Asami is about to graduate and Korra is late...
Asami was a calm, rational person. Even in the middle of this important day, she should be calm. However, she was anything but composed. She gulped as it was her row's turn to stand and claim their diplomas.
'Calm down, Asami. You're a Sato. You can handle a little pressure.'
But walking in front of a crowd was nothing new to her. She had given many lectures on her journey to get her master's degree in engineering. She looked into the stands and smiled at her father. No, it wasn't the crowd that bothered her. It was her girlfriend, who was still nowhere to be seen. She glanced around the open field, hoping to see her running in any second now.
'That idiot. She said her game would end before the ceremony even started!'
Anger started seeping into her. She took a calming breath. She couldn't let herself get angry, especially since it probably wasn't Korra's fault. 'Remember all the good she's done.'
Asami anxiously took a sip of her iced coffee. Nothing was better to start her day. She was about to push open the door when a tan, hot girl dashed in. The girl hadn't paid attention and ran into the engineer, spilling her drink everywhere. She gasped as cold liquid ran down the front of her clothes and the other girl fell to the floor.
Asami sighed and reached over for some napkins to dry her now wet jeans. The girl quickly hopped onto her feet and grabbed more napkins to help. "I-I'm so sorry! It was an accident! I-I…"
Their faces were a few inches apart. A blush came across the girl's face and quickly dropped a bunch of napkins on the floor and dashed back out of the shop.
Asami watched in amusement as the girl nervously ran away. She chuckled and finished cleaning up. Even though she too had blushed at the closeness, she had noticed that the girl had dark bags under her eyes. She looked through the window once she had a new drink. She then wondered back to the tan beauty from earlier. 'She was pretty cute. I hope she's okay though.'
Asami took a deep breath and continued rambling on about equations and mechanics of the latest engineering technology. Some of the students were eagerly writing notes while others struggled to keep up and eventually quit writing notes.
Suddenly the back door to the lecture room creaked open and a tan woman poked her head in. The girl smirked as Asami stuttered her current sentence before stopping completely to stare at her. The students who had given up trying to keep up with her looked back and forth between them before rushing to write down what they could remember of the lecture before it picked up again.
Asami's astonishment turned into irritation and she turned around to the board, continuing to show the class how to do the equation. Some of the students groaned as she returned to her fast pace before dropping their pencils again. She quickly dismissed the class after taking any questions about the homework. She huffed as she started packing up her folders when she heard someone hop down the center aisle and jump into a seat. Asami looked up and saw that girl smirking at her again.
"What're you doing here?" Asami asked.
The girl smiled. "Am I not allowed to sit in on a lecture?
Asami rose a brow. "Well no but it's not like you're getting anything out of it."
"How do you know? You don't even know what I'm majoring in."
Asami chuckled. "If you were an engineer major you'd have signed up for the class and I would know your name."
The girl pouted. "Fine, you got me there. Well I didn't get to introduce myself last time."
"You mean when you ran into me at the coffee shop and spilled my drink everywhere."
The girl sat up nervously. "I-I'm really sorry about that! I felt awful that I couldn't stay to help clean up but I was late for class…"
Asami watched as the girl hung her head in shame. She felt intrigued with how the girl went from overwhelming confidence to saddening shame. She walked over to the desk and held out her hand. The girl had looked up midway when she heard her heels. "I'm Asami."
The girl smiled. "I'm Korra."
"Well Korra, if you really feel that bad about that accident then maybe you can make it up to me."
Korra looked up hopefully at her. "I-I'll get you a new coffee! I'll get you a coffee every day for that matter!"
Asami laughed and shook her head. "I was thinking more about dinner."
Asami pulled up to the dorm hall and saw the tan girl standing under the streetlight. Korra was wearing jeans and a plaid shirt. Asami parked and got out of the car to greet her.
Korra's eyes widened when she saw the engineer. "I-I'm underdressed."
Asami rose a brow. "What're you talking about? You look great."
Korra nervously rubbed her neck. "Ah, but you look so good. Your dress is perfect."
Asami blinked and looked down at her red dress she decided on. She didn't think it was all that much, but one look at Korra's anxious face told her what she needed to know. She glanced back at her red sports car and began to get nervous herself.
"No, you're fine. I'm the one who overdressed. I-I'm sorry." Asami replied. She knew she was showing off her wealth, even if it was unknown to her.
Korra quickly waved her hands in front of her. "No! You're beautiful! Don't apologize for that."
Asami blushed, but then turned to open the door for her. "Ready?"
Korra gulped, contemplating just running away again. But Asami's welcoming gaze lured her to the car. She gazed in astonishment at the fancy car. Asami slid into the driver's seat and revved the engine. Before she could object, they were soaring through the streets.
Korra was laughing as she jumped out of the car. "Woo! That was so exhilarating!"
Asami smirked as she joined her on the curb. "You looked like you could use the excitement."
Korra smiled at her. "We should do that again! I…" She stopped as she looked at the restaurant they were at. Her smile turned into a frown as she nonchalantly patted her pocket, checking that her wallet was there.
She was hoping that the engineer wouldn't notice but apparently she did. Asami glanced at her when she seemingly drudged into the doorway. "Korra, are you alright? Is this a bad place?"
Korra smiled brightly at her. "No! It's fine! Let's go!"
Asami looked at her suspiciously but guided her in nonetheless.
All throughout dinner, they laughed and shared stories about their youth. Asami learned that Korra was from Louisiana. She was all the way in Virginia on a scholarship to play soccer. That was the only way she could afford school. And she was majoring in criminal psychology.
In return, Asami shared that she was originally from Virginia, was working on her master's in engineering, and her family was pretty wealthy ("Obviously," Korra had stated jokingly at this.) Also she was kind of a genius and graduated high school at 15 and that's how she was already working on a master's degree. Korra stated how happy she was for Asami, but felt slightly ashamed that she wasn't as good as Asami. Korra wasn't the best in school and then she wasted a year after high school before deciding to go to college.
However, Korra's personality changed again when the bill arrived. Asami had figured out that Korra wasn't wealthy, even if the girl never mentioned it. All the signs were there. So as Korra's eyes lit up with panic, Asami reached over and took the bill out of her hands.
Korra looked up nervously. "Huh, Asami? What're you doing? I can pay it."
Asami waved her off. "It's okay, Korra. I told you I'm wealthy. I have no problem paying for this."
"No! I want to pay it. I'm have to after that accident that other day." Korra argued.
"Korra, it's really fine. I'm not even concerned about the coffee."
Before Asami could say more, Korra reached over the table and yanked to bill out of her fingers. "Hey!"
"I'm paying for this Asami and you're not going to argue about it, understood?" Korra said sternly.
Asami blinked at the strength in Korra's voice. She nodded aimlessly and Korra smiled before placing money in the slot of the small folder holding the bill.
"At least let me pay the tip." Asami started but was stopped when Korra held up her hand and gave the money to the waiter when he returned.
"Nope, I got it." Korra said and smiled cheekily.
Asami pouted but sighed when Korra appeared undeterred. "I will pay for the next four dinners then."
Korra blinked and then smiled even brighter. "So I get another date?"
Asami couldn't help but giggle. "Yes, Korra, you get another date."
"Yessss!" Korra hissed and punched the air.
"And Junior Korra scores right before the halftime whistle!" The announcer yelled into the mic as the audience cheered for their team. Korra smiled brightly and high-fived her teammates. She looked into the crowd and waved at the beauty that is Asami Sato. This was the first game the engineer had been to and was cheering loudly, but when she saw Korra looking she blew a kiss at her. Korra blushed and giggled stupidly as the team walked into the locker room.
Just as the coach finished talking and let them rest for a minute, Korra felt air swim through the toes of her left foot. She frowned and leaned down to inspect it. 'Great, another tear. I don't have time to sew this up! Ugh, I'm just gonna have to use the duct tape again…'
She shamefully began wrapping tape around the middle of her shoe. She felt a presence above her and winced. She gulped before glancing up.
"You need to get new boots, Korra. I already told you that."
Korra hung her head. "Yes, Coach Tenzin…"
Tenzin sighed. He did not need Korra upset going into the second half. He kneeled down to her and patted her knee. "If you need help, you know you can ask me."
Korra shook him off and started walking back onto the field. "It's okay coach. I'll take care of it."
Tenzin sighed and followed her.
Asami smiled when she saw Korra run back out, but then frowned when she noticed the athlete looked a little upset. That's when she noticed the grey tape around one of her cleats. Her frown deepened with understanding. She then made up her mind. Korra kept pushing her money away from her, but she needed the help even if she was too stubborn to accept it. Every time it was Asami's turn to buy dinner, Korra chose cheaper places than usual. Sometimes Asami got fed up with it and forced Korra to eat at nicer places. And every time it was Korra's turn she picked more expensive places that Asami knew she couldn't afford. Asami was certainly tired of Korra pretending she could afford everything.
The game quickly picked up again, also picking up Korra's attitude, and Korra ended up scoring two more times. Asami waited for her in the parking lot after the game. The athlete had showered so they could go to dinner afterwards.
Korra was practically prancing after that great game and skipped to Asami's side to kiss her on the cheek. "Thanks for coming today. It means a lot to me."
Asami smiled and pulled her closer to kiss her properly. "I was happy to come watch you play. It was kinda a turn on." She whispered in her ear when they pulled away. They eventually got into the car and drove away.
Korra blinked when they arrived at Dick's instead of the restaurant. "Uhh, Asami? What're we doing here? Aren't we going to dinner?"
Asami sighed. She knew Korra might react negatively but she needed to do this. "Before we go to dinner, I wanted to get you new gear."
It took a minute for Korra to process it, but then she scowled. "Asami, I told you I don't need help."
"Korra, your cleats are falling apart!"
"I don't need your money! I can handle myself! I've been doing it for years."
Asami huffed and crossed her arms. "Okay, so you have money to buy new cleats? Because I'm not letting any girlfriend of mine go without what she needs."
Korra stomped out of the car. "I'm not a charity case! I'm not dating you because of your money!"
Asami instantly followed her. "Is that what you think this is about?!"
Korra stopped stomping a few feet. Asami caught up to her and grabbed her arm to turn her around. Her scowl instantly disappeared when she saw tears falling from Korra's eyes.
"Korra, what's wrong?"
Korra covered her eyes with her palms. "I don't know! I'm just tired of everything!"
"Oh, sweetie…" Asami cooed as she pulled her into a tight hug. "You don't have to do this by yourself." They stood there for a few minutes while Korra calmed down, all the while Asami patted her head. "I'm not dating you as charity. Did I know anything about you when you spilled my coffee everywhere? No. Did I know you were the most stubborn yet sweetest person I have ever met? No. It was only after we grew close to each other did I learn how much I love you!"
Both froze. Asami went wide-eyed and covered her mouth with one hand. She began pulling away, stuttering. Suddenly, Korra smiled through her tears and pulled her back into a hug.
"I love you too, Asami."
Asami smiled into her shoulder and a few tears of her own appeared. She quickly wrapped her arms around Korra's shoulders and leaned into her. "So can I pay for your new gear?"
Korra chuckled. "Sure."
Ring! Ring! Asami squirmed around her bed, ignoring her phone. She slowly opened her eyes and soon realized that it was still dark out. Who would be calling at this time at night? She leaned onto her elbow and reached over to the nightstand for her phone. She plopped back onto the pillow before reading the caller ID. In an instant, she was sitting straight up with wide eyes. Something must be wrong for her to call so late.
"Korra?" Asami answered. She got no reply but heard sniffles. "Korra, what's wrong?"
On the other side, Korra gaped as she fetched for any words. "Gah…I…sorry… Can you…come over?"
Asami was already out of bed and searching for clothes to change into. "I'm on my way, hun."
A resident assistant was waiting for the engineer at the front door. "Are you Asami?" Her jet black hair shook as she nodded. "Follow me. Korra's woken up everyone on the third floor again."
Asami gasped. "Again? What do you mean?"
The girl rose a brow at her. "You don't know? She…she has nightmares. But she hasn't had one in months. I wonder if something triggered it."
Asami gaped. Why hadn't Korra told her?
"In fact, I think this is the first time she's had a nightmare since she started dating you." The girl commented.
Asami blinked. As she thought about it, it would make sense for Korra to hide this from her if she hadn't been having the nightmares. If anything, her calling meant she trusted her enough to come see her.
The girl led them up the stairs and stopped at a door in the middle of the hallway. "This is Korra's room. If you need anything I'm just four doors down. My name's Opal by the way."
Asami mindlessly nodded and thanked her before knocking on the door. "Korra, it's me, Asami."
After a few quiet seconds, she heard rapid shuffling. The door was yanked open and she was instantly pulled inside. She gasped as she was hugged tightly. She looked down and saw a shivering Korra tucked under her chin.
Asami breathed in calmly before carefully guiding the girl to the bed. "Korra, do you wanna talk about it?"
The athlete sniffled and shook her head. Asami pulled her into her lap and wrapped the blanket around them. Korra gripped the engineer's shirt tightly. Asami frowned and hugged her tighter while laying her chin on the top of her head. "It's okay, Korra. I'm right here."
Eventually, Korra's shivering calmed down and the girl soon fell back asleep. Asami glanced down when she heard a light snore under her. She smiled and carefully laid her down. For a minute she thought about leaving, but what if she had another nightmare? Just then she heard a new whimper escape the girl's lips. Asami slid in behind her and wrapped her arms around her. Korra grabbed her hands and pulled her closer. Her squirming settled again. Asami sighed in relief. Soon she too fell asleep.
Korra tried falling back asleep when morning came. She might've succeeded too if she hadn't felt a pair of hands on her back. She jumped up in panic. Her heart calmed down again when she saw her girlfriend lying next to her. Her jet black hair swirled around the pillow and her makeup was nowhere to be seen. She was absolutely beautiful. Korra blushed with admiration. She contemplated sliding back into her arms and falling back asleep peacefully, but then she figured she'd make breakfast to thank her for coming over at 2 in the morning.
Asami woke up a few minutes later when she smelled something delicious. She carefully peaked her eyes open, but gasped when she saw that Korra wasn't next to her. She quickly looked around for her and sighed in relief when she saw the athlete in the small kitchen of her dorm. She smiled at the sight of Korra cooking. She was so adorable.
"Making breakfast?"
Korra jumped. "Damn, 'Sami you scared me. I didn't know you were awake." Asami chuckled and began crawling out of the bed. Korra dropped her spatula and waved her arms in front of her. "No, no! I'm treating you to breakfast in bed to thank you."
"Korra, you don't have to thank me. I'd have done whatever I could to help you last night."
Korra still rushed over and pushed her back into the cushions. "I want to do this, though."
They stared into each other's eyes before Asami pressed her lips into hers. Korra moaned and started to crawl into her lap. They would have continued but smoke started filling the room. Korra abruptly pulled away and ran to the stove. "Gah! No! Not the bacon!" She cried. She then sighed at what wasn't burnt. She carried two plates over to the bed and sat beside her girlfriend. "Well, at least the eggs and toast are still salvageable."
Asami giggled and eagerly took a plate from her. "I really appreciate it, Korra. You didn't have to do this."
Korra gulped. "I hope I get to do it more." She whispered and looked away.
Asami tipped her chin and kissed her hard on the mouth. "I hope so too."
Korra blushed and giggled stupidly.
Soon Asami had to leave for class but made sure Korra was okay before she left. Korra did her best to assure her that she was absolutely fine now. Asami sighed and started walking out of the dorm building. Just before she pushed open the main door, a voice called after her. "Asami, wait!"
The engineer looked back and saw the RA from last night. Opal caught her breath before dropping a card key in her hand. "That's an extra card key. It'll get you into Korra's room. After last night, I have no problem giving it to you. Usually on her bad nights she has as many as four nightmares. After you came she didn't have anymore, at least not any that woke up the whole hall. I can't express my gratitude."
Asami's eyes had widened. "I-I… Well thank you, but should you really be giving me this?"
Opal rose a brow. "I really don't appreciate getting up in the middle of the night to make sure she's okay, sometimes several times a night, and then having to stay up to let you in the building. As long as you're there for her on her bad days, my conscious is clean. Thanks again, Asami."
"It's, uh, no problem. I should be thanking you."
"Just try to be there for her. She tends to keep her thoughts to herself."
Asami nodded. "I know."
Asami glanced over as Korra was frantically studying and writing notes in the margins of the pages. She looked back to her speech she had to give next week. A presentation was the last thing she had to do before graduating. She practically knew her project by heart. It was Korra she was more worried about. The girl was cramming criminal law and psychology into her brain and still had soccer on top of it. She had been jumpy and anxious lately, causing her nightmares to flare up again. Korra rarely talked about them. She tried occasionally but bringing up her past always made it worse. So Asami had relented and stayed content just being there to comfort her.
Suddenly Korra flopped onto her back and groaned. Asami rose a brow. This was the fifth time she'd given up. "I can't do it."
Asami sighed and crawled over to lay next to her. "Yes you can, hun. I believe in you."
Korra sighed and wrapped her arms over her back. "I just need a break."
Asami nodded and laid her head on her chest, throwing her leg over her hip. Korra smiled happily and began to doze off. Suddenly Asami remembered she wanted to talk to Korra and slyly landed a few well-placed kisses to the athlete's neck. Korra groaned and turned her head to give her more room. After a few more kisses, Asami pulled away and straddled her waist. "Do I have your attention now?"
Korra's eyes were glazed over. "Yes, Ms. Sato."
Asami blushed at the nickname Korra liked to use sometimes. "Not that kind of attention!" Asami said jokingly, smacking her on the arm.
Korra chuckled and sighed. "Okay, what's up then?"
Asami sighed, trying to prepare both of them. "I think you should talk about what happened…"
Korra went wide-eyed and sat up. "Asami, I-I told you I can't. You saw what happened last time."
"I know but I really think it would help you."
Korra started getting up but Asami pushed her back down by her shoulders. "You're not getting away that easily." Asami knew this was risky, but she wasn't going to rush Korra if she still wasn't ready to talk about it. Korra sighed and dropped her head to the floor. Asami was surprised, but she knew sometimes all Korra needed was a little push.
"I-I don't know why I have nightmares. I didn't have a bad life or anything, you know that much. But we didn't have a lot. We struggled sometimes and living in the South didn't help. Some people there still hold traditional values about 'colored folks'. I got beat up plenty of times in school, but I soon learned how to defend myself. There were a few incidents where things got dangerous, but dad always protected us…"
Asami leaned down and ran her fingers through her brown hair. "What made you want to study criminal psychology?"
Korra's eyes went wide. "I-I… I always knew I was different, that something was wrong with me. I guess…I wanted to help catch others who had gone too far. I honestly don't know, that's just a guess."
"Is that what psychology says?" Asami asked since Korra knew psychology.
Korra sighed. "Psychology says that those who are poorer are more likely to suffer mental illness and lower IQ…"
Asami thought back to all of her memories of Korra to see if she had seen any signs of her being 'different'. None came to mind until she remembered the first day she met the soccer player. Korra had dashed into the coffee shop, spilling the engineer's drink everywhere. The girl had dark bags under her eyes and seemed a little out of it.
Asami seemed to come to a conclusion suddenly. "Have I helped push it away?"
Korra squeezed her eyes shut before slowly nodding. "Is that why you haven't talked about it?" Korra nodded again. Asami leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "I love you Korra, but you have to communicate with me about how your feeling. You can't keep it bottled inside."
"I know, but…before you I had no one to talk to. So when things did work out between us, I figured it was better to keep it inside so it wouldn't drive you away. I had already gotten used to it anyway."
Asami kissed her to stop her from talking. "From now on, you tell me when something is bothering you."
Korra nodded eagerly and kissed her back. "I will, I promise."
Asami smiled at the memories of her girlfriend. Even if she wasn't here, she knew she was proud of her. Her turn was quickly approaching and she took a deep breath to ready herself. Just before her name was called, she saw someone dashing through the parking lot and racing to the football field. The engineer smiled and stepped forward when her name was called.
Korra made it right on time. As soon as she stepped foot onto the grass, Asami was receiving her diploma. The soccer player smiled brightly and snapped a photo with her phone. Asami giggled and blew a kiss at the girl. Korra blushed and watched her walk back to her seat. She then cautiously made her way to the graduate's father. They hadn't gotten off to a good start, but they were slowly coming to a truce to please Asami.
She pouted, trying to keep her temper in check. She kept her eyes on her girlfriend until her father spoke up. "You're late."
Korra huffed angrily and looked away. "I made it in time to see Asami, that's what matters."
"I can't believe she fell for you still. I didn't raise her to be this way."
Korra angrily glanced at him. "What? To like girls or to like 'colored' people?"
Hiroshi closed his fists to keep his own temper in check. He didn't bother answering the girl, knowing it would set her off. Korra silently thanked him for it. She didn't want to make a scene at Asami's graduation ceremony. But she might still.
"Sir, I-I know we aren't on great terms, but I need to ask you something…"
After what seemed like forever, the ceremony was over and all of the students threw their caps into the air. Korra smiled again and raced down the bleachers to find her beloved. Students began dispersing to find their families and take photos. Korra found Asami waiting for her a few feet away. She ran to her and tackled her in a big hug. Asami laughed as Korra swung her in the air briefly before setting her back on her feet.
"I'm glad you made it on time." Asami said. Her voice was filled with such happiness.
Korra smiled and held her hand. "I told you I wouldn't miss it!"
Asami laughed. "Even if you're still in your jersey."
"Hey! I put a nice shirt over top!" Korra replied jokingly. Suddenly her smile disappeared and she looked down.
"Korra sweetie, what's wrong? Did something happen at your game?"
"N-No, it's just, I feel kinda underdressed for this."
Asami scowled. "What're you talking about? It's just graduation. I told you whatever was comfortable for you would be fine. I don't' mind that you're still in your jersey."
Korra smiled nervously and rubbed her neck. "It's not that."
Asami felt the pressure in the air intensify and knew Korra was about to pull a stunt, but for some reason she felt okay with it. "Korra…"
Suddenly Korra fell to one knee while still holding her hand. Asami put her other hand to her own red face. Korra was struggling to breathe as she fetched a box from her pocket. Tears fell from both of them.
Korra gulped. "Asami, I-I…"
"Yes!" Asami yelled and tackled the athlete to the ground. She smashed their lips together until they desperately needed air.
More tears immediately fell from Korra's eyes. "R-Really?"
"Of course, Korra. I want this too."
Korra chuckled tearfully and went to wipe away her tears but Asami beat her to it. "You didn't even hear my speech."
"I didn't need to hear it. I could feel it in you."
Korra looked up and Asami almost couldn't handle seeing Korra saw awestruck. "Asami Sato, will you marry me?"
Asami pulled her into a tight hug. "Yes, Korra." She whispered back.
Korra pulled away enough to open the box and show her the beautiful emerald ring that she then slid onto her finger.
The crowd around them suddenly filled their ears with cheers and claps. They looked around and smiled as their classmates showed their happiness for them. Asami looked behind Korra and gasped. Hiroshi stood a few feet away with a small smile on his face. He chuckled when he saw her looking at him and nodded.
Tears filled Asami's vision and she turned back to Korra. "You asked my father?"
Korra smiled. "Of course I did. I wanna keep some traditions, right?"
Asami laughed and helped her stand up. They finished taking pictures and conversing with close friends before leaving. As they walked to Asami's car hand-in-hand, the engineer couldn't help but let some questions fill her head. She turned to Korra, who still looked giddy from the excitement. "Korra, how did you afford this?"
Korra's smile disappeared and was replaced by a pout. "I, uh, you know it's quite funny you ask."
"Please tell me you didn't go to a loan shark again."
"No! No, definitely not! I learned my lesson. I, uh, actually had some help from my parents."
Asami turned to her abruptly. "You borrowed from your parents?!"
"I'm gonna pay them back, 'Sami! I was saving up but I wouldn't make enough in time for today. I paid more than they did."
Asami's slight anger disappeared and she laughed. Korra rose a brow until her girlfriend pulled her in for another hug. "You are something else, you know that Korra?"
Korra grinned. "I know."
"I'm still gonna pay your parents back right away."
"What?! No! 'Samiiiiii!"