Hey y'all! This is a prompt from cityofzaofu (thank you for the idea! and thanks for beta-ing you and zhenya) about Korra and her first time seeing Asami without makeup. Since in LoK we never see Asami without it, I thought I would give it a try! Just a quick oneshot to work on my writing skills with one of my favorite pairings! I hope you enjoy it, please leave some comments if you can!
"Who knew passing through a spirit portal felt so...tingly?"
Asami rubbed her arm with her free hand, the other still clasped tightly around Korra's. She was afraid they might've gotten separated on the way over, surely that was the reason they were still holding hands.
The Avatar laughed heartily, carefree, as if she were no longer burdened. She took a deep breath before responding. "Yeah, it's not something you get used to, but don't worry, the feeling doesn't last very long. Are you ready?"
Cerulean eyes searched the other woman's face, painted with apprehension. Korra could tell that Asami was nervous; perhaps this spontaneous vacation was too soon. Maybe they both weren't ready to be out of their element or possibly, it was just what they needed; to disconnect from the world of people and enter a realm completely foreign to them.
Looking ahead, the raven haired girl couldn't believe her eyes. She was here, finally here. Spirits of every shape, size, and color roamed about the land untouched by humans. With the exception of a few lakes, flowers and other assorted vegetation covered every inch of the ground. Asami began to feel overwhelmed by such beauty, this world really existed right before her eyes. It took a small squeeze of the hand from Korra for her to realize she was holding her breath.
Asami swiveled her head in Korra's direction, "Yeah, I'm ready."
The younger woman frowned, "Asami, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. We can always head back and go somewhere else if you want."
She knew it was too soon. Asami already had enough on her plate; sensory overload wouldn't help.
"No, I'm good. Really. I need a break. Well, we need a break from everyone. I'm just excited I finally get to be here with you, without saving the world as a stipulation, you know?"
Korra understood what that meant all too well. Even with being gone all of those years, Korra never had a chance to rest mentally.
"I get what you mean. It's nice, putting everything on pause. We can breathe for once. Shall we commence our first vacation together?" The thought of having alone time with Asami left butterflies in her stomach, but more than anything she was eager to start their adventure.
Two solid weeks of no meetings and no chasing bad guys. Just restoration and relaxation. With Korra. The girl that I like, a lot. Holy Crap. It was then that the heiress realized the predicament she was in. Great. I hope I don't make a fool of myself. This will be a long two weeks.
"Lead the way, Avatar."
After trekking through meadows and stopping to gaze at the massive spirits flying through the sky, the two women settled in front of a waterfall. The scene was serene and vibrant with color.
Setting her pack down, Korra took out a blanket, fanning out the fabric like a tablecloth, "This spot should be perfect for the picnic! The view is great- and I don't see any spirits lurking around over here."
Asami flashed Korra a smile as she replied, "You're hungry already? Didn't you have some buns that Pema packed when we started hiking?" The heiress sat down, patting the spot next to her.
Korra followed suit, scooting herself close to the other girl, "Yeah, but I burned all that off already. Besides, I need to eat a lot to fuel these guns." The water bender emphasized the last bit by flexing her biceps, causing her muscles to pull the fabric of her sleeves taut.
The display caused Asami to giggle, covering her mouth, "Is this you, flirting?"
Heat rushed to Korra's face as she tucked her hair behind her ears, "Maybe. I'm just a lot more smooth, most of the time."
Teasing Mako was easy, she could practically say anything and he'd get red in the face. Now, she truly realized the trouble she was in with Asami. With just a look, the girl made her feel as tingly as Asami felt going through the spirit portal. This vacation would be a lot harder than she thought.
"I think you're smooth just the way you are. Did you want to-" Asami paused. The ground began to shake, a low rumble booming from below. "Okay, I know you're hungry, but I don't think that's your stomach grumbling."
The pair glanced around, then back at each other, trying to figure out the source of the sudden earthquake. A moment later, Korra saw the cause of the ruckus: a large group of fluffy, pink, bovine-like spirits were running across the field. With each passing second, the herd grew closer, headed straight for the two of them.
"Aaasami, we gotta go!"
Korra snatched up their packs as Asami grabbed the blanket, both of them making a beeline towards the cove underneath of the waterfall. With the stampede gaining on them, Korra attempted to propel themselves ahead with airbending, forgetting that her bending didn't work here. Muttering a curse under her breath, Korra pounded her feet into the ground, hoping to beat the herd of creatures before they could reach them.
The two women trudged through puddles, almost to their destination. A few seconds more and they would be out of the way. Asami was right behind Korra until her foot faltered, causing her to slip into a pile of mud.
Hearing a smack, Korra turned around to see Asami staggering behind her. Throwing their gear ahead, Korra doubled back to grip Asami's outstretched hand and sling her forward, hooves narrowly missing the heiress.
Catching their breath, the pair watched as the herd ran its course through the meadow. Korra stood with hands on her hips, shaking her head, "We can't catch a break can we? Always running for our lives."
Sneaking a glance at Asami, she started to snicker. The green eyed girl was covered head to toe in mud, most of it plastered on her face.
"Go ahead and laugh Korra, see what happens." the CEO of Future Industries challenged with a smirk.
Korra fought with all of her might, but the sight of Asami coated with sludge was too powerful. It made the Avatar slow, and unable to avoid the generous amount of muck flung into her face. Upon seeing the shorter girl smiling through the mud mask, Asami erupted with laughter, with Korra soon following.
"'Sami, I'm sorry, but it was too funny."
"Not as funny as your face." She retorted, lightly punching Korra in the arm. "I guess we should get cleaned up and change."
When it came to tinkering on her cars, being covered in grease was never a problem to Asami. It came with the territory. Being doused with mud on her vacation with Korra was not part of the plan.
A devilish glint flickered in Korra's eyes, "Or, we could ditch the clothes and go swimming."
It was nearly impossible to see the color flushing onto Asami's cheeks.
"Swimming without clothes?"
She'd seen Korra's body before during the time Korra could barely bathe herself, but then had been different. She never thought of the prospect of seeing the Avatar unclad in all of her glory again.
"No!" Korra blurted out, embarrassed by Asami's interpretation of her words, "I mean- just-I thought with bathing suits! I didn't mean-"
"OH, Spirits! I'm sorry! I thought you meant-"
"No! You're good! I mean, I am not opposed to it-"
"It's fine! I have a bathing suit. Let me just freshen up a bit first." Taking off her gloves, Asami began rummaging through her belongings.
In the awkward silence that surfaced, the Avatar to fiddled with her hands.
"Right. Good. I'll uh, be out there, to give you some privacy. Just come out when you're ready."
Korra anxiously paced out of the cove. Making sure no person or spirit was around, she quickly stripped down to her bindings. She forgot to pack a bathing suit, but this was her first vacation, can't get everything right. With a quick jump, Korra dove into the water, ridding herself of the dirt caked on her face.
In the cove, Asami was having the breakdown of her life. She managed to get herself cleaned up, but her makeup bag disappeared into thin air. Desperate, she scattered her belongings on the floor of the cove, scanning them all. Still not there. There was no way she forgot to pack it, impossible. Asami Sato never set foot outside of her home without a full face of makeup. Not even since her secondary school years had anyone ever seen her with a bare face; it just didn't happen. When she and Mako were a thing, she would always put on at least the bare essentials before he visited. But this was Korra. She needed to have a little something on her face while she was around.
"Asami? Are you okay?" It had been a few minutes and Korra had began to worry. They weren't in the middle of a wacky spirit cave were they?
"I'm fine, I just- I'm missing a bag!" She needed to find it immediately- no way Korra could see her now.
"What's it look like? I can help you look for it. Wait- you're not naked in there, are you?"
"No! It's a small bag...it has my makeup in it!"
Korra exhaled. What a relief. She wasn't sure if she could handle seeing Asami without clothes. Come to think of it, she hasn't even seen her without makeup. Weird.
"We're just going swimming, it'll be fine!"
Asami was panicking, this could not be happening. Their vacation together already endured a stampede of pink cows and now she couldn't put on a smidge of eyeliner.
Stifling a sob, Asami replied, "No Korra, you don't understand!"
Sensing a shift in her voice, Korra practically vaulted herself out of the water. "Asami?!"
"Don't come in here!"
Korra waited right outside of the entrance, "Asami, what's wrong? Talk to me!"
With tears welling up in Asami's eyes, she gave up on the search. She didn't believe she was ugly without makeup. In fact, she loved when her father would compliment her on how much she looked like her mother. But without her makeup, her face was bare and so was she. She'd lose the facade of this affluent woman, this engineering genius, put together for the world to see . Asami Sato couldn't control everything in her life, turbulent as it was, but she could control what others could see. To be this open and vulnerable was too much. She could never let anyone get this close. It was better this way.
"Korra, I can't let you see me like this."
Following the echoed sounds of sniffling, the Avatar slowly made her way into the cove, "Hey, I'm sure you look fine. Everything will be okay. It's just me, Asami." She kept walking until she found the tall girl, her back facing toward Korra.
Asami heard Korra's footsteps inch closer, her body shying away on reflex, "But Korra, what if-" She couldn't even finish the thought.
"What if what?"
Doubt bled into her voice,"What if you don't like what you see? I look...a mess."
Her biggest fear was finally coming true. Korra would see that underneath it all, Asami was just an ordinary girl full of issues that no one wanted to deal with. Asami could barely handle her own demons, why should anyone else?
Korra rested her hand on the heiress' shoulder, "You saw me at my worst, believe me, that was a mess. But this, it's not a mess at all." Korra took a deep breath, "Do you trust me?"
Korra's words bounced off of the walls, reverberating in Asami's head.
"I trust you with my life."
"Then trust me with this."
Her pulse pounding in her ears, Asami waited a few beats before slowly turning around to face Korra. As if bracing for impact, she kept her eyes shut, awaiting Korra's response. This was it. This would be the part where Korra says this was all a mistake, that they should return to Republic City and never talk about this moment.
A warm, calloused hand cupped her cheek, caressing her sweetly. When Asami opened her eyes, she saw those gorgeous blues that made her heart flutter, that big, bright smile that made her swoon and...and she was looking at her.
"Sami, you don't have to put up a wall with me. You made me feel safe, just trust me and let me do the same for you."
Korra brought up her other hand to wipe away a tear from Asami's face. It made no sense, Asami didn't see herself the way Korra saw her. She wanted, no, needed to tell Asami how she felt.
"I didn't fall for the makeup Asami. I fell for you. You have always been beautiful to me, inside and out." Korra leaned in, pressing her lips tenderly to Asami's, timidly, as if she might shatter.
That soft kiss was all it took for Asami to melt into Korra's embrace. With her face bare and her heart open, she felt the weight leave her shoulders, that baggage that she'd been holding onto for spirits knew how long. Those arms that wrapped around the small of her back and waist held so much power and yet, her touch was delicate. The feeling left goosebumps, ghosts of where Korra's skin met her's. Asami gave in, running her hands through Korra's hair, then her neck, her shoulders, and then spirits that back.
Korra reacted in time with Asami's growing passion, matching the heat from the pale girl's lips. Time seemed to stop. No, time kept moving faster, one moment blurring into the next, hands desperate to see what their eyes could not. Between gasps and murmured I love you's, they mapped each dip, curve, and contour of each other's body, their joint pleasure reaching its peak.
They crashed onto each other, the pair spent from their shared affections.
"Okay, I hate to ruin this, but I'm still hungry."
"Korra, shut up!" Asami kisses her lips shut.
Korra grinned cheekily, "Mm I could get used to this."
This was amazing. She got to see Asami with and without a bathing suit, all in the same day. She also might've said the 'L' word a few times, no big deal.
The waterbender was enjoying watching Asami walk away-until she realized she didn't know where she was headed.
"Hey, wait! Asami, where are you going?"
"Catch me if you can!"
Korra heard her splash into the water and there was no way she was going to let Asami have all of the fun.
"Oh no you don't!"
The Avatar ran out of the cove, only to lose her footing and flop into the lake.
Asami chuckled as Korra resurfaced with a pout, "Ow."
"Aww poor baby. You not having fun anymore?"
Swimming closer to Asami, she pecks her on the cheek, "Oh no, I'm having plenty of fun. In all honesty, I'm really glad you came on this trip with me, 'Sami."
That pet name was going to be the death of her. "Me too, Korra."
Jade colored eyes glossed over the mocha skinned girl's features, landing on her lips last. Asami decided she needed to have more of her.
She inched closer to kiss Korra, but the latter backed away, "Asami, wait!"
She huffed with frustration, "What?"
Korra points over to the edge of the lake, just about the same direction where they came from the spirit portal. Asami squinted until her eyes found purchase: Nestled next to a rock was a small, red bag. The same red bag that Asami had a monumental meltdown over. To say she was peeved was an understatement.
"Is that your makeup bag?"