No Strings Attached

Chapter 13

"Wait, does he not have a job?"

"He does, kinda, he's working on being an actor, so he spends most his time doing auditions... he landed this one job though" She said "I hope it works out for him" she smiled

"Wait, so he doesn't pay for anything?"

"Well, with this new gig he started helping with groceries at least" She shrugged

"And you pay rent?"

"And the water, light, and phone bill"

"You pay his phone?"

"Yeah" Korra raised a brow

Asami sat all the way up having her back against the bed frame. She looked confused "why..." she didn't know what to ask "why isn't Mako helping him?"

"Mako...doesn't know any of this...no one does actually" Korra confessed

"Why? What happened?" Asami asked

"Well, I came back from the military for a visit. Originally I was only going to stay for a week and leave back to the military" Korra started "before Bolin had his own apartment. Mako was living in the same apartment he has now, with Tahno and Iroh... Bolin lost his apartment because he couldn't pay rent anymore, because he lost his job for calling off too much to go to auditions. Mako didn't know shit because Bolin didn't want to be a burden to him or his roommates. And at the time, Jinora and Kai were out of town visiting Jinora's family"

"So where was Bolin staying?" Asami asked

"when I left for the military, I left him my car to use when he needed, I made the payments on my car so he didn't have to worry about that, and then when I came back for a visit I find him sleeping in my car..." Korra quickly wiped away her tears before they fell. "So I got this apartment, I told him I was staying and I offered him a place to stay. Now, Bolin depends so much on me to help provide for him so he can become an actor, and as long as I can afford a place and put food in the fridge, he can do that. Everything I'm doing here is to help him." She admitted

"I-I didn't know that"

"I promised Bolin I wouldn't say nothing to his brother. But... He was living in my car for 6 months, how did Mako not see that? Did he ever check on his little brother?"

Asami painted a different picture of Mako. Everything she thought he was, was wrong.

"And everyday when I wake up to eat breakfast with him, I can't help but think 'what if I never came back?' 'How much longer would he have lasted like that?' 'Why didn't no one notice he wasn't ok?'" Korra was emotional and Asami went to hug the girl.

"But you came back, and now he's ok" Asami was trying to reassure her

"You know, I told myself 'once I know he's ok on his own, I'll leave' wether it meant back to the military or away from the city" Korra finished

"What?" Asami was shocked at the last part

"I don't belong here, and if Opal's brothers know I'm back, it won't be long before my cousins find out." Korra said "I didn't want to stay in the beginning" Korra confessed "honestly the other day, when I asked what we were... if you told me we were something more than what we were doing, I would've gotten a new job to protect your company and stayed here" she admitted

"Really?" Asami asked

Korra looked at the girl "Yeah, it's kinda scary actually, I never felt this way about anyone. I wonder if you ate, if you slept fine, if you feel lonely, if you're stressed, if there's something I can do to help you, I wonder if you think about me too... I was so scared that I could never be cable of love because of who I was and how I treated people, but with you, it felt so different" Korra's heart was racing as she confessed to Asami "I got even more scared when I started to realize what the feelings I had for you was" Korra looked down at herself

"Korra..." she could see the sadness in the girl's eyes "Do you still want to leave?"

"The only thing holding me back from leaving is you" Korra said "if you tell me to stay I won't leave until you tell me that you don't want me anymore"

"Why?"

"Because we agreed on 'no strings attached' but I got attached..." she looked at the girl "I'm in love with you Asami"

Asami's eyes widened, her heart fluttered.

"You don't have to say anything" Korra said "but if you truly want to be with me too, if you truly see something, tell me to stay here, with you"

It felt like fireworks were going off in her chest, she felt as if she was floating in the air. What to do Asami.

"Stay"

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A/N:
Sorry of any errors- yami out