Scars

"Lin?"

A groan that sounds suspiciously like a 'what' is all the response she gets. Korra props herself up on her elbows, hovering over the woman beside her. Her eyes are closed, and her hair has come loose from its usual confines, the dark grey a stark contrast to her paler skin.

Korra entangles her hand in it, letting the dark grey tresses filter through her fingers. It's almost as long as her own, she thinks, wondering why the stoic Chief of Police always wear her hair up. Maybe it's too casual. Or maybe she keeps it that way out of practical reasons. Korra can only imagine the mess it'd make if her hair got caught up in one of her metal coils.

Korra lifts her hand to Lin's cheek, finger tips lightly brushing the two scars that run parallel down her right cheek, stopping and then continuing from her collarbone down over her shoulder.

"How'd you get these?"

Her fingers trail the scars downward and back to her cheekbone. Lin's own hand come up to encircle her wrist, lightly pulling her hand away.

"Don't."

Korra pulls her hand away and lies back down, feeling hurt at the quick rejection. She didn't even get the classical "it's a long story" excuse.

The woman beside her continues to mystify her. Korra wants to break her down little by little, to learn everything there is to learn about her, and then slowly put the pieces back together afterwards so she can marvel at her beauty.

Despite being thirty three years her senior, Lin is as toned and lithe as the most prominent of any of her police officers. Korra loves moments like this, when they're both tired from their love-making, Lin lying before her like puzzle ready to be solved. She will trail her hands over the older woman's face, her arms, down her stomach, all the way down to her feet and back up again, as if trying to memorize her by touch. And Lin lets her, sighs escaping her lips when Korra's touch go from featherlight to bold.

But now Korra has gone and ruined the mood. She knows Lin is touchy about her scars; she has been trying to muster up the courage to ask her about them ever since their first night together. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, Lin would trust her enough to tell her tonight. But apparently not, Korra thinks, sighing as she closes her eyes.

"Korra."

She opens her eyes, looking up to see Lin positioned above her in much the same way she had been moments before, her green eyes locking with her own.

"It's not that I don't trust you," she starts, and Korra wonders if she's like an open book, her feelings spilling out from in-between the pages. "But these… It's not exactly pleasant memories."

Lin's eyes darkens and takes on a distant glaze. Korra can see the painful reminder playing behind behind her green irises.

"It's okay. I can wait."

Lin's eyes refocuses on her, a slight smirk creeping onto her face as she gazes down at the teenager before her.

"If I remember correctly, Avatar, you're not very good with patience."

Korra feels her body tingling at the sight of that smirk, but her face remains serious.

"I'd try. For you."

"I appreciate that," Lin words are all but a murmur, and Korra can feel the reverberation against her own lips.

Leaning up, Korra closes the millimeter gap between their lips as her arms come up to pull the woman above her closer. Lin, in turn, deepens the kiss, encircling her waist with her arms.

It's okay. She can wait until Lin is ready to tell her about her past. For now, she'll be content with concentrating on the feeling of Lin's lips, moving from her mouth to trail kisses down her throat, down her collarbone, down down down.

Korra has always preferred to live in the now anyway.

Author's note: Written as abirthday gift for whutnot, my fellow Korra/Lin shipper whose drawings gave me the inspiration to write this. I hope you had an awesome birthday!

Also, I really hope we get to hear the story behind Lin's scars. And it better be mind-numbingly awesome, otherwise I'm going to personally sue the creators of LoK. Nobody leaves scars like that on a badass like Lin Bei Fong without some serious background awesomeness involved. If it turns out her scars are connected to her fallout with Tenzin... I think I might die.

Hope you all enjoyed this rather short drabble! When (not if) we hear the story behind Lin's scars, I might write another chapter.

I'm always open for requests if you have some Korra/Lin plot bunnies just waiting to be written down!