Prompt: Korrasami: fluff the night before Korra gives herself up. They sleep in the same room and stay up together talking
Girl Talk
Korra rolled over on her bunk for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. She knew she needed to sleep. At the same time, she knew she'd never be able to sleep. Not tonight. Her hands clenched and unclenched on top of the sheets. As much as she wanted to be brave and stoic and make the noble sacrifice, deep down Korra was so, so nervous about tomorrow. No, not nervous. Afraid.
She kicked off the sheets, flopping onto her back and sighing with frustration. From the bunk above, bedsprings creaked.
"Korra? Are you okay?" Asami asked. After a beat she added, "Sorry, that's probably a dumb question."
"No, it's okay. I'm fine," Korra said, trying to sound confident. She swung her legs out of the bunk and sat up. "Just… can't sleep."
The bunk creaked again, and Korra heard the soft thud of Asami's feet hitting the floor.
"Neither can I," said Asami. The bunk sagged as she sat beside Korra. Korra could just see her profile in the thin light slanting under the door. Her hair was mussed from her pillow, and her hands were clasped tight in her lap. For a while they sat and just listened to the hum of the airship's motors, the beating of its propellers. Then:
"Are you scared?"
Korra considered lying, covering her feelings with bravado. With anyone else she might have. And yet, something about the dark, and the quiet, and the warmth of Asami's arm not quite touching hers… It made her feel safe and strangely vulnerable at the same time. She could be honest here.
"Yeah," she confessed, her voice a little gruff. Asami's fingers were cool against her wrist, her thumb brushing the back of Korra's hand.
"Do you want to talk?"
Korra turned her hand over, linking her fingers with Asami's. "I do, but…" She hesitated, unsure. "Could we… not talk about tomorrow?"
"Sure," Asami said, a hint of a smile in her voice. "Did I ever tell you about the time I cut my own hair?"
"Wait, what?"
"I was ten," she said, scooting back to lean against the wall. Korra followed and pulled her abandoned blanket over their legs. "Short hairstyles were becoming popular. My dad was always really protective of me, and I was tired of him treating me like a little girl-"
"You were a little girl," said Korra, chuckling.
"I know," Asami said. "But I was sick of him babying me. I thought a haircut would make me look, you know, older."
"Oh no. How bad was it?"
Asami had to laugh this time. "Pretty terrible. My nanny caught me when I was half-way done, she was livid. She marched me down to my dad's office to make me explain myself." She smiled wistfully. "I thought he would be furious, but when he saw me he just laughed and laughed. Then he took the afternoon off to take me to get my hair cut properly. I don't think it ended up helping me seem older and more mature, though."
Korra had to stifle her laughter with her hand. "That's incredible," she said. "When I was ten, I was just starting to train in earthbending… My teacher was this crotchety old guy. I remember I would always flick pebbles at him when I got annoyed with him…
Neither of them could remember when they had finally dropped off to sleep.
My first Korrasami fic. Woo hoo!
Y'know, when I started I really thought I had their characterizations down, but as I started writing more dialogue I think I lost it.
Eh. It's practice.