Asami felt warm, all over and all around. There was a warm breeze against her skin, a warm body beneath her cheek, and a warm fluttering in her breast. She was content in such a way she'd never before known, and all the better was that in the Spirit World it was quite easy to imagine that this sensation of happiness was indefinite. It seemed very possible that she was always going to be this happy.
The engineer snuggled deeper into Korra's lap, eyes still closed, and took a deep breath of the mushroom field they had paused in. Korra's back was to a mushroom stalk twice the height of the two of them and they were well sheltered by the lumpy awning. It was just somewhere around noon, or whatever passed for noon in the spirit world, and a break from their hike had turned into a nap of sorts, the way that most of their breaks did. In the Spirit World, time constraints were little more than a mental construct.
A soft weight fell someplace on her leg, and Asami opened a sliver of her jade eye to see a squat, squash-shaped spirit resting on her knee. The spirit peered inquisitively at her, and she gave it a small smile before closing her eyes again. The spirits had at first surprised and somewhat alarmed her, but after a week in the other world she was becoming very used to their intrusive curiosity, and even some of the more barbed attitudes of the wiser ones.
"She's not really asleep, you know," the spirit piped up, looking at Korra, and Asami pursed her lips. Korra's fingers pet back through her black hair.
"She's not?"
"Nope."
"Tattle-tale," Asami smarted mildly, still with her eyes shut and not wanting Korra to stop stroking her hair.
She felt a brush of air at her nose and opened her eyes to see the spirit standing directly in front of her chin. The spirit blinked large eyes at her and then pointed its nub arm up at Korra.
"Why are you so nervous?"
"Me?" Korra demanded.
"Yup," the spirit nodded.
"She's nervous?" Asami pressed, smirking. The spirit nodded again and faded from view, only to appear on Asami's knee once more.
"Now she's blushing."
Intrigued, Asami leaned up to look at her girlfriend, who was glowering at the pudgy spirit-snitch. Just as promised, the Avatar's cheeks were burning brighter by the second.
"Why are you nervous?" She asked, laughter lilting in her voice. Korra was adorable when she blushed.
"I'm not," Korra retorted, petulantly, and then waved at the spirit. "Shoo, get out of here."
"Aw," the spirit whined and faded again. This time it appeared on Korra's shoulder. "Why?"
"Because!" Korra growled and picked the spirit up to place on the grass. She patted at its backside to spur it along. "You've caused enough trouble already."
The spirit continued to whine but did begin to totter away, and Asami looked from the translucent creature back to Korra expectantly.
"Well?"
"Ugh!" Korra groaned and leaned back into the mushroom stalk. She huffed, and then straightened. "Okay, okay." She surprised Asami by sitting up on her knees in a formal manner and reaching into her backpack. "There's something I wanted to give you, I just was looking for the right time."
"Oh," Asami grinned and sat up properly as well, facing across from Korra in light of the ceremony of the occasion. She remembered distinctly the last time Korra had given her something, and it had been plopped into her hand almost accidentally then accompanied by an embarrassed complaint. She was expecting something similar, but when Korra pulled a glossed wooden box from her satchel she was genuinely surprised.
Korra cleared her throat, still blushing a ruddy color, and pushed the box across the grass towards Asami with her fingertips.
"This is for you."
Intrigued, Asami looked from her lover to the box and carefully lifted the lid. Inside, on a bed of linen, was a round pendant on a silver chain. The pendant was red glass, and shimmering in the center of it was a dark blue shape like that of a broad-toothed gear. It was lovely, and although she had not seen its like she wondered that it felt slightly familiar... and then she realized two things simultaneously. It was a necklace, and it was made just for her.
Stunned, Asami looked from the necklace to the Avatar, who was not quite meeting her eye.
"Asami," she cleared her throat, rigid with formality. "I know that I don't always make it easy to be around me. I'm the Avatar, and I always will be, which means that half of me will always belong to the whole world. I can't promise you that nothing bad will ever happen, or that I won't have to be gone sometimes to do what I need to do so I can maintain balance, but," she took a breath from what sounded like a very practiced speech. "If you want the other half of me, the half that's just Korra... then it's yours for as long as you want it." Finally, she brought her eyes up to Asami's, and they were flickering with the Water Tribe woman's worry and hope. "You don't have to say yes, you don't have to say anything, but I wanted to give you this so you know that no matter what happens, I'm always going to come back to you. Because you're where I belong. Because I love you."
Asami swallowed. Her eyes landed on the necklace once more and she reached out to stroke the glass with the tips of her fingers before picking up the box to hold reverently in her hands. She heard the tiny intake of breath from Korra, but she didn't look back at her as she pulled the necklace from the box to examine more closely.
"I know you're not Water Tribe," Korra was explaining in a nervous tone. "And I know you like red, and I know you like to dress fashionably so I picked a chain instead of a ribbon and it's red... for you and then the blue... is supposed to be me. The guy that made Varrick's made it, I was supposed to make it myself but I don't know how to do that kind of thing. You don't even have to wear it. I mean, I know it's not really classy or-"
"Korra." Korra stopped at once and looked back at her, almost desperately. "It's perfect," she promised and lifted the necklace to clasp behind her neck.
Korra's face broke into a slow smile. "Because you love me?"
She wet her lips, feeling her own smile break across her face. "Because I love you."
And she did. She had ever since the first moment she'd seen Korra shifting nervously across the dance floor of the Republic City gala all those years ago. Ever since she'd witnessed the way Korra refused to be cowed by an extremist assassin, or a queen, or a god. She'd loved the Water Tribe girl in all her brashness, all her joy, all of her angst. She loved Korra in a way that distracted her, emboldened her, ensorcelled her and it was clear that nothing was going to change that. One way or another, her heart was utterly stuck on Korra, and she may as well accept that.
She secured the necklace in place, and smiling, leaned into Korra's exuberant embrace. The Spirit World sun glimmered overhead, casting them in shade and warmth, and Asami proudly accepted her role as the one to care for the Avatar. After all, Avatars just needed so much love.
This was a surprisingly emotional ending for me, personally. It's been ten months that I've worked on this project but I'm glad to say that it's concluded, and I feel bittersweet but happy with it.
Thank you again for reading, and if you find yourself missing my writing I would propose going to my page and looking at my published novel, 'The Venex'. It's much different than 'A Second Glance', of course, but it's definitely my style.
As for this ending of 'A Second Glance', fear not, dear reader, there is a Book 5. When that will be posted, I can't say. This has been a very enjoyable experience for me but at this point I feel a bit finished with the story, which is not to say that it wont be picked up again. I would like to preface that Book 5 will be nothing like the previous books, taking place at a time when Korra is a mature Avatar and in a much evolved world, but still with all of our beloved characters. It will also be something which is entirely me, not bound by Canon (which is why it sounds so fun).
Well, that's the close for the time being. Be well and remember, quoted from my favorite character of the series,
"There is nothing wrong with letting people who love you, help you. Not that I love you. I just met you." - General 'Uncle' Iroh