The morning after her wedding, Asami never imagined she'd wind up in another woman's bed.
She knew it by reputation only of course, but there was no denying it was Korra's. She'd always admired her affinity for fur accompaniments to furniture, and right now as her world spun, or rather her head, it was her lifeline. This whole bed smelled of Korra, and knowing she was alone, she buried herself in it.
Her brain was on fire, and she burned through the events of last night. Everything went wrong, so so wrong and she was so, so alone. But then…Korra, Korra carried her through it all. Literally.
"Oh God," she muttered, "Was I naked?"
"PG-13,"
She flinched as Korra came in, yanking the quilts to cover herself, before realising she already was. Bolin's sweat and beer stained jacket was replaced by Korra's homely, lavender scented, Fire Ferrets Jersey.
"You put that on before I could stop you. I think you said you were cold and in need of style."
The heiress was about to make a remark about the exact mix of burlesque-jock she was going for, but when she looked up her heart broke a little more. Korra was carrying a tray.
"Is this too much?"
It was when Asami saw the toast points, balanced carefully into a pyramid next to a perfectly boiled egg, that she broke down into tears.
"Oh God it was too much." Korra froze looking down at the rose she'd happen to find in the store this morning. Korra wasn't an aficionado of breakfast foods, mornings were evil, but she'd never known them to do this to someone before.
She placed them beside her tentatively, and snivelling the heiress plucked a toast point and nibbled it gratefully. Korra was about to leave her to it, when a pale hand grabbed hers, and suddenly the length of her arm as in Asami's embrace.
"Thank you."
Instinctively Korra raised her hand, to do what, she was at a loss for at that moment. When she powered through the awkward and patted her friends' head.
"What do you remember from last night?"
"Well I'm not in a Hotel waiting on a car to the airport at 5, so it's safe to say I didn't get married."
"Asami-"
"I know Korra just, trying on the role of the bitter ex for a while."
"It doesn't suit you." Korra nudged her gently. Asami hummed, dipping toast in egg and biting.
"This is really good." she closed her eyes to stem the tears. What was worse that she couldn't imagine a morning where Iroh had been half as thoughtful as this. It took everything she had in her to dip her face in that tray full of love. Instead she stuffed her cheeks with eggs, toast and bacon at an alarming rate. Unbecoming of a lady really, but this was just Korra with her. Just Korra.
"What do you want to do?" Korra asked.
Asami propped her chin on Korra's shoulder, watching her hackles raise like a wounded animal. She still couldn't understand why Korra did this when she was close, still its not like getting any closer would solve the problem. On the one hand she'd had her friends rally around her the instant her heart had been thrown from its pedestal, on another she was independent and free, something she had to admit with the wedding encroaching she'd missed about herself, and the third, the one she didn't want to admit; was that her fiancé had left her, and was yet to inform her as to why.
"Have you heard anything?"
"Not a word." Korra told her firmly, trapped hand squeezing her knee, "Opal picked up your bags from the hotel and his things were gone too."
"Oh," Asami mused at the speed at which her Assistant worked.
"She dropped them here this morning I hope you don't mind. We can drop them back to your apartment if you want."
"What time is it?"
"Almost two,"
"Are you packed?" Asami asked.
"What?" Korra breathed.
"You're coming with me."
"Asami you were drunk-"
"I still meant it…I can't do this without you."
"You don't want to find him? Confront…" Korra's heart wasn't in them getting back together, but she had to go through the hoops of friendship, "the guy?"
"He left me, Korra."
"So kick his ass!"
"He didn't care enough to give me a reason! Why should I care to give up this dream vacation, I have no work no obligations for the next three weeks and now it turns out - I have no husband for the couples massages and diving lessons and hike up Mt Makapu. Are you telling me you couldn't use a free vacation?"
"I-" Korra paused, something telling her that either decision would end up in a world of regret and pain, still better to choose the one with the beach and awesome views. She'd hate-skimmed the pamphlets Asami sent her and had to stop herself when she imagined what Iroh would do to her there. She suddenly conceived a future where she went on outings with her best friend without her hetero counterpart mauling her every chance he got. "Okay."
"Okay?" Asami confirmed.
"Okay,"
"So that's two okays?"
"Yes,"
"No going back," Asami's lips tugged into a smile, briefly, until she was reminded how sad she was meant to be.
"Except in 3 weeks," Korra slid from the bed, schooling her features, feeling Asami watching her as she pulled a case from under the bed and fling it open on her feet.
"Don't get excited or anything." The Carmaker teased.
"Eat your breakfast." Korra deflected, busying herself with selecting the perfect board shorts for crystal blue waters…
The plane tickets were on Asami's desk on her home office, she knew this, because she had forgotten them there, and remembered with just enough time to freak out about the prospect of going back to the apartment she and Iroh had shared. Barely, she mused, recently they had become like passing ships. She had thought nothing of it except that they were both autonomous, busy people. The odds of him being there were next to nothing right? No-one would be that stupid, especially someone with so many other places to be. Couldn't even make it to your own wedding Iroh - amirite?
As they pulled up to the tower she felt Korra squeeze the hand she had grabbed. Asami was being needy and selfish and she knew it, but her best friend hadn't yet put any limits on what she would give.
Maybe in some misplaced sense of payback. Korra had had an accident, and before she left to heal with her parents the two were closer than ever. Asami had cared for her more than any friend would without thought, and all that time a bond had set in. Sometimes Asami felt it in her bones.
"You can stay here, keep the meter running? It's just on your desk right?"
"No I can, I can go. Actually," she was looking down at their hands when she told the cab driver, "just wait, we'll be out in a minute."
He nodded affirmation as they shuffled out the car.
Korra wasn't sure what she was doing there, why Asami still clung to her fingers. She kept telling herself it was comfort. The situation called for it. Yet minute after minute she just felt like an exposed duck. It was only when they entered the lift she began to notice a change in her friend.
"Asami?"
"I can't breathe."
"Oh shit." She started rubbing her arms instinctively, not really knowing what else to do, "we can turn around right now, we can get another flight…"
"Don't be absurd it's right there!" is what Asami meant to say but breathing was suddenly extremely difficult and so was coughing out those words. She pushed herself into the safety of Korra's arms. God why was that so good?
The hand burning calming circles between her shoulder blades was a godsend. By the 30th floor she had calmed down, hell she had damn near fallen asleep until the elevator dinged.
"Wait," Korra told her, disengaging enough to poke her head into the corridor. "Clear."
Korra stopped at the apartment.
Asami. An envelope taped to the door.
The bride stared at it for a good 30 seconds, Korra hated how her heart pounded as she watched her face, her green eyes shifting through her emotions, glassy, dark, stormy. She shoved the key into the door as though she was punching it. Korra didn't have time to think or even follow before Asami was stomping back out again.
"Don't you want to grab the-"
Asami doubled back and yanked the letter from its tape.
"Don't you want to read it?"
"Let's go Korra!" Asami snapped. When she got to the elevator she was shaking, curling the envelope and ticket in her furious fingers. Korra caught the closing doors and watched her tremble with rage. When Asami caught the hurt look on her companions expression she tried to calm herself.
She offered her the tickets, and held the letter with both hands. She wasn't ready but she forced herself to tear the top, only it wasn't enough to get to the contents inside, when she tore again more ferociously the face of it opened and the letters littered the elevator floor.
"Stop," Korra told her, picking up the sheets from around their feet, "Stop it." when she stood she watched the streams of tears begin to flow. Not heeding the why or what may happen she cupped the back of friend's head and tucked her back into her shoulder.
"We don't have to do this now," she told her, "I'll hold all of it for you. I'll carry it all for you." her throat closed at the feeling of Asami's long fingers curling deep into her jacket. Asami nodded and let her self relax into her, which only made Korra tighten her hold.
On the plane, first class no less, in their honeymooners booth Korra could feel the beginnings of negative behaviours brewing. The two reclining seats tucked close, separated only by an arm rest complete with (now empty) champagne flutes. Asami was asleep on the aisle seat, long legs tucked up, almost into her chest, left hand limp from where she had been cupping Korra's.
For the second time that day, Korra found herself watching her sleep. There have to be ground rules, she thought, already this has gone too far. But already she was pulling the complimentary blanket down from the over head when she saw the hint of a shiver and tucking it around her form.
"You two look gorgeous together," The private booth wasn't as private as she once thought, as an air hostess wheeled quietly past and had whispered, "it's clear you care for her very much," she smiled down at Korra, caught in the act of pulling the blanket under over the Carmakers shoulder.
She knew the words she had to say to clear up the situation only she didn't. They caught in her throat and suddenly speaking wasn't something she knew how to do. We're not together. She wanted to say, I shouldn't pretend we are. She added, in her mind, that will be ground rule number one.
She pursed her lips and nodded, flicking her eyes between the hostess and Asami, she's sleeping, they say, let's not wake her.
The hostess smiled at her conspiratorially, winking as she handed Korra a second pillow before wheeling off. I'm pimping my friend out for honeymoon amenities. She berated herself, turning on her seat to stare out the window.
Ground Rule One: No Pretending We're Together.
Asami let out a gentle whine in her sleep, scared, reaching blindly for the hand that was now missing. Korra angled herself so she could reach it, but still find interesting clouds to distract her out side the window. She stroked her thumb over the heiress' knuckles.
Ground Rules, she decided, are meant for the ground.