Slow Burn: The Gaang takes a trip to Ember Island. After spending a day competing with Katara beneath the sun, Zuko get suburn. Zuko gets sunburneverywhere – and it's Katara's job to heal it.

Note: In this story, it's been several years since the Gaang's travels began. Katara is seventeen, Zuko is nineteen, etc.

Rated M for the expected reasons. Zutara/hinted Tokka

"Oh my god," Katara gasped. Zuko stood in the doorway of their makeshift kitchen with his golden eyes on the sand floor. Sokka began to laugh out loud. Aang tried not to laugh and failed. Toph frowned, unable to figure out what was going on, but then Sokka told her and she began to laugh even louder than he was.

Zuko was fried.

None of the teenagers could recall seeing anyone redder. His skin, pale from years living in the Fire Nation, was a shade somewhere between tomato and carrot. With his face lowered to the ground, Katara could see that his scalp burned bright red too.

"Oh my god," Katara repeated, and Zuko's eyes shot up to hers. His face was burnt as well. He appeared mortified, and Katara felt a tug in her chest. With a huff Zuko turned on his heel and left the room, walking stiffly back to the tent.

"You guys!" Katara shouted, shoving Sokka.

"Ow, what gives?" Her brother yelled back, rubbing his arm. His own skin had deepened into a nice dark brown that matched his sister's. Even Aang and Toph were a little golden. What had gone so wrong with Zuko?

"Cool off, Sugar Princess," Toph said, shoving a handful of food into her mouth. Katara winced. "You know it's your fault, right?"

"What are you talking about?!" Katara said. Sokka raised an eyebrow. Aang sat on the edge of his seat, excited for the story that was sure to come.

"Once upon a time, you decided to challenge Zuko to a twelve hour duel. In the sun." Toph said brusquely. Aang looked disappointed. He hadn't been challenged to a duel.

"Shoot," Katara groaned, pressing her hands to her face. Her blue eyes were filled with guilt. "You're right," she said.

"I am?" Toph said, jutting a fist in the air. "I am!" She held out a hand, and Sokka high fived her. He turned away to his sister, and Toph sighed, leaning toward him with her face in her hands. Her cheeks took on a pinkish hue as she watched him.

"Don't take it so seriously. He'll be fine, Katara, really. It's just a little sunburn," Sokka offered. He shoved a handful of food in his mouth, giving a satisfied sigh as the greasy meat met his tongue.

"Um, Sokka, have you ever been sunburned?" Aang said.

"Psh, a manly man like me?" Sokka flexed, and Toph curled her hand over his bicep, batting her eyes at him, before squeezing down hard. "OW!"

"It really hurts," Aang said, recalling a time he spent all day meditating in the center of the Northern Air Temple and ended up frying himself. He'd bathed in weird plant oils for days before it went away.

"It hurts, too?" Katara said, getting more concerned.

"Come on, Hotpants will be fine," Toph said before going back to poking Sokka in the bruise she'd just created. "Still a manly man?" Toph kept asking him. Katara turned her back on her friends and began gathering food onto a plate.

"Where are you going?" Aang asked.

"Zuko didn't eat," she said. She headed for the door.

"I'll come with you," Aang said, standing to accompany her.

"I should do this alone," Katara said. "He might still be a little sensitive." Aang pouted but sat down. By the time Katara left the room he was already hamming it up with Toph and trying to make Sokka laugh.

Katara's dark skin glowed in the moonlight as she stood in the opening of Zuko's tent. He stared at her from his bed, but didn't say anything. Standing there like that, her hair loose down her back and her face in a sorrowful expression… she was the most beautiful woman Zuko had ever seen.

Katara moved toward him and placed the plate on the edge of his bed. "You didn't eat," she said by way of explanation.

"Thanks." Zuko moved to sit up and winced. Katara frowned and moved closer to him, wishing she could help.

"Does it hurt?" Katara asked, her hand only inches from his face. He wondered if she knew she was so close to touching him. He wondered if she knew he wanted her to touch him. What would it feel like, her skin on his?

Zuko shook his head, but even the show of denial made his eyes close. He'd never been in worse pain.

"I'm so sorry, Zuko. I pushed you too hard. Why didn't you tell me you were starting to burn?" Katara said.

"I didn't realize it at the time. Too busy dodging your attacks, I guess," Zuko said with a small smirk. Katara found herself smiling as she remembered the pride she felt when she managed to get him off of the offensive with a particularly challenging ice-wielding move.

"You weren't bad yourself," Katara said, surprised by how warm her voice sounded. They'd been on good terms since he'd taken her on a journey to find the man who had killed her mother. Ever since, their trip to Ember Island had been pleasant. Still, there was something different about her voice, something she didn't recognize.

Zuko, however, knew just what to call it – flirtatious. Katara was so innocent that he couldn't be sure she meant to flirt with him. It didn't seem like she'd interacted so closely with many men before him.

"Thank you," Zuko said, his voice scratchy. Katara's eyes seemed to heat. What was this, the feeling in her stomach that reacted so strongly to the shift in his voice?

Suddenly an idea struck Katara. How had she not realized before? "I can heal you," Katara said.

"How? I don't want you wasting any of that special water on me," Zuko said. "You might need it for Aang after the battle."

"I've been practicing with the ocean water. It's not as potent, but it might make a difference," Katara said, and Zuko was once again surprised by her abilities. Who would have thought that this young woman with her short temper and penchant for dancing in the rain would make such strong developments in the world of water bending? He was forced to realize her age – she was not the young girl he once tried to attack.

"Come with me," Katara said, and Zuko stood. His legs threatened to give out with the pain, but he was no wimp – he could withstand any pain. He was the Firelord's son, after all. Plus he'd been fighting some of the best fighters for years. He wasn't going to be beaten by sunburn if he'd been able to take the wrath of Azula.

Katara was careful not to look at him as he struggled, knowing he'd be self-conscious if he knew she was watching. Still, she could feel his body heat as he trailed behind her, feel his breath on her neck, smelling of his natural smoky musk and the mint leaves she often caught him nibbling on after tea.

The pair reached the ocean. Katara bit her lip, not sure how he would respond to her direction. Keeping her voice low, Katara said, "Lay down, Zuko."

His response to hearing his name on her lips shocked him. Immediately he found himself desperate to pull her to him, feeling a strange stirring in his chest and himself harden simultaneously. Embarrassed, he avoided her eyes as he lay along the shore, close enough to touch the ocean but not so much that it drenched him. Katara knelt beside him, and he held his breath. She was so. Close.

She stared down at his face, her hair brushing his cheeks as she spoke to him. "I'm going to bring the water over you," she said, appreciating the sharpness of his jaw, "just a little at a time," she said, her eyes moving upward to his full lips, "and then I'm going to press my hands against you, lightly, and the healing should begin," Katara finished, her blue eyes locked on his golden ones.

My hands against you, lightly, Zuko heard repeated in his head, and he closed his eyes against her stare.

He tried to prepare himself, he really did, but nothing could have prepared him for the feel of Katara's hands over his stomach.

The blue swirl sparked and steamed as Zuko's body began to heat. Katara pulled away abruptly, confused and surprised. Was body always hot enough to boil water?

"Zuko, are you okay?" There she was, saying his name again. He gritted his teeth, loosened his jaw, took a deep breath.

"Sorry. You surprised me. Continue," Zuko said.

This time, he was better able to regulate his body temperature as her hands came down on him. Her hands moved as lightly as she promised, and Zuko found himself in a daze. It felt almost like a massage.

"Zuko?" Katara said. Zuko's golden eyes fluttered open, and Katara felt her face flush. With his eyelids half closed like that and his mouth somewhat open, he almost looked like he wanted to, well… kiss her.

"Mm?" Zuko said, blinking.

"I'm done," she said. Zuko looked down at his arms, their normal stark white color again.

"Thanks," Zuko said, moving to kneel beside her. A sharp pain at his hip alerted him that she hadn't gotten every spot. His face glowed red. "Um, Katara?" he said quietly.

"What?"

"You, um, I kind of, um," Zuko stuttered. He gestured between his legs.

"What?" Katara almost whispered. It was like her breath had disappeared. "How did you," she sputtered, "get burnt, there?"

"We were in the water, my pants, they're thin, I guess, I don't know," he closed his eyes and ran his hands through his hair. "It's not as bad, um, there, it shouldn't take long," he said. The look in her eyes made him back track. "No! You don't have to, Katara, you know what, I'll go to sleep and it'll be better in the morning," Zuko said, going to stand. The obvious pain on his face made his lie obvious.

"Lay back down," Katara said. She couldn't deny the curiosity rising up inside of her, masking her embarrassment and fear. She wanted to know what he looked like, she realized suddenly. Until then, Katara had never thought of Zuko as more than a friend. An attractive one? Sure, she found Zuko handsome. But she didn't fantasize about him or wonder what he looked like naked… until the moment she had the option to.

"Katara," Zuko croaked as her hand reached inside of his pants. She felt around for what she was looking for and he shuddered when she wrapped her hand around him. She needed a better angle, she realized. She raised her leg and turned so she was straddling his thighs. The resulting groan that left his throat made her cheeks grow red.

"Shh," Katara whispered into his ear. Her hair hung around his face like a curtain. He could see nothing but her face: heart shaped, full lips, big, blue eyes, and those dark brown cheeks glowing burgundy as she touched him. He closed his eyes hard, trying to force the image into his memory.

With a flick of her wrist Katara pulled water into her palm and pressed her hand against him with more determination. She wanted to heal him, and quickly. She wanted to continue feeling him without the water separating her skin from his.

Zuko breathed heavily as she gripped him. He tried to just focus on his breathing. He couldn't help picturing how they looked from a skyward view – Katara straddling him, her brown hair hanging around them, her hand down the front of his pants. Spirits, he thought, and he couldn't help it anymore – his hips thrust upward into her hand.

Katara froze. She moved her eyes from her hand to his eyes, wanting to question him, but was confused to see his eyes were shut. His teeth were digging hard into his bottom lip, and his eyebrows were low over his closed eyes. He looked like he was in pain.

"Zuko?" Katara whispered, her lips touching the shell of his ear.

"Katara, please, don't stop," Zuko said, his eyes flying open.

"I… did I hurt you?" Katara asked.

"No, no, definitely not," he promised, raising his hand carefully and pressing on her wrist just the slightest bit. "Don't stop. It's almost healed," he said, and he was right. It had hardly hurt at all when he'd pressed himself into her hand. A few more seconds and he'd be healed, he thought, but instead of feeling relieved he felt anxious. He was certain she would never touch him again, not after this.

"I don't want to stop touching you," Katara said, and her confidence staggered Zuko. Unexpectedly he understood that she knew what she was doing. Maybe she wasn't as innocent as he thought.

He was right. Katara was surprised by his reactions, but only because it was Zuko. She'd never expected she could have any effect on someone so distant and, well, cold. She recalled the look on Jet's face when she first touched him that way. It had taken only seconds before her hand was covered in a disgusting paste.

Katara continued her treatment. Her hand gripped him a little more tightly – the skin felt less raw, felt cooler. She knew he was almost healed. A second later, she was convinced he was completely healed. But… she didn't want to stop touching him. She was terrified that this was the last time he would be close to her like this. So when Zuko said he was healed, that she could stop, she shook her head and kept going. Up, down, her hand moved, and Zuko felt it, the slow burn beginning in his groan and spreading outward. It was like someone had poured fire down his throat. He was drowning, drowning in fire and heat and this sudden electricity.

He removed her hand from his pants.

"Zuko," Katara protested, but was cut off when he sat up. His face was suddenly inches from hers. Up close, his golden eyes sparkled. Katara inhaled sharply when he reached out tentatively and touched her lips with his fingers.

"Can I kiss you?" Katara blurted, and then Zuko's lips were on hers.

Katara had been kissed. Katara had done more than kissing. But Katara had never been kissed like this. Katara had never felt like this.

His lips were soft and tasted like smoke – it was the only comparison she had to make to his inner fire – and she protested his careful kiss with a rough bite to his bottom lip, like she'd seen him doing to himself. He groaned loudly in her mouth and she swallowed the sound, desperate to taste him and to hear that sound every second of every moment of the rest of her life. She fisted his hair in her hands and his hand came up and cupped her breast and she threw her head back, her mouth open in a silent scream. She had never, ever, felt that way before, like she was going to rip her skin from her body if she didn't find this slow burn and get it out of her.

It was torture, this feeling. She ground down against him out of instinct and his teeth came down against her neck, scraping against the dark brown skin. Katara cried out and pulled his mouth back to hers, but he ignored her, kissing her neck hard and long enough to leave a mark. His lips moved downward, downward, downward, until his lips were encircling her nipple. His tongue moved slowly against the peak and he ground up into her.

Katara, Katara, Katara, Zuko thought; his mind was being stretched full of her. No other thought existed. He could spend the rest of his life kissing her. He wouldn't need food or sleep or drink – the sweat on her neck would be his drink, her lips, his food, this dazed burning, his sleep. He opened her mouth with his tongue and then their tongues were dancing together, two dueling dragons, fire and water moving in perfect sync. He gripped her waist, his hands slipping into the dips in her curves, and he realized again what a beauty puberty had made of her.

He had never held anything more perfect.

Zuko moved his hand down between her legs. Slowly he lifted her tunic and pressed down on her stomach. Katara felt her head begin to buzz. Sensing her approval, Zuko pulled her waistband away from her skin and tucked his hand inside of her wrappings.

He had never known such heat. He removed his hand and she held his eyes as he brought his fingers to his mouth. He licked his hand, simultaneously tasting her and wetting his hand. Her blue eyes went wide and she kissed him hard on the mouth. Kissing him with eyes open made her dizzy, and her eyes scrunched closed when his hand reentered her wrappings. She trembled against him as he slid a single finger between her folds. His finger found her clit and he began to rub slow circles.

That's it, he thought to himself, for tonight. He didn't want to push her. He knew she was no innocent, but Zuko didn't know how far she'd gone, and he didn't want to hurt her. Katara's back arched and she threw her head back, the long strands of her hair tangling in the sand. Over her shoulder Zuko watched as the waves began to rise. No, the waves weren't rising, Zuko realized – Katara was bending the water from the ocean. It began to rise, forming a mist that rose in the night sky. Katara groaned, and Zuko decided he didn't care about the water. There was only one thing he wanted in that moment.

Katara was going to kill him if he didn't give her what she needed within the next minute. She both loved and hated this feeling – this damn slow burn was killing her. Her vision was growing fuzzy and her fingertips felt like they were being electrocuted. She both felt powerful and pitiful, overwhelmed and underwhelmed. She'd never known so many contradicting emotions. Zuko's finger stilled for a moment before he added more pressure, and Katara jerked forward, grinding down hard against him and digging her fingernails into his back. Zuko moaned against her throat and the vibration made her feel like she was choking.

Suddenly there was heat, so much heat, and she knew it, knew something was coming because if it didn't she just might die, she would fall apart and come together only to explode again, she knew it, and then she felt her thighs begin to quake and her back arched so far it hurt and Katara suddenly knew nothing more than white heat and the sound of her screams being cut off by Zuko's mouth pressing against hers.

Zuko watched Katara fall apart in his arms just as the mist morphed into a block of water. He knew the moment she came because the water burst, shooting drops of water all along the beach. He watched her expression shift as she came to, her eyes opening painfully slowly. He was desperate to see the look in those blue eyes.

Katara's eyes opened completely and she saw Zuko staring at her, a pride in his eyes that made her face flush. She realized that not only was she wet down there, but was wet everywhere. She glanced at the sand around them and realized it was drenched.

"Zuko?" Katara asked, feeling sleepy and not quite awakened from her post-orgasm haze.

"Mm?" Zuko asked, smoothing her hair away from her face.

"Did I make it rain?"