Chapter Text
Korra was growing restless.
Asami was turned away from her, in light conversation with Opal, and Mako was absorbed with something on his phone. Bolin was on the other side of the living room, eating cheetos by the handful—an activity Korra knew from experience not to interrupt him during.
She recognized some sophomores—probably Bolin's friends—playing Mario Kart in the corner, but she wasn't about to go join them. Korra was making a beeline to the kitchen, hoping to find some entertainment there, when Bolin cleared his throat and clapped his orange dust-covered hands together, clearly finished with his cheetos.
"Alright, we're playing truth or dare," he said, grinning around the room.
Mako looked up from his phone and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bolin, we're not playing truth or—"
"Oh come on, it'll be fun."
"Don't be a killjoy, Mako," Opal said.
He seemed to contemplate this for a moment, and then sighed. "Fine. Just don't break anything, or I'll get blamed for it."
Bolin went first, daring Opal to poke her Pre-Calc teacher on Facebook. She looked briefly terrified, and Korra couldn't blame her—Mr. Huang was a terror—but she did it anyway, logging in, painstakingly checking that you indeed could poke someone if they weren't on your friends list, and tapping the dreaded button.
"I like you, Bolin," Opal said, "but I also really hate you."
He put his hands up in mock-surrender. "Hey, you'll have lots of time to get back at me later. And I like you too."
"You two are gross," Korra said. Asami elbowed her playfully.
"I agree with Korra, though. Get a room."
Opal rolled her eyes. "It's my turn to give the dare. You really shouldn't be speaking that way to someone who has so much power."
Korra shrugged, and Opal seemed deep in thought.
"We're going to play seven minutes in heaven," she said, finally.
Asami grimaced and Korra hoped against hope that she wouldn't end up involved.
"Bolin and I will write the names of everyone at this party on a slip of paper. Asami will pick one of the slips from a hat, and well..." she grinned devilishly, "get a room. Or more specifically, a closet."
Bolin and Opal left to go find paper and pens, and Korra slouched into the couch. "I feel like this is kind of my fault."
"Don't worry about it." Asami said, then smiled teasingly. "Maybe I'll get somebody hot, right?"
The pair of sophomores came back in record time, a baseball cap full of paper slips in tow. Most of the rest of the party followed behind them.
"You ready, Asami?" Opal asked.
She shrugged. "As I'll ever be."
Bolin did the honours, rummaging his hand around in the hat with gusto. He finally chose one slip, mouth dropping as soon as it was close enough for him to read. Opal looked over at the torn piece of paper and suppressed a giggle.
She shook her head, smiling. "What are the chances..."
Something about her smile made Korra uneasy.
"Well then," Bolin cleared his throat and gestured to a small door. "To Asami, and her um, lucky partner, Korra, the closet is this way."
Asami's cheeks went pink immediately. Some kids snickered, and Mako looked concerned. Korra stared at the carpet.
Asami? Her best-friend-since-fifth-grade Asami? She knew Asami was pretty, objectively, but she'd never thought about her in that way. She wasn't Korra's type, whatever that was.
Korra steeled herself and walked towards the door, bracing for it to be awkward as hell. Asami could barely meet her eyes, still blushing.
Opal turned the knob and ushered them in, switching the light off inside, though the window kept the room half-lit. She smiled, almost apologetically, and closed the door.
Korra swallowed, and then it was just her and Asami sitting in the semi-darkness, faces inches away from each other.
Suddenly all she could smell was mango hand cream and then Asami was kissing her, slow and soft and tender and unlike anything she'd expected. When she pulled away Korra could only stare at her with her mouth half open, and Asami blushed even redder, tucking hair behind her ear.
"Was that too much? I'm sorry-"
"NO!" Korra coughed. "I mean no. That was fine!"
In fact, she wanted to do it again. And then maybe again after that.
Korra leaned in the next time, catching Asami's lower lip, and Asami tangled a hand in her hair. Korra cupped her cheek in response.
They were panting by the time they pulled away from each other, and Asami let out a breathy laugh. Dusk from the window lit up her face in soft, yellow light, her eyes more green than Korra had ever seen them. She wasn't sure how she'd never noticed how beautiful they were until then. Or how her dark waves perfectly framed her face, or how she smelled like springtime, or how she was smiling at her with her lipstick smudged and something fluttered in Korra's chest and she couldn't stop staring.
"You're beautiful."
It was off her tongue before she could stop it.
----
She caught herself glancing at Asami every so often as the party ended; sometimes they'd make eye contact and Asami would smile, as if she knew what Korra was thinking.
If she guessed Korra was thinking about kissing her again, she'd be right.
----
Asami drove away in a red car that night, and Korra watched her leave. She understood, then, why boys stared at her in the hallways. And then she wished they wouldn't.
When it got too cold for her to stand on the porch any longer, she walked back into the house, which was mostly deserted now, Mako watching something on TV and Bolin asleep on the other couch. She was always the last to leave when they had parties, and she was never exactly sure why.
She sunk down on the couch beside Mako, knowing he was the worst person to ask and asking him anyways.
"What do you do when you think you love someone?"