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1.
"Uh, I'm not sure that's a great idea," she tells Korra, because, well, it wasn't.
"Come ooon, Asami," Korra pleads and Asami has to look away because if she sees Korra's pout, she's going to break. And do something she will regret, that is going keep her up at night. "Please? For me?"
They're standing in front of a restaurant where Korra wants to propose to Asami just to get free food and a nice bottle of champagne.
For what, Asami had asked, it wasn't like they couldn't afford it.
For fun, Korra had replied, don't be a stick in the mud, 'Sami.
Sticks in the mud don't get arrested, she thinks to herself. And sticks-in-the-mud don't get flustered when their best friend slash crush asks permission to propose. For food.
Just when said stick-in-the-mud decided that she should forget about being head-over-heels for their best friend.
Nope. Asami crosses her arms defiantly. Nope. Nope. Nope. She turns her body away. Nope. Nope. She was almost there--almost about to deny Korra her permission to do this and--
Fuck.
Korra kneels before her and has a full-blown pouting situation before her. Asami's resolve is breaking because Korra is kneeling, and people are beginning to stare.
"Korra," Asami warns.
Her friend only smiles. "Asami Sato," Jesus H. Christ--is she seriously going to do what Asami thinks she's doing?
"Korra, no," Asami scolds. Lower. More dangerous. Korra has the nerve to reach into her pocket for something that isn't there. "Korra, people are watching."
Her best friend looks at her, keeps her blue eyes on Asami the entire time and Asami is going to melt into a sizzling puddle of hot water under Korra's gaze and a couple people watching.
"I don't care. Asami Sato, will--"
"Korra, don't--"
"You--"
"Stop--"
"Marry--"
Asami throws her arms around Korra and pulls her into a tight embrace before she can finish.
The people applaud and cheer and whoop even without seeing Korra pull out a theoretical grin for this theoretical proposal. Korra grins into with her face smushed into Asami's chest and Asami hopes that she doesn't feel how warm she is and how fast her heart is beating right now. "Ish thah a yesh?" Her voice is muffled by Asami's coat.
"Fine. Yes, I'm having dinner with you as your fiancée." Asami says slowly and lets go of Korra's head. Korra opens her mouth to say something, but, "No, I don't want to be your fiancée."
Though the push between her chest when she sees Korra deflate slightly tells her she's fooling herself, that she really, really does. "What do I have to do?" Asami asks. She notices that the people have finally cleared out so was safe to ask. They enter the fancy restaurant and Asami's hands start to sweat.
"Well, you did your part already. Watch," Korra grins at Asami assuringly then turns to the guy at the counter. "Table for my lovely fiancée and I."
The guy's formerly dull eyes brighten almost immediately. "Were you the couple that proposed outside?"
Asami and Korra nod their heads and--shit. There's no engagement ring. Her hand perspires even more in Korra's.
"Well, we offer a free complementary proposal dinner for newly-pronounced fiancées." The man beams at them. "Would you like to avail?"
"Do we need to show the ring?" Asami asks, learning how the game is played but Korra squishes her hand in quite a grip. "Ow." Well. Asami may have ruined the entire evening my being a complete killjoy but she might as well say it before she embarrasses herself and Korra by being chased by the police for conning restaurants. (What will her father have to say about this? Wait. She doesn't care.)
Good heavens, the man shakes his head. "No, no. It's quite alright. There's no reason to doubt proposals that adorable. What kind of horrible people would pretend to propose for free food, right?"
The damp grip she has on Korra's hand is tighter than before. "Yeah. Right. Horrible." Korra manages.
Gladly, a waitress leads them to their seat before either of them can say anything that will get them into trouble.
It's one of the best nights Asami had, well, in ever. Korra's leaning into her because they're both a little tipsy and they thank the restaurant for being so kind to a bunch of girls that faked proposals just for fun and food.
Slightly drunk and extremely happy, Asami wonders what life would be if she was the fiancée of Korra.
2.
It's their seventh month together as girlfriends (and as much as they both hate monthsaries because of how infantile they are) they decide to celebrate it with the Krew.
"Hey," Bolin leans in and whispers. "Do you think we could get a free meal if either of you propose?"
"Bolin," Opal and Mako say together, reprimanding him. Asami and Korra laugh at the fond memory of the first (so far, only) night they pretended to propose.
"We can try," Asami surprises herself and Korra when she says so.
"Really? You'll do that?" Korra eyes her suspiciously like the rest of the Krew.
"Why not?" Asami grins at her and looks at their friends for permission. They nod, though Mako is a bit worried. He has a I'm A Cop reputation to keep up.
"I'm not even sure that they have discounts for proposals here."
Asami only smiles and stands and strikes her glass with a fork gently just enough to call the attention of the relatively intimate number of people in the restaurant. "Good evening, everyone," she says steadily though her heart is beating faster than the trains that she had helped her father build in the past. "I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner, and I am not anyone for you to stop eating your meals for, but I just wanted to make all of you a part of my wanting to tell my fiancée how much I want her to be with me for the rest of my life. So, Korra, will you be my forever girl?"
The people aww and ooh, and this is horrendously cheesy even for Asami, that Korra is as red as a beet when she sinks into her chair further at everyone's attention turning to her.
Even if this wasn't a real proposal, the worry of being rejected is there though Asami doesn't know why.
But then Korra stands and nods and kisses Asami, then the customers clap for them and so do their friends and Asami's heart flutters in her chest with relief for something that's not true (partially. She wants to marry Korra more than anything).
The restaurant doesn't offer free food or discount, but a nice couple at the other side of the place buys them three bottles of expensive champagne with a note that says: congratulations!
There's a lagging in Asami's chest though it isn't guilt. It's just the growing ache of wanting to spend the rest of her life with Korra. But it's still too early. She can wait.
3.
"Ugh, damn, I forgot to withdraw and I don't have my card purse with me," Asami rummages through her bag. "Do you have some on you?"
Korra check hers own purse. "I forgot to withdraw too and I only have enough for tip and parking."
"Shit." They say together.
"What do we do?" Asami says. She isn't ready to wash dishes all night like those cartoons that don't pay for their meals in restaurants.
Though the answer to her question hits her at the same time it does Korra.
"Um. Would it be okay if I proposed to you just to get out of this?" Korra asks and Asami hesitates, then remembers the sound of running water and clean plates being stacked. She nods eagerly.
They make sure a waitress is nearby when she asks, and Asami is scared the question has lost its charm not because she doesn't feel anything anymore but because she's scared that neither of them will drop the real question soon. That maybe this isn't a real thing. Maybe Korra's not serious about her.
But then Korra takes a small box out of her dress pocket and Asami's heart stops.
Though when Korra pulls the ring out and hands it to Asami it's--
Plastic.
Her heart sinks in her chest and wow, she feels a bit heartbroken at that when she shouldn't really feel heartbroken at all. Well. Maybe a little.
"Will you?"
Asami nods, though her chest aches in a bad way, in a way that makes her sad.
They get off easy, their food paid. Though it's only now Asami feels guilty.
It's only now that Asami thinks that maybe Korra doesn't love her enough.
But Korra, beautiful, itelligent, funny, creative Korra, tells her it's from a candy box--tells her that when she saw it, she wanted to give it to Asami to show her that yeah, it's definitely a someday for them.
Asami hates herself for doubting. She loves Korra too much that she doubted how much Korra loved her just because of some dumb ring.
It's adorable, now that Korra puts it on her finger with gentleness and love and care and everything Asami loves about Korra.
She doesn't remove the plastic ring even in her sleep.
(Sometimes she can feel Korra kissing it even when she's unconscious.)
4.
A moment on the lips, forever on the hips--that's what Asami's spin class instructor tells them about fast food and junk food.
But damn, she loved Mcdonald's french fries so goddamn much that Asami doesn't care and just scarfs it down ungracefully whenever it's placed in front of her.
So when Korra returns with their tray of food, Asami takes the fries and tips over the red container to empty it and--
That's not a french fry.
That's too pretty and shiny and round to be a french fry.
She looks at Korra, then the ring, then Korra, and it seems like she's going to throw up with anxiety any moment.
She takes the ring--yup, definitely real and definitely greasy from the fries--and it's the fastest decision ever made when she throws her arms around Korra and kisses her and nods and kisses her again, tasting the ice cream from her lips.
It wasn't like she feared. It wasn't bland. It surprised her even if Korra had proposed to her twice and she to Korra once.
"I've never really proposed to you completely before, if you hadn't noticed."
The first time: "Will you marry--"
The second time: (Asami actually proposes to her and she mentally kicks herself for that.)
The third time: "Will you?"
Korra was right.
"So, Asami Sato, will you be my fiancée, my partner in life, for real this time?" Korra grins shyly, and Asami says yes and kisses Korra in the middle of Mcdonald's at twelve in the morning.
Asami admires her ring and twists it gently to see the small waves carved intricately around the silver and the cogs that are swimming in them.
She smiles and feels tears prick her eyes because wow, this is what it feels like to be proposed to for real.
This is what it feels like to be someone's fianceé.
This is what it feels like to be someone's forever girl.
And it feels damn good.
She turns her attention to Korra, beautiful, intelligent, funny Korra who had just proposed to her for the fourth time. "I don't think fast food chains offer discounts for newly engaged couples," Asami laughs and presses her forehead to Korra's, "not to mention that we've paid." "
Yeah, well," Korra shrugs. "I've you. I don't really mind spending for food now that we're engaged." Asami grins and feels her her swell.
She kisses Korra and nothing has ever felt more right than kissing Korra who tastes like chocolate and the greasy engagement ring on her finger right now.
(A part of Asami laments that they won't get free food anymore.)
(A part of Asami wishes that there are restaurants that give free food when they present marriage certificates. But she's probably just pushing her luck.)
(Asami is proud that the next time they eat in those fancy restaurants, it's paid and they're actually married.)
(No more pretending. And she's beyond grateful for that.)