Makeup


Summary: Korra wonders why Asami always looks so put together. Korrasami. Flash fic. Oneshot.

Setting: Set during series finale – after the final battle but before the wedding.

Note: For those that don't know, flash fic is short for flash fiction. It general means a short story in around 1,000 words or less.


Korra watched closely as Asami sat in front of her vanity mirror. Her raven hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and a black cloth was draped over the front of her clothes.

"What is that stuff?" Korra asked.

"Makeup," Asami muttered. She was holding an eye makeup pen up close to her lash line.

"I know what it is," she said with an eye roll, "but what does that do?" Korra nodded her head at the item in Asami's hand. She was seated on Asami's bed, kicking her legs back and forth.

Asami noticed that she looked bored and irritated and started to apply her makeup faster.

"It is called an eye pen," Asami explained as she dragged the pen across her lower eye lid. "You trace it around your eyes to bring them out." She pressed her finger on the outside corner of her eyelid and tugged so that lid was stretched into a thin line. She then started to apply the makeup.

"You want to pop your eyes out?" Korra repeated.

"No," Asami giggled, "it just helps make them more defined." She placed the eye pen onto the desk and picked up a makeup brush. She swirled it in a small container of starfish dust before dabbing it onto her cheeks.

"But you have such pretty eyes," she commented. "Why do you need it?"

"I just like using it." Asami shrugged.

Korra nodded and continued to watch silently. Asami started to hum to herself as she continued to apply her makeup. She reached up and let her hair down out of the ponytail. "Why do you wear makeup?" she asked.

"I like to."

"No." Korra shook her head. Asami paused when she heard the serious inflection in her voice. She looked in the mirror and locked eyes with Korra. She searched her face and made note of the no-nonsense look the Avatar usually gave when she wanted answers. "Why do you wear it?"

Asami exhaled through her nose before going back to applying her makeup. She pulled out her red lipstick and started to dab it on. "Because it makes me look perfect," she admitted quietly. "I look put together."

"You are perfect." Korra got up from her seat on the bed and walked over to Asami's side. She picked up a pair of earrings from the small red jewelry box and dangled them from her finger.

"No, I'm not," Asami scoffed. "I come from a family that was torn apart by a murderer and a father who worked with equalists to try and take over the world of bending. I'm far from perfect," she said as she closed the lipstick tube with a snap. She gazed at her reflection before quickly applying a pink shade of eye shadow.

"You're perfect the way you are," Korra insisted. "You're perfect to me."

Asami paused as she was about to apply some eyebrow definer and looked at Korra through the mirror. She noticed the light shade of pink of the darker woman's cheeks as she toyed with the earrings in her hands. "What did you say?" she asked. "You were kind of whispering."

"Oh, nothing." Korra shrugged.

Asami smiled happily as she received the earrings from the Avatar. She quickly inserted them in hear ear lobes before slipping on her shoes. "Thank you Korra."

"Are you ready for Varrick's and Zhu Li's wedding?" she asked.

Asami pulled the black cloth off of her upper body and stood up. She brushed her hands over the red dress to smooth out any last wrinkles. After grabbing a small purse, she dabbed her lips on a small tissue. "Yes, let's go," Asami said happily as she grabbed a hold of Korra's hand and pulled her out of the room.