Rising To The Occasion

Author/Artist: MuffyTaj
Pairing: Zuko/Katara
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Theme: #26. If Only I Could Make You Mine
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, or the series.

Katara's skin felt sticky. The heat of the night clustered around her, boxing her in, making her sweat. Her face felt flushed and her head was swimming as the alcohol in her system slowly shut down all faculties. Or it could be the dark-haired man slowly kissing his way down her belly. His fingers splayed out across her back, burning through her clothing as he hurried to free her from them.

They had been drinking, and Katara had been crying. For no particular reason, just because she had been captured by Zuko, and was tired, and overheated, and because there was no moon tonight and so she stood little chance of winning a match-up against both Zuko and Iroh. Wherever Iroh was. Probably in the hot springs again, Zuko had said, and gave a shudder as if at an unpleasant memory.

And then Zuko had burnt the dinner, and lost his temper, and when Katara had complained of hunger had thrown a bottle of sake at her head.

"It will fill up your stomach, and stop it from making that embarrassing noise." He sneered, filling himself a cup. "My uncle swears that it is all anyone ever needs to live off."

"What, you've never actually tried alcohol?" Katara asked mockingly. "And here I thought you were all grown up!" He glared at her in reply, before tilting the entire cup of sake down his throat; then spent the next five minutes coughing and wiping watery eyes. Katara laughed at him again, and with a snarl he tipped the bottle down her throat.

Once the two of them had stopped coughing and choking, Katara tried to tug her hands free of their restraint.

"How am I meant to drink dinner if you don't let me loose?" She asked.

"How stupid do you think I am?" Zuko snorted. "The instant I turn my back on you, you'll just freeze me."

"There's no moon tonight." Katara pointed out, "And besides, I don't need to beat you up just yet. Aang and Sokka will be disappointed if I hog all the fun."

Two minutes later she was pouring them both their second serving of sake.

Five minutes after that, half the bottle was gone.

Ten minutes after that, they were screaming at each other.

Fifteen minutes after that, he stuck his tongue in her ear.

Somewhere in the deep, semi-sober, recesses of her mind Katara registered that Zuko must do an awful lot of training because the chest she was digging her fingernails into was terribly hard. Zuko, meanwhile, was wondering how on earth Katara managed to get into her clothing in the morning, before losing his temper and setting fire to it.

"T-that was my stuff, asshole!" Katara slurred as she tore one of his pant legs off.

"Shut up." He said eloquently, pulling the charred pieces off her, "'ll get you new ones later. Jus' shut up." Finally they were both naked, and he pushed her to the ground and clambered laboriously on top of her. "Fuck, you're pretty." He said, and thrust.

Only there wasn't much to thrust.

"What are you waiting for?" She moaned, wrapping her legs around him. "Hurry up!"

"I don't… I don't get it." He said. "It was working a moment ago." She opened her eyes, and looked down.

"Oh." She said, and in that word said it all.

"I just, it just… it's not…" Zuko looked as if he were about to cry, or scream, or set fire to something, or maybe all of the above.

"It's the alcohol." Katara said in shock. Zuko slid off her. "Hey!" She grabbed him, and pulled him back. "Where do you think you're going?"

"But I'm… not working."

"You still have a mouth, don't you?" She smirked as she kissed him, then happily pushed him down. "Use it."