( it's an important day, although asami doesn't know it yet, and korra has been buzzing with nervous energy like a water tribe child before the first day of ice fishing. she's been careful to ignore asami all day despite it, because. the passerby animal friends of the forest can tell she's lit aflame with love and anxiety, so asami will definitely dig into her and figure out what the deal is. she has to avoid her. not fun, because she doesn't want to avoid her, at all, whatsoever, ever, but it's a necessity built on the floating lotus flower of romance.
anyway. she's going to ask asami to marry her. tonight.
she can't remember when she started carving the engagement necklace. age old water tribe tradition, wood painted different shades of blue and engraved with a symbol representing the heart of whoever you hope to be your betrothed. she definitely started thinking about it on day one. what captures asami's beauty? a flower, maybe. but she isn't delicate, so that doesn't work - she needs something ironborn and sturdy, but something beautiful too. something inquisitive and smart, but coy and flirtatious. something. otherworldy. something imperial, royal, but humble. something classy. something
korra can't remember when she started, but she can tell you there's about a hundred discarded disks of carved wood thrown into the bottom of the nearest river, because none of them were. perfect. she knows asami would probably love anything, and that's assuming she'd say yes, but. korra isn't going to settle for less than the best for her girl. it needs to be something special.
it hit her about a week ago. the problem wasn't in korra's lack of imagination, but the idea of fitting asami into these standards that didn't suit her. they're family girls at heart, but tradition isn't exactly their forte - their relationship existing is proof enough of that particular enthralling defiance. so. something special. she buys a hunk of amethyst moonrock off a nearby earth trade peddler, probably spending too much for it, but you know. avatar privilege. asami is worth every penny.
so. so. there's been a pointed lack of korra in asami's life today. it's probably blisteringly obvious. when she comes home at night ( 'home' is a fun concept, because they make like nomads and go where the wind takes them - home is always temporary, but the concept of them is, hopefully, forever ), korra is waiting for her, bouncing up from where she was seated in a bought of pent up energy.
right! she can do this! )
Hello! ( not natural at all. she crosses over to kiss asami, collecting her fingers in hers. ) Hi. Sorry I haven't been around today, I was. Um, busy. Anyway. Remember that one time, when we first got together, and we tried to go on vacation but it ... didn't exactly work out?
( got interrupted, but. the couple days they were gone were some of the best in korra's life. after three years of nothing and no one, asami's presence was intoxicating. she hasn't left her side since. )
( korra is never as subtle as she thinks she is. asami has met quieter elephant mandrills, and that is... really saying something. she loves that about her. as time has worn on, all the little things that might have counted as flaws in korra to someone else just... faded away. asami looks at her and sees nothing so much as perfection.
but subtle? no.
she's up to something. but, you know what? asami is perfectly okay with that. it gives her an opportunity to be up to something, too. she sneaks out of their hotel room, hair bound up in a scarf, sunglasses perched low on her nose. completely incognito. she's so good at this.
she's going to ask korra to marry her. it just. it feels right. she doesn't want to feel the way she feels about korra about anyone else. it's never even occurred to her to look askance at another person, male or female. she wants to stay by her side, love and support her through her trials, grow old beside her and die with love in every line and wrinkle.
okay, so she doesn't exactly want to imagine herself with wrinkles. tastefully gray hair, maybe. but the love is real, and each morning she wakes up beside korra and wonders at the way her body occupies the darkness of the morning and how. bright she is. how beautiful. asami wants to have that forever, possess every inch of her, drive her past the precipice of passion and pull her back again when it's too much.
she knows that water tribes carve betrothal nechlaces. she also knows that it's not her culture. korra might be okay giving her one, but asami is fire nation through and through. if she wants to ask korra to be her wife, it needs to be done in a way that marries form and function, something that speaks to both of them.
her father, once upon a time, when her life was less fraught than it became but less settled than it is now, collected oddities. he had a knack for finding them and all the funding necessary to acquire whatever he found interesting. old relics, symbols of the past. he had genuine dragon teeth in jars, the skulls of extinct creatures, a set of ceremonial robes that once belonged to avatar roku. he kept the more valuable pieces in a vault under a shell company name, forever paranoid that someone would break in and steal it.
(his paranoia, perhaps, should have been her first clue. it wasn't. hindsight is a terrible, awful thing for a daughter to have.)
but there is one thing. one little thing.
her mother, once upon a time, was an adventurer of sorts. before she settled down, she traveled the world. she saw amazing things, met amazing people. and on one of her many, many trips, she encountered a falling star. a meteorite. it was too big to lug home (although asami remembers her joking about having tried) so she collected a bag of fragments. space rocks.
they weren't pretty or glamorous or anything with a fancy, storied history, so her father never had much interest in them. but he kept them anyway, because they'd belonged to his wife. asami has no idea if what they had was love, or if her mother was one more thing of note her father had collected, but she likes to imagine they cared for each other. after all, he kept the rocks.
asami had, honestly, forgotten about the vault entirely until a barrister approached her about it after her father died. she never mentioned it to korra, simply. let it stay as it was, its fancy objects collecting dust, paying the monthly storage container fee. but a few weeks ago, it occurred to her. the rocks would have to have ore in them, wouldn't they? she lugged them over to lin and asked if she could sense any, and lin agreed it was there. when asami told her what she wanted them for, she even helpfully pulled the ore out of them for her, depositing in her hands a singularly perfect piece of a burnished, nearly black metal, about the size of a marble.
however, as talented as lin is (and she would trust no other earthbender) she confesses she's not certain how well the metal would take to old-fashioned bending in the long-term. best to forge it.
so she goes to mako. in fact, that's where she's going now. he's had it for weeks now, and has been studying its composition. they only have enough for one shot at it, and mako. he'll do it right or not at all. she trusts him. and still, if she's being honest with herself, loves him deeply. but the quality of the love is transmuted. he's flawed in a way that she never could have erased by love alone. but he's a good friend.
the ring is. perfect. it's so dark it seems to absorb the light. shadows move inside its soft sheen. it's heavy, in her hands, which she thinks korra will appreciate, and it's. it's perfect.
asami thanks him. kisses his cheek. he lost the bitterness a long time ago, and merely smiles at her. she tells him he can give her away at the altar. he says he's having a curious sense of deja vu. they both laugh. it's enough.
and then she puts the necklace on a chain around her neck and heads back to the hotel. korra is already there, bouncing in place, entirely excited about something, and asami is laughing at her utter. ridiculousness. a vacation? sounds romantic. )
Of course. ( she kisses korra, sweetly, and then her hand where she's sought to entwine them. ) Where do you have in mind?
( their temporary home is a little bit too big for two people. the living room is vast but lived in, with forgotten, girlish articles of clothing haphazardly tossed over spread apart furniture, detailing events of when korra touched her here, or here, or here, or over there. it's anyone's guess to what event they're evidenced to - korra can remember asami in something with a plunging back piece that showed off the alabaster sparkle of her skin, and can likewise remember slipping it down her shoulders and scratching the blunt of her teeth on the salted arch of her spine, but. whether that was yesterday or the day before or last week eludes her. the days bleed together, and honestly, it still seems like a pipe dream she'll wake up from. she can remember writing asami letters, and struggling over the right words to tell her - feelings. explain them. pluck them like doves from the sky and send them in packaged boxes, so asami could be washed over by the thrall of them and know how she felt, the fluttered bat of wings to make up for where words lack.
she couldn't do it at the time. cowardice, probably. the avatar is master of all four elements, but in light of a girl's heart? there's nothing scarier. korra fell back on words like friend, found comfort in the safe. now she can't imagine going a day without telling asami she loves her, or living in a world where she isn't allowed to touch her, stuck in the limbo of written words and no truth behind them. she holds her hand everywhere they go, and kisses her in public when the world is watching. sometimes, like now, the people in towns set her and asami up in houses with two bedrooms - so korra relents to fuck her loud enough that next time they'll think better on it. asami is her friend, her best friend, but she's in love with her too. they share a bed. get used to it.
the oversized house has benefits though. a porch with a view. korra laces their fingers and tugs her slightly back, a warm as honey smile peeling up her face. )
Not far. C'mon.
( it's not really a vacation at all, because they aren't really going anywhere, but. the sentiment is evident. leave their worries at the dividing door, padding out to the stone porch that has a small, mountainous view of the city below. the four colors of the world are all splattered there, a little fire one way, a little earth the other. things like lanterns light up the roads and pathways as the sun sets, flags of all nations blowing in the wind. nice things. the clash of cultures turning away from their hard edges and into one melting pot. fire and water. asami and korra.
she's also got a blanket set up. candles that have half gone out with the wind, that she juts two fingers back out at to light again. picnic basket. )
Ta-dah! ( very. exaggerated gesture out to the set up. ) I made you a picnic. Don't worry, I promise it's all edible.
( the city glitters like a gem, cut and polished. the sun dips down below the horizon, the stars will be at their waltz, soon. less the daylight, the city is colder. a wind blows in from the north. asami closes her eyes, tips her head back and relishes in it. she's never told korra, but it's her favorite of the elements. asami knows full well why. because when things were desperate and korra needed it, it came to her. an old friend.
she always glories a little in what korra can do. despite the fire-touched tragedy of her life, there is something vivifying in the display of power inherent in watching her. it's intoxicating. she could sit at her feet like a child as korra does nothing but practice and delight in every quivering muscle, every flicker in the earth, in the air. even the fire.
perhaps mostly that. it's the element she most had to learn to embrace.
but air is her favorite. korra is forever using it in thoughtful, gentle ways. when she shoves asami into a wall, there's always a cushion of it to break the impact. korra knows she isn't delicate and they fight each other often enough that there's no being shy about bruises. it's. consideration. care. love.
the picnic gets a smile, and asami turns to throw her arms around korra, kissing her cheek with one heel kicked back. )
It's beautiful! You shouldn't have. ( but she frets. bites her lip. ) Did I miss an anniversary...?
( god, she's cute. the majority of korra's thoughts on asami are condensed into i can't believe i get to kiss her, and it's prety much a record scratch of that over and over and over again. anytime she looks at her, she's blinding. not the kind of white-sear painful blinding, but. the one where everything else in the world slips and falls away, and there's just her, asami, an arm's length away. as she comes into her arms, korra bends at the knees to lift her up and give a happy twirl, laughing brightly with her face pressed against asami's collar. she puts her down right after, just touching for the sake of touching. )
No, it's nothing like that.
( she thought about waiting for their anniversary, but.
basically she couldn't wait that long, so. any plucked out day from the endless dream of asami works for her.
korra takes a seat on the blanket, leaned back on her palms while she gestures asami in, with a nod of her head. she can't imagine not having this - her, forever. she thinks their souls have been married for a long time, and now the flesh is ready for that last commitment. there's no doubt, in korra. she'll either spend the rest of her days with asami, or she'll spend the rest of her days with asami. there's no other path. )
I just thought it'd be fun. ( grabby hands. come here and cuddle your needy girlfriend. ) And I wanted to surprise you.
( korra takes a spot on the blanket and asami just follows her down, thighs bracketing korra's hips, astride her like she might be during one of their many (many, many) lovemaking sessions. asami cups her cheeks, and then slides a thumb across her bottom lip. there are stars all in her aspect, the glow of her evident when she so much as looks at korra. beauty reflects its own nature.
everyone looks at her and sees the avatar. there are only a few people, close company, who can see the girl she is without that title yoked to her shoulders. but no one, asami thinks, sees her this way. she likes it like that. she's nothing if not possessive, and although she understands that she has to share korra with the rest of the world, she doesn't like it. she's had enough of the limelight. if they were normal people, with normal lives, she'd whisk korra away to some mountain paradise and never leave.
the world needs balance. balance requires sacrifice. this is the one they make. they pay for the pleasure of each other's company in a currency stacked against the needs of the world.
there is a ring hanging on a chain her mother wore, beneath her clothes and over her heart. her hand slips to grip it through the soft silk of her blouse. )
Sometimes, I think every day with the Avatar is a surprise. But I... actually have one for you, too.
( hands bracket asami's hips immediately, shameless in touching her. nature makes korra affectionate, and no one is more the receptor than asami, who basically drags out the worst in her when it comes to neediness, or being clingy. it's easy, though. she doesn't shy away from itching fingers, or deny kisses when korra offers them up freely, frequently. she knows intimately how to hold her, what korra needs exactly when she needs it.
she'd be tempted to say asami knows her almost as thoroughly as any of the satomobiles her life's been built upon, but. if asami ever looked at a car the way she looks at korra, they'd need to have a serious conversation about being married to your job.
( korra, the avatar, is one to talk. ) )
Whoa, really? ( she didn't expect that, but. that's kind of the point of a surprise, huh. korra immediately has every desire to find out what her surprise it, but, you know. ) Well, it just so happens — I have another surprise for you, too!
( korra laughs. it's very like them, these equal parts that meet and match up. gripping her a little harder at the waist, korra slings an arm around her back, using muscle mass to switch their positions, pinning asami to the ground. she gives her the room to sit up. korra. was not expecting a surprise. now she has to put forward thought into the ... procession of things. maybe asami should go first, so korra can end in the big finale! or maybe korra should go first, to set the mood for the night. hm. )
Fire, air, water, earth for who goes first?
( their version of rock, paper, scissors. fire beats air, air beats earth, earth beats water, and water beats fire. korra will leave it up to fate to decide. )
( korra's grip on her tightening is the only warning she needs of the impending shift in their positions. she goes with it easily, not fighting. they spend so much time enveloped in each other's physicalities — whether they're making love or sparring — that asami can read intent into every shiver of muscle in korra's body, know every resultant twitch like a whalesong coded into her genetics.
they are in perfect balance. it must be an avatar thing.
asami reaches up, feathers her fingers through korra's hair. she is playful and soft about it, like a gentle breeze, and she dabs her thumb against korra's nose as she pulls back for the mock-bout of their oh-so-serious game. )
All right. You ready? Three, two, one... go.
( there are four hand positions. a closed fist for earth, an open palm for air. fire is the fingers drawn upwards like a flame, water is the palm turned down like the gentle surface of the ocean.
asami throws fire. it's always been the thing changing her life. )
Boom! Water, baby! ( basically the worst winner ever. korra remembers herself a second after, and mock apologetically flattens a kiss on the corner of asami's mouth. ) Aw. You'll win next time.
( even winning a little game fills her with confidence, but. right. she won. proposals were going to be a post meal thing, the end of the night and right before bed, so she could hopefully swoop asami up into her arms, provided that the answer was favorable, and ravish her until the sun climbed up its midday heights. have the stars reflect little gleams of love in her starkly green eyes, watch the moon raise as a voyeur to their love. everything is always changing, and plans constantly change too - korra keeps light on her feet, ready for the winds. this isn't any different.
right. she sits back on her heels, distances pushed between them so she has the area to speak. a hand stays interlaced with asami's, while the other nervously sets her short hair behind her ear, head tilted, eyes to the side. it'd be nice if some - cue cards showed up. it'd be nice if she thought about what to say, at all, before this very moment. she winces at how ill prepared she was, brought on by her own excitement at the concept of. marriage. having a wife, a family. keeping asami beside her, always. )
Asami.
( calmer than she was a minute ago. there are times when korra possesses an almost - serene wisdom about her, learned from her thousands of previous lives, from the knowledge avatar aang passed down to her before she lost that connection. it's a tone of voice that really isn't her own - it's the weight of a thousand lifetimes and a thousand proposals buried into one, bridging the importance of this one, weighty decision, across all life forces. they've all fought their battles, lifetime after lifetime, felt the destruction of firelord ozai and the betrayal of firelord sozin, but.
they're all pretty much in agreement. standing in front of someone you love and pouring your heart out is - the most difficult, heart wrenching thing you could ever do.
but it's also the most rewarding. )
Asami. ( she starts again, after having waited too long. she smiles apologetically. ) Sorry. You know I'm not the best, uhh, "orator" ( air quotes ) all the time, and I. Probably should've put more thought into what I was going to say, haha. Wow.
( nervous. her thumb trails over asami's knuckles and her expression softens. she wants to touch these hands forever. ( no avatar has ever loved anyone the way i love you. ) )
I was just thinking, one day. About how you've always been there for me, even when I didn't deserve you, and how I might never deserve you, but I don't think anyone does, really. Because you're perfect, to me. When you deny how loudly you snore at night, even though, hello, if anyone knows about it, it's definitely me. And how much you care for everyone who ever comes into your life, you'd rather hurt forever than see pain in anyone else.
( korra's always been a little emotionally stunted. never knowing how to express herself, never showing too much to anyone. never really learning how to cry in front of other people. she tears up. she doesn't mean to, it just - happens, while she thinks about everything, all that they've been through, every mountainous climb they've had to crawl over. she lifts up their handhold to push her cheek against asami's knuckles, cracked open and vulnerable. )
How beautiful you are in the morning, when your hair's all messy and you haven't done your make up yet, and. When you smile at me, how the whole world just lights up into this incredible, happy place. You're the most — amazing, and beautiful, and smart person I've ever met, and I love you, I love you so much, I want to shout it at everyone I see, and make you — I don't know. A mountain with your face on it.
I thought I'd start a little smaller, though.
( her free hand goes rifling through her pockets and, finally, brings it out. water tribe engagement necklace, catching in the orange filter of the setting sun. the band is a woven black material, interrupted with two metal studs encasing rubies on either side of the center piece - a gem that shines brightly purple in the dim of light, carved with deep sweeping motions, making the jewel look windblown, etched with wind. )
Asami, ( she swallows thickly. both hands, now, she holds it out, biting her lip. ) wanna get hitched?
( it's there. she sees it written in her before that second utterance of her name, and asami freezes. stares in wonder, and delight and shock and love as korra continues on from that singular starting point to. that final, apex point. korra proposes and it's. every romantic notion she's ever read or heard of. her heart sings. she feels weightless. everything beyond the sphere of their small world is rendered irrelevant. asami thinks it could end, just beyond the reach of their outflung arms and she would be oblivious to molten torrents and acid rain, the howl of eldritch winds.
korra has been changing her life since she came into it. not always in good ways — they barely knew each other when korra called the police force in to raid her home. she still dreams, sometimes, about being in her old bed in her old room and waking up with metalbenders tying her down, yelling about equalists. but it wasn't her fault, it was. her father's. she misses the man he used to be, but that man... he died a long time ago. maybe when her mother did, the both of them subsumed by flame.
the good that korra's given her far outweighs the bad things she pulled the curtain back from, in any case. the love and respect and the care, they've saved each other's lives now more times than she's bothered to count. korra took her to the spirit world, and gave her time with her mother, who'd looked at her and smiled and said how big she'd grown.
even if they weren't in love, she would love korra in an endless way, an outflung emotion that would sink into all the corners of this world and make flowers grow in the path of her footsteps. this love will linger far after she's gone, and it will be the guiding light for the next generation of avatars that will come when korra dies.
korra is holding out the necklace, looking nervous, as if she could ever say no. she reaches out and takes the necklace, letting that jeweled centerpiece rest against her palm, thumbing the etchings in the stone.
somewhere along the way, she started crying. and hasn't stopped. )
Funny. ( she says, through a veil of tears and smudged make-up, streaks of messy wildfire violet enlivening her cheeks. with her free hand, she pulls the chain out from under her shirt and draws it taut against her index finger so the ring catches the light, its purpose made obvious by the faint inscription inside, and by the fact it wouldn't fit her. ) I was going to ask you the same thing.
( it's not a yes. it's an of course, obviously, forever.)
( asami's crying. she knows it isn't a no. her face is so - soft so full of life and emotion, so beautiful even with color streaking down her cheeks, that korra's breaks into a smile, mirroring the tears. pulling over like the world's smallest waterfall, cascading down to the point of her chin. it's not a no. not that she would've proposed if she thought it would be a no, but.
it's not a no. it hits her. asami's going to say yes, and they're going to - have a giant wedding and invite all the friends they've met during their travels, and naga's going to be the flower girl, with jinora and ikki and meelo and rohan on her back, and she's going to kiss her in the sunlight, where the entire world can watch. she was already planning on waking up everyday beside her, but now it's cemented in stone, almost, whenever the word leaves asami's mouth. she takes the necklace. say yes say yes say yes. )
Wait. What?
( she blinks. kind of stupidly, for a second. asami's face, her finger, the ring catching in the light. it's.
i was going to ask you the same thing.
it is funny. korra's face does some indescribable contorting, from amusement to grappling down emotion to just. love. cut from the same swath of oma and shu in the foundation of the earth kingdom's legendary city. avatar roku stole his wife to a far corner of the fire nation, and avatar aang made katara the republic city to build her a world of peace. korra isn't sure she has the capability to make asami a city or town of her own - but she'll make one of asami's body, find home between her legs or in the valley of her breasts, and know that whenever she's with her, there's no other place she's meant to be.
her fingers wrap around asami's on the necklace, laughing breathlessly. )
What? You're kidding, right? ( she knows she isn't. her other hand hooks around asami's neck, drags her in for a messy kiss that's half flavored by the salt of their happy tears, half by the love written on each of their tongues. ) That has to be a yes.
( korra drags her in for a kiss and asami is all softness there, messy lipstick smudges in dark berry shades accenting the soft brown of korra's skin. asami presses her mouth against korra's cheek, the bridge of her nose, her forehead, and, laughing, knocks her down to pin her against the carpet blanketing the ground. she splays a hand across korra's belly, then up against the curve of one breast, all the way to her cheek, which she cradles so tenderly. korra's crying too, asami smudges the trail of them with her thumb.
they don't need cities, or monuments, or mountains. they just need each other. it's always been like that. the love she has for korra is what sustains her, it's oxygen and light and sustenance and a reflection of all the things in the world that have ever been worth fighting for. )
Yes, dummy. A thousand times yes.
( her voice is a broken, happy little hiccup. in every life, across every age. yes, yes, yes. asami is clutching the necklace, and she wants to wear it so badly she can feel the ghost of its weight of it against her skin. it's already twinned to her soul, that token of love that korra made with her own two hands while thinking of nothing else but her. she presses the necklace back into korra's hands and then holds the heavy fall of her hair out of the way, leans down into korra's space. )
Quick, put it on! Make sure it's a good knot, because I am never taking this off again. As long as I live.
( it's a prayer, a promise. something unbreakable, beyond vows. their souls have grown together like vines, stretching for the light of a better world, they've been known to each other. marriage is a human construct, but it is a supremely human construct, the declaration of the most sacred of human emotions. it has nothing to do with bending, or business, or any of the other venues by which they define themselves. it's an enmeshment of the soul. and theirs have been wedded already for an age. this is just... a way to wear that commitment, to make it known, to show the world. and asami's a little ready to scream it from the rooftops, too. )
( it was only an object, before asami touched it. made in her image, yes, but not touched with life or love until asami pressed the pads of her fingers against it, made it something real. korra isn't expecting it to hit her as hard as it does, when she takes the necklace back and sets it with steady fingers around asami's neck, doing the fastening blindly but without stuttering. a necklace isn't a necklace until you wear it and. korra could've and has imagined what it might look like, wrapped around her neck, a direct contrast to the pale of her skin, but it's different in action. it's real, this time. she said yes.
her fingertips brush the gem as it's seated on her collarbone, hand trailing down her chest. right at the center, just resting there, above her heart, eyes locked onto the engagement necklace. she bullies asami in to take a seat on her lap, extra hand wrapping around her waist to support her.
she swallows thickly, before she tilts her head up to meet asami's gaze, smile impossibly soft. )
It looks beautiful on you, Asami.
( everything does, but. something korra cultivated with her own hands, born from the power of her bending? yeah. it's perfect. )
( it settles against her throat like a captured droplet of infinity, washed all in gentle heliotrope, flanked by fire-licked rubies. asami brushes her fingers against it, adjusting it so it falls perfectly in the notch between her collarbones. her only regret is that she didn't look at it longer, but she supposes that's what mirrors are for. she envisions the hours she'll spend propped in front of one, just. looking at this gift, the earthly sum of korra's love for her, and her heart flutters just thinking about it.
there's. a delighted little squeal of sheer and utter joy and then she flings her arms around korra, clutching at her with reckless abandon. she can barely contain herself. doesn't want to. doesn't care who hears or sees them. they can, quite frankly, whistle dixie. )
I love it. And I love you. Thank you, Korra, for this.
( she knows it's very likely that korra spent weeks on this, trying to create something beautiful. she never does anything by halves, and she's so committed to perfection... asami curls her arms around her and kisses a line up her shoulder to her throat, ending with a triumphantly placed one right on her mouth.
she's excited too, about the ring. she didn't make it herself, which she's a little sad about now, but. she wouldn't have been able to stand the heat needed to forge it anyway. mako said that it was like being a volcano. only a firebender — only a master firebender — could have done it, and asami... is content with that. after all, mako loves them both too. korra won't mind that it was his hands that shaped it.
asami unhooks the chain from her neck, and pours the ring down the length of it to her hand, where it settles. it's heavier than it looks. there are ornate little patterned etchings in the surface, like waves. and the inscription on the inside simply says, our forever after in the oldest written script of the water tribes. asami slips it on korra's right index finger, and then bends to kiss her knuckles. )
( she just looks at her, gentle and warm, free hand undoing her belt or whatever restrictions lay in the way of her slipping up the hem of asami's shirt to cup her side, skin to skin. if she could bottle a sound and keep it as schroeder's cat at her bedside table, it'd be asami saying i love you for sure. all things considered, korra had a pretty sweet childhood - her parents were both alive and both loved her very much, she was surrounded by katara and the other members of the compound, but. she was indescribably lonely, at times. she never thought she'd hear i love you from anyone who wasn't blood related.
so, it's special. she doesn't feel lonely anymore, asami's love is as vast as it is whole, and korra is just. grateful. that she hit mako with her moped, and hopped into all of their lives for good. she wouldn't be half the woman she is today without asami at her side.
the ring is heavy - a nice balancing weight to it, that korra likes for the steady reminder of it's presence. she flexes her fingers into a fist to test it, and cracks a smile when she unfurls them again, bright and cheery and unlike these soft little nothings prior. it's very korra. loud in the face of soft, bright in the face of calm. she can't recognize the ore off the top of her head, which means it's probably something super expensive, or rare, or something, and she'll prod asami about it later, but. for now. she pushes her head forward to rub noses with her, smile pressed against her lips.)
Gonna be a yes from me, Mrs. Avatar.
( and then she just kisses her, like the fate of the world rests on the clashing of their tongues, like crushing their lips together might be the only solution to restoring balance in the world.)
( korra kisses her and she kisses back with just as much passion, her arms around korra's neck, rolling her hips against her.
when they break apart she just. giggles. giddiness is a plague upon her, it's made a nest of butterflies in her stomach, it's made her fingers all tingly and her cheeks warm and flushed. and korra saying. that. pretty much demolishes the distant whispers of any bad thing that's ever happened in her life.
she laces their fingers together, taking korra's right hand so she can admire the band. the black metal looks good on her, rests beautifully on her skin, and it's just the right size. she'll have to thank mako later. )
Mrs... (avatar. what a title. but it does. make her think. she hadn't actually thought about it — asami may be a great possessor of foresight, but she's never given much thought to what was past this moment. she wanted it to be a brilliant, beautiful surprise. but now... ) Korra... would you be willing to take my last name? I know it's... not really the Water Tribe way, but it would mean a lot to me.
( she doesn't have a family anymore, beyond the little one she's carved out for herself, with korra and bolin and mako, but there are no other satos in the world but her. asami wants her to be the second, but. she knows it's... a lot, given what her father tried to do to her, what he represents to their shared past. )
( it doesn't cost her anything. asami is acting as if korra might have some hard resistance to the last name, but she doesn't. honestly, asami's dad doesn't even remotely cross her mind. sato has been carved out entirely by manicured nails and smudged lipstick in her mind's eye - and anything that's even partly asami's is something korra adores.
she bites another kiss off asami's mouth, giddy. wife wife wife. her hand is possessive and strong against her waist, sliding to the small of her back to cover as much ground as he can. )
I'd be happy to have your last name, babe. Korra Sato! Sounds pretty cool, huh?
( lifting up their handhold, she smacks kisses on asami's knuckles. )
And our kids will all be Satos too. ( her eyes widen a bit, and she flushes, grinning apologetically. ) I mean — assuming you want some. Not anytime soon, of course, but ... you know. Maybe one day.
( and then it just... isn't an issue, apparently. korra even seems happy about it, and asami laughs a little at how silly she feels now. rubs at her cheek where her fingers come away splotchy with make-up. she must look a sight. she's about to open her mouth to agree, it does sound nice, there's a good cadence to their names together, but then.
korra mentions kids. and asami blinks. )
Oh. I... hadn't really thought about it.
( she hadn't. it didn't seem like it would really be in their stars. more their lifestyle than their biological genders and all the problems that entails, asami isn't against adoption, or. any other option that presents itself, really.
but now that korra's mentioned it, it's like the floodgates open, and a dormant desire spills out. she does want kids. several, in fact. she wants to raise babies with korra and watch them grow and love korra as much as she does, she wants to... be the mother she never had, really. someone to soothe scraped knees and wipe away tears and love unconditionally. she wants little daughters she can share make-up tips and sparring with, and little boys she can cook beside. not that she really knows how. she never had to learn.
the fact that korra says it so easily, with such confidence... that only makes asami love her more. she didn't even think she could, she's so full and bursting with affection, but every day korra does something to prove her wrong. she always has more love. )
No, I'd love to have children with you, Korra. ( she smiles and leans into korra, planting a kiss on her. revenge is sweet and very symmetrical. korra kisses her, she kisses back. an endless cycle of affection. ) You'd be such a good mom...
( ah, good. she's well aware at this point that there's literally nothing on the planet that could scare asami off, but there are somethings that are - you know. a little more heavy than others. having children is one of those things.,emotional, but. happy, in this case. korra smiles like asami just gave her the world on a platter and said eat up.
she wants them too, she knows. family is a huge part of water tribe culture, where last names don't exist because everyone is one with each other, a big family that stretches from one pole to the other, although the north pole is. a little bit fancier. like your cousins from the wealthy side of the family. having a family has never been in question, because korra can point in any direction and find a relative of hers - but. children. that's something else. more people would probably call her too immature for kids, but asami knows her better than most. she has a profound love for small things, and her heart's big enough for the entirety of all four nations.
there's no question about if asami would be a good mother. none whatsoever. korra moves her hand to flatten on her stomach like someone's already growing in there - and then her eyebrows knit, a little, because she remembers, you know. basic biology. she doesn't have any of the right parts to knock asami up. )
I'm not sure how we'd do it, but. ( more kisses, flattened in between words. ) You'd be a good mom, too. Can you imagine how pretty our kids would be? ( she nips at her lips, turning to kiss her jaw, her neck, the soft band of fabric on her engagement necklace. ) And how sassy. I mean, dang. Right? They're all going to have attitude problems.
( she covers korra's hand with her own, briefly, and then lets herself gets lost in the labyrinthine depths of her kisses. head tipped back. a soft, pleased sigh escapes her. korra knows all the right places to touch her, a little waterfall of sensation that slips down her skin. if they keep on like this there isn't going to be a dinner. at least. not the kind with a significant caloric intake and clothing on.
she threads her fingers up into korra's hair, tugging her in against her chest. )
We could ask Mako.
( another thing she hadn't really considered until that moment. but. if she had to choose someone, he's the only one she'd pick. she loves him. and korra does, too. he's done a lot of growing up since they dated, and he'd do anything for both of them. the idea of bringing him into their bed is... well, it wouldn't be a hardship. once he learned what he was doing, they had great sex. she's never really asked if korra slept with him, but. well. they were all horny kids back then. it wouldn't surprise her.
more seriously, then, peeling herself back to meet korra's gaze solemnly. )
I think he'd be okay with it. And I know there are some new medical procedures that might help...
( she'll have to look into it. or fund it, maybe. future industries can get a biological science division just for this. korra probably doesn't have a driving need to be a biological parent. asami can't really imagine her wanting to be pregnant, whereas she's sort of excited for the possibility. but if she could... she doesn't even know the terminology for it, really, but if she could carry a child that was biologically korra's, she would in a heartbeat, really. no questions asked. )
( her eyes go a little wider. a little oop! of surprise. she never really considered bringing someone else into the mix, but.
it would definitely have to be mako, huh.
she doesn't hate the idea. she used to be a much more jealous person, specifically when mako was at the forefront of her romantic interests, but it's different now. she's grown up. not only that - the trust she has in asami and their relationship is unmatched in all the four nations, rivaling the commitment of all of the world's most romantic duos. asami worries about the mechanics, the science behind baby making, and korra just - focuses on the act. 'medical procedures' makes the whole thing sound ... inorganic, almost. she's never been attuned to her spiritual side, but there's some blah blah balance avatar stuff going on in her, some direct argument against things that go against the natural way.
not that she thinks asami developing a way to get her pregnant with korra's lady jizz would upset the balance of the world. )
Who needs medical procedures?
( it's just that it's not the point. she'd love a child with one hundred percent fire nation blood as passionately and blindingly as she would one cut from her own swath of genetics - or even a child with neither of them in their chemical make up, an orphan from the earth kingdom maybe, or a baby in the water tribe. it doesn't matter. anything shared between them is sacred, and any child who could fall into their hands, regardless of their descent, wouldn't find two more loving parents than these girls, right here.
she wouldn't hate mako for being the biological father of her kids. she might love him more, even. )
You know Mako would jump at the chance to get back with you. ( it's a tease - he's undoubtedly the only one who would protest such a concept, and probably only from embarrassment. ) I'll play him. ( more jokes. she just means - her hands clasp on asami's sides more strongly, rolling her hips smoothly up to meet hers. if she had mako's dick, they both know where it'd be. )
( she just. giggles helplessly at korra's antics, hand over her face to obscure the very vivid blush that it entails. she says it so earnestly. frankly, asami would much rather have her girlfriend. no. her. fiancée. than an old ex-boyfriend, even in play. asami loves mako, sure. she'll always love him, but it's that... gentle, settled love between exes who are still on good terms. not the passionate, turbulent, tumultuous, impassioned way she loves korra. with every breath, with every beat of her heart.
which means, frankly, it's time to scandalize her.
she purrs a bit, leans in and gives a slow, sensual curl of her hips right back. )
Actually, it was usually the other way around with Mako and I.
( scandalizing immediately achieved. a pale flush reaches from cheek to cheek on korra, who looks bewildered for all of a second, before an obnoxious laugh cracks between them like an exploding firework, head ducking down to rest on asami's chest. they do love mako, but they also love poking fun at him - it's kind of a result of both your ex girlfriends dating and falling in love with each other. look.
korra's been well on the receiving end of femme domme asami many times before. she'd be a hypocrite if she judged mako for liking it. )
Oh, yes, Ms. Sato. ( correction - ) Mrs. Sato.
( not that they're married yet, but the promise is almost good enough. korra's hands slip out of her blouse, only so far to tend to the buttons holding it together, plucking them eagerly off, one at a time. at the spread of cloth and unveiling of pale, perfect skin, korra softly lays her darker hand in the stretch of space between two breasts, the tip of her middle finger just brushing the gem of the engagement necklace. it's in direct contrast to the pure snow of her flesh - amazing, that for all fire nation asami is, she's so clearly the moon's twin, reflections of water sitting in the ample curves of her body.
that's how they are though, equal parts themselves and each other. the engagement stone is purple, the lovechild of blue and red passion.)
( asami leans back, bracing her hands against korra's thighs as she undoes the buttons of her blouse, each one separating from the taut fabric with a little pop. korra's hand is warm against her skin except for the ring, which is a chilled contrast to the heat of her. asami curls into her like a leaf curls inward in a fire, both her hands slipping to cover korra's one. )
Oh, I think we can call me Mrs. Avatar. Don't you?
( it's teasingly said. asami leans in to rub her nose playfully against korra's, and then to kiss her cheeks, her brow. her other hand slips down between them, fingers pressed up against korra through the fabric of her pants. it's nothing more insistent than a trailing stroke against her clit, slow and easy. )
I know you had this lovely evening planned for us, Korra, but... do you want to go back inside?
( it isn't that she's against the exhibitionism, it's simply that although she will roll around in dirt and grease for hours and never complain, one whisper of twigs in her hair is enough to be an instant and immediate turn-off. sorry, korra. picnic blankets in the middle of the garden may not be the place for love-making. )
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anyway. she's going to ask asami to marry her. tonight.
she can't remember when she started carving the engagement necklace. age old water tribe tradition, wood painted different shades of blue and engraved with a symbol representing the heart of whoever you hope to be your betrothed. she definitely started thinking about it on day one. what captures asami's beauty? a flower, maybe. but she isn't delicate, so that doesn't work - she needs something ironborn and sturdy, but something beautiful too. something inquisitive and smart, but coy and flirtatious. something. otherworldy. something imperial, royal, but humble. something classy. something
korra can't remember when she started, but she can tell you there's about a hundred discarded disks of carved wood thrown into the bottom of the nearest river, because none of them were. perfect. she knows asami would probably love anything, and that's assuming she'd say yes, but. korra isn't going to settle for less than the best for her girl. it needs to be something special.
it hit her about a week ago. the problem wasn't in korra's lack of imagination, but the idea of fitting asami into these standards that didn't suit her. they're family girls at heart, but tradition isn't exactly their forte - their relationship existing is proof enough of that particular enthralling defiance. so. something special. she buys a hunk of amethyst moonrock off a nearby earth trade peddler, probably spending too much for it, but you know. avatar privilege. asami is worth every penny.
so. so. there's been a pointed lack of korra in asami's life today. it's probably blisteringly obvious. when she comes home at night ( 'home' is a fun concept, because they make like nomads and go where the wind takes them - home is always temporary, but the concept of them is, hopefully, forever ), korra is waiting for her, bouncing up from where she was seated in a bought of pent up energy.
right! she can do this! )
Hello! ( not natural at all. she crosses over to kiss asami, collecting her fingers in hers. ) Hi. Sorry I haven't been around today, I was. Um, busy. Anyway. Remember that one time, when we first got together, and we tried to go on vacation but it ... didn't exactly work out?
( got interrupted, but. the couple days they were gone were some of the best in korra's life. after three years of nothing and no one, asami's presence was intoxicating. she hasn't left her side since. )
Wanna go on a mini vacation, tonight? With me.
( say yes say yes )
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but subtle? no.
she's up to something. but, you know what? asami is perfectly okay with that. it gives her an opportunity to be up to something, too. she sneaks out of their hotel room, hair bound up in a scarf, sunglasses perched low on her nose. completely incognito. she's so good at this.
she's going to ask korra to marry her. it just. it feels right. she doesn't want to feel the way she feels about korra about anyone else. it's never even occurred to her to look askance at another person, male or female. she wants to stay by her side, love and support her through her trials, grow old beside her and die with love in every line and wrinkle.
okay, so she doesn't exactly want to imagine herself with wrinkles. tastefully gray hair, maybe. but the love is real, and each morning she wakes up beside korra and wonders at the way her body occupies the darkness of the morning and how. bright she is. how beautiful. asami wants to have that forever, possess every inch of her, drive her past the precipice of passion and pull her back again when it's too much.
she knows that water tribes carve betrothal nechlaces. she also knows that it's not her culture. korra might be okay giving her one, but asami is fire nation through and through. if she wants to ask korra to be her wife, it needs to be done in a way that marries form and function, something that speaks to both of them.
her father, once upon a time, when her life was less fraught than it became but less settled than it is now, collected oddities. he had a knack for finding them and all the funding necessary to acquire whatever he found interesting. old relics, symbols of the past. he had genuine dragon teeth in jars, the skulls of extinct creatures, a set of ceremonial robes that once belonged to avatar roku. he kept the more valuable pieces in a vault under a shell company name, forever paranoid that someone would break in and steal it.
(his paranoia, perhaps, should have been her first clue. it wasn't. hindsight is a terrible, awful thing for a daughter to have.)
but there is one thing. one little thing.
her mother, once upon a time, was an adventurer of sorts. before she settled down, she traveled the world. she saw amazing things, met amazing people. and on one of her many, many trips, she encountered a falling star. a meteorite. it was too big to lug home (although asami remembers her joking about having tried) so she collected a bag of fragments. space rocks.
they weren't pretty or glamorous or anything with a fancy, storied history, so her father never had much interest in them. but he kept them anyway, because they'd belonged to his wife. asami has no idea if what they had was love, or if her mother was one more thing of note her father had collected, but she likes to imagine they cared for each other. after all, he kept the rocks.
asami had, honestly, forgotten about the vault entirely until a barrister approached her about it after her father died. she never mentioned it to korra, simply. let it stay as it was, its fancy objects collecting dust, paying the monthly storage container fee. but a few weeks ago, it occurred to her. the rocks would have to have ore in them, wouldn't they? she lugged them over to lin and asked if she could sense any, and lin agreed it was there. when asami told her what she wanted them for, she even helpfully pulled the ore out of them for her, depositing in her hands a singularly perfect piece of a burnished, nearly black metal, about the size of a marble.
however, as talented as lin is (and she would trust no other earthbender) she confesses she's not certain how well the metal would take to old-fashioned bending in the long-term. best to forge it.
so she goes to mako. in fact, that's where she's going now. he's had it for weeks now, and has been studying its composition. they only have enough for one shot at it, and mako. he'll do it right or not at all. she trusts him. and still, if she's being honest with herself, loves him deeply. but the quality of the love is transmuted. he's flawed in a way that she never could have erased by love alone. but he's a good friend.
the ring is. perfect. it's so dark it seems to absorb the light. shadows move inside its soft sheen. it's heavy, in her hands, which she thinks korra will appreciate, and it's. it's perfect.
asami thanks him. kisses his cheek. he lost the bitterness a long time ago, and merely smiles at her. she tells him he can give her away at the altar. he says he's having a curious sense of deja vu. they both laugh. it's enough.
and then she puts the necklace on a chain around her neck and heads back to the hotel. korra is already there, bouncing in place, entirely excited about something, and asami is laughing at her utter. ridiculousness. a vacation? sounds romantic. )
Of course. ( she kisses korra, sweetly, and then her hand where she's sought to entwine them. ) Where do you have in mind?
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she couldn't do it at the time. cowardice, probably. the avatar is master of all four elements, but in light of a girl's heart? there's nothing scarier. korra fell back on words like friend, found comfort in the safe. now she can't imagine going a day without telling asami she loves her, or living in a world where she isn't allowed to touch her, stuck in the limbo of written words and no truth behind them. she holds her hand everywhere they go, and kisses her in public when the world is watching. sometimes, like now, the people in towns set her and asami up in houses with two bedrooms - so korra relents to fuck her loud enough that next time they'll think better on it. asami is her friend, her best friend, but she's in love with her too. they share a bed. get used to it.
the oversized house has benefits though. a porch with a view. korra laces their fingers and tugs her slightly back, a warm as honey smile peeling up her face. )
Not far. C'mon.
( it's not really a vacation at all, because they aren't really going anywhere, but. the sentiment is evident. leave their worries at the dividing door, padding out to the stone porch that has a small, mountainous view of the city below. the four colors of the world are all splattered there, a little fire one way, a little earth the other. things like lanterns light up the roads and pathways as the sun sets, flags of all nations blowing in the wind. nice things. the clash of cultures turning away from their hard edges and into one melting pot. fire and water. asami and korra.
she's also got a blanket set up. candles that have half gone out with the wind, that she juts two fingers back out at to light again. picnic basket. )
Ta-dah! ( very. exaggerated gesture out to the set up. ) I made you a picnic. Don't worry, I promise it's all edible.
( thanks, bolin. )
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she always glories a little in what korra can do. despite the fire-touched tragedy of her life, there is something vivifying in the display of power inherent in watching her. it's intoxicating. she could sit at her feet like a child as korra does nothing but practice and delight in every quivering muscle, every flicker in the earth, in the air. even the fire.
perhaps mostly that. it's the element she most had to learn to embrace.
but air is her favorite. korra is forever using it in thoughtful, gentle ways. when she shoves asami into a wall, there's always a cushion of it to break the impact. korra knows she isn't delicate and they fight each other often enough that there's no being shy about bruises. it's. consideration. care. love.
the picnic gets a smile, and asami turns to throw her arms around korra, kissing her cheek with one heel kicked back. )
It's beautiful! You shouldn't have. ( but she frets. bites her lip. ) Did I miss an anniversary...?
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No, it's nothing like that.
( she thought about waiting for their anniversary, but.
basically she couldn't wait that long, so. any plucked out day from the endless dream of asami works for her.
korra takes a seat on the blanket, leaned back on her palms while she gestures asami in, with a nod of her head. she can't imagine not having this - her, forever. she thinks their souls have been married for a long time, and now the flesh is ready for that last commitment. there's no doubt, in korra. she'll either spend the rest of her days with asami, or she'll spend the rest of her days with asami. there's no other path. )
I just thought it'd be fun. ( grabby hands. come here and cuddle your needy girlfriend. ) And I wanted to surprise you.
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everyone looks at her and sees the avatar. there are only a few people, close company, who can see the girl she is without that title yoked to her shoulders. but no one, asami thinks, sees her this way. she likes it like that. she's nothing if not possessive, and although she understands that she has to share korra with the rest of the world, she doesn't like it. she's had enough of the limelight. if they were normal people, with normal lives, she'd whisk korra away to some mountain paradise and never leave.
the world needs balance. balance requires sacrifice. this is the one they make. they pay for the pleasure of each other's company in a currency stacked against the needs of the world.
there is a ring hanging on a chain her mother wore, beneath her clothes and over her heart. her hand slips to grip it through the soft silk of her blouse. )
Sometimes, I think every day with the Avatar is a surprise. But I... actually have one for you, too.
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she'd be tempted to say asami knows her almost as thoroughly as any of the satomobiles her life's been built upon, but. if asami ever looked at a car the way she looks at korra, they'd need to have a serious conversation about being married to your job.
( korra, the avatar, is one to talk. ) )
Whoa, really? ( she didn't expect that, but. that's kind of the point of a surprise, huh. korra immediately has every desire to find out what her surprise it, but, you know. ) Well, it just so happens — I have another surprise for you, too!
( korra laughs. it's very like them, these equal parts that meet and match up. gripping her a little harder at the waist, korra slings an arm around her back, using muscle mass to switch their positions, pinning asami to the ground. she gives her the room to sit up. korra. was not expecting a surprise. now she has to put forward thought into the ... procession of things. maybe asami should go first, so korra can end in the big finale! or maybe korra should go first, to set the mood for the night. hm. )
Fire, air, water, earth for who goes first?
( their version of rock, paper, scissors. fire beats air, air beats earth, earth beats water, and water beats fire. korra will leave it up to fate to decide. )
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they are in perfect balance. it must be an avatar thing.
asami reaches up, feathers her fingers through korra's hair. she is playful and soft about it, like a gentle breeze, and she dabs her thumb against korra's nose as she pulls back for the mock-bout of their oh-so-serious game. )
All right. You ready? Three, two, one... go.
( there are four hand positions. a closed fist for earth, an open palm for air. fire is the fingers drawn upwards like a flame, water is the palm turned down like the gentle surface of the ocean.
asami throws fire. it's always been the thing changing her life. )
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Boom! Water, baby! ( basically the worst winner ever. korra remembers herself a second after, and mock apologetically flattens a kiss on the corner of asami's mouth. ) Aw. You'll win next time.
( even winning a little game fills her with confidence, but. right. she won. proposals were going to be a post meal thing, the end of the night and right before bed, so she could hopefully swoop asami up into her arms, provided that the answer was favorable, and ravish her until the sun climbed up its midday heights. have the stars reflect little gleams of love in her starkly green eyes, watch the moon raise as a voyeur to their love. everything is always changing, and plans constantly change too - korra keeps light on her feet, ready for the winds. this isn't any different.
right. she sits back on her heels, distances pushed between them so she has the area to speak. a hand stays interlaced with asami's, while the other nervously sets her short hair behind her ear, head tilted, eyes to the side. it'd be nice if some - cue cards showed up. it'd be nice if she thought about what to say, at all, before this very moment. she winces at how ill prepared she was, brought on by her own excitement at the concept of. marriage. having a wife, a family. keeping asami beside her, always. )
Asami.
( calmer than she was a minute ago. there are times when korra possesses an almost - serene wisdom about her, learned from her thousands of previous lives, from the knowledge avatar aang passed down to her before she lost that connection. it's a tone of voice that really isn't her own - it's the weight of a thousand lifetimes and a thousand proposals buried into one, bridging the importance of this one, weighty decision, across all life forces. they've all fought their battles, lifetime after lifetime, felt the destruction of firelord ozai and the betrayal of firelord sozin, but.
they're all pretty much in agreement. standing in front of someone you love and pouring your heart out is - the most difficult, heart wrenching thing you could ever do.
but it's also the most rewarding. )
Asami. ( she starts again, after having waited too long. she smiles apologetically. ) Sorry. You know I'm not the best, uhh, "orator" ( air quotes ) all the time, and I. Probably should've put more thought into what I was going to say, haha. Wow.
( nervous. her thumb trails over asami's knuckles and her expression softens. she wants to touch these hands forever. ( no avatar has ever loved anyone the way i love you. ) )
I was just thinking, one day. About how you've always been there for me, even when I didn't deserve you, and how I might never deserve you, but I don't think anyone does, really. Because you're perfect, to me. When you deny how loudly you snore at night, even though, hello, if anyone knows about it, it's definitely me. And how much you care for everyone who ever comes into your life, you'd rather hurt forever than see pain in anyone else.
( korra's always been a little emotionally stunted. never knowing how to express herself, never showing too much to anyone. never really learning how to cry in front of other people. she tears up. she doesn't mean to, it just - happens, while she thinks about everything, all that they've been through, every mountainous climb they've had to crawl over. she lifts up their handhold to push her cheek against asami's knuckles, cracked open and vulnerable. )
How beautiful you are in the morning, when your hair's all messy and you haven't done your make up yet, and. When you smile at me, how the whole world just lights up into this incredible, happy place. You're the most — amazing, and beautiful, and smart person I've ever met, and I love you, I love you so much, I want to shout it at everyone I see, and make you — I don't know. A mountain with your face on it.
I thought I'd start a little smaller, though.
( her free hand goes rifling through her pockets and, finally, brings it out. water tribe engagement necklace, catching in the orange filter of the setting sun. the band is a woven black material, interrupted with two metal studs encasing rubies on either side of the center piece - a gem that shines brightly purple in the dim of light, carved with deep sweeping motions, making the jewel look windblown, etched with wind. )
Asami, ( she swallows thickly. both hands, now, she holds it out, biting her lip. ) wanna get hitched?
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korra has been changing her life since she came into it. not always in good ways — they barely knew each other when korra called the police force in to raid her home. she still dreams, sometimes, about being in her old bed in her old room and waking up with metalbenders tying her down, yelling about equalists. but it wasn't her fault, it was. her father's. she misses the man he used to be, but that man... he died a long time ago. maybe when her mother did, the both of them subsumed by flame.
the good that korra's given her far outweighs the bad things she pulled the curtain back from, in any case. the love and respect and the care, they've saved each other's lives now more times than she's bothered to count. korra took her to the spirit world, and gave her time with her mother, who'd looked at her and smiled and said how big she'd grown.
even if they weren't in love, she would love korra in an endless way, an outflung emotion that would sink into all the corners of this world and make flowers grow in the path of her footsteps. this love will linger far after she's gone, and it will be the guiding light for the next generation of avatars that will come when korra dies.
korra is holding out the necklace, looking nervous, as if she could ever say no. she reaches out and takes the necklace, letting that jeweled centerpiece rest against her palm, thumbing the etchings in the stone.
somewhere along the way, she started crying. and hasn't stopped. )
Funny. ( she says, through a veil of tears and smudged make-up, streaks of messy wildfire violet enlivening her cheeks. with her free hand, she pulls the chain out from under her shirt and draws it taut against her index finger so the ring catches the light, its purpose made obvious by the faint inscription inside, and by the fact it wouldn't fit her. ) I was going to ask you the same thing.
( it's not a yes. it's an of course, obviously, forever. )
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it's not a no. it hits her. asami's going to say yes, and they're going to - have a giant wedding and invite all the friends they've met during their travels, and naga's going to be the flower girl, with jinora and ikki and meelo and rohan on her back, and she's going to kiss her in the sunlight, where the entire world can watch. she was already planning on waking up everyday beside her, but now it's cemented in stone, almost, whenever the word leaves asami's mouth. she takes the necklace. say yes say yes say yes. )
Wait. What?
( she blinks. kind of stupidly, for a second. asami's face, her finger, the ring catching in the light. it's.
i was going to ask you the same thing.
it is funny. korra's face does some indescribable contorting, from amusement to grappling down emotion to just. love. cut from the same swath of oma and shu in the foundation of the earth kingdom's legendary city. avatar roku stole his wife to a far corner of the fire nation, and avatar aang made katara the republic city to build her a world of peace. korra isn't sure she has the capability to make asami a city or town of her own - but she'll make one of asami's body, find home between her legs or in the valley of her breasts, and know that whenever she's with her, there's no other place she's meant to be.
her fingers wrap around asami's on the necklace, laughing breathlessly. )
What? You're kidding, right? ( she knows she isn't. her other hand hooks around asami's neck, drags her in for a messy kiss that's half flavored by the salt of their happy tears, half by the love written on each of their tongues. ) That has to be a yes.
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they don't need cities, or monuments, or mountains. they just need each other. it's always been like that. the love she has for korra is what sustains her, it's oxygen and light and sustenance and a reflection of all the things in the world that have ever been worth fighting for. )
Yes, dummy. A thousand times yes.
( her voice is a broken, happy little hiccup. in every life, across every age. yes, yes, yes. asami is clutching the necklace, and she wants to wear it so badly she can feel the ghost of its weight of it against her skin. it's already twinned to her soul, that token of love that korra made with her own two hands while thinking of nothing else but her. she presses the necklace back into korra's hands and then holds the heavy fall of her hair out of the way, leans down into korra's space. )
Quick, put it on! Make sure it's a good knot, because I am never taking this off again. As long as I live.
( it's a prayer, a promise. something unbreakable, beyond vows. their souls have grown together like vines, stretching for the light of a better world, they've been known to each other. marriage is a human construct, but it is a supremely human construct, the declaration of the most sacred of human emotions. it has nothing to do with bending, or business, or any of the other venues by which they define themselves. it's an enmeshment of the soul. and theirs have been wedded already for an age. this is just... a way to wear that commitment, to make it known, to show the world. and asami's a little ready to scream it from the rooftops, too. )
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her fingertips brush the gem as it's seated on her collarbone, hand trailing down her chest. right at the center, just resting there, above her heart, eyes locked onto the engagement necklace. she bullies asami in to take a seat on her lap, extra hand wrapping around her waist to support her.
she swallows thickly, before she tilts her head up to meet asami's gaze, smile impossibly soft. )
It looks beautiful on you, Asami.
( everything does, but. something korra cultivated with her own hands, born from the power of her bending? yeah. it's perfect. )
I want mine! Pretty please.
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there's. a delighted little squeal of sheer and utter joy and then she flings her arms around korra, clutching at her with reckless abandon. she can barely contain herself. doesn't want to. doesn't care who hears or sees them. they can, quite frankly, whistle dixie. )
I love it. And I love you. Thank you, Korra, for this.
( she knows it's very likely that korra spent weeks on this, trying to create something beautiful. she never does anything by halves, and she's so committed to perfection... asami curls her arms around her and kisses a line up her shoulder to her throat, ending with a triumphantly placed one right on her mouth.
she's excited too, about the ring. she didn't make it herself, which she's a little sad about now, but. she wouldn't have been able to stand the heat needed to forge it anyway. mako said that it was like being a volcano. only a firebender — only a master firebender — could have done it, and asami... is content with that. after all, mako loves them both too. korra won't mind that it was his hands that shaped it.
asami unhooks the chain from her neck, and pours the ring down the length of it to her hand, where it settles. it's heavier than it looks. there are ornate little patterned etchings in the surface, like waves. and the inscription on the inside simply says, our forever after in the oldest written script of the water tribes. asami slips it on korra's right index finger, and then bends to kiss her knuckles. )
Avatar Korra, will you marry me back?
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so, it's special. she doesn't feel lonely anymore, asami's love is as vast as it is whole, and korra is just. grateful. that she hit mako with her moped, and hopped into all of their lives for good. she wouldn't be half the woman she is today without asami at her side.
the ring is heavy - a nice balancing weight to it, that korra likes for the steady reminder of it's presence. she flexes her fingers into a fist to test it, and cracks a smile when she unfurls them again, bright and cheery and unlike these soft little nothings prior. it's very korra. loud in the face of soft, bright in the face of calm. she can't recognize the ore off the top of her head, which means it's probably something super expensive, or rare, or something, and she'll prod asami about it later, but. for now. she pushes her head forward to rub noses with her, smile pressed against her lips.)
Gonna be a yes from me, Mrs. Avatar.
( and then she just kisses her, like the fate of the world rests on the clashing of their tongues, like crushing their lips together might be the only solution to restoring balance in the world.)
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when they break apart she just. giggles. giddiness is a plague upon her, it's made a nest of butterflies in her stomach, it's made her fingers all tingly and her cheeks warm and flushed. and korra saying. that. pretty much demolishes the distant whispers of any bad thing that's ever happened in her life.
she laces their fingers together, taking korra's right hand so she can admire the band. the black metal looks good on her, rests beautifully on her skin, and it's just the right size. she'll have to thank mako later. )
Mrs... ( avatar. what a title. but it does. make her think. she hadn't actually thought about it — asami may be a great possessor of foresight, but she's never given much thought to what was past this moment. she wanted it to be a brilliant, beautiful surprise. but now... ) Korra... would you be willing to take my last name? I know it's... not really the Water Tribe way, but it would mean a lot to me.
( she doesn't have a family anymore, beyond the little one she's carved out for herself, with korra and bolin and mako, but there are no other satos in the world but her. asami wants her to be the second, but. she knows it's... a lot, given what her father tried to do to her, what he represents to their shared past. )
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she bites another kiss off asami's mouth, giddy. wife wife wife. her hand is possessive and strong against her waist, sliding to the small of her back to cover as much ground as he can. )
I'd be happy to have your last name, babe. Korra Sato! Sounds pretty cool, huh?
( lifting up their handhold, she smacks kisses on asami's knuckles. )
And our kids will all be Satos too. ( her eyes widen a bit, and she flushes, grinning apologetically. ) I mean — assuming you want some. Not anytime soon, of course, but ... you know. Maybe one day.
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korra mentions kids. and asami blinks. )
Oh. I... hadn't really thought about it.
( she hadn't. it didn't seem like it would really be in their stars. more their lifestyle than their biological genders and all the problems that entails, asami isn't against adoption, or. any other option that presents itself, really.
but now that korra's mentioned it, it's like the floodgates open, and a dormant desire spills out. she does want kids. several, in fact. she wants to raise babies with korra and watch them grow and love korra as much as she does, she wants to... be the mother she never had, really. someone to soothe scraped knees and wipe away tears and love unconditionally. she wants little daughters she can share make-up tips and sparring with, and little boys she can cook beside. not that she really knows how. she never had to learn.
the fact that korra says it so easily, with such confidence... that only makes asami love her more. she didn't even think she could, she's so full and bursting with affection, but every day korra does something to prove her wrong. she always has more love. )
No, I'd love to have children with you, Korra. ( she smiles and leans into korra, planting a kiss on her. revenge is sweet and very symmetrical. korra kisses her, she kisses back. an endless cycle of affection. ) You'd be such a good mom...
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she wants them too, she knows. family is a huge part of water tribe culture, where last names don't exist because everyone is one with each other, a big family that stretches from one pole to the other, although the north pole is. a little bit fancier. like your cousins from the wealthy side of the family. having a family has never been in question, because korra can point in any direction and find a relative of hers - but. children. that's something else. more people would probably call her too immature for kids, but asami knows her better than most. she has a profound love for small things, and her heart's big enough for the entirety of all four nations.
there's no question about if asami would be a good mother. none whatsoever. korra moves her hand to flatten on her stomach like someone's already growing in there - and then her eyebrows knit, a little, because she remembers, you know. basic biology. she doesn't have any of the right parts to knock asami up. )
I'm not sure how we'd do it, but. ( more kisses, flattened in between words. ) You'd be a good mom, too. Can you imagine how pretty our kids would be? ( she nips at her lips, turning to kiss her jaw, her neck, the soft band of fabric on her engagement necklace. ) And how sassy. I mean, dang. Right? They're all going to have attitude problems.
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she threads her fingers up into korra's hair, tugging her in against her chest. )
We could ask Mako.
( another thing she hadn't really considered until that moment. but. if she had to choose someone, he's the only one she'd pick. she loves him. and korra does, too. he's done a lot of growing up since they dated, and he'd do anything for both of them. the idea of bringing him into their bed is... well, it wouldn't be a hardship. once he learned what he was doing, they had great sex. she's never really asked if korra slept with him, but. well. they were all horny kids back then. it wouldn't surprise her.
more seriously, then, peeling herself back to meet korra's gaze solemnly. )
I think he'd be okay with it. And I know there are some new medical procedures that might help...
( she'll have to look into it. or fund it, maybe. future industries can get a biological science division just for this. korra probably doesn't have a driving need to be a biological parent. asami can't really imagine her wanting to be pregnant, whereas she's sort of excited for the possibility. but if she could... she doesn't even know the terminology for it, really, but if she could carry a child that was biologically korra's, she would in a heartbeat, really. no questions asked. )
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it would definitely have to be mako, huh.
she doesn't hate the idea. she used to be a much more jealous person, specifically when mako was at the forefront of her romantic interests, but it's different now. she's grown up. not only that - the trust she has in asami and their relationship is unmatched in all the four nations, rivaling the commitment of all of the world's most romantic duos. asami worries about the mechanics, the science behind baby making, and korra just - focuses on the act. 'medical procedures' makes the whole thing sound ... inorganic, almost. she's never been attuned to her spiritual side, but there's some blah blah balance avatar stuff going on in her, some direct argument against things that go against the natural way.
not that she thinks asami developing a way to get her pregnant with korra's lady jizz would upset the balance of the world. )
Who needs medical procedures?
( it's just that it's not the point. she'd love a child with one hundred percent fire nation blood as passionately and blindingly as she would one cut from her own swath of genetics - or even a child with neither of them in their chemical make up, an orphan from the earth kingdom maybe, or a baby in the water tribe. it doesn't matter. anything shared between them is sacred, and any child who could fall into their hands, regardless of their descent, wouldn't find two more loving parents than these girls, right here.
she wouldn't hate mako for being the biological father of her kids. she might love him more, even. )
You know Mako would jump at the chance to get back with you. ( it's a tease - he's undoubtedly the only one who would protest such a concept, and probably only from embarrassment. ) I'll play him. ( more jokes. she just means - her hands clasp on asami's sides more strongly, rolling her hips smoothly up to meet hers. if she had mako's dick, they both know where it'd be. )
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which means, frankly, it's time to scandalize her.
she purrs a bit, leans in and gives a slow, sensual curl of her hips right back. )
Actually, it was usually the other way around with Mako and I.
( Mmmhmm. )
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korra's been well on the receiving end of femme domme asami many times before. she'd be a hypocrite if she judged mako for liking it. )
Oh, yes, Ms. Sato. ( correction - ) Mrs. Sato.
( not that they're married yet, but the promise is almost good enough. korra's hands slip out of her blouse, only so far to tend to the buttons holding it together, plucking them eagerly off, one at a time. at the spread of cloth and unveiling of pale, perfect skin, korra softly lays her darker hand in the stretch of space between two breasts, the tip of her middle finger just brushing the gem of the engagement necklace. it's in direct contrast to the pure snow of her flesh - amazing, that for all fire nation asami is, she's so clearly the moon's twin, reflections of water sitting in the ample curves of her body.
that's how they are though, equal parts themselves and each other. the engagement stone is purple, the lovechild of blue and red passion.)
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Oh, I think we can call me Mrs. Avatar. Don't you?
( it's teasingly said. asami leans in to rub her nose playfully against korra's, and then to kiss her cheeks, her brow. her other hand slips down between them, fingers pressed up against korra through the fabric of her pants. it's nothing more insistent than a trailing stroke against her clit, slow and easy. )
I know you had this lovely evening planned for us, Korra, but... do you want to go back inside?
( it isn't that she's against the exhibitionism, it's simply that although she will roll around in dirt and grease for hours and never complain, one whisper of twigs in her hair is enough to be an instant and immediate turn-off. sorry, korra. picnic blankets in the middle of the garden may not be the place for love-making. )