It was incredibly frustrating to be kissed while her hands were tied behind her back. He was free to roam across her stomach, her ribs, inching ever higher as his mouth probed hers, his eyes shut as he loomed over her. Katara arched her back, trying to get as close to him as she could while still bound. She widened the spread of her knees just a bit to gain balance as he pressed back against her, almost bending her back as his hands skimmed her arms, rising to cup her face.

She couldn't help the small moan that crossed from her lips to his as his thumbs brushed across her cheekbones, his long fingers gripping her jaw as he pulled her head to his. His hips were rolling rhythmically against her stomach, his chest pressed up against her so firmly that she could feel each labored breath he took. Katara could sense that he was holding back, trying to be gentle as his arms twitched and strained under his restraint. A small niggle of curiosity ate at her, wondering what all he was containing. Curiosity to see him completely lose control. Fear accompanied the thought; what was he capable of?

Zuko fought himself, trying not to be rough, trying to follow her lead as her small mouth was invaded by him. She smelled like firelilies again, felt as soft as their petals under his hands. He could smell himself on her from his tunic and it was not helping. The fact that he knew she was mostly bare under his tunic wasn't helping either. He wanted to paw at her, lift the tunic up over her head and feel her. That might be hard with her wrists tied, he thought. His eyes shot open and he pulled back. She was still tied.

He looked down at her, noting her half lidded eyes and parted, panting lips. Zuko moved his hands from her face down to her rope collar, hearing her hiss as he traced his fingers along it.

"Can I trust you?" he murmured, beginning to untie the knot at the back of her throat.

She didn't answer at first, just raised her large blue eyes to his, as if trying to search his mind. Then she knelt up so her head lay just below his. He turned his head slightly to keep her eyes in sight and gasped in a deep breath as she lightly bit on the soft skin below his ear. "That's something you have to decide for yourself." She whispered in his ear, her voice low.

Katara had seen Sokka nip a girl there before and she had looked like she liked it. She hoped the gasp Zuko had given was a good one. She didn't have much, no, she didn't have any experience in this sort of thing. She had seen some travelers and villagers exchanging affection, but had been too embarrassed to watch for very long. Now she almost wished she had, so she would have some idea of what to do. She felt terribly awkward against him, and he seemed to know all the spots on her face, on her ribs, to touch without tickling or going too far. The rope fell away from her neck and she took in a deep breath, glad not to have its embrace on her throat.

Zuko glanced at her, making sure she was alright, a brief surge of guilt coursing through his belly. The rope had been necessary. If she escaped again, he might never find her. He told himself he was only worried because it could lose him the Avatar, but then he stopped. It wasn't true. Not anymore. He would be worried about her, loose on her own in this forest of monsters and fear. Because he…liked her? He gave his head a twitch and reached out, turning her around so she sat with her back between his knees, the hem of his tunic riding up to her thigh.

Before he undid her wrists, he moved his hands up and down her arms, feeling the raised goose-bumps despite the steamy air in the tent. The more excited he got, the higher his body temperature rose, adding to the already sweltering heat of the forest.

His palms ran from her shoulders down her arms to jump to her stomach, spreading out to examine her hips. She leaned back against him, her chest rising and falling in time with his. Zuko tipped his chin forward to lay it on her shoulder, drawing her infinitesimally closer. He watched her watch as his hands climbed steadily upwards, aware that her hands couldn't push him away. Her breath came faster as his fingers roamed the undersides of her breasts, feeling their plump softness. He held himself tense, ready to pull away and apologize if she made the slightest sign of displeasure.

But instead her eyes closed and she leaned farther back against him, her knees widening as she tipped her head back to rest on his shoulder. Her back arched, nudging Zuko's hands further up to cup her fully. His eyes widened and he hesitantly gripped onto her breasts lightly, squeezing them as his thumb passed over her hard nipples. He felt his half-hard arousal stand up as she gasped and quivered, her head turning to latch onto his neck.

Katara had never felt anything like what the disgraced Prince was doing to her body. Like she had already admitted to herself, she was inexperienced. She had only ever thought about having sex once before in a treehouse, but luckily it hadn't happened. She grimaced inwardly at the thought now, and how big of a mistake it would have been. As she lapped desperately at Zuko's neck, trying to disperse some of the electricity she felt flowing through her as he rolled her nubs between his thumb and finger, she heard thunder rumble distantly above them and recognized the first patter of rain on the walls of the tent.

Zuko delighted in the small noises she made as he played with her, his own mouth falling open to pant as she mouthed and sucked on his neck. He pulled her back against him fully, his erection brushing against her backside. Her knees clapped together, trapped between his own as he began to grind against her, lost in sensations he hadn't felt with a girl in months. And even with those, he hadn't gotten this hard nearly as quick.

The rain began to fall harder, blowing in through the open tent flap. It brought with it a welcome breath of cool air, dissipating some of the heat building within. Zuko growled as drops hit his side and he lifted his hands from Katara, hearing her whine of disapproval as she detached from him as well.

"Zuko…?"

Agni that sent a quiver through him: his name on her lips. Hurriedly he untied the simple knot on her wrists, freeing her completely. Moving awkwardly to cover his arousal, he half crawled half leaned over to the tent flap, catching the flying canvases and securing them shut against the sudden turn in weather. When he turned back around, she was watching him with wide blue eyes, reclining back on her elbows. Her knees were bent, her feet flat on the floor, and he could see under his tunic to her underwrappings below.

"Katara." He breathed in response.

Chills shot up her spine at the tone of his voice: breathy and hoarse, filled with want. Their light had been extinguished by the rain, and in the darkness of the tent his eyes gleamed gold. She felt him shift so he kneeled between her legs, arching over her until he reached her face. His mouth descended on hers, one hand going behind her head while his other cupped the back of her thigh, drawing it higher until it rested against his hip. His tongue sought entry and she granted it, completely swept away by the feel of his gentle fingers stroking her upper thigh through her wrappings.

Zuko thought it should be impossible for someone to be this soft, especially someone who spent their days fighting and travelling and riding on massive flying animals. His own body was marked with scars and callouses, natural defenses built up over years of a rough life. His skin was dry and salty from the ocean, though the forest had done much in the past days to restore him. Thunder crashed and rolled above him as he drew his hand up further to dive under his tunic, resting his palm against her naked belly, and paused. Did she really want this? Or was she afraid to tell him to stop? He'd only touched her through clothing; was that all she wanted?

Katara felt him hesitate, his mouth stilling against hers as he stiffened. Did he not want her? She pulled back and at once recognized her own trepidation reflected in his eyes. He wouldn't push. But he'd let her pull.

"Yes, Zuko." She murmured, letting herself drop to her back as she lifted her hand to stroke his hair, her other hand travelling downwards to undo the knot on her lower wrappings for him. She heard the rain pick up as lightning flashed through the tent, illuminating the closeness of their bodies, the look of apprehension on his face. The linen strips fell in a heap, draping across her thighs and hips in a white mass. "Please. Touch me."

Zuko groaned and crashed his mouth back to hers, allowing himself finally to give in, to let loose with her. He snaked up her tunic until her breast was clutched in his palm, his fingers finding the hard roughness of her nipple immediately. She shouted out as he pushed the tunic's hem to her neck, breaking from her lips to encircle the hard nub with his lips, his tongue probing and lapping.

Katara gasped, clapping a hand over her own mouth to stifle her cries as the sensations almost became too much, too intense for her to bear. His mouth pulled and sucked on her, drawing out long sounds of pleasure from her. She was sure that her face was beet red with embarrassment; he must think her a blushing virgin. Which, she was, of course, but he didn't have to know that. She tried to rein herself in, control the sounds coming from her mouth.

"No."

She lifted her head slightly at his word, the sound vibrating against her sensitive flesh. His fierce eyes stared through her, almost animalistic in their color. The hand beside her head gently pried the hand from her mouth, baring her gasps to him.

"I want to hear." He rumbled, dipping his head back down and gently nipping her nub.

She cried out, arching her back. It was like an electric shock, the feeling going straight through her belly to her groin, increasing the already intense ache between her legs. She felt Zuko smile against her and then he did it again to the other nipple, drawing a mewling whine from her.

Zuko gathered her underwrappings into a bunchy handful and tossed them to the side. With the same breath he pulled his tunic completely from her, leaving her completely exposed to his hungry hands. His mouth still busy at her breast, he let his hand trail whispering brushes down her torso until he reached her lower curls. He felt her breath hitch under him as he stroked one finger along her, but she had given her permission and he delved lower. His eyebrow rose; he had expected something, but not this. She was saturated, completely drenched with her own juices. Her outer lips were swollen and plump, betraying her arousal in a way her moans couldn't.

Katara tensed as a long, warm finger probed her opening. She heard Zuko's murmured moan and he shifted, his mouth descending on her own as his other hand continued attention on her breast. She didn't know what to do with her hands as he explored the shallow valley between her outer lips. She fidgeted, laying them first on his neck, then his back before returning to his neck. She felt him smile against her lips as he moved his hand, taking one of her own and placing it on his bare chest. She curled her nails against his pale skin as he guided her other hand down to the tent in his pants. She gasped, her eyes shooting open as she felt him. He was as long as her hand, longer, and hot. She choked down a giggle as she imagined him setting fire to his pants through his excitement.

She felt Zuko's mouth harden against her; he didn't think she was laughing at him did he? Panicked, she stroked along his chest, arching towards his probing hand as she slipped her hand beneath his waistband to feel along his length. This was supposed to fit inside her? The spirits had a twisted sense of humor.

Zuko pumped himself into her curious palm, annoyed that she had laughed. He knew she probably wasn't laughing at his size; he was decently confident with that. He detached his lips from hers to lay his teeth on her throat, drawing a long gasp from her, her hand contracting around him. At the feeling, he bit down, making her cry out. He bit a little harder than he had originally intended, reprimanding her for laughing, though he only succeeded in making himself harder. She tasted as good as she smelled, and his finger finally delved between her lower lips, wiggling inside her. She tensed, and he tried to soothe her by placing soft, delicate kisses along her jugular. It worked: she loosened around him enough so he could slide his finger inside her to the second knuckle. She was so wet. Her insides gripped him, and he trembled at the thought of what it would feel like around his length.

He curled his finger inside her and she whimpered. He was hitting something just right, sending sparks through her. Thunder rolled and boomed, lightning its echo across the sky. She looked down to see his hand between her legs in the concurrent flashes of brilliance and groaned, throwing her head back. She wanted something, wanted whatever she was building towards. He seemed to understand and withdrew his finger only to return with another. She moaned lowly and gripped his cock harder through his undershorts, feeling wetness at the tip and wondering what that meant.

Two fingers inside her were infinitely tighter than one, and Zuko relished the friction as he slowly drew them in and out of Katara, her moans and bucking hips encouraging him. He could feel her flimsy barrier against his fingertips and internally debated what to do about it. He had suspected this was her first time from her reactions. He had never been with a virgin before, but had heard that the tearing of their inner barrier could be painful. A sense of male pride flowed through him, knowing that he would claim out of anyone. He would always be her first. She would never forget him.

"Katara," he panted, pulling from her to look her in the eye, his fingers stilling inside her. "This…this might hurt."

She gazed at him calmly, her eyes full of questions but no fear. She nodded slowly and lay back, her body stiffening with nerves. Zuko began moving his fingers inside her again, his mouth catching hers, his tongue stroking her lips in an attempt to relax her. Slowly she calmed, letting out a small whimper as his tongue invaded her mouth.

Thunder cracked above them as he punctured her hymen, her body curling up against him with a soft cry. Zuko winced for her, trying to help it pass quickly by kissing her deeply, his free hand caressing her breast and stroking her neck in turns. Sooner than he expected she sank back down, the distant thunder rumbling itself out into the distance as rain pounded the sides of the tent.

When he felt her respond to his kisses be began to move his fingers inside her again, feeling her respond by tightening around him, her tongue battling against his as her hand gripped and stroked his erection, anxiously pushing his waistband down. He broke from her embrace long enough to remove his pants, leaving him in just his undershorts.

Katara, only slightly sore from the taking of her virginity, impatiently pushed his shorts down as well, leaving him just as bare as she was. She pushed lightly on his chest until he sat back on his haunches, kneeling above her. A frown crossed his face, two fingers still slowly pumping inside her, unsure of what she wanted. Katara's eyes travelled across his pale chest, his smooth stomach taut with muscle, and finally landed on his straining arousal, boldly erupting from a thatch of hair darker than her own. It was as long and thick as she had imagined, a bead of precum glistening in the flash of lightening.

He watched her look at him, feeling proud as her eyes widened and she bit her lip. His eyes drank her up in return, passing across her smooth stomach to the swell of her dusky breasts. He took himself in hand, replacing her grip with his own. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Zuko smirked at her, falling back down to all fours, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he positioned himself in front of her opening.

Katara pressed her forehead against his as they watched him enter her. She grimaced, he was so big, but her body took him in anyway, stretching her walls to accommodate the intruder. To Zuko, the entry felt amazing. Her body was slick and tight, gripping him in all the right places. With her barrier broken, nothing impeded him from sheathing himself inside her. He stilled, waiting for her to adjust.

Katara wiggled her hips, trying to find more purchase, more friction.

"Are you okay?" Zuko murmured breathily, desperately wanting to move but afraid of hurting her.

"Yes." Katara gasped. "Please, Zuko…"

"Please what?" He asked, panting. Her muscles were rippling around him, torturing him softly.

"Kiss me." She gripped him by his hair and dragged his hair down, thrusting her hips in encouragement. She acted on instinct, wanting him to move with her.

Slowly, as he kissed her, he pulled out, thrusting just as slowly back in. She felt so wonderful around him and his heart raced, desperate to pick up speed. Katara moaned beneath him, her fingers drawing lines on his back with her nails. He groaned, thrusting harder than he meant to. She gasped and he stilled, ready to apologize.

"Do it again." She whispered into his mouth. "Again."

He pulled out and moved hard back into her, making her twitch and moan. With a savage bite to her lip, he began a punishing rhythm, driving into her fast and hard. She cried out, the thunder above them echoing her cries. She spread her legs wider, allowing him deeper into her.

"Katara…" Zuko moaned, feeling himself getting close. She was too, but he didn't know if she knew. Her walls were slowly constricting him, getting tighter and tighter as she neared her climax. She was crying out below him, spurring him onwards. A sudden vision of the little girl Kaya, who said she was his child with Katara, swam in front of him, halting him for a beat. His Uncle had been the one to tell him how children were made, and he had no desire to have children any time soon. He thrust slowly into her, unsure of what to do.

"Zuko." She gasped. "What's wrong?" She could feel that she was on the precipice of something big, something that was building like a slow fire within her. Zuko's slow thrusts stoked the embers of that fire, threatening to tip it into a blaze.

"I…" How to explain. "No children." His face colored with embarrassment. How prolific.

She cocked her head in confusion, then realized what he meant. "Don't worry." She moaned as he hit the end of her, sending sparks through her. "I'll take care of it. Please, Zuko." She whimpered, craning her neck up to nip his throat several times, leaving small bruises in her wake.

He groaned and picked his pace back up, thrusting vigorous into her, capturing her mouth with his. They panted into each other's mouths, lost in their own sensations.

She was so close, he could tell, but not going over. He bent his arm down so his fingers rested near her slit, a thrill shooting through him as he felt his erection thrusting into her, widening her slit as it did. He pressed a hot thumb to the nub of flesh above their junction, rubbing and tapping it softly.

Katara's eyes shot open and she arched, crying into his mouth as he pressed her clit. It was so much more, so much feeling in that one little nub. She felt her breath hitch as her stomach clenched, her insides rippling and clenching as she came for the first time. It was almost too much and she cried out, Zuko continuing his thrusts to prolong her climax. She bit his lower lip, trapping it between her teeth as she gripped the sides of his head to hold him in place.

Katara's release spurred Zuko on, goading him towards orgasm. The bite to his lip sent him over, and he shouted out a wordless cry as he sheathed himself fully into her, pumping his seed deep into her. He collapsed to his elbows, breathing heavily beside her ear, feeling her breath against him as his body lay against hers.

The rain and their labored breathing were the only sounds in the world to them at that moment. Katara absently stroked his head as her eyelids grew heavy. The feel of his body against hers was warm, the pressure of him comforting.

Zuko lifted himself off of Katara, gazing down at her gently. He pressed a kiss to her temple before rolling to her side, withdrawing from inside her. He let one hand trail across her stomach, resting possessively on her hip. He kissed her shoulder, closing his eyes as sleep threatened to overtake him.

He felt her move and opened his eyes in time to see her make a bending motion across her stomach, drawing out the seed he had deposited within her. She flung it through a small gap in the tent flaps, sending out into the night.

"That's revolting." Zuko muttered against her shoulder, shutting his eyes again.

"Shut up." Katara whacked him on the arm, giggling as he growled and bit her lightly, tightening his hold around her stomach and pulling her against him. "You said no children."

"No." He sighed, breathing in her sage-tinted firelily scent. "Not for a while."

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Zuko frowned, curling his arm tight around the warm body beside him. The body squeaked in protest, rolling in his grasp to place cool kisses along his jaw.

"If it's before sunrise, I'm taking you again, peasant." He grumbled, his cock already hard and ready.

"I need to get up." She whispered, struggling against him despite the heat that gathered suddenly in her stomach. He gripped tighter, her struggling body not helping his condition. "Zuko."

He captured her mouth in a hard kiss, pinching her nipple and tugging. She groaned, thrusting her hips against his erection. "Katara." He murmured in her ear, his voice husk with sleep and want.

"Let me up."

"Mmm mmm." He murmured negatively, nibbling her neck. "No."

"Zuko, I'm sore." She pushed back from him, trying not to pant. "And hungry."

He glared at her, his golden eyes fiery in the morning light. She offered him a small smile and he softened, pressing a frustrated kiss to her forehead. "Fine." He growled, flopping onto his back.

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She wanted to tell him that if she didn't have to go so badly she'd gladly take him inside her again. But she really did have to go.

He wanted to tell her that she looked beautiful in the morning, that he had slept better than he had in years and he knew it was because of her. But he was afraid it would come out as something much, much dirtier.

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A.N.: Thank you all so much for the reviews, likes, and favs! I love you all and hope this chapter makes up for the lack of fast updates. This story is coming to a close soon, then on to the next. Love love love.