AN: Hi! I'm Rae, and this is my second story in the LoK universe. It takes place after Korra and Asami step through the spirit portal. It can be read as a sequel to 'The First Time', but it doesn't have to be. Feel free to find me on Facebook (RaeDMagdon), tumblr (again, raedmagdon), or twitter. I post updates whenever I write new stories, and I'm hoping to write more LoK fanfic in the future.

Warnings: This story contains explicit descriptions of sex between two women. But that's why you're here, isn't it? Also, a warning for the (hopefully artful and satisfying) use of present tense. xD; I typically stick with past tense, but for some reason, the story worked better this way.

. . .

Promise Me Forever

. . .

At first, the only thing she can see is Korra's face. Her smile shines through the white-gold light, and her eyes are smiling too. The only thing she can hear is her own heartbeat in her ears, rising and falling with the cadence of Korra's breathing. The only thing she can feel is the warmth of Korra's fingers. They lace tight with hers, clutching just a little too hard, but even that is perfect. Everything is perfect.

Finally, the golden glow fades to flowers. She is still holding Korra's hands, but there is a new world beyond the portal. Trees arch above them, branches stretching out to find the sun. Light filters down through their flat canopies, casting patterns on the ground. Just beyond, an open meadow sways in the breeze. "It's beautiful," she whispers. There really is no other word to describe it. Before, she had wondered if the spirit world might be confusing, or even frightening, but with Korra beside her, it is only wonderous.

"You're beautiful."

Asami stops gawking, and her eyes settle back on Korra's face. Her smile is softer than before, almost amused. "Don't laugh," she whispers. "I've never been before. It's all new to me."

Korra lets go of her hand. Her heart drops a little at the loss, but then Korra's fingertips reach up to trail along her cheek instead, and all is forgiven. "I'd never laugh at you, Asami." Korra's thumb strokes her cheek, coaxing a burning blush to the surface of her skin. "So, you want me to show you around? I promise to make the tour worth it."

As much as Asami wants to explore the spirit world, there is something else she wants even more. Something she needs. She mirrors Korra's pose, reaching out to cup the side of her face. Korra's breathing speeds up. She can hear it, feel it. Both of them are all too aware that their lips are only inches apart. "Not yet," she whispers. "Right now, I just want to be with you."

Korra's mouth seals over hers, and for the second time, her entire world fades away.

They simply linger at first, making up for what feels like a hundred wasted moments. The table at the restaurant, the gazebo, the kisses goodbye they had been too uncertain to share before the end. She finally lets them go, relishing the present instead and soaking in the knowledge that Korra is here, in her arms, and for once, neither of them has anywhere else to be.

The wonder does not fade, but after a minute, it begins to shift. Something deeper tugs at her. She is no longer content with a soft brushing of lips. She crosses her wrists behind Korra's neck, teasing the short, choppy strands of her hair as solid hands settle around her hips. When she pushes her tongue forward, asking without words, Korra's lips part. Their taste is sweet, dizzying, everything she has always wanted.

Something in her awakens, and her body tingles as she realizes how close they are. Korra is pressed tight against her, so tight it's hard to breathe, but she wants to be even closer. Close enough to forget the time they spent apart. "Korra," she murmurs, breathing the name out in between short, broken kisses. "Korra…" Korra's fingers grip the edge of her jacket, and she gasps as a firm thigh pushes up between hers. The pressure almost makes her think the golden light is back. "Korra, I love you…"

She hasn't said it before, but it doesn't matter. It has remained unspoken between them for too long already.

Finding a flat, comfortable place isn't difficult. The grass is soft and light, and the umbrella trees offer just enough protection from the sun. They undress each other slowly, pausing to savor special places. Korra's shirt comes off first. For a moment, the broad, tanned line of her shoulders make Asami freeze and stare in wonder, but the temptation to touch wins out. She smiles when she learns that the dip of Korra's spine is ticklish, and her abdomen clenches upon discovering the place along Korra's shoulder that makes her voice break. As deep as her desire runs, she is not content to dive directly for the heart and rush the journey.

Korra coaxes her arms above her head, undoing the buttons of her jacket in between kisses and brushing down the sleeves. As soon as she shrugs it off, Korra's eyes lock on her breasts, and she laughs. It isn't the first time she's caught her staring, but it is one of the first times Korra hasn't needed to look away immediately and save face in front of their friends. "We've got time," she whispers, taking one of Korra's hands. She presses it to the bare strip of skin just below her shirt, guiding it beneath the hem and up along her stomach. "All the time in the world now."

"Not enough time with you." Korra leans forward, kissing along the line of her newly bared throat. The hand on her stomach shifts higher. "Never enough time."

"Then we should make the most of it." Before Korra can reach her goal, Asami removes her shirt as well, unwilling to leave even something as thin as a scrap of fabric between them. She laces their fingers together, cupping Korra's hand over her breast. "We've spent three years apart. I don't want to be apart for another second."

Suddenly, she is flat on her back in the grass, caught beneath Korra's weight. Korra's mouth slides down along her collarbone, over the top of her chest, and around the curve of her breast to capture the stiff point in the center. Her hands fly to Korra's shoulders, drinking in the soft, warm skin of her back. Her eyes flutter and threaten to close, but the sight is too precious to give up even for a moment. She needs to watch. To be certain this is real.

Korra's mouth is everywhere at once. Kissing, teasing, wandering down to graze her stomach before sliding back up to her breasts. The only pause comes when Korra tugs at the hem of her pants. Asami lifts her hips, and after a few awkward kicks to free her legs, there is nothing left but flesh between them. She blinks, trying to remember when Korra removed the rest of her clothes, but then those lips seal around her again, those teeth tug at a tender spot, and she can't recall anything else.

It takes her several moments to notice that Korra's mouth has dragged down past her navel. She blinks, and her heart stutters out of rhythm when she realizes that Korra has no intention of coming back up. All thoughts of going slow shatter. She clutches Korra's shoulders, pushing down and letting her thighs fall apart. Korra's eyes flick up to meet hers, and she smiles, speaking in silence.

She is grateful when Korra doesn't wait. They have waited long enough already. At first, everything is so overwhelming that she can't tell exactly what Korra is doing between her legs. All she knows is that it feels wonderful. But slowly, the different sensations begin to unravel. She finds the blazing heat of Korra's tongue sliding over her, through her. The sweet pull of her lips as they seal around her clit. And then, to her surprise, the insistent press of Korra's fingers, followed by a deep, satisfying fullness.

Korra is here. With her. On top of her and around her and inside of her. She bites down on her lip, digging her heels into the grass since she can't bear to move her hands. She searches for words - some encouragement, or maybe Korra's name - but in the end, the only thing she can manage is a hoarse, throaty, "More…"

And Korra gives her more. More pressure. More warmth. But it's the movement that makes her whole body shiver and clench. Korra's fingers begin to curl inside her, lining up with the tug of her lips and the stroke of her tongue. At first, it's almost too much, and the edges of her nails bite at Korra's shoulders. But then it falls into something perfect, and she wonders how she has gone without this for so long. Without her for so long.

Asami swiftly realizes that her lover is determined. Korra is not content to tease. She is hungry for her. For her pleasure, her release. She tries to hold back at first, to push aside the sparks shooting beneath her skin. She ignores the heavy coil of heat in her stomach and fights the pounding fullness that grows with each thrust. But then she remembers - this is only the beginning. Korra will still be here after she comes. Korra will be here today, tomorrow, and every day after that. She doesn't have to remain suspended in a single moment to have her.

The next time Korra's tongue slides over the tip of her clit, she gives in. She surrenders to the thick, pulsing contractions, clutching the back of Korra's head to keep her in place. She isn't afraid of losing her anymore, but she can't help herself. The next thrust of Korra's fingers unleash a flood, and she shouts to the open sky. The heat of Korra's mouth collides with the heat rushing from inside her, and it is impossible to tell the difference. She shudders, blinking away tears so that their eyes can remain locked through each rise and fall.

It ends slowly. The unyielding pressure eases back into relief, and she loosens her grip on Korra's head, realizing with some embarrassment that she has several thick locks of hair fisted in her hands. She pulls back and starts to apologize, but Korra only smirks up at her with glazed lips, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. The other remains nestled between her legs, and she closes her thighs to keep it there for as long as possible. "That was…"

"Too long in coming."

She nods. "Three years too long." Korra finally manages to retrieve her fingers, and though she feels the loss, Asami doesn't object. Her eyes widen when Korra takes them between her lips, and her inner muscles twitch with fresh desire. "So… maybe we shouldn't wait so long before we try it again."

Korra removes her fingers with a slick pop, mouth and knuckles still glistening. "What about now? Can we try it again now?"

The note of eagerness in Korra's voice is too much to resist. She laughs and reverses their positions, pushing up off the ground so that she can pin Korra on her back. "I think it's your turn now. You've earned it."

Korra's smile makes her heart ache with happiness. "I thought that was my turn?"

"No. This is."

Although she is expecting to taste herself on Korra's lips, she isn't prepared for how good it is. How right it feels. Their tongues dance back and forth, and she presses up with one of her knees, gasping at the slick heat that paints over her thigh. She groans into Korra's mouth, catching her bottom lip and pulling with her teeth. Her palm trails down along the perfect curve of Korra's side, stopping just below the swell of her hip. And then Korra's hand drags hers lower. "I love you, Asami." Korra murmurs her name into her lips the moment her fingertips find heat. "So much."

Asami holds perfectly still, breathing heavily, too overwhelmed to speak. She had held onto those words for three years, remembering how they sounded, letting them echo through her head at night, even reading them between the lines of Korra's rare letters. But now, the love behind them is overwhelming.

"I love you, too."

Her fingers fumble at first. She doesn't have much practice with this. But eventually, she finds the hood of Korra's clit and pushes it back, circling the slick tip with feather-light strokes. A gasp hitches in Korra's throat, and Asami's pulse spikes. She needs to discover more of those sounds. She needs to learn how to make Korra sigh, how to make her sob, how to make her scream.

It isn't hard to find the touches that work. She earns quick, skating breaths when she teases and low, broken groans when she presses down. Korra likes circles best - slow, hard ones that cover everything. She likes being bitten, especially along the tight cord of muscle that stretches from her neck to her shoulder. And she loves kisses, especially the ones that make it nearly impossible to breathe.

Asami coaxes Korra's tongue into her mouth as she shifts her fingers down, teasing the tight ring of muscle at her entrance. Korra's kiss tells her how much pressure to use, and the tight grip of Korra's hand on her shoulder shows her how deep to push. When the edges of Korra's nails skate down her arm, she finishes the first thrust. There is no resistance. Korra is so wet, so open for her, so tight and smooth around her. She tears their lips apart, blinking back tears. "It's been so long…"

Korra doesn't answer. Instead, she tilts her hips, angling them so that she can slide deeper. And then she's moving, thrusting, curling forward to catch the swollen spot along Korra's front wall. Her thumb shifts up to take the place of her other fingers. She buries her face in Korra's neck, inhaling her scent, kissing the soft place beneath her jaw where her heartbeat lives. The last of her sadness floats away. Nothing will part them now.

She isn't sure how long she spends that way, tucked against Korra's throat while her hand works, but she pulls out of her daze when she feels Korra's muscles begin to tighten around her fingers. The movement of Korra's hips becomes more urgent, and her cries grow louder. Asami can feel the vibrations under her lips. She forces herself to pull back, to watch Korra fall over into bliss, and the sight nearly stops her heart. Korra's hands are braced on the ground behind her, showing the strain of each muscle. The arch of her spine is breathtaking, and her eyes are a well of love and desire.

Korra's lips tremble, then form her name. "Asami…"

It's enough to snap the final threads. Korra bucks against her hand, pushing hard enough to make her wrist burn. Wetness pours into her palm, and the silk around her fingers squeezes impossibly tight. The muscles of Korra's stomach lock, and so she drives just a little deeper, grinding the pad of her thumb into the twitching bud of her clit.

She does her best to ease Korra through her release, but it is so powerful that it's difficult to move her hand. Eventually, she gives up, simply holding Korra close and curling her fingers every once in a while as the contractions fade to aftershocks. She will not give this up - give Korra up again. The bond between them has been tested, but nothing has been able to break it.

Suddenly, Korra finds her voice. "Promise me forever this time," she blurts out, cupping the back of her neck and staring into her eyes. "Please. I need to hear it."

"This is forever. I promise." And for once, Asami truly believes the truth of those words. She couldn't have made such a promise before, no matter how much she wanted to, but she has changed since then. Korra has changed. They have grown so much, but they have not grown apart. "As long as you don't run away again, I'll be here."

A few weeks ago, the comment might have been hurtful, but Korra only laughs. "Are you crazy? After what we just did, you'll be lucky to pry me off of you long enough to go out in public."

"I don't mind if you don't. After everything that's happened, we could use some time alone." Asami shifts back and removes her fingers, pleased when Korra shivers at the loss. "There's a whole wide spirit world waiting for us out there. Are you ready to explore it with me?"

Korra's face breaks into another grin. "You bet." Her eyes flick down, and Asami's skin prickles as Korra's gaze fixes between her legs. "In another hour or two. I'm not finished with you yet."

Asami smiles and swings one of her knees over Korra's hips, dragging her lover's hand back between her thighs. "Good, because I'm not finished with you yet, either."

The End