Work Text:
Korra sighed as she retracted her glider after touching down. Another day packed with Avatar duties had left her muscles just a little sore, and her mind even more tired. She had always been eager to help, especially if helping meant immediate results thanks to all of her training, but these slower, drawn out political situations just weren't her forte. The soreness was isolated to her back from sitting in precisely three different chairs all day, scarcely time for travel to the various offices in between, and each of the three meetings with the nations had lasted no less than four hours. They were planning to convene for a summit at the end of the week for additional planning on the next steps to carry the Earth Kingdom into its new era, and while she wanted to do everything in her power to ensure stability and happiness for the people of the world, she wasn't entirely convinced that an eight hour conference with Wu and her cousins was within her power.
Regardless, that was for another day. She was tired and it was late, but she needed a break from Tenzin after he had accompanied her to her meetings, so she hadn't returned to the island yet. Besides, she hadn't seen Asami since that morning and had promised she would stop by afterwards. She left her staff standing next to the mansion’s front door as she rang the bell. A member of Asami's staff answered a few moments later, pulling the door wide for her.
“Avatar Korra, good evening. Miss Sato has been informed of your arrival and will meet you in the gallery momentarily.”
Korra blinked as she stepped inside. “Oh, she has? She will?” She had almost expected Asami to be on her way to bed, it was getting close to midnight. She was only really stopping by because she said she would and because she knew Asami would commiserate with her after her frustrating day, but the gallery was where Asami usually had her wait when she was planning on being done in her workshop any minute. What was she still working on in there?
The servant bowed and gestured, and Korra made her way to the gallery to wait. She had scarcely sat down when Asami rushed in, a grin threatening to split the corners of her mouth. Korra was grinning to match instantly, Asami's excitement was infectious. “Korra!” The engineer had her arms wrapped around Korra's shoulders in a hug before she could even stand back up properly. “I'm so glad you're here. But it's so late! Have you been in meetings this whole time?”
“Yeah, it was kind of a nightmare,” she admitted despite her smile never leaving her lips. “What about you? You aren't still working this late, are you?”
A light blush colored Asami's cheeks. “I was. Pretty important project that I needed to get finished. I told myself I would stop when you got here, but I actually just finished. I wasn't really planning on being done with it tonight.”
“Awesome! Can I see?”
Asami stiffened, but paused for only a second. “Sure. But first, have you eaten? I'm starving, I haven't had anything since lunch.”
Korra’s stomach rumbled in response and she laughed. “Me either.”
Asami rang for her staff and someone arrived within moments. “Could you have the chef send the meal she and I discussed down to the workshop, please? Quickly?” Her expression was intense, almost pleading, and the servant’s eyes swelled with understanding before she rushed off. Korra shot a puzzled look after her before turning to Asami, hoping for an explanation. She got only a sheepish grin in response before Asami's hands found hers. “I'll actually show you what I've been working on before the food comes, but I need just a minute to get it ready. It's not quite set up for showing.” She kissed Korra's cheek before rushing off back to her workshop.
Korra stood in the middle of the room, not sure what to do with herself. She took to perusing the perimeter of the room, gazing at the art that adorned it at regular intervals. She had never been one for art, really. She could appreciate a beautiful work, but she certainly preferred something functional.
By the time she had completed three quarters of her trek, Asami returned, smile brighter than ever. “Okay, it's ready.” Korra took her hand and the two made their way across the hall to the workshop. When Asami pushed the door open and slipped inside, Korra was surprised to find the whole place pitch dark. The workshop and the garage might as well have been the same room, and it seemed like the light here was always on, even when Asami wasn't tinkering.
“Um, Asami? What's up with the--”
She felt Asami grab her arm just as she started to raise it. “No, no fire. Just step forward a little bit…” Asami tugged on her arm and she shuffled forward a few steps, puzzled but willing to trust her girlfriend. “Okay, now close your eyes.”
“Asami, it's dark. Why do I need to close my eyes? I can't see anything anyway.”
“Just do it!”
“Okay, okay, they're closed, sheesh.”
Nothing happened for a moment, then Korra could tell through her eyelids that the darkness surrounding her had lightened somewhat. Asami squeezed her hand lightly, then softly told her, “Open your eyes.”
She expected to find some new invention, the next marvel of the modern world brought to life by Asami's mechanical genius. Instead, her eyes opened to thousands and thousands of small colored lights, strung together with wiring, each glowing softly as they covered the walls, the ceiling, everything, bathing the entire workshop in a brilliant and blended rainbow. Korra had never seen so many lights in one place before, but apart from the sheer effort involved in putting them all up, it didn't seem like anything too special, as lovely as it was. “Asami? It's beautiful, but why did you… ”
“Watch,” the engineer smiled. Korra noticed the remote control in her hand as she lifted it up and turned a dial on the front. Every second light in the room clicked off, then back on again as its neighbors extinguished before cycling again. The colors danced across every surface, shadows shifting constantly. Korra's mouth fell open slightly and goosebumps crawled across her skin as she watched.
Asami turned the dial again, and all the lights slowly faded out except for the red ones. The couple remained bathed in crimson light for only a moment before the reds faded out like the others had, only for the color to slide through orange as the yellow lights illuminated. A rainbow danced before Korra's eyes again, but this was a slower, smoother thing. She turned to look at Asami, blue light fading to purple on the engineer’s fair skin. She was grinning, and Korra couldn't help but grin along with her.
One more turn of the dial set all the lights on again, but only for a moment before the ones near the edge at one end blinked out. The curving line of darkened lights swept slowly across the room, making it only a fraction of the way before the edge lit up again and a new line of brightness followed. Wave after wave of alternating darkness and color flowed across the room, seeming to slow down even more at the far end before jumping to their conclusion down the wall. Korra couldn't decide whether she liked watching the source or gazing at the destination more.
She had grown used to marveling at the incredible feats of engineering, the new mechanical wonders her girlfriend created time and again over the past year, but this. This was just a bunch of small blinking lights, but it was so much more than that. It was art, and Asami had made it for her. Maybe she was more of an art person than she thought. They made their way slowly across the large space, Korra feeling as though she was walking through a tunnel made of color given substance. She would have been left standing dumbstruck had Asami not been tugging her along gently by the arm, a loving smile playing at her lips as she took in Korra's wonder.
As they came to the end of the workshop, Korra was surprised to find a small table set with two warm dishes. She had been so swept up in the light show, she hadn't even noticed the delivery of their meal. Asami took a seat, their hands still clasped loosely. Korra followed suit, taking her place across from her girlfriend.
The colors fell in waves across their skin like water rolling over sand. The whole scene felt surreal, the constantly shifting shadows and changing hues casting an ethereal quality over even mundane objects, but Korra thought that Asami had never looked more beautiful. The engineer spoke after a moment, and just watching her lips move in the flowing light was transfixing.
“I was planning on saving it for tomorrow night, but when you got here so close to midnight and it was already done, I couldn't say no when you asked.”
“It's incredible. You're amazing.”
“I mostly just wanted to see if I could get the circuitry right for multiple patterns.”
“And then you filled your entire workshop with it, just for me. I love it. And I love you.” Korra stood back up and leaned across the table, meeting Asami as she rose from her chair slightly for a soft kiss.
Even with her eyes closed, the dancing lights around her still played through Korra's eyelids and gave the kiss an electric energy that excited her. In truth, kissing Asami always made Korra feel alive, but it was only the special ones that left her feeling as though lightning were jumping across her skin. This one didn't last too long, but the energy in it still left both lovers slightly out of breath.
“I love you too, Korra. Happy anniversary.”