Okay, here we have the new chapter! Earlier than normal, just as promised!:D
I know I rated this fic M a while ago, but I'm still not used to all the smut in this story, so here's a warning: Things will get hot in this chapter. Hotter than before. But still no sex.
I hope you'll like this chapter. Enjoy!:)
I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender, nor its characters.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
"Do you feel used?" asked Zuko the moment he closed the door to his bedroom behind him.
Katara turned around to look at him, feeling confused. She was still a little put off about him avoiding her.
"Used?" she echoed.
He nodded seriously. "Yes. Do you feel as if I'm using you? Because you play my girlfriend and because we snog."
Sometimes, yes. Sometimes she felt a little used. But she had chosen this. She could have also said no. To both things. She could have said no many times. Zuko had asked her if she wanted to quit quite often so that was not really the part in which she felt used.
And hadn't it been her initiating their first snog? Wanting the second so much that she had misinterpreted his signals? And she had said yes to the third time, too.
But she rolled her eyes. "Exactly, Zuko. We snog. You don't snog me, you don't make out with me, we do that together. Honestly, you think I would let you do this if I felt used?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest.
He looked relieved, as he sighed loudly.
She hated how that made her heart beat fast. Had he been concerned about her? He had worried for her wellbeing, right? Oh, that had to mean something!
She bit on her lip, telling herself it didn't. Zuko was just not the type of man who would be okay with using someone. He worried about way too much, anyway. That didn't really help. The fact that Zuko had worried, even though he might not feel the same way for her, made her like him even more.
He rubbed his neck. "Okay, that's good. I… Well, but, then… Why do we do this?"
Katara stiffened. "What do you mean?"
He walked over to his desk and sat on the chair, so far away from where Katara sat on his bed.
"If we're not using each other…" he began.
"Oh no, I never said that!" Katara interrupted him. "We do use each other, I just don't feel used, because I use you, too," she explained in a very nonchalant voice.
Zuko frowned. "You do?" He sounded a little offended.
Katara rolled her eyes. "Yes, for pleasure. We are both adults with physical urges and needs. I have sexual needs, too, you know. It's not limited to whether I like someone or not. So I like having you on top of me and feeling you between my legs just as much as you probably like being on top of me and between my legs." She shrugged. "But it's not about us, more about our bodies. And I like your body." She said that last sentence a little defensively, even. Maybe this had been too much.
Zuko licked his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's just… that it's the first time this happens to me, and I thought maybe there was a better explanation. Because I don't think it's about your body."
Katara blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Now she sounded offended.
He quickly raised his hands. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that! Your body is just fine! More than fine, it's gorgeous, so sexy…"
Katara pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. "If you think so, then why isn't that a good enough explanation for you?"
He looked a little torn, until he pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "Okay. Well, I don't respond to every female body the same way. What's deemed to be attractive – large breasts, a slender waist, and a nice ass – has never really impressed me all that much." He shortly looked up and glanced at her. "In high school, there was a time when I even wondered if I was gay, but other boys' bodies kind of repulsed me," he explained.
Katara had had that phase, too, wondering if she was into girls. It had been just before she had got together with Jet. It's not as if an attractive male body hadn't impressed her, but attractive female bodies sometimes had, too. Katara had wondered why she stared sometimes, until she had noticed that she stared with envy. She had always thought that she would like to have such a behind; it's why she had joined the dance group. Sportive activity should have given her the body she wanted to have, the one she had admired on all the other dancers. And it had worked. But to hear that Zuko was not impressed with her body was as if she was fourteen again and wondering if something was wrong with her.
"But after I've been with Jin and Mai, I just know that I feel more attracted to a personality, not to a body. I always only wanted sex when I…" He blinked and grimaced, as if he couldn't end the thought. Then he took a deep breath. "The thing is that I feel attracted to you. But I'm not the kind of person who would. This is abnormal for me," he ended, shrugging.
Katara had heard enough to make her heart beat with hope. He had never felt attracted to a girl he hadn't been in love with. It was rather obvious what he had wanted to say. But maybe that has just been puberty. Maybe now he would be able to feel attracted to bodies.
It was actually kind of weird. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? All teenage boys that Katara had known did care about bodies, and only learned to care about personalities later.
"Is that why you've been avoiding me?" she asked, standing up. "You feel freaked out because your body suddenly reacts differently?" She walked towards him, paying attention to walk elegantly with swinging hips. She took off her t-shirt.
It was enough. It was already enough for her to see the change in Zuko. He had sat a little straighter, his breathing became heavier, and his lips parted a little. He stared at her as if she were an apparition.
She liked it. It made her feel powerful, it made her feel better. So if he didn't like her the way she liked him, at least she would be able to control another part of him.
She let her shirt fall to the floor and took the last two steps towards Zuko. He looked up at her, his eyes wide, and he swallowed. She sat down on his lap.
"So you feel confused, because you like how this feels?" she murmured as she ran her hands up his chest.
His hands clasped her hips, and he looked at her through hooded lids. "Yes," he answered.
She could see the desire evident in his eyes, and she was brave enough to continue. She bent forward to lick his ear, graze her teeth along his earlobe and press her lips to the point where his ear met his throat. Her hands kept running over his chest.
"And you like this?" she whispered.
"Uhuh," he breathed, and Katara smiled.
"I must say I kind of feel honoured," she said, trailing kisses down his throat. "To be the first woman you desire because of her body and not her personality…"
"It's not that," Zuko pressed out. "I think… I think I wouldn't want you if you had another personality, but…" He groaned, as she sucked on his pulse point. "I just really want your body," he almost growled. "I want to touch it and to feel it, and I think about it so often, but I also want the you part of it."
His words caused the butterflies in Katara's stomach to fly amok. This had really much sounded as if Zuko wanted her for her, but she couldn't get her hopes up. Maybe someday. Maybe he would notice in the near future that they would be a great couple.
Katara brushed her nose against his jaw. "You mean because of the things I do? What I do to you or how I react to you?"
"Yes!"
She kissed him, couldn't, didn't want to play any longer. She felt him grow harder under her thighs and immediately began to rub against him.
Zuko's arms wrapped around her, as he plunged his tongue into her mouth, kissing her passionately, with so much desire she worried if she would manage to stop them from having sex. Her hands went to his cheeks to hold his face steady, as she returned his kiss fervently.
There had been something she had wanted to tell him, something that she thought was the solution to his problem, but she couldn't remember well. She just wanted to keep rubbing against his hardness and feeling his tongue against hers. She loved how he always plunged it into her mouth, not thinking about letting her enter his mouth. No, he wanted to be inside of her mouth, he wanted her so much that he pressed into her, always. She felt it in all of his movements, in the way he held her. His hands were pressing onto her hips, as if he wanted to shove them into her body. He pressed his chest against her in the same way, and definitely his erection. She felt overwhelmed, but also terribly excited, as it also led her to press her core to his erection more tightly, to push her breasts against his chest and suck his tongue into her mouth. She wanted him just as desperately.
Now, she suddenly remembered what she had wanted to say and pulled back.
Zuko had followed her a little, before he leaned back, panting harshly, his pupils blown, which gave him an almost crazy look.
"Sometimes we just meet someone who is in tune with our physical desires. It works perfectly, and there is nothing to bemoan, but it's just physical," she told him.
She had never met such a person, but she knew from other people, from friends or acquaintances how this felt. They had all said they had felt very attracted towards the other person, drawn, as if they were a magnet. In most cases, though, they had never actually liked the other person, had not even become friends with them.
Katara hoped this was not how Zuko felt about her.
He frowned at her after her explanation. "That… makes… sense," he said slowly, as if he still couldn't really accept it. "So it's okay then that we're friends, but feel attracted to each other?"
No, it was not okay! Katara didn't only want to be friends!
He really thought of them as friends?! So he had to like her a little, of course. He had to like her personality and to be around her. That was something good.
But Katara was greedy about this man. She wanted more.
She nodded. "Sure."
"Oh, thank the gods!" Zuko groaned, before he cupped her ass and suddenly stood up.
Katara shrieked in surprise and wrapped herself around him, terrified that they would fall to the floor.
"Relax," Zuko chuckled.
He let her fall, though. Onto his bed, but still.
"Wasn't that so masculine of you?" she scoffed.
He grinned widely, what made her feel softer again. He was still a stoic and serious man, who didn't laugh easily. Having him grin at her was already a treat.
"Oh yeah," he agreed, before he took off his shirt.
Katara's heart started to beat even faster. Mhm, Zuko's naked chest. Pale Zuko flesh to touch! She quickly skidded backwards, until her head was on his pillow.
He climbed onto her on all fours. "Carrying you to my bed actually turned me on," he told her, as he kissed her stomach and her navel.
Katara giggled. He tickled her, and the fact that this carrying had turned him on seemed funny and ridiculous at the same time.
He bit into her side to stop her from giggling, and she shrieked in surprise again. "What the hell, Zuko?"
Climbing up the last few decimetres, he grinned crookedly at her. Instead of answering, he used his knees to push her legs apart and pressed his hips to hers, pushing his erection against her core.
Katara moaned. Oh, did that feel good!
"I had to stop you from giggling," he grunted, pressing his chest to her breasts. "I had to prove my point of being masculine," he added, almost sarcastically.
"If you don't want me to giggle, then don't tickle me!" Katara objected. "Or be so ridiculously masculine!" Even so, she didn't think he needed anything to prove in that area. He could obviously carry her without a problem, what was only right when she looked at his muscles. A man who was built like this, fought kung fu and with swords didn't need to prove his masculinity in Katara's eyes. Sure, Zuko could be overly dramatic. He could be a worrywart. He could be very awkward and cute, but he also could be a completely arrogant ass. And that made him so much dearer to her than his muscles. Not that she minded them, they were very nice to look at and also very nice to touch.
Since he didn't want her to touch his back, she pushed his shoulders away and let her hands trail down his chest.
"Okay, I lied," Zuko said with an air of remorse.
Katara stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"I didn't carry you to prove my masculinity," he said.
She grinned. "Well, I didn't think you did." She understood that Zuko didn't always feel comfortable in his skin, but she didn't think it had anything to do with being masculine or not. He wasn't as shallow as Sokka. Clearly he wasn't, if he cared for personality first and bodies later.
"I just really wanted to get you fast into my bed," he said, taking a deep breath, as he stared into her eyes, his facial expression hard from lust, but at the same time soft around his eyes.
Having him looking at her like this was almost enough to make Katara ask him to sleep with her. Oh gods, she was really far gone. But she didn't care now.
"As you enjoy having me on top of you and between your legs so much," he added huskily, pushing his erection once again against her core.
She pressed her head into his pillow, as she opened her mouth to silently moan. "Yes, very much!" she managed to gasp. With no elegance or coordination whatsoever, did Katara try to dig her hands into his hair to pull him back down to kiss him. She wanted to feel his tongue in her mouth. She wanted to devour his mouth and be devoured in return.
For a while, kissing like lunatics, rubbing their bodies against each other and groping all they could reach, was enough, and it was good. It wasn't only overwhelming Katara's senses that were highly sensitive right now, but she also felt comfortable. It almost had a comfortable familiarity to it, something that made her smile.
Zuko tore away with a smile that was almost a grin as he sighed. "I'm glad we talked about this."
Katara raised an eyebrow. "Well, you clearly worried your pretty head over it so much…"
He scowled at her. "I'm not pretty!"
She grinned at him as she moved her hands to his cheeks, pinching them. "So pretty."
He looked annoyed, but at the same time she noticed something else. As his eyes narrowed on her, his body shifted just slightly to relieve some of the pressure he must feel.
She looked at him in disbelief. "Did that just turn you on?"
Under normal circumstances, she would have thought he would blush and downright lie and say no, but for some reason or another, Zuko was a lot braver to talk about physical feelings when he was on top of her.
"Mhm," he hummed. "I was thinking of making you pay for saying that, and that really turned me on."
Katara's breath hitched. Oh, she wanted him to make her pay!
Had she just really thought that?
"And what exactly were you thinking of?" Katara asked, trying to seem nonchalant, even though he was still grinding himself against her.
They moved slowly, but firmly, and it heightened Katara's senses and made her enjoy the lightness with which they just were with each other even more.
"That's for me to know and for you to find out," he whispered, before engulfing her lips with a kiss.
Worrying about the fact that Zuko's punishment could not be very exhilarating as they would not have sex didn't even come to Katara's mind, as he began to rub his hard body all over her. Under normal circumstances, Katara would probably find this situation very funny and ridiculous, Zuko telling her to 'punish' her and throw herself into a fit of amused giggles, but with his hard erection between her legs and lust coursing all through her body, heating and tingling, she really didn't mind. Zuko could tell her about math equations now, and she would probably still feel heavily aroused.
Her fingers dug into his scalp, while she slanted her lips against his, stroking his tongue with her own, sucking it into her mouth. She wound her legs around his hips, but realised it was still not enough.
Zuko's hands pushed down the straps of her bra, clasped her wrists behind his head to push her arms to the side, and rose to his knees. He pulled her up with him, before he took off her bra, eagerly touching her breasts. Katara leaned forward to keep kissing him, as his fingers ran over her mounds and he rubbed his palms over her nipples. She grasped his thighs to support herself and found that her hands went straight next to the tent in his pants.
Katara was not a very big fan of male genitals. They weren't alluring in the slightest. She actually found them to be the most unattractive part of a man's body. But when she was very aroused, she found that she didn't care. When she was very aroused, the male genitals seemed to call to her, to beg her to touch them or sometimes use her mouth.
And she was very aroused now. She opened Zuko's belt and pants to push her hand inside of them to grab his erection.
He groaned loudly into her mouth, before ending the kiss and leaning his forehead onto her shoulder, as he panted heavily. Another groan tore itself from his throat, and his hands began to knead her breasts more firmly.
Licking her lips, Katara tried to touch him as best as she could. Wrapping her hand around him and gliding it up and down, searching deeper to touch his balls…
Zuko suddenly pushed her back, so that she lied down on his bed, as he pressed his body against hers. His hips bucked and she could feel him rubbing into her hand. His mouth was open, and his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth. He kept looking at her through narrowed eyes, his jaw clenched, muscles in his throat taught, and his nostrils flared with every breath he took.
Katara thought he looked magnificent. Beautiful. She didn't want anyone else to see him like this.
He pressed his eyes closed, as he snarled shortly, the veins in his throat bobbing, before he let out a groan as he simultaneously shoved his erection so hard into her hand that he almost pushed her hand away.
Katara pulled his pants down, using her other hand and then her feet to drag them down the length of his legs. It was easier to grasp him this way. The muscles in his shoulders were tense and his arms shook, while he was supporting himself on his elbows.
"Zuko," she whispered.
He opened his eyes abruptly to stare at her.
Her breath hitched. Oh, the way he looked at her right now, it went right to her core.
And to her heart.
"Kiss me," she whimpered.
He attacked her lips with his, his tongue and teeth. Somehow his wild kiss seemed to have the same rhythm as the thrusts of his hips. Katara began to wiggle her body a little to rub her breasts against his chest, moaning into their kiss. She didn't notice that he stopped supporting himself on his right arm but shoved his right hand under her grey checked skirt. She gasped in surprise, when he began to rub her between her legs over her panties.
"Z-Zuko, we…" she panted against his lips.
"It's okay," he said. "Just like that. No more, okay? We're both still wearing something."
Yeah. He didn't actually touch her vagina. He was touching her panties. Just fabric. She felt that fabric rub against her sensitive skin, and that felt good, but they were not going to really touch their most intimate parts or have sex.
But maybe this would still be better than before, because this time they could both find their end.
Pressing her eyes shut and biting onto her lower lip, she began to circle her hips, meeting his hand, as it rubbed against her. Her mouth was wide open, as she tried to quiet her moans. It was not hard to keep touching him in return. The more aroused she became, the more she needed to touch him, too, and the more passionate and harder she pressed her hand against his length. Maybe it was the same for him, as he increased the pace of his hips and fingers at the same time, before he sank his face to her shoulder and pressed his lips against her skin, groaning.
She could feel him kiss, and lick her skin, suck, and she wondered if he would leave a mark. She wanted him to leave one, that was for sure.
His mouth travelled southwards to kiss and lick at her breasts, twirling his tongue around one nipple, then the other. It made her chest feel so warm, like every part of her body which was covered by him felt warm. The fact that her feet and arms felt a little chilly only enhanced the feeling of heat in her centre.
She felt that her panties became drenched with her arousal, and suddenly couldn't feel any difference between whether she only felt her panties or his fingers, too. She swallowed, knowing that he had probably shoved the fabric aside.
"Zuko!" she said in an alarmed tone, not knowing if she should shove him away or let it be. "I… Are you still only touching my panties?"
He looked up at her, his from lust contorted face opening up, as his eyes widened, and his eyebrows rose. He looked back down between her legs. "Oh," he said in a voice that made it clear that he hadn't noticed the change. "I guess not." He swallowed. "It just… Your panties are… I didn't mean to…" He looked back up into her face, now looking slightly panicked. "They just moved!"
Katara took a deep breath, stammering "Ok-kay," as she breathed out. She shortly pressed her eyes closed, trying to concentrate on something other than the desire burning in her. "Y-you can continue."
She guessed it had happened accidentally through his wild rubbing, so she didn't feel like calling him out on betraying her trust. Besides, it felt heavenly and she didn't want him to stop.
"Are you sure?"
She opened her eyes again to see Zuko looking worriedly into her face.
Oh, for the gods' sake! "Yes, it's okay!" She waved her free hand into his hair to pull him down for another kiss.
Zuko didn't have anything to say against that, and he almost immediately started to stroke her again and thrust himself into her hand. She groaned into his mouth, rolling her hips with his, enjoying this erotic moment with this extraordinary man.
Just then did she feel her orgasm arriving. She relaxed slightly, knowing that relaxing before only intensified it for her every time. She tried not to tense in anticipation, not to think too much about it, but combed through his hair, kept her pace, quickening it when he did, too, hoping he would come soon, because the muscles in her right arm hurt so much she was afraid her arm would fall off. She really liked to rub him through his shorts, but the up and down motion was tiring for her muscles.
Her orgasm came in waves. First, it was a short, weak one, the tingling feeling flooding her whole body, as her toes curled, her thighs tensed, then a stronger one overcame her, causing her to arch her back and open her mouth in a silent moan. The last waves shook her body, as she felt the wonderful fluttering feeling in her stomach.
Her brain clouded with warmth and comfortableness, blissful mist filling every corner, keeping all thoughts away. Breathing through her mouth, her throat became dry, and her legs felt as heavy, as if someone had filled her veins with hot concrete. She didn't know if hot concrete was a thing, but it certainly didn't feel like cold concrete in her legs.
Her arms went limp, but she still knew at the back of her mind that Zuko had most definitely not climaxed. He pushed himself against her now, pressing between her legs, groaning. His head had lifted, as she saw when she opened her eyes. He was staring at her in rapture, his hands caressing the sides of her breasts.
Katara panted, trying to catch her breath, she knew her arms were too weak now to pump him. Instead she raised her hands to his buttocks and squeezed, lifting her hips to press her warm, wet core to the tent in his shorts. She felt a little too stimulated, but she ignored the urge to jerk her hips away from his. She wanted him to come, too, but she knew she wasn't in any condition to coax it from his body with hers.
"You made me come," she panted instead, hoping dirty talk worked on Zuko. "I came so strongly because of you."
Oh, it definitely worked on him. The muscles in his face, jaw, throat, and shoulders all tensed even more, and it looked as if his pupils dilated so much that his eyes almost looked black. She saw how he shuddered.
"You made me feel so good. Your hand was amazing against my clitoris. You found all the spots that I like," she whispered, wondering what to say next. She was glad she had already orgasmed, as she couldn't feel any embarrassment now anymore. He had seen her at a vulnerable point, and a little dirty talk, which would normally make her blush, was nothing compared to this.
"And having your cock in my hand turned me on so much!"
It looked like his eye started to twitch, before he pressed his eyes shut and snarled ferociously, while his muscles tensed so much his head was shaking, as he dropped his forehead to her shoulder, sucking harshly on her skin again, biting into her flesh, quieting his groan, as she felt his hips shake against hers. She made an odd noise between a squeak and a whimper at the pain on her shoulder.
It was all warm, hot, wet, and way too overstimulated between her legs, but she still felt him coming. His tip was pressed against her, he was shaking, and pressing forward at the same time, as it became hotter and damper between their lower bodies.
Katara stared at the ceiling, her eyes wide open, her mouth, too, as she tried to calm her nerves.
Zuko's breathing was loud against her ear, as he collapsed on top of her, and she could hear him groan deeply, in a raspy way, which sounded so sexy. She had to close her eyes, as she tried to savour this moment.
She had seen Zuko orgasm. He'd made her orgasm. To share such an experience always made her feel more connected to the other person than simple snogging. They had been vulnerable together. He'd trusted her not to touch his back again. He hadn't said anything about his back just now, but she remembered his words from before last time.
She wished she could trust him enough to always be this vulnerable with him. She wished he would trust her enough to keep being vulnerable, to open up, to unfold his soul and show her everything that was inside down to its very core. She knew she would love and accept it.
"Gods, that was…" He was still panting, as he lifted himself off her to look at her face.
Sweat glittered on his nose and cheekbones, running down his neck to his shoulders and chest. His hair stuck to his forehead, and she couldn't resist reaching up, brushing it to the sides.
She swallowed. "Yeah…"
He grinned shortly in a sheepish way. "Thanks for… not stopping in the end."
She blushed. "I didn't know if dirty talk would work."
He groaned. "Oh, it did!"
Her breasts felt heavy, as she felt something tingle behind her navel again. Oh man. How could this man arouse her so much? Well, his voice was definitely a reason for it. And the way he looked at her. His rosy lips. His shiny hair. His slight stubble along his cheeks. His dark lashes, the memory and the aftershocks of her orgasm.
"I'm glad it did. You shouldn't feel left out," she said in a teasing voice.
His grin returned, before he let himself fall next to her, stretching like a panther again.
Katara yawned. "You made me tired," she complained. "I still have stuff to read for tomorrow."
"Same." Zuko laid an arm over her stomach, as he pressed his chest against her shoulder, half engulfing her in a hug as he snuggled closer.
Her heart beat faster, and she just wanted to smile at nothing in particular. Just smile because she felt happy.
"I'm sure we can take a short nap," he murmured, nuzzling her hair.
She closed her eyes, feeling content. "Okay."
oOo
When Zuko woke up, he was still glued to Katara's side. His right arm lied across her stomach, and his left arm was bent under his head.
He could feel her breaths through her rising and sinking chest.
Was she still asleep? And if not, would she find it strange that he wasn't leaning away?
"Katara?" he asked lowly.
"Hm?" she replied in a distracted manner.
Frowning, he raised his head from her shoulder a little and looked at her.
She had his blanket pulled over her breasts and was reading something on her phone. Her hair lied over her other shoulder.
"How long have you been awake?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Not long, if that's what you're worried about. I just wanted to get some homework done, but I also didn't want to wake you up."
He stretched, noticing that his blanket covered him, too.
His thoughts turned to the reason for his current state of (un-)dress, and a lazy smile spread on his lips. This had been some really good making out. And Katara was…
His eyes travelled over her face and down her throat.
Yeah, she was really something. He would have never thought that making out with a woman he didn't have deep feelings for could be so good. Then again, the thought had never crossed his mind.
"Thanks," he said, as he rubbed his eyes, before sitting up.
Katara squeaked and held onto the blanket, as it threatened to fall down her chest, as Zuko's move had made it slide down.
He looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I saw your naked breasts already. I touched, kissed, and licked them," he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
Katara blushed. "Yeah… But that's different. When you did that… I was thinking about other things, and… I just don't feel comfortable with a bare chest."
Zuko's alarm bells began to ring. Of course. He was displaying a bare chest, too. Which meant that his back was bare as well!
He couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed. Trying to swallow down the panic, Zuko said "Uhuh" and moved backwards out of his bed.
Now he just had to find his t-shirt and put it on, without turning his back to Katara. But that meant he would have to walk backwards, and that was weird. Maybe she wouldn't notice. She was still reading something on her phone, after all.
While he watched her lying in his bed, his feet moved backwards almost by themselves. He wasn't so keen on turning around and stopping looking at Katara.
When he bent down to retrieve his shirt from the floor, not taking his eyes off Katara, she looked up at him.
"I'm not showing my breasts, why are you staring at me?" she said irritably.
He blinked. "Am I not allowed to look at you?"
"'Looking' and 'staring' are two different things, my friend."
"So why am I not allowed to stare at you?"
She contorted her eyebrows and snapped her mouth shut, pouting a little, as she was thinking about what he'd said. Her gaze turned to her right, near the ceiling, and Zuko put on his shirt.
His heartbeat calmed again, and he felt like he could breathe freer. His scars were covered. He didn't have to be afraid of Katara seeing them.
"Because it's weird," she said. "We are friends who make out. We can only stare at each other, when we look ridiculous or when we're naked. Not when all body parts are covered, and we do normal stuff."
"So lying in my bed without a bra is normal?" Zuko asked, half joking, but also half serious.
Katara blushed crimson red and sat up, holding his blanket in place. "For us. Because we make out, yes. It's not normal for any other girl to lie in your bed without a bra," she snapped and swung her legs out of his bed, looking searchingly over the floor, then back over the bed. "Where is my bra?"
Zuko shrugged. "Should be here somewhere. I didn't throw it away."
Katara shot him a glare, before she searched under his blanket, but still trying to glare at him and cover her breasts. It was really amusing. Zuko thought that Katara looked like a disgruntled cat.
He crossed his arms across his chest. "Why is it that you're not in a good mood whenever we have fallen asleep, after we snogged?"
She sniffed but pulled her bra out from under his blanket in a triumphant gesture.
Zuko hadn't looked at the piece of fabric before, only caring about what had been hidden underneath, but now he saw that it had a dark blue-green colour and was covered with lace.
Katara put her bra on in that way that seemed to be wrong, because it was not put on like a t-shirt. She sighed. "Well, it's not about sleeping or snogging. It's just that you can be irritating."
Zuko frowned. Hm, well, why did he have to ask?
"Not that I don't like you! I find all people I like to be irritating, actually," she said. "These qualities don't cancel each other out."
"Oh, okay. Yeah, sure. I wasn't… well…"
Katara stood up, her hair falling down her shoulders, only wearing that grey skirt and her blue-green bra.
Zuko knew he still had homework to do, and he knew he would love to strip Katara of that bra again, but he also had a very sticky, uncomfortable feeling in his shorts. Normally, he washed himself before sleeping, but he hadn't thought about this earlier one bit. He just really didn't want any of it to leave his shorts. Thank the gods, he was wearing a tight one! He pointed over his shoulder to the door. "I'm going to the bathroom. You can do your homework however you like. You can use my desk if you want to, and the pens, if you need one. Or the notebooks. It's also dinner time, and would you like to stay? For dinner, I mean. Or the night, it depends on you, really. I'm fine with both. I mean, it would be cool if you'd stay, but it's not necessary." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Stop rambling, Zuko!
She smiled at him. "I'd definitely like to stay for dinner. But I've got to get up really early tomorrow, so I wouldn't have much time to drive home and dress."
"Okay. So I'll drive you home later then?"
She raised her shoulders. "You don't have to."
"I know."
"Thanks!" She raised her chin and smiled at him, which made Zuko forget for a moment that he had wanted to go to the bathroom.
oOo
"How has your research on Song Wen come along?" asked Ozai Zuko, as he led him from the patio of the Volcano Club down towards the park.
Zuko licked his lips and put his hands behind his back. "It has come along well, Father. I know of Song Wen's friends and hobbies. She's studying medicine to later help the family company. Her social media life is quite detailed."
Ozai nodded. "This is fortunate, then. Did you only look at her account or did you also send her a friendship request?"
Zuko rose his eyebrows. Friendship request? What was Ozai talking about? Facebook?
"I follow her on several social media accounts. She followed me back just yesterday."
Ozai smiled in a satisfied way. "Good. Good. Well then, I will tell you how we will use Song Wen to make you break up with Katara Qinu."
"How, Father?"
Ozai sent Zuko a sharp look. "Are you really sure that Katara loves you?"
Zuko felt a little overwhelmed but nodded. "Yes, of course, Father."
"Alright. The success of this plan depends on her feelings for you." Ozai took a deep breath. "This summer, we will go to the French Riviera again. Katara will come with you. The Wen family will be there, too, to attend the Dongs' summer festival party. I want you to befriend Song in a complete platonic and innocent way that will still make Katara jealous. No one is to see anything more than friendship between you and Song, but Katara has to become angry. Irrational. This is how she will end your relationship without winning the public's sympathy. You will fight in public over Song, and you will tell Katara that you only love her. You will reassure her. You will be seen as a loving, young man, while Katara will be a jealous fury. Do not let her break up with you before the final elections. After the breakup, you will spend time platonically with Song Wen, but you will make her fall for you. I already have a plan to put a new man in Katara's life, right after the breakup. She will look like a hypocritical slut, and then no one will have any sympathy left for her."
Zuko's eyes widened with shock. What? But…? This was horrible!
"You will show Song Wen five months after your breakup with Katara that you're ready to date a new woman. I need you to be very happy with Song for my future business plan…"
Zuko couldn't hear his father talk anymore. It felt like all the noises had disappeared from his environment.
This was what his father wanted to make Katara go through?
To Ozai, Katara was in love with Zuko. So he wanted to make her doubt this relationship by planting another woman in the middle. And he didn't only want to make Katara suffer from jealousy and heartbreak, but he wanted to ridicule her in public. He wanted to make her look so bad that probably everyone would just hate her. She'd be the jealous, slutty demon and Song the wonderful angel.
His hands clenched to fists. How could he make Katara go through that? Even though they would talk about this, discuss this and he would not really break her heart, he didn't want everyone in Elementia to think of Katara as a hypocrite.
And he knew her! He knew she would never do something like this! This was so far from the truth!
The worst thing was that he thought Katara might even be okay with this. She could see the logic and the reasoning behind it – to not make the Kasaishi family look bad – and would think that there was no other solution. She might agree to this horrible plan.
And when they went through with the plan… Then he would have to concentrate on another woman. A woman yet unknown. He would need to fake liking another woman. And Song would surely not accept being paid to play his fake girlfriend. Song Wen didn't have money problems. Keeping her from finding a job did not make her desperate, she didn't need a job, because she was living on her family's money! And he was sure that he could not like kissing that Song as much as he enjoyed kissing Katara.
After going through with the plan, he would never be able to kiss Katara ever again. He might not even be able to see her again. They would have to stop being friends, too.
His first thought of how to react was to run away from Ozai, snatch Katara from wherever she was right now and run away, so that no one would tell him that he couldn't see her anymore.
But that was just fantasy.
This was the real life. And in real life, people didn't get to do things they wanted to. In real life, people had to make sacrifices.
Zuko still didn't listen to his father, as he lifted his head to look over the grounds of the club. It was a beautiful day at the end of May, the sky was blue and void of any clouds. The sun rays weren't burning yet but caressing his face almost gently. A soft breeze ruffled his hair, which he had become used to wearing down without combing or slicking it back.
His gaze drifted to the lake, on which boats were swimming, or in which people were swimming as well as fishing. When the sky was mirrored in the water, it almost had the same shade of blue as Katara's eyes.
Even if he would not be allowed to see her again, he still had eight months to spend with her. And he knew that after that he would never be able to forget about her.
Thanks for reading!:D Don't forget to review!
So what do you all think?
We had some serious snogging from Katara's point of view this time...
We finally know about Ozai's plan to get rid of Katara as a 'family member'. He is pretty nasty, right?
I actually have no idea if tight shorts keep a man's seed inside of them after an orgasm. I just thought they could, this way there wouldn't be a mess on the bed sheets, but I had not got the opportunity to ask anyone if this is logical, or the chapter would have gone online at the end of the week instead. I think this is a little too personal, but just in case anyone reads this and thinks 'Huh? Why was Zuko's seed not seeping out? Oh, these shorts had to be reeeeaaaally tight'.
With tight shorts I mean normal shorts for men, those with the band on which the brand is often printed on. I didn't mean these really tight shorts that some men wear for swimming. I think Zuko's underwear would be perfectly normal and mostly serve a practical function.
And I think I've shown a bit about how Zuko falls more and more in love without even realising it. But he'll realise it soon.
And that's it for today...
Answers to reviews:
To uchihaNaruto247: Yeah, and I never noticed Zuko being a hypocrite through the entire series. After all, he never blames other people for things he does himself, so it seemed pretty OOC to make him act like that. Thanks. Now that I think of it, I think I wanted Zuko to have a best friend, but it couldn't be Sokka or Aang, they had to hate or dislike Zuko. And well, Jet wanted to be Zuko's friend in the series at first. And a Zuko who had to sit next to him during lessons for an entire year, while both hated their teacher... I just think that a friendship could have developed there. (Their teacher was supposed to be the fat captain from the refugees' ferry to Ba Sing Se.) I don't know why I didn't make Jet hate all people from the Western Province, but I think I just wanted Zuko to have a best friend too much. I still think of whether or not Jet will come to hate Zuko in the future of this fic, because that would be canon... However, I also like their friendship the way I made it, so I don't know yet what to do. Oh, well, I didn't mean that Azula had only pictures with Zuko from her family, but these were the only ones Katara was interested in. And I also think that Azula just has more pictured with Zuko, because he's her age and gets more about this social media stuff. I also noticed that of the few celebrities I follow on Instagram, none of them ever posted anything with their parents, only with a cousin or a sibling... Thank you!:) And thanks so much for your review!
To KatMora606: Usé google translator: ¡Muchas gracias! :) Creo que Jet pudo sentir profundamente y comprender los sentimientos de los demás. De lo contrario, no habría acogido a todos esos niños ni habría fundado los Freedom Fighters. Podría haberse convertido en un ladrón ignorante que solo se preocupa por su propia supervivencia, pero en cambio eligió rodearse de personas que sufrieron un destino similar al suyo. Muchos autores de fanfiction lo retratan como tonto, molesto, obsesionado con Zuko y realmente molesto. Todo esto es muy divertido, y me gusta leer fics como ese, pero no es como creo que Jet era realmente. Creo que era muy leal con sus amigos y, aunque su causa estaba equivocada, también lo era. Aquí, sus padres no fueron asesinados frente a él y no tiene ninguna razón para odiar a la familia de Zuko ... De hecho, nunca me gustó Jet en la serie, pero todavía lloro cuando muere. Era solo un niño, víctima de las circunstancias, y se hubiera merecido mucho mejor. Y realmente creo que él y Zuko podrían haberse convertido en grandes amigos, si tuvieran la oportunidad. Bueno, Google tradujo que crees que este capítulo iba a ser brutal, pero quise decir "picante" en un sentido metafórico. Solo que Zuko y Katara iban a besarse, nada más. ¡Gracias!: D Bueno, si quieres traducir mi historia, ¡adelante! :) No olvides dar crédito:D (I was actually thinking of answering you in French or German to make you use google translator, too, but I feared that too much of what I meant would get lost then...:))
To Smckoy929: Well, you're welcome!:D It gladdens me to know there are people out there who are excited to find out how this fic will continue. And that you are one of them and keep being one of them, although my writing pace isn't the fastest;) Thank you for your review!:)
To lucyinthesky1249: Oh, I know this feeling all too well when starting a new fic. But at least my fic wasn't updated last in 2015 like the Zutara fic I've been reading today... And well, I got to keep the suspense high at the end of the last chapter. The thing is when a chapter ends with questions and unresolved problems, I'll write the next chapter faster than if it ended with an agreement or characters being safe and happy. Anyway, thank you for reading my story and leaving a review!:) I hope you liked this chapter, too.
