I know. It's been ages. I did not forget about this fic though. And I am here to end it. 17 chapters. Let's go.
"Definitely the same page." The words echoed in Korra's head. They had become faded and distorted from bouncing inside her skull. Korra was not sure if she even had the same book as Asami. She sighed as her eyes roved the swirling sky above her yet again, the arm around Asami tightening absently as the nonbender shifted further into the crook of her neck, her soft breath hitting the column of Korra's neck just enough to raise goosebumps. They had opted to spend the night at the hot-spring-turn-whatever-it-would-be-in-the-morning, hesitant to move their vacation along further.
"You're thinking too loudly."
"You're-you're…uh…dreaming! Go back to sleep! Yeah! Sleeeeeeeep." Korra nearly jumped out of her skin but quickly "recovered." A guilty expression had taken over her features, however, as if Asami actually knew what she was thinking and knew what troubled her.
"I'm barely awake and that's still pathetic." Asami yawned, sitting up a bit but remaining fully wound about Korra.
"Sorry for waking you." She toyed with the ebony locks nearest her, refusing to raise her eyes.
"What's bothering you?" Asami carefully took the waterbender's jaw, turning and tilting it towards her, emerald eyes soft and imploring.
"I just can't sleep."
"Korra."
"What? Can you actually read my mind? Did a spirit read my mind and tell you?" Korra was unprepared to received laughter in response.
"You sleep like the dead, Korra. Clearly something is bothering you."
"We've already had this conversation four times. You're sick of it. Don't worry about it." The Avatar huffed and turned away, rolling on to her side, all contact with Asami lost. It felt she had bended ice into the nonbender's veins, leaving Asami wide awake.
"This is ridiculous. I don't care if we've had this conversation four times, which, by the way, I have no idea what you're actually talking about, but we'll keep having this conversation until you feel better or get the answer or whatever it is you need. You have to talk to me." Asami's fingers twitched but she thought better of reaching out, instead watching Korra's nearly motionless form. She did not budge, but eventually her voice floated back.
"Pages."
"What?"
"It's about pages. Us being on the same page." Korra still did not turn but she had shrunk a bit, her shoulders hunching as she held herself. Another wave of ice doused Asami.
"Oh." The engineer squirmed. "Do you think we're not?"
"Can we be?" Korra clenched her eyes shut, a mantra of "stupid, stupid" replacing the echoes from earlier. She waited fifty heartbeats, counting them out, before speaking again. Asami had remained silently confused, her brow furrowed. "We've been apart for three years. And we haven't even been back together that long. We were fighting a war and rebuilding a city." Another deep breath. "I'm scared, Asami. You even said it. I'm not who I was when I left. That's who you loved. That's who you wrote letters to. Or maybe not even then. I was still in that wheelchair. I'm still figuring out who I am and what kind of Avatar I want to be and…what if that's not the person you want to love?" She finally faced Asami, sitting up, arms crossed but not in a defiant manner but as protection. Asami floundered, a weight forcing its way into her throat. She knew they had been coming to this point. They had been having this conversation over and over but there simply was no conclusion, no answer to draw. They stared at each other in crushing silence, not even the Spirit World could offer the smallest solace in sound, but Asami found her voice just as Korra was turning away.
"Korra, I could never stop loving you. I've always loved you. As a probending star. As the Avatar. As a friend. In comparison to all of that, this is new, but I fell for you when we were looking for the airbenders. Yes, you're different, but I'm different too. And this is all crazy but everything is crazy. I think we're allowed to be too. I can't promise that I won't hurt you or that you won't hurt me. We've both done that already. I can't promise that this will be easy. This isn't one of Varrick's movers. We can finally get to know each other again. A new beginning. I can promise though, that I love you and that I will still love you even if we have this conversation again tomorrow or when we return to the city or three years from now. I love you, Korra. It's scary to say. It was terrifying to say earlier and it still is but I do and for now, that's all I need to know. I hope it's the same for you."
"And if it's not?"
"I don't know." Asami's heart ached and she felt tears threatening. She had thought she was done with tears for at least a little while. She was shocked, however, to find Korra laughing.
"That's strangely comforting. Because I don't know either."
"We'll figure it out." She managed a smile once in control of her confusion.
"I do think loving you is enough though. You're what got me through these past few years. Not all of it, but a good deal of it." They smiled at each other, fingers hesitantly reaching out until the tips brushed, their hands coming together in their familiar embrace.
"I think we'll be alright."
"Maybe we'll go a bit longer this time without having to have this conversation." After a few moments of twisting and tugging their fingers, they finally fell into a full embrace, arms coiled tightly about the other's frame, noses buried in soft locks, lone tears falling silently. "We're…we're not done with our vacation yet though, right?" The tension that had taken over the smaller woman's frame was easily felt by Asami.
"We've spent more time here at this hot spring than anything else. I don't even think we were in the Tree of Time this long. I'm definitely not ready to go back yet. And don't you still have your itinerary? You're not out of tricks yet are you, Avatar?" Asami pulled back to smirk devilishly, one eyebrow masterfully arched.
"Oh, we haven't even gotten started yet."