thebearcave | And then I stopped when no else did.

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And then I stopped when no else did.

The light coming in from the open window steadily grew from grey to a dim orange. The change was just enough to stir Korra awake, though she kept her eyes closed in an attempt to try and fall back asleep. Not because the rest was good or because she always hated getting up early. None of that mattered anymore.

But because it was the next day, just like the others in the weeks before and being conscious was beginning to feel more like a dreaded chore.

Korra's eyelids finally fluttered half open and she stared blankly at the ceiling, the shadows in the room slowly receding as the sunlight filtered in. Taking a deep breath, a silent sigh, Korra sat up and pushed down onto the bed to swivel herself around to bring her legs over the edge of the bed. After a moment of shifting her gaze to the floor, she became transfixed on the window; barely able to see the Yue bay just over the ledge.

Her wheelchair was nearby, but that wasn't what she wanted right now. Not ever. She waited for the light to brighten and to hear the familiar sounds of footsteps that she had come to expect after waking up.

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The footsteps did come. Light and even as they always were, as to not wake Korra in case she was still sleeping. It was nearly like clockwork. With a light knock and a pot of tea, Asami slipped open the door just enough to see that Korra was awake.

"Korra?"

Anything she needed. Asami would be there. She had promised that, and she would stick to it.

The clinking noise made Korra's ears prick, they clashed with the soft footfalls, but she remained still otherwise. The only acknowledgement she could must for the moment. Talking made her tongue feel heavy, especially when it was about anything Avatar related. But Asami was doing what she said, and never pushed Korra or put her too high on a pedestal to the point she felt like she might fall down.

Fall without ever hitting anything.

Her eyes moved to where the tray was set on the small nightstand, the aroma trying to stimulate her sense to be more alert. That mixed in with Asami's clean scent made her eyes open a slight bit more and she looked up at Asami, hands still pressed into the sheets.

"...morning." Her tone was raw from just waking up, voice lower as it had been since her fight with Zaheer. It was more than anyone else managed to get out of her at this hour. Korra's eyes flicked to the teacups, as if trying to decide which one would be better even though they were identical.

Asami sat on the edge of Korra's bed and pulled up a small tray table. She poured two cups from the pot, keeping one in hand and setting the other on the table. It was there if Korra wanted it.

"The sun's out. It's shaping up to be a warm one, too." She was already dressed and ready for the day. Maintaining a sense of normalcy might help, she thought.

Mention of the sun made her look to the window again, the merest glimmer of light starting glint over the calm waters. Everything about Air Temple Island was peaceful and Korra felt like it was going to stay like that. Only with her inside a room, able to look out and never actually be a part of it. Like the compound, only it wasn't physical walls and authoritative figures stopping her.

"Mm." Korra reluctantly took her hands off the bed and balance her weight while reaching for the cup of tea. She kept it level, making sure to get none of it on her tank top or pajama bottoms. Her lips parted and she looked from the tea, to Asami.

She probably made it, Pema had her hands full with the kids as it was.

Korra's eyebrows pinched slightly and then relaxed as she took a small sip of the hot brew.

She took the cup. Good. Asami folded her hands in her lap as she quietly remained next to Korra. Just getting her to do simple things would help, she told herself. Little day to day things that might eventually help her pull through this.

But they could take all the time they needed.

"Is it warm enough? I almost got held up by Meelo in the kitchen. Something about my hair. ...Again."

Looking to her side, keeping Asami's face in her peripheral, Korra gave a slow nod and seemed to forget to raise her head back up. Her nearly unblinking gaze settling on her hands, the ones that have helped her with everything that she could do. Or bring herself to do. Breathing slowly enough to probably pass for being asleep were it not for her open eyes, Korra looked up to Asami's hair.

Clean and well cared for. The way Korra's was becoming because it was under Asami's care.

"Thank you." Said as she raised the tea to her lips again, take a longer drink this time to help clear her throat. A reference to the tea, yes, but she meant it for everything else. Though getting that across without mustering up enough of herself to change her tone didn't convey it.

But she was talking earlier in the day now. It was an improvement. At least, that's what the others might have said if they were awake to see it.

Asami nodded, then was silent for a moment, trying to choose her words. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and turning her head to have a better look at Korra.

"Rough night?" she asked quietly, her tone gentle.

"I've had better." Korra's words weren't vibrant in the slightest, it was far from a joke, and her breath didn't cool the tea much but she drank the rest of it without flinching from the heat. She had to lean to put the cup back on the tray, no help from her legs still. Every morning she tested them, but they didn't have full strength back.

Not yet.

Looking to the side again, Korra hesitated before turning to Asami fully. "I think I'm ready to be up."

She couldn't sleep in again. Even if it felt like the wheelchair was more of a platypus bear trap that would snap shut on her at any moment.

With another small nod, Asami set down her teacup and fetched the chair.

"Ready?" She reached for Korra, her hands haphazardly under her arms until she got the 'okay.'

The honest answer to the question wasn’t one Korra wanted to give, instead she balanced herself as best she could while using Asami for support. Her legs weren’t ready to hold her own weight, but it was enough time for her to transition before they gave out.

She avoided looking down at her bent knees by looking up at Asami briefly. "We can eat first if you want." It’s been two weeks or so, but Korra still wasn’t used to needing help to do simple things like bathing and changing clothes.

Asami shrugged, still standing close.

"I'm easy. I can grab food from the kitchen, or you can shower or just change if you want." She knew that sometimes leaving it up to Korra meant 'none of the above' these days, but she wanted to give her options.

None of the above is the answer she wanted to give, and refraining from saying it took a few long moments of looking down.

"You can go eat. I'll stay here." She wasn't ready to see if the family or any of the acolytes were up. Asami's company was the only one that Korra was ready to see or have since the poison and it had yet to change.

"Or, I could bring you something from the kitchen," Asami suggested gently. She wasn't about to just leave Korra here alone, even if that was what she was telling her to do.

"If you want to. I'm, not that hungry."

Finishing her meals had been more of a task than anything, another part of daily living she had felt detached from. It wasn't a means to avoid Asami, if anything Korra was glad to have her around. No reminders of what happened by suddenly complimenting or praising her actions, everything was simple.

What she wanted and needed right now.

"I can wait. I grabbed some toast earlier." Asami didn't visit Korra first thing when she woke up; Korra usually wasn't even awake at that point.

"Is there anything you want to do?"

A thousand answers sprung to mind at the question.

Walk. Talk. Run. Bend. Fight. Practice. Glide. Swim. Go out. Be happy.

Live.

Korra looked up at Asami, her lips curving down almost imperceptibly, and she shook her head.

"Well, why don't we go outside. You don't even have to get changed, we can just sit out on the deck and enjoy the morning." Something that didn't require Korra to even do anything.

Baby steps, she kept telling herself. It hadn't been that long, yet.

Answers had started taking some time since the fight. Weighing the options of whether or not she wanted to see or hear anyone else along the way. She put her arms up on the rests of the wheelchair and glanced at the window.

"Okay." As long as Asami was there, Korra could try and weather what might happen.

Asami wheeled Korra quietly out of her room and gently slid the door shut behind them. She would rather not alert anyone else that they were up and about, if Korra wanted some peace and quiet. The Air kids were good for her, but... not always.

She slipped outside to one of the decks that overlooked the bay and parked Korra next to a chair, where she settled.

"A little fresh air is always good."

Korra closed her eyes as she was wheeled onto the deck, the scent of the bay carrying on the small bit of wind. No one heard them, that alone was a relief. Korra looked at the water, remembering all too clearly the last time she waterbended.

It was a long time before furtively looked over to Asami’s chair, eyes on Asami’s shoulder. "Do you have to go back to work?" She hadn’t talked enough to even know how Asami was finding the time to be there; it was a sign of progress.

Asami raised her eyebrows at the quiet question. She wasn't entirely sure if Korra meant today specifically or... in the long run.

"There's a lot of stuff I can get done without physically being there." She offered a little, reassuring smile, glad that Korra was going out of her way to make conversation.

Even if it was about her leaving.

"...okay." Her tone was a bit lighter. The prospect of being by herself, or worse: with the others who would tell her that everything was going to be fine when it didn't feel like it, wasn't something Korra wanted. And voicing that was hard.

Instead the corners of her mouth twitched before her eyes found Asami's. "Let's eat out here." Away from the confining room, from being alone with her thoughts; from everything that wasn't them.

Asami's small, warm smile widened.

"I'll be right back." She left with a light touch to Korra's shoulder and returned a few minutes later with Korra's favorite breakfast on a tray.

While Asami was gone, Korra raised her hand a little; droplets of water rose from the bay and caused small ripples when she stopped to smell the food. It had been a while since she had that, everything had been made to focus on rebuilding her strength.

"How did you do that..." It was incredible to her, but really it wouldn't have been hard at all and that thought crossed her mind moments after asking. Gingerly she picked up the chopsticks. "Did you want some?" Eating hadn't always been easy for Korra in the past few weeks, and after what Asami's done she didn't want to let the effort go to waste because she hardly had an appetite anymore.

"Do what?" Asami asked with a small note of amusement. "Swipe a bowl from the kitchen when Pema wasn't looking?" She winked as she settled back in her chair and gently shrugged.

"If you insist on sharing... I had porridge this morning." Said with a small note of blegh.

At least it wasn't street gruel.

And that as the first snarky thought Korra had since being in a wheelchair. She nodded twice and lightly held her up bowl and chopsticks. "You can go first." A smile tempted the corners of her lips, and Korra only looked a little distant in her seat.

Asami leaned over toward Korra, scooting her chair closer to make things easier. She was waking up, and hints of her old self were shining through, if only a little.

That brought a small, warm smile to Asami's face.

She dipped her chopsticks into Korra's bowl and took a bite.

"Pema's cooking is always better than mine," she commented casually.

"You can cook?" As honest as the murmured question was, even Korra knew how that sounded rather rude. But she couldn’t bring herself to apologize for it, not verbally anyway. A slight hunch of her shoulders was the best she could do before debating if she should take the chopsticks for a bite herself.

Eating was more a chore or a hassle lately.

"Barely," she admitted with a small laugh. She'd always had her mother, then servants to do it for her. Asami's voice softened. Korra hadn't even bothered to pick up her chopsticks yet.

"Are you hungry?"

Korra eyes passed over her chopsticks and settled on the bowl. "I don’t kn-"

But she stopped as it hit her that Asami made this for her. As much as Asami was trying to lighten the mood by joking, she went out of her way to cook for her.

"yes. A little…" And she reached for the chopsticks, fingers fumbling slightly when holding them. But she managed to begin eating, fingers trembling a little as she focused on keeping them steady.

Asami brought no attention to Korra's trouble with the utensils.

"Well, don't feel like you have to eat it if you're not. And I can get you something else, if you want." She offered another one of those gentle smiles that had become so common, lately, and shifted her chair so she could sit closer to Korra.

"No, this is fine. Thank you." Korra had no way explaining how important each of those smiles were, and she looked to the side when Asami scooted closer.

Actually getting showered, groomed, and dressed for the day was the hardest part of the day. Mainly because of how it reminded her of what she couldn't even do for herself. "Maybe when we're done eating, we can start."

"Sure. Did you want to take a shower?" It wasn't like there was much of anything scheduled for the day. Asami would need to check in with the office at... some point, but she didn't want to leave that long.

Korra nibbled at her last bite of food and it wasn’t until then that she realized this had been the first meal she had fully finished. Before that she was about to shake her head, put it off for as long as she could.

But now, "Yes." She set her chopsticks down and sipped from her water. "I think I sweated a little in the middle of the night." Waking up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare had become a common enough of an occurrence that it was blending together just the same way the days were.

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And then I stopped when no else did.

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jsfalkjas shit, this never sent!

no worries<3

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fffff HERE I AM FINALLY

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