asami oneshots✨

ix

The mail pushed through the slot on the front door, just like it did everyday, making the familiar "pft" when it hit the floor. You didn't bother to go pick it up. The mail was Asami's, and you couldn't legally open anything anyways.

This was the third book you'd read this week. You knew that you were putting off writing, but you were hoping that one day you'd wake up with the motivation to finally get started. Starting was, after all, the most difficult step, and the most intimidating.

Besides, to start writing, you'd have to get up to grab your notebook, and you were just so comfortable on this big chair in the sitting room. And, Asami would be home soon, anyhow, so why bother starting if you would just be interrupted in a few minutes?

You sighed and refocused on the page in front of you.

--

A few more minutes passed and the door opened as soon as you finished your chapter - perfect timing. Asami's voice rang through the house in the same beautiful way it always did.

"Hey, babe!"

You close your book and look up as she bends down to pick up the mail. You set your book down on the small table next to you.

"Hello, my dear, how was your day?"

She looks through the mail for a moment, pausing for a moment to look up at you, smiling, "Good. Just another day at Future Industries." She looks back down to the mail, moving each piece from the top of the stack to the bottom of the stack, glancing at the return addresses.

She did this every day, shuffling the mail in search of something interesting. Sometimes there would be a letter from her father, which she would put aside and later shove into a drawer. Sometimes, she would bother to read the paper, if she had heard news of an interesting story. Sometimes, she would split the pile into two, separating the important things from the junk. And, sometimes, she would toss the whole stack into the trash, having found nothing worth opening.

It was almost ritualistic.

It was so constant that when Asami stopped in her tracks at the sight of one piece of mail, you were intrigued. She stared for a moment, and you could almost see her mind going a thousand miles an hour behind her eyes.

"Asami, what is it?"

She blinks a few times before she looks up at you.

"It's from Korra."

You're taken aback, "Whoa, really? It's been more than a year!" You stand, needing to see it to believe it. You walk to her side and squint a bit.

Asami holds it so you can read the return address, and sure enough, you make out the words "Korra" and "Southern Water Tribe." You shake your head a little, "Well, open it!"

You take the rest of the mail from her hands so she can tear the envelope and you feel yourself holding your breath, nervous for Asami.

Her eyes move quickly over the paper and you watch as her expression changes from surprise, to concern, to a strained version of feigned contentment. "Well, it's not great news, but it's an update. She's able to train again, but she's going through a really hard time."

She looks up at you and you give her the best smile you can given the circumstances, "Hey, that's something! Surely being able to train again has been good for her. She's doing better than before, so we'll take it, right?"

Asami doesn't respond. She looks back down at the letter and folds it neatly before tucking in back in the envelope. She keeps her eyes on the paper for much longer than you expected her to, but you understand why when she sniffles and you see a tear fall onto her thumb, just missing the white envelope.

"Hey, hey, hey, Asami, it's okay," you quickly set the mail you'd been holding down and lift her chin with a finger. She turns her head away anyhow, not really a fan of people seeing her cry.

As soon as you take her in your arms, however, she breaks down.

You rub her back as she sobs into your shoulder, occasionally whispering an "I know," or an "it's alright." Her entire body is racked with sobs. You can tell she's been holding this in for a long time, and this letter was the last straw for her in-check emotions.

After a moment, you gently pick her up, holding under her knees as she continues to cry into you. You take her to the living room and sit down on the couch, keeping her in your arms.

She just cries, and you just hold her.

It takes about 10 minutes before she quiets down. When she finally speaks, her voice is a bit hoarse and doesn't have its typical ring.

"I wish I could help her." She can't help but let out another sob and she turns her face into your chest.

"I know, my love. I know. You are helping her, just by being there for her and caring for her." You know it's not much, but it's all you can really offer.

"I wish I could do more. I miss her so much."

"I know, Asami."

Neither of you knows what to say.

You can do nothing but hold her and hope.