AN: this is so weird, this writing streak. i really really thought my inspiration would dry up, but here we are, three chapter for three days.

lots of talk of sex and virginity in this one. also please review! it makes me happy and gives me inspiration to write more

"It's not very big," Kaori remarked, eying Kuvira's room with skepticism. Two years with the Beifongs and she was already spoiled. It caused a smile to tug at the corner of Kuvira's mouth.

"I don't need a big room," she replied as she opened the closet door to put up her small wardrobe. Which was still larger than she would have liked. Suyin did not seem to need an excuse to buy her clothes. She would have felt uncomfortable with the gestures, but she knew that was just how Suyin was with everyone. Lin had a closet full of clothes Suyin had bought for her. "I just need a place to sleep when I'm not with you." She gave Kaori a wink, and the girl rolled her eyes.

"But what if I want to spend the night? Your bed's tiny." She clearly did not approve of Kuvira's new living arrangements in the slightest. "Aunt Lin and Aunt Kya's bed is huge."

"Well, that's because there're two of them," Kuvira said. She did not mention the fact that Lin and Kya did a lot more than sleep in their bed, and she also hoped with all her heart that she would never have to hear any of those activities. Her bedroom was at the opposite end of the flat, so things boded well.

"And their room is way bigger than yours."

"That's because my room is a guest room. It's not meant for someone to live in it permanently." This was not necessarily true. The room was a decent size, much better than what most people would have. It just wasn't up to Beifong standards. It wasn't lavishly large with floor to ceiling windows and a view of the mountains. But it served her purposes well.

"Your rooms at our place were way better."

Kuvira raised a brow at Kaori as the girl flopped dramatically on the bed. "You know I'm going to be over there almost every day, right? And I'm going to see you all the time."

"But what if I need to see you like in the middle of the night?"

"Why would you need to see me then?"

"I don't know! What if there's an emergency?"

"We have a phone here, and Lin will give you the number. I'll just be one call away." She finished hanging up her clothes, and sat next to Kaori on the bed. "I know this is going to be different, but it's not forever. Just until my nightmares are better." Kaori had taken the lie in stride. She barely even protested, more concerned with Kuvira's comfort and health. That didn't mean she was happy about the situation, though.

"You said that could take months."

"I know. Kya says these things take time," Kuvira said softly. What she had not told Kaori was that there was a very good possibility that she could be staying with Lin and Kya a lot longer than they first told her. Her ability to move back in with Suyin depended on the Council's opinion on whether or not she needed to be constantly monitored. Who knew how long that could be? Korra was optimistic, but Kuvira chose not to get her hopes up.

The plus side was that now…now she could actually be with Suyin.

After her confession of her feelings, it had been increasingly difficult for both of them to keep their relationship from moving on, from entangling themselves in a messy ethical issue of whether or not Kuvira could consent to a relationship with Suyin while they were still guardian and ward. The entire situation was made even more complicated by Baatar's implied feelings for her. He had tried to talk to her about it, but she quickly reminded him that he had said nothing would change. And that was what she wanted right now. For nothing to change. She had enough to deal with in Suyin. He was too much for the time being.

Suyin had also tried to talk to her about it. Because of course Baatar had told her. All Kuvira had asked was if Suyin had known. She had. Then she told Suyin that she most definitely wasn't ready for that, and Suyin had agreed, had told her Baatar had never planned on telling her, had not wanted to make things more complicated for her. She told Kuvira it was different than what they felt for each other. That Baatar wasn't quite sure himself what it was, but that he did love Kuvira.

And of course then there was Opal. Opal who had been sitting at Kuvira's bedside the second day after Suyin's rescue. All she had done was glare at Kuvira then gruffly thank her for saving Suyin. And then she left. Kuvira had been confined to bedrest for the duration of Opal's stay, but she thought that maybe Suyin's children were on the path to forgiving her. The twins had actually stopped in to check on her and had stayed for an initially awkward conversation that soon eased into a natural back and forth. She always knew they could never hold a grudge against someone their mother had deemed forgiven.

Though there was an underlying guilt for her as she wondered if their forgiveness would continue once they found out Suyin was planning on bedding her. Of course, if they did ever tell the twins, they should probably phrase it a different way.

Kuvira could not help that her mind had been going there lately. During the couple of weeks leading up to her move, she had found herself having…unsettling dreams. Sometimes they were the predictable ones of Suyin being kidnapped and Kuvira not getting there in time. Nightmares about prison, nightmares about her time as the Great Uniter. Those did not bother her so much. They were what she was accustomed to, after all.

What bothered her were the ones where things between her and Suyin became…intimate. Dreams where Kuvira was bare and naked, Suyin over her or sometimes under her. Dreams where Suyin's hands were all over her, touching her in places no one ever had. Dreams that left her hot and distracted, panting with something besides fear for once. She started dreading sleep because every time she had one of these dreams, she worried what they meant. She worried that it would be obvious to everyone that she had dreamed about having sex with Suyin. What was worse, every time Suyin was near her now, she felt her skin heat up, felt herself flush with desire.

Her body was mile ahead of her mind.

The rational part of her said it was perfectly natural for her to feel this way about someone she loved. That a lot of people felt this way about people they didn't love. That this attraction was no reason to be concerned. But the fact was that she had never felt this much desire before. Not for Baatar Jr. For him, she had felt a fraction of this. Enough that she could have been intimate with him if it had come to that. This thing that she felt for Suyin, though, was entirely different. It was beginning to scare her, for she worried that her body would begin making decisions for her that she was not ready for. Soon, she knew, she would need to discuss this with Suyin. She would need to explain her…lack of experience. She would need Suyin to help her, to be the responsible one in the relationship and help her pick through this frightening new world of attraction without getting hurt. It was a conversation she was not looking forward to.

Hopefully it was a way off, though. Today was her first day with Lin and Kya, and sex with Suyin was not even a remote possibility for quite some time. They had not even been on a date. Had only kissed twice. She might have been getting ahead of herself with all the dreams.

Sighing, she patted Kaori on the head. "What do you say let's go see if Kya's gotten lunch started?"

Kaori jumped off the bed, clearly excited to try some Water Tribe food. Kuvira was just read for something less…experimental than what Suyin's chef was likely to serve. They found Kya in the kitchen, rummaging around in the cabinets. She smiled as they walked in.

"I was just about to start lunch. Anyone want to help?"

Kaori raised her hand excitedly. Kuvira knew that living with Suyin and Baatar, she had very little experience in a kitchen. All her meals were made for her, and she still saw cooking as a fun novelty. Kuvira almost snorted. If she was honest with herself, she had about as much experience as Kaori, for she, too, had lived with Suyin. And then as the Great Uniter, she had not had time to prepare her own food. Someone else had done it then, too. Then, of course there was prison, and finally she went back to Suyin. It was odd to think that even with the life she had led, she still had these privileges.

"I'll help, too, of course," she said to Kya. She would earn her keep. They were doing this for her, and she would make sure she did not take it for granted.

"All right. Let's get started. Kuvira, would you please cut up these carrots?" She passed the vegetables to Kuvira, who set up on the counter. For a moment, she looked at the knife in her hand, startled at the casual way Kya gave her a weapon. For ten years, she had been constantly searched, constantly violate, constantly kept as far away from anything that could hurt people as was possible. And now Kya just handed her this blade as if it were nothing. Of course, Kuvira could turn any piece of metal into a weapon, but she had not handled a pre-made one in a very long time.

Trying to shake off the strange feeling of wrong doing, she went about cutting the carrots into rounds while Kya set Kaori to washing the cabbage. It was clear that Kya was planning a soup, and Kuvira could tell that it was not going to be Water Tribe. She hoped Kaori wouldn't be too disappointed.

"Are we going to have seaweed?" Kaori asked. Of all the things Suyin's chef concocted, he tended to stay clear of seaweed. For which Kuvira was grateful.

Kya pulled a face, her nose scrunching in disgust. "No. No seaweed here."

Kaori's face fell. "But…then what kind of soup is this?"

"Just your regular old noddle soup. I'm sure it's not going to be much different than what you have at home."

"No…Water Tribe food?"

"Spirits, no," Kya said, shuddering. "I had enough of that to last me a life time. Do you know how hard it is to get fresh vegetables at the South Pole? Basically impossible. If I never see another tentacle or piece of seaweed again, it will be too soon."

"Oh." Kaori's bottom lip stuck out, and Kuvira had to bite back a laugh. The girl certainly had a flare for the dramatic. Probably from living with Suyin for so long.

Kya looked down at her. "I'm sorry, Kaori. I didn't realize you were hoping for Water Tribe food. Lin and I eat mostly Earth Kingdom fare. Sometimes Fire Nation. Can't say I like either of my native foods too much. But hey, look. There's a Water Tribe restaurant here in Zaofu. I found it a couple of days ago when I was scouting out the neighborhood. Maybe we could go sometime? How about that?"

"Okay," Kaori said, her lip returning to its normal place. Kuvira felt a surge of affection in her chest, and she was glad that Suyin agreed to let Kaori come 'help' her move in. Suyin herself had been there earlier in the day but had several meeting to attend. And Lin was taking her retirement very well. So well, in fact, she had already jostled a position as head of Suyin's security force. Kuvira was certain this would cause plenty of sibling drama, but she and Kya had agreed that it was best to just let the Beifong sisters do what the liked in cases like this. If they regretted it later, they had only themselves to blame. Besides, Lin had earned the respect of Suyin's guards during the rescue. Apparently, after getting her sister to safety, she had gone back for Kuvira and taken out no fewer than ten Uniters on her own. The twenty that Kuvira counted had been about half of the entire group. The rest had been lurking around in the shadows.

Three of them had died. Five had gotten away. Which left them with thirty-two prisoners. Quite overwhelming for Zaofu's facilities. Lin had suggested shipping them back to Republic City, but Suyin insisted this was an internal affair. They had all agreed that it would be best not to broadcast the events. No need to encourage others to try the same. Even Korra had been given a much downplayed version of events, though Kuvira knew she would have to tell the Avatar the truth on her next visit. At least she could claim that Suyin and Lin were the ones who had told her to fudge the truth. They had only lied to keep Korra from coming to Zaofu. She didn't need to leave her family for something she couldn't change.

Lunch came together nicely, and by the time they were ready to eat, Kuvira was quite hungry. She had been discussing with Kya what foods she could focus on to help her build muscle mass more quickly, and she was slightly disappointed that none of them were present in the soup. She supposed that one meal wouldn't hurt, though. She did not want to become too focused on what she ate. Not when she knew herself, knew that type of behavior could quickly become obsessive and unhealthy. So she decided to enjoy the soup and just try and accept where her body was.

She did let herself smile, though. She had gone up a waist size, and her arms no longer looked quite so wiry. More solid. And her hips were filling in. Maybe by the time she was ready to be intimate with Suyin, her body would be back to where she wanted it. Hopefully.

But now there was a scar on her side from the Uniters' attack. The metal piece had gone straight through her, leaving matching scars on her front and back, just below her ribs in the soft flesh of her side. Even a healer as gifted as Kya had not been enough to keep the scars from forming. Kuvira did not mind so much. Lin had a multitude of scars, and she never seemed down about them. In fact, she liked to show them off to Suyin's security force, giving what were probably fabricated stories of how she got them. For instance, Kuvira knew for a fact that the scars on her cheek were from Suyin, but just the other day, she heard Lin telling Hua that she got them from fighting off members of a triad.

Kya told her to let Lin have her indulgences. She rarely ever allowed herself to have fun.

Kuvira sometimes wondered if she was the same way. Suyin said often enough that Kuvira reminded her of Lin. They were both prone to somber seriousness and had little patience for joking and carrying on. Perhaps she should work on her own sense of humor. Perhaps she should get a sense of humor to begin with.

That afternoon, Suyin came by to pick up Kaori, who insisted on showing her Kuvira's now completed room. The decorations were sparse, but tasteful. Kuvira could tell that Suyin was itching to rearrange and decorate it herself. To Kaori, however, she commented on how nice it looked. She then asked Kaori to wait for her out in the sitting room with Kya.

When they were alone, she turned to Kuvira. "Are you going to be all right? I know that new places can be difficult."

"I think so. And if not, Kya is here. She's good with things like that."

Suyin nodded. "I know Lin's your guardian now, but if you need anything, please let me know. Anything at all. Even if it's just a picture frame or something."

"Lin's bringing me with her tomorrow. I'll be there all day with you." She stepped forward and took Suyin's hands. "It's better this way. I know I wasn't keen on moving out, but now I know this is the best choice for us."

"I know. I just…It feels like you're taking a step away from me."

Kuvira shook her head slightly. "I'm not at all. Because now, I can do this." She tilted her head up to kiss Suyin, their first kiss under good circumstances. And this time, she could actually take the time to enjoy it. Enjoy the way Suyin's arms came up around her, a hand pressed to the small of her back. Enjoyed the way their bodies pressed together, the way Suyin's lips felt against her own, so very different from Baatar Jr.'s. Soft and full and spreading into a smile. It was with great reluctance that Kuvira pulled away, marveling at how much desire she felt. "I love you."

Suyin leaned in to kiss her again, just a short one. "I'll never be tired of hearing that."

Kuvira looked down to hide her flushed face. "Kaori's probably waiting," she said. When she looked back up, Suyin seemed disappointed. And Kuvira hated to see her disappointed. "You should take me on a date."

"A date?"

"Yes. Like out. To a restaurant or something."

Suyin looked pained now, and Kuvira's brows furrowed. "Kuvira…that's not really possible."

"Oh."

"I know Huan knows about us, but I'm not…ready for the rest of the city to know. Not yet."

Kuvira nodded, trying not to feel hurt. Suyin was absolutely right, and Kuvira did agree. She had no desire for the entirety of Zaofu to know her business. This would cause more than just idle gossip. This would be something so huge that it would get all the way back to Republic City. All the way back to Baatar Jr. And that was something Kuvira wanted to avoid as long as possible.

"Of course, I didn't even think of that." Her carelessness embarrassed her. There as a time when no possibility would have escaped her. Every decision she made was carefully and meticulously weighed. Every move she made, painstakingly thought through, with every possible outcome explored. She had lost much of that. Ten years of making no decisions for herself had dulled her mind, she feared. "How stupid of me."

"No, Kuvira, don't say that." Suyin hugged her tightly. "I wish I could tell everyone. I want them to all know how happy you make me, how amazing and incredible you are. They all need to know who you've become."

Kuvira pressed her face to Suyin's neck, gingerly laying a kiss to the brown skin. Suyin gave a small gasp, and her hand came up to tangle in Kuvira's hair.

"Kuvira. Stop."

Startled, admonished, Kuvira jerked back. She expected Suyin to be angry, but instead, the older woman was flushed, her chest heaving.

"I'm sorry."

Suyin closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Don't be sorry. I'm just…my neck is very…sensitive. It's somewhat mortifying how affected I am by having it kissed."

"Oh," Kuvira said, and it was her turn to blush. "I'll um…keep that in mind." She felt like here was the part where she shared one of her own quirks, but of course, she had no idea what hers were. And now was not the time to be having the 'virgin' conversation with Suyin. Not yet. Not with Kya and Kaori just a couple of rooms away.

"When we're alone, Kuvira, and when you're ready to maybe go further," Suyin cupped her cheek, "then please, feel free to kiss my neck."

"Su!" Kaori's voice broke their moment, and Kuvira stepped back, absently running her hands over her clothes, making sure nothing was out of place. Beside her, Suyin carefully edged a finger around her lips, checking for smears.

"Right here," Kuvira supplied, touching the corner of her own mouth.

"Thanks." Suyin shook herself. "You might want to do the same."

"I'm not wearing lipstick."

Suyin smirked. "You are now."

At that moment, Kaori rushed into the room, and Kuvira spun around to hide her face, furiously wiping Suyin's lipstick from her mouth.

"Su, we need to go now. Dinner is soon, and I am starving!"

"I hardly think you're starving," Suyin replied easily. Kuvira wished she could feel so calm after almost being caught kissing. This had never been an issue with Baatar Jr. She was starting to think that Suyin was a bad influence on her. "Kya told me that you had a lovely lunch, not all that long ago."

"It was forever ago," Kaori stressed. "I feel like my insides are trying to eat each other!"

"Well, then I suppose we better go home." They both looked wistfully at Kuvira.

"Oh, stop looking so sad," she said. "I'll see both of you tomorrow. I promise."

"Pinky promise?" Kaori asked, holing out her hand. Kuvira linked their pinkies.

"Pinky promise."

"Okay. I'll be real upset if you back out." The girl's face set in a serious scowl, and Kuvira had to press her lips together to keep from smiling.

"I won't back out. Now go so I can actually get something done," she joked. Kaori stuck out her tongue, and Kuvira pushed her out of the room, following her and Suyin to the front door. Lin and Kya's place was a penthouse, to the lift came right to the small foyer. Kuvira wanted to kiss Suyin goodbye, but with Kaori there, it wasn't a possibility. She settled for a hug, then retreated inside, where she was now alone with Kya.

"You and Su getting frisky back there?"

"Spirits, Kya." Kuvira glared at her. "No. I'm not…it will be a while before…You know, I don't have to tell you anything at all about that."

"As your attending physician, your sexual activity is actually my business," Kya said matter-of-factly.

"There is no sexual activity," Kuvira growled, hating how hard it was to speak about this. Kya was always so casual, and Kuvira knew way more about Lin Beifong's sex life than she ever wanted.

"Well, not yet, but probably soon." Kya shrugged. "Su likes to move fast."

"I don't."

"Just make sure she knows that." Kya regarded her, eyes sweeping over Kuvira's frame. "Is there something more to this?"

"Nothing I want to discuss right now," Kuvira said tightly.

Kya put her hands up. "All right. Subject dropped. But really, we have a couple of hours before Lin gets home, and she's bringing take out, so you better figure out something to talk about, otherwise I'll just have to regale you with stories about my youth and all the wonderful trouble I got Lin into before she dated my brother."

"Please don't," Kuvira said hastily. "All right, fine. Look, I'm not…I worry about being with Su. She's experienced."

"You were in prison for ten years. Not a lot of action going on. It won't be a big deal."

"No, Kya, I mean…" She sighed, her leg bouncing in agitation. "I've never…not with anyone."

"What?" Kya looked shocked, and Kuvira wanted to sink through the floor. This was exactly the reaction she feared from Suyin. "Not even with-"

"Now. Not with Jr. Not with anyone."

"Oh. That changes things." Kya sat down on the sofa, and Kuvira lowered herself into one of the plush chairs that Lin had absolutely not been involved in buying. "Does she know?"

"No."

"Kuvira, you have to tell her. She may be doing things under a certain assumption. You need to tell her."

"I know. I'm just waiting for the right time."

"Well, that time needs to be before you're in bed with her."

"Kya, please!"

"I'm just being honest here. Su tends to be very physical. She loves you, and she won't want to do anything you're uncomfortable with. You have to be honest with her about that."

"But what if…What if she doesn't want me anymore."

"Oh, Kuvira, she loves you as much as I've ever seen someone love anyone." Kya gave her a reassuring smile. "She won't do anything you're not ready for, and she won't care that you haven't had sex. That's not going to change how she feels about you."

"It just makes me nervous."

"Kuvira, if you want, we can have the sex talk. I can give you all the information you need. In fact, we really should do that."

"I know….I know how it works. I had the talk when I was a teenager."

"You probably had the straight people talk," Kya mused. "There's a lot more to know if you're going to be with a woman. Did you have the talk from a healer?"

"No."

"Ah, then that's all the more reason for me to give it to you again." Kya smiled brightly, and Kuvira wished she could just claim illness and dash to her room. "And definitely before you decide to have sex with Su. The Beifong women are very aggressive in-"

"Stop! I do not want to hear about Lin, please."

"You're so uptight. Fine. But let me know before you take that step with Su. I'm serious, Kuvira." She looked at Kuvira pointedly. "Being safe and making the right decisions for yourself are worth the little bit of embarrassment it will cause to talk to me."

"Okay, sure. I'll let you know"

Kya, thankfully, let the subject drop, and Kuvira was able to keep her entertained with stories about Kaori. She was also trying to distract herself from being too worried about her first night in a new place. It had been unpleasant at the Beifong compound, but Suyin had found her in the night and made things better. Now…there was just Kya to offer hugs, and it certainly wasn't the same. Not at all.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Lin complained of a long day and let Kya do most of the talking. Kuvira was worried about intruding on them and kept nearly silent. She did not have the same ease with them that she had with Suyin and Baatar. Or the ease she used to have with Baatar. She feared that was ruined now. Regardless, it was worse here. Harder to know where she fit in. She supposed that if she was family to Suyin, that made her family to Lin and Kya by proxy. The problem was, she didn't feel like family. She felt like an awkward guest who they had only taken in because no one else would.

Of course, that wasn't true. She knew she had a place with Suyin. She was even starting to think that she would always have a place with Suyin, starting to believe it. These thoughts carried her to bed after tea with Kya (Lin had reports to read, and Kya had sighed like this was nothing new at all). She even let Kya give her sleeping herbs to help her through the night. She did not want to use them too often, did not want to become dependent. Kya assured her that this blend, this brew, was very safe. Unlikely to cause any kind of addiction. Still, they would be careful.

And so started Kuvira's first week away from Suyin. Somehow, she expected it to be very hard, something that would take all her strength and will power to do. She thought it would be plagued by more fresh nightmares, and she even anticipated a panic attack. But none of those things came. She did have dreams, but they were dreams of Suyin, not nightmares.

She kissed Suyin over a dozen more times that week, half initiated by her, half by Suyin. They grew increasingly more heated, with wandering hands and gasping breath. They were taken in secluded corners of the compound, where no one would find them. Kuvira found that she kind of really like being pressed against the wall as Suyin kissed her, and she wondered how that meshed with her previously dominant personality. Perhaps she liked giving up some control. But wasn't her entire life already out of her control? It was a lot to think about, which was hard to do when Suyin's lips were on her lips, her jaw, her neck. When Suyin's hands were roaming over her back, down to skim over her rear.

It was at one of these times, where Kuvira knew she could not wait any longer. Suyin was nipping at her jaw, a hand on her waist, sliding up near her chest when Kuvira pulled back.

"Su, I need to tell you something."

Suyin blinked, frowning. They were in the secluded wing that used to be Kuvira's, around a corner where there were no guards.

"What is it? Are you all right?"

"Yes. Y-yes, I'm fine. I just…I um…I need things to…to not go farther. Physically. Not yet."

Suyin nodded. "Yes, of course." She gently removed her hands from Kuvira's body. "I'm sorry if I made you feel rushed. I want you to be comfortable."

Kuvira took a deep breath. "I um…I feel attraction differently, I think, than most people. For me…there has to be an emotional connection. I have to care very much about the other person to feel any kind of…sexual attraction."

"All right."

"So this…this is all new to me."

Suyin nodded again, but Kuvira could tell she still did not know where Kuvira was going with this.

"What I'm saying, Su, is that I…I've never done this."

"Oh, I know. You never dated anyone until Jr. I don't want to talk about what you did with him, but I know you've never been with a woman."

Kuvira wanted to growl in frustration. "No, Su. I haven't done this at all. With anyone."

For a moment, Suyin looked utterly confused, her head slightly tilted and her brows furrowed. Then her mouth dropped open, and she let out a surprised, "Oh." Her hands froze, away from Kuvira, as if touching her was suddenly a big no-no. "Never?"

"No."

"But you and Jr…"

"Never. I said I wanted to wait, and he respected that." Kuvira wrapped her arms around herself, very uncertain, very unsure. "It never got very far, and then…You would be my first."

Suyin's wide eyes raked up and down her frame, as if evidence of Kuvira's sexual history would be apparent that way. She kept opening and closing her mouth, the shock clear and evident on her features. This possibility had obviously never occurred to her, and Kuvira felt exposed and naked, even though she was fully dressed.

"Please say something."

"I…don't know what to say," Suyin stammered. "I had just…assumed…"

"Well, you assumed wrong." Kuvira thought maybe she was trembling. "I…I understand if you want to rethink this. It's not what you signed up for."

This snapped Suyin out of her daze. "What? No! Oh, spirits, Kuvira, I was just surprised. Am surprised. I was just not expecting that. I don't…It doesn't matter to me. It doesn't change anything about how I feel. It changes how I'm going to act around you, but it doesn't change that I love you and want to be with you. It just means that I'm going to be more restrained physically. If that's what you want."

"Yes. I…I really like what we've done so far," Kuvira said, lowering her eyes. "And I do…I want to be with you. And I want to…have sex. Eventually. But not for a while. Not until I feel more comfortable."

"Oh course, absolutely. Just, set down whatever boundaries you need, and I promise I won't push." Suyin looked at her, pained. "I'm sorry if anything we've done already was too much for you. I should have been more careful."

"Su, I stopped you when it was too much. Everything else…I did like it. Very much."

"All right, good. Kuvira, I'm glad you told me." Suyin rested a hand on Kuvira's neck. "It must have been frightening. We don't go any farther than what you want."

"I kind of want you to kiss me right now."

"Kind of?"

"I would very much like for you to kiss me," Kuvira corrected, smiling as Suyin complied. It was much tamer than what they had been doing moments earlier, and Kuvira felt relief course through her. There was more to discuss. What she was and was not comfortable with. How far she wanted things to go. And there was still the issue of-

"Baatar," Suyin said, pulling away. Kuvira sighed and let her head drop forward onto Suyin's shoulder. "We have to talk about that, Kuvira."

"I would really rather not."

"I know that his feelings for you are probably very overwhelming and scary."

"To put it lightly." She shook her head. "I never…I agreed to do this with you, Su."

"I know. And he knows that, too. He doesn't want you to feel like this is…something you need to do anything about." Suyin's hands trailed over her arms, down to take her hands. "Just give him a chance to show you that nothing's changed. He misses you."

"Su…" Kuvira sighed heavily. "I care about Baatar. Very much. But I don't…not that way."

"We know that, love. We just want things to go back to how they were before. He feels horrible that he caused you any pain or discomfort. It's not what he wanted. Please just…consider having dinner with the two of us tomorrow. Huan is taking Kaori to some Water Tribe restaurant. I don't even know how she found out about it."

"Kya told her," Kuvira said.

"Ah, that explains it. Anyway, we want you to come. No pressure. No…nothing has to happen. We don't even have to talk about this. We just…Baatar wants to show you how sorry he is for upsetting you." Suyin squeezed her hands. "Please consider it."

Kuvira took a deep breath and then let it out slowly through her nose. "All right. I'll come to dinner."

"Thank you. That means so much to us." She leaned in to kiss Kuvira, and as their lips met, Kuvira wondered what turns her life would take next.