AN: I've had one of my readers, chibicosplayer14, who contacted me and told me that my story Slavery helped her through a dark time of her life.
She was sexually abused and didn't really have anyone else who would understand her. Slavery gave her hope that one day, she would find her own Korra who would treat her the way she deserved. Her story touched me and it gave me an idea for a fic that I'd write in her honor. When I suggested the idea she was very enthousiastic. So this fic was born. It's a one shot for now, but I'm planning on writing a few chapters more. Until Asami will have the happy ending she deserves.
For those who think this is easy to write for me cause it didn't happen to me personally, you're wrong. I've had this happen to me as well, once, lets say the guy will forever be able to hit high notes as he sings. I was around 11/12 myself when a stranger wanted to 'befriend' me. I grabbed him by the balls and started twisting like you wouldn't believe it. After, I ran.
I will never shy away from such subjects, I've written about them before. Suicide. Bullying. and being shunned by your family for who you are.
Love you all
It had been two weeks since I had spend an evening with Opal and Korra in her room. I tried to keep myself from thinking of that dream I had the same night. Korra's eyes were now a nightly routine. If the nightmares didn't haunt me during the night, Korra seemed to always be present in any other dreams I had. It confused me to no end. I never thought of women that way. Or about liking women in general even. I didn't avoid her though and went along with Opal on any invitation that she gave me. Korra proved to be an easy person to be around with. She was funny, sweet, and very generous.
I found that when I spent time with Korra that it were her eyes, her face that kept the nightmares at bay. For the most part at least. I started making excuses just so I could go down to the garage. If for nothing more than to just watch her work. Even covered in oil and grease, she was captivating… and her easy going smile something to behold. Get ahold of yourself Sato… you cannot possibly be gay? I chided myself.
This new feeling was confusing me to say the least. I always thought that I was straight. Don't ask me why. This new feeling had overwhelmed me like a tsunami. Finally, after several more weeks had passed, I decided it was time to take action. I needed to find out if Korra felt anything near the same for me as I started to feel for her. The office was quiet, Opal worked on invoices and I was cataloging parts. "Hey Opal…? Can I ask you something?"
Opal looked up from her work and smiled. "Sure Sams, what's up?"
"I wanted….um…well," I fidgeted in my chair this was harder than I thought. "You see…" Damn it, it should be easy. "What do you think of Korra?" You dolt, that wasn't what you wanted to ask.
She chuckled and adjusted some of the papers on her desk. "She's nice. Sweet. Loyal and very strong." I smiled at her words, knowing they were true.
"Uh… w-what do think of someone liking the same sex…" I flustered instantly. "S-sorry, that-that was way too personal."
"Don't worry about it Sams and I'm totally cool with it. One of my brothers is gay. So yeah." She let out a light laugh.
"How… how do you think Korra feels about it…?" Finally, the question I had wanted to ask from the start left my lips. My heart hammered in my chest. Spirits… what's wrong with me…?
Opal's smile turned into a wide grin and she rose up one of her perfectly maintained eyebrows. "Ohhhh… well… and here I thought you were flirting with me." She let out another laugh, harder than before. I guess the embarrassment was clear on my face. "Don't worry, I'm kidding! Your face was priceless though...ha!"
She continued to tease me for a few seconds longer before she finally gave me the answer I wanted to hear. "Korra's bisexual. She likes guys and girls." She said and winked at me. I never felt so relieved in my life.
"W-would you mind if I…"
"Go ahead. I'll finish up here." Opal said, the smirk on her face never wavered. I turned off my computer and put my paperwork that I still needed to finish, neatly on my desk. "Thanks Opal!" I said before I hurried out of the office.
I headed upstairs but had a quick peek outside through my window. The day promised to be a nice one later on in the afternoon. I quickly jumped under the shower, letting my mind drift over Opal's words. I began to wonder if Korra could feel the same way about me while the hot water poured down on me. I'm not sure how long I stood there, staring at the wall after I had rinsed my hair but I finally turned off the water. While I was drying off my body, I heard the door of Korra's apartment being shut.
She's now on the other side of this wall… My eyes focused on the wall that separated our rooms. I swallowed hard at the thought. My towel held in front of my body by my two hands. Opal said she likes girls… I think I like girls too… I shook my head at the thought. Maybe a drive outside the city will help me sort things out. On the plus side, my darker thoughts were kept at bay. Thanks to Korra and her beautiful blue eyes.
I decided to go for a ride. I got dressed, headed to my room once I was done drying myself off and putting on my underwear. I had picked out a something simple to wear. Tight jeans, white blouse and a thin, black jacket. My hair was just hanging loosely over my shoulders and I hopped into my red shoes. Once I got my keys, I headed to the door, only to have my heart stop when I opened it. "K-Korra!" I yelped and flinched. Taking a step backwards and nearly tripped over my own two feet. I would've surely fallen onto the hard wooden floor if it hadn't been for the strong but gentle arms that quickly wrapped around my torso. Hands placed on my back and fingertips dug gently in the muscles of my back.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" She apologized sincerely. Her voice surely higher than normal and she seemed panicked. My hands rested on her biceps and my eyes locked with her fearful ones. Somehow, somewhere I knew how my body would normally react. I should have been scared but I wasn't. "I-it's okay…" I finally managed to stutter and she pulled be back on my feet. We stood there for a couple seconds and I saw the deep crimson that decorated her cheeks.
"Y-you sure…? I caught you on time right?" She asked and her hands now rested on my hips. Mine hadn't moved an inch.
"I'm sure yes…" Somehow, I have no idea why I did it, my right hand squeezed her bicep. Oh my Spirits! Why did I just do that!? Think of something! FAST! "D-do… work you out?" I facepalmed myself internally.
Korra laughed nervously and I'm sure the crimson on her cheeks matched my own. "Yeah… I do, heh. A few days a week. I love being in shape." She pulled her hands slowly from my hips, rose them up in the air and flexed. My own hands now in front of me.
"Oh… my… that's surely impressive…" I said while I looked at her biceps.
"You should see my abs. Ha!" We looked at one another, both sets of eyes wide open. "I'm joking!" I giggled nervously and gulped.
"S-so… why did you came to see me?" I asked curiously. Korra had her arms hanging next her body and she fiddled with something she held in her hands.
"I… well... " She cleared her throat. "I wanted to ask you if you would like to go to the movies with me?" She said and held out two tickets. A sheepish smile on her face.
Is she asking me out…? "I'd love to go…!" What the hell brain? What…? Don't tell me you don't want to go? … Yeah, exactly. Even though I really wanted to go, I felt my stomach twist a little
"Cool I mean, that's great. I uh… well… uhm… when do you wanna go…?"
"Well, anything good playing now?" I asked and felt the knot in my stomach lessen a little. She's just as nervous as I am…
"Some movies yeah. We can always just go and decide there?"
"Sounds perfect. Just give me a sec…" I rushed back inside leaving the door slightly open as I grabbed my wallet and headed back to Korra. "I'll drive?"
"Sure, but I'm paying." She said with a smile so bright that it would make the sun like a small ball of fire.
"Deal." I said and we headed out and towards my car. She gave me the adress so I could put it in my GPS and on our way we went. We arrived at the movie theater maybe twenty minutes later. Once inside, we realized that there were way too many choices. "So, anything jump out at you?" I asked while my eyes slid over the movie posters. From bad comedies to cheesy romances. The choices were overwhelming.
Korra stood next me while I started at a Deadpool poster. "How about that one?" She said and pointed at the poster. "Heard good things about it and with Deadpool in it, it can't be bad!" I chuckled at her enthusiasm.
I hooked my arm in with hers and my hand slipped to hers. It was an unconscious move and once I had realized what I had done, I just prayed that she wouldn't think different of me. The opposite happened. Although she looked at me surprised at first. There was a slight blush on her cheeks and she gently squeezed my hand.
"H-heh… w-would you like some cornpop?" She blinked and facepalmed herself. "Popcorn! Yes! That's what I meant." She said and rubbed the back of her neck nervously while we headed to the snack area.
I laughed lightly and my own nerves calmed further. She is as nervous as me… "Some cornpop would be nice. Maybe some milk duds. You mix them in with the popcorn… and oh my goodness." I said with a longing sigh.
"Alright then." She said and put some more snacks on the small basket she was holding with her free hand. Once we were at the cash register, she let go of my hand only to pay, before she slipped her hand back and entwined our fingers. She held the snacks in a small paper bag with her other hand while we walked to the right cinema room. Since the staff was still cleaning it, we had to wait outside for a little while.
She had put the bag somewhere safe and we had small talk while we waited. I don't know when it happened but out of the blue a group of young guys walked passed us. Probably on their way to another movie. I got a bad feeling once I saw one of them look into our direction. He elbowed one of his buddies and before I knew it, they all looked into our direction.
"Hey dykes! Show us some sugar." Their leader made a peace sign and moved his tongue between it. I felt sick instantly and pulled my hand away from Korra. Quickly stuffing it into the pocket of my own jacket and turning away my gaze. "I-I'm sorry…" I whispered, hoping the doors would open soon. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Korra looked at me. I swallowed hard to keep the tears at bay and bit my lower lip. She disappeared from my sight and I shut my eyes tightly. I should've known… she's just gonna let me…-
The sounds of cracking bones broke my train of thoughts and I opened my eyes. When I turned around I saw the leader lay on the ground. Clutching his face while he was cursing like a sailor. Korra quickly stood next the guy once again and grabbed his collar. "Got anything else to say you piece of trash?" She spat but the guy shook his head. Blood pouring from his nose. "Good! Any of you who wanna insult us?!" She growled the words and dropped the guy back on the floor once she let go of his collar. She then turned her attention to the others. When she didn't get a response she nodded and turned back around. "Good…!" She turned her attention back at me and her facial expression changed immediately. The hard expression on her face softened. Her hand moved into my pocket and found mine. "We're on a date. We won't let those pricks ruin our evening…" She said softly and winked reassuringly at me. All I could do was stare.
I tightened my grip on her hand. My eyes burned and I tried to blink the tears away. One still managed to escape. That wasn't him… It couldn't be him. Memories of the club came back to the surface of my memory pool and my body started to shake slightly. I flinched slightly when I felt her warm hand cup my face but quickly relaxed against the feeling of her warm palm against my skin. Her thumb brushed away the single tear that had managed to escape. Finally, her words started to sink in. "A-a date…?"
She smiled nervously but nodded. "Uh, yeah… a date. If you want it to be a date?" She pulled her hand back slowly. Her gentle gesture had managed to calm me down more than I thought possible. I stopped shaking and my heart was beating at a normal rate. I nodded at her words.
"A date then." I gave her a shy smile. Squeezing her hand gently to put even more power behind my words.
The doors finally opened and we settled at the very last row of seats. Right in the middle for the perfect view. Korra put the bag of snacks next her and I sat down on the other free seat. Settling comfortably while my date now handed me my snacks. I mixed the popcorn and milk duds together and gave it a firm shake before I reached it towards Korra so she could taste. I watched her take a few and put them in her mouth. Her entire expression changed to one of pure bliss.
"Oh wow! That is good! Now I wish I got that too." She said with sad pout. She's adorable.
"We can share, it's a date after all." I smiled at her and her pout turned into a smile. A few seconds after, the house light started to darken and the movie trailers began. After that, the actual movie began. It had everything in it anyone could want. Action. Murder. A love story.
The world faded away - it was just Korra, me and the movie. I hardly watched the screen at all to be fair. My eyes were drawn to the woman next me. I admired her. The ease how she handled everything and how she stood up to those guys earlier. I let myself relax a little further, though I had not tried to hold her hand. No matter how much I wanted to. It felt right and truthfully, I wanted to feel it again…
I guess Korra felt the same. Her hand crawled closer to mine with every passing minute and I felt my heart rate go up. I swallowed hard when I moved mine slightly towards hers. First our fingers brushed against one another. Then she just put her hand on top of mine and interlaced our fingers. My heart felt like it exploded in my chest from happiness. I turned my head slightly and even in the dark, I saw the deep crimson on her cheeks. A big grin on her lips. I felt my own cheeks burn in excitement. While my heart hammered against my ribcage, I turned my attention, reluctantly, back to the screen.
I tried hard to concentrate on the movie, but this feeling was amazing. I eventually dared to squeeze her hand gently. The butterflies in my stomach went rampage when she squeezed back. Her thumb gently caressed the back of my hand. I can't believe this is happening… she's really holding my hand…! My mind screamed and with each gentle stroke of her thumb, my heart seemed to skip a beat.
The movie went by in a blur and we walked out, hand in hand. Korra's smile never wavered and she suggested to go to the small cafe next door. I happily agreed as soon as she suggested it. As long as she held my hand, I felt safe. Once inside, the happy music greeted us and Korra brought me to a booth. She let go of my hand and disappeared into the direction of the bar. She eventually came back with two colorful drinks. I swallowed hard when I realized what they were.
"I hope you like sweet." She said with a giggle and put the glasses down before she sat down in front of me. One of her hands covered mine once again. I just stared at the glass and just slowly pushed it to the side. "Thanks…" I offered weakly.
"You don't like it?" She asked me, her free hand held the drink that she was sipping from. She put the drink down and called over one of the waiters that happened to walk around. I shook my head.
"N-no… it's n-not that…" I turned my focus on our entwined fingers when the waitress walked over to our table.
"Good evening. Can I help you with anything?" Her voice was a bit overly polite.
"My date would like to have something to drink."
The woman's eyes fell on the cocktail before they settled on me. "Of course, what can I get for you?"
"Just a cola." I said softly. The woman nodded and walked off. It took her a minute before she returned and put my drink in front of me. Leaving once again right after that. I gulped and took the glass with my free hand. "Sorry… it… it wasn't the drink…" I said weakly. A flash of the club came up in the back of my mind. Just for a short second, before I pushed the memory away.
She put her drink down. The expression on her face worried. "What's wrong?" She asked with genuine concern. I felt my stomach tighten. "You can tell me anything…" She added with such gentleness in her voice. I did want to tell her but I didn't want to ruin our date either.
I looked at her hand holding mine for a moment before I looked up. My eyes locked with hers and I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It took me a few more seconds before I started to talk about the club incident and the morning after. I ducked my head once I told her what had happened to me. It was fun while it lasted… "I'm sorry I ruined our date…" I felt the tears sting and bit my lower lip. I was sure that she didn't want to have anything to do with me now after what I told her. I gently tried to pull my hand back but was surprised when Korra's hold tightened. When I looked at her in surprise, I didn't saw disgust in her eyes. What I saw was compassion and concern.
"I'm so sorry someone did that to you… and no, you didn't ruin anything." She almost whispered the words but I heard them nonetheless. She tenderly rubbed my knuckles and brought my hand up to her face. I flinched inwardly when I felt her lips on my skin. Kissing each knuckle individually. I took a shuddering breath. I couldn't believe my eyes. "T-thank you for understanding…" By the Gods that was a weak statement but it was all I could think of. I just told her about what happened to me and I felt lighter. She said I didn't ruin our date and I smiled at the thought. "I know… I know you wouldn't do anything. It's just me…" Her lips are softer than I imagined… What the hell brain?
"It's the thought. I understand. I really do. It's not your fault Asami. It's his fault. He never should have done this to you. He had no right."
Her words warmed my heart and I offered her a weak smile. I was speechless and all I could do was nod. I felt a blush crawl up to my cheeks when I played with her fingers. "S-so… tell me more about yourself?" That was a safe topic to start with. I mentally nodded at myself, hoping to steer the conversation to mundane things. Keeping my mind off of how soft her lips were and what it would be to kiss her.
She cleared her throat before she started. "Well, I'm from the South. Moved here a few years back to go to university."
I listened to her stories about her home and school. Her eyes lit up with excitement and pride with each word she spoke. I let my fingers trace over the back of her hand while I watched and listened to every word she said. We eventually ended staying way past midnight. Good thing it was Friday and we were both off of work the next two days. Korra had a couple more drinks while she continued to tell me more stories. There seemed to be no end to them. I genuinely laughed at her childhood stories that involved fishing and the family dog. Along with the determination that she had to see herself through school. My eyes widened when I glanced at the time.
"Oh my… come on. Let's get you home." I said with a giggle and noticed she was quite tipsy by now. "Good thing I drove." I scooted out of the booth and helped her to her feet. She leaned against me and I guided her outside once we paid. I managed to get her in my car without any accidents.
"I had a veeeeerryyyy good evening Sami…" She giggled and smiled while I buckled her in. She sighed when she leaned back against the car seat. I walked to the other side of my car and smiled at her.
"So did I." I replied before we went back on our way, after the engine roared to life. The ride was fast and we were back home before we knew it. I parked the car and we get inside. Korra still leaning heavily against me while we walk up the stairs. Her arm wrapped around my waist. Mine around her shoulder to keep her steady. We stopped at her door and I helped her open it. Before she went inside, she turned to me and wrapped her arms around my body in a warm embrace.
"I had a great evening…" She whispered and I felt her cheek against mine. My hands rested on the small of her back and I was sure my heart would escape once my rib cage would burst open. I was feeling nervous but not in a bad way. She affectionately rubbed her cheek against mine, taking a deep breath.
"M-me too Korra… it was amazing." I said on the same soft tone. One of my hands gently stroke her back.
"I'm… sorry… for what that bastard did." I heard her sigh. "If y-you ever see him… tell me. And I'll punch out his teeth."
I smiled sadly. "You're drunk Korra." Although her sentiment was nice, it was also unrealistic. I helped her inside and to her bed, setting her on the edge. "Get some sleep." I placed a light kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for the fun time."
She cupped my face and pulled me downwards. Kissing my forehead tenderly before letting me go. An instant blush colored my cheeks. "Sleep well Sami… now I have to undress and sleep…" She said with a soft giggle.
"W-well sleep… sleep well!" I stammered while I headed to the door. "S-see you tomorrow… or… well… later today…" I stumbled over my own words. Get it together Sato. Come on. I told myself and closed the door behind me once I stepped through. I grinned like some mental idiot and rubbed the spot Korra had kissed. "She kissed me…" I whispered to myself while I leaned against the closed door for a moment. "She kissed me…!" I said once again before I headed to my own room. That feeling. That image of Korra's lips against my forehead, kept the nightmares away that night.