Chapter Text
Asami Sato, the master debater, the experienced wordsmith, the woman with a silver tongue, was many things in her life. But rarely, as in a microscopic, miniscule, once in a lifetime amount of chance, was she ever in her life, struck dumb and left completely speechless…at an utter loss for words.
That she was so now, bespoke the utter shock written upon her face and clasped around her heart like a vice. Senna’s words had silenced her tongue like nothing ever had, and with just a few simple words, sending her thought train crashing, screeching to a swift and sudden halt in the span of a few seconds. Gently, she extracted her hand from Senna’s grip, withdrawing it back towards herself, unsure of what to do next.
So she sat, her mouth agape like a fish, mechanically working up and down beyond her conscious control. It was unladylike, undignified and completely opposite her usual behavior as the ever prim, proper, poised heiress to Future Industries. Her face burned, giving away the truth of the elder woman’s words more quickly than anything she could ever say, or not say as it were, possibly could.
“I-I-I,” she stuttered out after a while, with considerable effort. “I…I don’t…That is I’m not…I…”
Senna simply stared at her, a knowing smile on her face, and Asami stared back, her lips tight, her face set in determination. She would not budge, she would not crack, she would not break, even as she felt the twitches in her muscles, the tightening of her mouth, which meant her resolve wasn’t holding up as well as she was trying to convince herself it was.
The women stared at each other, the only sounds in the room the ticking of the clock, and the unnaturally loud beating of Asami’s racing heart. She swallowed deeply, audibly, doing her best to convince herself she was calm and in control, and clearly, neither convincing herself, nor Senna if the amused look in the elder woman’s eyes was anything to go by.
Giving it one mighty, last ditch effort, Asami drew herself up as straight as possible in her chair, looking as put together and confident as she could manage, on the edge of haughty even. In the crispest, calmest, most self-assured manner she could, she looked Senna straight in the eyes, and declared, “I don’t know what you mean…” and continued, when those words didn’t seem to have quite the effect she was looking for. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
Once again, the women exchanged a bit of eye contact, Asami feeling the sweat beginning to bead on her forehead, knowing that she was lying out her ass right to Senna’s face, and that Senna didn’t seem to be buying her bullshit whatsoever.
All it took was a slightly raised eyebrow, and a smirk from the mother for Asami to deflate like a punctured balloon, slumping in her seat with a frown taking hold of her face. “Was…was I that obvious?” She could feel her cheeks burning, no doubt turning an incredibly deep shade of red under the pressure as she was subjected to Senna’s scrutiny, the Squidward caught in the opened patty vault to Senna’s Spongebob, picking her apart and nailing her love of Krabby Patties…er, KORRA, right on the head.
Nervously, she averted her gaze to her hands in her lap, twiddling her thumbs, awaiting the verdict from the mother of the woman she was very much in love with, despite having known her a grand total of a few days. It was like something out of the fairy tale books she had read with her mother as a child.
Those same books she most certainly did not still have hidden in a trunk at home, and most certainly did not sometimes pull out and reread at times when she was feeling down, or just to feel connected to her mother once more, a woman she had lost so long ago, and yet had been so intrinsic to building her in to the woman she was now.
Senna chuckled gently, pulling her eyes back up to the older woman, her face darkening further in embarrassment. “Oh honey,” Senna spoke gently, shaking her head in disbelief. “You couldn’t have been more obvious.”
Asami coughed, feeling the heat in her cheeks. “O-oh,” she managed to speak quietly. “How…how did you know?”
Senna smirked once more. “I’m a mother,” she declared easily. “I know everything, especially when it comes to my daughter and the people around her.”
The young heiress didn’t think it was possible, but the heat on her cheeks increased even further. “O-oh,” she stuttered once more, fiddling her thumbs again and resisting the urge to look away. “I see.”
Taking a sip of her tea, Senna smiled warmly at the younger woman. “But it was rather obvious Asami. The signs were there for anyone to see. After all,” the smile turned more conspiratorial. “I’ve seen the way you look at my daughter. Plus,” she added, before Asami could offer up a defense, though what, exactly the woman could offer at this point, when everything Senna had said so far was ringing terribly, and overwhelmingly true was beyond her. “Your reaction earlier to seeing Korra in trouble was beyond simple concern. You were crying and scared, but more than normal, like your entire being was wrapped up in what was happening to the one you love.”
Asami opened her mouth to respond, not sure what she would say, but knowing she should probably say something, anything to that, but Senna interrupted once more before she could.
“Oh I’m not criticizing dear, don’t misunderstand. I would have done the same thing had it been Tonraq, and he for me, and we still struggle to keep our cool when we see Korra like that, even after all this time…”
Asami could only nod in response, finding what Senna was saying, once again, to be hitting the nail on the head quite accurately.
Sighing, Senna took another sip from her teacup, before setting the porcelain dishware down once more. “Not to mention all the little gestures and touches I’ve seen from you when you’re around Korra. You’re quite attentive to her and her moods and needs. My point is dear,” she stated quite matter-of-factly. “That it’s as plain as the eyes on your face, that you’re very much in love with my daughter.”
The heiress couldn’t help but draw in a sharp, surprised breath, her eyes dropping away from Senna, her cheeks coloring darkly. There was nothing for it anymore, no us denying it. “Yes,” she admitted quietly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “I…I love her.” She blinked rapidly, her cheeks darkening even further. It was the first time she had admitted it out loud, even to herself, much less to another person, that person being Korra’s mother of all people. …Oh spirits…I just admitted that I love Korra…to her MOTHER no less…oh spirits…what will she think of me?
In an effort to head off any sort of rejection, Asami snapped her head back up, looking intensely at Senna. “Senna,” she began, speaking quickly and urgently. “I know what you must think of me, being a woman who likes other women…well, not just women, that is I like men too, but that’s not really the point here.” She shook her head in dismissal. “But what I’m trying to say is that I would never hurt Korra…well at least not on purpose anyway.” She pressed her palm to her chest, directly above the rapid beating of her heart, as if trying to assure both herself and Senna of her sincerity. “If I ever did…” She clenched her hand in to her shirt, scrunching her eyes shut tight, her voice dropping to barely a whisper. “It would destroy me…I know it.”
Asami could feel the pressure building up behind her eyes once more, but refused to let the tears flow. She had already cried once in front of these people today, and she was determined not to let it happen again, even though it was only she and Senna in the room at the moment. It was the principle of the thing really. She looked down at her lap once more, scrunching up her eyes in an effort to stop herself from releasing the humiliating waterworks.
A touch on her hand surprised her and she looked up quickly, expecting to meet the furious gaze of an angry mother, protecting her beloved daughter from a “freak” like herself, someone who liked both genders. After all, her father had reacted so poorly to her revelation, and she had always considered him wise and worldly, accepting of all types. Their company was called Future Industries for a reason after all. She couldn’t help but hold her breath, hoping for a different reaction from the oh-so-kind Senna, who, along with her husband, had so far shown her nothing but care and acceptance.
“Oh go on now dear,” Senna chided her lightly as she patted her hand in a fashion that was, well…motherly. There really wasn’t any other way to describe it. “Don’t think for a second that I disapprove.”
Asami could only stare at the older woman in wide-eyed shock, blinking owlishly perhaps twice in a long span of silence, before finally finding her voice, barely above a whisper. “Wh-what?”
Senna smiled warmly at the younger lady. “Of you and Korra, sweetie.”
Asami blinked at her, uncomprehendingly.
Sighing indulgently, Senna smiled warmly at her once more. “I’m from the South Asami, and in the Southern Water Tribe, it doesn’t matter to us who you love. It’s cold all the time, and dark for much of the year, and so we Southerners have settled on a rather simple and sensible philosophy. It doesn’t matter to us who you choose to share your love and warmth with, be they man, woman, anything in between or otherwise, regardless of your own gender.”
The heiress stared for a moment, before swallowing heavily, and, finding her voice with some difficulty, asked, “W-what are you saying Senna?” She had an idea, an inkling, a hint of what the elder woman was trying to say, but she still needed that confirmation, that assurance that the idea she had in her head was the right one, that she wasn’t crazy.
Senna’s smile grew and she squeezed Asami’s hand. “I’m saying it’s ok. It doesn’t matter to me whether you like men, or women, or both, or something entirely different. And it doesn’t matter to Tonraq either.” She winked at her. “I know that for a fact.”
Asami stared at the older woman, a lump forming in her throat, threatening to choke off her air supply, her mind whirring like a mad windmill, attempting to process exactly what was going on. Was this actually happening? Was what she believed was going on actually taking place? Had…had Senna just said…?
Swallowing, the inventor attempted to speak through the vice like tightness of her throat. “S-senna,” she stuttered. “W-what…what are you saying?” The older woman had said it once before, but Asami needed to know. She had to be sure. There was no room for error here, not in this matter.
A soft, warm smile spread across the mother’s face, one of understanding and compassion. She reached out across the table once more, taking Asami’s hand in hers, and giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m saying, Asami,” Senna said patiently and slowly, her voice full of kindness. “That you have my blessing to date my daughter…even though you don’t need it.” She patted Asami’s hand. “You and Korra are both old enough to decide for yourselves what’s best for the both of you when it comes to this.”
The pressure was building up behind her eyes again, and that lump in her throat was back. Asami could barely breathe. The mother of the woman she had only just admitted out loud that she was in love with, had just given her blessing to date her daughter. She scrunched her face up, despite how ridiculous she knew she must look, bringing a hand up to her mouth and pressing it against her mouth, attempting to hold back the flood of tears she knew was building behind her poor, straining eyeballs.
D-did Senna? Asami was so stunned; she couldn’t help but stutter even in her thoughts. Everything was so jumbled. D-did Senna just…Did she say…But I…And I’m…I…said… All she could do was stare at the older woman across from her and attempt not to let her tears start flowing for the second time in a few hours in front of these kind, kind people.
When Senna leant over towards her, and raised a hand to her mouth, her eyes shifting back and forth, as if checking for eavesdroppers, Asami wasn’t sure what to expect. She had already heard some very unexpected things come out of this mother’s mouth, and wasn’t entirely sure she was prepared for anything new.
“And you know Asami,” Senna stage whispered to her across the table. “I could tell you a few stories from before I met Tonraq that would peel the paint right off those pretty, manicured nails of yours.”
She gestured to Asami’s red painted nails, the heiress briefly glancing down at them, before looking back up, wondering what, exactly Senna was getting at. Though she had a theory, it was only that: a theory, and one that made her cheeks darken just thinking about it. It seemed Senna could read her mind though, as she answered Asami’s silent query without any prompting.
“Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly unpopular with the ladies in my younger days,” Senna confessed with a smirk and a wink, giggling, a slight tint of red appearing on her cheeks.
ASAMI’S. JAW. DROPPED.
S-Senna just…did she…Did Senna just…Asami’s mind was going haywire once more. If this were a cartoon, she knew it would be showing a montage of trains going off the rails and crashing, planes falling out of the sky, cars in huge pileups all over the road, boats sinking, explosions everywhere, and it would end with an all encompassing mushroom cloud of an atomic explosion, before zooming out to see the character’s face, blank eyed staring and drooling like a fool.
She certainly felt like a fool just about now, sitting there staring slack-jawed and wide-eyed at the mother of the woman she loved. Asami couldn’t be certain what exactly she should be feeling in this exact moment, whether she wanted to laugh, cry, or vomit, though as it stood, she felt she might do all three with the way her eyes were burning and her stomach churning.
But could she be blamed for her reaction? Asami certainly didn’t think so. After all, Senna, the mother of the woman she loves, had just told her, (a young woman whom had only just confessed that she was in love with her daughter that day, mere minutes ago,) in no uncertain terms, that she not only approved of Asami, a woman she had only known for a few days, dating Korra, but that she also didn’t care that Asami was bisexual. Hell, she even admitted to the young woman that she herself was also bisexual and approved of Asami being as such.
Overall, in the last few days, Asami had received more approval, support, and acceptance from this woman, her husband and her daughter, than she had in years from her own Father. It was completely overwhelming to think about, and thus it came as no surprise to the heiress, despite the subsequent embarrassment it caused, when the next sound out of her mouth was an odd mixture between a laugh, a cough, a hiccup, and a sob, which quickly degenerated in to hysterical sobbing of the ugly and heaving variety.
And even caught up as she was in her world of self pity and tears, Asami could register the clicking of Senna’s tongue as she wrapped her arms around her, and could feel it when she automatically clung to the source of warmth and comfort that the mother was currently providing for her, her hands gripping at clothes and arms and shoulders, searching for something to keep her anchored to this world. And she could hear it as Senna cooed soothing things in to her ear.
“Hey, hey now. It’s ok sweetie. You’re ok,” Senna insisted in that unique soothing, calming voice that only a mother seemed to be able to produce, rubbing calming circles in to her back, and rocking the sobbing engineer back and forth. “Let it out. You’re safe here. You’re among friends. I promise.”
It went on like that for some time, Asami unaware of anything other than the sobs ripping from her chest, and the gentle rocking and soothing words that were slowly calming her racing heart.
When she did finally become aware of the world around her once more, Asami sat for a moment, just breathing, unsure of just how long she had been crying, but feeling lighter, if a bit tired, and embarrassed after breaking down so heavily in front of this woman. Blushing, she glanced across the table in search of Senna to find her chair…empty? Confused, she quirked an eyebrow, and shifted in her chair…her oddly warm and suddenly soft chair…her chair that seemed to be shifting along with her…her chair that seemed to have suddenly sprouted a pair of arms, which were currently wrapped around her, and a soft, warm pair of breasts that were pressing up against her back…her chair that was…breathing…oh. Twisting, her face red with an embarrassed blush, she found herself face to face with a softly smiling Senna, who had apparently come over and dragged Asami in to her lap as she comforted her.
“Feel better?”
Senna’s voice was soft, gentle, not at all mocking, and it only made Asami blush harder as she nodded, not trusting her voice, and tensed as in preparation to stand. Senna allowed her to rise without comment, unwinding her arms from Asami’s slim form, and the girl stood to her feet, self-consciously brushing at her clothes and dabbing at her face with a finger to check her makeup. It came away stained with mascara and Asami scowled at it, annoyed that she’d have to fix it for the second time today, and then she swallowed, nervous, and wondering how she must look, her fingers coming up once more to brush lightly at her face.
“The bathroom’s just down the hall,” Senna told her, still just as calm and patient as ever. “Past the living room, on the left.” The older woman crossed one leg over the other, folding her hands on her lap, looking up at Asami with that same tender smile. “I keep some of my makeup things in there. Most of them are upstairs but I keep a few down here just in case.” The elder woman winked at her. “You’re welcome to use them if you’d like.”
Asami could only stare at her for a moment before coughing in an attempt to clear her throat. “Th-” She had to stop, and cough again, her voice scratchy, and somewhat hoarse. “Thank you,” she finally managed to say, and as the two women looked at each other, Senna nodding and smiling in acknowledgment, both of them knew that it was for more than the simple offer of the use of Senna’s make up. Far more.
She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she walked to the bathroom to fix her makeup, her cheeks reddening in her joy as Senna’s words kept replaying in her head. She’s just like me, Asami thought to herself with wonderment. Finally…I have someone who understands. Her smile turned to a smirk then, she couldn’t help it. Take that Dad, she crowed in internal victory, only feeling a mild, and temporary pang of guilt. Her father had at least attempted to raise her on his own for years after all, and despite his often poor attempts, he was still her father and she did love him. Plus she knew he loved her…in his own way even if he wasn’t always the best at showing it.
Senna however…Asami had a feeling, based on what she had seen of the woman so far, that nothing would be held back with her, nothing hidden behind layers of awkwardness built up over years and years of barely there parenting, and nothing tainted by the gaping hole left by the one person the both of them loved more than anything else. Senna would be a sea of warmth and comfort that she would be more than happy to drown in.
It didn’t take the heiress long to fix her makeup, between her own supplies and the ones that Senna had so graciously offered to her, and she found herself walking back to the kitchen in no time at all. She couldn’t help but glance towards the stairs as she passed, ever so briefly debating heading up to check on Korra, and finding it surprisingly hard to suppress the idea. However, she knew it would almost certainly be an unwelcome action, from Korra especially. The girl had just suffered from some sort of episode, that had clearly been fairly traumatic. She was probably resting, and even if she wasn’t, she probably had no desire to “see” anyone besides her family members, and Naga. Asami shook her head. She wasn’t about to impose herself on Korra that way, especially not after what the girl had just been through.
She found the kitchen much as she’d left it, the differences being that Senna had cleared away their plates and cups, and had sat herself back in her own chair. The older woman greeted her with a smile as she walked in to the room.
“Wow,” Senna spoke with a teasing smirk on her face and a lilt to her voice. “Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom trip.”
Asami couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks, but formed a smirk of her own. She had broken down in front of this woman too many times already, and now it was time she fought back, at least a little. “Yeah,” she said as nonchalantly as possible. “While I was in there-” she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, but Senna interrupted before she could continue.
“I don’t wanna hear about it,” she told Asami, raising a hand to forestall any future speaking, that same teasing smirk on her face.
The women stared at each other for a moment, grins slowly growing on their faces, chins and lips wobbling, until they couldn’t take it any more and broke in to bright, happy laughter, making Asami worry that she would have to fix her makeup for a third time today. Luckily they seemed to get all their laughter out before too long, and when Asami wiped gently at her face, she found her makeup blessedly intact this time.
As the pair calmed, Asami relished in this moment of peace and serenity after the hectic day she had, had so far. However, her good mood ebbed slightly after she took a glance at the clock.
Embarrassedly, she glanced towards Senna again, sweeping a lock of her hair behind her ear, and biting at her lip. “I should go,” she began somewhat hesitantly. “I’ve already taken up a lot of your time after all…and you probably want to be with Korra right now.” She tapped the ball of her right foot on the floor self-consciously.
Senna began shaking her head, clicking disapprovingly with her tongue, standing from her seat and approaching the surprised young woman.
Asami watched her, and couldn’t help but swallow nervously, as Senna came right up and set her hands gently on Asami’s shoulders. She found herself staring right in to Senna’s rather intense gaze, but she didn’t seem angry with the younger woman, no, just…intense and focused. Asami couldn’t help but swallow once more.
“Asami,” Senna said, lowly but not angrily. If anything, Asami could swear she sounded almost…disappointed? Senna smiled, with only a bit of sadness present. “One of these days you’ll understand that you are not a burden or an intruder here. You’re always welcome here. I’ve said it before and I meant it, and I’ll say it again, and as many times as you need to hear it before it gets through that pretty little head of yours.” Her smile turned truly happy then as she knocked gently on the younger woman’s forehead with a bent index finger, making the heiress blush. “Now go on.”
Next thing she knew, Senna had turned her around and nudged her towards the kitchen door, the one leading out in to the front hallway. Asami looked back over her shoulder at the older woman curiously.
“Off with you,” Senna told her, waving her hands gently in a shooing motion, that teasing smile back on her face. “Go on upstairs and be with Korra. You know where her room is, and I know for a fact she’d appreciate you being there, and I can tell you’ve been anxious about her this whole time.”
Asami couldn’t help but blush. Am I really that easy to read? And she couldn’t help but give herself a mental eye roll. Well obviously you are if Senna figured all that out, plus the fact that you love Korra after having known you for what, four days?
She smiled widely at Senna, the mother returning her smile, and once more, Asami said the two words, quietly, and with more emotion than she had ever thought to say them before, “Thank you.”
Senna’s only answer was to smile wider at her and wave her off once again.
Asami’s smile grew as she pushed through the door, letting it swing behind her, and headed off back towards the stairs. She got about half way up the stairs, before she heard Senna’s voice from the bottom once again, and she paused, hand on the rail, turning on her heel to look over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
“Asami,” Senna said, that same smile on her face.
The heiress watched her curiously. “Yes?”
Senna clasped her hands in front of her body. “If you two do happen to get hot and heavy up there, just try not to get my Korra pregnant yet. If that happens, I expect you to, at most, make an honest woman out of her, at least, be there for her and your baby, financially, emotionally, physically. Is that clear?”
She couldn’t help but gape at Senna, the older woman’s face sporting one of the largest shit eating grins she had ever seen, meanwhile her own face was quite clearly on fire with the level of her blush. There was no way it could get any redder.
“C-clear…yes,” she managed to say after far too many heartbeats had gone by, her throat so tight she wondered how she was still breathing. “Th-that won’t be a problem though Senna. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Oh good,” Senna sounded relieved, but she was still grinning so Asami wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. “But just in case,” she paused, raising a single finger, and looking serious enough to make the future CEO lean forward slightly as if she would miss the next thing the mother said if she didn’t. “There’s condoms in Tonraq’s nightstand. Right side of the bed. Room at the end of the hall to the left.” And then she winked, winked…and was gone before Asami could say a word in response, leaving the heiress gasping, and clutching at the stair railing so as not to topple down the stairs and die. And she was wrong…Asami’s face could indeed, and in fact, did, get redder…much redder. And if she listened closely, she could swear she could hear Senna cackling madly somewhere in the household.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, clutching the railing, trying to get her breathing somewhat under control, trying to calm her racing heart, and let some of the color drain from her face. Not an easy task, as every time she thought back to her conversation with Senna, especially what she had said just before leaving, she felt her body heat up once again. It wasn’t forever though, and after some effort, she finally got her noodle legs moving again, (seriously though, they felt like wet, limp noodles) and headed up the rest of the stairs, soon finding herself in front of Korra’s door.
It was innocuous…really it was just a big slab of wood on hinges, but it felt like one of the greatest barriers she would ever have to cross in her life. It wasn’t even fully closed, and yet she hesitated, standing outside, feebly raising her hand up to lightly place her fingertips against the wood, before letting it drop back to her side and sighing. Inside she could hear the quiet sounds of breathing, one steady and deep, another lighter but still just as steady, and one that was deep and steady, but had a bit of a gravelly quality…almost like snoring. Korra and Tonraq. Korra and her father…it was just Korra and Tonraq in there, (and most likely Naga, which would explain the third breather) but even as she peeked through the gap between door and jam, getting a glimpse of Tonraq’s broad back as he sat by Korra’s bed, (she didn’t remember that chair being in there the last time she had been in Korra’s room, so Tonraq must have moved it in there since then) she felt as if she was intruding on something deeply intimate and private.
Don’t be stupid, she chastised herself, shaking her head in irritation at her own cowardice. Senna literally told you to come up here and be with Korra. She practically shoved you up the stairs. The thought made her smile. She gave you her blessing to be with Korra. She smiled wider. You can do this. You can accomplish the simple task of walking through a door, even if the room on the other side holds Korra and her father in it, and even if Korra has just suffered from some sort of…episode.
She took a deep, steeling breath, letting it out slowly, clenching her fists and steadying herself, before raising her hand and pushing lightly at the door with her fingers. It swung open easily and silently at her touch, and she couldn’t help but smile, the engineer in her appreciating the fine craftsmanship of even a well-oiled door.
As she entered the room, she took a look around. Tonraq was, as she had seen through the door, sitting next to the bed. The lump under the covers with brown hair poking up on to the pillows at the head, covered Korra, and Naga was the source of the snoring she had heard earlier, splayed out on her back with her paws in the air across the foot of Korra’s bed. It was comical enough to bring a small smile to Asami’s face.
“Tonraq?” She was practically whispering as she tiptoed forward, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Korra.
“Hmm?” The big man turned to look at her, and spoke, making Asami flinch at his volume, “Oh! Asami. I wondered when you’d find your way up here.” He grinned widely and motioned her forward, even as she shot furtive glances at Korra, who didn’t seem to have moved from the last time she’d looked.
Obviously the man noticed her worried glances, as he looked at her, then back at Korra, then back to the heiress once more, before shaking his head with a chuckle. “Oh don’t you worry about her,” he said. “She’ll be dead to the world for a few hours at least. She always crashes hard after an episode like that. Yep.” He nodded sagely. “A stampede couldn’t wake this one up right now.”
He gestured to Korra, and Asami could see the love in his eyes as he looked down at his sleeping daughter. She couldn’t help the brief twinge of jealousy that rushed through her veins, before she shook herself, and pressed it down and away. Now was not the time to bemoan a father that was never around to give affection. Now was the time to be with Korra, to ensure she was ok.
“Oh,” Asami said, her voice quiet as she stood awkwardly next to the father of the woman she loved, as the two of them watched a sleeping Korra huddled up in her blankets like a human burrito. She couldn’t help the upward tilt at the corner of her lips. Korra looked so cute like that, even if all she could see was her hair, out of its usual wolf tails, and draped across the pillow. Inside though, Asami’s thoughts were buzzing like mad, her system still on high alert after her chat and revelations with Senna. How much did he know? What did he think of her? Did he know she was in love with Korra? Senna had said he would approve of her attraction to both genders…or at least that he wouldn’t be bothered by it…but it still wouldn’t hurt to hear it from him, to get a bit of confirmation.
As subtly as she could, she watched Tonraq out of the corners of her eyes. He seemed almost, impatient? Twitchy? Restless? She wasn’t sure what to call it, but he seemed to be having trouble sitting still, his legs bouncing, his fingers tapping on his knees. All in all, he had the image of a man who couldn’t sit still.
“Tonraq?” Her voice was slightly louder than before, but still quiet, and somewhat hesitant.”
“Hmm?” He partly turned his head towards her, seeming distracted, and with a sick daughter to watch over, Asami certainly couldn’t blame him.
“Are you alright? You seem nervous.” She wrung her hands in front of her for a moment.
The man turned to her, smiling a bit ruefully, chuckling. She raised an eyebrow at him and he speaks, “Ah sorry I’m just not as good at these kinds of things as Senna is.”
Good at what, she wonders, and it’s almost as if Tonraq read her mind, as he answered.
“I assume you’ve already had this conversation with Senna, so I apologize if I’m asking a lot of the same questions, but just humor me if you would, ok?”
Oh spirits, Asami can’t help but think. What now? “O…ok,” she replied hesitantly.
Tonraq smiled at her again, and began speaking, “Ok then. First question: Are you in love with my daughter? Are you in love with Korra?”
Welp, there went Asami’s face turning red again, assuming it had ever fully recovered from the last time, something she highly doubted. She couldn’t help but divert her eyes to the floor as she bit back an embarrassed smile. Whenever someone mentioned her love for Korra, it made her heart flutter in the most ridiculous ways…and so far this was only the second time…then again, it also happened when she thought about her love for Korra. Furtively, she glanced at the sleeping Korra. It would be just her luck that Korra would wake now and hear her conversation with her father as she confessed her love for the second time today.
Tonraq must have sensed her trepidation, as he glanced between her and Korra. “Don’t worry about her. She won’t hear a thing the way she is now. Like I said, she’ll be asleep for a few hours yet at least.”
Asami looked at Korra once more, then back at Tonraq, letting out a breath after a while and smiling. Tonraq was right after all. The only other being that could possibly hear them would be Naga, and that was significantly less terrifying than Korra hearing her true feelings for her before she was quite ready to reveal them.
She can’t help the little smile on her face, and it was significantly easier than the first time she admitted it out loud when she said, “Yes,” her voice quiet but sure, her eyes fixed firmly on Korra. “I love her. I love Korra.” Her smile widened, (that had been much easier to say than it was the last time, just a few minutes ago to Senna) and she looked back at Tonraq, cradling her elbows in her hands. He opened his mouth, but she spoke before he could, answering his next question. “No I haven’t told her yet.” She blushed a bit as he closed his mouth, giving her a knowing, amused smile. “And I don’t plan to…not yet at least.” She shook her head, feeling the ends of her hair tickling her neck. “That’s not what she needs right now.” She looked at Korra again, unable to help the fond expression on her face, and barely resisting the urge to reach out and run a comforting hand along her shoulder, reassuring the sleeping woman.
“Oh? And what does she need right now?” Tonraq’s tone was curious but she could detect a hint of teasing underneath.
Blushing, again, Asami couldn’t quite meet his gaze, instead glancing at him out of the corner of her eye to see him smiling at her. She didn’t answer for a moment, not for lack of one, no she had an answer already, one she wanted to give, but didn’t feel the timing was right. “A friend,” is what she knew she wanted to say, but given her knowledge and experience with Korra so far, it seemed even that would have to be put on hold for now. Thinking for a moment, What does Korra need? Asami had her answer. So instead she said, “Someone she can trust.”
Next thing she knew Asami was stumbling forward, bracing herself on the edge of the bed, desperate not to fall on to the sleeping Korra, a pain blossoming between her shoulder blades, and Tonraq’s booming laugh filling the room. Worried for a moment, she looked to Korra, but the girl hadn’t stirred from her artificial cocoon, and she figured Tonraq had been right in that nothing would disturb her. Naga had cracked an eye and let out a soft, “woof” in greeting when the wolf dog noticed Asami, before going back to her nap. Asami couldn’t help but smile at Naga, and then at Tonraq as she straightened, realizing what had happened: Tonraq was standing, his big hand raised high, and his enthusiastic clap on the back had been meant in a friendly way, even if the heiress was now wincing slightly and rolling her shoulders to lessen the ache.
“Ahh,” Tonraq sighed, putting his hands on his hips, and narrowing his eyes at her like some sort of caricature of a housewife. “I knew you would be good for her. Senna and I both knew.”
Asami couldn’t help but blush once more at this. “Y-you did?” She chewed on her bottom lip nervously, wringing her hands together as she once again sought refuge by looking at Korra. It was basically impossible to keep still, her feet wiggling and her body twisting back and forth, almost as if she had to go to the bathroom, while in reality, it was only her nerves.
“We did,” Tonraq agreed, nodding, and Asami turned to look at him. “Remember a few days ago when you came to visit? You were outside and Korra was playing her guitar for you.”
She smiled at the memory. “Yes,” she responded quietly, almost wistfully, her smile widening as she recalled the experience. “She was playing so beautifully and I wanted to hear more.” The heiress shrugged, her cheeks heating. “She’s so talented in so many ways, and I just want to know all of them.
“All of them huh?”
Glancing at Tonraq, she blushed deeper at his grin, and bouncing eyebrows. That was certainly not what she had been implying by, ‘all of them’…right? Oh who are you kidding? You know you’d jump her bones the first chance you got, her brilliant mind decided to supply for her. That is…If it wasn’t obvious it’d be so detrimental to Korra. She smiled as she watched Korra breathing. Yes we’ll get to that eventually…I hope, but not until Korra is ready for that.
And then she frowned, as another thought hit her. And if she’s never ready for that? Her smile returned just as quickly though as her brain provided her with a counterargument almost immediately. Well then, that’s just how it would have to be now wouldn’t it? That same smile widened on her face at the realization that a relationship with Korra…even a sexless one...would be worth it just because she got to be with Korra.
She couldn’t fight the smile on her face, and the chuckle she let out, snorting a bit even at such a thought. Wow, you really are a hopeless romantic aren’t you?
Shut up, she told her mind, feeling her blush deepen.
You realize you’re literally arguing with yourself right now yes?
I thought I told you to shut up? She blushed harder.
Ok. Fiinnnnnnnne. Suit yourself, but when you’re done being in complete and utter denial, don’t come crying to me.
Belatedly, she remembered the father of the girl in question was there in the room with her, and when she looked over at him, he had one eyebrow raised, and she couldn’t help but wonder just how long she’d been silent, lost in her own head.
Feeling her cheeks heat as she blushed Asami managed to wrangle up some words and spit them out as she said, “Sorry. I was…thinking…and I guess I just sort of drifted off.”
Tonraq’s expression changed to one of amusement, and he chuckled. “I suppose you did. Must’ve been some heavy thoughts.”
Asami shrugged, turning once again to take refuge in the sight of a peacefully sleeping Korra. “Kind of.” She looked back at Tonraq, the smile on her face once more. “But they were good thoughts.”
After a moment, Tonraq’s expression softened, and he smiled back, reaching out and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, and giving it a squeeze. “I’m glad,” he told her, before patting her shoulder far more gently than the last time, and withdrawing his hand.
There was silence between them for a while, before Asami broke the silence by ushering a quiet, “Thank you.” She looked back at him.
He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly curious. “For what?” His voice was quiet, curious and contemplative.
Asami thought for a moment. Now how to word this properly? She put a hand to her chin, thinking hard, before deciding, Fuck it. Just say it how you feel it. Such thinking was not her usual modus operandi, but in this case…judging from her interactions with Korra’s family so far, she felt it would be appreciated.
“For being ok with this,” she finally managed to speak, relatively quiet, contemplative even. “With us,” she gestured between Korra and herself. “With me,” she placed a palm over her heart. “For being so accepting and supportive of me. It…it means more than you could ever know.” She shrugged again. “For being so ok...With everything.” She gestured lamely around the room, feeling her cheeks burning, having no doubt they were turning pink right at this moment.
For a moment, Tonraq simply observed her, her cheeks turning red, and unable to look at him further, she turned to watch Korra again. Out of the corner of her eye however, she watched him move, and then he patted her on the shoulder, (once again far more gently than he had before).
“You’re welcome,” he told her gently, making her look up at him again. “You’re a good egg Asami, and Senna and I both agree that you and Korra will be good for each other.”
This only made her blush harder and look very hard at a certain sleeping lady. Korra was the best kind of distraction after all. Still she had manners, and so she murmured a quiet, “Thank you.”
There was silence between them again as they both simply watched Korra sleep, before Tonraq let out a sigh. It sounded decidedly unhappy, making Asami jerk her head up to look at him in alarm. Tonraq was frowning, rather wistfully at his sleeping daughter. Oh shit, Asami couldn’t help but panic. Did I do something wrong already? Did I piss him off? Is he regretting his decision to let me be with Korra? She couldn’t help but wring her hands in apprehension. Has…has he changed his mind already?
“Tonraq,” she ventured hesitantly, and the large man turned his head to look at her. “What’s wrong? You look troubled all of a sudden. It’s not…me is it?” She clasped her hands tightly, hoping that wasn’t the case.
He stared at her, befuddled for a long period of silence, which only served to make her more nervous, before his face softened, and he barked out a quiet laugh, smiling at her and shaking his head, briefly closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they were filled with their usual kindness. “No,” he declared. “It’s not you. It’s just…” He scratched the back of his head.
Now I see where Korra gets it from, she thought pleasantly, unable to stop a small smile from forming, the corners of her mouth tilting up.
“I do have other work to do today,” he continued. “And so does Senna.” He looked down at his daughter, the love and concern in his eyes obvious to the Heiress, feeling a pang of jealousy in her heart, that she quickly pushed down. This wasn’t about her after all. This was about Korra. “I know she doesn’t exactly need someone here while she sleeps. She’ll be fine after all, so long as there’s somebody here when she wakes up, but…I still hate the thought of leaving her alone after she has one of her episodes, even for a second.”
“Then I’ll watch her,” Asami said immediately without thinking, pointing her thumb at her chest, and only when she noticed the way Tonraq was looking at her, eyes wide and surprised, eyebrows raised high, did she realize how aggressively she had said it, hands on her hips and body turned towards the man, feet set wide, and her brows furrowed in determination. It had sounded more like a demand than the helpful offer she had meant it as. I practically growled at him, she realized, blushing hard. Like some sort of possessive dog protecting it’s owner. Briefly, she glanced at Naga, the canine still fast asleep and snoring, smiling at the irony. “I…I mean I’d like to,” she hurriedly corrected herself. “I can…if…if that’s ok with you? M-may I?” Blushing harder, she could no longer meet Tonraq’s gaze, instead suddenly finding her feet very interesting. What must he think of her after all, clearly so eager to be alone with his unconscious, emotionally fragile, vulnerable, blind daughter?
Tonraq merely chuckled, patting her on the shoulder far more gently than he had previously. “Yes, that’s fine. You can watch over her. I’m sure she’ll appreciate waking up to find you still here.” He winked at her, making her blush deepen, and she bit her lip self-consciously. “And Asami?”
She looked at him curiously.
“I know Senna probably already gave you her blessing, and told you, you don’t need it, and that’s true, but I just wanted to give you my blessing to date Korra as well.” He grinned widely at her. “Though again you don’t really need it. You and Korra are both old enough to make your own decisions when it comes to who you want to be with, so as long as Korra is agreeable, I have no problems with you two dating.”
He winked at her, making the impossible possible as her blush deepened even further.
Bashfully, she looked at the ground, kicking her foot aimlessly, and stuttering out a small, “Th-thank you.”
Chuckling again, Tonraq patted her on the shoulder once more, (gently again to her great relief) and moved past her towards the door. Asami turned, breathing out slowly as she watched him. Reaching the door, he paused, as if remembering something suddenly and turned back towards her.
“Oh, Asami,” he said, motioning her forward. “One more thing.”
She obeyed, moving forward as asked, only to startle when Tonraq’s hand closed around her upper left arm like a vice, just on the verge of painful, making her worry there would be bruises there later. For a brief instant, horrible visions of assault and rape by the big, powerful man flashed through her mind, and it was all she could do to stop her self defense training from kicking in, resigning herself to curling her free fist, but leaving it trembling at her side. Tonraq and Senna had so far been nothing but friendly, polite and supportive of her so far. She would give him the benefit of the doubt.
The man leaned in, placing his mouth right next to her left ear, his beard tickling her face, and Asami’s heart beating in her chest as her nerves increased. She swallowed apprehensively, and then Tonraq spoke, his voice lacking the friendly and amenable tone it had held thus far. In fact if anything, his deep, rumbling voice held nothing but sheer, unadulterated…menace. It was incredibly threatening as he spoke.
“If you hurt my precious little baby girl,” he growled out in a whisper. “They won’t be able to find all the pieces I’ll break you in to.” His grip tightened almost imperceptibly, but it was enough to make her grunt at the unpleasant feeling. “Understand?”
Heart beating like mad, it was all Asami could do not to wet herself, fear coursing through her system, and silently praying to whoever was listening that she didn’t break down crying right then and there, or vomit, or both, she managed a shaky nod, swallowing audibly. Tonraq, however, did not loosen his hold, and she understood after a while of simply standing there silently, that he was expecting a verbal response, and she would not be released until he received one. Swallowing again, coughing and clearing her throat several times to try and get her vocal cords functioning properly again, she managed to release an incredibly strained and squeaky, “Y-yes.”
Immediately the tension in the room vanished, the atmosphere brightening considerably and Tonraq released her arm, making her sigh quietly in relief and rub the aching limb, attempting to get the blood flowing again, as the large man stepped back, grinning widely down at her once more.
“Good,” he declared, happy and jovial once more. “Just wanted to make sure we were clear.” He winked at her.
She couldn’t help but let out a little nervous laugh, nodding in agreement. “Oh we’re clear,” she confirmed. “We are so clear…crystal even.” She nodded some more.
The man smiled more widely, nodding along as well. “Great, great.” Then he turned his gaze, seeming to notice what she was doing with her arm and his face turned to one of guilt. “Oh, sorry about that.” He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck, embarrassedly. “I…I didn’t mean to be so rough. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” He looked worried.
Asami smiled reassuringly at him, soothed once again by the return to the previous norm. She shook her head. “No. You didn’t hurt me.” She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing.” She shrugged. “I mean it’s a little sore but nothing to worry about. No big deal. I’ll live.” Her smile widened and he laughed lightly again, clearly relieved.
“Ah good, good,” he declared, nodding along.
The man rubbed his hands together, a devious look finding its way back on to his face, and Asami braced herself, heart speeding up once more. Today had been such a whirlwind of ups and downs and emotions, she wasn’t sure she could stomach whatever was coming next.
Leaning in, conspiratorially this time rather than threatening, and glancing side to side as if searching for potential eavesdroppers, Tonraq shielded his mouth and stage whispered, “You know if things do end up progressing between you and Korra, and things get hot and heavy, there’s a box of condoms in my nightstand. Just turn right after you leave Korra’s room and head to the end of the hall. It’s the last door on the left…oh and my nightstand is the one on the right side of the bed as you enter the room.” He winked at her. “Oh, and remember to lock the door. I don’t think Senna and I need to add walking in on you two getting down and dirty to our catalogue of memories.” Another wink. “At our age, it may just kill us.” He chuckled heartily.
Asami’s blush was back with a vengeance. First Senna, now Tonraq? These people just loved teasing her about her possible sexploits with their daughter. They were so open and friendly with everything…especially when they knew about her feelings for their daughter, and the fact that she knew, (hoping Korra’s parents didn’t quite yet…which was questionable, considering they had both teased her about it) that she did want to do terribly filthy, lewd, disgusting, degenerate things to Korra’s preferably naked body as Korra did the same to her. Even the thought brought a blush to her cheeks. But Asami, despite finding the teasing incredibly embarrassing, couldn’t help but also find it incredibly sweet and honestly…rather endearing.
But could you really blame her? Asami certainly didn’t think so. After all she had seen Korra’s body. Her muscles made her mouth water, being so tight and defined, her breasts were large, yet still high and tight, her ass firm and toned. Korra was just…just…mmmm. And all of that was with her clothes on. She could only imagine how incredible Korra must look without all those annoying, vision, and hand impeding clothes getting in the way. But that wasn’t what she should be focusing on at the moment, she realized belatedly, dragging her attention out of her pervy thoughts about Korra and back towards the girl’s Father whom she was currently sharing the room with, her blush deepening even further.
She hardly had time to utter a stuttered, and embarrassed, “Th-thank you but…that won’t be necessary,” before Tonraq was patting her on the shoulder again.
“If you say so Asami. Just thought I’d let you know.” He winked at her. “Oh and thanks for agreeing to watch Korra. It helps Senna and I knowing she’s got someone like you watching over her, plus like I said before, when she wakes up I know she’ll appreciate the fact that you stayed.”
With that and another quick wink and broad smile, he swept out of the room and was gone, leaving an emotionally flummoxed Asami, standing on shaky legs, alone in the room but for a sleeping Korra and Naga, wondering what exactly had just occurred.
Asami stood still for a long moment, her brain trying to process everything that had just happened, before blinking, and on wobbly jelly legs, walking herself over to Tonraq’s abandoned chair, and dropping in to it with a huff. Her brain was still largely mush after everything that had just happened in the last few minutes. Between the acceptance from Senna, the emotional outburst also in front of Senna, followed by the teasing, and then the acceptance from Tonraq as well, followed by more teasing, and a threat on her life…well her brain was pretty much pudding at this point. So instead of trying to think over what had gone down today, she stared at the sleeping object of her affections, watching the rising and falling of the sheets as she breathed, and taking solace in the fact that Korra was at least alive and breathing, and hopefully having pleasant dreams.
She watched for a while, before feeling self-conscious about simply staring at the sleeping girl, feeling like some sort of dirty voyeur, especially with the thoughts about the girl she was having earlier. And just like that, her blush was back. So, rather than continue her one person stare off, (even though watching Korra was ostensibly what she was here to do) she let out a puff of breath from her mouth and stood up, deciding to take a bit of a glance around Korra’s room. After all, she didn’t get much opportunity to do that the first time she was here, and the next time she visited with Korra, she had spent the entire time on the ground floor practicing Braille and eating.
Besides, she thought as she continued to blush. It’s not as if I’m going to go rifling through her underwear drawer…as much as I might want to… pausing, she pinched the bridge of her nose, scrunching up her eyes, before letting go and wriggling her hands and body all over, as if shaking off water. “No,” she mumbled. “Bad Asami. Bad. You leave Korra’s unmentionables alone until you both reach that point in your relationship, you dirty pervert.” She gave herself a little disciplinary slap on the wrist, before returning to her original task: snoopi- exploring Korra’s room more thoroughly. Yeah…that’s it. ‘Exploring.’
Looking around, thankful that her legs weren’t failing to support her, as shaky as they were, the heiress debated where to start. “Ah,” she decided quietly, landing her eyes on Korra’s bookcase. “That’s where.” Stepping away from the bed, she moved to the front of it, gazing with interest at the shelves and everything they held. It was only a few shelves worth of things, but Asami devoured them with her eyes like a man stranded in the desert would devour water.
There were perhaps half a dozen books on the lowest shelf, the one sitting right on top of the storage cabinets, which made up the bottom half of Korra’s bookcase. She couldn’t help but smile as she recognized the rather tattered copy of Moby Dick that had been so central to her Braille lessons, nestled close to the center of the group. The rest of the shelves seemed to be filled with various, seemingly random, bits of nature, i.e. shells, bits of sticks, rocks, a few bits of amber and even a couple of pinecones. There were even a few pieces of obsidian, the shiny black rock standing out amongst the grays and browns and dull whites. There were also a couple of dried starfish and crabs tucked amongst the prizes, and on one shelf, towering above all else, a massive, dried purple sea urchin, its spines announcing its presence to the world like the majestic skyscrapers of Republic City itself.
Asami looked at these things, things that Korra had collected, and had clearly taken time to arrange upon her shelves just so, a place for everything and everything in its place. Or at least that’s what she assumed. She didn’t actually know after all if Korra had chosen these things, or even placed them where they were. Perhaps it had been her parents, or other relatives. Some of her friends from the Southern Tribe maybe? Asami’s face scrunched up at that one, remembering what Korra had told her about most people avoiding her due to her blindness.
Did…did she have friends in the Southern Water Tribe? The heiress couldn’t help but wonder. Snorting, she shakes her head in disbelief. Of course she did Sato, convinced it must be the truth. Korra is amazing. She had to have had friends. She’s just shy. Nodding affirmatively Asami continued her perusal of Korra’s shelves. After all, Asami continued her inner monologue of reasoning. Republic City is big and flashy and overwhelming even for locals sometimes. Korra must just naturally be overwhelmed, the sights…Asami blushed, shaking her head at her foolishness…I guess she wouldn’t care much about those now would she? But everything else! The smells, the sounds, the…textures? Yeah those. She nodded succinctly, proud of her reasoning.
She couldn’t help but frown a bit as she examined the shelves full of nature. “Why would Korra have all this,” she mumbled to herself, her brow furrowing. She stood, staring at the shelves for a moment, silence hanging over her, before an embarrassed blush made its way on to her face for about the millionth time that day.
“Duh,” she exclaimed quietly, closing her eyes and thumping her forehead with the heel of her hand. “Think like Korra.” The answer came to her almost immediately and the heiress felt silly for taking so long to figure it out, her blush deepening. Reaching out with a hand, and keeping her eyes tightly shut, she gently traced her fingertips along the various bits and bobs scattered along the shelves. She did her best not to upset the order of things that Korra, (presumably) had set out by displacing any of the items. That would simply be plain rude. After all, Asami’s goal was to make things easier for Korra, not harder. No doubt rearranging the items on her bookshelves would not be a way to make things easier for her ladylove.
Smiling, Asami laced her fingertips gently back and forth over the various bits and bobs decorating the shelves, feeling the smooth, almost plastic-like ridges of a shell, and the similar but different smoothness of a bit of wood, the knobbles of the stick rough in comparison. The bumps of a starfish were next for her perusal and she even lifted a few of the objects up to explore them with her other senses, feeling silly sniffing at sticks and rocks and various bits of nature, and grimacing at the taste of said objects when her tongue came in contact with them. She cheated however, peeking one eye open just a sliver every time she put something down. After all, it was in keeping with her theme of keeping things easy for Korra, thus she wanted to replace everything right where she found it to the best of her abilities.
Her fingers continued their dance across Korra’s knickknacks until… “Ouch!” She opened her eyes as she whipped her hand back, glaring once she realized what had happened. The sea urchin…Asami had poked her finger on one of the sea urchin’s spines. “Great,” she mumbled as she pulled her hand back, rubbing her poor abused finger. “First I stab my foot and now I stab my finger. Good job Sato.” She moved away from the bookcase, utterly done with that area. “Stupid sea urchin.” Her tongue came out briefly to taunt the offending dried sea creature as she walked off, even though she knew in her heart that she should really be saying, “Stupid Sato”…it was easier to blame the sea creatures though, dead or otherwise.
Briefly, she stood in the middle of the room, glancing down at Korra, who was still sleeping peacefully. Nodding happily, glad to see that everything was still as well as it could be there, Asami glanced around, observing her surroundings and wondering where she should poke her nose in next. A quick glance at Korra’s closet and dresser made her shake her head. That would be too invasive, no matter just how curious she might be. Frowning in consternation, she slowly rotated in place, taking in everything in Korra’s room: the bed with the currently sleeping Korra in it, the dresser, the closet, the bookcase behind her, the empty looking desk with all its drawers shut, and the nightstand.
Thinking for a moment, her gaze swept back and forth across everything, but her eyes kept going back to the bed, containing the sleeping form of her beloved, and she stared for a bit, before shrugging and stepping across to the bed. Kneeling down, she couldn’t help but debate with herself internally over what she was about to do. On the one hand, it had the possibility to be a huge invasion of Korra’s privacy. On the other, she couldn’t help but admit to a burning curiosity towards gaining some sort of insight into Korra’s life. She reached out a hand, letting it hover over the edge of the blankets, which were currently hiding all the potential secrets Korra could be keeping under her bed, biting her lower lip and slowly working it with her teeth.
“Pffffffff,” she blew out quietly through her lips, her internal debate raging. Ok. On the one hand, it’s an invasion of Korra’s privacy, and exactly the opposite of what I want to do if I ever want her to trust me. On the other hand, I could learn something huge about Korra, and it could help be in getting her to trust me…So what should I do?
For a long moment, she simply stared at the edge of the blankets, warring with herself. “Come on Sato,” she mumbled quietly. “Use that big, genius brain of yours to come up with a solution. To look or not to look. To look or not to look…That is the question…” Suddenly she brightened, an idea coming to her. “That’s it!” She snapped her fingers in realization. “I don’t have to look! Not really. All I have to do is take a little peek!” Her smile widened dramatically. It was one of the first lessons her father had taught her in the field of business. The art of compromise was critical, especially if she planned on inheriting the company someday. “Right.” She nodded, her confidence firmly in place. “I’ll just take a quick little peek under the bed, and if I see anything I feel like Korra wouldn’t want me to see or I feel like I shouldn’t, then I’ll just stop looking. Simple right? Yeah. I’ll just drop the blanket and forget I ever saw it…whatever it might be. I can tell Korra I looked much later, when our relationship is more stable…if we get to that point.” The heiress blushed at the thought, hoping that the two of them would make it that far. “Besides,” she continued, not sure who she was trying to convince but herself. “Peeking’s not the same as looking…right?...Right.”
Asami could feel the blush on her face either way, and she knew she should get on with this hastily put together plan already before she lost all confidence, and ended up just sitting quietly in the chair like a good girl until Korra woke up.
Taking another calming breath, she readied herself for whatever she might find beneath Korra’s bed. Honestly what’s the worst she could find? It wasn’t as if Korra was some master jewel thief and kept her spoils hidden beneath her bed right? Or worse, Korra was some sort of psychotic murderer and she kept her victim’s severed, brutalized remains under there. Or even worse, Asami’s helpful brain decided to supply right in this critical moment. It’s an embarrassing snapshot of ME at the Christmas party!...
Asami Sato you watch far too much Spongebob. You’ve only known Korra for four days. She shook her head at her ridiculousness.
“Right then,” she mumbled. “Let’s get on with this.” And then, before she could allow herself to second guess her actions for the millionth time, Asami quickly reached out with her right hand, grabbed the blanket’s edge, took a deep breath, and yanked them up, dropping down on to her left hand and peering curiously underneath her ladylove’s bed.
It only took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness beneath Korra’s bed, and when she saw what was under there…she released the tense breath she had been holding, chuckling to herself. Honestly, what had she been expecting? All that was under there was a clear, plastic box of what were obviously toys for Naga, and another of the same style of box, which looked to hold a bunch of old cassette tapes and an equally aged tape player.
Smiling to herself, she pulled back, and allowed the curtain of blanket to drop back in to place. As much as she wanted to know what was on those tapes, if anything, she had already stuck her nose in to Korra’s business enough for her sensibilities for one day. Perhaps when and if their relationship was more established, Asami would ask Korra if she could listen to them, or simply ask the Southerner what was on them. For now though, she had another job to do, and she reminded herself of that duty as she stood back to her feet, and shook her legs out, before sitting once again in the chair.
Korra was, unsurprisingly, just as she had left her last: resting peacefully, all wrapped up in a blanket burrito. A sexy blanket burrito, her oh so helpful brain decided to supply her with once again.
Shut up, she attempted to argue with her subconscious once more. I thought we agreed to keep quiet about this?
YOU agreed, not me. I signed no such contract, made no such agreement, etc, etc, ad infinitum.
But you ARE me!
Well that just makes you even more pathetic then doesn’t it?
…Well her brain did have a point there, she couldn’t argue. Groaning at her own stupidity, she dropped her face in to her hands.
Oh come on. That damn brain of hers again. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t like to test your gag reflex with that particular blanket burrito, see how far you can get it down your throat before-
OH MY SPIRITS NO MORE OF THAT!! Asami couldn’t help but blush, and jerk her head up, checking the room to make sure NO ONE had heard her terribly impure thoughts about the innocent girl currently lying vulnerable before her. Luckily nothing had changed within the last few seconds, and the only ones in the room were herself, a sleeping Korra and an equally comatose Naga.
Sighing, she dropped her head back down in to her hands, and groaned in to them. “What is wrong with me?”
I’ll tell you what’s wrong. You’re super thirsty for a big tall drink of that DARK CHOCOLATE MILK.
OH MY GOSH WHY? She could hardly believe the things her own brain was telling her, at the same time knowing they were undoubtedly true, and that only made her blush harder.
You may as well write ‘Big Gulp’ across Korra’s forehead, (or other very prominent features oh hers) and stick a straw in her for how thirsty you are.
This only drew another groan out of the prodigy, her cheeks flaming hot, especially as she had some choice thoughts about exactly where that straw could go, (and the fact that it didn’t necessarily have to be limited to one straw. There was plenty of Korra to go around after all, was there not?), flash through her mind. “Spirits I need to get laid,” she mumbled in to her hands. “This is getting ridiculous.”
I’ll say.
Sighing, Asami looked up at her current charge, and the woman who was turning her mind upside down with her mere presence, knowing it was going to be a long few hours of looking after the Southern beauty.
Resting her elbows on her knees, she watched the comfortable breathing of the woman before her and tried to ignore the tingling feelings the girl incited within her body, smiling ruefully to herself, as she knew how futile that would ultimately come to be. Barking a quiet laugh, she uttered the only few words she knew that could even come close to adequately describing her current situation, and not only for this immediate instance either. No. Asami knew she was in this for the long haul. “And so my watch begins.”