Korra squinted as she eyed the stone in her hands. This had been her third attempt and it still didn't look any better. She couldn't give up on it though. Her people had been carving these necklaces for centuries and she was nowhere near creating anything as intricate. Art was something that she never dabbled in. It just wasn't for her. It had taken her months for her to finally narrow down what she wanted the design to look like. Keeping it a secret from Kuvira was still proving to be difficult. She had stashed the papers in a special drawer in the kitchen. It was the perfect hiding place. The two were usually busy and well, the couple's cooking skills were subpar and had a tendency to eat out.
The bedroom they shared was spotless per Kuvira's demands. Placing the papers there would have been the easiest way to ruin the surprise. She didn't have time to waste either. For now her girlfriend was in a meeting with Tenzin and other officials from the Earth Kingdom. She held no formal title other than an adviser there. She no longer commanded an army but instead gave her input on certain subjects related to the Earth Kingdom. The position was something that Kuvira loved doing no matter how taxing it was. Once the meeting finished up she would be headed straight for their apartment.
Korra needed to hurry and get this done before she returned home. Not to mention the time that would be dedicated to cleaning up the mess she had made. The last thing she needed was an argument between the two. The waterbender sat on the sofa of their living room. Papers with scribbles and poorly drawn sketches littered the coffee table before her. Mako sat in an armchair across from her eying the collection of rough drafts.
"How does this one look," she inquired lifting up the stone into her palm.
She moved her arm across the table allowing him a better view. The firebender's face contorted as she studied the scratches in the blue stone. "Um what's it supposed to be?" He asked skeptically.
"It's a waterfall. See, those little lines are the water falling over the rocks." Korra explained as if it were obvious.
"Uh huh," Mako replied sounding as unconvinced as ever. She retracted her hand frowning. "Why don't you just buy Kuvira a ring? Besides aren't betrothal necklaces only done by the Northern Water Tribe?"
"She would never wear a ring if I got her one… It might remind her of her engagement to Baatar Jr. I want to get her something special that means something to both of us" she explained.
"I think I know a guy who would do a custom order on a betrothal necklace on short notice. He's good at keeping a secret," Mako offered
"This isn't some sketchy guy you met in your triad days is it?"
Korra didn't protest though she was in dire need of help. The two put their coats on and made their way out of the apartment. The shop was small compared to the towering buildings that surrounded it. It was one of those places that unless you knew where it was you'd surely miss it. The owner was a rather round man and cheery man. Korra described the design she had in mind and gave him a few of her sketches. The two made sure to leave Mako's phone number with the man instead of Korra's. The last thing she needed was for Kuvira to pick up the phone and spoil the surprise. The friends parted ways at the store so Korra could race home before her girlfriend returned.
The Avatar had made it into the door with ten minutes to spare. She did her best to tidy up before lying down onto the couch. Just turned the radio so she count pretend she had been listening to it. Her eyes watched the clock; just as the large hand landed on the nine she could hear the key turning in the lock; punctual as usual.
Kuvira stepped inside the apartment exhausted. The meeting had lasted for what felt like forever. They had sorted out a number of things so the time was well spent. As she discarded her coat into the closet she turned to remove her shoes. She placed them beside Korra's before raising an eyebrow. The bottom of her girlfriend's brown boots was still wet from the snow outside. She could have sworn she heard her say she was staying in today to rest. She didn't allow her mind to linger on the idea for too long. As she traveled further into their home she found meeting her half way. The two chatted while they prepared dinner together. It wasn't much just rice and steamed pork buns. The two were both too tired to much more than this.
Through the entire dinner Kuvira could help but feel as if Korra was hiding something. She had been acting rather strange for weeks now. The waterbender's behavior had her baffled. It wasn't anywhere near their anniversary or the day she had been released from prison. As their night winded down, the thoughts continued to plague her. The couple sat next to one another in bed relaxing before going to sleep. Kuvira was nose deep in her book while Korra was listening to a pro-bending recap on the radio. She couldn't even focus on her book. Honestly she hated surprises. She didn't like much of anything she wasn't expecting.
"You've been rather quiet recently," she commented setting her book into her lap.
"You said you were tired so I thought you'd want some silence after such a long meeting," Korra reasoned.
She cocked an eyebrow in reply, "whatever it is your planning I'm going to find out."
"You've been working too hard, I'm not planning anything," she replied laughing off the accusation.
"You're a terrible liar, you do realize that?"
Korra reached across the small space between them and placed her hand over the metalbender's. She leaned in and cocked her head to the side as she gazed into her emerald eyes.
"You'll like this one, trust me," The Avatar finished as she gave her hand a small squeeze.
Kuvira smiled softly before lacing her fingers between the waterbender's. As off putting as a surprise was to her, she would go along with it for Korra. Through the mess of uncertainty that was her life after her surrender she had always been there. Guiding her through the storm and protecting her at any cost. She trusted the waterbender with her life. If she could trust her in battle this was nothing.
Weeks passed and Korra's behavior only became stranger. But despite all of this Kuvira didn't ask her what she was hiding so desperately. She would tell her when the time came. Though to be fair she spent ample amounts of time thinking about what her girlfriend could have been planning. Their anniversary wasn't coming up and it wasn't anyone's birthday. Was there something she was missing?
Her patience finally paid off. The meeting at ended early for once leaving the rest of the evening for her own ventures. When she arrived back at their apartment she noticed a piece of paper was tapped to the door. The raven-haired woman could recognize the sloppily written characters anywhere. The sign read 'your surprise is just a few feet away; watch your step.'
She placed her key in the door and opened it. A few feet from the door there was a black curtain that dropped down to the floor. The bender followed through her normal routine as best as she could. As she reached for her hanger to place her coat on she discovered the spot was already taken. Her usually empty coat hanger had an emerald green dress on it. The dress had a deep swooped neckline with thin straps. The dress fit tightly overly the bust and dropped at the waist.
The dress was beautiful it sparkled under the small lighting their foyer offered. As the light hit it she could see a spectrum of shade of green in the dress. A small note was stuck to the front of the hanger; 'go shower and get dressed.' She followed the commands of the paper and made her way up towards their bathroom. What was Korra planning with all of those curtains and now the dress? It didn't make any sense. She got out of the shower and stared at the dress. It was beautiful; she just didn't think it would look good once it was on her. Dresses were something that she hardly ever wore.
Once she had it on her opinion changed. It was a perfect fit; the fabric hugged her curves in all the right places. Just as she was about to put her hair up she stopped. She took a comb in hand and removed the tangles but left in the loose waves. The bender applied her basic makeup or eyeliner and a light color for her lips. As she left the bathroom she noticed a box sitting on their bed. Had that been there when she first entered? Inside was a matching pair of shoes. One without a heel; Kuvira could walk in a heel she just hated wearing them. She exited the bedroom and trotted down the steps. Waiting for her in the foyer was a new note stuck to the curtain leading her towards the kitchen. As she pulled back the dark fabric she could see them dim lighting that awaited her. When the two saw each other for a moment all they did was stare at one another in awe.
"You look beautiful," Korra said finally breaking the silence.
The dress had been the right one. It hugged Kuvira's figure showing off her features. The deep cut in the front showcased Kuvira's round bust without drawing too much attention from her flawless waist and round behind. Korra's had been a perfect match as well. The dress was cobalt blue. It had one shoulder that went across her right shoulder with ruching across the middle before dropping down at her waist. The dress accentuated her hips and large bust. Her hair was left in its usual style.
Kuvira blushed at the compliment before returning the favor. Their rather bland kitchen had been transformed into a makeshift paradise. It was filled with dozens of candles creating an air of comfort and romance. Their normally russet table had a white table cloth thrown over it. On each side there were two plates with food. She quickly recognized the dishes. They were their favorite meals. It was perfect combination of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom dishes. Two crystal glasses were beside them filled with a red wine. Korra moved to pull out the chair for the metalbender to sit.
"It smells delicious, you cooked all of this?"
"Not really, Mako did most of the work…I supervised." she explained before taking her seat across the table.
The two ate and laughed enjoying every bit of their meal until it was over. It had been so long since the two had been able to have an actual date. Mostly they sat at home and did nothing. The two were either too busy or too tired to dress up like this. She had missed moments like this. Korra rose from her seat and strolled over to the counter where their radio was. She pressed the button and adjusted until a slow jazz tune poured into their kitchen.
"May I have this dance," Korra asked offering her hand.
The dark hair female chuckled taken back by her question, "You don't like dancing."
"But you do," she replied with a smile.
Kuvira placed her hand in hers and stood up. She allowed the music to flow through her finding the rhythm. The Avatar held her close to her body; placing her hand on the small of her back. In a matter of seconds the two were dancing. The green eyed female was leading of course. Korra may have not had two left feet anymore but that didn't mean she was a professional.
"You've been practicing,"
"Yeah, it took me a while but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it," she chuckled.
It felt as if the two were floating. They took turns spinning each other around laughing when Korra would lose her footing. The radio played a mixture of fast and slow songs. When an up-tempo song came on Kuvira displayed some of her fancier foot work while Korra stuck with what she knew. The entire night was like a dream to Kuvira. The dinner and now dancing with the woman she loved. It felt like a scene out of some mover. Years ago she would have never imagined herself this happy. She would have never pictured she could have a life like this. But here she was she had finally found a place where she belonged; in Republic City with Korra by her side. She leaned her head in giving her a quick kiss on the lips.
"What was all of this for?" Kuvira asked. She couldn't think of anything she had done to warrant such a wonderful evening. She had barely been home the past few weeks. If anything her girlfriend had every right to be angry with her. She had been thrown into meeting after meeting. "And don't say just because." she teased.
Korra broke away from their embrace and moved towards the counter to turn the radio off. Her hand slipped into their breadbox and rested there.
"Okay, so I might have been planning this for a little while," she admitted.
"A Little while? You've been acting strange for months," the green clad woman countered playfully.
"I wanted to keep it all a secret. Was it worth the wait?"
"Every bit."
"I wanted to do all of this because…You mean the world to me, Kuvira I can't imagine my life without you in it…" Korra began as she removed her hand from the bread box. In her palm was a navy blue velvet covered box. She lowered herself down onto one knee; carefully moving her floor length gown out of the way "What I'm trying to say is," She paused before opening the box. "Will you marry me?"
Kuvira felt her eyes sting as she looked at the betrothal necklace. Her heart was beating out of her chest. Tear began to overflow creating streaks in her makeup. She brought her hand up to her mouth attempting to stop herself from crying.
"..Yes! Of course!" Kuvira exclaimed as the tears were pouring from her eyes.
Korra's smiles grew wide as she jumped to her feet. Their lips collided with one another savoring the moment. They pulled away gazing into each other's eyes. In a matter of seconds she had the necklace out of the box and was tying it around her fiancées neck. Kuvira looked in the mirror as the stone shined in the candlelight. She was overwhelmed with the feeling of euphoria. She ran her fingers across the smooth texture.
"It's beautiful," Kuvira said softly.
The waterbender smiled once admiring her. They were getting married, she was lucky enough to spend the rest of her life with this amazing, talented gorgeous woman. She wrapped her arms around Kuvira's waist and pulled her in close to her. The earthbender moved her hands around Korra's neck running her hands through her hair. The two whispered gentle 'I love yous' before bringing their mouths together for a deep kiss