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Chapter Text

It always amused Asami when someone asked what it was like working for her father. Hiroshi Sato had always been her dad. There was never a time in her memory when he hadn’t run Future Industries.

What was it like? You might as well ask a fish what it was like to swim. She knew no other reality than the one in which she continually came into his office, pitched ideas, made drawings, and generally sought to please the man who raised her.

Of course, she was a lot taller and more educated now than when she had first toddled through the door with the crayon illustration of a car she thought Future Industries should build.

“It shoots fire out the back!” she had exclaimed.

Needless to say, that plan was never adopted.

Her current proposal, on the other hand, had Hiroshi thinking. He was resting his chin atop his hands, with his elbows propped up on his desk.

“Do you believe it’s an engineering problem that’s keeping the Future Industries snowmobile from selling?” he asked, after a period of reflection.

“Isn’t every problem ultimately an engineering problem?” countered Asami. “You have to figure out what works and what doesn’t, how things fit together, troubleshoot the glitches…”

Hiroshi smiled. His daughter was extremely intelligent—a genius, in fact. There was no doubt in his mind that she was going to convince him, but he still wanted to understand her position.

“But you don’t think it’s a mechanical issue?” he pressed.

She shook her head.

“Then why, as our head engineer—and our most brilliant one at that, I might add—do you think you should go to Capital City?”

“Because I want to be the one to fix this particular problem,” volunteered Asami.

Hiroshi caught the wistful look she had given a family photo on the desk.

“I miss her, too,” he said.

“It was her favorite division of the company, Dad, and if we don’t improve holiday sales this year…” Asami sighed quietly. “I just really want to make sure we get this right.”

Ultimately, Asami hadn’t used logic, but Hiroshi was right to assume his daughter would persuade him. They started making the travel arrangements without any further delay.

With all the pre-planning she had done, Asami didn’t expect any surprises once she arrived in the Southern Tundra. She was quickly proven wrong. After reaching the counter where she was supposed to pick up her rental car, she was told the car might not be necessary. The clerk pointed to a woman who then waved at Asami in greeting.

“I’m Jinora,” she informed Sato courteously, walking toward her. “I work for the mayor, and he asked me to come pick you up…Assuming that’s all right?”

Asami did not need long to weigh her options. This would save the company money. She was traveling to Capital City to find out why their snowmobiles weren’t selling there, a subject on which the mayor would almost certainly be able to provide some insight. And, as much as she loved driving, she thought she could use a break after her flight.

She didn’t regret it either. Jinora turned out to be a quiet, but amiable companion. Plus, as a passenger, Asami had an even greater opportunity to savor the passing landscape. It was gorgeous—tall evergreens, distant mountains, even a family of deer moose that sprang up out of the woods as if they were nature’s own welcoming committee.

It was shortly after that, that Jinora pulled up in front of a house and stopped the car.

“Uh, I had a reservation at the Four Elements Bed and Breakfast?” Asami pointed out.

Jinora shrugged, then responded simply, “The mayor said you could stay with him and his family.”

“His family? Jinora, I can’t intrude on his family’s holiday season!”

“Who’s intruding?” A large, Water Tribe man approached them, arms wide and palms up. He could not have looked more genial, and Asami could not help but respond with a smile.

“Mr. Mayor,” she said, extending her hand.

He clasped it with both of his own. “Please, it’s Tonraq.”

“Tonraq,” Asami affirmed.

“Is our guest here?” 

Asami heard a woman’s voice call out from the cabin door that Tonraq had left open behind him. The questioner appeared, and though she was half her husband’s size, she was equally as approachable with a smile just as warm and soft.

“And this is my beautiful wife, Senna,” said Tonraq, beaming.

“It’s nice to meet…Oh!” Asami’s attempted greeting was cut short by Senna’s hug.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, dear,” Senna replied, even as she took Asami’s elbow to lead her into the house. “We have the spare bedroom all set up for you.”

Asami tried to gently untangle their arms, protesting that she still had to get her bags out of the car. She looked back at Jinora, who was already lifting some of the luggage awkwardly. Even with two hands, she was struggling with its weight. Senna noticed it as well.

“I’ll get my daughter to help…Korra!”

It was not, however, Senna’s daughter who first responded to the summons. A white dog bounded down the stairs at Senna’s call and jumped up onto Sato, the large dog’s paws reaching Asami’s shoulders.

“No, Naga! No!”

Asami had to move her head to see around the dog, now busy licking her face, in order to spot the woman who was presumably her owner. She was muscular, beautiful, and wore a blue and white plaid shirt and blue jeans. She was hustling down the stairs herself in order to come to Asami’s aid.

“Down, girl!” she chided. Naga got in a couple more kisses before obliging, finally allowing the woman to turn her attention to Asami. “I’m so sorry about that!”

“Wasn’t your fault,” Asami assured her.

“Maybe. But if you’re waiting for her…” here the woman gestured to the dog, “to apologize, you’re going to be waiting all day.”

Asami got on one knee, so she was nose to muzzle with Naga again. “Well, you don’t need to be sorry either,” she cooed while rubbing her ears. Naga huffed appreciatively.

“She likes you,” the woman observed.

This prompted Asami to look up again, and she noticed for the first time just how blue her eyes were. “Oh, um, I’m Asami…And you’re?”

Gorgeous, amazing, incredible, Asami thought.

“Korra.”

“Korra, dear, would you please help Jinora with the suitcases?” Senna prompted.

It was the first time in, she didn’t know how long, that Asami realized anyone else was there.

“I’ll help, too,” Asami directed her next comment to Korra. “That way you can show me my room?”

“Of course!”

Jinora was just walking through the door with the first suitcase when Korra took it from her.  “Oh, that’s heavier than I thought it would be!”

Asami noted Korra’s muscles and arched an eyebrow. “That shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?” She blushed. You might as well have asked her if she works out!

“No!” Korra shot back with a crooked grin. “Just impressed with your packing skills!”

Asami was able to grab her other two bags, which were lighter, and followed Korra up the stairs to the room in which she was going to stay. It was as festooned for the season as the rest of the house, which was saying something. There was a wreath on the door and a garland over the fireplace.

“Every bedroom has one of those,” Korra nodded in the direction Asami was already looking. “You’ll need it tonight. It can get chilly. There’s a bathroom at the end of the hall, and I’m right across the way if you need anything.”

Asami nodded. “That’s very kind of you. Thank you.”

“I guess I should let you get cleaned up for dinner. Mom and I are cooking tonight.”

She cooks, too?

“That sounds wonderful,” said Asami gratefully.

However, Korra seemed reluctant to leave. It took a moment before she finally explained why. “Hey, just don’t let my Dad put too much pressure on you,” she said.

Asami was confused by this. “Sorry? Pressure me to what?”

Sitting on the bed, Korra gave another crooked grin. “Don’t get me wrong, he rolls out the red carpet for all visitors, but I know Dad is kind of hoping you’re here to use the abandoned metalworks for a new Sato snowmobile factory.”

Asami, already feeling comfortable in Korra’s presence, decided to sit next to her…and confide in her.

“We have to sell snowmobiles in order to want to build them, and the reason I’m here is to try to figure out why they’re not selling.”

“I see,” Korra clapped the palms of her hands to her knees and stood up. “Well, like I said, you shouldn’t worry about us, Ms. Sato. We always make due around here.”

“I don’t doubt that,” the engineer assured her. “And, please. It’s Asami.”

“Asami,” Korra repeated.

Sato had rarely found the sound of her own name so pleasant.

Chapter Text

Dinner was even more delicious than Asami had hoped. She volunteered to help clean the dishes, and refused to take no for an answer; then she went to up to her room. She was typing on her laptop when there was a knock at the door.

“It’s open!” Asami responded.

Korra walked in with a bundle of wood. “I have to get going, but wanted to make sure you had extra for the fireplace before I left.”

She seemed like she was in a hurry, so Asami kept her thank you brief. “You and your family have been very kind to me. I really appreciate it, Korra.”

The Water Tribe woman was apparently not exaggerating about having to leave. She quickly parted with a smile and a nod. It was only minutes later that Asami heard the whir of a snowmobile. She looked out her window. So she has one. I’ll need to ask her what she uses it for.

It was, she acknowledged to herself, just one of the mysteries about Korra that she was looking forward to solving.

The next morning, Asami woke up early. At least, she thought it was early, but she could already smell breakfast being prepared. She cleaned up, threw on some clothes, and went downstairs.

Senna had a meal set out for her and the others—the aroma of which was eventually enough to beckon Tonraq. However, Sennna had to call for Korra.

“You’d think she’d be an early riser,” she rued, shaking her head. “But she thinks mornings are evil.”

Asami chuckled. “Didn’t she have some work to do last night? She told me she was leaving the house yesterday evening.”

“Yes, Meelo injured himself playing hockey.” Tonraq’s explanation raised more questions than it answered, of course, but those answers would have to wait. Korra arrived at that moment looking adorable with her mussed hair and light blue pajamas.

“Good morning!” her father greeted her enthusiastically.

“Mornings are evil,” Korra mumbled, as she poured hot water over, not one, but two tea bags.

It wasn’t the strength of the beverage, rather the fact that she was burning the tea leaves that horrified Sato.

Asami looked at Senna, who gave a motherly sigh.

Korra plopped down at the table and started spooning food onto her plate. “Dad, do you know where the saw is? I’m going to bring it to work today.”

“Oh, I used it to help Tenzin and Pema clear a downed tree. I’ll get it after I eat.” Tonraq answered.

Asami knew from their discussions the night before that Korra ran a shop called “Aw, Nuts! And Bolts,” which prompted her to observe, “You’re bringing a saw to the hardware store? Isn’t that the opposite of how it normally works?”

Smiling, either at Asami’s remark or at her first sip of tea, Korra clarified. “I’m going to sharpen the blade. Need it for when we pick out our Christmas tree this weekend…You’re welcome to come if you’d like.”

Mentally, Asami thought of a hundred reasons this would be intrusive, but she vocalized an excited yes before her brain could give adequate shape to any of these objections.

It was another exceptionally pleasant meal, so it was unfortunate that it had to be interrupted, but just then, Tonraq received a text that he was needed in the office.

“Korra, honey, the saw is in the garage, and Asami? I was going to show you around town today. I’m sorry it looks like that’s not going to happen,” he apologized.

“I will happily take you up on a guided tour some other time,” she assured him.

The ladies finished eating and while they were clearing the table, Senna asked Korra if she would retrieve a stocking from the attic…after she got dressed, of course. She cast Asami an apologetic look—even though Senna herself was still in a nightgown and robe.

Korra nodded dutifully and headed upstairs to change.

“So why was Korra taking care of Meelo last night?” inquired Asami when it was just her and Senna putting away dishes.

“Well, before Korra owned the hardware store, she was a Navy Corpsman. That means she sometimes gets calls for minor injuries when our local doctor is out of town, and Kya is still on her Thanksgiving break. Fortunately, Meelo just needed some stitches…and maybe a pointer or two on his slapshot.”

Asami wondered aloud why Meelo couldn’t just go the hospital, and Senna explained that it was an hour away.

Feeling slightly guilty that she hadn’t realized this, Asami turned her attention to another subject. “And why do you need another stocking? It looks like you already have one for every family member?”

Senna’s eyes, blue like her daughter’s, widened. It was hard for her to believe that the young engineer didn’t realize.

“Why, we need one for you, dear.”

This was Asami’s first indication that they intended on hosting her for more than a day or two. She had assumed that after that, she would head to the bed and breakfast.

“Oh, no!” she protested. “I’m not going to be here through Christmas. In fact, I can’t stay here much longer without feeling I’m abusing your generosity.”

Senna placed a hand on Sato’s arm. It was warm and nurturing and something Asami hadn’t experienced since her own mother passed away years ago.

“I would like it if you stayed here as long as you’re in Capital City,” said Senna softly. “And you should have a stocking for as long as you are here.”

The moment might have made Asami emotional, had it not been for Korra calling from the top of the stairs, “Hey, Asami! Do you want to pick out your own stocking, or leave it up to chance?”

She was wearing that crooked grin again. Apparently, even though Sato hadn’t realized who the stocking was for, Korra had.

Asami informed her she was coming.

Up in the attic, the two women looked through some boxes. Asami found the stockings and lifted out a red one that struck her fancy, but she could not help but notice the piece of notebook paper under it.

“Oh!” Korra exclaimed regarding the childish scribbles. “One of my early works.”

It depicted her and her family at Yuletide, and Asami had a question about it.

“Why is your Dad in the sleigh with Santa?”

Korra gently took the page from the engineer and examined it. She sat down as she recalled the memory.

“I was eight-years old,” she said. “There was a huge snowstorm. It grounded everything, and I mean everything. Now, you know how bad it must have been to shut things down in the Southern Tundra.”

Asami nodded. “Yes.”

Looking even more reflective now, Korra continued. “Dad was out of town. I thought there was no way he was going to make it back, but somehow he did.” Her smile was tender and soft as she absentmindedly traced the drawing with her finger. “I don’t remember what I got for Christmas that year, but I do remember how I felt when he opened the door telling me Santa had brought him home…That just shows you what’s important, right?”

Asami started to feel emotional again, thinking of how much she would have given for one more Christmas with her Mom.

“Yes,” she said lowly. “It does.”

Chapter Text

Asami figured that the demographics of the people who shopped at Korra’s hardware store would be similar to those who buy snowmobiles, so she asked Korra if she could tag along when she went to work that day.

That was how Asami first saw Korra’s red pickup.

“Oh, man!” she declared. “How I would love to get under her hood!”

Korra chuckled. “One of the older Sato models, but she still runs great.”

“You’ve kept her in beautiful shape,” marveled Asami, running her hand lovingly down the vehicle’s side.

“So get in.”

As they drove along, Asami inquired if Korra had seen a commercial for the Future Industries snowmobile lately.

“I keep pretty busy, so I don’t watch much TV,” responded Korra apologetically. “I may have seen one a month or two ago? Something about it being a sleek and powerful ride?”

She was clearly trying to impersonate the announcer’s voice, and if Asami hadn’t been so busy thinking, she might have laughed.

“That sounds like the ads we’ve been running,” she confirmed, wondering if others in the Southern Tundra were like Korra and not being exposed to their marketing. She decided to ask around.

She didn’t want to bother Korra’s customers, though, so she held off on doing that immediately. Instead she just observed, and saw that Korra—along with her assistant, Opal—seemed to be doing pretty good business.

At lunchtime, when Korra took Asami to a local deli, Sato asked her, her secret.

Korra was reluctant to answer, noting she felt silly sharing business insights with someone as successful as the titan of industry she was sitting across from.

“Come on, Korra. I’m sure there’s a lot you can teach me,” Asami encouraged her, meaning it very sincerely, but Asami was also a woman to choose her words deliberately, and she didn’t mind that these particular words may have also sounded like a challenge. After all, she imagined Korra was one to rise to challenges.

“We just remember why we’re doing what we do,” shrugged Korra. “The people of Capital City like taking care of things themselves, and we want to help them with that.” She paused to take a bite out of her sandwich. “You know, if you really want to learn more about the town, you should come with me tonight to the the village’s Hot Chocolate Festival.”

“It sounds fun,” Asami ventured, “but what exactly is a Hot Chocolate Festival?”

“Well, there’s a tree-lighting ceremony and music, but the highlight is that every business in the area makes their own hot chocolate and you can taste every one!” Korra seemed childlike in her excitement, and her blue eyes twinkled with a joy that Asami found infectious.

“Let’s do it!”

Korra wasn’t kidding when she said the festival had all sorts of hot chocolate. Her “Aw, Nuts! And Bolts” hardware store offered a delicious version with white chocolate and caramel, but there were also peppermint and gingerbread varieties. One drink that Asami especially enjoyed featured cinnamon, nutmeg, and even a little bit of cayenne.

That’s what she was sipping when Korra introduced her to some of her friends.

“Asami, you remember Opal from the shop?”

The dark-haired, young woman gave a friendly wave.

“And this is her boyfriend, Bolin.”

Bolin was stocky and neatly straddled the line between handsome and cute. He reached out his hand to shake Asami’s.

“Nice to meet you. So is it true you’re bringing a Future Industries factory to Capital City?”

“Bolin!” Opal elbowed him in the ribs, hard enough to apparently hurt.

“Ow!” he cried.

Opal shot a contrite look at Asami before she stared daggers at her boyfriend.

This prodded Bolin to say he was sorry. “I just know some folks who could do with the work.”

Asami smiled gently. “I understand,” she replied. “And I appreciate you being direct, but I’m here to do some research, not to make any announcements.”

She saw in her periphery that Korra had raised an eyebrow, and she wondered if the woman noticed that her answer was slightly more oblique now when it wasn’t just the two of them—wondered if she read into the fact that she entrusted her alone with the complete truth.

Asami was making a note to ask Korra if Bolin was one of the employees displaced as a result of the metal factory leaving town. She wanted to help him, if she was able. The genial gentleman made that unnecessary.

“I was lucky,” he volunteered. “After I was laid off, I was able to get a job as a deputy with my brother.” Bolin hitched his thumb in the direction of the police chief, who was just preparing to light the town Christmas tree.

“He looks especially dashing tonight, doesn’t he?”

Asami blinked, as she didn’t recognize the scrawny man who had just made himself part of the conversation, but the others clearly did.

“You say that every night, Wu,” Bolin laughed.

“And I’m always right,” responded Wu.

He was looking at the police chief so reverently, Opal’s explanation that Wu was Mako’s fiancé was almost unnecessary.

“Aw. You’re engaged over the holidays? That’s so sweet,” Asami gushed sincerely.

Wu shot a pair of imaginary finger guns. “I like the new girl.”

That was all he was able to say before Mayor Tonraq started making some remarks, and Korra quietly sidled up a little closer to Asami as her father addressed the village. “So you’re a romantic,” she observed in a whisper.

“And you’re a dork,” Asami teased back, also in sotto voce.

The two women smiled at each other.

“Will you do the honors, Chief Mako?” concluded Tonraq.

The crowd oohed and aahed as the lights on the large spruce in the town square started to glow. That was the audience’s cue, and they broke into a chorus of “Joy to the World.”

Asami’s eyebrows shot skyward. As soon as the music ended, she looked at Korra with surprise. “You can sing,” she observed.

Korra shrugged off the compliment. “Anyone can sing.”

“Yes, but you can sing well. Like, really well.”

“I couldn’t help but notice,” Korra answered lightly, still ignoring Asami’s praise, “that while we were singing ‘Joy to the World,’ you were giving us a silent night.”

“I’m just not nearly as good as you are,” explained Asami modestly, somewhat surprised—but not upset—at the fact Korra had observed her closely enough to realize she’d been mouthing the lyrics.

Asami ended up meeting a lot of the other locals that evening, and it gave her an idea she wanted to send back to the company immediately. However, she still felt a bit guilty that she hadn’t been more productive. After all, she wasn’t here on vacation.

Seeming to sense this, Korra—as she was headed to bed—asked Asami if she had, had a good time. She seemed uncharacteristically shy and rubbed the back of her neck as she posed the question.

“No, I had a great time, Korra. Thank you,” Asami assured her, with a soft squeeze of Korra's elbow, and that assurance was all it took to bring that charming crooked grin back to the other woman’s face.

The next few days, Asami was able to get some more work done. She visited the old metalworks. She interviewed a number of Capital City residents. She monitored the local media consumption. (Korra was indeed an outlier in how little she consumed.) She even went to see a Lin Beifong, who ran a repair shop, to find out if snowmobiles broke down frequently, but Future Industries’ were deemed to be extremely reliable, especially when compared to the Cabbage Corp alternative.

At the same time, she was so easily tempted into moments of pleasant distraction.  

Korra, for instance, took her to taste some of the “best baked goods in the world.”

“Wu’s Palace?” Asami asked with arched eyebrow.

“Donuts fit for a king…” Korra opened the door with one hand and ran the other across her waist as she offered a bow, “or queen.”

Asami laughed and responded with a mock curtsy before entering.

Korra also invited her to go sledding.

Sitting down on the toboggan, Asami assumed Korra was going to give her a push. Instead she sat down right behind her with her legs comfortably on either side of the engineer, even though Sato was taller.

“How…”

It was all of the question Asami got out before Korra called out for Naga.

The sweet dog responded by bounding up and nudging Korra’s back hard enough to get them started down the hill.

They raced along until they crashed into a snowbank…and each other, laughing like schoolgirls all the while.

Korra even took Asami to the local elementary school on a poinsettia-delivery run.

While there, a kindergartner asked if Korra wanted to color a drawing of Santa Claus. Asami insisted they do, and her resulting drawing was brilliant—with a depth and detail that showed Sato to be quite the artist. Korra, on the other hand, sitting in a chair three sizes too small and scribbling with her tongue out, kept getting frustrated that her Santa didn’t even look as nice as the kindergartner's.

Chapter Text

Asami had worked plenty of weekends for Future Industries, but when this Saturday rolled around, she told herself she should try not to think about the job. Because she had promised the family she would help them cut down a Christmas tree, she wanted to do so unencumbered by guilt.

She dressed in her warmest clothes and was wrapping a scarf around her neck when Korra walked up to her with the saw slung jauntily over her shoulder.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

Asami was confused. “Aren’t your parents coming?”

Rolling her eyes jokingly, Korra told Asami that Tonraq and Senna had backed out. “Dad’s been awfully busy lately, so they’re getting ready to go out. They’re making this a date night.”

“Oh, that’s adorable!”

Despite having mocked her for being a romantic before, Korra conceded, “Yeah, it is. They’re really good for each other, you know? They did say they’ll join us tonight to decorate, and said to thank you, because without you tagging along, they wouldn’t trust me to bring back the right tree.”

The Sato family had always had a tree picked out by servants, so Asami didn’t understand until they were outside in the forested area of Tonraq’s property how it was that Korra could screw up their choice.

She was attracted to the misfits, as if the homely trees had feelings that Korra could soothe by choosing one of them over their statelier cousins.

More than once, Asami had to point out the flaws that made a certain option unsuitable.

“Korra, that tree is crooked!” she protested.

Korra tilted her head so that it was roughly at the same angle as the tree. “Looks fine to me.”

“It‘s not straight.”

“Well, now you’re being judgmental.”

There was a moment where both women looked at each other, silent but expectant.

Asami was the first to break into a smile. “No, believe me, I’m not,” she insisted. “But that thing will fall over in your living room.”

“All right,” Korra responded with an equally broad grin. “But I’m glad it’s not straight. I think it has character, and you’re just a perfectionist.”

While up to then, the rapport had been playful, Asami took this last remark to heart. She recognized Korra hadn't been talking about the tree.

“What makes you think I’m a perfectionist?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you show up to breakfast with your clothes on and makeup done while the rest of us are in our PJs. Or maybe the fact that you wouldn’t settle for drawing a stick-figure Santa. You even added elves and a deer moose! Or maybe it’s how you wouldn’t sing because you were worried about being a little off-key.” Korra’s tone implied she was merely making an observation, not insulting her tree-chopping companion. In fact, she didn't seem to regard Asami's perfectionism as a flaw, but rather as an quirk—one that she only resented because it could keep Asami from ever being completely at ease.

She was so caught up in making this observation, Korra missed that Asami had stopped and was no longer walking beside her. Then she heard the engineer call out.

“I do love having perfect aim!”

Turning around, Korra was hit dead center with a snowball. She prepared to return fire, but Asami had the drop on her. She’d thought ahead and already made a second—one with which she nailed Korra square in the face.

“Spirits!” Asami’s hands flew to cover her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Korra. I didn’t mean to…”

Korra stopped scooping up snow, slowly rose to her full height, and brushed herself off. A devilish expression crossed her face, but Asami was still shocked when the woman lunged and tackled her.

There was no real violence to the action. Asami landed softly in the snow, and as strong as she was, Korra wasn’t using that strength now. After she quickly shifted so that the back of her thighs rested on her heels, she simply shoveled more snow on top of Sato, burying her under a soft blanket of it.

“Never challenge a Water Tribe woman to a snowball fight!” she was laughing.

Asami was laughing, too, so hard it was difficult to surrender, but she eventually did.

Being a good sport, after Korra stood up, she leaned down to help Asami to her feet. She pulled her up with such force, Asami stumbled forward until only centimeters of space separated them.

There was another moment of silence between them, but this one was fraught and filled with the kind of electricity that had the power to jumpstart something, or destroy it. It was again Asami who moved first…She took a step back.

“Sorry about that,” she apologized.

Quickly responding that Asami had nothing to be sorry for, Korra realized she was still holding on to the engineer’s hand. She dropped it, but only after she gave it a squeeze to convey that there were no hard feelings.

And while Korra was right about Asami being a perfectionist, that didn’t need to be true for Sato to be dismayed by how not perfect this situation was. Here she was falling for the Water Tribe woman, but she still couldn’t shake the notion that she was letting her mother down by not being more focused on work.

Korra cooked dinner for them that night, and Asami attempted to help, but by her own admission, she had never spent much time in the kitchen.

“Well, then it’s time you learn,” challenged Korra, handing off the spoon she was stirring with. “And after we decorate the tree, we can make Christmas cookies.”

Asami smiled. She couldn’t help it. Korra’s verve always had that effect on her.

Their awkward moment from earlier in the afternoon didn’t hang over them. Somehow things between them remained comfortable. Conversation flowed. Laughter came easily.

Eventually they realized that Tonraq and Senna’s date night must be going well, and tree decorating would have to wait until the next day, so they began making cookies.

With Korra closely supervising, Asami managed to make treats that tasted really good, but their appearance was another matter.

“My Rudolph the Red-Nosed Deer Moose looks more like a badger mole, and the snowman is the spitting image of Naga!” Asami complained.

Knowing her preference for Christmas trees with “character,” Asami wasn’t surprised that Korra liked these cookies, but she was shocked just how far she took it.

“There’s a baking competition tomorrow, and I think we should enter these,” said Korra. “I know they're a little unconventional looking, but I promise you that won’t be a problem.”

The next morning, Asami still came downstairs for breakfast with her makeup done, but for once, she hadn’t changed out of her pajamas. It was, she thought, a nice compromise, and Korra seemed to appreciate it.

“You look beautiful as always,” she noted, “and now also a bit more comfortable.”

“How could I not be comfortable?” returned Asami. “You and your parents have gone out of your way to make me feel at home.” She considered gathering in Korra for a hug, but refrained. She suspected Korra sensed her inner turmoil, because the crooked grin made its return at that moment.

“Dork,” Asami whispered under her breath, but without any bite.

It hadn’t seemed possible, but Korra’s smile grew even brighter.

As they decorated the tree, Senna explained that each member of the family made a new ornament every year to add to their collection.

“That’s a lovely tradition,” said Asami, and her eyes drifted to the fireplace, where her red stocking hung next to three blue and white ones. How is it that these three had welcomed her so completely? This holiday already felt whole to her in a way that her and Hiroshi’s sterile Christmas celebrations never were—marked more by who was absent than by who was there.

Once done with that, Korra grabbed a plate of Asami’s cookies and told her to get her coat. “We don’t want to be late for your blue ribbon!”

“I thought you were kidding!” exclaimed Asami.

Korra shook her head. “I never kid about baking competitions.”

Asami continued her protestations all the way to the idyllic gazebo in the town square where the judging was to take place.

Brushing off Asami’s objections, Korra volunteered to check them in and trotted off to huddle with a short, older woman; then returning to Sato’s side, Korra informed her they were all set.

It was when the older woman began her examination of the contestants’ entries that Asami realized why Korra had been so insistent that the look of her cookies wouldn’t be an issue.

“Korra, she’s…”

“Older? I know.” Korra cut Asami off. “She’s seen a little bit of everything over the years. That’s why she’s such a good judge. She somehow seems to know exactly who should win what prize.”

Asami was naturally doubtful. “She’s seen a bit of everything?”

“Shhh! Toph may be blind, but she’s not deaf,” joked Korra, knowing full well they were out of earshot.

Toph made her way around, sampling the baked goods and sharing some exceptionally frank critiques. When she tried Asami’s sugar cookies, she grudgingly admitted they tasted good. Feeling them with her hands, though, she demanded, “What are these supposed to resemble? Modern art?”

Asami was about to answer, willing to humbly admit to her lack of skill, but Korra jumped in.

“That’s it!” she replied. “They’re very contemporary, Toph.”

Toph harumphed as she made her way to a podium in front of the audience. “We’re doing something a little different this year,” she announced. “Instead of just awarding prizes to the winner and runner-up, there is a third-place prize this year. It goes to Asami Sato’s abstract art sugar cookies.”

There was a warm round of applause. Asami, used to business presentations and charity galas, was all grace and poise as she waved her thanks.

Toph was continuing her speech. “She wins a romantic dinner for two at Narook's Seaweed Noodlery and skate rental at Avatar Park this coming Friday.”

The process repeated as Toph announced that Meelo’s macaroons had earned him a new hockey stick, and as the grand-prize winner, Kya had won $500 in repairs from Lin Beifong’s shop.

“Oh, spirits! Thank you,” the town doctor gushed. “My car really needs it.”

Once the ceremony was over, Asami made sure that she checked in with Kya. Yes, she owned a Future Industries vehicle, and it had been reliable for many, many more years than anyone could reasonably expect a car to run—especially given the harsh conditions in the Tundra.

“The next time I buy one, it will definitely be one of yours,” Kya assured Asami.

Chapter Text

That night, with Tonraq and Senna having already gone to bed, Korra and Asami sat in the glow of a warm fire, as well as the twinkling lights from the newly decorated Christmas tree. They were sipping some hot chocolate, and Sato was as contented as could be.

“It was really nice of you to ask Kya about the car,” said Korra softly. “You listen really, really well, and it’s obvious how much you genuinely care. I mean, that’s why you came here, right? To listen to what people had to say about your snowmobiles? We’re all pretty grateful you want to find out what we think about the business, Asami.” Toward the end, her words were rushed, like the very sincerity of them had propelled them forward.

“All of you, hmm?” Asami asked as she brought to her mug back up to lips, a gesture that barely hid her smirk.

“Yes, all of us,” retorted Korra. “You know, you’ve seemed awfully self-satisfied since your win today.”

“Well, I am very proud of my award-winning cookies,” Asami laughed. “But that’s not why I’m smiling right now.”

“No?”

Asami laughed again, harder this time. However, at the very moment when she was teasing Korra, she was also reassuring her, as Asami’s hand had come to rest lightly on Korra’s knee. “Oh, Korra!” she said. “And you accused me of being the romantic.”

Huffing, Korra insisted she had no idea what Asami was talking about.

“Meelo just happened to win a hockey stick and Kya much-needed car repairs? That contest was rigged, Korra, and I think I know who did the rigging. In fact, I bet you do that every year. You’re the town’s Secret Santa, aren’t you?”

Korra merely responded with another huff, and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Leaning in so that she jostled the shoulder of the Water Tribe woman, Asami offered tenderly, “But if you wanted to take me out on a date, you could have just asked me.”

For only the second time since they had met, Korra seemed sheepish. What struck Asami was how these moments of bashfulness were just as real and just as integral to Korra’s character as her usual bravado.

“We don’t…I mean, if you want to go, you can take someone else, if you’d like…Or don’t go at all. You’re not under an obligation to…”

She was so flustered that, even though Asami found it adorable, she knew the kind thing to do now would be to clarify the way she saw things, and Asami was nothing, if not kind.

“I’d love to go to Narook's with you, Korra. Just because I’m heading back to Republic City soon, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy ourselves while I’m here, right?”

Korra agreed.

“One condition, though?” stipulated Asami. “I am under the impression you planned on paying for the meal to make me believe date night was simply a prize from the baking competition. Let me get it? I can’t ever thank you and your family enough for welcoming me here, but this is at least something I can do.”

The next week passed much like the previous, with Asami diving into her Future Industries work, only to be interrupted occasionally by Korra’s desire to engage in some Yuletide fun.

They made snowmen. They baked more (still misshapen) cookies. They shopped for and wrapped presents. Korra even took Asami to a deer moose farm, so Sato could “feed the cousins of the guys pulling Santa’s sleigh.”

The big difference was that every activity was now sweetened by the anticipation of Friday night’s date.

Asami was a little disappointed she wouldn’t be able to wear a dress, but she found a pair of black skinny jeans and layered a red cashmere shirt with a blazer that suited her well. For her part, Korra was wearing a cream-colored cable knit sweater. It set off her dark skin nicely—although not as nicely as her crooked grin did, Asami thought.

Over dinner, they discussed everything. As open and honest as they had always been with each other before, something about the candlelit meal had them pouring themselves out to one another, and the more they poured out, the less empty they felt.

Asami talked about how much she missed her mother at this time of year, and how her passing had created an invisible barrier in her and Hiroshi’s otherwise loving relationship.

Korra seemed so understanding and shared how difficult it had been to adjust to civilian life, how some of the things she had seen during her time in the service still left her shaken, and how she wouldn’t have been able to cope without all the support she received.

Following dinner, they went to the rink at Avatar Park, where there was already a throng of skaters on the ice.

“You’re welcome to hold onto me until you start to get the hang of things,” volunteered Korra.

Lacing up her skates, Asami replied that Korra’s offer was very kind. However, when they reached the ice, it was clear Asami needed no such aid.

“You didn’t tell me you could skate!” Korra cried out incredulously.

To which Asami shot back, smiling: “You never asked, dork!”

She was absolutely doing much better than a struggling Wu, who was slowly making his way along the dashers until…

“WU DOWN!” he yelled. “WU DOWN!”

Mako shook his head and went to rescue his fiancé.

Meanwhile, Opal couldn’t help but note that, despite the fact that Asami was quite steady on her feet, she had eventually taken Korra’s arm.

“You two look so cute together! I really don’t think I’ve ever seen Korra so happy.”

Bolin followed up with, “Maybe we can go on a double-date sometime?”

“Do you guys come here every Friday, or are you all just spying on us?”  Asami laughed.

It was a combination of both, and Asami didn’t mind. She considered them her friends now, too, and their presence just made their time at the rink more enjoyable.

That being said, she was also glad to be alone with Korra when they went back for a kitchen nightcap of milk and cookies.

“Tonight was the best time I’ve had in a long time,” Korra told her.

Asami nodded. “Me, too.”

They tacitly conceded it was time to say goodnight. As they stood in the hallway between their two rooms, Korra shuffled her feet.

“I hope Opal and the others didn’t put too much pressure on you this evening. I like you, but I understand if you thought of tonight as just a chance to try a new local restaurant.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. Your friends are great, Korra.” Asami took a moment to formulate her next thought. “And maybe this is just the milk and cookies talking, but I like you, too…”

Korra looked right into Asami’s eyes, and Asami inhaled sharply in response. The brightness of the blue gazing into her green, not to mention the directness of Korra’s gaze was almost shocking.

“I do plan on returning home in a few days, though,” continued Asami.

More foot shuffling. Korra rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah, of course. Your family is there, not to mention your job. Well…” She smiled again, but there was something off about the grin. “Remember, I’m just across the hall if you need me.”

Both women entered their respective rooms. When Asami closed her door behind her, she leaned against it, reflecting on how it no longer felt like all her family was back in Republic City.

Asami didn’t have her work interrupted quite as much in the days leading up to her departure. Korra said she was busy at the hardware store, and that was true. However, she also seemed pained by any reminder that Asami was leaving so soon...

That didn’t stop her from inviting Asami to see the aurora australis with her.

She loaned her some of her winter wear, going so far as to chivalrously help her into a sherpa-lined coat, because the night air in the Southern Tundra was too cold for what Asami had brought with her from home.

Then Korra told Asami to close her eyes and led her by the hand outside.

“Okay, open them,” she instructed.

Asami gasped when she did.

“The Northern Lights get all the headlines, but I think we put on quite a show ourselves,” said Korra smiling.

“It’s gorgeous,” marveled Asami, and as mesmerized by the sight as she was, she still managed to steal a sideways glance at the woman holding her hand. “Just gorgeous,” she echoed in a voice so soft, Korra might not have realized she had spoken were it not for the fact that she could see the small, wintry puff of breath that resulted.

Asami closed her eyes again. She was hoping to squeeze this heartbreakingly perfect moment into the deepest, most sacred space of her memory.

Korra appeared to be doing the same, and so the pair remained silent for a good long while.

Days later, almost the entire ride to the airport was likewise silent, albeit for an entirely different reason: There was so much left to say, the impossibility of saying it made it feel pointless to try.

Korra refused to let Asami wait for her flight alone, so they sat quietly next to each other in the terminal. Right before they started boarding, Korra handed Sato a manilla envelope.

Opening it, Asami stared in disbelief. It was a familiar piece of rumpled notebook paper with a drawing of Korra’s family, with Tonraq in Santa’s sleigh.

“Like I said, it reminds you of what’s important,” Korra nearly whispered.

“I can’t…” Asami held the picture out toward Korra, who gently deflected.

“I want you to have it…Please.”

I’ll stay in touch, Asami tried to promise, but the words couldn’t get past the lump in her throat. Rendered speechless, she instead placed a soft kiss to the apple of Korra’s cheek.

“You’ve got to go,” Korra insisted again, a small catch in her voice.

Asami nodded her goodbye, and couldn’t bring herself to look back once she started heading for the boarding ramp.

Back in Republic City, Asami Sato sat at her desk, a pen resting thoughtfully against her lower lip.

There was a knock at her office door, and because of the late hour, she knew there was only one person it could be.

“Come in, Dad.”

“I brought you the sales figures from the first part of this month,” he said, setting a folder in front of her. “You should be so proud of yourself, Asami. This is some of your best work. All your insights on price points and manufacturing and especially marketing…Just everything was spot on.”

Without looking up from the sheet in front of her, Asami said her thanks. “I simply remembered why we do what we do. We make snowmobiles to get people to the places they want to go, so they can be with the people they want to be with.” 

“So why don’t you seem more pleased?” pressed Hiroshi.

“It’s like I said: every problem is ultimately an engineering problem,” Asami explained. “And the thing I really wanted to make happen, I couldn’t figure out how to make work.”

Hiroshi mulled it over for a minute.  

“That,” he said slowly, “sounds like the way I felt when I was first dating your mother.”

Asami protested, insisting that her parents had always seemed like they were perfect for one another.

“We were,” confirmed Hiroshi, before a laugh rumbled through his chest. “But our relationship still required some effort!”

Finally depositing all the paperwork she’d been holding onto the desk, Asami leaned forward in her chair, intrigued. She had never heard her father speak so openly about his late wife before.

“It wasn’t the case that we loved each other, so we didn’t have to work at it. We worked at it because we loved each other. If it seemed easy to you, it was because there was one thing we absolutely, totally agreed on,” he explained.

Asami’s eyes widened. “What was that?”

“We both wanted our daughter to be happy.” Hiroshi took both of Asami’s hands into his own. “So why don’t you tell me about this special person you want to be with?”

Chapter Text

“Here’s the popcorn!” Korra called as she sat down with her Mom and Dad to watch a Christmas movie.

“All right. And now you need to relax, dear,” Senna encouraged her daughter. “It’s not often we get you to agree to be still for an entire two hours.” Truth to tell, she and Tonraq were also seeking to lift the young woman’s spirits. She’d tried to hide it, but they knew Korra had been especially downcast the past few days.

After throwing a blanket over Korra’s legs, Senna grabbed another for her and her husband, then snuggled into Tonraq’s burliness. It was a regular cuddle puddle with all three of them on the couch.

They found an innocent joy in watching the stop-animation characters singing and dancing when a commercial for Future Industries snowmobiles aired.

An older Water Tribe couple picked up an unused place setting after what appeared to be a holiday dinner.

“It’s the snow,” the older gentleman said.

“Right,” his wife replied. She looked longingly out the window. “It’s just…It’s Christmas.”

“I know,” the man conceded sadly.

The woman turned away from watching the storm. The couple puttered around in silence for a bit in their simple home. Suddenly their attention was captured by the sound of an approaching snowmobile engine.

“It’s her!” cried the mother.

The door opened and in walked a dark-skinned Water Tribe woman with blue eyes, brushing a layer of snow off her coat and stomping her ice-covered boots.

“Sorry I’m late,” she apologized while setting down a bag overflowing with gifts. “There was one last present I wanted to pick up for you, but with this weather…” The young woman shrugged.

She didn’t get a chance to explain any more as her parents wrapped her up in a giant hug. The Future Industries logo appeared on screen along with the ad’s tagline: “Sometimes the greatest gift you can give is yourself.”

If Korra hadn’t been so absorbed by what she had just seen, she would have felt Tonraq’s and Senna’s eyes upon her.

Senna cautiously remarked that the new commercial started airing shortly after Asami had arrived in Capital City.

Korra stood up quickly, the blanket falling to the floor.

“I’ve got to go,” she said.

“It’s Christmas Eve, Korra. Even if you could book a flight, she’ll be with her family,” pointed out Tonraq. He didn’t need to be more specific. Everyone in the room knew exactly who “she” was.

Distraught, Korra ignored her father’s words and threw on her coat. She didn’t really have a plan. She just knew she had to do something. “She kept saying she needed to return to Republic City. It made me think that maybe her business was more important to her than, well, anything we could have.”

“But you reminded her of what’s important?” Senna ventured.

“Or maybe she always knew, and I just was afraid to ask.” It was true. Korra could have asked Asami to stay. She just…didn’t. She couldn’t explain why. It wasn’t like Korra normally bottled up her feelings or withheld her thoughts, but the way she felt for Asami was so different that it was scary. She was stronger in her presence, happier. Asami inspired her to be kinder.

Korra only wished she had also been braver.

Before her parents could console her, she started to head off. “I’ve got to do what I should have done before and tell her exactly how I feel.”

She made it to the front door. When she opened it, standing there, fist raised, ready to knock, was the beautiful engineer.

Her green eyes were wide, startled at seeing Korra before she had even managed to make her presence known. Then she smiled broadly.

“What? How?” fumbled Korra.

“Santa brought us,” Asami answered.

Korra was still flummoxed. “Us?”

At this, Hiroshi stepped forward and introduced himself. “It’s very nice to meet you, Korra, but if you don’t mind, I have some things I need to speak to the mayor about. Do you think you ladies could give us a moment?”

It was a bald excuse, but that didn’t matter.

“Yeah, sure. We’ll give you some privacy.” Korra grabbed Asami’s hand and—since they both had their coats on—led her outside, where it had just started to snow. It was a powdery snow that glistened in what little light there was, being as the area was illuminated only by the white Christmas lights hanging off the house and starlight. That didn’t really matter. All Korra and Asami needed to be able to see was each other.

“I guess I should explain…” Sato started, but Korra cut her off.

“Asami, you need to know something,” she said abruptly. When Asami didn’t respond, Korra took that as permission to continue. “I didn’t want you to leave, and yes, I said I liked you, but what I should have said is that I’ve never felt like this. About anyone.”

“I feel the same way,” responded Asami gently.

“Now I know it’s only been a few weeks, so I don’t expect…” Korra blinked. Suddenly what Asami had said sunk in. “Wait. What?”

Echoing her earlier sentiment, Asami spoke a little more slowly, but with just as much emotion. “I feel the same way, Korra. There’s a peace and a joy when I’m with you that I don’t feel anywhere else. You’re beautiful and you see the beauty in everyone. Nobody I know has a bigger heart. It would be such a gift to spend Christmas with you and your family...if you’ll have me.”

Asami stepped forward, bringing herself close enough that Korra’s hands automatically reached under her coat to rest on her waist, with Asami reciprocating by interlacing her fingers at the small of Korra’s back. Asami stilled after that, taking a moment to enjoy the warm weight of Korra’s hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” Asami continued. “It’s just I felt guilty any time I took a break from trying to sell snowmobiles, because they were my Mom’s favorite. Now I realize, enjoying my time here with you is exactly what my Mom would have wanted for me.”

“And you have been?” Korra pulled Asami even closer. The gesture was an invitation, not a demand. “Enjoying your time with me, that is.”

She didn’t doubt Asami, just her own good fortune. Sato was happy to reassure her.

“I have been…I am very much enjoying my time with you.”

Now it was Asami who drew closer. She leaned forward, eventually nuzzling her nose against Korra’s.

“Good,” the Water Tribe woman hummed.

It was the last thing said before they shared their first kiss—tender at first, warming to something more ardent after that.

“Is that my Christmas present?” Korra asked, as Asami affectionately traced her thumb along the arc of Korra’s cheekbone.

“Well, it would be the first of several. Come on. Let’s go inside.”

They didn’t get a full step indoors before Tonraq grabbed both women in a huge hug, practically lifting the pair off their feet.  

“Merry Christmas!” he roared with all the mirth of Santa himself.

Asami knew the reason for Tonraq’s good mood, but Korra seemed confused, so Sato explained.

“Sales of snowmobiles have risen the past few weeks, and if that continues, it would make sense to move the manufacturing closer to the point-of-sale.”

“The Capital City metalworks?” clarified Korra.

Hiroshi, though not a small man, was still hidden almost entirely behind Tonraq. He moved to be in Korra’s eyeline before he spoke. “The same. And Asami is, of course, being modest. Her insights will allow us to sell more cars and trucks as well. I am embarrassed that I didn’t realize sooner that our management team needs to look more like our clientele.”

“That’s very wise, sir.” Korra directed her words at the elder Sato, but squeezed Asami’s hand and beamed at her new girlfriend with pride.

“It’s more than that,” Senna piped in, drawing her daughter’s attention, although not her gaze. “The Sato family has sent Kya a new car, and will be fundraising to build a new hospital closer to the city.”

Asami merely shrugged. “It shouldn’t take an hour for someone to get medical attention.”

“It’s still incredibility generous of you, dear. Now why don’t we go into the kitchen? I think we still have some of Asami’s cookies left over that we can celebrate all this good news with?” suggested Senna.

Hiroshi laughed. “Asami baked? Now this I have to try!”

As everyone started to head off, Asami took Korra’s elbow to hold her back.

“I do have another present that I want to give you now,” she said pulling a gift out of her pocket. “I hope I’m not being presumptuous.” She was blushing furiously as Korra opened it. “But it’s my ornament for the tree this year.”

Korra was overwhelmed. The ornament featured some of Asami’s delicate and beautiful artwork. She had drawn herself and Korra in Santa’s sleigh—and coming out of the back of the sleigh…

“Are those flames?” Korra wondered.

Asami chuckled. “Santa got a Sato upgrade this year.”

Then a flash of red caught Asami’s eye. “My stocking!” she cried. “You’ve still got it hanging up.”

There was something so touching about that. Maybe Korra hadn’t asked her to stay, but she hadn’t given up on them, even after Asami had left. Sato felt a lump in her throat—which only grew at Korra’s next words.

“Yeah, in fact, there’s actually a Christmas present for you in there. Why don’t you go ahead and open it?”

Asami walked toward the roaring fireplace, reached into her stocking, and discovered a small, wrapped package. She laughed when she saw what was inside.

“A cookie cutter?”

“Shaped like a dog,” pointed out Korra as she joined Asami at the hearth. “I figure if your snowmen looked like Naga, maybe your Naga cookies will look like…”

Before she could reach the punchline, Asami quickly cut her off with another kiss. It was deeper than before, and as warm and sweet as Christmas.