(See the end of the chapter for more notes .)

Thematically, I guess this chapter fits better with the previous arc that this one, but putting it before the last chapter would've fucked with the chronology, so... *shrug* You can consider this Enter the Avatar Pt. 6 if you REALLY want to.

Chapter Text

Asami

“Ms. Sato.”

Asami started as the intercom in her office called her name. “Yeah, Feng?”

“It’s one o’clock ma’am. Time for you to go home.”

Asami groaned. It was that day again. Still, she knew better than to argue with Feng. The man was relentless. Instead, she started packing up, readying herself for an afternoon of doing absolutely nothing except worrying about what was going on at Future Industries without her.

With her briefcase packed up, she headed out of her office, passing Feng’s desk on her way. “Have a nice day, Ms. Sato.”

“I really hate you, you know that?” Asami shot. Nothing like creating a positive work environment.

“Please. You’d be lost without me.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Feng.” Asami made her way out of the building and to her car. Inside, she used her phone to try to access the Future Industries systems, but she was summarily kicked out. Goddammit, Feng! she thought. She tries to be a good boss and give him admin access at his insistence (because she “needs to learn how to delegate more”) and what does the little shit do with it? He blocks her access to the FI intranet from any computer that wasn’t on-site. Asami wasn’t stupid. She knew that without Feng to reign her in she’d probably work herself to exhaustion. But did he have to be so insufferable about it?

Resigned to suffer through the rest of the day, Asami put her car in gear and sped home. Except she wouldn’t, she remembered as she accelerated to catch a yellow light. Korra was supposed to drop by her house that day, if she could find it. Asami regretted not giving her more than an internet search in order to find her house, but it wasn’t like she carried business cards in her Tempest outfit. Still, she could’ve scribbled down her cell number somewhere.

Well, that was in the past. Either Korra would find her house or she wouldn’t. Although, Asami was really looking forward to spending some more time with her. Part of it was just curiosity: she really wanted to know what the deal was with the magic kites. But the other part was solidarity. She thought of how much easier her double life had become once she had Mako and Bolin backing her up. If she could offer the same support to Korra, then she would.

It was quarter to two by the time she pulled into her home garage. Once inside, she made a beeline straight to the living room, the one with the big TV and the best internet connection. Asami immediately fell on the largest, comfiest couch. She pulled out her phone and started browsing the internet, although it wasn’t long before she got bored. She put her phone down on the coffee table and decided to rest her eyes just for a second...

“Hey! Asami!”

“Wuh-” She’d dozed off. She looked up to see Korra standing above her. “Hey. When’d you get here?”

“Just a minute ago. One of the staff told me you were here. Sorry I interrupted you nap.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Asami sat up. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Yeah, me too. This was really cool of you. So how come a high-powered businesswoman gets to come home at this hour?” Korra asked, taking a seat next to Asami.

“It’s my monthly half-day,” she replied with a sigh. “My assistant insists I take them. He says I work too hard.”

“Well, you do work seven days a week,” Korra said, reminding Asami of her… less than productive meeting last Sunday.

“True, but most of the time I just wind up here doing nothing but stressing. It’s kind of counterproductive.”

Korra chuckled. “It’s a good thing you have me here to keep you distracted then.”

“Definitely.”

Just then, Korra’s phone started buzzing like crazy. Korra pulled it out with a “sorry, just one second,” and groaned at the flood of texts she received. She muttered something under her breath about painfully murdering someone, which piqued Asami’s curiosity.

“So who was that?” she asked after Korra put her phone back in her pocket.

“Just Opal, my roommate.” There was something in Korra’s voice that just begged for more information.

“And why exactly are you going to murder her?”

Korra blushed so hard it was visible even despite her dark skin. “No reason.”

Asami said nothing, merely gazing at Korra with her best “business-stare”. Mouth in a thin line, eyes narrowed and one eyebrow slightly raised.

“Alright, fine!” Korra relented. Business-stare.Works every time. “Opal caught me looking you up on the internet and I let it slip that we were hanging out today. When she asked me why I kinda dodged the question since, y’know, I couldn’t tell her the real reason, so now she thinks this is… a date.”

Asami was stunned. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this. “So you’re…”

“Super gay, yeah.”

“So the other night, Wildfire…”

“Yup… Landslide had to talk him down. I mean, he seemed like a nice guy, only problem is he’s… a guy.”

Well, that explained the scorch marks in the Tower's gym. Poor Mako. Korra made, what, the third lesbian he had try to hit on? It was starting to become a pattern with him. “Eh, he’ll get over it. And speaking from personal experience, he makes a better friend than he does a boyfriend.”

Korra’s eyes went wide. “You and Wildfire dated!?”

“A long time ago. We kept it pretty well under wraps though, not many people knew about it.”

“Man, and to think I shit on the comics so much when Electrowoman and Blaze started going at it. Wait, did they know about it?”

Asami shrugged. “I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure they noticed we were part of the same team and decided to pair us up. That storyline didn’t happen until after we broke up.” Asami noticed Korra was smirking at her. “What?”

“I thought you didn’t know about comics,” she said.

“Hey, it’s my own damn book, of course I know about it.” Asami ran a hand through her hair. “But seriously, I don’t understand how you slog through them, they kind of suck.”

“I know, but they were based on you… or rather, Tempest. Besides, you have to admit the origin story is really badass.” Korra’s eyes lit up. “Which reminds me, I haven’t heard yours.”

Asami sighed. “Are you sure you want to hear it? It isn’t exactly a happy story.”

“Are they ever? Besides, I told you mine. Fair’s fair.”

It was clear Korra wasn’t going to back down from this. “My mom was murdered when I was six,” Asami began. Told you so, she thought at Korra’s shocked expression. “Some men from the Agni Kai Triad wanted to rob the estate and killed her when it went sideways. My father… didn’t take her death well. The men who broke in were all sentenced to life in prison, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted the Agni Kais destroyed.

“He started selling military-grade weapons to their enemies, the Red Monsoons and the Terras, convinced that they would wipe the Agni Kais off the map. But with the underworld being what it is, the Agni Kais eventually got their hands on those same weapons. With them, the gang violence not only escalated, but the city’s police were massively outgunned. Basically, my father’s the reason this whole city is one giant cesspool of crime and corruption.

“I was nineteen when he got caught. I had just graduated from college and suddenly found myself at the head of a failing company. No one trusted Future Industries anymore. I spent the next year salvaging my company’s reputation on top of getting an MBA in order to convince a bunch of bitter old men I knew what the hell I was talking about. After the company stablized, I took a look at the city and realized I couldn’t just turn my back on it. Not after what my father had done. That’s how Tempest was born. She allowed me to save the city my father destroyed.”

After Asami finished her story they were both silent for a while, before Korra blurted out, “So much cooler than the comics.”

Asami laughed. “Okay, that was certainly not the reaction I expected.”

“Shit, did I say that out loud?” Korra asked, blushing furiously.

“It’s alright. Trust me, I prefer it to the pity-fest I got from Landslide and Wildfire.” She wasn’t kidding. Bolin had hugged her and wouldn’t let go until she threatened to shock him. “Anyway, now that my origin’s out of the way, I wanted to ask you something. About Raava.”

Korra shifted in her seat. “Alright, shoot.”

“I’m just a bit confused on how her logic is working. She came to warn you about this other big, scary kite, but she didn’t say anything about it--what it is, how soon it’s getting here--before you erm… fused?”

“Yeah. I mean, judging by the flashes I got when we first joined, I guess we were supposed to be able to communicate with each other.” Korra shrugged. “She probably thought she’d have plenty of time to talk to me. I guess she just didn’t count on me being so closed-off.”

Asami nodded. “And you said that Mayor Gyatso is trying to help you get in contact with her, right?”

“Well, he is the son of one of the most famously spiritual people in recent history, but believe me, we’ve tried everything. Meditation, hypnosis, smoking truly ridiculous amounts of weed… nothing works.”

Asami’s brain short-circuited for a second. Hold on, did she just say what I think she said? “You’re smoking marijuana with Tenzin Gyatso? The mayor of Republic City?”

“Not really,” Korra said sheepishly. “That one I’m doing without his knowledge. Besides, all I get nowadays is the crappy stuff from the RCU dealers. It’s horrible compared to what I get back home.”

Before she even finished her last sentence, Asami was already on her feet. “Wait here,” she said. She quickly walked up the stairs to her room and grabbed the small chest that was hidden in the corner. She grabbed it, making sure the key was still taped to the bottom (no one would think to look for the key to the chest on the chest itself… flawless logic) and made her way back down to Korra. When she came back into the living room, the Water Tribe girl was staring at her with a perplexed expression. Asami ignored it and set the chest down on the coffee table and used the key to unlock it.

“You’re going to love this,” she told Korra. With a flourish, she opened the chest to reveal a stash of unbelievable proportions. Several pipes, a bong, blunt wrappers, papers and bags upon bags of weed.

“Holy-- this is--” Korra stuttered.

“I know, right? This is Zaofu-grown, hydroponic stuff too. Expensive, but trust me, it’s well-worth it.” Korra started to reach towards the chest, when Asami slammed it shut. “Not yet,” she said. “First, I have another question.”

“You’re killing me here,” Korra groaned. “Fine, what is it?”

“How good are you at hand-to-hand combat?”

Korra looked at Asami as if she had just asked her whether she was half platypus-bear. “I’m alright, I guess? I haven’t done much since I got my bending, ‘cause… bending.”

“That settles it, then. We’re going to the gym.”

“Uh, Asami? I’m not exactly dressed for that.” Korra said, gesturing at her jeans and t-shirt attire.

“Don’t worry,” Asami replied. “I’m sure I’ve got something you can borrow.”

Twenty minutes later Asami was facing an annoyed-looking Korra in her estate’s gym. They were both standing on a sparring mat, in workout clothes and hand wraps. “Welcome to the Asami Sato School of Ass-Kicking,” she declared.

Korra sighed. “Why are we doing this, again?”

“You remember Landslide getting shot last Saturday? The reason the guy who shot him was able to do that is because he blocked Landslide’s bending. Temporarily, but still… if it happens in the middle of a battle against others like him, you need to be able to defend yourself, even without your bending.”

Korra winced at the memory. She had been the one to heal Landslide, after all. “Okay, fair point. So what do you want me to do?”

“Attack me, without bending. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you.” She made sure to add a hint of mockery to her voice at the end there, which proved effective, as Korra launched towards her.

Asami dodged two quick jabs, and blocked a kick aimed at her midsection with her forearm. Okay, good. Those muscles weren’t just for show. Korra definitely had power behind her attacks. Her problem was finesse. She telegraphed her punches something fierce, making it an easy matter for Asami to get out of the way before they landed. Korra also seemed to pour every bit of energy she could into every attack. She would wear herself out soon, and all Asami had to do to win was keep moving and not get hit. After enduring a few more of Korra’s attacks, Asami motioned for her to stop.

“So, did you figure out why you couldn’t hit me?” Asami asked.

“Because you’re freakishly fast?” Korra replied, panting.

“Not quite.” The next hour was spent with Korra and Asami going through move sets together, Asami instructing Korra on speed and conserving energy. In the end, they had both worked up a sweat, and when they sparred again again at the end of the lesson, Korra managed to trip Asami up a couple of times. Of course, Asami was still going easy on her, but Korra didn’t need to know that.

“How come you’re so good at fighting?” Korra asked after the lesson.

“It wasn’t overnight, if that’s what you mean. I’ve been in self-defense classes since I was six years old.”

“Since you were…” Realization dawned on Korra. “Oh.”

“Yeah. My father wanted me to be able to defend myself. One of the few things he did right, I guess.” Asami shook herself out of her momentary funk. “Anyway, you ready to get your blaze on?” She cringed internally. What the fuck did I just say?

It seemed Korra shared her opinion. “Sure. But please, never say that again.”

“Agreed.”

Back on the couch, Asami was just lighting the first joint when she felt Korra’s gaze. “What?” she asked.

“Are you going to explain this?” Korra said gesturing at the chest.

“I have a stressful job, okay? This helps me relax,” Asami replied, taking a puff from the joint and offering it to Korra.

“No, I get that, believe me.” Korra took a puff of her own. “I just mean that you have enough weed here to open your own dispensary.”

“I buy in bulk. Now shut up, and let’s watch TV.” Asami turned the device on and changed the channel until she found one which was playing that cartoon with the kid and his magic dog. Not a polar bear dog or a squirrel-dog. Just a dog. That show was weird…

A couple of episodes and two joints later, Asami felt a familiar craving. She had the munchies. “Hey Korra, you want something to eat?”

Korra’s eyes lit up at the suggestion. “Oh my god, I thought you’d never ask.”

Asami picked up a cordless phone from its dock and dialed the kitchen. “Daichi, you there?”

“Right here, Asami,” came the reply. “What’s up?”

“We need food!”

“You’re gonna need to be a little more specific than that,” Daichi said, obviously trying to hold back his laughter.

“Right, right. Korra, what do you want?”

“Cookies!” was the immediate answer. “Erm, chocolate chip, please.”

“Chocolate chip cookies and… iced tea?” She looked back at Korra for confirmation on the drink order, who nodded.

“Alright, give me twenty minutes.”

“Who was that?” Korra asked after Asami hung up.

“Daichi, my personal chef.” Asami noticed Korra was about to open her mouth, probably to say something snarky, so she preempted it. “And before you say anything, he’s basically the only reason I stay in shape. I can’t cook for shit. If he weren’t here, do you know how much take-out I’d have to eat?”

“And yet, you just asked him to make you cookies,” was Korra’s smug reply.

“Yeah, because you asked for them!”

“Whatever,” Korra said, still smirking. Asami decided to be the bigger person and ignore that, turning her attention back to the TV. After another episode, she heard a knock on the door.

“Shit,” Asami said, quickly shoving everything back in the chest and closing it. “Come in!”

The door opened to reveal Daichi, holding a tray of cookies and a pitcher of iced tea. “After the way you were acting over the phone, I figured it was better if I made the delivery myself,” he said.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Asami replied, as Daichi set everything down on the coffee table.

Daichi snorted. “Oh, come off it Asami, it reeks in here. Now, are you gonna share or not?”

Grumbling, Asami reached into the chest and produced a joint. She held it out towards Daichi and snatched it back at the last second. “You smoke this at home. You’re still on the clock here.”

“Fine, fine,” he replied, taking the joint. “Slave driver.” He left the living room, leaving Korra and Asami alone again.

“So, do you share your weed with all your staff?” Korra asked.

“Nah, Daichi’s a special case. You know, he used to be a pirate.” Asami grabbed two cookies from the tray and handed one to Korra.

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

The pair dug into the cookies and tea, both of them expressing their appreciation for Daichi’s culinary skills over and over.

“I swear to god, these are the greatest things I’ve ever put in my mouth,” Korra said for the twentieth time.

“And you were mocking me for having a personal chef.”

“I was so wrong. I see that now,” Korra replied enthusiastically, reaching for another cookie.

“Korra, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, anything.”

Asami had been wanting to ask this for most of the afternoon, but didn’t know how, not wanting to offend Korra. Still, she figured she might as well ask and clear the air. “You know how your roommate thought this was a date?”

“Yeah…” Korra replied hesitantly, obviously aware of where this was going.

“Well… were you hoping it was?” Asami mentally kicked herself. Really? This is how you asked her?

Korra avoided Asami’s gaze. “Um… a little? That doesn’t weird you out or anything, does it?”

“Of course not,” Asami said quickly. The last thing she wanted was Korra to think she made her uncomfortable. “If anything, it’s kind of flattering.”

Korra raised her head to meet Asami’s gaze, a small smile on her lips. “Well, that’s a relief. But just so that everything’s one hundred percent clear, you are…”

“Tragically, heterosexual,” Asami replied.

Korra laughed. “I guess that’s one way to put it.” She grabbed the TV remote. “You in the mood for more cartoons?”

“Go for it,” Asami said, lighting another joint.