Define kokoro in three words or less.

Korra glanced around, slowly taking in her surroundings. The room was filled with an abundance of people she didn't recognize, all with cameras and steno books. Korra grimaced. They'd just beaten the Air Nation for the championship, and all Korra wanted was to spray champagne on people and get really, really drunk.

When Coach Lin had informed her she'd be taking part in a press conference, Korra deflated. The euphoria from becoming champions of THE WHOLE WORLD leaked out of her instantly. Korra had expected ten people, tops. Instead, she was shown to a very long table set in front of at least fifty reporters. Her fingers nervously fiddled with the zipper of her jacket; public speaking wasn't something constantly on her wishlist.

Asami stood in front of her, posture straight, confidence high. Her face was alight with a post-victory glow and her perfect hair was still slightly damp from a shower. She smelled like mens body wash and Korra couldn't wait to get home so she could tuck her head against that pale neck and inhale deeply.

But before they could engage in any such shenanigans, Korra would have to deal with this press conference. She was a stark contrast to the composed, visibly flawless Asami. Korra's palms were sweaty and her shoulders slouched. While she too was fresh from a shower, her hair was wet and tangled, and starting to frizz in parts. She wondered vaguely if she applied deodorant.

They should've just let Asami do this. She's good at this.

But the media had insisted on two players and the head coach. Korra swallowed, yet the lump in her throat refused to go down. She stumbled a bit when a rough hand pushed her forward. She turned to find Coach Lin behind her, looking at the chair in front of Korra with a most obvious stare.

Korra settled into the chair, or at least as much as she was able to. She was able to win championships, lead her team to victory, make a left-handed dunk, and yet she couldn't get through a press conference without sweating like a fat man at the gym.

"Stop that," Coach Lin told her peevishly.

Korra looked to where her coach was indicating, finding her leg twitching at an alarming pace, and causing the cup of water on her table to vibrate. She pushed down on the leg, forcing it to stop, but her fingers picked up the slack, nervously twiddling with themselves.

Then Asami's hand closed over Korra's, stilling the trembling. Korra relaxed into the touch, letting out the nervous breath she'd been holding. She locked eyes with a smiling Asami, but the bite on her lower lip told Korra that Asami was uncomfortable as well. The thought brought her some relief.

A nearby technician pointed at them, indicating the questions were about to start. Korra faced forward, back straight. The first question was directed at her.

"Korra, how does it feel? You've just won the World Championship and been named MVP."

It was a generic question; Korra had answered this question many times before, though it had been asked a dozen different ways. She cleared her throat. "Well, it feels great. I owe a lot to my coaches and my teammates. We won this championship together. If I could, I'd name everyone on our team MVP."

The next question went to Lin.

"Coach Beifong, this is your fourth appearance at the World Championships, but the first time you've won the whole shebang. What was different this time? What makes this team so special?"

"These girls deserve a lot of credit. I don't think I've ever seen such a hardworking crew. I'd say they work almost as hard as we did back in the day. They're a special team. When your captain loves her teammates as much as she loves the game, only good things can happen."

Korra gaped slack-jawed at Lin. Did she really just say that? Nobody in the press would understand the underlying meaning, but Korra sure as hell did.

Coach Lin turned to Korra, with a smug look and impish smile. Sorry, not sorry, was what the smile said.

Suddenly, a ton of camera flashes went off, and Korra blinked a few times, only seeing spots where there were once people. She squinted around, trying to figure out the reason for the sudden epilepsy trigger.

Ah, Coach Lin smiled. It was the appearance of a modern day unicorn, and so it had to be caught on film.

The questions went on for another fifteen minutes, and Korra found herself getting bored rather than nervous. Finally, the veiled interrogation ebbed, and they filed out of the room. Korra followed Coach Lin out of the hallway, Asami a few paces behind her. The narrow hallway opened up into a large atrium, filled with what Korra could only assume were fans.

They were wearing the United Republic colors, and Korra saw a few children wearing her jersey.

"Korra! Korra! Can I have your autograph?! Please?!"

Korra turned to the sound of the voice, finding a small redhead girl flailing a game program. Korra approached her and knelt down.

"Korra, you're my favorite player! I want to be like you," the little girl yelled.

Korra laughed as she took the girl's pen.

"Me too!" another voice yelled, and Korra looked up to find another girl, this one with brown hair and blue eyes and also waving a program.

Korra grinned and signed their booklets, even drawing little stick figures for them. As soon as she finished signing one child's book, another would pop up, and so Korra's speed had slowed to about a step per autograph.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Coach Lin impatiently tapping her foot, but Korra knew better. Lin was like a Reese's Cup, she looked pretty sturdy, but she was actually just a big softie. Korra finished signing the last of the books in front of her, then rose, looking for Asami.

"...you're beautiful."

Korra knew that voice. She knew that happiness.

But why was Asami saying it to someone else?

Korra wheeled around, a twinge of jealousy rising in her chest, beforet it was quickly smothered by guilt for assuming the worst.

Asami was kneeling, speaking to a little girl in a wheelchair. The girl's skin was patchy in places, red and plaque-like, the clear signs of a burn healed over. Korra hung back, watching the scene with curiosity.

Asami was biting her lip and fiddling with her fingers, something Korra didn't see very often. Korra knew Asami wasn't exactly the best with kids; she'd tried to give Su's four year-old grandson a twenty-eight piece tool kit. But Asami tried, and she was trying now. Asami understood the impact of encouraging words on a child.

"You and Korra are super good! You're better than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, and they're the best!"

"Are we?" Asami laughed, and Korra's heart lilted at the sound.

The little girl nodded vigorously. "Uh huh! When I get bigger I'm gonna be just as good as you!"

Asami chuckled again. "I'm surprised. I thought everyone wanted to be like Korra; she's the best, you know." Asami rested her chin on a hand.

The girl shook her head. "But you're smart! Really, really smart! And pretty!"

Suddenly the girl's face dropped. "I'm not pretty. Some of the boys call me names," she said dejectedly.

Korra heart cracked, and she almost forgot that she was a fly on the wall in this conversation.

Asami frowned disapprovingly. "You're beautiful," she said again. "What you look like on the outside doesn't matter."

The little girl seemed unconvinced though, still frowning. Asami twisted the hand on her chin to a more thoughtful motion.

"How about I tell you a secret?" Asami whispered conspiratorially. The girl's mood instantly perked up; sharing a secret with her idol was like a free Make A Wish. The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"When I was in school, I used to get made fun of," Asami said in a storybook voice.

The little girl looked aghast. "What? Why?"

"My dad did some bad things, and they said I was bad too. People I thought were friends stopped talking to me, and they started whispering behind my back."

"I don't like them."

Asami nodded. "Yeah, they weren't very nice. But I remembered what my mother used to tell me when I was younger. Mime yori kokoro."

Korra stopped breathing. Kokoro. That was the word. The word that was somehow connected to Korra. She stood there, transfixed, eavesdropping, no longer caring if Asami or the girl realized she was there.

"What does that mean?" the little girl asked, as the same question ran through Korra's mind.

"It means 'heart rather than appearance.' I learned to stop judging people on what they looked like on the outside. There is always good in someone, no matter how mean they seem."

Asami smiled, and the little girl seemed to absorb her words. She continued on.

"Sometimes, the people who are the meanest are the ones who need help the most."

The little girl nodded, the smile on her face restored. "Tell me another secret!"

Asami considered her, then nodded. "Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Pinky promise," the little girl said excitedly, and she wrapped her little finger around Asami's. Asami smiled and started her story.

"I met a girl who was kind of mean to me. But I was nice to her, because I knew she was a good person. So we became friends, and then I was kind of mean back to her."

"Why?" the girl said quizzically.

Asami laughed. "I'm not too sure why. Adults do funny things sometimes. But when I was mean to her, I remembered what my mom used to say. This girl was really honest, and she had the biggest heart I'd ever seen. Kokoro, her soul, her heart, was something that I really liked. But I didn't want to take it. I thought she was too good for me."

"But you're so pretty! And smart! And really good at basketball!"

"I'm not as sincere and noble as she is. She's also very brave, and very pretty."

Korra blushed.

"So what happened?" the girl urged.

"I learned to accept that I have faults, that I would never be perfect, but I could see that she liked me as I was. She had already accepted my heart, my kokoro into her own. In fact, it was my own heart I had trouble accepting. I never thought I was good enough, but she did. Does."

The little girl scrunched her nose. "That sounds like a fairy tale."

Asami gave a low chuckle. "It kind of is."

Korra stepped away, deciding that she had intruded long enough.

Asami wasn't perfect, and neither was Korra. Asami bottled herself up too much, Korra let her temper flare a little too often. Asami drank too much Cactus Juice and Korra wore socks two days in a row. Asami was a little too passive when things didn't go her way, and Korra tried to force things when they required finesse. But they were like a balanced scale, maybe the pieces on each side were a different weight or size, but somehow, when it all came together, it evened out, even if it was a little messy.

It was probably too soon to be feeling this way. She'd only met Asami six months ago, and they'd only been together for one month. But she woke up every day and curled a little tighter into Asami's back, and Asami smiled with her eyes more than should be legally allowed. Korra's thoughts wandered over to introducing Asami to her parents, and Asami often thought out loud about visiting each other during the semester. Korra, more often than not, found herself struck by profound silence, a gentle smile all she needed from Asami to make her day complete.

Maybe it was too soon. Korra had never been the one to love less, but maybe, just maybe, Asami loved her just as much as she did.

And one day, when her throat wasn't dry, and her tongue didn't trip on itself, she'd say those three precious words.

And maybe, just maybe, she'd get them in return.

THE END

That's it guys.

The only regret I have about this story is that I wish I could've thought of a cooler title. Like Space Jam, or Hoosiers (are those used already?). Maybe I'd name it something like "Ed Sheeran writes songs about our lives" or "The only jokes in this fic are the ones our fathers made."

In the electronic diary I keep, there's a question that asks, "Did I make the world a better place today?" And on days I update, I always answer yes. I like to think that when I can make readers laugh or even say awesome things like "don't touch me, my poor little gay heart," how can the world not be a better place?

I hope you have enjoyed this little tale of a nerd falling in love with a dork. Thank you for sticking around.

And because no one was asking for it, the official Sato, #22 playlist (aka the Song Appendix):

Katy Perry - Firework

Brian McKnight - One Last Cry

Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love

Sam Smith - Leave Your Lover

Adele - Someone Like You

SHINee - Lucifer

Getcha Head in the Game - HSM

Remember the Name - Fort Minor

Taylor Swift - Everything Has Changed, Story of Us, Blank Space, Shake It Off, Back to December, I Knew You Were Trouble, Out of the Woods, Love Story

A Beautiful Mess - Jason Mraz

O Town - All or Nothing

Collide - Howie Day

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman? - Frozen OST

Irreplaceable - Beyonce

Bonus: Asami's Love Song - Tenerife Sea - Ed Sheeran