Cyrano: To Asami, With Love

Summary: -Loosely based off of Cyrano de Bergerac and the novel Seaside Letters by Denise Hunter- Modern/AU College setting - No bending.

The last thing Korra had ever expected to happen in her life is to fall in love with her best friend, Asami Sato – especially since she is connected to one of her biggest past regrets.

Asami has received notes from a mysterious figure; for the past two years. As her senior year of university comes to a close, she is desperate to find the person behind the messages and declare her feelings for them.

Korra knows that if she comes even close to finding out whom the person behind the messages is, it would be a disaster since the person who Asami is trying to find is herself.

Chapter 21

AN: There is a potential trigger at the beginning of this chapter.

Korra pulled herself out of the swimming pool, wincing as she scraped her right knee and foot along the concrete wall. Hunching over, she glanced down at the raw skin. Blood began to bubble up near the surface as the slight sting of pain set in. Muttering to herself she walked into the locker room and headed towards her locker.

After unlocking the master lock, she picked up her cell phone, turning on the screen in hopes of finding a message. Another wave of sadness washed over her as she didn't see a new notification.

Did you really expect things to change, Korra? She told you to leave her alone…

Wrapping a towel around her waist, she move silently and slowly through the locker room towards the sinks. Grabbing a first aid kit from a nearby shelf, she pried the lid open with her thumb. Scanning the contents inside of the small white box, she passed over a pair of scissors and found the bandages. Making quick work of the paper wrappings, she placed the adhesive bandage on the cuts, before throwing the remaining bits into the trash.

…maybe you should…

Moving to close the first-aid kit, her eyes paused upon seeing the bright neon orange of the scissor handles. Korra pulled them out from the first aid kit. Placing the handle in her palm, she wrapped her fingers around the orange plastic. The cool metal of the blades rested against the back of her left hand. She tapped it rhythmically against her skin as she began to sway back and forth.

Things would be easier for her if you were gone…

Lifting her head, she glanced at her reflection. Her eyes were red and swollen, salt trails lined her cheeks, dark bags lined her bottom eyelids, and her lips were pulled into a permanent frown. Her long brown hair tickled her shoulder blades.

Her happiness is the most important thing to you, right?

She held the scissors up in the air, staring at the blades. Opening and closing then, she watched the metal scrape against each other. Pushing up her shirt sleeve on her left arm, Korra moved her hands behind her head, placing the cutting utensil close to her left hand, as she gathered up her hair, brushing it away from her neck. Taking a deep breath, Korra closed her eyes and squeezed the handle shut. A light cutting sound filled the empty bathroom, followed by a quiet sob.

Brown hair fluttered into the sink.

…Right.

Aside from taking her finals, Asami refused to leave her room. She didn't want to face her friends, she didn't want to talk about her feelings, and she definitely didn't want to see Korra. Her phone refused to keep silent though, as it would light up with phone calls and messages from Bolin and Opal, asking how she was doing.

Of course the news had spread through her and Korra's small circle of friends. In fact, it wouldn't surprise Asami if it ended up in the school paper or become a city known fact in a matter of days. She didn't like the looks of condolences and pity that people gave her after her father passed. What else could someone do for her other than that? Not many have experience losing both of their parents at such a young age. To them it probably meant they were understanding, but to Asami it was just annoying and proved that no one. It didn't help that the one person she knew she would be able to confide in was the one who dropped the biggest bombshell of her life.

Now, here she was, sitting in her dorm room repeating things over and over in her head. Korra had declared her love for Asami, something she didn't see coming, and if they were in other circumstances, would have sent her over the moon. However, the words only filled her with more pain and gut-wrenching uneasiness.

A swift knock came from the other side of the door. Asami groaned lightly, burying her head into her pillow. Squeezing her eyes shut, she held her breath, listening for footsteps. Instead the knock came once more. She sighed hard, throwing her bedding off of herself before marching over towards the door. She unlocked the deadbolt before flinging the door open.

Mako jumped back in surprise at fast movement of the door. He peered closely at Asami before his eyes widened in shock. She wasn't wearing any makeup except for eyeliner. While it didn't take away any of her beauty, it just surprised him that she didn't look as put together as she usually did.

"What?" she asked.

"Um…" Mako muttered, his fingers fluttering over the white envelope in his hand. He looked down at it before slowly hiding it behind his back. "How are you doing?"

Asami exhaled through her nose before reaching up and running a hand through her hair. "What's the real reason you're here?" she demanded.

"I wanted to talk to you."

She remained silent and raised an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look. "If this is about Korra," she started, a warning tone laced with her words.

"It's about you," Mako insisted.

"Okay, what?" Asami asked. She leaned up against the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest. She lifted her chin a bit and regarded him, waiting for him to answer.

"I'm worried about you. We all are." He reached up and ran a hand through his hair. The red scarf that was draped around his shoulders inched a bit close towards the ground. "You aren't yourself anymore and you haven't spoken to anyone in days," Mako listed. "You've just been working and working. It's not healthy."

"I just don't feel like talking to people," she said with a shrug.

"No, you're just scared."

"Well since you're this hotshot detective, what am I afraid of?"

Mako took her tone in stride, which sent a prick of annoyance racing through her body. He raised one shoulder. "Asami, we used to date. I know how you act based on your emotions. You were always so confident with yourself, even when your father passed. You're afraid that you're alone."

"I'm not alone, I'm an orphan," she corrected.

"Same thing, at least in your case. When we were dating I wondered why you always wanted to spend time with me."

"Um, maybe because I liked you," Asami said, sarcasm attached itself to every word.

"Yes, but when you weren't working we would be joined at the hip. You actually had something to do outside of the two of us, and all I did is study." He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony that they were essentially stuck in their old ways. "I just feel that we only spent that much time together because your dad would always be working and you'd never see him. It's also probably why you moved out of the house and decided to stay on campus near your friends." He titled his head to the side. "Am I right or am I right?"

"That's…possible."

"Since Korra told you the truth you can't trust her. Now, you really feel alone."

"Would you trust someone after they give you news like that?"

"This isn't about me, but Korra is a true friend," Mako said quietly. "We all know this. We may all be friends, but let's face it. She's the glue that holds us all together. She didn't want to hurt you. She truly cared about your happiness. Who would want to deliver news like that? And besides, you will never be alone with me here, or Bolin, or Opal."

Asami cast her eyes to the ground. She tilted her head so that her dark her would cover her face as tears threatened to fall. "You all wouldn't understand," she whispered.

"We wouldn't?" he raised an eyebrow. "Bolin and I lost our parents when we were young," he said firmly. Asami winced before giving him a look of apology. Of course she knew that Mako and Bolin had lost their family was well, and she was lucky enough to spend many years with one of her parents, but they didn't have that luxury. "We used to live on the street and all we had was each other. Opal may come from a large family but you know how lost she can sometimes feel by being a part of a big group. We all may have different ideas on what's it feels like to have no one around when someone is always around." Mako stepped forward and gave Asami a one-armed hug, as her arms stayed crossed over her chest. As awkward as she felt, she didn't resist his touch. "We're your friends. We've been through a lot together. So why go through this alone?" Pulling back he placed a hand on her shoulder, jostling her a little bit. "I'm not saying you have to forgive her right away and I'm not saying you don't' deserve to be angry. I get it. But, if you really want to be alone, it'll happen faster than you think."

Asami nodded slowly. She pulled her lips into a straight line before forming them into a half smile. She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his midsection, giving him a tight hug. She buried her face in his neck as he gave her a one-armed hug in return.

"Thanks, Mako," she said before pulling away. "I really appreciate it."

"Anytime." Mako placed a hand on her arm and squeezed it lightly. He gave her a nod before turning to walk away. After taking a few steps, he paused upon realizing the envelope was still in his hand. Smacking himself on the forehead, he turned and quickly handed the envelope over to Asami. "Here, this is for you."

"What is it?" Asami asked, glancing at her name on the front in nice and neat handwriting. She looked at Mako with a raised eyebrow as he paused. "Well?"

"It's from Korra," he admitted.

Anger instantly clouded her features. "What are you, her delivery boy?" she snapped.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger."

"Sorry."

"Aren't you going to read it?"

"No," she said with bite.

"That's fine. It's none of my business," Mako said quickly as he raised his hands defensively. She pursed her lips before turning and tossing the envelope onto a nearby desk. "Take care," he said quietly.

"Thanks," Asami muttered before closing the door. She marched back over towards her bed before stooping down to reach for a box underneath it. It was filled with mechanical parts, a screw driver, pliers, an oil-stained cloth, and a pair of gloves. Whenever Asami would get upset, she'd find a small project to work on. Currently, she was fixing a carburetor for one of the satomobiles at Future Industries that was on the fritz.

Slipping on the gloves, she carefully picked up the semi-dismantled carburetor pieces with the dirty cloth and set to work. For the next few hours, she worked in silence, trying to repair the car part, and ignoring her phone that lay on her bed hidden among the sheets.

"I'm busy," Asami called out.

"It's me," Kuvira answered.

"I don't care who me is," she snapped. Asami rolled as she heard Kuvira knocking one more, albeit much louder and faster. "I'm busy, so please leave me alone," she instructed.

"This is important!

"How important can it be?"

Asami paused, her grip still tight on the screwdriver in her hand when Kuvira's knocking stopped. A stretch of silence floated in between them. "Korra's gone." Asami's grip loosened on the screwdriver. She jumped as it clattered to the floor. Ripping off her gloves, not caring that the carburetor clattered to the floor from resting on her thigh, she rushed over to the door and threw it open. Kuvira was standing in front of her, holding a white envelope and a piece of blue stationery.

"What do you mean, gone?" Asami demanded. She took a step back and allowed Kuvira to enter her room.

"You didn't read this, did you?" Kuvira asked, plucking the white envelope off of the table. She held it out to Asami, who shrugged. "Asami…she's leaving."

Asami blinked slowly before turning to face Kuvira. Frowning, she tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowed. "Wh…what?"

"Read this," she insisted. Kuvira reached out and grabbed Asami's hand, placing the envelope into her palm. She then crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Asami run her thumb underneath the flap, breaking the seal. Pulling out the light blue stationery, her hands shook as she unfolded the piece of paper and began to read its contents.