In case you haven't been paying attention, we got a canon ship here! I'm a mess of feels and 1,000 words is about all I can manage right now.
Asami's hands are warm, Korra thought with a smile. Butterflies stirred like startled spirits within her, having nothing to do with the bright and beautiful waves of light and energy from the spirit portal. She could sense they were in the spirit world now, but she didn't care to move. Whatever nervousness should have emerged blossomed into contentment and peace as Asami held her eyes.
It wasn't just the spirit world she went to. It was home.
"Oh, Korra," Asami gasped softly, looking up and around, "It's beautiful."
It is. Korra ducked her head, warmth spreading across her cheeks. Get it together, Korra. You're the Avatar for Raava's sake. Resisting the urge to shuffle her feet, she looked at their hands and took a moment to run her thumbs over Asami's fingers. No... she didn't need to be the Avatar right now.
She glanced up from beneath her brow. Midnight hair spilled over Asami's shoulders, her features lifted with genuine fascination. Light enveloped her, making her shine.
Inhaling against her racing heart, Korra lightly squeezed Asami's hands to draw her gaze. "Come on, there's so much to show you," she said, hearing the unmasked eagerness in her own voice.
Asami's smile was full of delight. "I can't wait."
They stepped from the portal, hand in hand, to enter a field of blossoming flowers that glowed in the midst of the night. With no small amount of satisfaction, Korra found their steps matched. But as soon as they set foot in the field of flowers, butterflies, lit up like fireflies, emerged in a gentle swarm that lifted like a flock of birds and settled over Korra.
"What are they doing?"
Korra looked down, watching their wings stir, their color flickering to hues of red and blue. "They're responding to me," Korra laughed, cheeks warming again. "They sense," she peered at Asami, "how happy I am."
Like a flutter of a heartbeat they swept up and over to Asami, landing along her arms, shoulders, and hair. Asami blinked quickly, but Korra caught the hint of moisture that tried to appear.
The butterflies flew away one by one, and eventually Korra tilted her chin ahead of them. "See anything you want to go to?"
Asami continued to stare at her, eyebrows raised gently before relaxing. I'm already there. She didn't say it out loud, but Korra heard it in a way that caused goosebumps to ripple across her skin.
"I don't know. Maybe... we can find some place quiet. Somewhere we can set our packs down and relax for a bit."
Somewhere... Oh.
As if trying to cover her nerves, Asami turned her head down and hurried to add, "I mean, this is a vacation, right?"
"Right. Let's see." Korra looked up, thoughtful. Flying spirits were scattered across the sky. Directly overhead, a pair of eel-like dragons, one blue and one red, circled and intertwined each other. As soon as she spotted them they began to drift downward, spiraling in and around in a way that made it difficult to tell where one ended and the other began.
Korra reached a hand out to them, and with a low murmur the spirits expanded their intricate dance to circle around them, almost like an embrace. Watching with awe, the bright, rich colors reflected in their eyes until the trailing ends of the dragon spirits moved out in front of them.
"Come on," Korra said, hand still gripping Asami's.
They followed the spirits across the meadow, wandering at a slow, relaxed pace that neither seemed to mind. They reached a forest of tall, gorgeous trees, heavy with multi-colored leaves. The spirits flew among the trees with measured grace, drifting outward at times but always coming back to reunite. A dirt path stretched ahead of them, winding its way between the roots and trunks. Following it for a short while, it met and moved alongside a small, trickling stream.
It was a grove Korra and Asami finally stepped into. The river split and circled a plot of grassy earth, where a lone tree stood tall and serene. The spirits, drifting here and there, met in the middle where the couple stopped. They echoed a small gasp as the dragons turned skyward and seemed to dissolve in sparkles of golden, shimmering light that sprinkled down and over them.
As the display subsided, Korra looked at Asami and took both of her hands. "Asami. I want to talk. About us." Asami smiled, squeezing her hands. This would be a lot easier if it wasn't so hard to breathe. "You've always been there for me. I couldn't ask for a better friend, but I think we've moved beyond that." Keeping her eyes on Asami gave her the courage to continue. "I think we both have more in our lives to do, a lot more, and... I want to spend all of it with you." She could feel herself nearly sweating, wondering at the difficulty of finding words to match what was in her heart. "As... as your girlfriend."
"Korra..." Lines of emotion dotted Asami's brow, just before lifting with a tease. "But not like Naga this time, right?"
A laugh bubbled out of Korra, and Asami joined her. She tried to stop, but happiness tripped every attempt and she nearly doubled over, the pair of them shaking uncontrollably. She gasped for air, slowly straightening. She found herself grinning, so sure of herself now, confident in Asami's presence. Words... words weren't needed in this.
"No, not like Naga. More like..." She shifted closer, feeling the heat of Asami's body as it brushed against hers.
She kissed her, eyes closing as Asami tilted her head in such perfect time, perfect because it was Asami and she wanted this too. Together, they held each other in bliss and balance.
Taking a second to breathe, moving in for a second kiss, Korra's hands found their way up to cradle Asami's face, one of Asami's hands covering the back of hers in a moment. Her thumbs brushed away tears at the same time it triggered a reaction of her own.
When their lips parted, they only moved closer. Korra turned her hand around to take Asami's. Their foreheads touched, each breath drawing each other in.
Later in the night they sat beneath the tree, packs dropped to one side. Korra idly placed a hand on the ground to angle an arm behind Asami, unprepared for the kick in her chest when she laid back against her.
Above them the dragon spirits danced and circled.
Forever entwined.