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The first time it happened, Asami wasn’t expecting it at all.
Asami was in the process of trying to explain the new blueprints to the foreman of her construction crew. It had only been a week since she’d returned from the Spirit World with Korra, but already she was beginning to miss it. In comparison to the serene quiet of the Spirit World, Republic City seemed like a hive of chaos. Especially now that she was leading the reconstruction efforts. Future Industries wasn’t the only company working on it either. Cabbage Corps and practically every other major company in the United Republic had offered their assistance in the form of supplies and workers. But they left the actual planning to Asami.
“Okay, I think I understand what you want now.” The foreman said, as he studied the plans once more.
“Good.” Asami replied. “Because we’re already behind as it is. Don’t worry about the colossus, Suyin’s people are going to handle that. Just have your earth and metal benders test as many of the still-standing buildings as they can. I’d rather not have to tear them all down, if we can help it.”
“I’m more worried about the plumbing.” He retorted. “There’s at least eight whole blocks that are flooded with sewage right now.”
“I have waterbenders on the way.” Asami reassured him. “Just keep those areas fenced off for now, and have your workers with seismic sense check the rest of the pipes. Chief Beifong has agreed to lend us some of her metalbending police to help, so I’d put them to work sealing up any leaking pipes.”
“At least the power’s out, so we won’t have to worry too much about downed power lines.”
“True, but I’d still treat them with caution anyway.” Asami retorted. “You never know if they’re still carrying a charge or not. Last, I want you to mark every building that needs to be torn down. Don’t worry about doing that today, we’ll handle it later. Right now we need to focus on seeing how much damage there is.”
“Can we expect the Avatar to help out once we get to the rebuilding phase?” He asked.
“I’ll have to ask her, but I don’t see why she’d say no.” Asami shrugged, as she rolled up the plans and handed them over to him. “Good luck, and don’t hesitate to contact me if you need any more help.”
“I will, and thank you for the assistance, Ms. Sato.” He replied, shaking her hand. Asami nodded and turned to head back to her roadster. Only to let out a squeak of surprise when a pair of muscular arms wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air. She drew back her leg and drove her foot backwards, aiming for her would-be attacker’s gut.
“Oof!” A very familiar voice called out. Once her feet were back on the ground, Asami spun around to see Korra standing with an arm cradling her stomach. “Ouch! Don’t surprise you from behind, good to know.”
“I’m so sorry!” Asami said, rushing forward to check on her girlfriend. Korra was bent over slightly, a pained expression on her face as she rubbed at the spot Asami had kicked. “I didn’t know it was you, Korra! Are you okay?”
“I’m good!” Korra half-chuckled, half-groaned. “Think you bruised both my abs and my pride though.”
“I am so sorry!” Asami repeated.
“Honestly, Sams, it’s fine.” Korra replied, straightening up and waving a hand dismissively. “I should’ve announced myself, anyway. But, now that you know that it’s me, may I continue?” Asami raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Flashing her lopsided grin, Korra effortlessly lifted Asami up by her waist. “I missed you!” She bellowed, while twirling in a circle.
“Korra, the workers…” Asami muttered, glancing over at the construction site. Several of the workers had turned to watch their exchange.
“Let them stare, I don’t care.” Korra shrugged, still holding her. “They’re just jealous because my girlfriend is the most beautiful woman in the world.” Asami blushed, hard.
“Why thank you, Korra.” She said, leaning down to kiss her sweetly. Korra hummed at the contact. “I think you’re pretty swell too.”
—
The second time it happened, Asami had a little more warning.
It was Bolin’s birthday, and Team Avatar, plus Opal, had agreed to meet up for dinner and drinks. Asami had booked them a table at Kwong’s, since she loved to spoil her friends every once in a while. Well, who was she kidding? Korra, Mako and Bolin were much more like family to her now. Even Opal was, though they hadn’t known each other for as long. The food was fantastic, as always, and they’d all had perhaps a bit too much champagne.
“Thanks so much for coming out tonight guys!” Bolin practically bellowed, when they left the restaurant. Some nearby pedestrians gave him weird looks as they walked by.
“Of course, Bo!” Korra replied, pulling him into a platypus-bear hug. Mako and Asami both gave him much more gentle hugs. Lastly, Opal pulled him towards her and kissed him, hard. Seeing Bolin’s whole face go red was adorable in Asami’s opinion. Naturally, she found herself glancing over at Korra. Instead of watching their friends’ public display of affection, Korra was entirely focused on Asami with a playful look in her eyes. Oh no. She knew that look.
“Korbear!” Asami whispered in a warning tone, but it was too late. Korra pounced. The Avatar wrapped her muscular arms around Asami’s waist and hoisted her into the air, spinning in a slow circle. Asami tried to act annoyed, but she couldn’t deny the thrill that shot through her whenever Korra displayed her strength this way. She was vaguely aware of their friends laughing, but her full attention was fixated on the blue eyes staring up at her adoringly.
“Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.” Korra said, flashing that lopsided grin that drove Asami mad. In response, Asami leaned down and kissed her.
“I’m not complaining.” She whispered in Korra’s ear, just before Korra finally set her down.
“Well, I’m glad.” Korra mumbled, blushing furiously. Asami smirked and grabbed her girlfriend’s hand.
“What do you guys say we grab a soda-pop for old times sake?” She asked. “I think our old favorite shop is still open.”
“Great idea, Asami!” Bolin said, eagerly. Opal and Mako nodded in agreement. Asami glanced over at Korra once more, who was still grinning like a fool.
“Sounds good to me too.” Korra replied.
—
The third time it happened, Asami had been having a hard day.
Now that the city had been rebuilt, and things had finally calmed down again. Asami had much more free time on her hands. Which was both a good and bad thing. Good, because it gave her time to work on her side projects. And bad, because it gave her mind time to wander. There was only one destination her mind had had the last few days: Hiroshi Sato. Her feelings about her father were still so confused. Sure, they had started to repair their relationship, but they had only just started making headway, right before he died.
At first, Asami was angry with him all over again. How could he throw his life away so soon after reuniting with her? But she knew why. He’d died to give Korra and the other benders a chance to bring down Kuvira’s colossus. Hiroshi was no fool, he would’ve known that they only had that one last chance to cut through the mecha’s outer shell. Asami had seen the ice beginning to break with her own eyes, she knew that it would’ve escaped before they could’ve gotten a second chance.
But that didn’t lessen her pain, however. No amount of logic ever would. At the end of the day, the last member of her family was gone, and there was no changing that. Sure, she had distant relatives in the Fire Nation, but they’d never made any attempts to contact her, so they didn’t count.
“Hey, Sams, are you still here?” Korra’s voice snapped Asami out of her thoughts. She was sitting at her desk in Future Industries Tower. The door to her office swung open, and Korra walked in. “Hey, I figured that you might still be working. So I brought you some food.” She said, holding up a paper bag with her left hand, and rubbing the back of her neck with her right. Her blue eyes locked on Asami, and she frowned in concern. “Hey, are you okay?”
Asami didn’t realize that she was crying until that moment. Of course Korra would think to bring her food, knowing that Asami tended to forget to eat when she was busy. Spirits, I don’t deserve this woman. She thought, smiling sadly. Getting to her feet, she rushed over and practically leapt into Korra’s arms. Her girlfriend caught her easily, and held her tightly. Asami wrapped her arms around her neck, and legs around her waist, then buried her face in her chest and cried openly.
“Shh, Asami, it’s okay.” Korra said, gently. Asami clung to her like a lifeline, as she finally allowed her emotions to flow. “It’s okay, I’m here now. I’ve got you. You’re safe.” As she spoke, Korra ran her hand up and down Asami’s back slowly. Asami wasn’t sure how long Korra held her while she wept, but eventually she ran out of tears. “Hey, sweetheart, can you look at me please?”
Reluctantly, Asami leaned her head back so they were looking at each other once more. Korra shifted her hands to grip Asami’s thighs. Immediately, Korra flashed a big, goofy lopsided grin that she loved so much.
“There’s my girl!” Korra said, leaning up to kiss her cheek gently. “Now, can you tell me what’s wrong?”
“I was thinking about my dad.” Asami sighed, her eyes shifting to a small tear in Korra’s vest. “Everything was so crazy for a while, that I just didn’t really have time to think about him.”
“But now that it’s quiet, you’re finally noticing that he’s gone?” Korra guessed. Asami bit her lip and nodded. “I had a similar problem after losing the connection to my past lives. Any time I tried to meditate, there was nothing but silence. It felt like a part of me was gone. It still does sometimes.”
“I just…I miss him so much.” Asami whimpered. “I’m all alone now, Korra.”
“You’re not alone, Sams.” Korra replied, firmly. She reached up and gently raised Asami’s head until their eyes met again. “I know it hurts right now, but you are not alone. Not anymore. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. Besides, you have Bolin, Mako and Opal. Not to mention Tenzin, Pema and their family. Yes, Hiroshi is gone, and I am so sorry for that, but you have a lot of people who care about you too. We’re all more than happy to help you get through this, Asami. I promise, you don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
There were no words that she could come up with to reply, so instead Asami kissed her, hard. Trying to let her lips convey how much she appreciated her. When they finally parted, Asami’s eyes shifted to the floor. The bag that Korra had been carrying had fallen, scattering dumplings everywhere.
“Spirits, did I make you drop that?” Asami asked, though she already knew the answer.
“Catching you was more important.” Korra shrugged. “I’ll clean up the mess in a moment. Is there anything else that you need, Sams?”
“Can you just keep holding me like this?” Asami replied, quietly. She felt herself blush slightly. Korra grinned.
“Anything for you, my love.” Korra answered.
—
The fourth time it happened, it was Asami’s idea.
“Korra!” Ikki, Meelo and Rohan bellowed in unison. The three young airbenders tackled her the moment her feet touched the ground. Korra laughed heartily, scooping the trio up in her arms and hugging them fiercely. She spun them around a few times, before setting them down again. Ikki immediately started firing off questions. “How was the Fire Nation? Did you find all the bad guys? Did you see any cool places?”
“Easy, Ikki.” Korra laughed, cutting her off quickly. “The Fire Nation was great. But there weren’t any bad guys this time, this was a diplomatic mission.”
“Well that’s boring!” Meelo complained.
“You’re telling me.” Korra replied with a smile. She’d been forced to listen to dozens of dignitaries argue over Fire Lord Izumi’s idea of building a memorial statue to Avatar Roku on his home island. But, finally, they agreed and the construction was able to begin. Which meant that Korra was free to go home.
“Korra!” She looked up at the sound of her name. Tenzin was approaching the main temple building. It was still a little odd seeing him in his new wingsuit. She’d have to ask Asami to let her test one out sometime.
“Hey, Tenzin!” Korra replied, pulling her mentor into a hug.
“Welcome back.” He said, once she released him. “How did the meeting go?”
“It was a pain at first.” Korra admitted, frowning slightly. “I didn’t think it would be such a big deal, you know? Roku was a pretty good man, from what I’ve been told. But I was surprised to find that a lot of people in the Fire Nation blame him for the Hundred Year War.”
“Yes, well Roku was once very close to Fire Lord Sozin.” Tenzin explained. “My father told me that they grew up together, before Roku discovered he was the Avatar and had to leave to learn the other elements. During that time, Sozin…changed. Though very few people today have any idea as to why.”
“Lord Zuko told me about that.” Korra replied. “I can’t believe Roku tried to take on a volcanic eruption on his own. I guess I wasn’t the most impulsive Avatar after all.”
“No, you were not.” Tenzin said with a small smirk. “Now why don't you come inside? We can discuss Roku’s memorial-“
Tenzin was cut off by the sound of running. Turning, Korra was mildly surprised to see Asami sprinting towards her, and she wasn’t slowing down. Suspecting what her wife had in mind, Korra dropped the bag she’d been holding and opened her arms. Sure enough, Asami leapt into the air, aiming for Korra. She caught her with a grunt. Laughing, Korra spun her around. Asami smiled broadly, before kissing her hard.
“I missed you!” Asami said, once they parted.
“I missed you too.” Korra replied. “I was beginning to wonder if you were coming.”
“Like I would miss this!” Asami laughed. The sound of giggling made them look around. Tenzin and the Air Kids were all watching their exchange, smiling and laughing. Both women blushed furiously. “Welcome home, baby.” Asmai said, before stealing another kiss. Korra hummed in approval.
—
The fifth time it happened, Asami was playing with Hope and Aang.
The sound of child laughing filled the air, as Asami chased Hope and Aang around their new backyard. They’d moved into the townhouse a few weeks ago, but Asami already knew that they’d made the right decision. The yard was significantly smaller than the Sato Escate, but it was the perfect size for their family and Naga. The polar bear dog was currently laying under a large oak tree, basking in the sun.
“You can’t catch me, Mommy!” Hope was shouting, as Asami chased her across the porch and towards Naga’s tree. Aang tried his best to keep up with his sister, but his little legs could only carry him so fast. Asami caught him easily, scooping him up into her arms. He shrieked with laughter.
“Okay, little man, you wanna help me catch your sister?” Asami asked. Aang nodded, still giggling. Holding him securely in one arm, Asami chased after Hope for a few more minutes, before the sound of Naga barking made them stop. Seconds later, a blur of blue landed on the porch with a gust of wind that knocked over one of the chairs.
“Mama’s home!” Hope shouted. Asami smirked, as she watched her daugh sprint over to Korra. Laughing, Korra picked her up in one arm, and planted a kiss on her forehead. Not wanting to be left out, Asami jogged over. With her free arm, Korra easily lifted both Asami and Aang, kissing them both as well.
“Spirits, I missed you guys!” Korra said, smiling broadly. “There’s no better way to be welcomed home than a group hug with my three favorite people.”
“Welcome home.” Asami said, leaning in to kiss her wife passionately. Hope and Aang giggled at the exchange.
“I’m glad to be back!” Korra replied.
“Mama, will you play the game with us?” Hope asked, after Korra set them down again.
“Absolutely! What are we playing?”
“Tag.” Asami answered. “I was it, but now it’s your turn.”
“Oh really?” Korra remarked, a playful sparkle in her eyes. “And what do I get if you catch you all?”
“You’ll see.” Asami winked, before rushing away with Aang. Hope laughed and followed her. “And no bending!” Asami called over her shoulder.