It started when she was fourteen.
Opal Beifong, daughter and youngest child of Suyin and Bataar Sr, was the quiet type growing up. Not being able to bend like Huan and her twin brothers and not being the engineering genius like the eldest child Bataar Jr. she mainly went through life unnoticed, feeling herself unworthy of anyone's time or attention.
Until Kuvira.
Kuvira, a woman taken in by Suyin Beifong when she was eight years old. Ever since the day she arrived in Zaofu she did everything in her power to impress Suyin and make herself feel like part of the family. Learning and mastering metal bending, joining Su's dance troupe, becoming the captain of the Zaofu guard. It never seemed good enough, Kuvira felt that Suyin saw her as just a protege, not family as she desperately wanted.
After everything Kuvira been through during her early life, she was able to keep her constant sadness buried deep inside. But at the age of fourteen, Opal noticed.
So one day, Opal mustered up the strength to walk up to Kuvira and ask her a simple question. As Kuvira was leaving her watch station and prepared to go home, Opal stood up from the bench where she was reading and walked up to Kuvira with a hair brush in hand.
"Hey... Kuvira?" Opal shyly asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you mind brushing my hair? It's hard for me to reach in the back since I don't keep my hair long." Opal asked, face red and looking down at the floor bracing for Kuvira to snap at her.
"Why don't you ask your mother to do it?"
There was that look of sadness Kuvira tries to hide. Suyin was just as much Kuvira's mother as Opal's and she hated that Kuvira felt like that.
Opal finally replied "Because she's always too busy for me..."
The stoic look Kuvira tried to maintain finally faltered, this young girl who Kuvira thought had everything she ever wanted was standing in front of her, asking her to do a simple task usually reserved for other family members. Opal knows how Kuvira feels, and wants Kuvira to be apart of her life. No matter how small this was, it meant the world to Kuvira so she softly smiled and said.
"Sure."
For the next two years since that moment, Opal and Kuvira always got together when the latter was either done practicing or working, then they would brush each others hair and tell each other how their day was.
But something inside Opal changed.
The more she talked to Kuvira, the more the guard captain did something as simple as smiling at her, Opal started to feel something more for the older woman. She really couldn't quite figure out what it was. Love was foreign to Opal, she always read about it in her books.. romantic stories of two people falling in love after years of knowing each other, but the youngest Beifong didn't think her life would have any happy endings like those stories.
'Am...am I in love with Kuvira?' Opal slowly started to realize half way through her latest book.
'No... it... it can't be. She is the only friend I have, she's practically my sister! I don't want to ruin what we have..'
Opal then devised a plan to distance herself from Kuvira, not permanently but just for a a little bit while she gets her emotions in check. She got up from her park bench, then promptly threw herself in the nearest piece of shrubbery when she noticed Kuvira emerging from her watch station. Kuvira started looking towards the direction of where Opal usually sits on her bench and noticed she wasn't there. Opal noticed the sadness appearing on Kuvira's features due to her absence and it absolutely crushed her.
Opal got a closer look at what Kuvira was holding in her right hand... it was a picnic basket with a new hair brush laying on top of it. Tears threatened to sting Opal's eyes when she figured out Kuvira wanted to have a nice autumn picnic with her. The feeling Opal is trying to hide by avoiding Kuvira was flooding to the surface like a summer storm, but she couldn't falter...she couldn't let Kuvira know that she was deeply in love with her.
After watching Kuvira sit down under a tree to eat by herself, autumn leaves falling around her... Opal decided to attempt her escape. She peaked a head out from behind the bush where she was hiding to see if anyone was looking, and then started to run.
….until she tripped over a root and fell to a loud thud which Kuvira noticed...
"Opal? Opal! Hey! I was looking for you!" Kuvira shouted while running over to the younger woman's side. Helping Opal up, Kuvira noticed her hair was a wild mess after her fall. "I made us a picnic basket, we can eat while we talk. And while I do your hair..." Kuvira said while a small smirk at the last sentence.
Defeated, Opal decided she would just have to try not to melt into a emotional mess in front of the older woman. "I apologize Kuvira, I was... umm... I was in the library trying to find a new book to read, you know me! I always like to read..." Opal said while inwardly groaning.
"It's fine, follow me I set up the picnic basket under that tree over there."
There was the smile that made Opal's heart melt, she wasn't going to get through this.
As Kuvira was rummaging through the picnic basket, she handed Opal her food. A simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "I was going to make ham & cheese but then I remembered you don't eat meat. So I found a substitute. Not much of a chef, but I hope a few sandwiches would do." Opal once again felt her heart pounding, she didn't think Kuvira would remember something she off-handedly mentioned a long time ago.
Opal took a bite and smiled "This is good, I can tell you used all natural peanut butter rather than that processed stuff! Though I'm going to need something to wa..."
Kuvira handed Opal a bottle of water. Opal smiled and said "Thank you." then proceeded to take a sip. After the pair was done eating, Kuvira took the hair brush she brought and sat behind Opal then softly started brushing her hair. "You know, I always wanted to ask. You are that age now when teenage females start going boy crazy so confess... who caught your eye?"
Opal choked on her water. This was the last thing she expected Kuvira to ask, why did she ask it?!
"Is that a blush on your face Opal? Now you must tell me, I won't tell anyone else you know that!" Kuvira exclaimed.
"I...I can't, this person wouldn't even be into me anyway... this person has everyone falling for them and I'm just.. me. Little quiet Opal..."
Kuvira quit brushing her hair and sat down in front of Opal. "That is not the attitude you should have! You're a nice girl, and anyone here would be lucky to have you. As cliché as it sounds it's true, so don't be down on yourself!"
Opal's face found itself a mere inches away from Kuvira's, finding herself enraptured in the older woman's fern green eyes. She softly asked "You really mean that?"
Seeing this scenario played out in one of her books, the next action Opal took came naturally.
Opal closed the distance between her and Kuvira and pressed her lips against the metal bender's.
Seeing Kuvira's eyes go wide in shock, Opal winced back and quickly said "I'm so sorry..." then ran away as fast as her feet were willing. Kuvira got up and shouted "No Opal wait, come back!" but it was too late, she was already out of sight.
Kuvira started to take pursuit, searching for Opal in all of her favorite spots but to no avail. "Opal! Opal!" Kuvira continued to yell until she saw Huan Beifong putting together one of his so called 'masterpieces'.
"Huan! Have you seen Opal?!" Kuvira shouted.
"No, I thought she was with you... what happened?!"
"No time to explain... do you know any places she tends to go when she wants to be alone?" Kuvira asked trying to get any piece of information leading her to Opal.
"Have you tried checking her room?"
Kuvira facepalmed at the obvious omission from her search, Opal said she likes to be alone in her room, lost in the world of one of her books when the world starts to feel crowded. "Thanks Huan." she said and finished "Nice... banana? I guess?" then took off while Huan was staring daggers in the back of her head.
Kuvira found herself standing in front of Opal's door, she leaned her head to the door to hear if anyone was in there.
She heard Opal crying.
Kuvira put her fist up to the door to knock on it, but then decided against being polite and let herself in. She found Opal on her bed, face buried in her knees crying her eyes out.
"Opal?"
The younger woman stopped crying but couldn't bring herself to even face Kuvira, so she kept her face buried.
Kuvira put her hand on Opal's shoulder, "Talk to me Opal, please."
"Just tell me you don't like me in that fashion and get it over with." a muffled voice said. Kuvira took her hand and lifted Opal's face by the chin, looking in her crying induced red eyes.
"...I can't do that..."
Then Kuvira pressed her lips against Opal's.
Emotions started wildly going through Opal's mind as the Kuvira's lips melded with hers, the one emotion that stood out about the rest... love.
When Kuvira pulled back, Opal touched her lips and couldn't figure out the words she was going to say next. "I didn't think..."
Kuvira laid a finger on Opal's lips and started "You don't know how long I waited for this to happen. I would've been more than happy to just be by your side as a friend, I didn't try anything earlier because I was scared to hurt you. Opal... I meant everything I said, you're a beautiful young woman and you could have anyone you wanted to... so I stood back and watched, hoping you would choose someone worthy of having your hand... and yet you chose me."
Opal started to laugh, causing Kuvira to look at her in confusion. "Was something I said funny?" she asked.
"I was just going to say 'ditto' because you literally took every word out of my mouth!" then Opal calmed down and seriously looked at Kuvira and said "I seen everyone looking at you, hoping that you would be with them. They were literally falling over themselves to try to get your attention! But yet, you chose me.."
"It was because ever since you asked me to brush your hair two years ago, I finally felt like I belonged here... I spent my first years here in Zaofu trying desperately to fit in with no avail, but yet you came along and made me feel like I belonged here... and I really thank you for that. It was roughly a few months ago I started to realize something...
….that I love you Opal." Kuvira said then once again pressed her lips against Opal's once more. Opal pulled back, gazing at Kuvira with tear streaked eyes
"I love you too Kuvira..." then resumed the kiss. Kuvira wrapped her arms around Opal and pulled her down to the bed where they just laid there until Suyin called Opal down for dinner.
"I guess it is time for me to close the domes..." Kuvira said. "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Opal replied then kissed the metal bender on her cheek and went downstairs to join her family. She stopped at the door and a thought crossed her mind. "You know what? I'll just have a chef prepare two plates and bring them up here. I'm pretty sure you can have someone else close the domes can't you? I would love for you to read this new book with me Kuvira."
Kuvira smiled and radioed down for her next in command to conduct the dome closing procedure. She then laid on the bed and Opal joined her, sitting between Kuvira's legs while the metal bender's arms were wrapped around Opal's waist. Opal then opened up her book and started reading aloud
"Once upon a time there was the princess living in a castle, and in that castle was the palace guard sworn to protect her..."