Back in handcuffs...

-"Korra, what the fuck happened last night?!" Asami asked once they had both calmed down a little from the shock of waking up like they did.

Korra tried to think, but drew a blank on everything that happened. "I... I don't know. I can't remember what happened." Out of instinct, she tried to rub her head, but was once again stopped by the handcuffs. "Can we have this discussion after you cut me loose? Come on, there has to be a key around here somewhere."

-"Fine." Asami got off of her, and soon enough, spotted a key on the nightstand. As she moved around though, Korra felt through the mattress that her ex suddenly froze. "Umm, Korra? Does your... ass hurt?"

This took her by surprise. "Yes, how'd you know?"

-"You have a tail."

Are you fucking kidding me?! "A tail?!" This was when a light went on. Korra vaguely remembered from last night that she and Asami were playing around with a tail plug. Now you know where that ended up. "Do you have one too?"

Asami felt around, but it wasn't there. "No, but the cheek is kind of numb. Hang on, let me untie you first, then we can sort out our butt-problems." She suited her action to her words, finally freeing Korra's arms from the handcuffs.

Sleeping in that position was a really bad idea, since popping her shoulders back into their regular position of hanging by her side hurt like hell. But at least this was an easy mystery to solve. How she ended up with that fox tail plug was still a bit of a riddle, even if getting it out again was probably going to be uncomfortable.

By now, Asami had turned around, and she had only slipped on a shirt, giving Korra an eyeful of ass, and what a glorious ass it is, damn you for breaking up with me, which solved yet another mystery. "Asami? Did you say your ass was numb?"

-"Yeah, why?"

"Because I know why. You might want to check it out in the mirror."

With a hint of worry on her face, Asami moved to the bathroom, where it didn't take long for her to let out an ear-piercing scream. As it turned out, prominently displayed on her left ass cheek was now a blue heart with Korra's name tattooed in it. "Holy fuck! This thing is real!"

"Yes, yes it is," Korra muttered to herself. She grabbed another shirt that was laying around, this one bright pink. Good enough. Pulling it on was difficult though, as it was surprisingly tight.

And then came the part that would probably hurt: Korra needed to get rid of that tail. It was dry, and pulling it out hurt as well. This was not going to be a good morning. Her head hurt, her back hurt, her shoulders hurt, her arms hurt, and now her ass hurt, even as the plug was free. Meh, it's probably your own fault.

Looking around for pants also made her spot a strap-on, discarded next to the bed, no doubt put to good use by them last night. Eventually though, she found some pants and slipped those on as well. The athlete decided the best thing to do was look around the room for more clues, and they were plenty. Her phone was broken, damn, now I have to buy a new one - again, but doing so also made her spot something else. On her finger, there was definitely a silver ring that wasn't there last night. "Oh no..." she muttered. "This can't be happening..."

-"KORRA!" Asami yelled from the other room. "Why in the name of holy fuck is there a marriage certificate with our names on it?!"

A day earlier, after landing...

Things between Korra and Bolin were mostly back to normal. She could blame him for it, but Korra knew that her best friend could be a bit of a blockhead at times. He didn't know that Asami was her ex, and that he didn't quite get her name right over the phone wasn't something she'd put beyond him. He was probably quite genuine when he was trying to apologize to her, even though it wasn't really his fault.

During the flight, Korra just occupied herself with watching the new Guardians of the Galaxy, which actually turned out to be okay. Dumb fun, but fun nonetheless. It distracted her from the fact that she was on vacation with her ex. Sure, they weren't on terrible footing with each other, but just the idea of the whole thing rubbed her the wrong way.

Their seating in the plane was so that Bolin and Korra sat next to each other, while Mako and Asami sat two rows back. It went pretty smoothly, but nevertheless, Korra was glad when she set foot on the ground in Vegas again.

What was surprising was how tense it was once all four of them were reunited at the baggage checkout. Strangely enough, that tension didn't come from Korra and Asami, but rather Mako and Asami. It just felt like they were going to have a long talk once they actually got some privacy in the hotel.

Both the athlete and the actor had only packed a carry-on bag, which was more than enough for a weekend as far as Korra was concerned. She never felt a need to change three times a day, so it was just three sets of clothes and one extra pair of underwear. So it was a little mystifying to see just how big Asami's suitcase was. Damn. You'd think the Red Cross could dress an entire village in Africa with that.

"You really need so much?"

-"Mako has some of his stuff in here as well, and it's not full." The answer was pretty close to how Asami sounded when she snapped at someone, telling Korra once again that something wasn't right between them. She decided it was best to let it rest for now, have them come out with it naturally at a moment of their choosing. For now, it was just a matter of getting to the hotel and checking in.

True to Asami's style, it turned out her father was a stakeholder in The Bellagio and that he could basically check in whenever he wanted, provided he gave the hotel a warning a few days in advance. Asami had used this benefit to get their rooms for free, hence why Bolin said that it was so cheap.

The taxi ride over was about as tense as waiting for their luggage, so when Asami split off from the group to check in, Korra decided to ask Mako. "What is going on between the two of you? When you arrived, you seemed perfectly fine, but now you two are tenser than a guitar string."

-"Nothing that concerns you," he snapped back.

"I think it does concern me, as you weren't this tense before you knew that me and Asami went out. She said it, it was a long time ago, and she clearly moved past it."

A dismissive shrug was all she got out of him, so Korra realized it was probably best to drop the subject there. Asami soon came back with their hotel room keys, having gotten one with a king-sized bed for herself and Mako and two queen beds for Korra and Bolin.

Since it was already late, they decided to make hay and quickly ditch their stuff in their rooms.

Korra thought the room she'd share with Bolin was nice enough. They had shared rooms before, and since he didn't snore, Korra wasn't really bothered by it. The room itself was simple but functional, enough space to ditch their stuff, showers that were too low, and at least they got a television.

-"Alright, we need a plan of action," Bolin commented once they'd settled in. "Things between Mako and Asami aren't good and it's up to us to fix it."

Korra raised an unconvinced eyebrow. "Bo, I'm pretty sure we'd only make things worse. Besides, I'm pretty sure they're this tense because of me."

The actor wasn't convinced. "I know my brother, and that's not it. There is something else going on."

It wasn't going to be easy. Asami wasn't comfortable enough to talk about it and Mako was too stubborn to admit it. Korra would have loved to think longer on it, but was rudely interrupted by a low growl from her stomach, making Bolin chuckle. "Apparently, you think we need food before anything else."

Korra chuckled, mostly because it was true. They'd gotten lunch on the plane, but now, she was seriously hungry. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned? Fuck that shit, hell hath no fury like a woman starved. She went to get Mako and Asami, whose room was a few doors down, while Bolin went downstairs to save them a table.

But when she got there, she could definitely hear an argument going on, even through the door. Even though she was interrupting something, Korra decided knocking was the correct course of action here. As soon as she did this, the room went silent. "Who is it?" Mako called out.

"It's Korra. Bolin and I are going down for dinner, if you want to join us."

There was a bit of stumbling in the room, and then Asami opened the door. "Yes, we're in." Korra got a quick look at the room, and it looked like they hadn't gotten up to do much unpacking yet.

The elevator ride down was tense, even more so than the taxi ride to the hotel. The silence that hung in the cart was heavy, and didn't look like it was going to resolve itself.

Fortunately, Bolin was already waiting for them at a table, and he announced that he'd already ordered drink for all of them, confident that he knew what everyone wanted. Of course, there was very little risk in that, as Asami was the only uncertain factor. And even then, you know - and told Bolin - that she loves a good red wine.

Surprisingly, dinner went well and wasn't that awkward. Sure, it was a little tense, but with some social lube in the form of alcohol, that was easy enough to ignore. Korra and Bolin had plenty of catching up to do, meaning Mako and Asami kept quiet for the most part, unless they were dragged into the conversation, one of those instances being a slightly awkward confession on Korra's side.

-"So, one thing I don't get," Bolin started after a brief lull in the conversation between the main course and dessert. "You broke up with Korra," he said, pointing to Asami. "And you were just okay with that, even though there wasn't any real reason to?"

"Well..." the athlete started, and rubbed her neck, because there was slightly more to it. "There was a reason, but more to the point, I did get my revenge."

Asami raised an eyebrow. "You what?"

"I may have egged your car," Korra admitted with a small voice.

-"That was you?!" her ex exclaimed. "Korra, I had to sell that car!"

Bolin was confused. "What, over some eggs? Just hose it down once, should take care of itself."

Asami sat there with an annoyed expression, as if she was expecting the athlete to do the talking. "Korra?"

"It, umm... It kind of was a convertible, and... She left the roof off." She looked around, Asami still slightly angry, Mako expressionless, but Bolin was clearly struggling to keep in his laughter. If you're very honest, it was a brilliant way to get your revenge for dumping you.

-"You knew how much I loved that car," Asami remarked. "The smell got into the carpets and the upholstery and everything, it was just horrible. Brand new Z4, black paint with red leather, and you forced me to sell it."

"Sorry," Korra mumbled. "I didn't know that part, and I was angry with you for breaking up with me. I just wanted to do something I knew you'd hate."

For some reason, this softened her up a little bit. "Well, I guess I did deserve something. I also should have known it was you, but I thought it was some punk kids, because I didn't think you were that petty. Apparently I was wrong."

"True, I was pissed, and you yourself admitted that I had every right to be. I'm sorry for that, I didn't know it would play out that far."

Asami nodded. "Fair enough. Apology accepted."

Bolin found the whole thing hugely entertaining, judging by the massive shit-eating grin he had sprouted. "Alright, but back up for a second. You said there was a reason, but what was that?"

The athlete looked over to Asami, who threw her a pleading look back. "That's between me and Asami." This reaction seemed to relieve her, and it made Korra smile as well.

-"Good, let's keep it that way," Mako grumbled.

This didn't seem to please Bolin, who'd been eyeing his brother up all meal long. "Alright, what's bugging you? You're in Vegas, dinner is being paid for you, and you're being a grump - even by your standards."

-"Alright, how would it feel to you if your girlfriend suddenly came out to you and told you she's a lesbian?"

Asami immediately went on the defensive. "I am not a lesbian!"

Yes you are.

-"Then what would you call a nearly year-long relationship with a woman?" Mako jabbed back. Asami didn't say anything, because she didn't have a good defense for herself. "It's weird, okay?"

-"Ahem," Bolin reminded Mako that Korra was at the same table as him. "You've never said that about Korra."

It did have the athlete a little surprised. "He's right, does that mean you think I'm weird as well? I've been with women my whole life. Hell, my first kiss was with a girl. Does that make me weird as well?"

Much to her surprise, Mako gave her more of a nod than a shrug. "Kind of. It's not the way things are supposed to be."

Korra scoffed. "Yeah, right, keep telling yourself that."

-"Look, I'm just not very comfortable sleeping with a woman who has been with other women."

-"Woman, singular." Asami stood up for herself. "Why are you being such a dick all of a sudden? Everything was fine this morning, and now you're suddenly turning into Bill O'Reilley!"

-"Well, maybe I just don't like learning that I've been sleeping with a freak for three months!"

After this, it went deathly silent at the table. After a few moments of disbelief, Asami simply stood up and walked away with large paces. There were a few people from other tables looking up, because the argument had got rather heated. "Bro, you just crossed the line," Bolin said after a while.

Korra had trouble keeping herself from reaching over the table and punching Mako's teeth out. "Give me your room key," she coldly told him while holding up her hand.

-"What?"

"Key. Do you really think Asami wants to be in a room with you right now, let alone sleep in the same bed as you?"

Mako hesitated for a moment, but Korra's burning look and Bolin's slow nod swayed him. "Fine," he said and handed it over.

When Korra stepped into the room, she was a little surprised. While the room she and Bolin shared was pretty simple, this was closer to a suite, with a separate bedroom and living room. But that didn't really matter right now. She'd expected Asami to be a mess, perhaps with her knees tucked up to her chest while gently sobbing on the bed, but no. Instead, she was standing at the window, arms crossed over each other while staring out over the city. "Hey, it's me," Korra opened.

At first, there was no reply. The athlete walked up to her ex, but decided it was probably best for now to just stand beside her. "You know, it's funny," Asami opened. "I almost expected something like this to happen soon."

"Something like what?"

-"A big fight between me and Mako. You know, I've dated six guys since I broke up with you, not counting Mako. None of them made it past the three-month mark. We're coming up on that soon."

Korra didn't really know what to say. "That doesn't mean it's your fault, Asami. Just bad luck."

She scoffed. "I aced math, Korra, ever since I was nine. I know the probability. Once, alright, nothing to worry about. Twice, sure, that's bad luck. But six times? No, that means there is something wrong with me." Asami deeply sighed. "And I think I know what."

"Being gay doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you. Just means that you have different preferences, so what? I like pineapple on my pizza, does that mean there's something wrong with me?"

-"Yes, yes it does," Asami chuckled, and Korra laughed too.

"Alright, bad example. But you get my point, right?"

It was briefly silent again after this. "I don't know, Korra. You heard what Mako said down there, and I think he's right."

Goddammit. Exactly what you'd been worried about. "Mako is an asshole! He doesn't like change and doesn't like surprises. This qualifies as both."

Asami threw her hand in the air in frustration while walking back into the room. "So what? It gets out to one person that I was with you, and he shoots me down because of it. Your argument isn't holding a lot of water right now."

"Except that it didn't get out to one person, you're only focusing on the bad. Bolin even went as far as standing up for you, for both of us, and he learned at the same moment Mako did. You just have to surround yourself with good people, and cut the bad ones off."

-"Korra, it's not that easy for me!" Asami yelled. Her composure was definitely slipping. The emotion of today was weighing on her, that much was obvious. "I don't just get choose who is in my life and who isn't!"

The athlete sighed, and walked up to her ex to put a hand on her shoulder. "There is always a choice. You are as brilliant as you are beautiful, so you can do whatever you want."

She wasn't quite sure what reaction this would bring, but the one she got wasn't on the list. Slowly, Asami's expression broke, and a first sob escaped her. Then a second, and a third, and then she was full-on crying. Korra knew that the only thing to do was to pull her in for a hug, try to comfort her as much as possible. "There, there. Let it all out."

-"I know I'm gay, Korra, I know," Asami sniffled. "But I don't want to be! I just want to be normal, not the freak I am now."

Korra pulled away from the hug a little so that she could look her ex in the eyes. Though 'friend' might be more appropriate right around now. "You're not a freak, okay? No matter what anyone says." She took a quick look around the room, and spotted what she was after: a floor-length mirror. With a light push, Korra nudged them both to it, and turned Asami around to face herself. "Look... What do you see?"

-"Us, not much more."

"A beautiful young woman who has the world at her feet, that's what I'm seeing here." Insert mandatory 'and you're here too'-joke. "Definitely not a freak, okay?"

Asami still seemed a little hesitant, but not like she was earlier, more like there was an idea forming in her head. "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do! Asami, you have nothing to be ashamed of, you hear me? Being gay is not wrong, and anyone who says differently can go fuck themselves." More tears formed in her eyes, and for a moment, Korra was worried. "Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, I think you said exactly what I needed to hear." What she did next, had Korra stunned. Asami leaned in to kiss her fiercely on the lips.

Oh sweet holy Jesus. On the one hand, God, had she missed that sensation. The full but soft lips, applying the perfect amount of pressure, with just a hint of taste from her lipstick shining through, and it was warm and familiar and everything Korra had longed for in the six years since Asami broke up with her.

On the other hand... Asami was technically still with Mako, and now Korra was helping her cheat on her best friend's brother. Definitely a bro-code violation.

Reluctantly, Korra put her forearms to Asami's chest and crowbarred them apart, even if her head was still swimming with contradictory feelings. "Okay... wow..." she muttered, and glanced up at her ex, who seemed confused above all else.

-"Korra? I thought you wanted this?"

"I do, but..." She was quickly trying to collect her thoughts. "But is it really what you want, or is it just something impulsive?"

Asami chuckled. "I don't do impulsive, you know that." Korra's single raised eyebrow told her enough. "Okay, it was impulsive, but didn't it feel right to you?"

This time around, it was Korra who didn't have an answer, because... Well, yes, it felt really right. Outside of the fact that Asami was a great kisser, always has been, it just reinforced the idea that they were meant to be together. "It did, but..." She took a deep breath. "I don't think it's fair. Not to you, not to Mako. I mean, you owe him an explanation. And if not that, then at least a punch in the face so that he knows it's over."

Asami chuckled. "You know what, that's actually a really good idea."

Before Korra realized what was happening, the engineer was out of the room and halfway to Mako and Bolin's, where she began knocking loudly. "Mako, open up, I want to talk." With a knowing smile, she looked over to Korra and gave her a wink. This can only end badly.

He did, and Korra could see that there wasn't a lot of remorse on his face. "You want to talk, then talk."

Asami slowly shook her head, and quickly punched him square on the nose, surprising even Korra with how hard it was. Mako was clearly caught off guard by it, as he fell back into the room, blood running down his face. That is probably broken. "We are definitely over," Asami said, and walked back to her own room.

-"Hey, wait!" he tried to get back up and follow her, but Korra stopped him by putting a hand on his chest.

"No, no," she smiled. "Bolin, Mako and I are switching rooms. Toss me my bag, will you?"

The younger brother did, and Korra then followed Asami.

-"God, that was satisfying," Asami smirked after the athlete stepped back into their room. "But I could do with a drink."

"Yeah, I think you need some ice on that hand as well," she remarked, because judging by how Asami was flexing and unflexing her hand, it looked like it hurt.

They both grabbed their ID's and credit cards and made for the bar in the casino below.

The music down there was surprisingly loud, and the place was about as stylish as one can expect from a Vegas casino, that is to say, not at all. The place was packed, the dancefloor already full of drunk people, but Korra and Asami simply made a beeline for the bar.

-"Can I get you ladies anything?"

"Beer for me and some ice for her hand," the athlete smirked.

-"Actually, I'll take a Long Island Iced Tea," Asami corrected. "Dulls the pain much better than an ice pack."

The bartender seemed to find their dynamic pretty funny. "How about I get you all of the above?"

Korra nodded. "Good plan." He soon had all of it prepared, and then handed Asami an ice pack and Korra the bandage. "You can tape up your friend here." After this, he left the two women to their own devices.

-"To dumping toxic people from our lives?" Asami asked, holding up her glass.

The athlete chuckled. "Yeah, I'll toast to that." She drank a first gulp of her beer, before turning back to her ex. "Alright, give me your hand, because if you wait any longer it won't stop any swelling." Asami complied and Korra quickly began her work, finding it strangely intimate. There had been an unasked question hanging between them about what should happen next. Their kiss felt good, but then again, Asami wasn't thinking clearly, and after the few seconds it took Korra to realize what was going on, she was responsible enough to break away.

After she was done, they both took a long sip of their drinks, trying to make it look like the silence between them wasn't a little bit heavy.

"So..." Korra ultimately broke it. "Do we have to talk about what just happened?"

Asami scoffed. "I dumped my boyfriend because he was a jackass, and I should point out that you were practically cheering me on."

"You know what I meant."

At this, she just sighed and took another drink. "I don't know, Korra. Do you want to talk about it?"

"We can't just not talk about it. Doesn't work that way anymore."

Another silence feel between them, but Korra wasn't about to let Asami off that easily. Fortunately, you don't have to. "You're right, and you were right before. It was an impulse, and I'm bad at those. I was emotional and I abused your trust and maybe even lingering feelings and I'm sorry for that. It's probably a good thing you wrenched us apart."

Korra thought about this for a moment. "You don't have to be sorry, you know. It was... nice, I suppose."

Asami chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it was. Can we just not mention it again and focus on getting drunk tonight? Worry about the rest tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan. Barman! Ten shots, if you please."

They did five each next to their already existing drinks, and those hit hard. They do know how to party here in Vegas, that's for sure.

And then it got worse, because Korra suddenly saw Bolin wave to her from the entrance. "BRB," she told Asami, only when she got up, was forced to hang on to the bar.

-"You sure you can make it?" Asami laughed.

"I can do this!" Yes, because nothing bad has ever happened after someone uttered that phrase. Miraculously, the athlete made it across the dancefloor without falling over too many times, and Bolin immediately saw what was going on.

-"Are you drunk?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Little tipsy," Korra defended herself, even though it was a blatant lie. "What's up?"

-"Well, I came to check if Asami was alright, but I guess she is."

Korra smiled. "She's fine, nothing to worry about. How's Mako?"

-"Took him to the first aid. Asami busted his nose up pretty hard," Bolin chuckled. "He totally deserved it, but since he is my brother, I'm gonna go back up in a minute."

"Alright, enjoy your Samurai Jack marathon. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine," Korra assured him.

He didn't look entirely convinced, but gave in anyway. "Alright, don't do anything too crazy, okay?"

"You got it." Korra turned around, and even though she still had to cross the dancefloor again to get to the bar, she saw that something was up. Her ex held up a hand, signaling het to wave off to the bathroom.

Korra made it to the bathroom, where Asami was waiting for her. "What's wrong?"

-"Creepy guy won't leave me alone. Got any bright ideas?"

She thought for a moment before a smile appeared on her face. "A few. Go back to the bar, I'll be there in a minute. Whatever you do, just play along with me."

Asami didn't look convinced. "What are you planning, Korra?"

"Nothing bad. Trust me, I've done this before."

She still looked a little skeptical, but decided to fly with it anyway. Maybe it's the alcohol impairing her judgment. That sounded like a reasonable theory, given that Korra knew her ex was normally more inquisitive than this.

For now though, the athlete decided to put a little bit of time between them, making sure the creep wouldn't think anything of it. When she did go after her, it didn't take long to spot that Asami was telling the truth. As she was walking out of the bathroom though, Asami was paying attention to Korra and not to the guy, who slipped a small pill into her drink without her noticing it. Korra walked up to her and put a casual arm around her shoulders. "Hey, babe," she said, pressing a quick kiss on her lips. This definitely caught Asami off-guard, but she remembered what Korra had said in the bathroom, because she regained her composure soon enough.

This also gave Korra the opportunity to eye the guy up. Pale skin, but not the natural shade that fitted Asami so well, it was more sickly so. His hair was overdone and also just looked plain weird. Everything about him was off, but above all else that made Korra angry, it was the way he was looking at Asami, like she was just a piece of meat. "This guy bothering you?"

-"Yes, he is," Asami said.

Korra soon turned to him. "Sorry, buddy, but this train has left the station. Hell, even if it hadn't, it's not on your side of the tracks."

He stared at her incredulously. "You fucking dykes are a waste of everyone's time," he said, and then finally left.

Asami breathed a sigh in relief and took a sip of her drink, which was some sort of brandy, if Korra was to have a guess in her already seriously inebriated state. "Did you really have to do that?"

"Do what?"

-"Kiss me in public."

Korra sighed. "Christ, Asami, lighten up. A quick peck on the lips in a bar in Las Vegas to scare off a creep. No one is going to think anything of it. If nothing else, blame the combination of me and alcohol." It was silent for a moment after this, which gave her some time to think. You're going about this the wrong way. "You know what you need?" the athlete mused out loud. "You need a plan. Not just a random bar to hang out at and get shitfaced, a step-by-step plan to make you feel better."

This made Asami snort. "Right. And I suppose you have something for that as well?"

"I do, if you don't mind. Here's what you need: we are going to do five things tonight you've never done before."

Asami groaned and took another swig of her drink. "Really? You want me to think of five things I've never done before and then do them with you?"

The athlete simply shrugged. "Well, yeah. We're in Sin City, if you can't think of anything you've never done before here, boy, have I got bad news for you."

-"Korra, I just got a drink," she said, taking another swig. "Just let me finish this."

This made her sigh. "Come on. I know you want to sulk, but you can't, not while you're in Vegas. You can do stupid shit here that no one will ever know you did after tonight." To expedite the process, she stole Asami's drink from the counter, and downed the remaining half in one go. "There, now you have no reason to hang around here any longer. We're going out in Vegas!"

Somewhat reluctantly, Asami let herself be dragged from her chair and to the door of the casino. Of course, what neither one of them knew was that the alcohol and the drugs in their system would ensure that A) their judgement had gone completely, and B) neither of them would remember what happened after this moment.

Alright, Part 2 here. At first, this and the next one was gonna be one chapter, but it grew a little big. (That one is probably going to be roughly the same size as this one.) One thing is for sure though: I had a lot of fun writing this, and I'm probably gonna have fun as well with that. Laters!