I do not own ATLA. This is just for fun. So please enjoy! GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING
Chapter 25: Reconciled
He's dead. I failed.
Katara didn't take in her surroundings. She was walking aimlessly around Ba Sing Se, still dirty from the gym and her excursion in the scaffolding. Several times she heard police and ambulance sirens in the distance, no doubt arriving at the scene of the crime.
She blacked out after the fall and when she was again conscious, she found that she was no longer in the scaffolding. Her brain shut down automatically to save her and got her out of there.
The worst bit was that he probably thought she was still mad at him until the end. She never got to apologize and confess her love for him. And she never would be able to.
On top of all that, there was something so familiar about that girl, but the connection kept eluding Katara. The eyes. And the game! Questions. That was the game she would play with . . . How could she know it had become a thing between them? Another thing that would change – questions would always have a different meaning behind them now. They would always be a reminder of something much more sinister.
How will his family take the news? He mentioned his uncle being the only family he has left. Poor Uncle Iroh! How will I break it to him?
On pure muscle memory her feet started taking her to the Jasmine Dragon. Being on her feet while still technically in shock, it took some time. And the sun had been set for a while before she arrived at the shop. She faced the door and reached for the handle.
It opened with ease even though the shop was clearly closed. She didn't have to struggle or knock. A light was still on. It streamed through a beaded curtain from the back of the shop separating the kitchen from the rest of the establishment casting a shadow.
"Iroh?" she called. Her voice showed just a hint of the anxiety she felt at that moment.
"Sorry, we're closed."
She expected an older, raspy voice. One filled with wisdom and experience beyond his years. The voice she actually heard was young and raspy, with an undertone of angst. Impossible.
He pushed aside the beaded curtain and entered the dining area, rubbing his arm over eyes. He had yet to see her. She saw flour and stray dots of batter splattered on his apron. He's alive. And he's making teacakes.
He still hadn't acknowledged her. "We open tomorrow at 7, please come again." After a few moments, she still hadn't responded and it registered to him who he was talking to. Anger sparked behind his expression. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were a customer . . . We're still closed." He removed his apron to drive the point home. He balled it up and threw it into a booth.
Silence ensued. And it was not the comfortable silence that normally accompanied their relationship. This silence was loud. And angry. It was screaming.
Katara crossed the room so quickly Zuko didn't expect it. She landed a resounding slap across his face.
"Ow! What the hell was that for, Katara?"
She started shaking. "You're alive. I'm not imagining this."
He rubbed his cheek, now sensitive. "Of course I'm alive." His anger then turned to concern as he took in her appearance. "What's wrong? What happened?"
She didn't have to cross the room again to do what she did next, and it happened just as fast. Katara fisted her hands in his shirt and fiercely pulled him into a kissed. She tried to express everything she felt towards him in the kiss, but it was over before he could react to it.
The emotions had turned into words. "I love you. You know, I saw you die today! And I didn't get to tell you and I tried so hard! I'm so sorry, but the rope slipped and I wasn't fast enough. I tried, but I couldn't . . . I couldn't save you!"
She burst into tears. It figures. The first time I confess my love to him and I breakdown crying. Stupid rope. Stupid tears!
Whatever anger he seemed to hold towards her dissipated as soon as he processed what just happened. He held her close wondering how to proceed.
That is a lot of information. SHE KISSED ME. And I'm still not sure what happened. I'M PRETTY SURE I HEARD THE L-WORD. Start slow. QUEUE SUAVE ZUKO. But keep it real.
Through her wracking sobs, Katara felt shudders. But they were not originating from her. She looked up to find Zuko laughing. Sniff, "What's so funny?"
"I'm sorry . . . But I was so mad at you! And then I was waiting for you to call, and you show up here, of all places. Then you hit me with a huge barrage of emotions, and all I can think about is how happy I am to see you."
He wiped the tears from her cheeks and tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ears. He clearly didn't care that she was wearing gym clothes. She felt her eyes drying and her heart lifting.
"I'm sorry I got mad at you for trying to protect me. And then for slapping you just now." Her shame returned to her momentarily and she gasped. There were so many feelings so quickly. "Please don't ever break up with me again!"
Zuko laughed again. "I promise." He lightly kissed her temple. "If you hadn't called soon anyway, I would have. I was growing weaker against my resolve everyday. You make me weak."
She hiccupped a laugh. "That's so tacky."
"Yeah, but you love it." He nuzzled her cheek and her breathing hitched.
Katara grabbed his collar and pressed her lips against his in response. He countered with gusto. It was a contract between them. After all the halts and obstacles in their way, this was the promise that they wouldn't let it happen again.
The kissing became more urgent – more impatient. Both of them were fed up with the interruptions. Time and again things kept interfering with what they wanted. They just wanted to be together.
The curtain clicked and swished as she backed him into the kitchen. The dishes were stacked and clean for tomorrow and the cakes were poured in their pan, ready to be put in the oven. But she wouldn't remember that. She only thought how much better she could see him in the light. And she didn't want to forget he was there. If seeing was believing, she never wanted to shut her eyes for fear he would disappear and this was all a dream.
Katara wanted to touch, feel, and explore every aspect of him. She wanted him engrained in her memory, a brand on her brain, so that she would never forget him and that horrible feeling of loss. She would always remember him in this moment.
She pushed him against the fridge door and he grunted with the surprise of the cold metal on his back and the force of her shove. Katara had never acted this fierce with him before. What is this? He could only moan as she licked his collarbone and gently raised the hem of his shirt, nails teasing his abdomen and clawing at his waistband. She's so primal. How should I be reacting?
Suave Zuko was apparently still in hibernation and the only Zuko left was a shy and timid boy who had no idea about what to do next. He held his arms out and hands up in a pose of surrender. It seemed the safest thing to do in this unfamiliar territory.
She turned slowly, pressing her backside into his groin. There was no denying what he was feeling at that moment with the increased pressure against his pelvis. He heard Katara unzip her sweatshirt and watched as she flung it aside. When she turned to face him next he could see the raised peaks of her breasts through her clinging top. Things were much more clear, except for what she wanted him to do.
She looks sooo hot. He drank her in – a vision of spandex and well-defined curves. Even the sneakers were attractive. What the fuck do I do? He was stuck. It was almost as if he had to find his niche with her again.
"Is this punishment for what I did?" she asked. She leaned into him pressing her breasts flat against the planes of his chest. She moved to stand on her tiptoes making them drag slightly and feeding her sensitivity. "You're not going to touch me?"
He breathed deeply, hoping to control his emotions, when really he just wanted to get lost ravishing her. "Believe me, I want to touch you, I'm just not sure how."
"Touch me however you want." She placed her hands on either side of his head against the fridge and kissed him briefly. "But whatever you do, don't stop until you're numb."
She kissed him again, and this time, his inhibitions melted as he held her against him. When his thumbs caressed her hips, she gasped. Like a jump to his system, he moved quickly to make up for his inactivity from a few moments before.
Without breaking the kiss, Zuko picked her up and turned, throwing her back against the fridge in a reversal of their positions. Gripping her legs on either side of his waist, he leaned into her. Katara could feel his arousal as he sandwiched her between the frigid metal and the heat of his body. The contrasting temperatures teased and tormented her senses. She responded by squeezing her thighs, bringing him closer to her core.
They both moaned with the momentary release and their breathing increased, matching speed.
Zuko broke the kiss and stared into the cerulean eyes in front of him. "Katara, I want you."
Katara remembered that now distant dream after their first kiss in the park. If she remembered correctly there were some good lines in that dream.
"You want me or you need me?" She stared right back, knowing that the feeling was mutual, whatever it was.
"I need you," he growled. He angled his mouth at her ear and whispered, "I love you, Katara."
Although he couldn't see them, her eyes widened. Well, that's lovely! And mutual. "That's a good answer."
Turning again, Zuko carried Katara to the counter in the center of the kitchen and sat her upon it. Breaking their embrace for only a moment, they both quickly removed their shirts and resumed contact, the only material now separating their upper bodies being a sports bra.
Katara laid down, hands behind her head and legs dangling off the counter. Zuko rubbed his hands against the Lycra of her leggings as he slowly worked his way to her feet, removing her sneakers, and working his way back up to peel his lover out of the snug material. She sighed contentedly as he labored over her.
Once that was done, he observed her form. Casual underwear never looked so good. Her pert buds revealed themselves, calling for his rapt attention, which he duly paid. Zuko palmed her breasts, squeezing gently. As she moaned his name, arching her back, his lips met her rising stomach, placing kiss after kiss on her warm surface.
He began to tease her nipples, rolling them between his fingers as his mouth worked lower and lower. When Katara felt his mouth pleasuring her through the thin cotton material she bit back a squeal. Things were not moving fast enough!
Grabbing his hair in her fist she pulled his head up to look her in the eye. She sat up. "Enough loving me, Zuko. What happened to needing me?"
He faltered. "Are you sure? I don't have a condom."
"Not a problem. It's called a prescription."
He was left no room to question what she meant as she unbuttoned his jeans and began pumping his freed member. He quaked as his responsiveness overwhelmed his ability to think rationally. He roared, grabbing her wrist, effectively pinning it to her side. Using his other hand he thumbed the crotch of her panties aside before easing himself into her.
They both whimpered, finally as one. Their gaze met, Zuko waiting for further confirmation before continuing. He was answered with a pair of legs wrapping themselves around his waist.
He started slowly, finding their rhythm. Moans turned to grunts, grunts to cries.
"Oh . . . Zuko!"
She said his name. Cried it even. Something Mai never did. What he longed for so long from another! There was no doubt in his mind what he felt for this woman he was now with. And it only took her to say his name.
He could feel her tightening against him and knew she was close. "Say it again!"
"Zuko! Don't stop! AH – ZUKO!"
They rode the wave until it crashed sending them falling in ecstasy. He collapsed on top of her, their chests heaving. He kissed the valley between her breasts and she ran her fingers through his sweaty hair.
"I love you, too," she whispered.
"I'll say! That was some display of affection."
She laughed. "I think you did most of the displaying."
"Please, with you egging me on the way you did."
"Someone sure does like the sound of his own name."
He shrugged against her belly. "Believe me when I say that you say it best."
"I did not start today thinking I would get three workouts in. I looked for you at the gym, you know."
"I was here all day. I even cancelled class." He stiffened remembering what started this feud. He quickly changed topics. "So, you went to the gym, and then you seduced me. What was the third workout?"
Suddenly, the day's events came flooding back to Katara. Fear wormed its way back into her stomach. Time to face the music. "Yeah, about that . . ."
Her explanation was halted by a shout from the front of the shop. "Ba Sing Se PD! Anyone home?"
"SHIT!" They both leapt off the counter scrambling to put their clothes back on, or else face sanitary charges.
Zuko calmed slightly when he heard the clicking of stilettoes. The Detective Sergeant soon walked through the beaded curtain catching Zuko popping his arms through his sleeves and Katara pulling on her pants, shirt still MIA.
She smirked and crossed her arms. "Not your girlfriend, huh?"
"June," Zuko greeted her icily. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
She walked past him pulling handcuffs from her belt. "Sorry, Stud. I'm not here for you. Hate to break it to you, but your girlfriend's under arrest."
YES! I have been waiting for that moment for at least 18 months! Thank you all for waiting patiently. I hope the plot has at least got you hooked enough to keep you reading until the end!
That being said, I feel the need to respond to a couple reviews that were left with the last chapter.
I claim a creative license. This is a fan-fiction. I am taking it where I want to see it go. The student/teacher relationship is where I started, and I had some great ideas with that, too, but ultimately the story headed in a different direction on its own. And my own writing style has changed. I would like to think I've gotten better. Looking back at my original notes, where this was heading at the start now looks quite childish to me, especially for such mature content. And I like a good dose of action! Relationship issues just don't cut it in that regard. And I've made Azula and Jet the baddies because they are such good ones. I'm sorry if you think that it's clichéd, but it works for me. Cliches are such for a reason. And if you don't want to continue reading because this is taking a different route than you want it to go, please look elsewhere. This project is suiting my own vision and making it come true for me.
BUT, thank you for the feedback. I welcome criticism since it helps me improve and deliver a better story over time. As always, though, constructive criticism is best.
On that note, I do wish you would sign in when you leave reviews since many of you know you get personalized answers in return to the reviews you leave. And there were a few that made my day and I couldn't show my genuine thanks to you individually! Fan-girl responses are the best!
Lastly, thank you all so much for your continued encouragement! Grad school has been wrecking havoc on my emotional well being and writing this is a huge stress reliever when I can actually get to it. (Gotta love spring break!)
I love you all and I hope you continue to enjoy this story as much as I do. Thanks again, as always, XOXOX.