"Hey, earth to Korra? You in there?"

The brunette visibly jumped at the sensation of a firm hand on her shoulder, breaking her out of the worry-filled trance she was in. Looking up she met the gaze of a rather confused Kuvira who had sat up from her spot leant against the trunk of a tree, head tilted slightly as she watched her younger friend.

"Oh! Yeah! I-I'm fine-!" She replied after a brief moment of silence as she gave what she hoped was a convincing smile. It wasn't. Kuvira was still staring at her as her eyes narrowed.

"Hm... I kinda doubt that..." Her flat tone of voice a clear indication that she was still suspecting something was wrong.

Korra wanted to speak about what was going on it her brain, she really did, but she didn't know how to approach the conversation. Ever since the incident several days prior, her mind had been in a constant state of disarray. It had been confusing at first, her logical side unable to fully comprehend exactly what had happened, but slowly and steadily it turned into frustration. How on earth could something so brief and trivial send her mind spiralling? It really didn't make any sense; all she'd done was fall on top of her friend, after all, as well as gotten physically close. They'd mucked about many times before with the amount of play fighting they did - Kuvira did have a knack of pushing Korra's buttons in such a way that both irritated and amused her, which would result in them pushing and pulling at each other in a seemingly violent interaction. Of course, that was never the case, they would always be laughing throughout.

Pulling her gaze away from Kuvira's narrowed eyes, she took another sip of her drink as she silently prayed that something would happen - that the bell would ring and she would be able to remove herself from the tense situation without much hassle… but to no avail. Instead, Kuvira's hand remained on her shoulder, squeezing it.

"Korra… You know I'm not stupid, something's going on in that head of yours and I won't be able to help you unless you tell me."

"I-"

"And don't even think of lying and saying you don't want my help because that's a heaping pile of bullshit. I know you, Kor, you've got that look on your face that says you need to get something off your chest. Come on, you know you can trust me."

"...I know..."

"Then come on, out with it." Kuvira's tone was as blunt as it often was, but when the younger girl looked back up at her she could see the worry in her eyes. The more she hung out with the rebellious teen the more she realized she had a softer side to her. Of course, Kuvira would deny that to anyone who asked, but Korra knew otherwise. She knew it in her heart of hearts that Kuvira wouldn't judge her for the state her mind was in, but what could she say? If she continued to shut her out she knew it would only be a matter of time before tensions would creep higher and higher… She didn't want a repeat of primary school and she would be damned if she refused to learn from her mistakes.

She grumbled a little to herself, cursing herself for being an anxious mess and overthinking things; all she had to do was tell Kuvira how she was feeling and everything would be fine…

Thing was, she wasn't exactly sure how she was feeling.

"...Okay..." She finally responded; her tone one of reluctance. Watching as Kuvira sat up a little straighter, she drummed her fingers on her knees nervously. "I'll talk, but later- No, no, wait!" She quickly said, holding up a hand as the taller of the two groaned in irritation "This isn't me avoiding things. I just need a little time to figure a few things out. But we will talk, I promise. You're my best friend and I don't want to push you away."

The reply appeased Kuvira apparently, as the fairer of the two gave a short nod and leaned back against the tree. "Alright, but I'm holding you to that." She responded, fixing her braid and letting out a small huff.

Korra gave a small smile "Gotcha"

'Why now? Seriously?'

Korra sighed and tapped her foot impatiently as she ran her eyes over the text displayed on the board, the teacher waving their arms enthusiastically as they rambled on about something or other. She'd been so in her head that she'd completely forgotten about the promise she'd made in her lunch break, so she wouldn't have a lot of time to talk to Kuvira between the end of the lesson and the time the buses showed up. What made matters worse was that the damn teacher had decided that they absolutely had to use up every second of lesson time. Usually in the afternoon most teachers were lenient and finished 5 minutes or so before the day officially ended, giving students a small window of time to head out and make it to the front of the school for their various modes of transportation. Granted, that time wouldn't have been enough to tell Kuvira everything, but she would be able to get across at least some of what was going on and assure her nothing was wrong. At least, that was the plan. She still wasn't 100% sure what she was going to say still, but she knew she needed to say something at the very least. There was no use in prolonging this any more than she already had.

When the bell finally rang she grabbed her books and shoved them in the bag just like her classmates, the teacher bleating about how they are the ones to dismiss them, not the bell. Unsurprisingly there were several groans throughout the classroom, Korra's voice adding to the noises of irritation. Two minutes later (Korra knew the specifics as she had been fixated on the clock for every second they had been kept past hometime) they were finally released, all of them making every effort to leave the classroom as quickly as possible. The buses were already parked up and ready to go by the time Korra had bolted through the double doors and across the pavement. If she wasn't on it in the next minute she knew it would leave without her, so she broke into a sprint, dodging between the crowd of ambling students who had the luxury of lifts home in a family member's car before finally sliding through the doors of the bus. She had been just in time it seemed as the driver shot her a glare as she showed him her pass, then turned back to the road; the doors closed behind her with a creak as she walked down the aisle, staggering slightly as the vehicle began to move forward with a lurch. She heard a few giggles but brushed them off, already focused on the one seat she'd managed to claim as her own ever since she started riding this infernal deathtrap. Thankfully it was still free seeing as she'd been late, and she hopped up onto it, removing her rucksack and holding it in her lap. She felt guilty about having just accidentally ditched Kuvira like that and she knew what it looked like; she just hoped she'd understand. As she settled back into the worn fabric of the chair, there was a loud buzz in her blazer pocket. Jumping slightly she reached in and pulled out her phone, cringing a little at the message on the screen.

Kuvira (3:10 pm): Thought we were gonna talk?

Swallowing, Korra tapped out a quick reply

Korra (3:10 pm): Sorry! The teacher kept us back, I got out just in time to catch the bus

She hesitated before sending another

Korra (3:11 pm): I know it looks like I was avoiding you but it wasn't like that, I'm sorry. We can still talk. I'm not gonna break my promise!

Kuvira (3:12 pm): How? Like this? Or a phone call?

That made Korra pause for a moment. Sending it in text form would make things a lot easier… she could actually take her time and give a thought out response. As a small smile spread across her lips as she replied.

Korra (3:15 pm): Texting might be better actually! You know how I am with words and all that, right?

Kuvira (3:19 pm): ... Fine. Spill.

Korra could practically hear the sigh she knew her friend had made while replying and chuckled a little to herself, then froze when she realized she was still on the bus. She would have to open up about how she was feeling while sitting surrounded by hyperactive and nosey teenagers. This wasn't the place to do it but she needed to give Kuvira something while she waited for the journey to end. She still felt frustrated. Why on earth was she dragging this out longer and longer? She still didn't know how to phrase what she wanted to say, so decided to go with something basic.

Korra (3:24 pm): It's about what happened last week. You know, when you pulled that prank on me and I pushed you over?

She had hesitated before pressing send, but then shoved the small device back in her pocket after putting it on silent. Whatever Kuvira would say could wait until she got home.

When the bus finally can to a rattling stop and Korra got out, she pulled out her phone; she stopped briefly and stared at the screen.

Kuvira (3:30 pm): Uh, yeah? I remember. Did I piss you off or something? You seemed okay when we left.

Kuvira (3:44 pm): Crap, are you actually mad? I genuinely didn't mean to scare you. It was just a bit of fun.

Kuvira (3:48 pm) Korra ffs reply will you?

Korra was surprised, she genuinely hadn't expected Kuvira to spam her with messages… But in hindsight, it was pretty stupid of her to start off with something so open-ended. She waited until she got into the house, closing the door and hurrying up the stairs.

Kuvira: (4:03 pm): Hello?

Korra sighed and fell onto her bed the minute she entered her room, staring at the screen for a moment she shook her head.

Korra (4:04 pm): I'm here! Sorry!

Korra (4:04 pm): No, I'm not mad, please don't think that okay? I'm just feeling… confused.

Kuvira (4:05 pm): Confused? About what?

Yet again Korra found herself hesitating. What could she say? How would she say it? Rolling over on her bed she let out a groan if frustration into her pillow before staring at the screen again. Don't overthink it, just type. She could do this.

Korra (4:08 pm): Just

Korra (4:08 pm): We were so close you know? Like... I was basically laying on you and it felt weird since we were just staring at each other and your face was RIGHT THERE. I don't know what the heck is going on in my mind because it's all I can think about. My stomach feels like it's twisting and full of knots and my face just gets all ... hot. I don't even know what to say to continue but you wanted to know so there you go...

Korra had paused, her thumb hovering over the send button briefly before she closed her eyes and pushed it down, cringing slightly as she felt her heartbeat almost in her ears. Could that have been worded better? Yes. But she didn't have time for that. She knew if she'd spent a second longer reading it through she would have just deleted it all and started again, or worse, not replied at all. Now she had to wait for a reply… As her mother had said many times before: 'A watched pot never boils', which Korra had never truly understood until that moment. The time she spent waiting for Kuvira's reply seemed to drag on and on, and she very nearly sent another quick message to ask if she was okay before suddenly her phone buzzed twice in her hand. She jumped, almost dropping the device in the process but managed to catch it before it fell to the floor. She hesitated and stared at the small envelope icon before swallowing and opening it.

Kuvira (4:12 pm): …

Kuvira (4:12 pm): Holy shit. This all makes so much more sense now… Korra, I don't know how to word this over text but don't feel bad about this, okay?

As Korra read through the message slowly her phone buzzed again

Kuvira (4:13 pm): Fuck it, I can't text you all this, I'm coming over

Korra's eyes widened. She sat up and quickly typed back. 'Shit shit shit' she thought to herself. She wasn't going to do this, she couldn't.

Korra (4:14 pm): No no no no please don't! You can just text it okay? Please?

No response

Korra (4:16 pm): Please Kuvira? You know I'm not good with dealing with my emotions and crap.

When a few more minutes passed she pushed the call button and held the device to her ear 'c'mon pick up pick up! I know you're reading my texts!'

The phone rang, and rang… and rang-

"Korra, no, I'm coming over. This isn't something I can just… write. We need to talk about this face to face."

"But I can't-! You know how I am when it comes to dealing with this kinda stuff, it's hard!"

"Hard or not you'll have to do something about it Kor, sooner rather than later. I'll see you in a moment-"

Korra panicked as she knew her friend was about to hang up.

"Kuvira! I know you're better with doing this face to face, but these are my feelings we're talking about here! If you were right here with me I'd shut down just like I have been doing all week. Please!"

For a brief moment there was silence, followed by a long, low sigh.

"...Fine. Just gimme a sec, I'm just about out the door."

*Click*

The phone line went dead and Korra let out a sigh of relief as she lay back down on her bed. Holding her phone to her chest she closed her eyes briefly in an attempt to calm herself, which clearly was a pointless venture as her eyes shot open the second her phone buzzed once more.

Kuvira grumbled, shaking her head as she made her way slowly back up the long flight of stairs and down the hallway to the room she'd been given just over a year ago. It had been uncomfortable at first as it was much larger than what she was used to, already fully furnished and ready for her, which she was certainly not accustomed to; the families she stayed with usually just gave her the bare minimum which, despite being disheartening, had been something she had come to expect. It wasn't a lie that she'd been cagey, but this new family had gone out of their way to make her feel welcome without even once giving off the notion that it was out of pity. They were incredibly welcoming, and for once in her life, she had debated inviting company over.

The company of someone like Korra.

Looking down at the phone in her hand she bit her lip; speaking of… What the younger girl had told her made so much sense. The fact that she'd been shutting herself out of conversations as well as having just been generally jumpy now all pointed to one, very obvious fact.

Sighing, she closed the door behind her and began to type, brow furrowed in thought. She was always better at talking to someone when they were standing in front of her. That way she could read their moods and change how she was speaking depending on how they reacted; with texting though, she just had to say her piece and hope it was taken the right way. Why did she have to have a friend who was a polar opposite to her in regards to these social interactions? Finally, after typing, deleting and typing some more, she hit send.

Kuvira (4:26 pm): Right, I'm just gonna be straight up with you here. From what you told me I'm pretty damn sure I know what this is. You're probably going to freak out when I tell you what I think, but it's pretty obvious what's going on here.

Almost instantly she got a reply.

Korra (4:27 pm): What? What's obvious?

Drumming her fingers on the desk she was now sat at, Kuvira took a deep breath. If she was too subtle Korra wouldn't get it. The poor girl was oblivious to most things unless they hit her square in the face. Being blunt was the only option. She quickly typed out and sent her reply before she could overthink it.

Kuvira (4:30 pm): That you fancy me

Things were quiet for a moment, then her phone began to vibrate almost continuously.

Korra (4:34 pm): wHAT

Korra (4:34 pm): NO
Korra (4:34 pm): That's stupid!
Korra (4:35 pm): You can't say things like that just out of nowhere!

The outburst would have been amusing in any other situation, but right now all they did was make Kuvira sigh sadly. Denial was never a good thing. A few more panicked messages came through but she ignored them, instead beginning to formulate a proper response.

Kuvira (4:40 pm): Okay, calm down. I'm not judging you dude, promise, but think of it this way. What if it hadn't been me? What if it had been a guy you'd fallen on?

Kuvira (4:42 pm): You've seen all those crappy romantic movies. Girl trips and lands on top of guy. Guy is surprised then girl freaks out, getting all flustered before jumping up and apologizing profusely about how they were so clumsy while trying not to think about how close they were. It's a classic rom-com trope. Overused, yes, but still.

Korra (4:43 pm): shit

Korra (4:43 pm): shit shit shit sorry

Kuvira (4:44 pm): Korra calm down! This isn't a big deal.

Korra (4:46 pm): It's not that. My mum's calling me. She needs to talk about dad's birthday present. I forgot we were supposed to go shopping together.

Now, did Kuvira believe her? Not really. It seemed awfully convenient that her friend would have to leave and do something right in the middle of a very important conversation… But, she knew there was only so much a person could process in one go; maybe it would be beneficial for Korra to have some time to herself, to settle her mind. With a groan she shook her head.

Kuvira (4:50 pm): Alright. Fine. We'll talk later about this though

Korra (4:51 pm): Okay. See you!

When they'd exchanged goodbyes, the older girl got up from her chair and reluctantly dragged herself onto the bed. Placing the phone on the bedside table she lay down and stared blankly at the ceiling as her mind began to wander. Korra's clueless confession had definitely knocked her for six. The last thing she had expected was for her best friend to have a crush on her; however, in hindsight, it did make sense. The younger girl had shown zero interest romantically in any of the boys at school, even the ones Kuvira had found to be particularly appealing. She'd put it down to her friend just being a late bloomer and that was it… It didn't bother her in the slightest that her younger companion could quite possibly be attracted to women, her only concern was the fact that her interest was directed at her. She knew that she, herself, was as straight as an arrow, so if Korra were to attempt anything she knew she'd have to shoot her down.

Her worried thought process was interrupted by a soft knock on her door.

"Come in." She muttered, sitting up slightly as her eyes drifted to the door. A familiar face peeked around the corner and she smiled a little, recognising her foster sibling.

The younger girl slipped in and gently closed the door behind her.

"You alright?" She asked softly. "I heard you running about earlier and I thought you'd gone out. You sounded pretty stressed..." She trailed off, shifting from foot to foot.

Kuvira chuckled a little at her shyness. The girl had been the most forthcoming out of all her family when it came to attempting friendship, something Kuvira had been suspicious of initially, although gradually she came to realize her efforts were sincere.

"Eh… I'm alright. It's a mate of mine that's in a bit of a tough spot." She replied, reaching back and removing the hairband to begin unravelling her braid. "Thanks for asking though, I appreciate it."

"Okay… Are they alright now?"

Kuvira paused for a moment. Her automatic response would be to say yes, but a part of her began to wonder if talking about it with someone who was out of the loop might help things. She would have to keep it vague though, Korra's identity didn't need to be shared especially without her consent.

"Uh… it's kind of a weird situation." She confessed, giving the shorter girl a small smile. "I'm a bit confused myself, to be honest."

"Let me guess, you want to talk about it?"

Kuvira blinked, then chuckled softly. "Always the observant one, huh… well, if you're offering, I'd appreciate that." She patted the bed, to which the younger girl responded by walking over and gently taking a seat beside her. The pair sat in silence for a moment before Kuvira cleared her throat.

"Well… I don't know how much I can really say, but it's like this: I have this friend, she goes to the same school as me but she's a year below. Probably your age I'm guessing... Anyways. She's been acting really off lately and when I kept confronting her she would deflect the conversation or get cagey. I finally got her to talk to me over text and it turns out, uh..." She coughed, feeling a little awkward. "Something happened and she's been dealing with a lot of weird feelings. When she explained them to me it clicked that she might not be completely… straight, you know?" She decided to leave out the part about her being the possible destination for those feelings, she would only share so much. "I suggested it to her and she properly freaked out. Full on panic mode. I tried to calm her down but she said something about needing to go out shopping and left it at that. I'm sure she's avoiding continuing the subject but I know if she denies it it'll only make things worse!" Unable to stop herself she could feel the irritation growing in her voice as she became frustrated, but a gentle touch on her arm dissipated the tenseness in her muscles.

"Relax..." The other girl said gently. "Rewind a bit. Are you sure you're right about this?"

Kuvira nodded. "Mhm… the second the thought crossed my mind it made total sense. I just want to help her, you know?"

"Understandable… but, if she hasn't said it herself then you can't really presume anything. I know I don't know much about this kind of stuff, but surely if you were in that situation and were unsure about your sexuality, how would you feel if you had a friend pressuring you one way or another?"

"...You have a point..." Kuvira replied, clasping her hands together as she shifted in her seat "Guess I got a little caught up in the whole thing. I want her to know I won't judge her."

"And that's okay! You wanted to help and you did what you thought was right. If you want my advice though… it might be best to leave it for now. Think about it, we're all still kids. You got yourself all figured out pretty early, right? Maybe she'll take a lot longer, who knows. Just… wait it out for now; she probably needs a bit of space and time to figure out what's going on in her head. If she brings it up again? Then make sure she knows you're supportive. If not? Just leave her be. No use in pressuring someone right?"

Kuvira couldn't help but snort. "Damn, you really are a smart one huh? If I'd have known you were such a philosopher I'd have come for advice from you sooner. How are you younger than me and yet so much more mature?"

There was a chuckle in response as the younger girl shook her head "Well, you know, having a mum who spent a lot of my childhood teaching me the importance of a moral compass definitely played a part in it. Also, being one of five kids has made an impact. You wouldn't believe the number of times I've had to step in to prevent arguments." She chuckled, then glanced over at the older girl. "Well, six kids I should say."

With a chuckle, Kuvira leaned back against the wall and glanced over at her current companion. "And now you're being all sentimental; you know, for someone named after a rock you're awful soft and mushy."

This time it was the younger girl's turn to snort. "Hey! It's not a rock, it's a gemstone, and a pretty one at that." She playfully shoved Kuvira's shoulder who laughed in return, holding up her hands and grinning

"Alright alright, cool it Opal, I'm just messing with you."