It was just past midnight when Korra was lying in bed, still wide awake. It has been nearly a month since Asami had left, yet Korra could still not get used to the fact that her wife was not here. Korra even did as she said she would do by putting extra pillows together and sprayed a little bit of Asami's perfume over them. Although doing this did not really ease the loneliness, but rather just created more. Korra was just so grateful to have wonderful friends and of course, her pride and joy Hyeon, who just began peeking through the small door crack of Korra and Asami's room.
"M-mommy?" Hyeon called out softly.
"Hey sweetheart, what's wrong?" Korra raised her head from her pillow as Hyeon gradually made his way into the room.
"I had a nightmare," he answered.
"What was it about?" Korra asked, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.
"It was about Koh: The Face Stealer. I ended up making a face because I was scared. He was going to take my face but that's when I woke up," he explained.
"Yeah, Koh is a pretty nasty guy. But he wouldn't have been able to steal your face, not on my watch."
"Because you'd kick his butt?" Hyeon asked.
"Of course! It's always a mother's job to protect her children," Korra said as she gave Hyeon a hug and kiss on the cheek. "But are you okay?"
"A little… but I'm still a little scared," the boy admitted.
"It's okay, Mommy won't let anything bad happen to you. Do you want to stay here, then?"
Hyeon nodded before making his way to the other side of the bed and laying down.
"Did I ever tell you the story about Aang and how he had to actually face Koh?" Korra asked. "No pun intended, of course," the Avatar let out a quiet laugh.
"Yeah, about a year ago," said Hyeon.
"Really? I don't think I remember telling you. Are you sure it wasn't Asami?"
"I'm sure," the earthbender nodded.
"Okay… do you remember what happened?"
"Hmm… I remember you telling me that Avatar Aang was on a mission to find the ocean and the moon Spirits, Tui and La and he had asked Avatar Roku for help. Avatar Roku said to ask a very scary but ancient and smart spirit named Koh. Koh was scary because you can't make any type of face but a plain one, or else Koh will steal it," the young boy explained.
"Wow, I really did tell you the whole story. Even the part about Princess Yue's sacrifice?"
"Yup. Both a really scary and sad story…" said Hyeon sadly.
"I dunno, I always thought they were cool stories. Hearing about Aang's courage in that situation always gave me courage. And Yue's story was very tragic, but also very beautiful. It's also one of the stories that taught me about sacrifices. Not to mention Aang, of course, beats the Fire Nation in the end so it all ends well," said Korra.
"I know," replied Hyeon. "But I'd rather hear a story that's just happy. Nothing sad or scary."
"Hmm…okay. Were there any you had in mind?" The Avatar asked.
"Hm…" Hyeon looked up at the ceiling as he processed his thoughts. "What about the story about how you and Momma fell in love?" He asked.
Korra raised her eyebrow. "I never told you that story?"
"Not really," he admitted
"Oh, I thought I did… But where should I begin?" The question was geared towards herself than anyone else.
"Well, the first time momma and I met was at a formal party held by President Raiko. Asami was wearing a long and beautiful red dress that day," explained Korra. She felt mesmerized at just the memory of Asami in her formal attire.
"Is that when you fell in love with Mamma?" Hyeon asked.
Korra let out a deep, awkward laugh. "Not exactly," she replied. "At first I thought she was rather prissy…"
"Prissy…?" The boy turned his head in confusion.
"It means being annoyingly respectable and proper. Or even stuck-up in some cases. But of course, Momma wasn't like that at all and turned out to be super cool. I found that out once she took me out for a car drive on her racing track. I felt pretty bad for making assumptions about her that turned out to not be true at all. And since then, I haven't really made any serious assumptions about people. Guess you could say that was one of the lessons I learned when I was a teenager; Don't judge someone before you get to know them, because you have no idea what that person is going through, or what that person is like," the waterbender explained. "I wasn't really taught that when I was young, so it's something I had to learn for myself. It's hard not to judge people Hyeon, but you just gotta think of what it would be like to be in their shoes," Korra went on.
Hyeon's eyes were attentive, and so were his ears which seemed to be almost sticking out further to get a better hearing of the story.
"I'm sorry kiddo, seems like I'm giving more of a lecture than a story." Korra scratched her head.
"No, so far it's very good," Hyeon assured.
Korra smiled at her son's reassurance. "Anyway, I ended up developing a lot of respect for her after that but I was still pretty jealous of Momma," the Avatar admitted.
"Jealous? Why?"
"Because… well… at the time…" The young mother tried to get her words out but just found herself stumbling. As beautiful and pure as Korra's feelings were for her wife, and the story of how they fell in love, it was also one of the most awkward stories to tell, given their history.
"At the time," she continued, "I was in love with Mako and Momma was with him at the time."
"Uncle Mako!?" Hyeon's eyes widened in surprise. "But I always thought Momma was the only one you've ever loved."
"I wish that she was…but that's not how life works most of the time. You usually have to go through multiple different people until you find your true love," Korra explained. "But that's something that you won't have to worry about for a while."
"So, what happened after that?"
"Well… um, Mako and Momma were together for a while but I had a feeling that Uncle Mako had feelings for me as well which turned out to be true. And not only did he like me, but so did Uncle Bolin which turned out to be even more awkward. Although, that didn't last long at least. Anyway, so Mako and I started dating but eventually after several months of dating, he and I were facing complications once again and fighting. We broke up but not really, at least not to me because I lost my memory and I've already told you the story of the first time I visited the spirit world so I won't get into that. And it turns out that Mako went back with Asami again without me knowing so eventually we just ended it all. So neither of us dated him ever again and just remained friends with him," Korra inhaled, breathing out; for she tried to explain all that in one breath to get it over with. "Okay, now that we got that cringe-worthy part out of the way, we can get to the good part of the story," Korra said to herself.
"How come no one ever told me that you and Momma loved Uncle Mako liked that?" Hyeon asked, trying to process the crazy roller-coaster of a story that Korra had just told.
"Because it was always embarrassing and difficult to talk about. But I guess that's what happens when you're young, stupid, and in love… Although, I'd figure you'd hear about it eventually… Anyway, a few weeks after the um… break-up with Mako and that whole incident with Harmonic Convergence-"
"Ooh! Is that when you had that big fight with great Uncle Unalaq?" the youngster asked.
"Yep, so after that, Asami and I really started to bond and we became best friends, even like sisters in a sense. And despite the whole thing with Uncle Mako, we didn't let it come between us and we weren't really acting awkward… unlike Mr. Cop," Korra chuckled.
"Mr. Cop? You mean Uncle Mako?"
The Avatar burst out in laughter. "Yeah! He was so awkward about all the stupid drama that went on between the three of us that he couldn't even talk to us casually. He even saluted us! The goof!"
Hyeon let out a giggle; not only did the young boy find the story humorous, but always found himself smiling when he heard his mother laugh.
"I'm gonna have to remind your mother of that story again," said Korra. "Anyway, Momma was also trying to teach me to drive that day too. I remember being very terrible at it. And I still am, to be honest," Korra chuckled.
"That's why Momma always drives," Hyeon grinned.
"Yeah, and when you're old enough to drive, you can drive me around," Korra joked, wrapping her arm around her son.
"No way Mommy," Hyeon joked back. "You should learn to drive."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But knowing me, I'll probably get road rage and start ramming into cars or running over people," Korra laughed.
"I'm kidding Mommy, I'd drive you wherever you need to go. And I'll have Momma teach me how to drive."
"That woman can drive anything. She might even try to teach you how to ride a motorcycle or a plane," the Avatar chortled.
"That sounds awesome!" The boy swung his arms at the thought of that.
"Yeah, yeah, but not until you're older," Korra reminded him, placing a kiss on his head.
"I know, I know," he sighed. "But what happens after that?" the child asked, changing the subject.
"Well, from that point on, I guess that's when I was starting to develop the crush a little bit. But I remember being in total denial about it. I didn't really want to worry about it… I didn't want to worry about maybe being 'different;' that I liked other girls and what Asami would do if she knew how I felt. I had enough to deal with: like the Airbenders returning, the earth queen, Zaheer. Although… after that incident with Zaheer when he forced me into the Avatar State and left me crippled… Well, I think I told you how Momma took care of me..." Tears started to form from Korra's eyes. "She was the reason I was able to barely keep my pieces together… I don't think I'd have been able to make it without her by my side. It was at that time that I realized that I was in love with Momma and that I couldn't live without her. But I still couldn't tell her that."
"When did you finally tell Momma that you loved her?" Hyeon inquired.
Korra then gently tightened her hold on Hyeon before answering.
"Well, remember how your Mother and I went on a vacation to the Spirit World?"
The young earthbender nodded.
"The night before we headed off was how I told her how I felt. And it turned out that she felt the same way about me. Also that she was scared to tell me as well in fear of ruining our friendship… Another thing we were both dealing with."
"What'd you do when she told you?"
"I remember I just froze; I was like a statue. Thoughts were running through my head like: 'Is this for real?' or 'Am I dreaming?' Momma had to take me out of my trance by hugging me. It took me a moment to get back into reality, but I held her tightly. That was when she told me that she liked me for a very long time. And then from there on, that's when we became a couple, and we've been inseparable ever since."
"Have you and Momma… ever gone back to the spirit world for another vacation since then?" Hyeon asked, holding onto his mother's hand.
"We went once again a few years later but other than that, no. Sometimes I'll go by myself to resolve spirit conflict or to meditate but other than that, I haven't really been able to go; let alone with your mother. We both have too much work to do here in Republic City," the Avatar explained.
"But, when Momma gets back… You think you guys can go again?"
"Hmm...maybe. But we'd bring you along too, of course."
"Really?" Hyeon's eye's had their own expression of delight, along with his smile as he looked up at his mother.
"Of course, you're our family silly," Korra pointed out as she poked Hyeon's nose.
"Before Mom and Dad died, they took me to the spirit world when I was only two-years-old from what they told me… so I don't even remember it," said Hyeon.
"Yeah," Korra replied sadly. "I remember you mentioning that… but that won't happen to me and momma, I won't let it. And I promise you'll remember the spirit world this time; It's something you can't forget." The waterbender then wrapped her arms around her son, giving him a warm hug.
The young boy returned the hug, burying his head in the crook of his Mother's neck.
"I can't wait until Momma gets back," Hyeon stated.
"Yeah, me too…"
Hyeon stayed with Korra until he felt confident to sleep by himself. He gave his sleeping mother (who was snoring like a flying bison) a quick kiss on the cheek before tip-toeing back to his room.
"Love you, mommy," he whispered, quietly closing the door.
X Early the next morning X
A loud ringing was erupting in Korra's head. It was slow, and slightly high pitched. It sounded like… a telephone… a telephone? Korra then opened her eyes, taking in all the sunlight creeping into the room.
Dammit… I forgot to shut the curtains last night, she thought.
The bender then finally turned her direction to the telephone. It was still ringing. Still. She groaned into her pillow as she picked up the device, almost dropping it.
"Hello?" she mumbled.
"Hey sweetheart, good morning." it was the sweet, tender voice of Asami Sato.
Korra blushed. "Oh, ah… good morning."
"I can tell that you were still sound asleep," the CEO teased.
"What time is it?" Korra asked, rubbing her eyes of sleep.
"Well, it's 10 past eight here, but Republic City is a few hours behind with the time zone, so… 10 past six your time."
"Great…"
"Sorry for calling you so early. I was going to call you last night but got so caught up in the project. I finally found some time for a break so I didn't want to pass the time up to call you," Asami explained.
"It's fine, I would just rather listen to your beautiful voice first thing in the morning than the stupid phone. Or better yet, not hear the phone at all…"
Asami laughed, leaning back against her office chair. "Maybe someday there will be phones where you can record sounds to set them as a phone ring."
"Oh spirits, if that were the case, I'd be recording your voice. Maybe you should invent them." Korra responded. "You have no idea how much I miss you."
"I miss you too… I'm really starting to regret this job offer," the heiress admitted.
"C'mon, don't say that."
"I mean, the Fire Nation is beautiful and I'm working with kind and talented people, but it's not the same without you, Hyeon, and the rest of the family. Hopefully, I can come to visit soon."
Korra then remembered the conversation she had with Hyeon. "Hey, that reminds me. When you come back for good, why don't the three of us take a vacation to the spirit world?" Korra suggested.
"The spirit world? Man, it's been ages since we've been there…! But I've always wanted to go back," said Asami. "So, sure, I'd like that. The three of us can have a family vacation to the spirit world," the CEO concluded.
"Now I'm missing you even more though…" Korra pouted.
"I know honey, I miss you guys so much. I wish I could come home right now..."
"I even sprayed some of your perfume on your side of the bed and everything like I said I would. But that just made me feel more lonely," the younger woman sighed.
"Yeah, I did the same thing here, but it didn't really help much though…" Asami admitted.
Korra thought of something that would lighten up the mood; she didn't want their phone call to be all sad and gloomy. She smirked at the thought of her idea.
"Hmm… better not hook up with some attractive firebender again to ease the loneliness," Korra teased. "Or else I'd be on a boat in a heartbeat."
Asami cocked an eyebrow, grinning. "Now Korra, if I wanted to have some affair-which I never would anyway-I wouldn't be able to because I've been so busy. Besides, you're the only one that has my heart; I wouldn't even dream of cheating on you."
"Yeah, but Asami you're so sexy... I bet you've gotten hit on nonstop since you arrived." Korra was trying to sound playful but ended up coming off as a bit serious.
"No Korra, no has a hit on me," Asami assured with a laugh.
"Aw, c'mon, I can't be worried?" asked Korra.
"Well, what if I'm worried too?" Asami added.
"Pfff, yeah, the only place I really go to around here is Air Temple Island. And I don't think the Air Acolytes are allowed to have those 'desires,' Korra joked.
"Yeah, you're right, but…" Asami's sentence drifted off and she became silent. The heiress then breathed into the phone, ready to add to the subject. "Don't you… miss the sex?" Asami whispered.
Korra's face became red like an angry firebender, or in this case, an embarrassed one. And she was thanking the spirits that Asami couldn't see her face. For she was reminded of some of the nights where she would be thinking of Asami a little too much.
"Yeah," a cough, "a lot…" Korra admitted.
"Oh, ah, so I'm not the only one… that's good…" Asami said awkwardly.
The waterbender then wondered if Asami also did those… activities while thinking of her too. She didn't dare ask or go further into the conversation as it would lead to even more awkwardness. Instead, she changed the subject to something that was a little more… PG.
"I miss the pillow talk too," said Korra.
"Oh?" the raven-haired inquired.
"Yeah, I miss cuddling with you after we have sex, and just talking about whatever."
"Mmm... me too."
"So come back home for a visit soon so we can cuddle," Korra playfully demanded.
"I'll come to visit as soon as I can, you can count on that," Asami replied.
"All right, I'll hold you to it then," said Korra.
"Hey, is Hyeon around? I'd like to say hello," asked Asami.
"Uhh… I'm sure he's around here somewhere; I'll go look for him. Be right back!"
"Wait, Korra!" Asami called as Korra dropped the phone on the bed.
"Yeah?" Korra answered, placing the phone back towards her ear.
"I love you, dork," Asami said grinning.
"And I love you, beautiful."
Korra then dashed out of her and Asami's room, beginning her search for Hyeon. Luckily, her search wasn't very long, for he was in his room playing with some action figures Asami got for him a while ago at a Republic City toy store.
"Ah! There you are!" Korra called.
The young earthbender turned around, giving his mother a smile. "Hey Mommy, did you just wake up?" Hyeon asked due to his observation of Korra still wearing her light-blue sweatpants and a tank top and her hair sticking up all over the place.
"Yeah, guess I look the part, huh?" Korra said, trying to fix her hair. "Momma's on the phone. You wanna talk to her?"
"Yeah! I would never pass the chance to say 'hi' to Momma!" The boy beamed. "Did she call from your room?"
"Yeah, she's still on the line waiting for you," said Korra.
"'Kay!" Hyeon said as he sprinted towards the master bedroom, almost as fast as an airbender.
"Hey, Momma!" he greeted.
Korra stood by the doorway, arms crossed with a smile on her face.
"Momma! I'm not your 'little man,'" Hyeon laughed. "But I'm doing good. How are you? I miss you!"
Korra didn't want to eavesdrop, so she left the room knowing that Hyeon would be on the phone for a little while.
XXX
It's been over 10 months since Asami left for the Fire Nation and was able to make two visits back to Republic City, which would last about a week. During the time of Asami's absence, her friends and family grew to miss her more and more with each passing day. But they tried to carry on their days as normal. Korra would help Hyeon with his earthbending and the two would often go to Air Temple Island to visit Tenzin, Pema, and the air bending kids. Also, Korra would spend time with Mako, Daiyu, Bolin, and Opal, while Hyeon would play with the other children. But it was difficult for everyone; it was almost like trying to finish a puzzle, however, one of the pieces was nowhere to be found. And you keep on building this puzzle until that particular piece shows up somewhere one way or another… It was a Sunday morning and Korra and Hyeon were preparing breakfast while listening to a Pro-Bending match on the radio. The doorbell rang and could be heard all throughout the mansion.
"I'll get it!" Hyeon claimed.
The boy quickly sprinted to the front door; the Butler wasn't even in sight. Korra on the other hand shrugged. She was not expecting company today but figured it could be Tenzin with some "avatar assignments," the press, or Lin just dropping by to yell at Korra about something she broke… which is something the avatar would still do at times but not nearly as frequent as when she was a teenager. But the fully-realized Avatar didn't hear any of those voices. Not the deep, gentle voice of Tenzin, the loud, obnoxious voice of the press, or the firm and commanding voice of Lin Beifong.
"Hey sweetheart, I'm home!" The voice was sweet and confident. It was Asami's voice. What was she doing here? She always announces when she was coming home for a visit.
"Momma! What are you doing here?" Hyeon questioned, giving his mother a hug.
"I've got some news to share. Where's Korra?" Asami asked, returning the hug and placing a gentle kiss on the boy's head.
"She's right here," Korra announced.
"Korra," Asami called out, almost singing her name. The waterbender leaned up and down to both Asami's and Hyeon's level, wrapping her arms around them.
"Wasn't expecting you to drop by," Korra teased, placing a tender kiss on the taller woman's cheek.
"So you don't want me here?" Asami retorted a smirk was displayed on her face.
"No, it's just that you always let us know when you're coming down to visit," Korra explained.
"Thought I'd surprise the both of you," said Asami.
"Well, you definitely got the surprise part down," said Korra as she gave her wife another hug.
"So what's the big news, Mamma?" Hyeon asked, tugging on his mother's hand.
"Right. So it turns out that after being away for so long, I can finally come home for good now."
Huge smiles grew on the waterbender and earthbender's faces as they practically tackled the CEO.
"For real!?" Korra beamed. "This isn't some kind of joke, is it?"
"No, I've even packed everything I took on my trip and it's sitting in the car," said Asami.
"Let me help you get your stuff!" Hyeon said as he broke free of the family's hold, sprinting towards the automobile's trunk.
"Wait a minute honey, I'll be over in a second!" Asami called, making her way towards the Satomobile.
Before the taller woman was too far from Korra's grasp, she took Asami's hand and looked into her eyes.
"I'm glad you're back," said Korra lovingly.
"Yeah, me too," Asami said as she gently squeezed her wife's hand.
The two women then made their way to the car, ready to gather all of Asami's things for good.
XXX
It has been a few days since the engineer returned home, and she, along with her wife and son, have been packing their bags for the last hour for their family vacation to the spirit world.
"Um, Korra, we're only going for a week," the CEO pointed out. The Avatar was packing all sorts of clothes and gadgets in her backpack, even Asami's equalist glove. Which the heiress couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at. "And is the glove really necessary?"
"I know, I know, but you never know what could go wrong," Korra said. "Hyeon is going to be with us this time and I want to make sure I can protect him. If it were just the two of us-"
"I know the spirit world is unpredictable, but-"
"Yeah, I know. I remember telling you that and then afterward getting attacked by a gigantic boulder spirit, remember?" the water bender pouted.
Asami's face scrunched up as she recalled the memory. "Yes, I remember. But that was when the spirits were still a little uneasy about the new portal. The spirits are a lot easier going. A lot of them were anyway, just some were… a bit grumpy."
"Hmm… you're probably right," said Korra. "I just want this vacation to be perfect with no obstacles like before. I'm really looking forward to this."
"I know you are," Asami placed her hand on Korra's shoulder... "But try to relax. You know your emotions are connected to the spirit world, so being all paranoid might just upset the spirits and the balance within the spirit world. How did you feel when the two of us first entered? Asami asked.
"A little nervous… but that was only because I was with an extremely beautiful woman who I just told that I liked," said Korra. Asami chuckled.
"But for the most part… I felt like I was drowning but in a good way. I know it sounds odd… but I guess, I mean, I was drowning in my love for you, and just in a state of complete euphoria when you told me that you loved me too and that we were actually a couple... " Korra started gently massaging the hand that rested upon her slightly broad shoulder. "And now I'm even happier because I'm going to the spirit world with my gorgeous wife and amazing son."
"See Korra, there's no reason to worry." Asami cupped Korra's cheeks, giving her a passionate kiss on the lips. Korra deepened the kiss by wrapping her arms around her wife's waist, eventually bringing their foreheads together when their lips separated.
"Mommy! Momma! Are you guys ready yet?" Hyeon called from outside the room. Hyeon cheerfully walked around in a circle as he tightly held onto the straps of his backpack.
"Yeah, let's head out," said Korra who reached for Hyeon's hand. "You ready, kiddo?" she asked.
The boy nodded, reaching his hand towards Asami. The CEO smiled at her son, gently taking his right hand. The three walked hand in hand to Asami's car but soon would be hand in hand walking through the alluring, green portal that proudly glowed in the middle of Republic City where they each would be experiencing a family vacation none would forget.