Author's Warning: Guys this story is rated M. There will be adult content in this chapter. This is the last time I'll warn you as the story continues, so please be aware. Enjoy!
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Zuko woke with the dawn like normal and immediately began to assess his surroundings. Traveling with his Uncle as refugees had honed his senses and made him cautious of those who might take advantage of them or figure out they were Firebenders. However, all his experience as a refugee, couldn't have prepared him for waking up to the sight of Katara laying sprawled across his chest.
She really was beautiful, he mused. There was a time when Zuko couldn't have imagined finding beauty in a girl like this, a girl with dark skin and thick, curly hair. A girl who wore cow-whale bone beads in her hair and had several small tattoos littering her skin (they were faint, but he liked to think he was very observant when it came to Katara). Men in the Fire Nation praised women for their fair, unblemished skin and straight hair, and though they might delight in the odd war prisoner turned concubine that might happen to be from the Water Tribes, they would never deign to actually bring these women into social circles or advertise what they were doing behind closed doors.
People in the Fire Nation valued women like Zuko's mother. His grandfather Azulon had lectured the Fire Nation Prince and Princess dozens of times about Ozai's desire for Ursa's beauty, and how he had demanded to have her until she belonged to him. The story was meant to be a lesson about how no one could deny the Fire Lord what he desired-no person, no nation, and most of all, no Avatar.
Thinking about his mother made him think of what had woken him up. He had had a strange dream, he was holding the old copy of Love Amongst the Dragons his mother had given him. He was locked in a wardrobe in his room at the Palace.
He was crying.
Zuko strained his memory to recall what had been said in his dream, but it was too late and it was already slipping away from him. He sighed and looked at Katara again, putting his dream out of his mind. He started when he realized there were dried tear tracks on her cheeks.
He wanted to wake her up and ask her why she was crying, but Zuko restrained himself. The Waterbender needed her sleep, and he suspected she would tell him what had causerd her tears when she woke.
Zuko hoped she woke soon. He was used to rising with the sun and so was his bladder, it was protesting lightly at the way Katara had positioned her knee. He wiggled slightly, trying to wake her gently at first, then starting to shake her when the need to relieve himself became urgent. Katara awoke with a start, almost falling off the bed, but Zuko was too busy throwing off the covers and leaping out of the bed to notice.
He made it to the bathroom just in time and shut the door behind him to go about his business when it was rudely slammed open by an irate Waterbender.
"What the hell, Zuko!", she yelled, "If you didn't want to sleep with me you could have just said so." Her anger couldn't hide the slight hurt in her voice as she whipped her head around and headed for the door.
Zuko's senses felt slow as he watched her head to the door, but he quickly snapped out of his fog. He wasn't sure why she was this angry, nor was he used to people yelling at him at all if he was being honest. To avoid putting his foot in his mouth, he rushed towards the Waterbender and grabbed her hand. The Fire Nation Prince tried to push his confusion towards her.
I had to go to the bathroom. She huffed in response and jerked her hand away from him.
"Well you didn't have to nearly push me off the bed!"
"I tried to wake you!", Zuko yelled, his temper rising in response. Katara's face took on an indignant look as she prepared a response when suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
They both fell silent as they looked at the door in trepidation. Who could be in the Royal Wing?
"It's me, lovebirds!", a girls voice yelled sarcastically from the other side of the door.
Toph.
Katara looked at Zuko with worry and he felt his anger vanish. How did she do that? He wondered. The Waterbender gives him one scared look and all of a sudden he wants to leap to her rescue.
And he still hadn't pissed goddamit!
Zuko tried to forget his bladder as he squeezed Katara's hand to reassure her before going to open the door. He knew how she felt about her culture, but over the last week he had fallen prey to Toph's unique skills enough to realize that she already knew Katara was in the room and no amount of hiding would hide that fact.
He opened the door slowly after hearing Toph clear her throat loudly on the other side.
She was frowning. "Nice of you to let me in", she said sarcastically, "Now I want to know what's going on here," she said with a mischievous smile. Zuko and Katara looked at each other again, knowing Toph would be able to sense any lie they came up with anyway.
"Well…", he said slowly, what had his life come to, being extorted by a 12 year-old?, "Katara and I are kind of...dating?" The last part came out like a question as it certainly did not feel like they were only girlfriend and boyfriend, since Katara was his and he was pretty sure they were bonded for life, but there was no way Zuko was going to give up information about the bond.
Toph rolled her eyes.
"Well that's obvious, but why?", she asked precociously.
"Why?", Katara echoed.
"Yeah, why were you sleeping in his room just because you guys are dating?"
Toph sounded surprisingly sincere and curious, and Zuko realized she had no idea what sex was-not that they had been doing that, but still.
Katara seemed to realize her secret was safe and started laughing as she walked away, "ha, ha, I think I'll let Zuko explain that one", she giggled. She composed her face slightly to shoot a "make sure you don't tell anyone!" over her shoulder as walked out the door.
Zuko took a moment to marvel at how slight the cold emptiness at her departure had become before he turned to face Toph with a sigh. One week traveling with the Avatar and he had become a stand in Sex-Ed teacher! He tried not to roll his eyes.
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It had been two weeks since the night Katara had first slept in Zuko's room, and things on the ship were in chaos. They had been discovered as a captured ship and were now locked in battle with the opposing Fire Nation crew, all while trying to keep the Avatar from blowing his own cover.
Aang had awoken earlier in the day and confusedly tried to escape the ship, but he was ecstatic to see the Gaang once he realized he wasn't in danger, even Zuko had gotten a (reluctant) hug.
Things before Aang's awakening had been going…smoothly, almost blissfully, and Zuko truly was not used to this level of content in his life. Toph had stuck to her promise not to blab about Zuko and Katara's relationship, the downside being that she decided she deserved the privilege to make a wide range of sexual jokes to their consternation when no one was looking. The Duke and Pipsqueak had taken her under their wing and the three of them were constantly pulling pranks on people.
Zuko and Katara happily continued their nighttime rendezvous' in secret, talking late into the night. In Katara, he had found someone willing to listen to and offer advice about his problems and his past without pity, as a servant might, and without confusing metaphors, as his Uncle did. It had taken time to adjust to having someone in his space (a lot of time, if Zuko was being honest), but soon he felt lonely without the Waterbender there.
By far their biggest hurdle had come from the way Katara was treating her father, Hakoda. From Zuko's perspective, there was nothing more honorable one could do to protect their family than give them up to leave for battle, not knowing if you would ever return. Katara was too hurt to see the logic in that, and it was not until she and Hakoda finally had a long overdue tear-filled conversation that Katara had apologized to Zuko for her anger.
Whenever he thought about the way she had apologized his cheeks lit up with thoughts of how good her lips had felt pressed against his.
Now that Zuko had someone to talk to about the things that made him angry, he found that he wasn't...so...angry? It was strange, it was hard for the Prince to describe the difference, but apparently it was very clear to everyone else. He made fast friends with Sokka now that Zuko wasn't so prickly about jokes made about his expense, and Toph had become the little sister he and Katara had never had, spending a lot of time with them since the Earthbender was the only one that knew their secret.
Katara was easily his best friend. Zuko supposed it couldn't be helped, he spent the most time with her anyway. Before though, before they had really been friends, he had always secretly held the fear that she had hung him around just because of the bond. With the increased sensitivity of the bond she had quickly and efficiently put his doubts to rest, easily making him feel like the most special person in the world.
Being in a relationship for Katara seemed to come so naturally. She easily fell into a wide slew of roles, providing him an excellent challenge in a sparring match then bringing him a snack of mango slices later because she knew they were his favorite. She was extremely affectionate when they were alone, constantly hugging him or simply tracing her hand over his back and, when they were in public, she did little things to make him feel special, like offering him an extra portion at meal times or complimenting his move in a duel.
For Zuko, it was very hard for him to show affection. He was unused to doing a lot of things by himself, even after his months living as a refugee, and nothing he had learned being a refugee had prepared him for being in a secret relationship in the middle of a war. He certainly had had few examples of healthy relationships as a child. The only family member that had truly loved their spouse in recent history was Uncle, and he had lost almost as soon as he married her and had his son.
Zuko did his best to show his affection with things he understood. Court life had dictated a lady should usually be escorted, so Zuko did his best to walk Katara to and from her various activities, taking the time to talk with her and get to know her better. He sometimes let her win when they sparred and tried his best to help her out with some of the chores. He learned how to fish from the Water Tribe men and had put his skills to use when they paused in waters known to be rich with fish, then coolly (excitedly, if he was being honest) presented his first catch to Katara, who had responded with a large smile.
Zuko looked to Katara now, letting his thoughts slip away and refocusing on the battle. His eyes found Katara on the other side of the ship, using her Waterbending to create a huge cloud of steamy cover.
It didn't work, the enemy Fire Nation ship continuing to follow closely behind them, pelting deadly, fiery boulders. One of them landed on Toph's stock of Earthbending ammo, obliterating it.
"Well, at least I don't think it can get any worse", Sokka said hopefully.
On cue, a Giant Sea Serpent burst from the waves, screeching in anger.
Sokka sighed, then everyone on the Avatar's ship cheered as the Serpent suddenly changed direction and wrapped its body around the enemy ship, slowly sinking it.
In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Zuko looked to Katara. She looked exhausted, and he thought she was probably suffering the exhaustion of the bond as well as physical exhaustion from all the bending she had done. They had discovered since they had begun sleeping together that they could go longer periods of time without touching, and the prolonged contact charged the bond to the point that it acted as a backup well of strength they could use in a fight. Using the bond in this way came at a cost however, and they would have to 'recharge' so to speak immediately after or begin to feel as cold and empty as they had in the beginning. Zuko started to head over to her, he was exhausted too, after all.
As he reached the Waterbender he took a seat on some boxes next her. She started to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of an angry Aang loudly complaining about being made to lay down and slamming a door. Katara rose to go after him, but Zuko grabbed her hand, the buzzing immediately coming back with a pleasurable vengeance.
Let him go for now, he promised, if we're still going to leave the ship for dinner we need to charge now.
Zuko had a few ideas for tonight's planned trip into town at the next port, and one of them involved separating from Katara so he could find a gift for her, and the bond would need to be closer to full strength in order for them to be apart for that long. He had found plenty of trunks of gold coins in the ship's cargo hold and while he may be lacking in relationship experience, gifts were both something he felt like he could do well, and a large part of court relationships.
Katara looked at their joined hands and Zuko listened to her conflicted thoughts for a moment until it became obvious she had reached a decision. Katara let go of his hand before she turned to her Dad.
"Dad, I'm going to lie down", she didn't have to try very hard to look exhausted, "Zuko, will you help me?"
Zuko took that as his cue to stand up and wrap one arm around her waist, curling his other arm gently around hers so that he was supporting most of her weight. Hakoda nodded approvingly.
"Get some rest before we head reach port tonight, I'll tell everyone not to disturb you".
It was rare that Katara found an escape from her chores, especially for the whole afternoon, so the pair decided to seize the opportunity with both hands. Well, maybe it was just Zuko who decided to take the opportunity, as he barely waited till they were turned away from Hakoda before he started projecting images into her head of exactly how they might relax now that they were assured no one would bother them.
The air between them was charged with sexual tension and amplified by the connection of the bond on their walk back to Zuko's room. Over the past couple of weeks, they hadn't gone much further than kissing each other as they tried to get to know each other better. Katara, though she was the most affectionate person Zuko knew, was inexperienced, and Zuko didn't want to push her into something she didn't want to do.
He could feel that they were both feeling slight trepidation at how the bond might change as their relationship progressed. For his first couple of days on the captured ship, Zuko had felt as though his Firebending was getting weaker, his fire barely hot enough to scald. Zuko supposed it had a lot to do with the fact that he had always powered his Firebending with anger, and he was lacking in anger now that he had changed sides.
That weakness had abated practically overnight the first night he and Katara had slept next to each other. The additional boost from the bond gave Zuko all the power he needed and more. His flames had been hotter, starting to turn blue at the tips, a feat he had never accomplished before.
If Zuko was being honest, even though he was extremely proud of himself for his progress and grateful to the bond and Katara's support, his old insecurities were starting to rear their ugly heads. Zuko had been scared of Azula's blue fire when she first produced it just before he was banished, but he had soon switched his fear directly to the source: his younger sister. The Princess was deadly because she was in complete control of the blue flames. She could call it to her at a moment's notice and the flames never dared disobey her.
However, Zuko was no prodigy, and he feared he might hurt himself or Katara one day if he did not learn how to completely control the flames. He had a feeling that, as the two of them progressed in the physical aspect of their relationship and further explored their bond, the flames would only become hotter, and they still didn't know what other effects the bond may have on them. Though they still did not know what this bond was or how it came to be, they did know that it was clearly powered by physical energy-the closer they got to each other, the better.
It was a good thing Zuko desired nothing more than to be close to the Waterbender.
They had finally reached the door to his room and Katara had a deep blush on her face. She went in first while Zuko veered away from the bed to head to the dresser and grab a pair of sleep pants and, after a moment's hesitation, one of his tunics for Katara. He had picked up on her thoughts a couple of times when they snuck into his room at night and he knew she hated sleeping in her bindings, but she felt it was the proper thing to do. Zuko thought if he loaned her one of his thick red tunics in place of her worn and thin blue one she might feel a little more comfortable taking her bindings off.
He would be lying if he said the thought of Katara in his clothing didn't excite him.
Zuko walked over to where Katara sat on the bed, silently handing over the clothing he had picked for her, purposely brushing his hand against hers. He pushed the image his head had conjured of her wearing the tunic into the bond through Katara's hand.
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Katara blushed at the image Zuko had pushed into her head. She had been becoming more and more curious over the past couple of weeks about the direction the relationship between Zuko and she might go. Now, her exhaustion combined with all the feelings brought on by battle made her want to be closer to Zuko than ever before. She wanted to be comforted by his presence and wrapped in his warmth. She wanted to reassure herself after the dangerous battle that he was okay and, in doing so, replenish the bond.
With Aang now being awake, Katara knew they would now have even less time to themselves. She couldn't have failed to notice Aang's painfully obvious crush on her either. Even though she knew it would upset him to find out the truth of what had been happening while he slept, she was tired of hiding her relationship with Zuko. She wanted to be able to hold his hand in public and maybe kiss his cheek, and the only obstacles standing in her way of being able to do that were Aang, Sokka, and her Dad.
Those obstacles were the reason Katara was glad she and Zuko were waiting to tell the others about their relationship. These past few weeks had allowed the friends and Water Tribe warriors invaluable time to get to know and respect Zuko outside of his title as Prince of the Fire Nation. Now, Sokka and Zuko were on their way to being friends, and the Prince was respected by all the warriors for his surprising skill at dual broadswords, including the Chief.
Zuko loosening up had also given Katara the opportunity to allow her relationship and trust for Zuko to grow as she quickly began to realize she could easily fall in love with this man, even if they were not bonded.
Katara already loved a lot of things about him. She loved the way he was so unlike most of the men she had ever known. Though Zuko had his more 'wild' moments, most of the time his royal background shone through and he was a perfect gentleman. His background had also afforded him a very complete education, and Katara thought she would spend hours listening to him about his different theories and all the things he had learned about history and music and poetry if she could.
Zuko was more serious than the other boys Katara was surrounded by (namely her brother and Aang) and that made Katara feel as though she could relax when he was around, as though he could handle taking half the responsibility from her shoulders and he didn't mind taking care of her. He noticed when she needed help with the chores and tried his best to help, even though the Prince wasn't exactly used to manual labor.
Most recently, as Zuko began to open up more and more and became comfortable with physical affection, Katara had begun to love the way he kissed her. Unlike kissing Jet, the bond allowed Katara to experience everything Zuko felt and vice versa. The connection acted like a feedback loop for the pleasure and positive energy, bouncing it back and forth through the warmth between them. Katara could feel exactly how much Zuko wanted to please her and make her happy, and how insecure he felt about his ability to do that. She in turn could reassure him, project to him how happy he made her, those emotions only adding to the tension between them.
Katara could tell the tension was working up to some sort of peak, but they had not yet reached the edge. The privacy of their relationship demanded they meet only at night when they were already exhausted from the day's work and their bodies ready for sleep. Now though, it was the middle of the day and they had hours before the boat docked at the next port and, though they were both tired from battle, they were definitely not sleeping just yet. Katara could feel Zuko wanted to be close to her too.
Katara looked down at the tunic Zuko had pushed into her hand. It was a deep red color and the fabric was rich. She had been avoiding taking her bindings off in front of him, even with a shirt covering her breasts, but now…
Now, if Katara was being honest, she wanted to take off her shirt and bindings right in front of him. Some deep-rooted part of her wanted to know what he might think of her body and trusted Zuko with her body above any other.
She also wanted to find out if the bond would do that feedback loop pleasure thing even more, and if they might finally reach that peak. She knew Zuko didn't want to push her, so it was up to her to take the first step.
Katara made sure she wasn't touching Zuko, not wanting him to get a hint about what she was going to do.
Hopefully it's a good surprise, she thought nervously. Standing up, she grabbed Zuko's tunic, making like she was going to head to the bathroom and put the garment on. Halfway there, she stopped and took a deep breath then, before she could lose her nerve, Katara slowly began lifting the shirt she was wearing over her head after dropping Zuko's tunic to the floor.
Even with her back to him and while not touching him, Katara could tell shock was written all over Zuko's face.
"Katara…wha-what are you-"
"I don't want to have sex!" Katara interrupted hastily, momentarily pausing in her task to look back at Zuko over her shoulder, her blue tunic riding up and exposing the skin of her back, "I just-I", she walked back over to him, grabbing his hand.
"I wanted to feel close to you", she said finally. I kind of wanted you to see me, is that silly?
Zuko looked at her for a second, dumfounded.
Of course I want to see, but only if you want to show me.
Katara could tell from his thoughts that Zuko wanted to be the one to strip her of her bindings, but he also knew it was important for Katara to go at her own pace. Katara shot him a grateful smile as she once again put space between herself and the Firebender and moved back to the center of the room. She turned her back to him once more— she might feel sure of her decision, but that didn't mean she wanted to face him head on. She needed time to gather her nerve.
Katara took her time pulling the blue fabric over her head. Besides the fact that she was nervous, the worn blue tunic was the same one she had worn since she had left the South Pole and the fabric was threadbare and thin and littered in rips. Her bindings were in a similar state, under more pressure than the rest of her clothes as her breasts had grown in this past year.
As nervous as she was, one thing Katara did not fear was betraying her culture. She had been afraid a lot in the beginning, afraid of reading too much into things and getting hurt. Over the past few weeks however, she had easily grown to trust the Prince and miss his company-and not just because of the bond. She felt secure in the fact that Yue herself had given her advice and wouldn't have sent her to Zuko's room that night two weeks ago if she disapproved at all of where they might end up.
Finally Katara stood there, top half naked, bottom half stripped down to her bindings, still facing away from Zuko. She took a deep breath, and turned to face him.
The Waterbender fought hard to keep her hands at her side as Zuko looked at her. He was staring at her so intensely she had to fight every instinct she had to cover herself up.
Plus, Katara would have to have been blind not to not to see the large bulge in his pants.
Zuko must have noticed she was nearly shivering in nervousness now as he took pity on her, but he kept his eyes purposefully on her form as he leaned forward to pull the Waterbender to the bed.
You are very beautiful, he thought to her. Katara sighed in relief. She knew it was silly to worry about some boys opinion so much, but then she supposed Zuko was not just 'some boy', so maybe it wasn't so silly.
Have you ever seen boobs before? Katara thought to him coquettishly. It was much easier like this, to talk in their thoughts. It was easier when she felt like she didn't have to force the words up through her closed off throat.
Zuko looked embarrassed. Suddenly, Katara had an image of a small Fire Nation crew clearly having some kind of celebration, Zuko drunk at the center. The scene blurred as Zuko was carried down the hallway to a room—
Oh, Katara blushed. She supposed she should have expected it; a prince could never be less than the best at anything—sex included. It was only natural that Zuko receive a proper education from those most skilled in the art.
Even with that logic Katara couldn't help but feel a little put out.
Zuko easily picked up on her thoughts and frowned in concentration for a moment as he pushed something back in response. Katara blushed when the impression appeared in her mind.
I suppose seeing yours is a little bit like seeing them for the first time. The others definitely weren't as big.
Katara blushed. The women of the Water Tribes were well known for being curvy and exotic, and Katara certainly fit that bill to a 't'.
Taking advantage of her distraction, Zuko leaned in to kiss her, hesitantly brushing the back of his finger across her hard nipple. Katara nearly scared herself at the volume of the moan she let out.
She had never found her nipples to be overly sensitive but, with the bond…
It-it's so much, she tried to tell Zuko as he slowly became less gentle as soon as he was sure she was enjoying the experience. He tweaked her nipple gently, using his Firebending to warm his other hand as he ran it down her bare back and brushed Katara's skin where her waistband began.
The feedback loop of the bond was there two-fold now as Zuko caressed her tongue possessively with his own, pressing his lips to hers insistently as he alternated massaging her boobs with his warm hands and cupping her ass through her bindings. The tension in the bond was reaching that familiar place where she could tell the peak was just around the corner, but once again she could not get there.
Zuko suddenly pulled Katara into his lap, positioning her so she was straddling him. He removed his lips from hers to use them on her boobs instead, opting to use his hands to grip her hips tightly and possessively, pulling her down to get as close to her as possible.
Katara was feeling warm all over. There was a tightness between her legs that she had felt she couldn't relieve until Zuko pulled her hips against his hardness. Something brushed a place between her legs, and suddenly her bindings felt damp and hot. She moaned louder.
Zuko, please. What she was asking for she didn't know, but Zuko seemed to know her body better than she did. Katara wrapped her arms tightly around his neck trying to ground herself closer to him as he nibbled and kissed and sucked every inch of her boobs, leaving small bruises and love bites that he soothed with his tongue.
I like being able to see my marks all over you, he thought satisfiedly. Katara was embarrassed at how the thought made her tingle all over and made heat gather in her abdomen, but her embarrassment quickly left her mind as Zuko finally-finally sucked one of her dusty nipples into his mouth.
Katara watched in fascination while lost in pleasure as he sucked hard, then removed his lips from the slightly swollen organ. He pursed his lips and blew cool air on her nipple, the shock to her system going right to her bindings.
Katara was extremely frustrated. It felt like she was so close to her goal, her peak, and yet she couldn't quite fall over the edge. She writhed in her Prince's lap, trying to find relief.
"Zuko!", Katara cried out. The Prince's name was ripped from her lips as he took her other nipple in his mouth. He looked up at her through his eyelashes with lust-filled eyes, smiling lecherously around her nipple.
"What is it, my Waterbender?", he asked, pinching and rolling her nipple since his mouth was occupied, "do you like it when I touch you?"
Katara nodded with a gasp as he put his mouth back on her nipple. She instinctively rolled her hips, trying to find more friction to relieve the tension as Zuko thrusted in time with her, putting his hand back on her hips to move her body the way he wanted. The pleasure bouncing back and forth through the bond was almost too much. Just a little bit more….
Suddenly, Zuko reached down between them and rubbed that spot between her legs. The pleasure easily overrode the embarrassment as Katara became undone, the bond exploding into an almost scalding warmth between them.
Katara buried her head into Zuko's neck as the waves of pleasure emanating from Zuko through the bond kept coming and mixed with her own. She could feel her Prince's pleasure increase as she copied him by nipping his neck as lightly as she could, sucking and licking the salty skin to soothe him.
After what felt like hours, the aftershocks finally abated and Katara and Zuko shuddered one last time in synchrony. He then kissed her deeply as he pulled her off his lap and down next to him as he scooted them down to lay on the pillows.
The bond settled in content as she nuzzled into his hard chest. Zuko kissed the top of her head almost in reverence.
Are you okay? He pulled away from her slightly so he could look at their face in concern. She laughed in response.
Of course! I've never felt anything like that before. As sated and tired as Katara was, she definitely wanted to experience these feelings again.
Zuko didn't say anything, but he was radiating happiness into the bond. He kissed her one more time before he extinguished the fire-light with a thought.
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Author's note: Guys, I've never written a lemon (lime?), so let me know how it went. It felt hot to me, but this chapter was sooooooo long, literally double the length of my usual chapters! I based this off my own first time to second base (or is it third base? I need a middle school reference dictionary :D) so hopefully it was realistic.