Korra grinned as she, the master of hand to hand combat, slammed Kuvira on her back. Her eyebrows had shot into her hairline with shock and the resounding oof she'd released was enough to make Korra's smug laugh slip past the lips that had so often distracted the older woman.
"I got you!" she announced with glee.
"It was lucky shot!" Korra pointed and shouted proudly.
"Admit it - I got you!" Kuvira reacted on blind, blushing instinct and grabbed the finger to save her pride, twisting it and her leg over Korra's to flip them over. Relinquishing her grip Kuvira found her body pressing flush against the girl below her.
"Be that as it may your pins are sloppy." she chided with a voice not nearly as firm as she'd hoped.
"But I was having fun gloating." Korra pouted in a way that made every disciplined cell in Kuvira's body melt. She let her head fall and trained her lips over Korra's petulant mouth. Kissing Korra nearly made her lose her mind, her mouth fell away and touched a soft strip of skin that sliced a lighter shade on the Water Tribe woman's jaw.
Korra flinched.
"Where did you get that?" Kuvira felt her slipping out from under her already. Korra already had a hand over the scar and it's sister on her clavicle.
"Accident." Korra mumbled. "I was in a car accident."
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Kuvira assured, deftly placing her fingers between Korra's shoulder blades, inadvertently touching another scar hidden by her tank top.
"I just get nervous around pretty girls." Korra smiled, trying to joke her pain away. She leaned her head on her arms, which were balancing on her knees. As Kuvira stroked her spine, she spoke the rest into the floor as though in a trance. "It was raining, and I…we were driving with all this snow and wind and our driver, my uncle, he fell asleep. Eska and Desna were fine in the back…they just don't talk much nowadays. We hit a bollard on the passenger side and I was all twisted while I was asleep anyway. Sliced into the chevy like it was nothing. Cut into me here," she felt her voice waver as her throat threatened to close as she bent her arm back to indicate her spine, "And the windscreen and this tree got me here where you… on my jaw and if I hadn't have been limp, or my seat, if it had been locked in place well… I wouldn't have made it. Few inches. Made the difference."
Curiosity got the better of Kuvira, she could feel the puckered flesh beneath her hand in patches and she raised Korra's shirt to inspect the wide, long marks that dotted her back. Korra tensed, but didn't pull away. Kuvira lowered herself to kiss a patch.
"You're like a reverse Dalmatian." Korra shivered as she felt her breath hit her spine.
"Asami took care of me for so long after that." This was the point when she pulled her top down.
"Is that why you chose her?"
"I would have chosen her if this happened ten years ago. She's the only person who I could trust with this. We've always been good together." She stood, seeking water, knowing what was coming and knowing further still, that she couldn't make eye contact when she answered.
"Should I be jealous?" Kuvira asked coyly.
"Should I be jealous of Bataar?"
"Ew. No."
"Then you've got nothing to worry about." Korra tossed her head back as she downed the rest of her drink, suddenly feeling low on electrolytes.
"Where is she anyway? I mean it's not like she needs to be here but it's cute the way she checks up on your training."
"She still worries. By all accounts I shouldn't be walking and yet," Korra shrugged, "She's got a new secret boyfriend."
"And here I thought she was horrible at applying make up." Korra laughed but the smile didn't reach her eyes. She was grateful that she was looking at Bataar Jr. and Varrick on the edge of the room at that moment, pouring over wires, and machinery in pieces around them.
"They've started to build the Teleporter Ray huh?" Korra bent down and rifled through her kitbag for her phone.
"We've got to come up with a better name for that."
"Insta-Jumper wasn't bad…You're not worried, what sharing this might do to the rest of the world? People might not deserve it."
"People could save themselves. Doesn't everybody deserve that?" Korra felt the last few words whispered gleefully into her ear as Kuvira wrapped her long arms around her stomach. Korra didn't answer she was too busy refreshing her texts. "Who are you waiting for?"
"Asami. I haven't heard from her since New Years. She hasn't sent me what to get for take out for movie night."
"Should we go over to her? Check on her?"
"I think it's better I go alone." Korra glanced over to her apologetically, "I don't want her to feel ganged up on…she's better at kung fu than you are."
"I have a black belt in the ancient and sacred art of origami, I'll have you know." Korra smiled and dislodged herself from the taller woman's arms and slung her kitbag over her own.
"I can jump to my Familiar." Korra closed her eyes reaching out in her mind.
"Use your memories of her. Just like I taught you."
Yue Bay and Asami's doll legs kicking sand over Korra's tummy as they giggled. Searching for guppies in the surf and hooting when Korra showed the young toddling heiress how to catch them with her hands. Racing Satocycles on the test tracks, rushing towards the high speed records and punching through, raven locks twisting gracefully from under her helmet. Asami holding her hand, and smiling her, accepting her completely as they took one step, and travelled thirty miles.
Korra's smile broadened as her feet tapped hardwood floors. It dropped when she opened her eyes to the dark and lonely place she had jumped into. Uninvited.
"Asami?" She turned on the mattress, emerald eyes electric with hope, until she spotted Korra, or rather, her pony tail, long enough to tickle the spot she couldn't reach between her shoulder blades. Korra's heart dropped into her stomach as she looked at the way Asami shrank away from her, disheveled, cheeks stained with tears. "Sweetie what happened? Is it your boyfriend? Did he hurt you?"
Asami couldn't bring herself to say her name. It was too surreal. Every time she closed her eyes, she smelled the sheets she clutched to her lips. The scent threw her back to a week ago, Korra's tongue between her lips, hands caressing her every inch. Whispering sweet, delirious, delicious nothings into her ears. Telling her she loved her as she combed her fingers through her hair and let her kiss her every scar that she had wanted to kiss for so long.
"Asami?" Korra was on her knees now, on the mattress, hands unsure and hovering, one aimed to push hair behind the heiress's ears the other wanted to hold her hand. She did neither, instead gripping her shoulder and wrist as she trained her eyes on Asami's. "Did he hurt you?"
"No…she didn't. Rough me up or anything." Korra blinked, hard. She hadn't missed the change in pronouns, but told herself in the light of her obviously devastated friend she shouldn't care.
"Do you want me to cut her?" Usually these kinds of threats made Asami laugh, or at least smile, but nothing reached her lips. It was the most absurd situation, and Asami couldn't begin to explain herself. Korra pulled her into her arms and heard her mumble.
"You wouldn't be able to any how."
"Do you want to tell me about it?"
"I can't." Asami stifled her shiver as Korra fed her fingers into her soft ebony locks.
"What do you need baby?" The heiress started to sob as Korra's endearing slip of the tongue. She clung tighter, buried her face deeper into Korra's muscular neck. It wasn't often that Korra ever had to give comfort, the last three years Asami had been everything to the Water Tribe girl, and now she was all too eager to give back.
It wasn't long until the heiress was all cried out. Much of her tears had already been absorbed into the pillow, and as she collected herself Korra used the edge of her vest to wipe her cheeks.
"You're not helping." Asami whimpered pushing her hand away as Korra inadvertently flashed her what she had been kissing a week ago, but also a year from now.
"I'm not leaving." Korra arched her neck so Asami's head tucked under her throat, "Not until you're okay. So get comfortable Sato."
"You're so stubborn."
"Like someone else I know." Korra reached for Asami's phone at by candles that had been melted to within an inch of their lives. "I think we need some clichés right now don't you?" She flicked off wax and up her music screen and then hit play before dunking her phone in the empty tumbler. Asami flinched as Korra dislodged herself, padding over to the fridge as she kicked off her shoes. She tore it open and the light was almost blinding to Asami.
"Aha, Rocky Road or Phish Food. And if you say neither - both will end up on your head. With…" She rifled through the first cupboard she saw, "Tuna in brine and…ooh picked onions. My favourite."
"Rocky Road." Asami croaked unclenching her fist and slipping the yo-yo string from her ring finger. She slipped it into her jacket that she'd strewn on the floor when she'd come rushing in New Years Day. She'd been a ghost ever since. Delegating work from a mattress.
"Was this a leftover from your real estate phase? It's nice. Not as ginormous as the mansion."
"I liked the view."
"It's miles away from your work."
"I liked that too."
Korra plonked herself back onto the mattress beside her and presented her with her ice cream.
"This band is good."
"They're my new favourites." Asami said it without thinking, and glanced at Korra to see if she was absorbing any of this. Or if her long hair was actually a weave and she was the time traveller whom had slept with her. She inhaled the creamy treat, not realising how hungry she was until she was practically licking at the bottom of the bowl as her mind wandered.
"I want you to shower. Get dressed. I'll order pizza. Pick up a movie. Something violent."
"You don't have to do that Korra."
"It's not even close to what you did for me, Asami." Korra said quickly, but she didn't mean it with as a snap. "I owe you a debt that I can never repay. It doesn't mean I won't stop trying." She tugged the duvet back from her body to reveal her bare legs and blushed. Asami had just been in her blouse and underwear. Jeans really had no place in this bed.
Asami struggled with her silence as she watched Korra go about their apartment, with no knowledge that she had unpacked and built the ikea desk she was leaning on while Asami had been at work. At least she'd tried for four hours until Asami stepped in when she got back to the penthouse with their take out. Pad Thai. 44. 37 and a 63 to share.
They ate and sat on the bed, watching Jude Law decapitate and slice into people as he took their organs in Repo Men. Korra raved about the action sequences. Asami closed her eyes for the romance scenes Korra had forgotten about. Before she knew it she was asleep. She woke for a moment, with Korra's arm slung over her waist. She'd twisted to see she was face down on the pillow, her legs twisted towards her and her chest facing away.
She watched her for a few minutes, gauging if she was really asleep. There was a tension she'd carried while awake since the accident, that disappeared when in bed with Asami. In her sleep deprived state Asami didn't think about what she was doing as she leaned over and ghosted her lips at the scar on the back of her neck. She giggled softly in her sleep. Not moving much but with her breathing. Mumbling something like.
"Ngh 'Sami that tickles." Asami froze, glaring at Korra intently. She can't be dreaming of me. She's with Kuvira now. She raised a tentative finger back to the same spot and stroked. Korra only sighed softly, repositioning her cheek on the pillow. Asami didn't want to push her luck. She placed her hand over Korra's arm, keeping her there and rolled into a somewhat calmer sleep.
Korra received a text the next morning that made her jump right off of the bed. Cursing, but it was more with surprise than any kind of worry or anger.
"What is it?"
"Get dressed. Varrick did a thing."
"Care to elaborate?"
"You really have to see to believe it."
Asami rubbed her palms on her slacks to make sure her palms weren't sweating before Korra fed her fingers between hers. With her free hand she slipped into her jacket pocket, habitually slipping her ring finger through the yo-yo string.
She blanched to hear the barking of a dog in this bright white sterile seeming place. Immediately she caught sight of Bolin and Mako diving after it. Teleporting missing and teleporting again.
"Quick Korra grab her!" Mako shouted.
"This is literally the best day of my life!" Bolin announced.
She tensed, as did Korra, as this huge golden retriever bolted for them and just as it was about to plough into Korra it disappeared. Asami twirled to witness the dog jumping on Korra's back instead and licking the side of her face madly as she fell down.
"The puppy likes you!"
"Puppy? She weighs like fifty pounds." Asami stepped back and stifled her laughter as she watched Korra's mood shift and an instant adorable attachment the girl and the dog formed. "Fifty pounds of slobbering awesomeness."
"You gave a dog teleporting?" Varrick howled with laughter as Kuvira jumped next to Korra to collar the beast.
"Well I'm not going to give a human the ability without animal trials!"
"What about chimps? Surely they're closer to the anatomy of a human."
"Have you seen Planet of the Apes lady? No way will I be responsible for that!"
"And yet you're the genius." Korra smirked as Asami added beneath her breath. Asami felt most at home in this place over by the consoles, which Zhu Li and Bataar Jr. were perched reading the vital signs of the beast Korra, Kuvira, Bolin and Mako were currently chasing in all dimensions. Feeling forgotten, and slightly glad that she wouldn't have to explain herself, she took out the toy in her pocket to inspect and ponder over. As she raises it to her face, she notices something, a reflection, a representation of a similar object on a screen. A live time code flickering in the corner and the red spoiler staring her dead in the face. Korra was the jumper to break into the box. Or at least she would be.
"Where did you get that?" Asami slammed the toy into her fist and found herself trapped in the steely glare of one Zhu Li Moon.
