A Dorks Love

It was a cold day at Republic City High school as the lesson before lunch break comes to an end. Tenzin released his students out to the wild as a herd of the students charged out. As the final student left, Tenzin turned around to see one more student still in her seat, her face obscured by a book she was obviously engrossed in. The old teacher walked over to the girl calling her name. "Korra."

Korra's eyes peeked out from above the book, the lower half still hidden by the book she was carrying. She muttered, barely audible, shyly, "Y-Yes Mister Tenzin?"

Tenzin loomed over her, his hands on his hips before he adjusted his collar. He knew what Korra was like: shy, withdrawn, espically when she had a book in front of he, but he wanted to be gentle to the student. "Korra its lunch break. Shouldn't you go have lunch with your friends?"

Korra bit her lip worriedly. Even with friends like Mako and Bolin, she couldn't really be around them anymore. They've made other friends recently and she couldn't bring herself to talk to them. Korra just simply nodded towards Tenzin, slipping the book into her bag and darting out of the classroom. Her destination was the library, the only place where she could be left on her own in peace, until she was stopped by her two friends, first by Bolin "Hey Korra!" The broad boy boomed as he greeted the dark skinned girl.

Korra stepped back quickly, digging her hands in her coat pocket to keep them warm from the bitterly cold air as she looked up at the two brothers. "H-hey Bo. Mako." She greeted softly to the two of them; Mako only reply was a nod.

Bolin greeted the girl with his signature cheeky grin plastered all over his face "Hey Korra! Mako and I are going to join Opal and her family for lunch! You wanna come with us!?" Mako gave Bolin an incredulous look, as if he thought Bolin was brain dead.

Korra just shook her head, trying to come up with an excuse "S-Sorry I've got some studying to catch up on. Maybe another time." She whispered rather quietly but loud enough so the brothers could hear her.

Before Bolin opened his mouth Mako strode in front of him "We understand, Korra. We'll see you later." Mako dragged his brother away by the arm, and as they left Korra heard Mako tell Bolin "You know Korra isn't good with meeting new people so lets just wait until she warms up Bo."

Korra sighed as she slowly walked away until she was out of view, hiding behind a wall and leaning against it Korra wiped away a single tear. "I-I'm not like that." Korra couldn't quite explain it to herself, so she just let out a defeated sigh and made her way towards the library.

Korra's footsteps echoed through the hollow hallway and up the stairs as she traced the familiar route to her comfort zone. The Library's shelves upon shelves of books surrounded her, like an impenetrable fortress. The girl's solemn face had been replaced with a content smile, and she breathed a sigh of relief as her eyes scanned the rows of books. Korra darted towards her favourite section of Mystery Novels, and her finger traced across the spine of each book, searching for her next novel to read until her finger picked out the book, pulling it down from the shelf and holding it close to her chest. The shy girl was about to walk off with it until a figure stopped her and the girl stepped back, concerned. "O-Oh Miss Beifong."

Lin the Librarian let out a sigh. She had her hands on her hips and surveyed the girl. Seeing Korra in the library was nice for company but she felt the girl was wasting her youth being here all the time. She stared down at the timid girl, a pitch of irritation in her voice as she spoke. "In here again Korra?" The shy girl could barely manage a nod as the librarian pinched the bridge of her nose "Look, Korra. It's good to see you so interested in books but you need to find some friends to spend time with." Lin's voice echoed throughout the quiet library as she turned away. "Follow me, Korra." The student silently nodded, following the librarian as she hugged the book against her chest. As the two of them reached the library's front desk, Lin pulled out a flyer and handed it to Korra. "Take this. Korra I'm going to make a bet of sorts with you."

Korra gingerly took the flyer and looked down at it. It read 'Annual School Valentines Dance'. Korra felt her heart beat a million miles an hour and her cheeks flushed a bright red as she looked up at the older woman "A-A bet? W-What is it?"

Lin firmly pointed to the flyer of the Valentines Dance, gazing sternly down at Korra "You are going to ask someone of your choice to the Valentines Dance. If you don't do it you will never be allowed back in here." The color in Korra's face paled as her jaw dropped in shock upon hearing those words. Before she could open her mouth to object Lin finished "But! If you ask someone out for the dance, you'll get to take a book from this shelf and its yours forever. Good luck." With that, Lin patted Korra's shoulder and disappeared from Korra's sight before she could even retort.

Korra felt that was less of a bet and more of a threat. The cripplingly shy girl let out a distressed huff and made her way over to a table, placing the book on the table and the flyer besides it. She gloomily pulled out her lunch box from her bag. Lin used to forbid it at first but as she warmed up to Korra she allowed her an exception to the "no food in the library" rule, provided Korra cleaned up after herself. Korra was excited to read this book, as it was part of a trilogy of books and she was enjoying them very much. The book she had picked out was the third and final installment in the series, and she was eager to finish the series.

Time passed and Korra finished the book, slamming it shut with just 10 minutes of lunchtime to spare. Korra put her empty lunch box away in her bag before picking up the flyer, looking at it warily before putting it in her hoodie pocket and rushing to the section she got the book from. As she did, Korra got caught up in admiring the book's cover art again, unaware of her surroundings until she bumped into someone, falling down onto her behind and dropping the book. The book slid in front of her and she let out a pained groan as she rubbed her rear.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry! Are you ok!?" Korra heard an unfamiliar voice say. Opening her eyes the first thing she saw in front of her was a girl about her age with pale skin, black hair, plump red lips and light green eyes before her. Korra was spellbound by her beauty. She struggled to say something all she could manage in front of the girl was the most awkward "Huh? Er I um. Err." she had ever said.

The girl giggled, offering her hand to Korra to help her up. Korra gave her hand to the girl and was brought back to her feet. She was about to pick up the book she dropped but the other girl before Korra was already bent down with her long black hair covering her face. As she bent back up the girl flipped her hair giving Korra a sight she never saw before. The sight of the girl flipping her hair to clear her face was one of the most beautiful scenes Korra had ever laid her eyes upon. Her jaw fell open, staring at the girl before her. Korra's entire body shook, her eyes wide and she was even drooling slightly as the girl held out the book Korra dropped "Here I believe you dropped this." Her voice resounded to Korra and it was as a chorus of angels singing just for her ears. Korra's heart began to beat rapidly; she was swept away in a wave of beauty and light.

Korra reached for the book, her fingers brushing against the girls pale fingers until she pulled away, as if shocked by the girl. Even with a single brush, her fingers felt hotter than a fire to Korra. "N-No! Its fine! I was finished reading it and I was just returning it to its shelf!" Korra had no idea how she was able to even speak to this girl when she remembered how she struggled with anyone else. Her habit of biting her lip showed after she finished speaking.

The girl giggled as she turned the book around to see its cover for herself, reading the title aloud as her gaze returned to Korra. "Was it a good read?"

Korra completely blanked for a moment, staring at the girl until she snapped back to reality, nodding to answer her. "Y-Yes! Its the 3rd Book of a trilogy and its very suspenseful with plenty of twists throughout the series!" Korra still had no idea how she was able to articulate this well with this complete stranger, when even her closest friends only ever got stutters and silence from her.

The girl giggled, brushing aside her mane from her eyes again, before locking her gaze on Korra's face, causing the shy girl to turn a deep shade of scarlet. Approaching the shy bookworm, her voice serenaded Korra, even when asking a simple question. "You got a name?"

Korra recoiled in surprise, hearing the girl ask for her name, which caused her to reflexively step back. Her voice was caught in her throat but she forced out a barely audible "K-Korra." As she introduced herself she could feel her body wracked with nerves and anxiety.

The girl giggled as she placed her hand on Korra's shoulder, making eye contact with the girl. The height difference was made even more obvious as the raven haired girl looked down into Korra's eyes. "Pleased to meet you Korra. I'm Asami Sato." Asami said matter of factly to Korra.

Korra had never maintained eye contact with someone like this before. The fact that she was able to do it with someone as elegantly beautiful as Asami shook her nerves a little. "A-Asami Sato? Pleased to meet you." Korra bowed quickly to the girl, using it as a way to obscure her cheeks, darkened with red.

Asami giggled as she brought a finger to Korra's chin, tracing upward from it, and guiding the girl's vision back to her. Asami smiled at the shy girl's blush before holding up the book she picked up from Korra. "So, you're finished with this then?" Korra replied only with a simple nod. Asami smiled and retreated slightly, pulling the two other books from the series off the shelf and walking away, giving a dainty wave to Korra "Thank you for the recommendation, Korra. Let's meet here again tomorrow." Before Korra could respond Asami was checking out the books. Korra was fumbling with an answer, trying to force something, anything out, but by the time she could force anything from her choked throat, Asami had come back in her direction. Korra watched as Asami passed her, once again flipping her hair from her face. The way her voluminous hair trailed down her back mesmerized Korra, and she was lost for words again. Asami was at the door of the library when she turned slightly to see Korra again. With a quick wink, she left the library, calling out behind her "See you tomorrow!" Just like that, she was gone.

Korra stood there completely silent, thinking about that encounter, and her name. Asami Sato. Korra's heartbeat quickened as she recollected every detail. Her eyes, her lips, her touch, her voice… Korra was completely enraptured in Asami. She felt a sense of longing, and was only snapped out of it when she was interrupted from her thoughts by the warning bell. She hastily gathered her belongings and sprinted to class.

The next day at lunchtime, Korra returned to her usual desk, accompanied by a new book in her hands. However, something was different. She found herself unable to pay nearly as much attention to this book as the one from yesterday. She was constantly skipping paragraphs, having to try to realign her eyes to the page, but failing every few moments as she glanced up to scan the room. She sighed. Perhaps she was just playing a trick on her… she thought until a sultry voice whispered behind her. "Guess who~?"

Korra startled for a second, as elation began to fill her. She wasn't abandoned after all! She whirled around to make sure. The warm feelings from yesterday flared up anew as her name barely escaped her lips. "A-Asami?"

That airy giggle filled the library air as Asami took a seat next to Korra, flashing her a beautiful and bright smile. "How are you, Korra?"

Korra closed the book and put it down, turning to face Asami. She had never heard someone ask her about her day, other than her parents, in a long time. Korra nodded as she fidgeted, tapping her finger on the desk anxiously. "G-Good thank you. How about you, Asami?"

Asami brushed some of her smooth hair behind her ear, giggling as she watched Korra act so nervously again. Asami tried her best to say something to help make a connection between herself and Korra. "I started reading those books you recommended to me. I got halfway through the first book it was very good!"

Korra answered with a nod as she put her hands on her lap, trying her best to not stay withdrawn. Something about Asami made her want to try to be more engaging. "Y-Yeah, they are good I only started on Monday."

Asami was shocked. Those novels were really thick and just yesterday, Korra had said she finished the whole set? "Wait you read three large books in three days!? Korra that's amazing!"

Hearing the kind words only made Korra blush. She was never told that before. Korra had a feeling that in their short original meeting Asami already knew exactly how to press her buttons. "T-Thanks I've always been a fast reader, ever since I was young."

Asami smiled and looked down to see something that Korra must of been unaware she was doing, and she poked Korra's shoulder. "Er, Korra?" Korra only kept her gaze on Asami, unaware that her hands had moved from their original spot. That is, until the raven haired girl pointed down to her legs, to showed that Korra had her hand on Asami knee. Her cheeks turned a dark red as Korra recoiled from Asami's knee, but Asami pressed her hand on Korra's, causing the blushing shy girl to make eye contact with Asami her blush intensifying and making her cheeks bright red. "A-Asami?"

Asami leaned in closer to Korra, their faces mere inches apart with Korra's mouth falling open. Her eyes scanned Asami's face, memorizing all her features. Everything from her ruby red lipstick painted lips and her beautiful emerald eyes, so close, inches away with the brightest smile she had ever seen. "Yes Korra?" Korra couldn't bring herself to say a word, when suddenly Asami brought herself closer to Korra, and time stopped for Korra. Nothing in her entire mind could tell her how to react to this situation, it simply was blank.

Asami's fingers gently grazed Korra's fingers, her lips were only a couple of inches apart now. Korra's heart was beating as rapidly as a drum set at a rock concert. The two of them were within kissing range, until the shy girl snapped away, grabbed her bag and yelped, almost adorably, "S-Sorry Asami! I've got to go!" Korra dashed out of her seat and out of the library, hurriedly. When she was out, Korra leaned against the door, her panting slowing after the sheer nervousness that made her breath catch and her heart beat rapidly. Korra checked the time on her watch and noted the date, 12th of February. Korra only had 1 more day to ask someone to the dance and there was only person that stuck in her mind.

That night Korra and her Dad Tonroq where washing the dishes from that night's dinner. Tonroq washed the dishes and Korra dried them. Tonroq knew something was wrong as his normally talkative daughter was more quiet than she was at school throughout the meal. Senna, his wife and Korra's mother asked him to talk to their daughter about her behavior. "Korra? Is something wrong? You've been quiet ever since you got home from school. You're not being bullied are you?"

Korra let out a deep sigh as she cleaned another plate and put it away in the cupboard. She wordlessly turned back to her work, finding it hard to talk to her Dad when it came to stuff like this, specifically the topic of love and crushes. Korra decided that she'd rather not make her father worry, so she shifted the topic. "Er Dad. D-Did you and Mom go to the Valentines Dance when you were at school?"

Tonroq smiled looking down at his hands in the water knowing that Korra's own Valentine's Dance was just around the corner. He figured she might be having boy troubles, not knowing how incorrect that assumption was. "Ah yes I asked her myself and we shared our first kiss that night." Tonroq closed his eyes reminiscing about the moment before he looked down to his daughter "Let me guess Mako asked you to the dance? He did always have a thing for you."

Korra's cheeks flushed a shade of a deep red and nearly dropped the plate she was drying. She quickly caught it, robotically continuing her job and avoiding looking up at her Dad, too shy to talk to him directly "Er no. I was going to..." The shy girl struggled to find a way to finish her sentence. "I was going to ask someone to the dance. It's not Mako."

Tonroq washed up the last dish, turning around to grab a towel and drying his hands with a raised eyebrow. He looked down at his teenage daughter as she wasn't normally this blunt with him. She was normally more direct with her mom. "So if it's not Mako is it Bolin?"

Korra shook her head, putting away the dry plate, and with a sigh resting against the counter. "Its not Bolin either. He likes someone else. The person I was going to ask..." Korra didn't didn't know how to say the object of her affection was female and decided to keep it hidden. "The person I like… whenever they're around, that one person makes my heart beat at a thousand miles a minute, they makes it hard to think or speak, my entire body feels weak and when I look at them I feel like I'm looking at the most beautiful being in the world." She blurted out, before covering her mouth with a deep blush.

Tonroq smiled, nearing his daughter and placing his hand on her shoulder gently, sympathizing with her. "I know how you feel Korra. That was the exact same feeling I had when I first saw your mother." He laughed softly. "My little girl, growing up so fast and falling in love."

Korra looked down at the floor, thinking about the feelings Asami made her feel was rather intense. She had never been in love before and her Dad was the wisest man she knew when it came to matters of the heart. She put her hand on his, and looked up at him. "So am I in love with that person?" All Tonroq could do was nod and smile and all she could do was hug her father rather tight. She smiled as she buried her face into his chest, as he returned the hug. "Thanks Dad." Korra knew that what she was going to do tomorrow would be done without regrets.

Korra sat at her usual desk, arms folded over the table, her foot tapping anxiously on the ground. Any other day she'd be reading a book but she needed to stay focused on the task at hand. As her eyes scanned the room a soft voice whispered, "Looking for someone, Korra~?"

Korra spun around to see Asami sitting next to her, her flawless features shining as usual, with her long black locks flowing down to her shoulder, smiling at Korra. "A-Asami." was all she could whisper. Korra looked down at the floor trying to recover her composure. When she regained her courage she directed her gaze to Asami's emerald eyes. "Asami. Theres something I'd like to ask-"

Before Korra could finish, Asami placed her finger on Korra's lips, silencing her. Asami reached into her own pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, unwrapping it and showing it to Korra. It was the Valentines Dance leaflet that Korra had in her coat pocket. It must of fallen out of her coat pocket when she hurried out of the library the day before. Korra's cheeks turned a dark shade of red as she realized that Asami knew. She knew Korra was going to ask her to the dance and as if to preempt her, Asami spoke gently, her voice carried in the air as an angel in flight. "You're a sweet girl, Korra, but... dancing isn't my thing." Korra's heart sank, her efforts worthless in the end. "But! I am up for a date." Korra's heart soared again hearing Asami say the word 'date'. Asami leaned in close to the girl until their faces were only inches apart and Asami whispered to Korra "How about tomorrow we skip that dumb old dance and you can come to my place. We can check out my Book collection?" Korra could only manage a nod and Asami returned the smile standing up to her grab her bag and placing it over her shoulder before turning back to Korra, winking at her "See you tomorrow~"

Korra just sat there at the desk with her mouth wide open and her eyes wide until the realization hit her. She finally had a date! Korra, the shy girl, finally had a date for the first time ever in her life. "I have a date." She whispered to herself then looked up to the ceiling with a bright smile on her face "I have a date." She repeated again.

The time had finally arrived. Korra was standing outside a large house, looking down at her phone and reading the text Asami sent her last night, with her address. Korra checked the text and the plaque next to the door. This was the right address. Putting her phone back in her pocket, then placing her fist on the door, Korra knocked on the door several times and stood there, still, waiting for the door to open. After a minute in the cold, a man opened the door to see her standing there. He smiled warmly at her. "Ah you must be Korra. We've been expecting you. Come in!" He stepped to one side, gesturing for Korra to let herself inside the house. The girl nodded, entering the household and wiping her shoes on the mat, before taking her shoes off and leaving them near the door. She turned back to the man as he closed the door behind her. He wrung his hands of the chill and extended one to her. "Pleased to meet you, Korra. I'm Asami's father, Hiroshi Sato." He concluded his introduction by bowing to her.

Korra's eyes widened as she shook his hand. In front of her, greeting her was Asami's father? She bowed back to him, rather nervous but she tried her best to get used to his company "P-Pleased to meet you ."

Hiroshi stood back and reassured the girl before him that no titles were needed. "Please, just Hiroshi is fine, Korra." The girl only replied by nodding as the man made himself comfortable in a nearby chair. "Asami has talked a lot about you Korra." Korra's eyes trailed over to Hiroshi. She couldn't find the words to reply with, but the look on her face gave Hiroshi the answer he needed "Ever since you two meet at the library, she has talked nonstop about you. Its almost like she has a cru-"

"Oh Korra, you're here!" Korra and Hiroshi looked up to see Asami making her down the stairs to the girl. Korra couldn't help but feel curious what Hiroshi was going to say but she decided to brush it aside when Asami was standing by her. She felt herself blush as Asami turned to face her father. "I see you've had a chance to chat to Korra then, Dad?"

Hiroshi nodded up to his daughter then smiled, looking back to Korra. "Of course Asami. She really is a sweet girl after all." Korra blushed hearing Asami's dad praise her, and he stood up from his seat. "Anyway I have work to attend to. You girls have fun!" He waved to his daughter and Korra as they both waved back and he left the room, leaving Korra and Asami all alone.

Before Korra could ask, Asami grabbed Korra's hand and started leading her upstairs to a special room. Asami led Korra to a specific door, letting go of Korra's hand for a moment to place them on the door handles, before turning back to the shy girl. "Ready Korra?" Korra replied with a silent nod as Asami pushed the door open and they stepped inside. In this room stood shelves upon shelves of books before them. Korra stepped inside with her mouth agape, seeing all kinds of books before her. Korra was amazed. "Do you like it?"

Korra turned back to Asami. She acted like a totally different person, running up to Asami and hugging the girl tightly in her arms. "Thank you so much Asami! This is amazing!" Korra felt like a different person, like she could express herself around Asami. Asami returned the embrace, both of their bodies feeling much warmer. Korra's heart sped up to incredibly fast beats, only for her to quickly pull away from the hug with a deep blush on her darker skin. "So, er, can I check out some of these books?" Asami simply nodded and Korra raced off, already picking out a few books to read. Seeing Korra's bright smile made Asami smile just as brightly.

Hours passed, and a large stack of finished books stood next to Korra, as Asami watched her, still reading the first one she picked out. As they lay together on the floor, sprawled out between the book, Asami felt the need to ask something. "Hey... Korra?" Korra looked up from her book to see Asami sitting cross legged, patting a spot on her lap. "Care to join me?" Korra's cheeks turned beet red as she scooted closer to Asami, laying her head on Asami's legs. Asami set down her book, cradled Korra's head in her hands, and bent down to rest her forehead on Korra's. Speaking softly, she asked one more thing. "Read for me?"

Korra nodded as she read a passage from the book. It was detailing a scene of two people confessing their love for another after being together for a long time. It was heartwarming for the two of them, but before Korra could finish Asami took the book from Korra and placed it facing down on the ground so Korra would not lose her place. From her lap, Korra looked up in surprise at Asami. "Asami?"

Asami looked down at Korra, placing a hand on her face, rubbing her thumb on Korra's cheek. It felt… right, with the two of them here. There was an increase in warmth for the both of them as the silence lingered. "Korra?" Korra didn't reply. Her face was getting warmer and her heart was beating rapidly and her eyes were fixed on Asami's. "I'm going to be honest Korra. Ever since we've met, you've caught my heart in a way no other has. I can't stop thinking about you, Korra. I… I think I love you."

Time froze for Korra at that moment. Asami loved her. Korra's heart slowed down, skipping beats now and then. Scooting up and turning around so that they were sitting on the same level, Korra let out a heavy, relieved sigh. She leaned forward and put a hand on Asami's. "I love you too."

Caught in the passionate moment, the two girls leaned closer together, closing their eyes. They could feel each other's breath on their lips, and soon, their lips connected. An electrifying sensation poured through them as they locked lips, Asami gently placing a hand on Korra's cheek. After what felt like minutes, Korra pulled away from the kiss, leaning her forehead against Asami's with a single tear running down her cheek. The blissful tear fell off her chin before she stole another kiss from Asami. "Thank you... Asami. I love you."

A few days after Valentine's Day, also known as the day Korra became part of a pair with Asami, the two of them walked around school, hand in hand. Turning a corner, they leaned against a wall, and each other, hands clasped over each other's. Korra could hear Mako and Bolin talking to the new group of friends Korra had never met due to her former shyness. Now, with Asami, she felt like she could handle anything. "You ready?" Asami asked, Korra nodded in response at her girlfriend, stealing a good luck kiss from Asami before they made their way out to the field, approaching the group.

Bolin noticed that Korra was making her way towards them, waving his arm energetically at her and the unknown girl with her "Hey! Korra!" Mako looked up with the rest of the group at the girl as Korra waved to Mako and Bolin. She was new to the rest of the group, but Bolin quickly introduced them, first to his girlfriend Opal, then her brothers Wei and Wing.

Korra shared pleasantries with all of them, then it was her turn to introduce Asami. She coughed to clear her throat and spoke. "Mako, Bolin, guys. This is Asami." The group all welcomed Asami with waves and nods and she waved back. Before anyone could speak Korra quickly spoke again. "She's my girlfriend."

The group exchanged shocked looks, especially Mako and Bolin. The first to react was Bolin. He leapt to his feet and took the happy couple into a hug. "Thats so great Korra! You two must be a great couple! Come on, sit down and talk to us about it!" He quickly pulled away and sat down between Mako and Opal again.

Asami nodded as she pulled Korra over near her. "We'd love to." Sitting down first, Asami crossed her legs and let Korra take her seat on her lap, and for the first time in ages Korra felt like she was able to talk to other people, now that she was with Asami. Getting a girlfriend just days ago and gaining new friends in the Beifong family, the formerly withdrawn girl was happy. Mako had a look of unease about him as he glanced at Asami and Korra. Seeing them be such a happy couple stirred certain feelings inside him, but he pushed them back down to the pit of his stomach, choosing instead to be happy for his friend, something he always wanted for her, even if he wasn't the one to give it to her.

Lin the librarian tapped her finger on the front desk. The library was quiet… too quiet. In fact, it was completely empty. At first Lin was disturbed by the eerie silence and she knew that something important was missing, but as her eyes scanned around the vast emptiness, they finally settled on a certain desk, and that's when she knew. So that's what was different today. Lin sighed softly, and closed her eyes. With a small smile pulling at her lips, she whispered "Good job, kid… I knew you could do it." Straightening her posture and stretching her arms over her head, she figured she'd close up the library early today. Now that her work was done, maybe it was time to go get herself someone special. That teacher Tenzin had a really nice beard…