HEAT WAVES | avatar korra x oc x asami

ii. the proposal

AZUKA was still getting used to being swarmed by fans.

It was only a recent occurrence anyway, when they got into the pre-Finals and suddenly had more people rooting for them now that it was clear they had a fighting chance. They'd had a few fans here and there last year, of course, but they had been beaten in the second round, which didn't exactly make people eager to fawn over them. She braced herself as she and the boys stepped out into the reception hall of the arena, and were immediately met with screaming fans. Okay, so they weren't exactly screaming, but there was one guy who began foaming at the mouth when Azuka smiled at him. She just chuckled and took a pen to sign a little girl's memento of her. Kuruk was lapping up all the attention beside her, posing with any man who approached him to take photos. He flexed his muscles and winked, making three women almost faint. Ayuz was busy chatting up another woman, telling her how he had gotten into pro-bending in the first place.

The attendant gave them approximately five more seconds before shooing the fans away, waving over guards to help clear their way. He insistently led them through another hall and then bowed, opening the door. "In here."

Azuka blinked. She had never been in this part of the building. Walls stretched up to a domed ceiling, painted bright red. Potted ferns were placed at the entrance and at the back of the room, golden couches sat in the middle with a glass table between them. Photos of previous bending champions hung on the walls, and it was easy to spot the one with the Avatar and her friends near the doors.

"Hi!"

The real-life Avatar sat on one of the couches, smiling brightly at them. Azuka managed a smile in return, fighting the nervousness almost closing her throat up. She had not expected Korra to be here, though that was foolish. Of course, she'd accompany her girlfriend. There was no reason to be nervous, right? Korra had no idea about her family. There was no way she would. And if she did, she certainly wouldn't be smiling that brightly. This was probably just them wanting to meet her team. Right? They could be fans.

Republic City's most famous couple looked the picture of elegance, of course. Azuka was covered in sweat and probably smelled awful. Kuruk certainly didn't smell like flowers, either. Azuka wished she'd at least been able to shower, but oh well. Hopefully, they could make this quick. She entered and put her hands together to bow to the Avatar, her teammates following suit, before straightening and going to take a seat on the other couch.

"Avatar Korra! This is such an honor!" Ayuz gushed. "I mean, it was an honor to have you watch our match, but oh my spirits, getting to meet you is even better! I mean, I met you once, but you probably don't remember. Not that that's bad! I mean, of course, you wouldn't remember-"

Kuruk delivered a polite jab to his ribs. He cleared his throat. "As Ayuz said, it's an honor to meet both of you."

Korra's head tilted inquisitively. "We met? I'm sorry, I don't really remember."

"You rescued me from a spirit vine when it attacked," Ayuz said, face still red. "You were amazing."

The Avatar laughed. "Well, thank you."

Azuka fiddled with the hem of her tunic, pulling at a black thread that had started to unravel. She winced when Ayuz nudged her foot, looking up. "Oh! Yes, it's an honor to meet both of you."

"Thank you for meeting with us," Asami said graciously. "We were both pretty impressed by your bending tonight. In fact, that's what we wanted to talk to you about."

"Our bending?" Azuka asked.

"Yes."

Azuka's shoulders lost a little tension.

"But first, tea. I'm sure you're all thirsty after that." Asami called for a maid to bring tea and some steamed bao buns, making Azuka's stomach grumble. She didn't realize how hungry she'd been. As soon as the food was set down, she immediately went for a bun.

Asami let them dig in for a few minutes before speaking again. "I'll make this quick since you probably want to go home and sleep for a while." She chuckled a little. "Future Industries and I would like to sponsor you for the Finals."

Azuka almost choked on her food. Her eyes widened as she stared at the couple, food still in her mouth. She pulled the bun out. "You... want to sponsor us? Future... Industries... wants to sponsor us?"

"Yeah, I could have sworn you said sponsor, like pay for us to compete," Ayuz agreed, now wiping tea from his shirt where'd he spilled it. "Which is crazy, because you're Asami Sato, head of one of the most brilliant companies ever, and you're the Avatar. So that's... that's..."

Asami shrugged, half smiling. "Crazy? I guess."

The Golden Fireflies all glanced at each other, gold, blue, and green eyes all blinking again. While Kuruk and Ayuz's eyes were hopeful, Azuka's reflected uncertainty. Rubbing shoulders with the Avatar once was manageable. But being sponsored by her girlfriend, which likely meant seeing them much more often? That had her stomach twisting into knots. And that didn't even touch the question of whether Future Industries could afford to sponsor them. After Hiroshi Sato's exploits with the Equalists, the company had taken a nosedive.  Hell, just a year ago, the company had been practically bankrupt and almost unable to survive. So who even knew if Asami could afford to give them money for games, new gear, all of that?

No one on the team wanted to ask that question.

"Of course, there are a few conditions," Asami noted. "Simple ones. I would provide you with new gear, but it would have the company logo on it. And there may be a few times I'll ask you to appear at public events, as representatives for my company. Beyond that, all you have to do is win in the Finals."

It did seem simple. And anyone with half a brain would jump at the chance to not only have such a famous sponsor, but a strong link to the Avatar herself. It would instantly boost anyone's social status (and spirits knew there were a lot of fame-seekers — not to mention her own desire for it sometimes). It opened up countless doors for them, even beyond pro-bending. And yet, when Azuka considered taking the offer, she felt like she wanted to hide, because surely this would not go her way. This was without a doubt pushing her probably already thin luck, and she would have to be careful.

All she wanted was to escape her grandmother's legacy and build her own reputation. She wanted people to look at her with awe and gratitude and smiles, not with muttered curses and mistrustful glances. She wanted friends who were friends with her, not because of her royal blood (though that was ridiculous anyway - she lived in the Earth Kingdom, and her heritage meant nothing). And if she slipped up, all of that could be ruined and she'd have to leave Republic City.

She sometimes wished she could be as brave as Asami, who owned up to her father's legacy and didn't let it scare her.

"-think of it, 'Zu? This would be amazing!" Ayuz was excitedly saying when Azuka zoned back in. She pushed Kuruk's hand away from her face.

On the other hand, she couldn't say no because she was scared and ruined this opportunity for her two friends. They had been dreaming of this for a while. This would help them immensely, and staring at their excited expressions, Azuka found she didn't have it in her to break their hearts. She took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm down."

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song: wild roses by of monsters and men