Korrasami Month 2015, Prompt: Sorry
"I've gotta get down to the station now that Wu is safe and file in a report before the press blow this all out of proportion," Mako groaned as he walked down the white marble steps of the Sato mansion, Avatar and CEO of Future Industries in tow.
"Can you imagine? My first day back in the city and we end up fighting Kuvira loyalists on top of moving train. Oh man, it sounds like a great mover plot! I mean, they don't need to exaggerate much with that story. It was pretty crazy," Korra spoke enthusiastically as she stretched her glove covered arms. They were definitely more slender than 3 years ago, though that was hardly surprising.
Hearing Korra's soft and chirpy voice at all, actually in person, was still a little overwhelming for Asami who in their time apart had really struggled to recall how the Avatar sounded. Being together again Asami realized that actually, her remembering of Korra's voice was bang on accurate. How could she have ever forgotten a voice as heart warming and inspirational as Korra's?
"How are you getting back to the station? I could give you a lift if you want?" Asami asked casually, trying not to stare at Korra like she had been doing most of today when the Avatar was distracted, which was a lot of the time mercifully. She couldn't help but be fearful that if Korra wasn't always in her peripheral then the Avatar would disappear again and go back to being nothing more than warm memories and messy hand writing on a single, solitary letter.
"That'd be great. It'd save me some yuans calling a car, and I'd probably get there quicker as well. What with you knowing these streets better than me," Mako teased with a raised eyebrow. Apparently he wasn't as mad at being shut down as Asami had anticipated even if his 'cop cred' had been permanently damaged by her sharp words during their high speed chase.
"Yeh Mako. She built all of them," Korra added boastfully even though it wasn't her achievement and was factually incorrect as well. In fact, if Asami didn't know better, Korra's tone suggested more pride for Asami than for herself. Stop over thinking things. Take this one step at a time. She's only been back for one day.
At least that little statement proved that Korra wasn't still resentful about the sharp exchange they'd had at lunch. An apology was still necessary however, but not in front of Mako.
"Correction. I built some of them. Not all of them," Asami interjected as she pulled open her driver seat door and climbed inside.
"Hey, you're not suppose to undersell your achievements. Especially when I'm using them to tease Mako," Korra replied cheerfully.
Asami's heart thundered dramatically when Korra clambered into the passenger seat beside her, instead of the back seat she'd been happy to sit in for the rest of the day. Mako gave both of them the strangest look then as he slipped awkwardly into the back. Asami pretended not to have seen anything whilst Korra barely batted an eyelid, apparently having seen nothing at all. Does he know? What was she talking about. There was nothing to know. At least not yet.
"How about you stop using things Asami has done to tease me and start coming up with your own stuff?" Mako suggested as he leaned back into his seat.
Asami engaged the engine and drove down the large lane of the Sato Estate, trying not to let how close Korra was sitting to her be any kind of distraction. But then the Avatar proceeded to make that task impossible by placing a firm hand on Asami's shoulder and leaning her head forward to examine her friend's expression. The water tribe girl's blue eyes were reflecting wonderfully in the low light of the city. Oh c'mon Korra. Do you want me to crash this car or something?
"Do I have permission to use your achievements to tease Mako?" Korra asked with a false severity, almost like they were having a private conversation as the Avatar kept glancing back at Mako in the back seat like he couldn't hear any of their words even though the scowl on his face in the wing mirror said otherwise.
How could Asami say no to that face she was trying really hard not to stare at? Focus on the road. The road. It certainly didn't help that Korra had come back looking even more attractive that Asami could remember, especially her new haircut. Apparently the exaggerated image Asami had created of the Avatar during her recovery was no exaggeration at all. Korra was absolutely beautiful.
"Permission granted. Just don't do it in front of his cop friends, or Chief Beifong, otherwise he might never recover," Asami smiled mischievously.
It seemed that permission to tease Mako was the greatest gift Korra had ever received because the Avatar was beaming at her with a glow that went from her soft lips right up to her dazzling eyes. Again, Asami found herself staring at the lower part of Korra's face for far too long before she abruptly wrenched her head back to the road.
"Awesome. You're the best Asami. Hear that Mako? I can tease you whenever I want. The woman who built this city has declared it so," Korra smirked as she turned to look at Mako in the back seat.
"I'm starting to wish I'd just paid up the yuans for a taxi. Having the two of you ganging up on me isn't exactly a pleasant drive, at least if I had Bolin here he'd back me up," Mako grumbled as he stared out at the street and workers clearing up for the night.
The rest of the journey passed without any further teasing. Korra obviously sensed the tension Mako was feeling over his brothers current whereabouts, the worry they were all having for Bolin and whatever he was up to with Kuvira. There's no way Bolin would stick with her if he knew what she was really up to. By the time they'd reached the Republic City police station no one else had spoken another word and the night had crept in, along with the cold, sunless air.
They hadn't planned to be out so late that the street lights had been switched on. Luckily, Republic City always looked its prettiest at night.
"Thanks for the lift. Today was, crazy, but it was nice. It's so good to have you back Korra," Mako smiled warmly as he closed over the motor door and pretended to salute them.
Korra returned the gesture with her tongue sticking out. "Thanks, it's good to be back."
When Mako finally disappeared back into the police station Asami powered up the engine again but she didn't drive out of their parking space just yet.
"So, what now? Do you want me to drive you back to the docks for a ferry?" Asami asked as calmly as possible whilst trying to maintain eye contact with the Avatar. That was an extremely difficult task to complete without her cheeks feeling very, very hot.
Korra raised her eyebrows inquisitively before she glanced around at the rest of the street. "I – I don't know. What're you going to do? Do you have some CEO stuff to or?"
"No, I cleared my schedule for today," Asami explained. Changed her schedule would be more accurate. For Korra. All that work could be done another time.
"Right...so, um – do you – do you want to..." Korra was growing increasingly flustered and Asami was trying her very best not to read into all of this. Then she noticed how red Korra's cheeks were, even in this low light, and she remembered the way the Avatar had blushed at her compliments earlier in the day. What if there actually is something to read into and I'm just being an idiot...?
"Why don't we go and grab something to eat, my treat?" Asami smiled as reassuringly as possible before she leaned into Korra a little so their shoulders brushed. "Besides. We didn't exactly get to finish our lunch with the whole Wu drama plus the train chase. I'm starving, and I know you well Korra. You must be hungry enough to eat an entire air bison."
Korra nodded enthusiastically and she didn't recoil into her seat either, leaning in with the same level of contact. It set Asami's nerves on fire in the most wonderful way. "Not an entire air bison, and definitely not Juicy. Plus, I think that's some kind of crime? And Tenzin would probably kill me for it before the air bending police even got a chance to throw me into a cell."
"Alright, no air bison. How about Narook's? I know it's your favourite," Asami asked softly.
Korra went a little red at those words. "How did you know it was my favourite? I don't think I ever told you."
Now Asami went a little red. "Well, I mean, Bolin took you there for a date because it's your favourite, and Mako took you loads of times after."
Asami wasn't sure what kind of contortions her face was doing at this moment in trying to maintain a cool demeanour. Now her insides really felt on fire as her stomach did somersaults. She'd used the word date. The word date. Date.
This most definitely wasn't a date, and judging by the way Korra was screwing up her face, the Avatar didn't want it to be either. Or maybe she was just trying to stay cool like her companion. It was difficult to tell without actually being inside Korra's brain.
"I guess..." Korra scratched her head awkwardly. "But when I was recovering in the South that's all the food I ever got. I kinda want something else." Korra couldn't look Asami in the eye then.
"...Okay. How about Kwong's? It specialises in Fire Nation cuisine, but it serves food from all over the Four Nations," Asami suggested.
Korra looked a little horrified then. Was this because Asami had taken Mako to Kwong's or...? "That sounds great but I'm not exactly dressed for that kind of place..."
Asami did something a little risky then, taking Korra's hand in her own over the gear stick and squeezing it tightly. Korra's hand felt so warm in her grasp and Asami found herself slightly worried that she might never let go, despite how wide Korra's eyes were at this moment. The Avatar didn't retract or shake off the grip though, for the few seconds it lasted. "You look lovely Korra, don't worry about it. Besides, Future Industries has it's own private booth there. Nobody has to see you."
Korra nodded her agreement slowly and focused her attention on the road. "Alright, let's go before I really do eat a bison."
When they'd finally arrived in Kwong's, Asami had made sure their order got priority because Korra was seriously starting to look starving with the way she kept trembling like she was cold, or the glazed expression her eyes would keep taking.
Korra was actually already half way through her plate of spicy Fire Nation noodles (the same meal Asami had ordered oddly enough) before they started speaking again such was the Avatar's hunger.
"This is so good, but so, so spicy," Korra mumbled and she shoved more noodles in. Then she immediately slowed down and classed up her eating technique when she noticed Asami's eyes on her.
"A little too hot?" Asami asked as she ate her portion without flinching. The heat of Korra's meal had apparently turned her cheeks bright red. I'll need to order more water... "You know, you don't have to eat 'classy' around me. I mean, we may be in a classy place, but you're not fooling me Korra. I know you're not classy. I prefer you that way actually. It's a nice change of pace from the people I usually have to deal with."
"You don't feel like you have to deal with me do you?" Korra suddenly asked. Did this have something to do with the wheelchair?
"No, of course not. The word 'deal' doesn't even come to mind when I'm hanging with you, even today, even after so long. It just feels really natural," Asami smiled as she beckoned to a waiter for a refill of their jug of iced water.
Korra nodded her agreement. "Yeh, it does. I thought it would be hard. I was just so nervous after being away for so long that maybe everything had changed, that all my friends had changed as well, but when I saw you sitting in the waiting room and you smiled at me, and you, the way you hugged me. I wondered how I ever got myself so nervous. It felt right. For the first time in a long time, everything felt right."
Asami nearly started crying right there and then but managed to stop herself with a great inhale. The pain in Korra's voice as she spoke about all of her struggles for so many years, and the warmth in her tone when she spoke about her friend, it filled Asami with so many conflicting emotions.
"I'm glad, I was building that hug for 3 years you know?" Asami smiled playfully as she tried to ease any tension.
"I could feel that. It was a Bolin level hug," Korra replied happily as she slugged down a considerable amount of water before moving onto the battered fish sticks on the centre of the table, a shared dish they'd ordered.
"Want one?" Korra asked as she stretched the fish stick out across the table.
Asami's stomach churned again. She really didn't like fish sticks or any southern cuisine, but this was too perfect an opportunity to pass up. Korra's hand was right there.
"Sure," Asami answered as casually as the pounding in her head would allow.
She leaned across the table and caught the piece of battered fish between her teeth and pulled it clean off the stick. Oh, it would be the easiest thing in the world, and probably one of the stupidest, to just kiss Korra's hand right there and then. Asami resisted the urge, noting how wide Korra's eyes were and how flushed her cheeks had gone. Woops...
Perhaps the Avatar had expected Asami to just take the stick from her, with her hand, not with her mouth. Asami started to tap her foot frantically under the table. She'd really misread that situation.
"You must really like fish sticks, to not even use your hands..." Korra murmured.
"Yup, I really do!" Asami tried to recover as she swallowed the piece of meat without bothering to taste it.
"Okay, well, take as many as you like," Korra grinned.
Damn it. Now Asami was going to have to eat more of them so she wouldn't draw any more suspicion. She took another stick, with her hand this time, and tried to ignore its horrible, deep fried taste as she chewed.
"So Asami, I wanted to – I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier, about your dad, I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. It wasn't my place," Korra said sincerely as she held the woman across from hers gaze.
"No Korra, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. You were just looking out for me. My dad hasn't exactly got the best track record for treating his daughter well." A flash of anger danced across the Avatar's face before her expression returned to just being serious.
"Well, I'll always look out for you. That's an Avatar promise. But you gotta do what feels right for you. I'll support you, whatever you decide," Korra promised resolutely. "Besides, you seem to really be on top of things here. The city is back in business even with all of the spirits. It's looking great, you're looking great, Future Industries is doing great, every thing's just really great."
Apparently Korra hadn't realized what she'd just said because the Avatar barely even flinched whilst in contrast Asami's heart was pounding so fast she was sure Korra had to hear it.
"You're looking pretty snazzy yourself," Asami teased with half closed eyes. Korra's expression flashed with recognition, her brain finally catching up with what she'd said a few seconds ago. What proceeded had to be the reddest the Avatar's face had went all day. What if I make her blush so much her cheeks explode?
"Thanks, Miss Snazzy."
End Notes
Any feedback or thoughts?
I'll probably be doing more of the remaining prompts but do feel free to check out the other Korrasami work I've posted already, including an entire Book 5.