Korra liked whiskey.
Whiskey was a good thing.
Whiskey tasted like vanilla, and caramel, and fall. Whiskey reminded Korra of cooler weather and staying up late and snuggling under the covers for warmth. Whiskey was cloying sweetness and bitter aftertastes.
Whiskey tasted like the smoke from campfires under the stars and smelled like the cinnamon from the hair of someone long forgotten. Whiskey burned like the regrets she kept in the back of her mind.
But best of all, whiskey made Korra drunk.
She was no longer the Avatar, but simply drunk Korra celebrating with her friends.
"Happy Birthday Bolin!" she shouted to absolutely no one, but hopefully Bolin, who was somewhere in the room.
"Happy Birthday Bolin," she heard someone else echo seconds after her.
She propped herself up on a nearby windowsill, gently leaning against it for balance. Languidly sipping her drink, she noted that her pleasant buzz was quickly teetering towards that steep slope that would careen into flat out drunk.
A slim hand with painted nails slipped into hers, catching her by surprise, simply due to its appearance, not because it was unfamiliar. In fact, she knew that hand very well. She'd held it many times before, drunk or sober, and could tell from both its softness and callousness who it belonged to.
"Asami," she said, without even looking up. A pleasant chuckle was the response.
"Hey," the other girl said, "want to help me with Bolin's cake?"
Korra finally looked up, and she lost her train of thought for a second when her eyes locked with Asami's. Maybe it was the whiskey, or maybe it was the weird feelings she'd been having recently, but the green eyes of the older girl had her insides feeling more mixed up than usual. It must've manifested in her expression, because she suddenly felt Asami's hand slip out of hers.
"Fine, you don't have to," Asami quickly huffed, as her black hair flipped over her shoulder, "and you don't have to make a weird face at me."
"No, wait," Korra quickly replied, reaching for Asami's wrist and pulling herself up. That was probably a mistake. The fast movement, coupled with too many glasses of whiskey, caused her to pull herself within an inch of Asami's face. She sucked in a breath.
"No?" Asami asked.
Korra recovered quickly, heart thumping in her chest.
"No," Korra repeated. She could feel Asami's breath on her face. Her eyes flickered down to her lips. What was she drinking? Bourbon? It smelled different. "I'll help."
"Great," Asami grinned as if nothing happened, grabbing Korra's hand once more and pulling her towards the back kitchen.
Korra let herself be led by the hand, following the head of dark hair through the restaurant, through the double doors of the kitchen, only taking notice of the warmth in her hand and the scent of lavender in Asami's wake.
It had been a weird few weeks for Korra. Asami was confusing at best, maddening at worst. Gentle hand holding during the day would turn into cuddling at night, yet yield an empty bed in the morning.
While Asami created still more questions for Korra, Korra didn't have the nerve to ask any of them, and especially not sober. Maybe tonight would be the night.
"Here!"
An enthusiastic yell pulled her from her tipsy thoughts.
Maybe tonight would not be the night.
An excited Asami freed her hand to tug open a cooler box, revealing perhaps the most gaudily decorated cake Korra had ever seen.
"Do you think he'll like it?" Asami excitedly asked Korra, nearly hopping on her toes.
Korra was again distracted by piercing green eyes for a second, but she rallied quickly this time, managing a reply. She slipped a hand back into Asami's, giving it a profound squeeze.
"I think he'll love it," she replied earnestly, taking note of the Pro Bender statue and glittery unicorn on the very top.
A few minutes later, the cake had been presented to the birthday boy, and they were all merrily singing a particularly raucous rendition of Happy Birthday (all except Mako, who of course, had elected to be the designated driver).
During the closing lines, Korra felt that familiar hand slide into hers, and looked up at its owner. Asami said nothing, but simply stared at her, that small smile ever present on her face.
Maybe it was the whiskey, but Korra could've sworn that Asami's face was closer than normal, or her lips seemed unusually inviting, or her scent seemed particularly more intoxicating. Whatever it was, Korra suddenly felt a sudden recklessness wash over her.
She wanted to push Asami up a wall, slip a knee between her legs, and hear her delicious moans as she begged for more.
Wait, what?
Korra's face flushed red, embarrassed that she was even having those thoughts in the middle of a friend's birthday party.
As if sensing what was going on, Asami had turned towards Korra, head slightly cocked and a particularly devilish grin on her face.
"Korra! Asami! You folks ready to go?" Mako yelled at them, momentarily relieving Korra of whatever internal conflict she was experiencing. If the wetness between her thighs was any indicator though, it wasn't close to any sort of resolution.
"Coming!" Asami yelled back, giving Korra a look that she could've sworn meant more than face value.
A beefy arm around Korra's neck quickly shook any other thoughts from her head.
"Korra!" Bolin yelled in her ear. "Thanks for the best birthday party ever!"
They stumbled out of the restaurant together, tripping over each other as they made their way to Mako's car.
"Bolin," she yelled back, "how many times have I told you not to yell at me using your full volume voice?!"
"Sorry," he shouted back in what Korra assumed was now 99% volume, "but I just wanted to say thanks!"
"You're welcome," Korra replied in her 75% voice. "You're one of my best friends."
"Best friends forever!" Bolin screamed in a return to 100% volume. "Even when we're reincarnated, we're still gonna be best friends forever!"
"Of course," Korra laughed.
Asami, who was walking in front of them, looked back at the pair, eyes meeting Korra's, and earning a wide grin from the Avatar in return.
They filed into the car, Bolin riding shotgun and the two women in the backseat.
"Hey Korra," Mako asked from the driver's seat, "where are you staying tonight? Air Temple Island?"
"Uhh," she stuttered. She could go back to the Island, but getting there would require flying or swimming, and she seemed well-equipped to do neither.
"You can just stay at my place," answered Asami, who was sitting behind Mako, fixing Korra with a look.
The thought of staying at Asami's tonight was both exciting and terrifying. Images of Korra's mouth on Asami's neck flooded her mind again.
"Ohh, uhh," Korra stumbled over her words again. She seemed unable to form a complete thought at the moment. Why now? She'd slept over at Asami's place a thousand times before.
"Oh okay, cool," Mako said, eyes on the road, oblivious to Korra's mumbles and Asami's smoldering stare.
Korra didn't know where to look. She could feel Asami's eyes boring holes into her very being. Slowly, she turned to meet the other girl's gaze.
Asami didn't blink. A slender hand motioned to Korra, beckoning her to sit in her lap.
Heat flushed up Korra's neck, heart beating loud in her ears. She swallowed thickly. Still, she crawled over, nestling her face into Asami's chest to hide her flushed cheeks, and pressing her body up against every part of Asami she could feel.
Fingertips began to trace over her, never lingering, but never light enough to doubt that they had been there. A warmth spread over her, lingering in the wake of each trail and leaving sparks over every inch of exposed skin.
"Korra," she heard Bolin ask from the front seat, but Korra was too lost in a sea of featherlight touches and body heat and alcohol inebriation to answer.
"She's sleeping," she heard Asami reply, her voice clear of any of the huskiness that was surely affecting Korra's right now.
The hands never stopped roaming. In an act of boldness, Korra tried to run a hand up Asami's shirt to her bare back, but that only earned her a scoff and a light chuckle. She looked up at Asami and was met with a quick smirk, before it disappeared as quickly as the touches.
Against her will, Korra pouted. Trying again, she ran her free hand along Asami's thigh, dragging it up the side. Almost instantly, the featherlight touches turned forceful, solidly making their presence known as they ran up and down Korra's body.
Despite the new sensations, Korra kept up her ministrations, tracing fingers up and down whatever she could touch. She could play this game.
Meanwhile, Asami was getting bold. Her hand concentrated on Korra's front, and her firm touches lingered near Korra's waistband. Fingertips would graze just below the waistband, never dipping too far, but definitely too far to be considered innocent. Korra's heartbeat raced when she realized what was happening, fueled by the thoughts of Bolin or Mako turning around and seeing them.
"Tell me if you want me to stop," Asami whispered breathily into her ear, but it didn't register. The haze of lust and whiskey had stilted Korra's senses.
"Do you want me to stop?" Asami asked again, this time punctuating her question with a halt on her roaming hands.
Korra didn't know much at that point, but she did know that she did not like the absence of Asami's hands on her body.
"Nuh uh," she managed to groan out softly, and the hands were immediately back, this time dipping well below her waistband. Korra pressed her further face into Asami's neck, reveling in the scent of her perfume. She unwittingly let out a breathy sigh, earning a soft laugh from Asami.
"Yeah right! It was pretty funny," Bolin said from the front seat, though he sounded miles away.
Korra couldn't see Asami's face anymore, but she could feel the grin against her cheek.
Asami's hand continued exploring lower, beneath her underwear, fingernails gently scratching the sensitive skin there. Korra's head fell back, senses aflame from Asami's touch.
It was infuriating, that godforsaken hand would dip just low enough for Korra's breath to hitch, only to disappear and leave her wanting more.
Gently, Asami nudged her hand between Korra's thighs and the Avatar found her legs falling open of their own accord. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Asami dipped her fingers into the wetness between Korra's thighs.
Gently, a finger slipped into her, rubbing along the inside of her walls.
All at once, Korra felt like her body was on fire. She bit back a groan, remembering through the haze that she was still in a car with Bolin and Mako in the front seat. Asami, however, seemed to revel in that thought. Her hand picked up its pace, palm grinding down on Korra's clit, almost daring Korra to cry out.
Without warning, another finger slipped in along the first, and Korra couldn't help the gasp that came out. Asami quickly pulled Korra's face to her chest, smothering the moan that was threatening to escape. She hoped the rumble of the car would cover up whatever noises she was making at the moment.
Korra couldn't think; Asami wasn't letting up. Her fingers were two knuckles deep, hand hidden beneath the waistband, pounding away at Korra as if she weren't having a casual conversation with Mako and Bolin in the front seat.
The thought caused Korra to inhale sharply, her breath coming in staccatoed gasps.
"Shhhh," Asami gently cooed in her ear, "you'll give us away."
Korra didn't care. The fingers filling her up felt too good, too raw, for her to want to stop. Everyone else could fuck off. All she wanted was this feeling to continue.
She looked up at Asami, desperately hoping that she could press their lips together and keep herself from falling apart, but Asami only smirked, carrying on with whatever the hell the boys were talking about.
All while secretly fingerfucking Korra in the backseat of a car.
Korra put a hand on Asami's neck, trying to pull her closer and hoping she'd give in. Finally, green eyes looked down at her.
Closer, Korra willed, come closer. She just wanted those lips on hers, to put out this inferno she had burning in her chest. She continued staring at those lips, tracing their outline, even in the darkness of the backseat, hoping they'd come closer.
And then they were. Asami's lips were on hers in an instant, pressing against hers over and over.
Korra was wrong.
Whiskey was great, but whiskey didn't compare to this. Whiskey couldn't set her on fire.
It didn't make her fingertips tingle, or make her heart pound in her ears, or leave searing trails upon her skin.
Whiskey tasted like smoke, but Asami was pure flame.
Asami didn't dull her senses; she heightened them tenfold. She sent Korra's senses careening off a cliff and soaring through space. Whiskey put them out like a wet blanket.
Korra could feel everything Asami touched, she could hear every breath that she took, every beat of her heart.
Whiskey didn't make her feel this alive.
So when Asami pulled her into her room, green eyes alight with mischief, Korra knew that she would never get as drunk on whiskey as she was on Asami.