Bloodstain

Chapter Seven: Resolution

Summary: While on the journey to the Southern Water Tribe to see if Katara can restore her bending, Korra finds that, unsurprisingly, Lin Beifong is the only one who really understands how it feels to be cut off from her bending. Korra also finds that Lin has suffered more than being "equalized". Pre-Linorra.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Pairings: Korra/Lin ("Linorra", "Korralin")

Author's Notes: I understand some of you are annoyed with Lin for being stubborn. That will finally change.

Korra started noticing the effects of missing Lin a little over week later, just after her eighteenth birthday, which passed in a haze despite the party Tenzin organized for her. When she practiced bending, she could tell that she was moving less of whatever element she was working with than she did usually, but she wasn't surprised. She knew she was half-assing her practice. It was when she met with Kiorrsaka to practice metalbending that she started thinking something was really wrong.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," she insisted when her newly honed focus could identify more "easy to bend" particles, as Lin had called them, in the metal she was working with, but she was struggling to move it.

"There's something blocking your bending," said Kiorrsaka. "How frequently do you meditate?"

"Pretty much every day," sighed Korra. "Tenzin is huge on meditating."

Kiorrsaka thought for a moment. Her brow furrowed in a way that Korra recognized from every time Korra had trouble understanding something and Kiorrsaka had to rephrase it. "Has something happened that is distracting you?"

Korra swallowed hard. "Yeah, actually. I really miss somebody right now. S-somebody I love."

"It's the Chief, isn't it?" said Kiorrsaka with a wry smile.

Korra's jaw dropped. "How did you know?"

Kiorrsaka laughed. She had a hearty laugh that carried, and Korra couldn't help but feel slightly better despite her confusion and how badly she missed Lin. "Gold shield detective. I read people pretty well. But it's still pretty obvious, kiddo."

Korra blushed. "Yeah, I'm not surprised. I'm pretty head over heels."

Kiorrsaka put a hand on Korra's shoulder. "Look, I get it. The Chief looks way better than anyone her age has any right to look. But you're too young for her."

"She thinks so too," Korra sighed. "That's why she won't talk to me or teach me metalbending anymore."

Kiorrsaka chuckled. "When she asked me to teach you, she told me that you were driving her crazy. She didn't say that was how."

Korra tried to match her new teacher's smile. "Yeah, she didn't want me acting all lovestruck towards her."

"Go home. Do some more meditation," said Kiorrsaka. "I can already tell that trying to push you more would just frustrate you. But I want you to try to bend some metal at least that size and density"—Kiorrsaka indicated the block she had had Korra work with—"at least twice before our next lesson. Okay?"

Korra nodded, surprised at the unexpected leniency. "Okay. Thanks for understanding."

"No problem. But make sure you practice!"

Korra went home and tried to meditate. This turned out to be a failure of an idea. She called the women's shelter and asked if they could use some help, and they said yes, she could come over right away. Lin wasn't there—Korra guessed she was working—but Korra was soon occupied by the fact that it was dinnertime at the shelter and she was put to work bringing meals to the occupants. She hoped to see Jiaolin, but she was assigned to a wing of the shelter where Jiaolin wasn't staying. Before she left for the night, Korra signed up for a recurring shift twice a week.

Korra didn't sleep well that night. Or the night after that, or the night after that. Around three in the morning, she gave up on trying to stay away from Lin.

Lin lived on the top floor of an apartment building. Korra stood on a patch of earth and bent it upward as hard as she could. She didn't quite make it to the top and had to tell herself that she was about to see Lin again and focus so hard she broke out sweating getting her new mesa up to the appropriate apartment. Mercifully for her, she didn't have to bend her way around the place, because she had happened to guess right and get herself to Lin's bedroom window. Her mesa elevator was completely smooth, so she bent herself a couple of pebbles and tossed them at the window. Lin must have been sleeping lightly; she woke up reached for the window.

"Korra?" she slid the window up. "What are you doing here?" She didn't sound groggy at all. Korra wondered if she had actually been asleep.

"I had to see you." Korra clambered in through the window before Lin could protest.

"Korra…" Lin slunk back down onto her bed. She looked exhausted.

"Lin, I wish I could get over you, but…" Korra couldn't figure out what to say. "I love you. And I'm pretty sure you feel the same. I wouldn't say that if I weren't sure. I can tell when you kiss me. Please, stop pushing me away."

Lin closed her eyes and said nothing.

"Lin, I want us to be together. Please," Korra begged. She hadn't slept properly in several nights, and words started to fail her.

Lin touched the back of one of Korra's hands. "Honey…"

Korra's mumbled pleas became almost incomprehensible, but Lin could still make out her name, repetitions of "please" and what was either "I miss you" or "I need you". Lin stroked the girl's face, trying to get her to calm down, but Korra grabbed one of her hands and covered it with kisses. "This is what you do to me." At first Lin was afraid Korra would bring her hand to the join of her legs, but instead she felt her palm moved to Korra's heart, which was pounding madly.

Lin shivered, hardly able to believe that this young woman who she had once described as "tough as nails" was coming undone in front of her. She had expected Korra to bounce back quickly from rejection, not show up in her bed saying she was having trouble sleeping alone. And while Lin had always prided herself on her self-control, she couldn't push Korra away any longer. She made the decision to throw caution to the wind and lean over and cover Korra's mouth with hers.

Korra wrapped her legs around Lin's waist and buried her hands in Lin's hair, pressing her whole self flush against her new lover. Lin made no attempt to spurn Korra's desperate advance; instead, she made sure she was resting on her elbows to keep her weight off of Korra's lungs. I may be reincarnated into a lower life form for this, but at least I can make Korra happy, Lin thought almost grimly as Korra's tongue forced its way into her mouth, exploring hungrily. The sudden slick hotness sliding over her tongue made her stifle a moan; how long had it been since she had been kissed with such passion? Korra's kisses were a little awkward and inexperienced, but Lin couldn't bring herself to care, particularly as Korra's warm, calloused hands slid up her nightshirt. This time she couldn't fight back the noise that started in her throat as Korra's shaking hands cupped her breasts. "Korra, wait," Lin gasped between kisses; Korra looked up at her, terrified that she was about to be rejected again. "I think…both of us are wearing too many clothes."

Korra grinned. "Yeah…yeah, we are."

Lin edged to the side to allow Korra to move, which she did quickly, her shirt, breast bindings, trousers, and undergarments quickly hitting the floor. Lin allowed her eyes to rove over Korra's finely shaped, well-muscled form, aching to let her hands slide over the young woman's perfect body. She hesitated for only a second—she was quite satisfied with how she looked, but she had never been as lovely as Korra—before undoing the few buttons on her nightgown and pulling it over her head.

Korra was suddenly all over her with her hands and her lips, moaning against the skin of Lin's shoulder. "You're so beautiful."

"I've never been beautiful. Even Tenzin never…" Lin's voice dissolved into a moan as one of Korra's hands began trailing back and forth over her breasts.

"I think you're perfect." Korra gently cradled one of the older woman's breasts in one hand, smiling as she felt the nipple grow firm against her palm. Lin bit back a noise not unlike a whimper. "You're so…soft…but so strong and amazing…"

Lin's head tilted back as Korra left a trail of kisses from the base of her neck up to the underside of her chin. "Korra…"

"Does…does that feel good?" Korra shyly ran the pad of her thumb back and forth over Lin's nipple. "I've never done this."

Something clicked in Lin's mind. "It does…" Lin took hold of Korra's hips and pushed her almost roughly back onto the bed, earning a delighted squeal in response. "…but why don't I show you what an experienced woman can do for you?"

Korra's eyes drifted shut and her lips parted with anticipation. "Yes, Lin. I want you. Please."

Lin covered Korra's neck and upper chest with kisses, allowing herself to use her teeth. As she cautiously clamped her teeth down on a small patch of skin, she was rewarded with another excited noise from her lover. "That was a good noise, I take it?"

"A very good noise," Korra gasped. "Please k-keep going."

Encouraged, Lin continued in the same vein just under Korra's collar bones, leaving a meandering necklace of tiny bite marks. She sat back for a moment to admire her handiwork, touching the marks with her fingertips. "Your dark skin marks up beautifully."

"I'll have to look in a mirror," Korra whispered. "Spirits, that feels good. I didn't know I'd like being bitten so much…"

"I thought you might. Although…this is nothing." One corner of Lin's mouth turned up.

"That's an evil smirk," Korra panted.

"I won't hurt you." Lin caressed Korra's cheek with the back of one hand. "And if you do want me to stop, tell me."

"Okay."

Lin let her hands slide down from the necklet of bite marks to brush artfully over the girl's breasts. "Is this all right?"

"More," Korra groaned.

Lin cupped her hands around Korra's breasts and began to massage the soft flesh with tantalizing slowness, positioning her fingers so Korra's nipples were lightly squeezed between each thumb and forefinger. "Better?"

Korra pushed her shoulders off the mattress, her body arching into Lin's touch. "Mmm, yes!"

"You're so perfect." Never hesitating in the continued motions of her hands, Lin gently kissed one of Korra's nipples before taking the firm pearl of flesh between her lips and pulling it into her mouth. She nearly had to stop to smile as Korra's hands tangled in her hair and she heard Korra cry out.

"Ohh, Lin!"

Lin fell into a kind of trance while playing with her lover's breasts and listening to her low cries, and was only distracted when she heard Korra's moans turn to desperate whimpers that sounded more like frustration than pleasure. "What do you want, Korra? Tell me."

"I need you."

"I'm right here."

"No, I…" Korra whined. "I need you inside of me. Please."

"Do you want my hands? My mouth?"

"Surprise me. Just…now. Please, Lin!"

Lin left a hasty trail of kisses down Korra's belly as the girl's legs parted for her. She gently ran her palms over Korra's waist and touched little kisses to her inner thighs. "Are you sure, Korra?" The musky scent of Korra's arousal was making her head spin.

"Yes, Lin. Please," Korra begged.

Lin dipped her head to cover the join of Korra's legs with her mouth. Korra tried to lift her head up to watch and saw Lin's soft lips pressed to her skin, Lin's closed eyes, her eyebrows knit as she focused intently on what she was doing. She slid the tip her tongue in between the folds of Korra's most intimate place, giving her lover a few long, slow strokes. "Mmm…"

The tremor of pleasure that coursed through Korra forced her to lay her head back down. "That can't taste good," Korra whimpered.

"Oh, hush. You have no idea how lucky I feel to do this for you. And for the record…you taste quite nice." Lin gave Korra a quick smile and returned to her soft licks, this time pressing the flat of her tongue to Korra's delicate flesh and making sure she gave a sharp flick to the swollen bud at the top of Korra's slit.

"Mmm!" Korra's hands closed tightly around hanks of Lin's silky hair as she squirmed in pleasure. "Ohh, Lin, your tongue is so soft…"

Lin paused in her efforts to whisper, "Is that good?"

"Yes. So good," Korra moaned, the ache of excitement becoming almost unbearable.

"May I add my fingers? Would that be too much?"

"Um…" Korra trembled at the thought. "It might be? You can try."

Lin fastened her lips onto the cluster of nerves she had been working with her tongue and began to suckle. Korra began to moan steadily, over and over, her hands pulling hard at Lin's hair. Laughing softly at Korra's sensitivity and responsiveness, Lin slowly pushed one finger into her lover. Korra's moans rose in pitch, her hips bucking up into Lin's hand. "Ahh!"

"Too much? Do you want me to stop?"

"No, please don't stop! Just…slow, okay?"

"All right." Lin took Korra's most sensitive flesh into her mouth again, humming and moaning softly to let Korra know how much she was enjoying the experience as well. She crooked the finger still buried inside and began caressing gently.

"Ohh!" Korra's toes dug into the bed, her hips rising off the mattress again. "I'm s-sorry I can't hold still…mmm…yes…"

"Shh," Lin whispered briefly. She gripped Korra's hip hard with one hand, holding her steady.

"I'm not going to last much longer!"

Instead of stopping to speak again, Lin kept the rhythm steady, began letting her teeth brush lightly against Korra's flesh, and slipped a second finger into her.

"Ohhh, yes! Just like that! I…ah…ahhh!" Korra's body trembled hard as ecstasy overtook her. Lin eased her tenderly through her climax, waiting until Korra lay still to stop stroking her. "Lin…oh, spirits, I knew it would be good…I didn't know it would be…like that…"

Lin lay down beside Korra and immediately found herself gathered into a tight embrace. "Thank you," Korra mumbled sleepily against her lover's shoulder. "It was beyond amazing. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Korra kissed the smooth skin of Lin's shoulder. "What about you?" she whispered. "Should I try to…um…what do you want me to do for you?"

"Ordinarily, my advice would be 'try doing what would please you'."

Korra nuzzled at Lin's neck. "But you know what feels best for you, right?"

"Yes."

"So, tell me."

"It's…more mutual, and I would do most of the work."

Korra nipped at the skin of Lin's shoulder. "Lin, honey, please just tell me. Come on, spit it out."

"Perhaps we could try next time…I would be on top of you, or we would both be lying down. We would arrange ourselves so I would have my thigh between your legs. Or…" Lin slid one hand up Korra's thigh to gently cup her center. "We could be a little closer."

"Ooohh." Korra shivered. "I like the sound of that! Can we try?"

"I would think you're not ready yet…still a little sensitive?"

"Still tingling all over like I'm bending lightning out of all my pores." Korra grinned. "So yeah…maybe give me a few…a few seconds…is there anything you want me to do?"

"Come here and kiss me."

"You might have to come over here," Korra panted. She tried to get up on her side, but fell onto her back again. Lin chuckled softly and leaned over to cover Korra's mouth with soft kisses. Korra's hands, still shaking from her intense climax, reached up to slide over Lin's back. It took Lin a few moments to realize that Korra's fingertips were tracing her scars. "You're so beautiful," Korra mumbled against Lin's mouth. "I love your back."

"You seem to be particularly fond of my scars," said Lin with a sardonic smile, leaning back from their kisses.

"I think your back would be beautiful even without the scars," said Korra drowsily. "But I like to touch them. I like the scars, but I like your muscles, and your shoulder blades, and your spine…"

Lin hoped she wasn't blushing. She stroked Korra's face and brushed a few strands of sweaty hair aside, admiring the way the girl's eyes were glazed with desire and satisfaction, her cheeks flushing red under her lovely rich brown skin. Lin felt her heart race at the thought that she had made Korra feel that way. "You still look a little woozy, my dear."

Korra grinned. "I've never felt like this. I mean, I've touched myself, but you made me feel like I was flying." She slid her palms up Lin's sides. "Feeling a little less dizzy, though. Can I do something for you? What do you like?"

Lin gently nudged Korra's legs apart to drape herself over her lover's body so her hips were resting between Korra's thighs, her lips brushing against Korra's throat, her breasts pressed flush against Korra's. Korra whimpered, wrapping both her arms and her legs around Lin. Her hypersensitivity was fading, and the softness of Lin's curves against her skin was just shy of overwhelming. "You feel so good," Korra managed.

"I like feeling close to you," Lin murmured, her lips moving against the base of Korra's neck. Her spine arched and then curled slightly, making a bit of space between her body and Korra's and closing it again. Korra rested her face against Lin's hair, sighing with pleasure at the slow, delicious friction created by her lover's careful movements. She wasn't ready for any more contact below her waist, but in the meantime, this kind of dynamic embrace was lovely.

"I like this too…I really, really like this…but remember a little ago when you were kissing my chest?"

"Of course."

"C-can I do that for you?"

Lin only hesitated a moment. "If you want. I…I'm not as young as I used to be…"

Korra reached a hand up to touch Lin's cheek and trail down her neck, then lower. "Lin, shut up. Your breasts are awesome."

Realizing that she had better give up hope on not blushing, Lin shifted to lie on her back while Korra turned over and proved how true she believed that last statement by lavishing kisses on Lin's chest. Lin allowed herself to close her eyes and sift her hands through Korra's hair, enjoying the younger woman's clumsy but enthusiastic kisses. "Mmm…Lin…" Korra nuzzled her face against the skin she had just been kissing. "Oh my spirits, you're beautiful."

"Are you petting me with your face?" Lin opened her eyes and leaned up. "You are. I though you had figured out I'd prefer you act more like a human than a badgermole at…at times like this."

"Okay, I'll try something else, then." Korra brought up her hands to cradle her lover's breasts. "Can I suck on your nipples? Do you like that?"

"Yes, very much," Lin sighed.

"Mmm, they're nice and firm now…" Korra slid her thumb over one of the aforementioned parts of Lin's body; Lin shivered and bit back a moan. When Korra tried to take the nipple into her mouth, though, she had trouble. "Lin, I'm sorry, I'm bad at this…"

"It's okay, honey." Lin gently scratched Korra's scalp with her nails.

"Maybe it'd be easier if your breasts were smaller," Korra mumbled as she kissed the tip of one breast.

Lin almost snickered, but the laugh turned into a moan before it escaped her lips. Korra was getting the hang of what she was doing, and Lin's ability to talk was suddenly snatched away. She wrapped her hands around fistfuls of Korra's hair, her voice making noises without any consent from her brain as Korra suckled gently at incredibly sensitive skin. "Korra…"

"Am I doing okay?"

"You were until you stopped!" Lin panted. Korra gave a sheepish grin and went back to her task, her mouth on one of Lin's breasts, her dominant hand taking exquisite care of the other. "Mmm…you are definitely doing 'okay'…"

Korra shifted her weight and moved; Lin complained with an annoyed noise that trailed off into a moan when she realized Korra had switched sides so her right hand was free, and that hand was now sliding up and down Lin's inner thigh, moving closer to her core with every caress. Lin felt her legs shift to be farther apart, accepting that her body was now doing whatever it wanted and there was nothing for it but to enjoy the ride.

"Should I touch you?" Korra whispered, leaning back so she and Lin could make eye contact. Lin almost offered an emphatic "yes", but then she remembered.

"Korra, I…when Katara healed me, she told me that…she couldn't repair all the damage."

"What are you saying?" Korra leaned over Lin, her eyes full of concern. "Will you…not be able to feel it?"

"I don't know," Lin confessed. "I know there are scars."

Korra nodded solemnly. "Can I see?"

Lin's instinct was to refuse, to pull away and hide her damaged body with the covers, but some small part of her brain that completely trusted Korra stayed her. "Yes."

Korra reached over to the night table and turned on the light, then leaned over Lin's supine body again. She gently planted a kiss on one of Lin's thighs. "Are you sure, beautiful?"

Lin couldn't decide whether she loved or hated how powerless that pet name rendered her. Maybe some combination of both. "Yes."

She felt Korra's fingertips—gently, so gently—touching her between her legs, parting and examining her labia. She shivered.

"Oh, Lin…" Korra's voice shook as if she were about to cry. "Did you look at the scars?"

"No."

"I can tell you were burned." Lin felt Korra's lips again, this time kissing the scarred skin. Lin almost began to cry; she had expected to never be in bed with a particularly caring lover again, and here was Korra being incredibly kind. "Is this okay?" One of Korra's fingertips slid carefully into her.

Lin's eyelids fluttered. "Yes."

"I think all the scars are…um. On the outside."

"Mercifully, yes."

"It doesn't look like there was anything merciful about this." Now it sounded like Korra was actually crying. Lin felt the fingertips of Korra's other hand on her, touching lightly at the top of her opening. "Th-there's a scar here too…let me try…"

There was slight pressure then, on the little bundle of nerves that had apparently been left not entirely undamaged; a bolt of pleasure shot though Lin and she gasped.

"Can you feel that? Is that good?"

"Yes," Lin sighed.

"Oh, good," Korra sighed, as if in relief. "Otherwise I'd have had to march outside right now and track down whoever did this."

"I'd much rather you stay here," Lin moaned softly.

"Should I keep going? Or do you want to…um…try what you suggested earlier?"

Lin was actually enjoying being passive, which was very unusual for her, so she decided to take advantage of it while it lasted. "I'd actually like to see how you do…being on top." Lin sat up to trail her fingertips down the center of Korra's chest.

"Really?" Korra couldn't hold back a grin. She moved sideways on the bed so she could reach Lin's face easily, and she brushed Lin's hair back from her face, touched the cheek striped with parallel cicatrices. "I was kind of looking forward to you being on top…"

"We can switch if you want. But I want to get a sense of what your instincts are like." Lin pecked Korra a quick kiss. "It might be fun. You want to try?"

"Okay! So…um…"

Lin moved so she had her knees bent, one upright and one off to the side. "The key is to get good contact."

"I think I get it." Korra crawled around so she was facing Lin, unable to resist leaning down to give her lover a few long kisses between her legs.

"Mmm! Improvising, are we?" Lin gasped, almost laughing.

"A little. I just wanted to try that." Korra licked her lips. "Okay, now I get on top like this…" It took some figuring out, but she managed to arrange herself so one of her legs was draped across Lin's lower belly, the other knee resting on the mattress. She bit her lower lip as she moved into position, straddling Lin's core.

"That's right, honey. Find the right spot," Lin soothed Korra as the girl carefully situated herself so all her weight was resting on the join of her legs. Lin hooked one hand around the back of her own knee to pull her leg closer to her chest, allowing Korra to shift forward slightly.

"Oh-my-spirits," Korra panted.

"Does that feel good?"

"Mmm!" Korra began to rock helplessly against Lin, leaning over and pressing a hand to the center of Lin's chest to steady herself.

Lin's breathing grew heavy, her eyes closed and her head laid back against the pillow. "You like that, Korra? You like being on top of me?" she whispered, a low moan underscoring her voice. She let her leg rest across Korra's chest, her calf against Korra's shoulder.

"Hnnng—!" Korra leaned back, arching with pleasure, working her hips faster and with more force. She wrapped the fingers of one hand around Lin's ankle.

"Mmm. You like holding on to my ankle? I like watching you." Lin scratched the nails of one hand up Korra's belly, squeezing one of her breasts. The other hand slid around to Korra's hip and lightly smacked her backside.

"Ahh! Oh, Lin!"

Korra lost her grip on Lin's ankle and clutched her thigh with both hands for a moment, then reached out to clamp her sweaty fingers around one of her lover's breasts. Lin tried to speak up, to tease Korra about not knowing what to do with her hands, but her lips wouldn't move; she couldn't make any noise that wasn't a sharp moan that coincided with each thrust of Korra's hips, each bolt of pleasure that rocketed through her. She spanked Korra again, digging her nails into the girl's flesh, the squeal of ecstasy Korra gave making her rock her hips up into Korra's relentlessly working body.

"Mmm…fuck…" Korra's breath caught, and then her head tilted back as she released a noise that was almost a scream. "Ohhh!" Her hands no longer under her control, she gripped Lin's thigh so hard that there would be bruises later, forcing her hips forward and back in a few final, powerful thrusts as euphoria overtook her. She crumpled forward, sprawling across Lin's body, noticing through a haze of pleasure that she could feel Lin's body tremble in the aftermath of her own climax. "How did I do?" she panted, hoping she wasn't wrong about Lin experiencing the same high she had.

"Mmm." Lin lazily stroked Korra's back. "I would have to say…at least an A for effort, possibly even an A plus. That was your best score. C minus for control, B for execution."

Korra laughed. "So you're my lovemaking instructor now? Or maybe…sex-bending?" She stifled a giggle.

"It would appear so."

Korra nuzzled Lin's neck. "So I lack control, huh?"

"I'm afraid so, honey. That needs work."

"Mmm. Well, I'm very willing to practice." Korra left a trail of kisses down Lin's throat. "You're so adorable when you have feelings."

"When I have feelings?" Lin snickered. "What exactly does that mean?"

"Not…like…all feelings. I mean, not when you're sad. But…oh, my head is all filled with happy clouds and I can't think!"

"'Happy clouds'?"

"Yes, happy clouds!" Korra laid her head down on Lin's chest. "I…I guess…you're usually so stern. It's nice seeing you, um…let go a little. It's like seeing the real you."

Lin was quiet for a moment, continuing to run her hands over her lover's back. "Well. I suppose you're seeing me with my clothes off and seeing me naked."

"Awww." Korra kissed one of Lin's collarbones. "That's really adorable and really deep."

"Thank you."

Korra sat up slightly, resting her weight on one arm, brushing Lin's damp hair back from her face. "You're all sweaty."

"So are you. Lovemaking can be quite a workout." Lin reached up and did the same for Korra, tucking strands of hair behind her ears. "You got plenty of exercise yourself, it would seem."

"Yeah," Korra grinned. "It was a lot of fun. Really incredible, and also fun."

"You did well. Despite the room for improvement."

Korra leaned down and kissed Lin. "I love you. I can work on the…the improvement stuff. I've got time."

"Yes…I suppose you do." Lin managed a smile, but Korra could tell something about that had upset her.

"I've probably got the rest of our lives," Korra added, and Lin's smiled relaxed.

"I hope so."

Korra covered Lin's mouth with more kisses. "Good. Because I'm never going to get tired of kissing you."

Lin sighed. "Do I have a big, stupid grin on my face? Because it feels like I have a big, stupid grin on my face."

"No, but there's a pretty smile." Korra stroked Lin's cheek. "Lovemaking is my new favorite thing, but it's also so nice to be able to touch your face. Tomorrow we can have breakfast together, and I can play with your hair and kiss your hands and massage your shoulders, and I love that."

"Yes, you can." Lin closed her eyes. "You also get to sleep in my bed."

"Mmmm." Korra laid her head down on Lin's chest. "I get to wake up and find you here."

"Korra?"

"Hmm?" Korra kissed Lin's collarbones.

"Thank you." Lin's voice was warm and low, and reminded Korra of the thanks she had received from Lin when she had returned Lin's bending.

"Awww, you're welcome! I should thank you. You were so sweet." Korra felt herself drifting off, and there was something she had to say again before falling asleep. "I love you."

Lin threaded her fingers through Korra's hair again, her hands slack with tiredness. "Korra, I love you."

Korra giggled softly. "You said it. You said it back to me."

That was the last thing she remembered before falling asleep.

Korra yawned and stretched, a smile coming to her face as she remembered whose bed she had been sleeping in. She reached for Lin, hoping for more cuddles before they got up, but her hand met empty air. Grumbling, Korra got up and looked around; Lin wasn't in the room, but there were sounds coming from the kitchen. Korra stumbled in that general direction, rubbing her eyes. "Lin?"

Lin, half-dressed in pajama trousers and a black tank top, was hurrying around the kitchen, opening and closing cabinet doors, muttering to herself. She didn't react to Korra's voice.

Korra cleared her throat. "Hey, Lin?"

Lin whipped around, almost jumping. "Korra."

Korra squinted, taking a moment to realize that it wasn't her sleep-dulled vision making it look like Lin's eyes were swollen and red. "Is everything okay?"

Lin slumped over the counter. "I can't even feed you."

Korra walked up to her lover and hugged her, resting her forehead against Lin's shoulder. "Run that by me again? It looks like there's some food."

"I almost never eat Water Tribe food. I don't know what you like for breakfast. I barely ever eat here—I usually eat at the precinct—so I have almost nothing."

"That's what you're sad about?"

"I'm sorry about last night." Lin's voice was hardly above a whisper.

"Sorry? For the best night of my life?" Korra kissed Lin's shoulder blade.

"You. Are. A. Child. A child who's of age, but still, I shouldn't have…"

"Of age both here and in the Southern Water Tribe. And I'm eighteen. The party was a week ago, but Tenzin wouldn't let me invite you."

Lin turned around in Korra's arms and weakly returned her embrace. "I didn't get you anything."

"Pretty sure you did." Korra dropped a few little kisses on Lin's neck, feeling her relax slightly. "Last night was amazing. I love you. And I know you don't think of me as a child; otherwise you wouldn't like me this much."

"You certainly aren't acting childlike at the moment. Manipulating me with kisses like that." Lin's head tilted back.

"You really like neck-kisses, don't you?"

Lin let out a long sigh. "You might say that."

Korra nipped at Lin's ear. "Come here. I want to kiss you."

"Oh, fine."

Lin leaned down and kissed Korra hard, one of those deep, intense kisses that made Korra's knees go weak. Korra clung to Lin's shoulders to keep herself upright, and once she managed to regain her balance, she slid her palms over Lin's back, pushing up the hem of her shirt and passing her hands over the still raised scars.

"Raava help me," Lin whispered.

"What's wrong?" Korra hugged Lin tightly. "I thought once we were finally together, you'd be happy."

"I am. I'm happier than I've been in a long time. That's what scares me. I wasn't interested in women your age even when I was your age."

"Maybe I'm just that awesome."

Lin squeezed Korra so hard it almost hurt. "Maybe you are."

"You're really that scared of being with someone my age? Does it have something to do with what you told me the night you took me to the Hidden Lotus?"

Lin didn't have to ask what exactly Korra was referring to. "Yes."

"What happened to you?"

"Nothing. And before you ask, no, it wasn't any of my friends, seeing as I was too busy studying and being excluded for supposedly getting special treatment from the academy instructors because of my last name to have any of those. You wouldn't think Mom would care about what the public thought of her, but at some point she started caring. A lot. It might have been the first time some jackasses picketed in front of the station because of some decision she'd made; I'm not sure. But she'd never had any use for anyone's opinion of her before, and she had no idea how to modulate caring. I was pretty sure she wouldn't have anything useful to say, but it wasn't like I had anyone else to talk to, but the first time I had my heart broken I was a little younger than you and she had been my best friend. I couldn't handle it myself."

"What did T—your mom say?"

"Her exact words were, 'You're a Beifong. Build a granite bridge and get over it'."

From Aang's memories of Toph, that didn't sound entirely unsurprising, but she would have thought an adult Toph would have something a little more helpful to say to her own child. "Ouch."

"She also warned me about places like the Hidden Lotus. Except there was nothing that reputable—or safe—in those days. It was pretty obvious to me that she didn't mean I should be careful for my own safety, but that her reputation would be seriously damaged if the public found out her daughter lusted after women."

"Let me guess; you didn't listen."

"When I was that age, I was a lot like you; headstrong. Resistant to orders I didn't agree with. But it was different with Mom. I thought she was right about not ending up in some…grimy bar or opium den."

"Opium den!?"

"There are people who are so uncomfortable with their 'abnormal' attractions that they can only act on them while under the influence of opium. Or alcohol. I'm not entirely surprised, considering how we're treated, but I had no interest in…in illicit substances. What I did end up doing was sneaking out—if you could call it that, since Mom was never home—at night and after some poking around, I finally figured out some of the less seedy places to meet women. One of the things I figured out in my investigation—aside from the fact that I had promise when it came to field work—was that there were people my age who had gotten much worse from their parents. There were teenagers or people even younger who had been thrown out by their parents, or whose parents tried to beat the abnormality out of them. People who were desperate for love and guidance. I was warned against middle-aged members of the…well, when I was your age, it was called 'the scene'…who would take advantage of that desperation. I was told someone twice my age would offer me support and kindness, then use me for sex for a while and move on to some other new victim."

Korra stepped back from their embrace to take Lin's face in her hands. "Lin, just because you're middle-aged or whatever now doesn't mean you're one of those creeps you were warned about."

"We've been a couple for one night and the first thing we did was sleep together."

"Remember the part when I was the one who crawled into your bed, begging to sleep with you?"

"That was something I used to hear, from people my age who were tired of being scared prey. 'Even if she begs you, if she's underage, you're scum'."

"Lin, beautiful…" Korra stroked Lin's face. "I'm of age, and you're not a creep. You're definitely not scum. And I love you."

Lin leaned down until their foreheads were touching. "I still don't know if I have anything for breakfast that you'd like. At least I don't have to be in to work until this afternoon. We might have to get breakfast somewhere else."

"Ooh, our first date!"

"I suppose so."

Korra kissed Lin hard. "This should be fun."

"Fun. Sure. Right."

"What if I said that after we eat, I want to come back here and sleep with you again, but this time you get to be on top?"

Lin snickered. "Honey, the next time I let you top might be years from now."

"Years from now? So that means you think we're going to be together for years?"

Lin managed a small smile. "I hope so."

It was several hours before Korra made it back to Air Temple Island, partly because Lin had to practically pry Korra off of her and push her out of bed in order to get ready for work. When Korra finally shambled back through the main doors, feeling deliriously happy and unable to stop smiling. She was in the kitchen poking around for a snack when Tenzin blustered in, yelling and demanding where she had been.

"With Lin," Korra replied simply, her smile turning into a smirk.

"You're not serious."

"Mm-hmm. Lin finally decided to give me a chance. We're a couple now."

Korra watched, trying not to laugh, while Tenzin turned a truly spectacular shade of purple. When he finally managed to produce words, the thing he chose to say was "I can't believe she would be so irresponsible."

"Yeah, well, can you please not bother her about it? We're happy now."

"I don't want you seeing her."

"I don't care," said Korra loftily.

"And I don't think you understand. I'm forbidding you from seeing her." Tenzin's voice was darker than Korra had ever heard it.

At one point, Korra would have started shouting at Tenzin, but today she was in too good of a mood. "Remember that 18th birthday party you went to? The one that was mine? You can't forbid me from seeing my girlfriend."

"I suppose you're right," said Tenzin through clenched teeth. "But I hope you understand that I want you stay away from Lin for your own good."

"Noted," Korra sighed. "I hope you understand that she loves me."

Tenzin started calling after Korra, but she ignored him, making a cricket-beeline for Asami's room.

Asami was sitting on her bed reading when Korra poked her head in. "Are you busy?"

"No, come in." One look at Korra's face and Asami broke into a grin. "You slept with Lin, didn't you?"

"Yep!"

Asami shook her head, still smiling. "Okay, come in here and tell me about it." Korra closed the door and went to sit on Asami's bed next to her. "How did you convince her?"

"I was a little sneaky. I knocked on her bedroom window and climbed into her bed when she let me in, then I pretty much begged her. Eventually I said 'this is what you do to me' and put her hand over my heart, and then she kissed me."

"Ooh."

"It got pretty heated after that. Check it out." Korra pulled down her collar to show Asami the bite marks Lin had left on her.

Asami laughed. "Did she try to eat you?"

"No, she did that in a different place," said Korra, also laughing. "She didn't bite me that hard. Apparently I mark up easily."

"So she went down on you, then?"

Korra sighed happily, closing her eyes. "She's amazing at it, Asami. And I mean amazing."

"Lucky," said Asami wistfully. "I've never been with anyone that was really good at it."

"Well, if you have the opportunity, you should look for somebody experienced. Although this morning, Lin finally told me why she was so anxious about being with me even though she's a lot older."

"What did she say?"

"Apparently when she was our age, there weren't really any safe places to meet people if you were looking for somebody of the same gender. She was told to watch out for women who are the age she is now, because there were a lot of creeps out there who were looking for young vulnerable girls whose parents had been awful to them for not being normal, and would pretend to be all loving and supportive when they were really looking for sex."

Asami thought about that for a moment. "She's not like that, though."

"She's about as far as you can get from that," Korra agreed. "But she's worried she'll hurt me somehow. She's so protective of me. She cares more about making sure I'm safe than actually being with me. But she's glad I'm happy now."

"It sounds like she really loves you."

"She does." Korra wrapped her arms around herself. "She was still pretty nervous about us going out in public this morning, though."

"You didn't spend the whole morning in bed?"

"Most of it. But she doesn't eat Water Tribe food, so we went out for breakfast. She wasn't really okay with me holding her hand in public, but she let me do it. We got weird some looks, and I could tell it was bothering her, but I made sure I told her I wasn't ashamed to be seen with her. That's what she was worried about; she thinks I 'could do better' or something stupid like that. I think she felt better after we got back to her place. We slept together again. The first time, she let me touch her a little, because…well…remember when we were on the boat to see Katara and Lin was hurt, and I asked you to help me with the…I forgot the word again…"

"The analgesic poultice."

"Right. Um…I don't think I ever told anybody but Tenzin exactly how badly Lin was hurt."

Asami's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean they shocked her. Between her legs."

Asami winced. "So can she feel anything?"

"If I do it right, yeah. Last night I didn't really do that much for her, except touch her enough to figure out that she could still feel something. Then she let me be on top, which was really fun, but it wasn't until this morning that…well…" Korra paused, biting her lips.

"If that's private, you don't have to tell me."

"She kind of protested when I asked if I could go down on her. Her exact words were 'you don't have to do that'. I told her I don't care about her scars, and she believed me because of last night, so…"

"How did it go?" Asami asked carefully.

"It's hard!"

Asami chuckled. "Really?"

"Well, she made it seem so easy! But I got the hang of it. And she relaxed enough to actually like it. When we were snuggling afterward, she started crying. She said she couldn't believe she was with somebody who cared so much, and when I asked her if she believed I was really in love with her, she said yes."

"Awww!" Asami hugged Korra. "That is so cute! I'm happy for you."

Korra hugged Asami back. "Just please don't tell anybody about her crying."

"My lips are sealed." Asami pulled back from the hug, leaning against the wall, looking contemplative. "But I am jealous."

"Yeah, well…I hope you find somebody like Lin." Korra paused. "But she is pretty special. Oh, and something else she told me."

"What?"

"Apparently there's some weird rumor in the scene that nobody actually does clit-on-clit grinding, but trust me, it's really fun. Especially if it's Lin on top of you."

"I'd imagine it takes some flexibility," said Asami, laughing.

"Well, that's not a problem. I mean…Lin is not built like she's anything close to her age."

Asami made a face. "Oh, stop. You're making me even more jealous!"

"Well, maybe you could meet somebody at the Hidden Lotus! It seems like a pretty good place to meet people, unless they say nasty things about the person you came there with. That's a pretty good indicator that that's not somebody you want to pursue."

"What was her name?"

"Roanya, not that it matters. Well, I guess it kind of matters, because if you run into her…"

"I'll know she's bad news," Asami finished.

Korra thought for a moment. "Actually, I know someone who you might like."

Lin pulled out a chair for Korra so she could sit down. "Lin, you're such a gentleman," Korra laughed as she slid into her seat.

"Er…thanks?" said Lin with a quirked eyebrow as Asami and Hiroka laughed. Lin sat down next to Korra; Asami and Hiroka were already seated next to each other. Both couples had agreed that sitting across from each other wasn't going to work, since Korra was borderline pathologically cuddly and was always leaning on or putting her arm around Lin.

"Our first double date," said Korra fondly, reaching over to squeeze Lin's shoulder.

"My first double date ever," said Lin with a nervous smile. Korra noticed that she was gripping her knees tightly out of nervousness under the table; she kissed her lover's cheek, hoping that would help. It had taken moving spirit world and earth to get Lin to agree to go out in public with another couple, since Lin was afraid people would compare herself and Korra to Asami and Hiroka, who had an age difference of only six years.

Lin was still having trouble accepting that hers and Korra's relationship was healthy. For many years, it had been ingrained in her that such an age difference was de facto wrong, even if both parties were adults. But when she worried about that, Korra would cross her arms and say "give me an example of how you being older than me hurts me," and Lin could never come up with anything.

Asami and Hiroka started poring over the menu and quickly got distracted by kissing each other. Lin was actually paying attention to the menu, trying to figure out what she wanted to eat—the Jade Empress's Palace was a Fire Nation restaurant, and Lin didn't often go for Fire Nation cuisine—and Korra nudged her to get her attention and indicated Hiroka and Asami.

"Korra, you know how I feel about PDA," said Lin in a small, tight voice.

"Okay," said Korra, who had learned by now to recognize when Lin was afraid. She was surprised when Lin muttered "Oh, fine," and pulled Korra close to her to kiss her hair.

"Happy?"

"Yeah, a little," said Korra with a smile. They had been together for six months and this was the first time Lin had done more with her in public than hold hands.

They ordered their meals and had (almost surprisingly, in Lin's case) been relaxed and enjoying each other's company when a very uncomfortable-looking waiter came over the table. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, clearly addressing Lin, "but we have had a few complaints from other customers."

"About what, exactly?" asked Lin in a voice that could have frozen water as effectively as any waterbender.

"They believe that your…behavior with the young woman in your company is inappropriate," the waiter managed.

"Excuse me!?" demanded Korra, who was practically lying against Lin with her head on the other woman's shoulder.

Lin looked from Korra to the waiter, who was badly failing at appearing calm. "Sir," said Lin coolly to the waiter, "I understand it is your job to relay such concerns, but you may tell the customers who are complaining to—and you may quote me on this—fucking deal with it."

Korra whooped and Hiroka and Asami cheered. The waiter's face purpled and he scurried away. "Good for you, Lin," said Korra, kissing Lin's cheek.

"Thank you, honey," Lin smiled, trying not to laugh herself.

"You call her 'honey'?" chorused Hiroka and Asami.

"Nobody else gets to know that," said Lin firmly.

"We promise." Korra leaned her head against Lin's shoulder. "Hey, Lin?"

"Hmm?"

"That was awesome."

Lin smiled. It was a genuine smile that earned an "awww" and a tight hug from Korra. "Thanks, honey."

A/N: Aaaaaaand Lin finally stopped being stubborn! Told you! Sorry for the supremely long wait between chapters five and six.