Story: Refuge
Genre: Humor/Romance
Pairing: Korrasami
Summary: Student Korra stumbles upon a makeshift hideout one day while trying to find somewhere to take a nap. Korrasami.
A/N- Based off a prompt I found on Tumblr. Enjoy!
Part 1
The world is terribly cruel. It wouldn't stop its rein of torture for poor Korra. In a matter of days, her life has done a complete 180 on her. There wasn't enough time for her to study the calculus she so desperately hates on Monday because she was busy tutoring her own friends over the weekend.
She bombed the test that Monday morning.
But the fun didn't just stop there. Oh no, it continued spreading. The test was one thing. Running late to school the next morning? Unexpected. Her alarm went off late, or rather Korra herself overslept, she can't remember, and she wore her pajama top and bottoms and her old Converses and ran out her front door. The bus stop was only a few feet away from her, too.
She missed the bus that Tuesday morning.
Oh, and it started raining the minute she began trekking the walk to school. This, she believes, was the icing on the cake. It wasn't of course, but speaking about Wednesday drove her crazy. Basically, everything that could go wrong did. Korra managed to: fail another calculus test (only this time it was more of a pop quiz she didn't know about), get to school even later than expected (nine fucking AM), snap at the prettiest girl ever (Asami Sato which, in her opinion, is the worst) and get detention! What does the world want from her?!
So, that's when the light bulb in her head went off while she sat in detention after school. The clock on the wall was bugging her and the teacher had left minutes ago and wouldn't be back for another hour. Korra stared out the window, considering what could be conceived as the stupid reason ever for sneaking out of detention.
A nap. The simple solution to anything whenever you're pissed and having the worst week of your damn life. When thinking more on the subject, Korra realized that these stupid desks really damaged the perfect napping experience and so did that god damn clock that she swore was ticking every second. These kids! They too were a nuisance. Well, kind of. She knew Kuvira was bossy and, wait, is that Opal? Bolin's girlfriend Opal?
Now, was the opportunity of a life time.
"Opal!" she hissed, watching the short haired girl turn around.
Opal smiled, her face breaking out into a grin. "Korra? I didn't even notice you. What is it?"
Korra leapt out her seat and moved towards the window. Opal raised an eyebrow and Korra sheepishly replied, "Can you cover for me? I won't be gone too long."
Opal shook her head in amusement. "You are one of the coolest people I know. Only someone as brave as you would risk the chance of getting detention again for the sake of leaving the classroom."
While Opal said that, Korra had already pried the window open and before she hopped out it, she asked, "So is that a yes or...?"
Opal said, "It's a yes, Korra."
She hopped out the window, landing in the green grass. The clouded blue sky and soft whispers of the wind carried her to a different universe. She'll name it "Dreamland".
Has a nice ring to it, she thought.
Here's where shit gets complicated. Really complicated. Korra just wanted this peaceful sleep outdoors and she honestly didn't know about the secret makeshift hide out which wasn't too far from school grounds. It was in her nature to go and explore because curiosity had always gotten the better of her.
The fact that it also belonged to Asami Sato made her even more curious.
Part 2
This wasn't intruding, right? You can't blame her for being suspicious as to why this hideout existed, right? It just beckoned her and she couldn't fight the urge. The place was mesmerizing.
Inside, there were tons of posters of cars and the latest fashion trends. The treasure chest on the floor in the corner looked like it was straight out of a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Korra inched closer to it, eyes observing the intricate designs. The label read Memories. She tried backing away, knowing that if she so much as touched that treasure chest, Asami would kill her. But the resistance was futile because Korra moved closer every time she found some sort of reason as to why she should open it.
"What are you doing?"
Korra stopped dead in her tracks.
Asami repeated the question. "What are you doing?"
She turned around, avoiding the older girl's menacing stare. "Nothing."
Asami scoffed. "As if! You're snooping and you know it."
"Sorry!" she raised her hands up defensively. "I just found it by accident. I mean, I've been around here a thousand times yet I never noticed this place. Seriously, how did you pull this off?"
"That doesn't matter." Asami says, leaning on the wooden wall. She flipped her raven hair over her shoulder, green eyes meeting Korra's blue ones. "What does matter is the previous question, though."
Korra sighed. "The treasure chest. What's in it?"
Asami frowned. "That's for me to know and for you to find out." she spoke louder. "Leave."
Korra glanced back at the treasure chest then back at Asami. "Look," she said, her voice pleading, "I promise you that I won't tell anyone about your hideout on one condition."
"Which is?"
Korra smiled. "You let me nap here."
Asami tried containing her laughter. "What? Was the classroom unavailable or something?"
Korra ignored her sarcasm. "Just uncomfortable."
The raven haired beauty tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "You think I'll just agree after you snapped at me this morning?"
She inwardly winced. She thought Asami had forgotten about the incident. Quietly, she replied, "Uh...yeah. We haven't even reached Friday yet and I'm having the worst week of my life! Being snappy towards you wasn't exactly planned, if you know what I mean."
Asami nodded in understanding. Then, she said, "Fine, but only because I can't have anyone knowing about my hideout...and you need some sleep. The bags under your eyes are upsetting me."
Korra took a seat on the floor (away from the treasure chest) and laid down on her back. Before she drifted off to sleep, something was thrown at her. She looked to the side, seeing Asami with her arms folded across her chest. Korra opened the burgundy blanket and snuggled into it. She closed her eyes, but the sound of Asami's voice while she began falling asleep didn't go unnoticed.
"She's so cute when she's sleeping."
She thinks I'm cute! was the thought she had when sleep had finally taken over senses.
Part 3
"Your turn."
Korra smacked the card on the tiny kids table. She had no cards left and declared, "Uno!"
Asami gathered up the cards without a word, watching Korra bask in her glory.
They had gotten closer over the past few weeks after they made their deal. Korra hadn't went back on her promise, but Asami realized that she really could trust her now. She knows Korra probably doesn't want to be bombarded with information from her past, though that never stopped her from almost bringing up the subject whenever she saw fit.
Except for right now because there were more important things to discuss.
Korra kept fidgeting, her foot tapping the floor nervously. She wouldn't look Asami in the eyes either (another sign that Asami would be enduring some sort of rant) and occasionally opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, not knowing what to say. The apprehensiveness was clear as day on her face.
Irritated by her behavior, Asami asked, rather impatiently, "What's bothering you?"
"Our situation."
She wasn't even aware that what they had could be thought of as a "situation". Of course, the look of confusion strewn across her face made Korra continue.
"We're closer than we've ever been before and it worries me." she paused, thinking what she said so far over. "It worries me because I'm falling...falling...and I...ugh!" The younger girl pouted, annoyed at her own stuttering.
This caused Asami to giggle and Korra threw her a glare. "What's so funny?"
"You." Asami said, "I've never seen you like this before. The only reason I could think of for you acting like this is if you have a—"
The word was at the tip of her tongue, but she didn't dare say it. Crush. Korra has a crush on me! Not that she minded. She has attracted people over the years. This, whatever she had with Korra, seemed different. Korra liked her for more than just her looks, that was obvious. What wasn't obvious was how oblivious Asami had been to her feelings.
Those moments where they would lock gazes and smile briefly before bursting out in tears and laughter. Other times where they would tell one another jokes or share secrets or eat together at lunch and Korra would blush if she got caught staring while Asami ate her food. The worst offender might have been when Asami held her hand one day when they were almost late to class and she thought she heard Korra gasping at the physical contact.
The happiness she felt while reevaluating her feelings for the girl made her heart flutter in her chest.
She'd been so lost in her sudden revelation that Korra placing her hand on top of her own made her jump in her seat. Korra withdrew her hand, feeling like she got burned by fire. Asami's apologetic smile calmed her nerves a bit.
Asami said, "You like me."
Stunned by Asami's realization, Korra tried denying it. "What? No I don't! What gave you that wacky idea?"
The raven haired beauty had the corners of her dark red lipstick covered lips turned down at her response. "Are you denying it because you think I'm going to go and reject your feelings? If that's the case, you should know that I'll welcome your feelings with open arms."
This girl just kept throwing curve balls at Korra. Asami likes her back. Asami likes her back and here she is, being a complete coward for thinking otherwise. Rejection? The idea hadn't crossed Asami's mind at all.
Korra apologized. "Sorry. It's just...it's a long story I have for why I thought you wouldn't feel the same way."
"I have time."
Why was this girl the angel of her fucking life? "Okay, but are you sure you want to hear any of it?"
"I'm sure."
Korra leaned back in her chair. "There was this boy I knew, Mako, and I had this crush on him for the longest time. So, one day after class I told him that I liked him and he said he didn't like me back, which was weird because I thought he was sending me signals. They weren't signals and he said I got mixed messages. The fuck? He sent me mixed messages! It's wasn't my fault he couldn't make up his damn mind about whether he liked me or not."
"This guy you're talking about seems like a jerk." Asami said.
Korra shrugged. "He was. No doubt about it."
They locked gazes again and Korra sighed.
"I like you. I really like you. I'm falling for you so much right now. You want to know something? I'm not into you just because of your looks—"
Asami interrupted. "I figured that much."
"I like you because of who you are. I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot with me finding your hideout and everything, but I got to know you more and more each day and you continue to surprise me. I mean, who would have thought that you, girly girl Asami Sato, minus the engineer side of you, knew how to kick someone's butt? You also love fixing cars and building inventions! No wonder you have an A+ in science class. The list goes on..."
All the compliments Korra was giving her made Asami turn as red as a tomato. She said, "Thank you for saying that Korra." A thought came to her and she realized now was the perfect time to do it.
The treasure chest.
Korra had probably forgotten about its existence since Asami never wanted her to see the contents inside of it. What was holding her back before (the undeveloped friendship and bond and trust) couldn't stop her now.
She got and went towards it. She knelt down on the floor, un doing the locks, while Korra sat beside her.
The blue eyed girl said, "You know you don't have to show me anything. It's your business and I should mind it."
Asami shook her head. "If we're going to date, you need to know this. Weren't you curious?"
The word date played itself over in Korra's head like a song stuck on repeat. "You said date."
Asami blushed. She murmured, "Well, I like you too. I really like you too."
"How much do you like me?"
She knew Korra was teasing her, so to get back at her, Asami leaned forward and quickly planted a kiss on Korra's lips. Short and sweet.
"I like you that much."
Korra quipped, "On to the treasure chest, then."
Part 4
All the happiness in the room disappeared as Asami opened the treasure chest. There always was some sense of dread she got from opening it. She flipped the top back and Korra moved closer to get a better look of the inside.
The same items were still there, Asami realized. Her mother's favorite CDs, the heels Asami couldn't fit when she was younger, various accessories ranging from earrings to necklaces and the one thing she held close to her heart: the family photograph.
She carefully grabbed the picture and showed it to Korra.
"You see the little girl in the front?" Asami asked. Korra nodded. "That's me when I was five. The man on the right is my dad and the woman on the right is my mom."
"You look just like her." Korra said, but the sharp intake of breath beside her caused her to notice Asami's pained reaction to her statement.
Asami sniffled. "Yeah." She bought her attention to the other items in the chest, furiously blinking away the tears. She started talking again. "The bulk of everything I have in here belongs to my mom. These CDs are so old, but she always listened to them around the house. Those heels are hers too. I wanted to wear them when I didn't know how to walk in heels yet. Now, I don't even bother trying them on anymore. Same thing applies to the jewelry—"
The arms wrapped around her tightened their hold as she sobbed. She hates getting emotional and hates breaking down in tears sometimes, but it's the only way she can feel happy again.
Korra's soothing words calmed her down. "Shh...it's okay. I'm here. It's okay..."
Her crying slowed as she held onto Korra like a lifeline. They sat in silence while Korra sorted through her thoughts.
She put the pieces together the minute Asami began reminiscing. The rapid blinking also caught her attention. What Asami needed was some fun to give her some pep in her step.
By the time Asami stopped crying, Korra let her go and gently grabbed the photograph, carefully placed it inside the box and slammed it closed. She got up and waited for Asami to take her hand. She stared skeptically at her.
Korra begged. "Take my hand."
"Why?"
"Because after all the things we've been through today, you like you could use some cheering up."
Asami immediately took her hand and Korra pulled her up. The brunette walked them towards the exit saying, "You have got to try this killer cotton candy at the festival."
"Now?"
Korra smiled. "Now."
Asami shook her head amused.
So, the world could be very difficult to handle, but in the end, if you pass all of its trials, you might just find your light at the end of the tunnel.
Korra and Asami definitely did.
