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Asami

Asami had this thing she did whenever she faced a problem that she couldn't find the solution to: go to the track, suit up, and drive—for as long as it took or until management tapped into her radio and told her she had to come in. Sometimes it took until twilight; sometimes it took days. It wasn't just because driving was her love and she could stay in a metal box that had an engine humming inside of it forever.

It was because of tunnel vision, that moment when things in her peripheral vision blurred and faded away, and the wind pushed at her face making her nose run a little and her lips chap. It was because there, her problems took form as a beast or a monster and she could race it and figure out ways of cutting it off and beating it, only stopping when she felt like she had won, had found the finish line, the solution. In tunnel vision, the path from problem to solution was bone-straight, the boundaries and lines to the solution stripping away until the road was clear.

She couldn't do that this time.

She had gone from a socialite on a pedestal to a fallen heiress estranged from her father—penniless, disowned. No more black tar, white strips of paint, and handshakes at the end of the line whenever she needed it. And even if somehow after everything that had happened, she had actually been allowed near the track, someone was late in telling her because she was sitting in jail against her will right now.

So chalk up convict to the scoreboard, too.

That didn't mean that she wasn't trying to imagine herself in tunnel vision and it wasn't working. The feeling was there...the only problem was there were two beasts now. And the one that was gaining on her wasn't the one that dealt with her father anymore.

It was smaller...more personal. And stupid in the grand scheme of things, but she couldn't ignore it. Not when it had come up from behind like it had.

"DidyouknowthatKorralikesMako?"

No, she hadn't. The thought never crossed her mind before.

And why would it?

She and Korra hadn't started as friends, but she had been so nice lately. And it was rare for her because Asami didn't have a lot of girls she could call friends. But she felt like Korra was like her a little. They had made progress—they were connecting even: Korra welcoming her to Air Temple Island; racing together on the track and Korra praising her for what she loved waking up in the morning to do; apologizing for her father...

Huh.

...Korra had been really involved with that—like, the catalyst that had gotten everything rolling. Way beyond it seeming that she was just doing her Avatar duty at some points. She had been the one that accused her father of being with the Equalists based on a conversation; she had been the one that led the police to find the motive and to push the investigation—

No. Time out.

Korra had done all of that, but she had been right in the end. She was blurring issues together, right? The monster that was her dad and the monster that was Korra were two separate things. She had to keep them like that.

Korra had gone on a date with Bolin. She remembered that because she had been there when they had planned it. And she had remembered thinking how it would be good if Bolin and Korra dated. They both wouldn't be third wheels anymore; their personalities matched one another's almost perfectly.

She didn't remember hearing about what had happened on their date though. And they hadn't been lovey-dovey when she had seen them days later either after their match.

"Argh! Haven't you hurt me enough, woman?"

Huh.

For two people that would go so well together, the matched they had played afterwards was their worst game ever. Even worse between them and the Boarqupines.

...When it looked like Korra and Mako had been fighting between them.

On the track, she would have changed lanes because her thoughts were shifting...

Korra and Mako...Korra and Mako...Korra and Mako...

...Mako and Korra...

Mako and Korra were friends, the type of friends that seemed only capable of functioning if and when they fought. Mako thought she was talented at Pro-Bending, but he had admitted to her that Korra's temper frustrated him from time to time. She got mad when he reprimanded her for forgetting the details of their plays; when his praise of her technique lacked the enthusiasm Bolin gave her; she was the responsible for tarnishing The Fire Ferrets' spotless record with that reckless holding foul.

And yet, their fighting had ended, or changed. It was more like whispering now. Like that one time when Korra was accusing her father. They had walked away, whispered something to each other, and walked back before she and Mako had left. Korra had looked hurt...and Mako didn't say anything to her when she had thanked him later for defending her father's name, just looked sadder in the eyes.

The same eyes that sometimes followed Korra when she walked into and through a room...or stood close by to them...or spoke to other people where he couldn't see.

"She was just amazing. I never knew she could Firebend like that. I kept thinking she needed help at one point, that I had, um...me and Bolin...needed to get to the roof and help her. But she was fine..."

He had said that when he had told her about Korra fighting the Equalists on the arena's roof. He had...stumbled over his words...

"Don't do it! It's not worth it! Korra, it's okay! We'll be fine!"

He had said that earlier tonight.

...She knew that Korra liked Mako now, so it made sense that she had only listened to him.

But he had been so focused on talking her down.

Did he...?

Did he really...?

"Asami."

She looked over at him and gave one long blink, to get rid of the thoughts.

His hand clasped hers and it felt warm. "You okay? Being here?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Jail's not so scary. Remember, I'm a tough girl." She gave a small smile because she felt like maybe that was something she would do if she wasn't worried. Or... suspicious. "I'm just trying to stay calm until morning. I know Korra's gonna get us out of here by then."

"No way The Avatar's gonna get us outta here." One man burst out, overhearing the conversation. "You see the way Tarrlock went around her? If he could get around the girl that can bend all the elements, we don't have a chance."

"Hey!" Bolin piped up. "Korra said she'd get us out and she will. She keeps her promises."

"I'll believe it when I get out of this cell and she gets my lights turned back on."

"...Korra does keep her promises..." Mako murmured softly enough that only she could hear. "I just hope she doesn't do something crazy to keep it."

"Why would she? She wouldn't do something crazy when we're sitting in here." Asami answered.

"Because she's Korra. She wouldn't purposely do something wrong, but if she thinks going to the extreme will fix something, she'll do it. And...I really don't want her to. I told her we'd be fine. And we will be." His hand gripped hers and it had gotten warmer.

And the wheels in her head turned, further and further from the finish line...

Tunnel Vision

Inspired by the episode "When Extremes Meet". For some reason, this was really hard to write, and I don't know if that's because even now Asami doesn't seem to have that much of a personality to me. Or I was trying to make the racing motif work too hard the first time, hahaha. But it did really work out in the end, right?

Even though I like Makorra, I do like Asami too. Alone. Without Mako. When Masami reaches its peak, it's going to be glorious.