"Everything was made bright by her. She was the smile that shed light on all around her. […] He stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even without looking." – Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Tuesday, March 3rd
"I'm gonna die," Korra groaned, leaning her head against the back of the futon.
"Why are you so nervous?" Korra could hear the smirk in Kuvira's voice, "It's just Asami, right? Do you need any tips from the great uniter?"
"You mean from the great shithead," Korra scowled, "Don't you fucking laugh at me."
"Someone's a little cranky."
"What if I fuck this up? Wouldn't you be cranky?"
"It's going to be fine," Kuvira said seriously, almost soothing, "It's a good thing you're nervous because it means you care. Just don't get too worked up, it's ok."
Korra sighed into the phone and Kuvira continued.
"You'll be fine. We're rooting for you, if it helps."
"We?" Korra raised one eyebrow.
"Bataar and myself. And also Opal. Opal's probably happy about this." Kuvira laughed.
"You have too much time invested in my romantic interest in Asami," Korra huffed, but smiled a little.
"Someone has to keep you focused," Kuvira kept laughing.
"Focused? Is that what we're calling it?"
"Oh shut up. When is your date?"
"In an hour," Korra huffed, "Don't remind me."
"You gonna kiss her?"
"Kuvira!" if Korra's cheeks had been hot before, they were on fire now.
"Just asking, avatar." Kuvira started laughing again and Korra was tempted to hang up on her.
"I hate you."
"You don't. Good luck, seriously. What's your plan?"
"I'll tell you, but if you fucking laugh one more time I'm going to come to Zaofu and punch you in the throat."
Korra bounced back and forth on her feet as she stood on the sidewalk outside the apartment waiting for Asami to get there. She was thirty minutes too early, but she didn't care, she was excited. She let out a slow breath when she finally saw Asami's car pull onto the street. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears as Asami pulled her car next to the curb and rolled her window down.
"Are you ready to go?" Asami smiled, looking up at Korra.
"Yeah," Korra nodded once, "Hold on a second."
Asami raised one eyebrow but nodded, watching as Korra ducked back into the apartment building. She backed back out of the door a moment later, her arms wrapped around a cardboard box. She grinned broadly at Asami as she stumbled off the sidewalk and walked in front of the car, trying to position the box so that she could see the ground. Asami was about to ask her what was in it, but the smell of food reached her as Korra put the box into the backseat of the car.
"That's a lot of food," Asami laughed, looking back as Korra positioned the box in the seat.
"I'm a lot of avatar," Korra grinned, "I went through a lot of food stalls to pick all this out. Opal helped, she's pickier about food than I am."
"If it tastes as good as it smells, I think we'll be just fine," Asami watched as Korra climbed into the front seat, "Where to?"
"I was thinking we could go to the park and have a picnic, actually," Korra's cheeks were red, "I know it's not as cold out right now, so I figured this would be the best time. Unless you don't want to go to the park."
"The park sounds fine," Asami smiled soothingly, reaching over and taking Korra's hand.
Korra took a deep breath when she put her fingers through Asami's. Her stomach was still turning, but she felt calmer than she had all day.
"That Sato girl saved your life, boss," Shady Shin sat across from Viper in the nightclub and shrugged, "All I'm sayin' is you should cut her some slack. She didn't have to help you. They both acted pretty fairly, I mean you did threaten to kill daddy Sato."
Viper scratched his chin and scowled.
"I ain't gonna give daddy Sato no favors," Viper finally growled, "But you're right. That girl of his kept me alive. That'd doesn't excuse either of them for having Equalist gloves, though."
"Do you think she'd have saved your life if she was an Equalist?" Shady Shin raised his eyebrow and crossed his arms.
"No." Viper took a drag of his cigarette and blew out a long trail of smoke, "I don't. Hiroshi though? Something's up there."
"I think so too."
"What about the avatar?" Viper's scowl worsened, "Why the hell was she there?"
"I ran into her here the night of Toza's fundraiser. I've already told you that. But by the way the two of them were cuddled up on the dancefloor together, I think Korra's got something going on with little Ms. Sato."
"Well," Viper folded his hands together and grinned, "I have a feeling I know how to keep them both happy, which might keep the avatar out of our hair long enough to get to daddy Sato."
"That was so much food," Korra groaned, flopping out onto her back on the blanket.
"I thought you were a lot of avatar," Asami giggled, lying down next to her and looking up at the sky, "What happened to that?"
"I overestimated my stomach's capacity," Korra shrugged, turning onto her side a moment later and propping her head on her arm, looking at Asami.
"Hmm?" Asami asked without looking, folding her hands across her abdomen.
"You think the turtle-ducks are out? I brought some bread to feed them."
Asami turned her head to the side to look at Korra, and when she smiled, Korra felt her heart skip a beat.
"Can't hurt to go look, can it?" Asami's smile brightened as she sat up.
A grin spread across Korra's face as she pulled herself to her feet and the pair of them began packing the remains of their picnic into the box Korra had brought. Once the box had been returned to Asami's car, Korra took Asami by the hand, and they walked leisurely along the pathway through the park that led to where the turtle-duck pond was.
"You know something?" Korra asked, her thumb brushing across the back of Asami's palm.
"Hmm?"
"I bet you could make a wireless toaster that can cook eggs too, and give toaster man some competition," Korra grinned, "That's all he needs is you working for him, you could build an entire line of automatic breakfast makers."
"Are you still thinking about those toasters? I'll give you his number to buy one," Asami laughed, squeezing Korra's hand, "But I think they're something that's more up Varrick's alley. I'd rather be making something that actually helps people. Removing the inconvenience of actually having to cook breakfast, that's not a priority."
"You should move it up higher on the list," Korra shrugged, "You can give me a job selling them, remember."
"We can already use you to market the sturdiness of our motorcycles," Asami grinned, nudging her, "We can start having you and Kuvira be our test drivers. We'll even add dumpsters to the test course."
"It snuck up on me," Korra laughed, "Honest."
"Most dumpsters don't move much, if I remember correctly," Asami teased, "So was this one feral?"
"Sure was," Korra grinned, "Full of raccoons and everything. Kuvira has rabies now."
"Be nice," Asami snorted, swatting Korra playfully, "If she hadn't have come with Bataar you would have been bored without me all weekend."
Korra stopped short, the bank of the pond a few yards away from the pathway, and looked at Asami with a smirk.
"I was bored without you this weekend too, sunshine. I survived that, didn't I?"
"Barely," Asami told her, leaning forward and kissing Korra on the cheek, "You did get shot at after all."
A blush rose to Korra's cheeks and she shrugged a little, before sauntering toward the pond and collapsing on the bank with her legs folded under her.
"Don't stand there all day," she grinned at Asami over her shoulder, "The turtle-ducks might be hungry."
Asami smiled and sat next to Korra, handing her a piece of bread as she did so. There was a small group of turtle-ducks swimming through the water nearby, and Asami leaned her head on Korra's shoulder and watched them as Korra tried to get their attention.
"Haha! Yes!" Korra whooped triumphantly as she managed to flick a piece of bread close enough to them for them to see it.
"There are easier ways to do this," Asami laughed, tearing another piece of bread off and handing it to Korra, "You're going to scare them."
"Pfft," Korra grinned at her, "Have you seen these turtle-ducks? Toughest in the city. They might even be in their own triad, they're tough as nails."
"The turtle-duck triad?" Asami giggled, "Absolutely petrifying."
"They're in the middle of a turf war with the koi fish." Korra's grin widened.
Eventually the turtle-ducks came closer, eager for more bread. Korra and Asami spent the greater part of the next hour feeding them. Korra ran out of bread before Asami did due to how generous she was with the chunks she tore out for the turtle-ducks. When she ran out, Korra resigned herself to contentedly watching Asami tear each piece into small, relatively equal pieces before tossing them into the water. She was more focused on the soft smile on Asami's lips than the turtle-ducks, briefly thinking that Kuvira had been right, she had nothing to worry about.
"I can give you some of my bread if you want," Asami offered, glancing at her, "I still have a few pieces."
"That's ok," Korra grinned, "You do a better job of it than I do."
Asami smiled, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, and went back to tearing the bread into little pieces. It took her a few minutes to distribute the rest of the bread amongst the turtle-ducks, and when she was finished she took a moment to wipe the crumbs off her pants before she looked at Korra.
"This was fun," Asami smiled sweetly at Korra, "The turtle-ducks were cute."
'Not as cute as you,' Korra thought to herself as she felt her neck and ears grow hot, noticing Asami's hand was laying over hers on the grass between them.
"I'm glad you think supporting the turtle-duck triad was a good idea," Korra teased, leaning a little closer and grinning.
Asami chuckled, and when she licked her lips a moment later, Korra felt her pulse quicken. Asami looked at her for a moment and must have noticed, because she squeezed Korra's hand, her face flushed. Korra's throat went dry almost instantly, and she thought she saw Asami lean forward the slightest amount, until their comfortable silence was broken by a man calling her name.
"Avatar Korra?" Korra closed her eyes and sighed with frustration, leaning her head against Asami's shoulder, "Avatar Korra!"
"What?" Korra responded after a few seconds, raising her head up and turning around where she saw a White Lotus guard behind them, her voice nearly a growl.
"Master Tenzin called," He told her, "He wants us to escort you back to Air Temple Island. Chief Beifong's request."
"What's going on?" Korra frowned at him, "What could Tenzin possibly want?"
"Someone reported several bomb threats to Chief Beifong and she and Tenzin want you to be somewhere we can keep you safe."
"They realize I'm not a child, right?" Korra raised her eyebrow at him, feeling Asami squeeze her hand tightly.
"Master Tenzin said you would say that," The White Lotus guard nodded, "Please, avatar Korra, you may talk to him when we return to the island."
"Come on," Asami told her softly, standing up and pulling Korra along with her, "It's ok."
Asami hadn't seen Korra since arriving at Air Temple Island. Korra had been in an ill mood when the ferry docked, having paused only momentarily to kiss Asami on the cheek before storming off to find Tenzin. Asami had went and spent some time with Opal, who was in the dining hall with Bolin and Mako, both trying to learn Bolin's method of Pai Sho. All three of them seemed aware of Tenzin having sent for Korra, so no questions had been asked when Asami showed up without her.
It was well after sundown when Korra found them, looking significantly calmer than she had when she arrived on the island with Asami, something Asami was glad for. She sat next to Asami quietly for a few minutes, seemingly lost in thought, watching Bolin lose another round of Pai Sho to Opal. It was when Mako went to trade places with Bolin and play against Opal instead that Korra seemed to snap out of whatever she was thinking about.
"It's ten-thirty," She said, glancing at Asami, "The tide is almost all the way down."
Asami grinned and looked at her, knowing exactly what Korra was thinking about.
"Let me go get a flashlight."
Korra smiled and nodded, and Asami excused herself to go see if she had a flashlight in her backpack. She found Korra waiting for her in the courtyard outside when she came back with the flashlight, and she smiled, clicking the light on and taking Korra by the hand. The wind was blowing as the pair of them walked hand in hand down to the beach, and Asami didn't mind it at first. It was chilly, but not cold. It only took them ten minutes of searching to find the first starfish, and since Asami was holding the flashlight, Korra got the job of gently tossing it back into the water. After the second starfish was found, they traded, Korra getting the flashlight, and Asami took over returning them to the ocean.
They found eight starfish in the hour and a half it took them to circle the island, and every time Asami saw a new one, she would smile and squeeze Korra's hand tightly, and Korra could feel her heart skip a beat every time Asami smiled. Seeing her smile like that was intoxicating, and by the time they walked back up toward the temple, Korra had long forgotten that she was mad at Tenzin and Lin.
By the time they got back to the courtyard, the temperature had dropped and Asami's face and fingers were freezing cold, with the exception of the hand Korra was still holding. When she could see the lights of the buildings, she put the flashlight in her pocket and pressed her free hand into the back of Korra's palm, trying to warm her icy fingers.
"Why are you so warm all the time?" Asami huffed, looking at Korra with a pout.
"Well there are several possible answers," Korra laughed, offering her other hand to Asami, which Asami gratefully took, "I'm from the South Pole. Our blood runs hot. I can also regulate my temperature with fire or airbending. Watch."
Asami drew in a deep breath as Korra warmed her hands, smiling as she did so.
"So you're a walking heater, that's fantastic," Asami told her, "I'm freezing."
As she finished speaking she pulled Korra's hands up to her cheeks that had been stinging from the wind a moment before. She held Korra's hands there for a few seconds, relieved at the heat on her face, her eyes half-closed. When she heard Korra chuckle, she opened her eyes and looked at her, blushing as she did so.
"If you were cold," Korra's cheeks were red, "We could have come back inside."
"I wanted to stay outside," Asami shrugged, watching as Korra swallowed, her hands still holding Korra's against her cheeks, "I enjoy finding starfish with you."
Korra smiled at her, and Asami thought about pulling her hands away from her face, but she didn't want to. Korra didn't seem to mind, even when Asami stepped a little closer to her.
"Asami," Korra licked her lips without realizing it, her voice low, "Can I kiss you?"
Asami smiled at how bright Korra's eyes got when she nodded, and she released Korra's hands, wrapping one arm around Korra's waist as Korra moved closer. Korra closed the distance tentatively, her lips barely ghosting over Asami's when they finally met.
Asami brought her free hand up to rest on Korra's shoulder, able to feel the warmth of Korra's breath still on her lips as she leaned a little closer, planting her lips firmly against Korra's, removing any lingering hesitation Korra might have had. Asami felt one of Korra's hands cup her cheek, the other moving behind Asami's head, gently holding them together.
Korra was out of breath when they finally separated, and Asami lightly leaned her forehead against Korra's smiling.
"This wasn't so bad," Korra grinned, catching her breath, "Considering we were interrupted by Tenzin."
"Well maybe next time that won't happen," Asami grinned back, wrapping her arms around Korra's neck as Korra leaned forward again, leaving several light quick kisses against her lips as she did so, "Can we go in now? I'm cold again. Not all of us can regulate their body temperatures."
"Sure thing, sunshine," Korra's grinned, leaving a light kiss on the tip of Asami's nose, "Let's go."
Asami smiled and took Korra by the hand before gently pulling her toward the dining hall.
A/N: I might update tomorrow, I might update Thursday. I just don't know. I started classes again today so I guess we'll see. On the plus side, they did the thing!