Prompt 2: Hair
Today was hot. Hotter than any other spring day Asami had felt before. Her hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail as she tried to study in the crammed library. Finals were among them, the past few weeks flying by, and there were students of all types in the vicinity – from people who had been paying attention all year and were simply reviewing their outlines to people who didn't even know what to put in their study sheets.
It certainly didn't help that the air conditioning wasn't working.
Asami wiped her brow with the back of her hand and took a sip of her water. Sure, there were other libraries on campus, but this was the only one with the software she needed installed on the computers in the cluster she had packed herself in.
Not to mention that the other libraries were just as full, if not moreso.
She turned back to her reactor design, looking over the specifications to ensure the system would run. It had been a part of the project that her and her group had been working on for weeks now, and it was up to her to make sure everything worked based on the information the others had calculated.
Of course, most of their numbers were wrong.
She didn't understand what was so hard about gathering information from data tables. They were online on one website, for Spirits sake. Even the equations could be found in the book or in the notes from the class. The professor clearly listed out their possible options for their wastewater treatment system, from the primary clarification all the way to the tertiary. They had taken the anaerobic treatment route, but still…
She groaned and shook her head as she adjusted the height of the reactor.
Yeah, a thirty foot reactor. That'll work.
She scoffed and brought the height up to fifty feet. She ran the simulation and got better results, but not quite the right ones.
Asami yawned and bent closer to her notepad, trying to focus on her work in the heat. A small piece of her hair fell into her face. She brushed it away in annoyance when her eye caught her phone. It lit up with a text from none other than Korra.
She smiled and unlocked her phone to see the message.
Hey, Asami. What are you up to right now? Still at the library?
_ _ _ I'm pretty sure I have a permanent residence here, haha. But yeah, just working away. Fixing all of the mistakes my group made on our reactor design.
Haha, what would they do without you?
_ _ _ Who knows? Probably design a reactor that would explode.
It's a good thing you're there, then. We don't need any more industrial failures after that last oil spill.
_ _ _ That's certainly true. Cabbage Corp. should have done much more to failsafe their system.
She shook her head, feeling just a bit nerdish from her response.
_ _ _ Anyway, what's up?
Nothing much, just sweating my ass off. Just got done with advanced training for today. So tired lol
_ _ _ Why don't you take a nap?
I still have a lot of studying to do. Speaking of which, can I join you?
_ _ _ Join me?
At the library…
_ _ _ Oh! Right. Sorry, my brain is slowly getting fried.
Haha it's alright. So can I join you?
_ _ _ Of course! I'm in the computer lab of Fan.
That's the engineering building, right?
_ _ _ Science and tech
Oh, right. I probably should have known that with all the science classes I've had to take there.
_ _ _ Hahaha, you'd think so. We've only taken all of our chemistry classes here lol
Shut it, Sato.
_ _ _ Just get over here before I find my project partners and go on a rampage.
Will do.
Asami smiled and focused on her work once more, a new energy coming over her. Her life had drastically improved since meeting Korra and actually engaging in conversation with her. They spent time together almost every day after their first lunch in The Gardens, whether it was studying, sharing a quick meal, or just going on walks with Naga. They even dragged the other to activities that they never would have gone to alone; Korra had taken Asami to at least two parties while Asami had brought a reluctant-at-first Korra to a few local museums. It turned out that they both had fun in the end, though whether it was from the activity itself or just the fact that they were with each other was still to be determined.
It was no surprise that Asami had developed feelings for Korra in this short amount of time. As if that was such a hard thing to do. Korra was amazing. At least, Asami thought so. She came all the way from the Southern Water Tribe just to study at the university to become a vet, which in and of itself was a spectacular feat in Asami's eyes. Asami was smart, but she doubted that she would be able to handle anything medical had she studied it in school. She didn't know how Korra did it.
I don't think Korra knows how she does it, either.
She chuckled at the thought and flipped to an example problem in her textbook to help her model their system. This stuff, she could understand. Chemical reactions. Microorganisms. Math. Give her that any day and she would be a happy camper. But medical?
Asami scoffed as she wrote a few things down in the ledger of her notes.
I'm sure if you applied yourself, you would do fine.
Maybe you're right about that. But I don't know…
Asami, you're smart. You could do anything!
She shook her head to this and turned the page, the combatting voice starting to sound more like Korra's argument than her own.
Because, in fact, it was. They had had this conversation before over noodles at the food court. Korra was trying to remember different body parts of cats for her quiz – something about a sartorius or something… something in the leg, Asami later learned – when she had mentioned that medical was something she wouldn't do well in. Her previous reply in her head was almost verbatim of what Korra had said before slurping up another mouthful of noodles. Asami dismissed it inside, though she smiled on the out.
She sighed and wiped the sweat off of her forehead once more. The heat was becoming too much for her. She closed her eyes and rubbed them, the toll of sitting in the library for five hours straight starting to hit her. When her lids separated, they caught another flash of a text.
So, um, I kinda see you. At least I think that's you. Can you see me?
Asami glanced around, seeing no one who looked like Korra in the room. She looked over her shoulder through the small window in the computer lab to find the Water Tribe girl staring at her, waving. Asami grinned and tried to return the favor, but Korra moved too quickly to see it.
Korra burst into the room and smiled. "Hi, Asami!"
To say she was taken aback was an understatement. She hadn't noticed it in the flash of blue and brown that was Korra, but now that she was up close, it was all too apparent.
Korra had cut her hair.
Asami felt compelled to rise to greet her. So she did. "You cut your hair," she half-asked, half-stated.
Korra threw a sheepish hand behind her head. "Haha, yeah. It got caught in some of the barbed wire during training today and I couldn't get it out, so I just took my knife to it." Korra adjusted the strap of her bag and looked around. "Hmmm, it doesn't look like there's much room here for me." She brought her focus back to Asami, her face morphing into concern. "Is everything okay?"
She blinked several times, trying to put everything together that Korra had just told her. "Wait, you cut your hair?"
"You already asked me that."
She shook her head. "How much barbed wire did you get stuck in?"
Her cheeks flushed a very faint shade of pink as she looked away. "A lot."
Asami reached around and ran her fingers through Korra's hair, some parts longer than others, as if she had tried to even the bob out after the initial cut. "Well, if it's any consolation, I really like it."
The blush worsened. "You do?"
She nodded and lifted a piece up, just to watch it fall back to Korra's head. "It looks really good on you."
"Oh – I, uh… thanks," she smiled, a nervous laugh escaping her. She was surprised she was even standing at all from the feelings that were crashing through her. Her quiet admiration of a few weeks ago had turned to full out, tumultuous feelings for the raven. She found herself daydreaming about Asami when they were apart. Bolin had told her many times to "shut up about Asami already, I'm trying to study here!". She thought about her more often than she would admit alone and it seemed as though each day they spent time together, Korra fell further and further into the loveliness that was Asami Sato.
And now she was touching her hair. Liking her hair. Complimenting it.
Korra didn't want to cut it, to be honest; it felt weird not having her warrior wolf tails. But there was no way in hell she was going to let the others beat her out of the mud pit. So off it went. She would be lying if she said she wasn't sure how Asami would like it, especially because she had to even it out after the fact; only two of her tails had gotten stuck in the wire, but she couldn't walk around with one long chunk of hair on her right side and short for the rest. So she took her knife to the rest in the locker room, panicked, and sped-walked out before she had done more damage to her look. She even contemplated wearing a hat for a while until it grew back more.
But it was too damn hot.
She didn't have to worry about it, though. Asami liked it. That's all she needed.
Asami chuckled, knowing exactly what Korra's stuttering meant. "You're welcome."
Korra grinned and looked back to the somewhat-annoyed students around them who were trying to work through their commotion. Every seat that her eyes landed on was taken. She stretched her shoulders and brought her focus back to Asami, now that she wasn't blushing anymore. "Wanna head somewhere else to study? It's pretty packed in here."
Asami hesitated. While she really had to work on their system stimulation, she could use a change of scenery. Korra, of course, was a very good start to this change. She caved. "Sounds good. I can always come back later when it isn't as busy and hop back onto one of the computers for the software I need." She turned to her now-former work space and started packing her bag.
It was Korra's turn to falter. "Hey, if you need to use the computer, I can always go study somewhere else –"
"No, this is good," she mentioned over her shoulder as she saved her progress on her desktop and shut the computer down, "I really need a break from these screens, anyway."
Korra smiled. "Good, because I know the perfect place we can go."
Asami flung her bag onto her back and raised a brow. "Oh? And where is that?"
She smirked. "You'll see." She grabbed Asami's wrist and tugged her along in excitement.
All Asami could do was laugh.
(-)
"Korra, are we going to The Gardens?"
"Nope."
"Are you sure? Because this pretty much looks like The Gardens."
Korra was quiet as they walked side by side, her hand still around Asami's wrist. She had, indeed, wanted to take her to The Gardens, but she was tempted to change her plan now that Asami had caught on.
How could she not? You didn't even blindfold her or anything.
Hush.
They passed through the park in the radiating sun. A group of shirtless runners passed them, their shorts much too short for comfort. They both looked away and continued onward, Asami going wherever Korra was pulling her. While her entire body was hot from the warmth, the skin that was touching Korra's was burning.
Korra led her past the entrance of The Gardens and stopped near the rows of colorful tulips and bushes of fragrant lilacs. She turned to Asami, a grin on her face. "We're here! Well, for stop number one."
"Stop number one?"
She nodded. "Stay here. I've got to grab a few things." Korra scurried off, the curves of her muscles stark in her tight blue tank and short blue shorts.
Asami watched her with a mixture of amusement and confusion as Korra plucked several flowers from the lilac and mock orange bushes. She stopped and pondered before pulling off a single pink peony that was just starting to bloom, about half of its usual one-foot diameter. She returned with a smile, the flowers cradled in her hands.
"I don't think you're supposed to pick the flowers, Korra."
"Shhhhh, no one has to know," she looked around in exaggerated suspicion, slipping the flowers into one hand and grabbing Asami's wrist with the other. She set off in a sprint, forcing Asami to run with her.
"Korra, where are we going," Asami hollered between breaths; while she was in good shape, she was nowhere near Korra's physical condition. She struggled to keep up.
"You'll see," Korra smiled, dragging the raven into the mountains that surrounded the park and the City. She had been here several times before – mostly on her own – though these weren't the exact hills that she liked to hike the most; she preferred the southern mountains instead of the eastern ones. Regardless, they were just what she needed to be spontaneous.
"Korra, can – can we slow… down," Asami was panting, on the brink of falling down. They had run halfway up one of the trails. She noticed every foot she climbed as she fought for air. Korra didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat.
"Oh, right! Sorry about that, Asami. I think I just got a little excited."
"A little," Asami half-chuckled, half-gasped as she rested her hands on her knees.
"Here, I have some water you can drink," Korra fidgeted in her bag one-handed for a small bottle. She offered it to the engineer.
"Thanks," she replied with a smile and guzzled the water down. After a few more minutes, she had stabilized and recovered. "Okay, let's go. But let's go slow, okay? I want to enjoy this." She grinned, throwing the now-empty bottle into one of the pockets of her bag.
"Okay," Korra beamed back, though the expression was gentle. "We don't have too much further to go."
Korra led the way, her steps slow and careful, making sure it was a pace that Asami could mirror. They didn't go all the way to the top; they just climbed to a high enough height to see the City and the park. Asami marveled at the view. She had never seen Republic City like this. She could see the many buildings that made up the City, the park they had just gone through, and if she squinted, she could see the shores of Yue Bay in the distance.
"It's beautiful up here, Korra."
She nodded in agreement and plopped down under a tree. Korra patted the spot next to her before pulling the ties of her bag open, the flowers beside her.
Asami smiled and joined Korra under the shade. It felt ten degrees cooler in the protection of the branches. She sat next to her and tossed her carrier to the side, watching with interest as Korra pulled several sandwiches and two large bottles of water from her bag. Her eyes narrowed. "You weren't coming to the library to study at all, were you?"
Korra chuckled. "Nope. You got me." She handed Asami a sandwich. "Eat up. You tend to forget to eat when you're studying in that damn library all day."
Asami opened her mouth to disagree, but there was no lie in Korra's statement. Her expression melted into a grin as she took the food. "Thank-you, Korra."
"You're welcome," she replied as she leaned against the tree and unwrapped a sandwich of her own.
"So, what are we doing here? And what are the flowers –"
A ring of her phone interrupted her question.
Korra sat up in confusion as Asami fished for her device. "You get service all the way up here?"
"I guess so," she shrugged, confused as to who could possibly be calling her. She didn't recognize the number, but she answered it anyway. "Hello? Yes, this is Asami Sato, how can I help you?" Her face drained of emotion as the person on the other line spoke. She stood up, sandwich abandoned, and walked away from Korra as she listened.
Korra crawled to her feet and watched after Asami, helpless to do anything at the moment. The raven was too far away for her to hear the conversation that was taking place. She saw Asami nod several times, her hand shaking as it gripped her elbow. Once the dialogue was over, Korra called to her. "Is everything okay?"
Asami slid her phone in her pocket and hesitated for a minute. She faced Korra with a mixture of pure joy and pure sadness in her eyes.
"What's wrong," she asked as she closed the gap between them in just a few strides. She clasped the pale shoulders before her.
"That was a call from the University."
"What was it about? Is everything alright?"
She nodded, a smile breaking through. "I got accepted."
"Accepted into what?"
"I applied for an abroad study program a few months ago, but never heard from them until now. I – I got accepted."
"Asami, that's awesome! Where are you going? Is it for next semester?"
She nodded. "It's a co-op. If I accept it, I'll be studying in Republic City over the summer and going to the Fire Nation in the fall to train with their engineers."
Korra was ecstatic, her grip on Asami's shoulders radiating absolute excitement. "Asami, that is incredible! I'm so happy for you! I'm so proud of you. And – wait." She paused, reevaluating Asami's words. "What do you mean 'if you accept it'?"
This was when Asami looked away and the smile was overtaken by the grief that was hiding in her eyes. "I don't know if I'm going to do it."
"Why not? It would be an incredible experience!"
"I know it would, but it would mean leaving Republic City for a semester," she locked onto the oceans before her, "and leaving you for a semester." She averted her eyes to this and held her elbows with her hands.
"Oh. I see what you mean." Korra paused, trying to control the emotion in her voice. "But you should still do it. You should go to the Fire Nation and learn as much as you can. Don't let the factor of whether I'll be there or not hold you back."
Their pupils met, Asami's taking in the sincerity spewing from Korra's.
Asami had to look away. "It's – it's more than that, Korra." She broke from the woman's grip and turned her back on Korra. "I would miss you… a lot."
"I would miss you, too. But you should still do it. It's an incredible opportunity." Korra held Asami's shoulders again, though her hold was loose this time.
"You were my first true friend here, Korra. I feel like we've just gotten to know each other, and now – now I'm leaving." She faced Korra once more, tears threatening to breach her lids. "I don't want to go. I like being here with you and talking to you and –"
"Asami," Korra slid her palms across Asami's cheeks and into her hair. "I'll be here when you get back. And until then, we can keep in touch. I'm sure the Fire Nation has internet of some sort. I'll send you so many messages that you'll have to block me when you're trying to work or give presentations because my little face icon will keep popping up every five minutes that I'm not busy."
Asami laughed to this, one of the tears falling down her skin.
Korra wiped it away with her thumb, prompting Asami to lock onto her eyes. "It'll be okay. We'll be okay."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around Korra, her heart full of elation from the comforting words.
They melted into each other, the quiet sounds of bugs and birds and the distant noises of Republic City filling their ears. The pair stayed like this for quite some time, the gentle breeze drying the sweat on their skin.
"Come on, let's eat." Korra pulled away, taking Asami's wrist as she did so. She guided her back to the tree and plopped down, shoeing a fly away from her sandwich once she was settled.
Asami sat beside her and resumed eating her sandwich, a mixture of emotions and thoughts crossing inside of her.
They finished their meals in silence, enjoying the view and the company of the other as they did so. By the time they were done, Korra was leaning against the tree and Asami was leaning on Korra. They stared at the scenery until Korra's eye caught the flowers she had gathered on her right.
"Oh, right! I forgot," she pushed herself up, forcing Asami to sit up as well. She gathered the flowers and turned to Asami, smiling. "Can I?"
She raised her brow. "Can you what," she asked as she wiped her brow of sweat for the umpteenth time.
"Help you cool down."
Both of her brows lifted this time. "I don't think I follow."
"Here, I'll show you." Korra scooched closer so that her front was to Asami's back. "Is it alright if I pull your hair tie out?"
Asami hesitated for a moment; she wasn't fond of people touching her hair.
But this wasn't people. This was Korra.
To this, she caved and nodded in agreement.
Korra smiled and took the elastic out as careful as she could. Asami's hair fell out before her, the gorgeous raven locks free from their restraint. Korra took a moment to admire the beauty – and the softness – of Asami's hair before separating it into different strands. She started weaving Asami's hair as her mother had taught her to do back in the Southern Water Tribe many years ago. "You know," she spoke in a low, gentle tone as she braided some of the lilacs into her current plait, "I just got my assignment for the summer. During the summer of our junior years, we work under an officer in the military to help us train for our positions in the United Forces after graduation, should we take them." She placed the stem of a mock orange into another spot and weaved it in. "I've been assigned to work with Commander Bumi in Republic City." She focused on the other side of Asami's head, mimicking the pattern from her previous work.
Asami probably would have jumped up in joy if she wasn't stuck in a haze of relaxation. This wasn't the first time that someone had braided her hair, but for some reason, Korra's touch was just so… soft and gentle and calming. Enjoyable. She found her stress levels dropping and a minor warmth growing inside of her. She almost whispered her response. "What does that mean?"
"That means that, if you take your summer internship, we'll get to spend the summer together." Korra finished her intricate design, ending it with the pink peony she picked last from The Gardens. Asami's hair was woven in an almost crown-like fashion from the sides, which joined together and trailed down her back, ceasing with her elastic band.
And Korra had been right on both fronts; they would get to spend the summer together, even if that meant not seeing each other in the fall. The second thing? This braided hairstyle was definitely much cooler than her somewhat-messy ponytail had been.
She turned to the Water Tribe girl, a gentle smile and excitement shadowed by ease in her eyes. "I would really like that."
Korra smiled and caressed her cheek. "Good. Then you should take that co-op abroad experience."
"And we'll keep in touch?"
"Of course we will."
Asami grinned and melted into Korra, snuggling up to her side in her new-found comfort. "Is that why you brought me here? To tell me about your assignment?"
Korra wrapped one of her arms around Asami's shoulders while the other one was complacent on the ground. "Actually, no. It wasn't."
"What was the reason, then?"
She took a breath, her heart jumping inside of her chest. While she had thought and planned this, conjured every detail and ran them by both Bolin and Naga, she was blanking on everything she wanted to say.
"Korra?" Asami sat up, pulling herself from Korra's arm as she did so. "What is it?"
A blush crossed her cheeks; she knew she should have brought this up before weaving Asami's hair. Her features shined with the scenery, from her face to her toes and back, and the beauty of her hair wasn't helping matters. Korra straightened off the tree and struggled for air. She caught Asami's scent and it nearly suffocated her. She looked away as she spoke, losing any amount of smoothness she might have had during her rehearsals with Naga. "I, uh – well… I – two months ago was when we first went to The Gardens together. I – I wanted to celebrate. And I wanted to show you one of the peaceful spots I liked since you showed me yours. And then, I thought 'I can really impress her with the weaving mom taught me, and I could put some of the flowers from The Gardens in there, and I can make her a picnic since that's what we did back then' but then I couldn't find any jasmine for tea and I almost ran out of peanut butter and I almost forgot the food because I was trying to think of how I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend, but then Naga barked and reminded me about the food on the counter and –"
"Korra, Korra, wait. Slow down. You were going to ask me to be your girlfriend?"
She froze, her heart sinking instead of skipping a beat. Had she blurted that out in her panicked explanation without realizing it? Her flushed skin deepened in color. She peaked at Asami, a sheepish hand behind her head. "I… yeah, I was. But then I wasn't sure if you wanted to with the whole 'long distance' thing or if you liked me like that and I really wanted you to go on that abroad internship experience because it's a great opportunity and –"
Asami interrupted Korra's doubtful rambling with a gentle kiss on her cheek. Just a quick peck, just enough to help Korra relax and ease from her self-induced torture.
"I – Asami?"
"I would love to be your girlfriend, Korra. If you still want to be."
Her famous crooked grin covered her face. She pulled Asami closer into a tight hug. "Yes! Of course I do!"
Asami giggled and returned the affection in an embrace until Korra departed.
"I can't believe it. Asami Sato is my girlfriend."
She laughed once more. "Not many people get to say that, so relish the words."
"Oh, I will!" Korra squeezed her again until her back was touching the tree once more.
They separated and stared into each other's eyes, the sun starting to hang low in the sky. Asami was sitting on Korra's lap, though the action was unintentional; it was just where she had ended up when Korra released her. She took in the warm air and smiled. "Want to watch the sunset?"
"Absolutely," Korra grinned, adjusting her position so that she was more comfortable against the tree.
Asami slid off of Korra and nestled into her side once more, resting her head on Korra's chest.
Korra's arm returned to her shoulders while the other fidgeted for her phone. "Can we take a picture together?"
"Of course we can," Asami chuckled as she smiled up at the camera. She held her position until Korra finished taking about three photos. "My hair looks beautiful, by the way. You did a really good job," she commented as she snuggled more into the Water Tribe girl that was holding her.
Korra blushed. "Thanks." Her grin was gentle as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. She looked down at Asami, content in her position. Her free hand found one of the engineer's. They laced their fingers together and stared out to the sun, waiting for it to begin its colorful descent. Elation and peacefulness filled them and at this moment, they had never felt so happy, so at ease. By the time the sun had fallen and the stars started to poke out of the darkness, they were slumped over in sleep. They stayed that way until the bugs of the incoming summer started chirping into the night.
(-)