Chapter Three:

Korra:

To say that her eyes are green is to say that the ocean is blue. Adequate, yet not accurate enough to capture the depth or life which swims beneath. It is like saying that the sun is yellow, forgetting about the passion with which it burns. Her eyes are not just green. They are the ocean, they are the sun. They are what drew her in.

These are not the same eyes.

Staring back at her, all she saw was confusion mixed with curiosity. They still held the colour of a forest but lacked the complexity of a maze. They were her eyes now.

Deep, she snorted.

"Do you find my face amusing?" Korra whirled round at the sound of someone entering the room, blushing deeply when she realised she had been caught staring at the reflection in the mirror. She quickly shook her head in the negative. "What are you doing then?" Asami said with a smirk.

"Admiring."

"Admiring?"

"I wouldn't want to waste this opportunity of staring at your body. I have free reign," The Avatar finished with a wink, causing Asami cheeks to tint red.

Clearing her throat, Asami walked closer to the other girl, "What are you really doing?"

"I already told you, 'Sami, I was checking you out." No word of a lie, she internalised.

The engineer scrunched up her face, "One, don't do that, it's creepy. Two, you're supposed to be thinking of ways to reverse this, not gazing into a mirror. Three, you're going to have to start calling me Korra, people might overhear you."

"I'd rather call you baby cakes," the bender grinned.

"What? No."

"Okay, sugar shorts?" Korra suggested instead.

"Stop."

"Hmm, what about fluff bumps?"

"What does that even mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean," the Avatar concluded with a wag of her brows. Asami crumpled her face and decided the best course of action was just to ignore Korra, lest she spur her on further more.

Korra had been trying to flirt with Asami ever since she recognised she had feelings for the engineer a few months back. And I'm doing a fine job of it. When Asami first started dating Mako, Korra had tried to hate her. She was the one who had stolen her chance at happiness, at love. But she couldn't. The engineer had stuck by her, dealt with her odd behaviour and energetic outbursts. She made Korra feel like more than just the Avatar. When she finally got her chance with Mako, it wasn't what she was expecting. Her jealousy was replaced with bitterness; Mako never took her side. Not like Asami. But she didn't regret it.

Her failed relationship with the fire bender helped her apprehend just what she had been missing – well that and alcohol. Sometimes you can look at a friend and realise they have been so much more all along. She realised that the jealousy she felt when the CEO was with Mako did not stem from wanting the boy himself, but because he had her affection. She was envious of the wrong person.

Korra fought with herself over the revelation. Should she keep her friendship, wondering for the rest of her life what if? Or should she let Asami know of her discovered feelings, all the while possessing the knowledge that it could unravel the very foundation of their friendship? For all the things Korra had faced, she was not brave enough to confront her friend about her feelings.

Instead she had let Bolin talk her into following his plan.

Flashback

They drank in silence, praying that the answers lie at the bottom of the glass. Then the bottom of the bottle. Then the bottom of bottle after that. Time dragged on, conversation limited to words, slurred and senseless, followed by silence. They had won, but had never felt so defeated.

It had been over a week since Unalaq – or UnaVatuu – had been destroyed and the world saved, yet in that time Korra had lost so much: her uncle, her Avatar connection... Mako. Although she was close to Unalaq, he was still blood, he was still a father. Her cousins had said they did not care, but that did not stop the regret from festering. She had also fused back with Raava, but her past lives were gone; she had no guidance, she was alone.

Her failed relationship, on the other hand, was confusing for Korra. She was disappointed that Mako was not what she sought, but now she felt free. In the back of her mind the relationship had never felt right, that Mako was not the one she craved. There was someone else. She had known for a while, but was desperate to cling on to her previous assumptions; she didn't want to keep being wrong.

Bolin watched Korra from the corner of his eye, his grief different to the girl with whom he shared a bottle. He had failed to protect her, his best friend. It was out of his control to save Unalaq and Korra's past lives, but he could have done more about his brother. He should have done more.

A week later and they found themselves in the same place; a room lined with darkened bottles and people searching to end the pain. Only this time Bolin was determined to be the remedy.

"How many Avatars does it take to light a candle?", knowing he would not receive and answer, he waited only a beat before he answered himself, "only Wan."

No reaction, except for his own laugh.

The earth bender wasn't surprised by this, but he was hoping for at least a smile.

"Okay, how about this one: what did Tenzin's father say to him when he made a mistake? It's okay son, I'm not Aangry." Again he received no hint of a laugh or smile, but he did obtain a sigh.

"Come on, Korra, I've worked hard on these. At least pretend to find me funny," he begged.

The young girl turned her head and glanced just above his left shoulder asking, "What's the point?"

Now he was the one to sigh.

"You won, Korra. It may not feel like it, but you saved us. Life's a mess, you know? We face a barrage of problems we didn't ask for and it's easy to just... shut down. When my parents died, I learnt some things; one of them being that it gets easier," he paused and shook his head, "Each problem is like a burn; it hurts at varying degrees and some take longer to heal. But they all eventually do. You may be left with a scar as a constant reminder, but you should never forget that you survived it. You can pick at it and reopen the wound, or you can accept that you can't change it –that it's now a part of you – and let it heal... Laughing helps the healing process; it's like accepting that it happened and saying 'I can still be happy', because if you can't laugh at life, what is the point?"

A minute passed in silence, Korra processing his words, Bolin hopeful he had got through to her.

The girl sighed, "You're right."

"And when am I not?", he retaliated, causing a small smile to blossom on her face. It was no more than a small twitch of the corners of her mouth, but they both knew it was something more. Something akin to peace.

Korra stumbled off of the boat and down the jetty, all the while receiving mixed stares from the guards posted at the entrance to Air Temple Island. Some looked on at her with amusement; others cast disapproving looks, not content with their Avatar's behaviour. The brunette was pretty sure she saw some men looking scared, undoubtedly fearing the repercussions if Tenzin ever found out about her escapades.

It had been the first time she had been drinking since her talk with Bolin a month ago. She felt better, his words a catalyst for the healing process but after a meeting-turned-shouting-match with President Raiko, she wanted to go somewhere she could forget herself, if only for the night.

Now she felt like a leaf caught in a storm, not knowing which way was up and which was down. She felt light and free, but uncoordinated and likely to be thrown off course by the will of the wind at any moment.

Somehow she had managed to get herself to the courtyard, taking minimal damage, only falling to her knees twice or thrice. She looked up, admiring the way the bright stars contrasted with its black background. She's not sure how long she stayed like that for, only breaking from her revere when she heard footsteps approach.

She turned herself to find the source of the sound, but her body protested the speed at which she did.

Time seems to slow down when you fall. It gives you a few seconds to realise you're about to face pain and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Korra shut her eyes and waited for the inevitable. But the pain never came.

She opened her eyes to find a pair of curious green ones looking back down at her. The owner had caught her mid fall and saved her. She couldn't help but smile.

"You smell like a brothel," her saviour snarked.

"Have a lot of experience with those?" she slurred back.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you when you're working."

"I'm glad you care," Korra smiled.

Asami steadied the shorter girl, and shook her head at the girl's antics, "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"I don't come free, you know?" the bender winked. Asami couldn't contain her mirth and started to lead the drunkard towards their room. "Wait," the engineer stopped and raised an eyebrow in silent question, "can you watch the stars with me for a bit?"

The raven haired girl studied her face and after a moment, agreed and helped the Avatar lie down. She had never pegged Korra as the type to want to gaze at the sky and after a few minutes of stillness asked her why she wanted to.

Korra thought for a moment, trying to arrange her thoughts into tangible sentences. "I've always loved watching the stars," she started slowly, "it lets me feel... connected."

"Connected?"

Korra started to nod then quickly stopped when the world started to spin faster, "We all have different experiences in life, but we all share the same sky and everyone sees the same stars. When I look up, someone else out there is seeing – experiencing – the same thing as me; it makes me feel like I'm less alone."

The engineer rolled her head to look at the younger girl and reached out for her hand. Interlocking their fingers, she whispered, "You're not alone, Korra."

"I know," she replied in kind and squeezed the hand in hers and they remained quiet, both searching the sky for hidden answers to unknown questions.

Time was fleeting and in the silence, Korra felt the ground sway below her as she drifted in out of consciousness like the tide. Her sight faltered and her mind grew foggy, but she was sure of one thing; she had fallen in love with the girl next to her. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but it made perfect sense. Korra turned her head and saw Asami bathed in moonlight and couldn't help but smile. In that moment, they were together, and she was so beautiful.

"Korra, do you miss pro-bending?"

It had been two months since they last found themselves in the bar, but instead of searching for release, they had come to have fun.

She thought over the question, "Yeah, I miss having an outlet for stress, why?"

"Because I found you a new sport that can help with stress," he replied with a lewd grin.

"Yeah? What is it?", she questioned, taking a sip of her drink.

"You could do some... Bolin."

She immediately spat out the liquid, most of it ending up on the earth bender. "Ew," he squawked, "I thought I was supposed to be the one getting you wet, not the other way round!"

Korra let loose a deep laugh, causing the other patrons to turn to look at the pair. "Thanks, but I'd rather give up my bending than bed you."

"Now that's mean," Bolin fake pouted.

"What's mean is you putting that imagery into my head," she replied in turn.

"Oh, so you're imagining it?" he said with a wag of his eyebrows.

"No, I'm imagining the 99 things I'd rather do instead."

"Whatever, it's your loss."

Korra rolled her eyes at the boy, but couldn't contain the quirk of her mouth, "Plus, I wouldn't want to run the risk of Eska's wrath. She already tried to kill me once over you."

"What can I say, I'm hot stuff."

"Do you miss her?" the Avatar questioned with a wink.

The earth bender paused in thought, "No, I'm not ready to be married," then started smirking, "our relationship Eska-lated too quickly."

It took a moment for Korra to realise what he'd said, but groaned when she realised he was making a pun, "You're not funny."

"It is not becoming of the Avatar to lie."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not," she retorted.

Bolin squinted his eyes, then grinned widely, "What's Asami's favourite day?" Korra furrowed her brows, not understanding where this conversation was heading. After a pause, he continued, "Satoday."

Korra stared at him blankly and then burst out laughing, making a mental note to tell Asami that later. The thought of the engineer caused her to drift off into a day dream, and unbeknownst to her, a loving smile to grace her face.

Bolin watched his friend, recognising that look from a mile away; she was in love.But with who, he pondered.

"Korra," he prodded and received only a hum in response, "what are you thinking about?"

"Asami," she let out with a wistful sigh.

The boy's mouth hung open, not expecting that from her. He replayed all of the interactions of the two girls in his mind and mentally faced palmed himself for not realising it sooner. The jealousy, the subtle brushes, the staring; it all makes sense.

Korra snapped out of her trance when she noticed Bolin gawping like a fish and questioned him on his looks.

"You're in love with Asami!" he screamed at her, once again drawing the curious glances of their fellow patrons. Korra quickly hushed him and denied it. "Don't lie to me, Avatar. I know you."

The girl sighed, knowing he would never drop it and decided she should at least tell someone about her unrequited love, "Fine, I'm in love with her, just don't tell anyone. Please."

He cocked a brow and asked if she had told anyone else.

"No, I haven't. I only realised a few weeks back. No one can know though, I don't want Asami finding out," she said dejectedly.

"Why not? Do you not want to be with her?", he questioned.

"It's not that. It's just... she doesn't feel the same way," the brunette exhaled.

Bolin shook his head and questioned why she Korra couldn't just ask the engineer if they could be together.

"If she doesn't feel the same, it could ruin our friendship. I'm not ready for that. Please don't tell her, promise me," she begged.

The boy looked at his friend and could see the desperateness within her eyes and nodded his head in the affirmative, promising her he would not tell. "Okay, I promise. But we need a plan to find out how she feels without telling her."

"What? How would I do that?" Korra asked incredulously.

Bolin rolled his eyes, "flirt with her, duh. Then see how she reacts. Luckily for you, I'm a master in the art of flirting."

The Avatar raised her eyebrows, not quite believing his proclamation.

"Come closer and I shall teach you my ways," he pulled her stool closer, "now I'm going to teach you how to make a girl swoon using pick up lines. Now repeat after me: 'are you an airbender? Because you take my breath away."

It had been three months since she had tried using Bolin's line and it had gotten her no closer to finding out if Asami felt the same way. She had simply replied that Korra knew she was not a bender and returned to tinkering the latest Satomobile.

Since then, she had decided not to use any more of Bolin's flirting tips and has stuck with just teasing Asami. If nothing else, at least she would get to see her cheeks colour and shy away in the eye of a compliment. That was until they switched bodies.

Fingers snapped in front of her face, drawing her from her thoughts. She looked up into blue eyes coloured with concern. "Are you alright?" Korra nodded and asked why she was asking. "You've been in your own head for some time."

"I was just thinking,"

"About?"

"How you'd look in a swim suit," she added a wink for good measure.

Asami stuttered and blushed before accusing Korra of being incorrigible. She turned towards the door and let the Avatar know she was getting some food, before walking out.

"Don't let me get fat!" Korra yelled.

Asami:

The engineer roamed the halls, towards the kitchen, lost in thought about Korra. Ever since she had found the girl stumbling around the courtyard many moons ago, she noticed a change of behaviour in the younger girl. She had been teasing and complimenting her mercilessly, and while she found it amusing, she couldn't work out the switch in conduct.

Another thing she had noticed a change in was Bolin. Whenever they are alone, he always finds away to lead the conversation towards the Avatar. Before she could dwell on it further, she found herself in the kitchen and started to rummage through the pantry.

Pulling out a sweet bun, she hoped Meelo didn't walk in. Whenever he caught someone snacking on his favoured food, he would threaten air blast them and she wasn't really in the mood to argue. Quickly shoving it whole in her mouth – she had to act like Korra, she reasoned – and left the kitchen.

Walking down the halls, she heard Bolin call out to her and sighed. It's not that she didn't want to speak to the boy; she just didn't want to give anything away and let down Korra.

"Korra, wait up!" she pivoted on the spot, just in time to see the bender skid to a halt in front of her, "what happened this morning? Or last night, should I say," he finished with a wiggle of his brow.

Why is he doing that, he looks ridiculous.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" she asked as casually as she could.

"Asami was wearing your clothes!"

"Oh... I let her borrow it because I spilt tea on her stuff last night." Yes, that is good. Something clumsy Korra would do.

Bolin looked crestfallen for a moment, but perked straight back up, "Oh well, all good things come to those who wait," he said with an exaggerated wink, "anyway, I have to go, I need to find Pabu." With that, the earth bender saluted and turned back towards whence he came.

Well he's getting weirder, she thought.

Asami carried on her journey back to where she left Korra, hoping the girl hadn't gone back to staring in the mirror.

"Korra!", she heard a girl's voice call, just as she was turning the final corner. She looked back to see Jinora heading towards her with a look of bewilderment on her face, "Korra?"

"Yes, Jinora?"

"You're not Korra." Oh shit.

"Erm, what?" Yes, play it cool, Asami. You got this. She knows nothing.

"I can sense Korra's spirit and I'm not sensing it right now," the girl claimed.

Oh shit, the jig is up.

Jinora grabbed hold of Asami's arm and dragged her into where she could feel Korra's spirit, slamming open the door.

Korra:

The Avatar had gone back to staring at the reflection in the mirror as soon as Asami had left the room, wanting to make sure she had every part of her face memorised. It's not creepy; I just want to make sure I can give an accurate description of her if she ever goes missing, she reasoned.

Suddenly the door burst open with such ferocity, Korra was surprised it didn't rip off the hinges. She looked over to whoever was intruding on her admiring time. When she saw Jinora gripping Asami's arm, she knew they were in trouble.

"We need to talk," the young air bender stated, leaving no room for argument.

Korra flicked her eyes to the taller of the two, "Narc."

"I am not!" the engineer protested indignantly, "and I told you to stop staring!"

AN: So I broke my laptop and typed this on my phone, so I don't doubt that it's riddled with mistakes. My bad.