[LOK] On Your Honor (II)
Fandom: Avatar: The Legend of Korra
Title: On Your Honor (II)
Word Count: ~1420
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Masami
Warnings: Mako None
Summary: Asami gets homesick on Air Temple Island.
A/N: This is a companion piece to On Your Honor, in the sense that they are alternative endings to the same initial scenario. It takes place right after ep 7.
Air Temple Island is airy and drafty - probably much like the ancient Air Temples scattered across the world, if the history books and scrolls from her father's library are to be believed.
The thought of her father and his library (their library, their house, her room, her warm, safe bed) brings back the lump in her throat, and Asami sighs, turning on her back. Tenzin and his family are extremely nice and accommodating, his kids are adorable, Korra is being polite and apologetic to her (and she doesn't have to be, Asami knows - she was only doing her job, and doing it right), and at least Mako is with her. Asami knows she has nothing to complain about, not really. It could have been much worse. She is safe and relatively comfortable, even though her mattress is so hard she's considering spreading her blanket underneath her body and sacrifice warmth for a little more softness.
Missing the comfort she used to have makes Asami angry at herself. She hates to fit into stereotypes, and nothing satisfies her more than surprising people by breaking them. She will not complain about it - not that she has anyone to complain to. Her boyfriend, the only one here she is close to, grew up on the streets, for spirits' sake. Get your fucking act together, Asami.
Mako. Suddenly, Asami realizes how much she wishes he was with her right now. She weighs her options: she knows his room is two doors down from hers, across the hall, with Korra and Bolin both between them. Making a split second decision (she's good at those), Asami gathers her blanket and tiptoes toward her door. She winces as she opens it, but it makes no sound. Her heart is in her throat at the thought of miscalculating and going into the wrong room, but she trusts the wildness she feels and quietly turns the knob on his door, relieved when she sees his scarf draped on a nearby chair. Asami shuts the door behind her just as silently and feels herself finally relax.
Mako is on his back, his blanket tangled across his waist and an arm dangling from the bed's edge. Asami smiles to herself as she sits gingerly next to him, suddenly reconsidering waking him. He looks much more peaceful sleeping than he ever does awake - she first noticed it when he was the one who snuck into her room in the dead of night, only a couple of days ago. She reaches out, intending to move his arm out her way, but the second she grasps his wrist his eyes are wide open and he is sitting up.
"What's wrong?" His voice is barely more than a whisper, but his tone betrays agitation.
"Nothing! It's just me. I'm sorry I woke you up." She can see the relief in his eyes as he lies back down. Her fingers are still around his wrist.
"Oh. Are you okay?"
Asami hesitates, suddenly shy. "Yeah. I just…couldn't sleep. I was cold," she starts, intending to explain herself, but he is already scooting over and lifting his blanket. She flashes him a grateful smile before settling against him and spreading her own blanket on top of his. He's on his side now, his arm pillowing her head as she lies on her back. It occurs to her that his bed may not be comfortably large enough for them both, unlike her king-sized bed at home, but he doesn't seem to mind. They're silent for a few moments, but she knows he's watching her.
"Homesick?" He asks gently, knowingly, and Asami feels herself start to crumble. She takes a deep breath, pulling herself together; a single tear runs down her temple. He kisses it away.
"I'm fine," she insists. "It could be a lot worse, right? At least you're with me." He nods, a vaguely sad smile ghosting his mouth. She thinks about his 'private' conversation with Korra the day before, about the obvious tension between her boyfriend and the Avatar, and doesn't want to think about what it could mean. She turns toward him instead, and he runs a warm hand up and down her back. She realizes she's no longer cold, that he has been emanating warmth for her these last few minutes. Her heart swells with affection.
"I'm so glad you're a Firebender," she says, smiling. Mako smiles back, touching his forehead to hers. His smile fades as something seems to occur to him.
"What your father said…about your mother, and…and how she died…" She waits as he looks for the right words. "Is it…were you…" He sighs. "Were you there? Did you…see any of it?"
Asami shakes her head. "I was at school. My father picked me up after everything had been taken care of and she'd been…removed." She pauses. "He didn't let me see her body afterward, said I should remember her from before. For a long time, I kept thinking about how badly she could have been burned, how awful she must have looked, for him to do that." Mako is silent. "I try not to think about those things anymore."
Mako frowns and holds her more tightly. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." It occurs to her that what happened to him is arguably much, much worse, and yet here he is, comforting her. She feels vaguely ashamed, and wonders if he doesn't let himself think about what happened to his parents, either. She looks up at him when he plants a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "I guess it made me realize I was never very careful with my Firebending around you…I hope I never scared you, or anything like that."
Asami smiles, touched. "Of course you didn't. You never scared me. I always…" She licks her lips and looks away, burrowing a little closer to him. "I always felt safe with you, for some reason."
"You did?"
"Yeah. I'm not sure why. I think…I think it was because you were always with your brother in the arena, and everyone knew you guys were orphans and that you took care of him. Even there in the arena, you would always protect him when you could. It just gave me a good feeling about you, and it was even stronger after we met and I saw for myself how much you care about him." She finally looks back at him. She thinks she can see the gold in his eyes even in the dark, but perhaps she is only remembering it. "Also…I think idealized you, even before."
He laughs. "Why? Because of pro-bending?"
"I think so. You just looked so heroic playing…you guys were the underdogs, but you won a lot, and more often than not it was because of you. You took charge of the team and made sure it moved forward; always so confident, but never cocky."
"I was almost never confident," he admits. "I was almost always scared to death of losing."
"You didn't look like it, though."
"I guess not."
"I suppose I replaced the bad image I had of Firebenders with…you." Mako is blushing, and she is less self-conscious of her own reddening cheeks. She continues, despite her embarrassment. "Warmth, protection, gentleness…and fierceness when necessary." She neglects to add 'sexiness', figuring it's probably best not to touch on that subject, considering how acutely aware she already is of his body next to hers, and their circumstances. This isn't her house, where they can have all the privacy they want. They stare at each other for a long time. "I-I just... want you to know how important you are to me," she blurts out at last, half-scared of his reply.
But he only smiles, and there is no sadness there, this time. He kisses her forehead and rolls onto his back, bringing her with him and wrapping both his arms around her. She tucks her head under his chin and giggles when he breathes out a small puff of smoke. The temperature underneath their blankets immediately rises. Wrapping an arm around his torso and tucking a leg between his, Asami decides she's not going to let this setback get the best of her. She's made of stronger stuff than that, after all. She's going to do her best to help the Avatar bring down Amon and restore harmony to her home...like her father should have.
Asami will restore her family's honor.
Title: On Your Honor (II)
Word Count: ~1420
Rating: PG
Pairing(s): Masami
Warnings: Mako None
Summary: Asami gets homesick on Air Temple Island.
A/N: This is a companion piece to On Your Honor, in the sense that they are alternative endings to the same initial scenario. It takes place right after ep 7.
Air Temple Island is airy and drafty - probably much like the ancient Air Temples scattered across the world, if the history books and scrolls from her father's library are to be believed.
The thought of her father and his library (their library, their house, her room, her warm, safe bed) brings back the lump in her throat, and Asami sighs, turning on her back. Tenzin and his family are extremely nice and accommodating, his kids are adorable, Korra is being polite and apologetic to her (and she doesn't have to be, Asami knows - she was only doing her job, and doing it right), and at least Mako is with her. Asami knows she has nothing to complain about, not really. It could have been much worse. She is safe and relatively comfortable, even though her mattress is so hard she's considering spreading her blanket underneath her body and sacrifice warmth for a little more softness.
Missing the comfort she used to have makes Asami angry at herself. She hates to fit into stereotypes, and nothing satisfies her more than surprising people by breaking them. She will not complain about it - not that she has anyone to complain to. Her boyfriend, the only one here she is close to, grew up on the streets, for spirits' sake. Get your fucking act together, Asami.
Mako. Suddenly, Asami realizes how much she wishes he was with her right now. She weighs her options: she knows his room is two doors down from hers, across the hall, with Korra and Bolin both between them. Making a split second decision (she's good at those), Asami gathers her blanket and tiptoes toward her door. She winces as she opens it, but it makes no sound. Her heart is in her throat at the thought of miscalculating and going into the wrong room, but she trusts the wildness she feels and quietly turns the knob on his door, relieved when she sees his scarf draped on a nearby chair. Asami shuts the door behind her just as silently and feels herself finally relax.
Mako is on his back, his blanket tangled across his waist and an arm dangling from the bed's edge. Asami smiles to herself as she sits gingerly next to him, suddenly reconsidering waking him. He looks much more peaceful sleeping than he ever does awake - she first noticed it when he was the one who snuck into her room in the dead of night, only a couple of days ago. She reaches out, intending to move his arm out her way, but the second she grasps his wrist his eyes are wide open and he is sitting up.
"What's wrong?" His voice is barely more than a whisper, but his tone betrays agitation.
"Nothing! It's just me. I'm sorry I woke you up." She can see the relief in his eyes as he lies back down. Her fingers are still around his wrist.
"Oh. Are you okay?"
Asami hesitates, suddenly shy. "Yeah. I just…couldn't sleep. I was cold," she starts, intending to explain herself, but he is already scooting over and lifting his blanket. She flashes him a grateful smile before settling against him and spreading her own blanket on top of his. He's on his side now, his arm pillowing her head as she lies on her back. It occurs to her that his bed may not be comfortably large enough for them both, unlike her king-sized bed at home, but he doesn't seem to mind. They're silent for a few moments, but she knows he's watching her.
"Homesick?" He asks gently, knowingly, and Asami feels herself start to crumble. She takes a deep breath, pulling herself together; a single tear runs down her temple. He kisses it away.
"I'm fine," she insists. "It could be a lot worse, right? At least you're with me." He nods, a vaguely sad smile ghosting his mouth. She thinks about his 'private' conversation with Korra the day before, about the obvious tension between her boyfriend and the Avatar, and doesn't want to think about what it could mean. She turns toward him instead, and he runs a warm hand up and down her back. She realizes she's no longer cold, that he has been emanating warmth for her these last few minutes. Her heart swells with affection.
"I'm so glad you're a Firebender," she says, smiling. Mako smiles back, touching his forehead to hers. His smile fades as something seems to occur to him.
"What your father said…about your mother, and…and how she died…" She waits as he looks for the right words. "Is it…were you…" He sighs. "Were you there? Did you…see any of it?"
Asami shakes her head. "I was at school. My father picked me up after everything had been taken care of and she'd been…removed." She pauses. "He didn't let me see her body afterward, said I should remember her from before. For a long time, I kept thinking about how badly she could have been burned, how awful she must have looked, for him to do that." Mako is silent. "I try not to think about those things anymore."
Mako frowns and holds her more tightly. "I'm so sorry this happened to you." It occurs to her that what happened to him is arguably much, much worse, and yet here he is, comforting her. She feels vaguely ashamed, and wonders if he doesn't let himself think about what happened to his parents, either. She looks up at him when he plants a light kiss on the tip of her nose. "I guess it made me realize I was never very careful with my Firebending around you…I hope I never scared you, or anything like that."
Asami smiles, touched. "Of course you didn't. You never scared me. I always…" She licks her lips and looks away, burrowing a little closer to him. "I always felt safe with you, for some reason."
"You did?"
"Yeah. I'm not sure why. I think…I think it was because you were always with your brother in the arena, and everyone knew you guys were orphans and that you took care of him. Even there in the arena, you would always protect him when you could. It just gave me a good feeling about you, and it was even stronger after we met and I saw for myself how much you care about him." She finally looks back at him. She thinks she can see the gold in his eyes even in the dark, but perhaps she is only remembering it. "Also…I think idealized you, even before."
He laughs. "Why? Because of pro-bending?"
"I think so. You just looked so heroic playing…you guys were the underdogs, but you won a lot, and more often than not it was because of you. You took charge of the team and made sure it moved forward; always so confident, but never cocky."
"I was almost never confident," he admits. "I was almost always scared to death of losing."
"You didn't look like it, though."
"I guess not."
"I suppose I replaced the bad image I had of Firebenders with…you." Mako is blushing, and she is less self-conscious of her own reddening cheeks. She continues, despite her embarrassment. "Warmth, protection, gentleness…and fierceness when necessary." She neglects to add 'sexiness', figuring it's probably best not to touch on that subject, considering how acutely aware she already is of his body next to hers, and their circumstances. This isn't her house, where they can have all the privacy they want. They stare at each other for a long time. "I-I just... want you to know how important you are to me," she blurts out at last, half-scared of his reply.
But he only smiles, and there is no sadness there, this time. He kisses her forehead and rolls onto his back, bringing her with him and wrapping both his arms around her. She tucks her head under his chin and giggles when he breathes out a small puff of smoke. The temperature underneath their blankets immediately rises. Wrapping an arm around his torso and tucking a leg between his, Asami decides she's not going to let this setback get the best of her. She's made of stronger stuff than that, after all. She's going to do her best to help the Avatar bring down Amon and restore harmony to her home...like her father should have.
Asami will restore her family's honor.