After some heavy stuff, a chapter of pure fluff. Just to give some perspective, this is day 4 of their vacation in story time.
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Chapter 24
At Sunrise, Zuko woke up, even when his eyes were still closed. The first thing he felt upon waking up was her smell. A mix of water, something floral, and her own unique scent. As his senses came alive, he felt her. All of her. Her body was pressed against his. Head on the crook of his shoulder, one arm across his waist, other clutching his shirt, her leg between his. The sound of her steady measured breathing told him she was still sleeping, peacefully. He opened his eyes and drank in her the sight of her. Whatever she was dreaming of was pleasant, for she had a small smile playing on her lips. Sight, sound, touch, smell – she had filled four of five if his senses. Only taste remained, but he was in no rush. That sense too would be sated, soon.
Last night, after Katara had calmed down and had the soup he had prepared, they had a pretty intense make out session. She had, multiple times, assured him that she was not rejecting his advances. Nor did his desire faze her. She was not ready to go all the way yet, and Zuko was perfectly fine with that. It was much too soon for that level of intimacy anyway. The most important thing, at that moment, was that Katara was healing. Slowly, steadily, arduously, but she was healing. That's all that mattered. That she was an enthusiastic participant in their make out sessions, was just an added bonus. Zuko pulled her closer, placing a gentle peck on her head.
"Good morning," she muttered sleepily, eyes still closed.
"You're awake?" he said, drawing slow circles on her back.
"Sort of. Not quite."
"I'll let you sleep then," he said and moved to get off the bed, but she tightened her grip on him.
"No. Stay."
Zuko didn't need to be told twice. "You were having a pleasant dream?"
"I was," she said, burrowing her head further into him such that her breath tickled his neck, making his skin break into goosebumps. "I was back at South Pole. Watching the Polar Lights. Everyone was there. Bumi, Kya, Izumi, Iroh, Azula, Dad, Sokka, Suki, Gran Gran, Toph, Ty Lee and you. I was happy."
At that, Zuko realized something that he had not really thought of till then, "You miss your home, don't you? How long has it been since you have gone there?"
"Three years," Katara said, opening her eyes blearily. "I don't think I can go back, Zuko."
He drew back a little to look at her face, "What? Why?"
"There is a Northern Waterbender sitting as the chief of Southern Water Tribe," Katara's lips thinned. "As of this moment, the South is as good as a colony for the North. There is no way I can go there."
"You will go. That's your home, Katara. I'll make sure you do," the reversal of the situation did not escape his notice. He had been at the seas for three years, torn away from his home, with no hope of ever returning. But then, Katara and the others had paved the way for him to return home. Now, it was his turn to return the favor.
"Ummm," Katara groaned, curling into him. "Too early in the morning for such a serious discussion."
He chuckled softly and said, "Fine. Day four of our vacation. What do you want to do today?"
For a moment, she was silent, and he wondered if she had fallen asleep. But then, she said, "I was thinking, let's spar. I haven't sparred in ages."
"I have gotten better," Zuko said, tightening his arms to pull her closer, "Think you can keep up?"
"You're on, Fire Lord," she said in a slow, seductive purr and ran the tip of her tongue along his neck, effectively ensuring that sparring was the last thing on his mind.
As Katara pulled her hair into a braid, her eyes were drawn to a dark spot at the base of her neck, where it met her shoulder. Frowning, she leaned forward, and peered into the mirror. It took her a couple of moments to understand what she was looking at, for this was not something she had seen before. At least not on herself. She had seen it on Suki a few times, who had called them love bite or hickey. But not on herself. Never. Because that was not the kind of mark Aang left on her body. Gritting her teeth, Katara pushed the disturbing thought aside. Closing her eyes, she forcibly reminded herself of how the mark on her neck came to be. The image of her leaning against Zuko, as he hugged her from behind and gently sucked on her skin, was a pleasant experience. She chose to focus on that, not on the haunting thoughts of her previous marriage.
With that, the gloom that threatened to overcome her was finally pushed away from her mind. Smiling, she finished tying her hair, pulled her hair-loops, something she had not done in a long time. She pulled a tunic atop her sarashi and walked out. Upon reaching the stairs near the courtyard, she found Zuko doing some basic stretches. Katara took a moment to study the man.
Even when he was a teenager, he had a beautiful body. Muscular, toned and lithe. As an adult, he had gained some more musculature. The red patch of shriveled skin on his chest, shaped like a star, brought the memory of how he had earned it. For her. Upon spotting her, Zuko stopped mid-stretch and gave her a smile.
He smiles a lot more now. She realized suddenly.
"Here for a rematch?" he asked with a wide smile.
Katara grinned and said, "Trust me, Zuko, it won't be much of a match."
He chuckled and said, "Oh I know, Water Bender. I know."
While she had been getting ready, he had arranged for three barrels of water surrounding the courtyard. Smiling slightly, Katara took off her tunic, laid it on the stair and walked into the courtyard. She pulled water to her and coated her arms with it. Zuko took a deep breath and took his stance. A few moments of silence followed where both of them studied each other for a moment. Then, he made the first move, sending a blast of fire at her which she blocked easily.
The one thing she had learned over the years was the best way to defeat a bender was to destabilize their stance. She had seen Zuko do that to Mizu, so she knew that he was aware of it too. She just had to do it before he could destabilize her. Katara began to send darts after darts of ice needles at him which he easily dodged.
"Oh, come on," he said, "You can do better than that."
Without waiting for her response, he sent a relentless barrage of flames at her, each of which she blocked. Then he lifted his hands high up in the air in what was a Waterbending move and pulled a curtain of flame in front of him, then pushed the tapestry towards her. Katara raised a wall of water, the flame died out in a sizzle. She dropped the water on the floor, only to realize he was not where he had been. Katara whipped her head around to find him right next to her, fist engulfed in flame and a victorious smile on his face.
"Boo," he said and sent the punch towards her but Katara dodged it easily, dropping down to her haunches and pulling the water on the floor towards their feet. Zuko, meanwhile, was taking a different stance, preparing for his next attack. But Katara quickly froze the water into slick ice. Zuko lost his footing, slipping slightly.
Katara stood up and said, "I win."
He heated his feet and gained his footing and said, "You wish."
With that, he sent a slice of fire towards her feet. Katara danced away, pulling water in an arc and freezing it, blocking the fire. She then made an octopus form and began to attack him with the tentacles. With attacks coming from different sides, he was having a tough time. Then, in a typical Zuko move, he dropped to his back and whirled his feet, sending a circle of fire to cut the base of her octopus form.
She then sent waves at him, but Zuko was quicker. He imitated her movements, cutting her waves with one of his own. The two of them moved in increasingly tighter circles, panting and sweating, each keeping their attack going. When they got close enough, she froze an icicle and used it as a knife.
He gave her a lazy smirk, grabbed her wrist, moved it behind her and pinned her against him. His golden eyes bore into her as he whispered, "I win."
Katara didn't know who made the move, but the next thing she knew, they were kissing. Messy, sweaty and grimy as they were, a part of Katara wondered why she was not objecting to the physical contact. Instead, she arched into him, threading her hand through his, long, black, silky hair, enjoying the moment fully.
He pulled back and said, "Now, this is the kind of sparring that I look forward to."
