Chapter 21

Something

The rays of the sun penetrated the balcony windows, bright and demanding. The gusts had stopped, the windstorm had passed, and it was time to return to reality. They stirred from their sleep at the same time, bodies close and warm. Both groaned to the power of the light when their eyes opened. They blinked to adjust, each taking a free hand to rub their respective faces. It took the pair a few minutes to fully awaken, and it wasn't until Asami began to stretch her legs that they realized just how tight their positions were against each other.

Any remnants of exhaustion couldn't stop the blood from rushing to their faces.

Asami sat forward to the edge of the couch and Korra pulled herself upright, scratching the back of her head out of embarrassment. They refused to meet each other's eyes. Their blushes faded and a shiver crawled across the engineer's skin from the still-cool apartment air. The Southerner smiled and placed her pelt back over Asami's shoulders. She turned to meet the Water Tribe girl's blue irises. They glimmered in the sunlight, accented by the soft smirk below them. The pale beauty returned Korra's look and inched closer to the injured woman.

Words fluttered back to the surface, along with hunger pains from missing dinner last night. Their stomachs growled in unison and interrupted their intense stares. Laughter erupted from their bellies and the warmth of each other's presence filled them.

"I guess we should get some food." Korra chuckled and rose to her feet, reaching her hands to the ceiling in a full-body stretch. Asami mimicked her and shuffled to the kitchen. Korra watched her leave, hair disheveled and a fur skin wrapped around her torso. It was then that the brunette realized she very much liked the sight of Asami wearing her pelt. The raven still maintained a grace and elegance in her appearance and her steps that Korra couldn't explain. She soaked her in with red cheeks before she was out of sight and straightened the living room prior to following her.

"I've got some leftover noodles from a day or two ago, or I can make something fresh, if you want." The engineer rummaged through a cupboard as she spoke.

"Something fresh would be nice. I've still got the taste of hospital food in my mouth." Korra pulled the pot from the strainer and filled it with water to make tea. She washed their mugs while Asami moved around her, putting her own pan on the stove to heat up the thin layer of oil inside. The Southerner glanced over at the vegetables the older woman was cutting up and placing in the skillet. "Since when do you know how to cook?"

Asami giggled. "I can make basic things, Korra."

She analyzed the engineer's technique with suspicious eyes, recalling the last time Asami tried to make a 'simple' roasted chicken-duck dish a few weeks ago and how she had failed with flying colors. "You've been practicing, haven't you?"

Asami continued chopping up components of her stirfry and tossing them into the pan, her back to the Water Tribe girl. "Well, I had to. I couldn't let you think I sucked at cooking, now could I?" She spun around with an eyebrow raised and a cheeky smirk.

"Always one for a challenge, aren't you? Miss Asami Sato, master of everything and anything she puts her mind to." Korra shortened the distance between them.

"You're damn right." Asami had a fire in her eyes that made the Southerner pull her closer by the fur fringe of the pelt, which was now around the engineer's waist. A blush fanned across her pale cheeks. Their gazes were powerful and their faces were mere inches from each other. A pop of oil called to them and the older woman returned to the stove in a hidden frantic state, hoping her food was not overcooked; she couldn't show off her skills if her meal was burnt. She flicked the handle to flip the veggies with a precision of a master chef.

Korra watched on in amazement until the sound of boiling water stole her attention. She threw in some tea leaves and a few jasmine blossoms and stirred, her peripherals focusing on the woman working beside her.

"Watch your hand instead of me, Korra."

What? The Water Tribe girl looked down to find her fingers about a nail-width away from the flame of the burner. She yanked her hand away with a quiet gasp. How did she –?

"Ready?" Asami spun around with two plates full of food, the aroma carried by billows of steam exuding from their surfaces.

The shorter woman nodded. She followed her to the dining room with two cups of tea and sat across from the engineer. Korra poked at the veggies in front of her with her chopsticks.

"It's delicious, trust me." Asami smiled in her smugness and shoved a piece into her mouth with confidence. Spot on.

She pushed her hesitation down and took a bite. Spirits, she's right. The Southerner tried to act unimpressed with her next swallow, but she was a terrible liar. She had to give in. "Alright, alright, you win this round, Sato."

The engineer chuckled and continued eating. Silence fell between them for just a moment, but it was a moment too long. Korra's thoughts flashed back to the night before.

"So what are we going to do?"

Asami raised an eyebrow and examined the woman across from her. She lowered her chopsticks and exhaled. "I don't think there is much we can do. We could tell the Dean about Kuru, but there's no evidence to support the claim against the board. He could make up any sort of story about how he got those injuries on his hand. Against yours, it just becomes a battle of accounts, especially if we bring Sentai into it. With everything that's been happening lately, they might just think you're trying to frame him. Stupid fucking prejudiced board." Her voice was bitter as she recalled the conversation she had with Dr. Suri over the death threat letters. If we just had some of those letters or a witness or something…

Korra frowned and pushed a Fire Pepper around her plate. Now what? There has to be something. But what could we possibly do? They won't believe us, not without evidence. But what evidence do we really have? Even my own injuries are healing faster than I would have expected. His are probably gone by now. Fuck! There has to be something…

She looked up when a pale palm covered the back of her tan hand.

"We'll figure something out." The engineer could see the woman was unconvinced. She watched as Korra's eyes slipped further into darkness before the blue irises dropped. Her chopsticks came to a halt. Asami could feel the shift in temperature against her skin. She knew the Water Tribe girl too well. "How about we spend the day away from all of this?" She was aware of when the younger woman needed to be pushed into the solution, and when she just needed an escape. For this situation, it was the latter, she concluded.

The idea grabbed Korra's attention. She locked onto the peridots across from her with a half-confused, half-excited expression. She didn't see this as running from her problems (or, at least, she convinced herself it wasn't), and she knew such actions wouldn't help solve a damn thing. But she could use a good distraction, something to just clear her mind for a while so she could start fresh and crack down on everything that was happening. She didn't see an issue with this. Just a little break, laced with an ignored denial. But how could she possibly elude something both inside of her and surrounding her?

After a bit of contemplation, she asked. "What did you have in mind?"

Asami smiled. "Let's go to the City. It seems like it's been a long time since we've gone. I bet a change of scenery would be nice for the both of us. We can visit that noodle place you really like and I can show you some more of the 'grand sites to behold in the Great Republic City'" she gestured, imitating an advertisement they had both heard on the radio too many times.

"Let's do it!" A crooked grin hit Korra's face. Perfect.