Note: Before the adoptions, but well after Kuvira's been freed.
Korra gently kicked the front door open with the toe of her boot, faux-singing some rhythm to herself with a grin. She was carrying in groceries, at least three bags on each arm. She could've carried more. What was she gonna do? Make another trip? She might as well give up being Avatar right now if she was gonna admit defeat like that.
Man today was good.
She continued singing her little song as she walked into the kitchen, bobbing her head to the beat as she set all the bags on the table. She kicked the fridge door open, and started unpacking the bags, setting a cabbage and a head of broccoli on the middle shelf.
"Always gotta have broccoli..." she reminded herself, imitating Kuvira's usual fastidiousness as she worked. "If we're gonna be fighting and working and all that, we need the nutrition. And don't forget the protein. You know how jacked I made Baatar right? 'Cause of the protein." Korra giggled, grabbing another cabbage. "She's such a weirdo."
"Left my heart..." someone softly sung, "in Republic City..."
Korra froze. She furrowed her brow and raised her head, only to bonk it against the top of the fridge door. She winced and took a precautionary step―well, just cautionary now―backwards, rubbing her head as she looked over at the living room door, the singing emanating from it.
Was... Was that Kuvira? No one else but her should've been in their home, but...
There's no way...
Korra looked between the door and the fridge. A smirk crept onto her face. She quickly set her cabbage next to the milk and broccoli, slowly and silently closed the door, and started to tip-toe, not daring to make a sound as she made her way over to the living room.
She put her hand on the door-frame, and as she peeked around, her mouth opened with a smile. She could not believe what she was seeing.
Sure enough, Kuvira sat on the couch folding laundry, singing along with the coffee-table radio. Not in a deliberate or loud way, certainly not like she was "rocking out" or anything like that. It was more like a lullaby to herself, actually...
"I lost it to you..." Kuvira gently went on with the music, "and I didn't even know it was gone..."
She was on the chorus, the very last chorus Korra deduced from the added layers of instruments. She didn't know if she was ever going to admit it out-loud, but Kuvira... She had a really nice voice, just really warm in a way, and her low raspiness only added to the song. It was almost enthralling. Though, Korra mentally censured herself for thinking such a thought, as that kind of compliment would have been mortifying for Kuvira to hear. Too descriptive. Would've "made her squeamish."
"If you ever gave it back to me...I'd only ever give it back...to you..."
The little finishing piece went on for a few seconds, and the song came to an end. Kuvira looked at the radio, and emitted a little "hm" of contentment as she went back to the clothes, like nothing had even happened.
"Wow," Korra breathed. Out-loud. Her eyes widened. She slapped a hand over her mouth.
Ah spirits...
Kuvira looked up in her seat. She whirled around, her eyes widening with realization and embarrassment. "K-Korra?!"
Oh Raava...
"Um...I-I'm back!" Korra announced, walking into the living room fully.
"W-What're you doing here?!" Kuvira asked, making a quick flick of her hand to metalbend the radio dial off.
"Wu finished early!" Korra explained. "He didn't have any other plans, so he said I should just go back home! So I did! Picked up the groceries on the way!" She smiled and put a hand on her hip. "I didn't know you could sing!"
"I... I-I can't!" Kuvira insisted, floundering for an explanation. "This is... That was just... I just really like that song, alright?!"
"But you were so good at it!" Korra said, walking up closer to the couch.
Kuvira sighed, turning back around and tossing the shirt she was holding into the laundry basket. "Hardly. I was barely even audible. It wasn't even a lullaby."
"It sounded okay to me!" Korra insisted. She pursed her lip in thought. "Can you sing me a lullaby sometime?"
Kuvira looked back up at her with an expression that was something inbetween disdain and embarrassment, like she'd just taste-tested some sour milk.
"Okay maybe not," Korra agreed. She giggled with her hands on her hips. "Gosh, a dancer and a singer."
"I'm not a singer!" Kuvira fussed. "I could never do something like that!"
Korra furrowed her brow. "But you've done so many speeches and rhetoric and stuff before. You still can! You probably will, Miss Prime Minister!"
"Th-that's not the same," Kuvira said, briefly smirking at the reminder of her future occupation. "People don't pay attention to your voice or how you say things. Well, kind of, but..." She sighed. "It's the what that's most important, not the how...I think. I can get a message across far better than a melody."
"Wait so you're okay with people paying attention to your body?" Korra asked.
Kuvira looked up at one of the walls blankly, mildly perturbed. "Korra don't take dancing away from me. It was group dancing! All of us, together! Multiple parts of a whole scene!" She rolled her eyes with a sigh. "We were clothed. It was Interpretative! Not...C-Can Can!"
"I get it, I get it," Korra giggled as she sat down next to Kuvira. "I'm just teasing you."
Kuvira snorted and rolled her eyes. "Obviously. Here I was, thinking I could enjoy myself and just do some chores for a while..."
"Oh because living with me is so bad."
Kuvira gave Korra a frown, trying to seem displeased, but a smirk inevitably broke her face and she looked down chuckling. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," she admitted. "Everything in moderation?"
"I'm flattered," Korra said with a smirk. She pursed her lip for a moment in thought. "Why do you like Left My Heart so much?"
Kuvira spent a long moment rubbing the back of her hand. Her answer nearly broke Korra's heart:
"It reminds me of you."
"W-What? How?"
"Because...that's... Y-You're..." Kuvira inhaled, trying to finds her words. "You helped me there, Republic City. You helped me realize what I was doing, helped me change. Y-You saved me...twice. Not to mention that's the place I attacked and surrendered. I can't not feel something for it, you know?"
She looked at Korra, and Korra nodded, gently listening. Kuvira continued.
"Most teenagers probably think that song's all about romance and dating and 'their first kiss' and all that, and I used to think the same, but..." She rubbed her wrist. "Republic City's always felt different that day, and that song just...describes all of it."
Korra looked at Kuvira look at the floor, then gathered her own thoughts for a moment. She smiled as she said, "I feel the same exact way."
"W-What?" Kuvira asked, looking back up at her.
Korra nodded, still smiling. "Yeah. It fits. It works. That spirit portal, even when I went there with Asami...it's always made me think of you. It's always been your spirit portal. Well, ours I guess, but...I made it with you. It's like a monument to your rebirth kinda. I think of you every time I see it. Sometimes even just looking at it makes me tear up."
"Oh. Sorry."
"No, no!" Korra laughed, touching Kuvira's shoulder. "I wouldn't want it any other way! Sometimes it's nice to have an unexpected, cleansing cry once and a while."
Kuvira chuckled as well. "Oh my goodness Korra, you... Really? You've felt this all this time?"
"Ever since I held you in my arms on that flower bed."
Kuvira creased her brow, bearing some sort of sad smile. "I... I don't know what to say, I..." She looked down again, her hand up to her mouth. "Spirits..."
Korra chuckled softly, rubbing Kuvira's shoulder. "Same here, same here..." She snorted with a smirk. "Well, if anything, even if you're not good at it, I still think the kids are gonna love having a mom singing to them like you do before they go to bed. At any time really."
Kuvira's eyes widened, her voice soft. "Oh my gosh..."
"What?"
"I'm... I'm going to have kids," Kuvira said, holding her cheeks, the realization hitting her. "I'm adopting kids..."
"And they're gonna love you so much," Korra said, gently putting her arms around Kuvira. "You're gonna be everything they've needed from a family." She chuckled softly. "And I'm here too. It's not like you're gonna have to 'sell yourself' to them or anything. They already love you."
Kuvira nodded a little in her embrace. "Yeah..."
Korra glanced down for a moment. "You want me to sing you a lullaby now?"
Kuvira's eyes slowly danced over the floor. "S-Sure."
"Same song?"
"Yes please..."
Korra smiled as she rested her head on top of Kuvira's. She knew the words to Left My Heart in Republic City by heart as well, having heard it plenty of times while training with Mako and Bolin back when they all used to pro-bend. Singing it was effortless, practically unconscious.
After a few lines, Kuvira spoke up. "You're not that bad a singer yourself."
Korra's singing involuntarily bubbled into giggles. "Now that's a lie."
Kuvira started giggling as well, her voice light and bubbly with laughter, damn infectious, just as much of a song to Korra as Left My Heart, if not more.
Ugh, scratch that—definitely more.
Notes: There's a fanart out there of Kuvira in like a green dress with red lipstick while she's holding a stage mic, something about an AU where she takes to jazz singing, and *adjusts glasses* while that's insurmountably delightful I don't quite exactly see Kuvira doing it, not in any forward fashion at least. Dancer, after all. The second it's "for show" I can't not see her getting kinda embarrassed, as seen here. As modest as Korra is cocky lol.
FYI, "Left My Heart in Republic City" is actually an actual Legend of Korra soundtrack, but it's an instrumental piece. I made up the lyrics Kuvira sings here myself. They've always floated around my head when I heard that song. Hope they sound alright.
I didn't foresee this becoming such a feel-sy chapter there. I thought it was just gonna be more of a cute little embarrassing thing. Guess it's both :)
(Also quick update on my friend if you've read the last chapter, don't want anyone potentially worrying here: turns out the kid's just Celiac. He's allergic to gluten/dairy, and it overlapped with previous symptoms from previous anxieties somehow. I've actually dealt with similar stuff for a long time now. He's already making gluten-free cookie recipes and stuff like that and they're surprisingly delicious lol. He's back to normal now. Always a trooper. Mom's surgery also went perfectly and her recovery is just a matter of time. She can't move her left arm or leg but it just takes loads of physical therapy and it'll come back on its own. I'm so grateful.)
