Finally! Let's get down to business (any Mulan fans out there xD)! I know it took a while, and I apologize. But I had such a great headstart on Dangerous and so much to do for this chapter to make it to my idea of perfect. This chapter had to run smoothly and fit properly before being published. So thank you for being patient with me!
...
If Mako and Bolin knew how to do one thing, it was how to keep secrets away from Korra and Asami. The first step to getting them together, according to Niko, was to figure out how to first get them in the same room or at least in the same place. Not alone, of course. Who knows what would happen between them if they were alone. It had to be a casual setting, something that everyone could be comfortable in. And it had to have a little crowd.
"Kind of like a party." Bolin said, writing down their plans on paper.
"Yes, exactly." Niko said.
"How are we supposed to pull that off?" Mako asked. "None of us have a big enough house to throw a party."
"It doesn't have to be in a house." Niko said, thinking. "Beach party."
"Which would be best because...?" Bolin said.
"Who doesn't love beach parties?" Niko said.
"I can see your point, but how do we get them together?" Mako asked.
"It can't be forced." Niko replied, starting to pace back and forth. "It has to feel natural. Like it was meant to happen, but not really." He looked at the brothers. "Am I making sense here?"
"I guess." Bolin said. He scrawled out more notes on the paper.
"We also can't ignore the fact that Korra is going to bring Kuvira." Niko said.
"What are you going to do about her?" Mako said.
"If we can lure Kuvira away long enough for Asami to at least get close to Korra, we got them." Niko said. "Even if it doesn't happen right away, we are at least getting somewhere."
"So you do have a plan to get Kuvira out of the way." Mako replied.
"Right now, it's just a work in progress." Niko said. "But it's coming along."
"Who's gonna do the party invites?" Bolin said.
"I think Mako can handle that." Niko answered.
"Yeah, I can do that." Mako said, smiling.
"I'll invite Asami, though." Niko said. One of you can invite Korra. Bolin, I'm sure you can get the party supplies."
"Heck yeah!" Bolin said.
"And I can bring the food." Niko said.
"When is this all going down?" Mako asked.
Niko looked at the calender, contemplating the best date. It was Thursday. "Saturday."
"Alright!" Bolin exclaimed. "Operation Match-Maker is underway!"
Niko laughed while Mako just gave him a look.
"Come on." Niko said. "We got a party to plan."
...
Korra grunted in frustration and set her saxophone down, her eyebrows twitching in aggravation. She had had enough of everything she did pissing her off. She hadn't seen Mako or Bolin at school, so she was left to avoid Asami by herself. Which was surprisingly easy, considering that Asami barely showed her face all day. She was in school, Korra was sure of that because she saw her. But she wasn't herself.
"Opal?" Korra had whispered to her friend earlier that day in class.
"Hmm?" Opal hummed, not looking up from her paper.
"What so you think is up with Asami?" Korra asked.
Opal glanced back at aforementioned girl, who was staring blankly into space. She shrugged and turned back to her work. "I don't know. Maybe it's that time of the month."
Korra nodded absently in agreement, but something told her that wasn't the problem. Her worry over her former crush slammed into her like a bus. It was nagging at her constantly, telling her she needed to talk to her. Every time, the answer was always the same, deadpanned no.
Why are you being so pathetic? she asked herself. You have Kuvira now... Shouldn't it be easier..?
Thinking of Kuvira brought Korra into a slightly better mood and she realized she didn't text or call her yet. Kuvira was home sick, so she wasn't in school either. Korra decided that calling and talking to Kuvira would make her feel a lot better. She dug her phone out of her pocket and brought up Kuvira's number, pressing the call button.
The other line rang once, twice, three times before Kuvira finally picked up.
"Hello?" a stuffy voice said. Korra giggled, smiling
"Hey." she said.
"Hey, babe." Kuvira said, her voice brightening quickly. "Nice of you to finally call me."
Korra really laughed that time. "I'm sorry. I was working on my sax. How are you feeling?"
"A little better." Kuvira said. "Though, I'd feel a lot better if I could've seen you today."
"I'd come over if it wasn't so late." Korra said, looking outside her window. It was dark. "I really missed you in school, it wasn't the same."
"I know, I missed you too." Kuvira said, a smile apparent in her tone.
"I'll come by tomorrow, though." Korra said. "I'll bring over a couple of movies and some snacks after school. A stay at home date."
"Sounds great." Kuvira replied.
"Get some rest, I'll see you then." Korra said. "I love you." Why don't the words feel right?
"I love you, too." Kuvira said. They don't even sound right coming from her...
Kuvira clicked off and Korra sighed, laying back on her bed. She clenched her phone in her hand. She could've snapped it in half if she wanted to. It didn't make sense. She should've been able to tell Kuvira she loved her and not second guess it. She liked Kuvira... She...liked... Korra groaned loudly and covered her face with her arm.
Just sleep it off, Korra... It'll be better in the morning...
...
Asami glared at her phone as if she could make it burst into flames at will. That would've been all to easy, though. It would've been too relaxing, too good to be true, for that to happen. Maybe then all this strain on her heart would finally lift... Ha, what a wish! Was it wrong to want to be able to force someone to call or text you? Depending on the reason?
What are you even thinking of? Asami scolded herself.
Asami wanted more than anything to talk to Korra. In fact, she'd literally give anything to do so. Without a doubt, a second thought. So why was she hesitating now to send a simple text, her hands shaking and her eyes blurry? She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and threw her phone down in aggravation. It mocked her from the edge of the bed, like it was making fun of her cowardice.
Asami hated how Korra associated with everyone else. She knew she was asking about her. She saw it in class when Korra whispered to Opal and Opal looked back at her. Why couldn't Korra just talk to her herself? That would make everything ten times easier. It's not like anyone was helping anyway. Not even Niko, her own boyfriend seemed to be on her side anymore. He called her out on being in love with Korra!
Which she wasn't...
And yet, it all made sense when she fit it together in her mind. Then there was denial to tear it apart. If she really was in love with Korra, would that explain why she was being such a baby about contacting her, why she was so depressed about Korra pushing her away? Yes. It would. So why couldn't she just accept it?
Her phone buzzed with Niko's ringtone, snapping Asami out of her thoughts. She grabbed her phone hurriedly and answered it.
"Hey." she said, struggling to keep her voice even.
"Hey, baby." Niko said. "I have a question for you."
"What is it?" Asami asked.
"Would you be okay with attending a party that me, Mako and Bolin are throwing?" Niko said.
"Uh, sure." Asami replied. "But why are you guys throwing a party?"
"For the heck of it." Niko laughed. "We're actually getting along really well and Mako asked me to help him plan a party."
"I'm glad you guys are getting along." Asami said, smiling.
"So will you come?" Niko said.
Will Korra be there..? She shook her head to get rid of the thought. Why did she need to think that Korra was going to be everywhere?
"Of course." Asami said.
"Great! It's gonna be on Saturday, at the beach. I'll pick you up, as usual." Niko said. "And I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay." Asami said.
"I love you." Niko said.
"I love you, too."
The line went silent and Asami sighed, putting her hands in her lap and staring at her phone. Usually, when she was upset like this, she put on a song to help her forget whatever was bothering her. Right now, not much seemed like a bad idea. She opened up her Pandora and scrolled through some songs. By her luck, her thumb didn't scroll up soon enough and played the first song it touched. Asami almost didn't realize exactly what song was playing until it got to the chorus.
~You're gone and I gotta stay high
All the time to keep you off my mind
High, all the time to keep you off my mind
Spend my days locked in a haze, tryna forget you babe
I fall back down, gotta stay high
All my life to forget I'm missing you~
Asami cut the song off, her heart starting to race at the realization of the lyrics. That wasn't what she needed to hear at the moment. She pressed the next button, hoping for a better song. The next one was one she'd never heard before. And, like before, the chorus got her.
~I wish you would come back
Wish I never hung up the phone like I did
I wish you know that I'll never forget you as long as I live
And I wish you were right here, right now
It's all good, I wish you would
I wish we could go back and remember what we were fighting for
And I wish you know that I miss you too much to be mad anymore
And I wish you were right here, right now
It's all good, I wish you would~
She wasn't much for Taylor Swift anyway. She figured she'd try one more time to find a song that didn't make her think of Korra. She pressed the next button again.
~How long will I love you?
As long as stars are above you, and longer if I can
How long will I need you?
As long as the seasons need to follow their plan~
Asami shut the music off completely and set her phone down. It wasn't worth the fight anymore. The only way Asami was going to get away from thinking of Korra was to sleep...and maybe not even then. She grabbed her blankets and laid back onto her bed, turning over onto her side. She stared at the floor.
Just sleep it off, Asami... It'll be better in the morning...
...
I bet you missed this! I realized why I'd lost my inspiration to write this. I didn't have my phone! Before you judge me, you must understand that most of my writing was done on my phone. When I didn't have it, my writing mojo slipped. Now that I have it back, it took me less than a day to finish this chapter. Next chapter will be the party!
Songs:
Habits (Stay High) - Tove Lo
I Wish You Would - Taylor Swift
How Long Will I Love You - Ellie Goulding
Thanks for reading!
