted her legs to work. Her body felt too heavy, pinned to the earth. She hated it. If she could just stand, maybe then she wouldn't have to rely on Asami every waking second. Maybe then she could actually talk to Asami.

Asami's fingers hooked around the hem of her shirt, tugging upward. The loose-fitting cotton pulled away easily. Korra took off her own bra with some struggle. Asami waited for her to undo the ties on her pants before pulling her out of those. Every evening, Asami undressed her like something out of a fantasy, or a nightmare. The quiet rustle of clothes dropping to the floor barely disrupted their routine anymore. She bent down and picked Korra up, pulling her from the chair and carrying her the short distance to the bath. She lowered Korra into the water carefully, resting her back along the edge of the tub. Once in, Asami pulled up a low stool and sat down next to her. She crossed her arms and leaned them on the rim of the tub. "Cozy?" she asked.

Korra nodded. She stared down at the blurred contours of her own naked figure. "Thank you."

Asami nodded. "I don't mind." She lowered a finger to the water and trailed ripples through the surface. "I'd stay with you all the time... if you'd let me."

"The city needs your help rebuilding." She felt too selfish keeping Asami as her personal caregiver. The world lay in ruin. It needed people like Asami.

"I know, I just..." Her words trailed off. They lulled into silence while Korra slowly washed herself. She let the water drain from the tub and Asami fetched a towel. She ran the fabric over Korra's body slowly, drying her meticulously before carrying her back to the bedroom and laying her down on the bed. Asami helped her dress in night clothes, then brought the wheelchair to the side of the bed.

The sun had set. Asami switched on the bedside lamp before easing herself onto the mattress next to Korra's side. "Do you have everything you need?" she asked.

Korra nodded.

"Are you hungry?"

She shook her head.

"Do you want to talk?"

"Not yet." A hand covered hers. She looked down and allowed Asami to lace their fingers together. "But thank you." She squeezed Asami's hand in her own. Asami squeezed back, slowly running the pad of her thumb over the top of Korra's hand.

"Should I – do you want me to stay the night?"

Finally, Korra glanced over at her. The blush blooming across her face was more telling than their tightly clenched hands. Korra did not understand how Asami could care for her so deeply, sometimes. Still, she sighed and shook her head. "I'll call if I need you."

Asami nodded. "I'll see you later, then." She let go of Korra's hand and stood up. "Goodnight." She turned out the light.

Before Asami shut the door, Korra mumbled, "Goodnight."


Korra woke with a scream dying on her lips. Her arms struggled with the blankets and her chest heaved as she tried to draw in air. She blinked rapidly, trying to see past the darkness pressing down on her. Someone opened a door and she heard feet pounding against the floor. "Are you okay? Korra?" someone asked. Her bedside light flickered on and Asami was suddenly by her side. She slid into the bed without hesitation, pulling Korra into her arms. "Korra, you're here. You're going to be okay."

Another deep breath. Her lungs wouldn't hold enough air. She clutched at Asami tightly when she raised a hand to stroke Korra's head. "Spirits," she gasped. "I can't breathe."

"Shh, you're all right." Asami untangled the blankets from around her. "You're in your bedroom. I'm here with you. No one else."

Finally, her chest stopped constricting and she drew in a proper breath. "Asami," she whispered. Her hand wrapped around Asami's arm. "Spirits, Asami." She couldn't remember the nightmares, but the panic still lingered. "What happened?"

"Just night terrors. Mostly the usual stuff." She ran a soothing hand through Korra's hair. "You screamed for me, though. Something about leaving."

Korra clutched tighter at her. "No. Please, don't leave."

"I would never." She felt Asami's cheek press against her forehead as she hugged her close. For a second, Korra thought she would try to kiss her, but then she pulled away. "I'm here for you, Korra. And I will be until you tell me otherwise."

Korra nodded and slowly sank back into bed. She still clung to Asami. "I – I don't want to be alone."

Asami shifted against the pillows and pulled Korra along her side. "I'll stay the night."

Korra allowed herself to settle against Asami. Slowly, her heart stopped thudding painfully. She wrapped an arm around Asami's middle and drew herself closer. She took a deep breath, inhaling Asami's now familiar scent. "Thanks," she said, stretching her hand over Asami's abdomen. She tried not to think about the soft skin under the sheer fabric of Asami's night shirt. It wasn't fair. She could hardly move. She could hardly do anything. The pressure of tears built up. She clenched her jaw, trying to push them back. Not right now. Not like this. A shudder ran through her body and she felt Asami shift against her. Her hand made a fist, clutching the shirt fabric. "Please, no."

"Korra, what is it?"

Another shudder. The tears escaped and she turned her head, hiding her face in Asami's chest. She opened her mouth to breath, but only sobbed. "A–asami."

"I'm here Korra." She held her close and Korra released another sob.

"It isn't fair," she whispered. If her legs would move, she would curl herself into a ball. Instead, she lay slumped against Asami, unable to do anything. "It isn't fair." She waited for Asami to say something, to comfort her, but no words came. Her own words poured forth instead, "I have you here, and I appreciate everything you do for me so much." Tears slicked her face and she trembled as Asami held her close. "And I – I want to give back to you, to show you how much this means to me. Asami, I can't–"

"You don't have to do anything, Korra. I'm here because I care about you and I want you to get better. I...I'd be by your side no matter what you're going through."

"I know!" she sobbed. "Asami, I know what this all means to you." Another sob. She couldn't look her in the face. "I want it to mean that way. I want...everything." Asami's arms shifted, drawing her closer. "But I don't want it to be like this."

Asami stiffened against her. "Like what?"

"Like...like I'm helpless. Like you're my assistant. Like I can't do anything for myself, or for you." Some of the tension eased from her body with the confession. She lay against Asami and cried for a moment. What frightened her the most was how good it felt to be in Asami's arms, even when sobbing her eyes out. It made her think of actually trying something with her, and she couldn't do that. Not while she was incomplete.

When her tears slowed, Asami spoke. "It must be hard, losing so much of your independence so quickly. I can't imagine what that's like." Korra looked up and saw tears crawling down Asami's cheeks. "Your body isn't the only thing that needs to recover, though. I know a few things about loss." She hesitated before adding, "I thought I had lost you to Zaheer." She sighed and sank further into the pillows. She looked defeated. "I've never been confused over us, Korra. That's not what this is about. I worry about you, though. Every second I'm not by your side, I worry, and it's something I've grown to live with. You're the Avatar. In a couple years you'll be running around getting into fights again, and I don't know where I'll be, but I at least want to try being with you." She gave Korra a weak smile. "Don't you think we owe ourselves that much after a few near-death experiences?"

Korra shook her head. "That's just it. Every time I save the world, something worse comes along. Zaheer's gone and the Earth Kingdom is in chaos. How long do we have before someone else tries to kill me? The Red Lotus already targeted my dad. What if...what if they learned about you? What if someone knew what you meant to me?" She looked down at her body. Already, the muscle tone was vanishing. "What if I'm never whole again? I wouldn't be able to stop people from hurting you."

"I don't need to be protected, Korra."

"And I know that." She couldn't keep looking at Asami. "It's just hard, all right?"

They lay together quietly for several minutes. "I think I can understand," Asami finally said.

"Good," Korra muttered. Her eyelids drooped and she pulled the bed covers over them. "But you'll still stay the night, right?"

Asami chuckled softly and kissed Korra on the forehead. Her face suddenly felt very war. "I've told you before, I'd stay every night if you'd let me."

"Maybe one day." Korra yawned and snuggled closer to Asami. "I want to go back home, first. I need to...recover."

Asami ran a hand along her back, stroking her slowly as they both drifted off to sleep. "That sounds like a great idea."

Another yawn. "Yeah. No politics. No...anything..." As she drifted off to sleep, the only thing she could hear was the soft thud of Asami's heartbeat. She closed her eyes and slept without dreams.


A/N: Michelle Magly here. I have so many feelings about the finale. I can't express it intelligently, so I'm exploring it in fanfic. I've wanted to write about Korra's off-screen recovery, but didn't feel comfortable doing so until I felt more confident in the direction of Korra and Asami's relationship. Now, with the finale behind us, I feel comfortable writing a fic exploring Korra and Asami's emotional arc. Be warned, there will be time jumps and I will gloss over most everything that appears on screen, with a little write-ins for the stuff occurring around S4 E7 and the finale. Other than that, I'm going to try and jet for post-finale content. Probably be there in a few chapters. Next time: Asami's perspective!

PS Sy hates angsty stuff so she won't work on this with me til I get past it.