Internet Connection

“So why didn’t you tell me about average height, dark and dreamy?” Opal demanded. “I mean, I knew you had some online friends but you didn’t exactly go ‘heads up, I’m totally in love with this one’?”
Asami looked a little embarrassed.
“I didn’t know if you’d get it, you know? The long distance thing? Besides, she’s been through hell and things were pretty hard for a while. We didn’t want any extra pressure at the start.”
“Well that sounds boring and logical,” Opal made a face. “I was hoping it was going to be something more dramatic. Still, she make you happy?”
Asami nodded.
“Then I’m already a fan.”

Korra arrived just a few minutes later, Naga trotting at her side. She looked tired, but then she hadn’t had that much sleep the night before and a rather fraught morning. It wasn’t exactly surprising. Opal waited out the exchange of hugs, coughing loudly and fakely as they started getting a little too lost in the moment.
“Oh, sorry,” Asami said, not sounding sorry at all. “Where are my manners?” she gave Opal a glare. “This is the royal pain in my butt.”
“Call me Opal. And, just a head’s up, you seem to be nauseatingly cute together but hurt her and...” Opal paused, considering. “Normally I’d threaten to break your kneecaps but that seems both inappropriate and less threatening than usual with you. Maybe an elbow?”
“Oh for the love of...” Asami groaned, dropping her head into her hands. She really should have warned Korra about overprotective Opal mode. Korra looked more amused than offended though.
“Seems fair enough.” She extended a hand. “I’m Korra.”
Opal took it, and tried to squeeze. Asami peaked between her fingers as Opal’s cocky grin wavered a little. Korra was still smiling pleasantly as she applied pressure without apparent effort. Opal’s fingertips were going white.
“Ok, ok. Point made!”

Korra released her grip. Opal massaged life back into her fingers.
“Zero bullshit. I like it.”
Asami gave an overdramatic sigh of relief.
“Well I’m so glad you approve, mum.”
“What’s this?” came an excited voice from the doorway. “The adoption papers came through?”
“Oh spirits...” Asami groaned as the man barrelled towards them, wrapping them around Asami and lifting her out of the chair in a hug. “Welcome to the family! I’m your new dad!”
“Bo, I’m older than you!” Asami protested as she was returned to her seat. “Yeesh, and I thought Opal was making a bad enough first impression. Kor, meet Thing 2.”
“Well excuse me for being excited for you,” Bolin mock huffed, dropping into a seat next to Opal. “So.” He turned to address Korra. “What are you intentions with our Asami? And what the hell is that?” Bolin’s attention switched back to Asami, finally registering the odd wardrobe choice. “Asami,” he asked, in a slightly choked voice, “Where did you get that?”

Asami looked down at herself, trying to work out if this was another joke.
“The hoody?”
“Yes. Yes the hoody.” Bolin was looking way too excited over an old, faded hoody. “Do you know what that is?!”
“...a hooded sweatshirt?”
Opal was looking as confused as Asami was feeling.
“Yes but,” Bolin made a noise of frustration. “Those are really, really rare. That’s a friggin Avatar hoody! Right back from her first championship. They hadn’t even given her the nickname back then!”
“Into your MMA, huh?” Korra asked, not quite looking at him. Bolin nodded eagerly.
“I’ve done some amateur level stuff, set me up well for work, but fucking hell, she was something else! Greatest fighter I’ve ever seen, she should have been one of the all-time greats! It’s a bloody tragedy what happened to her.”
Beneath the cover of the table Asami took Korra’s hand, lacing her fingers between hers. Bolin continued to wax lyrical but Opal caught the shift in the mood. She looked from Korra’s frozen expression to Asami’s concern, then back.
“Oh my...Bo. Bo, stop talking. Stop talking right now.”
Bolin did, looking confused. And then he took a proper look at Korra.
“Oh holy fuck.”

Korra was painfully conscious of the eyes on her. She swallowed.
“Not so holey these days.” She tapped her shirt over one of the scars. “Surgeons took quite some time making sure of that.”
It was meant to be a joke but nobody laughed. Asami squeezed her hand a bit tighter. Bolin’s jaw was hanging open. Korra shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Ok. Guys. Please, beginning to creep me out a bit here. ”
Opal reached around and gently closed Bolin’s mouth for him. It seemed to jolt him back to his senses.
“Sorry, sorry! I just...wow. You’re kinda my hero so I didn’t exactly expect to...” He stopped, trying to compose himself. Korra gave him a wry smile.
“Maybe I used to be. Not exactly earned that title recently. Not really been doing much of anything, to be honest.”
“Apart from Asami,” Opal added, without thinking, earning herself a chuckle from Korra and an eye roll from Asami.
“Ok, you know what?” Asami bumped her shoulder against Korra’s. “I think, if we’re going to keep on this, we need a change of scenery. And something stronger to drink. Opal, you know the place. Go ahead and grab us a booth, ok?”

Asami waited for the two to stand and head for the door.
“I am so, so sorry, I didn’t think they'd...”
“Asami, I’m not trying to pretend it never happened. I’m over that stage. Yeah, it took me surprise, but it’s ok. Really.” Korra added, because Asami was still looking concerned. “So, let's go get afternoon drunk with your friends, yeah?”
“Sounds good to me. One thing before we go, though,”
Korra just about had time to look confused before Asami kissed her. There was a whoop from the doorway where Bolin and Opal were still waiting. Asami groaned.
“You guys suck, you know that, right?”

The short walk was filled with good-natured ribbing on all sides. Their local was an older style pub, set a little back from the road. The barkeep did a double take as he clocked Asami, but he didn’t say anything as they settled at a table, Bolin getting the first round in.
“So, what brings you up to Republic City? This one,” He jerked his head at Asami, “or...”
“Health reasons.”
“I thought you’d consider Republic City pretty bad for your OW!” Bolin cut off as Opal kicked him hard in the shin. Asami turned her eyes to the heavens.
“It’s a fair point,” Korra admitted. “Last time I was here, well,” she tapped her chest again. “Something poetic in that, maybe. Anyway,” she shook herself. “I have a bit of a souvenir from that day that I’d rather not be carrying around anymore. The, uh, the second bullet.” Her fingers drummed absently against the spot on her stomach. “The one all jammed up in my spine.”

The candour was surprising to Asami. Korra didn’t like to refer to the bullet by name, not if she could help it. While she’d joke about her circumstances quite happily the means by which she’d ended up in them was not her favourite topic of discussion by...Asami shook herself. ‘By a long shot’ seemed a tad tasteless as an idiom in the circumstances.

Asami squeezed Korra’s shoulder on the way to the bar for another round, Opal following. Korra looked like she needed it; she’d already gone through it all once that morning after all. They looked back at the table as the barman got the drinks, as their significant others got into a slightly too loud discussion of MMA tournaments long past.
“I think my boyfriend is planning on abducting your girl,” Opal observed, and Asami laughed.
“He could try. He wouldn’t get past Naga.”
The great white dog was sat peacefully by the side of Korra’s chair, still on duty.
“You know what Bo’s like for all things fluffy. He’d want Naga too.” Opal lowered her voice, so those at the table couldn’t hear. “You know, Tenzin’s a family friend.”
It wasn’t a question but Asami nodded anyway.
“Are you...is she going to see them? While she’s in town?”
“I don’t know,” Asami answered honestly.
“I’m sure they’d be happy to see her.” Opal suggested, and Asami just shrugged. She didn’t know, and it wasn’t her call to make. Korra hadn’t mentioned going to see them, she knew that much for certain. Not even a hint in passing, and Asami could hardly blame Korra for her reluctance. Asami knew she wouldn’t have been tripping over herself to meet the reason she’d ended up in a wheelchair.   

Back at the table Bolin had thrown his arm around Korra’s shoulders, pulling the slightly bewildered woman towards him so he could take a photo of the pair of them. Asami got in shot just in time, spilling a little beer down Bolin’s back as she did so that he yelped and jumped as the camera went off.
“Just watch what you do with that,” Korra warned, only half joking. “I really could do without the press getting in my face again.”
“I’m just sending it to my brother. Pinky promise!” Bolin added, holding out the pinky in question.  Korra made it to take it and stopped.
“Just be warned. If it leaks, you’re dead, and I feed you to Naga.”
“Fair enough. Is there a reason you don’t...”
“They leaked the footage of me bleeding out in a carpark,” Korra answered sharply. “They took the footage of me nearly...nearly...of that day and they put it everywhere, and all the lawyers in the world can’t undo that, and you cannot imagine the amount of security they needed to put on my room to keep them out. I don’t want them anywhere near me on a normal day, and certainly not right now.”
“...that’s a pretty convincing reason,” Bolin said meekly.  “Duly noted. No leaking. Don’t worry, my brother’s a cop, he’s not going to do anything like that. He was, um...” Bolin hesitated, sensing this might not be the best route to steer the conversation down, but it was too late to change now. “He was there. Just on the perimeter, he was a rookie, but, uh...yeah.” He trailed off in the now awkward silence.
“And this is why I suggested alcohol,” Asami muttered under her breath. Korra gave her a look of gratitude and necked the pint.

They steered the conversation away after that, returning to the safer topics of polite small talk and teasing Asami.

Asami was slightly surprised to see it was still daylight when they finally left the bar.
“What’s the plan?” She asked Korra.
“I was going to go soak, my back is cramping up like anything today,” Korra shifted in the chair. “I uh, didn’t really get it supported right last night,” She admitted a little sheepishly, and Asami felt a twinge of guilt. Korra forestalled any apologies. “My back, my responsibility, ‘sami. It’s fine. Although...if you really feel that guilty about it,” She grinned. “You could always come back with me. Help me sort it out.”
“Korra...” Asami had three different excuses lined up in her head. And then she looked at that crooked grin.

“You’re a bad influence, you know that?” Asami said sometime later. Korra gave a non-committal contended groan in response, sinking a little deeper into the water. Asami rolled her eyes, working her thumbs into the knots either side of Korra’s spine.
“Just count your lucky stars that you’re a bad influence with divine back muscles.”

After a little while Korra turned over, and Tonraq ended up taking Naga for a walk so that he didn’t have to hear the water slosh about.