The Missing Necklace (on editing/revision)

Chapter 20: The Calm before the Storm

"I love when you run your fingers through my hair." Korra told me with a small hum, watching me do exactly what she described.  I ran my fingers slowly and softly through her damp hair, running a brush through it afterwards.  I smiled at her through the mirror and kissed the top of her head. 

We had woken up in each other's arms after a few hours of much needed sleep.  I gave Korra one of my tank tops with some pajama bottoms to wear, while I wore my nightclothes and robe. As much as I loved seeing her in her underwear, I didn't think she'd feel comfortable walking around my apartment in just that.  She seemed very shy, even though her body looked like a sculpture of the gods.  After we ordered some delivery food and sat down to eat it, we were talking about how long her hair had gotten this past month.  She mentioned she was meaning to cut it, and I offered to do it for her.  Which led us here, right now, with her sitting on my vanity chair facing the mirror. 

"How do you even know how to cut hair?" She asked me. 

"When we were younger, I used to cut Mako's hair all the time.  I don't know why he wouldn't let anyone else cut it, he would always come to me with the scissors in hand."  I giggled at all the memories of trial and error I had with his hair.  He never seemed to mind, though, he always smiled and thanked me afterwards. 

"Don't cut it so much, I don't want to go bald."  She told me, observing me through the mirror, as I sectioned her hair. 

"Didn't you once say you trusted me with your life?" I grinned at her, her giving me that loop sided grin I loved so much. 

"I do, but my hair is different."  She chuckled "You're the only person I'm letting touch it, besides myself and my mom."  This made me furrow my eyebrows slightly. 

"You didn't mention her at the diner the other day when you spoke of your dad."  I took the scissors from the vanity table and started cutting.  "Didn't you once say they moved back to the South together?" She sighed and I feared I may have overstepped. 

"When we got to Republic City, my mom made some... questionable decisions.  I don't want to go in depth on them, but they basically hurt me so I don't speak much of her.  I feel like she ruined our family, so I decided to stay with my dad, the one who accepted that I liked women.  When my dad got called to be chief, though, they reunited and tried to fix their relationship; so they moved back together."  I slowly nodded at her response, cutting the length of her hair back to her neck; leaving it slightly longer than how it was before. I knew better than to push the situation, if she wanted to tell me more she will...and she did. "It didn't work...she wanted me on the South with them and would often make remarks of...my tastes.  My dad didn't want to deal with that so he cut her off eventually.  He seems happier, already meeting someone new who makes him happy."  She grinned and looked at me through the mirror again. "It seems, my father and I have that in common.  We both met people who are making us happy."  I stopped my work and looked at her with a small blush creeping on my cheeks.  My smile soon dropped and I knew that it was now or never.  "Something wrong?" 

"Tenzin proposed to me to go work at the new clubs in  Ba Sing Se and Ember Island after this whole necklace thing resolved. " I spat it out. Korra's grin slowly faded and I was met with a thoughtful stare.  "Honestly, it might be in a few weeks..."

"Do you want to go?"  She asked me, turning in her seat to properly look at me.  

"I honestly don't know, I haven't decided yet." I turned her back around to keep cutting her hair.  "The idea is tempting, I won't lie to you."  She nodded slowly and I found her smiling at me. 

"I've always wanted to go to those places.  I hear Ba Sing Se is beautiful."  I grinned at her and nodded. 

"I have gone there when I was a kid with my parents.  It's definitely beautiful."  I filled what I had thought had ended in an awkward silence with tales of the travels my family used to make, including the times we went to visit both the Northern and Southern tribes.  She had 100% of her focus on me, as I told her of the time I wanted to go penguin sledding; which made her laugh.  She, in that moment, promised me that she would take me  and I believed her.  She told me of the times she had done that activity and how she broke her arm one time doing it.  That didn't stopped her, though, she said she kept going with her arm tugged inside her coat.  The more we spoke, the more I fell in love with her; if that was even possible.  She was so passionate about both hearing and sharing her stories with me, she was an open book.  Soon enough, between laughs and tales, I finished cutting her hair.  I had left it a bit shaggy with the side part she wore when it was longer.  She grinned at it and shook her head to feel the lightness.