A/n: Couldn't sleep last night. Wrote this in the notes on my phone. Hope you enjoy. Sappy AF because I am a delicate flower on the inside :'}
You'll Get Over It
The Future Industries heiress was surprised by Korra's bashfulness when she was alone with her. It was so unlike the waterbender she had known in the daylight, surrounded by people, or the steadfast, bullheaded girl that she had watched from afar in the North Pole. The same person who had run their shared ex-boyfriend into the ground from her sheer intensity. The latter thought made the engineer smile to herself.
Even for the skilled firebender he was, Mako couldn't help but get burned from Korra's flames. She was like lightening in a bottle. Something that would slice the pads of your fingers if you brushed it the wrong way.
At first, Asami thought the rapid trajectory of the disbanding of the Avatar's relationship with their shared lover was all due to her uncompromising nature. She was the water to Mako's oil, always in an incessant dance of being repelled or enticed to him. There were only fleeting moments of peace between the pair, usually the result of Mako's exhaustion from it all- always vacillating from stating his true opinions or surrendering to live to fight another day.
Maybe, Korra had been turned off by that seeing it as a lack of dominance or initiative on his part. Mako was keenly astute in many aspects of his life but lacked much in terms of offering emotional support or conveying his deeper self to others. Asami never held that against the man though; she understood the daily damage control he lived with.
Once, during one of the many nights he had spent under her sheets, before the equalist attacks, he had disclosed how haunted he remained from witnessing his parents' death. Mako hadn't elaborated much on the topic, other than he was glad that Bolin hadn't seen it. It astonished her, the extent of his strength, self-awareness, and patience with himself, knowing that if he gave into it that would be all he saw or sought. He didn't want that. Didn't want the pain to spill over and hurt others. He wanted peace and wanted to stop having the urge to move from the discomfort that constantly crept up in his subconscious.
The engineer supposed that was why he ultimately gravitated towards Korra. The firmness in her presence and the sincerity in her words could make anyone feel at ease. It also didn't hurt that the woman was gorgeous too.
The engineer adjusted her hands on the steering wheel and placed a furtive glance on the firebender's reflection against cockpit's glass. Despite the strange love triangle that the three were entangled in, Asami was glad that Mako agreed to come and help their group discover new airbenders. It wouldn't have been the same without him. Besides, they had worked out their complicated feelings toward each other long ago. What was left to work out was Korra, and that was something they had in common.
"How are we doing?"
Mako flipped the page of the newspaper he was reading and she took her eyes off him, to flick a couple of switches on overhead. It would be good to charge the batteries while they still had a few hours before they reached the next Earth Kingdom province. She rechecked their current altitude and placed the airship on auto-pilot.
"Good," she joined Mako at the cockpit lounge's main table, where he was sitting, "Should be there in a couple of hours if the weather holds up."
He nodded and returned his attention back to the newspaper. Asami watched a few clouds pass the windows.
"Any news on airbenders?"
He closed and folded the paper, "No, not today, but I have a better feeling about the reports from the next province. Hopefully, Tenzin has come up with fresh persuasion tactics."
The engineer laughed quietly pulling her knees to her chest and sighing. The older bending master had been ecstatic over the discovery of new benders, but their group had failed in picking up any that wanted to become a part of the air nation. She would have to admit that Tenzin's selling points of asceticism and overwhelming cultural responsibility were not the most appealing toward the everyday, average joe. Even for the most willing, she could understand how it was difficult to drop one's life- everything they've known and worked for- to a mysterious bending ability that they had gained over night. The master airbender's techniques made an even better combination when paired with Korra's "bad cop" brute force. If nothing else, at least the pair had provided ample entertainment throughout the course of their journey.
"I'm sure he'll come up with something," she said simply. The sun was beginning to set.
"It's getting late," gold strands of light lengthen across the table. The Firebender stood and placed the paper under his arm, "You should get some sleep, Asami. Who knows when we will when we get there. I'll get Jing to keep watch on the cockpit while you're away."
"That would be great. Thanks, Mako."
He nodded offering a small smile as he turned and left. She watched him disappear behind the opaque sliding door and sighed. The inventor only had one person on her mind.
...
After wishing Jing a quiet evening, the engineer wondered below deck, where the living quarters were. She motioned to go to her room checking to see if anyone was lurking in the hallway. When she found the coast was clear, she moved toward the end of the short corridor and rapped her fingers against one of the doors, a certain waterbender's room.
After a moment of silence, she heard the shift of weight and footsteps nearing. She opened the door, "Hey," she said quietly, but the warmth in it could still be felt.
"Hey," Asami felt a chill run down her spine from the look Korra was giving her.
"After you," the waterbender opened the door further and stepped to the side allowing Asami a path to enter. She took in the sauntering hips of the inventor as she moved across the room to the window, unbeknownst to the engineer. The lights were off and Asami was framed beautifully by the moonlight that was now spilling from the window.
The engineer looked out onto the darkening clouds, hitting something with her boot. She looked down and found a twelve pack of beer chilling on a block of ice. Some have been emptied.
Asami snorted, "Have you been drinking?"
Leaning against the now closed door, she raised her hands in surrender, "You caught me."
"Were you going to keep this all to yourself? I could use a drink." Seems like Asami wasn't the only one worn out by resurrecting an extinct culture.
Korra smiled and walked over to her, "I didn't think you liked beer, Ms. Refined," she joked.
This had been the most expressive Korra had been with her alone and Asami liked the way her tone was pushing her to do something totally ridiculous. It wasn't that Korra was ignoring her or acting strangely toward her these past couple of weeks after their very intimate talk. It was that there had been no progress… physical progress at least. They spoke and spent time together almost every day, but the lack of any advancement on Korra's part toward her made Asami's impatience and insecurities amount. She didn't know how long she would have to wait.
"Oh, is that my name now?"
The Avatar bent to her knees grabbing a beer in a low squat, "If you want," she cracked it open and handed it to her.
The engineer tipped it back, taking a long drink from it exposing her neck. The Avatar covertly glanced at the creamy, delicate skin as she gracefully swallowed. Up and down. Up and down.
Asami sighed deeply and licked her lips, "I needed that," her eyes locking with the woman's in front of hers.
They had all been busy, Korra especially. The world was always calling with new problems to be answered and fixed.
"What is it?" she could feel a change in her.
Slowly, Korra reached out to her tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She guided her head closer and closer. The inventor hoped the Avatar could not feel her heart pounding against her rib cage. She was jealous of Korra's temporary armor of liquid courage.
"You always surprise me, Asami," she said truthfully.
Asami was wrong. Yes, the Avatar was a stubborn woman and Mako always seemed a fraction out of pace with her, but the closer she got to her and the more time she spent around her, the engineer realized that it wasn't that Korra couldn't be compromising or yielding. Korra could have the softest touch or gentlest devotion of anyone she had ever met.
They held their eye contact for a moment.
Asami's insecurities couldn't be quilled any longer, she had to know, "Did you mean it, Korra? What you told me?"
To her surprise, the Avatar laughed but not in a discourteous way, but as if the answer was so obvious, "Why would I make that up, Asami?" The momentary merriment was replaced by a quiet intensity in her eyes, "I meant what I told you that day and still do."
"Then can I kiss you?"
The Avatar was motionless for an instant, as if weighing the options, as if she was unsure of how things would change… if she wanted them to. She nodded slowly in response.
When their lips met in the darkness, her hands cupping the Avatar's face, Asami realized why it hadn't worked with Mako for either of them. For the feeling that arose in her paled in comparison to anything that she had felt in her life. She felt strong hands wrap around her waist pulling her in deeper. This flood of emotion, this feeling, was almost too much. To suddenly have your eyes open to the lovelessness that was your life before.
They broke apart for breath, speechless. They smiled. They laughed and kissed again and again and again.
"What took you so long, Korra?"