A/N: A gift for a very special friend of mine. A prelude to Explore. Mature rated.

This was a talk that was going to get awkward.

Weeks before their explorative confrontation, Katara and Aang had been fine with just kissing each other. Kissing her was like pressing his lips against the physical embodiment of everything he had ever dreamed or wanted. Kissing him was taking the earth from beneath her feet, him the only thing to keep her grounded. Kissing was great, amazing even. But as their hormones started to rage, fire started to burn and each time they started, they didn't know where to stop or where to go due to lack of experience.

It was late at night and Aang had snuck into her room in the house assigned to the Avatar in Basingse. They were lying on her bed, him hovering over her as they kissed each other deeply, feeling the blazing flames push them forward. Her tongue twisted around his and he moaned at her taste, wanting to drown in her. All too soon she broke the kiss, trying to remember how to breathe. He let out a happy sigh and rolled off of her, lying next to her and staring at the ceiling. Her hand snaked down his arm and into his and he smiled, looking over into her sapphire eyes in the dim lantern light. She was blushing and so was he, both just happy to be together. She looked back to the ceiling and let her breathing and heart rate go back to normal. He couldn't take his eyes off of her lips, those plump, soft lips.

He knew there was so much more they could do beyond kissing but he wasn't sure if either of them were ready for that. The thought made his mind race. He didn't even know how to please her. He wasn't sure if she knew what to do either. He sighed and put a hand behind his head.

"Something wrong Aang?" A whisper came from those amazing lips.

"No, just thinking," he admitted, but also held back.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Yes… and no." He turned to her again and she was raising an eyebrow curiously. "Yes, I need to talk about this, eventually. No because it's going to be nothing but embarrassing for the both of us."

She sat up on her elbows and looked at him, pressing a hand to his chest.

"How long have we been together?"

He hesitated, this being a question completely off subject. He counted and answered.

"Almost three years now."

"And in that time, we have shared everything with each other. No one knows me like you do. And I know you so well," she said and trailed her hand up from his chest to his neck, holding his attention. "Well enough to know that even if it embarrassing, we can get through it."

He smiled and nodded, kissing her soft on the lips.

"Okay, just don't freak out."

She nodded and waited expectantly. He sighed and looked away from her. It would be so much easier to drop the subject and ask her something else. That would be his normal response; avoid and evade. But this was something that he needed to know. It was a question that was burning inside of his mind. Still looking away from her he asked.

"What makes you feel good?"

"Oh little things. Sleeping in, snow, storytelling-"

"No sweetie, not like that." He hesitated and tried again, blushing furiously. "What do you do to pleasure yourself?"

She blushed and lay back down, not looking at him.

"O-oh." She stuttered, unable to form a complete sentence. She was quiet for a while, trying to figure out where to start. There were so many things.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer. I know, it's really over the line, sorry."

"No no. I'm trying to figure out how to answer you. I want you to know… I just can't put it into words, it's so humiliating; thinking of how to describe what I do out loud." She said and shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you want me to tell you what feels good for me? Will that make this easier?" He asked, trying to not give up.

"Oh Aang, I know what guys like. I've walked in on my brother enough times to figure that one out." She chucked darkly, whishing she could wipe those memories from her mind.

"I'm sorry, this is terribly one sided. I just really want to know. I want to know how to make you feel incredible." He said and looked at her. She turned her head and she was caught in his gaze. So dark and yet sparkling with genuine curiosity and love. She smiled and took in a deep breath, her cheeks so deep red before her words even started, looking away.

"I like to grip my breasts, they feel so good. And I like to, um, tweak my own nipples, just gently at first but then harder later…" She let tumble out quietly. She hesitated and looked to him, he swallowed, easily picturing what she was describing for him.

"What else? I mean there's a whole other half of your body." He encouraged, feeling the flame inside of him without even kissing her, which caught him off guard. She looked away from him, keeping her hands firm at her sides and closed her eyes.

"I-I slip mu hand under my bindings and touch my skin. I kind of tease myself-it's hard to explain."

"Show me." He said all too quickly. She paled and looked at him.

"What?"

"If it's too hard to explain, then show me." He replied smoothly, trying to hide the fact he was very excited as to where this conversation had gone.

"That's even more embarrassing!"

"It won't be, you have nothing to hide."

She rolled her eyes and looked away from him, absolutely caught between a rock and a hard place.

"It's not like I've never seen you naked before." He murmured.

"Those times were different! Walking into the bathroom and seeing me standing by the tub for a split second is one thing, but you are asking me to show you how I pleasure myself! That's really intense and close up and I just don't know if I can do that." She rambled all together, anxiety clear in her voice.

"Okay, then just tell me. What happens next?" He asked quietly, calmly.

She tried to answer. She tried to verbalize how good her fingers felt around her clit. But she realized she would have to explain what all the parts are. She sighed.

"Screw it." She sat up and slipped her dress off, throwing it off the bed. She reached behind her back and untied her bindings, letting them fall loose around her and tossing those away as well. she had her back turned to him but he was anxious, he wanted to see her. She took her hands and covered her breasts, lying down beside him and looking to him for reassurance. His eyes were fixated on her hands and she slowly pulled away, letting him see them up close for the first time. Her face went dark red the longer he stared and she cleared her throat.

"Sorry. You were saying?" He said and ripped his eyes away from her beautiful body, meeting her eyes. She smiled softly and slid her hands down her body, looping into her lower bindings and pushing them down, kicking them off the bed.

"You aren't going to get a very good view from up here." She whispered to him. His eyes widened and he nodded, understanding what she meant. He crawled to the foot of the bed and sat against the footboard, right between her legs.

They shared a look and she closed her eyes, slipping her hand down her body. Aang watched as her hand ran over her smooth exposed lips, her two fingers stroking the brown skin. Her other hand came up and cupped her breast, squeezing it lightly and she let out a soft sigh. Aang swallowed very hard. he couldn't believe she was actually doing this for him. He looked at her fingers between her legs and she was slipping over the pink flesh from the bottom to the top. She moaned quietly when she reached the top.

"Do you see this little thing here?" She asked breathlessly and opened her eyes.

"The little bump?" He asked, leaning closer to see.

"It's more sensitive than the head of a penis. Very pleasurable. Called a clitoris." She said and closed her eyes again, both embarrassed and a little turned on form her own touches. She let her fingers swirl around the bump and she bit her lip, squeezing her breast harder. Aang noticed that his pants were growing tighter by the second and he was having a hard time controlling himself. He tried to readjust his pants without her noticing, and he failed. She saw his pants and smiled, closing her eyes again and slipping her finger down further. She slipped a finger inside of her and her was on fire, unable to keep a moan from escaping her lips. She pumped in and out at a slow pace, her hips moving to meet her fingers.

Aang couldn't take it anymore. His girlfriend spread out before him, touching herself as a demonstration was too much for him to bear in silence and stillness. His hand slipped under his pants and he gripped himself, watching her and being completely intoxicated by her.

She slipped another finger in and arched her back, spreading her slick walls with her fingers. She took them out and slid back up to her clit, spreading her juices along the way. Aang was trying to pay attention as much as he could, feeling completely lightheaded. Katara was far gone, playing with her clit like there was no tomorrow. She wasn't even aware he was in the room at this moment. Her fingers slipped back into her entrance while her thumb circled her clit, pumping faster this time. She moaned again and pushed her hips up, wanting so much more than her slim fingers could provide. Katara rolled her nipple between her fingers at the same time, her breathing erratic. Aang was pumping himself so fast, watching her make love to herself. He wanted to be the one to make her moan, be the one to fill all her needs.

"Aang," her moan came out. He was completely shocked. even when she was touching herself, she was thinking of him. Wanting him to be the one to push her over the edge. This thought touched him deeply and turned him on at the same time. After all, he wanted her hands on him, not his own. Her fingers moved incredibly fast and her toes started to curl as she threw her head back, feeling herself coming close to the edge. His name graced her lips along with a plea for more and he couldn't take it. He was sent over the edge before she was. A groan escaped him and a strangled version of her name slithered out, his hot seed dripping down his fingers. He was gasping for air and so was she. A small cry came from her throat and she shuddered, pushing her legs together and her toes gripping into the sheets. She was still for a moment, riding her wave of ecstasy with her fingers still inside her. When she felt like she could breathe again she pulled her hand from her core and stared at the ceiling, trying to remember how to breathe. he wiped his hand on the inside of his pants and crawled back up to the head on the bed, lying beside her and reminding her of his presence.

She chuckled and looked over to him, suddenly no longer embarrassed that she was completely naked next to him. He looked at her and smiled, leaning over to give her a heated kiss. When the broke apart she sighed softly.

"Any other questions?" She inquired with a little chuckle.

"If I have any more, I'll let you know." He laughed and kissed her again, completely and forever in love with his forever girl.