Otter Pops
“Alright, everyone— we’ve got something big planned for you all tomorrow!” Noatak said, his voice booming through the mess hall.
“Surprise me,” Wu muttered under his breath.
The boys had been in a bad mood all weekend. Not even Kuvira tripping and falling off the dock as she went to comfort Mako (or, as Korra called him, Captain Temper Tantrum) yesterday could cheer them up. It absolutely puzzled Asami.
“First, you’ll be happy to know that wearing the uniform is no longer required. That is to say, you’re still welcome to wear it!”
“Yeah right,” Korra said, rolling her eyes.
“This ties into our big activity tomorrow. Drum roll please!”
Some of the counselors stomped their feet, but most of the campers just unenthusiastically sat there.
“You’re all going out on dates!”
Asami gave a smile. The Date was pretty much the only interesting part of the program.
Well, that… and one other thing, she thought— stealing a glance at her girlfriend.
Some of the campers looked happy at this prospect, and the engineer knew why. It was a chance to get out into town and go to a real restaurant. No offense to Bolin, but she missed the feel of eating out. No… wait… not like that…
She blushed and averted her eyes from Korra.
Back at the Spirit World last week, when they were talking about first kisses— Asami had been too embarrassed to say anything. Korra had been her first kiss. She was still a virgin, even if her looks deceived. Spirits, though, she wanted to go further someday with Korra. Past the kissing and occasional touches— fuck clothes, honestly.
“— you will be in segregated classes today, as we discuss proper gender roles on dates!”
Yes! Make-up! Please let me out of this girly shit!!! Mama needs some RED!!!
. . .
“Okay, so we need to get our hands on some more alcohol, because it’s the only fucking thing that’s keeping me sane right now,” Wu said.
“Wu, give it a rest.”
“I’m serious. The Spirit World is fun when you’re dry and all, but I’m so sober that I can actually understand what Tarrlok’s saying. And it’s horrible.”
“Later, bro,” Korra hissed.
Kuvira walked over to Cabin 16B and handed them all otter pops.
“Since it’s so hot out,” she said casually, “they want to make sure nobody overheats.”
Asami rolled her eyes as Korra and Mako pretended to have a lightsaber battle, the fucking nerds. They were even making the sound effects.
“Hey, Badgermole, where are we going for our dates? Do we get to pick who we go with?”
Kuvira nodded, “Actually, that’s something we need to ask. Do you guys care who you’re partnered with?”
“OOH! OOH! I CALL WU!” Korra said excitedly.
Asami stifled a smirk. “I guess that leaves you with me,” she said, turning to Mako.
“Jealous,” Wu whispered under his breath, though only Asami heard him.
Mako flashed a genuine smile, “Sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Kuvira wrote down the pairs on her hand and gave them a wave, “You have another fourty-five minutes of free time. Enjoy.”
She walked around the corner of the cabin and disappeared from sight.
“Why did you want to be paired with me so badly?” Wu asked with his eyebrow raised.
“Because I want to be the taller one,” she flashed with a smirk. “I’m going to have an arm rest all night.”
“Okay, you wanna fucking go?!”
“Bring it on, pip squeak.”
. . .
They were sitting in the most uncomfortable position ever, but Korra was too much of a gentlelady to protest. The girls were at the Spirit Word… alone. The boys didn’t feel like tagging along tonight (the tension between them was thicker than lard), so the girls quietly snuck off with… less than honorable intentions. Asami was sitting on Korra’s lap, and they were perched on top of a set of cinder blocks.
I mean, come on, though. Who wouldn’t want to make out with that hot slice of Southern Water Tribe! DAMN!
Korra’s nails raked down Asami’s back as she carefully bit and sucked on the younger girl’s pulse point. They had to be extremely careful not to leave marks of any sort. They couldn’t risk being caught— and worse… separated.
Asami jump when she felt a hand on her chest— natural reflexes and all.
“Oh… oh, shit Asami, I’m so sorry. I should have made sure that was okay, and ohmygoshIamsosorryIdidn’tmeantodothatImeanIdidbutItotallyshouldhaveaskedyouforyourpermissiom—“
“Korra,” Asami said, catching the younger girl’s chin with her thumb and index finger. She pressed soft (but quick and peppering) kisses on the girl’s cheeks, on her forehead, on her nose, on her closed eyelids, on her eyebrows, on the corners of her mouth, and finally to her lips.
“I was just startled, that’s all. I… I’ve never really gone that f-far before,” Asami reassured her, though there was a quiver in her voice.
Korra didn’t answer straight away. She stared at Asami so intently that the engineer had to look away.
“I will wait, you know. I’m never going to do something you’re not ready for. A-And even if you would never want to have sex… I still want to be with you.”
Asami looked back up at her.
“Korra… I want to… I’m just not ready yet. Believe me, I more than care about you, but… can we wait? I don’t want our first time to be in a shack in the woods of Tarrlok and Noatak’s fucked-up—“
“When this is all over, do you want to go out on a date?”
“What?”
“I mean it, a real date. What they announced today got me thinking about us. A fancy restaurant and a night in the city and—“
Asami kissed her. And again and again.
“Yes, of course. But…”
“What?”
“Kor— we live on opposite sides of the world.”
It had been on the back of Asami’s mind ever since Korra had asked if they were girlfriends. Fuck, why was the North so god damn far away?!
“I’ve been thinking about that, Sams. I-I want to ask one of my family friends if I can move in. They’ve got a place— you know Air Temple Island?”
“Yeah, in Yue Bay?”
“Yeah, well, I was thinking about asking Tenzin and his family. The Air Nomads were pretty chill with homosexuality throughout history and I’d be closer to you and further from my uncle and—“
“I think you should do it.”
“Ok.”
“Korra?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re so beautiful, you know that?”
For once, as her girlfriend smirked and wrapped her arms around Asami, the engineer knew she had said the right thing.
. . .
They straightened out their clothes and made sure that neither of them had hickeys. Asami thought about giving Korra a goodnight kiss, but something inside her stirred and she engulfed her girlfriend in a massive hug.
“Hey there,” Korra chuckled.
Asami pressed her face into the Water Tribe girl’s shoulder— as if she would never get to embrace her again. She was buried in the blue hoodie and Korra calmly rubbed her hand up and down Asami’s back. The engineer began to quietly cry.
“Of all the universes where you and I meet, I’m sorry that it had to be at this pile of shit.”
Asami didn’t respond, only tightening her grip on Korra further.
“I’m thinking a really fancy restaurant, and maybe trip to the museum, then we’ll go to the bay and watch the sun set. And then we’ll go to Air Temple Island and sit on the roof and stargaze.”
“Kwongs.”
“What?”
“We can go to Kwongs. It’s really nice Fire Nation cuisine.”
“Miss Sato, I was under the impression that I was the one taking you out on a date.”
Asami sniffled and let out a laugh. And then they were both laughing, happy and free. It was the best moment of Asami’s life.
And then one of the girls stumbled and the moment was ruined.
“Ow, shit! OW!!” Korra hissed.
They had fallen, and Korra’s foot had caught in the hole of one of the cinder blocks.
“Shit, Kor!”
Asami gingerly pulled her girlfriend’s foot out of the tangle it was in. Korra sucked in a breath of air as Asami straightened out her leg.
“Oh fuck— shit, Asami, I think my ankle’s twisted,” Korra winced.
“Fuck. We have to get you help, babe.”
“Babe?”
“Roll with it, Kor. We need to find a staff member.”
“ARE YOU SHITTING ME— DUDE WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WOODS TOGETHER. THEY’LL KNOW WE WEREN’T EXACTLY OUT HERE PICKING FLOWERS!!” Korra exclaimed.
“Keep your fucking voice down, I’ll think of something.”
“Sorry, sorry. I just really don’t want to lose what we have together.”
“I know. So we have to be careful and—“
“Patient,” Korra grumbled.
Asami smiled as she slowly helped her girlfriend up, letting Korra’s arm drape around her shoulder. They tried to hop as quietly as they could to the cabins, but it took them over half an hour. The most difficult part was trying to work their way through bushes and around logs. Asami was in awe of Korra, who was trying her hardest to keep it together as she tripped and stumbled her way back to the compound.
“Alright, we need to set up something so it looks like you tripped on your way to the bathroom. They can’t know where we were.”
“Yeah right, that’ll never work,” a voice behind them said.
Asami turned around and looked straight into the eyes of Kuvira.