The need for air was now becoming more and more demanding. Our lips have been pressed together for what seemed an eternity, not that I could exactly complain. It was amazing, us kissing; the heat of our lips all we obviously needed, our arms wound so tightly around eachother that it was almost as if we were afraid to let go; ever! Oh, spirits, I know my knees would go weak if his arms left me now; I'd fall down, spiraling down, down, down into a pit of nothing, shattering at the seams. But, luckily, he didn't, no. As if he read my mind, he only seemed to pull me closer, hold me just a little tighter, his lips suckling and wrestling with my own.
Nothing could ruin this moment; nothing.
Well...except of course--
"Not that we don't appreciate the spare oxygen for the rest of us..."
I'll give you three guesses on who the voice belonged to -- and the first two don't count.
Pulling away from Aang, his lips lingering out in their puckered position a moment, I turned to find Sokka standing at the doorway to the tea shop, smirking, his arm around the waist of a snickering Suki.
Oh how desperatley I wanted to submerge into my childhood years where I could just knit my brows and stick out my tongue. But, of course, I was much more dignified than that.
"Sokka, I don't think you should be talking. Tents aren't sound proof you know; and, really, when you and Suki are together, I really, really wish they were."
In flash, his cheeks burned a furious crimson, as did his lover's, as they both glowered in my direction, the corner of my lip twitching up into the slightest of smirks. Hands were glued to everyone else's mouth who had gathered at the door frame, stifling inevitable laughter. It all lasted a long five seconds until Suki casted the icy of glares.
...If looks could kill.
Iroh took a quick glance to his watch. "Oh, my. Is it that late already?" he mumbled, though Zuko and Mai both raised their brows at his voice. His strong arms stretched over his balded head as he emitted a grizzly yawn. "I should usher myself off to bed. An old man such as myself needs his beauty rest" -- his belly shook as he gave a whole-hearted chuckle -- "goodnight everyone."
"Yeah," Mai suddenly cut in, giving a faint wave to everyone staring in her direction, the monotone in her voice steady andslow. "I think that's about the time for me as well."
"I'll head up with you," offered Zuko, giving her a grin, then a squeeze about her wrist. "Night, all."
"Goodnight," the remaining sang together, waving the couple off toward their suite above the tea shop.
There was a moment of a silence, one more awkward than anything, as Sokka gave a choked cough.
"What about you two?" Aang boldly asked, cocking his head.
"We should be heading up ourselves," Suki answered before Sokka could spit his cocky remark. "Goodnight, Aang. Katara."
"Goodnight," we said.
"Sleep well," Aang added. Ah, always a gentleman. I couldn't hide my smile about it, and because I knew he wasn't watching, I gave his hand a firm squeeze just so he'd know. The grip was returned with a carress from his strong fingers. Tingles fired up through my arm, numbing my shoulder.
And when my eyes finally came into focus at the doorway, it was deserted, nothing left but the buzz of lazy fireflies fluttering around the light ofthe porch lamp.
"Should we head off, too?" I suddenly asked. And, though I didn't really notice at first, my voice seemed to hint at a slight disappointment. The thought wasn't quite at the back of my mind -- but I didn't want this night to end, I wanted it to continue on and on and on into the deepest depths of forever; if there ever was such a thing. And when I thought about being with Aang, I knew there was.
His hand was at my cheek, the contact nice against the warmth the heat of this summer night left against my face.
Our eyes were connected, boring into eachother like waterfalls. Passion denser than blood, bubbling through our veins. I could feel it in my pulse, I could feel it in his longing fingertips.
But then, his lips started to move, the word rolling, slurring in my ears, though I knew it came much faster in reality.
"Sure," he had said, giving the faintest of nods. Then, all contact was gone, and he was headed toward the door, his back to me, not even a glance over the shoulder.
And for a moment, I watched him go, deserted by the fencing across the road, staring, a coldness creeping up from my toes and coiling around my tiny stomach, balling and knotting, eating at my sanity.
Was that really it? Was that all there was to this marvelous night?
A sigh drifted from my lungs as I started off my surprisngly graceful lover, catching up with him more quickly than I had expected. We had just made it to the stairs, my foot on the first of the ascend when I suddenly felt a rough tug on the long sleeve of my kiwi gown. I whirled around, only to come nose to nose with the Avatar, his eyes half lidded, illuminated with something I had never seen from him, but more expected from someone like...Jet.
"That's not quite what I had in mind," he said to me, his eyes flickering brighter for a moment. Then, his hand was on the small of my back, our lips connected in a tight kiss, his full torso weighted onto mine. I had to sling my arms around the back of his neck to keep my balance. His free hand had caught the banister for support as his lips pried at mine, his tongue seeking mine out.
I never realized I had craved Aang so much until I had gotten what I secretly wanted. This was all so incredible -- yes, quite fast -- but incredible nontheless.
Our lips battled andplayed against one another before air became a necessity. I pulled back, chest heaving, my wide, surprised eyes staring into his somewhat...guilty ones.
"S-sorry," he breathed, his shoulders lifting with each gasping breath.
I shook my head. "No...no," I muttered, the words coming slow, my brain rather jumbled. "I...I liked it."
He didn't get a chance to respond; I had already pushed myself past him, back into the sitting room of the Jasmin Dragon. I could feel his eyes on my back as I slid through the aisles of chairs, pushing one aside so I could hop up and take seat on the surface of a table.
With a wink and a smile, that was his cue to join me.
And -- must having used his airbending -- he was there in a BaSingSe minute.
For a moment, I was sure he would just stand there awkwardly before me; a hand in his pocket, the other flidding nervously with lanky fingers, his eyes darting this way and that, chewing his bottom lip. And well, just his stature alone was enough to make hornets erupt in my belly, buzzing angrily in the pit of my stomach. But then, our eyes caught the glint of eachother's yet again -- and all seemed to calm. There was nothing in this world but me and Aang in that very moment; nothing could ruin this. Nothing. ...Except maybe Sokka, but that was different.
The airbender was leaning on his toes now, eyes falling heavy. I put my hands to his cheeks, guiding his lips toward my own. These kisses started a lot slower than what had previously occured. Our lips carressed instead of crashed; they pled instead of pried. Soon I found myself falling away from him, my back pressing against the flat of the table as I chirped an unexpected, "Oh!"
This broke our lips apart. Aang hovered, stunned, a moment, his hands gripping the tabletop, hunched over me, his hips lost in the skirt of my dress. Our eyes lingered, the same magic flickering through my system from every stolen glance.
Then, he smiled.
And before I knew it, his face was lost in my wild curls of hair, lips turned inward upon my neck. I gasped, my back leaving the table, shoulders still in tact with the painted wood -- a beautiful arch that a single hand traced and kept risen for better access to my craned throat. His lips were soft, much warmer here, new sorts of sparks burning the tissue that lay snuggly beneath my epidermous. My arms wound more tighly around his shoulders than I had thought; I barely realized that the perks of his shoulder blades were jabbing into my wrists -- I was must too distracted with other things.
Oh, how Aang could torture me. Even before we were together, before he knew how I felt. He would give me those eyes, or crack a certain smile, and my whole frame would just...ache. Inside and out.
It always seemed like our souls were twined, especially now, in this moment.
"Aang," I breathed as his kisses fluttered over the tight skin of my neck, moving toward the lobe of my ear, giving the sweetest of suckles to the sensitive area just behind. My fingers curled in the shawl that slung across his chest and over his back, baring only a single shoulder, fingers holding tightest to the naked skin.
Before I could really asess what was going on, the bodice of my dress was already unbuttoned, my firm grip pulling away Aang's shawl. Both kiwi and gold cloth slid to the floor. All that remained against Aang's marble chest was the thick, seemingly heavy wooden medalian, ingraved with the symbol of air. For a moment, I just stared, allowing my finger to gingerly graze the surfuce of the wood.
The hazy look in Aang's eyes as he watched me was simply...ugh. I could have keeled over then and there, but of course, I didn't...That was a first kiss sort of thing.
A slow hand coiled around my wrist, the touch soft, but the grip strong. Slowly, he pushed my arm down, wrist beside my temple on the table. With a single forceful tug, the skirt of my dress slid from my waist, making a pile on the floor. A shiver erupted through my frame, making my back arch again.
Finally, we wasted no time. Curious hands peeled away the remaining clothing until Aang was perched perfectly between my thighs, hands on my wrists, wrists to the table.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his frame shaking nervously. Though I'm sure we were both twitching with some sense of anticipation, just beneath our skin. I flexed my trapped hands and gave a nod. Slowly he exhaled, obviously more nervous than I had thought. I had to remember, Aang was just as inexperienced as I was. But then, I felt something at my entrance, stiff and blunt. I gave a gasp, bitting my lip, bracing myself as he slowly, carefully, guided himself inward.
The stretch was only bad at first -- a sharp scrape that made displeasing tingles coil my nerves -- but after that, the nerves Aang brushed only sang out with the satisfaction that was guarenteed with making love.
I couldn't help myself. I sighed his name, writhing a bit beneath his strong grasp. And to my surprise, Aang shuddered above me.
"Oh, Katara," he whispered, his voice pleading. His grip tightened on my wrists as he pulled back, then thursted forward yet again. With each movement, my body rocked, helpless pleads and whimpers escaping my throat.
The rest came in a blinding light. It was all so amazing; I couldn't tell how much time had passed, when Aang's speed picked up or lagged behind. All I could recall was when it had ended, a new explosion of heat rising in my body, every muscle in my body contracting, and then a long moan from Aang -- soon followed by an epic thrust from his pelvis and another wave of sensational heat.
But presently we lay, tangled in eachother's arms, panting, coated in a sheet of well deserved sweat, murmurming sweet nothings of undying love and such.
Sure, it may be odd of me to say, but this moment, just lying her together, without a care in the world, it seems just as amazing as the love we just made.
Moments passed as we laid in silence, Aang's eyelids beginning to droop. I put an arm around his shoulders, running the other down his back.
"Maybe we should escape upstairs before anyone finds us like this," I suggested before leaning in close and kissing the peak of his arrow.
A smile twitched up onto his lips as he nodded. "Good plan," he agreed, sliding off the table and gathering items of clothing. I was just beside him in a moment. But, before I had the chance to curl my fingers around my skirt, the air beside my face increased in a cold flash, and before I knew it, I was in Aang's arms, cradled against his chest as he carried me towards the stairs.
"Ahh! Aang!" I cried, in a fit of giggles as I kicked my feet slightly. He hushed me with a rough kiss on the lips, ascending before I could argue anymore.
We were at our door when my eyes fluttered open again. But, he didn't push the door in yet. Instead, he just stood there, smiling down at me.
Of course I stared back, my eyes twinkling in the dim moonlight that shone through the glass of a window."What're you doing?" I asked, my voice raspy with a whisper.
"The way I see it," he replied, burrying his nose in my hair. "if everything goes the way I plan, I'll be carrying you through doorways a few times after this."
Heat ignited on my cheeks. Had he really meant that? My heart was fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird. I couldn't hide my smile -- but at the same time, I couldn't keep my eyes open.
This night was perfect;; I only wish I could have told him that before the door clicked shut behind us.
I guess I'd just have to settle with, "I love you."