Chapter Text
Korra stood in the corner of the cramped living room, gripping a plastic cup in her hand as she looked around the room warily. Music reverberated against the walls, causing the pictures on the wall to shake with every vibration. Though there weren’t that many people present, Korra still felt that sense of suffocation she usually got whenever she was at a party she didn’t want to be present for.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy being at her ex-boyfriend’s apartment with all of their friends, it was more that she didn’t enjoy the looks of pity people kept throwing her way whenever they looked over at her pushed up against the wall, the cup in her hand slightly squashed even though there was quite a bit of alcohol still left over.
Her eyes lingered towards the middle of the room where Bolin and Opal were playing beer pong against Opal’s twin brothers, Wei and Wing. She watched as Opal threw the ping pong ball with a flick of her wrist, the way the ball arched over the table and fell neatly into one of the cups on her brothers’ side. Bolin grabbed Opal’s face and brought her in for a celebratory kiss as Wei (or Wing, she wasn’t actually sure which) groaned and took a drink from his cup.
“You can at least pretend you’re happy to be here,” came a voice to her right. Korra turned to see Mako sidling up to her, leaning against the wall next to her as he raised an eyebrow at her in amusement.
“Oh, I am happy to be here,” Korra retorted, taking a sip of her drink. She gagged slightly as Opal had added a bit too much tequila to her tequila sunrise, but she didn’t complain. “It’s you I’d rather not be around.”
Mako placed a hand against his heart in mock offense. “Korra? Surely, not I? The man who lives here?”
Korra scoffed. “You and Bolin share, don’t make it like it’s all you.”
“Korra, really?” Mako asked, pushing himself off the wall and standing in front of her. “I’m really trying here.”
“No, no, I know,” Korra sighed, glancing away from him to see Opal sink yet another ball in a cup. “I’m sorry, ever since the breakup, things have been….”
“Awkward?” Mako offered, raising his eyebrow once again. “Yeah, I get it. We didn’t really end on the best foot, and that’s my fault.”
“No, it’s mine too,” Korra stated, waving her free hand at him. “I didn’t tell you what was wrong when I was upset.”
“And I was an immature jerk who just expected you to always be on the same page,” Mako added, shrugging his shoulder at her. “Listen, Korra, I’m sorry again, but can you just act like you’re happy to be here?”
“Well, to do that, it seems like I need to drink more.” With that, Korra lifted her cup to her mouth and downed the rest of her drink, feeling the way the tequila burned as it went down.
“Damn.” Mako whistled. “Good for you.”
“I’m going to get more,” she told him, pushing herself off the wall and walking past him, brushing his shoulder as she did. Though she told herself not to, she glanced behind her to see Mako watching her, a hurt look in his eyes.
Pushing her feelings down, Korra navigated her way to the kitchen, folding her arms against herself to avoid brushing up against anyone else. Again, it wasn’t that she hated parties, it was the way they made her feel so small in such a big world. With every drop of the bass, her heart pounded in her chest, sending an ache in her ribs.
The last drink she had was strong, but not strong enough to completely inebriate her so that she lost her senses. She felt the alcohol thrum through her veins, trying to act like the liquid courage that she must have so desperately needed.
Shaking her head, she finally pushed her way into the kitchen, approaching the counter where Opal’s older brother, Huan, was standing staring at the drinks lined along the edge.
“What do you suggest?” Korra asked him, stepping up next to him.
Huan turned to her, a finger on his chin as he considered her thoughtfully. “Whatever makes this party end as quickly as possible.”
Korra laughed. “You and me both, buddy. What’s with you?”
“Opal seems to think that I need to get out of the house more,” Huan explained, rolling his eyes. “So she drags me to her boyfriend’s party as a way to get me to socialize with my peers.”
“She’s just looking out for you,” Korra stated, clapping Huan on the back. “That’s what sisters do, isn’t it?”
“Hm,” Huan hummed.
That’s as far as he got though, because suddenly a cheer came from the living room, causing both Korra and Huan to turn and look towards the commotion.
“I wonder if Opal and Bolin finally won,” Korra commented, making her way towards the living room.
But no one’s attention was on the beer pong players, but instead on a girl who was making her way from the front door, stripping off her coat as she did.
Asami Sato, Mako’s girlfriend before Korra. Everytime Korra saw Asami, her heart pounded in her chest and her palms got all sweaty and her brain short circuited so that she forgot how to speak. At first, she thought it was due to jealousy over the fact that Asami dated Mako when Korra had a crush on him. But once Asami and Mako broke up, and Korra got together with Mako, the butterflies barely subsided.
Shaking her head, she went back to Huan, leaning back against the kitchen counter, her elbows holding her in place.
“It’s just Asami they’re all cheering for,” she told him, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach once more.
Huan nodded and grabbed a bottle of vodka, holding it up to Korra for consideration. It wasn’t the best brand, some cheap type that Bolin probably chose to save money, but, hey, if got her drunker quicker, Korra would happily drink anything. She shot Huan a thumbs up and he got to work making her drink; though Korra probably should have watched him, she knew she could trust Huan.
Another cheer roared and Mako was making his way into the kitchen, tossing his beer can in the recycling bin on the ground by the counter.
“Did they win?” Korra asked, taking the cup that Huan handed to her.
“Yep,” Mako replied, opening the fridge and grabbing another beer. Again, cheap brand, but they were on a budget.
Korra took a drink of the concoction that Huan made for her, grimacing slightly at the amount of vodka he had added, but she thanked him nonetheless. Huan gave her a small nod and sauntered out of the kitchen, his own drink in hand.
“This is gross,” Korra told Mako, taking another sip of the drink. “But, shit, I bet this will get me drunk.”
“Korra, don’t push yourself,” Mako warned, opening his beer then sipping the froth on top.
Korra shrugged, still drinking from her cup.
Bolin burst into the kitchen, arms up in victory as he looked at his brother. “I am the champion!”
“Opal did most of the work,” Mako retorted, opening the fridge and grabbing another beer, tossing it to Bolin who caught it easily.
“Sure, but I helped,” Bolin claimed, opening the drink and copying Mako by sipping the froth off the top. He spotted Korra at the counter and broke out into a toothy grin. “Korra!! Are you hiding?!”
“Yep,” Korra deadpanned, feeling her grip tighten on the cup and Bolin approached her.
“ Korra , you are not allowed to be a sour puss at my party!” Bolin whined, pouting at Korra. “Come on, Opal and I are going to go again, and we need a pair to face! You and Mako can play!”
“Oh no, you’re not making me play with your brother,” Korra stated, wagging a finger at Bolin, who just pouted some more. “Bolin, I would rather wallow in self pity in the kitchen by myself, nursing this horrid drink Huan made for me than be out there surrounded by people.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mako roll his eyes and walk out of the kitchen, beer still in his hand. She turned her attention to Bolin once again.
“I’m here for you , buddy, I promise,” she assured him. “But I need to just… loosen up a bit, okay?”
“Korra, you’re not going to have fun if you stay here,” Bolin told her, shaking his head. “Okay, what if you versed Opal and I with someone else?”
“Like who?” Korra asked, knitting her brows together as she studied Bolin.
He placed a finger to his chin in thought, his brows furrowed in concentration. “Well, there’s Kuvira, but she can be terrifying when she loses, so maybe not her. I could put you with one of the twins, but they just played and they’re always a team. Wu’s fun, but his hand eye coordination is iffy. Maybe Huan would play, considering you guys were just in here bonding…”
Korra scoffed. “All great options.”
“Wait!” Bolin said, motioning with his hand and looking at Korra. “I got it! What about Asami?”
“Oh, uh,” Korra stammered, feeling her face flush. “I, uh, nah, I don’t know.”
Bolin grabbed her free hand with his, squeezing it tight. “What, you think she hates you because you dated Mako after her? Definitely not!”
“I mean, that’s not it,” Korra muttered, but it was too late. Before she knew it, Bolin was pulling her away from the counter, out of the kitchen, and into the living room.
Gripping the cup in her hand, she felt Bolin tug her, dragging her towards Asami who was chatting amicably with Opal, her own drink in hand.
“Hi, Asami!” Bolin exclaimed, still gripping Korra’s hand in his. “Look who I found hiding in the kitchen!”
Asami beamed when her eyes fell on Bolin and Korra. “Hi guys! Korra, it’s so good to see you!”
“Yeah, yeah, you too,” Korra muttered, feeling herself flush again. To avoid making eye contact with Asami, she took another large gulp of her drink, shuddering as it made its way through her system.
“Korra said she would verse us in beer pong,” Bolin told Opal, causing Korra to step down on his foot, hard . He winced ever so slightly, but didn’t say anything.
“Really!” Opal beamed. “Great! Who are you playing with?”
“Well, that’s funny, because -” Korra started, but Bolin interrupted her.
“Asami, would you play with Korra?” he asked, addressing Asami with a small bow towards her.
Asami laughed, a light, fluttery laugh that caused Korra to almost have heart palpitations. “Sure! Sounds like fun, right, Korra?”
“Yeah, so fun,” Korra replied, trying to keep her voice even as Opal clapped her hands together.
“Great! It’s settled!” she exclaimed, making her way towards the pong table. “Let’s set up.”
Korra groaned, but followed Asami towards their side of the table, setting the cups up in formation. She looked up, making eye contact with Mako who just held his beer up to her as a way to wish her luck. Instead of being mature, she stuck her tongue out at him, earning her a chuckle in response.
“Hey, you ready?” Asami asked, elbowing Korra in the ribs. “How drunk are you?”
“Not drunk enough,” Korra admitted, shaking her head. “You?”
“I just got here,” Asami said lightly, looking at the drink in her hand. “Wei handed whatever this is to me and told me to catch up.”
“How about we both down these drinks and see what happens?” Korra suggested, holding up her cup in front of her. Asami grinned, tapping her cup against Korra’s.
Together, both girls raised their cups to their lips, downing their drinks as quickly as possible. Wei and Wing cheered on the sidelines, causing Korra to pick up her pace. She finished her drink first, slamming the cup down on the table with finality as she watched Asami finish her own. Korra stared at her, her collarbone just visible through her shirt, the way her v-neck was just deep enough to show some of her cleavage. If she hadn’t been acutely aware of her actions, Korra would have gaped at the older girl a bit longer, but when Asami finished her drink, she held the cup in the air triumphantly, a grin on her face.
“Nailed it,” Korra commented, watching as Asami placed her cup on the coffee table that was shoved to the side. “Very impressive.”
“Let’s see if that worked,” Asami stated, poking her fingers in the pong cups, scooping out the two ping pong balls and passing one to Opal on the other side.
“Yeah, let’s,” Korra repeated, eyes still on Asami as she lined up her shot, making eye contact with Opal.
At the count of three, Opal and Asami released their balls at the same time, Opal’s flying over the end of the table, but Asami’s sinking into one of the cups.
“Damn!” Opal exclaimed, scooping the ball out. “Okay, you two first.”
The ball bounced on the table towards Korra, who caught it.
“Blow,” Asami said, holding out the ping pong ball in her hand towards Korra.
“Excuse me?” Korra replied, blinking at Asami.
Asami grinned, holding her hand out further. “For luck. Just blow on the ball.”
“I have… never heard of that, but okay, you’re the expert, I guess.” Looking back up at Asami, Korra blew on the ball gently, and as soon as she did, Asami’s fingers curled around the ball.
“Great, thanks!” Asami turned, and with the flick of the wrist and threw the ball, watching as it sunk into one of the middle cups with ease.
“Holy shit,” Korra commented, patting Asami on the shoulder. “That was impressive.”
Bolin and Opal both groaned on the other side, and Opal took a sip of her drink. As she did, Bolin just pat her shoulder in response.
“Your turn,” Asami smirked, stepping aside for Korra.
Taking a breath, Korra closed her eyes and threw, not even checking to see whether or not the ball landed. She heard the splish of water, and Wei and Wing yelling in the background. Opening her eyes, Asami grabbed her shoulder, shaking her back and forth in excitement.
“Korra! That was amazing!” Asami cheered, throwing an arm around Korra.
Groaning, Opan removed the cup as Bolin drank his beer.
“Hey, balls back!” Asami called over, motioning with her hands in a way that said ‘come on, bring it’.
“Bolin’s got no balls!” Wei, maybe Wing, called, causing those in the room to woop in reply.
“Hey!” Bolin pouted, but Opal just gave his arm an affectionate squeeze before passing the balls down the table.
Mako made his way through the crowd, two beers in his hand. He approached Korra and Asami, handing one to each of them. “Kick his ass for me, will you?”
Asami smirked. “Mako, don’t doubt mine and Korra’s abilities. We’re big girls.”
Mako held his hands up in surrender and back off, grinning as he did.
Korra glanced at Asami. “I think you’re going to carry this team, honestly.”
“Oh, Korra, don’t doubt your pretty little head, okay?” Asami commented, rubbing one of the ping pong balls between the palms of her hands. She winked at Korra, causing Korra to have even more heart palpitations than she already was.
Panicking, Korra took a sip of the beer that Mako brought her.
This was going to be a long night.