IX

Summary: "After his betrayal, I knew he was a terrible father. It wasn't until I watched you heal from the poisoning that I realized I was lying to myself this entire time." Korrasami. Set after Series Finale.

"Is everything okay?" Mako questioned as Asami and Korra exited her room. Asami was holding onto Korra's arm, using her to lean on to keep her balance..

"It will be," Asami said quietly.

"We're going to clean out her father's room," Korra explained.

Mako nodded once. "Bolin and I will head out then."

"No," Asami insisted, "I want you two to come as well."

Mako looked over at Bolin in surprise. He shrugged in response but followed the two girls the Sato estate. They stopped briefly when they ran into Mako's and Bolin's grandmother, Yin. She insisted that Asami have a bit of the soup she had made. It was a secret family recipe that was supposed to help cure any ailments.

Asami politely tried it but couldn't finish because of the odd taste. Korra forced herself to finish her helping but made a sick face once she was finished. Mako and Bolin wolfed he soup down and asked for a second helping, a third for Bolin, before they all had made their way to Hiroshi's old room.

Asami ran her hand along the door frame. She pulled a key out from underneath her shirt. It was hanging off of a chain around her neck. She stuck the key into the lot before unlocking the door. "Here we go," she muttered.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Korra made a soft noise before holding her nose shut. Asami flicked the light on and moved to the side so that Bolin and Mako entered.

"It's….a nice room," Bolin said. Mako groaned and Korra elbowed him in the side. The floor was littered with numerous empty beer bottles. Trash was scattered around and dust had been collecting on every surface. Pictures were pulled off of the walls and resting on the ground, the glass broken. Clothes were strewn about; hanging off the bed posts, the overhead chandelier, the chairs, and piled on the floor.

"Things weren't so good this last week," Asami muttered as she lowered herself in a chair. Korra airbent the dust and stale smell into a small vortex. Mako quickly flung open the curtains to let some light into the room. He then opened the window and stepped out of the way as Korra moved the vortex out the window.

"Why don't we just start cleaning?" Korra suggested. Bolin exited the room and returned with a few trash bags. Asami continued to sit in her chair as she watched her friends get to work. She lifted her feet as Korra cleaned a few items from near the chair. Asami drew her legs up and hugged her knees to her chest.

Mako and Bolin quietly talked about their work in the Earth Kingdom as they shuffled around the room. Korra kept shooting glances at Asami, gauging her reaction the more they cleaned. Asami was just looking around the room, slowly taking everything in.

"Hey, check this out," Bolin shouted from the closet. He exited it, holding a small martial arts uniform.

"That was mine," Asami mumbled. She walked over and retrieved the suit. She worked it this way and that in her hands. She paused before slipping her hand through a huge hole in the back. Her hands shook as she fingered the frayed edges of the hole.

"That's a pretty big tear," Mako commented.

"It wasn't a tear," Asami corrected him. She balled it up in her hands before handing it over to Korra. "My dad caused a hole to rip open as he was beating me," she admitted.

Asami wrapped her arms around herself. Korra was immediately by her side, placing an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her upper arm. Asami rested her head on Korra's shoulder.

"Why don't we put that away?" Bolin suggested and took the item back from Korra. He quickly folded it up into a nice square before putting it back into the closet. Mako joined him in the closet and started to clear out the space.

Over the span of an hour, half of the room was straightened. Asami and Korra were seated on Hiroshi's old bed. Asami's head was resting in Korra's lap. Korra alternated between softly ran her fingers through Asami's hair and rubbing her back.

Mako and Bolin were cleaning out a few off the drawers and the books off of the shelves. Bolin from time to time would crack a joke which Korra and Mako would scold him for. Asami remained silent, but followed the two brothers around the room.

The sunlight filled the room with renewed warmth. The more they cleaned the more the room stated to brighten up. Asami's mood had shifted a bit as well. She had started to make small conversation. She even began to fix up the room as well, starting with making the bed. Korra was bending water from the bathroom to clean the wood floors.

A picture slipped out of one of the photo albums that Bolin was carrying towards the front of the room. Boxes upon boxes were stacked by the door, ready to be taken out of the room. Garbage bags were lined up in front of the boxes.

"Oh, a picture fell out," Bolin said as he handed Asami the photograph. Asmami looked at the back to see the date scribbled on it before looking at the front. Asami's mother was holding her as a baby, her father was smiling proudly, and Asami's grandmother and grandfather from her mother's side were standing behind them looking stoic.

"Alcoholism runs in my family," Asami announced. Mako and Bolin paused. "My grandfather on my mother's side had the problem and so did my dad." She sighed deeply before handing the photo back. "Now me."

"You're not an alcoholic," Mako said quietly. "A lot of stuff has just happened in the past few weeks."

"No." Asami shook her head. She walked over to the empty fireplace and sat down in front of it. After noticing her shivering from sitting on the cool floor, Korra and Mako snapped their fingers and flicked a small ember into the fireplace igniting the wood. "You three don't know too much about me. I used to drink a lot back in college," she admitted as the three sat down next to her.

Bolin frowned as he counted on his fingers. "You're twenty-two. When did you go to college?" he asked.

"Oh, I excelled through elementary and high school. I attended early," she said with a shrug.

Mako, Bolin, and Korra nodded. After a few seconds they would steal glances at each other, silently urging one another to ask the one question they wanted to ask. After a quick game of piranha, oyster, seaweed, Mako cleared his throat and asked quietly: "How did you get into drinking?"

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Korra quickly added.

Asami shook her head. "I wanted to fit in," she started. Asami bunched up her hair before tossing it over her shoulder. "Korra knows this, but I went to an all girl's school and I didn't have many friends."

Bolin made a soft sound when he heard that Asami didn't have many friends. She looked over at him with a half-smile before continuing.

"With the few I did have from my STEM club we would be working late into the night and they would invite some of their friends and boyfriends to hang out. I would just be in the corner working on my projects as they hung out. Then some of them brought in some drinks and I just wanted to try it. Apparently I became the life of the party. So the more I drank, the more friends I made."

"What made you stop?" Korra whispered.

"I got sick once and ended up in the hospital." Asami's eyes misted over. "No one came to visit me as I stayed for a week and a half." She tiled her head back as she felt the familiar pinch in the corner's of her eyes. "I went to school away from here to get away from my dad. Upon my graduation day, he visited and we talked things out. As he was building his company I started to help him by working with him. Things felt normal."

"How did you forgive him….for everything?" Bolin wondered.

"I don't think I really did," she admitted. "I didn't like the way I felt; being hungover or drunk all the time. However, it was easier than being around him and walking on eggshells. I was tense at first but we worked really well together. I think it was the easiest time I've had with him since my mom died. I wanted to keep it that way."

"And then we came along."

Asami chuckled. "After his betrayal, I knew he was a terrible father." She turned her attention to Korra. "It wasn't until I watched you heal from the poisoning that I realized I was lying to myself this entire time."

"I don't think he's a terrible father," Mako said suddenly.

She turned towards him with a glare. "What kind of father beats his own kid and attacks them in a giant metal suit when they don't agree with their position on politics?" she demanded.

"Well, yes, he did those things. But he loved you so much that he scarified himself to save you and the rest of us."

"I agree," Bolin nodded. "I think he really did love you and your mom, but the agony of losing her brought on his rage."

Asami didn't respond. She climbed to her feet and brushed off the seat of her pants. "If this is anything like last time, it's going to take awhile before I'm fully recovered," she said.

"Maybe you should move back to Air Temple Island," Korra suggested while putting a hand on her shoulder.

"No, living in the city is easier because it is closer to work." Asami took a few steps back before facing the three of them. "I'm going to need your help though. All of you. It may get bad at times."

"What are friends for?" Bolin said.

Asami smiled as a few tears dripped down her cheeks. "You really are my friends, aren't you?"

"Of course! We're the perfect team!"

"Thanks." Asami wiped off her cheeks. "Bolin, about your jokes earlier-"

"I'm really sorry about that," he instantly apologized. "I make jokes to try and lighten the mood a bit."

"No, laughing makes things easier. Don't stop joking around," she insisted.

Bolin walked over and gave her a long hug. "I know I go back to the Earth Kingdom a lot, but this weekend you and I are going to see a mover."

"Sounds great."

"I'll move my work back here to Republic City for the time being," Mako suggested. "I'll work with Chief Beifong again. I promised to always care for you and I plan on keeping that promise."

"Thanks, Mako," Asami said. He nodded in reply. After a few moments of silence, the four members of Team Avatar 2.0 started to gather up the boxes and bags by the door.

"Will everything be okay?" Korra asked in a hushed tone; her hand on Asami's back. Asami straightened up and turned towards her.

"It is starting to feel that way," Asami sighed happily. Korra half-smiled before kissing Asami on the corner of her mouth.

"You know, Varrick, I usedtothinkthatworking with you was a bad idea. I mean, you did steal a lot of my inventionstotryandstartaCivil War," she slurred, the effects of the drink instantly hitting her, "but you're not that bad."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he chuckled after downing his portion of the drink. "Man, that's good stuff. What a rush."

"That's what life is all about, rushing awayfromthingsandpeoplewhojustwon'tleaveyoualone," Asami leaned against the front of her desk. She motioned for Varrick to sit next to her. Once he was seated she stood up and faced him. "I don't want you to leave me alone though. You've been a big help." She placed a hand on his shoulder and stumbled forward.

Varrick caught her and placed his hands on her hips to steady her. She shook her head. "Wow, this stuff does work. I don't feel anything," she muttered while looking up at him. She peered closely and traced her thumb across his cheek/ "You're really handsome up close," she whispered.

Without another word, they were kissing madly. Asami wrapped her arms around his neck as Varrick pulled her in tighter. She opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. He tilted his head to the side, drew her tongue in, and began to suck on it.

Asami flinched as he bit down on the pink muscle. She quickly opened her eyes and started to back up. "No," Asami muttered. She placed her hands on Varrick's chest and quickly pulled away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," she whispered. "I just caused you to cheat on your wife. What is wrong with me?"

Asami flinched and took a step away. "What?" Korra asked.

"I need to talk to Varrick."