"So Zuko. Plans for today?"

That voice. That slightly girly voice.

" Actually, I guess we can take today off, seeing as how it's your birthday." A fakely cheery smile towards the young airbender, a sincere, wide grin back.

"Yes! Katara said I would have to beg at your feet for a day off, but who's right now!" A smug glint in stormy grey eyes. Then curiosity.

"Then, what are you going to do, still? I know I'm not training today, but..."

Silence.

"Zuko?"

"Ahh, yeah I think... Maybe... I'll just take a bath at the pond, and.... collect firewood, or....something." My voice cracks wide open on 'yeah'. I wince. He doesn't notice.

"Well, that doesn't sound very fun. Hey! Why don't you come with me? I'm going to the market to find some paint. My staff got chipped awhile back."

I stiffen. Must think of a way to look busy without being rude.

"Can't you find your own paint?"

Dammit. That was rude.

"Oh, I... Sorry, Zuko. Hey, are you telling me the truth about where you're going, what you're doing?"

He looks damned suspicious. And no wonder. I'm so fucking jumpy.

"Yeah, I am! I'll thank you for not accusing me of things!" A red tint is seeping into my cheeks, annoyingly enough.

"Yeah, right! Collecting firewood. I'm sure you're not meeting a girl or anything! Ha! I caught you redhanded Zuko! Calling off practice for no reason-,"

"I said it was beca-"

"Getting nervous, can't keep your story straight! And now, you're blushing!" Looking even smugger than before, he leans right into my face, without having any idea of the effect he is having on me, and whispers smoothly, "Gotcha..."

I lose it. I can't help it. My body is on fire. I grab him by the front of his shirt and pullhim into my arms. For a moment, I don't even kiss him, just hold him as close to my chest as I can without him being attached to me, then I dive my mouth in just in time to cut off the word, "Zu-!"

So much for bringing it up romantically on the riverside as he opened his present from me later today, when the sun would be setting. The sun now is only just rising. But I need him. I waste no time. As my mouth delves in deeper, I can feel the temperature of his body beginning to rise, his heartbeat fluttering wildly out of control. My hands drift, with my mouth never moving, to his sash-like robe top, the only thing keeping his chest from me.

I pull it off without much effort. I pull my mouth away only long enough to gasp for air. I look into his slightly glazing eyes. Then I grab him around the waist and pull him deeper into the forest. There is a small shelter there that I built in case I had had too much of Katara's snipiness. Instead, I found a much better use for it now.

I gently push him onto the small bed, and straddle him. " U-undo, my pants." I gasp. I can't really do it myself, my hands are shaking too much. I only realize after he begins scrabbling for the top of them that I can't believe he listened to me. I can't believe any of this.

But he, fingers shaking as well, gets a frim grip around the top of my pants, and every time his finges brush the hot underlying skin I tense. I have no shirt on already, as I had just woken up when Aang came to find me. He is still wearing his pants, and we tacitly agree that we are both wearing too many clothes. He grips my undergarment, and I tug at his pants, and soon we are both naked. I look down, into his eyes.

It feels as though my peripheral vision has narrowed down to just the two of us, as though the world has melted away. His eyes are wavering, with an unnatural glazed brightness. I can't see mine but they are even brighter, practically yellow, and my skin is so hot to touch I'm vaguely surprised I'm not burning him. My gaze falls down to his young manhood. He's not too bad for his age. I draw it into my hands and ellicit a gasp from the previously silent-with-shock boy. "Z-Z... ZUKO!"

I now have him in my mouth, and this seems to overwhelm the young boy. But not necessarily in a bad way. His hands were on my back a moment ago but are now replaced by his nails, digging into my back. Why am I doing this!? Am I insane? But I can't stop now. I only hope maybe Aang will find it in his heart to forgive me for this, but I can't stop now. I continue to blow him, and he continues to jerk and gasp under me. I finally pull my mouth away, and level my face to his. I close my eyes, and straddle his waist, and position myself on his lap. Finally, he and I move in unison to combine our bodies, gently, slowly, but even so, we both cry out smiultaneously.

I'm very careful about his virgin entrance, but still, I know, it hurt when I first went inside. But I grimly remind myself that pain would soon be replaced with pleasure as his body adjusts to the foreign object that was me. A very thin dribble of blood trickled down to the ground. I look at him questioningly, asking silently if I should go on. He looks at me for a moment, then places his hands on my back gently, and suddenly rams me into him. We cry out again, and he moves his hips, writhing, trying to get used to my size. Then I come down on him again, and again, and we are both gasping with every time, until we come simultaneously.

We lay in a messy heap, lazily stroking each other's skin. Aang murmurs, " I guess there's no girl..." And I smile and kiss him on the cheek, lightly nipping his ear before I pull away. He smiles back.

Suddenly, we both look up, startled, to the sound of loud laughter. Toph. She's practically falling on herself laughing, running over to us. We both jump up, nervous and flustered, pulling our clothes on. But although she didn't know we were naked, she had felt us laying on each other. My ears burn imagining how much ELSE she saw.