A.N.: This fanfic was inspired by a conversation I had with chimis-changa over on tumblr, and, as it's his birthday today, I want to dedicate this fic to him. Happy birthday, chimi!
Asami liked to think she knew sex with the Avatar in full and intimate detail. It had been more than a year since she and Korra had taken their relationship to that level (and continued to do so often and thoroughly) and she found herself aware of a multitude of little quirks and sensitive spots on Korra's body, and the expression on Korra's face during climax, and how, when she came home especially frustrated from her Avatar duties, she would have Asami pressed against the nearest wall with hardly a coherent thought in her head, nails leaving red hot streaks down the Avatar's strong back, and how she'd clutch ineffectively at Asami's hair and make those addictive mewling sounds when the heiress did that thing with her tongue.
This evening was different. It had been strange from the very moment when Korra had come home, trying, and failing, to pretend that everything was normal. She had been fidgeting, Asami could tell, since she set foot inside the house: bouncing on her toes, biting at her lower lip, playing with the softly curling ends of her hair, which she had taken to wearing free, trimmed to just below shoulder-length. And, although she had started off with the intention to wait her girlfriend out, let her broach the subject of what was bothering her in her own time, now, three hours later, Asami was at the end of her patience.
Korra was sitting at one end of the couch, seemingly in her own world, running the palms of her hands back and forth over the fabric of her pants with her fingers splayed out and curved upwards so that the tips hardly touched her thighs. That was a nervous habit if Asami had ever seen one, and it was one the Avatar had picked up from Tenzin of all people. Under different circumstances, Asami would have felt the urge to giggle at this, but by now she was just plain worried. There had been similar incidents back at the beginning of their relationship, before they had learned the art on communication, when one of them would clam up, at the same time anxious and too self-conscious to discuss the issue at hand. It had sometimes lead to fights between them which would otherwise have been avoided.
The Avatar had also been avoiding meeting her eyes. Asami had noticed that too; Korra would wait until she directed her attention elsewhere before letting her gaze fall on the heiress and then turn around at the barest indication that she might be caught. She did all that with a peculiar expression, a look of total adoration mixed heavily with dread. That reminded Asami of the start of their relationship as well.
In the end, she knew she had no way of finding out what was bothering Korra unless Korra herself decided to speak about it.
With a small sigh, Asami sat down next to her girlfriend and placed what she hoped was a reassuring hand on top of one of the Avatar's, which were still absently rubbing along the tops of her thighs. Korra tensed at the gesture, but remained otherwise unresponsive.
Steeling herself, the heiress pushed onward, leaning slightly Korra's body, "Korra, is everything all right?"
To her relief, and minor irritation, the sting from the earlier rejection seemed to have shown on her face, because this time her girlfriend reacted, if in a slightly frantic manner, turning her whole body towards her and looking both lost and guilty.
"No. No, I'm... fine. Thanks, Asami," the Avatar practically stuttered at her and her eyes yet again did that thing where she wouldn't look straight at her. Then Korra took her own turn to sigh before trying again, and this time she managed to hold Asami's gaze and seemed less distressed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just thinking."
Asami nodded her understanding and for a moment they sat like that, just looking at each other. Then she wrapped her arm around Korra's shoulders and pulled her closer. Korra settled against her with her face buried into her neck and finally the tension seeped out of her frame, leaving both of them more at ease than they had been all evening. "I am not going to make you talk about whatever is troubling you, but if you do want to, I'm here," the heiress murmured into her hair and smiled when she felt her hum into her skin in response.
It had become a habit, almost an instinct, to cuddle together like this when they came in close proximity to each other, Asami mused as she enjoyed the feel of the warm body against hers. It had begun even before their relationship became romantic; they would let their arms touch when they were standing close enough, sometimes lean their shoulders together, maybe even hold hands on some rare occasions. She tightened her hold on Korra, feeling the muscles in her back ripple as her girlfriend shifted against her to accommodate the tighter embrace.
They must have spent a while holding each other like that, because the heiress was startled from her thoughts when Korra kissed her neck. First came a dozen or so little kisses along the side of her throat, she barely would have felt them at all if it wasn't for the ever moving warmth of Korra's breath and the ticklish sensation of the tips of her hair against her skin. That made her grin widely and she was quite happy the Avatar was too busy to notice it.
Then she had to bite back a moan as the pressure increased into light sucking on the underside of her jaw, but, despite managing to keep her silence, she couldn't keep from squeezing with the hand which had slipped down to Korra's waist and that earned her a sigh from her girlfriend, who then finally raised herself, breaking contact for a moment, and proceeded to push her back to lie down on the length of the couch. That done, and having made sure Asami was comfortable against the soft cushions, Korra smiled softly at her handiwork and wordlessly straddled her, settling on top of her with her elbows on either side of her shoulders.
Their kisses were gentle at first, so soft that neither could keep their sighs contained anymore.
Asami wound her arms around Korra; one low so that her hand ended up at the small of the Avatar's back, where she started kneading with her fingers, eliciting a low groan. The other slid to her shoulder-blade, just holding firmly, and Korra tried to shake it off, driving her hips into the body below her in the process.
This set both of them off, kisses suddenly becoming sloppier, mouths sucking harshly, teeth biting, breathing turning into desperate pants. In less than a minute, wandering hands relieved Korra of her top and Asami's breath hissed out as she palmed at her lover's hard stomach, feeling goosebumps rise on her skin as she dragged the tips of her short fingernails upward. The heiress wasn't faring much better herself: her shirt was unbuttoned and hanging loosely off her shoulders and the front clasp of her bra was undone, leaving her breasts exposed to the cool air, nipples rapidly pebbling.
When her hand reached high enough, Asami wrapped it around the back of her lover's neck and tugged her down for another kiss. Korra's eyes were dark with their pupils blown so wide in desire that the thin ring of blue around them was barely visible, less in contrast with her dark complexion than usual. Asami loved seeing them like that, almost wild, it reminded her of the force of nature that was her lover, barely contained under her fragile skin. She dug her nails in slightly just to see them narrow.
With a growl, the Avatar dove down, raining bruising kisses against her neck, sucking and biting at her collarbone and then soothing the no doubt reddened skin with her tongue. Asami was vaguely aware of the barely human groans issuing from her own throat, but she couldn't bring herself to care.
Korra's hand, the one not currently supporting her weight, went to her breasts, pressing in with her fingers, lightly pinching her nipples. Asami bucked up into her lover, pushing her knee between Korra's thighs. She was answered with a strong downward thrust that spiked liquid heat in her core.
"Korra... Please," the heiress panted out, voice hardly more than a breath. It was the first words either one of them had uttered since they had begun this. Korra moaned into her neck, the dampness of her hot breath mixing with the perspiration on her skin. Then she reached with her hand, groping down her stomach along the way, and started unbuttoning her trousers. Asami involuntarily bucked up into her again and she whimpered with frustration at the movement.
And then Korra's hand was inside her underwear, slipping and sliding against her, inside her, and she could do nothing more than hold on tightly, and keen at the delicious friction, and push up into it.
That's when it happened. Asami felt it as something electrifying in the already thick atmosphere. Something had shifted and the hairs stood up all over her body. Korra suddenly felt cool against her, where, just a second ago, she had been scorching hot. The movement of her hips stilled, though her lover was still going.
"Korra?" Asami pulled gently with the hand she had buried in her hair. Korra raised her head and her eyes stared in question.
Her white glowing eyes.
Asami felt her body freeze completely, the only movement between them came from their breaths. She swallowed dryly and gaped up at the sight of her lover, the Avatar.
"Korra."
Her non-question seemed to shake Korra into action, but, instead of pulling away or coming out of the Avatar State, she just closed her eyes and went to kiss Asami. Asami, who could still see the faint light underneath her eyelids and feel the strange energy crawl along her skin everywhere they touched. Asami, who felt herself throb and clench around Korra's fingers.
Oh spirits, she thought as the Avatar resumed her previous actions, thrusting steadily but ever faster. Her hand went to grip Korra's forearm tightly as she bucked and arched up into her tanned lover.
Later that night, as they lay in the dark, cramped on the too narrow couch, but too exhausted to move, Korra had tried to apologise.
"I'm so sorry I surprised you like that. I was a bit on edge all day and I... Well, you saw."
Asami laughed. Pushed her head back and laughed and then pulled the Avatar closer and kissed her with everything she had left (which couldn't have been especially much, considering the evening they'd had, she thought later).
"I liked it. A lot. Just give me some warning next time," she thought for a moment and then decided to ask. "Why were you on edge? I know I said I wouldn't ask, but..." she grinned a bit sheepishly.
Korra tensed in her arms for a moment, but then relaxed. "Oh that. Give me a second," her voice sounded a bit unsteady, like she was trying to keep it from shaking and not fully succeeding. Then she leaned over and fumbled for something on the flood by the couch.
Seconds later something cold and hard was pressed into Asami's hand. She brought it up to her face and tried to examine it in the pale moonlight coming in from the window: it was rounded, like a coin, but bigger and thicker, and made of... glass? There seemed to be a relief of some kind on one side. A string was attached to it. It was a necklace.
Asami inhaled sharply. She was holding in her hand a Water Tribe betrothal necklace.
Which her Water Tribe girlfriend had just given her.
Oh.