Unmei
By diav

Genre: Romance, Humour
Rating: T
Characters: Korra, Asami Sato
Story Type: one-shot
Summary: Based on a Tumblr prompt for Femslash (February) Trope Bingo: accidental baby acquisition.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Avatar: The Legend of Korra.

Asami shifted to her side when she felt something tickle her. "Mmm, Korra, don't do that, I'm trying to sleep."

The tickling continued and Asami squirmed a little bit in the bed.

"Korra?"

She could hear her girlfriend's snoring behind her so she furrowed her brow. If it wasn't Korra, it was most certainly not Naga.

Asami opened her eyes and slowly rolled over. She noticed a pair of aquamarine eyes looking back at her and then she blinked.

The owner of the eyes cooed and Asami recoiled in shock. She fell off the bed with an 'Oof!' and caused Korra to mumble in her sleep.

"Asami... what's going on?"

Asami just stared at the bed.

"Asami?" Korra was sitting up now and rubbing her eyes. When she was about to look at her girlfriend on the floor, she noticed movement in front of her.

Korra's eyes bulged out of her sockets and she simply stared at the...

...

...baby?!

Korra's jaw dropped and she looked from the baby to Asami, who looked just as shocked as she was.

The baby cooed, giggled and began to crawl over to Korra. The baby sat in Korra's lap as the Avatar continued staring in shock.

"Um... Asami... when did we have a baby?"

Asami picked herself up from the floor and sat on the bed. "Uhhh, I'm not sure... I think she.. or he?" Asami tilted her head. "...showed up this morning... I thought you were tickling me in your sleep again."

The baby laughed and began gesturing at Asami. Confused, the engineer sat closer and the baby yanked Asami's hair.

"Ow!"

Korra laughed as the baby laughed.

"Not funny, Korra." Asami shot her girlfriend a pout as she tried to salvage her hair from the baby.

"Hey, little one," cooed Korra as she picked up the baby. "C'mon, let go of Asami's hair, ok? We don't want her mad at us."

The baby gurgled and let go of Asami's hair. Korra laughed as the baby bopped her on the nose.

"I think she's a she," said Korra as the baby continued poking Korra's face.

"How can you tell?" asked Asami as she watched Korra handle the baby. The engineer wasn't exactly great with kids and despite having spent some time with Tenzin's children, she never truly felt comfortable around them. Korra, on the other hand, appeared to be great with kids, and it was beginning to show with how the Avatar was dealing with this situation. (Asami was trying really hard not to freak out.)

"I don't know, I can sort of just feel the spiritual energy around the baby and my instincts say she's a she?" Korra held the baby up and laughed. "Who's a good girl? Who's a good girl?" The baby squealed in delight. "I mean, we could just check the diaper..."

"That's a good idea." Asami watched as Korra undid the diaper carefully and both women nodded.

"Ok, she's a she."

"But where did she come from?" asked Asami. "I mean, the last thing I do remember was that we were clearly in bed." She blushed. "...In compromising positions... before we fell asleep."

"Maybe it's an Avatar thing?"

"Babies appearing out of nowhere whenever the Avatar has sex?" laughed Asami. "We'd have so many kids if that was the case." Asami knew Korra was a bit embarrassed by what she'd said since the tips of the Avatar's ears were turning red.

"I don't know, maybe it just happened? I don't think anyone snuck into our room and dropped off a baby... maybe it is an Avatar thing?"

Asami blinked. "I don't remember Katara telling us that she had babies every time she and Aang did The Thing."

"Ok, ew, Asami, did you really have to say that? Also... The Thing? Who are you, Varrick?" chuckled Korra as she watched the baby babble to herself. "She looks like she has our eyes... Blue and green."

"Maybe we can ask Raava or Iroh about this... If it is an Avatar thing..." Asami said as she picked up her robe from the floor. She and Korra had a bit too much fun last night that the bedroom floor was covered in clothes.

"That's a good idea." The baby yawned and Korra patted a space on the mattress for the baby to sleep. "Do we have any clothes or cloth that might fit her?"

"I think I have some fabric lying around... Most of my old baby clothes are back in the mansion if you wanted to get them... Though Mako and Bolin's family are staying there..."

"You're freaking out right now, aren't you?" asked Korra as she put a blanket on the sleeping baby. She picked up her undergarments that were haphazardly tossed on the floor the night prior.

"A little," sighed Asami. Korra gave her a look that indicated the Avatar didn't believe her. "Ok, a whole lot... Korra... You know I'm not great with kids..."

Korra hummed in agreement as she got dressed. "I think you're fine with Tenzin's kids, you know. It just takes time."

Asami sat on the edge of the bed and watched the baby sleep. "I wondered a bit whether or not I'd be a good mom since I lost my mom at such a young age..."

"Of course you'll be a great mom," Korra took Asami's hands and gave them a light squeeze. "We have our entire lifetime together to work on that, you know."

"I'm just in shock about the baby right now and aren't we moving way too fast? I mean, we're not even married and, spirits, we now have a baby and I-"

Asami was silenced by Korra's sudden kiss.

"Hey, deep breaths," murmured Korra as she bumped their foreheads together. She grinned slyly, "You wanted to get married before we had kids?"

Asami's eyes fluttered closed. "Only if you want to. It's not a necessary thing." Of all days, this was not how she wanted to have this conversation. They'd only been dating for two years since their trip to the Spirit World and Korra had been more than the girlfriend Asami could ever ask for. Korra was stubborn, yes, but she was also incredibly sweet and dorky when it came to romance.

Korra's chuckling made her open her eyes again. "What's so funny?"

"Of course I want to marry you!" Korra looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know what Republic City's laws are like, though."

"I think the city has been trying to be a bit more progressive but I'm not too sure what the exact language is used in city council..." Asami realised what Korra had said. "You do?!"

Korra laughed at her girlfriend's delayed reaction. "Of course. You're perfect."

Asami knew Korra could be incredibly blunt at times, but she could never get used to all the kind things the Avatar always said to her. She had spent many nights wondering whether Korra felt the same and it was comments like this that quelled her doubts. Korra knew that she was afraid of being left on her own; those two and a half years without Korra were the hardest for her, but she knew deep down that Korra loved her no matter what trials and tribulations were thrown their way.

"Hey, earth to Asami," Korra chuckled as she waved a hand in front of her girlfriend's face. "You're doing that thing again. That thing where you zone out and think about bad things... You ok?"

Asami nodded. "Yeah, I'm ok." She smiled gratefully at her girlfriend and added bashfully, "You're perfect too."

Korra grinned. "Did you have anything planned today?"

"Since it's Sunday, not really... I did have some drafts to look over, but they're not too urgent. I know we said we'd laze around today, but I think we should go talk to Iroh about the baby..."

Korra nodded as she watched the baby sleep. "Think you can make a makeshift carrier for her? I guess we could also carry her in a sling or something when we go to the Spirit World."

"I think I can make something out of one of my backpacks." Asami scratched her chin and made, what Korra called, her "adorable gearhead" face. "Let me go through some of our old packs in the room next door."

"We could just carry her too, if that's easier."

"What if we have to run around, that's not going to be any good. Or what if she moves moves around a lot while we carry her, that's probably not going to be fun..."

Korra laughed, much to Asami's dismay. "It's not like we'll be fighting evil spirits or bad guys with a baby on our back, 'Sami."

"I know, I know, I just like to be prepared... And I'm definitely not prepared for this... Korra, I don't even know if we have enough room.. I think we need a new apartment and another room for a crib and-"

Korra grabbed Asami's hands in an attempt to calm her now-panicking girlfriend. "Easy, 'Sami, easy... One step at a time, remember? We'll work through this together..." She kissed the inner palm of Asami's hands. "I know this is big but remember I'm here, you don't have to burden yourself with all the responsibility. I'm here to help you with that." Korra pressed her forehead against Asami's and murmured, "I'll be with you every step of the way, ok?"

"Yeah." Asami took a deep breath. Calm. Calm. She could do this. She didn't need to do this herself. She had Korra, her loving girlfriend who she sometimes felt she didn't deserve but Korra always managed to wash away that doubt with her words and actions. "I love you, you know."

"And I love you too," chuckled Korra. "If you can rebuild the city twice and if I can save the world four times, we can totally raise a baby together. Totally." She gave Asami her trademark lop-sided grin.

Asami looked over at the baby and gave Korra a kiss on the cheek. "Give me a bit to build a carrier and then we can go."

"Sure thing."

Iroh was just as perplexed about the baby when Korra and Asami stopped by his tea shop in the Spirit World. He had never seen something like this before and could only tell the couple that maybe it was by way of some Avatar magic that they were able to combine their spirits together to have the baby materialise out of nowhere. He wished them luck and ruffled the baby's hair as she cooed in his arms.

"Well, we still don't have any answers," said Asami as she took a baby bottle from her pack. The couple had managed to stop by Air Temple Island before heading to the Spirt World; Pema had given them her old things for when Rohan was a baby. Tenzin wasn't in, so they couldn't seek his counsel and Pema had promised to let him know of the matter when he returned. She had also promised Korra and Asami to keep this news of the baby a secret from her children since the couple wasn't sure whether the baby was theirs or not. "Do you think you can ask Raava?"

"I can try."

Asami watched as Korra sat in a meditative position. For a second, she thought she saw Korra's eyes and torso glow; she was unsure how Korra normally communicated with Raava but it seemed like something akin to entering the Avatar State. As Asami watched over Korra, she fed the baby (who had actually been a very good sport throughout the trip). Pema had fussed over her when the couple came over and made sure to help them pack appropriate food and necessities, so Asami felt a bit better prepared in case the baby decided to throw a fit or cry for an unknown reason.

"You know, we're gonna have to give you a name," said Asami as she watched the baby finish drinking the bottle she was holding. The baby blinked at her. "I don't know if there are any customs with naming children in the Southern Water Tribe but I'm also not very sure how my parents went about naming me... Maybe we should pick a name that balances both of our customs, hmm?"

The baby gave her a gummy (well, she had no teeth yet, so it wasn't toothy) grin that sort of resembled Korra's trademark grin. "Oh, you are definitely Korra's kid, just look at you grinning like her," cooed Asami as the baby burped. "Oh, right, burping..." Remembering Pema's advice, the engineer picked up the baby awkwardly at first and started patting her back. "You know, I don't know how we're going to do this... I feel so unprepared and Korra's going to be busy, I'm going to be busy... I just don't want you to end up like me when I was growing up... I know Dad loved me and all, especially after Mom died, but having the help look after me wasn't the best idea... I just don't want you growing up feeling like you were neglected... I don't want to be married to my job since you and Korra are always going to be first and foremost but sometimes it can't be helped. Korra's the Avatar, see, so she has to go around the world lots to help everyone but I'm sure we'll work things out, like we always do."

Asami wrinkled her nose as the baby let out a satisfying belch and noticed the amused face Korra was making with her eyes closed.

Korra had tried her best to regulate her breathing and not to chuckle at how cute Asami was being at the moment. She knew Asami had many qualms when it came to dealing with children but she was simply being overly adorable by confiding them to the baby.

"Korra, I can see you making faces," murmured Asami. "You are totally not meditating right now, are you?"

Korra opened an eye to see Asami glaring at her. "Oops?" She gave her girlfriend her best lopsided grin.

"Korra..." Asami sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I guess you heard all that."

"You're cute, Asami."

She'd heard this many times before, but every time, Asami managed to blush at the compliment.

"You know, I don't know whether we have any strict naming conventions back home... I'd have to ask Mom and Dad about that." Korra tapped her chin. "And yeah, we'll work it out, like we always do." She gave Asami a smile and gestured for Asami to hand the baby over to her. "Raava's never heard of this either, so I guess she's ours through crazy Avatar magic."

The baby squealed as Korra held her. "Who's a good baby? You're a good baby! You know who's also a baby?" Korra pointed at a bewildered Asami. "Your mommy's a big baby when we watch sappy romantic movers!" The baby clapped her hands and was suddenly marvelling over how this funny sound was produced. Korra bit down on her lip as she watched Asami go from a bewildered expression to one of understanding. Korra knew Asami thought about her parents a lot even now when times were peaceful - she especially realised that some of Asami's fears about motherhood and children stemmed from the fact that the CEO had lived most of her life without a motherly figure. Korra was determined to change that.

Asami blinked back tears as her girlfriend scooted closer, baby in hand. "You know, your mommy is scared of horror movers despite being able to control all four elements," said Asami. The baby clapped her hands again.

"Hey!" Korra snapped. "Those were really scary movers!" She bopped the baby on the nose. "Your mommy is being unfair! I'm sure you'd be scared of those movers too!"

The baby giggled as the couple shared a smile.

"So what happens now?" asked Asami.

"Hmm?" Korra was lying on her back now with the baby trying to crawl on her.

"I don't think the city has an paperwork to register magical Avatar babies," mused Asami.

"We'll just tell Raiko that we had a baby."

"It's not that simple, Korra. We have to file paperwork and the like, I mean we're gonna also have to register her in schools when she's older and what about entrance exams and-"

"-Hey," Korra placed a hand on Asami's arm. "One step at a time, 'Sami."

"I just... There's so much to do and so much to worry about and we haven't even named her and-" Asami stopped speaking when she felt Korra squeeze her arm. "I just want to be a good mom, y'know... I feel so lost right now. This isn't what I expected to happen..." She wrinkled her brow, sighed, and added defensively, "Not that I have a problem with how things turned out... I just didn't expect a baby to appear out of nowhere."

A firm squeeze. "Sometimes stuff happens and we just gotta deal with it." Korra smiled as the baby curled up on her stomach. "I wouldn't change this for the world, though."

Asami hummed in agreement as she laid down beside Korra. This was oddly reminiscent of the Spirit World vacation they took two years ago: lying in the grass and just simply looking up at the sky while holding hands. The engineer watched as the sky changed colour from bright blue to a warm orange haze. She wondered if it was because of the baby's presence and turned her head to look at her girlfriend. The Avatar's eyes were closed but Asami knew Korra knew she was looking at her.

Korra played with Asami's fingers as a gentle breeze made flower petals dance in the sky. They laid there in a comfortable silence before Korra asked in a small voice, "Do you think we're moving too fast?"

Asami gave Korra's hand a light squeeze. "No... The baby was just unexpected..."

"Hmm."

"I just didn't expect this to be so soon." Asami sighed. "I'm not the best with kids..."

"Don't worry about it, Asami, we can get through this together."

"How do you want to tell everyone?"

"Avatar magic..."

"Seriously?!"

Korra laughed. "What else could we say?"

"Hmm..."

"Destiny..." murmured the Avatar.

"What?"

"It's sort of like destiny... How we ended up together after everything we've been through and all... I think we should name her something along those lines..."

"Unmei..."

"I'm sorry?"

"What do you think of 'Mei'? Unmei means 'destiny', maybe we can name her 'Mei' for short..." Asami played with Korra's fingers again until she felt Korra give her hand a squeeze.

Korra opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Asami. "Sounds perfect."

Author's Notes: I'm not sure how languages work in the Avatar universe, but I assume Asami knows some Japanese (and likewise with Korra and something akin to Eskaleut).

Originally, I had intended to post this during Femslash February 2015, but it's been three months since I wrote it and I'm only posting it now. Whoops...? I also don't want to keep looking at this to edit and I don't have a beta, so any typos/mistakes are my own.