Chapter 3

Confession

"Korra? Are you awake?" Asami whispered, pushing her body into the entrance of the tent.

"Asami?" Korra rolled over and pulled her fur down from her face. Though her movements and speech were groggy, it was more from exhaustion than it was from interrupted slumber. "You're – you're shivering."

"Yeah." She held her elbows and looked away. "Your dad only had two pelts – one for you and one for him and Senna – and I don't have the warmest clothes on, to be honest."

"Well, come inside. Come here. I'll keep you warm." She sat up and ushered the engineer into her temporary nest. "Here," she pulled her parka off and handed it to the raven, "put this on. It'll help."

"Korra, I can't take your parka. Don't you need it?"

She shook her head. "I'm used to the cold, remember? And as long as I've got wind protection, I'm fine with a pelt. Besides, I've got Naga to keep me warm, too." She grinned and threw her hand behind her to pet her half-awake polar bear dog.

Asami smiled and slid into the Water Tribe coat. A mixture of Korra's scent and something exotic – like lilies – floated into her nose. She closed her eyes and inhaled for a moment before locking onto the blue irises in front of her. "Thank-you, Korra. I really appreciate it."

It took Korra a few seconds to respond; her focus was on preventing her cheeks from reddening. She very much liked the look of Asami in her coat – moreso than when the engineer was wrapped up in her fur just a few weeks prior in the woman's upscale apartment off campus. She snapped herself out of it when she took another look at the raven before her. "You're still shivering." Korra crawled up to her and enveloped the heiress' torso with her sleeping pelt. "Take this, too."

"How about we share?" She hid her blush, handing the fur back to the Water Tribe girl. "You said you would need a pelt, too, if you had wind protection."

She threw an embarrassed hand behind her head. "Oh yeah. Right. Here," she scooted over and sat in an agura position. She patted the spot beside her.

Asami paused for a moment, eyeing the pieces of fabric spread out on the ground where Korra was laying. "You were sleeping on your extra clothes?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it acts as an insulator against the ground when it's cold. It's a trick my dad taught me." She pouted her lip and scrunched her brow for a moment, contemplating. "I probably should have done that when I was shivering in that alleyway…" She shrugged. "Well, it's too late now. Here, Asami. Come inside. Get out of the wind."

Asami grinned and filled the space next to the Water Tribe girl.

She tossed half of the pelt over the engineer's back, leaving the other portion on her own.

"Thanks for helping me warm up, Korra. I'm not used to the cold – if you couldn't tell. It was keeping me awake."

"It's okay." Korra smirked but froze, unsure of what to do at the moment. She couldn't tell if it was exhaustion, nervousness, or just lack of knowledge, but she found herself overthinking every single possible action she could take right now.

Relax, Korra, relax.

I've never been this nervous around Asami, before.

Well, you were never so adamant about your feelings for her before.

Yeah… you're right… but still, I shouldn't be that different. What's changed?

A lot has changed and you know it.

She groaned inside, still uncertain of what to do or say or anything.

I know. But it's Asami. I've been this close to her be –

She fought with every ounce of her being to hide her blush.

Relax, Korra, relax.

I –

Relax.

What do I do? What do I do? Come on, brain: I know you're tired and in pain, but help me.

That's your problem. Stop relying on your brain and focus on your heart.

My heart?

Yes. Do what you've done before and just feel.

Just… feel…

"Are you alright? You seem a little tense." Asami interrupted her internal debacle.

"Oh, um, me? Yeah, I'm fine. Super fine, totally fine." She ended her attempt at a response with anxious laughter and a sheepish hand behind her head.

Asami raised her eyebrow and gave Korra a knowing look.

Smooth, Korra. You're supposed to feel, not act like a fool.

Well, all I'm feeling at the moment is nervous – nervousness?... anxiety!

She cursed herself in her head.

Relax, Korra. It's just Asami. The woman you've been talking to for quite some time, without so many issues. The wonderful… gorgeous…

Smack.

Ow! What the hell?

Focus.

First, you tell me not to focus and just feel. Now, you're telling me to focus. What do you want me to do?

Pay attention to Asami instead of your rampant thoughts.

You make it sound easy, as if you've got nothing at all to do with this.

Korra, would you just look at her and listen to your feelings?

She threw her internal hands up in frustration. I'm trying. I really am. You're not making it any simpler of a task.

Asami watched the emotions unfold in the brunette's somewhat lost eyes. "You're definitely not fine."

She sighed and dropped her head. "Is it that obvious?"

She smirked and inched closer. "You always were a terrible liar."

"Yeah, I guess I am." She exhaled, thinking back to the conversation earlier. "How are you feeling?" She met her peridots, desperate to change the topic as she fiddled with her hands in her lap.

"Better. Your mom really saved me back there. I thought for sure the bleeding would have stopped, but I guess I just didn't clot in time." She pulled her corner of the fur a bit closer to her face to combat a chill.

"Your color looks a lot better." Korra brushed her pale cheek with her left hand, commanding her attention. "I was really worried about you."

"Likewise." There was an unintentional bitterness in her tone.

Korra recoiled just a bit and lowered her eyes. "I didn't get a chance to apologize earlier, but I'm sorry, Asami. For everything."

Asami ran her fingers under Korra's chin and lifted it until their pupils locked. She slid her palm along her jawline until the tips were in her loose, brown hair. "I'm just glad you're here now and that I know that you're safe and alive." She sent her a simple smile as she got lost in the oceans before her.

"Me, too. I kept trying to get to you, but I couldn't find Future Industries for the life of me. The City is crazy, Asami."

She chuckled. "I understand."

A silence fell between them as they stared into each other's eyes.

Should I do it? Maybe now's the time. Should I say something? Does she even feel the same way?

Mirrored thoughts crossed their minds. They crept closer as Korra placed her hand over the light one resting on her face. A loud growl interrupted them.

Asami pulled away and blushed, averting her sight to the corner of the tent.

Korra grinned. "Are you still hungry? Here," she dragged her bag from the opposing side of the ice structure and retrieved her portion of the fruit from their meal earlier, "you can have the rest of mine. I'm not all that hungry right now."

She raised her eyebrow and hesitated. "Are you sure, Korra?"

She nodded. "Positive. Besides, do you know how many times you've fed me in the past? Hell, you've been giving me food since the first day we met after chem lab. The least I can do is give you something to eat when you're hungry."

Asami giggled before she took a massive bite into an apple. "Thank-you, Korra. I really appreciate it." She sent an unknowing wink her way as she munched on her fruit.

Asami almost choked on her food at the realization, but she hid it well.

Wait, did I just wink at her?

What are you thinking, Asami?

I – I don't think I was thinking, to be honest.

You must be really tired to pull something like that. Get it together.

She filled her mouth with more to give herself a chance to mull over what happened without having to answer what she was sure to be a follow-up question about her actions.

Korra's cheeks grew as red as the apple, if not moreso. At least, it felt that way to her.

Asami definitely just winked at you, didn't she? This isn't just some sort of dream, right? Like, it was a definite wink?

There was no response.

Korra? Korra!

Nothing but gushy feelings came out of her internal voice.

Sure, now you just sit there and feel your emotions. I don't get paid enough to do this.

Her sarcastic side was expecting some sort of retort, such as 'you don't get paid for this', but when nothing came out, it surrendered.

Alright, time to get that mind back.

Within seconds, the overwhelming emotions forced Korra to look away in embarrassment until her exhaustion got the best of her. She yawned and stretched her arms just as Asami finished the apple.

"You should save the lychee nuts for yourself." Asami leaned forward and placed the small fruit into Korra's hands, intruding on whatever it was that was going on inside of the Water Tribe girl. "In case you get hungry in the middle of the night."

Korra smiled and stared at her, unable to conjure words. After a moment of awkwardness, she tossed the lychee nuts into her bag and tied the top before Asami could see the rest of its contents. She rotated back to the heiress with the same confused look on her face.

Asami took a moment to take Korra in. Her eyes – as blue as her irises always were – were tired, tired and bloodshot. The dark rings at the bottom of her sockets confirmed this. Her hair, though loose, was somewhat disheveled. Her outfit was littered with small holes, rips, and stains. Whatever sort of journey Korra had been on, it had been a long one.

"You look tired, Korra," she spoke up, trying to break the silence between them. "When was the last time you slept?"

She hesitated. "I slept on and off a few hours ago. I'm not sure for how long, but before that and the short rest I had on Oogi – Tenzin's sky bison… I hadn't really slept at all, to be honest. At least, not enough."

The engineer frowned. "Why?"

"I've…" Korra looked at her hands, turning them over in her lap. She stared at the bruises on her right knuckles and paused to reflect on her journey to this very spot. She thought of Tenzin and sighed. "I haven't been sleeping well. I've been having bad dreams."

"What are they about?"

She pulled her knees up to her chest. "A lot of things. One of them was about you."

"Really?"

Korra nodded. "I – ah!" She held her temples and muffled her agonizing groan as a sharp pain shot into her skull.

No. I was doing so well to hide the pain. Why does it keep coming back?!

"Korra?! Are you alright?" Asami gripped her shoulders to keep the Water Tribe girl upright.

She bobbed her head. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I just – I've been getting weird pains every time I try to remember my dreams. I think – I think I just need some rest, so they don't hurt so much… so it doesn't hurt so much."

Asami pulled her into a gentle hug. "Is there any way I can help?"

Korra departed and looked into the worried peridots in front of her. She noticed the faint circles below them and the exhaustion in the curves of her face. She avoided looking at her lips, for her own safety. "You look tired, too." She was eager to change the topic, just for now; she wasn't quite ready to talk to Asami about everything that has been happening to her. "When was the last time you slept, Asami?"

"Not since the night before we were supposed to meet for lunch, and even that was just broken sleep..." She looked away and pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. "I couldn't sleep last night."

"What's that?"

She unfolded the sheet and handed it to Korra. "I kept reading it over and over last night. I was too worried to sleep and this was the last thing of yours that I had…"

Korra took the note from her fingers and looked it over.

"I was afraid it was the last thing you'd ever say to me. I didn't know when I'd see you again, if I got to see you again."

Her face scrunched up as she fought a lump in her throat. Korra crawled towards the exit of the tent and popped her torso out of the hole.

"What are you doing?"

She tossed the letter she had written before she left her dorm into the fire as Asami poked her head out to see it burn.

"Korra?"

"I don't want that to be how you remember me. You don't need it anymore, because I'm not leaving. Never again." Her tone was solemn and determined, despite the heaviness in her eyes.

The pair watched the flames consume the paper in silence. Once its ashes sunk into the pile with the rest, Korra returned to the inside of the tent.

Asami took one last look at the fire and followed. "Are – are you okay, Korra?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes. "I'm fine. Just – tired. Very tired."

She removed the pelt from her torso and handed it to the Water Tribe girl. "I should let you rest, then. I don't want to keep you awake." She turned to leave when a hand around her forearm stopped her.

"I'm probably not going to get much sleep anyway." She guided the porcelain beauty back into a sitting position and looked into her eyes. "You asked me how you could help. Could you stay with me?" She offered the raven the fur, never looking away from her peridots. "Please?"

There was more hesitation in her decision than she ever would have thought, though it wasn't much to begin with. She couldn't trace the reasoning and didn't care to, so she ignored the very faint faltering in her gut. Her lips curled into a gentle smile as she accepted the pelt. "Of course I can."

Korra returned the favor. "You're still shivering. Come here; I'll keep you warm, Asami." She tossed her side of the pelt over her and stretched onto the ground.

Asami mimicked her until they were side by side on their backs, both of their bodies only somewhat covered by the pelt. A strong wind penetrated the tent and forced another shiver up the Non-Bender's spine.

"Here, come closer."

They edged themselves towards each other upon Korra's request until the fur enveloped the entirety of their limbs. They morphed from laying on their spines to their sides, Korra's front to Asami's back. The pair melted into each other with ease, as if this had just been another exhausted night of studying on the heiress' couch in her apartment near the university. Their skin would be touching if it weren't for their clothes and neither of them seemed to have a problem with it. Actually, that was a lie. If they could be closer, they would be – they wanted to be.

Asami inhaled and relaxed, comfortable with her position against Korra; she was too tired and too cold to blush, nor was she energized enough to pursue the desire burning inside of her.

Korra took in the scent of Asami's hair, a smell she hadn't realized she missed so much until this moment. She, too, was much too weary to have flushed cheeks. She wasn't quite sure where to put her hand, though, which seemed to be a first for her; in the past, she had been groggy enough to just throw it around the woman's waist in her half-asleep state. It was her favorite spot after all – her palm and even her arm fitting perfectly on the little curve between Asami's ribs and hip. But she didn't quite have this luxury, and her time alone – as well as her exhaustion – forced her to overthink it, ignoring her previous advice to 'just feel'. Her hand hovered a few inches above the woman's shoulder, torn between retreating and just going for it.

The decision was made for her before she could rip herself apart in hesitation. Asami pulled her tan palm around to her abdomen – sensing her anxiety – to make it easier on the Water Tribe girl. She smiled and locked their fingers together. She could feel the tension ooze away from the woman behind her with the action. Korra was starting to relax, and it didn't take long for the engineer to know that it's exactly what the blue-eyed beauty needed at this point in her fatigue.

They were simple. They were peaceful. They were natural. They were far from sleep despite their bodies protesting for their minds to quiet down. And they were experiencing a heat between them that was undeniable.

Guilt rose up inside of Korra. She kept thinking about why it was that she couldn't sleep, about everything that she had been through – well, that which she could remember without causing herself immense pain. She thought about how much she ached for Asami when they were apart and why she felt so comfortable with the raven next to her. She was unaccustomed to the feeling, to having someone wield such a control over her without trying. But each breath simmered her feelings of vulnerability. She was just so relaxed. So… so warm. Warm and guilty.

I have to do it. I just… I have to.

She wasn't sure if fatigue fueled or hindered her feelings. All she knew was that she couldn't keep quiet anymore; she had to voice her confession and she had to do it now. "Asami, there's something I have to tell you."

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