Chapter Text
Korra woke to the sun streaming in from the open window, cutting across her face, patterns dotting her skin from where it slid through the curtains. She blinked her eyes at the ceiling for a moment, her brain slowly remembering why she was looking up at unfamiliar wooden beams,the ceiling fan turning in lazy circles above her. Memories of the night before poured in, filling her chest with butterflies. She looked to the side and found Asami there, still asleep, but completely real. Rolling onto her side, she watched Asami sleep for a few minutes, memorizing the way her lips were parted, her breath coming in soft puffs from between them. Her eyelashes were heavy on her cheekbones, her eyebrows furrowed just slightly. Her long, wavy hair lay spread across the pillow, a thick lock resting along her jaw. Korra reached over and lifted it, smoothing it back from her face. Asami stirred, the furrow between her brows deepening, then she opened her eyes slowly and looked at her. Korra dropped her hand to the bed, curling her fingers beneath her palm, fresh nerves suddenly twisting in her stomach.
But Asami, sleepy-eyed and red-cheeked, smiled at her softly and said, in a voice warmed with sleep, “You’re really here.”
Korra couldn’t fight her answering smile. “Mornin’.”
Asami tucked her hands beneath her cheek. “Did you sleep okay?”
“I did,” Korra said. “You?”
“Sort of.” Asami laughed a little. “I kept waking up, thinking you wouldn’t be here anymore in the morning.”
Guilt slid between Korra’s ribs and she glanced away before apologizing. “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have snuck away last time.”
Asami reached out and touched Korra’s cheek with gentle fingers. “No need to apologize. I’m just really glad you’re here.”
Korra leaned into her touch and felt bolstered by it. Encouraged, she leaned up on her elbow and bent over Asami cupping her jaw. She gently brushed her thumb over Asami’s cheekbone, watching her eyes widen slightly and light up, her lips parting, her face open and honest. Korra wanted to melt into her, to press her body to Asami’s until she couldn’t tell where she ended and Asami began. There was a feeling in her chest, something foreign but comforting. Korra had the brief thought that perhaps it was happiness. Then Asami leaned up and kissed Korra, soft and chaste and Korra felt herself tumble headlong into joy.
It was like waking up again. It was like breathing for the first time, like her heart was about to pound out of her chest, like if she never saw the sun again it would be okay because she could exist within the warmth of Asami’s love and that would be enough. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt the familiar prickle of tears behind her eyes. For a brief space of time, with Asami’s mouth on hers and her fingers curled around the back of Korra’s neck, a future flashed behind Korra’s eyelids. Brief, just flashes of what could maybe, possibly exist. Moving boxes. Cooking late dinners together. Flights to distant places. Smiles and laughter and tears but all of it beautiful and perfect and right.
A quiet, almost-sob broke out from between their lips, a couple of stray tears slipping down her cheeks. Asami leaned back, her face concerned.
“Korra?”
Unable to find words to explain, she gave Asami a tearful smile, then bent back down and kissed her. Asami smoothed her fingertips over Korra’s cheeks, brushing the tears away.
“I can’t believe it,” Korra said, breaking their kiss. “Are you real?”
“I’m real,” Asami said, her voice a bit breathless. She looked at Korra for a long moment, then glanced away and murmured, “I’m sorry this has been so awful.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Korra took her hand and kissed it gently. “None of that matters.”
“It does matter,” Asami said, her voice soft but insistent as she looked back up at Korra. “I need you to know that how this affected you matters to me. That you matter to me.”
Korra slid onto her side and stretched out beside Asami. “I know it does. I just feel–” She paused, trying to figure out the right words. “Ready. To move forward. To move on.”
Asami shifted to face her. “I’d like to move forward with you if that’s okay.”
“Yes, please,” Korra said, a smile breaking out across her face. She leaned forward and kissed Asami until they both lost their breath.
They laid in bed for the rest of the morning, holding one another, kissing softly and talking about the last several months, all the misunderstandings and mishaps and times that they hadn’t been able to fully align. Korra felt cracked open, exposed in a way that terrified her a little, but she was held in Asami’s love and attention and that was enough to open up to her about how difficult it had been.
“I really thought I was going to lose you,” Korra said.
Asami kissed her forehead, just above the eyebrow, and Korra heard her swallow. When Asami spoke, her voice was thick. “You couldn’t lose me if you tried.”
Korra wanted to say something self-deprecating, to poke fun at herself, but found her jokes couldn’t come. Something about the way Asami said it, her voice low and earnest, her hand cupped against Korra’s cheek, made her want to believe Asami. To believe that even if she fucked up, even if they fought or disagreed, that she wouldn’t leave. Korra considered trusting the feeling and decided that it felt better to than not.
Before she could speak again, though, her stomach growled and she felt her face heat up. Burying it in Asami’s shoulder, she mumbled, “Pretend you didn’t hear that.”
Asami laughed and Korra knew exactly what her face looked like. “You know I can’t do that.”
Korra checked her watch. “It’s almost lunchtime.” Asami didn’t say anything right away and when Korra looked at her, she was blushing lightly and looked a little shy. “What?” Korra asked, smiling.
“Wanna go get some lunch?” Asami said nervously. “Like, on a date?”
Korra pulled her lips between her teeth and felt her ears grow hot. “A date date?”
Asami pressed her hands against her face. “A date date,” she said, her voice muffled.
“Fuck, yeah,” Korra replied, her grin growing. “Yeah, I’d like to go on a date date.”
When Asami dropped her hands, she was smiling, wide and brilliant, and Korra’s heart beat a little out of time.
They dressed and Korra borrowed one of Asami’s t-shirts, a perfectly broken in vintage band t-shirt. When she thought Asami wasn’t watching, she pressed her cheek against her shoulder and breathed in. It smelled like Asami and the scent didn’t fill her with heartache the way it had so many times in the past. It smelled like a promise, like a future. Korra smiled so big her cheeks hurt and she didn’t stop smiling, even when she looked up to see Asami watching her with a grin of her own on her face.
“Whatcha doin’?” Asami asked, elbowing Korra lightly.
Korra smiled wider, a blush rising to her cheeks. “Smelling you.”
“Ah,” Asami said. “And you like it?”
Korra tapped her thumb on her chin thoughtfully, pausing before she reached out and snagged Asami around the waist, pulling her close and burying her face against her neck. She snuffled, pressing her nose to Asami’s throat and laughed as Asami shrieked in surprise, then dissolved into a fit of giggles. When they parted, Asami’s cheeks were red and Korra was positive hers were equally so.
“Yes, I like it,” Korra laughed. “I love the way you smell. Always have.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Asami said.
They drove aimlessly to find lunch in the late summer sun, windows rolled down and the smell of ocean and jasmine on the air. Or maybe it was Asami. Korra didn’t really care. All she knew was that she wasn’t dreaming because she kept pinching herself and didn’t wake up. At lights, she’d sneak a glance at Asami who was always watching her with a soft expression on her face, her green eyes full of such tenderness it made Korra want to cry. Their conversation was as aimless and happy as the drive, talking about an audition Asami had coming up and a trip Korra had planned to go see her parents again. Their hands lay intertwined on the seat between them and every so often, Asami would lift Korra’s hand and kiss the backs of her knuckles gently.
Asami directed Korra to a hole in the wall restaurant just outside of the city limits where they could sit on the patio and eat while they watched surfers and got day drunk on margaritas. The afternoon bled into evening and they stumbled from the patio to the beach together, sitting in the sun warmed sand, laughing at their tipsy clumsiness. The sun sank lower and lower in the sky, turning it fiery, and they sat close together, watching it melt into the horizon. As they watched the last few surfers pack it up, Korra felt some old anxieties creep in. Somehow, she was convinced that if she left Asami, she really would wake up and find out that the last 24 hours had been nothing but a dream. As they sat together, shoulder to shoulder, thighs pressed together, she fought the increasing fear. She watched Asami pick up handfuls of sand and let it slip through her fingers, then leaned over and buried her face against Asami’s shoulder.
“Am I dreaming?” she asked, her voice nearly lost to the sound of the waves crashing and the fabric of Asami’s shirt.
“Dreaming?” Asami asked, her hand stilling. She brushed the sand off her palm and pressed it against Korra’s knee. “Do you feel like you’re dreaming?”
Korra swallowed the unexpected emotion that welled up in her throat, waiting until she was sure her voice would be a little steadier before she answered. “I’m scared I am.”
Asami pulled back, shifting so she could look at Korra. Her gaze was steady, her eyebrows pushed up in the middle but her expression soft. “It’s not a dream. None of this is a dream.” She reached out and pulled Korra to her, wrapping her arms around her back and holding her close.
Korra sat, held by Asami, letting the gentleness of her actions and softness of her words soothe her, until she could swallow past the lump in her throat and the fear that had risen to the surface had slipped away again. This was real. Asami was real. Korra nestled into her arms, pressing her face against the crook of Asami’s neck and felt the steady rhythm of her breathing, the expansion of her lungs and the thudding of her heart where their chests pressed together. Then Asami leaned back and cupped Korra’s cheek, and kissed her. Korra felt herself go soft everywhere, her hands and legs and arms and torso, all pliant and leaning into Asami’s touch. She lifted her hand and covered Asami’s, deepening their kiss. Asami tasted like the salt and lime from their drinks and Korra wanted to keep drinking her in until she couldn’t taste anything else. When they parted again, Korra was surprised at how dark it had gotten, that the stars were out, that the small boardwalk behind them was all but empty.
“What do you say we get out of here? Head on back to my place? Or yours?” Asami said, her eyes catching the light from a dim streetlamp nearby.
Korra nodded, standing. She stuck a hand out to help Asami up and they walked back to the street, brushing sand off their pants as they went. Their drive back into the city was quiet and comfortable. As they neared Korra’s side of town, she felt a strange tug in her chest. She wanted to take Asami home with her, as whatever they were now. To tumble into bed with her, sex or not, and wrap herself up in her until morning. She stared at the stop light, tapping her thumbs against the steering wheel nervously, then finally asked quietly, “Is my place okay?”
“Yes,” Asami answered immediately, her voice breathless.
Korra didn’t look but she could hear the smile in her voice. She smiled as well. The light turned green, and Korra drove through the intersection, heading for home.
Korra opened all of her windows when they got to her apartment, letting the cool night air inside. She was thankful she’d had some sort of wherewithal to keep her apartment picked up. Asami had a small smile on her face as she looked around Korra’s living room as if with new eyes. She moved around, touching some of Korra’s trinkets with gentle fingers, then stood with her head tilted, studying one of the movie posters.
“It smells like you in here,” she commented casually. “I like it.”
Korra watched her from her place near the kitchen counter, arms folded, and smiled. “God, we’re annoying.”
Asami turned and looked at her, her smile growing. “Yeah, but we’re fucking cute.”
Korra found a new toothbrush in her medicine cabinet and offered it to Asami. When Asami came into the bedroom after brushing her teeth and washing her face, Korra handed her a t-shirt and shorts to wear to bed, then stood to leave so she could change.
“Where are you going?“
Korra jerked her thumb towards the open door. “Just giving you some privacy.”
“You can stay,” Asami said. “If you want.” She handed the shorts back to Korra.
“Oh, okay.”
Korra sat back down on the edge of the bed as Asami unbuttoned her jeans and shimmied out of them, then pulled her loose tank off and replaced it with the oversized shirt Korra had offered her. It all happened so fast that Korra didn’t have time to take in much but the way the shirt skimmed the tops of Asami’s thighs made Korra’s head spin a little. Asami’s legs looked a million miles long as she walked towards the bed and gracefully climbed on top, scooting to the other side to sit cross legged behind Korra. Korra’s thoughts were running away from her. She rubbed her hand down her face and stood, dropping the soccer shorts on the top of her dresser and taking a deep breath, then undressed herself, keeping her boxers on and pulling on a tank top. When she turned back around, Asami was watching her with an interested expression, chewing on the inside of her lip.
“You’re really beautiful, Korra,” Asami said, blushing as their eyes met.
Korra felt herself go warm and she shrugged as she climbed into bed alongside Asami. “I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“I would.”
Korra reached over and turned off the lamp and the room went dark. Beside her, Asami shifted, slipping beneath the blankets and rolling onto her side to face Korra. Korra lay back and tried to steady her breathing, to remind herself that just because Asami was here didn’t mean anything had to happen, that Asami was inexperienced and they could take things slow. She folded and unfolded her hands on her stomach until Asami reached over and placed one hand on top of hers. Asami’s touch intensified the butterflies in her stomach and Korra closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath.
After a minute or two, Asami whispered, “Are you okay?”
Korra let out the breath she’d been holding for no reason and said, “I’m nervous.”
“Why?”
“Dunno. It’s just… different now.”
Asami propped herself up on her elbow and brushed her fingertips up and down Korra’s arm. “Because we’ve kissed?”
“Yeah,” Korra said with a light shiver. “And made out and, like, confessed our feelings.”
“Would you feel better if you knew I was also nervous?”
Korra turned her head to look at Asami. “A little.”
“Would it help if I snuggled you?”
“Probably.”
Korra lifted her arm and Asami scooted across the bed, resting her cheek against Korra’s chest and draping one arm across her torso. Korra felt herself start to settle a little with the weight of Asami’s body pressed against her side. They lay like that for a while and Korra felt herself relax even more, her body going loose and limp until she was just on this side of sleep. Asami made a contented noise and hugged her more tightly. Before Korra could cross over into full-on slumber, she felt Asami’s lips against her neck, at first just pressing gently, then more insistent against her skin. Korra felt suddenly wide awake. Asami kissed her throat again, her hand curling into Korra’s shirt and she slid a little closer.
“Will you kiss me again?” Asami asked, her breath hot where it spilled into the neckline of Korra’s top.
Korra nodded, rolling over to find Asami’s lips with her own, and kissed her. Asami sighed and Korra swallowed it, reaching her hand up to cup the back of Asami’s head, her fingers tangling into her hair as she tilted her head to deepen their kiss. They kissed that way for a while, one of Korra’s arms trapped between their bodies and Asami’s hand resting on Korra’s ribs. Then Asami shifted, pulling against Korra’s hip and rolling onto her back until Korra was propped up on her elbows over the top of her. They broke their kiss to get situated and when Korra looked at Asami in the dark, she was smiling. Korra brushed the hair away from Asami’s face with both hands, holding her gently as she bent her head to kiss her again. It was so easy to get lost in Asami this way, to be pressed against her body, tasting her mouth and drowning in the quiet, pleased sounds she made.
They kissed almost lazily like that for a while and for Korra, it was enough. She wanted Asami, wanted her more than she’d ever wanted someone before, but didn’t want to push any boundaries with her so she measured her actions, trying not to move too fast. Asami’s hands wandered, dragging along Korra’s back and sides and up into her hair. She pressed her fingertips into Korra’s spine and down to the slope of her lower back. Asami was an incredible kisser and even this was almost too much. Korra felt hot all over, then Asami hooked a knee around her hip and Korra groaned without thought.
“I want you, Korra,” Asami whispered against her lips.
Her words slipped into Korra’s veins like a drug, making her head spin. Korra pulled away and dropped her forehead to Asami’s collarbone, breathing heavily. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to clear her head.
“Korra?” Asami asked, sliding her hand up Korra’s back to touch the back of her neck gently. Korra shuddered and let out a breath.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“How would you hurt me?”
“By pushing your boundaries.”
Asami hummed in understanding. “You think you’re going to make me do something I’m not comfortable with?”
“I don’t know,” Korra admitted. “I just… I want you, too. So much.”
Asami gently lifted Korra’s head and looked at her in the dim light. Headlights cut through the window and across the room in a flash, lighting them both up, then it was dark again. They looked at each other for a breathless moment, Asami searching Korra’s face.
“You’d never hurt me,” she finally said. “I know you. And I know you never would.”
Asami’s voice was sure and Korra knew she was telling the truth. When Asami cupped her cheek, she leaned into it, then turned and kissed her palm. There, in the dark and quiet of her bedroom, with Asami lying beneath her, Korra felt something inside of her shift. A slow opening, a truth she’d kept buried for so long now coming to light, rising to the surface again and it didn’t terrify her like she thought it would. Her whole life brought her here, every misstep and every ounce of misplaced trust, led her to this place, so how could she regret it? She didn’t have the words she wished she did, so instead she leaned down and kissed Asami softly and in Asami’s responding kiss, she felt as if Asami understood. Somehow, Korra was sure she did.
Asami’s fingers found the hem of Korra’s tank top and slid underneath. They were cool and soft against her back and Korra felt goosebumps break out across her skin. She fought back a sigh and tilted her head, kissing Asami more deeply. This time, when Asami hooked her leg around her hips, Korra didn’t stop her. She let Asami pull her in and rested heavily between her thighs. Breaking away from Asami’s mouth, she kissed her way down her throat and to the curve where it met her shoulders, then sucked gently. Asami’s hips canted up and she gasped. The sound was like heaven. Korra smiled, sucking again, then biting down gently.
“Don’t leave a mark,” Asami said, a laugh behind her voice.
“I won’t,” Korra promised, only a little regret there.
She tasted Asami’s skin, licking and kissing her until Asami was writhing beneath her, her fingernails biting into her back. Asami rocked her hips up and Korra met them, pressing down with her own, listening to Asami make the most beautiful, breathy noises. Emboldened by her reaction, Korra adjusted her legs, slotting them with Asami’s and pressed her thigh against her. Asami clutched at her, pulling her tighter, and ground against her leg. Wetness seeped through the thin fabric of Asami’s underwear where she was pressed to Korra’s thigh. Korra couldn’t help but grind down as well, the pressure between her legs relieved, just a little. She reached between their bodies and slipped a hand up along Asami’s ribs, then a bit higher, until her fingers curled lightly around her breast. Asami arched into her hand, rocking her hips against Korra’s thigh again.
After a few minutes of this madness, Asami made an impatient sound and lifted Korra’s shirt in the back, pulling it up until she couldn’t anymore, then she tugged lightly. “Take this off.”
Korra blushed a little but lifted herself up to kneel, pulling her shirt off over the back of her head. Topless in front of Asami for the first time, she tried not to squirm with nerves. But Asami looked at her with so much adoration and heat in her eyes that Korra grew wet underneath her gaze.
“I–” Asami started. She paused, reaching up to trace her fingers down Korra’s chest and stomach. “You’re so fucking hot,” Asami finally said. “I am very, very into you.”
Korra leaned down and kissed her cheek, then her jaw. “Well, that’s convenient because I’m very into you.”
“Sit up again,” Asami said, pressing her palms against Korra’s shoulders.
Korra sat back on her heels and waited as Asami sat up, moving onto her knees in front of her. Then she reached out and took Korra’s hands in her own and curled them underneath the hem of her t-shirt. Korra lifted the fabric a little, then looked back to Asami for confirmation.
“Go on,” Asami encouraged.
Korra pulled it up and over her head, leaving Asami in nothing but her bra and underwear. She looked glorious, her long hair heavy on her shoulders, her cheeks dark and eyes heavy-lidded with hunger. Korra drank her in until Asami pushed her hand against her chest and made her sit back, then climbed into her lap. Korra wrapped an arm around Asami and held her close as their lips met again, Asami’s hair falling from behind her shoulders to curtain them. Korra kissed her everywhere she could reach; down along the curve of her jaw, her throat, nipping at her collarbones and down her sternum. Then she carefully pulled Asami’s bra down and captured one perfect nipple between her lips. Asami whined quietly as she laved one, then the other, paying them as much attention as she could.
“Touch me, Korra,” Asami said, her voice heated and insistent. She reached behind her back to take Korra’s wrist, then pushed her hand between their bodies until her fingertips brushed the waistband of her underwear.
“We don’t have to have sex,” Korra whispered. “Not if you’re not ready.”
“I want to. I want to have sex with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Korra, I’ve wanted this for months.”
With that, she pressed down on Korra’s wrist until her hand slipped beneath the waistband and into the soft, coarse hair beneath. She took her hand away and waited. Korra sucked in a breath and bit her lip, then moved her hand tentatively downward. Her fingers slid into the hair and between Asami’s lips. She was so wet; Korra’s fingertips were instantly coated. Asami trembled and Korra felt her tighten her arm around her shoulders.
“Slow me down if you need,” Korra said.
“I will,” Asami replied, her voice breathless.
Korra brushed Asami’s clit lightly and felt her inhale, her lungs expanding as she pressed her lips to Korra’s temple. “Oh,” she whimpered as Korra did it again. She teased Asami, applying just a little more pressure at a time until she heard Asami let out a huff of frustration.
“Korra,” she breathed. “Please.”
Korra pressed her fingers firmly against Asami’s clit, massaging circles onto the warm, damp skin. “Is this what you want?”
Asami nodded, her mouth broken open in a wordless cry. She looked absolutely beautiful, her eyebrows furrowed and the pink of her tongue just visible behind her parted lips. Korra decided to have mercy. She stroked Asami steadily but gently, working her up some more, waiting until she felt her grow impossibly more wet. Then she pressed her fingers lower and slipped the tip inside of Asami slowly, up to the first knuckle, second, third. When she was fully inside of Asami she let out a quiet groan and Asami ground down against her hand eagerly. Korra curled her finger a little, pressing against the bundle of nerves inside Asami and felt her shake again, her legs tightening around her hips. She tested another finger and it slipped in easily to a quiet gasp from Asami. Asami lifted her head and pulled Korra closer, kissing her hungrily, rocking against her hand. Korra did her best to pump her fingers but Asami moved in so close she couldn’t do much more than anchor her hand between their bodies and let Asami ride her. She didn’t mind. It was glorious, being inside of Asami, feeling her wetness pool in her palm, dripping between her fingers to the bed beneath them. Korra angled her hand, pressing her palm against Asami’s clit and was rewarded by Asami sweeping her tongue into her mouth and making a desperate noise deep in her throat. For a few minutes they were quiet, save for the slick sounds between their bodies and Asami’s quiet gasps of pleasure. The room was warm, the air thick with sex, and Korra closed her eyes tight, memorizing the way Asami moved on her lap, her hips rocking forward and her fingers tight against her back.
Then Asami stiffened and her legs went tight where they were pressed against Korra’s hips and her breathing stuttered and all at once she curled in on herself and clutched Korra’s shoulders tightly. Korra felt her clench inside, rolling her hips harder. Asami let out a long, thin whine, then she buried her face against Korra’s neck and trembled hard as she came. Her hips moved frantically while she chased her orgasm and Korra couldn’t do anything but hold her steady. When Asami finally landed, she let out a long breath, slumping down as her body gave out, sweat beading along the curve of her spine.
“Oh, Korra,” she whispered, a smile in her voice.
Korra smiled as well. She carefully removed her hand and gently lifted Asami from her lap and onto her back to rest. She wiped her fingers on her boxers and laid down next to her, propped up on one elbow and resting her hand against Asami’s hipbone. When Asami finally opened her eyes, she smiled at Korra, a happy, tired smile, a flush high on her cheeks and spilling down her throat and chest.
“That was amazing,” Asami said quietly.
“You liked it?”
“You couldn’t tell?”
Korra shrugged one shoulder. “Well, I just want to make sure. I aim to please.”
“I am very, blissfully satisfied.”
They lay quietly for a while as Asami caught her breath. She yawned twice, then she reached for Korra’s hips. “Let me return the favor.”
Korra smiled and shook her head, gently pushing Asami’s hands away. “Another time.”
Asami frowned. “What? Why?”
“I just wanted you to feel good. That’s enough for me for now.”
Asami bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed as she searched Korra’s face. “You really mean that,” she stated.
“I do.”
Asami smiled, then leaned forward to push her face against Korra’s bare chest. “You’re so fucking sexy.”
“Have I ever told you how much I like it when you curse?” Korra said, laughing as she rolled onto her back, taking Asami with her.
“Do you? I’ll have to do it more often.”
Asami was asleep within minutes once they settled in, one of Korra’s arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her leg was haphazardly thrown across Korra’s hips, her hair blanketing her arm and Korra was getting a little sweaty, but she didn’t want to move for the world. Now that she was here, there was nowhere else she’d rather be.