Chapter Text
chapter 1
Asami wasn't sure how the four of them ended up on the floor of her apartment playing a combined game of spin the bottle and truth or dare. They all decided when they were in high school that playing a game involving kissing with people who were related would be a little too weird. The night had started out with a movie Korra had declared as "too boring to watch as a twenty-year-old" and quickly turned into drinking and board games.
Asami could feel the heat coming from Korra and tried not to think about all the ways they were touching. Shoulder to shoulder and knee to knee. She was convinced that the flush in her cheeks came from the bottle of wine they had all polished off and were now using to play the game. Mako used his turn to ask if Bolin stole his leftovers which led to the brothers wrestling.
“My turn.” Korra whispered in her ear as she reached to spin the bottle. Goosebumps prickled over Asami’s skin and she tried to hide a shiver.
Korra had a dusky flush across her cheeks and her pupils were blown wide from the alcohol. Warmth pooled in her stomach despite her intentions. Her crush on Korra had only grown over the past couple of years. She knew she was a fool to agree to be roommates with the girl but Korra was her best friend.
After a couple of rotations, the bottle slowly stopped on Mako.
“Mako,” Korra had a sly grin on her face as she asked her question. “Who is the best kiss you’ve ever had?” She had that confident aura that she already knew the answer.
Mako looked slightly uncomfortable and Asami really couldn’t blame him. Having to answer that question when two of the girls you previously dated were seated across from you is kind of awkward. It was times like this that reminded her that she and Korra used to fight for his affections in high school. It’s kind of funny how things can change so much.
“Um honestly I don’t know.” He said.
“Nope, not a good enough answer! I need a name.” Korra had a tendency to be persistent.
“I haven’t really kissed anyone and been like ‘wow’,” He continued. “No offense.”
Korra and Asami answered in sync. “None taken.”
“However I can tell you the worst kisser.” A mischievous glint took over his eye.
Korra squinted at him as if trying to read his mind. She flapped her hand at him to signal to get on with it already.
“You were.” His shiteating grin took up his entire face as Korra began to sputter. Bolin began chuckling but Asami was pretty sure the alcohol was hitting him the hardest. His eyes seemed glazed and his coherent sentences were few and far between.
“You’re kidding. No way in hell am I the worst.” Her cheeks had grown a darker shade of red than before. Asami felt a twinge of empathy for Korra, it can't be easy to hear that.
“Korra, the only thing I remember from kissing you was how wet it was.” Mako laughed.
“We were young! That could have been both of our problems.” Asamo could tell that Korra was trying to not make this a big deal. However, a Korra who drinks is never someone who can keep their thoughts to themself.
“Okay maybe but do you remember it feeling like you were drowning.” He asked.
“No, not really.” She muttered. Asami rubbed her on the back in what she hoped came across as comfort. In all honesty, Asami couldn’t imagine Korra being a bad kisser at all. She was tall and beautiful and caring and had really nice, full lips. Countless daydreams had been spent on picturing what it would be like for Korra to kiss her and they never disappoint her so far. Of course, they would only ever stay daydreams. Asami knew that Korra just wasn’t into her in a romantic way even if they were both into women. Korra had had a couple of relationships since high school but nothing too serious. As much as she wanted to move on from her crush, it felt wrong to date people when she already had such strong feelings for Korra.
They kept playing for a little bit longer but it was growing late and the alcohol was making them all more tired than usual. Mako pulled Bolin up from the ground, slinging Bolin’s arm across his shoulders and setting his arm on his back. Both boys grunted goodbye as they closed the door to Asami’s apartment. Despite being tired, Asami really didn’t want to go to bed yet.
She turned towards Korra. “Wanna watch something?”
Korra gave Asami a soft smile. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Not really ready for bed.”
“Same here.” Asami grabbed the remote and put on the crappy reality dating show they had been binging for the last week. Asami moved to sit on the couch while Korra went to grab some snacks and a couple of glasses of water.
Typically, Korra wasn’t the type of girl to sit quietly while watching a cringy show. She likes to shout at the contestants about how stupid they were or how terrible this or that decision was. Tonight, she sat pensive at the other end of the couch. Her brow was furrowed in a way that was decidedly very cute.
“Asami,” Korra whispered. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what’s up?” Asami was a little unsure what kind of question could have Korra sounding so insecure.
“Do you think Mako was being honest earlier? That I’m a terrible kisser?” Korra asked.
“Korra you dated him when you were like sixteen of course you were a bad kisser. No one was born a pro at kissing, Korra. ” Asami chuckled a little bit because obviously this had been eating at Korra since the moment it left Mako’s mouth. “Haven’t you been with other people since him, I’m sure you’ve improved since then.”
“I know but Asami how could I be that bad that he remembers after all these years? What if everyone I’ve been with since also thinks that I’m the worst but won’t tell me? Asami, this is terrible.” Korra was breathing heavier now and waving her arms around dramatically. She seemed genuinely distraught by this information and all Asami wanted to do was comfort her. She scooched closer to her on the couch and put her arms gently on Korra’s shoulders.
“Honestly I think if you are this concerned about it, Korra, you probably aren’t a bad kisser.” Asami pressed gently into Korra’s shoulders in an attempt to help her relax just a little. It was also an excuse to touch Korra. Asami found herself making a lot of those lately. All these little touches kept adding more and more into her feelings for the girl. She needed to learn a little self control.
“You don’t know that though Asami!” Korra said.
“Of course I don’t Korra but really if you were so terrible someone would have told you to your face.” Asami assured her.
“Would you tell me?” Korra asked, looking straight into Asami’s eyes.
“What?” Asami must have lost track of the conversation because no way Korra was asking her that.
“Would you tell me if I was a bad kisser?” Korra had leaned forward, crowding into Asami’s space. Asami felt her heart begin to race and butterflies settled deep into her stomach at the closeness. She couldn’t tell if the wine was messing with her right now or if Korra looked just as flustered as she felt.
“Um yea I think I would.” Her voice did not sound as steady as she would have liked it.
“You think?” Was Asami going crazy or did Korra’s eyes just flicker to her lips?
“I would. I would tell you if you were a bad kisser.” Asami said. She sounded slightly more confident and less breathy this time around.
Korra nodded her head and sat back from Asami. “Cool, cool.”
They both turned back to watch the tv but Asami couldn’t ignore the slight tension around them. She tried to focus on what couple had fucked up the show but she really just wanted to know what Korra was thinking. She glanced over at Korra, whose face was once again scrunched up in concentration. Asami was checking her phone for new notifications when Korra spoke again.
“I think I need to practice.” Korra said.
“If that’s what you think you need Korra.” Sometimes it was easier for Asami to go along with Korra’s strange plans rather than argue against them.
“Will you help me?” Korra whispered.
Asami whipped her head towards the other girl. “You mean like help you find someone?”
Korra shook her head. “No, I mean like we should kiss and you should tell me if I’m terrible.”
The blank look on Asami’s face must have spurred the girl further on.
“Think about it! You’re my best friend and the only person who would truly be honest with me. It’s one tiny kiss and I promise I will never ever bother you again.” Korra had grabbed both of Asami’s hands into her own and had a pleading look in her eyes. Asami had always found it hard to say no to her puppy dog eyes.
“I don’t know Korra, it could make things weird.” The devil on her shoulder was screaming at the top of her lungs to just say yes, that this is all Asami had ever wanted. But it did feel wrong to kiss your friend who you very much had feelings for even if they were asking for it.
“It’ll be one kiss and we never have to talk about it again. Asami this is gonna eat away at me for the rest of my life if we don’t figure this out.” Korra said.
Asami bit her lip, thinking about what Korra was asking. All she wanted was a quick kiss to assess her skills, nothing serious. This seemed like something best friends would do to help each other out, right? It’s not weird for her to want to help her friend. Korra would do almost anything for Asami and vice versa.
“Okay sure, we can kiss.” Asami nodded her absentmindedly, trying not to think too heavily about the consequences this might have on their friendship.
“Really?” Even Korra seemed shocked that Asami had agreed to this. Maybe the wine was making her bolder or maybe it was the soft glow of Korra in the tv light.
“Yeah I mean if you think it will help.” Asami whispered.
“Okay sweet.” Korra sounded unsure but moved closer to Asami until there was very little space between them. It looked like a million thoughts were racing behind her eyes. Asami reached up and swiped a brown lock of hair behind her ear.
“Korra, don’t overthink it.” Asami said. She swiped her thumb across her cheekbone.
Korra nodded, eyes focused on Asami’s lips. Butterflies swelled higher and higher the closer Korra got to her. Just before their lips could touch, Korra paused. Asami wasn’t sure if she had changed her mind or if she was waiting for Asami to back away from this. Before either of them could pull away to laugh this off, Asami pushed forward and kissed Korra. It was a chaste kiss, like the kind you use to kiss family members or apparently your best friends.
Asami pulled back and looked at Korra, who had a frown on her face. Asami opened her mouth to tell Korra that she was a perfectly fine kisser when Korra grabbed her face and kissed her again. This time Korra wasn’t stiff as a board and Asami found herself melting further in the other girl. Korra kissed her softly and one hand moved to the back of her neck while the other stroked her hair. Asami breathed out sharply, overwhelmed by how good Korra’s fingers felt in her hair. This was better than any daydream she had concocted. She pushed back against Korra wanting to feel more of her against her body. Her hand found its way to Korra’s waist and she held on tight.
The fingers in Asami’s hair tightened and she couldn't fight the sound that escaped her. Suddenly, Korra pulled back from her lips and rested their foreheads together. Asami was slightly embarrassed at how carried away she had gotten during the whole thing. She wished she could take back the sound she made if it meant Korra would kiss her again.
“So,” Korra sounded out of breath. “How was that?”
Amazing. Wonderful. Better than anything I’ve had before.
“Good! Um that was pretty good, no complaints here.” She forced out a laugh that sounded more awkward than anything she’d ever heard. Her hand was still gripping tightly onto Korra’s waist. She quickly moved it back into her own lap. Korra pulled back from Asami and sat back against the couch.
“So I’m not the worst kisser?” She had a shy smile on her face.
“No, Korra, not even close.” Asami thought about lying to her, hoping Korra would want to keep practicing kissing over and over again until her lips were numb and her brain was empty. Korra yawned and Asami checked the time on her phone, it was almost 2 am.
“Good, good. Thanks Asami, you’re a lifesaver.” Korra said.
“Of course, anything to help a friend. Hey, I think I’m gonna head to bed, you staying up?” Asami wanted to head to bed before she overthought everything and made it awkward between them.
“Nah, it’s late, I'll head to bed too.” Korra turned off the tv and brought their untouched water glasses back over to the kitchen. Asami shuffled her way over to her room in a daze, still unsure whether tonight actually happened or if she made up the entire thing.
“Goodnight Korra.”
“Sweet dreams Asami.”
Asami closed the door to her bedroom, crawled directly into her bed and barely slept a wink.