Warm
Korra turned over again, trying to get comfortable, but she still couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t Asami’s fault. It really wasn’t. She should have seen this coming. It should have been obvious from the start that this would cause problems for them. It was obvious, in hindsight. An unavoidable product of their respective upbringings. It’s not like there hadn’t been signs either. Korra flipped the pillow for the fifth time. The other side hadn’t even had time to get cold. And in that was the essence of the problem. Asami just kept this room too damn warm. Korra had thrown the blanket off after just ten minutes. She was hot, she was disgustingly sweaty, and Asami was still trying to cosy up to her in her sleep because apparently keeping the bedroom at volcano temperatures still wasn’t enough to satisfy Asami. Korra was ninety percent certain she was going to melt into a gooey avatar puddle before the night was over. She knew there was a way for airbenders to keep themselves warm but she was too tired and groggy and warm to remember how, never mind reverse the process. Korra sat up, peeling herself off the sheet. This was ridiculous. She sweated less when working out. She slipped out of the bed, padding softly to the bathroom. She shed her clothes, stepping gratefully into the shower and turning it on full blast.
Once Korra had suitably lowered her temperature to something approaching sub zero she turned the water off, got dressed, and climbed back into the bed. She managed to doze off before she warmed back up.
It became something of a routine. Korra was reluctant to bring it up given that Asami had already traded her blankets for much lighter ones to make Korra more comfortable on the nights they shared a bed. It was a marked improvement but Korra still woke up sweltering each time. It was getting to the point where she was becoming reluctant to stay at Asami’s place, even with the restrictions of Air Temple Island.
Korra yawned into her morning cup of tea, too groggy to have much of an appetite. Asami pulled up a chair beside her, laying her free hand on Korra’s forearm.
“Are you ok?”
“mm? Oh. Yeah. I’m good. Great.” Korra tried to swallow a yawn. Asami looked torn. She looked down at the table for a moment, thumb stroking across Korra’s arm.
“Are...are the nightmares back?” She asked.
“Are...what?” Korra stared at Asami in utter confusion. “Why would you think that?”
“I hear you get up in the night,” Asami replied. Korra groaned as Asami went on. “You go and you shut yourself in the bathroom and you put the shower on and it’s just...I mean, I can help...”
“It’s too warm!” Korra blurted. Asami stared at her. “The bedroom. It’s too warm.”
Asami didn’t react for a moment. She set her cup of tea down carefully.
“The bedroom is too warm.” She repeated, her voice sounding oddly strained. Korra nodded meekly. “So you got up to shower. And you didn’t say anything because...?”
“I didn’t want to cause a fuss?” Korra tried. Asami pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed. Her shoulders were shaking. And then the laughter spilled out. Korra couldn’t help but join in.
“You are a moron,” Asami told the Avatar, once she was finally done.
“Compared to you? Definitely.”
“Oh no.” Asami wagged a finger. “No flattery. I’ve been worrying about you, you know?”
Korra squirmed guiltily in her seat.
“I didn’t want you getting cold.” She said defensively. Asami smiled ruefully.
“You’re sweet. You’re a moron, but you’re sweet.”
Korra had to admit that it was a fair assessment.
When Korra went upstairs that night she was surprised to find the radiator off, the window open, and a single light blanket on the bed.
“Uh, Asami?”
“Basic scientific principles.” Asami said, coming out of the bathroom in a fluffy dressing gown. She smelled faintly of jasmine from her shower. “Find the extremes, then find the happy medium where you don’t fry and I don’t freeze.”
“Did you just turn our bed into an experiment?”
Asami raised an eyebrow. “‘Our’ bed?” She repeated teasingly and Korra went a little red.
“Well...”
“I like the sound of that. Now. Get your butt in ‘our’ bed.”
“Someone’s bossy tonight.” Korra stuck her tongue out.
“Oh, you have no idea,” Asami grinned, unknotting the dressing gown, enjoying watching Korra’s yes widen as she realised that she wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. “I’m in the mood to experiment.”
Korra all but dived for the mattress.
Korra half woke to a still dark room and Asami trying to press herself more against Korra’s side. Korra shifted in the bed, pulling Asami against her, running her perpetually warm hands slowly up and down the soft slope of Asami’s still exposed back. The heiress gave a contented sigh, tucking her head under Korra’s chin.
“I think I prefer it like this,” She mumbled.
“hmmm?”
“I like it when you keep me warm.”
“Well get used to it, ice queen. I’m not going anywhere. Anyway,” Korra smiled at the dark ceiling, not that Asami could see her. “It’s not like I’d need a cold shower after that.”