"Dinner was amazing, Pema!" Korra leaned back, patting her stomach. Pema smiled and nodded her thanks.
"Anytime, Korra. Thank you for joining us. You too, Asami. It's always a pleasure having you girls here. Isn't it, Tenzin?"
Tenzin stroked his beard, smiling contently at his wife. "Yes, yes it is. I'm heading outside to meditate for a few hours before bed. Does anyone care to join me?" As Tenzin extended his invitation, he peered around the table at his family and finally rested his gaze upon Korra.
"Hard pass." Meelo's response was immediate, but before he could hurry out of the room, his hand was caught by his father's who stood and headed towards the exit, pulling the squirming boy behind him and stooping to pick up his youngest child.
"Ikki, Meelo, Rohan- you will all join me. I think it will do you good. Korra? Jinora?" Korra sighed and was about to rise to follow behind her mentor, but Jinora caught her sleeve.
"Korra I...actually, would it be ok if I spent some time with you and Asami? I feel like I don't see you as much as I used to." Her voice was low, which was very unlike Jinora, and Asami found the invitation to be strange in how incorrect it was. They'd been at the temple at least once a week in the past few months, and Jinora conferenced with Korra often. Still, she smiled at the girl and nodded.
"Sure! Who am I to turn down girl time? We're in." Korra's crooked smile met them a moment later. "Sorry, Tenzin. Looks like we already have plans." She stood and stretched, only to have her arm tugged by the younger of the two sisters.
"No fair! I want time with Korra, too!" Ikki pouted, stomping towards Tenzin. "Daddy, can't I go?"
"Well-" Korra was cut off by a small squeeze at her fingertips, and when she looked back, Jinora was looking at her hopefully. She shook her head slightly, a small blush gracing her cheeks. Asami caught the action too, and before Korra could react, the engineer put both hands on Ikki's shoulders.
"Without you, who'll teach your brothers how to meditate? Next time, the five of us will go out into town while Jinora stays with your father."
"You make it sound like a punishment." Tenzin mused, stroking his beard. Asami winked at him and cupped Ikki's cheek.
"It'll be fun, I promise! You don't want to listen to icky retellings of meetings and spirit world chatter. If it didn't help Future Industries, I'd be out meditating with you, too." She tweaked her nose. "So please be patient. Once you get your tattoos, you won't be able to sneak out of it anymore."
Ikki looked unconvinced, but she nodded once and turned on her heel to join Tenzin and her brothers. Asami made her way back to The girls, waving to Pema who went off to do the dishes.
"Want to take a walk, then?" Korra asked cheerfully. "Maybe we can all spar together!"
"Well, actually, I was hoping we could maybe talk." Jinora fiddled with her hair. She wouldn't meet their gaze, and Asami swatted Korra lightly on the arm to catch her attention. Korra looked at her questioningly but didn't push.
"Well then, do you maybe want to go to my room?" Korra offered, but Jinora shook her head.
"Ikki and Meelo would barge into your room as soon as they were dismissed and I was hoping it could be a little more...I don't want them to…" she struggled with the words, twisting a strand of hair through her fingers tight enough to leave a mark. So very un-Jinora.
"We'll go to my room." Asami said easily. "Your dad was nice enough to allow me a lock, at least. I don't think I've ever gotten any surprise visits from any kids whenever I stay here." She smoothed the hair out of the younger girl's grip. "Go get into your night things. No point in being uncomfortable."
Jinora beamed at that, childishness flashing in her eyes in the moment before she unfurled her glider suit and took off in the direction of her room.
"Is it ok to say I'm a little nervous? I feel like something bad is going to happen. Like she's going to tell us she's decided to move to the spirit world and needs help convincing Tenzin." Korra chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. Asami could feel the same apprehension in her belly, but she just shook her head. Korra sighed. "Well, I'll go get my things too. Just in case this becomes another slumber party. The usual, plus one."
"Nonsense. You have my nightclothes. And the bed is plenty big for all of us." Asami smiled mischievously, stroking Korra's elbow lightly with her fingertips. "At least, there's always room when we wake up tangled together." Korra laughed, kissing Asami's shoulder.
"I'll get a sleeping mat for Jinora. Just in case she doesn't feel comfortable. Start a pot of tea for us?"
Asami's room was in a secluded area at the edge of the territory, right by Naga's and the bisons' sleeping quarters and the ferry off the island. There were more rooms like hers scattered at the edges of the island, reserved for esteemed political guests and families of the acolytes. She wondered if the lavishness of these rooms accounted for their placement away from the more modest living quarters of the air acolytes. For starters, guests were allowed to have a pillow top king sized mattress with soft, satiny sheets. The rooms had drawers and a closet as opposed to the lonely chest the air acolytes kept their possessions in, and Asami was one of the few allowed a private bathroom with a shower and bathtub when the others had to use the public bath. In the corner of the room was a small kitchenette with a mini icebox and stove. Remembering Korra's cramped room and uncomfortable woven bed, she was thankful for the small luxuries that felt so much closer to home.
Asami rarely locked her room when she wasn't in it with Korra, so she slid right in and turned on the lights. She pulled out her matching tea set as opposed to her usual mug. As the water boiled, she rummaged through her drawers for two sets of sleeping clothes, procuring two shirts, a pair of Korra's sweatpants and some shorts. She set to stripping down to her underwear when she felt two warm, familiar hands run up her ribs towards her bra. She shivered, leaning back into Korra's touch.
"Let me help you with that." The short haired woman kissed Asami's neck lazily as she unhooked the bra and rubbed her lover's breasts tenderly. Her kisses moved along Asami's jawline to her cheek, and with a smirk, Korra pulled away and handed her the shirt. In the time it took Asami to pull it on, Korra had made little work of her own breast bindings and pants. They both stood in just sleep shirts and underwear, pulling closer to share a kiss all day in the making.
"I'm- oh."
Asami pulled away immediately at Jinora's nervous voice. The teenager stood wide-eyed at the doorway, holding a bundle of clothing under her arm. She bowed and made to leave, but before she could, Korra grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bedroom.
"J-Jinora, I…" Korra was a jittery mess as she pulled on her pants. She held up her hands defensively, and Asami moved quickly to put on her own shorts and toss their laundry into a basket. The kettle screamed, and she rushed to remove it from the fire, preparing the tea cups.
"I'm sorry, Korra, Asami. I didn't...I didn't mean…" Jinora's eyes were misty with her shyness, and her hands clenched tightly at her chest. "I'll go. I'm sorry I barged in."
"No, please don't go." Asami walked to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. Korra wordlessly took over preparing the tea and snacks, trusting Asami's words over her own. "We should have been more careful. We were expecting you, after all. Jinora, I'm sorry, please don't be embarrassed."
"I caught you unclothed…" Jinora's voice was quiet, but Asami let out a laugh of relief.
"You're sorry you caught us without pants on?"
"Well, without pants on, kissing. I'm pretty sure I interrupted whatever comes next. I didn't mean to intrude on your...night...by inviting myself over. And I feel worse that I interrupted your…" she gulped heavily, unable to look either of them in the eye. "Your quickie." At that, Asami's heartbeat sped up and Korra dropped a teaspoon.
"We wouldn't!" Korra interjected loudly. "I swear, Jinora, you didn't intrude at all. We love your company, and are very, very happy you're here tonight. We even considered having a sleepover, if you wanted to! Trust me, you made our night much better, didn't ruin it. We just...get caught up in the moment sometimes." It was a lame excuse, but Asami hoped it would be enough to ease the tension. It was all true, after all.
Jinora nodded after a moment, a bit reassured by Korra's gentle words. "Thank you for having me." She said, smiling at Asami. The engineer smiled back, patting her shoulder again gently. Jinora signed.
"I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just, I walked in on Opal and Bolín once, and, well...Opal wasn't quite as understanding as you two. But you know the air temple- no locks. I didn't know I shouldn't go in there." Her blush was dark, and Asami was ever more thankful for the ability to lock her door whenever she Korra did decide to get a bit more intimate.
"Put on your pajamas." Asami said, a bit more cheerily than before. "Even if you had walked in on something…more...we wouldn't get mad at you, Jinora." Asami brought out a small foldable tea table and began to set up for the three of them while Jinora quietly changed into her pajamas. From the corner of her eye Asami caught her sliding her breast bindings out from the sleeve of her shirt, and she admired the teenager's sense of polite decency.
They sat around the tiny table wordlessly a moment later, sipping at their tea and nibbling at the sweet crackers Pema had gifted Asami and Korra during their last visit. She mused it was when they'd come clean about their relationship- a tiring day for a number of reasons, one of which was fighting a battle. Pema's motherly kindness eased them into a sense of comfortable bliss that allowed them to sleep peacefully after a day they had both been sure would cause nightmares.
Korra spoke first, which wasn't surprising. Asami studied the avatar, sitting with one leg up, resting the arm holding her tea on that knee while leaning heavily on her other arm.
"So, Jinora. Why didn't you want your siblings in on our little tea party today?"
Jinora's already stiff posture turned rigid at the question, and she put down her empty teacup with a small clatter. When Asami went to refill it Jinora held out her hand and practically yelled the words NO THANK YOU.
"Jinora, what has you so flustered?" Asami knew this wasn't just from earlier, though she was sure it didn't help. Still, her concern weighed heavily on her as she watched the teenager fidget with her hair again.
"W-well...I...I just had some q-questions." Jinora met Asami's gaze. She was as red as a fire ferret. Asami merely nodded, bracing herself for what came next.
"How…" Jinora took a deep breath. "How old were you when you had sex for the first time?"
Korra blanched, and suddenly she was the fire ferret, sitting up properly and unable to put any words together. Jinora looked like she might cry from the pressure, more ready to flee than anything. But she held fast, looking hopefully between the two of them for an answer.
Watching Jinora and thinking about the seeming randomness of the situation, she realized just how long the girl must have been waiting to ask this, and wondered how many people she'd considered approaching. Her parents- way too awkward, especially with her father being such a devoted monk. Opal lost her patience easily, and the other acolytes regarded Jinora with an air of respect that made it difficult to see eye to eye or befriend each other. Talking to the boys like Mako and Bolin was definitely a flat out no, and aunt figures like Kya or even Lin and Su were simply too far away to even consider. The same could easily be said for Katara.
So the only one left was Korra, and by default, Asami. Close, but not suffocating. Old enough to ask. Arguably mature- at least in Asami's case. And finally, she realized, used to keeping sexuality a secret. With their sudden revelation in a world that proved to be judgement, they presented a front of collected coolness when it came to what others thought. They were brave, and Jinora was emulating them just by asking this one personal question out of what was probably many. She was fifteen. Of course she had questions. Who wouldn't at her age?
"J-Jinora, that's…"
"Eighteen."
Jinora's eyes snapped to Asami, who calmly sipped at her tea. Korra shut her mouth, waiting for what came next since she herself was at a loss for how to react.
"I was eighteen. It's ok, Jinora. You can ask more." Asami smiled comfortingly, rising to stretch her legs. "But please, can we move to the bed? My legs hurt."
Asami settled with her back against the wall next to Korra, and Jinora faced them, sitting cross legged between their extended legs. She mused for a while before quietly asking, "Are you sure it's ok to ask questions? Opal-"
Asami cut her off again. "I grew up with just a father. A very conservative, private father. There was a lot I had to learn on my own. A lot of things went wrong, and I don't want that to happen to you."
"What kinds of things?"
Asami thought for a second. "When I was ten, my father told me that soon, I'd become a woman and start my cycle, so to expect to bleed once a month. Two years later, our maid found me crying on the toilet after I'd sat there for three hours waiting for the blood to stop." She looked away shyly. She'd never told the story before, though it amused her now. "Sex was worse. He told me not to, and that was that. But with so many girl friends around, it wasn't difficult to figure out how, or why" Korra cleared her throat quietly, and Asami shook her head. "If you have any questions that are too embarrassing to ask anyone else, Jinora, I'm here for you. I'll help you however I can."
"I will, too. I was a little surprised you decided to come to us but after a bit of thinking, I'm glad you can trust us enough to. I promise to answer honestly every time you have something you want to know." Korra stayed silent a moment, looking away when she finally said "Twenty-one." She gave Asami a knowing, sheepish look, earning herself a small smirk in return.
Jinora nodded, smiling to herself and to the two older girls. "Thank you. It feels good to know I can count on you. Daddy is just so awkward about these things, and whenever I talk to mom, well...she gets all spiritual about things like sex, talking about how it's vulnerable and personal and...I guess I already know that? I just want to know how…" She blushed deeply before blurting "I mean, I already know how, I just, how do you know when you're ready? I just wanted to know when people, girls, felt comfortable enough to do it. Maybe, like, compare…" She rambled a bit, rubbing her thumbnail.
"It's hard to say WHEN you're ready." Korra sighed finally. "I had two first times, kind of." There was a steady blush coloring her cheeks, and it took all of Asami's willpower not to lean in and kiss her pout.
"How can you have two first times?" Jinora asked, a bit confused. Korra rubbed the back of her head vigorously before groaning loudly and crossing her legs. She reached out her arms to Jinora, which earned her a look of confusion.
"Come here." Korra demanded. "I can't talk about this with your little kid eyes looking up at me like that."
Asami let out a small shriek of laughter, petting her girlfriend's hair. "It is a little hard. I feel like we're corrupting you, in a way." She said to Jinora, wincing in her laughter.
"You're not! I already know everything that happens! I just...want to be more sure, I guess. About how to know it's ok to try doing stuff. Maturity-wise." She peered at Korra's outstretched arms and turned her attention to Asami. "Speaking of which, is it really ok? Aren't I too old?" Asami chuckled.
"You're the only person I know that would even consider turning down cuddling the avatar. Except maybe Lin." Jinora laughed at that, but it was all the encouragement she needed. Crawling into Korra's lap and pressing her back against the other woman's body felt like a direct portal back to her childhood. Korra wrung her arms around Jinora's delicate shoulders, resting her chin gently on the girl's head. Jinora felt safest in Korra's arms. And Kai's. But Kai's arms...that was different. Which reminded her…
"Korra, how did you have two first times?" Not seeing her face when she asked these questions did help her confidence. Go figure.
"Well…my first first time was when I was seventeen. I thought I was ready, but…" she sighed before continuing. "We were kissing, and going a little further than just kissing on the mouth. I was...well, naked, and we were about to, but…" Her grip on Jinora tightened, and Jinora felt the pressure of lips on her hair. The next part was muffled by said hair, but Jinora didn't mind. Asami rested her own head against the wall, tracing small circles on Korra's thigh mindlessly.
"It felt really weird all of a sudden. My body...wanted to, I'm sure you know what I mean. But my brain told me not to. And I just started...crying?" The lips against Jinora's head became a forehead, and Jinora moved her hands up to hold Korra's arms.
"I'm ok." Korra chuckled, tweaking Jinora's chin with her thumb. "But that, it felt not ok. It's not that I didn't trust him, it's just, it felt scary. I felt like if we would have gone further, it wouldn't have been in full control of my body. It felt like by letting him do this with me, I was giving him something I just wasn't really ready to give. It was like anxiety. And he touched me, there, trying to go in with his fingers and I just told him we had to stop. So we did, and it was really awkward, but it felt better than anything leading up to it had. He and I never tried again. I really think that as a person, I just wasn't ready to deal with that kind of pressure yet."
"Pressure?" Jinora looked up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling vulnerable despite her safety within the embrace. Was that Korra's spirit?
"Yeah. I was a virgin. I didn't know anything about pleasing a man. I didn't feel unattractive or anything, just nervous I wouldn't do well. I wanted to impress him somehow, and when I realized I couldn't, it all just kind of fell apart." Korra rested her head on her arm this time, cheek to cheek with the teenager. Her hug fell lax, moving to loosely hold her around the waist. Jinora adjusted accordingly.
"That was my first time, but I didn't actually do anything until I was twenty-one. And that time, that time it was different." Korra smiled, sighing contently. "I don't want to give you too many details because that'd be weird, but it was easy the second time I ever tried having sex. I wasn't afraid to do badly. I didn't even think about it. All I wanted was more. I wanted to learn together how to do...things. Together. And I...felt good...easily. I was so happy knowing we could share this intimate thing without thinking about anything but how nice it was. And that's just because I was ready to accept myself, and to accept this person. And they were ready to accept all of me, too. It felt good. Not scary. Not weird."
Jinora felt a shift on the bed, realizing after a second that Asami had leaned onto Korra's shoulder. Jinora felt embarrassed to be in on something so private, but with the feeling came a sense of importance. She was touched to be trusted so openly.
"Things were a bit different for me. I was eighteen, and had been taking responsibility for my own actions for a long time." Asami pushed her face into the crook of Korra's neck, chuckling after she spoke. "But I was also stupid."
Jinora looked around Korra's arm to face Asami, completely indignant. Asami looked puzzled at her expression, grinning despite herself when Jinora exclaimed, "You're the smartest woman I know! No offense, Korra."
Korra laughed, pinching Jinora's side to tickle her. "None taken. I feel the same way." Asami bit her ear playfully before leaning back into her pillows at the headboard, looking at Jinora thoughtfully.
"Thank you. But I was arrogant. I felt like…" she put her arms up in the air, searching for the words to say next. "I had to prove something. I felt like I had to prove to everyone that I was capable of everything they doubted a young girl could do. So my first time, I wanted to be in control of that, too. I think I took Mako by surprise when-" she caught herself too late, rolling on her side and pulling a pillow over her face.
"Oh hog monkeys…"
Jinora fought back a laugh, releasing herself from Korra's embrace to stretch out next to Asami. She moved the pillow out of her way to poke Asami's cheek, giggling.
"Asami, I knew you were dating Mako when you were eighteen, so when you said you had your first time then, I put two and two together. And Korra…" she rolled onto her back to face the avatar. "...I kinda figured you'd only ever dated Mako before Asami. So your stories, well…they're definitely insightful."
Korra sighed and let herself fall onto the bed, snaking her arm under Asami's head. The other she laid over her waist, pinching Jinora's side again. "You're too clever for this conversation." Korra pouted, nuzzling into Asami's hair. "Asami, I still want to hear more about Mako and the first time you ever f-" Asami swatted Korra's butt swiftly, adjusting herself over her lover's arm.
"Ow."
"Let's just say I was the one egging things on. With my hands, and my mouth, and eventually with all of me. Mako didn't have to ask to do any of it. I wanted to show him I could be a good girlfriend, that I could please him. No offense, Korra."
"...ouch." Asami kissed Korra's arm but was smiling widely, giving Jinora the impression they'd joked about this in the past.
"Is it awkward? Having dated the same guy?" She played with Korra's fingers as she asked, tucking a pillow under her chest to support her back. She was met with a simultaneous no from both women.
"Mako's a bit stiff. So the fact that we both got to see that part of him manifest himself into wanting to do something that required gentle intimacy, well...it was a little funny. And even though I found out about it many years later, my entire focus went to making sure Korra didn't feel the same way she did with Mako touching her when we had our first time. And I didn't really remember much about what I felt when I did it with him, which just shows that emotions run a little higher than sex." Asami leaned back into Korra, who nodded in agreement and held out a thumbs up.
"I see…" Jinora stayed silent a while, closing her eyes to think. She opened them when she felt soft fingers brushing the hair from her face. It was Asami.
"Are you sleepy?"
"It's still early." Despite her statement, Korra's voice was raspy with grogginess. Jinora shook her head.
"I'm just thinking about...some stuff that happened. With Kai." Asami moved closer so they gazed into each other's eyes.
"What happened?"
Jinora briefly remembered being asked the same question before as a child, face to face with her mother as she sang her to sleep after a bad dream. She curled up into Asami, pushing her face into her chest and hugging her close. Asami said nothing, rubbing her back. Her hand was tense.
"Nothing bad, I promise." The hand relaxed, continuing its gentle running. Korra gazed at her over Asami's form, waiting.
"The other day, Kai and I were making out. He started kissing my n-neck…" Admitting it aloud was difficult, but Jinora reminded herself that it was ok, and mustered up the will to continue. Her ears felt hot, and she wondered if Asami could feel the heat of her face through her thin nightshirt.
"Kai started touching me a little, over my clothes. My sides, my arms, thighs, and then he put his hands on my chest." She sighed. "I guess it felt a little like Korra said her time with Mako felt, only I wasn't sure if it was because I don't feel ready or because I'm nervous about my mom and dad saying I'm not ready. When I said I didn't want to go further than kissing, Kai was really understanding and he stopped right away. We just cuddled for a while before he left and I didn't really feel too bad. But then I started thinking about whether I was doing enough to keep him…" she gulped, "...satisfied. He was kind of...well..."
Asami's stroking stopped and she simply held Jinora, nodding in encouragement.
"I mean...personally, I'm ok just taking care of that kind of thing m-myself…and sometimes after we're together or kiss for a while and he goes home, I do, but...but was it fair to send him home to-." It was too much. She curled tighter into Asami who patted her back sympathetically. "...sorry. I'm saying too much."
"It's alright, it's alright. Jinora, you're ok." Korra undid Jinora's bun which had grown messy over the night, running her fingers through the girl's hair. Jinora looked up at her.
"It's gross, I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk about touching myself." Jinora groaned, hugging herself to Asami to hide her face, but the woman just kissed her once, quickly, on the head.
"It's not. We both do it." She sighed. "Most people have been doing it since they were kids, just because it feels good. There's nothing wrong with it. Especially when you're not ready to do it with someone else. You're just getting to know your body, it's fine." Asami nuzzled her head. "Keep telling your story. Nothing about it is gross. Don't forget, we're here to help, not judge you."
Asami seemed strangely protective in making sure Jinora felt comfortable, and Korra chuckled at the memory of her girlfriend awkwardly studying the children as if though they were foreign objects upon their first meeting. Seeing her curled up with this young teenager sent butterflies of thrill down Korra's arms, and she itched to hug and kiss the woman under her. Asami as a mom...she shook her head to clear out the thoughts, resting her head on her lover's arm, unable to hide the goofy smile she donned despite the situation.
"I just felt bad. I could literally see his...body...react to us, to me, and still, I didn't want to, even though my body responded, too. It's not like I don't trust Kai, but I just feel like it's too much right now. By talking to you guys, I thought maybe I'd get an idea for when it wouldn't feel that way."
Asami pushed back from Jinora a bit to look her in the eyes.
"I'll be honest. I think you're still way too young. And I'm not saying that as a generalization like most adults do, I just mean, there's so many other ways to trust your partner, and to be intimate. If you felt this way trying to have sex with someone you trust, then, to you, sex is one of the BIG intimate things you have the ability share with someone. So build the other activities first. And once you're ready to be really, really close, well then. All I can say is you'll know. There won't be any guttural reaction to stop you."
Korra listened to Asami talk, nodding.
"Asami was there for me when no one else was, and in just the perfect way. I'm not saying that's what allowed us to have sex the first time, but it definitely contributed to our comfort levels during sex. If I could trust her with all of my thoughts and feelings when I felt so down on myself, trusting her with my body was nothing. You and Kai are still young. You haven't finished growing yet. Maybe your body just wants to have a good hold on yourself before you can give Kai any of you to hang on to. Once you guys have that chemistry going and can understand each other without thinking how to, I really doubt you'll feel the way you did that time. And you said Kai's a good kid- he'll wait. He cared enough about you to wait once, why not again?"
Asami nodded. She stroked Jinora's cheek gently. "I suggest talking to him when this comes up again. Find out how he feels. You don't need to feel pressured to move any faster and do it just because he feels ready, but letting him know you understand where he's coming from and giving him the chance to understand you makes it all much, much easier to move forward from."
Jinora sighed, rolling onto her back and stretching her arms up above her head.
"Yes, m'am." She sat up, and Korra and Asami did the same, groaning as they stretched.
"Would you like another cup of tea?" Korra offered, rising to pour herself one. Jinora shook her head.
"It's getting a little late. I really should be getting back to my room." She stood up and bowed slightly to Asami, and then to Korra. "Thank you so much for talking with me today. I know I asked a lot of weird questions, and I really don't think anyone else would have been patient or honest enough with me to answer them. I think everyone still sees me as a little kid."
Korra ruffled her hair, pulling her close in a one-armed hug. "You are a kid to me. You'll always be. But I remember what it was like being a kid, and this subject...it's never easy. Asami feels the same way."
"I do." Asami walked to the two of them, taking a sip from Korra's cup of room temperature tea. "You can come to either of us or both of us anytime, Jinora. We'll always be more than willing to talk to you."
Asami disappeared into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed. Feeling a bit lonely already, Jinora tugged at her sleeping pants with the intention of changing back into her glider suit.
"Aren't you staying the night?" Korra asked, smiling. "You're welcome to sleep on the bed with us, but I also brought a sleeping mat if you thought we were being too lovey-dovey around you."
Jinora laughed but looked at the bed. It was softer than the cot she usually slept in, and spending the evening cuddled up to either Korra or Asami had felt so warm.
"I'll stay, please." Korra beamed and handed her a toothbrush they'd apparently prepared beforehand. She then pushed the young airbender into the bathroom so they could hurry and get to bed.
A few minutes later, Jinora exited the bathroom to find Korra and Asami already in bed. They faced each other, speaking softly, but upon noticing Jinora they motioned to the space between them under the sheets. Feeling like a child again, she squeezed in between the two women.
"Goodnight 'Sami. Night, Jinora."
"Goodnight darling. Goodnight, Jinora."
Jinora smiled widely. "Goodnight!" She curled into a small ball, happy when Korra turned to press her back against Jinora's own. Asami was less intrusive, resting a hand on Jinora's wrist. The three fell asleep peacefully, and for the first time in a long while, Jinora felt her biggest personal anxieties dissipate to nothingness in the face of her newfound comfort.
