Music always helped Korra concentrate. She kept her iPod in her back pocket so whenever silence struck she never had to dwell on day dreams or harsh memories. It was numbing, and MØ crooning between her ears was a welcome distraction from her nerves and the pricking sensation stabbing through her abdomen.

Balancing a palm sized mirror on her desk, scrunching her nose to keep her specs from falling from her face, she arched her back in a way that every so often, the wire from her thrumming headphones tickled her shoulder blades above her silken bra. She tried her best not to flinch as she plucked at the remaining stitches with tweezers. Jewels of blood dotted the new scar where strings had been pulled out.

The pain had lessened into a dull ache in recent days, as if her body were willing itself to heal just for this night. She worried it would never completely go away, the more she pretended it seemed she could get away with ignoring the pain. Korra was glad however to know that it wasn't going to rain tonight; humidity sent her scars into a frenzy of tingles.

Unfortunately thats where her supernatural senses ended when not concentrating. She couldn't hear the key turning in the lock of her apartment door or the knock that preceded it. She mistook the vibrations she felt resonating through the floors into her tensing thighs as the cheap plumbing of the place. That was until a knuckle traced the strong arch of her shoulder, fresh and cold from the outside. She whirled and grabbed the wrist, blue eyes widening to see Asami blushing wildly.

"Shit, sorry-Korra I thought you could hear me." All Asami's embarrassment seeped away when Korra realised, and dropped her wrist to knot their fingers, habitually biting her lower lip and grinning at her softly. In her turn hair had slipped from her hairband and fallen over her lenses. It took everything in Asami's power to pitch forward, push them back and take her mouth under her own. We have a date to get to. She warned herself. She couldn't help however the drop of her emerald eyes to take her in, her lingerie that peeked from her black pipe jeans and the blue bra that not only matched but made her skin sing.

"My eyes are up here Sato." Korra smirked. Asami blushed hard and swallowed.

"How long have you been wanting to say that?" Hungry blood red lips found her smug smile but it was Korra's stoic, loving gaze that held the moment. Her thumb stroked idle circles on the heiress', holding their hands between their faces as if caught midway through a dance. Asami inclined her head a little closer, aching to close the distance.

"I thought you were going to buy me dinner first."

"I have absolutely no issues leaving for our date right now." Korra laughed, and kissed her knuckles before releasing her grip.

"You're early."

"I thought I'd hit traffic." Asami admitted a half truth, she couldn't help that everything she did that day was completed at a double speed out of excitement. She'd even tried waiting in her Sato Mobile outside for all of ten minutes before the urge to see Korra was too much to bear. She'd gripped her emergency key to Korra's apartment so hard it's indents in her fingers were almost as deep as that blasted string. Her patience, it had seemed, had dissolved now that she knew what the future held.

"Sorry you had to see me like this." Korra took a handkerchief from a box and wiped the blood off her skin. Placing a clean gleaming band-aid over the newest scar with practiced hands.

"I think you look good in the coke bottles." Asami smiled.

"I thought they'd make me see sounds but now I guess not." She disentangled herself from her wires and specs, lifting her shirt and pulling it on with a graceful roll of her shoulders. It was a white chemise, and hugged her arms tight and fell off her in all the right places. She fiddled with fixing the buttons nervously, smile faltering when Asami took to twisting the clasps at its bottom.

"Is this new?"

"You like it?"

Asami smirked to herself, not entirely meaning to say what she thought now out loud. Unfortunately she was incapacitated by not being able to think rationally, and she did.

"If I say no will you take it off?"

She watched Korra's skin light up and expression drop at her outright flirting. The conversation stilled but there was no lull, a fierce electricity was passing between them, Korra took Asami's hand still holding a button of her shirt beneath her own. The other ghosted the blades of her fingers over her lips, she felt the tack of her lip balm on the tips. Caught it's scent on her deft breath and felt the memory of it's taste pooling on her tongue. Korra pulled her fingers back and drew them across her cheek. She found her voice, soft and soothing and etched with that perfect Korra half smile.

"And if I say I hate everything you're wearing?"

Her cheeks grew hot as she watched Korra purse her lips and blue eyes watching her own.

"Up or down?" Asami's clouded mind struggled to understand the words that left Korra's mouth then. She had expected them to begin something other than words.

"Wh-what?"

"My hair. For our date. Which do you prefer?" Asami blinked slowly. Feeling the myriad of answers filter through her spinning mind. Short, braided, tied up, my fingers combing through it, sprawled over my pillows and shifting ever so slightly as I bury my face between your… She didn't trust her voice. Leaning further back on the desk she teased Korra's hair out of her tail. It framed her face and tickled her cheeks. Asami tucked some behind her ear with one hand and wiped her lips with her with her thumb.

"You're beautiful." was all she could bring herself to say.

"Look who's talking." Korra let her hands trace the edge of Asami's shirt at her back, enjoying skin and cloth alike as she opened her eyes to hers once more. The smile that besotted her face was contagious. "Beautiful as we are, I don't think I want to spend the rest of this evening just staring at each other. Not that I couldn't." She rescinded her touch, heart skipping as she listened to the heiress' disappointed hum. She grasped her hand and snatched her purse from her desk pulling towards the door.

Their pace sped up, Korra's building had no working elevator, and teleporting to the Satomobile outside felt like cheating. They were flying down the stairs with stupid grins on their faces. By the second flight Korra stopped, catching Asami unawares against her back, pulling her thighs to clamp about her waist. They used to race Korra's parents like this on the bay. Korra loved the feeling of Asami's crisp laughter rushing beside her face and tight grip on her clothes as she ran.

The door beat open with a welcome gust of wind after a kick. She was almost disappointed to find Asami's car waiting right outside. She quite enjoyed having the heiress' legs wrapped around her.

The engineer pursed her lips as she slipped down off of Korra's body, trying her best to resist letting her hands linger. She stepped around to the drivers side and launched herself inside, gripping the wheel and feeling the thick hard pumping of her heart wash over her. She glanced at her watch and checked she was still in time.

"Boring you am I?" Korra joked as she sat. Suddenly feeling awkward now that she wasn't touching Asami. "Do you want me to Jump us somewhere?"

The heiress kicked the car into ignition and the rush sent them both surging into their seats. She was tempted to speed the whole way, she pretty much owned at least half of these streets and knew her way around the police force, but even though her blood for her brain was pumping elsewhere she was still conscious of how much of a trigger a Satomobile ride could be for the Water Tribe girl.

She flinched when she felt her hand on her knee, when she stole a glance, Korra had her eyes closed, chin up. Asami slowed just that little bit more, and Korra's thumb began to trace idle circles on the inside of her thigh. It was then the heiress knew she couldn't risk looking over into those perfect endless blue eyes of hers. There'd be no stopping herself after that.

They pulled over in front of Future Industries Tower. Korra paused her ministrations long enough to catch her gaze with a questioning one of her own.

"I'm not here to work. Trust me." Asami breathed, agonised to have to tease Korra's warm fingers from her legging. She led her into the building, the night guard tipped his cap as he watched smugly as they trailed quickly across the reception floor.

"What does he know?" She asked Asami, who seemed to ignore them both. She heard the guard bark a laugh and whirled her head back to frown at him and motioned with two free fingers.

"I got my eye on you." She snarled possessively as Asami dragged her into the golden elevator.

"Want me to Jump us to your office?" Asami gave her a somewhat exasperated and yet amused look.

"We're going somewhere you've never been before."

"I hear the bathroom on the 31st floor are incredible here. Is it true there's a wine bar in there?" Asami only snickered and bit on her lip. Their backs pressed against the cold metal wall as they ascended. Spying the heiress' palm flat on the metal beside her, Korra etched her little finger under hers and hooked them together. There was such undeniable affection in that tiny touch that Asami had to bare down on the lump in her throat. She tried to hold out for as long as she could until they hit the 32nd floor of Future Industries Tower.

This was when she snatched at the hand and dragged her through an attic filled with ancient super cars and satocycles. Sato Family heirlooms the lot of them, and Asami couldn't help but search for the original framed blueprints she had stashed up here for when she officially moved in to their harbour penthouse apartment. Asami marched them to a service door on the far side of the room. She shoved on the metal, a little too hard so she winced, and as it gave way she glanced back tentatively at Korra, as if waiting for consent to lead her up the iron staircase. Korra squeezed her fingers and smiled, just as nervous as she.

"This is already the best date I've ever been on." She whispered with those tantalising mocha lips, holding back saying because I'm finally with you.

Their footsteps echoed for a moment, and then became swallowed by the open air and soft soothing music. Korra stood stock still, enthralled to have Republic City laid at her feet, and framed by the lanterns surrounding the rooftop, complete with a Bar, petite dinner service and the Industrious, Beautiful, Ingenious CEO Asami Sato.

"I hope you don't mind," the engineer began to babble, "I had this made so we could woo investors but we're testing it. We're the first people to come up here since they put in the new energy efficient air con-" She was cut off but Korra's strong hand clutching hers. "-ditioning."

"It's incredible. Beautiful. I've run out of words…um…me Korra likey… Shit." She cringed and blushed and habitually gripped the back of her neck and let her eyes roam the scene once again.

"The food should be almost ready. I hope you don't mind, I didn't want too many cooks so its mostly just meat on sticks."

"It's like you're inside my head." She laughed, glad for the balmy nature of this night to excuse how hot she was feeling. She was glad also for the leading nature Asami seemed to take with this whole night. Korra wasn't exactly the best with romantic forwardness, but everything Asami said and did just seemed perfect, almost like fate. She led her to a large flat couch, low to the ground, wide and gifted with cushions and a faux fur throw. Plates were immediately brought out to them.

Asami noted how the meal passed much like their first in their apartment, Korra finished two portions before Asami had her first. While she may not have been starving and out of time Asami knew from experience that Korra couldn't eat if she were worried or scared. Asami took a sip of wine and glanced at her parting chef before she felt Korra's warm fingers trace the crook of her jawline. She tensed.

"We're not going to make it to the finale if you do that." she whispered as the ability to care drifted slowly out of her.

"What do you want to do for now?" Korra asked gently planting a moan-inducing kiss where her jaw met her ear.

"Just talk…maybe. I thought this would take longer."

"I have a better idea."

She ached to look at her watch, but Korra's hand was already soothing in her own. She took the glass from her and set it down, tugging her out of the way of chair gently and pulling her flush against her. Hands lovingly between their faces, an arm behind her back, Korra swayed gently, resting her forehead on Asami's cheek and smiling. Asami blinked and didn't realise tears falling from her eyelashes until they did. She was happy. They were dancing. She was also glad for that moment Korra couldn't see face, but she didn't dare move her hand to wipe them. She let the music fill her, and the moment carve itself into her giddiest memories. Korra's strong possessive palm on her back, her own on the nape of Korra's neck.

Every time she held her like this she saw the future and their past. Waltzing gently, alone, with family, parties, weddings, dates early morning, Korra was going to be with her through it all. Her heart swelled as she basked in the brilliance of it, no more waiting no more holding back. Korra was hers.

"What did I do?" Her voice was timid, if her breath hadn't puffed against Asami's throat she wasn't sure she'd even said anything. "How did I save us? I keep trying to remember."

Asami turned her head, her lips touching the Water Tribe girl's temple as she spoke.

"What do you think you did?"

"I don't know I was, I was in her grip and it hurt like hell it really did. And everything was getting twisted in my head. I could feel her so mad at me and then mad at you… for a minute some part of me was so tired with all this fighting and I thought you know what? She really wants it, maybe I'm wrong. But then you screamed…and I heard it and I was…that's when I blacked out."

Asami took in her perspective for a moment, they hadn't spoken about the incident really since it happened. It was almost instinctual for Korra not to ask about it. Spoilers had been drilled into her mind.

"There was another you." Asami breathed out, "might not have been real or not but to me…" she held back just that little bit, hoping not to spoil anything by letting Korra know the whole truth a full six months early. "To me you stood up and touched her forehead with these beautiful, ethereal white blue eyes and told her it was time to stop…and she started crying and she was powerless. Then you went back to bleeding on the floor of Varrick's lab."

"Was it a spirit d'you think?" Asami pursed her lips.

"I don't think so. I don't know I'm not the leading expert on this stuff Korra. Teleporting. Telekenesis. Molecules." she mocked Varrick on that last word and earned a chuckle from her date, who had let go of her hand to settle both hands on her hips, and looked up.

"I don't think I would have tried if you weren't there. It was like I wasn't feeling anything. And then you screamed and I…" words couldn't express, she moved a hand to Asami's cheek and touched that thin scars that Kuvira had gifted her a month back. The marks would be there forever, but Asami was proud of them. By instinct she reached for Korra's collar and ran her fingers over the correlation on the bone.

"We've earned these," she urged, "they're just a price we paid to get to this point."

"I here I was hoping we'd find a way to each other without out getting beaten up too bad." Korra whispered with a wry smile. Asami returned it, inching forward, hand closing more assertively on the back of Korra's neck. She closed her eyes, suddenly remembering it had been an age since last she kissed her, the weight of it pulling her as if by orbit.

Alas, her wristwatch had other ideas. Shrill and piercing it bipped until Asami could figure out how to switch off the alarm. When she returned her attention to her date she felt a welt of shame at how worked up and flustered the poor girl looked.

"Thirty seconds." She urged, reclaiming her hand and turning to face the park that separated the tower from her first apartment.

"What are we looking for?"

"Just watch."

For a moment nothing. And then, green, gold, purple, blue in sparks and shooting fire up almost towards them. Korra reeled at the surreal nature of such a sight; they were at eye line with fireworks being launched at the base of the tower. They spiralled a twisted, forming impossible shapes. Hearts, stars, moons, archways. Reflected off of every window the inner-city had to offer as if Republic City were their shattered ethereal mirror ball.

Asami let go of the breath she had been holding for what seemed an eternity, everything she'd planned had gone perfectly, everything that was left was up to them. She blanched for a second when she felt Korra's hand slip from hers. She turned to question it only her mouth was immediately set upon by Korra's own bliss inducing lips.

"I'm sorry if this is rude and I'm missing your show but I can't help it." Korra mumbled against her mouth and stepped back, took in the continuing light show, before being dragged back by the heiress and the desperate ire in the hum she emitted before their lips met in a tender kiss. Hands knotted into locks alas they could only stay innocent for so long. Asami's slender fingers found their way deeper into Korra's collar to palm at the silken lingerie beneath her shirt. The Water Tribe girl gave a moan of omission, and rolled her shoulders to skate the fabric off of her taught shoulders.

Asami led her backwards, until her knees hit couch and she was lowered down by the heiress. She hesitated, all this completely new to Korra. So she stood straight in front of her, feeling her blush creep up her neck as she took to the buttons of her own shirt. Parting them one by one, smiling at Korra's dorky nervous expression, and how beautiful she looked with her lipstick smudged on her own lips. Not that she wasn't completely terrified as well, she'd gotten through this before, and it was so perfect years from now Korra would still look at her as if she hung the moon. It propelled her through everything, that half smile, those admiring eyes, the blown kiss.

As one display began, the other ended, and it being late the only light they now had was that of the stars and moon.

As darkness began to set Korra reached out for comfort and Asami, grasping her fingers as they teased down a bra strap and let her shirt pool between their feet. Before Asami could flinch she'd whispered.

"I love you." Asami couldn't help her hair flip respond, but she wanted her to see her face when she replied.

"I love you too." and with this she pitched down and pressed her lips and body flush against her. Straddling her as they undressed and explored with their hands and mouths. They found themselves wrapped under the throw and cushions, having twisted into each other so much to find better positions, more perfect places to taste and tease and bite. They went from whispering sweet delectable nothings to literally declaring their love from a rooftop.

Korra took her time, greedily taking in every plain of the heiress' body with her lips and mouth. She loved knotting their fingers together as Asami's lithe body writhed and bucked against her. She was surprised to feel her knowingly kissing her ear lobe, or biting her collar or hip bones and driving her crazy. If she ever looked to question her the hooded emerald eyes staring back at her held a world of mystery and intimate intrigue.

The sun was rising when Asami finally settled against her, legs tangled and hair splaying across cushion and couch. Korra lazily tucked the throw around them, heavy breathing giving way to tired giggles that faded when Asami buried her face into Korra's neck and both found easy sleep.

They woke around midday, Korra's stomach her natural alarm clock they both roused to its angry gurgle. The Water Tribe girl smiled as she watch Asami wake, adorable indignant, beautiful without the make up she had lost to passion and sleep. Korra grinned at her, flexing a little beneath her to stretch and tracing a knuckle against her jaw. She pressed her lips to the Engineer's forehead and murmured.

"Hey you."