Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Here's a special fic I've written for the occasion. To accommodate varying tastes, I'm posting this in two versions: One full version, which includes a mature scene at the end, and one SFW version. This is the SFW version, so if you'd prefer to read the other, click on the link to my profile, and look for the version of this fic rated "M."


First Time You Loved Me

Rating: T

Summary: On a vacation to visit her home in the South Pole, Korra takes the opportunity to tell Asami just when she first suspected she was in love with her.


"I'm sure it doesn't compare to your estate or apartment in Republic City, Asami," Senna said, opening the door to the guest bedroom, "but I do hope it will be enough for you. Just let me or Tonraq know if there's anything at all you need. For now, would you like a cup of tea, perhaps?"

"Actually…" Asami said, pausing at the doorway. She looked over at Korra, who'd frozen in place at the doorway to her own bedroom, caught in a sudden moment of panic.

Korra had chickened out of discussing rooming arrangements with Asami on their way down here. Although they'd been sharing a bedroom in Republic City more often than not over the past few weeks, Korra had yet to tell her parents about the particulars of their relationship. And well, she didn't exactly plan to tell them about certain particulars of that, but she did plan to tell them some generalities. She just hadn't yet. And she hadn't yet told Asami that she hadn't yet told her parents about them.

"...I do have something to confess," Asami said. Korra's panic doubled, and she shot Asami a glance the she hoped her parents wouldn't notice. "I wasn't quite able to untangle myself from work before leaving, and so I have a fair bit to get done tonight," Asami continued. Her eyes remained firmly locked with Senna's, but it felt like she was giving Korra a subtle glance as she said this. "I should have it done by tomorrow, but for tonight at least, I'd appreciate some privacy so I can focus on it. Korra and I already had dinner on the ship, so please, don't worry about me until morning."

Korra blinked. She knew in principle that her girlfriend was an utter genius, but Asami still managed to amaze Korra sometimes. Despite Korra's complete lack of explanation, Asami had nevertheless managed to pick up on what was going on and give herself cover in case she and Korra somehow ended up in the same room later on that night. Korra blinked again. Was Asami already planning something for the night? No! She couldn't think about that. She had to focus here.

"Of course," Tonraq said with a nod. "I'm sure you're quite worn out at this hour." He turned to Korra, who quickly composed herself to try to prevent her father from figuring out what had just been going through her mind. "What about you, Korra? Anything we can do for you?"

"Um…" Korra said. "No. Nope. I think I'm good." She gave her parents a grin, still trying to properly focus her thoughts. "Um… It really is good to see you, but I am getting tired so…" she said, leaning toward her bedroom door as she spoke.

Korra wasn't entirely sure, but she thought her parents might have exchanged a brief glance at this. "I'm sure you are, Korra," Senna said. She stepped forward and gave Korra a hug, and then a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good sleep then. We can visit more in the morning."

"Right," Korra said, smiling at her mother. She turned to her father and gave him a hug as well, then turned off to her bedroom. She was almost through the door before she caught herself. She couldn't make her plans too obvious here. "Oh, um, night Asami," she said, turning halfway back so she could catch Asami's eyes. "Try not to work too hard."

"Goodnight, Korra," Asami said, giving her girlfriend a warm smile.

Korra quickly ducked into her bedroom and closed the door behind herself before she could let anything further slip. She let out a deep sigh. There was a very good chance her parents had figured out something was going on. They probably didn't know exactly what, though. After how long it had taken Korra to figure it out, she would have been quite amazed indeed if her parents had picked up on it this easily.

On the subject of which, Korra glanced over at her writing desk. A smile crossed her face as she looked at it. She walked toward it, dropping her bag at the foot of the bed, and took a seat. The desk was the same as it had been a year ago, though it was a fair bit cleaner now, without dozens of letters from her friends and attempts at letters to her friends covering it. It didn't feel the same, though.

But she shouldn't be reminiscing just to herself. Enough time had passed that her parents would be on the either side of the house by now, and well out of hearing range. Korra got up from her chair and headed to her window. She peered out, feeling like a teenager again as she checked for White Lotus sentries who might be looking in on her. But thankfully they were all looking outward now. Apparently she'd finally earned herself some trust. And she wasn't exactly abusing that trust right now. She was just making an adult decision to sneak out the window rather than risk letting her parents find out about her girlfriend.

Putting it that way, it didn't really sound like an adult decision, but it was too late tonight to have that conversation. Tomorrow. Tonight was just about her and Asami.


Asami stood by the door to her room, listening closely to make sure Korra's parents had settled in for the night before she sneaked over into Korra's room. The soundproofing of this house was quite good, which could certainly end up being useful later on, but right now it simply made it difficult for Asami to know when it would be safe to slip out. She might have to wait a while, just to be safe.

Asami let out a sigh as she headed back to her bed. She might as well actually get a bit of work done, then, if she wasn't going to be able to get in any Korra time right now. When she reached her bed, Asami opened up her suitcase and began rifling through it to find one of her work binders.

It was around that time that she heard the bedroom window opening. Asami spun on her heel, her hand shooting down to her waist, ready to grab and put on her electrified glove. But as a figure flipped through her window, Asami instantly recognized it as Korra, and she let down her guard. Perhaps this was an unwise move, though, as Korra dashed toward Asami as soon as she landed and lifted her up with her right arm.

"You're being abducted," Korra said, her voice low, but not at all serious. "Don't make any noise, don't resist, and definitely watch your head."

The meaning of this last part became clear as Korra dashed back to the window. It wasn't intended for a single person to get through it; let alone two at the same time. Asami basically had to roll herself up into a ball around Korra's arm to make it through and trust that Korra had a plan for the other side of the window. Thankfully, it turned out that she did. Korra bent an ice slide beneath herself, and she used it to guide the two of them over to her bedroom's window. Once more, Asami rolled herself up, and they were through, out of the cold, and now in Korra's room.

As Korra finally let go of her, Asami burst out into laughter. "You could have just asked me to come with you, you know," she said as her laughs died down, looking at her girlfriend with an amused grin.

"Pfft. Is that any way for an abductee to talk to her captor?" Korra said. She crossed her arms and glared at Asami, though her face slowly lost a fight with a grin that spread across it, and she eventually let out a laugh. "Okay, okay! You win! I don't know what, but you always win, so you win!"

Chuckling at this display from her love, Asami took a step closer to Korra, then leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek. "You win more than you think you do, Korra. Trust me on that."

Korra was silent for a moment, and then she let out a sigh. "Alright. I trust you. ...Wait. Does that mean you win on that?" Korra blinked, eyeing Asami suspiciously. "You really do always win. But then… that means you don't win on this one…" Korra suddenly pointed her index finger at Asami accusingly. "Unless your true game is to try to confuse me. Well it's not working!"

Asami raised an eyebrow at this, and she had to bite her lips for a solid minute to keep from saying something which might further drive Korra mad. Or drive her adorable. When she finally thought she could trust herself, Asami slowly nodded and said, "Alright. So, is my captor planning on telling me the reason for my abduction?"

"Huh?" Korra blinked. "Oh… right! Um…" Korra spread her arms out, motioning to the room around them. "I, um, wanted you to see my room. This is… where I grew up, so…" Korra blushed a bit as she said this, which prompted a rush of warmth to run through Asami's chest.

"And so you wanted to share this part of yourself with me?" Asami said. Korra nodded in response, and Asami smiled back at her love. Asami leaned in to give Korra another quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Korra," she said.

Pulling back from the kiss, Asami took a moment to look around the room. Korra's room at Air Temple Island had just been borrowed, and she'd only had her own room at the Sato Estate for a couple months now, so Asami had no basis of reference for what to expect for a place where Korra actually lived and could be herself. Asami had to admit to herself that she'd been expecting the room to be as plain and undecorated as Korra had left her room at Air Temple Island, but that wasn't quite the case. Part of that did seem to be in Korra's nature, but there was also a fair amount of evidence around this room that Korra had made it her own.

Asami wandered over to a spot near the bed. Something about it struck her as odd. There was too much open space on the floor near the wall here. In most rooms there would be a chair here, a dresser, a desk, or something. But no. As Asami stared at the spot, her eye caught a partially-open drawer nearby, and the large rubber bone inside it gave her the clue she needed. "Let me guess," she said, turning back to Korra, "this is Naga's spot, right?"

Korra grinned and nodded. "Yep. She loves that spot; it lets her rest her head on my bed."

"That must be quite cute to see," Asami said, turning back to Korra. "Hopefully I'll get a chance to see that sometime."

"Oh, I'm sure you will," Korra said, with a small smile. "We'll bring Naga next time we come down here." There was something in Korra's eyes as she said this. Perhaps she was a bit disappointed that they hadn't been able to bring Naga along this time.

Asami stepped back to Korra and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure Naga is doing well in Republic City. And I'm sure she's doing wonders to keep up the refugees' spirits there."

"Yeah, I guess…" Korra said, smiling softly. It had been her decision to leave Naga behind, after all. After she'd seen how much playing with Naga brought light to the eyes of children who'd been displaced from their homes, she'd insisted that Naga stay behind.

Asami had been able to tell that Korra couldn't bear to take away this source of joy from children who had lost so much, even if it meant more time away from her own best friend. She truly was an Avatar of the people, and Asami had been reminded once more of just why she loved Korra.

"...What?" Korra said after a bit. She tilted her head and gave Asami a curious gaze.

Asami must have given away her thoughts. She smiled at Korra and said, "Just thinking about why I fell in love with you," she said.

Korra blinked. Then she blushed. Then she pouted. "Wha- hey! No fair!" she said, giving Asami a pair of big, wide eyes. "I was going to say that to you! You stole my line!"

Asami's eyes widened, though not quite enough to match Korra's. She bit her lips and blinked her eyes, holding back a laugh. Eventually, she was able to safely speak, and so she said, "My apologies, Korra. Would you like me to give it back to you?"

"...Please?" Korra said, her lips shifting her pout ever so slightly, making it absolutely irresistible.

Asami nodded. "Okay," she said. "Here." She leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Korra's irresistible lips. It was Korra's own fault, being this cute. "And now it's yours again," Asami said as she pulled back.

"Heh, good," Korra said, the corner of her mouth pulling up into a grin, though it was hard for Asami say whether it was due to the kiss or due to the joking around. Either way was fine with her, though. Korra cleared her throat. "Um, anyway… what was I going to say again?"

Okay, Korra had to be trying to be this adorable right now. Though… was she really that good an actress? Well, either way, she was being adorable, and that was all that mattered. And so Asami simply smiled at her girlfriend and said, "I believe it was something about why you fell in love with me."

"Oh! Right," Korra said, nodding. She took a step back from Asami, and turned toward her desk. She took a deep breath, and then said, "Um, well, it was right here… a bit over a year ago…"

A year ago… Oh. Asami smiled softly as she realized what had happened at that time. Korra had been completely silent during her recovery here for two years, during which Asami had poured her heart into letters for Korra. Even though Korra wasn't in a position to reply, Asami had kept writing, hoping that it would still help Korra. And then… two years into Korra's absence, Asami - and Asami alone - received a letter from her.

Korra stared at her desk, then closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "Emotionally, I was at a pretty low point. My recovery had plateaued. I was able to walk again, and I could bend, but everything went to hell when I tried sparring with people. I kept losing focus, I kept getting flashbacks of Zaheer, I couldn't go into the Avatar state… And for months on end, nothing got better."

As Korra went silent, Asami moved over to her girlfriend and wrapped an arm around Korra's shoulders. There were so many things she thought of saying right now… but Korra knew them all. She'd gotten beyond that now, even if it was a bit hard to revisit that time.

Eventually, Korra continued. "Well, the last time I was feeling that low was after Amon had taken my bending away, and I learned that even Katara wouldn't be able to help me get it back. When I hit that low point, my mind was finally willing to accept anything that might help me, which in that case, meant finally accepting my connection to Aang and letting him in. This time, when I opened myself up, I didn't find myself saved nearly as easily, though. There was no magic solution coming for me. This suffering couldn't be energybent away.

"But it could be eased, bit by bit. Since I was open to change, but nothing was coming for me like before, I had to seek it out myself. I had to find what I was missing. And well… when I got to thinking that way, the most obvious thing I was missing was… you."

Warmth flooded Asami's chest as she heard Korra admit this. It had been pretty clear from Korra's letter that her feelings for Asami were something a bit more special than for her other friends, since Asami was the only one she'd written to. But to hear Korra say it out loud like this… especially after they'd become an actual couple now… It was truly heartwarming. Asami wanted to lean in and kiss Korra right then and there, but she held back. Korra wasn't done yet; Asami would have her chance soon enough.

Korra shook her head slowly. "I mean… my first thought was about missing my friends in Republic City. But part of my mind resisted that. It took me some time to break it down and realize that you were the only one who I'd actually have been comfortable seeing when I was in that state. I'm sure you could imagine how awkward things would have been with Mako. It would have been a bit easier with Bolin, but I don't think he would have taken things seriously enough.

"With you… I could trust you. You were the friend I was safe opening up to. At least, that's what I told myself, until I realized I confessed things in my letter to you that I hadn't even told my mother…." Korra let out a chuckle and shook her head. She pulled out her desk chair and took a seat in it. She let out a sigh and threw her head back, looking up at Asami with a half-grin. "Nah, I don't think it was even that straightforward," she said. "I mean, even that could just mean you were a close friend, a good listener, non-judgmental… And of course, there are always things it's harder to tell your parents. So that realization was just one piece of the puzzle."

Asami smiled back at Korra. She placed her hand on Korra's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "Can I ask, Korra?" she said. "When was the first time it occurred to you that your feelings might be romantic?"

Korra was silent for just a second. She was very obviously biting her lips, but she eventually gave up and let a loving grin spread across her face. "When I was writing that letter to you," she said. "Well, during the final draft of it. I went through a ton of failed attempts to explain things. I kept trying to come up with a good enough reason that I was writing only you, and not Mako or Bolin. In the end, I came up with the reasoning I just told you - you're the good listener and stuff. So I began to write, with that in mind, forcing myself to keep writing, not give up no matter what.

"And well…" Korra closed her eyes, the smile remaining on her face. "I opened myself up, and there it was. It wasn't the same thing I felt for Mako, but that didn't mean it wasn't romantic. I came at it from a completely different direction, and it wasn't like my first experience with love, so it was hard to see it for what it was at first. But…" Korra opened her eyes. Her gaze was soft, and it held Asami's. "Even if I couldn't figure out what to do with it then, and even if I wasn't sure about it… I was already in love with you, Asami."

Asami felt her heart melt as Korra spoke these words. "Korra…" she said softly. An unbearable warmth filled her chest now. She didn't know what she could possibly say in response to this. She didn't even know what she could do in response - a kiss didn't seem sufficient. Sometime later, she would certainly have to tell Korra her own story of falling in love with her, but she didn't have it in her right now.

"It's alright," Korra said. She reached up, taking the hand that was on her shoulder and squeezing it within her own. "You don't need to say anything, Asami. I just wanted to tell you this." Korra pulled Asami's hand to her lips, planting a quick kiss on the back of it.

That kiss did it. Asami couldn't take any more. Even as she felt a tear pushing its way out of her eye, she knew she had to have Korra. She didn't know where she'd find the energy or the control for it, but she'd figure it out. "Korra," she said, her voice almost catching in her throat. "I want you so much right now…" Asami closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath. She walked around to the front of Korra's chair and opened her eyes, giving Korra her most seductive gaze.

At least, she tried to. It didn't seem to be working like it usually did. Oddly resistant to it, Korra slowly stood up. She placed her hands on Asami's cheeks and held her face as she spoke. "Asami…" she said, her eyes meeting Asami's. There was nervousness there, but her love easily overpowered it and shone brighter. "It's your turn tonight. After all you've done for me, all you've taught me… I'm ready to make love to you now."

"Korra…" Asami said. She was beginning to sound a bit like a broken record. Her mind simply couldn't come up with anything to say other than her love's name. But there was one thing she could think of to do: She nodded slowly, giving herself over to Korra.


Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed this fic. If you want more, please check out some of the other fics I've posted. Or, if you've decided you just can't resist, go look for the "M" rated version of this fic on my profile to see the rest of this scene.

Any and all reviews are much appreciated, but thank you simply for reading!