AN: Woo! New chapter is brought to you by my public library - pay your taxes as a show of gratitude! Thank you, reviewers - you make my day with your support and general niceness! Hope you like this one! ;D
Zuko traced the beam of yellow light along the floor and around the door's edges with his eyes. He could hear the soft sounds of water moving on the other side, could very well imagine what sorts of wonderful things might be happening in that room, but couldn't manage to move from the spot in which he'd frozen.
Maybe she was returning the favor for last night. Maybe she was testing him to see how serious he was, how honorable he planned to be. Maybe she secretly wanted him to watch her bathe... Zuko's stomach clenched and his blood began pounding at just the thought.
And maybe she'd only forgotten to shut the door.
He decided, initially, to just ignore it. He would lie down under his blankets and stare at the ceiling and try not to listen to those enticing splashes or imagine what that water might be doing. Somehow, though, between making this intelligent decision and taking the necessary steps to reach his bed, Zuko became derailed and wound up standing outside the open door, debating hotly in his own head. From where he was standing, he could not see into the room - something that he desired very much, but suspected to be in poor taste. After all, Katara might be completely unaware of the open door, absorbed in cleaning every inch of her smooth, brown flesh.
Zuko cleared his throat loudly. "Um... Katara?"
"Yes?" There was some incomprehensible undercurrent to her voice.
"Is there a reason you left the door open?"
"Yes." Her tone was definite despite her brief hesitation, but the firebender stood waiting for a long while before crossing his arms and pressing on in a low voice.
"And that reason is...?"
Again, there was a long silence and Zuko noticed now that the water sounds had stopped. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head to one side, leaning so that his ear would be closer to the door. What in Agni's name could she be doing in there? At last, her voice returned, falsely casual. "How would you like to learn a bit about the practices of my people, Zuko?"
His mind buzzed with sudden possibilities. Hadn't she mentioned something about this earlier? Something about couples sharing attraction? Were there tests for things like that? Zuko found he had pressed one palm lightly against the door. He tried to keep his tone light when he spoke. "Sure. That sounds... educational."
Katara went on in a matter-of-fact tone. There was still a sort of undercurrent to it that Zuko couldn't quite identify... was she nervous? "Among the Southern Water Tribe, men and women will sometimes share a bed without being married... It's very cold at the South Pole. You know." There was a shrug in her tone. "When a couple decides to marry, though, they often undergo a ritual of cleansing. According to our oldest mothers, they may clean all former lovers from their skin... by bathing each other."
Katara fell silent and, after taking a moment to allow this to sink in, Zuko swallowed. "You... want to..."
"I understand if you don't want to - I mean, I'm sure your people do things differently and I won't hold it against you if you want to follow your own traditions. I just-"
"You want me... to bathe you."
"...yes."
A glorious series of images was flashing through Zuko's head, mostly abstract glimpses of brown skin, steam, and slick soap. He realized he was now gripping the door, his fingers having curled around the wooden barrier. Katara could probably see them, if she was looking... he suddenly had in irrepressible urge to speak, to say anything at all that might make her look up at any part of him. To this end, his mouth fell open.
It stayed open as something soft and damp traced over his fingertips.
"...and I want to bathe you, too."
The presence on his fingers turned out to be hers - Zuko recognized them as they slid into the shallow valleys between his knuckles.
"Zuko?" That subtle something in her voice was stronger, now. She sounded very... unsure.
The firebender closed his mouth and twisted his hand around to trail the tips of his fingers through her damp palm. "I like the sound of this tradition," he purred against the door.
Her fingers wove tightly through his and Zuko smiled in the instant before the door smacked against his face. The impact, mainly against his forehead, was accompanied by a low, resonant 'thump,' and sent him reeling back a step, clutching his injured face with his free hand.
He became aware of Katara's fingers still gripping his own and, after a moment, the surprise in her voice registered. "Oh, Yue! I'm so sorry, Zuko! I didn't know you were standing right - well, I mean, I knew, but I thought you..."
It became apparent to Zuko that, somehow, the door had been removed from between them - he could tell because she was both still gripping his hand and pawing at his face. He opened one resistant eye to glare at her, but forgot to be angry when he noticed that she was in her underwear, inches away from him. In fact, she was so close that he could see some beads of water along her shoulder, sparkling in the candlelight.
Katara didn't seem to notice this. "Come on, Zuko - just let me see it..." She tugged at his fingers and the firebender gave in, letting her peel his hand from his face. Focused as she was on his forehead, she also didn't seem to notice when his hand settled onto the bare expanse of her brown shoulder. Her skin was so smooth and cool against his own hot hand - like a balm, like water - and her collarbone felt almost delicate where it jutted out against his thumb. Her chest rhythmically rose and fell under the heel of his palm and, in this flickering low light, her blue eyes seemed almost to glow.
As she prodded at his forehead, Katara's brow furrowed and her mouth turned downward slightly. "Oh, this won't even make a lump."
Zuko raised his brow and inquired in a low, dry tone, "You're disappointed that you failed to leave your mark?"
"No..." She blinked and an amused smile spread slowly over her face as she met his gaze at last. Her hand lowered to cup his scarred cheek. "I was just surprised to find my husband-to-be was so sensitive to blows to the head."
Zuko found, oddly, that he liked hearing her refer to him as her intended. He trailed his thumb against the ridge of her collarbone lightly and leaned his head into her touch. Didn't Uncle have a saying about this sort of situation? Wouldn't Katara be impressed if he quoted something clever right now? "'The blows of our enemies are nothing beside the pains inflicted by those we lo-'" he blinked, eyes widening. "Like... a lot."
He could tell that Katara had caught his slip as well; she was staring up at him, the rise and fall of her chest quickening against his palm. Finally, she spoke. "I guess I should be more careful with the one I... like, a lot."
Zuko swallowed, but didn't look away. Instead, he pulled their still-joined hands up and placed a light kiss against the firm tendons striping the back of her hand. "Be sure that you do," he murmured with a smirk that swiftly faded. He had spoken a Fire Lord's response, formal and superior, and though Zuko was sure that Lin would approve, it didn't feel complete directed at Katara. "...please."
Her smile, when she smiled again, was amused and she spoke softly as she stroked the ridged flesh of his face. "You should take off your clothes."
His eyes widened and, for a second, he forgot about breathing.
Seeming to realize what she had said, the waterbender's face reddened and she rushed on. "I mean, so I can bathe you. Tradition. It's tradition. Both clothes - er, partners take off their own clothes. So it's mutual. Ah..." Katara blinked and looked away, perhaps a little panic rising in her bulging eyes.
At that moment, Zuko had what could only be called an epiphany; if Katara led the way, he could simply sit back and follow. No overstepping her boundaries accidentally, no uncertain broaching of a sticky subject.
He smiled, relaxed, and tugged his hand from hers to begin slowly untying his sash. Katara's eyes followed their progress, widening slightly as the silk slithered to the floor. Emphasizing every gesture, Zuko opened his shirt and flexed the muscles of his torso perhaps a bit more than was necessary under her gaze before letting the garment fall away as well. His hands were surprisingly steady as he picked apart the knot holding his pants in place.
The blush now spreading over her cheeks and throat was so lovely against the brown of her skin - like cherry stain on fine hickory. Zuko swallowed. His sleep pants were a bit tented as it was - how much more obvious would his reaction to her be when he stood before her in only his underwear?
He took a deep breath and reminded himself that she was a healer, that she had asked for this, and that she had seen him in more embarrassing situations, anyway. Then, he let his silk pants drop to pool around his ankles and stood before her in just the cotton loincloth most Fire Nation men wore beneath their clothing. As expected, the bulge of his half-erect organ was very noticeable...
...and Katara had clearly noticed. Her face had grown a bit redder still and her eyes were locked on his groin - a fact that didn't help Zuko to distract himself. In fact, quite the contrary, he felt the blood surge downward and, under her intense gaze, he only hardened further.
Her lips parted as if in preparation for speech and, in response, the muscles of his organ flexed spasmodically. Katara's head tilted to one side and for an instant, she seemed on the verge of asking what would probably turn out to be an incredibly embarrassing question. Thankfully, she took in his tense expression and his own hot cheek and seemed to think better of it. She cleared her throat and peered off at a corner of the floor.
"Sorry, Zuko... I didn't mean to stare. I just haven't... actually seen a grown man... this way, before."
"Oh." The firebender rubbed the back of his neck, at once thrilled and nervous. "It's okay... I mean... if you want to look. I don't mind... Actually..." He peered down at the floor before him and permitted himself a brief smirk. "...I think you know how much I like it when you look at me..."
When he chanced a glimpse back at her, Katara looked surprised and seemed to be breathing harder. For a long moment, she met his eyes. Then, her gaze slid down his nearly-naked body and she leaned forward, reaching out with one hand. Zuko swallowed, watching. He was torn between laughing and crying when she grasped his hand from beside his hip and tugged him into the bathroom.
He almost tripped over the silk at his feet, but managed to stagger after her.
There were candles everywhere and their light made the Water Tribe woman's skin glow like aged bronze. Zuko noticed now that her hair was out of its bun and had fluffed out behind her in a mass of bushy curls. When she looked back at him, smiling, his eyes traced down the graceful sweep of her throat to the unblemished skin of her chest, then to the white layers of her bindings. It wasn't really the fabric itself, but the subtle swells beneath it that really grabbed his attention. Realizing that he was staring, he tightened his jaw and returned his gaze to Katara's thoughtful face.
She tugged her hand from his.
"Katara, I..." Zuko cut off as quickly as he had begun, eyes glued to the dusky hand that she lifted to a subtly-tucked end.
The knot didn't make any sense at all; it was flat and concealed and, with just a tug, it released Katara's orderly bindings into no more than a bunch of loose strips of cloth that draped tantalizingly across the suddenly-visible mounds of her breasts and looped down, around her back and belly.
He was still for a long time, just staring at this fascinating new flesh. At first, Katara's breasts were conical and the darker flesh of her aureoles formed soft points. But, before his eyes, her nipples hardened and the entire shape of her breasts changed, rounding out to accommodate the puckered flesh.
Zuko wasn't sure how long he stared before Katara became uncomfortable. She crossed her arms and shrugged her shoulders, murmuring something about the room being cold.
The firebender blinked and tore his eyes from the supple flesh that yielded against her arms and jiggled enticingly with the motion of her shoulders. She was blushing hotter than ever, now, and peered at him with her chin tipped slightly downward. Zuko cleared his throat and looked at the safe floor between them.
"I'll warm it up."
His body was already radiating heat and all of the candles were flaring a bit higher than was normal, so it was surprising that Katara would find the room cold... but Zuko wasn't about to argue with her. The firebender took a deep breath, shut his eyes for the sake of concentration, and exhaled two plumes of hot air from his nostrils.
"Thanks - that's a pretty neat trick," Katara murmured. When he opened his eyes, Zuko found her standing by the basin and pitcher on the other end of the small room, her arms still loosely folded, but her bindings strung across the floor. He trained his eyes on her face and tried not to wonder how fast she had scrambled to put that distance between them. Should he apologize for staring? Hadn't she wanted him to look? Maybe he had looked too long. Maybe he should apologize.
All Zuko managed to say, though, was a quiet "You're welcome."
With a weak smile, Katara turned toward the vanity and, with a wave of her hand, lifted a stream of water from the pitcher. As it swirled slowly into a sphere before her, she looked up at his reflection in the mirror. "Come here," she said in a tone more closely-related to request than command.
Zuko forced himself to walk slowly across the room, careful not to trip on her bindings or break eye-contact with her reflection. He stopped some feet away from her.
Katara shook her head. "Closer."
He took a step closer. The waterbender's wide blue eyes did not waver as she shook her head again.
After a moment's hesitation, Zuko stepped up behind Katara, close enough that he could almost feel the heat of her naked back against his chest, but not quite close enough for her to feel the hard ridge of the erection trapped under his loincloth.
Still watching him in the mirror, Katara smiled. "Will you heat this water for me?"
Zuko slowly reached around her with one arm and, opening his palm below the ball of liquid, summoned his fire. His eyes still met the waterbender's as, before them, the flame lapped at the water, glimmering brightly against the liquid and the mirror. They remained that way for several long moments, watching each other, listening to each other's breathing. Tiny bubbles began forming within the water and Zuko withdrew his flame, exhaling as the fire settled again within him.
...mostly.
Katara, meanwhile, was moving and shifting, lifting some more cool water from the pitcher to swirl together with the hot water. Then, she settled her element into the empty basin, sank a wash towel below the surface, and lifted it, squeezing the excess water out in a long stream. The splash of it returning to the basin was like subtle music. Zuko couldn't help but watch the waterbender's smooth motions, couldn't stop his eyes' glide over the bare stretch of flesh over her shoulders. His gaze wandered again to her breasts as they pressed together when she raised the cloth, rubbed it with soap.
Katara caught him off-guard when she turned around to face him and grabbed his hand from his side, stuffing the cloth into his palm. Warm, soapy water dripped between his fingers. "Wash me." This time, it sounded more like a command. Her eyes reinforced that impression as she stared challengingly back at him.
In any other situation, Zuko may have contested being bossed around this way. As it was, though, washing her was an excellent excuse to touch her... and he very much wanted to touch her. "Close your eyes." He smirked. "I wouldn't want to get soap in them..."
She stared at him a moment longer before obeying, holding her head high and her face upturned toward him. Zuko looked down at her for a long moment - at her thick lashes and the curve of her lips - before finally giving in to the urge and lightly pressing his mouth to hers. Her eyes popped open, but she didn't pull away.
When he drew back, Katara blinked up at him. "What was that for?"
He shrugged and glanced away. "I just... you're beautiful. That's all."
The waterbender smiled wonderingly and slowly raised her hands to lay flat against his chest. An instant later, she stepped a little closer to him, pressing the full length of her torso against his. Her skin was cool against his and being in contact with so much of it was like swimming in the sea. For that first, shocking second, the firebender just floated.
Then Zuko's face heated as he realized she was pressed not just against his chest and belly, but against the bulge of his arousal. He slid a foot back and began to angle his hips away from her, until he noticed Katara's reaction; her smile faded and her brow furrowed. "Why are you pulling away from me?"
"I thought we were supposed to be undergoing a... ritual cleansing or something. It seemed... I don't know... disrespectful to your tradition to..." He shrugged, but she just stared at him until he finished the sentence. "It seemed disrespectful to be pressed up against you when this is supposed to be a purification."
Katara laughed softly and Zuko found her breasts pressing rhythmically against his chest. He pinched his eyes shut, suppressing a groan, but couldn't stop his empty hand from sliding onto her hip. It slid into that perfect spot he had discovered that first night they kissed, that place that seemed made for his hand.
"Zuko..." Her palms were on his face, cool and soft. He looked into her gentle smile and her eyes seemed to be opened up to him in offering. "It's less about purification and more about letting go of the past... and focusing on the present and the future." She swallowed, shrugging a little. "...and my people generally don't bathe in their underwear, anyway."
Zuko paused a beat before quirking his brow at her. "Then why are you still wearing yours?"
Katara smirked and ran her fingers back through his hair. "You reacted so strongly to seeing me topless... I didn't want to make you faint."
"Oh, I'm far from fainting, waterbender... but since you're probably shy, I guess I'll volunteer to go first..."
He grinned inwardly as her expression darkened and she jabbed him in the chest with one finger. "You think I'm shy? I'm not shy!"
"Care to prove that claim?"
Katara jabbed him in the chest one more time before taking a step back. "Same time, then. Unless you're shy, turtle-duck."
In answer, the firebender narrowed his eyes, smirked, and untied the drawstring of his loincloth, letting the garment drop unceremoniously to the floor. The expression on her face was one Zuko would cherish for years to come - the stretch of her eyes as they shot immediately to his bobbing erection, the tiny parting of her mouth, as if there were words she had forgotten.
Zuko's lips curled upward into a full grin and his chin lowered slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're obviously the shy one, Katara. You didn't even uphold your part of the deal."
Her jaw dropped and her eyes flashed back to his. "Only because you're a rotten cheater and took a head start! Besides," she sniffed haughtily, half-turning away as she reached for the concealed loose end of a binding on her thigh. "My underclothes are more complicated than yours."
The firebender couldn't argue. In fact, he couldn't do more than watch as she slowly shifted the overhanging part of her undergarment aside and slid her fingers up her inner thigh to the tied-off end. The knot came loose easily and the bindings fell away in loose coils, along with the main length of fabric, which slipped from between her legs as Katara shimmied her hips slightly, sliding her hands down the generous curves to urge the cloth onward. Her pubic hair looked soft and curly and contrasted darkly against the flesh of her round hips, her thick thighs. Zuko swallowed.
Katara smirked and planted a hand on her naked hip. "Getting dizzy, turtle-duck?"
He met her eyes again and, after a brief hesitation, smirked back. "You know, I think I might be. Care to help hold me up?" The firebender held his arms open for her.
She stepped into them without pausing and slid her arms around his neck. Her eyes widened slightly and he could hear the tiny huff of her breath as his fully-erect organ slid against the soft flesh of her abdomen. Zuko shuddered and gave a tiny groan and his hands, one still gripping the soggy wash rag, settled again onto her hips. The sensation of his cock being pinned against her naked belly was maddening. He was a little shocked by the intensity of his desire to rub against her, to sink into her, to submerge.
"You're not doing your job," Katara murmured after a while, sounding a little breathless.
Zuko swallowed, mind buzzing and barely settling on solid thoughts. His voice was a bit gravelly when he finally managed to speak. "Which job?"
Her teeth flashed in a brief grin. "How many are there?"
"Lots..." He slowly lowered his head and nuzzled along the ridge of her jaw, smelling her heady sweat. "I'm supposed to be... running a country and cleaning up corruption... and making peace with other nations... and spreading filthy rumors about what we do in private..." He breathed hotly against her neck, making her squirm against him deliciously. He growled as he went on. "Ohh... and I'm supposed to be conceiving an heir with you and marrying you... but not in that order." With a final huff against her ear, he drew back, again looking at her. Her eyes were hooded, her mouth was open slightly. Zuko found himself leaning very close to her lips and spoke softly to her chin. "Which job did you mean?"
Katara blinked and cleared her throat. "I, uh... I meant bathing me. You're supposed to be bathing me."
Zuko grinned loosely. "Oh yeah. That."
The cloth was hot and dripping still in his hand and he wrapped it over his fingertips before raising it toward the waterbender's lovely, upturned face. Before laying the cloth to her skin, though, Zuko hesitated, peering into her blue eyes, and pressed his lips to hers. Her arms tightened around his neck and she leaned her body more firmly against his, groaning into his mouth.
Despite the slow roving of both of his hands, Zuko's efforts at washing Katara were far from successful. After a few moments, her back, one shoulder, and one side of her face were all slick with soap from the wash towel, but the rest of her was neglected. The firebender was also losing what little focus he had had to begin with.
Finally, he pulled his mouth from hers and gasped, "Katara, do you feel clean yet? Because... I'm not so sure I can- uhn..." She shifted against him and his words were lost in a soft grunt.
Katara laid a line of kisses down his throat and then spoke against his collarbone. "I guess I could make this easier for both of us... Hold still."
Zuko, with one hand planted against her ribcage just beneath the swell of her breast and his other hand scrubbing soft circles on her hip, really tried. It seemed impossible for him to actually stop the slow motions of his hands, but that didn't seem to matter. Katara began moving against him in a tight, contained version of waterbending and Zuko found himself surrounded by whirling streams of water. He closed his eyes as the they lapped at him, cool and fast. They trailed down his spine, spiraled up his legs, slipped impossibly between his skin and hers... It was like a series of small, quick tongues and, with the bender gyrating against him, Zuko had to drop his face into Katara's hair, panting at the maddening combination of sensations.
Finally, it stopped. For a long while, he remained still, face still resting in her soft, bushy hair as he gathered his wits and slowed his breathing. Katara's arms came around him and her hands settled lightly against his shoulder blades. Her voice was gentle when she spoke. "Zuko? Are you alright?"
He swallowed and withdrew his face from her hair to stand up straight, but all it took was an instant's glimpse of her sparkling blue eyes to shatter his self-control. Zuko laid his mouth against Katara's and, with a deep groan, pressed her back against the nearest wall.
AN: As with all other parts of this story, any feedback on hawtness is much appreciated.
...also... ahhhh... It feels so good to get to Naked Time, at last...